Capper. Though this reason of master doctor's here doth please you well that be husbandmen, yet it pleaseth us that be artificers nothing at all, which must buy both bread, corn and malt for our penny. And whereas you, master doctor, say it were as good reason that the husbandman would raise the price of his corn, and have as free vent of the same over sea as we [do and have of our wares], I cannot greatly deny that; but yet I say, that every man hath need of corn, and so they have not of other wares so much.
Doctor. Therefore the more necessary that corn is, the more be the men to be cherished that reared it; for if they see there be not so much profit in using the plough as they see in other feats, think you not that they will leave that trade, and fall to the other that they see more profitable? as ye may perceive by the doings of this honest man's neighbours, which have turned their arable land to pasture, because they see more profit by pasture than by tillage. Is it not an old saying in [Latin], honos alit artes, that is to say, profit or advancement nourisheth every faculty; which saying is so true, that it is allowed by the common judgement of all men. We must understand also that all things that should be done in a common wealth be not to be forced, or to be constrained by the straight penalties of the law; but some so, and some other by allurement and rewards rather. For what law can compel men to be industrious in travail, and labour of their bodies, or studious to learn any science or knowledge of the mind? to these things they may be well provoked, encouraged, and allured, if they that be industrious and painful be well rewarded for their pains, and be suffered to take gains and wealth as reward of their labours. And so likewise [they] that be learned, if they be advanced and honoured according to their forwardness in learning, every man will then study either to be industrious in bodily labour, or studious in things that pertain to knowledge. Take this reward from them, and go about to compel them by laws thereto, what man will plough or dig the ground, or exercise any manual occupation wherein is any pain? Or who will adventure over seas for any merchandise? or use any faculty wherein any peril or danger should be, seeing his reward shall be no more than his that sitteth still? But ye will percase answer me, that all their rewards shall not be taken away, but part of it. Yet then you must grant me, that as if all their rewards were taken from them, all these faculties must needs decay; so if part of that reward be minished, the use of those faculties shall minish withall, after the rate; and so they shall be the less occupied, the less they be rewarded and esteemed. But now to our purpose; I think it more necessary to devise a mean how husbandry might be more occupied, rather than less, which I cannot perceive how it may be brought to pass, but as men do see the more gains therein, the gladder they will occupy the feat. And this to be true [that] some things in a common wealth must be forced with pains and some by rewards allured [may appear] by that that the wise and politic senator Tully writeth, saying, that it was the words of Solon, which was one of the seven men of Greece, and of those seven the only man that made laws, that a common wealth was holden up by things chiefly, that is, by reward and pain; of which words I gather that men should be provoked to good deeds by rewards and price, and [to] abstain from evil doings by pains. Trow you, if husbandmen be not better cherished and provoked than they be to exercise to plough, but in process of time so many ploughs will be laid down (as I fear me there be already) that if an unfruitful year should happen amongst, us, as commonly doth once in seven years, we should then not have only dearth, but also such scarceness of corn, that we should be driven to seek it from outward parts, and pay dear for it....
f. 34b-f. 38.
Doctor. You have heard that by the free vent and sale of corn, the husbandman's profit is advanced. Then it is showed how every man naturally will follow that wherein he seeth most profit. Therefore men will the gladder occupy husbandry. And the more do occupy husbandry, the more plenty of corn must needs be; and the more plenty of corn there is, thereof better cheap; and also the more will be spared over that that shall suffice the realm; and then, that may be spared in a good year shall bring us again other corn, or else the commodities of other countries necessary for us. Then the more husbandry is occupied, the more universal breed should be of all victuals, as of neat, sheep, swine, geese, eggs, butter, and cheese, for all these are reared much of corn.
Knight. If men should sell, when a good reasonable year is, all that is overplus when the realm is served, what should we do if a barren year should happen, when no store of corn is left of the good year before?
