and interests of the parties grieved as well of the said Judges as against the Laws and Atturnies injoining all Sergeants everie one of them in their turns to assist to bee present at the daies and hours in which the Court of the said Prior and Consuls useth to bee kept there to command silence and to put in use and execution their Orders and Commands and to give them such honor and reverence as they owe unto Magistrates injoining all our good Subjects to do the same And if there shall arise a Dispute or Controversie whereby the Merchants shall conceiv they have not justice of the Prior and Consuls for the time beeing then all such Merchants that have been Priors and Consuls and are remaining in the Citie of Roan without they bee hindred by sickness or other just excuse shall make a Court of Merchants and there after they have taken an Oath to do equal justice they shall give the sentence which shall bee binding to all parties irrevocable for the time to com This Court is at this daie in use in many great Cities in France by which means Law-suits are speedily dispatched to the great eas of all Merchants both Natives and Strangers and they finde the good and speedie justice which all men have there I humbly desire that the principal Merchants in London might bee consulted withal and their humble desires concerning a Court of Merchants which may bee settled amongst them which will bee a great eas and benefit to the Merchants and to all honest-minded men that are Traders to have their Suits for Merchandize and Traffick determined amongst themselvs to have their differences speedily dispatched and not delaied as it hath been to the ruine of many Families in this Citie and Nation To the Honorable the Council for Trade The humble Petition of Thomas Violet Sheweth 24. THat your Petitioner seeing in the Journal Books of the Parlament an Order referring the East India Companie 's Petition which they made unto the Parlament for obteining of a Licence to transport twentie thousand pounds of Forrain Bullion beyond Seas to this Council for Trade to give their opinions concerning the said Petition And your Petitioner having perused the late Act for the advancing of Trade whereby you are made Commissioners and a standing Council for regulating of the Trade of this Common-wealth whereby you are autorized not onely to receiv all such Propositions and Overtures for the well regulating and benefit of Trade which shall bee offered unto you by any person whatsoēver but you have likewise full power and autoritie to view all Books Records and Writings of Publick use which you shall finde needful for your better information your Petitioner having for these sixteen years been emploied about stopping the transporting of Gold and Silver out of this Nation and so having many opportunities offered unto him to know many things that may bee secrets to this Council his humble praier to You is that before you make your Report to the Parlament you would bee pleased to take these his humble Propositions into your serious considerations beeing highly for the benefit of the Common-wealth 1. That this Council require the East India and Persia Companie to bring in their Charter whereby you will inform your selvs with what privilege they have granted them and upon what conditions and restrictions 2. That you would bee pleased to require an accompt of the East India and Persia-Companie of all the summes of monie Gold or Silver either Forrain or English which they have sent into India and Persia ever since Julie 1620. this is no new thing for they did in 1620 give an accompt as will plainly by their Books appear that from the Original and first foundation of their Trade in Anno 1601 to Julie 1620. they had shipped away for India onely 548090l sterling in Spanish monies and som Flemish and Germane Dollars which accompt was presented in Parlament at that time 3. Your Petitioner desire's you to take notice that if the State in Parlament were then so careful in times of peace and the Trade of the Nation flourishing to call the East India Companie to an accompt for twentie years and to caus them to make their accompts plainly to appear by their Books for twentie years surely I humbly conceiv this Honorable Council will exspect for the service of the Common-wealth to have an exact accompt of all the Treasure the East India and Persia Companie have exported and to have them to produce a just accompt what quantities of Gold or Silver they have bought in Holland and in other Forrain places immediately upon their proper accompt and what quantities of English melted Silver in Bars they have bought of Goldsmiths in London what quantities of Gold in Bars they have bought of the Guinie and Barbarie Companies what quantities of English coined Gold they have sent into the East Indies and to Persia what quantities of Cardquess Rex-Dollars Rials of Spain or any other Forrain Silver they have bought up in Londou of Merchants Goldsmiths or others which without the East India Companie so buying would