ENGLANDS VIEVV IN THE VNMASKING OF TWO PARADOXES With a replication vnto the answer of Maister Iohn Bodine By Gerrard de Malynes Merchant Opposita iuxta se posita magis apparent ANCHORA SPEI LONDON Printed by Richard Field 1603. To the right honourable Sir Thomas Sackuile Baron of Buckhurst Lord high Treasurer of England Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter and one of the Lords of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Councell G. de M. wisheth all health increase of honour and euerlasting happinesse THESE two Paradoxes right honourable hauing bene presented vnto the French King as a meane to qualifie the generall complaints of the dearth of things in France by prouing that nothing was growne dearer in three hundred yeares were answered by the famous M. Iohn Bodine who dedicated his aunswer vnto the President of the high court of Parliament of Fraunce as a matter of great consequence and considerable in the gouernment of a Common-wealth Hence proceeded that resolution which emboldened me to present vnto your Lordship the substance of both their writings with all their arguments and propounded remedies to the end that in the ballance of your graue wisdome they may be weighed with my Replication thereunto shewing how things are to be considered of for the good of a Common-wealth Your Honors iudgement shall easily perceiue that the Paradoxes are opposite and do contradict one another besides the slender and weake ground of their foundation as also that Maister Bodine hath mistaken the true ground of the matter by comparing the prices of things within themselues in a Common-wealth whereas the comparison must be betweene the home Commodities of one Common-wealth and the forraine Commodities of other nations and that either by way of permutation of Commodities for Commodities or by Commodities for money in specie or by exchange So that a due consideration must be had of the course of Commodities Money and Exchange which are the essentiall parts of all trade and trafficke Wherein must be considered the end of all Merchants which is Gaine and profite at which scope they ayme according to their profession and practise some by Commodities some by Money some by Exchange some by all three or that which yeeldeth them most gaine For as money doth rule the course of Commodities so the exchange for monies doth both rule the course of moneys and Commodities By the disorder wherof it happeneth that the riches of a Common-wealth doth so much decrease as it is not alwayes in the power of the wise that haue the managing of the gouernement thereof to make choice of the best and to banish the worst but must not only obey the tempest and strike sailes but also cast ouer boord some precious things to saue the ship and bring it into a safe port and afterwards by degrees ouercome greater things changing the estate thereof from euill to good and from good to better which otherwise might haue bene preuented in the beginning by remouing the causes thereof To your most honorable iudgement I referre the consideration of all and pray the Almightie to haue your Honor in his diuine protection And so in all humility I take leaue London this 16. of Ianuarie 1603. Your Lordships most humble and in all dutie bounden GERRARD DE MALYNES Englands view A SENTENCE alleaged without application to some purpose is to handle a matter without conclusion and he that will attribute vnto any man the knowledge of the essentiall parts grounds or pillars of any science must make apparant proof therof otherwise his assertion is like cloudes and winds without raine or like an arrow shot at randon Quòd oportet patrem-familias vendacem esse non emacem is a worthie sentence to be duly executed of al good housholders or fathers of families especially of Princes that are the fathers of the great families of Common-weales who as Iustinian saith are to prouide carefully for the two seasons namely the time of warre when armes are necessarie and the time of peace more fitting wholesome lawes in both which it cannot properly be said that the office of a Prince is wholy employed about the gouernment of the persons of men and of things conuenient and fit for the maintenance of humane societie according to the definition of the heathens but rather in the obseruation of Religion towards God and administration of Iustice towards man the one teaching vs especially of the life to come the other how we should liue in this life Religion doth knit and vnite the spirits of men wherby they liue obediently in vnitie peace and concord and Iustice is as a measure ordained by God amongst men to defend the feeble from the mightie Hence proceedeth that the causes of seditions and ciuill warres is the deniall of iustice oppression of the common-people inequall distribution of rewards and punishments the exceeding riches of a small number the extreame pouertie of many the ouer-great idlenesse of the subiect and the not punishing of offenders which bringeth destructiō of Common-weales Religion doth teach the feare of God which maketh a