ANGLIAE TUTAMEN: OR, THE Safety of England.  
Being an ACCOUNT OF THE Banks, Lotteries, Mines, Diving, Draining, Lifting, and other Engines, and many pernicious Projects now on foot; tending to the Destruction of Trade and Commerce, and the Impoverishing this REALM.  
With Reflections thereon. Of great Import to all Sorts of People.  
By a Person of Honour.  
LONDON, Printed for the Author: And are to be Sold by John Whitlock, near Stationers-Hall, 1695.   

ANGLIAE TUTAMEN: OR, THE Safety of England.  
THAT Commerce is the Soul of the Universe, and the Life of these Three Sister-Islands, England, Scotland, and Ireland; in their Situation the happiest in the World, renowned for the Courage of their Men, and secured by the Strength of their Shipping, envied and feared by their Neighbours, is well known to every Body; and therefore in the Preservation and Improvement of their Commerce consists their greatest Safety and Glory: Commerce is the Fountain of Wealth, the true Foundation of all real Greatness. Our Inland Trade also aught to be provided for, and encouraged with all imaginable Care and Caution; ill Practices and Abuses at home prevented or suppressed, as well as our Navigation secured abroad.  
Our chief Aim is to advance Honesty, now in its Declension, and to discourage Knavery, now in Vogue and Practice, which has impudently assumed another Name, foul Dealers calling themselves Shrewd Men, Long Heads, and Mercurialists; as if Wisdom or Wit consisted in Sharping and Over-reaching each other. It is pity Cozening and Cheating should be in the Ascendent with Negotiators, seeing that clear and round Dealing is so much an Honour to Man's Nature: The first, in the end, proves fatal and destructive to all Commerce, both Foreign and Domestic: The latter being found, after staunch Experience, to be the best Interest, and truest Policy.  
A fair and clear Discovery of many crafty Cheats, and villainous Knaveries, will be of vast Advantage to the Public, in preserving each Individual from the Rock on which so many have split, and been undone. This Treatise will serve for a Buoy or Mark to the Nation, to beware how they are wheedled and drawn into these pernicious Projects following, viz. Banks-National, Land, Money, Paper or Notes, Orphans, etc. now on foot, and more preparing; Companies for Mines of Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Led, Iron, Antimony, Lapis Calaminaris, etc. Coals, Salt-Rock, and other Engines innumerable; Diving of many sorts, to fish up Wreck, Guns, Tackle, Treasure, Merchandise, etc. Dipping, Japanning, Glass-Bottles, Venetian-Metal, Leather, Linen English, Scotch, New Jersey; Paper White, Blue, English, Irish; Japanned, Printed-hanging, Pearl-fishing, Salt-Petre, Sword-Blades; Waters of the New River, Conduit, Thames, Hampstead, Shadwell, etc. Wrecks, South-Sea, Coasts of Spain, Portugal, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Holland; Lifting-Engines, Drawing-Engines, of several kinds, for Mears, Marshes, Inundations, Mines of all sorts, etc. Lutestring-Company, Lotteries for Money or Merchandise; New Settlements in Carolina, Pensilvania, and Tobago, and other Parts; Convex-Lights, and others; Fisheries Royal and Private; Corporations or Companies of many kinds; Patents, Leases, Grants, etc. With some few more Projects now in Agitation.  
I shall not pretend to observe any strict Method in the Prosecution of this Design, Order and Conduct being almost out of Fashion, at least among Men of Business, though it yet remains in Force and Esteem amongst Soldiers and Scholars; Martialists and Mercurialists always keep a Decorum, and, indeed, retain a true Sense of Honour and Honesty, and have it always in their view; whereas the Traders make no great Pretensions to either, having long since abandoned both.  
And although I did not mention the Bank of England, yet I shall dare to have one fling at that, notwithstanding 'tis so strongly entrenched and fortified, and so thinks itself secure against all Attempts of open Force, or private Stratagem; Artifice won't do, but Argument may; and those that touch Men in their most sensible Parts, their Pockets, usually make the deepest and most durable Impression upon them.  
This Bank was to the Amazement of ourselves, as well as Astonishment of our Enemies, (the French) completed in less time than could have been imagined; and, if the fixed Sum had been double, it would have been all subscribed. We shall applaud the Wisdom of our Senate in the Establishment of it, to answer the Emergencies of the State, (now involved in a doubtful and difficult War,) and we shall please ourselves with a grateful Reflection on the Wealth of our Kingdom, which appeared eminently great at that time; and the more, because a Million-Lottery was also then on foot.  
Yet even this glorious Bank, as much as it dazzles our Eyes, has its real Inconveniences, (and so, you may say, will all Humane Establishments have,) and those very great ones too, not feigned or supposed, (for we speak without the least Prejudice or Partiality) but substantial and true ones, and such as are visible, and have been (and will be more and more every Day) found very detrimental to Trade; it has given a mighty damp to Commerce, which is (as I said before) the Life and Soul, the very Being of this Nation, by cutting off, at one Blow, all Personal Securities, which was the main Help and Support of the Trading-Part of this Realm. It must be confessed this Bank has its Excellencies; for, besides what have been already mentioned, it has almost crushed several sorts of Bloodsuckers, mere Vermin, Usurers and Gripers, Goldsmiths, Tally-Jobbers, Exchequer-Brokers, and Knavish Money-Scriveners, and Pawn-Brokers, with their Twenty and Thirty per Cent. at their Girdles, Procurations and Continuations, and the rest of that Fardel. The good Conduct and fair Management of this Bank, by Men of the best Heads and fairest Reputation, does in some Measure atone for some of the Defects.  
