which is Verbatim exprest in the Journals of Edward VI. Edward VI. of Blessed Memory us'd all Endeavour to retrieve what his Father lost by Establishing Trade upon a just and honest Basis in the right of his own Subjects and in the Year 1552. the English Merchants being brought to this low Ebb in Trade put in their complaint to the King and Council against these Merchants Tutonicorum as they stil'd themselves and they gave in their Answer to the said Complaint upon the Eighteenth Day of January and upon the 25th their Answer was deliver'd to some Learned Council to peruse it upon the Eighteenth day of February the Merchant-Adventurers put in their Replication to the said Answer and upon the Twenty Third a Decree was made by the Board that upon Knowledge and Information of their Charters they had found First That they were no sufficient Corporation Secondly That their Names Numbers and Notions were unknown Thirdly When Edward the Fourth did restore them to their Privileges it was upon the condition that they should cover no Foreigners Goods which they had done For these Considerations Sentence was given That they had forfeited their Liberties and were to be no more than Strangers Upon the 28th Day came Ambassadors from Hamburgh Lubeck and the Regent of Flanders to speak upon the behalf of these Merchants Tutonicorum And upon the Second of March the Answer for the Ambassadors was committed to the Lord Chancellor the two Secretaries Sir Robert Bowes and Sir John Baker Judge Mountague Griffith Solicitors Gosnald Goodrick and Brooks it remained under Consideration until the First day of May and then the Merchants Tutonicorum received their full Answer confirming the former Judgment of the Council This gave great Encouragement to English Men to come into the Company of Merchant-Adventurers In October 3. following there met Three hundred Merchant-Adventurers of that Company and lent Edward the Sixth Forty thousand Pounds to be paid in Flanders and they Ship'd off at that time Forty thousand Cloths Our Woollen Manufactures at this time were wonderfully debast Anno quinto sexto Edw. 6. cap. 6. as appears by the Preamble of the Statute made in the same Year Gold was paid at advance Prices at the same time and I think there was never more effectual Means used in any Reign to discourage the Profuseness which this Kingdom was led into cap. 19. in the long Reign of Henry the Eighth To prevent the Abuses and Disorders in Ale-Houses and Tippling-Houses a Power was given by Law to the Justices of Peace to Remove Discharge and put away common selling of Ale and Beer as they shall think convenient and none allowed without giving Bond and Surety against using unlawful Games Anno quinto sexto Epw 6. cap. 25. and for maintaining good Order and Rule AND whereas at this time great numbers of Taverns were set up in back-Lanes Corners and suspicious Places within the City of London which produced many Inconveniencies Anno septimo Edw. 6. cap. 5. much Evil Rule and common resort of misrul'd Persons The Price of French Wine was limited to Eight Pence a Gallon at the most AND the number of Taverns reduced to Forty in the City of London and no Persons to keep any Wine in their Houses under such Qualifications These had been the most effectual means to discourage Profaneness and Imorality so often recommended by His Majesty Sine cerere Bacco friget Venus And I think I may say we have had Forty new erected Taverns in the City of London since our Reformation made out of English Merchants Houses A very commodious Accommodation to Merchant Aliens Queen Mary in the First Year of her Reign made a good step to regulate Persons in their Habits according to their Professions and Employments Whosoever shall wear Silk in or upon his Hat Bonet Girdle Scabbard Hose Shooes Spurleather shall be three Months imprisoned and forfeit 10 l. except Mayors Aldermen c. If any Person knowing his Servant to offend do not put him out of his Service within Fourteen Days or do retain him again Anno primo Ph. Mar. c. 2. he shall forfeit 100 l. This Counsel would never have consented to the vast Charge and Hazard of our Fleet in the Straights to bring home this Commodity There was an attempt made in this Reign by the Foreign Merchants of the Stilliard to regain their Liberties by the Favour of King Philip but it proved ineffectual In the Year 1557 we lost Calais which of a long time had been the chief Mart of English Goods Queen Elizabeth confirmed the Charter of the Merchant-Adventurers of England and added Hambrough East and West-Frizland to their Charter and upon Stipulation with the Town of Hambrough as large Priviledges are granted to the English Factory as they had in former Time at Calais a very commodious Place to the Service