Judicious consider And if I should adventure to give my opinion freely touching the matter in hand I am very much induced to believe that were it not for the Cloathing-trade which imploys so many Ships and Men into several other Countries and for the value of our Cloaths bring their Goods by which means the poor also are set on work that a great part of the Traffick and Commerce of the world would fail and this Trade as formerly intimated is and may be most readily roundly and advantagiously driven in England were we but so pollitique and carefully as to keep our Wooll to our selves and within the King's Dominions of England and Ireland and to set the people closly to their work again And before I do leave the Argument I have ingaged in let there be considered the good quantities of Cloath and Stuffs English Cloath and Stuffs serve all the world that did go over continually to Holland and Flanders and by them there dispersed otherways the large quantities of Stuffs and Bays that are sent over to Portugall and thence Transported to Brazilia c with a very considerable number of Cloaths and Stuffs that go to Spain and by the Spaniards Transported to the West-Indies all over the good quantities of Perpetuanies and such like Stuffs that are carried out for Guinea together of late days with the large stores of Broad-cloaths Kersies Sarges Cottons Pennistons Duffels or Hogs Transported to our own Plantations of New-England and Virginia with what also must supply Barbadoes Jamaica and our other Islands in the West-Indies and forreign Plantations all which are the manufacture of Wooll Clothing more worth to England The Premises considered I hope I may make bold to say that setting aside all the rest of the Rich and Staple commodities of England which nevertheless are as good as any Country can parrallel in the world as Tinn Lead Iron c. this very commodity produced from our Wooll is of than the commodity of any Country whatsoever more worth and value to England that is to say will bring in more profit to the Kingdom of England than all the Silks or rich commodities of any Country whatsoever Yea doubtless more than all the Spices of the South-Seas yea I do believe and I have reason enough to lead me so to do than all the Spaniards Gold and Silver Mines in America for none of these I am throughly perswaded can any way equallize that yearly Revenue that doth or may come into the Kingdom of England by this one commodity diversly made up of our Wooll Neither doth any Nation in the world get so much by any of their Goods as England doth by this to the great enriching and advancement of the Merchant and the Companies Stocks trading and adventuring in these goods to Sea Encrease of Seamen the enriching of His Majesty the encrease of our strength in Shipping and consequently the breeding and training up of Seamen and increase of them wherein as before intimated a great part of the welfare safety of the Kingdom doth consist in these our days and the incouragement of whom is of great concernment to the Kingdom as the case now stands with England and her neighboring Nations or as the case may hereafter fall out to be for our Land is an Island as is known well enough not only to its Inhabitants but to all Europe and we have not nor cannot have Castles and Garrisons round about the whole kingdom by the Sea-side to beat off a forreign Enemy and to keep him from landing and invading our Nation for in fair weather in Summer The King's care for the Security of the Nation time there may be landing in hundreds of places about the Kingdom where there is neither Town nor Castle neer but such is His Majesties great prudence and care for the safety of his Land and People that he doth highly esteem and promote the affairs of Shipping more than ever any of his Royal Predecessors have done well knowing that his Ships and Seamen are the strength and security next to the protection of the Almighty of his whole kingdom I shall now endeavor to give some particular account but very briefly of the Profits arising to England by working up our Wooll into Cloth every two pounds of Wooll which is worth about twenty pence will make a yard of Karsey worth five or six shillings and every four pounds of Wooll worth about three shillings four pence will make a yard of broad-cloth worth eleven or twelve shillings so Profit by working up wooll that two thirds is the least profit that doth arise by putting our Wool into Manufactures which doth amount to above 230 pounds sterling profit in every Tun of Wooll so wrought up accounting twenty hundred English wait to the Tun so that if we should suppose but an hundred Tuns of Wooll transported out of the Kingdome in a year to France unwrought it will amount to 22400ll sterling which is so much clear loss to the Kingdome and trebble so much profit to France by their working up three times so much of their own with ours as hath been formerly intimated besides it is worthy of consideration that so many of our poor lye Poor idle idle and lose their imployment being ready to perish for want of necessary food notwithstanding the great plenty in the Land and no Kingdome hath the like advantages for the imployment of the poor in any Trade or occupation within doors whatsoever as we have for the poor in his Majesties dominion of England about the old and new Drapery and yet those poor that had their hands full of work in one kind or another according to what they were most accustomed either by sorting of wooll mixing breaking carding spinning spoling quilling weaving making of cards picking of â—esels and many other imployments concerning the working up wooll into cloth which have kept many thousands of men women and children at work who knew not how to get a penny another way but by this way Poor get Money if Imployed of working could in some comfortable manner live When the trade of clothing was driven roundly one family that doth not get twelve pence a week now have then received twelve fifteen or eighteen shillings a week which money went round to the Farmer for provision or to the Shopkeeper for necessaries for their Families and this again to the Merchant or to the Landlords according to each man's Trade and correspondence So that the profit arising by the working up of our Wooll into cloth or Stuffs here in England by our own people is almost unspeakable and is the great and chief wheel in the Kingdome to set all others at work as hath been already in several Trades mentioned and more do attend upon it when it is made into cloth as the Clothworkers Drawers Dyers Fullers Packers Merchants and Seamen But then to enter into the consideration of the contrary what an