have been brought into the Mint and coined to the great augmentation of the stock of this Nation And that they bee required to give you an Accompt of what qnantities of Spanish Pistollers Dutch Riders Hungarian Duckets Gold Gilders Gold Albertus of Flanders Italian Pistolets Turkie Sultels and all other Forrain Gold and Silver they have bought up in London of Goldsmiths Merchants Natives and strangers which have not been members of their Companie and transported to India and Persia within thirtie years all which I am sure they have perfect Accompts of And that the aforesaid Companie bee required to send you in all the Warrants and Licences for their doing of the same and for a true discoverie of the premises 4. That you would require the Books of Invoies of the Lading of everie ship of all the Gold and Silver in Bars or Coin that hath been sent to the East Indies and Persia since 1620. for by them you shall see what Gold and Silver each ship carried and the Ships Factors and Master's names and to what Factorie in Persia or India and the several years and so you will quickly see the just quantitie to a pennie what they have transported and in what sort of Coin either English Gold or Silver or Forrain Gold or Silver for these thirtie years the giving you a true accompt thereof will bee of great concernment to the Common-wealth in many respects 5. That you would appoint a Committee to view over the Journal Books for out of them there will bee gathered businesses of great concernment to the Nation and if som able Book-Keepers bee appointed with mee to take out what I shall observ in them it will tend highly to the service of the Nation and give a stop to great mischiefs that is daily practised on the Common-wealth 6. If you pleas to inform your selvs by this
same rule followed which was in 14 Rich. 2. cap. 12. where Commissions by Act of Parlament were granted throughout the Realm to enquire of such as had conveyed the Monie of England out of the Nation in doing whereof great summes throughout the Nation will com to the State and the offendors will remember the Proverb sweet meat must have sower sauce when they shall bee enforced to paie back to the State that which they have defrauded them of and will prevent them and all others hereafter for to take the boldness to get themselvs fortunes by any of the aforesaid indirect courses which so highly tend to the damage of this Common-wealth By these deceits Commerce is spoiled Traffick decaieth those things that are needful for man's preservation grow dear the handiecraft's work ceaseth the work-men betake themselves to som other places and the Commonaltie to speak all in a word is brought to povertie as is gravely observed by the Master General and Council of the Mint in Flanders 2d October 1647. in their Declaration clearly demonstrating that the careful and punctual keeping of the Placart of the Mint is verie necessarie and withall profitable to all persons of what state qualitie or condition soëver shewing that if the Placart bee not observed but that monie should bee paid out above the true value through these disorders they shall never bee able to keep their treasure within their Countrie And in their Declaration shewing most judicially the great mischiefs that befal a Nation by enhauncing and raising their Monie beeing no real cure for the Common-wealth but utterly destructive to all sorts of people even from the Prince to the poor Laborer to any Free State or Common-wealth to all Merchandize and Commodities all which considerations although verie potent yet do not oftentimes com into the mindes and comprehensions not onely of the common people but also of those to whom the emploiment of Publick Office have given more judgment and credit in managing of affairs themselvs and who dare to spread it abroad that there is no harm nor evil in enhauncing the Coin above its true value and worth becaus they can put it away at the same price as they receiv it not taking notice by the waie that raising and augmenting the price of the Monie doth or must by consequence augment and encreas the price of all Merchandizes and Provisions proportionable whereby of necessitie it must follow that if the Monies bee augmented and hightned the Landlords and Creditors receiv so much less the Merchandize Victuals and all other Wares grow presently dearer the publick treasure either Excise or Customs are abated by so much as you enhaunce or lessen your Monies for it is not the Denomination of an high price of Gold or Silver set's the value but it must have weight and fineness proportionable to what you call it or els you go upon a wrong ground As for example in Scotland they call Thirteen pence half pennie a Mark and Twentie pence they call Twentie shillings this denomination of a great value give 's not the intrinsical value I caused these men following to bee fined in the Star-Chamber for transporting Gold and Silver and culling and melting down the heavie Coin of the Nation The 25th of Jan. 12th Car. Charls Frank 