of Germany In the first Year of Her Reign she revived the Law made by Henry the Seventh Anno primo Eliz. cap. 11. that no Person Denizen nor Stranger do take upon him to Enter or Do or Cause to be Entred any manner of Goods coming In or going Out in the Name or Names of any other Person or Persons than the very true Owner or Owners of the Goods upon Forfeiture of the Goods and at this time Aliens Duties were called the Antient Revenue of the Crown In the next Place She made an effectual Law to preserve the Imployment of our Navigation cap. 13. by obliging all Persons that Ship'd any Goods upon Foreign Bottoms to pay Aliens Duties In this Law She limited the Merchant-Adventurers to two Shippings a Year and no more In the Fifth Year of Her Reign a Law was made to prevent any Credit which should be given with Foreign Goods Anno quinto Eliz. cap. 6. appertaining to the Cloathing or Adorning of the Body by rendring the Person that Sold them uncapable to recover his Money In the Thirteenth Year of Her Reign She obliged every Person above the Age of Seven Years to wear upon the Sabbath-Day upon their Head a Cap of Wooll Knit Slick'd and Dressed in England Decimo tertio Eliz. cap. 19. except Maids Ladies Gentlewomen Noble Personages and every Lord Knight and Gentleman of Twenty Mark Land and their Heirs and such as have bore Office of Worship in any City Borough Town Hamblet or Shire and the Wardens of the Worshipful City of London upon pain to Forfeit for every Days not wearing Three Shillings and Four Pence So careful was She to preserve the Employment of Her own Subjects When each Woman in England in King Charles the Second and King James's Reign was a standing Revenue to the King of France by his Alamodes and Lustrings this was the last Sumptuary Law made in England and what Figure England made in the World and how firm this Queen stood in the true Interest of the Populacy I need not multiply Words to relate King James
Britania Expirans OR A BRIEF MEMORIAL OF COMMERCE Humbly Offer'd to the Parliament LONDON Printed 1699. Britannia Expirans TO the End there should be a Commerce amongst Men it hath pleas'd God to invite as it were one Country to Traffick with another by the Variety of Things which the one hath and the other hath not which the Winds and Sea proclaim Quòd vento gentis locis dissipatas miscuit sua omnia in regiones ita descripsit ut necessarium mortalibus esset inter ipsos comercium and this Seneca thought to be a principle Benefit of Nature that there should be a necessity of Commerce amongst Men. IN what a miserable condition were the Netherlanders if they receiv'd not a Supply from other Nations they have nothing of their own and yet they abound in all things by the Supply and Revenue they receive from other Nations IF any Kingdom under the Sun can subsist of it self none has more reason to bless God than this Island of ours which is richly adorned with variety of all things necessary for Mans Life and Welfare as Corn Cattle Fish Fowl Sider Wool Cloth Leather Tin Lead Iron Hops Timber Flax c. whereby we have not only sufficient for our Maintenance but do abundantly supply the Wants of other Nations in a wonderful Variety of our Woollen Manufactures Tin Lead Leather c. and no one Commodity that can be named which we are under an absolute Necessity of YET notwithstanding so many excellent and valuable Enjoyments there is so great a power in the Management and Contrivance of Commerce that no Nation hath ever been under greater Declensions in Trade at several periods of time than ours which by a Brief Survey of former Times as well as by a due Consideration of our present seems to have been evidently occasion'd By a too great consumption of Foreign Commodities purchast with our Treasure And by a too great Indulgence of Foreign Merchants Edward III. laid the Foundation of our Riches by the Establishment of our Woollen Manufactures in England Tricesimo septimo Ed. 3. cap. 9 to the carrying on of which Noble Design of his he strictly injoyn'd the Wear of our Woollen Manufactures by several Ranks and Degrees of People by Sumptuary Laws He took exact care that Merchants Aliens Tricesim octavo Edw. 3. cap. 2. who sold any Commodities in England should invest the Money upon the Growth of this Kingdom And by his wise Conduct in these Affairs he made a considerable Advance in the Riches and Glory of England in a few Years Richard II. by the Neglect of his Grand-Fathers Rules lost ground as fast which made a great un-easiness amongst the Kentish Men in which Parts the Cloth-Trade was first establisht even to a Rebellion Anno quinto Rich. II. cap. 1. He made England a Free Port and gave a general Invitation by Act of Parliament to all Merchants Strangers to come with their