'Tis not to be thought this Bank, as much as they pretend to be for the Public Good, will let their Money lie idly in their Chests, for which they pay Three per Cent. or be contented with so small a Gain as one and a half or two per Cent. but rather will fall upon Monopolies, engrocing of Merchandise, clandestinely managed, and secretly carried on in other men's Names, because 'tis against the Letter of their Establishment, through which they'll wade, when Prospect of great Profit presents; and it being to be shared amongst themselves, 'tis not to be expected they should (like lawless Robbers) fall out, tell Tales, and impeach each other. By this means, I say, by the vast Sums they have always ready by them, they'll break in upon other men's Trade and Business, their Livelihood, nay, their very Property, being under Regulations in Bodies Politic, fenced by Law. Hence Bankrupts and Destruction of Families ensue, the merciless English Laws making no Provision (as in other Countries) for those unhappy Persons, but Prison or Payment of Debts, to them impossible. All Trade lying open, and in common, would be of more certain Utility than enclosed and incorporated; which has been, and is, fatal to this poor Kingdom, exhausted by many Methods, of which I shall treat in their proper Place.  
Alas! the great Dividends the Bank has already made, and is preparing to make, and the hopeful and prosperous Condition (to use their own Words) their Affairs are in, speak plainly, and tell all the World in honest English, that one Part of the Nation preys upon t'other; the mighty Gains that have arisen to them, since their Establishment, being no less than Twenty per Cent. must be a Loss somewhere, for 'tis all within ourselves; and though Banks may very well be compared to ravenous Birds, yet in this they exceed them, the Vultures themselves not preying upon each other. We are all of one Nation, and if we could extract Profits from Foreigners 'twould do well, but from one another, enriches not the Public one jot; for Native Wealth, though fairly sprinkled among the Individuals, and great in the whole, can never render a Kingdom or State so Considerable at home, and formidable abroad, as Domestic Riches augmented and improved by Foreign Commerce; though 'tis not Importation but Exportation inriches a Nation; 'tis not what is consumed among ourselves, nor are Extravagants of such Advantage to a Commonwealth, as some weak People think and affirm: I say, 'tis not what we eat, drink, or wear, or use otherways, at home, either of our own, or Foreign Produce, that is beneficial to us, but the sending abroad vast Quantities of home-made , Stuffs, Serges, Worsteds, Camblets, Silks, Brocades, Linens of various sorts, Stockings of Silk, Worsted, Yarn, and Cotton, Gloves of the same; Caps, Hats, Shoes, Boots, Saddles, Bridles; and, in a word, all sort of English Manufactures, and bringing in the Produce of other Countries in part, or Bullion, or Coin, or good Debts remaining, 'tis this that turns to the best Account; therefore the West is much better for us than the East-India Trade; one wonderfully inriches, t'other mightily impoverishes us: The first by Employing thousands of Poor, and making Multitudes of Rich much Wealthier; the tother by draining us of what we want most, viz. Gold and Silver, which they send thither to a vast value, which in time must make the East-Indies the richest Spot in the World; very little or none of our Manufactures go thither: And what have we in return for our Bullion and Coin? but what we want not, but may very well be without: 'Tis only what gratifies the Pride, Folly, and Luxury of the Age; which is always fondest of what is dearest, and is fetched farthest; valuing things according to the Price and Vogue, not Use and Service.  
Besides, those Voyages murder our Seamen, (our chiefest Strength) hardly one in five returning alive, or at least not found; nor can all the Benefits which we are told arise by that Commerce, atone for the Damage we visibly sustain by it; 'tis apparently the Interest of the Indian Princes to encourage and court us to Trade with them, because we fetch their numberless Manufactures, painted Toys, and brittle Earth, and pay our vital Blood for 'em, our Lives, our Gold and Silver.  
But one word more to the Bank of England, before I make an end of that Head: Since their Establishment, there has been a sensible Decay and Declension of our Inland Trade, known to the greatest Part of the Nation, and may be attested by an Army of Witnesses, many of them, to their Sorrow, in the Temple, Alsatia, and the Mint: And thus much may be said, without consulting any Oracle, if we get happily out of this War, they will not be long lived, I mean, hardly ever renew their Leases, never more be confirmed by Parliament, but the State-Debt paid in, and they dissolved: They hoard up all the good, and pay out the bad Money; they cause the Rise and Fall of Moneys at their Pleasure, which occasions Difficulty and Incertainty in Trade: And this is so well known, that 'tis past all Contest, or Contradiction.  
