It was made Fellony for any English, Welsh or Irish, to 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.
Stat. 4. H. 4. ca. 15.
Merchants were prohibited the exporting the money, 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.
Stat. 17 E. 4. cap. 1.
All Merchants strangers, were enjoyned to lay out their Money, they received for their Merchandise imported into 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.
Stat. 15. Hen. 4. ca.
Stat. 1. Ric. 3. cap. 16. 9.
All Merchants strangers were bound to give security, to 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 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.
14 cap. 2. Stat. 14.