unspeakable loss is it to the Kingdome to have such Exporting Wooll a Trade fall to decay and so many thousands of poor must of necessity be multiplyed in the Land which must beg steal or starve for want of imployment But what think you if three or four hundred Tuns of Wooll in a year be exported out of the Kingdome for so I have been informed what a stroke doth that give to the beating down of our Trade in England and what a vast loss comes thereby to the Kingdome and Fall of Rents may we not justly be induced to believe that the decay of our Trade in this respect doth occasion the fall of the rents of Lands in the Countrey and houses in the City of London and else where fo that the Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdome have a sensible feeling of the decay of this Trade of clothing for all that the poor do get for their labour about The poors labor profit to the Nation this Imployment goes from them again to others as hath been already intimated and so the money goeth round according to its figure and passeth from one to another according as one trade hath dependance upon another It may not be here unseasonable to insert a word or two concerning our Fullers Earth for cloth cannot be perfectly finished without our Fullers Earth to scoure and cleanse the fine Fullers Earth carried out of the Land clothes that are milled with Castle sope and all other midling cloths that are fulled with Sope so that none but course clothes that are milled with Medicine can be well done without the assistance of our Fullers earth except at a greater charge neither is there any other Countrey besides our King's Dominions that have any Fullers Earth like ours in England it is so reported that the Dutch have gotten enough of it into Into Holland Holland to serve them for many years to come which was certainly transported out of the River of Medway alias Chatham for we have none in England but what is about Maidstone on the said River of Medway that ever I could hear of except at Wooburn in Bedfordshire which is an Inland-town and many Miles from the Sea yet I have been a diligent inquirer into this matter so that if the Transportation of this commodity into Forrein Countries was carefully looked after it could not possibly be carried out of the Land without a discovery of it especially from the River of Medway aforesaid so that forreigners must of necessity be at the greater charge in finishing their clothes which could not be done without the help of our Fullers Earth Now that there is a prohibition of Exportation of our Fullers Earth to Forreign parts is well enough known to the Officers of the Custome house but it is not looked after as it should be for either some of them are negligent not regarding their duties and behaving themselves with that vigilance and circumspection as such places of Trust do necessarily call for at their hands or else they wink at such miscarriages and suffer our Fullers Earth to be carried away as the like is commonly done concerning our Wooll And although most part of our Lawes are binding enough with severe Penalties annexed to them if they were but duly observed and well put into Execution yet not one of ten thousand doth know the Lawes of Prohibition throughout the Kingdom and how to put them into Execution and although Wooll carryâ—d to France c. many people do certainly know that Fullers Earth is certainly carried out of the River of Medway alias Chathan and our Wooll commonly shipped off from Dover-Cliffs by night from Rumney-Marsh the Isle of Wight Purbeck and about Waymouth and in several other parts of England and too much from Southhamton under the pretence of an Allowance by the Law for the supply of Jarsey Yet no body doth or dareth to prosecute the Offenders for the breach of our good and wholsome Laws because the very principles of Nature in every man teach himself Preservation and he that minds but that is afraid to meddle with these offenders who are commonly Rich men and strengthened both with Money and Friends in the Counties where they dwell so that every man that is willing to preserve himself his Estate and Family is afraid of appearing against these Transgressors in the behalf of the King though it be never so much conducible to the good and welfare of the whole Kingdom for fear they should be dealt withal as I have been And while I am speaking about the negligence and unfaithfulness of the Officers of the Customs give me leave in two or three words for a Digression concerning the importation of Forrein prohibited Commodities to the utter ruine of many poor Tradesmen with their Families in this our Kingdom as Ribbon Weavers and Silk weavers and other such Tradesmen undone like Artificers in about London and several other parts of the Kingdom that they are so miserably Impoverished that they are ready to perish for want of necessary food to keep life and soul together as our English Proverb is notwithstanding the great plenty of all sorts of