AN APPEAL TO CAESAR WHEREIN GOLD And SILVER Is Proved to be the Kings Majesties ROYAL COMMODITY WHICH By the Lawes of the Kingdom no Person of what Degree soever but the KINGS MAJESTIE and his Privy Councel can give Licence to Transport either Gold or Silver to any Person after it is Landed in any part of the Kingdome of England That this Great and Sacred Trust cannot be changed into the Hands of any Person Persons or Corporations whatsoever without changing or diminishing the Sacred Power of his Majestie it being against his Crown and Dignity Humbly Presented to his Most Sacred MAJESTIE and his Most Honourable Privy Councel in opposition to some Merchants who are Endeavouring upon feigned Pretences to dispossesse his Majestie of this Royal Trust and to have it Confirmed by Act of Parliament to Transport at the Merchants pleasure Forreign Bullion and Coine freely after it is Imported into the Kingdom and make it a Free Merchandize for their private profit to the Damage of the whole Kingdom in general By THO. VIOLET of London Goldsmith MATTH 22. 21. Render therefore unto Cesar the things which are Cesars c. LONDON Printed in the Year 1660. TO THE KINGS most Excellent Majestie And to the LORDS of his MAIESTIES most Honourable PRIVY COVNCEL The Humble Petition of THO. VIOLET of London Goldsmith Most Dread Soveraign I Your Majesties most Humble Loyal and Dutiful Subject humbly upon my Knees present this insuing Narrative to Your Sacred Majesty and to Your most honourable and prudent Councell I had not presumed to have medled with this cause and Argument but that I see with what eagernesse some Merchants of London thought to steal one of the prime Flowers of your Majesties Crown from your Sacred Majesty and Your most honourable Privy Councell before the Rising of this blessed Parliament True it is Gold and Silver all over the World is a currant Merchandize it answereth all things and commandeth all things under the Sun But so that in all Kingdoms Gold and Silver is a Kingly Merchandize and only at the Kings Dispose and Will and not at the dispose of the Merchants to be transported at their pleasure May it please Your Majesty by Twenty Acts of Parliament the Lawes of this Kingdom of England in all Ages hath invested it in the most Sacred Hands of the Kings of England and their Privy Councel and none other whomsoever either Lords Bishops or Commons The Reasons upon perusall of this Narrative Your Majesty will find to have been done upon most wise just and great consideration both for the Honour Strength and Defence of the Kings Sacred Person His Crown and Dignity and Safetie of the people The Money Bullion Gold and Silver of this Kingdom in all Ages till these perillous head-strong Fanatick daies hath been counted the chief Strength of the Kingdom the very Soul of the Militia and the Sinews of Warre and Peace in Your Majesties most Sacred Hands and in Your Privy Councels the Law of this Kingdom hath invested it and in none other of Your Majesties Subjects of what condition soever and there let it safely remain to the end of this World Your Majesties most humble Subject upon his bended Knees prayes Your Majesty to keep this Sacred Trust intire in Your Hand and not to diminish the least tittle or branch of it O never suffer it to be at the will of the Merchant least Your Majesty which God defend giving some fawning spaniels this Authority as they desire out of Your Sacred Hands You give an oppertunity in a few years that the breed of them may turn Mastives and so they may have a power to fly in the Face of Your Sacred Majesty as some of them did to Your Majesties Royall Father of blessed memory which God defend Fore-warn'd Fore-arm'd I humbly think I deserved not to live should I not say this The Gold and Silver of the Nation either Forreign Coyne or Ingot or the currant Coin of the Kingdom is the soul of the Militia and so all wise men know it that those that command the Gold and Silver of the Kingdom either Coin or Bullion to have it free at their disposall to be Judges of the conveniency and inconveniency or to hinder or give leave to transport Gold and Silver at their pleasure is the great Wheell of the State a most Royall Prerogative inherent in Your Majesty Your Heirs and Successors and none other whomsoever but by Your Majesties Licence and cannot be parted with to any Persons but by Your Majesties most especiall Grant your Majesty and your Privy Councell being by the Law the only proper Judges to have liberty to send to your Friends the Gold and Silver of the Kingdom Upon such just Reasons of State as your Majesty and Privy Councell shall judg fit for the due relief of your Friends and Allies to offend your Enemy and defend your Imperiall Crown and Dignity and strengthen your Friends As Queen ELIZABETH severall times assisted HENRY the Great King of France your Majesties Royall Grandfather and the States of Holland with vast sums of Gold