Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	france_n	time_n	year_n	1,932	5	4.5978	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65082	An humble declaration to the right honourable the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled, touching the transportation of gold and silver, and other abuses practised upon the coynes and bullion of this realm, presented the 12th day of April, 1643 wherein is declared the great mischeifes that have befallen the common-wealth, by the above-said misdemeanours / by Thomas Violet ...	Violet, Thomas, fl. 1634-1662.	1643 (1643)	Wing V581; ESTC R39740	12,015	42

An Humble DECLARATION To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled touching the transportation of Gold and Silver and other abuses practised upon the Coynes and Bullion of this Realme presented the 12th day of April 1643. Wherein is Declared the great mischeifes that have befallen the Common-wealth by the above-said misdemeanours By THOMAS VIOLET of London Gold-smith ¶ LONDON Printed by R. H. 1643. MAY it please this Honourable Assembly to take into their consideration the great mischiefes and inconveniences that have hapned unto this Kingdome and most especially since the first yeer of his Majesties Reigne by the exporting of Gold and Silver into Forreigne parts to the inestimable damage of the Common-wealth by the great abuses of many Gold-Smiths and others in culling and sorting the heavie current Coines of this Kingdome to the end to transport or melt down the same and in buying and selling Gold and Silver above the price of the Mint by which meanes they fore-stall the Mint and with the Gold and Silver thus bought for the most part furnish Merchants and others to transport the same being either the species and peeces of Forreinge Gold and Silver or the current Coins of Gold and Silver of this Kingdome Which Offences being of a high and transcendent nature and such as by the Judgement of Parliament 5 Richard 2. chap. 2. tend to the ruine and destruction of the Common-wealth for which causes all former ages have been very carefull to prevent these mischiefes And neverthelesse the covetousnesse of many men hath been such that notwithstanding all these Laws and severall proceedings and Sentences had and given against them in an extraordinary way in the Court of Star-chamber They have of late yeeres transported so much Gold out of the Kingdome that as it is credibly conceived by those that pay and receive great summes of money there is not the tenth part of the Gold left that was in the Stock of this Kingdome in the beginning of his now Majesties Reigne so that our new and old Gold is ten times more plentifull in France and in Flanders than it is with us in England to the unspeakable losse of this Kingdome That in the Ninth Tenth and Eleventh yeer of his now Majesties Reigne His Majestie being informed and taking notice of the plenty of English Gold and Coines current in France and of the abuses and disorders above mentioned befalling the Coyne and Bullion of the Kingdome and taking the same into serious consideration by the advice of His Privie Councell directed that the transporters of Gold or Silver the melters down of the current Silver Coynes of this Kingdome the buyers and sellers of Gold and Silver at above the price of the Mint their Agents Instruments and Assistants should with all diligence be found and severely punished according to the Laws which care of His and those that endevored therein neverthelesse for some time tooke no effect and notwithstanding it was generally conceived and understood as the truth was that great quantities of Gold were weekly carried into France yet were the Instruments used therein so few and secret and the wayes and means for the transporting the same so cunningly and closely contrived that the same could not either by the intercepting of Letters or by the Merchants or Factors Books of accompts or the Books of the Gold-Smiths as formerly it had been in the case of the Dutchmen about the yeer 1618. be found out or discerned for the Letters were for the most part written in Cyphers and Characters and subscribed and signed by strange and unknown names and yet well known to the Factors and Correspondents and for the contents of the Letters they made mention of Needles Blades Gloves Ribbon roles of Tobacco and such like things to be sent over and meant by those names and for the accompts the same was entred in the accompts kept of Exchangers so that no man upon perusall of such Books could finde any other thing mentioned but Bills of Exchange others kept double accompts and such as had been lesse warie and close presently upon the first report of the first that was questioned touching transportation cancelled and defaced all such Books as could any wayes manifest their dealings in the same and though divers Merchants Books of accompts were seized on by order from the Lords of the Privie-Councell and under Examination in the Hands of St. John Bankes His Majesties then Attorney Generall Mr. Diconson and Mr. Trumball then Clerkes of his Majesties Councell and divers others yet nothing could be proved by their Bookes Now His Majestie and the Lords finding that the abuses and offences above mentioned were acted by and passed through so many hands and grown to such a height that the same could not be reformed without exemplarie punishment and considering the discovery and prosecution of all offences of this nature so secretly and cunningly contrived as aforesaid would very hardly if at all be discovered and found out with any diligence of such as were not acquainted with the said contrivances Hereupon this Declarant being by some detected before the Lords of His Majesties Privie Councell to be a transporter of Gold and Silver and therefore suffered a long imprisonment with perill of his life and losse of much of his estate abroade and here was by His Majestie and divers Lords of the said Councell commanded and enjoyned to attend and prosecute in this businesse of transportation of Gold for the service of His Majestie and the Common-wealth for which he was to receive his enlargement with promise of his Pardon And further to more encourage him therein a promise in his Majesties name was declared by the then Lord Keeper Coventry Mr. Secretary Cooke and other officers of State that this Declarant besides his enlargement and pardon should aswell have satisfaction of such money as he should expend in the discovery and prosecution of Delinquents for the foresaid offences as also to receive a reward for his time taken and spent in this service out of the Fines of such Delinquents as should by other testimonies then of this Declarant be proved to be offenders Upon which Commands and Promises of the Kings Majesty and to preserve and keep himselfe from the evills then depending on him he undertooke this service as Sr. John Banks now chiefe Justice of his Majesties Court of Common Pleas Sr. John Cooke besides divers others of honour and quality very well know And thereupon this Declarant attending his Majesties said Attorney aswell with such names as this Declarant had presented touching the premises as with such as some others had named for transporters soon after his Majesties said Attorney 22 June 11o. Car. filed a Bill in the Star-chamber against divers persons that had offended touching the premises and after the 30th of the said June another Information was exhibited against other offenders in the Star-chamber That both these Informations were prosecuted in the Star-chamber and brought to

