4. A. D. 1648. As to the State of the Nation, in Coke, Reference to our foreign Neighbours, at the Death of p. 419. King Charles, we shall find the Dutch making their Advantage of the English Diffentions. It was now above 13 Years fince they entertained the English fled from Laud and Wren's Injunctions, whereby they acquired the Art of making the Woolen Manufacture of Effex and Suffolk, which before, the Dutch knew not ; and the Wars of England breaking out, the English did not fo fully fupply the Countries within the Sound as before; and then the Dutch were rather Interlopers than Com- Page 421. petitors, in the Trade of Woolen Manufactures into thofe Countries.

5. This Want of Supply put the Silefians and Polanders upon a Neceffity of being furnished other ways; and making a Virtue of Neceffity, they got Artificers to inftruct the Natives of Silefia and the Wefternt Parts of Poland, by compounding the Wools of Poland and Silefia, to make a coarfe Sort of Cloth, called Slefys *, which N 4 clad

true Quantities of Earth and Clay measured and received from the Pits, &c. and certify fuch Book yearly upon Oath, and to have 6 d. for every Load of 22 Bufhels.

Though it is true enough, that the States of Holland received and encouraged thefe English Refugees; it is in no wife to be imagined, that the Dutch at this Time were unacquainted with any Part of the Woolen Manufacture that was known to the English. For they were themselves a Part of the feventeen Provinces, where this Manufacture, in all its Branches, had been moft confpicuous for fome Centuries; and the greatest Flight of foreign Woolen Manufacturers to England, in the Time of Edward III. was directly from Zealand, one of the feven United Provinces ; x Ch. 5. and we further learn from Mr. Huet's Memoirs of the §. 5. Note. Dutch Trade, (See Ch. 92.) that in all the feveral Migrations of Manufacturers, &c. on the fcore of Perfecution, from Brabant, Flanders, and France, the greater Part conftantly took Sanctuary with the States General.

I think Mr. Coke here was very ill informed; and that he writes below himself, in reprefenting this Cloth, called Slefys, as if the Name of it denoted it to be of a very inferior Sort to any Cloth made in England; whereas by that Word, I fhould imagine, is to be understood, only the Cloth of a particular Country, as diftinguished from that of

other

y Ch. P. S.

40.

clad the poorer and ordinary Sort of Inhabitants, whereby the English to this Day have loft the Trade of coarfe Cloths to thefe Places, which before they + folely enjoyed. This was one Reason that the Dutch became Competitors with the English in the other Trade for Woolen Manufactures within the Sound.

6. For tho' the English Manufactures were much better, and could be fold much cheaper than the Dutch; yet the Dutch Navigation for foreign Vent was manifold cheaper, and more convenient than the English.

7. Tó this Cheapnefs of Shipping and Navigation is alded the Advantage the Dutch have, above the English, in compounding Freights; which Advantage was increased yet more to the Dutch by the English Freights becoming lefs, after the Silefians and Polanders had got the Art of making Slefys.

8. This Year, at the Treaty of Munster, a Peace was made between the King of Spain, and the States of

the

other Countries, and which, tho' not coming up to Spanish Cloth, . e. Cloth made of fine Spanish Wool, nor, it may be, to the very beft Cloth made of the finest English Wool, tho' that is far fhort of the finest Spanish, might yet be of very different Sorts, as to Beauty and Goodnefs; and a great deal of it, far from that mean contemptible Clothing, which Mr. Coke feems to think it; but which, if it was fo, muft have been more owing to a Defect in the Workmanship than of the Material, because the Eaftland Merchants had been ufed to find their Account in importing fome of those ? Ch. 36. Wools to England; and latterly, as we fhall fee, the fame §. 2. Note. have been fold at a better Price in Holland, than has been given for what we call the very beft [long] Wool in England, in the fame Year; and at about double the Price at that Time, of the common clothing Wool in England. But thus it is, to imagine that the English at any Time have had the fole clothing of whole Kingdoms, without confidering what immenfe Sums fuch a Trade muft amount to, and without enquiring into the annual Amount of the English Woolen Exportations at any time. The want of fuch Confideration and Enquiry has led feveral Writers upon this Subject into very grofs Errors; and is, in fome fort, the Foundation of that greatest of all Errors upon this Sub ject, viz. That England once had, and therefore may regain a Monopoly in the Woolen Trade.

the united Netherlands, whereby they were declared Free States, and fo had as free a Trade with Spain, as the English; fo that though the English had had the fole Trade to Spain, exclufive to the Dutch, for near forty five Years; now the Dutch were Competitors in it with the English, as well as in that into the Sound, with Woolen Manufactures.

State Pa

9. To the Honourable the Council of State. The 1651. humble Petition † of the Governor, Deputy Affiftants, Thurloe's and Fellowship of the Merchant Adventurers of England. pers, vol 1. 15. Confi- P. 199.

The Truce of 12 Years excepted, viz. from 1609 to 1621. (See Chap. 32. §. 15. Note.)