and Silver The like Royall prerogative is in the Crown upon Petition of the Merchants setting forth their just Reasons and at your pleasure your Majesty to give them leave to send Forreign Gold and Silver either to the Indies or any part of Christendom but so as your Majesty as all your Royall Predecessors and your Privy Councell being in Commission by your Majesty for that service are the only proper Judges of this businesse and have the Lock and Key to dispence with the penall Statutes to give leave to send so much Gold and Silver of Forreign Bullion or the Coin of the Kingdom as your Majesty shall please in your wisdom for to grant and to what Prince or Country but not at the will of any other Person whomsoever Your Petitioner humbly prayes upon my Knees for your Majesties honor for your Majesties safety for the safety and greatnesse of all your Lords and Gentry for the safety of all your People that your Majesty keep this Royall Trust intire and the same always in your Majesty and your most honourable Privy Councels hands as the Appell of your Eye Gold and Silver is a Merchandize all over the World true but in Kingdoms it is a Kingly Merchandize and not to be transported without the Kings leave What I hear say I upon my Knees submit to your Sacred Majesties consideration Novemb. 28. 1660 and shall pray c. To the Right Honourable the Lord High Chancellour of England the Lord Steward of his MAIESTIES Housh old the Lord High Treasurer of England the Lord Roberts all of his MAIESTIES most Honourable Privie Councell These humbly present May it please your Lordships I Humbly presume for to Acquaint your Lordships that I understand some Merchants of London are endeavouring to obtain an Act of Parliament to make Gold and Silver a Merchandize to transport freely at their will and pleasure
as it is at this day at Amsterdam and several other Common-wealths in Christendome If this do not satisfie your Lordships I have it at large to shew this mischief but I hope I shall not need to say more to this businesse to stopit My Lords I am none of the Councel or Committee for Trade and so it may be presumption in me to intermeddle to say any thing in this businesse but my Lords a Stander by may see more in the Game then the Gamesters I am no Lawyer yet I humblie say I know this point concerning the giving libertie to Merchants to transport money and what the damage may be to his Majestie to his Lords of the Councel and to the Kingdom in general as well as many others that are in Commission for the Regulating of Trade My Lords I have bin writing on this Argument above this moneth and shall be ready to present to his Majestie and his Privie Councel within this week a Paper that shall unfold the many mischiefs and dangers the Merchants would expose the King and the Kingdom into had they this Power in their hands the Merchants should they obtain this their desire and remove this Trust out of his Majestie and his Privy Councels Hands to be the only Iudges to give leave to Merchants to transport Gold and Silver would rob the King of one of his greatest Prerogatives and Flowers of the Crown which by twenty Acts of Parliament and Proclamations is only invested in the Kings Majestie and his Privy Conncel the granting the Merchants this Power will bring an hundred inconveniences and mischiefs to the King Nobility and Gentry as I have at large to shew your Lordships and the Privy Councel and if I do not satisfie his Majestie your Lordships and all his Privie Councel of this that I say to be true never let me have your Lordships good opinion that I am either an honest man or one that loves the Kings Safetie Honour and Greatnesse and the Honour of his Privy Councel And therefore my most Humble Suit is to your Lordship my Lord Chancellour that if this businesse be called on at the Councel of Trade and your Lordship be present there this day as I hear you intend to be purposely about this businesse that your Lordship would be pleased either to put off this businesse for to have it argued before the Kings Majestie or his Privie Councel at Whitehall sometime next week in the mean time I shall be ready to shew to your Lordship and the Privy Councel that it concerns his Majestie next to the Militia to continue and keep this great Trust in his Majesties Sacred hands and in the Power of his Privie Councel and no other person by the Law can or ought to have the Priviledge to give leave to transport Gold and Silver at their pleasure this being the soul of the Militia they that have the money and the Peoples purses have virtually the Command in all Common-wealths of the Government let who will have the Title the Bankers have the power and this priviledge is no where granted but in Commonwealths God defend England from the very name of a Commonwealth for the Tragedies which were lately acted by some Merchants in England When we had no King in this our Israel they have robbed the Kingdome of all the Gold and so now would work iniquity by a Law but by Gods Assistance I will diffect them and lay the danger open to his Majestie your Lordship and the Kings most Honourable Privie Councel and stand or fall by your righteous Judgement humbly praying for his Majesties Safety Honour and Service that no further proceeding in this great businesse be argued but before his Majestie and his most prudent Privie Councel within lesse then a week I shall be ready with my Reasons for what I say to shew your Lordship that so all the Lovers of the King might be satisfied of the Damage and Danger of removing this great Trust out of his Majesties and his Privy Councels Hands So I humbly rest Novemb. 