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
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
that Company above sixty hundred thousand pounds in Silver and Gold sent to the East Indies were their Books of Entries examined and their Books of Account to their several Factories in India what they have sent yearly to every particular factory and some Auditors appointed to make the inspection upon Oath I humbly say there would be found many hundred thousand pounds transported both of English Gold and Silver more then ever they had licence from the King to send to the great weakning damage and decay of this Nation they being a Company that heretofore used to bribe out all their abuses by one course or other Had not your Majesty by your Royal pardon pardoned them they should before this time have found the East India Company charged by me in the Exchequer with many hundred thousand pounds of English Gold and Silver and of half Crowns and foreign Gold and Silver transported against the Laws and Statutes of the Kingdome let them have got off as well as they could May it please your Majesty That company pretends a debt your Royal Father should owe them for Silks and Pepper delivered unto one Burlemack a Merchant about the Year 1630. upon your Royal Fathers account had not your Majestie in your great mercy pardoned this very Company of Merchants in your gracious and free Pardon 1660. I could have chalked out the way to have peppered the East India Company it had never been so peppered since it was a Company they are pardoned for what is past but they have no Priviledge for the time to come But if your Majesty command me to watch the East India Company that they for the future send no more gold or silver then they have licence for from your Majesty I shall faithfully do it and give a stop to these mischiefs they have formerly committed If your Majesty command I shall not fear the riches or greatness of the East India company or Merchants of London but I will tramel them and reduce them to the due obedience of your Majesties commands and the Law of the Kingdom For the longer this business is not looked after makes some Merchants think to get leave to weaken the Kingdom in general and incroach upon your Majesties sacred Prerogative to send what silver and gold they list away for the future without any Comptroller May it please your Majesty a Court in the nature of the Star chamber would Frost-bite these Gentlemen and make them pluck in their Horns and submit to your Maiesties Lawes which will be for the good of the Nation in general that these men may be curbed and not left to rob the Kingdom of all its Gold and Silver as some Merchants have taken the boldness to do when we had no King in this our Israel for this last seventeen years Never School-boyes plaid such tricks in the absence of their School-masters as some of the London-merchants have done When the books of the Common council of London copied out together with the East India Companies books be throughlie inspected your Maiestie and your honourable Privie Council will see incredible passages fit for Your maiestie to know such as is for Your maiesties honour and safetie for the future to prevent viz. I most humbly pray your Majestie and your honourable Privie Council to command true Copies of all the Acts of the Common Council of London from one thousand six hundred and thirty eight to one thousand six hundred and sixty and the true copies of the East Indies Companies books of Envoys sent to their Factors of all the Gold and Silver they sent yearly the ships name and by what Factor and to what Factors in India and Persia ever since one thousand six hundred and twentie to one thousand six hundred and sixty Not that I have the least thought that any of them should be punished for what is past by reason of your Majesties gracious pardon but that an Eye might be kept over them to keep them from committing the same or the like offences again against your Majestie your Crown and Dignity I humbly say I am so charitable to them that I had rather see them alwaies upright in all their actions then ever to hear that your Majestie should put your Royal self to that trouble to pardon them again when they have offended it is better I humbly say for the Merchants that your Majesty take all course to keep some Merchants from falling then to take them up after they are down if they be watched that they shall have no opportunitie to offend it saves the labour of punishing any of them Some Merchants I have heard say at the Council of Trade one thousand six hundred and fiftie that it is an old Heresie to hinder the transporting of gold and silver freelie and to retain it in the Kings hands he only to give a licence to transpor Sure I am it is a Phanatick opinion for the Merchants to labour to obtain it out of your Majesties and your privie Councils hands Some Merchants are great magnifiers of Commonwealths their Policies and Governments those that are for an Amsterdam model both in the Church and