and some strict Law made to deterre others from practising the like for the future And this Remonstrant humbly sheweth that in the prosecution of this service which so much concerneth the Common wealth he hath expended 2000l. as before he hath declared His humble prayer is that if this honourable House shall command him to proceede in this service for the Common-wealth that out of the Fines of the Delinquents which shall be proved to be offenders he may be reimbursed the said severall summes he hath formerly laid out and damage for his forbearance for his service formerly done about the transporters and such other summes as he shall expend in the prosecution of this service to bring up witnesses and other necessary expences out of the Fines of such as he shall bring and prove to bee Delinquents In projects as the Wine Salt Soape Tobacco and many of the like nature where private men cozen the Common-wealth yet all these offences this Declarant humbly conceiveth put together are not of so prejudiciall consequence to the Common-wealth as the transporting of Gold and Silver the culling and melting downe the current Silver money of this Kingdome the selling of Silver and Gold above the price of the Mint for in Projects one man cozeneth another but the stock remaineth in the Kingdome but for a man to act any of these foresaid offences tendeth to the destruction of trade robbing the Kingdome of the treasure And to keep the Mint from coyning is as to let the water out of the Cysterne and yet to let none in and then the same will quickly be drawne dry It is to be feared that the industry of many ages cannot replenish the Kingdome with so much Gold as hath been transported out of it since the first yeere of His Majesties Reigne for it is an infallible rule that where Gold and silver is over-valued thither will it be transported by merchants and others for it continually resorts where it is most made of and if you seeke to raise it here the remedy is worse than the disease for then you take from the Gentry and all setled Revenuers as much of their meanes as you raise the current money for if Gold should be raised in England for example the 20s. to 26s. as it is in France either higher or lower you should buy no more at your market for 26s. than you could before for your 20. and contrariwise if your 20s. were but 14s. you should buy as much for your fourteene shillings as when it passed at 20. so that whensoever money is raised the losse falleth most upon the Nobility and Gentry and certain Revenuers who lose so much out of their inheritance which they have let out in lease as mony raised The Declarant humbly conceiveth the easiest way to fill the Kingdome with Gold which it wanteth is according to the patterne of the Statutes of 14 Ed. 3. cap. 21. in case of transporting of woolls To enjoyne the Merchants Adventurers Turkey-merchants and exporters of Corne Fish or any manner of amunition or the like and Merchants that deale in other commodities of the Kingdome with other Countries to bring into this Realme a proportion of gold upon the returne of the Merchandize by which meanes the Common-wealth in time may recover this great mischief under which it suffers and if not speedily stopped there will not be left Coyne to maintaine Trade All merchants that trade for Spain know that when the West-India fleete commeth not into Spaine the trade for that yeere is lost and no money no trade If this be an infallible rule for Spaine which suffers so much for the forbearance of bringing in of treasure for one yeare and is supplied the next out of the Indies and till their Fleet come home no dealing with Merchants This Declarant doth humbly present how much more it doth concerne this Kingdome which hath no West-Indies to supply the Treasure transported to provide and carefully keepe in the Kingdomes stock which once transported cannot be drawne back but upon unreasonable tearmes which will impoverish all the Gentry to an inestimable value and as long as it remaineth out of the Kingdome all trading and commerce decayeth the subjects are unable to pay Subsidies and other duties and it is one of the greatest mischiefes that can befall the Common-wealth And at this present in France the native Merchants there match us with such a point of policy that it would be hard for our merchants to be master of for since the raising of our 20s peece to 26s there this Declarant humbly desireth it may be taken into consideration how they have advanced the price of their commodities according to their advanced moneys to the full summe of 6s in the pound more then they were before and as for Wines of the growth of France they are so deare that they cost the Merchants there above 30 in the hundred more then they did before Gold was raised and yet our cloth and other commodities are little raised there by which means most of the Wines and Linnen both cut-work and black bone-lace and other such like commodities in France are imported into this Kingdome only in returne of Gold transported for France The like those of Flanders have filled England with Thred cut-works and Flanders-laces both Silke and Thred and many other unnecessary commodities which for the most part are stollen in without paying of custome and draines the Kingdome of its money both in City and County most of the said commodities being bought in France and Flanders with the Gold transported out of this Kingdome to the value of many hundred thousand pounds most of the commodities which have been returned from France and Flanders for our Gold being utterly useles in a thriving Common-wealth And to give a stop to these mischiefs will require great sound deliberation for coyne is the treasure of the Kingdome and publique measure of all commerce and the vitall spirits of all trade in the Kingdome and therefore ought tenderly to be preserved It is recorded that one of the greatest workes Queene Elizabeth did for this Kingdome was the reducing of the moneys when they were embased to Sterling and doubtlesse it is as great a benefit to settle a Law for the bringing in of gold for exportation of some commodities to replenish that losse which the Common-wealth hath received by exportation thereof All men know that no great designe can be done without money in Common-wealth or Kingdome which made the French King lately when the warres were between Spaine and them to set such a rate upon Gold that they drained all Christendome of gold and it is beleeved they doe esteeme having most of the gold of Christendome in their Kingdome the possession of it to be as good a strength as any amunition they can have for it makes them capable of any great action All Merchants and others that have been at Paris know what great summes are taken up there and