And now for the National Land-Bank, which stands so high in Fame, and makes so great a Noise in the World, is so Charming and Attractive, that Estates to a very great value have been subscribed in the several Counties of England and Wales, in a very short space, in much less time than was expected; besides, vast Sums of Money, a Committee and trusties being chosen, a Deed agreed on and settled, a Company formed, Directors appointed, Officers elected, and all Things disposed to put this wonderful Project in Execution, to raise Lands to thirty Years Purchase, by reducing Money to three per Cent. the Profits to be divided amongst the Subscribers. These Offers are plausible and specious, varnished and gilded over, baited with mighty Hopes of prodigious Gains to all that shall be concerned, to some, no doubt, there will be, viz. to the Projectors, Managers, and Officers; but, it is such a  and Medley, such a Body, made up of such strange Members, subtle, politic and designing Men, that all pretend the Good of the Republic only, when that of the Re-private is chief intended: The first is proclaimed to tickle and draw in the Easy and the Credulous; but the last designed from the very beginning; for never did Projector yet aim at any thing so much as his own particular Profit and Interest, though they always pretend the contrary. The fair Face and Outside this Bank carries, wins abundance to the Belief of its Design to be Good, but a little time will show the naked Truth, the Juggle and Imposture will appear, and the Bank fall, to the ruin of many, who will be involved and confounded in the Intricacy and Difficulty thereof; the secret and underhand Intrigues carried on, to cajole and wheedle some to Subscribe, to encourage others; large Promises made of greater than common Profits to such; some Men of Quality, others of Business, all of Eminency, prevailed upon to Countenance the Project, to give Life and Reputation to it: These Contrivances, I say, to mention no more, give sufficient Cause of Jealousy and Suspicion, if there were nothing else at the bottom; but the Snake lies close, and in its due time will stir, hiss, by't and sting the greatest Part concerned.  
The Injuries this, as well as other Banks, will inevitably bring upon the Home-Trade of this Kingdom, and Foreign Commerce too, are so plain, and so obvious, that 'twould be but time lost to say any thing more upon that Head: All this and more poor England will find too true, and, I fear, too late. Each petty Negotiator feels it already in his Business, and in his Credit, and is sensible 'twill increase upon him more and more each Day he lives; and the more Banks are established, the more Damage will Commerce receive in every Branch of it. What I have said, and shall offer further in the following Pages, proceeds from no other Sentiments than what arise from the Love of my Native Country, whose Prosperity I wish more Passionately than my own, and for whose Sake and Interest I now draw my Pen, being wholly unconcerned in Trade, or Banks, or Projects of any kind whatsoever; and so, consequently, what I have already delivered, or shall, is void of all sinister Design, private or particular Aim, Revenge, or Resentment; and there are many Pretenders to Public Good, but no such sincere Pursuers of it as myself.  
The Money-Bank follows next, and made a great Noise at first, and filled apace with Subscriptions; but now the last mentioned, and this (like two Whores, being both of a Trade) cannot agree, but are continually pelting one another with Reflections and Wipes, both in Writing and Print, in Letters and Advertisements, and pretend to Predict the Condition and Fate of each other; which, I believe, they may very well do, without consulting the Stars, or the Pretenders to the Knowledge of their Influence; indeed they themselves may best do it, knowing the false and slippery Foundations they are built upon, and the undue Measures they take to support them, notwithstanding the substantial and solid Security of terra Firma. This Bank is indeed more Self-interested and Narrow-souled than the former, which is more diffusive in their Profits to every individual Subscriber, who shall snack, whereas the Money here is to be shared by the Lender's and Managers only. This Bank differs some small matter from tother, but in its Tendency to the Destruction of Trade in general, is of the same Malifick Nature.  
The next that presents is of Paper, of Notes, or Bills of Credit, to pass to and fro, from one to another, in lieu of Coin; 'tis said to be impracticable, though the zealous Projector thinks it not so; nay, some say, unintelligible, though he denies that also; and threatens if it won't go down here in England, it shall travel to Denmark, or France; in the last of which Places, he is sure it will be received and cherished, the Necessity of their Affairs will reduce it speedily into Practice, and the great Soul of that Prince will soon find a Reward for the Projector, suitable to the Greatness and Utility of this wonderful Proposal, which will enable him to Conquer all his Neighbours, his Paper holding out longer than their Money.  
But good Nature, common Prudence, and love of the Country where he lives, keeps the Projector from unbosoming this Secret to Foreign Powers, of which this Kingdom is not (as he says) worthy, because they will not listen to their true Interest, so hearty and cheerfully offered in this time of their Exigency, involved in an expensive Foreign War; which, when it will end, no Man now alive knows, or can make any tolerable Conjecture.  
I have no Spleen against this Undertaking, in particular, having been courted to be a Member, with offers of advantageous Terms, which I scorned and rejected; but, I think, this would have a fatal Tendency, and confound rather than benefit us: The chief Design of the Master of this inestimable Jewel being, as I am fully satisfied, to have the Top-Conduct of the Affair, and, besides, a mighty Salary, to have a round Sum for his Service: There is Self-Interest and Advantage at the bottom of all these Designs. The Money-Banks will all fall in upon Monopolies; though, I think, this may not, for Paper will never pass so currently as Coin, without a National, I mean a Parliamentary Security, which, I believe, will hardly ever be obtained.  
