The Trick and the Folly

Formed in 1694, for twenty-five years the Bank of England competed with other institutions to be the only public bank in England. In the wake of a wrenching civil war and a nearly bloodless revolution, England enjoyed a period of freedom unprecedented in its history. In London, particularly, the Crown and the Church exercised an ever decreasing control over people's lives, leaving individuals to believe anything was achievable.But it was a time of great naivety. New ideas, yet to be explore...