the Tenants owed mee when I was committed to the Tower in arrears for rent about one hundred pounds and for this seven years I received no rent of them but Master Elconhead hath received the rent ever since 6. Som of the Wier-drawers by their clamor caused my Office to bee sequestred from mee which was for the surveying and sealing of all Gold and Silver-Thread by which means they have made slight Silver-Thread to the deceit of this Nation ever since which office for the surveying and sealing of all Gold and Silver-Thread and Wier I had from the late King for three lives and it hath cost mee near fifteen hundred pounds to my Lord Treasurer Lord Cottington Sir John Cook Sir John Banks before I could get the Grant to pass under the Great Seal of England and that Office made mee above three hundred pounds a year besides an Hous rent-free the necessitie of having that Office I have shewed before 7. I had one quarter part of the Ladie Viller's Farm for the importation of all Forrain Gold and Silver-Thread Hat-bands or Lace and Copper-Thread throughout England and Wales sor fourteen years which cost mee a little before I was sequestred seven hundred pounds and it was worth one hundred and fiftie pounds per annum to mee 8. I spent in my imprisonment in the Tower for almost four years seven hundred pounds and could never get my Caus to bee heard An Order of the Committee of Shropshier WHereas by Vertue of an Ordinance of Parlament autorizing us the Committee for the Countie of Salop to seiz sequester and secure the Estates of Papists and Delinquents for the raising of Monies for the service of the Parlament in the Countie of Salop which wee shall discover wee have seized and taken into our possession three several Bonds or Obligations whereby you amongst others stand bound to Thomas Violet a Delinquent and Prisoner in the Tower of London for paiment unto him of several summes of Monie therein mentioned It is therefore Ordered by the said Committee That you paie such Monies as are due upon the said Bonds unto the said Committee or to such as they shall appoint and unto none other until further order bee taken therein by the said Committee And further you are desired to bee present at the said Committee at Salter's Hall in Bread-street in London upon Tuesdaie next at three of the Clock in the afternoon Dated the tenth daie of October Anno Dom. 1644. H. Mackworth Jo. Corbet Tho. More Ch. Meredith To Master Philip Cage of Great Harwel in the Countie of Hartford Esquire Memorand That the 21 of December 1646. this Warrant was shewed unto Master John Corbet at the Tower in the presence of us and hee did acknowledg it to bee his hand and that the said Bonds were seized upon according to their Order and were in the hands of one Brome belonging to the Committee of Shropsheir And that the said three bonds were in two thousand pounds for the paying of Thomas Violet one thousand pounds Henrie Cogan William Bourn Two Orders of the Committee of Essex Essex scilicet WHereas Thomas Violet a Delinquent is imprisoned in the Tower of London for a Conspiracie against the Parlament and that his Estate is seized and sequestred and that it appear's to the Parlament that there is an extent of the Lands of James Waad Esquire at the suit of the said Violet or som others to his use of the penaltie of one thousand pounds for the paiment of five hundred pounds charged upon the Manors of Battels and Paton Hall with their appurtenances within this Countie of Essex The high Court of Parlament taking the same into consideration have been pleased to order the benefit and advantage of the said extent to the use of this Countie Now wee the Committees of the Countie aforesaid have assigned and do by these presents assign the said extent and all the benefits thereof unto Edward Elconhead Esquire giving him hereby full power and autority to take and receiv all and singular the profits and rents of the said Manors of Battels and Paton Hall with their and everie of their appurtenances And wee do also hereby appoint the said Edward Elconhead Esquire to take into his hands and possession the said Battels and Paton Hall with their appurtenances And wee do hereby further Order and Appoint all and singular the Tenants and Land-holders thereof respectively to paie their several rents with the arrearages thereof as the same are or from time to time shall grow due unto the said Edward Elconhead And wee do hereby require all Captains and all other forces as also all High Constables and Pettie Constables within this Countie to bee aiding and assisting to the said Edward Elconhead in gaining preserving and keeping him in the quiet possession of the premises aforesaid At the standing Committee at Chelms-ford the 17 of August 1644. Thomas Barington