That when Queen Elizabeth did openly declare her felf against King Philip II. of Spain, Lord of the seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands, his Lieutenants, Governors of thofe Provinces, did take occafion to banish all English Cloth and Woolen Manufactures, and to prohibit the fame to be imported. But, in time, as well to accommodate their own Merchants, as to gratify fome • Commanders and Churchmen, there was found a Means to difpenfe with the Importation of a greater or leffer Number of Cloths, under the Name of Lycent; which ' was brought by Merchants, fometimes English, and fometimes Strangers, as could best be agreed. And fo in time this way of Lycent growing into Cuftom, and all things reconciled with King James, the fame was made a Revenue of the Crown, and brought into the Finances ⚫of the remaining Provinces to the King of Spain, which hath fo continued 'till of late Years; and fometimes hath not wanted Compliance from fome English, partly changed in Religion, and there refiding, and others purfuing their private Advantages, without any Care of the publick, in fuch manner, that no Complaint of the Injury, ⚫ and Breach of the ancient Treaties of Burgundy, (which Charge the English Cloth with two Stivers only) could See prevail. But by degrees this Lycent was advanced to 24 Chap. 17, Gilders upon a Cloth, which is 48 Shillings; and there- (5. 5, 6.) fore by way of Retaliation, when in the Beginning of the Cafe of this Parliament it was thought fit to compofe a new Book the Merof Rates, the Flemish Linens imported into England from chants of thofe Provinces, were thought fit to be raised to fuch a the StillHeight, as might make them fenfible on their Parts of yard.

the

Page 200.

10. Confiderations of the Advantages to the Commonwealth of England, by getting all the Spanish Cloth Wools

the Burden; which had Effect accordingly; infomuch that upon the Peace with the States General, they abfolutely took off this Lycent; yet not without great Importunity and Intereft of their own Subjects, who gave Hope that in lieu thereof, the extraordinary Cuftoms laid on their Linens here would be alfo reduced; which their Expectation hath by the Petitioners been represented to the Council of State, yet without Effect; of which Delay the Court of Bruxels taking notice, and being always intent to advance their Prince's Revenue, without any Regard to the Interpofition of those of Antwerp, who ftill oppofed the fame, have again prohibited all English Cloths ⚫ and other Woolen Manufactures to be imported; which is to make way again to this Course of Lycent; wherein alfo the Petitioners have Caufe to doubt they are again, as formerly, encouraged by fome English Merchants, trading in those Parts, for fuch private Views and Advantages, as have been formerly made thereof.

<

Wherefore the Petitioners conceiving this to be of that high Nature, in relation to the Charges of the great Staple Commodity of this City of London, or banishing the fame out of thefe Lands, as ought not by them to be con•cealed from the State, do reprefent the fame to your Honours; humbly praying that your Honours would confider the evil Confequences thereof, and accordingly ap ply fuch timely Remedy, as in your great Wifedom fhall be found requifite,

Indorfed
1651.

And your Petitioners, &c,

*Firft, our getting all the Spanish Cloth Wools into our Hands will totally diffolve the Clothing of Holland, which by means of thefe Wools hath of late Years mightily increased, to the Deftruction of the Vent of all fine Cloths of English making both in Holland, France, ' and the Eaft-Lands; and hath drawn from us confiderable Numbers of Weavers, Dyers, and Cloth-workers, now fettled in Leyden, and other Towns of Holland; by whose ་ Help they have confiderably improved their Skill in Cloth, ⚫ and have made in that one Province (communibus annis) 24,000 to 26,000 Cloths; of which fcarcely one Cloth was made of other than Spanish Wool; and furely not one but by a Mixture of the moft Part of it; for though

⚫ they

Wools into English Hands, and fome humble Offers at the
Means to effect the fame.

II. A

they have fome Supplies of Wool from Poland, Pomer land, and Luyckland, yet they have found by coftly Experience, that in making Cloth of the coarfe Wools they lofe their Capital; and that though our English Cloth be charged in their Shops with a very heavy Excife, (of which their own Manufacture is free) yet we can underfell them, and gain too; which comes to pass thus: One Pound of English Wool of 12 d. Price, is improved in a Ordinary mixed Cloth to 4s. fo as of its Value is merely made English out of the Labour, and that Labour of Carding, Spinning, Wool 12d, Dying, Weaving, Fulling and Working, does not coft us a Pound. above of what the Hollander pays, by reafon of their high Rates of Houses and Victuals, to which all Labourers Wages are proportioned. But now, in fine Spanish Wool that cofts three times as much as our ordinary Englifh Wool, that Advantage in the Labour doth not hold for us; nor can the most judicious Eye guefs fo near the true Worth of fine Cloth, but that the Maker may at most ⚫ times advance 10 per Cent. on the Fancy of the Buyer, which on coarfe Cloths cannot be done; and therefore they paying no Impoft or Excife on the Manufacture, from the Sheep's Back to their own; and ours paying Customs here, and Freight and Infurance thither, and a great Excile there, we cannot recover the Vent of our fine Cloth in Holland, (if we should be reconciled) nor in other Parts, nor get our Workmen home, but by keeping the Hollander from Spanish Wools.

Secondly, By that we shall alfo right ourselves upon the French, for their prohibiting our Cloth, by keeping them both from confiderable Quantities of Spanish Wool, which they Yearly get from Biscay, and wrought into Cloth at Roan, and other Parts; and by totally cutting off the Supply of Cloth which they had from Holland, fo as they must neceffarily apply themselves to us.

Thirdly, We fhall hereby much increase the Vent of our English Manufactures in Bifcay. For whereas the Hollanders have of late Years bought and exported from thence Parts at least of all the Wools, and fold there proportionably of their Country Stuffs and Says, they will be now difcouraged from coming to a Market, where they cannot have any Commodity to make their Return in, or relade their Ships withal, nor any Course of Exchange to make, nor Money, but Copper, not worth their exporting.

Fourthly