Provision in the Nation through the goodness and bounty of God to us But all these errours and miscarriages might and may easily be prevented by the care and vigilancy of the Custome Officers especially in the out-Ports But some Officers finding a perticular and present profit by being invested with a Golden Livery do rather choose that than to do their King and Countrey faithful service although it be also running the hazard of losing their present Imployment and future Preferment for things of this Nature are now grown to that height of perfidiousness and confidence I might say Smugglers prosecute honest men Impudence that two or three golden Decoys are sufficient to intrap an inclining Surveyor and if there should chance to be a discovery or a surprisal there shall be all present help at hand if need require for the carrying off the matter smoothly and Witnesses in any case shall not be wanting to That discover them counterfeit Truth and Justice when it is directly contrary by which malicious and unnatural courses those that would be just and honest in their places and Offices are disheartned through the leud and deceitful practices of these Catterpillars who by such indirect Courses are disobedient to the Lawes and the Smugglers that imploy them do multiply great troubles upon such as at any time discover these Offenders yea and do violently prosecute them at the Law to make them Examples and terrors to others that so they might drive on their cheating trade without controul and yet such honest well-minded men do nothing but their duty but for that they have this odium cast upon them they are called Informing Knaves c. notwithstanding the welfare of the whole Kingdome doth in a great measure depend upon the discovery of such
transgress the Kings Laws in transporting Wooll c. to forreigners destroy as much as in them lyes the happiness of a whole Kingdome and are the procuring causes and Instruments to bring many thousands to great miseries and languishing deaths There were many good Laws made for the setling the Aulingers Office and preventing frauds and deceipts in work in all sorts of Drapery both old and new which are too redious to recite though many of them be very necessary to be observed for the credit and reputation of our Manufacture but I shall only set forth where they are to be found and refer the ingenious and judicial to the perusal of the Statutes themselves which are the Statutes concerning Wooll and clothing 25. of Edw. 3. Cap. 4. 27. Ed. 3. Stat. 4. 50. Ed. 3. Stat. 7. and 8. 3 Ric. 2. cap. 2. Stat. 7. Ric. 29. 13. Ri. 2. Stat. 10. 13. Ric. 2. Stat. 11. 17. Ric. 2. Stat. 2. and 13. 13 Hen. 4. Stat. 24. 9 Hen. 4. Stat. 2. 11 Hen. 4. Stat. 6. 11 Hen. 6. Stat. 9. 4 Ed. 4. Stat. 1. 7 Edw. 4. Stat. 2. 17 Edw. 4. Stat. 3. 7 Edw. 4. Stat. 5. 1 Rich. 3. Stat. 3. and 4. 3 Hen. 7. Stat. 7. and 71. 3 Hen. 8. Stat. 7. and 8. 5 Hen. 2. Stat. 8. 1 Hen. 8. Stat. 11. 6 Hen. 8. Stat. 9. 25 Hen. 8. Stat. 18. 27 Hen. 8. Stat. 11. 6 Hen. 8. Stat. 9. 25 Hen. 8. Stat. 18. 27 Hen. 8. and Stat. 13. 33 He. 8. Stat. 3. 33 Hen. 8. Stat. 19. 4 Eliz. 6. Stat. and 2. and 5. 3 Phil. and Mary 11. 4 and 5 Stat. 3 Phil. and M. Stat. 4 and 5. 5 Phil. and Mary Stat. 5. and 8. 7 Eliz. Stat. 12. 33 Eliz. Stat. 9. 27 Eliz. Stat. 18. 39 Eliz. Stat. 11. 29 Eliz. Stat 20. Cards for Wooll were prohibited to be brought out of other Countries into England or Wales none were to transport sheep beyond Sea without the King's Licence there was a limitation upon keeping Sheep and an appointment how many sheep each man should keep upon the penalty of 3 Shill 4 pence for every sheep more than his number And if it be as the Company of Silk-Weavers and Ribbon-weavers say as doubtless it is there are an hundred thousand people small and great that depends upon that trade in and about the City of London then how many may be supposed rationally to be in the whole Kingdome that have their dependance on the trade of clothing in the old and new Drapery and other Trades which have a dependence upon or relation unto the Trade of Clothing and which know not how to earn a penny any other way since that trade is in a great measure lost and lest off but these poor people live idly and go a begging for their bread among which also are many children from 8 years of age to 15. which can very well get a living about the trade of clothing for that they can sort Wooll mixit Spole Quil Pick Teasels prick Cardwiers c. and which in the time of good trading could constantly earn eighteen pence twenty pence or two shillings a week but now very few of them have any imployment as aforesaid and if I should suppose but a Million of such poor people throughout the Kingdome which should every one Loss by the Poor not set at wâ—â—k get his eighteen pence a week it would amount to Three Millions nine hundred thousand pounds in a year which is so much clear loss to the Kingdome besides I know that there are many hundred thousands more of such people which live idly and get nothing Since we have left off so much of the Clothing trade in England as hath been already intimated the evil effects and consequents thereof I humbly desire to leave and commit to the consideration of those that are more judicious in the Political affairs of the Common-wealth to have suitable Remedies as to their grave wisdeme and Prudence might seem to be meet and necessary I endeavouring only to be a layer open of the sore and refer to the skilful Chyrurgeon for a healing Plaister And if our Parliament men and Ministers of State should take into their serious consideration the great troubles that are multiplyed upon those that endeavour faithfully to prosecute the execution of the King's Laws against the Offenders â—awâ—s to be Prosecuted cheifly intending thereby a future prevention of their fraudulent dealings and