Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	king_n	reign_n	richard_n	2,777	5	8.4476	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35196	An essay on the coyn and credit of England as they stand with respect to its trade by John Cary.	Cary, John, d. 1720?	1696 (1696)	Wing C729; ESTC R24728	16,917	49

so small parts as Silver might On the other Side Lead Iron Tin Copper c. being more common would have been too bulky to be made the Standards of Trade nor could Diamonds or other precious Stones answer the end for besides the abuse which might be put on the World by their Counterfeits their value arises only from Fancy and from such Rules that a common Eye cannot easily distinguish Silver being thus settled became by its Weight and Fineness a Standard to the value both of these and all other Commodities which were purchased by a quantity set out and measur'd by the Scale and this continued in the former Ages of the World till the vast increase of Commerce and Traffick made the several Princes who found their Advantages by Trade endeavour to render it more easie to their Subjects This was done by forming Silver into lesser parts and by their Stamp giving a Warrantie both to the Fineness and weight of each Piece which they guarded with Laws equally Sanguinary with those which secured their Crowns The first was called the Standard which is a mixture of some Allay with the finest Silver and though it might be wished that all Trading Nations had agreed upon the same yet since they have not the Coyn of each Nation stands in Competition according to the true Weight and Fineness of the Silver in their Money without any respect to the Denomination which were it not for other Accidents that attend it would be the Par and Measure of all Exchanges The Standard or Sterling Silver of this Kingdom is Eleven Ounces Two Penny Weight Troy of the Finest Silver mixt with Eighteen Penny weight of Fine Copper and according to this Proportion should all our Coyn and Standard Plate be mixt which Composition makes it more fit both for the Stamp and also for Utensils being else too soft to be wrought up of its self and if more allayed would become too Brittle and wear like Brass as our Workmen generally agree But whatever might be the cause that perswaded our Kings to settle this Allay it hath continued to be the Standard of England ever since the Reign of King Richard the First being first contrived and brought hither by the Easterlings a Trading People living in the Eastern Parts of Germany who dealt with us for our Product Many good Laws have been since made to keep it from being vitiated which were they as well put in Execution the deceits used by the Workers of that Commodity to the increase of their Private Estates by abusing the ignorant Buyers might soon be put to an end Next to the finess the weight of our Money was to be secured and that to be done in such Parts that one Piece should answer another Thus the English Crown as it comes out of the Mint weighs Nineteen Penny weight and Eight Grains the Half Crown is just one half of that Weight the Shilling one Fifth and the Six Pence one Tenth so that these pieces receive their values from their Weights not from their Names though some unthinking People have supposed otherwise which Error hath been the ground of many Disputes and given Opportunitys to cunning Knaves of abusing our Coyn both by adulterating the Standard and lessening its Weight and others finding Advantage by this Confusion have devised Arguments to maintain their false Propositions such as these that it hath made Trade to circulate That it past currantly from Man to Man That it hinder'd our Money from being carry'd abroad and such like never considering that the Kingdom of England may Trade till it becomes Bankrupt that it is not Buying and Selling amongst our Selves which makes this Nation Rich or able to support its Self but the Trade we drive with Forreign Nations particular Men may get whilst the Nation in general looses by the Trade it drives It is a certain and undeniable Maxim that what is the true Interest of England is the Interest of every particular English Man for though private Men may seem to get by the ruine of the Publick this lasts but for an Age and their Posteritys will have cause to lament the ill Consequences a Trade so driven will produce No doubt the badness of our Money was the cause of a great Circulation in our Home Trade but this arose from other Reasons then are commonly considered and the Consequence being the advance of Guinneys caused our Product and Manufactures to be sold to Foreigners at undervalues who would have been enabled thereby in a short time to have carryed on the Trade of Europe on better Terms then we could Which things being duly considered by our Legislative Power 't was thought fit the last Sessions to call in all the debased Money then Currant and to reduce our Coyn by Degrees to the old Standard and Weight this gave fresh occasions for Clamours and the People were again furnish'd by the Money Jobbers with new Arguments against the Government Trade 't is true was hereby put to a stop and this could not be helpt nothing else could be expected when ever our Money should have come to be mended the most clamorous thought it necessary to be done only desired that it might be deferred some time longer or at least to express it in their own Terms that the Money might be raised and that the Crown might pass for Six Shillings this they did suppose would cause more Silver to be brought into England and less to be carry'd out because it would be worth more in England then in any other part of Christendom they argued in all Companies that the Trade of England was apparently slackened since the Small Money was made unpassable and Guineys reduc'd from Thirty Shillings to Two and Twenty whereas they did not consider that this was Non causa Pro causa 't was the Fear and constant Expectation of the calling in and mending our Silver Money and as a Consequence thereof the falling of Guineys which made every Man willing to shift off the loss and to discharge himself of his Money as fast as he receiv'd it by turning it into some Commodities which he might part with at less loss to himself then he supposed the Money would be if he kept it by him so that had the Parliament gratified these Mens desires it would not have had the Consequence they expected because the Standard being once fixt that uncertainty had ceased I speak thus because I am obliged to Answer such Arguments in the Language of the Proposer For my own Part I am of Opinion and I believe most unbyassed Men will agree with me that Silver cannot be raised or fallen in the Sense these Men would have it the true value of Silver consisting in its Weight and Fineness cannot properly be said to rise or fall or to be worth more in one place then in another if Silver rises it must be either with respect to its Self or to something else the former is absurd an Ounce of fine Silver