other Difference, than that you are rich on this Side the Water.

5. All that can be objected reafonably (for none, I hope, do officiously malign us) is, that you are, however, the nearest Neighbours to yourselves, and whatever becomes of us, fink or fwim, you must provide that you fuffer not by us, either in exhaufting your People, whereof you are already not too numerous; or by diminifhing your Trade, which is already much decayed. As to the Danger of depopulating you, which is the first; it is a Thing you can only prefuppofe and imagine, but which we, were it a thing to be wifhed, could never hope for. God forbid, (if it be lawful to make fo unneceflary and vain a Requeft) that any Accident, or Extremity, fhould cause you to exchange Middlefex for Lemfter, and prefer Dublin before London, to be the Imperial Seat and Chamber of the Monarchy. It is indeed, as the Profit of an Husbandman, to have his Land full ftocked with Cattle; fo of a Prince, to have his Dominions manned with a proportionable Complement of People. And one of our Countrymen interefted in both Nations, hath therefore well calculated how much the Publick miffes, or gains, in the Perfon of every Individual. The Bodies of Men are not only eftimable while living, but when dead: And were it not to play the Coqueten in Trade, I could demonftrate what Prejudice the Nation receives by the burying of every Englishman beyond Sea. But, how can we think you ferious in fo fpeculative and remote a Confideration, that, as to us, it is rather a Cafe put, than what can ever be prefumed to fall out in Practice? For while herein you represent the Weaver, who overshooting his Shuttle into the Wall, although a Batchelour, wet his Checks and his Manufacture to think; how if his only Son had received that Blow, his Majefty had lost a Subject, and himself the Stay of his Family; you nevertheless, at the fame time, and while at Peace, tranfport yearly many thoufands to be killed in the Wars, and are become the Magazine of Men to your Neighbours. You do not only fend out yearly Swarms of Men to your old Colonies, but, wanting, it feems, Hives for your Multitude, you do every Day increase your new Buildings at home, and abroad defign new Plantations. And even your Mer

X

chants

chants incorporated with others, whofe greater Quality may suppose them to be Statesmen in that Particular, inftead of bringing over more Gold from Guinea, do, as I am told, fo inhanfe their fole Trade of Negroes, that your Planters, not able to go to the Price, are forced to load their Ships continually with English Servants. And, if there were this Penury of People with you, it is probable that you would find out Employment for fo many idle Perfons, that, as I obferved when I came laft over, notwithstanding thofe conftant Draughts beyond Sea, do, both Natives and Foreigners, pefter you ftill at home, and fo incumber your Streets and your Highways, that a Man of Bufinefs can scarce pafs without juftling. Therefore it is time for you to quit this Notion, which you fo many ways flight in effect, and contradict in Practice, and in our Cafe is fo fingular: unless you will affix your Inhabitants, like Trees, to the Soil, and lay as fevere an Injunction against your English Mens going abroad, as that wherewith you have impounded our Cattle at home in Ireland.

6. That which may afford more Appearance in Reality is, that our Woolen Manufactures interrupt the Vent of yours. But I have already fhewn you how flender a Quantity is wrought up with us; fo fmall a Pittance, that it cannot affect even your Norwich, much less your whole Kingdom: nor is there yet any Law (I hope will not) to interdict us what, if real, were fo neceflary. The Dutch, the French, any Foreigner, have Liberty, and make use of it, to work with us; and fhall the Irish or English of both Countries be rather debarred, whether rich, from planting Manufacture; or whether poor, from labouring it in Ireland? I know not that it ever entred into your Minds to forbid your English the purchafing of Land among us; and what Reason is there greater, to hinder them from employing their Money with us upon any other Occafion, to private and publick Advantage? But what do I inftance in Land, a Thing the most improbable; and to which, as it ftands with us, the English can at present have no Temptation? when, befides the Novelty, Weaknefs, and Mutability of Titles, every thing from which the Profit might refult, is render'd fo incommodious to us, and unpracticable, that, as the Tenant hath only his Labour for his Pains, fo the

Purchafer,

Purchaser, instead of Rent, can have only his Land for his Money. Therefore I submit it to you, to chufe any more particular and proper Inftance, (if such there be) where English Mens Eftates lie under fuch a perpetual Tuition, and others may adminifter to him that is yet living. But this Clamour hath fo little of a publick Spirit in it, that it favours rather of that Envy which is among little Artificers, or meaner Merchants, that trade or factor in the fame Commodity: For there is indeed no Man but doth, in fome fort, prejudice another; no Trade, but is to the Detriment of another Trade in fome measure: yet these are all reconciled in the publick Convenience, or Neceffity; otherwife every Country, every Company, every Member, would ftand in another's way, and there fhould be no End of Divifibility. But, if you were in earneft, methinks it would better require your good Husbandry and Infpection, to rectify thofe, whether Trades or Perfons, that fuck out your very Blood, tranfvafating foreign Juices into your Veins; and that, while they export your Treasure and Bullion, prey upon your Vitals. And to difcover fuch others, who, under the Quality of English Merchants, are, as is faid, but Factors for Aliens, and daily spirit away the Wealth and Strength of your Nation beyond Sea. But however you judge and difpofe of your domeftick Affairs, fuffer not yourselves, in regard of us, to be impofed on by falfe Suggestions against your own, and our Intereft.

