And in this place it may bee thought convenient to make an answer, to the imputation and false interpretation which the said Author maketh, in the last chapter of his Treatise upon the words mentioned in the Canker of Englands Common-wealth, wishing the amendment of the above said fault, That our Cloth might be sold at so deere a RAte, and according to the price of forraine Commodities, that thereby other Nations, should take upon them, to make our Cloathes. And the Remedie is added, by selling our Wooles deerer, whereof they must make them; for in those dayes of the latter time of Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory, and untill the second yeere of our most Gracious Lord King James, Wools were permitted to be Transported by the Staplers and others. And one makers of Cloth beyond the Seas, must needs have them to cover their Woolles in the Indraping, which is now prohibited, and the Case is altered; hereupon this Moderne Merchant out of his deepe Speculation; saith, which seemes to have in it, much more Dutch then English, to deprive this Kingdome of so Royall a Manufacture, whereby so many thousands of poore Families are maintained: imitating herein the Butchers flye, byting upon one place, which seemeth to bee gawld, as he saith, and leaving all the sound body untoucht. For my Writings which are extant in Print and Manuscripts, doe shew, that my continuall studie hath beene to seeke the welfare of this Kingdome, which caused forraine Nations to say, that I did savour of too much English, and had made my selfe odious thereby, so that I may justly Challenge the misapplied example of the great Commander of the Romans Belizarius, alledged by the said Author; for Envie (looking asquint, as if shee were borne under Saturne:) having deprived mee of the sight of one eye with forraine Nations; doth now endeavour to make mee blinde, to bring me to say, Date obulum Belizario, quem invidia, non culpa caecavit. The like part shee plaid with me, for the invention of Farthing tokens, by accusation, that there was an intention to bring the use of Copper moneys within the Realme; which Tokens are found to bee very commodious and necessary, whereby the waste of much Silver is prevented, the meere poore releeved, and many of their lives saved, and the Common-wealth cannot be without them, unlesse Leaden Tokes were made againe in derogation of his Majesties Praerogative Royall. Wise men have noted, that the due observation of vertue, maketh a Stranger grow naturall in a strange Countrie, and the vicious a meere Stranger in his owne native Soile: and to their judgements I shall alwaies appeale with the divine assistance, and also pray for Unitie and Concord where none is, especially where the Spirits of neighbouring friends shold be united by true Religion to make Justice flourish; to which end, Wisdome doth construe things in the best Sense. For if they had with Patroelius put on Achilles Armour, and rid on his Horse and durst never touch Achilles his Speare:
Surely our Achilles Speare doth both wound and heale, as his did, and like unto the water of Dodona, both extinguish and lighten Torches, whose continuall vigilant care by many Nocturnall Lucubrations, hath no need to bee remembred by the sight of his Subjects bloud in sheetes, written within and without, proceeding of ?????? /??? a Revenging eye.
Returning to the Cloth Trade and the Clothier; with a consideration of the merchants Adventurours, Eastland merchants, Russia Merchants, and others, and the Wooll Grower, or the Gentleman; let us carefully observe them in particular and in generall, supposing their complaints were all heard at one instant together, as also dividedly, whereby Truth doth better appeare by observing their Pollicies, partly declared in the neglect of the fishing Trade. The merchants Adventurours having ingrossed into their hands by colour of their last Letters Patents, The sole Power of exporting all white Clothes, coloured Clothes, Kersies, Baies, Sayes, Serges, Perpetuanoes, and all other new Draperies, into Holland, Zealand, Brabant, and other parts of the low and higher Germany, hath abated the Trade.
For all Merchants Strangers, might and did heretofore export white Clothes out of the Kingdome, paying double Custome, which they now may not.
The Merchants of the Staple, from all the Staple Ports, As London, Westminster, Bristol, South-hampton, Hull, Boystone, and New-castle, have heretofore exported, either Cloth or Wooll, or both, which now they may not.
All other Merchants at large, as well as London, as of all other parts of the Kingdome have usually heretofore exported, coloured Clothes, Kersies, Bayes, Sayes, Serges, Perpetuanoes, &c. which now they may not. So that all the Trade of the Merchants of the Staple, of the merchant Strangers, and of all other English Merchants, concerning th'exportation of all the Commodities made of Wooll into those Countries, where the same are expecially to bee vented, is in the Power of the Merchants adventurours only; and it is come to be managed by 40 or 50persons of that Company, consisting of three or foure thousand.
Nay one man alone, hath compassed into his hands, the whole Trade of coloured Clothes and Kersies for these parts, by the meanes of exchanges, and moneys taken up at Interest. It is impossible that the same number with the same ability, can manage the same Trade, as to the best profit in Times of warres, as in Times of Peace:
Then much lesse can a lesser number, with lesser abilitie manage a greater Trade, in most Troublesome times, especially if they have borrowed 50 or 60 thousand pounds at use, for the service of the Company, and thereby engaged the Trade, and set themselves in debt; which causeth many of the best merchant Adventurours to give over Trade, and are become purchasers, or lenders of money at Interest. Many others of them have engaged themselves in the East Indian Company, which did carry away their money, and left the Cloth.