4000l Robert Ellis 4000l Isaac Romeer 3000l Jacob Delew 1000l Roger Fletcher 1000l Richard Cockram 1000l John Parrat 1000l The 17th of Febr. 12th Car. Peter Hern 2000l John Terrie 2000l Timothie Eman 2000l Isaac Brames 1000l Henrie Futter 500l Henrie Sweeting 500l John Perrin 100l The Total of the said Fines amount to the summe of 24100l. Sir John Wollaston Knight and William Gibs Esquire both Aldermen of the Citie of London beeing informed against in this Information by the late King 's then Atturnie General procured the late King's Pardon and so were discharged And Peter Fountain who was informed against for transporting of Gold procured his Pardon upon paiment of 1100l. And all these I did bring to a Trial all at my own charge That besides the fourteen offendors sentenced in the Star-Chamber and pardoned as aforesaid there are many other Merchants Gold-smiths and others that have transported Gold and Silver out of the Nation that have sold Gold and Silver at above the price of the Mint that have furnished much light Gold English and Forrain and great quantities of Gold and Silver to Merchants and others to transport that have culled and melted down the weightiest currant silver Coins as shillings six pences half crowns all which offences are against the common Laws of the Nation And the Wisdom and Policie of State hath upon free and general pardons at Parlaments exempted it out of the free pardon thereby the more to terrifie and restrain men from venturing in that kinde to transport Gold or Silver or to melt down the currant Silver Coins of the Nation That divers Gold-smiths of London are becom Exchangers of Bullion of Gold and Silver and buy it of Merchants and others pretending to carrie it to the Mint but indeed they are the greatest Instruments for transporting that are and in a manner they are onely those who furnish transporters with English and Forrain Gold Spanish monie Rix-dolars Pistollers Cardacues culling and melting down the currant Silver Coins of this Realm for Plate and Silver-Thread and no doubt when a true representation of the abuses of such Gold-smiths Finers Wier drawers as hath been formerly and is daily practised by many of them shall bee made appear I doubt not but the Parlament will think fit to take the same into consideration and provide som means to restrain them from doing the Common-wealth that damage as formerly hath been don That som of the Goldsmiths make it their use and practice to by light English Gold of shop-keepers and others which by the Laws of this Nation wanting beyond remedie ought to bee bought as Bullion and upon the sale ought to bee defaced and new coined in the Mint But they take another waie for they sell all this Gold to transport though it want four five or six grains above the allowance and that a Twentie shilling piece will not make nineteen shillings to bee coined in the Mint yet the Gold-smiths will not abate above two pence or three pence and somtimes but one pennie in the piece let the Gold want what it will by which means they out-give the Mint And the Gold which the Gold-smiths buie of the Subjects thinking it is to carrie to the Mint to bee new coined to pass in currant paiment they put it into a dead Sea never to bee made use of in our Common wealth For weekly French and English have bought up this Gold let it bee as light as it will at higher prices then the Mint are allowed to give by their Indenture to the value of many hundred thousand pounds for by the Gold-smith's rule the Mint is alwaies last served as beeing the worst Chap man and giving
and Silver Thread when it is Manufactured And other sorts of goods that are for use and not superfluous paie's five pounds in the hundred Now if the State pleas to laie six pence on the Ounce for all Gold and Silver-Wier that is disgrossed at the Bar it is not above three pounds in one hundred for som sorts of Gold and Silver-Thread and four pounds ten shillings in the hundred pounds Excise for the heaviest when it Manufactured and it is a superfluous commoditie that if any will wear it they ought to paie so much Excise as other commodities doth and if the rules desired in the Silverspinner's last printed Petition to your Honors with som few other Observations on Master Atturnie General Bankes his Certificate for the Regulating the Manufacture the State will make six thousand pounds a year of it and the Manufacture all made right both for the fineness of the Silver and the just covering of the Thread with a good plate and to settle a comfortable livelihood for the labor of all the poor working Wier-drawers and Silver-spinners that have a right to the Trade by service or seven years usage and the supernumerarie Master-Wier-drawers and Work-men to bee excluded the Trade that have not served for it or not wholly followed it for seven years I humbly desire your Honors to take notice by the Ordinance of Parlament that laie's four pence upon all Silver disgrossed at the Bar dated the sixt of August 1646. all Gold and Silver-Thread was to bee