Will. Goldingham Rich. Harlakenden H. Holcrost William Roe Robert Smith S. Sparrow Essex scilicet WHereas wee the Committee for the said Countie now sitting at Chelms ford have assigned the extent of the Manors of Battels and Paton-Hall with their appurtenances made not long since by Thomas Violet now prisoner in the Tower of London unto Edward Elconhead of the said Countie Esquire Wee do also hereby Order and Appoint that if any differences shall happen to arise betwixt him the said Edward Elconhead and any of the Tenants of the aforesaid Lands that then wee refer the consideration and settling thereof unto Timothie Middleton Esquire High Sheriff of the aforesaid Countie and Sir Thomas Barington Knight and Baronet or either of them who are hereby desired to mediate therein or in case of refusal or obstinacie of any of the said persons to make their return to us thereof whereupon wee shall proceed as to the demerit of the caus shall appertain At the standing Committee at Chelmsford the 17 of August 1644. Will. Roe Will. Goldingham Rich. Harlakenden H. Holcrost Rob. Smith These two are true Copies of the Committee of Essex Orders witness our hands this first daie of August 1646. Philip Cage Thomas Conningsbie Christ Hatton A DECLARATION OF PHILIP CAGE Esquire Shewing by virtue of the Committee of Essex Order dated 17 August 1644. Hee was forcibly driven out of the possession of the Manors of Battels and Paton-Hall which hee held for and to the use of THOMAS VIOLET Attested by Thomas Conningsbie Esquire of Hartford-shier and Christopher Hatton of London Gentleman UPon this Order of the Committee I Philip Cage beeing in possession of both the Manors of Battels and Paton-Hall with the appurtenances in the Countie of Essex by vertue of a Leas of an extent from his Majestie assigned to mee and others by M. Thomas Violet in trust of those Lands with divers other Lands and Tenements in London and Middlesex for the use of Thomas Violet I Philip Cage and my Family were forcibly driven out of possession about the 20 of
the Master Warden and Controller for the time beeing make due paiment thereof as hath been formerly accustomed and that no attachment sequestration nor other pretence whatsoëver shall caus a stop to bee made upon any Gold or Silver brought into the Mint for or by reason of any Malignancie or Delinquencie whatsoëver by any person so having Treasure in the Mint But that the Warden Master and Controller for the time beeing shall make speedie paiment as heretofore hath been accustomed to the partie that brought it to the Mint or his assigns notwithstanding any Warrant or Command the Act making all such to bee void if any should presume to do it This is desired by som Merchants that know the Spaniard will not trust his Treasure to bee liable to Imbargoes for the Delinquencie of his Factor if it should so chance that hee bee charged to bee a Malignant If you pass this Act and give the Merchants good Convoie you will have your Mint go again and you will get the Fishing Trade you will have the Staples for Corn Flax Hemp Timber Iron Salt Wines and all other commodities of the East and West Indies brought into your Harbors and by a free Trade this Nation will never have a dearth of Corn for it would be grainar'd up in everie Sea-Port-Town for a Market as it doth in Amsterdam that wee should ever bee first served and at home and at our own doors whereas there hath been these last three years transported many hundred thousand pounds for Corn bought up at high prices beyond Seas 14. That you would bee pleased to take into your consideration the Customs of our English Cloth and Woollen Manufacturies of all sorts and so lessen the Customs and duties that wee may bee able to undersel and beat out all those that have set up our Manufacture beyond Seas And that you would procure an Act to make Transportation of Wooll and Fuller's Earth Felonie and in consideration of what you abate of Manufacturies of England that you may if you pleas rais upon such superfluous commodities in your Customs and Excise as shall bee Imported from beyond the Seas of Forrain commodities to the value of what you abate of Native commodities and this was the constant practice of the great and wise Lord Treasurer Burlie and his son as I have seen by several Manuscripts 15. I humbly present that all encouragement and little duties bee laid upon Raw Silk of all sorts Imported into this Nation Flax Goat's hair Cotton Wooll Grogran Yarn and that such as will set up Looms or any other Engins may receiv all encouragement and if they bee strangers that they may bee Ordered to take our English poor to teach them their Manufacturies By which means in a small time you will bring a rich Manufacture into the Nation and not onely bee able to