Kingdom but in our Kings sacred hands this great Trust in all Ages hath happilie continued and no Merchant never durst ask such a request to have it at their own dispose these Merchants covet more profit and gain then they do the Kings Majesties greatness and that makes them so busie to get this Royal flower out of the Crown May it please your Majesty your standard of Gold and Silver is fixed to all your Subjects of all your Nations the pound sterling is a fixed paiment and is the guide to all the Bankers in Christendom for till they return their Bills of Exchange for England no Banker or Merchant can tell certainly the true intrinsecal value they shall receive for a hundred pounds delivered in their Banks by Bills of Exchange to any place but onely England where these paiments are fixed and paied according to the pound sterling which is by shillings pence and half-pence without any fraud or bankmonie from the paiment of one hundred pound to the paiment of one hundred thousand pounds no man can be wronged of a penie but it will exactlie appear upon the casting up of the accompt Commonwealths and Bankers go upon Merchants subtilties that is not for the Honour and Dignitie of your Majestie to make your monie go high when you are to paie your Armies and Fleets and then presently to call it down in Kingdomes Kings are Sacred and cannot act such dirty tricks as Commonwealths do Englands Tragedy from one thousand six hundred fourtie three to one thousand six hundred and sixtie may serve as a warning to all good subjects how to turn Kingdomes into Commonwealths or to leave power of transporting Gold or Silver at the will and pleasure of the merchant Merchants are like fire and water Good Servants but bad Masters in their proper spheers good but
Honour of the King to have the Silver his Merchants Trade with first coined with the Percullises and His Effigies and Motto all over the World For the Kings greatnesse is the Merchants securitie and protection and to be made of the weight of peices of Eight and of the same Standard as it was in the Queens time the King loses in point of Coinage by not Coining the Silver is sent to the East Indies as Queen Elizabeth did the East India Companie had paid to the Kings Grandfather and Father of blessed memory a hundred thousand pounds which would have bin clear profit since King James in his Majesties Exchequer and all his Officers for Coining payd if Queen Elizabeths Rule had been observed to Coin all the Silver sent beyond Seas If the East India Companie Books be looked over they have sent above sixtie hundred thousand pounds in Silver to the East Indies since the first of King James in Spanish Silver more monie by farre then is at this day in England I humbly recommend it for your Majesties Honour and Profit that your Majestie for the future may coin all Silver or Gold that so the Indian Princes may see your Effigies and bow at the sight thereof As Queen Elizabeth made the Merchants to do or else they should not send her Silver The true safetie and protection of the Merchant is that they are Subjects of such a great King that can cause Justice and Right to be done to His Merchants as far as the Seas ebbs and flowes round about the World it is truly for the Merchants securitie if they would consider rightly of all things and love the King's Honour as well as their own Profit MAY it please your Sacred Majestie I here humbly give your Majestie and your Privy Councel an accompt concerning my staying the Ships Sampson Salvador and St. George 15. Decemb. 1652. The day the Judges had resolved in the Admiraltie to clear these Ships their Silver and Lading there being three hundred thousand pounds in them I saw about that time Don Asonso Decardenis the Spanish Ambassador Extraordinary come to the Rump Parliament and owned their power as a free State and Parliament I heard that many in Amsterdam was playing the same prancks there with the Prince of Orange as the Londoners had plaied with Your Majesties Royal Father and your Majestie I saw the Face of all things look very sadly both in France Holland and Spain the Royall partie being banished from home put to great extremities abroad and almost insufferable wants At which time I had advice from one of Dover that the three hundred thousand pounds in Silver in the aforesaid Ships part of it appertained to Amsterdam Merchants and other parts to Spaniards and some to Hamburgers and I had the Copies of the Original Commission under the Great Seal of Holland to de Witt and de Ruter the Vice Admirals of Holland to require them to guard all Ships coming from Spain to Ostend or Dunkirk from the English the Dutch and Parliament being at Warre and this was done upon the Petition of the Merchants of Amsterdam to the high and mightie Lords the States to guard the Ships from the English which Commission and Petition at this day remains in the Admiraltie I cast about how I might first divide the pretended Councel of State in Decemb. 