made up in scanes and to bee sealed without any fee and this no doubt was moved to bee put in by som people who knew verie well if there were no fee allowed there could bee no service don and that which hath made the Citie of London so full of slight Silver-Thread is the neglecting the surveying of it For how could any Sealer give his attendance warrant the Silver to the Nation and to any Merchants to bee good Silver both according to the Standard of the Silver and that it contain's in one pound Venice five Ounces of Silver and without this warrant to the buier what good doth the sealing of it While I had the surveying of this Manufacture which was above four years I warranted it all to the Common-wealth and I challenge any Wier-drawer or Finer or Silk-man in London to produce one pound of bad or slight Silver I ever sealed at the Office or that any man could ever fasten one pennie on mee or other reward for conniving at any man that did not work good Silver It is well known I did alwaies stand to reliev the poor work-men and work-women while I had the Office against their oppressing work-masters in causing their workmasters not to deliver them bad Silver or such as would not work by reason of the not refining of it well and made the Refiners change it though it were good according to the Standard yet not beeing well drietested it would bring the poor work-men a great deal of trouble and loss by reason of the Quick-Silver That I was strict to see all men work good Silver and to caus those that did not to bee punished I confess it ot bee true and it did concern mee to do it for els I had brought a scandal on the Manufacture and my Office and I might have been undon in warranting the commoditie to bee all right that was sealed in the Office And if the Wier-drawers could have proved but any Gold and Silver-Thread with all their vigilant search throughout the Citie that had been sealed that was cours Silver or held not five Ounces to everie pound Venice it had gon in to the Parlament with a full crie but though they sought and sought carefully to finde it out that either I or my servants had sealed any bad Silver they could not finde one Ounce though I am sure I and my servants in the time I had the Office sealed above one Million of Scanes of Gold and Silver and it was a great mercie of God to mee the Wier-drawers vvith all the tricks they used could get no cours or slight Silver-Thread to produce to the Parlament But missing their mark in that design they with som Refiners whose tongues I have found more sharp then a two-edged sword with the greatest industrie subtilly spit out the poison of Asps which naturally grow's in som of their mouths or els so much untruth could not bee invented as they bestowed upon mee the poison of their mouths and tongues beeing to mee as venomous as the Aqua-Fortis they make For in the beginning of this Parlament som of them cast about the Citie of London and to people that never knew mee as if I had been the worst man living And though the Finers and Wierdrawers of London both Petitioned the late King for their Trade as I said before and each striving which of them should set their trade in such a waie that might bring them in the most for their particular profit vvhen they had moulded all their Regulation then I was nominated Surveyor and Sealer of all the Manufacturie by the late King which I did discharge faithfully in seeing they should not cousen the Common-vvealth for my doing thereof som of them clamored most lewdly against mee about the Citie of London And som which I know did use these unworthie vvaies to defame and slander mee are now discovered and held themselvs unworthie men and in as much contempt with the Citie of London as they put upon their neighbors It is not their removing out of the Citie of London can make their cursed remembrance bee forgot These restless spirits have left no stone unmoved to do mee a mischief and to present mee as a Malignant and dis-affected to this Common-wealth Truly I will declare to all the world I ever loved and honored the late King with all my heart as long as hee bad breath in his bodie and would have don him any just service and nothing beyond that I would have don and I am confident no gallant man will condemn mee for speaking this truth Now hee is dead I am free with the same faith and humble dutie and somthing more by reason my afflictions hath got mee som more experience I will constantly serv this Parlament and the Common wealth of England as it is now settled without King or Lords to the last drop of bloud in my bodie against any person that oppose's them and will do the Parlament all just service for the Common-wealth And I thank God I never by any was desired farther and if I should I would bid any that ask's mee to do it do it themselvs Yet these Moles som of the Refiners and som of the Wier-drawers vvould introduce to som of my friends that I am a dangerous Instrument for som of the State so that these men's tongues are like saws with cross teeth if I bee of the King's side I shall bee blasted when the King is dead if I serv