Goods and Families cap. 2. and Trade Freely in all Parts of his Dominions as well within Franchises as without by Gross or Retail to be under his safe Protection and depart into their own Countries as freely again Anno undecimo Rich. II. cap. 7. And if any Corporation gave them any disturbance they should Forfeit their Charter to the King which mounted in effect to a general Act of Naturalization and upon Payment of their Customs before-hand he made them a considerable Abatement He likewise gave them a liberty to Transport half their Money Decimo quarto Rich. II. cap. 1. BUT Alas These mistaken Politicks in few Years drain'd the Treasure of this Kingdom to that low Ebb that this Unfortunate Prince was denied a Loan of one Thousand Pounds by the City of London and forc'd shamefully to resign the Government He married the Lady Anne Daughter to the Emperor Charles the Fourth who very much incouraged her Country-Men the Bohemians to the discontent of the English Nobility and as the Historian tells us she brought in High-Head Attire picked with Horns and long-trained-Gowns for Women a Melancholy Omen in those days and if we have any Plot carrying on amongst us at this time I perswade my Self it is in this perticular this being the chiefest Seat of Treason at present Sampson set the Philistines Corn-Fields on Fire with Foxes Tails and if King Richard by this means was drove out of his Kingdom I can't tell but it may be a likely way to bring in or no Pride and Luxury seems to bid faire Henry IV. Who succeeded him Anno quarto Hen. IV. cap. 15. soon perceived the mischief which his Kingdom sustained by this indulgence to Foreign Merchants and in the Fourth Year of his Reign he oblig'd all Merchants Strangers to bestow their whole Money upon the Commodities of this Realm upon forfeiture of any Gold Silver or Plate which they should carry out Excepting their reasonable cost And in the next Year it was Enacted Anno quinto Hen. 4. cap. 7 that Merchant-Strangers shall be intreated and demeaned within this Realm in the manner form and condition as the Merchant-Denizens be or shall be intreated or demeaned in the Parts beyond the Sea upon pain of forfeiture to the King the Goods and Chattels of such Merchant-Strangers cap. 9. he likewise obliged Merchant-Aliens to put in Sureties that they would imploy their Money upon Commodities of this Realm and likewise appointed Officers to inspect their buyings and sellings and in the Year 1406. he granted a Charter to the Merchant-Adventurers of England Henry V. In the Fourth Year of his Reign confirms the aforesaid Laws Anno quarto Hen. V. cap. 5. And in the Eighth Year of his Reign he obliged every Merchant-Stranger to bring one ounce of Bullion of Gold to the Mint to be Coin'd for every Sack of Wool which he bought and one ounce of Gold or the vallue Anno octavo Hen. V. cap. 2. in Bullion of Silver for every three pieces of Tin upon forfeiture of the Wool and Tin Henry VI. In the Second Year of his Reign strictly enjoin'd Merchant-Alliens to put in Sureties in the Chancery Anno secundo Hen. VI. c. 13. every Company for them of their Company that none of them should carry any Gold or Silver out of the Kingdom and if any Proof could be made beyond the Sea upon any Merchant that went over his Sureties was obliged to make it good in England Anno octavo Hen. VI. c. 24. And whereas these Merchants-Alliens had obtained at this time a Credit with many of their Merchandizes whereby great losses fell upon the Manufacturers it was Enacted That no Credit should be given by any Manufactuerer to such Merchant-Alien upon forfeiture of his Goods Decimo octavo Hen. VI. cap. 4. In the Eighteenth Year of this Reign a farther Expedient was us'd to prevent the Exportation of their Bullion The Major Bailif or Chief Officer of every City where any Merchant-Alien
should repair was ordered to Assign to every such Merchant-Alien an Host or Surveyor who was to survey all his Buyings and Sellings and Register them into a Book and certifie them into the Exchequer and to have Two Pence in the Pound for all his Merchandises bought and sold but in this Act the Merchants of Almaine were Exempted which was a Company of Foraign Merchants Established in England by Henry III. belonging to the Hans Towns in Flanders and Germany for some Extraordinary service they did in those days Edward IV. Took a more Effectual way to the cure of this evil after the Example of Edward III. by appointing what kind of Apparel Men and Women of every Vocation and Degree should wear Anno tertio Edw. IV. cap. 5 which took away the Temptation of Exporting our Coin and Bullion Anno tertio cap. 3. He likewise Prohibited by Law the Importation of several wrought Manufactures particularly wrought Silk If