Doctor. First, you must consider that men be sure they will keep enough to serve themselves within the realm, or they sell any forth of the same; and having liberty to sell at their pleasure, doubt ye not, but they had liefer sell their corn 2d. or 4d. better cheap within the realm, than to be at charges with carrying, and peril of adventure, in sending it over the sea, and sell it dearer (except it be for much more gains). And thus men, being provoked with lucre, will keep the more corn, looking for a dear year in the country, whereby must need be the greater store. And though they did not so, but should sell over the sea all that they might spare over that serveth the realm when the year is plentiful, yet by reason that, through the means aforesaid, more ploughs are set to work than would suffice the realm in a plentiful year, if a scarce year should fall after, the corn of so many ploughs, as in a good year would be more than enough, in [an unfruitful] year at the least should be sufficient to serve the realm. And so should the realm be served with enough of corn in a scarce year, and in a plenteous year no more than enough, which might be sold over the sea for great treasure or other commodities; where now, in a plentiful year, we seek to have as much as may suffice the realm. Then if a scarce year should happen, we must needs lack of our own to serve, and be driven to buy from beyond the sea. And then, if they were as envious as we are, might they not say, when we required any corn of them, that seeing they could get none from us, when we had plenty, why should they let us have any corn when we have scarcity? Surely common reason would that one region should help another when it lacketh. And therefore God hath ordained that no country should have all commodities; but that, that one lacketh, another bringeth forth, and that, that one country lacketh this year, another hath plenty thereof the same year, to the intent that one may know they have need of another's help, and thereby love and society to grow amongst all the more. But here we will do as though we had need of no other country in the earth, but to live all of ourselves; and [as] though we might make the market of all things as we list ourselves; for though God is bountiful unto us and sendeth us many great commodities, yet we could not live without the commodities of others. And, for an ensample, of iron [and] salt, though we have competently thereof, yet we have not the third part to suffice the realm; and that [can] in no wise be spared if we will occupy husbandry. Then tar, resin, pitch, oil, steel, we have none at all; as for wines, spices, linen cloth, silks, and collars, though we might live so without them, yet far from any civility should it be. As I deny not [but many things we might have here sufficiently that we buy now beyond the seas, and] many things we might spare wholly; whereof, if time shall serve, I will talk more hereafter. But now to return to the first point that I spake of before, to be one of the means to bring husbandry up, that is by abasing the estimation of wool and fells; though I take not that way to be as good as the other, for I do not allow that mean that may base any of our commodities except it be for the enhancement of a better commodity, but if both commodities may be enhanced together, as by the last device I think they might be, I allow that way better; nevertheless whereas you, brother merchant, showed before that either by restraining of wools or other commodities, till they were equivalent within the realm after the rate of the corn, or by enhancing the custom of wool and other the said commodities, were brought like to the corn in proportion, the King's Highness' custom should be minished, I think not so. For the one way, as much as he should have for the more wool vented over, so much should he have for the less wool at a greater custom vented over. And the other way is, as much as his Grace should lose by his custom of wool, so much or more should his Grace win by the custom of clothes made within the realm. But one thing I do note by this latter device, that if they should take place, we must do; that is, if we keep within us much of our commodities, we must spare many other things that we have now from beyond the seas; for we must always take heed that we buy no more of strangers than we sell them [for so we should empoverish ourselves and enrich them]. For he were no good husband that hath no other yearly revenues but of husbandry to live on, that will buy more in the market than he selleth again. And that is a point we might save much by of our treasure, in this realm, if we would. And I marvel no man taketh heed unto it, what number first of trifles cometh hither from beyond the seas, that we might either clean spare, or else make them within our own realm, for the which we pay inestimable treasure every year, or else exchange substantial wares and necessary for them, for the which we might receive great treasure. Of the which sort I mean glasses, as well looking as drinking, as to glass windows, dials, tables, cards, balls, puppets, penhorns, inkhorns, toothpicks, gloves, knives, daggers, pouches, brooches, agletes, buttons of silk and silver, earthen pots, pins, points, hawk's bells, paper both white and brown, and a thousand like things, that might either be clean spared, or else made within the realm sufficient for us. And as for some things, they make it of our own commodities and send it us again; whereby they set their people on work, and do exhaust much treasure out of this realm. As of our wool they make cloth, caps, and carses; of our fells they make Spanish skins, gloves, girdles; of our tin, salts, spoons and dishes; of our broken linen cloth and rags, paper both white and brown. What treasure, think you, goeth out of this realm for every of these things? And then for all together it exceedeth my estimation. There is no man that can be contented with any other gloves than is made in France or in Spain; or carse, but it must be of Flanders dye; nor cloth, but it must be of French dye or fresadow; nor brooch nor aglet, but of Venice making or Milanese; nor dagger, sword, nor girdle, or knife, but of Spanish making; no, not so much as a spur, but it must be fetched at the milliner's hand. I have seen within these twenty years, when there were not of these haberdashers that sell French or Milan caps, glasses, as well looking as drinking, yea, all manner vessels of the same stuff; painted cruses, gay daggers, knives, swords, and girdles that is able to make any temperate man to gaze on them, and to buy somewhat, though it serve to no purpose necessary. What need they beyond the sea to travel to Peru or such far country, or to try out the sands of the river Tagus in Spain [Pactolus] in Asia and Ganges in India, to get amongst them small sparks of gold, or to dig the bowels of the earth, for the mine of silver and gold, when they can of unclean clay, not far sought for, and of [pebble] stones and fern roots make [good] gold and silver more than a great many of gold mines would make. I think not so little as a hundred thousand pound a year is fetched of our treasure for things of no value of themselves, but only for the labours of the workers of the same, which are set on work all of our charges. What grossness be we of, that see it and suffer such a continual spoil to be made of our goods and treasure, by such means and specially, that will suffer our own commodities to go, and set strangers on work, and then to buy them again at their hands; as of our wool they make and dye carses, fresadows, broadcloths, and caps beyond the seas, and bring them hither to be sold again; wherein note, I pray you, what they do make us pay at the end for our stuff again, for the stranger custom, for the workmanship, and colours, and lastly for the second custom in the return of the wares into the realm again; whereas, with working the same within our realm, our own men should be set on work at the charges of strangers; the custom should be borne all by strangers to the king, and the clear gains to remain within the realm....
