Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	england_n	parliament_n	2,393	5	6.4363	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92242	Reasons humbly offered against establishing, by Act of Parliament, the East-India-trade, in a company, with a joint-stock, exclusive of others, the subjects of England		1693 (1693)	Wing R522bA; ESTC R230759	7,501	4

the Free-Traders with singular Kindness they protect them in their Ports as they did the Ship Success the last Year at Surrat from the French who brought into that Port two of the Company 's Ships they had taken at Sea They have offered Phirmands to particular Free-Traders inviting them to Traffick with most endearing Motives These with the Humanity of the Indians are great Security to us in our Trade with them and are sufficient But Forts and Castles are none at all in Cafe the Great Mogul or other Princes in India will at any time Offend us And for others the French and Dutch c. if they be our Enemies they cannot hurt us in any Port of the Indies because there the Government c. will Protect us And if they meet us at Sea our Forts and Castles if we have them cannot defend us So that Forts in India are at best no better to us in point of Security or Defence against Enemies than Castles in the Air but may do us much Hurt for that they are likely to create a Jealousy of us in the Great Mogul and other Princes of India c. and tempt us as it did the Now Company to Contests which will be fatal to us 〈…〉 Reas 1. The Wisdom of our Nation in Parliament for time out of Mind hath been against the Being or Continuauce of any Grant of Trade exclusive to Others the Subjects of England as appears in many Statutes Un-repealed And it hath been unusual with Parliaments to allow as Motive or Reward unto Invention or Discovery more than 14 Years exclusive of Others because they would not have them longer excluded Yet this Company tho'not Discoverers of this Trade have enjoyed it 37 Years And if Examples be of force we have many Companies which have had their determination for publick Good tho' they reaped not what they sowed as the Canary-Company in King Charles the Second's Time which if particular Interest must be considered will be found much severer than to have this Company expire after so profitable an Enjoyment and so long Reas 2. The Members of the Now Company being under an Oath which maybe interpreted obliging of them to do nothing to the prejudice of the Joint-Stock during the continuance of it the Company must be dissolved or the Members cannot be Free to do any thing that may lessen the Gain of the Joint-Stock tho' the publick Good should require it Nay one would think that they may hold themselves bound by the Oath to do what is for the Gain of the said Stock tho' it be to the damage of the Publick if we may judge now by their past Practice of sending to India Dyers Weavers and Throwsters with Instruments for setting up of our Manufactures there Also the Robberies and Murders abroad and the great Oppressions at home which in the House of Commons were proved done upon the Order of the greater number of the then Regents of the Company Wherefore if they obtain an Act of Parliament there will be one Monopoly establish'd by Law and Additions to it will spring from the said Oath the Law will impower them to seek and to serve onely themselves and the Oath will oblige them to be kind to no Body else Reas 3. The Stock to be grafted upon if there be any being in part acquired by an unjust War made upon the innocent Indians and by other Acts of Unrighteousness cannot be joined with in hope of any Good from it and being thus Leprous it should remain alone according to the old Law And for that some of the evil Deeds were done in the East-Indies by the pretended Authority of the King of England if their Majesties in Parliament should dissolve the Now Company we may reasonably conclude That people here and the Indians there will interpret it Justice in their Majesties in Parliament to be faithful Guardians to their own Rights and to their Peoples and to recover the Honour of our Religion and of our Nation depress'd by those evil Deeds I do not foresee any thing that can be objected against a Dissolution of the Now Company but what may be fairly answered from what I have already suggested and will further say The Innocent who have subscribed anew and were not afore-concerned in the old Joint-Stock will see Cause to be thankful for a Dissolution if their Majesties in Parliament provide That the old Stock shall pay all it oweth both at home and abroad and make Restitution to the Indians c. according to the Great Mogul's Phirmand The Company say They have value undivided to do all this and much more But in case it prove otherwise the Stock hath it in Debts which may be soon recovered being du● from the old Adventurers unto whom Dividends have been made whose Accompts are all stated in the Companies Books For every one is Debtor to the Stock for so much as hath been divided or paid to him and so he stands in the Companies Books And what his Share of the Stock for which he stand Creditor in the Companies Books wants to ballance the Dividends made to him he ought to repay being so much Debtor to it And this every honest Man doth without any compulsion in all like Cases Tho' all this may be done and with great ease yet to have it well done none can or will I believe think it ill if the Parliament notifying at present the said Dissolution and providing against the Companies Illegal Powers do suspend the said Dissolution for three Years In which time the true state of the old Stock may be known all Debts if ever may be paid the Demands of the Indians may be adjusted and farther Experience had of the best way to carry on the Trade for publick Good And for that the said Suspension of a Dissolution is undeserved Grace to the Members of the old Stock and will add great value to it And the new Subscribers by it will have the start of all other Subjects in the Trade because their Ships are ready to sail and they have which others are denied Protection for their Men And their Stock of 1500000 l. being ascertained they may be taxed for the ease of the Nation and for the defence of it and of themselves during the War And for that it is a bare Suspension for a time and other Subjects not excluded the Trade the Guilt and Mischiefs of a Monopoly will be avoided and the Nation will escape a double Tax For such Monopolists buy the Native Growth and Manufacture cheap at home and sell the Foreign which they Import dear to the Subject which Practice in both kinds can be proved upon the present East-India and Africa-Companies And however Joint-stocks in Trade may have been used here in the Infancy of Foreign Trade and granted by Kings to a number of Subjects named the Intention whereof was not particular but to them in Trust for the general Good and in prospect of a future opening unto National Benefit Yet now when we of this Kingdom are arriv'd at the utmost degree of Experience in Commerce with all Countries even the most distant and that our Mariners are the most expert in the Universe and we having Stock enough to carry on as well as to encrease our Trade I cannot see any reason why the Subjects should lose their Right or should be clogg'd by Joint Stocks to the great damage of the Nation as I have before made evident FINIS