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.
Concerning Staplers. Quære 1.
I could say something for the Staplers, though not much, 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 Quæry, to propound and insinuate something, that may tend towards a remedy, for these Maladies, formerly complain’d of, and to be a restorative to our decaying Trade, and to help it to life again; for as Physitians having found out the cause of the Distemper, know the readier how to apply what is sutable, in order to the Cure. So here I having I hope discovered the causes, and occasions of our lose of Trade, shall take the boldness to give in tacitly my advice, most humbly begging pardon for such a presumption, and in all submission, presenting my conceptions to better judgements.
Whether it would not be convenient to have a Committee of Clothiers, some of the principal of all Counties, with Merchants of the several Cities, and some other Tradesmen, and Artificers, to be appointed; whose other weighty affairs might not obstruct this great design of reviving and advancing our Trade, to its former height, and luster, and that some of those Gentlemen sit at a certain known place, as their occasions may permit, so that some of them may be ready at all times, to receive Petitions, or Projections from workmen, which may any way tend to the encrease and encouragement of Trade; and for such Committees, to prepare and digest the same, into such a Method and form, as might occasion the Production of such further Lawes (if so thought necessary) for the future, as might restore and advance the Clothing Trade, and the well making of Cloth, and all sorts of goods, both in the old and new Drapery; and the rectifying such abuses among all other Tradesmen, that are any way imployed about the said Draperies.
Quære 2.
Whether all those Laws against Exportation, and Importation of Prohibited goods, and for the punishment of unfaithful Officers of the Customes, and others intrusted that do connive at such abuses (to the King and Kingdome) and neglect the faithful performance of their duty, ought not to be put into effectual Execution, and whether all other Lawes, tending to the same matter, or have any relation to these things, ought not once in a moneth, upon the market day to be publiquely read and declared, especially in the Sea-Port townes, round about the Land, that by this means all the common people, who have the best and greatest opportunities for discovering Offenders, might know the Law, and so consequently know how, and wherein to do the King and Countrey service, such as might be very acceptable to them, and should not be unprofitable to themselves, if they would be careful and diligent to watch and look out.
Quære 3.
Whether all people ought not to be encouraged, that shall discover such as Transport Prohibited goods, either into the Kingdome or out of it; and that care should be taken for them in a very special manner, that they might be protected from vexatious Suits, and Troubles, which are usually brought upon them that do discover such transgressors, that so others may be terrified from such like discoveries, all-though therein, by making known such Smugglers, that they may receive the justice of the Law, they do the King and Kingdome the highest service that may be; and that care may be taken how their Credits, Families and Fortunes may be preserved against the malice of such Miscreants, whose common practice is to multiply troubles on all such as do any way molest them in their unjust designes.