furnish your selvs with all such wrought Silks of all sorts as you spend in this Nation but bee able to furnish Neighbor Countries as Germanie Flanders Holland and other Forrain parts which have not yet this Manufacturie If you pleas to caus them to bee transported with little duties the poor will finde a great advantage by it thousands beeing set on work in this Manufacturie and the State get by it for if the Merchant that bring 's here raw or throne Silk doth transport it within a twelvmoneth the State doth repaie them back one half of their Custom and when that Silk is Transported and Manufactured beyond the Seas most commonly those Silks are brought back wrought and the Custom and Excise stoln for it is most easie to steal the Custom of Silks wrought by reason of the little bulk But a Bail of raw Silk can hardly be stoln by reason of the bulk and by this means the State is deceived of their due for if the said Silk were emploied and Manufactured here all the Custom would remain and the Fxcise would bee duly paid and it will bee undertaken to make here as good commodities of all sorts of wearing Silks and better and truer then beyond Seas for there com's much fals black into this Countrie to the great prejudice of those that wear them and those men that have an opinion that nothing of this kinde can bee made good in their own Countrie when they shall see the contratie daily practised they will bee constrained by their own reasons to alter their imaginations when they shall see thousands of Families emploied som as Throwsters Silk-Diers weaving at the Loom by twisting of the said Silk and also the working of all other necessaries that do depend thereupon for of sixteen shillings which the small pound of sixteen ounces cost the first pennie when it is wrought in black Plush or other Silks it will yeeld at the least thirtie four and thirtie five shillings per pound so that full one half of all Silk Manufactured in this Nation doth turn wholly to the benefit of the poor for Manufactures a thing of high concernment to hee speedily put in execution The like or greater improvement may bee made of Flax Goat's hair Cotton Wooll and Grogran Yarn if the undertakers may receiv encouragement to bring som men from beyond Seas to settle these new Arts and Manufactures amongst us and so in a short time wee may prohibit the Importation of all wrought Silks from beyond Seas and make here what wee spend and also get to that perfection to furnish most part of Christendom with Silk Manufactures wee having the Trade that can afford our raw Silk to the Loom as cheap and cheaper then most part of Christendom bringing it immediately by Sea from Persia which is the Fountain of raw Silk 16. That you would bee pleased to make the late King's Hous at Greenwich a Store-hous for som commodities that shall bee Imported and lie there for a Market as Corn Wine Fish Salt Wainscot Clap-boards Fur Timber of all sorts Iron Flax Hemp Pitch Tar Cordage Hops Madder and all other commodities of great bulk and what proportion com's in there more then London or the Nation will spend the Merchants to have free libertie to transport them back to any Forrain part Custom free onely paying the State Ware-hous room and such other moderate fees for Officers that keep accompts as shall bee settled by the State Your keeping this Staple will ever avoid a dearth of Corn for the Citie of London and have all commodities at the best hand 17. If these Merchant Strangers such as abide here with their Families were all Naturalized som men saie they would buie up all our Land and in time supplant the Nation Truly the contrarie hath been seen and known for those that are here Merchant Strangers but especially the Dutch that have all turned into English what wealth they have gotten hath all been bestowed on the English Nation As first Sir Peter Vanlore Sir Thomas Curtel Sir Moses Trian Lucas Lucey Vandeput Fortrees Lamot Francis Sion Jacob Oils De Boise Ganes
Silver-Thread and Spangles and Wier And if I had had the managing of my Office as I had formerly the State should have had twentie thousand pounds in their Coffers for Excise more then they have received within these four years due to them upon four pence the Ounce Excise which monie is in the hands of som of the Wier-drawers and Refiners Now when this busines came to bee examined in Parlament these Agents that would not before part with their Title would not let the Gold-smiths have a free Market to prepare Silver for Gold and Silver-wier would not suffer the Wier-drawers to prepare their own Silver they offering to paie the late King's duties in the Office I saie these Agents finding som of the Members in Parlament to resent a restraint in Trade to a few Refiners and knowing none but themselvs