good man and is indeed the beginning of a Prince For sith Princes raigne by wisedome and that the feare of God is the beginning thereof we must conclude that it is the beginning also of a vertuous and wise Prince Now as Princes raigne by God so must they be directed by him yea they raigne best and longest that serue him best and most Serue him they cannot but according to his will and his will is not known but by his word and lawe which made the Prophet Dauid to meditate therein day and night preferring the cause of faith or religion before temporall commoditie And this is properly the first and chiefest point that the Prince is to regard whereunto the other is annexed and doth depend vpon For as iustice is administred and prescribed by lawes and customs so reason requireth that this gradation should be obserued concerning all lawes that euen as the wils contracts or testaments of particular men cannot derogate the ordinances of the Magistrates and the order of the Magistrates cannot abolish customs nor the customes can abridge the generall lawes of an absolute Prince no more can the lawes of Princes alter or chaunge the lawe of God and Nature By iustice properly called Distributiue is the harmonie of the members of a Common-weale maintained in good concord howbeit much hindred where vsurie is tollerated which giueth cause of discord some few waxing thereby too rich and many extreame poore the operations of effects whereof are declared by me vnder certaine Similies or Metaphors in the Treatise of Saint George for England By iustice properly called Commutatiue is the cōmerce and trafficke with other nations maintained obseruing a kind of equalitie which is requisite in euery well gouerned Cōmon-wealth where prouidence and pollicie cause the Prince the Father of the great familie to sell more then he buyeth or else the wealth and treasure of his realme
wherein the example of the Prince is predominant But leauing the matter of Commodities let vs come to intreate of monies Money as we haue said before being the rule and square to set a price vnto euery thing as being the publike measure to maintaine a certaine equalitie in buying and selling must therefore haue his standing valuation onely by publike authoritie of Princes as a matter annexed to their Crownes and dignities For they be the warrant of the monies vnto their subiects And to the end that this measure of things namely money should not be falsified by making the same generally more or lesse whereby the price of things would become incertaine if priuate men be suffered to haue the handling thereof therefore are Princes so carefull to obserue a certaintie and equalitie of the price of money from time to time Howbeit that the due regard which is to be had betweene their monies and the monies of other Princes is by some lesse regarded then the course thereof within their owne dominions being of lesse importance hauing some base money currant with the good The price of money becommeth incertaine in particular when priuate men will giue or receiue any money in specie aboue the price of their valuation imposed by the authoritie of the Prince whereby euery man vndertaketh to aduaunce still the price according as he seeth occasion to aduance his gaine by the necessitie or vse of another man that hath cause to employ the money The vse hereof is in many countries seuerely prohibited and yet another way in a manner suffered for the good of their Commonweales as those that are skilfull in mint matters do very well know The price of mony in generall becommeth incertaine when vsury is tollerated whereby one hundreth pounds are esteemed and valued in regard of time to be worth one hundreth and ten pounds and in some other countries more which was the cause that commodities were sold accordingly when dayes were first giuen for the payment thereof euery man supposing that he could make so much of his money which did proceede of his commodities This course being tollerated by the lawes of the land maketh vs to forbeare to speake hereof sparingly because Pollicy doth thinke that therby greater euils are auoided which being compared to the operations and effects of vsury written allegorically by me in another treatise may be ballanced in the iudgement of the wise Onely to the end that through ignorance merchants and others might not fall within the compasse of the Statute of vsury we haue thought good to giue them this Caueat and to make them to vnderstand the true sence and definition of the branch of tolleration of that Statute the rather for that some men do seeme to charge the makers thereof with a great absurdity For say they the Statute giueth ability for a man to take one way ten pounds ten shillings or more for the vse of one hundreth pounds for one yeare being deliuered out for two yeares and another way he cannot take ten pounds fiue shillings and lesse for one yeare but he shall be within the compasse of the Statute But if they had a due consideration that Time is properly the Iudge hereof and that they could not make the Statute without