: inough which might be sold ouer for great treasure, or greater commodities, where now in a plentyfull yere we seeke to haue but asmuch as may suffise the realme. Then if a scarse yere should happen, we must needes lacke of our owne to serue and should bee dryuen to buy from beyond the sea, and then if they were as enuious as wee bee, might not they say, when we requyred any corne of them (that seing they could get none from vs when we had plenty,) why should they let vs haue any corne when wee haue scarsitie? Surely common reason would that one region shoulde helpe another when it lackes, and therefore God hath ordeyned that no countrey shoulde haue all commodities, but which that one lackes another brings forth and that that one countrey lacketh this yere, another hath plenty thereof commonly the same yere, to the intente men may knowe that they haue neede one of anothers helpe, and thereby loue and societie to growe amonge all men the more, but here we would do as though we had neede of no other countrey on earth, but to liue all of ourselues: and as though we myghte make the market of all thinges as wee lust ourselues, for though God is bountiful! vnto vs, and sendes vs many great commodityes, yet wee coulde not liue wythoute the commodities of others. And for example, of iron and salte, though we haue competentlye thereof, yet wee haue not the thirde parte to suffice the realme, and that cau in no wise be spared if yee wil occupy husbandry, then tar, rozyn, pitch, oyle, and steel, we haue none at all: and for wynes, spyces, lynnen cloth, silkes, and coloures, though we might liue indifferently without them, yet far from any ciuility should it be: as I deny not but many things we might haue heere sufficiently that we buy now from beyond sea, and many things we might spare wholly whereof if time will serue I shall talke more hereafter. But nowe to returne to the first poynte I spake of before, to bee one of the meanes to bring husbandry vp, that is by basing the estimation of wooll and felles. Though I take not that way to bee as good as the other, for I doe not allowe that meane that may base any of our commodities, except it bee for the inhaunsing of a better commodity: but if both commodities may bee inhaunsed together, as by the last deuise I thinke they might be, I allowe that way better, neuer-thelesse where as you (brother mercer) shewed afore, that either by restraining of wooll and other Whether commodities, till they were equale within the realme after the rate of the corne or by inhaunsing the custome of wooll and other the sayd commodities, till the price beside the custome of the sayd should be commodities were brought like to the corne in proportion; the by straint queenes custome should bee diminished, I thinke not so, for the of woll vn- one way, as much as she shoulde haue for the more wooll at litle wrought. custome ventred ouer, so much should we haue for the lesse wooll the quee. custome diminished Vs our Of fles. at a greater custome ventred. And the other way as much as her Grace should lose by her custome of wooll, so much, or more, should her Grace winne by the custome of clothes made within the realme. But one thing I doe note by this later deuise, that if they should take place we must doe, that is, if we keepe within vs much of our commodities, wee must spare many other thinges that wee haue now from beyond sea, for wee most alwayes take heede that wee buy no more of straungers then we do sell them, for so we should impouerish ourselues and enriche them. For hee were no good husband that had no other yerely reuenues but of his husbandry to liue on, that would buy more in the market then he selles againe. And that is a pointe that wee might saue much by our treasure in this realme, if wee would. And I maruell no man Howe takes heede to it, what number first of trifles comes hether from straungers beyond the sea that we mighte eyther cleane spare, or els make them fetch from within our realme, for the which we either pay inestimable trea- great for sure every yeare, or els exchaunge substanciall wares and neces- very trisarie for them, for the which we might receiue great treasure. the which sorte I meane aswell looking glasses, as drinking, and also to glase windowes, dialles, tables, cardes, balles, puppettes, penners, inkhornes, tothepickes, gloues, knives, dagges, owches, browches, aglettes, buttons of silke and siluer, earthern pots, pinnes, and pointes, hawkes belles, paper both white and browne, and a thousand like thinges that might either be cleane spared, or els made within the realme sufficient for vs, and as for some thinges they make it of our owne commodities and sende it vs againe, whereby they set their people a worke, and doe exhauste much treasure out of this realme: as of our woll they make clothes, cappes and kerseies; of our felles they make spanish skinnes, gloues, and gerdels; of our tinne, saltsellers, spones, and dishes; of our broken linnen clothes and