The Orphan's Bank, I think, is the next in succession, and in that we will keep the right Line. The Pretences were fair and plausible for the Establishment of this Fund. Compassion and Tenderness to the Poor and the Distressed; indeed thus far it has done Good, it has quickened that old Debt; which, though it received new Birth from an Act of Parliament, yet it wanted Warmth, Heat and Vigour, which it has gained by this means, and the Credit of that Debt is much advanced by this Method; which is a real Good, and commands Applause: But yet even at the bottom of this Charitable, and Pious Project, Self-Interest and Private Profit lies securely entrenched, and that will be found at the foot of all their Accounts, let them say what they please to the contrary. We shall make the nimbler Transition over this, because it has not the shadow, but substance of real Good; and merits our Praise rather than our Censure, if they keep within due Bounds, without running upon Monopolies; to which they'll be mightily tempted, whenever they find themselves Masters of much Cash; and they being many of 'em Merchants, will know how to lay it out to the best Advantage for themselves. The Fate of this, as well as the preceding Banks, we shall attend with Patience: They are but newly born, just come into the World, do not show themselves in their proper Colours, or act by their own free Will, but rather under the Tutorage and Protection of others. A little time will show us the good or the Evil that waits upon them.  
But now for the Embryo-Banks, which are begot, but not brought forth; (for these Repositories are as fertile as the Womb, and by mingling Matters procreate, and send forth their like,) what shall we say to them, that are not yet shaped, or licked into form? They are much of the same Nature with the rest, and will differ when they come into the World nomine tantum. I have been amongst these latter Projectors, and find their Plots all tend the same way, they are like the Authors of the present Age, they writ but what was written before, only give the Book a pleasant new Title, which goes a great way in the Sale of it; the greatest part of the World being Soft and Silly, and taken with Sound and Emptiness; the modern Men, I mean, the t'other Sett of Projectors all hug themselves with the glorious Prospect of great Profit, arising from their own dear Notions (as they call them, though they are borrowed, being but Grafts or Cyan, young Sprouts from an old Tree;) the great Salaries, and the Lumps of ready Money, hugely please them; the living in Committees at the Public Expense, is no inconsiderable Matter, because it saves them so much in the Pocket. These will be pernicious and destructive if ever they come abroad, and therefore should be crushed, while an Egg only. If, like those Noble, Universal (not National only) Banks of Venice, Amsterdam, Genoa, Paris, Hamburg, they tended to the Promotion of Trade, and Security of Coin; they would merit an Establishment: Such a one as the Bank of England (the best of them all, our All) has obtained; but these are Mushroons, very insipid, without abundance of good Pickle; they come out of Season, and will hardly be worth the Preserving.  
The London-Bank, as one is to be called, which is now preparing for the Press, that it may appear in Public as well as the rest; is of the same Leaven, proposed to be managed by the Principal Magistrates and Chief Citizens, to give Reputation and Encouragement to the Project: But in this the Projectors will infallibly miscarry, because the Chamber-Conduct was so bad, and the City yet remains without Credit upon that very score, the poor Orphan's Sufferings are still fresh in Memory; and we all very well know that it is very difficult, nay, almost impossible to retrieve either Public or Private Reputation, when sunk. Not to go so far back as the Reign of Charles the First, who rashly in a straight seized some Thousands of Pounds, coining in the Tower, belonging to private Hands; and though His Majesty immediately published a Proclamation, to assure them they should have their Principal with Interest in a very short time, which they really had, yet that unhappy Prince could never recover his Credit, to be able to borrow any considerable Sum of his Subjects: The like Fate befell his Son and Successor, Charles the Second, in the Exchequer Business, nothing but Parliamentary-Faith could bring him in any Money after that ill Accident; although, to do that King Right, he did his utmost to satisfy the Bankers and their Creditors, and had put it into a good Method, if his Brother James, when he came to the Crown, had not fallen in upon it, and stopped its Currency; which gave a mighty damp to it; which, notwithstanding the many struggle it has had since the Revolution, (as 'tis generally called,) it has not been able to overeome.  
I shall conclude this Topick of Banks, with a Dissuasive to all People, of all Ranks and Professions, and of both Sexes, to beware how they are drawn into these Snares; they are pernicious Practices, and aught to be kicked out of the Commonwealth. And, if what has been said be not sufficient to prevail upon them, that have not yet been caught, to have a Care of themselves, as also on those that are engaged, in time to draw off, before they have gone too far, and thereby prevent the Misfortunes that will inevitably attend them; I say, if the Arguments I have laid down, and enforced, together with the foul Practices I have discovered, and exposed, be not of Weight enough to deter them from parting so tamely and foolishly with their Land, Money, and Credit, let them proceed, and fall into the Net, spread for them, by crafty and designing Men.  
The poor English Nation runs a madding after new Inventions, Whims, and Projects: And this unhappy Ingredient my dear Countrymen have in their Temper, they are Violent, and prosecute their Projects eagerly for a time, but, not meeting with Success, they give over, and abandon all Hopes of ever doing any Good, never reflecting upon their ill Management, or undue Methods.  