f. 53b-f. 55.
And now, because we are entered into communication of artificers, I will make this division of them. Some of them do but bring money out of the country; some other, that which they do get, they spend again in the country; and the third sort of artificers be they that do bring treasure into the country. Of the first, I reckon all mercers, grocers, vintners, haberdashers, milliners, and such as do sell wares growing beyond the seas, and do fetch out our treasure of the same. Which kind of artificers, as I reckon them tolerable, and yet are not so necessary in a commonwealth but they might be best spared of all other; yet if we had not other artificers, to bring in as much treasure as they bring forth, we should be great losers by them. Of the second sort be these: shoemakers, tailors, carpenters, masons, tilers, butchers, brewers, bakers, victuallers of all sorts, which like as they get their living in the country, so they spend it; but they bring in no treasure unto us. Therefore we must [cherish] well the third sort; and these be clothiers, tanners, cappers, and worsted makers only that I know, [which] by their misteries and faculties, do bring in any treasure. As for our wool, fells, tin, lead, butter and cheese, these be the commodities that the ground bears, requiring the industry of a few persons; and if we should only trust to such, and devise nothing else to occupy ourselves, a few persons would serve us for the rearing of such things, and few also [it would] find; and so should the realm be like a [grange], better furnished with beasts than with men; whereby it might be subject to the spoil of other nations about. Which is the more to be feared and eschewed, because the country of his own kind is apt to bring forth such things, as is said before, for the breed of cattle, than for such things as [be] for the nourishment of men, if Pomponius Mela be to be believed, which describing the island, saith thus: plana, ingens, fecunda, verum iis que pecora quam homines benignius alunt. That is to say, it is plain, large and plentiful, but of those things that nourisheth beasts more kindly than men. So many forests, chases, parks, marshes and waste grounds, that be more here than most commonly elsewhere, declare the same not to be all in vain that he affirms; that hath not so much arable ground, vines, olives, fruits, and such as be most necessary for the food of men. And as they require many hands in the culture, so they find most persons food; as France, Spain and divers other countries have. Therefore as much ground, as here is apt for those things, would be [turned] (as much as may be) to such uses as may find most persons. And over that, towns and cities would be replenished with all kinds of artificers; not only clothiers which as yet were our natural occupation, but with cappers, glovers, paper makers, glasiers, pointers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths of all sorts, coverlet makers, needle makers, pinners and such other; so as we should not only have enough of such things to serve our realm, and save an infinite treasure that goeth now over for so many of the same, but also might spare of such things ready wrought to be sold over, whereby we should fetch again other necessary commodities and treasures. And thus should be both replenished the realm of people able to defend it, and also win much treasure to the same. Such occupations alone do enrich divers countries, that be else barren of themselves; and what riches they bring to the country where they be well used, the country of Flanders and Germany do well declare; where, through such occupations, it hath so many and wealthy cities, that were incredible in so little ground to be. Wherefore in my mind they are far wide of right consideration, that would have none or less clothing within the realm, because it is sometimes occasion of business or tumults, for lack of vent. There is nothing every way so commodious or necessary for men's use, but it is sometime by ill handling occasion of displeasure; no, not fire and water, that be so necessary as nothing can be more.