the limitation of a time certaine they would not find any absurdity therein For it was impossible to make it otherwise more certaine The words of the Statute be in effect None may haue receiue accept or take for the lending or forbearing of his or their money for one whole yeare or for a longer or a shorter time or for a more or lesse summe aboue the rate of 10 pound pro 100 yearely 37. H. 8. And this Statute to be most strongly strictly cōstrued for the suppression of all vsury both directly and indirectly as by the Statute of the 13. of her most excellent Maiestie To make it euidently appeare that of necessity Time is herein Efficient and Actiue and the rate of 10 pro 100 Positiue and Passiue Let vs suppose that you do deliuer at interest one hundreth pounds for three moneths after ten vpon the hundreth you may lawfully receiue at the three moneths end two pounds ten shillings for your interest and continue the hundreth pounds againe for other three moneths by a new contract or agreement and then receiue againe two pounds ten shillings continuing in this manner for the whole yeare by foure seuerall agreements whereby you do receiue three parts of your interest at seuerall times within the yeare which interest you may put out also to vsury and so take aboue 10 pro 100 without incurring the danger of the Satute because your agreements haue from time to time altered the property of the interest money which you did receiue and that which before was anothers is thereby become yours and thereof you may lawfully dispose againe But if you do deliuer out 100 pounds from the beginning for one whole yeare then you can haue but 10 pounds interest for the same at the yeares end with your principall for the property of the 10 pounds is not till then altered by your agreement Thus is it with money deliuered for a shorter time In like manner is it for money deliuered out for a longer time as for example One deliuereth out an 100 pound for foure yeares for the which at the foure yeares end he can receiue but 140 pound but if he do deliuer out 100 pounds for one yeare he may at the yeares end receiue 10 pounds for interest and continue the 100 pounds againe for the second yeare by a new agreement and then receiue another 10 pound and so for the third and fourth yeare Now whereas by reason of his seuerall agreements according to the time he hath altered the property of the interest mony and receiued 10 pounds the first yeare he may put out againe this 10 pound as his owne for another yeare and so haue interest thereof twenty shillings whereby he receiueth 11 pound the second yeare which being put out for the third and fourth yeare will yeeld him accordingly in like maner for the 10 pound receiued the second and third yeare which will yeeld him after the same maner accordingly So that he shall haue aboue 146 pound being thus deliuered out the body of his sum still remaining whole and being only distinguished by time which maketh the difference Againe let vs suppose that the 100 pound were deliuered out from the beginning for foure years to be repaied by 25 pound a yeare and the interest it followeth proportionably that the first yeare he is to receiue 27 pound 10 shillings the second yeare 30 pound the third yeare 32 pound 10 shillings and the fourth yeare 35 pound which maketh all but 125 pound adde vnto this the interest of 25 pound receiued in deduction of his principal three yeares before the time which is 7 pound 10 shillings and of 25 pound more in like manner for 2 yeares which
rentes leauied vpon the citie of Paris are brought to amount vnto 3 millions and three hundred and fifty thousand pounds tournois yearely And the citie would be much richer if there were a house as at Genes called the house of S. George which taketh al the money that men will bring after the rate of 5 vpon the 100 and doth deliuer out the same to the merchants to trafficke therwith after two and three vpon the hundred like as the great Emperours Antonie and Alexander Seuerus did which did deliuer mony at 4 per 100. And Augustus deliuered mony freely without interest to them that wold giue sureties to restore double the value if they did not pay it at the time limited By these means their subiects got much and Princes were not driuen to borrow or to pill their subiects but did rather diminish their imposts And so he concludeth that the aboundance of gold and siluer is the cause partly of the derth of things The second cause of the dearth of things namely the Monopolies he doth passe ouer as a matter not considerable to the things intreated of which is saith he when merchants artificers or laborers do assemble thēselues to set a price vpon the Commodities or their handiworke with the augmēting of wages For the preuenting whereof hee commendeth the abolishing of their fraternities or companies procured by the meanes of their Chauncelor The third cause of the dearth by the want of things commeth to passe by the excessiue trade of the things and by the wast thereof It is certaine saith he that we haue our corne and wine better