threatning practices and would give incouragement to such publique spirited men by some especial care taken for the preservation of their Credits and Reputations and their persons from troublesome Arrests and vexatious Suits and molestations which the Delinquents do multiply against them by false and feigned Actions and those coloured over with very specious pretences but the truth and reality of their intentions and designs is to ruine and destroy the Reputations Estates and Families of such as shall discover them or appear against them This I say viz. the countenancing and encouraging of all faithful Officers and others would strike a kind of terrour to these transgressors Smugglers and others that do deceive his Majesty of his due Customes and be a great means to keep them in awe and good order and encourage all men to be ready to discover such Offenders as they night any way find them out by their opportunities being abroad early and late and to add to this that there should be very severe Prosecutions Pâ—nishmâ—nt of Offenders against such Offenders and let them be abated nothing of the Justice of the Law which is in such cases provided and established throughout the Nation for now it is a sufficient crime as the case of late hath stood to be by such branded with the ignomy of an Informer or an Informing Knave though he discover nothing but what doth immediately concern the King's Interest and publique good And by these Smugglers and their Companions he shall be reputed and said to be a troublesome fellow an evil nei hbour a disturber of the Peace among friends c. because he doth faithful service according to his Duty Conscience and Office in labouring to prevent their Frauds and abuses as frequently by them practised as they can And if such Officers in the Customes Atturneys and Clerks which do connive or comply with such Offenders were removed from their Places and Offices and severely punished the publique good would be much preserved Trading greatly advanced and thereby Gentlemens Estates largely augmented in their yearly value of Rents I shall now give a brief description of several Springs that fill our Kingdome with Prohibited goods and of several Leaks that empty the Kingdome of other sorts of our goods which are prohibited to be Exported out of the Nation As our Wooll and Fullers Earth formerly spoke to which are by stealth carryed out of the Kingdome to the great damage and prejudice of the Nation and many Forreign Prohibited Injury to the Silk-weavers
goods are brought in among us to the great injury and undoing of many Tradesmen as Silk and Ribbon Weavers and other Artificers in and about London and several parts of the Kingdome which occasions the great decay and loss of our own Manufacture with the loss of the imployment of the Poor to the ruine of many thousands of men women and children that have had their dependance cheifly if not only on those Merchandises which are dayly Imported from France Flanders and other Sea-ports secretly into this our Kingdome There are many of our Sea-Port Towns and several Creeks and holes along the South-shore of England besides Dover Rumney Fairlee Hastings Foleston Rye Bredhempston c. where these things are practised and indeed in the Summer time when it is fair weather goods may be Landed on the Shoar and Shipped off from the Shoar on Vessels all along the Coast almost from Dover to the Lands end in Cornwal and many times there are both brought ashore and Wooll Shippâ—d off carried off such Goods as are Prohibited both wayes both for coming into the Land and carrying out of the Land and this done in a fair night and the goods brought in lye sheltred in Countreymens houses which can hide and secure them till there be a convenient opportunity to dispose otherwise of them with safety and these Countreymen help them to Horses to carry them to London or other Markets Neither do I here mention any thing of the North-Coast because I have hitherto been altogether unacquainted with those parts although I have reason to beleive that the same Smuggling Trade is also practised in those quarters for their Coast lying over against Holland doubtless the people there are as ready to comply privately in forbidden tradeing with the Dutch as along the South-Coast they are with he French notwithstanding there is sufficient Provision made in our Lawes against such sinister and evil Practices But about Kent and Sussex are most frequently imported Prohibited goods from France and Flanders and they are goods of such value that a single Horseman may arry five or six hundred pounds worth about him and yet it shall hardly be known that he hath any thing with him Now if these things were well considered what quantities of goods are privately imported and so as that they are seldome discovered with what also comes into the River of Chatham River Medway alias Chatham which lies about twenty seven miles from London by Land and the most convenient River in England I beleive to Land goods privately it would easily appear what loss it is to his Majesty in perticular in his Customes which by these and such like Practies are stollen and in general to the Trade of the whole Kingdome It is also well known that those which steal the Duties of the King's Customes and do Import and Export Prohibited Goods and Commodities are none of the meanest persons in the places where they dwell but such who oftentimes have great interest with the Magistrates about those places and seeing they get their money so easily by not paying the Kings due Custome for their goods as honest Merchants do and being Purse-proud do not value what they spend to ingratiate themselves into the favour of such Gentlemen as Smugglâ—rs mâ—ke maâ—y friends have authority as aforesaid and then make it their business by the assistance of such