Selected quad for the lemma: act_n
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A17734
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Cambium Regis: or, The office of His Maiesties Exchange Royall Declaring and iustifying his Maiesties right; and the conveniencie thereof. Published by authoritie.; Cambium Regis.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 4471; ESTC S117072
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20,499
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49
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That the Exchange or buying of Bullion belongs to his Maiestie Iure successionis by right deriued from his Ancestors Kings of England as part of his ancient Right and Reuenue And likewise Iure concessionis by Grants and Establishments of seuerall Acts of Parliament 2. That it is no part of the Goldsmiths trade to buy or exchange Bullion or lawfull to any other to trade Gold or siluer Merchantwise to make profit thereof saue onely to his Maiesties Exchanger 3. That the Exchange was deuided and seuered from the Mynt or Bullion And that diuers places of Exchange were both in London and elsewhere out of the Tower And to conclude the point of his Maiesties legall interest in the Exchange of Bullion the Charter of the Goldsmiths expressely both warrants his Maiesties Right and shewes that they had no libertie to buy a-any Gold or Siluer but with reference to be made and conuerted into Plate As more particularly will be explained in Answeare to some legall pointes of their petition made to the Lords of his Maiesties most Honorable Priuy Councell By all which though it doth euidently appeare That the Exchange of Bullon neither euer was nor now is any part or branch of the goldsmiths trade to which by his service and freedome he is entituled Neverthelesse it may not seeme altogether vnusefull to Collect the same likewise from the points ensuing That this is intimated in the very name of Goldsmithrie §. 1. importing a manufactury or handy craft they being Auri-fabri not Auri-emptores or Auri-venditores That by the old Orders of the Companie of Goldsmiths §. 2. It was required as a proofe of his skill and sufficiencie That euery one before hee was made free was to make a peece of Plate or other worke called his Master-peece without which hee was refusable but it was neuer heard they were examined vpon their skill in forreine Coynes or seuerall goodnesses of Gold or Silver That within these 60. §. 3. yeares last past The Goldsmith-row in Cheape or Goldsmithrie was all inhabited by the working-Goldsmiths euery Shop hauing his worke-houses necessary for the seuerall vse of their Trades That the commonaltie or generalitie of the Company §. 4. doth neither pretend vnto nor know what belongs to the skill or cunning of the Exchanges nor are acquainted or practised in the values or finenesses of forreine Species And as within these 30. yeares last past there were few or none So at this time there are not many more then tenne persons who to any purpose are skilfull or traders in forreine Coynes That it is lawfull for any Book-binder §. 5. Merchants man or other person whatsoeuer being free of any other Company To set vp as an Exchanging Goldsmith which shewes that to bee no part of the Trade And vpon some remonstrances vnder the hands of the Commonaltie it will bee made appeare that they haue disclaymed this Exchanging mistery eyther to bee part of the ir trade or the Exchangers of right to haue any thing to doe in their Company And lastly §. 6. if this Exchanging had been part of the Goldsmiths true and ancient Trade it would haue bin vsed by them time out of minde as appertayning to their Trade Whereas contrariwise it most evidently appeares That many Goldsmiths in the Raignes of severall Kings did exercise this businesse of Exchange and buying and selling of Bullion Not by reason of their trades but by vertue of Letters Patents from the Kings of this Realme and that without opposition or pretention of any other of their Company thereunto Thus William Salisbury Goldsmith was Exchanger 1. Ric. 1. Iohn Patesley ix Hen. v. William Russe 2. Hen. vi Bartholmew Read xxij Edw. the 4. and others By all which is apparently shewed The exchanging of gold and siluer to be no part of the Goldsmiths trade or to belong vnto them And by consequence that by the Office they are not restrained or debarred from any lawfull benefit or vse of their Trades CHAP. 2. The Causes of his Maiesties now resuming the Exchange of Bullion Besides the more generall Cause moving his Maiesty to resume the Exchange of Bullion which was a Ad jura regni ne depereant seu per aliquorum vsurpationes indebitas aliquatinus