Judicious consider And if I should adventure to give my opinion freely touching the matter in hand I am very much induced to believe that were it not for the Cloathing-trade which imploys so many Ships and Men into several other Countries and for the value of our Cloaths bring their Goods by which means the poor also are set on work that a great part of the Traffick and Commerce of the world would fail and this Trade as formerly intimated is and may be most readily roundly and advantagiously driven in England were we but so pollitique and carefully as to keep our Wooll to our selves and within the King's Dominions of England and Ireland and to set the people closly to their work again And before I do leave the Argument I have ingaged in let there be considered the good quantities of Cloath and Stuffs English Cloath and Stuffs serve all the world that did go over continually to Holland and Flanders and by them there dispersed otherways the large quantities of Stuffs and Bays that are sent over to Portugall and thence Transported to Brazilia c with a very considerable number of Cloaths and Stuffs that go to Spain and by the Spaniards Transported to the West-Indies all over the good quantities of Perpetuanies and such like Stuffs that are carried out for Guinea together of late days with the large stores of Broad-cloaths Kersies Sarges Cottons Pennistons Duffels or Hogs Transported to our own Plantations of New-England and Virginia with what also must supply Barbadoes Jamaica and our other Islands in the West-Indies and forreign Plantations all which are the manufacture of Wooll Clothing more worth to England The Premises considered I hope I may make bold to say that setting aside all the rest of the Rich and Staple commodities of England which nevertheless are as good as any Country can parrallel in the world as Tinn Lead Iron c. this very commodity produced from our Wooll is of than the commodity of any Country whatsoever more worth and value to England that is to say will bring in more profit to the Kingdom of England than all the Silks or rich commodities of any Country whatsoever Yea doubtless more than all the Spices of the South-Seas yea I do believe and I have reason enough to lead me so to do than all the Spaniards Gold and Silver Mines in America for none of these I am throughly perswaded can any way equallize that yearly Revenue that doth or may come into the Kingdom of England by this one commodity diversly made up of our Wooll Neither doth any Nation in the world get so much by any of their Goods as England doth by this to the great enriching and advancement of the Merchant and the Companies Stocks trading and adventuring in these goods to Sea Encrease of Seamen the enriching of His Majesty the encrease of our strength in Shipping and consequently the breeding and training up of Seamen and increase of them wherein as before intimated a great part of the welfare safety of the Kingdom doth consist in these our days and the incouragement of whom is of great concernment to the Kingdom as the case now stands with England and her neighboring Nations or as the case may hereafter fall out to be for our Land is an Island as is known well enough not only to its Inhabitants but to all Europe and we have not nor cannot have Castles and Garrisons round about the whole kingdom by the Sea-side to beat off a forreign Enemy and to keep him from landing and invading our Nation for in fair weather in Summer The King's care for the Security of the Nation time there may be landing in hundreds of places about the Kingdom where there is neither Town nor Castle neer but such is His Majesties great prudence and care for the safety of his Land and People that he doth highly esteem and promote the affairs of Shipping more than ever any of his Royal Predecessors have done well knowing that his Ships and Seamen are the strength and security next to the protection of the Almighty of his whole kingdom I shall now endeavor to give some particular account but very briefly of the Profits arising to England by working up our Wooll into Cloth every two pounds of Wooll which is worth about twenty pence will make a yard of Karsey worth five or six shillings and every four pounds of Wooll worth about three shillings four pence will make a yard of broad-cloth worth eleven or twelve shillings so Profit by working up wooll that two thirds is the least profit that doth arise by putting our Wool into Manufactures which doth amount to above 230 pounds sterling profit in every Tun of Wooll so wrought up accounting twenty hundred English wait to the Tun so that if we should suppose but an hundred Tuns of Wooll transported out of the Kingdome in a year to France unwrought it will amount to 22400ll sterling which is so much clear loss to the Kingdome and trebble so much profit to France by their working up three times so much of their own with ours as hath been formerly intimated besides it is worthy of consideration that so many of our poor lye Poor idle idle and lose their imployment being ready to perish for want of necessary food notwithstanding the great plenty in the Land and no Kingdome hath the like advantages for the imployment of the poor in any Trade or occupation within doors whatsoever as we have for the poor in his Majesties dominion of England about the old and new Drapery and yet those poor that had their hands full of work in one kind or another according to what they were most accustomed either by sorting of wooll mixing breaking carding spinning spoling quilling weaving making of cards picking of â—esels and many other imployments concerning the working up wooll into cloth which have kept many thousands of men women and children at work who knew not how to get a penny another way but by this way Poor get Money if Imployed of working could in some comfortable manner live When the trade of clothing was driven roundly one family that doth not get twelve pence a week now have then received twelve fifteen or eighteen shillings a week which money went round to the Farmer for provision or to the Shopkeeper for necessaries for their Families and this again to the Merchant or to the Landlords according to each man's Trade and correspondence So that the profit arising by the working up of our Wooll into cloth or Stuffs here in England by our own people is almost unspeakable and is the great and chief wheel in the Kingdome to set all others at work as hath been already in several Trades mentioned and more do attend upon it when it is made into cloth as the Clothworkers Drawers Dyers Fullers Packers Merchants and Seamen But then to enter into the consideration of the contrary what an
lowest there is a necessary dependance of one imployment upon another and the falling off from one general Trade occasions the ruin of many inferior Tradesmen who had subsistence for themselves and Families thereby and this in our Kingdom of England is seated principally and cheifly in the Trade of Cloathing and the Manufacture of Wooll So that upon the failing of this Trade of which there is too great a cessation and decay in many parts of this Kingdom there comes in inevitably such a general loss to the whole Nation for first and most principally the King loseth hereby and that extreamly not only because his The King Looseth Subjects are not set at work and so are unabled to live comfortably and to pay such Taxes and impositions as are requisite for his Majesties support and defence against his powerful Enemies Nor in that the Honor and splendor of the Kingdom is hereby so much advanced and promoted as it might be but also because his Majesty looseth so great a revenue which would accrue to him in his Customes if the Cloathing Trade was carried on with Vigor so that the effectual carrying on or desisting from the Cloathing Trade is of very high Concernment and Importance to the King in profit or loss and so it runs through the meaner sort of People also as hath allready in part been spoken to For what Customes come in Yearly to his Majesty concerning The Kings Customâ—s the Manufactures of Wooll in its several and perticular sorts of the Old and New Drapery in all the Varieties of Stuffes made now a days and Stockins by being Transported to Forreign parts and what store of Money and other goods equivalent