Magistrates and their countenance to destroy all such as shall discover their fraudulent dealings or elce by some small Bribes to stop their mouths that so these Cheats may avoid the penalty of the Law and prevent others from the future from discovering their doings The King's Custome houses ought to be so many locks and Keys to the Kingdome to let what is warrantable and lawful to come in and to keep out what is forbidden its entrance and to prevent the great abuses that are so frequently complained of both in the Exportation of our Prohibited goods and the Importation of Forreign goods forbidden by Law and if the Officers were but as vigilant and faithful as they ought to be they might easily and readily prevent these enormities with their care and diligence which are so dayly practised But it is too well known how remiss and careless the Blank Certificates a Cheat. Officers are and neglectful of their duties in many of the out-Ports especially that it is a thing very usual with Smugglers to get blank Certificates with the Seal of the Custome-house to take up their Bonds that are given for the true delivery Exchanging the Master of the Vissel of their goods at some other Port in England and moreover there is a great cheat in the shifting Masters of such Vessels as take in such goods they will oftentimes exchange the Master before he goes out of the Liberty of the Port where the goods were Shipped and yet if all these things fail and their coast Bonds come to be forfeited and put into Suit it is not to be exprest the delayes shifts and deceitful tricks that are practised by some undersheriffs and their Deputies in their returns and in the Execution of the Law which ought to be done both with speed and justice but both these are by such persons omitted and these kind of doings do highly incourage these offenders in their sinful practices I have also observed that the Farming the King's Customes Farming the King's Customes hath been an occasion of great prejudice to the trade of the Kingdome and the publique good for when the weal and good of the whole Nation comes in competition with the Injury to the Kingdome present profit of the Farmers they are apt to resolve the question for their own advantage permitting Prohibited goods to be Landed so long as the due Customes for them come into their Coffers and the under-Officers knowing what the Farmers their Masters do are very apt to learn the trade to let pass our goods out of the Land that are also prohibited and those Smuggling Merchants that deal in such kind of wares can easily find out the blind side of such Officers that will be bribed to wink at such their deceitful practises such an unfaithful Officer shall be highly commeâ—ded among these theevish Merchants for a brave fellow one that knows his business and for a very civil person that will do a Merchant a kindness upon occasion Thus evil is called good and good is stiled evil as I said before those Officers that Springs to fill us with Forreign goods are faithful to King and Countrey are called Knaves Troublesome fellowes evil Neighbours c. these the honest good men ' c. Good Lord what a pass are we come to in this Nation people account it no sin to steal from the King and now a daies those that practice such things have changed the terme it is not by them called stealing Custome but saving custome for my part I am of the opinion that he that steals Custome from
the King to the value of twenty shillings deserves to be punished as well as he that steals so much from any other man For as I heard a Scholler once a reasoning either it is this or that c. so I say here either Custome is the Kings due or it is not but no man dares be so impudent as in words to deny it but they must needs acknowledge it a truth that it is his due and if so why then do they not give to Caesar the things that are his according to the Commandement of our Saviour and the Commandement of the King and Parliament it being established by Law and constituted for the publique good and the general advancement of the Trade of the Nation and such Officers as will not comply with these sort of people to cheat the King are called Fooles men that do not know their business but if another had that Office he would make something of it c. but such men minding the faithful and conscionable discharge of their duty to God to the King and Kingdome with the blessing of God live better and do a thousand times more good than others and may be principal Instruments to make the Kingdome happy and flourishing I have had discourse with some persons who have had the thoughts of getting a Pattent to put the Laws into Execution that are against the Transportation of Wooll and other Pattent against Transporting Wooll prohibited commodities but I can hardly think they would be careful and diligent in that imployment except they should reap a considerable profit for their labour how should they expect to ballance their expence I refer to the censure of the judicious except it be by conniving at or do more harm than good compounding with the Offenders so that by such a design as this the transgressors may be encouraged to sin more and more for if such Patentees should too much discourage that sort of people that carry off the Wooll c. to other Nations who are the only men that must bring grifts to their Mill it would be as ridiculous a thing as for Lawyers to perswade people to peace and by that means lose their Practice and it is generally beleived that there would be more Prohibited goods transported then than what have been before if the care for the putting the Lawes into Execution were once committed to Pattentees for as in other cases of the same nature the love of Money is so natural and money so much hunted after that it may be acquired that the minding of putting the Lawes