any Englishman or Welch-man shall bring in Anno tertio cap. 1. or carry forth any Merchandize in Alien-Ships if he may have Freight in a Denizen-Ship he shall Forfeit his Merchandize which was an excellent step to the safeguard of the Kingdom at that time And in this Law a Penalty was laid upon any Person that should wind up any Deceit in Wool Anno quarto Ed. 4. cap. 1. He likewise took exact Care that no Deceit should be used in making of Cloth that the Work People should not be imposed upon with extraordinary Weight Paid with Commodities instead of Money HE made a Limitation in the Buying of Wool Anno quarto cap. 3. in favour of the Manufactures He confirm'd the Charter of the Merchant Adventurers of England and call'd in Question the Charter of the Forreign Merchants of Almaine or the Stillyard which disgusted the Duke of Burgundy so far that he put out a Proclamation for the Banishment of English Cloths out of his Dominion Upon which a Law was made that no Merchandizes of the Growth or Workmanship Anno quarto Ed. 4. cap. 5. of any of the Countries subject to the Duke of Burgundy shall be brought into this Realm until he revoke the Proclamation in which he was forc'd to comply And what Advance was made in this Kings Reign from this just Foundation of Trade and Prudent Management I leave to the more Judicious to consider He laid a strict Restraint upon Gaming 's Anno decimo sept E. 4. cap. 3. and in the Twenty Second Year of his Reign he made a new Sumptuary Law about Apparel Richard III. who succeded him made many good Laws in favour of his own natural born Subjects in direct opposition to the incroachments of Aliens in robbing them of their Imployments by the Importation of Forreign wrought Manufactures Anno primo Rich. 3. cap. 4. and Settlement in England in our easy Handicraft Imployments leaving the most laborious as going to Plow or Cart c. to our own Subjects as is Exprest in the said Law The Italian Merchants were particularly Complain'd of at this time as Venetians Florentines Apulians Cicilians Lucaners c. by which Law no Alien could Exercise any Handicraft Trade without being Servants to our English Subjects or depart the Realm Henry VII was more exact in this particular than any of his Predecessors Anno primo Hen. 7. cap. 2. By the Second Law he made he enjoin'd Aliens made Denizens by Letters Pattents or by Acts of Parliaments to pay Aliens Duties in the next place it was Enacted that no Goods should be Enter'd but in the Name of the true Owners of the Goods upon Forfeiture of the Goods Imprisonment Tertio Hen. 7. cap. 7. and to be Fined at the Kings Pleasure a Law respecting the true English Interest which deserv'd to be wrote in Letters of Gold cap. 11. He suffered no Cloth to be Transported until it was Barbed Rowed and Shorne and Confirm'd the Charter of the Merchant Adventurers of England Anno quarto Hen. 7. cap. 10. For the Incouragement of our Navigation it was Enacted that no Person should Fraight in a Strangers Ship to be brought into this Realm or carried out Anno undecimo Hen. 7. cap. 14. if he may have sufficient Fraight in the same Port in a Denizens Ship And after Ten Years Experience he renewed the Law to oblige Aliens made Denizens to pay the same Duties as if they were Aliens Trade being thus Setled in the Reign of Edward IV. upon just and fair Grounds and carried on with all strictness in the just Right and Favour of our English Merchants until the end of this Reign It produc'd a strange alteration of Affairs whereas Richard II. was denied a Loan of a Thousand Pounds there was now left in the Treasury One Million Eight Hunder'd Thousand Pounds Anno secundo Hen. 6. cap. 13. which made of our Money above Three Millions a Pound Troy of Silver being limited by Law in the Second Year of Henry VI. not to be Sold above Thirty Shillings Henry VIII took quite contrary measures and which is very remarkable Merchants Aliens became as much the Favorites of this Reign Decimo nono Hen. 7. cap. 22. At the death of Henry VII a former Law which prohibited Men of Chalice to be Factors for Merchants Aliens living in England was repeal'd as likewise all Laws Ordinances c. made in derogation of the Merchants of the Stilliard in the First Year of this Reign The Law made in the Third Year of Henry VII which obliged all Persons to enter their Goods in the true Proprietors Name was likewise repeal'd In the Fifth Year of this Reign Anno primo Hen. 8. cap. 2. a Liberty was obtained to Transport any Cloth without being fully Manufactur'd under the value of Five Marke which was a considerable Rate according to the value of their Coin upon this pretence that when they were brought beyond the Seas Anno quinto Hen. 8. cap. 3. and put into Colours they must be new drest