to Money being necessary commodities for the Kingdom do they bring in again for our Cloath Stuffs c. so sold or bartered and what Customs again do all those imported goods bring into His Majesties Coffers may not be difficult to be computed besides the imployment of so many Ships and Seamen and training up young Seamen than which nothing in this age of ours is more necessary to be taken care about for there is I believe the greatest want of this sort of men in the Kingdom for although there may be enough found in the Kingdom to Man His Majesties Royal Navy and it may be some to spare yet it is believed there are not neer enough for His Majesties Service and for Merchants service too which may many times be carried on both together as occasion may require And if we do but look back a little to a few Generations past we may soon find what high Advantages have accrued to His Majesty in His Customs and to the Kingdom in general by the Cloathing trade being lively managed by the The Companies of Merchants Merchants and what worthy and noble Companies of Merchants have been Associated and Incorporated whos 's Trading hath for the most part consisted in Woollen cloaths as in the Merchant Adventurers Trading to the East-lands and in what esteem their Agents and Factors were in Forreign parts and how Rich and great their Stock and Treasure hath been in so much that they have been able to lend a very considerable supply and assistance to the King or Queen upon any Occasion and Particularly and Eminently may it be spoken to their Honor their Assistance of Queen Elizabeth of most happy Memory in the year Eighty Eight and since upon any Occasion of the like nature Neither is here to be omitted that company which is called the East-land Company whose principal Trading also consists East land Company in the same commodity of Woollen-Cloaths by which they do furnish all those Eastern Countries about the Baltick-Sea and to Russia by which means also our discoveries of those Northern parts of the World have bin made very Evident and well known to Us to the great Advancement of our Navigation to the Northward as far as Green Land and of late years hath given occasion of that Discovery about Hudson's Bay commonly now called the Northwest Passage made by that stout and adventurous Seaman Captain Zachariah Gillam But the main and chief Trades of all are the Turkey and Turkey Company East-India Trades and the Riches by those Companies procured chiefly by Woollen-cloaths So highly Advantagious to the King in His Customs to the Companies in particular and to the whole Kingdom in the general as is not a thing easily to be known or computed How the Turkey Company in particular by their discreet management of the Trade in those parts with that commodity of Woollen-cloaths chiefly do bring into England all the rich Goods from all parts of the Streights and how the East-India Company by their Trade in the same commodity East-India Company in a great measure do purchase the Rich commodities of India Persia China and the South-seas with the Odoriferous Drugs of Arabia and all such Goods as those countries afford for necessary Use and Delight although of late years the Dutch have wrought us out of a great part of the South-Sea Trade of which more might be largely The Dutch have spoiled our trade in the South seas spoken concerning their usage of our English-men in those parts but that it hath bin already sufficiently laid out in Print to the view of the English Nation And to add a little to what was before intimated what excellent Good ships built yearly Ships are annually built and prepared for the services of these two Honorable Companies whose imployment as aforesaid is principally for the Exportation of our Woollen-cloaths and if we do look back but to thirty years past four or five Ships of the Turk's men of War durst not adventure upon one of our Smirna Ships and also how worthy is it of Consideration to take notice how many of our best Seamen Seamen bred up and Artists are bred up in those imployments by the two last worthy Companies Imployment So that besides what Revenue is brought to the King in his Customs by these great Sea-Trades of these worthy Companies mentioned both for the Exportation of their cloaths c. and the Importation of all manner of Goods by this Stock so purchased abroad in Forreign parts our Merchants are grown marvellous Merchants grow rich Rich in so much that they are able upon any necessary Occasion that His Majesty hath for Money to furnish him at Can lend the King money a weeks warning and that which is worthy the noting also our Seamen are grown of late years to be the most famous in the world to the great glory honor and safety of His Majesty and the Kingdom and all this is evident by what hath bin said to arise chiefly next to the blessing of Heaven from the Manufacture of our Wool in England by our own people which how much it ought to be incouraged and of what high concernment it is to the Honor Wealth and Security of the Kingdom let the Sober and
bring The Nation to be exceeding poor And many Clothiers forced to give ore Their Trading and follow it no more But now I hope for better things to come By the removal and displaceing some Of those that were in trust and put in such As are upright and won't comply with Dutch Nor any Forreign Nation to invade The Ancient Priviledges of our Trade The want hereof makes England greatly fade R. B. Goe little Book into the world and see Who thou can'st find therein to welcome thee I 'm sure thou mean'st as well to every man Of all degrees and sorts as any can From King to meanest thou dost wish them well And therefore this thy Book doth truly tell Of wrongs and of Abuses done to all Then let them in whose compass it may fall Soon rectify the same and bring on Trade A fresh this is the end this Book was made Incerti Authoris AN ESSAY To the Restoring of our decayed TRADE THat I may proceed in as good an Order as I can although I cannot pretend to Learning or Ability to Compose a Book in a Methodical way but do wish that such a task as this had been undertaken by some other that might have been able abundantly better to have mannaged it to satisfaction of the Reader Yet by reason of my former imployment in the Trade of a Cloathier and afterwards in the Office of Surveyor of one of the Ports of this Kingdom at the Custom-House I am experimentally enabled to speak to those things which shall follow And if there fall not out such an Harmonious Order in the ensuing Discourse by the necessary connection or orderly introduction of one thing to another as might be expected as before in my Epistle so again I do humbly beg the best and most favorable construction and censure of the matter for having in my breast the true heart and Spirit of an English-Man for his King and Country I cannot bear with those dayly abuses and evil practices so frequently and notoriously put upon the King and Kingdom but that I do reckon my self Obliged in all duty and good conscience to my King and Country to make them as publiquely known and manifest as I can and then leave the Remedies to be provided and answerably applied by the Ministers of State which I hope in a short time will be effected And here I shall endeavour First to make it to appear that there is no Nation nor Kingdom in the World that hath those advantages whereby to inrich themselves as this our Kingdom of England by the Manufacture of our Wooll and consequently to maintain our strength and The Advantage by the Manufacture of Wooll Honor omitting to speak of many other staple Commodities of this our Kingdom though many Rich and Profitable because I am intended to Treat principally about the Subject of Wooll and the Manufactures thereof with the dependancies thereupon Now that such advantages as might accrue to the Kingdom are not laid hold on and the Commodities improoved to what it might be is too too evident to all men that have Wooll not improoved any feeling of the case or that do make any inspection into it which may also be sufficiently confirmed to all others by the sad complaints and frequent moanes that are dayly made concerning the miserable decay of Trade to the great loss of many perticuler men and to the King and Nation in General and principally in the