into Execution and men doing faithfully and uprightly their duty is not a thing now a dayes at all regarded or taken into consideration as it ought to be But I hope that his Majesty with all the Peers of the Realm and all others are made in some good measure sensible of the great concernement of Trade and the sad effects and consequents of exporting our Wooll Fullers earth c. as also of the idleness of our poor people occasioned by the loss of forreign Markets for our woollen Manufactures that I think it is high time for all Loyal Subjects to give their utmost assistance to discover all Offenders and make them manifest in their kind and for all Superiors to give their just assistance that the Lawes may be put into a speedy and severe execution against all Delinquents as soon as made visible In the dayes of King Edward the third formerly spoken of and since to the times of our late unhappy confesions the Trade of Clothing made the Kingdome flourish for many years together and doubtless would do so again if our Lawes were but put into Execution and every one were obliged to discover and make manifest the Transgressors for this is not a business for two or three men to do let them imploy themselves with all endeavours imaginable but the eyes of all men must be about this matter tending to such a Reformation and the Courts of Judicature must be expeditious and severe in the administration of Justice against such Offenders when once convicted and let not one of them be spared who deserve to be punished without mercy because for a little private advantage they do their utmost to bring ruine on the whole kingdome I could also declare other things that might be very assistant to the increase of Trade and the prosperity of the Kingdome which is not so convenient to be made publique before it be debated among the Clothiers and Tradesmen It hath pleased his Majesty to plant such Commissioners now for the management of his Customes that it is hoped they will do much good especially in the regulation of the Out-Ports concerning those notorious evil practises which have been continually done among them and for the encouraging of those Officers that are honest and faithful if they should be troubled at any time or be any wayes damnified about lawful seizures by reason of Actions brought against them that they shall be releived by the Commissioners and the charges that may arise in such cases at the Law to be born by the common stock I could say something for the Staplers though not much Concerning Staplers Quaere 1. because I cannot find by our Lawes that any such people were in those dayes when the Trade and Manufacture of Wooll was first brought into England and yet Wooll was sent to the Staples and all the Manufacturers thereof had those sorts that suited best for their trade and we got and kept the whole trade of our English wooll and of other Countries to our selves in this Kingdome and had the command of the forreign Markets which was the occasion of the first setling all those Companies as hath been formerly and briefly set forth and I doubt not but that those Staplers will set a gloss upon their business and without question their money doth speak much for them lying for the most part in and about London so near to the Fountain of the Lawes yet I do verily beleive those people have much to answer for as to the ruine of many poor people occasioned by their Exportation of Wooll beyond Sea by which evil practice the Trade of the kingdome is in a great measure lost as hath been set forth already something largely by reason whereof many of our poor people in the kingdome are ready to perish for want of Bread notwithstanding the great plenty in the Land and this is because they want work I should lose time further to complain seeing all people are experimentally sensible of the loss and decay of Trade to the great disadvantage of the Nobility and Gentry in the Land as also to the great detriment of the Farmer and Merchant although indeed the Poor are most pinchingly sensible hereof throughout the King's Dominions and hence ariseth the want of Money the thing by all men complained of and the fall of Rents occasioned thereby I shall now proceed by way of Quaery to
dare to presume to transgress the King's Laws or for the future endeavour a publique destruction to the Kingdome for their private and perticuler advantage Whether it may not be judged to be more convenient upon Quaere 8. the discovery of such Offenders to Prosecute them in the King's Court of Exchequer rather than in any Countrey Court adjacent where such Fact was committed or where the Offender dwells least there should be some special correspondence held thereabouts or interest more readily made in such Courts In case any publique Officer should be surprized by the Quaere 9. subtil contrivance of such Smugglers with their Atturnies and Clerks who frequently use foul practices also and that such Officer shall be put to great Charges possibly beyond his Ability before he can obtain releif according to the rules of the Law whether it would not be convenient that such Rules should be made and practiced in all Courts of Judicature that such publique Officers for the King should not be exposed to so great charges by Actions brought against them meerly out of malice which are done purely out of design to terrify such Officers and to prevent if possible for the future the due and faithful Execution of their said Office in such cases wherein the Kingdomes good is so much concerned and that a place was appointed where they might be speedily-heard without tedious attendance Whether any Officer that formerly did or now doth belong Quaere 10. to the Customes or was any wayes intrusted in his Majesties Service who hath proved unjust and unfaithful in his Office either by conniving at such