cheape during the warres with the Spaniard and Flēming then after the warres when the trade is permitted For the husbandman being driuen to sell and to make money of his wares and the gentleman finding the same perishable when the merchant dare not lade his ships bringeth downe the price of Commodities and maketh the people to liue good cheape which according to the Prouerbe Fraunce can neuer be famished would alwaies continue if by the means of the stranger their storehouses were not emptied The Spaniard doth buy and transport their corn before it is ripe because his countrey except Arragon and Granado is of great sterilitie therfore haue the corn merchants great priuiledges for bringing corne vnto them and are onely licensed to export mony for the same From the Spaniard saith he we haue but their oyles and spices and yet the best drugges come vnto vs from Turkie and Barbarie From Italie we haue their allumes some silkes and other Commodities Oyles we may haue within our dominions of Languedock and Prouence more then we do need and there are as good silkes made with vs as at Florence and Genes Touching allumes if we would cut the veines of the Pireney mountaines we should find an infinite number of allume and copresse as hath bin sufficiently proued whereas France doth spend farre aboue the value of one million thereof yearely and the wast of things is incredible The fourth cause of the dearth of things proceedeth from the pleasure of Princes which do impose a price vnto the things which they affect For it is a generall rule in state matters that Princes do not onely giue lawes vnto their subiects but also as Plato hath noted they do chaunge by their example the maners of men To which purpose he doth vse the example of their king Francis the first who being hurt in the head caused his haire to be cut off wherin the people did presently imitate him as following the will of Princes praising that which they do commend We haue seene at one time saith he three great Princes striuing as it were who should haue the most learned men and best artificers namely the great king Francis the first Henry king of England and Pope Paul the third in such sort that the king of England could neuer haue the learned and reuerend Beda and the French king did pay 72 thousand crownes for a Diamond rather then king Henry should haue had the same Presently the Nobilitie and the people did giue themselues to studie and to buy precious stones and whē king Henry beganne to make litle account of the stones their generall estimation and price was abated wherof there are many examples in like sort for the art of painting The Princes of the East and Alexander the Great had brought them into such credite that a picture of Venus issuing out of the waters which Apelles had made was bought for 60 thousand crownes Alexander gaue for his 200 talents that is 36 thousand pound starling Apelles himselfe made no difficultie to buy a picture of Protogenes for 50 thousand crownes concluding with other examples that the pleasure of Princes maketh things deare as aforesaid And so returning to the wast or consumption of things wherein their example is also imitated he doth reprehend the cutting of silke vpon silke or any other stuffe so that it can serue but once for one person which caused the Turkes to call vs mad men And further he findeth fault that our Lackies and seruants are apparelled therwith and that so much stuffe is put into the apparell disguising with new fangled fashions the proportion of our person or bodie contrarie to the ancient modestie when as the fashion of the apparell will many times cost more then the apparell itselfe To this is linked the desire of costly houshold stuffe and daintie and delicate fare of al sorts of meate and drinke whereof he alleaged examples which are better cōcealed then spoken of for they bring with them all licentiousnesse and excesse as a spring of vices of the calamities and miseries of a Common-wealth If any man shold here obiect saith he that if things did still become dearer partly through the wast and partly also for the abundance of gold and siluer no man should be able to liue because of the dearth it is true But the warres and calamities happening to a Common-wealth do stay the course hereof as we may see that the Romaines haue liued with great scarcitie and to speake properly in great miserie almost fiue hundred yeares when they had but copper monies of a pound waight and without stampe vntill king Seruius and they made no siluer monies but 485 yeares after the foundation of Rome and 62 yeares after they made monies of gold And here he taketh occasion to compare the price of things altered during the gouernment of the Romaines and the lawes made by them for the suppressing of abuses and that all their gold and siluer came vnto them in a hundred and twentie yeares by the spoiles of all the world which was brought to Rome by the Scipions Paul Aemylius Marius Sylla Lucullus Pompey and Caesar especially by the two last For Pompey did conquer so much land as made the reuenue of the Empire to come vnto 8 millions and one halfe of crownes Caesar notwithstanding all his expences prodigalities brought to the