substrahantur quatenus iuste poterimus manu tenendum substractaque occupata si quae suerint ad Statum debitum reuocanda nec non ad impugnatores eorundam iurium nostrorum refraenandos Et prout convenit juxta eorundam demerita puniendos co studiosius nos decet operam adhiberi solicitius extendere manum nostram quod ad hoc vinculo iuramenti teneri dignoscimur astringi pluresque conspicimus iurà illa pro viribus impugnare Regist brevium Ad iura Regia fol. 61.6 to preserue the rights of his Crowne and revenue Some speciall Motiues seeme to haue beene raised from those Abuses and errors which such of the Goldsmiths as became Exchangers haeue practised whereby they haue greatly exhausted the Money of the Realme and depraved and enfeebled the residue And as the Proclamation not colourably but truely speakes These Exchangers aue from hence growne vnto that licentiousnes That they haue for divers yeares presumed for their priuate Lucar and gaine and daily doe presume to sort and weigh all sorts of moneyes currant within our Realme to the end to Call out all the Old and new moneyes which eyther by not wearing or any other accident are weightier then the rest which weightiest and best monyes haue not onely him molten downe for the making of Plate vessell and other manufactures but even Traded and sould to Merchant strangers and others who haue transported the same whereby the Consumption of our Coynes hath bin greatly occasioned Not onely to the scarcitie of Currant moneyes especially of Siluer Coyne but also to the great depravation and enfeebling of the Remainder of our Silver moneyes not exported or consumed by the abuses and practises aforesayd And to the Raising of the Silver even of our owne Moneyes to a Rate and price aboue our Mynt and aboue what they are truely Currant for By reason whereof no Silver can bee brought thither but to the losse of such as bring the same Contrary to the Lawes and Policie of our Realme and of divers acts of Parliament and of late Proclamation in that case provided and published The longer permission of all which would not onely redound to the impeachment of our Prerogatiue Royall but doth directly tend to the impoverishment and destruction of our Realmes Now that the Exchanging Goldsmiths haue had by the Advantage of their Exchanging the Opportunitie of being the maine Sorters and Cullers of the weightiest moneyes and haue sold and moulten downe the same is convinced 1. From the Conviction of the Merchant-Strangers and others in the Scar-chamber The Examination of the Gold smiths and their Bookes being the maine proofe against them Since all or the greatest part they exported was
Cambium Regis OR THE OFFICE OF HIS MAIESTIES EXCHANGE ROYALL Declaring and iustifying his Maiesties Right and the Conveniencie thereof Published by Authoritie LONDON Printed for B.F. 1628. To the Reader INtending to set downe in a summary way the grounds of the Office of Exchange and the causes of the late reviving the execution thereof I found it would be necessary by way of preface to levell and prepare the mindes of such who perhaps haue bin attempted to be prepossessed with many vntrue and scandalous rumors touching the same since in a thing although not new yet by reason of disvsage to some seeming as new it may prevaile much in prejudice of a cause that men haue false apprehensions or conceipts of that which is propounded or done to the end therefore that the mind freed of these may be placed in that even and cleere aspect as may be fit for the right vnderstanding and judging of what shall bee represented vnto it I must from such as may pervse this short Treatise desire by way of postulation or request First §. 1. that notwithstanding what they may haue heard they doe not conceiue that the Office or graunt thereof in the Letters Patents intends or actually restraines the libertie of the subiect in generall but that he is free as before the Patent 1. To sell his plate vessell or other manufactures or other gold or siluer whatsoeuer to any Goldsmith or other person whomsoeuer to his best advantage 2 That he is free to carry his gold and silver immediatly to the mint there to haue the same coyned whether he be a Merchant that imports the same from beyond the feas Or other subiect hauing the same from his Mines of his Plate receipts or monyes comming of his wares or other commodities Nor doth it restraine the Goldsmith or other Tradesman in particular 1. They may vse their trade of Goldsmithrey and other Trades as fully and amply as heretofore they lawfully might or could doe 2. They may vse and enioy all such franchises and other liberties and graunts which they lawfully haue or hold from the Charters of his Maiestie or any his Predecessors 3. They may buy and Plate vessell burnt silver broken silver or other in fashion or out of fashion or any other manufacture to be imployed in their Trades or resold as they might doe before the Patent 4. They may buy any gold or silver whatsoeuer or of whomsoeuer to make plate of or to be vsed in the seueall manufactures of their trades Secondly §. 