What a Run of Lotteries have we had! That, like a Plague, have spread themselves over the whole Kingdom, of the same Date, though, I believe, not Duration with the Bank; every Body is sick of them; the Town was pleased at first with the Novelty of the Project, but now glutted and nauseated. With what haste they all flew to put in their Money we well remember; the mighty Hopes they said themselves with, each gaping for the highest Benefit; and what golden Promises they made themselves, and how painfully they attended the coming up of their bad Fortune we can't forget; it was for a time the only News, and sole Entertainment of the Town: They, poor Innocents', never considered the Projector's Aim, no less than the Parson's Profit, One in Ten; or, the Royal Deduction in prize-good, of Ten per Cent. would satisfy them▪ and how foully they were managed, every Body is now satisfied. But the Merchandize-Lotteries were worse than the Money, though both pernicious to the People. Why do we thus labour and toil, plot and contrive to Cheat one another? If we could Cheat the Dutch, or the French, 'twould be something; but, to sharp one another, is a very dull Story; and, I doubt, our Neighbours are too cunning for us; I think they have been so hitherto: 'Tis pity the English should be so easy and so weak. The old decayed Merchandise and Rubbish that was whipped off by means of these Roguish Lotteries, was incredible in its Quantity; all sorts of Goods, almost all sorts of Trades concerned; the People were tickled with the Proposals of prodigious Profit, when the proposers intended it only for themselves, making above Thirty per Cent. advance: And this out of the poor Rogues Pockets that were thus wheedled. The general Complaints that have been since made, of the many Abuses and Impositions in those Lotteries, are clear Indications of their Baseness. And indeed the People have been so damnably cheated of their Money, every manner of way, that, I think, they have no need of Dissuasives to venture again, their own Sufferings are sufficient to convince them it is their Interest to forbear.  
The Companies for Mines of Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Led, Iron, Antimony, Lapis-Calaminaris, Coals, Salt-Common, etc. have made a great Noise in the Town, and, indeed, throughout the whole Kingdom; to draw in People to join with them, they have made use of several Tricks and Stratagems; first they pretend a mighty Vein of Gold, Silver, or Copper, to be discovered in a Piece of Ground of their knowledge, than they agree with the Lord, or Patentees, for a small Yearly Rend, or a Part reserved (about a Fifteenth) to him, or them, to grant them a Lease for Twenty one Years to dig that Land; which they immediately fall to, and give out 'tis a very rich Mine; then they settle a Company under Articles, divide it into Shares, usually 400, choose a , a Clerk, and Transfer-Book, and pretend to carry on this Work to the Benefit of the all the Proprietors; who, at the beginning, purchase Shares at a low Rate, viz. Ten Shillings, Twenty, or a Guinea, than all on a sudden they whip up the Shares to Three, Five, Ten, nay, Fifteen Pounds a Share; then they fall to Stock-Jobbing, which infallibly ruins these, and all other Projects; those principally concerned, sell their Interest, draw off, and wholly quit the Affair, which, by this and other means of underhand dealing, tricking and sharping one another, falls to the Ground, and is abandoned by every Body. Nothing thrives, where ever they admit Stock-Jobbing, it has spoiled more good and really useful Designs and Inventions, than all the ill Accidents that have attended them besides. To fetch Wealth out of the Bowels of the Earth, without doubt mightily enriches a Nation, and to employ many Hands gives Bread to abundance of poor labouring People, which is a good thing; and many Undertakers have got great Estates by Copper, Tin, Iron, and Led Ore's and Coals, and their Affairs usually succeed, and turn to a very good Account, when managed by a few honest diligent Men; for of great Use and Consumption are these Things in the State, besides what are sent abroad: But these latter Years have produced a Knot of Projectors that aim only at getting a little Money into their own Pockets, to support their Necessities, which are pressing and pinching, without any regard to the Good of the Company in which they are engaged, which causes a Rupture, and destruction of the whole Design. 'Tis said, that Necessity is the Mother of Invention, and that Poverty whets men's Wits: Thus much I believe, That sharp and narrow Fortunes put Men upon Plots and Contrivances how to overreach, circumvent, draw in, and cheat one another, to support themselves, and wade through a difficult and painful Life; but 'tis pity Honesty is so much abandoned, which carries with it, in all Negotiations, whatsoever so much Honour and real Esteem in the World; that it is established by a Proverb, and yet almost left out of Practice.  