treasurie 40 millions of crowns hauing giuen at one time vnto Paul Consull 900 thousand crownes for to hold silence and vnto Curion Tribune 1500 thousand crownes to take his part Marke Antonie went further if it be true that which Plutarch and Appian haue written for he gaue vnto his armie for their seruice done 200 thousand talents being 120 millions of crownes which is to be credited seeing that the Emperour Adrian for to haue the goodwill of 40 legions gaue ten millions of crownes So that we may here see abundance of gold and siluer at Rome but it did not last euer for in lesse then 300 yeares the Parths Goths Hercules Hongers and other cruel nations did ouercome the Empire all Italy and ouercame the Romains burned their citie and tooke the spoile of them The like doth happen vnto all Commonweales to wax and increase by litle and litle and to flourish for a time in wealth and power and afterwards to grow old and decline vntill they be vtterly ruinated and destroyed Comming to the last cause of the dearth of things by the alteration of mony he sheweth how Master Malestroit hath mistaken the matter in the monies themselues made within 300 yeares For whereas he saith that S. Lewis caused the first sols to be coyned worth twelue deniers whereof 64 peeces went to the marke and that in Philip de Valois his time the crowne of the Flower-de-luce without number as good as the crowns now was valued but 20 sols and that afterwards king Iohn caused the franks to be made of fine gold which were but valued 20 sols and that the sols of siluer of that time was worth fiue of our sols he doth not say of what weight or finenesse the monies were in those daies And touching the last point he doth contradict himselfe for he doth acknowledge that the old crown weighing three penny weight is no more worth then 60 of our sols so that the auncient sols of fine siluer can be worth but three of them and yet the frankes of gold do weigh lesse by foure graines then the old crowne and are no better in finenesse then the other And by the proclamation of the yeare 1561 the old crowne is valued at 60 sols and the franke at 50 sols which if his proposition were true and that it were fiue sols for one then would the old crowne be by this proportion valued at 100 sols and the franke at 90 sols And if Master Malestroit saith he doth take his comparison of the alteration of monies at some one time in any such years whē monies haue bene embased that is no consequence at all for within the abouesaid time it is manifest that the money was once so base in allay that one of our sols was worth 5 of those which were then And then he sheweth how al things were rated for their customes and how vsed within fiftie or sixtie yeares concluding that the price of things notwithstanding his former allegation is not altered by the valuation of monies But wel that things are growne deare contrary to the first Paradoxe of Maister Malestroit and that was the first point which he was to proue the second was the causes of this dearth as we haue briefly rehearsed But forasmuch saith he as some great personages do labour by words and writings that the trade should be cut off and that no Commodities shold be transported out of the realm making accompt that we could liue peaceably within our selues and very good cheape without giuing or receiuing any thing of other nations he doth reprehend them and sheweth that they haue need of the straungers and most especially of the trafficke with them Insomuch that although they could liue without them in regard of Commodities yet charitie and humanity willeth vs to maintaine friendship with our neighbours and rather to giue them part of our blessings then not to deale or to communicate with them Wherein the Romaines were much to blame who hauing extended their power from the West vnto the East did refuse to take vnder their gouernment some nations because there was nothing to be had of them whereas the greatest gift of honor that God giueth vnto man is to giue him the maiestie to commaund and to do iustice especially to the poore not being instructed But if this lesson doth not please men of this humour God hath so bestowed and deuided his graces and blessings that there is no countrey in all the world so fruitfull but hath neede of diuers things whereby he holdeth all the subiects of his Commonwealth in friendship or at the least doth hinder them to make long warres one with another And so he proceedeth to shew some remedies to the causes aforesaid The abundance of gold and siluer now adaies more then in times past must partly excuse the dearth of things saith he adding further touching Monopolies and the wast of things that in vaine are good lawes made if they be not executed especially if the king do not cause the courtier to obserue them whom the common people doth imitate whereby also many superfluous things might be auoided and not brought into the realme as is done