guiltie of the offence cunningly put in a Petition into the Parlament the twentie fourth of November 1640. as though the prices allowed to them to sell their Silver and they onely to bee the Agents to sell was forceably put upon them and against their wils and if they should not have furnished the Silver at the place appointed and bee readie alwaies at fit and convenient times to sell and utter the same to the persons so allowed desiring to buie the same at the rates limited by their Indenture but should fail therein for the space of eight daies Then upon proof thereof before six of the Commissioners whereof one should bee of his Majestie 's Privie Council upon their Certificate his Majestie might give libertie to others to do the same the consequence whereof would have been to deprive the Refiners of their Trade This shew's clearly if this Agencie had not been for their profit and to make an advantage the Refiners might have forfeited their Agencie everie eight daies But they kept it up for their own profit for if they had laid it down the Companie of Gold-smiths and the Wier-drawers would have had a free Market and the duties still reserved to the late King would have been paid by the Wier-drawers and Gold-smiths as was offered And whereas they are so injurious to saie that they were fettered with the late King's Covenants and Agents I knew the time when they said otherwise and when som of them were most humble Petitioners to the late King for his mercie which hee gave at my Intercession freely to som of them and his pardon under the Great Seal of England and that courtesie I did for them freely without one pennie reward In requital to saie they were fettered with his Agencie truly it was such a fetter that I upon my own knowledg do know both the Silk-men of London the Wier-drawers of London and the Gold-smiths of London did oppose the restraining of the Trade of selling Gold and Silver-wier onely to the Refiners and desired to have a free Market and som of them did offer to sell it two pence in the Ounce in guilt-wier and one pennie the Ounce in Silver-wier cheaper then the late King's Agents and to put in good securitie to perform the same to the Nation and to paie the late King's duties which at six pence the Ounce in Wier is not above two pence the Ounce in Venice Gold and Silver-Thread This I can saie what the Finers called a Fetter would have been an Ornament if the Wier-drawers had not complained of them in Parlament both for their title of the late King's Agents and the many hundred pounds a year they received for their Silver more then it was offered to bee sold to the Wier-drawers at by the persons before named and this I know to bee true That upon many daies examination of the whole business by Master Atturnie General and all the rest of the late King's Council at Law and before the Lords of the Council it was unanimously upon many great and grave disputes carried that the intrusting of the Regulation of this Manufacture of Gold and Silver-wier and Thread was not to bee don by waie of Corporation neither to the Refiners nor Wier-drawers of London and the principal reasons were 1. That upon a trial of above one hundred several assaies of Gold Silver bought up in several Silk-men's and Wier-drawer's shops both of Spangles plated wier Gold and Silver-Thread and made by Master Jackson the Assaie-Master of Gold-smith's Hall the Gold and Silver-Thread Spangles Wier were found to bee made cours and adulterated and under the sterling and I had all these Assaies attested under Master Jakson's hand the Assaie-Master of Gold-smith's Hall and for his pains in making these Assaies I had order from the Lords of the Council to paie Master Jackson five pounds which I did accordingly and I delivered the Reports of these Assaies to the Lords of the Council and Master Jackson the Assaie-Master of Goldsmith's Hall cannot denie this to bee true 2. It was proved that the Manufacture of Gold and Silver-Thread was slightly made and not so substantial and serviceable as the Gold and Silver-Thread which was Imported from Venice and other Forrain parts all of the Gold and Silver-Thread coming from Venice holding two parts Silver or within a verie little as six Ounces Silver to three Ounces Silk 3. Thereupon a rule was set by the Lords of the Council upon many debates that no Gold and Silver-Thread should bee made under five Ounces Silver to three Ounces Silk at the least and for Needle Gold-Thread according to the standard of Venice six Ounces Silver to three Ounces Silk 4. That all the Gold and Silver-Thread Imported from beyond Seas beeing of so strong a plate was made up in scanes that so the buier might but turn it in his hand and see it was all perfectly good a great advantage to the Manufacture to