The next Project we shall consider, is the Diving-Engines of divers kinds, all crept abroad since the taking up of the Duke of Albemarl's Wreck, (as it was commonly called for distinction, and because he was concerned in it:) This Wealth that was fetched out of the Sea (after several chargeable and fruitless Attempts,) was trumpeted all over the World, and set men's Heads at work to get more; in order thereto, Patents were obtained from the Royal Fountains, for the sole Fishing of Wrecks on the Coasts of America, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, England, etc. and Societies formed of Merchants and Gentlemen to manage this Affair in several Kingdoms; and then came up Diving-Engines of various make, some like a Bell, others a Tub, some like a complete Suit of Armour of Copper, and Leather between the Joints, and Pipes to convey Wind, and a Polyphemus Eye in the Forehead to give Light, and pretended mighty Feats, staying under Water many Hours, and giving out by Public Shows, and Trials on the Thames, the vast Utility of these Engines, although the foresaid Wreck was cleared, and vast Quantities of Pieces of Eight taken up by naked Divers, both White and Black, without the least help or want of any such Engine; yet People were taken with Noise, led by Fancy, and so hooked: Patents were also gained for the sole Use of these Gimcracks, for Fourteen Years to come; and then about making the Engines they went, and after several Alterations and Amendments, which took up two or three Years, (and at last good for little,) they divided the whole Project into Four, and afterwards as many Hundred Shares, and presented some to People of Note and Figure, to give Reputation to the Affair; and these doughty Names were subscribed to play the Part of a Shooing-Horn, and wheedle in the Easy; Treats and Money given to the Necessitous and Sharp, to bring their Friends and Acquaintance to see the Engines, who were tickled in the Ear with the vast Wealth of Gold and Silver that should be taken out of the Sea with these Tools; and, being led by an avaricious Desire of growing. Rich on a sudden, they come in and were engaged, paid down their Money, and had the pleasure to see a Committee chosen, and Contributions of Ten Shillings or more per Share advanced, and Expeditions sent forward to Scotland, Ireland, Scilly, and the Land's End of England, and up and down upon our Coasts; and the mighty Achievements they performed, was taking up a few Iron-Guns, Chiney-Backs, and Ship's-Tackle, which answered not the End, nor Expenses, which increasing eat up the Stock, and stopped the further Prosecution of the Affair: So these fine Diving-Engines lie by the Walls, are at rest, and, for aught I know, may never more disturb the World with their Noise and Nonsense. 'Tis strange when we reflect what abundance of People have been drawn in and abused, of all Qualities, Gentle and Simple, Wise and Otherwise; and really among 'em some Men of imcomparable Parts and great Qualifications were caught, being allured with the Hopes of gaining vast Riches by this means: And here Stock-Jobbing also made its way, the certain Poison or Bane of all Projects though in themselves never so good and useful; the Patentees got Money, and every Body else lost, and so there was an end of that Matter.  
Dipping, Japanning, Printed Hang, Pearl-Fishing, making Sword-Blades, Glass-Bottles, Venetian Metal, Leather, etc. come next: The first Projectors and Inventors have really got Money, had their Ends, but no Body else that I can hear of; and, while they continued in single Hands, or a few, they throve and flourished, but when ever they fell to Stock-Jobbing, they certainly dwindled away, and came to nothing. Some of these are Useful, and may be for the Public Benefit, but most of 'em are mere Whims, and of little or no Service to the World, though they all proclaim loudly their Worth and Goodness, and employ Agents to magnify their Inventions, and wheedle in innocent and ignorant People; who, being charmed with the Novelty of the Things, (though perhaps but revived, or borrowed from some Foreign Nation) purchase Shares, and so are cheated of their Money; which is worse than Highway Robbing, for they come up Face to Face and demand our Money, and often fight for it before they get it, and sometimes die in the Attempt; I say, these are open and declared Enemies, and so proclaimed by the State, but the tother (by much the base) come with sly Insinuations, and, under the Vizor and Mask of Friendship, decoy in the honest well-meaning Man, and by painting over the Proposals in lively Colours, tinctured with Gold (though lighter than the Leaf) or Silver, impudently asserting the Impossibility of failing of making great Advantages, obtain their cursed Designs, and so go on, playing the Knave; which Title of Honour no Quack in the World bears with more Patience than themselves: now, if these Things were managed fairly and candidly, and above board, they would meet with far greater Encouragement: But 'tis said these Wars have begat Poverty, and that has produced these Projects; the Crown has been open-hearted, and readily granted Patents for the Encouragement of Ingenuity; and more have been taken out within these Seven Years last passed than in Fifty, nay a Hundred before; I mean for trifling Engines and Whims. Oh, a Patent gives a Reputation to it, and cullies in the Company: They had almost as good purchase Land in Terra incognita, for they meet here with very slippery Bargains; and, notwithstanding, the plain and apparent Breaches of Amity and Civil Society by these means, yet these pernicious Practices, to sharp and cheat one another of their Money and Goods are continued; and all this so notorious and so very common, yet, I say, so easy and unwary are abundance of People, that they are daily trapped: Projects, like Parents, beget their like, and multiply wonderfully, Projects upon Projects, Lottery upon Lottery, Engine upon Engine: If any one Man gets considerably by a happy and useful Invention, abundance run immediately into it, and, in spite of the Patent, take with little alteration a Copy, and then out come the Proposals in Print, the Gazettes and Public Papers are crammed with Advertisements, the fourth Column is entirely theirs: And thus they go on to spoil one another, to abuse others; and so the Public suffers by their Folly and Knavery.  
