ENGLANDS VIEVV IN THE VNMASKING OF TWO PARADOXES With a replication vnto the answer of Maister Iohn Bodine By Gerrard de Malynes Merchant Opposita iuxta se posita magis apparent ANCHORA SPEI LONDON Printed by Richard Field 1603. To the right honourable Sir Thomas Sackuile Baron of Buckhurst Lord high Treasurer of England Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter and one of the Lords of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Councell G. de M. wisheth all health increase of honour and euerlasting happinesse THESE two Paradoxes right honourable hauing bene presented vnto the French King as a meane to qualifie the generall complaints of the dearth of things in France by prouing that nothing was growne dearer in three hundred yeares were answered by the famous M. Iohn Bodine who dedicated his aunswer vnto the President of the high court of Parliament of Fraunce as a matter of great consequence and considerable in the gouernment of a Common-wealth Hence proceeded that resolution which emboldened me to present vnto your Lordship the substance of both their writings with all their arguments and propounded remedies to the end that in the ballance of your graue wisdome they may be weighed with my Replication thereunto shewing how things are to be considered of for the good of a Common-wealth Your Honors iudgement shall easily perceiue that the Paradoxes are opposite and do contradict one another besides the slender and weake ground of their foundation as also that Maister Bodine hath mistaken the true ground of the matter by comparing the prices of things within themselues in a Common-wealth whereas the comparison must be betweene the home Commodities of one Common-wealth and the forraine Commodities of other nations and that either by way of permutation of Commodities for Commodities or by Commodities for money in specie or by exchange So that a due consideration must be had of the course of Commodities Money and Exchange which are the essentiall parts of all trade and trafficke Wherein must be considered the end of all Merchants which is Gaine and profite at which scope they ayme according to their profession and practise some by Commodities some by Money some by Exchange some by all three or that which yeeldeth them most gaine For as money doth rule the course of Commodities so the exchange for monies doth both rule the course of moneys and Commodities By the disorder wherof it happeneth that the riches of a Common-wealth doth so much decrease as it is not alwayes in the power of the wise that haue the managing of the gouernement thereof to make choice of the best and to banish the worst but must not only obey the tempest and strike sailes but also cast ouer boord some precious things to saue the ship and bring it into a safe port and afterwards by degrees ouercome greater things changing the estate thereof from euill to good and from good to better which otherwise might haue bene preuented in the beginning by remouing the causes thereof To your most honorable iudgement I referre the consideration of all and pray the Almightie to haue your Honor in his diuine protection And so in all humility I take leaue London this 16. of Ianuarie 1603. Your Lordships most humble and in all dutie bounden GERRARD DE MALYNES Englands view A SENTENCE alleaged without application to some purpose is to handle a matter without conclusion and he that will attribute vnto any man the knowledge of the essentiall parts grounds or pillars of any science must make apparant proof therof otherwise his assertion is like cloudes and winds without raine or like an arrow shot at randon Quòd oportet patrem-familias vendacem esse non emacem is a worthie sentence to be duly executed of al good housholders or fathers of families especially of Princes that are the fathers of the great families of Common-weales who as Iustinian saith are to prouide carefully for the two seasons namely the time of warre when armes are necessarie and the time of peace more fitting wholesome lawes in both which it cannot properly be said that the office of a Prince is wholy employed about the gouernment of the persons of men and of things conuenient and fit for the maintenance of humane societie according to the definition of the heathens but rather in the obseruation of Religion towards God and administration of Iustice towards man the one teaching vs especially of the life to come the other how we should liue in this life Religion doth knit and vnite the spirits of men wherby they liue obediently in vnitie peace and concord and Iustice is as a measure ordained by God amongst men to defend the feeble from the mightie Hence proceedeth that the causes of seditions and ciuill warres is the deniall of iustice oppression of the common-people inequall distribution of rewards and punishments the exceeding riches of a small number the extreame pouertie of many the ouer-great idlenesse of the subiect and the not punishing of offenders which bringeth destructiō of Common-weales Religion doth teach the feare of God which maketh a good man and is indeed the beginning of a Prince For sith Princes raigne by wisedome