Trade of Cloathing But if the Wooll of England and Ireland were improoved to the best advantages and secured from exportation to Forreigners doubtless England would be the General Market for the whole Universe for matter of Cloathing and what would soon be the Riches greatness and Splendor thereof by the Almighties blessing is not a thing very difficult to be imagined by any sober judicious Person Merchant or Traveller And that no Nation hath such good Wooll for the general No Wool so good as English Trade of Cloathing is evident elce what makes so many Forreigners of other Nations so greedy of our English Wooll if they had as good or near as good of their own and how highly was it formerly esteemed by the Dukes of Burgundy and what benefit and advantage did that People under his government make of it when they paid but sixpence the pound for our English Wooll they returned it to us in Cloath at Ten shillings the Yard by which may very easily be computed what profit did redound to that people in the working up the Wooll which thing occasioned many English Families to transport themselves into those parts for their profitable livelihood and subsistence But after the Victorious Conquest made by Edward the Cloathing set up in England third of Famous Memory he caused to be ordered and set up the Manufactures of Wooll in this Kingdom to the great increase of the Riches of his own People the memory of whom for his provident care for the wellfare of his People is worthy to be perpetuated to all succeeding Generations And what now a days makes Holland and France so covetous of our Wooll and what large quantities by sinister Forreigners do covet our Wooll meanes do they procure to serve themselves and their Countries and what Riches do they acquire to themselves thereby may in some measure be guessed at for by having our good English Wooll they can mix their own course Wooll with it and so make good Cloath or Stuffes which otherwise they could not do To instance perticulerly in the French it is taken for granted and sufficiently known that their Wooll is very course and of it self fit for little but to make a sort of Cloath which is worn by Sea-men and Fisher-men c. But by the help of our good Wooll they make very good work and send to other parts of the World their druggets c. And by having our good English Wooll they can spend two or three Packs of their own Wooll mixing it with ours Much French Wooll wrought up by mixing with ours by which meanes they make their Cloath and Stuffes pass very acceptably both among themselves and other Nations Yea we our selves in England not being so wise as we should be for our own advantage do buy the French druggets c. Made of our Wooll mixed with theirs and give great Prices for them too when we do or at least may make better of our own The care then being taken for granted that English Wooll is the best and most fit for Cloathing Stuffes Stockins c. How necessary may it be rationally supposed then for our own People to be imployd in the working up our own Wooll and how many thousands would be imploy'd of the Poorer sort of people about such work who might thereby Poor to be Imploy'd gain to themselves a very comfortable living and free the Kingdom from those great burdens in maintenance of the Poor they being able by their Labour if
Imploy'd comfortably to provide for themselves for it is not the numerous multitude of people in a Kingdom or Common Wealth that makes it to be Poor that they cannot live one by another but the contrary if all were imploy'd and set at work as there is imployment enough to be had they would prove the especial meanes to make a Kingdom Rich as may be clearly instanced by the Dutch how many scores of thousands of their Poor people are imployed about the Herring Fishing which makes them very Rich and brings in yearly near two Millions of Money or other commodities necessary for the Land which are equivalent to Money besides what they spend in the Land this may seem to some to be a thing incredible but I am able to make it cleare to any intelligent Person Thus then by the neglect of our own Manufactures of our Wooll flowes in like an inundation the poverty of the Land and hence arise those sad complaints that fill every Poverty for want of Imploy mans Eares throughout the Kingdom Alas What shall we do to live we have no Imployment for if the Trade of the world abroad for Cloath and Stuffes c. Be supplied from other Lands which make their Cloath and Stuffes of our English Wooll being Clandestinely Transported into Forreign parts our English Trade for that commodity must answerably decay and if the English Merchant hath not vent for that commodity abroad to other Nations the Country Cloathier must strike off in a great measure and consequently many of the Poor work folkes are answerably taken off from their imployments which formerly for many years they had been exercised in and so having no work they get no Money and so are reduced to a begging condition or worse these things are to be discerned clearly without the help of a Perspective-Glass by those that are in any measure intelligent in Politique affaires Thus the profit of the Poor that they should get to themselves for a maintenance is lost and the profit gotten by their labour to the Kingdom is also lost in the General Profit lost and this is brought to pass by the quicksightedness and diligence of our Neighbour Nations who finding dayly the sweetness of the Trade and so exceedingly enriching themselves by our commodity Viz. Wooll doe endeavour more and more to carry it on to their own advantage whiles we in England in the mean time neglect our own opportunities and advantages which do so clearely lie before us From what hath been before hinted doth necessarily Loss to the Kingdom follow the vast dammage and prejudice done to this our own Nation and Kingdom by the exportation of our Wooll for the dammage doth evidently appear thus Had not the French our English Wooll to work withall they could not work up their own Wooll into any Manufactures that should be acceptable or saleable in other Countries no nor in their own Land but they would be ready as formerly to buy our English commodities but now having our English Wooll so frequently among them privately gotten from England or Ireland they mix their own Wooll with it and work up two or three Packs of their course Wooll with one pack of ours so that every Pack of English Wooll exported from us and carried to France is treble loss if not more to England and on the contrary so much profit to France Thus then any man may perceive how Rich other Countries grow by our means by obtaining our commodity Other Countries grow Rich. to work upon and there People also do generally live at a lower rate and work cheaper by the day or otherwise than our People in England do by which means they may afford to under-sel us as usually they do at a Forreign Undersel us Market so that hereby they do acquire to themselves both good credit as well as great profit and this Originally as aforesaid is by our commodity which if it was carefully looked after by the Officers of the Customes in the out-ports cheifly there might be speedily a good stop put to this their Trade for if they got not our wool from England Custom Officers unfaithful or Ireland they could not go on with this their Trade of Cloath and Stuffes but the great negligence or unfaithfullness of some Officers belonging to the Customes is the Principal occasion of the exportation of our wooll into Forreign parts and consequently of the loss of the Trade of the Nation in so great a measure in this perticuler from whence followes clearely and undeniably the poverty of the Kingdom in general For one Trade depends upon another as it is in the body natural so it is in the body politique in the body natural one member depends upon another and is serviceable to the other by a natural Harmony and Correspondence even so doth one Trade or occupation closely and necessrily depend upon another here in England and such a connection there is in this point that if one chiefe Trade fail very many also do fall with it more or less according to their proximity or remotenes from it in their dependance and this may be applied cheifly and principally to the Trade Cloathing Trade