27. 1660 Your Lordships Humble Servant THO. VIOLET For the Right Honourable the LORD CHANCELLOUR May it please your Lordship to give Order That no further proceedings in this business be but before His Majesty and his Privy Council at White-hall and if His Majesty and Privy Council give judgement against what I say to be true I will lose my life when they hear this business examiued WHereas the Merchants of London are endeavouring to get an Act of Parliament to have liberty to export Gold and Silver freely without the Kings Majesties and his most Honourable Privy Councils leave I humbly propound for His Majesties service and the safety and honour of his Majesty that these humble Proposals might be considered of before any further proceedings on that business be made That his Majesty and his honourable Privy Council be pleased to keep intire in their own hands the Licencing of all Gold and Silver after it is imported into this Kingdom to be exported or Coined as they shall see just cause for the safety of the Nation and safety and honour of his Majesty and the Lords of his Council and the safety and benefit of all his Majesties Subjects of what condition soever and being setled in the Crown so many hundred years by Acts of Parliament as I shall prove it this great and Sacred trust be no way altered especially at this Juncture of time this Kingdom being robbed of almost all its Gold and a great part of the Silver Coin for the private profit of particular persons to the weakning of the Nation and the destruction of Trade this Royal trust being one of the prime flowers of the Crown and the very soul of the Militia and it a right inherent onely in the King and his Privy Council and there onely deposited for many hundreds of Years whereby the King only by the Law can give leave and licence to transport Gold and Silver after it is imported into the Kingdom and that if you ever suffer this Roial trust to be managed by the Merchant and suffer all persons by Act of Parliament to be free to transport Gold or Silver either in Coin or Bullion after it is imported and landed in England You take away one of the principal Prerogatives and flowers of the Crown destroying his Majesties Mint in the Tower of London and lay a sad foundation to give some factious Merchants of this Kingdom a ground to make new disturbances and leave the Nation weak and naked of all Gold and Silver The granting the Merchants this power they desire will bring a thousand mischiefs both on the King and Kingdom which God defend In all ages till these Phanatick daies the Gold and Silver after it was landed in the Kingdom was held the Blood and Sinews of War and Peace the Militia and strength of the Kingdom I shall humbly present unto you these following Reasons for keeping this power intire
Merchants and Goldsmiths that I have proof against for transporting Gold and Silver and robbing the Kingdom of Millions of money if your Majesty please I wil give your Privy Council a perfect list of their Names who transported Gold Silver that should have paid your Majesty one hundred thousand pounds and thank God they escaped so too I have all the charge against them and the informations in the Exchequer is now on Record and informations filed to the just value of six hundred and fifty thousand pounds This business I acted by command of his late Majesty of blessed memory and did lay out of my Purse the sum of nineteen hundred and sixty pounds in discovery of the transporters of Gold in one thousand six hundred thirty six and had not your Majesty pardoned the offenders I would not for my share have taken twenty thousand pounds of them I have it under your Majesties Royal Fathers hand and signet from Oxford that he would pay me for my great good and acceptable service in discovering the transporters of Gold This true account I humbly give your Majesty to shew there is no man in the Kingdom can discover the transporters of Gold so well as my self I know them as well as the Beggar knows his Dish and this is done by intelligence I was for seven years commanded by his late Majesty to give a stop to the transporting of Gold and Silver and I did effect it as appears by your Royal Fathers Letter ready to