Smugglers or complying with them or negliectng upon complaint made to him to bring them to condigne punishment according to the Justice of the Law ought ever to be intrusted in any publique Imployment for the future Whether by our Laws any Under Sheriff ought to continue Quaere 11. in his Office more than one year or to act as Under-Sheriff upon any pretence whatsoever considering they have such opportunities to be prejudicial to any person according to their Interests and inclinations and they may delay and vex one party and in the mean time unjustly incourage and heighten the other and this is such a thing as often proves very prejudicial to His Majesties Affairs in the Prosecution of such Informations as may be brought touching the abuses here mentioned Whether these Officers that are in Commission or Imployment Quaere 12. that do joyn with or countenance such as do transgress the King's Laws and make it their business to defraud the King of his Dues or are not ready and forward to do that iustice against the Delinquents that so do ought not to be Displaced and some way severely Punished Whether those Jurors that will give up their Verdict contrary Quaere 13. to Law and Evidence ought not to be forced to give satisfaction to the party so greived and injured or to be made to suffer one way or another as examples in such cases without any tedious trouble to the party greived as may be judged requisite and reasonable for as our Laws stand in that case it is almost impossible to punish a Jury that doth offend and act contrary to Law for it is too much become the custome of many Juries to act to the dammage of one person out of favour and respect to the other so that all people are sensible of the great abuses that are put upon one party where the Adversary can carry a great interest either in Cities or Countrey Whether it would not be as great a renown to His Majesty Quaere 14. if the Trade of Clothing was recovered to its height as it was to King Edward the Third of Famous Memory by whose Providence and Industry it was first brought into England which hath been so exceedingly advantagious to this Kingdome for many years and doubtless might be revived to as great a strength as ever if such things were consulted and practiced which might be the proper and effectual means conducible thereunto and the people of the Kingdome brought to a ready observation of the Lawes of the Land which would turn to his Majesties great advantage in his Customes c. and put all his Subjects in general into a capacity of paying their Taxes willingly according as his Majesty should have occasion the Springs of Trade then being open and running would bring in supplies to all people Quaere 15. Whether it would not be necessary that all these Laws not yet Repealed relating to the furtherance of Trade and promiscuously scattered in the Law Books ought not to be revived and re-Printed in one Volume that so all people might readily know those Laws and be by Authority strictly commanded the observance of the same with incouragements Quaere 17. to the obedient and punishments to the disobedient In case any Laws be wanting or are not full enough against the Transportation of our Prohibited goods or the Importation of Forreign Prohibited goods as new sorts of Stuffs that may be made beyond Sea or any thing elce that is not perticularly provided against whether it may not be very necessary to have such a defect supplyed Whether there ought not to be a Statute for the regulation Quaere 16. or well making of such Stuffs c. which were not used in former times that so all deceits in work may be avoided which if done would doubtless very much advance the credit of the English goods and greatly further the sale of them at a Forreign Market Whether it is convenient that our Manufactures of Cloth Quaere 18. and Stuffs should be allowed to be transported out of the Land white or undied because it is a very common practice of the Dutch and English too so to do and then they Dye them and Dress them in Holland by the which they set many people on work and all that imployment is lost to England but this is not all for the Dutch do so handle the matter as that they mak our own goods more acceptable and saleable in Forreign Countries than we usually do with the same sort of goods which we Dy in England to the great profiâ— and credit of the Dutch abroad among strangers and to the great loss and dammage of England besides the disreputation by that means to England yea many times the same goods that were carryed over to Holland white are returned to us again when the Dutch have Dyed them and dressed them and then they are esteemed the best Colours and therefore most vendible among us Whether it would not be very conducible to the publique Quaere 19. good that those perticuler Statutes should be put into effectual Execution which do positively appoint that all Merchants Forreigners Tradeing into England with Commodities of their own Countrey growth and vending them here should lay out their money again in our English Manufactures and not be permitted to carry money out