Thomas Violet was examined before an Honorable Committee at Gold-smith's Hall the third of Januarie 1643. where I made the Honorable Committee acquainted that the later of Master Read's Letters I delivered to Master Theophilus Rilie Scout-Master of the Citie of London who was autorised by Ordinance of both Houses of Parlament and by Act of the Common-Council of the Citie of London to hold Intelligence in any of the King's Quarters and that the said Theophilus Rilie did daily emploie Intelligencers into the King's Quarters by Order of the Citie of London and by autoritie of the Parlament as hee told mee Tho. Violet and that the said Theophilus Rilie by virtue of his place did procure my Pass from the then Parlament to go to Oxford the twentie fift daie of December 1643. as appear's by the Journal-Books in the Hous of Commons and my Lord General Essex did give mee a Pass to go to Oxford in Exchange for Master Haslerig then prisoner in Beaver Castle and this Warrant of my Lord General 's Sir Arthur Haslerig procured mee by means of Master Rilie I beeing prisoner committed by the Parlament for my Twentie part both which Warrants were procured for mee Tho. Violet by Theophilus Rilie Scout-Master of the Citie of London and I Tho. Violet did before the Honorable Committee plead Justification for my doing what I did having the Warrant and Approbation of the Common-wealth's Scout-master for what I had don And I then told the Honorable Committee that I conceived my Warrant from Master Rilie for what I did was as sufficient as if I had had Master Elsing's Warrant for M. Rilie was as hee told mee approved on by Order of Lords Commons and I knew by the consent of the Common-Council of the Citie of London to bee Scout-master for the Citie and if hee were a man unfit for such a trust power it was the fault in those that chose him and not in mee which was not to question his power abilities or trust but to act according to his directions as long as hee had the Office of Scout-Master Moreover I told the Honorable Committee that before I went to Oxford I desired Sir David Watkins Knight to make the Committee of both Nations who sate then at Darbie-Hous acquainted with what I had don with Master Rilie the Scout-master of the Citie of London that so I might do nothing but by the approbation of the Committee of both Kingdoms and Sir David Watkins did make som of them acquainted with what I had don with Master Rilie and I had their approbation to go to Oxford for the late King's Letter and my Lord General 's Pass as aforesaid Moreover I declared to the Honorable Committeee at Gold-smith's Hall that there was not then at the time of my bringing up of the late King's Letter beeing the 2d of Januarie 1643. any Ordinance or Order to forbid mee or any other person to bring up a Letter of Peace from the late King as ever I then heard of and that by God's Law where there is no Law there can bee no Transgression and my bringing then the late King's Letter up to London before a Law made to shew mee my rule to walk by I humbly conceived could bee no offence And the reason wherefore I was willing to go to Oxford for the late King's Letter was becaus I was told that som in London had procured the late King to send mee his Commands that I should not discover the Transporters of Gold Silver to the Parlament which I offered then the Parlament to do And if I had not then been by the subtiltie of som Finers and som Transporters of Gold having incensed the Honorable Committee against mee cast mee into the Tower but had been emploied by the Parlament to make the Discoverie of the Transporters of Treasure I saie that all the Gold and Silver that since hath been Transported which hath been a greater mischief to the Nation then can bee expressed had never been sent away and by the fines of the offendors would have com to the State a great and considerable summe to paie publick debts and such a Regulation settled by the Parlament that none should have presumed to have Transported Gold or Silver for the future Here followeth the late King's Letter verbatim viz. Charls R. TRustie and Wel beloved Wee Greet you well Whereas Wee have formerly emploied you for the Discoverie of all such as Transported Gold and Silver Coin beyond the Seas and all such likewise who contrarie to the Laws and for their own private gain have Melted down great quantities of Silver Wherein Wee acknowledg you did Us good and acceptable service for which when God shall enable Us Wee do hereby promise to give you full satisfaction And for that VVee understand that you are pressed by Our Two Houses of Parlament to proceed in the said Discoverie Wee do hereby strictly Command you that you intermeddle no further therein without Our special Direction As you will answer the contrarie at your peril And for so doing this shall bee your sufficient Warrant Given at Our Court at Oxford the nineteenth daie of November 1643. in the nineteenth year of Our