be produced to your Majesty Here followeth your Majesties Royal Fathers Letter verbatim viz. Charles R. TRustie and Wel-beloved We Greet you well Whereas We have formerly imployed 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 We acknowledg you did Us good and acceptable service for which when God shall enable Us We do hereby promise to give you full satisfaction And for that We understand that you are pressed by Our Two Houses of Parliament to proceed in the said Discoverie We 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 day 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 Goldsmith in London If your Majestie will be pleased at this time to command me to Catch these Moles that work under ground the Transporters of Gold and Silver and will Graciously Impower me with a Commission and Warrants to do the same I will undertake to set your Majesties Mint on work again and stop the Transporting of Gold and Silver Vast sums of Mony is Transported daily both Gold and Silver which if not in time prevented by your Majestie and your Majesties Honorable and Prudent Councel will weaken and destroy your Majestie and the Nobility and the Commonalty in general to make a few Merchants If it be your Majesties and the Lords of your Councels pleasure to impower me to do it I will by Gods assistance remove the obstructions of the Mint May it please your Majestie I shall humbly desire before any further progresse of this businesse be made concerning the giving the Merchants leave to transport Gold or Silver That by your Majesties especial Command a select Committee of Merchants may meet with some of the Officers of your Majesties Mint and my self and that we may be ordered to make a true Calculation of all Forreign Coins both Gold and Silver what every Coin will make being its full weight in the Tower of London that we send for over from beyond the Seas Placcarts Edicts and Proclamations of Forreign Countries And that a Jury of Artests be commanded upon Oath to make a true Report how they find Gold and Silver over valued in other Countries and report as neer as they can the just and true Standard in Forreign Mints what proportion they hold to the Mint of the Tower of London When this is done to consider of what waies and means they use to keep their Mints on work that such waies as may be advantageous for setting your Majesties Mint on work may be observed to prevent former abuses That the waies and means how these Differences Standards may be rectified beyond Seas and all Standards reduced to a pair and equalitie with England and this Misterie unsoulded truly to your Majestie after the essay by fire and water And so when this businesse which is very weightie is truly and rightly stated by the Essay Finenesse and Weight and is strictly and exactly stated to your Majestie and your Privy Councel then may it please your Majestie by and with the advice of your Privy Councel such waies may be concluded on as your Majestie in your great wisdom with advice of your Privy Council shall judge best for your service They being truly informed both by your judicious Merchants and the Warden Master and Comptroller of the Mint being assisted with a Jurie of Arrest to make Essay upon Oath By this way I humbly say the whole truth of this businesse will be found out The Law saith that Gold and Silver and Corne and a mans House is every mans own to have a propriety in it to make use of between party and party but not to destroy the propriety but he is finable by the Law a man cannot lawfully burn his own House burn his own Corne Transport his own money but it is finable and this was used in the Star Chamber by the Atturny Banks and the King's Councel at Law as an Argument against the Transporters of Gold in the Twelfth year of King CHARLES in the Star Chamber when I prosecuted the Transporters of Gold and Silver by command of the late King CHARLES I had disbursed in causing the Transporters of Gold and Silver to be fined in the Star Chamber 24200l at my charge 1960l and never as yet had penny for that service This very sentence kept the Gold and Silver in the Nation till the beginning of the late War 1643. For which Service your Royal Father gave me thanks as aforesaid but as yet never had penny of Money for doing that Service May it please your Majestie whosoever goes about to take the prerogative out of your Majesties and your Privy Councels hands of hindring the Transporting Gold and Silver without your Majesties licence I humbly say it is a Jesuitical Fanatick design under the specious pretence of Freedom of Trade to rob your Majestie and your Privy Councel of the priviledg of keeping in the Treasure and Wealth of this Kingdom weakning your Majestie and your Privy Councel and your Royal Prerogative leaving the Wealth and Treasure of this Kingdom