and that the feare of God is the beginning thereof we must conclude that it is the beginning also of a vertuous and wise Prince Now as Princes raigne by God so must they be directed by him yea they raigne best and longest that serue him best and most Serue him they cannot but according to his will and his will is not known but by his word and lawe which made the Prophet Dauid to meditate therein day and night preferring the cause of faith or religion before temporall commoditie And this is properly the first and chiefest point that the Prince is to regard whereunto the other is annexed and doth depend vpon For as iustice is administred and prescribed by lawes and customs so reason requireth that this gradation should be obserued concerning all lawes that euen as the wils contracts or testaments of particular men cannot derogate the ordinances of the Magistrates and the order of the Magistrates cannot abolish customs nor the customes can abridge the generall lawes of an absolute Prince no more can the lawes of Princes alter or chaunge the lawe of God and Nature By iustice properly called Distributiue is the harmonie of the members of a Common-weale maintained in good concord howbeit much hindred where vsurie is tollerated which giueth cause of discord some few waxing thereby too rich and many extreame poore the operations of effects whereof are declared by me vnder certaine Similies or Metaphors in the Treatise of Saint George for England By iustice properly called Commutatiue is the cōmerce and trafficke with other nations maintained obseruing a kind of equalitie which is requisite in euery well gouerned Cōmon-wealth where prouidence and pollicie cause the Prince the Father of the great familie to sell more then he buyeth or else the wealth and treasure of his realme
famous and learned Maister Iohn Bodine making answer vnto these two Paradoxes first sheweth how M. Malestroit hath abused himself to vse the example of veluet to proue his assertions For he proueth that veluets were yet vnknowne in France during the raign of Philip surnamed the Faire And that although he should admit the example of veluets yet it were no consequence for all other things which were not so deare proportionably And concerning the price of wines and corne he doth prooue the same to be dearer 20 times and more or lesse vpon occasions concluding that those examples are also vnfit And then he cometh to the price of lands which cānot increase or diminish nor be altered of their goodnesse if they be manured Whereupon he taketh occasion to shewe the fertilitie of France and that certaine Dukedoms Earledomes and Baronnies are now worth of reuenue as much yearely as they were sold for in times past The lands being so much risen in price he sheweth that within sixtie yeares all things are growne deare tenne times the price comparing it to any mony in Fraunce and so setteth downe the causes of this dearth which are 5 in number 1 The principal almost only cause The abundance of gold and siluer nowe extant in the kingdome more then in times past 2 The Monopolies 3 The want of things caused by excessiue trade and wast thereof 4 The pleasure of Princes that aduance the price of things 5 The alteration of the valuation of money Concerning the first and principal cause he saith that the enhauncing of the price or dearth of all things in what place soeuer proceedeth of the abundance of that which giueth price and estimation vnto things and herupon doth alledge diuerse examples Plutarch and Plinie do witnesse that Paulus Aemylius after the conquest of Macedon against the Persians did bring such abundance of gold and siluer to Rome that the people was freed of all imposts and the price of lands aduaunced vnto two third partes in a moment The Emperour Augustus brought such great riches from Egipt that the price of vsurie did decrease and the lands became much dearer then before which was not for the want of lands which cannot increase or diminish nor for the Monopolies which can take no place in this case but it was the abundance of gold and siluer which abated the estimation thereof as it happened at Ierusalem at the time of the Queene of Candace and in the West Indies when the Spaniards became maisters thereof By which reason the Emperour Tiberius was much mistaken to cause him to be beheaded that would haue made glasse soft and malleable fearing that gold and siluer would thereby haue lost their estimation whereas the abundance of glasses which are made almost of all stones and many herbes would haue diminished the reputatiō thereof as it falleth out with all other things Therefore saith he we are to shew that there was not so much gold and siluer in times past three hundred years ago as there is now which may easily be known For if there be mony within the realme it cannot be so wel hidden but that Princes in their necessitie and occurrences will find the same whereas it is well knowne that king Iohn in his great necessitie could not find 60 thousand frankes let it be crownes for his raunsome but did remaine a prisoner to the king of England for the space of 8 yeares In like sort the king of Scots being