Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	john_n	knight_n	william_n	14,754	5	9.0210	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95984	The advancement of merchandize or, Certain propositions for the improvment of the trade of this Common-wealth, humbly presented to the right honoroble the Council of State. And also, against the transporting of gold and silver. / By Tho. Violet of London goldsmith.	Violet, Thomas, fl. 1634-1662.	1651 (1651)	Wing V578; Thomason E1070_1; ESTC R208173	121,676	189

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

had gotten them upon their coming over at Rie and at Dover apprehended and they confessed they did receiv Light English Gold of mee and other Forrain Gold and Silver in France And all the papers that discovered any thing against mee hee shewed mee and told mee my danger When I saw it I was astonished not imagining that any man did know my proceedings in this business or that I was betraied by those that spoke mee fair and was as faultie as my self for if it were a crime in mee to buie this Light Gold it was as great an one in the Goldsmiths to sell it and if it were a crime in mee to transport Gold it was as great a crime in English men to bee my Factors and Partners though at Roan Calice Deep or Paris And when I found these were the men that abused mee to currie favor and to get their own discharge I besought God in my heart so to direct mee that I might overcom this Philistim and I was an humble sutor to Sir John Coke to make my peace with the late King upon any terms and that I might have the late King's pardon and in humble requital I would really discover to him what Transporters of Gold I knew and what Gold-smiths I knew had sold Gold and Silver above the price of the Mint and Culled and Melted down the currant Monie of this Nation and paie him two thousand pounds in Gold to his Privie Purs which I did accordingly paie into his Privie Purs and had my pardon under the Great Seal And I was forced before I could get my pardon to bring in all my Books and Accompts to Sir John Coke and by them I proved that I had Imported into this Nation more Silver in value then I had Exported Gold By which Accompts I made it clearly appear that the benefit and advantage was to bee made by understanding the weight and fineness of all Forrain Coins and what proportion their Silver hath to our Gold and our Silver to their Gold for this was the Accompt in France 1632 1633 1634. that all our English Gold whether Light or Weight for they went all at one price without weighing the twentie shillings piece passed in currant paiment in France for twentie six shillings and the Cardecu in France went then at 16 Sols as all men know which were then in France so that upon this accompt I made my reckoning 16 Sols in France is 19 d. ob English for everie Cardecu what will these Cardecues make mee in London beeing all full weight six pennie weight Troie at the least which in the Mint in the Tower of London would make 18 d. sterling By this accompt I found there was above twentie in the hundred got by transporting our English Gold and returning of heavie Cardecues which then at those times there was as much of them to bee had both at Calice Paris Roan and Deep amongst the Bankers as a man would desire Then for the most part the lightness of the Gold paid for the Portage and a man might make his return once everie moneth and I have don it somtimes in fourteen daies and got above twentie in the hundred When the late King saw my Accompts in this manner made up for many thousand pounds hee commended my ingenuitie but hee would share stakes with mee a little for hee commanded mee to bring him two thousand pounds in Gold and then I should have my pardon which I did verie willingly and humbly thanked him for his mercie to mee But that which pleased the late King and brought mee into his service was when I shewed him several processes attested out of France under publick Notarie's hands that som of those French men that dealt with mee for English Gold were sued in the Parlament of Paris for sending out of France the heavie Cardecues at an under-value and for bringing into France English Gold at a greater value Much about this time the refiners wier-drawer's business beeing under examination the late King finding by what I before had declared my skill in managing Mint-business and the Bullion of this Nation appointed mee to have the view and surveying of all the Manufacture of Gold and Silver-Wier and Thread and to confirm it to mee for three lives the Grant cost near fifteen hundred pounds to the Lord Treasurer Lord Cottington Master Secretarie Coke and others and I make no question to shew the justness of the Grant to the Honorable Council of Trade and what service it is to the Common-wealth to have mee restored to that office again which all the while I had it I caused the Manufacture all to bee justly made and according to the Standard and that there was never so good Gold and Silver Thread made in the Common-wealth before I had the Office nor since the Office was sequestred from mee and this I can prove by many people that are Artists in the Trade That a little before this time upon the information of som of the Companie of Gold-smiths to the late King and his Council a Commission did issue out to make inquirie of the deceits and abuses of the Refiners of Gold and Silver and in transporting Gold and Silver whereupon as I said before Sir John Wollaston Will. Gibs Walter Hill Henrie Patrickson Refiners Henrie Foot John Perin Timothie Eman Tho. Violet Gold-smiths were made Defendants in the Star-Chamber The Refiners had that good fortune they all got off without a sentence by their wit which was to out-bid the Wier-drawers for the Wier-drawers bid as appear's but one thousand pounds a year and two pence an Ounce and a few humble words viz. And the Corporation of Gold-Wier-drawers for your Majestie 's grace and goodness to them in continuing their Trades and reducing the same to Government humbly offer to paie to your Majestie your heirs and successors for ever one thousand pounds a year and two pence an Ounce in lieu of your Customs from Michaelmas next and for and towards their Provision and Importation of such Bullion as the Members of this Corporation shall use and this was in March 1634. and in April 1635. And thereupon Master Atturnie General had many treaties with the Wier-drawers and others and modelled the draught of a Certificate and truly I know not whether hee ever delivered it to the late King but the pithiness and brevitie of it will shew it must bee his and that this Certificate was made upon many arguments of all hands and treatie with all parties for Master Atturnie had drawn a Certificate fit for a King to look on containing so much matter in so few words and if the Honorable Council of Trade will bee pleased to consider of this Certificate they will finde a great part of the Regulation of the Trade settled in this Certificate if they pleas to consider of everie branch of it for it is all matter of State A Copie of Sir John Bank's Certificate to the late King hee beeing his