Failing of Cloathing and the Manufacture of wooll in other respects how many several Trades are there that must of necessity depend on the Cloathing Trade as Card-makers Many other Trades fail also Spinners Weavers Fullers Dyers Cloath-workers Packers and those Trades which make Tooles and instruments for these are not also the Farmers at work in the mean time to provide bread for all these People and their Families and breeding up his Oxen Sheep Hogs c. That they may have Meat to eate are not the Merchants and Sea-men imploy'd in a great measure by this Trade and these last mentioned the Sea-men are the men who principally and cheifly bring in the wealth of the Nation the Gentry of the Land and all sorts of Shop-keepers are the receivers of this profit which the Sea-men by their adventures and industry do bring into the Nation all sorts of Lawyers Phisitians and Clergy-men are receivers and get their Money by their Tongues while the Adventurous Merchant and undaunted Marriner carries on the Trade of the Nation exporting our native staple commodities of the which through Gods abundant goodness this Land of ours is so well stored in several perticulers as might be instanced in Tin Lead Cloath Stuffes Stockins Herrings of which might be an hundred times as many if look't after and Sale enough for them too at Forreign Markets but the Dutch run away with the profit of these goods making two Barrels for our one Pilchards are a very good commodity of which we do get good store in the West Country and they do bring in good profit to the Nation either in Gold or Silver or such commodities as the Kingdom stands in need off By what hath been said it plainly appears how from the highest to the
unspeakable loss is it to the Kingdome to have such Exporting Wooll a Trade fall to decay and so many thousands of poor must of necessity be multiplyed in the Land which must beg steal or starve for want of imployment But what think you if three or four hundred Tuns of Wooll in a year be exported out of the Kingdome for so I have been informed what a stroke doth that give to the beating down of our Trade in England and what a vast loss comes thereby to the Kingdome and Fall of Rents may we not justly be induced to believe that the decay of our Trade in this respect doth occasion the fall of the rents of Lands in the Countrey and houses in the City of London and else where fo that the Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdome have a sensible feeling of the decay of this Trade of clothing for all that the poor do get for their labour about The poors labor profit to the Nation this Imployment goes from them again to others as hath been already intimated and so the money goeth round according to its figure and passeth from one to another according as one trade hath dependance upon another It may not be here unseasonable to insert a word or two concerning our Fullers Earth for cloth cannot be perfectly finished without our Fullers Earth to scoure and cleanse the fine Fullers Earth carried out of the Land clothes that are milled with Castle sope and all other midling cloths that are fulled with Sope so that none but course clothes that are milled with Medicine can be well done without the assistance of our Fullers earth except at a greater charge neither is there any other Countrey besides our King's Dominions that have any Fullers Earth like ours in England it is so reported that the Dutch have gotten enough of it into Into Holland Holland to serve them for many years to come which was certainly transported out of the River of Medway alias Chatham for we have none in England but what is about Maidstone on the said River of Medway that ever I could hear of except at Wooburn in Bedfordshire which is an Inland-town and many Miles from the Sea yet I have been a diligent inquirer into this matter so that if the Transportation of this commodity into Forrein Countries was carefully looked after it could not possibly be carried out of the Land without a discovery of it especially from the River of Medway aforesaid so that forreigners must of necessity be at the greater charge in finishing their clothes which could not be done without the help of our Fullers Earth Now that there is a prohibition of Exportation of our Fullers Earth to Forreign parts is well enough known to the Officers of the Custome house but it is not looked after as it should be for either some of them are negligent not regarding their duties and behaving themselves with that vigilance and circumspection as such places of Trust do necessarily call for at their hands or else they wink at such miscarriages and suffer our Fullers Earth to be carried away as the like is commonly done concerning our Wooll And although most part of our Lawes are binding enough with severe Penalties annexed to them if they were but duly observed and well put into Execution yet not one of ten thousand doth know the Lawes of Prohibition throughout the Kingdom and how to put them into Execution and although Wooll carryâ—d to France c. many people do certainly know that Fullers Earth is certainly carried out of the River of Medway alias Chathan and our Wooll commonly shipped off from Dover-Cliffs by night from Rumney-Marsh the Isle of Wight Purbeck and about Waymouth and in several other parts of England and too much from Southhamton under the pretence of an Allowance by the Law for the supply of Jarsey Yet no body doth or dareth to prosecute the Offenders for the breach of our good and wholsome Laws because the very principles of Nature in every man teach himself Preservation and he that minds but that is afraid to meddle with these offenders who are commonly Rich men and strengthened both with Money and Friends in the Counties where they dwell so that every man that is willing to preserve himself his Estate and Family is afraid of appearing against these Transgressors in the behalf of the King though it be never so much conducible to the good and welfare of the whole Kingdom for fear they should be dealt withal as I have been And while I am speaking about the negligence and unfaithfulness of the Officers of the Customs give me leave in two or three words for a Digression concerning the importation of Forrein prohibited Commodities to the utter ruine of many poor Tradesmen with their Families in this our Kingdom as Ribbon Weavers and Silk weavers and other such Tradesmen undone like Artificers in about London and several other parts of the Kingdom that they are so miserably Impoverished that they are ready to perish for want of necessary food to keep life and soul together as our English Proverb is notwithstanding the great plenty of all sorts of Provision in the Nation through the goodness and bounty of God to us But all these errours and miscarriages might and may easily be prevented by the care and vigilancy of the Custome Officers especially in the out-Ports But some Officers finding a perticular and present profit by being invested with a Golden Livery do rather choose that than to do their King and Countrey faithful service although it be also running the hazard of losing their present Imployment and future Preferment for things of this Nature are now grown to that height of perfidiousness and confidence I might say Smugglers prosecute honest men Impudence that two or three golden Decoys are sufficient to intrap an inclining Surveyor and if there should chance to be a discovery or a surprisal there shall be all present help at hand if need require for the carrying off the matter smoothly and Witnesses in any case shall not be wanting to That discover them counterfeit Truth and Justice when it is directly contrary by which malicious and unnatural courses those that would be just and honest in their places and Offices are disheartned through the leud and deceitful practices of these Catterpillars who by such indirect Courses are disobedient to the Lawes and the Smugglers that imploy them do multiply great troubles upon such as at any time discover these Offenders yea and do violently prosecute them at the Law to make them Examples and terrors to others that so they might drive on their cheating trade without controul and yet such honest well-minded men do nothing but their duty but for that they have this odium cast upon them they are called Informing Knaves c. notwithstanding the welfare of the whole Kingdome doth in a great measure depend upon the discovery of such
