the Exportation did exceed the Importation though infinitly short of the proportion of the former time the Subiects prospered Trade florished Treasure was imported And it was such Treasure as stayed with vs and went not againe from vs nor were there such complaints knowne then as now are heard in our streets That Elder time was like the Golden age the Later like the Siluer age but the Present time is like the Iron age And therefore wee will passe from this Comparatiue to the Positiue forme of our Ballance to bring to the Scale the state of the present time and trade Wherein because the other Formes are different §. 32. and as long as there are Tot sensus quot capita as many mindes as men euery man abounding in his owne sense so long there will be some dispute about any Forme it will not bee impertinent to speake a word of Caution and then of the Constitution of this Forme of ours In which Caution although his Maiesties Records and bookes of Customes are the best and readiest direction to leade vs to the value of the trade of the Kingdome by the Customes of the Kingdome yet because there are some things of speciall consideration which cannot be discerned by the Customes wee will therefore consider such things as are therein obuious vnto vs in point of Exportation and Importation And first of either A part and then of both together In our Exportations wee are to reckon our forraine Commodities imported §. 33. Caution in point of Exportation for the forming of a Ballance and not spent in the Kingdom but Exported againe into forrain trade as the Natiue Commodities of the Kingdome Because whatsoeuer the Kingdome spendeth not of the forraine is all one as that it spendeth not of it's owne Also the Fishing trades whether within his Maiesties Dominions or without exercised by his Maiesties Subiects are not to be discerned by the Customes because the same is freed thereof by Statute which must neuerthelesse be brought into the Scale of Exportation by the discreet collection and obseruation of Iudicious Merchants as part of the Kingdomes stock Also the Custome and petty charges the fraight and Merchants gaine must bee reasonably valued and cast into the Scale of Exportation because those are a part of the stock of the Kingdome for if that mony were not laid out in charges it would bee imployed in the Natiue Commodities to the encrease of the Kingdomes stock In our Importations wee must consider §. 34. Caution in point of Importation for the forming of the Ballance that much water is wont to goe by the Mill which although at first sight a man might thinke might be set like the Hares head against the Goose Giblets yet certainly there is a great waight hang's vpon the Scale of Exportation in this regard For our Natiue Commodities as Cloth Tinne Lead and the like are of great Bulk and Massie and not easie to be stollen out but the forraine Commodities are of small bulke little in quantity great in value as Iewels Cloth of Gold and Tissue Venice Gold and Siluer thred Silkes wrought and vnwrought Cambricks and Lawnes fine Holland Cloth Cuchanel Tobacco and the like which as they are easie to be pocketed and conueyed so are they very rich to be valued and this one consideration alone may turne the Scale of Importation much against vs in the Ballance of Trade Also whereas in the Importation the Customes doe not lead a man so neere to the value of the goods as in the Exportation so that thereby you can neither know what the goods imported cost with charges abroad nor what the same are worth at home there must bee due consideration had of the one and the other in the Ballance of Trade For if a Commodity cost 100. pounds sterling at Amsterdam and is there paid for by the Cloth of this Kingdome and will yeeld but 90. pounds in England and perhaps is rated in the Custome but at 60. pounds yet the Importation in the Ballance of Trade is to be charged with the value of the Goods as they cost with charges and not as they are worth to be sold much lesse as they are rated in the Customes because that which they cost more then they are worth and more then at which they are rated in the Customes is also part of the Stock of the Kingdome And lastly In both in the Exportations I say and Importations §. 35. Caution in Exportation and Importatiō together for the forme of the Ballāce of Trade there must be Verity there must not be Variety The Collections must be truely made and one forme must be duly obserued least if the one be not Exact or the other Various the vncertainty of either may breed obscurity in both For he that waigheth a draught either with false waights or such as are of different standards can neuer tell whether he get or lose by his waight euen so in the Ballance of Trade if either the Collections be imperfect or the forme of the Ballance different you shall neuer knowe whether the Kingdome gaineth or loseth by the cast of the Scale in the Ballance of Trade Therefore if it may seeme good to his Maiesties high wisdome to grant a Commission euery yeare to some of his Maiesties principall Fermers of his Highnes Customes and to some of the most expert iudicious Merchants of the City of London and elswhere to conferre agree vpon a constant Forme to be kept euery yeare as constantly euery year to take a Ballance of the Trade of the Kingdome according to the practice of other Princes and Countries it will proue both facile and familiar vnto them and an excellent Policy of State vnto the King Kingdom in the course of trade And now we will come to the Positiue Constitution of our owne Forme to bring to the Ballance §. 