by Italians with perfumes counterfeit stones and such trifles Cōcerning the excessiue trade of some Commodities he declareth that as the things transported cause the like to grow deare by the exportation so the things imported becom the better cheape Wherof he excepteth the trade of corne which is to be gouerned more wisely for they haue had intollerable famines for want of such a due care as Ioseph had in Aegypt The meane to preuent the same is to haue many publike store-houses in seuerall places making prouision of corne yearely by selling the old and prouiding new in place Touching the opinion of those that would haue the vines taken vp and corne sowed in the place or at the least to commaund that no vines should be planted hereafter the husbandman doth with reason laugh thē to scorne For God himselfe did so direct and dispose the nature of the ground that all should not be for corne or all wine seeing the one hath need of a fat and the other of a stonie ground And if the vines were pulled vp wee should saith hee depriue Fraunce of one of the greatest riches of the land But there is a meane propounded by those that haue vnderstanding in matters of imposts which would very much enrich the realme and releeue the common-people which is to lay part of the ordinarie charges vpon corn wine salt wood linnen cloth and draperie and most especially vpon wine salt and corne which are three elements whereupon next vnder God the life of the stranger dependeth and which can neuer faile The mines of the North and of the Indies are exhausted in a short time and the mettals cannot grow againe but our springs of corne salt wine are not to be drawne out And howsoeuer the season of the yere doth hinder them to
did send vnto the Duchesse whiles her husband was in Germany desiring her to value the angell at 10 shillings Flemish but he could not obtaine the same Which seemeth very strange considering that the aduancing of the price of money doth cause the money to be transported to the places where it is aduaunced whereby all the angels might haue bin caried into her dominion But she like a wise and politicke Duchesse caused the matter to be examined and considered of sending men skilfull in mint causes into England And finding that the golden fleece aliâs Toison d'or was the money then most currant with her and that the same was worth both in regard of waight finenesse asmuch as the angel was also valued at 9 shillings 7 pence she could not graunt the kings requests without altering also her money vnlesse shee would haue suffered the English merchants to bring angels vnto her for 10 shillings and to carie away the golden fleeces for 9 shillings 7 pence to be conuerted into angels to the great losse of her dominions both in the money and to leaue the Commodities of her country vnuented so long as there were a gaine vpon the mony which abated the price of cōmodities These two Paradoxes being thus vnmasked are easily conceiued of any man of iudgement to be far from the truth and therefore will the vnderstanding thereof be accounted a matter of small moment as all things else are when they be known like vnto the egge of Columbus who hauing discouered the West Indies and hearing some say at a dinner that if he had not done it another might and wold called for an egge and willed all the guests one after another to set it vp on end which when they could not do he gently bruising the one end of it did make it flat or rather by swinging did breake the yolke within and so set it vp shewing how easie it was to do that which a man had seene done before him Now let vs examine the answer of Maister Bodine Maister Malestroit was of opinion That nothing was growne dearer in three hundred yeares as is before shewed But Maister Bodine was of a contrarie opinion and sheweth fiue causes of the dearth of things as we haue also declared Whereunto for a generall and direct answer by way of Replication we say that to shew the alteration of the price of things and the causes therof is of small moment the true ground of the matter being by him mistaken Which true ground must be by making a comparison of the enhauncing of the price of the Commodities of one countrie with the price of the Commodities of other countries and thereby to find out whether things are grown deare with vs in effect and whether we pay more proportionably for the forraine Commodities within the aforesaid time of three hundred yeares then we doe receiue for the price of our home Commodities For if we do now pay more for corne wine and all other victuals and sell our Commodities for more then we were wont to do proportionably here is no alteration in effect but in name onely so long as the substance of the money is not altered in propertie But if we sell our Commodities dearer and buy our victuals dearer then heretofore and that ouer and aboue the price thereof we must pay farre dearer for the forraine Commodities then proportionably the price of our Commodities is risen this causeth vs to be aloser in particular and bringeth by an ouer-ballancing of forraine