ragges, paper, both white and browne: what treasure thinke yee goes out of this realme for euery of these thinges? and then for all together it exceedes myne estimation. There is no man can be contented now with Our deliany other gloues then is made in Fraunce or in Spayne; nor kersie cacy in requiring but it muste bee of Flaunders die; nor cloth but French or Fry- straungers seadowe; nor ouche, brooch, or agglet, but of Venice making, or wares. Millen; nor dagger, swearde, knife, or gyrdle, but of spanish making, or some outward countrey; no not as much as a spurre but that is fetched at the millener. I haue heard within these forty The enyeares, when there were not of these haberdashers that selles crease of French or Millen cappes, glasses, knives, daggers, swordes, gyr- haberdash dels, and such thinges, not a dosen in all London, and now from leners ouer the towne to Westminster alonge, euery streate is full of them, they were and their shoppes glitters and shynes of glasses, as well drynking wont to be. ers and mi. How the straungers find an no value then by any mynes as loking, yea all maner of vessell of the same stuffe; paynted cruses, gaie daggers, knyues, swerdes, and girdels that it is able to make any temperate man to gase on them and to buy somwhat, though it serue to no purpose necessarie. What neede them beyonde sea to trauaile to Perowe, or such farre countreies, or to trye oute the sandes of the riuers of Tagus, in Spaine, Pactogus in Asia and Ganges in India, to get amonge them after much labour small sparkes of golde, or to digge the deepe bowels of the earth for the mine of siluer or golde, when they can of vile claie not farre sought for, and of pryple stones, and ferne rootes, make easy way good gold and siluer, more then a greate many of siluer and golde to get trea- mines would make, I thinke not so litle as a hundred thousand sure by thinges of poundes a yeare is fetched of our treasure, for thinges of no valure of themselues, but only for the labours of the workers of the same, which are set a worke all on our charges: what grosenes of wits be we of, that see it, and suffer such a continual spoile to be made of our good and treasure by such meanes, and specially that will suffer our owne commodities to goe and set straungers a worke, and then to buy them againe at theyr handes, as of our woll they make and die kersies, frenchadowes, broade clothes, and cappes, beyonde straungers sea, and brynge them hether to be solde againe: wherein I pray nation with you note what they doe; they make vs pay at the ende for our owne stuffe againe. Yea, for the strangers custome for their modities workemanshippe and colours, and lastely for the second custome in the retourne of the wares into the realme again; whereas by working the same within the realme, our owne men should be set a worke at the charges of straungers, the custome should be borne all by straungers to the queene, and the clear gaines remaine within the realme. of gold or siluer. How finde their our com and on our costes. Why straungers Knight. If yee ponder such thinges and other, which goeth ouer sea yerely from vs for the same, yee speake to litle by as much againe; but one thing I haue marked that albeit it is true, that though straungers buy their woll deare, and pay twise custome, that is both at going out of the woll, and when it retournes in clothes or cappes, yet the same shalbe better cheape then that which is made within the realme: whereof that should come, I would faine know. Doctor. Whether it come of our sloth, or of our chargeable may aforde fare, or of our idlenes, which we Englishmen vse, percase more wares bet- then other nations, I know not; yet it were better for vs to paie ter cheape more to our owne countreymen for these wares, then to straungers made by them then lesse, for how litle gaines so euer goeth ouer, it is lost to vs cleare, but how much so euer the gaines is that goeth from one of vs to another, it is all saued within the realme; and a like reason as you we may the same that it were bet. owne make now here. Once a booke seller made mee, when I asked made here, him why we had not white and browne paper made within the and yet realme, as wellas they had made beyond the sea? Then he aunswered mee that there was paper made a while within the realme, ter for vs At the last the man perceiued that made it that he could not forthe to buy our his paper as good cheape as it came from beyond the sea, and so he though was forced to lay downe making of paper, and no blame in the they were for men will man, dearer. geue neuer the more for his because it paper made here; but I would eyther haue the paper staied from comming in, or so burdened with custome, that by that time it came hether, our men might afforde their paper better cheape, then straungers might do theires, the customes considered. was Knight. There ye speake a thinge that the queenes attourney would not agree vnto, for if such ware were made within the realme, then