Reign c. By his Majestie 's Command GEORGE DIGBIE To Our Trustie and Well-beloved Thomas Violet Gold-smith in London And to get the late King to take off his Commands which hee sent mee by the aforesaid Letter and to give mee leav to Discover the Transporters of Gold Silver was the onely reason that I went to Oxford When I came to Oxford I besought the late King to give mee leav to make the Discoverie to the Parlament against the Transportes of Gold but hee would not and told mee hee reserved that business for himself for it would make him good store of monie when hee came to London Then I praied him to give mee leav to paie my Twentie part to the Parlament and that it should bee no damage to mee in regard the late King owed mee one thousand nine hundred sixtie eight pounds for what I had laid out in discovering the Transporters of Gold which hee readily consented to do and bid mee paie all Taxes laid on mee and that should not prejudice my debt hee owed mee nor his favor to mee and that hee would see mee paid as soon hee was able I do humbly desire the Committee of Essex and Shrop-shier and all others that have my Estate to take notice that everie one that is committed to the Tower by the Parlament is not guiltie of a Conspiracie against the Parlament Col. Monk hee was committed to the Tower and cleared and at this daie a most gallant man in the Northern Armie Sir Tho. Bendish in the Tower and cleared and now Embassador at Constantinople and many Honorable Members of this Parlament have been committed upon displeasure of the Parlament and yet restored to sit in Parlament again I am sure of it I am and can bee more
suffer longer for ungrateful men When I was engaged in the late King's service I was ever faithful to all his just Commands and to the uttermost of my power did serv him in all lawful waies and beyond that I would never go Now with all humilitie I have humbly tendred my self to the Parlament for I think believ I speak as in the presence of God I living under their protection I am as much bound to serv them faithfully as ever I did the late King and I have this advantage in the change Kings die but the Parlament of England as it is now established never die's so that here I humbly fix and prostrate laie my self and all my endeavors to the uttermost of my power to improve the interest and service of the Parlament as it is now established without King or Lords against any person whomsoëver It may bee objected by som men that I have not don prudently in declaring so much for the service of the State as I have don before I knew my conditions what the State would do for mee for by these informations I have given light enough to have others to go on and laie the foundation of the Regulating of the Trade of this Nation and it may bee now don by others as well as by my self This in part I grant to bee true but my caus is not everie man's caus I was blasted by the devillish invention of som men and to the Citie of London Armie and the Parlament presented as a Malignant a Papist one dis-affected to the Parlament and present Government as it now established without King or Hous of Lords So that beeing under this cloud and hard opinion of the State and suffering so long time in the Tower as before J have said and my Estate still under Sequestation it did highly concern mee to take any opportunitie to remove this hard opinion off mee and that the Parlament might see from the bottom of my heart my seal in deeds and not in words to do them service J have with all humilitie-truly and plainly stated this business and J hope have laid the ground-work for the setting of other more learned heads on work for the perfecting what I have roughly begun and that the Common-wealth will receiv a great advantage by it and if the Parlament shall pleas to command mee to serv them in any of these particulars they shall not finde many men will do them service on the terms I shall and do with all humilitie offer them for I will willingly so I may have my Estate Offices restored again to mee or their value which have been taken from mee upon mis-information of som malitious people give the maimed soldiers that have fought in the Parlament's service since the death of the late King one half of my Estate I shall die possessed of and to the maimed Sea-men that are emploied in the State 's service since the death of the late King one quarter-part of my Estate which I shall die possessed of and the other quarter-part I will and do reserv to give to som friends so that three parts of four of what I have or shall have com's to those that have or shall have ventured their lives in the State 's service and I am and shall bee no more but a faithful Steward to improve my Estate to their advantage And for the true performance of this I will willingly give a perfect Accompt to the Master 's of Trinitie-Hous and of Saint Thomas Hospital in Southwark once everie year and give them a perfect Invoies of my Estate and where it remain's with securitie not to pass any of it away other