barbed shorne and rowed so natural is it for Merchants of all Countries to Favour their own Subjects In the Fourteenth Year of this Reign Strangers Artificers were allowed to Exercise their Trades in England contrary to the Law made in the Reign of Richard III. which occasioned so great Discontent in England that a Decree made in the Star Chamber was put forth 21 Hen VIII to Prohibit all Strangers not made Denizens to keep House or Shops In the Thirty Second Year of this Reign Aliens Duties was taken off for a certain time by the Kings Proclamation which gave that Advantage to Merchants Aliens 22 cap. 18. that our English Merchandize was almost rooted out and our English Navigation very much sunk Forreign Merchants of the Stilliard Shipt off at this time above Forty Thousand Cloths a Year and our English Merchants not Four Thousand and most that was Exported and Imported was in Forreign Botoms
I. in the First Year of his Reign Repeals all sumptuary Rules Anno primo Jac. I. cap. 25. and let loose the Reins to Excess in Apparel and Wine in Favour of Scotland He likewise Repealed the Law against Hawkers and Pedlers cap. 33. made in the Reign of Edward the Sixth and gave Liberty to Transport our Wooll under the Custom of Thirty three Shillings Four Pence of every Merchant born Denizen for a Sack which contain'd Eighteen Score and Three Pound Six Shillings Eight Pence for every Merchant Stranger not born Denizen And I think I need not spend time to shew how this Physick work'd by degrees amongst our English Subjects but am well assured by one Misselden a Merchant that wrote in the Year 1622 a little Tract upon the Decay of the Trade in England That Indian Commodities was got into England as much in those Days as in ours which he then urged as the chief Cause of the Scarcity of Money in England at that time In the Seventh Year of this Reign we had an English Parliament sate which gave a Subsidy to the King out of all Goods and Merchandizes of Two Shillings and Eight Pence in the Pound to be paid by every Person born within this Realm of England and Five Shillings and Four Pence by every Alien and Stranger born out of the King's Obeisance Four Shillings in the Pound out of all Land in the Hands of all Persons born under the Kings Obeisance and Eight Shillings in the Pound out of all Lands in the Hands of Aliens Denizens or not Denizens born out of the King's Obeysance How sar this distasted the Court at that time I can't tell but no Parliament was called until Fourteen Years after Foelix quam faciunt c. Charles the First did nothing in Trade for the good of his Subjects Oliver Cromwell put out a Proclamation upon the Thirteenth Day of May 1655 to support the Merchant-Adventurers of England in their Trade and particularly Established a Staple for English Goods at Dordrecht in Holland which place was agreed upon between the Fellowship of the Merchant-Adventurers of England and the Magistrates of that City he strictly forbad any English Woollen-Manufactures to be carried to any other Parts of Holland and at this time our East-India Trade was quite sunk Lands in England was never higher than at this time nor ever a more general Imployment for our Poor which brought much Riches in few Years into this Kingdom and gave such satisfaction to our Artificers that those times are still remembred with Veneration to this very day Charles the II. laid the Foundation of our Misfortunes in Trade by the Settlement of the Book of Rates so much in favour of France and our East-India Company particularly upon the Article of Linnens which is a Commodity of great Use in England and our Plantations and natural to be rais'd in France Flanders and Germany which three Places stand in Competition with this Commodity and the least favour in Customs given to any one must needs distance the other Flemish Gentish Isingam Overisils Rouse Brabant Embden Frieze-Cloth Bag-Holland Brown Holland all Flanders Linnens was charg'd at three pence per Ell Custom Fine Broad Dowlas of France the Piece containing one hundred and six Ells was charged at Five Shillings a little above one half-penny per Ell and all other sorts of Linnen in like proportion a piece of fine Lawns containing thirteen Ells of Germany Linens was charged at six Shillings Custom a piece of fine Muslin or Callico from the East-Indies six-pence per piece This impoverisht the Linen-Manufactures in Flanders and Germany and as much advanc'd the French which made way to the French Conquests in those Parts As the Consumption of Flanders and Germany Linnens lessen'd in England the consumption of our Woollen-Manufactures sunk in a like proportion in those Parts which in the Year 1663 made the Woollen-Manufacturers Petition the Parliament against the