2. I should desire no man should conceiue of this as grounded vpon the absolute power and prerogatiue royall of the King But as the premption of Bullion or Materials of mintage is a right inherent and intrusted trusted to the Crowne so alwaies haue the Kings of this Realme exercised this office by their Farmers and Patentees as belonging to them by right and prerogatiue legall A Right of such nature as that by which Royall mynes Treasure troue and such like doe belong vnto the Crowne And as it is not raised so is it not intended to be enlarged or extended beyond the bounds and limitts set to it by the Law or vpheld by any other means then the ordinarie courses of Iustice free to all in his Maiesties Courts of Iudicature to which euery man justly grieued by the Patent or the execution thereof is left to obtaine his lawfull rights and amends Thirdly §. 3. that the office may no way bee taken as to sauour of Monopolie this including a restraint of what was lawfull and a setting of a price vpon a free merchandise at the pleasure of private persons to their owne gaine in prejudice of the publike But the office is and ought to be acquited of both these Challenges and most justly For although the mettals of gold and silver as things many waies vsefull haue bin and are the marter of Trade yet when they are considered as Bullion and as the materials of Coine with reference to the Mint In this relation they become the sole preragatiue and right of Princes who haue power to enstampe them with their Image and superscription thereby giuing them currancie amongst their people and appointing them publique measures for the valuing and gouerning the estates and contracts of their subiects whereupon it hath neuer bin lawfull heere nor in any well gouerned forreine slate was there euer permitted a promiscuous buying of Bullion to buy sell or traffique gold or silver merchantwise or to driue any Trade vpon the profit thereof and so to come betwixt the Merchant or other iubject and the Mint but to such as were authorised and appointed by the State herevnto This being the full proper and adaquate subiect of the Office of Exchange The soueraignty of the Prince and State hauing beene euer esteemed faint and vaine in the forme and valuation of monyes if the materials and the supply thereof should bee at the pleasure of others As heere it hath lately beene at the pleasure of some few Goldsmiths and accidentally brought to the Mint when no offer of gaine did withdrawe their supplie And for the price that is alwaies certaine though dependent vpon the Prince his standard Bullion not like other merchandise according to more or few buyers plentie or scarcity or the vse or disuse thereof or other accidents rising or falling in price but alwaies hauing one certaine and vnchoengeable value and rate according to the weight and finenesse thereof viz. That for gold and silver Bullion in forreine species or other there be giuen a like and the same quantity of gold or silver Corned equiualent weight for weight The seller onely abating the Coinage and price of Exchange Both which are to be taxed by the authoritie of the Prince or lawes of the State as in this particular they are by his Maiesties Indentures of the Mint And of the Exchange And the last being likewise according to Act of Parliament thereof made with much temper thereunto ix H. v. c. Fourthly §. 4. Nor will any I hope be much prejudiced with the murmures and complaints of some few exchanging Goldsmiths whose vsurped and abused Trade is hereby cut off since the premises considered this will appeare to all to be but the power and practise of those few not many more then ten persons and their prevailement with the rest of the company vpon false suggestions of prejudices neither granted nor claimed Because it wil be impossible to assigne or shew how or wherein the true Goldsmith receiues prejudice when he is not barred from buying selling or doing any thing that euer did or doth belong to their trades or euer was vsed or practised but by those few who leauing off their proper trade of Goldsmithrie and contrary to their Charter are vnduely become Exchangers Interlopers betwixt the Merchant and the Mint And Intruders hereby vpon his Maiesties Regalities to the losse of his Maiestie in the profit of his Coynage and Exchange