have it all justly made for the fineness of the standard and to have such a bodie of Silver on the Silk as it was serviceable to the Common-wealth and when it was worn out almost all returned into the melting pot for Bullion and upon this reason the slight stuff was prohibited viz. that it was almost all wasted and not a tenth part returned to the melting pot to the waste of the treasure of the Nation above fiftie thousand pounds in a year 5. The Lords of the Council after many debates with the King's Council and they with the Silk-men and Wier-drawers set this rule for all the Manufactures of Gold and Silver-Thread That it should all bee made up in scanes of about an Ounce weight according to the commendable waie of Venice which make's this Manufacture so justly both for the weight and fineness that in one hundred Cases of Venice Gold-Thread there is not one six pence difference but according to the seals or burns it passe's all the world over A gallant thing to manage a Manufacture so exactly and to keep up the reputation of it The late King and his Council appointed mee a Seal which was the Rose and
the work-men and work-women thousands I shall with all humilitie tell you what Forrain Nations do to Regulate their Monie and Bullion these Manufactures and unless you have the like rule here I humbly conceiv it will be impossible to restore the Mint to keep the Gold-smiths within compass or the Wier-drawers in any rule for many of them have got to licentious height and pride having got great Estates by culling Monie selling Gold and Silver to transport buying of clipped Monie and paying it away again and twentie other tricks that they are so proud they know not whether they stand on their heels or their head but the Act against transporting these when it com's forth will regulate them all I saie if you will have these abuses rectified as in France Flanders Spain Germanie and other Countries I humbly conceiv you must erect a Council for Monies and Bullion for in France I have seen great Volumes of Arguments of the Government and Management of Monie and Bullion and the due Regulation is of mightie importance as your affairs now stand and in all Forrain Countries the States that are Kings or Common-wealths have a particular care and make the mysteries of managing their treasure matter of the greatest state and policie and Gold and Silver either in Coin or Bullion the late Kings Queens in England did ever appropriate the especial management of them to themselvs as beeing a business of State And though now by the blessing of God wee are a free State and the Nation a free Nation I humbly conceiv not so free that the Bullion and Coin of the Common-wealth should bee Manufactured and wasted without any accompt and without any regard for the bringing in Forrain Bullion for the proportion is spent here in the making Gold and Silver-Thread without offering the State an Excise fit for to bee imposed on so superfluous a commoditie when these Wier-drawers voluntarily offered the late King one thousand pound a year and two pence an Ounce and the Refiners did give the late King six pence the Ounce and this to bee don in a King's time in a time when the Common-wealth had no Armies to paie which six pence the Ounce almost all of it was given by the late King to a couple of Courtiers the Earl of Holland two thousand pounds a year the Countess of Roxborough twelv hundred pounds a year If the Wier-drawers would paie the Arrears they owe to the State and submit to a Regulation for the present and binde themselvs to work good Silver well covered with five Ounces Silver to a pound Venice seal all the Gold and Silver-Thread as formerly and paie the duties shall bee imposed on them by the State for Excise and keep an accompt of all the Silver Manufactured by a Comptroler there might bee som hopes that this Manufacture might bee regulated if they will not I humbly conceiv if the Parlament pass the Act against Transporting Gold and Silver and have a Council for Monies according as it is in other Countries it will regulate the abuses of this Trade and all others that trade in Gold and Silver If the State had had a Council for Monies eight years ago as they have in Forrain Countries I believe Cheapside-Cross would have yielded them more Monies then it made the State I do humbly desire that it may bee examined how many fodder of Lead was made of the Cross for all the figures were Lead and who bought it and what they paid a fodder and the total summe in monie was paid for it Then I do humbly desire to have the partie or parties that bought the Lead of the Cross examined upon Oath whether they did ever fine or refine the Lead and parted the Gold from the Lead by blowing it down in an Almondfurnace and then refining it on attest