7. For the Deadnefs of your Manufactures, as well as ours, proceeds not from their interfering with one another, but from differing Causes; wherein it may befit you, first, to confider (for I will not, to the Difreputation of fo many worthy Merchants, affirm what is reported at this Distance) whether feveral of those Companies that are entrusted, and impowered, with the fole Trade of your home-bred Commodities in remote Regions, do not, for their more exceffive Advantage, forbear to buy up that Quantity, which fo great a Part of the World, as lies ftretch'd out in their Patents, but unvifited in their Traffick, would take off, at a more moderate Profit. And whether they do not, for what Quantity they do utter, methodize their buying fo artificially, to fuch Times, Conditions, and reftrictive Regulations, practifing upon the Manufactor's Neceffity, that the poor

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Men

Men lie at the Merchant's Mercy, and their Goods lie fo long upon their Hands, 'till they are forced to receive any Rate from the fingle Chapman's Difcretion. For, whether it be fo or no in this particular, there is that general Malignity in Commerce, that the rich Buyer does fet the Dice always upon the neceffitous Seller: as in the most plentiful Years of Corn, the Ingroffer never thinks the Market low enough. But a more evident and certain Reason of yours and our confuming for want of Confumption, is the Wars, with which formerly, and of later Years, Europe has generally been infested. So that in moft Parts thereof, which were ufually fupplied from you, the People have been much impoverished, and thereby neceffitated to be their own Clothiers firft, and from thence enabled, Industry increafing, fome of them, to furnish their Neighbours. And to this feveral of your own Subjects have concurred, who either not finding themfelves well and eafy at home, or enticed over by greater Profit, have inftructed Foreigners in the whole Myftery of Cloathing, 'till they now have made it a Staple Commodity, and outdo yours for Perfection; Cloth a Staple and what between their finer and coarfer Manufactures, Commodity can both overfell and underfell you at any Market; of Foreign- where you too, that were the fole Merchants, do often ers, in condescend to be their Chapmen. Thus, by the Reciwhich they procation of human Affairs, that Trade which the both over- Wars, upon the Foreigners Refuge with you, first introfell and duced, is, upon Occafion of the Wars, revolved back again, and the Drapery reftored to them in great meafure, even by means of your own Subjects.

Ch. 46. $.4.

Woolen

underfell the English.

8. But the grand Spring of this whole Matter lies in France. That King is a moft vigilant and potent Prince, ftrong in Arms, in Council, in Treasure, and in People; who meafures Juftice by his Intereft. And accordingly, ever fince he manifefted himself, and affumed the whole Direction of his own Affairs, he hath made War to all Europe with his Sword, against his Enemies; but against his Friends (and Enemies alfo) by Traffique ; which is indeed, as the more juft, fo the moft effectual Way of deftroying them. But, among all, none hath, on this latter Account, more fuffered than the Subjects of England. For befides the Wines, which we purchase at moft exceffive Rates, and for the most part with pure

Money,

Money, (although if it pleased the King and Parliament, there might be more generous Wines, and upon better Terms, imported from Italy, and the Mediterranean ;) and befides thofe Trinkets, of which we are fo fond, and to the making of which the French Genius was formerly most adapted; he hath now, for many Years, applied his People to the more folid Trades of Cloth, Silk, and Stuffs; indeed of all things valuable. To this, he hath either wholly prohibited, or, which is tantamount, laid fo exceffive Impofitions upon all English Manufactures, that they are in a manner wholly excluded. Well may you in England complain of the Death, rather than Deadnefs of your Manufacture, when from this Cause it receives fuch an Obftruction, even to Suffocation; when France you are not only deprived of that general and gainful not only Vent you had formerly in France itself, but in all other probibits, in effect, Places where you traffique, you meet the French now at English every turn; and the foreign Poft brings News from all Drapery, Parts, that they are before you, and have underfold you but rivals in the fame Commodities *.

it with

kets.

9. And to this Disease fo mortal, and which it is be- their own yond any private Man to remedy, yourfelves do more in all foparticularly contribute, by thofe vaft Quantities of Wool reign Marwhich, they tell us here, are daily, and now more than ever transported for France, (a Thing that you always prohibit, but it feems you always tolerate;) fo that, in effect, Calis is ftill no lefs your Staple, than while it was formerly under the English Dominion. I will not excufe ourselves in Ireland from the fame Crime, although in lefs Proportion: For wherefoever any Commodity is fo pent up, as with us, it will force a Vent one way or other. But you have, as I hear, a Militia, that in Defiance of all Authority, convey their Caravans of Wool to the Shallop with fuch a Strength, that your Officers dare not offend them: while whatsoever we do of that kind, is more modeft; and wherefoever it lofes its way at Sea, it is firft entred for England, and pays, as I told

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you

*This is to be obferved, againft what we shall hereafter

fee offered for Hiftory on this Head, viz. Before the d Ch. 133. • Peace of Utrecht we had no Rival in the Woolen Manu- §. 1. facture Trade, but the DUTCH.