36. The positiue constitutiō of the forme of a Ballance for the present time trade the state of the present time and trade wherein I will giue you a taste of one yeeres collections of the Kingdomes trade in this forme following viz. The Ballance of the Trade of the Kingdome is Debitor for all the Exportations of the Merchandize thereof for one whole yeare from Christmas An. 1621. to Christmas An. 1622. as followeth  li. sh d. Custome of the Port of London 50406. 06. 04 Custome of the Out-ports 26756. 18. 00 The Custome of Wrappers of Clothes Bayes and Cottons free of Custume being the tenth part of 50000. pounds which is the Custome of them all 05000. 00. 00 The Custome of the Fish of our owne fishing and which is freed from Custome by Statute by computation 07000. 00. 00 The Custome of Goods shipt out by Certificate viz. of forraine goods brought in and for want of vent in the Kingdome shipt out againe which are freed of Custome by his Maiesties gracious graunt of Priuy Seale 08050. 00. 00 The Totall of
is not strange that hee traduceth me when hee dares be so bold with the Nobility of the Kingdome thus I haue these forty yeares spent much time and charges at the pleasure of great Personages Epist. p. 6. and nothing did encounter me but ingratitude A Very scandalous aspersion layd vpon the Nobility of the Kingdome §. 4. And it is much more vnlikely for him to deserue then not to receiue more then his desert of any great Personage His time and charges if hee hath spent any are more likely to haue beene spent in proling Proiects and I wish all were so serv'd that follow that trade Nay will you heare him what he sayes of the whole Kingdome The Kingdome of England would haue beene more sensible of the like losse Little fish P. 18. if the hostile depredations heretofore made had not supplyed the same VOx profectò pecudis non hominis §. 5. What is the man madde hath he no lesse a crime to accuse the Kingdome with then with Depredation with robbing and pilling and poling It s pitty such stuffe as this should passe the Presse I leaue him and it to the iudgement and censure of the State But by this time I hope this Captaines passion 's past and hee come to himselfe for now he professeth to speake ingeniously although before hee spake without feare or wit Now he will discourse of Merchants of whose profession himselfe would seeme to bee though by vsurpation onely To speake ingeniously P. 4. Merchants cannot enter into consideration of the quantity of forraine Commodities imported at deare rates and the home Commodities exported at lesser rates respectiuely in former times by the disproportion whereof commeth an evident ouer-ballancing of Commodities Merchants do not regard whether the monies of a Kingdome are vndervalued in exchange by the inhansing of moneys in forraine parts whereby our monies are exported when the exchange doth not answer the true value by bills and the monies of other Countries cannot be imported but with an exceeding losse which every man shunneth True it is that they obserue within the Realme to keepe the price of money at a stand according to the Kings valuation but in forraine parts they run with the streame headlong downe with other Nations without consideration of their owne hinderance Merchants doe not know the waight and finenesse of monies of each Countrey and the proportions observed betweene gold and silver nor the difference of severall standards of coyne a matter so necessary for them to know to make thereby profitable returnes of the provenue of our home Commodities either in Money Bullion or Wares Finally Merchants seeking their Privatum Commodum take notice onely of what is prohibited and commanded whereas it may fall out also that to require their opinion for the reformation of some abuses they may bee thought many times as vnfit as to call the Vintners to the consultation of lawes to be made against Drunkards A Las poore man §. 6. how shall hee speake Ingeniously or wittily that hath no Genius at all His speech bewrayeth his want of wit and honestie No marvell that in page 64. he confesseth that to the iudicious Merchants Little fish P. 64. 48. be knoweth he hath giuen cause of offence to haue written so much in the defence of Exchange and in page 48. that hee hath made himselfe odious to his owne Nation It is an ill bird that foules his owne nest And surely if Malynes had learn't any good maners or but common humanity or had himselfe ever beene Merchant Moderne or Ancient he would never haue abused so many worthy Persons of that profession of ours of others yea of his owne Nation amongst which as well as ours that I may giue them their due there are many learned and expert Merchants that are asham'd of his ignorance and folly For who can enter into consideration of the quantitie or qualitie of Commodities whether natiue or forraine exported or imported deare or cheape comparable to Merchants And if the Ballancing or ouer Ballancing of trade by the disproportion therof can be said to be evident to any surely it can be evident to none more then to expert