Commodities with our home Commodities a generall losse to the Common-wealth which to supply causeth vs to make vp the inequalitie with mony which is the treasure of the realm The consideration then must be not to compare things within themselues in the Commonwealth where we do liue but betweene vs and other nations with whom we deale either by way of permutation of Commodities for Commodities or Commodities for money in specie or by exchange So that we must examine the course of Commodities Money and Exchange which are the three simples vnder the which all the trade and trafficke is performed whereof we shall intreate when we shall haue examined the matters by him alleaged in particular The fiue causes of the dearth of things by him alleaged are to be distinguished according to our forme obseruation For the first last cause concerning plentie of gold and siluer and the alteration of the valuation of money may be causes that generally things are deare But the other three touching Monopolies the want and wast of things and the pleasure of Princes can but make things particularly deare according to the vse thereof wherein the time maketh also now and then an alteration vpon occasion as when armes are dearer in time of warre then in time of peace victuals in time of famine wood in winter and water in desert places and such like Seeing then that plentie of money maketh not onely the Commodities of a countrie deare but that they are also Nerui bellorum the sinewes of warre euery Prince is to haue a singular care for the preseruation and augmentation therof especially those Princes that haue no mines of gold or siluer within their dominions or such as haue had them and are now without them The gold was wont to come much out of the mountaines of Boheme and riuers of Pannonia and Swaden Out of Spaine there was wont to come both out of the riuers and monntaines aboue 20 thousand pound weight yearely which is all exhausted then it came from the West Indies first from Santo Domingo and other places where it doth also cease now it commeth from Peru by certaine millions which will also take an end The siluer is brought also frō the West Indies and was much found in Germanie but is now in many places drawne out The most noble Kings of this realm haue alwaies had a singular care to accumulate treasure deeming therfore that it was neither expedient nor conuenient for them to suffer the transportation of their monies or bullion out of the same as by diuers acts of Parliament may be seene whereby it was made fellonie for the space of many yeares continuing William the Conqueror caused a description to be made of the realme and the land to be measured reseruing so much thereof as he thought conuenient for the Crowne and the rest he deuided amongst his Barons and knights who did pay him therefore a certaine summe of money whereby he did gather a treasure Henry the second succeeding him within one hundred yeares hauing had many great warres and ioyned Ireland to the Crowne of England conquering also Scotland and reducing Normandie and other places in Fraunce to the Crowne and hauing raigned 35 yeares had neuer cause to impose any tribute subsidie or taxe vpon his subiects and left notwithstanding behind him in treasure 900 thousand pounds which in those daies was not only a great matter the West Indies not being discouered but also for
sell seeing that those nations doe bring their owne Commodities vnto our merchants to the places by them appointed which is in effect as much as VVill you buy And would not this be VVil you buy if in a dispersed and stragling manner our cloth were caried to al markets be yond the seas in seuerall places which would take away the desire of buying for he that buyeth doth it in hope of sale with a gain to the places where he intendeth to carrie the Commoditie Which Commoditie if hee knoweth to be extant in most places to be vented will quench his desire of buying and he that commeth to barter other Commodities for ours hath also the like cōsideration But let vs admit that our cloth would be aduanced in price when men shold by multitudes runne to the markets or into the countrey in all places to buy it what would be the euent of it It would not onely be sold beyond the seas with a smaller gaine and many times to losse wee being naturally inclined to make speedie returnes but we should also pay dearer for the forraine Commodities which we should obtaine by way of permutation or for the billes obligatorie of the Merchants to whom we should sell our cloth And if our merchants were cut off and that other nations should buy the cloth within the realme and so aduaunce the price therof as it hapneth most commonly in Fraunce and Spaine at the vintage time with their wines and raisins then forraine Commodities would be sold dearer vnto vs by them againe For the small gaine had vpon our home Commodities causeth vs and would cause them to seeke a better gaine vpon the forraine Commodities to the generall hurt of the realme and to the exhausting of our monies which to ballance the matter