in Gold and Silver to be guided by the covetous desire of some Merchants many of them care not two pence for the safety of the Common-wealth so they and their private Families grow rich I humbly say it is a presumptuous motion of some hot headed Merchants that would by crafty and sly pretences rob your Majestie of that which is next to the Militia of the Kingdom nay it is the very soul of the Militia Gold and Silver get to be Master of that any man may get Shipping Armes Money and any thing to make a disturbance in the Kingdom We lately see upon what slie pretences the Sword was wrung out of your Majesties Royal Fathers Hands he that cast his eye upon any of the Flowers of your Majesties Imperial Crown with intent to take them out either by fraud or force let them fall as Corah Dathan and Abiram and let their end be like Achitophels who seek to rob your Royal Majestie of this your just Prerogative And this I here humbly say I will with my life maintain before your Majestie and your Privy Councel and the Parliament or Committee of Trade And these following Statutes Lawes and Proclamations are my Protection and Warrant for what I humbly say 1. A Proclamation against giving for Gold more then it is currant 21. July 17. Jacob. 2. A Proclamation against melting and culling heavy English Money 18. May. 9. Jacob. 3. A Proclamation against buying and selling Gold and Silver at higher Prises then the Mint 14. May. 1. Jacob. 4. A Proclamation against Transporting of Gold 23. May 1. Jacob 5. A Proclamation against Profit for Gold and Silver And melting English Money And to prevent the abuses and wast in making Gold and Silver Threed and Laces 4. Feb. 3. Caroli 6. A Proclamation against Transporting Gold and Silver and melting down the Currant Silver Coins of the Nation for Plate or Gold or Silver Threed 15. May. 3. Carolus May it please your Majestie to observe with what care the wisdom of former Parliaments intrusted the Kings of England and their Privy Councel to keep carefull watch that the Gold and Silver once imported into this Nation should be converted into Coin for the Strength and Honour of the Kingdom that those that did Transport Gold and Silver without the King's Licence were Felons And in the Tryall in the Star Chamber 12. Caroli Primi which I followed by Order of his late Majestie of blessed memory The Atturney-General Banks and the King's Councel read many Presidents wherein the Transporters of Gold and Silver had judgment and suffered execution of death as Felons Your Majestie will finde transporting Gold or Silver without the Kings licence to be Felony and by several Acts of Parliament 17 Edw. the 4. and the 4 Henry cap. 13. And I humbly conceive the Kingdom is in as great scarcity of Gold and Silver now as it was then for almost all the Gold and Silver is transported without the Kings licence by the disturbance of the late War and now some Merchants are grown so presumptuous that they would have an Act of Parliament to make it to be at the will of the Merchants to transport what Gold or Silver freely they please without licence from the King it were better for the Kingdom that these that go about to take this prerogative from the King were blind rather then the rest of the Kingdom should ever see that day these Merchants should have their will Stat. 9. Edw. the 3. against the transporting of Gold or Silver without the Kings licence or the melting down the currant silver coin by Goldsmiths or others into plate Stat. 2. Hen. 4. cap. 4. No person ought to presume to transport Gold or Silver either in coin or bulion upon pain of forfeiture of as much as they might which I take to be lives and estates 2 Henry 6. cap. 6. Upon a grievous complaint made in Parliament That great sums of gold and silver was transported without the Kings licence out of this Kingdom it was ordered and enacted That no gold or silver should be transported out of the Realm and because it is supposed the gold and silver is transported by Merchant aliens it is ordered That the Mercheant aliens shall find security in the Chancery that they shall not transport the gold or silver monies out of the Kingdom upon pain of forfeiture of the sum or value and if any do contrary and that duly proved his pledges shall pay the forfeiture though the Merchant stranger be gone beyond the Seas If this Law had been put in execution this last twenty years the Kingdom had had millions of gold and silver which it is now robbed of and the offenders are now grown so impudent to hope to get an Act of Parliament to rob the kingdom of all the gold and silver as the greedy Merchant shall find and see his opportunity to send away what gold and silver they please without the Kings majesty or his privy Councils licence for the future 18 Edw. the 4. No person to carry gold or silver or jewels out of the kingdom upon pain of Felony 1 Henry the 8. cap. 13. An Act made that whosoever shall carry any gold or silver out of the Realm without the Kings licence shall forfeit double the value The 5th and 6th of