of the Land directly nor indirectly but lay it out in the goods and wares of England their necessary expences excepted according to the true intent and meaning of the said Statute Whether it be not worthy to be taken into consideration concerning the fineness and weight of our English Coin above Quere 20. and beyond the Coin of our neighbouring Nations and whether that be not the cause of its Exportation out of the Land a broad twenty shillings peice of Gold being worth in France Flanders and Holland twenty seven shillings and a Crown piece of silver worth six shillings so that I suppose we may cease wondring what is become of the money of the Kingdome considering it is such profit to the Merchant to transport it beyond Sea Whether it would not very much increase Trading and be highly advantageous to the King's Majesty to have money Quaere 21. plentiful in the Land and greatly benefit the Common-Weale if money in England was in some measure made sutable or equal to the weight and fineness of money in other Lands and whether this would not be a great means of bringing in money from other Lands and then keep it in the Kingdome being brought in by such means the King would be sure to have a speedy supply on all demands for his occasions and it is granted on all hands that good Treasures of Money are the principal Sinews of War Whether we in England ought not in reason to take the Quere 22. same care for the preservation and advancement of our Native Commodities as every other Kingdome and Countrey doth for theirs as in Spain the labour of the people is in their Vineyards for the Production of Wine and Fruit concerning which they take great care that they make the ulmost and spend little of these things themselves that they may make money of them to furnish their needs with what is sutable and many times they will not part with these their goods for Barter or Exchange for other goods but will have ready money and at dear rates too as I have heard by those that have traded into those parts some have given to the Spaniards at the Canaries 100 peices of Eight for an ordinary Pipe of Wine in ready money which 100 Peices of Eight are well worth twenty two pounds Sterling with us and likewise in France concerning their Wines Salt Brandy c. what care is by them taken to make the best of them that may be and what vast quantities of French-Wines Brandy Vinegar c. do come over into England in a year to pay for which I doubt there goes a great deal of ready money and if so in other Countries why should not the same care be taken in England for the advancement of our Manufactures endeavouring thereby to imploy our Poor and so to inrich the Kingdome especially considering the far greater advantages of so doing that we have in England than any other Nation hath as hath been already at large set forth Why should the humour of our people in England so far Quere 23. engage them to an old custome of burying the dead in Linnen as to contradict and disobey so good a Law as was lately made by Act of Parliament for the burial of our dead in Woollen doubtless there was reason enoug then produced in Parliament to sway with the King and those two Honourable Houses for the Enacting the same and whether it be not as decent to cover the dead Corps in Flannel as it is with Linnen beside the burial of the dead in Flannel will greatly advance the Manufacture of the Nation and in reason advance the prizes of all other Woollen wares and this Woollen Cloth is of our own production and when we bury our people in Linne that causeth so much expence for the generality of the goods of other Countries and whether it ought not to be considered that the Law provided in this case ought to be re-inforced Now to draw towards an end I have met with an Objection to this Treatise that it may be judged Superflous because several Books are errant concerning this Subject to which I Answer Though I have reason to beleive them that told me so yet I do beleive that the Reader will find a great difference between this and any other if they be compared together and that in many respects And again I Answer that the more Complaints are made of the Abuses and great Losses to the Kingdome so much the more ought all good men to enquire into the truth of those Complaints and endeavour for sutable Remedies in Tendency whereto I have presented something here by way of Quaere c. And now methinks I hear some wise men say that it is Reason that such abuses should be punished and that severely if any should presume to act such things as are here complained of or any waies vindicate those that do them to the which I answer that I wish that I were called to prove my knowledge of those things without too much charge or Attendance before any that should be appointed to enquire into and to regulate the same for I do not make it my business to set forth in this discourse the perticuler abuses of those Countrey Atturneys Under-Clerks Under-Sheriffs in their returns and the abuses of their Officers and the Assistance that some great Smugglers have from some Magistrates and Justices of the Peace in the Countrey together with the affronts that have been offered to our good Lawes of which I have had a large and sad experience And although our Lawes are good and our Judges are just yet the corruption in the practice of the Law by under-Officers is so exceeding bad and destructive to the Trade and publique good of the Kingdome that in case I should perticularly recite those abuses that I my self have met with among the Practicers of the Law I should fill a Book many times bigger than this And now I shall conclude with the true and hearty wishes of an Englishman that all our Ministers of State may so agree especially in this juncture of time that they may unanimously joyn together as one intire body against all Intruders upon our Trade and Priveledges both at Sea and Land that the Walls of this Kingdome may be built up and preserved and our Tradeing may encrease and flourish so that no cunning Usurpers may rob us of our old Prerogatives of the Seas or the Manufacture of our native Trade upon the Land FINIS In Laudem Authoris Subjecti HAd I but lived in Ben. Johnsons dayes I would have learn't of him to speak the Praise Of Native English Wooll and to set forth It 's real Excellency and it's worth The Poets tell us of the Golden Fleece That Jason undertook to fetch to Greece But that 's a Fiction ours a real thing Which to the Kingdome doth great Riches bring So that no Nation to us might compare If diligent in working