must supply the same So that the enhauncing of the price of cloth in this manner would be but an imaginarie gaine and bring in the end an exceeding losse to the generall Commonwealth whose welfare is to be preferred before any particular Cōmodity of any member therof And it were to be wished that labourers and workmens wages were augmented although our cloth should cost so much the dearer as we haue noted elsewhere and that with great regard the poore people were set on worke and by way of corporation their handiworke were vented which without incurring the compasse of Monopolie is very commendable in all Commonwealths and vsed in many countries Lastly that the Statutes concerning the maintenance of nauigation were duly executed The third cause saith Maister Bodine is the want of things proceeding of the excessiue trade of things or by the wast thereof Touching the trade of any particular Commodities of the realme we may well passe ouer as he doth and make onely our stay with the trade for corne Which if it were guided with that due consideration both for preseruation and transportation as is requisite would make plain the Prouerbe Fraunce cannot be famished to be more incident and proper to the realme of England then to the realme of Fraunce because that proportionably we haue more fertile ground for corne and that in all places of the kingdome then Fraunce hath but in some places For those countries where the vines do grow are vnapt for corne and must haue their prouision from the countries adiacent and many times out of England when our corne is thither transported being with vs too good cheap in regard of their wines and other Commodities The cōparison wherof being made and the goodnesse of our corne regarded will make manifest that to sell our wheate for thirtie shillings the quarter and other grains after the rate is good cheape and that the Prince notwithstanding may impose a great custome or licence for the transportation therof which transportation might be done moderately and according to the quantitie extant and for so much therof as might conueniently be spared if the Magistrate and those that are in authoritie had the rule of the market in such sort as the Venetians haue who by the means of the Iustices of euery prouince do know little more or lesse the quantity of corne in all places whereupon certaine substantiall men are appointed from time to time to haue a consideration of the quantitie or scarcitie therof which quantitie being known and in what places may be a direction to those that are in authoritie to consider what the realme may spare hauing a regard to the season of the yeare and making the price accordingly And when the price of corne is limited and made knowne in writing in certaine publike places on euery Monday of the weeke all ingrossers forestallers or others that buy corne to sell againe are preuented because that the price thereof is not in their owne power but by the direction of those honest men rated at all times according to the quantitie and as the haruest is distant or at hand which is so notified vnto all men as aforesaid Whereby the execution of the law for the making of the loues of bread is duly obserued without any trouble vnto the magistrate For the baker knoweth how to make his loues and of what waight deliuering the same according to the true waight by those men appointed vnto any man that doth call for it which the poore doth so well obserue for that his indigence giueth him cause that without troubling any officer he is sure to haue his penni-worth and if he shold find it wanting of his waight presently with the assistance of an Officer as it were the Constable he doth seaze vpon all the bakers bread then extant and taketh the one moitie for him and the other for the poore of the Hospitals And who would buy corne to sell againe being debarred not to sell at his pleasure or with gain and vncertaine what the price will be made by others And what baker is he that would make his loaues of a lesser waight when he must sell them by waight as aforesaid By these meanes is corne brought to the market and none may be sold but in the market and the Clerke of the market taketh notice therof and what is by licence transported is done vpon due knowledge and without defrauding the Prince of his custome To haue many store-houses in seuerall places of the realme in the principall townes is most conuenient for the preseruation of corn which when need requireth may be prouided from forrain countries when the vnseasonable times cause vs to haue scarcitie or want therof notwithstanding all the industrie and care of man Concerning the immoderate vse of forraine Commodities in wearing and wasting by cutting and putting into seuerall strange new fangled fashions we doe referre the examination thereof vnto those that haue authority to reprehend men of their actions wishing reformation where things are amisse And albeit that gay and sumptuous apparell is a demonstration of pride yet a country clowne may be as proude in a frize coat as a gentleman in a veluet