then for my expences for my maintenance and to have the disposing of one intire quarter-part to som kindred or friends of mine at my death the other three parts to bee freely given to the relief of maimed soldiers and sea-men that have or shall bee emploied in the Parlament's service provided J may be restored to my Estate And this J do not as J am conscientious of any evil wittingly or willingly I ever acted against the State for J stand upon my innocence but J do it really that it may bee a pattern to som that have blasted mee to the State as a Malignant and a Delinquent they having no children and have got som scores of thousands of pounds by the Parlament's service that they in humble thankfulness to God for his mercie would bestow a good part on the poor and for the future bee ashamed of scandalizing mee when the reality of my words and deeds disprove them to the whole world for Malignants make not such free will-offerings to the poor maimed soldiers and maimed sea-men that have and shall lose their limbs in the defence of their Countrie and Liberties as it is now settled without King or Lords and though it may not bee above a mite in comparison to the State J cannot possibly express my real intentions in the Parlament's service more then by these my words and deeds And J will upon the peril of my life bring the Parlament in fiftie thousand pounds by the Fines and Compositions of the Transporters of Gold and Silver and such as have practised many abuses on the Coins and Bullion of the Nation within the compass of one year besides what summes hereafter if Commissions according to former presidents bee granted and if the Parlament pleas to pass the Act as it is now drawn against Transporters of Gold which Act was recommended by the Council of State to the Parlament and hath been twice read in the Parlament Hous and committed and when it passe's the Hous the Mint in the Tower of London will again flourish a business of the greatest honor profit and safetie to the Nation in general that can bee as your affairs now stand What is here said is with all humilitie presented to the Parlament for the service of the Common-wealth by a faithful lover of his Countrie beeing desired to state my Reasons by som in Autoritie for passing the aforesaid Act I humbly conceiv if it were made stricter then it is it were far better for the Common-wealth For Transporting Treasure heretofore hath been made Felonie when the Common-wealth I humbly conceiv had not so much occasion to see to keep their Treasure in the Nation and the Mint going as now they have Signed THOMAS VIOLET London Feb. 12. 1651. An Index of the principal matters conteined in these PROPOSITIONS LEgorn Genoa and Amsterdam have raised themselvs to their Greatness onely by giving Merchant-strangers equal privileges with their Natives Prop. 1. pag. 1. The great Wealth that hath been gotten in Amsterdam in bringing of Merchandizes thither though exported back Custom-free And the like advantagious Trade at Dover upon the Composition Trade now brought to povertie for the want of free Trade Pr. 2. p. 3. The dangerous effects of great Customs either in Kingdom or Common-wealth Pr. 3. p. 3 4. Spain
so the Honorable Council for Trade may do that which they shall finde upon my Grant most advantagious for the Service of the Common-wealth that so the Wearers of the Manufacture of Gold and Silver Lace may not bee cozened p. 115. An Ordinance of the sixth of Aug. 1646. for laying four pence upon the ounce Troy upon all Gold and Silver-Wier p. 116. That there is twentie thousand pounds in the hands of som of the Gold-wier-drawers and Refiners which they owe in arrears to the Parlament the Excize not making for almost four year above one thousand pounds which if I had had my Office I would have collected six thousand pounds a year which is four and twentie thousand pounds and all this monie due to the Parlament lie's in the hands not of above thirtie persons p. 116 117. The Gold-wier-drawers before any Excize was thought upon did offer the late King and his Heirs for ever two pence the ounce Troy and a thousand pounds a year to have a Corporation but the deceits so grosly practised by many of them were so clearly proved that this State would not trust them with a Corporation nor the Finers but under a Regulation by Commissioners all men of great qualitie in the Common-wealth p. 118. There is now for a time collected of the Wier-Drawers and Refiners at the Bar but one pennie the Ounce which upon account of Excize is not above fifteen shillings in an hundred pounds of Gold and Silver-Thread when it is manufactured Other Commodities which are for use of the Nation and not superfluous paie's five pounds in the hundred Excize p. 118. If the Council for Trade pleas to take into consideration Master Atturnie General Banks ' s Certificate for regulating the Manufacture of Gold and Silver-Thread this State will make six thousand pounds a year of the Excize if the Rules desired in the Silver-Spinner's last printed Petition to the Council for Trade bee also taken into consideration and my humble Propositions to the Council for Trade p. 94. 