Part 2

For what Customes come in yearly to his Majesty concerning 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;

[Sidenote: _The Companies of Merchants._]

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 Merchants, and what worthy and noble Companies of Merchants, have been Associated and Incorporated; whose Trading hath for the most part, consisted in Woollen cloaths, as in the Merchant Adventures 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.

[Sidenote: _East Land Company._]

Neither is here to be omitted that company which is called the _East-land_ Company, whose principal Trading also consists 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 _North-west Passage_, made by that stout and adventurous Seaman, Captain _Zachariah Gillam_.

[Sidenote: _+Turkey+ Company._]

But the main and cheif Trades of all, are the _Turkey_ and _East-India_ Trades, and the Riches by those Companies procured, cheifly 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.

[Sidenote: _+East-India+ Company._]

[Sidenote: _The +Dutch+ have spoiled our trade in the South seas._]

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, (_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 spoken concerning their usage of our _English-men_ in those parts; but that it hath bin already sufficiently laid out in Print, to the veiw of the _English_ Nation.

[Sidenote: _Good ships built yearly._]

[Sidenote: _Seamen bred up._]

[Sidenote: _Merchants grow rich._]

[Sidenote: _Can lend the king money._]

And to add a little to what was before intimated, what excellent 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, 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 Rich, in so much that they are able upon any necessary Occasion that His Majesty hath for Money, to furnish him at 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 cheifly (_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 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.

[Sidenote: _+English+ Cloath and Stuffs serve all the world._]

And before I do leave the Argument I have ingaged in, let there be considered the good quantities of Cloath and Stuffs 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.

[Sidenote: _Clothing more worth to England_]

[Sidenote: _than the commodity of any Country whatsoever._]

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 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.

[Sidenote: _Encrease of Seamen._]

[Sidenote: _The King’s care for the Security of the Nation._]

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, 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 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.

[Sidenote: _Profit by working up wooll._]

[Sidenote: _Poor idle._]

[Sidenote: _Poor get Money if Imployed_]

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 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 22400 _ll._ 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 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 Tesels, 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 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.

[Sidenote: _Exporting wooll._]

[Sidenote: _Fall of Rents._]

[Sidenote: _The poors labor profit to the Nation._]

But then to enter into the consideration of the contrary, what an unspeakable loss is it to the Kingdome, to have such 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 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; so 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 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.

[Sidenote: _Fullers Earth carried out of the Land._]

[Sidenote: _Into +Holland+._]

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 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 _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 Customehouse, 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.

[Sidenote: _Wooll carryed to +France+, &c._]

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 many people do certainly know that Fullers Earth is certainly carried out of the River of _Medway_, (alias _Chatham_,) 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 wholesome 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.

[Sidenote: _Tradesmen undone._]

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 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.)

[Sidenote: _Smugglers prosecute honest men._]

[Sidenote: _That discover them._]

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 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 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.

[Sidenote: _Smugglers are befriended_]

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 Clerks, who will either use undue practices, or make delaies; 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.

[Sidenote: _Treasure is exhausted._]

By this means it is, (_in good part_) that so much of the 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.

[Sidenote: _Unfaithful Officers._]

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 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.

[Sidenote: _Wooll out of +Ireland+_]