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 lost their obedience to the Lawes of the Land, and have ceased from the exercise of those two unspeakable graces, Faith and Charity.
Kingdome flourished under King Charles the first.
And therefore truly I fear we have little hopes of happiness, or being restored to our Pristine flourishing condition, 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 publique 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 God’s just judgements upon the Nation, and left our selves certain of nothing but of uncertainties.
Staples appointed.
Many good Lawes made.
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 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 duty for every sack of Wooll; and many other good Laws I find for the 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 Cloathiers and such as wrought it up, or by Merchants and their Factors under several Penalties: 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.