prisoner could not find means for his ransome of a hundred thousand nobles vntill the French king Charles the fift payed the same making alliance with Robert the king of Scots anno 1371. King Saint Lewis was in the like predicamēt being prisoner in Egypt And the auncient histories do record that for want of siluer money was made of leather with a naile of siluer Wherby appeareth the great want of siluer and gold in Fraunce in those daies whereas comming to our age we shall find that the king did find in Paris in sixe moneths besides the incomes and reuenues more then three millions 4 hundred thousand pounds which after 10 pounds for the pound starling is 340 thousand pounds starling Herunto he hath added a comparison betweene certain reuenues and monies giuen in mariage with Princes and their kindred in those dayes with the like done by Princes of late yeares and how Italie through peace and meanes of their trafficke had drawne all the gold vnto them the treasure in Europe being generally increased since the discouerie of the West Indies For it is incredible saith he and yet true that since the yeare 1533 there came frō Peru more then one hundred millions of gold and twise as much in siluer Then he commeth to the causes of the increase of the wealth and treasure of France shewing how the Spaniard running to the vttermost corner of the world for gold siluer and spices doth come vnto them for their corne linnen cloth and diuerse other commodities On the other side how the English man Scot the people of Norway Swaden and Denmarke are continually digging an infinite number of mynes euen to the very center of the earth for mettals and minerals for to buy their wines prunes and other Commodities and most especially their Manna of salt which God sendeth as it were from heauen their Climate being more apt thereunto then that of other countries which causeth the Flemmings to come with their emptie vessels to buy the same for readie mony for the maintenance of their trafficke of salt-fish And this is the first cause The second is the increase of people which by reason of the ciuill wars which ceassed betweene the houses of Orleance Burgundie are much augmented vntill the troubles for Religion Whereas the warres of neighbor countries was but a necessarie purgation of the ill humors of the bodie of their Commonwealth and the wars at home had before that time wasted the countrey ouerthrowne husbandrie and spoiled all handiworke the Englishman hauing sacked their townes burned their villages murthered and robbed the most part of their people and gnawed the rest to the bones howbeit within these 100 years the towns haue bene reedified villages new builded woods increased the people augmented in such sort that colonies of Frenchmen haue bene sent into other countries to inhabite them and the Spaniard being negligent and lazie is for the most part in Arragon and Nauarre without any labourers or any other workmen but only Frenchmen which are more seruiceable and actiue Another cause of the riches of Fraunce is the trade had since their king Francis the first with the Turke and Barbarian the Banke of Lyons erected in his time brought aboundance of gold and siluer into Fraunce when he payed 8 vpon the hundred for money and his successor ten afterwards 16 and 20 vpon vrgent necessitie which made the Florentines Lugueses Genowaies Germaines and others to come dwell in the realme By which meanes also the
matters wherein he is surpassing others that hence the prouerbe is deriued that One doth vnderstand his Par or Equalitie be it in matter of exchange or monies whereby the course of commodities is ruled But this cannot properly be taken as a remedy against the dearth of things for it doth keepe a due equality in the price of all things and maketh not any alteration So that we may conclude as before that maister Bodine hauing mistaken the true ground of the matter he intreated of the remedies by him propounded are also incertaine For as we haue said before we are not in this regard to compare things within themselues in the Common-wealth where we do liue but betweene vs and other nations with whom we deale or traffike either by way of permutation of commodities for commodities or commodities for money in specie or by exchange Therefore let vs examine the course of commodities money and exchange whereby the wealth of a Realme may increase or decrease Riches as Aristotle hath defined are either Naturall or Artificiall And Plato before he did reuoke his opinion concerning equalitie when he willed al things in a Commonwealth to be common whereby euery man might haue enough and in regard of these words Mine and Thine wherby the propertie of things is distinguished did vse to say That there was no man that did gaine but another was a loser supposing both the Naturall and Artificiall riches to be appertaining and proper to some that were owners thereof Wherein he did note a kind of absurditie at that time in regard of his purpose But afterwards hauing had a due consideration of far greater absurdities that wold happen if to auoide strife and contention goods were common and consequently women and