The English, Scotch, Irish, and other Linen Manufactures, if honestly and fairly managed, would be of infinite Advantage to all those Places; and besides the charitable dealing of Subsistence to the numerous Poor, would wonderfully enrich all the Proprietors, and be also for the Public Interest; for the fewer Foreign Commodities we consume among ourselves, the more we save, and consequently get; and if we could be so happy to bring 'em to Perfection fit for Exportation, to supply Markets abroad, we should then pinch the Dutch, the World's common Carriers, and universal Traders, for the more they, or any Foreigners get from us, the poorer we are, and shall be. All due Encouragement has been given to these great Undertake, the present King and late Queen permitted them to be honoured with their Names, which gave a mighty Reputation to them, their Fame risen, and their Credit increased, and abundance of People of Condition were mingled, some led by Lucre, others by Love of their Country, (though of them the fewest) pushed on the Business very vigorously, united and incorporated themselves, chose a Governor and Officers, Inspectors and Comptrollers, actually set at work Spinners, and other Workers, Weavers, Whitsters, etc. and thought it would have produced great Profit, for the Actions mounted apace, and in great probability of being higher, when all on a sudden some greedy, mercenary, mean Spirits fell to Stock-Jobbing, and scared the Easy and Timorous, and brought the Actions down, abundance sold off their Shares, contented with their first Profits, which were considerable, rather than to attend the hazard of making greater in a little time, or losing some of the present, and so by degrees, the Reputation of this mighty Manufacture sunk here, and, I understand, is in a bad Condition, and will hardly be able to hold up its Head, much less to advance any further: The same Fate, is feared, may attend the rest. Now this was really a good Design, and it is pity it had not the good Fortune to flourish, they had brought Linen-Cloth to great Perfection, and had some Dutch Hands, and some few Heads to assist them; I wish they had had of the last: This was indeed a noble Undertaking, and merited well of the Public. By the Assistance of the Dutch we have hugely improved our Lands in the North-Parts of this Kingdom, by sowing vast quantities of Lin-Seed, Rape-Seed, and others; and thence making Oils in great quantities, which we export in abundance, and consume at home, in lieu of Foreign and dearer Oils, to our double Advantage; for the less of the Foreign are imported, and the more of our own exported, the greater is our Gain. The Profits that arise hence are much more considerable to the Landlords and Tenants, than those of any Corn or Grain whatsoever; and how much more we might advance our Lands by sowing Flax and Hemp-Seeds, if our Linen-Manufactures succeeded as they might, is plain to every common Understanding: But, I think, we are not destined to do ourselves and our Country Good. I am sorry that England is so barren of true Patriots, a word so Great and Glorious, that the ancient Romans thought it a very great Honour, and valued themselves very much upon being so called.  
White, Blue, and Brown-Papers, made here in England, Ireland, and Scotland, shall be examined next. This good Fortune we in England have had to improve wonderfully in this Art, and though we cannot reach the French Perfection, yet we come pretty near it, and make much finer Paper than ever, which in this our Exigency, I mean the Prohibition of Commerce with France, is of very great Service to us; but our Hands are dearer that are employed, we cannot work so cheap as the French, because we must have Beef, Pudding, and strong Drink, our People can't live upon Onions, Turnips, and small Soups; besides, our Linen-Manufacture miscarrying, gives a damp to this honest and useful Undertaking; and it is a thousand pities we can't raise Paper to the French Goodness, and lowness of Price, because 'twould tend so vastly to our Advantage, in keeping us from laying out such vast Sums of Money with France, for this Commodity alone, that instead of Importing it from thence, we might Export it to other Countries; which would employ Thousands, and enrich Hundreds. The Linen-Manufacture, on which it partly depends, and by which in great measure it subsists, being so much sunk in its Reputation, that 'tis feared 'tis at its last gasp, irretrievable, stops the growth of this, which notwithstanding is flourishing, and kekps its Head above Water; vast quantities of Paper are daily made here, and the Ragg-gatherers hard put to it to supply us, though they bear a good Price, and has increased that Profession; that some are starving, and others begging, who have assured me the scarcity of Rags is great, and that the young diligent Collectors outdo the old, and go out in the Nights to the Dunghills and Laystalls to tumble them over for this Merchandise, which at this time are mightily called for.  
Waters of New-River, Thames, York-Buildings, London-Bridge, Shadwell, Conduit, Hampstead, etc. are Projections all worthy of great Encouragement, and so the first has had, to the gaining of vast Estates by the Proprietors; though the unhappy Gentleman that began the Work fell by it, and suffered extremely in his Fortune, which ought to have been made up by the City that received such Benefits by his Brains; a grateful People would have erected a Monument to his fame; but we in England keep close to an old Adage, Every man for himself, and God for us all. I think some Favours were shown the Descendants of this Great, though infortunate Undertaker, the Middleton's, who bear his Blood, and carry his Name, were presented with some Shares. This and the Thames Water have gained the Ascendent, and much Money has been got by the latter: They are kept in good Hands, and the Stock-Jobbers, those Moles, those Underminers, and Destroyer's, not suffered to come amongst them, the Jackdaws have been too hard for the Rooks, (as those Gentlemen are called;) but now here are new Conveyances of this useful Element, and humble Servant, Water, laid in the Earth; the Conduit for the City of London, which is better Water and cheaper, imposing no Fine, which the New River arbitrarily and unreasonably did, for which it is meritoriously punished, and the Proprietors clipped in their Profits, by the great fall of their Actions or Shares. The Hampstead also will supply that End of the Town, Holborn, etc. nearest to which it lies; and the Terms are fairer and easier, which lop off more from the New River; but this last, I mean, Hampstead-Water unhappily passes through such Hands, that, in all probability, it will come to nothing, or turn to very small Account; the Stock-Jobbers have broke in, and, I am of Opinion, will break out, outright; that is, ruin the Affair. These are really noble and commendable Undertake, not Whims, or Maggots, Chimeras, or Airy Notions, but real, solid, and substantial Designs of serving the Public, and merit the Approbation of all Men; but the Easy and Credulous must beware of being drawn in to purchase Shares at too dear a Rate, and so be cozened of their Money, for the Credit of all these Waterworks is extremely fallen, partly through ill Conduct, and some later Discoveries, and newer Works.  