abuses How much necessary may it then be supposed that there should be very good incouragement given to such honest publique spirited men as should diligently enquire after such sinister practices and as it was before touched those Smuglers are not only well acquainted with some Attorneys and Smugglers are befriended Clerks who will either use undue practices or make delaâ—es but they make good interest with the Under-Sheriffs in the Countyes where they drive their Trade and then these Undersheriffs also have strange tricks and delays in their returns in which some of them will take part with the Offenders instead of executing the Law against them so that such Offenders are incouraged and by this means it is that our Wooll and Fullers Earth and other prohibited Goods are exported so frequently out of the Kingdom and Forrein prohibited Goods and Merchandize imported so that our Manufacture is in a great measure gone to decay other Countries are greatly enriched who also live at a lower rate and work cheaper than our People in England whereby our Trade is much taken off in Forrein parts and our poor live idle with the other inconveniences consequent thereto as hath been already spoken to By this means it is in good part that so much of the Treasure is exhausted Treasure of the Kingdom is exhausted and drawn away to other Lands the general complaint now being what shall we do there is no Money stirring and Lands are reduced to a lower value than formerly they were Now though all these Mischeifes do not flow in at one time and place yet it is like a Pond that is soon filled with many Springs when as one Spring would do it in length of time that which may seem to be at first but a small Evil will in process of time with constant Practice destroy the happiness of the whole Kingdom as a little Leak if not taken notice of and amended will in time sink the greatest Unfaithful Officers Ship or empty the greatest Cistern even so will Offenders unfaithful Officers being the only persons in trust with those affairs fill the Kingdom with Forrein prohibited goods and commodities and empty it of our Wooll and Fullers Earth with other prohibited goods which evil Practices are now so frequent that if not timely prevented by our Ministers of State our Kingdom will be soon filled with Poverty and emptied of Wealth and Happiness by this loss of our Trade and Manufacture which now is in so great danger of sinking and that without all hope unless those that guide the Helm do steer the great Concernments thereof into some secure Harbor and there amend what may by searching be found amiss by displacing such Officers as have proved in the least unjust either by conniving at the Offenders or abetting and assisting them to the great discouragement of those that are faithful in their Imployments and that care also be taken that all due encouragement and countenance be shewed to such as are found to be just faithful and exact observers of the Lawes that are extant against such Smugglers and abusive persons And without doubt there is much Wooll Shipped off from Ireland annually unto forreign parts which might be Wooll out of Ireland as well wrought up in the countrey among themselves there being no want of people and such as for the most part live a lazy kind of life as I have credibly been informed or elce their Wooll if they work it not up might soon be transported over into England in twenty four hours time or thereabout with a fair wind and be wrought up in England which would turn to a treble account of profit as hath been already demonstrated but this I shall refer to others that are more knowing in the Irish trade but I am very apt to beleive the reports that I have heard concerning great quantities of Wooll carryed from thence both to France and Holland but to lay aside the informations of others although very well worthy of belief in all points I shall according to my promise in my Epistle speak to those things of which I have had some large experience I was a Clothier my self and Apprentice to the Trade many years and afterwards set up for my self and followed my Trade many years thriving very well thereby till about nineteen years agoe that I was burnt out of all and put upon the adventures of fortune and taking notice of the occurrances of affairs I did find large testimonies of the decay of Trade with the occasions thereof but while I did keep the Trade going I have rode far and near to get Spinsters and other work folkes and gave great Wages as also did all other Clothiers and yet could not procure half so many as we would have imploy'd but suddenly after our disorders and disregard to our Lawes as aforesaid the Market fell and many Clothiers were forced to leave off their Trades because Clothiers leave off they could not vend their commodity All those poor people formerly so imploy'd were ready to starve for want of bread in and about those places where the Clothiers left off and failed and every day it grew worse and worse and those confusions among us increased more more that very few men were of one mind and hardly any at all that minded the publique good but now some thoughts are busied of restoring things to their Lustre and trade to what it was before the decay Some wise men have been of the opinion that the abating the interest of money would greatly increase and advance trade and very probable it might be a good lift to it Others again being out of hopes of the recovery of the former trade think men must imploy their wits and knowledge in the invention of some new sorts of Manufacture and some covetous wretches have been very ready to declare their opinion that the increase of the interest of money and the abatement of Servants and Workmens wages to which adding great frugality and good husbandry would make the Kingdome to be happy and flourishing again and many there are that make it their business and study to outwit and destroy other men and under pretence of honesty and many by clandestine means swallow up the good and pious gifts of our Ancestors belonging to the Church and to the Poor for in this our Iron age men have left off to do good and loft their obedience to the Lawes of the Land and have ceased from the exercise of those two unspeakable graces Faith and Charity And therefore truly I fear we have little hopes of happiness or being restored to our Pristine flourishing condition Kingdome flourished under King Charles the first till we do return to our old obedience and exercise our selves in love and good works fearing God and honouring the King and not giving our minds to change but let every one endeavour to amend one and strike off from the error of his own waies and
endeavour his utmost to discharge a good conscience first to God and then to mind the pulique good calling to mind the happy condition of Trade in the Reign of King Charles the first of blessed memory when all men dreaded his Lawes and lived in love one with another which made the Kingdome flourish in our trading with great success and increase of Riches and indeed we enjoyed so much happiness as made us proud and forgetful of God's mercies and so murdered the best King in the world by which we stript our selves of all but Gods just judgements upon the Nation and left our selves certain of nothing but of uncertainties I find by our good Lawes that great care was taken about Wooll and all other prohibited commodities as first in the Reign of King Edward the Third Cap. 1. then wooll was wholly prohibited to be exported which was the first beginning of the promotion of making Cloth in England but it seems the Nation at first could not work up all the Wooll that was of our own growth till the Trade was dispersed throughout the whole Kingdome and people instructed in the Art So that an Act of Parliament was made for the transportation of Wooll into other Countries to a Staple appointed at first at Callis paying their due Custome first in England so that those which had our Wooll in those daies Staples appointed paid well for it another Statute was made to this purpose that if any Forreigner would have any of our Wooll out of England and found none