Edward the 6th cap. 16. An Act touching the exchange of gold or silver that whosoever gave more for gold or silver then it is or shall be declared by the Kings Proclamation shall suffer imprisonment for the space of a year and make fine at the Kings pleasure the one moity to his Majesty and the other moity to the Partie that shall seize the same or will sue for it by the Bill of information were the Gold-smiths of London sued on this Statute it would ruine most of them Had not the Act of Oblivion pardoned them but that gives them no licence or protection now at this day to act as they do to sell gold for 21 and 22 shillings for a Twenty shilling peice Till this be remedied and the rule for the price of gold set by your Majestie the Mint will never coin gold to any considerable quantity If this desire of the Merchants should go on the Kingdom of England which in all Kings raigns abounded with gold and silver and famous for their pound sterlings the true guide and measure of our monies will be put to use the Rooking tricks of the Bankers of Amsterdam and other Commonwealths Feed the people with a paper credit and the Merchants have all the peoples money I beseech your Majesty to consider of this monstrous design and proposals of the Merchants should by your Majesty be granted which God defend in whose hands your Majesty disposeth the Militia of the kingdom even truly your Majesty would surrender the Militia of the kingdom into the Merchants power To send away all the treasure of the kingdom by which means they will so fetter and impoverish the
to Your Majesties Crowne and Dignity and ought to be watched as men newly recovered out of a Lunacy kept from doing either themselves or others mischefe May it please Your Majesty the King of Spain having peace with Holland and France will not have occasion to Export so much Mony for Flanders as He had when He had Wars with Them Yet great Summes of Silver will dayly be Exported to Flanders from Spaine to pay the Spanish Garrisons in Flanders and the Trade from Spaine to Antwerp to pay the Bankers there will dayly cause great quantities of Silver to be Exported from Spain I humbly desire that upon Treaty with the Spanish Ambassador the Lords of the Councel would take order to Carry the King of Spaines Silver as the Lord Cottington setled it and that by the Law it should be made Felony for any Person that did not Coyne one full third part of all Silver that by agreement with the King of Spaine should be coyned this Licence to be Canstantly allowed to any Person upon the King of Spains Composition for Trade from Spaine And for all other Persons whomsoever that Import Silver or Gold to have it by Act of this Parliament after the said Silver is Landed that any Person that Transports Gold or Silver it should be Confiscation of Ship and Goods and Imprisonment during the Kings pleasure Besides the Forfeiture of all Gold and Silver so put on Ship-board to Transport without Your Majesties or your Privy Councels Licence And that all Gold-smiths or others whomsoever that Culleth and Melteth down the Currant heavy Silver Coyns for any Manufacture or to Transport it shall be Felony and that without Mercy If These Lawes by this Parliament be Revived and I your Majesties Loyal Subject Impowered and Commanded by your Majesties Most Honourable Privy Councel to See to the due Execution of them By the Blessing of God I wil in a few Yeares Replenish the Great want and Scarcity of Gold and Silver in the Kingdom againe And Remove the present Obstructions of the Mint May it please your Majestie It is the Execution of the Law quickens and gives life to the Law when knowing persons shall be intrusted to see to the Execution There are Laws and Proclamations against transporting gold but no incouragement considerable for a mans time all the Laws in the world will never reform this abuse if some Trusty persons be not appointed to look in a particular manner and make it their business and a man cannot imploy several people to do this service but at great charge vigilance and diligent attendance to keep his watches and intelligence in London and the Ports this mischief daily increases because no knowing person is impowred and commanded to take care of this great business Queen Elizabeth would not admit the East India Company at her first granting them to be a Corporation to transport the King of Spains silver coin into the East Indies though the Merchant pressed it very often telling her Majesty that her Silver Coin and Stamp was not known in the East Indies they thinking by that to get a License to send what Silver they pleased This most prudent Queen and her wise Privie Councel replyed to the Merchants of the East-India Company that for the very reason the Merchant alledged to transport the King of Spains silver to the East Indies It was her fixed reason and resolution unalterable she would not grant the East India Company leave