children wherby families whereof Commonweals are compounded wold be dissolued and ouerthrowne he did wisely reuoke his former opinion holding the matter to be impossible and incompatible For there can be no Common-wealth without a priuate wealth whereby these two words Mine and Thine were restored to their former and auncient credite which all good housholders or fathers of families are to consider in particular the Prince as the father of the great familie of a Commonwealth in generall as well touching the Natural riches of lands as of the Artificiall riches proceeding of the same and to make and moderate his charges and expences accordingly To which end first in regard of Naturall riches the knowledge of his dominions and territories is requisite to be considered of being compared with other Princes dominions which oftentimes are accounted to be more spacious then they bee By reason whereof we haue made this Geometricall description following whereby the spaciousnesse of one kingdome or countrey may be compared with another obseruing onely the difference of the number A Geometricall Description of the world The circumference of the Globe which according to the imaginarie accompt of Ptolomy containeth 360 Geometricall degrees of 15 leagues euery degree maketh in the whole 5400 leagues which we do reckon after one thousand measures of land for euery league of foure English miles or 60 miles for a degree The Diameter being 1718 2 11 leagues making the superficies both of water and land 9278 thousand 181 leagues euery league being 4666â…” measures square which maketh the whole globe of the world to containe 43 millions of millions 298 millions 170 thousand measures of land and water whereof the water being deducted accoumpting aboue two third parts of the whole and the other third for the earth there remaineth not accompting fractions and vnnecessarie numbers nine millions of millions 381 millions 627 thousand measures of land knowne to be inhabited wherof followeth a particular distribution vpon euery kingdome and countrie with a note of their situation Beginning our voyage from England the most renowned Iland in the world and trauelling all the world ouer which by water may be compassed in one yeare and a halfe as may be seene by the globe set foorth at the charges of Maister Sanderson by the voyages of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Thomas Candish knights we find England with the Ilands adiacent vnder her Maiesties dominion to containe 34 millions 438 thousand measures of land after the computation aforesaid Ireland the Iland which lieth most West of those that be of any fame containeth 21 millions 785 thousand measures Scotland being adioyned to England containeth 12 millions 250 thousand measures The most Westerne countrey of Europe is Spaine which is bounded the South with the Mediterranean sea on the West with the Atlanticke on the North with the Oceanus Cantabricus or the Spanish seas on the East with Fraunce from which it is seuered with the Pireney hils Vnder Spaine we reckon the eight kingdoms following Castile containing 31 886. m. Andaluzia 3 700. m. Granado 3 150. m. Nauarre 1 868. m. Portugal 12 600. m. Leon gallicia 9 520. m. Arragon 16 760. m. Biscay 4 666. m. Â All 84 150. m. measures of land Fraunce which is bounded on the West with the Pirency hilles on the North with the English seas on the East with Germanie on the Southeast with the Alpe hilles and on the Southwest with the Mediterranean sea containing 32 Prouinces Normandie 2 022. m. Campagney 1 785. m. Xantogne 1 791. m. Poitou 2 644. m. Berry 1 437. m. Limogis 140. m. Picardie 1 307. m. Anjou 840. m. Calis 46. m. Bulleyn 135. m. Languedoc 2 240. m. Dauphiney 900. m. Burgundie 757. m. Prouence 1 178. m. Vermandois 116. m. And Vienois Lionois Gascoine France Lorreyne Britayne Guien Nivernois Bourbon Auverne Velay Pierigueux Viemois and the rest Containing all 91 350. m. measures The next countrey vnto Fraunce on the East side is Germany which is bounded on the West with Fraunce and the Low countries on the North with Denmarke and the Danish seas on the East with Prussia Poland and Hungarie on the Southeast with Istria and Illiricum and the South with the Alpe hils and with Italie Vnder Saxonie Saxonia 3 750. m. Misnia 3 360. m. Turingia 1 120. m. Vnder Austria Lusatia 2 614. m. Slesia 5 558. m. Bohemia 7 000. m. Austria 6 300. m. Morauia 4 200. m. Beyeren 3 360. m. Assia 3 947. m. Heluetia 12 585. m. Basle and Swetia 2 992. m. Wirtenbergh 1 270. m. Embden 244. m. Collen 214. m. Salsburie 1 089. m. Cleues 257. m. Gulich 357. m. Westphalia 2 450. m. Ofnab 357. m. Pomerania 3 360. m. Marquis brandeburgh 6 293. m. Machalburgh 2 100. m. Franconia 6 440. m. Tiroll 3 360. m. Carinthea 1 634. m. Stiria 1 866. m. Count Palatin 4 450. m. Oldeburg Dulmar 462. m. Liege 571. m. Trier Ments Strasbourgh Spiers Wormes together 4 324. m. Â All 97 884. m. measures The 17 Prouinces of the Low-countries accompting 550 townes and 12 thousand villages bounded on the West with Germanie and Fraunce consisting of 4 Dukedomes 7 Earledomes and 6 Seigniories Brabant 1 502. m. Guildres 420. m. Luxenborgh