Merchant-Adventurers having large Stocks of Cloth upon their hands which they could not Sell the Parliament at that time Addresseth the King to make a Trial of a Free-Trade which was then seconded by some other English Merchants who were not Free of that Company who prevail'd and with strained false Cloth made some advantage to themselves in Flanders and Holland at the first time but this Gap being open'd to the Hollanders the English Interlopers were totally rooted out by the Dutch and other Nations and Agents for them settled in England which is well in Memory Wooll sunk from twenty five shillings per Todd to fourteen and the other produce of Land in like proportion and this un-easiness gain'd another Advantage to the French and Dutch In the twenty fifth Year of King Charles II. a Law was procured to take off Aliens-Duties which was the Fatal Stroke to our English Merchandize and Navigation which by this Means was preserved from the Reign of Queen Elizabeth It is well remembred how all French Commodities were encourag'd in England Linnen Clarets Brandy Silks Gauzes nay Druggetts made of our own Wooll c. The French could now turn their Clarets and Brandy into Perpetuana's and Colchester Bays and send them to Spain upon as good Terms as any Englishman and have Home Pieces of Eight in Return and Spanish Wooll in a settled Course of Trade which the King of France improved to the very utmost and upon a Modest Computation above a quarter part of the Wooll of this Kingdom was carried into France James the II. did nothing relating to Trade in his Reign His Martial Genius led him to the execution of that which was prepar'd in the last And upon this foot we stood at the Revolution at which time we could not reasonably promise our selves any safety without lessening the power of France who by the enjoyment of these advantages in Trade ever since the beginning of the Reign of King Charles the Second was come to a prodigious heighth The stop of our Wooll the Improvement of our Manufacture English Merchandize and Navigation the natural supply of our Treasure to a thinking Politician might have been a good help to the attainment of this End but nothing alas of this could be done without touching the Interest of Holland and in the heat of these Affairs the Vogue of a free Trade a free Trade Lil-ly Bullero a free Trade so much prevailed that instead of making up our Mounds which were pull'd down in K. Charles II's Reign like the inconsiderate Trojans we pull'd down our Walls to let them in and usher'd in a Clause by way of Rider in a pretended Bill to prevent the Exportation of Wooll to the Destruction of our Factories abroad the Father destroy'd his own Son and all opposition to this Interest in Trade has hitherto prov'd ineffectual A numerous Petition the very next Year to prevent the Transportation of Wooll by taking off the Felony and to redress some Grievances in Trade from a County then declining in
Trade but since miserable was presented to the Parliament and a Bill was order'd in upon the Prayer of the Petition which being fram'd to the disadvantage of this Interest was the First Year baffled a second attempt made a third a fourth it still lay upon the Table like the Lame Man at the Pool of Bethesday and when any Motion was made to bring it to a Hearing some more important Affair always stept in A Bill for the Royal Lustring Company To Naturalize Solomon Amey a Frenchman who has since cheated our Clothiers of a considerable Sum and wrote them from Holland if they will not take Ten Shillings in the Pound he will pay none to out of an Entail to cut a River O quanto plausu quibus haec complectimur ulnis and which was very remarkable that Member which was most zealous for this foreign Interest seldom mist Preferment Sr S Sr Y. Mr. C. or any other that the Coat will fit If the Disappointments in the Funds prolong'd the War two Years had good Care been taken in this partilar I am satisfied the War had ended four Years sooner Our Poor cost Seven Hundred Thousand Pound in Charity per Annum the French earn'd as much out of our Wooll How often was the Consideration of Trade recommended by His Majesties Most Gracious Speech which part of it was like the Rabbins Greek Non potest legi Our Saviour in a Parable tells us of a Man that had two Sons and he came to the one and said go work in my Vinyard and he answer'd upon what scruple I can't tell I will not but afterwards upon due consideration repented and went he said likewise to the other and before the Words were out of his Mouth he seems to Answer I go Sir but never went I think I may fairly borrow the Words of Juvinal and assert them in a great deal of Truth at this time with a little Variation Et spes ratio bonorum in Caesare tantum Solus enim