95 96 97. bee taken into consideration the Manufacture shall all bee made right both for the fineness of the Silver and the just covering of the Thread with a good Plate at least five ounces the pound Venice by which means the poor working Wier-drawers and the Silver-Spinners will have a comfortable livelihood and the Common-wealth served with good Silver-Lace Thread and Wier which heretofore they have been grosly cozened in by reason of the slight making of them p. 118 119. I challenge any Wier-drawer Finer or Silk-man in London to produce one pound weight of bad or slight Silver-Thread I ever sealed at the Office or that any man could ever fasten one pennie on mee or other reward for conniving at any man that did not work good Silver and I am sure I and my Servants sealed above a million of Scanes of Gold and Silver and if they could have found mee faultie in that particular they would have gon to the Parlament with a full crie But though they sought and sought carefully yet they could not finde one ounce p. 119 120. While I had the Office of Surveyor and Sealer for the Manufacture of Gold and Silver-Thread I did discharge my trust faithfully in seeing the Common-wealth should not bee cozened for which som of them clamored most lewdly against mee about the Citie of London p. 121. The several mischievous designs of Refiners and Wier-drawers against mee as the Widow Simmonds wife of one Joseph Simmonds set on by the combination of the Wier-drawers in vexatious Suits when I had their Acquittances and onely mis-laid them upon my troubles in my Sequestration which was brought upon mee by the malicious charge of som of the Refiners of London p. 122 123. 124. An accompt of what hath been taken from mee by Sequestration p. 124 125 126 127 128. Tho. Conningâ—bie of Hartfordshire Esquire and Christopher Hatton of London Gentleman Witnesses of Philip Cage Esq his Declaration p. 129 130. An Order of the Committee of Essex for Master Edward Elconhead touching Thomas Violet ' s Lands in Essex p. 130. An Acknowledgment of Mistris Mordant concerning Tho. Violet ' s Bonds and Extents on the Manors of Batels and Paten-Hall in Essex p. 131 132. An Order of the Committee of Essex touching Master Elconhead ' s bringing in the caus of my Sequestration in Essex p. 132. Master Elconhead never paid any Monie to the Countie of Essex for the use of the Countie as I could hear of for the composition of my Lands in Essex p. 133 134. The late King's Letter to the Citie of London p. 135 136. Two Letters of M. Read ' s sent to M. Theophilus Rilie Seout-master of the Citie of London from Oxford p. 136 137 M. Theophilus Rilie Scout-master of the Citie of London did daily then emploie Intelligencers into the King's Quarters by Order of the Parlament and the Citie of London as hee told mee Thomas Violet p. 138 I had a Pass to go to Oxford as appear's by the Journal-Books p. 138 The reason wherefore I was willing to go to Oxford was that I might have licens from the late King to discover the Transporters of Gold and Silver which about a moneth before I went to Oxford hee sent mee a Letter to command mee not to proceed in the said Discoverie The Copie of the King's Letter to mee Thomas Violet 19 Novemb. 1643. The reason why bee would not suffer mee to make that Discoverie hee told mee it would make him good store of Monie when hee came to London p. 139 140 141. I do now offer the State to bring them fiftie thousand pounds within the compass of one year if they will pass the Act against the Transportation of Gold and Silver as it is now presented by the Council of State p. 141. For the Honorable the Council for Trade I humbly present if they settle the Trade for refining Gold and Silver and Wier-drawing in a Corporation as it is now desired by the Wier-drawers it were to make all the speed possible that that little Silver in Coin which is yet left should bee culled and melted down for Gold and Silver Lace p. 148. A Council for Monie were verie necessarie p. 148 149. Concerning the buying Cheapside-Cross p. 150 151. The great mischiefs Transportation of Gold and Silver bring 's on this Nation p. 153 154. It may bee objected that I have not don prudently in declaring so much for the service of the State before I knew my conditions what the State would do for mee The reasons which did induce mee to do it p. 155 156. If I may have my estate restored to mee again which hath been sequestred upon the mis-informations of som malicious people I will give the maimed Souldiers which have served the Parlament since the death of the late King half of my Estate I shall die possessed of and to the maimed Sea-men emploied in the State 's Service one quarter-part and for the true performance of this I will give a perfect accompt to the Masters of Trinitie-Hous and the Masters of Thomas Hospital in Southwark once everie year upon conditions by once recited p. 156 157. FINIS