1652. amongst themselves about this Silver in the aforesaid Ships and set them to stay it which I knew would ingage the Rump Parliament in a forreign War and so though the Kings Partie were oppressed at home the Rump might wast their Souldiers and have more hands about their Ears then they were aware of and in time be beaten out of breath and so the Royal Partie might rise again I divided the Councel so as there was ten for sending me to the Tower and clearing the Silver and twelve for the staying the Silver and giving me thanks I made some of my secret Friends acquainted with this design they approved thereof and so having promised secretly one to another for it concerned my life I told them from time to time how I laid my design till at last I ingaged Cromwel to take up the Silver from aboard the Ships Sampson Salvador and St. George and that he would dissolve the Parliament the same night that he dissolved the long Parliament he could not sleep for it about the 15. April 1652. Cromwel sent Mr Sadler the Town-Clerk of LONDON and Coll Bingham to me to come presently to him at the Cock-pit to give him the Coppies of all the Bills of these Ships Lading and the value of the Silver which I did and after he had them Cromwell could not sleep till he had the Silver in Bark steads custody in the Tower I found him to be forward in it to get the Silver into his possesion in the Tower being 29. April 1653. Oliver Cromwell sent a guard of Souldiers to seize on the Silver aboard these Ships the Sampson Salvador and St. George the 20. day of April 1652. Bradshaw tore his Hair before me and a Friend of mine Bradshaw telling him that Cromwell had undone them all by forcing the Parliament and that now he saw apparently he was an undone man Bradshaw storming at me Tho. Violet saying I was the fatallest man that ever was to the Councel and Parliament for staying this Silver and that had I not set the Councel and Parliament to stay this Silver till that every mans claim was particularly proved the Silver had been all Transported and Cromwell never durst have dissolved the Parliament had he not got the Silver in these Ships being three hundred thousand pounds into his hands All which I did premeditately to set them and the Councel Parliament and altogether by the Ears to divide and weaken their Councels And I made several persons acquainted with my design who are wel known to your Majestie both for their Service and Fidelity if I be required I will name them Before ever I undertook this Businesse I had their advices and approbation under secresie for it had cost us all our lives had it bin known I had given the Parliament this vomit to undo them This I can prove to be the truth and Sir James Harrington Frances Allen and Tho. Scot used to say it was Violet destroyed the Parliament and not Cromwell for had I not stayed the Silver Cromwell durst not have forced the Parliament But whereas Doctor Walker and some others have declared to some Merchants and others of London I stayed the Spaniards Silver and would not consent to the discharge I was so far from hindring the Spaniards of their right that I Petitioned Cromwell and his Councel to discharge the Spaniards Silver But Doctor Walker opposed me in it as appears by Doctor Walkers Certificate to Cromwells Councel Mr. Jessop Clerk of the Parliament delivered it to me upon condition I should return it to him when I had done with it I humbly pray your
Father would I have obeyed the Parliament and discovered the Transporters of Gold at that time 1643. I had inioyed all my estate and been setled in the Office which I have for two Lives for the regulating Gold and Silver Thred and Wyer And all this damage I suffered for obeying your Maiesties Royal Fathers command to my damage at this day above twenty thousand pounds My most humble Petition to your Majesty is That seeing I was oppressed and traduced by the tyranny of Sir Henry Vane junior Sir Arthur Haselrig and Mr. St. John they being the principal Actors that ruined me that I may have by your Majesties goodness bounty and mercy allotted out of Sir Arthur Haselrigs and Sir Henry Vanes estates such satisfaction and reparation as your Maiesty in your Royal wisdom shall think fit and just for my support after so sad an oppression for my loyalty to your Royal Father the petition to the Parliament and my charge against Vane St. John Haslerig was put into the Parliament before your Majesties gracious Letter from Breda the Lords in Parliament ordered me to respite my Petition to them until your Maiesties happy arrival into England and ever since I watched my opportunity to shew what I have done and suffered for your Royal Father and what I can and will do for Your Majesties Royal service if you please to command me I am at your service as far as my life and estate will go MAY it please your Majesty in the year 1636. your Majesties Royal Father gave Alderman Wollaston and Alderman Gibbs his Gratious pardon Sir Henry Mildmay and the Company of Goldsmiths charged Alderman VVollaston for buying the Kings stollen Plate and