the queenes custome should be lesse by reason that litle or no such wares should come from beyond the sea. Doctor. If the queenes attourney did regard, as well the profite that should come after, as that which is present afore the eyes, hee The most would agree to this well inough, for by this meanes inestimable durable treasure should be saued within the realme, and then it could not and vniuersal profit is growe to the profit of the subiects, but it must needes growe more to be also to the profite of the queene, for the wealth of the subiectes is esteemed the profit of the queene; and in mine opinion they doe not beste then short and partiprouide for her Graces profite, that procureth onely a presente culer. commoditie, but rather that commodity that may longest endure without griefe of our subiectes. Knight. You would haue a lawe made, that no such ware should be brought from beyond the sea, to be soulde heere, of such things as could be made heere as wel as there. Doctor. Yea forsooth, so would I wishe. straints Knight. I was once in a Parlyament, when such a thynge was Whether mooued, but onely for cappes, that none made beyond sea should our rebee sold heere within the realme, and then it was aunswered by a doe touch great wise man, that it was to bee feared least it touched the the leagues league made betwene the princes highnesse, and some forraigne made with prince; what thinke you then would haue been said, if yee would prynces. haue moued a lawe to be made of our wooll, our tynne, our led, and hydes, beyond sea, should haue been sould heere. Doctor. I cannot tell whether that should touch the league or no, nor whether any such league be; but I say to you that I think other rished that it a maruaylous league that should let vs to make lawes to binde No league our owne subiectes that might be profitable to them: and if their is to be ehewere any such league, I had leauer it were broken then kept, is not for which being broken shoulde doe vs good, and being kept should the comdoe vs harme: aud I suppose that when wee enter any league, the monweale. same is ment to be for our weale, and not for our hinderaunce wherefore that league would not be esteemed that might hinder our commonweale. Knight. What if they would make a like lawe beyonde the sea, that wares made within this realme should not bee soulde there, as they made of late, when wee deuised a lawe that no wynes shoulde bee caried heather in straungers bottomes. Doctor. Yet should they be enforced rather to dissolue their law then we ours, for our stuffe is necessary for them that is made here: as cloth, leather, biere, tallow, butter, cheese, pewter vessel, &c. Theirs be to vs more to serue pleasure then necessity as tables, cardes, perfumed gloues, glasses, gally pots, dyalls, orenges, pipA worthy pens, and cheries: yea their chiefe commodities might be better example to be follow spared of vs, then retayned of them, as wynes, silkes, spices, yron, ed in vsing and salt. I woulde to God wee woulde followe but the example of straun- of a poore hauen towne that I heard of it to do of late: heere in gers, the marches of Wales, called Carmarthen, when there came a certayne vessel thether out of England, all laden with appells, which aforetime was wont to bringe them good corne, the towne commaunded that nonne should buy the sayd appells upon a great payne, and so the bote stoode so long in the hauen without sale, or vent till the appels were putrified and lost. And when the owner demaunded of the bayliffe of the towne, why he had stayed his sale and vent, the bayliffe aunswered againe, that the sayd vessell came thether to fetch the best wares they had in the countrey, as fryzes, brode clothes, and wooll: and instead thereof hee should leaue them in their countrey but appells, that should be spent and wasted in lesse then a weeke. And sayd bring vnto vs corne, or malte, as yee were wont to doe, whereof the countrey hath neede, and yee shall be welcome at all times, and ye shall haue free vent and sale thereof in our porte. Thinke yee that the cities of London, Southampton, Bristowe, Chester, and other moe, might they not learne a good lesson of this poore Welch towne in this doing? Might not they say when shippes full of orrenges, pippens, or cheries come in, that if they would agayne take plummes, damozins, and strawberries for them, they shoulde haue free exchaunge: and when they bring in glasses, pupplets, rattles, and such like thinges, they should haue like trifles for them, if any such were to bee had within this realme, as there bee many; but if they come for our woolles, for our clothes, kerseyes, corne, tinne, ledde, yea our golde and siluer, and such substantial and necessary thinges; let them bring in againe flaxe, tarre, oyles, fyshe, and such like. And not to vse them as men doe litle children, geeue them an appell for the best jewell that they haue about them. And thus wee are empouerished of our treasure and chiefe commodity, and can |