and what Gold they extracted out of it to give a just accompt of the pound weights and Ounces of Gold hee or they refined and extracted out of the Lead of Cheapside-Cross Then that all men would bee pleased to take notice of the long continuance of Cheapside-Cross since it was made and in how many King 's and Queen's Reigns it was guilt the Citie-Books I believ will shew this verie Cross with the Leaden figures And then that they take notice that the Rain and Weather decaie's not the Gold for it will sink into the Lead and though it change color and tarnish with the Weather yet the Bodie of Gold is in the Lead And all men know the superstition of former times did not care what Gold they laid on Popish Reliques and I believ the Citie-Books will shew many thousand pounds laid out in Gold for guilding Cheapside-Cross upon several occasions I do humbly conceiv that when the Cross was sold it was sold by the State onely for Lead and the State had no more for it but for Lead and if any did refine and part that Lead and converted the Gold to their own use that all that Gold which was sold for two pence the pound weight the State ought to have an accompt for it and my desire to them that bought it is that they would give the just value of all the Gold they extracted out of Cheapside-Cross to the poor maimed soldiers towards their relief and maintenance they having never paid the State for it The taking away of Crosses and Superstition and plucking of them down I thank God for but withal I would not that the State should sell Gold at two pence the pound weight to any person upon what pretence of service or well-deserving soëver for after that rate the Parlament may have servants too many for their profit and in managing business in this manner the whole Common-wealth suffer's and som private persons get mightie Estates to the great damage of the Common-wealth in general I humbly saie what is the Common-wealth's ought to bee sold at the best advantage and improvement for the publick and and not for private respects sold at an under value upon any pretence to any private person whatsoëver I know for speaking this truth I shall have envie but my comfort is it will bee by or from none but interested parties and all those that are not vvill thank mee for speaking truth The Parlament heretofore made many Provisional Acts som onely to continue to the next Sessions of Parlament which was somtimes three five seven ten fifteen years before a Parlament vvas called and no remedie could bee had out of Parlament if that these Acts were found prejudicial to the State till the next Sessions of Parlament Now by the blessing of God on this Nation these inconveniences are remedied for the Parlament sit's alwaies so that if the Parlament pass any Act vvhich they shall finde upon just grounds either to add to it or take from it they have it in their own power to alter it upon the trial if a Law should pass vvhich vvere not for the general good of
suffer longer for ungrateful men When I was engaged in the late King's service I was ever faithful to all his just Commands and to the uttermost of my power did serv him in all lawful waies and beyond that I would never go Now with all humilitie I have humbly tendred my self to the Parlament for I think believ I speak as in the presence of God I living under their protection I am as much bound to serv them faithfully as ever I did the late King and I have this advantage in the change Kings die but the Parlament of England as it is now established never die's so that here I humbly fix and prostrate laie my self and all my endeavors to the uttermost of my power to improve the interest and service of the Parlament as it is now established without King or Lords against any person whomsoëver It may bee objected by som men that I have not don prudently in declaring so much for the service of the State as I have don before I knew my conditions what the State would do for mee for by these informations I have given light enough to have others to go on and laie the foundation of the Regulating of the Trade of this Nation and it may bee now don by others as well as by my self This in part I grant to bee true but my caus is not everie man's caus I was blasted by the devillish invention of som men and to the Citie of London Armie and the Parlament presented as a Malignant a Papist one dis-affected to the Parlament and present Government as it now established without King or Hous of Lords So that beeing under this cloud and hard opinion of the State and suffering so long time in the Tower as before J have said and my Estate still under Sequestation it did highly concern mee to take any opportunitie to remove this hard opinion off mee and that the Parlament might see from the bottom of my