at the Staple he was to bring to the King's Mint an Ounce of Gold as a dâ—ty for every sack of Wooll and many other good Laws I find forthe prevention of Abuses concerning Wooll and Cloath and for the prevention of the Transportation of Wooll but what did first pay the King's duty in England and was to the intent that our People might afford their Cloaths so as to undersel Strangers And several Staples were appointed in England where Wooll was to be sold and bought and not elsewhere and none to be carried or lodged neer to the Water-side nor bought nor bargained but by Cloatheirs and such as wrought it up or by Merchants and their Factors under several Penalties Many good Lawes made Many other good Laws have been made since the time of King Edward for the keeping our Wooll and Fullers-earth in England to imploy our own poor People and advance the Manufacture of the old and new Drapery so happily set on foot by the prudence and diligence of that King then there was Obedience from all persons rendred to the good Laws of the Land which good Laws have been Successively ever since continued by almost every Parliament with such Additions or Exemplifications as were found to be necessary for the prohibition of the Exportation of Wooll and Fullers-earth by which means we both got and kept the whole Manufacture of our own Wooll and a good part of other Countries among our selves in this Kingdom till the time of our late unhappy Confusions And if the Book called the Golden Fleece with some of Sir Walter Rawleigh's Works which do fully demonstrate the great blessings of God on this Kingdom of England above any other for the imployment of the poor people were well inspected and answerably improved it would be a means to make the Kingdom happy and flourishing I shall here give a brief Recital of several Statutes more concerning Wooll and Cloath FIrst that no Cloath made beyond Seas shall be brought Stat. 15. of Ed. 3. ca. 8. into the King's Dominions on pain to forfeit the same Stat. 15. of Ed. 3. ca. 5. and to be further punished at the King's will That all Cloath-workers and Artificers in the trade of Cloathing that came out of other Countries into the Kingdom had the King's Protection to dwell where they pleased and convenient Franchizes and great privilidges were at first allowed them for their incouragement maintained at a publique charge out of the King's Exchequer I find there that Strangers as well as Natives might have Stat. 18. of Ed. 3. cap. 3. bought Wooll as they could agree and that great care was taken to avoid Deceits to abate and lessen the prices of wooll and to avoid false Packing false Winding and false Ballances and to have one just Weight throughout England proved and tried by the respective Sheriffs of every County according to the Standard of the Exchequer and that no buyer of Wooll Stat. 13. of Edw. 3. cap. 2. should make any refuse or wast but an equal hand should be carried between buyer and seller and this upon grievous Forfeitures Stat. 8. Hen. 6. ca. 22. as Stat. 12. Rich. 2. cap. 9. Also that all Wooll-felles and Leather bought in the Countries should be brought to the Staples which were appointed on purpose where Wooll and such commodities were to besold and should remain there Stat. 23. H. 8. cap. 17. fifteen days at least for the supply of our own people who were to have the first choice or as much as they would work up and then the remainer which could not be wrought up in England were to be sent to publique places in the day time Stat. 31. Ed. 3. ca. 8. and from thence to the Ports appointed on purpose for the staples to be Transported after the Buyers had paid their due Customs and Subsidies Viz. for every sack of Wooll which contained 94 Pounds 2 pounds 10 shillings and for every 300 of Wooll-felles two pounds ten shillings and for every last of Leather five pounds and that no wooll vendible Stat. 13. E 3. cap. 9. should be lodged shewed or sold within three miles of the Staple by any Merchant Buyer or Transporter or any others but such as had of their own growth and no other And the Chancellour Treasurer with the advice of others of the Kings Councel had power to defer the Transportation of Wooll when and as often as they saw it convenient It was then ordered that no Merchant of the Staple should Stat. 2. of Hâ—n 5. Transport Wooll Woollfells Lead or Tin without the King's Licence until they were brought to the Staple on pain to for feit the same It was then made Fellony to Transport Wooll by the Statute 27. Ed. Ed 3. ca 3. of the Staples as you may find it concerning the Transportation of Wooll by English Merchants but this Stature 28. Ed. 3. for Fellony was repealed the 38 of Edw. 3. Stat. 1. and 6. and the forfeiture for Lands and Goods was still continued 8 Hen. 5. cap. 2. and in March the 37. of Edw. 3. the Staple for thesale of Wooll was fixed at Callis Then the Staple aforesaid was removed from Callis and clearly put down 43. Edw. 3. Cap. 1. and the Staples appointed and fixed in England at the places following Viz. Stat. 47. E. 3. cap. 1. at Neweastle Kingston upon Hull St. Buttolphs Boston
Yarmouth Quinborough Westminster Chester Winchester Exeter and Bristol and the Staples of Ireland and Wales were to be kept where first they were ordained and several other good clauses were added concerning the Regulation of the Staples as may be seen at large in the Statute of the Staple 27. Edw. 3. It was there appointed that all Merchants Strangers Sta. 8 Hen. 5. cap. 2. that bought wooll in England to conveigh to the West parts or elsewhere that did not bring them to some of the Staples to be sold were to bring to the Master of the Kings Mint for every sack of Wooll which contained ninety four pounds an ounce of Gold Bulloin or the value in silver Bulloin on pain to forfeit such Wooll or the value thereof to the King absolutely Stat. 8. He. 5. cap. 2. I also find that great care was taken that no persons in Norfolke should buy wooll there and in divers other Countries thereabout for fear they should Transport it but only those Merchants which carried it to the Staples or those which did convert it into Yarn Hats Girdles or Cloth Stat. 1. Ed. 6. cap. 6. And that such woolls as were bought in Norfolke and Norwich and those Countries were to be sold and retailed in the open Market if not carryed to the Staples And that those in Hallifax were to sell what Wooll they bought to Stat. 2. those poor people in the town or parts adjacent who to their knowledge did work up the same into Cloth or Yarn and if the Wooll driver did sell his wooll out of Hallifax or if any of the town bought to sell again unwrought into yarn or cloth every such Offender did forfeit their double value of the wooll so sold or uttered the one half to the King and the other half to the Prosecutor and the Justices Stat. 3. Ed. 4. Cap. 5. of the Peace in their Sessions were to determine the same Many sorts of wares and Merchandises were prohibited to be brought into the Realm ready wrought which were wrought and made by Hand-crafts-men That all forreign Bone lace cuttings Embroydery French Stat. 14. cap. 121. 