to send the King of Spains or any forreign Princes coin into India but such Silver as was coined with her Effigies and Picture on the one side and the Percullis on the other side of the just weight and fineness of the Spanish peeces of eight and peeces of four Royals and no other Silver should by her Merchants be sent to India And this was her Majesties prudent reason for the doing thereof that because the Indians did not know her nor see her greatness on her Silver her Majesty gave the East India Company leave to transport Gold or Silver but so as she would for the time to come give them a just occasion to reverence and honour her and bow at her Effigies declaring she would all the world over where she gave her Merchants leave to Trade be known to be as great a Prince as the King of Spain And that none should presume to send a greater quantity of Silver then she in her wisdome should judge fit to the East Indies as will appear by their Charter both for the quantity and with her Figure Motto and Percullis upon the Silver The Queens Majesty declaring she held it as a speciall and chief Prerogative of her Crown and Dignity to put the Percullis upon all the Silver the East India Company should send to the Indies Nor would she admit the Merchants of the East India Company to send more Silver then she and her Privie Councel did approve of as appears in the Journal Books the yearly Licences declaring she would have her Merchants in that point to be subordinate to her will not her will to be ruled at the Merchants pleasure And so during all her prosperous Reign to her death this great and prudent Queen ruled her Merchants and not the Merchants her this was according to the Law of England the Queen would ever be known to be a Queen This Narrative will appear to be true by the Stamps Weights and Standard of this Silver that was coyned in the Tower ready to be produced to your Majesty and the most Honourable Privie Councel if your Majesty require the same this course continued all Queen Elizabeths Reign and it would be for the honour and greatness of your Majesty that all Silver transported to the Indies should be coyned of the weight of Pieces of Eight with your Majesties Royall Effigies and the Percullis in the Tower of London that so all the world over the Nations might see your Royal stamp and bow down and do reverence What an honour had it been to your Majesties Grandfather and Father to have had sixty hundred thousand pounds transported in Silver to the Indies with their stamp which would have been done had Q. Elizabeths honourable Rule been observed I humbly desire it may be done hereafter though your Majestie get nothing but fame no profit I dare undertake the East India Company shall have their silver coined in the Tower for 12 pence the pound weight that is 60000 l. coyned for one thousand pounds The East India Company by monie got this Royal Priviledge laid down at the beginning of King James his Reign to the great impairment and losse of his Imperial royal Crown and Dignity and to the great losse of his Majesty in his Mintage and Coynage and the losing and diminution of your Royal Grandfather and Father of Blessed memory in their Revenue at this day above an hundred thousand pounds in the total sum in the duty of coyning there being since King James his Reign by
houres after I was gon from them to be apprehended upon a Charge of High Treason MAy it please your Majesty to peruse this ensuing Narrative viz. in Sept. 1657. I being sick sent to Bradshaw to write to the pretended Protector Cromwell that if he would not pay me the eleven thousand pounds he promised me to pay me some considerable sum for my support Bradshaw at that time wrote to Cromwell very earnestly to pay me a considerable sum in part using this as his argument and telling Mr Beck Cromwels Solicitour Mr Tho. Hewet and Mr Yates my Chirurgeon who were all three by when Bradshaw wrote to the pretended Protector about me Bradshaw said Remember my service to my Lord Protector and desire him in my name to pay Violet a considerable part of his money for his support according to his quality my Lord Protector knowes not Violet so well as I do If the man should go to Charls Stuart he would do us more mischief than a hundred thousand pounds would do us good there are some Kings would give an hundred thousand pounds for to have such an Engine for their turn and they knew him as well as I do This message was sent to Cromwel from Bradshaw by Mr Beck the Protectors Solicitour Mr Hewet Mr Yates and these Gentlemen are all in London to justifie this to be true Mr Beck upon this message moved Mr Francis Bacon the master of the Request to move Cromwel the Protector effectually about me and he would also move him which they did and they both told mee when my name was but mentioned for my money I petitioned for Cromwel was so incensed against me that he bestowed all the bad words in the world