Merchants Or who are more quicke-sighted into the values of monies both domestick and forraine gold and silver waight and finenes then Merchants whose continuall practice it is to pry into the price and value of all things For there is no Merchant of any experience but as he hath one eye vpon the value of his Commoditie so hath hee the other eye vpon the money both Intrinsique in the inward value or finenes and Extrinsique in the outward denomination or account as it is currant in euery Countrey together with the course of Exchange whither he doth direct his trade Otherwise if the money rise in denomination aboue it true worth in valuation and the Exchange also rise accordingly if this Merchant doe not raise the price of his Commodity in due proportion answerable thereunto he shall bee sure to come home by weeping crosse how ever hee make his returne whether by Exchange or in Money Bullion or Wares And is it not lawfull for Merchants to seeke their Privatum Commodum in the exercise of their calling Is not gaine the end of trade Is not the publique involved in the private and the private in the publique What else makes a Common-wealth but the private-wealth if I may so say of the members thereof in the exercise of Commerce amongst themselues and with forraine Nations And by your leaue Malynes who are more fit then Vintners if not to execute yet to consult of lawes against Drunkards or Merchants to vnmaske the mysteries of Mounte-bankes Iugglers and Imposters of trade I marvell who made Malynes a Law-maker for Merchants if he be so ignorant of their profession Hee should haue beene called before he came to this Councell The profession of a Merchant is more noble then to be so disabled and disgrac't by such a fellow as Malynes is Merchants are of high account in all parts of the world in times of peace and in times of warre Merchants are wont to be supported of Kings and Princes cherished of Nobles favoured of States-men honoured of all men disgrac't of none because the strength of Kingdomes the revenue of Princes the wealth of every Cōmon-wealth hath a Correlation with this Noble Profession Merchants are wont to make it their glory to advance their fortunes renowne their names embellize their houses beautifie their families with the honour of this faculty and to perpetuate the same vnto posteritie as an hereditary title of honour vnto their name and blood And this is it that hath made many houses and families of Merchants famous in forraine parts and maketh those Common-wealths flourish where there is such a Spring such an Of-spring For where the father doth thus ingenerate his sonne and the sonne doth not degenerate from his father there the Estate is kept entire in it's
there ought to be an equality in buying and selling wherein Par est vtriúsque conditio as the Ciuilians also speake the Buyer and the Seller he that Letteth and hee that Taketh ought to bee vpon equall termes And therefore you breake this law Malynes when you wâ—â—l haue the Taker of mony ruled by the Deliuerer Malynes addeth That the Merchant Stranger will be sooner thrust vpon the Statute of Employment for by the exportation of mony he shall haue no gaine how quickly Malynes hath forgot his owne practice which he spake of but ere while in putting 10 Iacobus peeces in his pocket by sending ouer 90 Peeces to Amsterdam And surely those discreet persons that finde fault with the strangers employments here in this Kingdom are none of Caesars friends nor friends to Caesars subiects To the second I reply that Malynes taketh care onely for the present §. 25. as those beast of Ephesus did of whom Saint Paul speaketh * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 15.32 Ede bibe dormi post mortem nulla voluptas * Let vs eate and drinke for to morrow we shall die For by this limitation of the Proclamation the English Merchants should once escape this losse of 20. in the hundred and euer after pay it to the Dutch The Ephramites were knowne by the pronouncing of Sibboleth and so may Malynes by his Language bee knowne what Countriman hee is To the 3. §. 26. I reply that although there wanted not takers of mony by Exchange for Hamburgh when the Exchange risse from 28 shillings to 35 shillings yet it doth not follow that therefore there would be takers at his Par of Exchange for it is a plaine Dispar a different case For those that then tooke mony for Hamburgh the Takers gained and the Deliuerers lost because the Exchange risse faster at Hamburgh by reason of the raising of the monies there then it did at â—â—ndon Which if Malynes be ignorant of he was surely a sleepe in his Great Whales belly at that time But in Malynes case the Deliuerers will get and the Takers must lose because his rate of the Exchange at home must be higher then the forraine Exchange Pag. 14. els the strangers gaine of transportation of mony cannot be answered by Exchange according to his owne fallible rule Headdeth §. 