13. Bandstrings buttons needle-work c. were prohibited to be brought into this Realm Noneshall export any sheep or wooll wooll felles Martlings Stat. 12. cap. 2 32. Yarn Fullers earth Fulling clay nor carry load nor convey the same to be transported upon several penalties as well upon the owners of the sheep as the persons that shall convey the same This Statute at large is worth the perusing and might do much good to the Kingdome if it was duly observed by all the Kings Subjects but the behaviours of our people in England are not as they were in former times for then a Law was no sooner made but all men took immediate notice of it and did willingly yield their obedience thereto but the people have been so accustomed to the breach of Law and Rebellion that in reason it cannot suddenly be forgotten and desisted from by many people for men now adayes are grown so Critically wise to do evil that let the King with the advice of the Lords and Commons make use of their best discretion and judgements in framing Laws for the publique good and wording them according to the most proper sence by them intended yet some ordinary fellow that hath store of confidence and a little money and that it may be gained by Cheating too one way or another will find a hole in them to transgress those Lawes and if they are called in question then they have tricks and evil devices enough to torment those that do faithfully discharge their Oathes and Consciences for the publique good as I my self can speak sufficiently concerning this and such like cases by my sad experience It was made Fellony for any English Welsh or Irish to Stat. 23 E. 3. transport Wooll wooll felles Leather Lead c. and a second clause in the last Act was that no English Welsh or Irish-man shall transport any of the said commodities in any strangers name or keep a servant beyond the Seas to survey the sale thereof or to receive money therefore a third clause in the said Act was that there should be no exchange of wares for Merchandise of the Staple but Gold or Silver or English Welch or Irish Merchandise neither shall any Merchant make any confederacy in fraud or deceipt to this Ordinance upon the paines aforesaid A fourth Clause in the said Act was that it should be lawful for every man to carry his own Wooll Wooll felles Leather or Lead to the Staple warranting the packing of this Wooll Merchants were prohibited the exporting the money Stat. 4. H. 4. ca. 15. which they received in England for their Merchandise and goods imported but they were to lay out their money again upon some of the Merchandise of this Realm except their reasonable Expences All Merchants strangers were enjoyned to lay out their Money they received for their Merchandise imported into Stat. 17 E. 4. cap. this Realm again in some Merchandise of this Realm and to prove the laying of their money so out and by whom it was so layd out before the Officers of the Port where it was so disposed of or laid out upon the penalty of forfeiting all his goods found within the Realm and to suffer a years Imprisonment All Merchants strangers were bound to give security to Stat. 15. Hen. 4. ca. the King's Customer and Controller to imploy their money upon the commodities of this Realm their reasonable costs excepted and Italian Merchants were to sell their Goods where they did land them in gross and not by retail and their Stat. 1. Ric. 3. cap. 16. 9. money so received to be laid out again in the Realm within the space of eight moneths These and such like Statutes and Lawes might do very much good to encrease the Tradeing of the kingdome if they were enquired into and revived with such addition as might be necessary for now we send all our money out of the Kingdome and vend but small quantities of our Manufactures but onely our native commodities which are prohibited which quite ruines our Trade It shall be Fellony for any that shall transport any Sheep 14. cap. 2 Stat. 14. Wooll wooll fells martlings shorlings yarn made of wooll wooll flocks fullers earth fulling clay Tobacco-pipe clay c. this Act I do beleive if not repealed will do much injury now adaies although it was intended for publique good for I fear it will hinder many people from discovering the Offenders and breakers of the Law though they were sure to have never so great a reward for it for many men will be very cautelous how they touch the life of a man though they do deserve death more a thousand times than the Theif that robs on the High-way for a Theif doth but take away part of a particular mans Estate but these wretches that
transgress the Kings Laws in transporting Wooll c. to forreigners destroy as much as in them lyes the happiness of a whole Kingdome and are the procuring causes and Instruments to bring many thousands to great miseries and languishing deaths There were many good Laws made for the setling the Aulingers Office and preventing frauds and deceipts in work in all sorts of Drapery both old and new which are too redious to recite though many of them be very necessary to be observed for the credit and reputation of our Manufacture but I shall only set forth where they are to be found and refer the ingenious and judicial to the perusal of the Statutes themselves which are the Statutes concerning Wooll and clothing 25. of Edw. 3. Cap. 4. 27. Ed. 3. Stat. 4. 50. Ed. 3. Stat. 7. and 8. 3 Ric. 2. cap. 2. Stat. 7. Ric. 29. 13. Ri. 2. Stat. 10. 13. Ric. 2. Stat. 11. 17. Ric. 2. Stat. 2. and 13. 13 Hen. 4. Stat. 24. 9 Hen. 4. Stat. 2. 11 Hen. 4. Stat. 6. 11 Hen. 6. Stat. 9. 4 Ed. 4. Stat. 1. 7 Edw. 4. Stat. 2. 17 Edw. 4. Stat. 3. 7 Edw. 4. Stat. 5. 1 Rich. 3. Stat. 3. and 4. 3 Hen. 7. Stat. 7. and 71. 3 Hen. 8. Stat. 7. and 8. 5 Hen. 2. Stat. 8. 1 Hen. 8. Stat. 11. 6 Hen. 8. Stat. 9. 25 Hen. 8. Stat. 18. 27 Hen. 8. Stat. 11. 6 Hen. 8. Stat. 9. 25 Hen. 8. Stat. 18. 27 Hen. 8. and Stat. 13. 33 He. 8. Stat. 3. 33 Hen. 8. Stat. 19. 4 Eliz. 6. Stat. and 2. and 5. 3 Phil. and Mary 11. 4 and 5 Stat. 3 Phil. and M. Stat. 4 and 5. 5 Phil. and Mary Stat. 5. and 8. 7 Eliz. Stat. 12. 33 Eliz. Stat. 9. 27 Eliz. Stat. 18. 39 Eliz. Stat. 11. 29 Eliz. Stat 20. Cards for Wooll were prohibited to be brought out of other Countries into England or Wales none were to transport sheep beyond Sea without the King's Licence there was a limitation upon keeping Sheep and an appointment how many sheep each man should keep upon the penalty of 3 Shill 4 pence for every sheep more than his number And if it be as the Company of Silk-Weavers and Ribbon-weavers say as doubtless it is there are an hundred thousand people small and great that depends upon that trade in and about the City of London then how many may be supposed rationally to be in the whole Kingdome that have their dependance on the trade of clothing in the old and new Drapery and other Trades which have a dependence upon or relation unto the Trade of Clothing and which know not how to earn a penny any other way since that trade is in a great measure lost and lest off but these poor people live idly and go a begging for their bread among which also are many children from 8 years of age to 15. which can very well get a living about the trade of clothing for that they can sort Wooll mixit Spole Quil Pick Teasels prick Cardwiers c. and which in the time of good trading could constantly earn eighteen pence twenty pence or two shillings a week but now very few of them have any imployment as aforesaid and if I should suppose but a Million of such poor people throughout the Kingdome which should every one Loss by the Poor not set at wâ—â—k get his eighteen pence a week it would amount to Three Millions nine hundred thousand pounds in a year which is so much clear loss to the Kingdome besides I know that there are many hundred thousands more of such people which live idly and get nothing Since we have left off so much of the Clothing trade in England as hath been already intimated the evil effects and consequents thereof I humbly desire to leave and commit to the consideration of those that are more judicious in the Political affairs of the Common-wealth to have suitable Remedies as to their grave wisdeme and Prudence might seem to be meet and necessary I endeavouring only to be a layer open of the sore and refer to the skilful Chyrurgeon for a healing Plaister And if our Parliament men and Ministers of State should take into their serious consideration the great troubles that are multiplyed upon those that endeavour faithfully to prosecute the execution of the King's Laws against the Offenders â—awâ—s to be Prosecuted cheifly intending thereby a future prevention of their fraudulent dealings and threatning practices and would give incouragement to such publique spirited men by some especial care taken for the preservation of their Credits and Reputations and their persons from troublesome Arrests and vexatious Suits and molestations which the Delinquents do multiply against them by false and feigned Actions and those coloured over with very specious pretences but the truth and reality of their intentions and designs is to ruine and destroy the Reputations Estates and Families of such as shall discover them or appear against them This I say viz. the countenancing and encouraging of all faithful Officers and others would strike a kind of terrour to these transgressors Smugglers and others that do deceive his Majesty of his due Customes and be a great means to keep them in awe and good order and encourage all men to