artifices hac tempestate Egenos respexit Sat. 7. And true Love of this kind always begat Love in England which to Queen Elizabeth was a better security than a Standing Army War we are told is now become a Trade and Management the Principle Art of War and such Qualifications needful to our Souldiery as for Men set apart to the Gospel I can't but disagree with these Qualifications from our late Experience when the Army began to Preach as well as Fight we had soon no King It must be confest that the Power of France was so great that it made up a full Apprentiship in War to bring this Potent Prince within his due Bounds and no Prince but ours could ever have turn'd the Tide of his Ambition Notwithstanding which it doth not follow that Souldiery shall be a standing Trade in England because it was never thought to be our Natural Strength and if it be allowed That France came to this extraordinary Greatness by the advantages which he enjoyed by the Manufacture of our Wooll the large consumption of his Linnens Alamodes Claret Brandy Paper c. in England the whole Reign of King Charles the Second and King James and upon the other hand that England Germany and Flanders have been impoverisht by a lessening the consumption of our Woollen Manufactures and the Linnens of Flanders and Germany it doth follow that this Greatness of France was purely accidental Money being the Sinews of War and if so Land-Forces in England are to be esteemed no more than accidental and safely to be laid aside when these extraordinary supplies of the French Treasure are intercepted which is now in our power to do But France is at this time too strong a Match in Flanders for any single Nation in Europe not excepting England Which may be allowed yet I doubt not but Spain the Emperor and Holland are able to ballance his Greatness the Emperor being disengaged in his War with the Turks and the Dutch having obtained a Revenue out of Ergland since the War which would hugely augment their Forces if need require Our Souldiers being disbanded will fall into Employments which will increase our Treasure many may come into our Militia and thereby not only preserve their Exercise but encourage others and if any thing extraordinary should happen a small Reward would gain many of them again and an Army kept in England with our Beef c. but few Years I am of Opinion would shrink at first time at the Hardships abroad as new-rais'd-Men has done and supposing the Duke of Monmouth had been a Frenchman and our Western Manufacturers flusht in Employment they had soon made Dice of his Bones this Gentleman by his fondness of Alliances and Confederacies abroad seem'd to be taken with the Vanity of the Stag who fell in love with his Horns and despised his Legs And this brings me to the Proof of my Assertion And in the First Place I will consider our Coin the artificial Matter of Commerce which is said to be the Sinews of War and of State and I very much doubt in this Point we are Expiring a Common-Wealth is like unto a Private Family where if the Expence is greater than the Revenue he must needs come behind-hand which seems to be our Case at present the quantum of our Coined Silver out of our Clipt-Money and Plate I think was about Five or Six Millions a very scanty allowance to carry on the Commerce of this Kingdom and if that Tale was to be made good at this time I would not be the Security for one Million Upon the consideration first of the Price of Bullion ever since the Coinage has been over which has been from five shillings seven pence half-penny per ounce to five Shillings three Pence rising and falling at this time about five shillings six pence and as the Exchange to Cales now rules there is no likelihood of any alteration The Arrival of the Galeons nor Flota has turn'd the Tyde The late Act of Parliament for consolidating our Gold and Silver-Lace has had a very good effect in the increase of that Wear in Occular Demonstration The Exportation of our Bullion to the East-Indies bears an equal proportion to our consumption of Muzlins and Indian Commodities which is so great that we are forced to ransack all Christendom for Silver which lately disturbed our rich Neighbours who are the Pattern of a Free-Trade fearing that we were about to shake the Bank of Amsterdam tho not half a ballance to what was Shipped hence to Holland in the prime time of our Clipping as the Bills of Entry will demonstrate When we have been so lately in the Sudds by a general Clipping and Exchanging of Broad Money to expect so sudden an alteration that twenty eight pound of Silver in Coin shall be paid away to purchase twenty five pounds and an half of the same Commodity is too great a presumption I doubt whilst the Refining-Pot knows no distinction Doctor