27. that our Wooll was at 33 shillings a todde which now is fallen vnder 20 shillings and that there was aboue 80 thousand Clothes sold yeerely where now there is not sold 40. thousand Animus meminisse horret luctúque refugit Malynes produceth such a miserable esfect of the decay of the Cloth-trade of this Kingdome as would make a mans eares tingle to heare it What 's the inference mary that his Par of Exchange may proue also another Barre to trade and cause the Cloth-trade both in the Clothier and Merchants hands to be so much dearer to them and cheaper to the stranger by how much hee would alter the naturall course of the Exchange to the great aduantage of his owne and the losse of our Nation This is the profit of this and the like Proiects These are ill seeds sowne in a fertile soyle These are like Cadmus serpents teeth sowne in the Earth Met. 4. which brought vp men in armes killing one another Or like the Apples of Sodome that are specious in shew but if you touch them they will fall to powder Qui praemonetur praemunitur A man fore-warn'd is halfe arm'd And I hope we shall euer be warn'd by those harmes not to disturbe trade for any guilded probability nor innouate the same without euident vtility And thus it appeareth that as Malynes obiections are faigned so are his answeres also Such is his Par and such is his Person I shall therefore leaue him and it to the wisdome of the State to which I doubt not it is as cleere as the Sunne that there is no such Cause as Malynes pretendeth and therfore no need of any such Remedy That his Proiect is dangerous and damnable and not so difficult to be discern'd as perillous to bee put in practice ANd thus much of the Personall Exchange betweene man and man in mony in merchandize § 2â— Of the 〈◊〉 uinciall 〈◊〉 change It remaine's now to speake in a word of the Prouinciall Exchange betweene Country and Country in the Ballance of trade Such as is the Personall Exchange betweene party and party Such is the Prouinciall Exchange betweene Country and Country That respecteth the gaine of one Man with another This the gaine of one Kingdome with another That concerneth the Subiect This the Soueraigue The Prouinciall Exchange is that generall permutation before noted which one Country maketh with another in mony in Merchandize in all kind of Commerce And therefore it may well bee sad to bee the Periphery or Circumference of the Circle of Commerce and The Ballance of trade the very Center of this Circle For as in the Personall Exchange betweene man and man the gaine or losse of such Exchanging cannot bee knowne but by the returne of the mony exchanged that is till that mony bee come backe in Exchange which was at first deliuered as is before declared So also in the Prouinciall Exchange betweene Country and Country the gaine or losse which one Kingdome maketh vpon another cannot bee knowne vntill the Returnes thereof bee made that is till the forraine Commodities bee brought in for the Natiue Commodities issued and carried out and both cast into the Ballance of Trade to bee waighed and tried one against the other For as a paire of Scales or Ballance is an Inuention to shew vs the waight of things whereby we may discerne the heauy from the light and how one thing differeth from another in the Scale of waight So is also this Ballance of Trade an excellent and politique Inuention to shew vs the difference of waight in the Commerce of one Kingdome with another that is whether the Natiue Commodities exported and all the forraine Commodities Imported doe ballance or ouerballance one another in the Scale of Commerce If the Natiue Commodities exported doe waigh downe and exceed in value the forraine Commodities imported it is a rule that neuer faile's that then the Kingdome growe's rich and prosper's in estate and stocke because the ouerplus thereof must needs come in in treasure But if the Forraine Commodities imported doe exceed in value the Natiue Commodities exported it is a manifest signe that then trade decayeth and the stocke of the Kingdome wasteth apace because the ouerplus must needs goe out in treasure As for example If this Kingdome send out Clothes and other the Natiue Commodities thereof into forrain parts which are there sold for one thousand pounds of our mony in value and receiue backe againe in returne the forraine Commodities of other Kingdomes to the value of eight hundred pounds for the thousand pounds sent out it is manifest that the other two hundred pounds
onely for the most part lost but it make's the Citty swarme with poore with idle poore who as long as they can liue by begging will neuer fall to working nor liue by labour I speake not against any mans charity but wish from my heart that he that is charitable were more charitable so the same were not abused or at least were better vsed for the publique good For there is not onely the losse of so great a summe but of the exceeding great benefit also which the employment thereof in our Natiue and Forraine Manufactures would purchase to the publique if the same were orderly collected and prudently ordered for the Employment of the poore Wherein I know not how to wish a greater glory to the City of London then to haue the honour to bee the Founder of so worthy a worke to raise a Stocke out of the free will offrings of the Citizens and wisely to dispose thereof for the poore's employment whereby all their owne poore might be set on worke an excellent patterne of piety and pitty giuen to all the other Cities of the kingdom to pursue so noble an enterprize by their good example And it need not be thought to be a new charge to the City for we see the thing is done already onely it is not so well done wherein my selfe the vnworthiest of all her Citizens had rather if I were worthy be the first then the last to further so happy hopefull a worke For it will bring to God glory to the King honour to the Kingdome treasure to the Subiects trade to the poore employment and proue by Gods blessing a most excellent meanes to encrease our Exportations and to recouer our Ballance of Trade Without the Land §. 