Atturnie General May it pleas your most Excellent Majestie I Have taken consideration of the several Petitions of Henrie Earl of Holland Jane Countess of Roxborough and of Joseph Simmons and other Gold-Wier-drawers of the Citie of London to mee referred And after several hearings of their Counsel and of the Companie of Gold-smiths and the Refiners I humbly conceiv I. That many abuses have been committed in the consumption of the Gold and Silver of this Kingdom which are fit to bee reformed II. I do not discern any inconvenience that the Gold-Wier-drawers who offer unto your Majestie one thousand pounds per Annum and two pence upon everie Ounce of Bullion which shall bee used by them should bee incorporated for their better Government so that they bee tied unto these conditions or such other conditions as your Majestie in your Wisdom shall think fit 1. That they shall use in their Trades none but Forrain Bullion or Species and no more thereof yearly then shall bee yearly Imported by their means or by others whom your Majestie shall emploie in that service 2. That the Bullion Imported shall not bee bought with English Coin to bee Exported but for Commodities 3. That the Importation of Bullion or Forrain Species by others shall not bee restrained nor accompted any part of their said Forrain Bullion or Species so undertaken to bee yearly Imported 4. That the Gold and Silver-Thread Purls Plate Oes Spangles c. shall bee made according to the Standard or better 5. That under color of these summes given unto your Majestie they may not in any undue proportion inhaunce the price of their Commodities III. Touching the Assaie of the work of the Gold-Wier-drawers claimed by the Earl of Holland by a former intended Grant and desired by the Countess of Roxborough's Petition I finde upon the perusal of the Grant unto the Earl of Holland dated 12 Novembr 3 Car. Reg. which passed onely the Privie Seal and not the Great Seal that there was thereby intended to pass unto him the Assaie of Gold and Silver-Thread Purls Oes Spangles c. after the same was made into work But the thing desired by the Countess is to have the Assaie of Gold and Silver-Wier at the Bar before the same bee made into work which is an Assaie of a differing nature I conceiv that an Assaie is necessarie to prevent the adulterating of the work All which I humbly submit to your Majestie 's great Wisdom Whereupon the Refiners as Sir John Wollaston Master Alderman Gibs and others seeing the Wier-drawers go about to exclude them of their Trade and to get a Corporation upon the terms aforesaid they I saie did serv the Wier-drawers as the Merchant-Adventurers served the Cloth-workers out-bid them for they to have their pardons and to bee freed of the complaints of the Gold-smiths in the Star-Chamber and to have the Trade onely in their own hands that none but the Refiners of London might bee his Majestie 's Agents in the new waie of Regulation for the furnishing and preparing fining refining and selling Gold and Silver-Wier to bee used and emploied in the Manufactures First they did covenant with the late King to bring all the Gold and Silver by them prepared for the Manufactures to an Hous called the Golden Fleece in Little Britain or to such other place as the late King's Commissioners should appoint there to sell and utter the same and not elswhere That all Silver so provided should bee assaied before the same was put to sale by such as the late King should appoint in that behalf not to sell the Gold and Silver so provided but to persons by the late King's Commissioners allowed to work and use the same and to none other unless to known Gold-smiths for the augmentation and amendment of Plate or to or for the use of the Mint and not sell the same to persons allowed unless they would paie the duties limited to the late King viz. for everie Ounce of Silver guilt six pence and for everie Ounce of Gold six pence So that upon the finishing of this agreement between the late King and the Refiners the Wier-drawers which would have excluded the Refiners from their Corporation are by these Articles debarred their Trade and both Gold-smiths and Wier-drawers or any other but these Agents were debarred to prepare any Silver for any of the Manufactures of Wier-drawers and becaus they came off so freely and bid the late King roundly six pence the Ounce on all the Wier the late King was pleased to gratifie them with a Courtly title calling them his well-beloved subjects the Refiners of London his Agents and to requite them settled such a price certain for fine Silver and refine Silver and such a price certain for ordinary guilt and rich guilt and no person should presume to have or make any of these Materials but to give these the late King's Agents their own price and none to sell but these Refiners lately created the late King's Agents Whereupon Captain Williams the late King 's Father's Gold-smith in the behalf of the Companie of Gold-smiths hee beeing one of the late King's Commissioners oftentimes did desire that the Gold-smiths might bee heard against the Monopoly of the Refiners and hee beeing a rich man worth at least fiftie thousand pounds did offer in the behalf of the Companie of Gold-smiths to give any securitie to the late King that if the Trade were left open to a free Market for all the Gold-smiths as formerly the Gold-smiths would sell all the Silver to the Wier-drawers of London in everie Ounce of guilt Silver-Wier two pence and in Silver-Wier one pennie cheaper then the late King's Agents made them paie The like Propositions was made by Henrie Footer Goldsmith then a man of great credit and by William Simmonds Wier-drawer of London and divers others for a free Trade that they might not bee restrained to buie their Silver of the Refiners of London onely but to bee at libertie as formerly to buie their Silver where they will and to refine their own Silver But these offers after many disputes the Refiners opposed and then said it was their Trade and none should fine and prepare Gold and Silver for any Manufactures used by the Gold-Wier-drawers but themselvs the late King's Agents which was as I take it onely to eight Refiners of London The Wier-drawers seeing themselvs over powered by these the late King's Agents a little before the Parlament and at the beginning of this Parlament complained and clamored at the Regulation when if the Refiners had left the Market open for all men equally to prepare his own Silver paying the late King the duties it is well known the Wier-drawers could never have hindered the sealing and surveying of the Manufacture of Gold and Silver-Thread for by that waie the Manufacture was warranted to the Common-wealth and if it had been continued it would have avoided and prevented the many abuses since in making slight and cours