be ready to discover such Offenders as they night any way find them out by their opportunities being abroad early and late and to add to this that there should be very severe Prosecutions Pâ—nishmâ—nt of Offenders against such Offenders and let them be abated nothing of the Justice of the Law which is in such cases provided and established throughout the Nation for now it is a sufficient crime as the case of late hath stood to be by such branded with the ignomy of an Informer or an Informing Knave though he discover nothing but what doth immediately concern the King's Interest and publique good And by these Smugglers and their Companions he shall be reputed and said to be a troublesome fellow an evil nei hbour a disturber of the Peace among friends c. because he doth faithful service according to his Duty Conscience and Office in labouring to prevent their Frauds and abuses as frequently by them practised as they can And if such Officers in the Customes Atturneys and Clerks which do connive or comply with such Offenders were removed from their Places and Offices and severely punished the publique good would be much preserved Trading greatly advanced and thereby Gentlemens Estates largely augmented in their yearly value of Rents I shall now give a brief description of several Springs that fill our Kingdome with Prohibited goods and of several Leaks that empty the Kingdome of other sorts of our goods which are prohibited to be Exported out of the Nation As our Wooll and Fullers Earth formerly spoke to which are by stealth carryed out of the Kingdome to the great damage and prejudice of the Nation and many Forreign Prohibited Injury to the Silk-weavers
the King to the value of twenty shillings deserves to be punished as well as he that steals so much from any other man For as I heard a Scholler once a reasoning either it is this or that c. so I say here either Custome is the Kings due or it is not but no man dares be so impudent as in words to deny it but they must needs acknowledge it a truth that it is his due and if so why then do they not give to Caesar the things that are his according to the Commandement of our Saviour and the Commandement of the King and Parliament it being established by Law and constituted for the publique good and the general advancement of the Trade of the Nation and such Officers as will not comply with these sort of people to cheat the King are called Fooles men that do not know their business but if another had that Office he would make something of it c. but such men minding the faithful and conscionable discharge of their duty to God to the King and Kingdome with the blessing of God live better and do a thousand times more good than others and may be principal Instruments to make the Kingdome happy and flourishing I have had discourse with some persons who have had the thoughts of getting a Pattent to put the Laws into Execution that are against the Transportation of Wooll and other Pattent against Transporting Wooll prohibited commodities but I can hardly think they would be careful and diligent in that imployment except they should reap a considerable profit for their labour how should they expect to ballance their expence I refer to the censure of the judicious except it be by conniving at or do more harm than good compounding with the Offenders so that by such a design as this the transgressors may be encouraged to sin more and more for if such Patentees should too much discourage that sort of people that carry off the Wooll c. to other Nations who are the only men that must bring grifts to their Mill it would be as ridiculous a thing as for Lawyers to perswade people to peace and by that means lose their Practice and it is generally beleived that there would be more Prohibited goods transported then than what have been before if the care for the putting the Lawes into Execution were once committed to Pattentees for as in other cases of the same nature the love of Money is so natural and money so much hunted after that it may be acquired that the minding of putting the Lawes into Execution and men doing faithfully and uprightly their duty is not a thing now a dayes at all regarded or taken into consideration as it ought to be But I hope that his Majesty with all the Peers of the Realm and all others are made in some good measure sensible of the great concernement of Trade and the sad effects and consequents of exporting our Wooll Fullers earth c. as also of the idleness of our poor people occasioned by the loss of forreign Markets for our woollen Manufactures that I think it is high time for all Loyal Subjects to give their utmost assistance to discover all Offenders and make them manifest in their kind and for all Superiors to give their just assistance that the Lawes may be put into a speedy and severe execution against all Delinquents as soon as made visible In the dayes of King Edward the third formerly spoken of and since to the times of our late unhappy confesions the Trade of Clothing made the Kingdome flourish for many years together and doubtless would do so again if our Lawes were but put into Execution and every one were obliged to discover and make manifest the Transgressors for this is not a business for two or three men to do let them imploy themselves with all endeavours imaginable but the eyes of all men must be about this matter tending to such a Reformation and the Courts of Judicature must be expeditious and severe in the administration of Justice against such Offenders when once convicted and let not one of them be spared who deserve to be punished without mercy because for a little private advantage they do their utmost to bring ruine on the whole kingdome I could also declare other things that might be very assistant to the increase of Trade and the prosperity of the Kingdome which is not so convenient to be made publique before it be debated among the Clothiers and Tradesmen It hath pleased his Majesty to plant such Commissioners now for the management of his Customes that it is hoped they will do much good especially in the regulation of the Out-Ports concerning those notorious evil practises which have been continually done among them and for the encouraging of those Officers that are honest and faithful if they should be troubled at any time or be any wayes damnified about lawful seizures by reason of Actions brought against them that they shall be releived by the Commissioners and the charges that may arise in such cases at the Law to be born by the common stock I could say something for the Staplers though not much Concerning Staplers Quaere 1. because I cannot find by our Lawes that any such people were in those dayes when the Trade and Manufacture of Wooll was first brought into England and yet Wooll was sent to the Staples and all the Manufacturers thereof had those sorts that suited best for their trade and we got and kept the whole trade of our English wooll and of other Countries to our selves in this Kingdome and had the command of the forreign Markets which was the occasion of the first setling all those Companies as hath been formerly and briefly set forth and I doubt not but that those Staplers will set a gloss upon their business and without question their money doth speak much for them lying for the most part in and about London so near to the Fountain of the Lawes yet I do verily beleive those people have much to answer for as to the ruine of many poor people occasioned by their Exportation of Wooll beyond Sea by which evil practice the Trade of the kingdome is in a great measure lost as hath been set forth already something largely by reason whereof many of our poor people in the kingdome are ready to perish for want of Bread notwithstanding the great plenty in the Land and this is because they want work I should lose time further to complain seeing all people are experimentally sensible of the loss and decay of Trade to the great disadvantage of the Nobility and Gentry in the Land as also to the great detriment of the Farmer and Merchant although indeed the Poor are most pinchingly sensible hereof throughout the King's Dominions and hence ariseth the want of Money the thing by all men complained of and the fall of Rents occasioned thereby I shall now proceed by way of Quaery to