42. Or Without the Land the Persia trade will not let me passe nor the Fishing neither without a word of either Both these doe promise much supply vnto our Exportation Both of them are of very high and important consideration for the honour and wel-fare of this Kingdome The one is a worke for The King the other for all The Kingdome The one if wee will is our owne the other vnlesse wee will not may bee made our owne For the Trade of Persia In the Persia trade it needeth the glory of the Sunne to dispell some clouds that doe obscure and hide from vs the excellency of this Trade Which if it will please His Maiesty to vouchsafe I am persuaded it would proue a very happy Commerce vnto this Kingdome not inferiour vnto any forraine Trade It promiseth to vent our Clothes and other our Natiue Commodities in great abundance to yeeld returnes of these Clothes that will employ multitudes of our poore to spare vs the treasure that now wee export to the Indies through the necessity of that trade to employ many great Ships good men with much more fafety then in those other trads to furnish the other parts of the Indies by the meanes of that trade without other supply from hence to purchase the rich trade of the Red Sea the benefit of trading there from Port to Port in the Indian commodities which in it selfe will be another East Indian Trade to turne the Current of the Trade of Persia from Turky to the weakning of the Turks tyranny ouer the Christian world Lastly to draw the employment of many Millions of mony into this Kingdome for the Persian silck which the Venetians Marcellians and other Cities and Common-wealthes of the Italians French and Dutch doe now employ into Turky in that one Commodity onely which by Gods blessing we may be able to deliuer them as cheape from hence as now they fetch it thence with more contentment also to them and more glory and gaine to vs in the atchieuement of so high and noble an enterprize And these are but two or three clusters for a taste of the fruit of the Land This Canaan cannot be knowne vntill you haue past ore Iordan the perfection of it consit's in the fruition thereof And this is also another meanes no lesse excellent to enlarge our exportation and therin also to helpe the cast of our Scale in the Ballance of Trade Last of all §. 43. Or the Fishing Trade for the Fishing Trade Res ipsa loquitur I shall need to say no more of that if what is said were done It is a worke that hath in it vtility to inuite and capacity to receiue all the Kingdome Wherein the Ports which are the walles and gates of the Kingdome might bee supported and trade imported to those Parts and places which now are destitute thereof Yea all the Citties or if you will the Counties may find roome enough to employ their meanes in this trade And surely if profit will not moue men Auri sacra fames is false and nothing will moue them There is no fiishing to the Sea nor Sea-fare for the Kingdomes well-fare to the fishing trade wherein for the encouragement of the Aduenturers it is fit if so it may be thought fit in his Maiesties high wisdome and grace that euery County yea euery City if it will may haue the mannaging and disposing of their owne aduentures without any General or promiscuous confusion with others and with such Immunities priuiledges and encouragements conferr'd vpon them from the fountaine of his Maiesties grace as may at last bring that to action and execution which wee haue so long had in discourse and contemplation A braue desseigne it is as Royall as Reall as honourable as profitable It promiseth Renowne to the King Reuenue to the Crowne treasure to the Kingdome a purchase for the land a prize for the sea ships for Nauigation Nauigation for ships Maririners for both entertainment of the rich employment for the poore aduantage for the aduenturers and encrease of Trade to all the Subiects A Mine of Gold it is the Mine is deepe the veines are great the Ore is rare the Gold is pure the extent vnlimited the wealth vnknowne the worth inualuable And this is also another meanes not inferiour vnto any for the recouery of our Exportations in the Ballance of Trade THE CONCLVSION THese meanes well pursued and the Remedies of our former Discourse applied such other meanes added as in the wisdome of the State may be more seriously thought vpon doubtlesse will restore our ancien Ballance of Trade and in it the former florishing Commerce which heretofore this Kingdome happily did enioy This is that Prouinciall and indeed Potentiall Exchange betweene vs and forraine Countries that must be the publique measure of all our Merchandize This is that true Par of Exchange that will not change that hath no imposture froth nor fallacy to abuse vs with This is the practice of forraine Princes and their Pollicy in point of Commerce to haue a continuall eie to this Par pro Pari the Ballance of Trade whereby they enrich their Countries and winne ground of others that neglect the same An instance is set