and said that he took me to be a dangerous person and an Arrant Villain against him and in a word saith Mr Bacon and Mr Beck he takes thee to be an Arrant Knave They often asked me if I could imagine the reason that the Protector and some of his Council was so bitter against me that they never heard man have a worse character than Cromwel did give me and some of his Council that were intimate with him as Thurloe c. I replyed I received good for evil the Protectors payment to me is not currant to revile me for venturing my life in his service and laying out of my purse 1500l to get him 278250l so much money Baxter paid him clear for the silver I staid him in the ships Sampson Salvador and St George as will appear by an Ordinance of Parliament for Baxters discharge for the payment of that money I knew Cromwels reason but would not tell it to them For I found when it was too late he knew he had undone himself by seizing on this Silver and breaking up the Parliament and that I was the fatal Instrument that advised him to take the Silver into his own custody either under the Ban quetting house to lodg it or in the Tower He did believe I did it innocently and for his good for had he believed I had done as truly I did malitiously to destroy him he would have caused me to have been torn in pieces Mr Strickland asked one Capt. Swan a Gentleman of Kent an intimate friend of mine what he thought I was and whether I was not a Cavaleer Strickland telling Captain Swan Many of us of the Council of State take Violet to be a sly and dangerous fellow he is alwayes presenting Propositions unto us which may bear double interpretations he pretends for the Councils profit but I am sure it is for their danger he hath staid Three hundred thousand pounds in Silver and hath set us together by the ears amongst our selves and with Holland Cromwel and Bradshaw makes use of him promising him from day to day to give him his Estate but they but abuse him they will never give him a farthing I heard Bradshaw say I could wish Violet had his Estate or the value but there is no trusting him therein If he should run to the King of Scots he would do us more mischief than a hundred thousand pounds Keep him poor and that will keep him honest to us for if he had his Estate he would be with the King of Scots The King of France hath a standing Councel for to Regulate his Mints and to hinder the Transporting of Gold or Silver VVere the like Orders setled in England it would be for your Majesties service and keep your Majesties Mint on work IN an Ordinance and Declaration of the King of France printed at Paris 30. Oct 1640. Fol. 8 9. We expresly forbid that all Materials of Gold or Silver either coined or uncoined shall not be bought and sold at higher Rates then is expresly set down in this Declaration which doth declare the true value that must be paied for the Mark of Silver We expresly forbid every one of what qualitie or condition soever to Transport out of our Kingdom any Gold or Silver coined or uncoined or any other Goldsmiths work upon penaltie of forfeiture of the Materials and Merchandize and other things therein they shall be found to be packed up in besides the penaltie of fiftie pounds and bodily punishment In an ORDINANCE and PLACCART For the Regulating of the Mint Published in Brussels the last day of May 1640. ARTIC XI WE have also forbidden and forbid by these presents every one of what quality or condition soever as well our Subjects as others to transport any Gold or Silver from henceforth out of our Lands directly or indirectly or to cause the same to be transported Minted or unminted without having obtained from us before hand express leave and consent to do the same upon penalty of forfeiture the Gold and Silver and Bullion and to pay besides the double worth as also the Waggons that shall willingly have conveyed the same the offenders to be banished out of our land for five years and the second time for ever Ordinance and Placcart at Brussels the 18th of March 1643. ARTIC LVII WE expresly forbid any person of what quality or condition soever to buy or sell any Gold or Silver either Bullion or currant at a higher price then the Ordinance of our said Mint permitteth upon penalty of the forfeiture of all Gold and Silver the first time the second four times as much and severe correction Placcart and Ordinance for Flanders and Antwerp 4 Octob. 1585. ARTIC XV. WE forbid and interdict expresly that no one of what quality or degree or condition soever shall transport or carry any Gold or Silver of our Coins or Bullion melted or in mass nor any Gold or Silver to coin money upon forfeiture of the said Gold and Silver besides two hundred Gold Rose Nobles for every Mark of Gold and twenty Golden Rose-Nobles for every Mark of Silver and the second time to be bodily punished ARTIC XIII ANd we do expresly forbid all and every one henceforth to buy or sell any wares of Gold or