Alderman Gibbs for refining and melting of Silver contrary to the Lawes as will appear in the Records of the Councel-Table about March 1635. Had not his Royal Majesty of blessed memory pardoned the then Lord Major Wollaston the Law had hanged him before ever he had come to have been Lord Major of London and then he should have prevented this VVollaston from being such a Traitor to his Majesty the Proverb saith Save a Thief from the gallows and he will hang thee This VVollaston proved a bloody enemy to the King to his dying day and Gibbs as bad as he but is yet living For as soon as ever I delivered his Majesties Message unto my Lord Major he sent for his fellow Traitor Alderman Gibbs and they presently concluded to make Sir Henry Vane junior Sir Arthur Haslerig Mr Sollici or St. John and Francis Allen acquainted with the Kings Letter and ordered presently to apprehend me Sir Basil Brook and Mr. Rily to seize upon our Estates and sequester us And so presently I was that night apprehended and for four years so used that never any man that brought up a Letter from any King of England to London for a Peace was so barbarously and cruelly used that Evening the aforesaid persons and some others examined me they carried me to Goldsmiths Hall they sent for Sir Basil Brock and Mr. Rily and St. John the Kings Sollicitor caused all our Pockets to be searched and found their Letters in Sir Basil Brocks and Rilies but none in mine and as Sir Basil Brook presented him with the Kings Letter which I brought up from Oxford St. John asked Sir Basil Brook for another Letter which the Kings Majesty had sent up the day before I went to Oxford to presse Rily and his party to act their business as soon as they could with a Letter from my Lord George Digby which the Officers found about Sir Basil Brook Touching this business when they had these Letters St. Johns Vane Haselrig Mr. Allen Lord Major Wollaston and Alderman Gibbs and several others made themselves very merry with them There was Mr. Jackson the Essay-Master of Goldsmiths Hall a very honest man and one that saved my life at that time in discovering to me what was confessed by Rily that he had not discovered any thing and that the aforesaid Committee were resolved to face me down Rilie had confessed all and so would have me to discover and I should have mercie They found in Mr. Rilies pockets Reads two Letters aforesaid and threatned him to have him racked if he would not discover the bottom of the businesse and who they were in the Citie that plotted to oppose the Scots coming in But there was an Oath of Secrecy amongst them all and Rilie knew them all but I was not privy to the number that was but only to act with Sir Basil Brook Read and at Oxford with his Majestie the Queens Majestie the Dutchess of Buckingham and Lord Digby and to bring the Kings Letter from Oxford Had Rily but confessed those Gentlemen in London that wete privie with him in this business he had made many score of men in the City of London lose their Lives and Estates And had the Lord Major VVollaston concealed the business twenty four hours it had been out of his power to have stopped this design for peace His late Majesty of blessed memory told me at Oxford That Rily had sent him down by one that came purposely to Read from London a List of above two hundred of the principal men that had ingaged in this business every man upon an Oath of secresie The late King commanded me to tell Mr. Rilie Scoutmaster-general of the City that he should follow his former Directions which was to be careful whom he imparted this business to and to treat with them severally and not together for all their security depended thereon that it did concern all our Lives and Estates to be circumspect We had former Presidents to make us wary Tomkins and Challenor and others and though he was careful of all his Subjects yet of those that were most forward to serve him he was most tender that they should venture themselves telling me he did know more of this design then I did by Gods blessing it will take saith his Majestie I have laid it so with Mr Rily that I am assured of a happy success go thy way I will make thee a man and tell my Lord Major and Mr. Rilie I will make them famous for ever Rily was by all parties trusted to carry on this design and had not the sins of the Nation prevented us of such a mercy for it was not Gods time for our deliverance there was never in all these troubles a design for putting an end to the War without bloodshed so laid and contrived as Sir Basil Brook Col. Read Mr. Rily had laid every man his part severally and so secretly that though the principal men in the City were ingaged in the business to make the City of London to declare for the King and to oppose the Scots invading of England and the Cities Declaration which they intended to publish I brought it to his Majesty my self 1643. and received my Orders and Directions thereupon my self from his Majesty and the Queens most
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