heart my seal in deeds and not in words to do them service J have with all humilitie-truly and plainly stated this business and J hope have laid the ground-work for the setting of other more learned heads on work for the perfecting what I have roughly begun and that the Common-wealth will receiv a great advantage by it and if the Parlament shall pleas to command mee to serv them in any of these particulars they shall not finde many men will do them service on the terms I shall and do with all humilitie offer them for I will willingly so I may have my Estate Offices restored again to mee or their value which have been taken from mee upon mis-information of som malitious people give the maimed soldiers that have fought in the Parlament's service since the death of the late King one half of my Estate I shall die possessed of and to the maimed Sea-men that are emploied in the State 's service since the death of the late King one quarter-part of my Estate which I shall die possessed of and the other quarter-part I will and do reserv to give to som friends so that three parts of four of what I have or shall have com's to those that have or shall have ventured their lives in the State 's service and I am and shall bee no more but a faithful Steward to improve my Estate to their advantage And for the true performance of this I will willingly give a perfect Accompt to the Master 's of Trinitie-Hous and of Saint Thomas Hospital in Southwark once everie year and give them a perfect Invoies of my Estate and where it remain's with securitie not to pass any of it away other then for my expences for my maintenance and to have the disposing of one intire quarter-part to som kindred or friends of mine at my death the other three parts to bee freely given to the relief of maimed soldiers and sea-men that have or shall bee emploied in the Parlament's service provided J may be restored to my Estate And this J do not as J am conscientious of any evil wittingly or willingly I ever acted against the State for J stand upon my innocence but J do it really that it may bee a pattern to som that have blasted mee to the State as a Malignant and a Delinquent they having no children and have got som scores of thousands of pounds by the Parlament's service that they in humble thankfulness to God for his mercie would bestow a good part on the poor and for the future bee ashamed of scandalizing mee when the reality of my words and deeds disprove them to the whole world for Malignants make not such free will-offerings to the poor maimed soldiers and maimed sea-men that have and shall lose their limbs in the defence of their Countrie and Liberties as it is now settled without King or Lords and though it may not bee above a mite in comparison to the State J cannot possibly express my real intentions in the Parlament's service more then by these my words and deeds And J will upon the peril of my life bring the Parlament in fiftie thousand pounds by the Fines and Compositions of the Transporters of Gold and Silver and such as have practised many abuses on the Coins and Bullion of the Nation within the compass of one year besides what summes hereafter if Commissions according to former presidents bee granted and if the Parlament pleas to pass the Act as it is now drawn against Transporters of Gold which Act was recommended by the Council of State to the Parlament and hath been twice read in the Parlament Hous and committed and when it passe's the Hous the Mint in the Tower of London will again flourish a business of the greatest honor profit and safetie to the Nation in general that can bee as your affairs now stand What is here said is with all humilitie presented to the Parlament for the service of the Common-wealth by a faithful lover of his Countrie beeing desired to state my Reasons by som in Autoritie for passing the aforesaid Act I humbly conceiv if it were made stricter then it is it were far better for the Common-wealth For Transporting Treasure heretofore hath been made Felonie when the Common-wealth I humbly conceiv had not so much occasion to see to keep their Treasure in the Nation and the Mint going as now they have Signed THOMAS VIOLET London Feb. 12. 1651. An Index of the principal matters conteined in these PROPOSITIONS LEgorn Genoa and Amsterdam have raised themselvs to their Greatness onely by giving Merchant-strangers equal privileges with their Natives Prop. 1. pag. 1. The great Wealth that hath been gotten in Amsterdam in bringing of Merchandizes thither though exported back Custom-free And the like advantagious Trade at Dover upon the Composition Trade now brought to povertie for the want of free Trade Pr. 2. p. 3. The dangerous effects of great Customs either in Kingdom or Common-wealth Pr. 3. p. 3 4. Spain