Rock-Salt in this Rank leads the Van, deserves our Praise, and shall have it; for that is so wonderfully improved by the Integrity of the Proprietors, and their Prudent Management, that it is ready to come to a Dividend; they are established in a Company, of Gentlemen and Traders, have built a Wharf at Frodsome in Cheshire, have formed Correspondencies in London, and Ireland, and Holland, whither they send great Quantities of this Commodity, which turns to a very great Advantage.  
Salt-Petre shall be the next, but that has had a worse Fate; great Sums of Money subscribed and paid in, large Refining-Houses built in four or five several Places about this Town, Servants entertained, Directors and Clerks appointed, Societies established, and a mighty Noise they made for a time, a loud sounding Name, and of Quality, appeared at the Head of them, and encouraged the Affair, abundance of Gentlemen and Traders concerned, all things disposed in good Methods, a Foundation laid of future Profits, and those extraordinary ones, and as durable as the present War, which called for their Commodity, and brought it to bear a great Price: But of all these Companies, not one, that I can hear of, has made any great Hand of this Matter; it must be confessed the first Projectors have had Success, for they got by it, and then slunk away; the ill Conduct, and Admission of Stock-Jobbers, together with some unlucky Accidents falling in upon 'em, mightily discouraged the Business, and stopped the Progress of it, their Fires are out, their Houses lie neglected, and begin to molder away, their Union dissolved, and a necessaay Project (at this time) lost; and Gunpowder, within this Month or five Weeks, partly by the falling off of this, and the loss of five East-India Ships, advanced from three Pound ten Shillings to four Pound ten Shillings a Hundred, and how much higher it may go I know not, for now the private Refiners, Gunpowder Makers, and Ship-chandlers' have received Encouragement by the Miscarriage of these Men, they'll do their utmost to take their Advantage of it.  
Draining Engines, of divers sorts, have been lately made, to clear Coal, Led, Tin, and other Mines from Waters, which either soak in or spring up, to their hindrance in their Working, damage and charge of the Proprietors; as also other Engines for Draining of Flats, Levels, Mears, Inundations, Springs, etc. These Projects might be of great Use and Benefit to the Public and Private too, for the more Land we recover, and improve, the richer we grow; and that Soil which is under Water, is lost to the Commonwealth, that Tyrant Element doing here no manner of Good; the Earth is rich, being much of it Marle, the best of Land, and we are so unhappy in England to have many Thousands of Acres thus covered with Water, and which have been so, some, time out of mind, others but lately, all recoverable, and drainable, if proper Methods were taken, and with the help of these Engines (of which I have seen several) if fairly undertaken, and at much easier Rates than by the bodily Labour of hired Men; which to feed with Bread, and pay Wages, would prodigiously swell the Account, inflame the Reckoning, and render the Charge excessive, insupportable, and discouraging. That these Projectors have really done Service in the Mines, and effected what they pretended to is manifest, having actually earned between three and four hundred Pounds per Mensem; this I say is notorious to Thousands in Cornwall, and Devonshire, who have been Witnesses to the Operation; and 'tis but just this should be encouraged, for we intent not by this Discourse to expose or discountenance Ingenuity, but quite the contrary, to support and advance it; but, alas, good Inventions, and Schemes, have too often tacked to them fraudulent Designs, of imposing upon unwary People, and engaging them in what is very often injurious to their Purses; and, in plain English, commonly prove palpable Cheats, which I am now labouring to prevent for the future, at least as much as I can, by discovering the private Intrigues, secret Plots, and underhand Deal of the Principal Projectors of this Kingdom, more fully and amply than any Body else can do; besides, nothing of this Kind was ever attempted before, and therefore surely this will be the more grateful, seeing that it preaches up their true Interest in this World, which most Folks pursue more hearty and zealously than that of the tother; which being at some distance, and matter of Faith, rather than Fact, they give themselves but little trouble about.  
Lutestrings, Alamodes, etc. Hats, of several sorts, in imitation of those made in France, for no other can I call it, for they do not come up to their Excellency, though wrought by Native French Men; where the Defect lies, is the Difficulty to discover, some say the Water, others the Gum, some one thing, some another; but this is certain, they are not of that Substance, Beauty, or Durability with those imported from thence; though these Endeavours are mightily to be commended and encouraged, as they are by a general wear of them, (the Silks especially) throughout this Kingdom; Scotland and Ireland have the French in some Plenty, because the Prohibition of Commerce is not observed with the same strictness as here. These Companies have throve, and will, so long as they keep the Stock-Jobbers from breaking in upon them, all is lost, inevitably gone, if they come there.  
Convex Lights, and others, are useful Inventions, and aught to be more regarded than they are, for the Housekeepers contribute but awkwardly towards their Encouragement; for by that means the Proprietors set them at too great a distance, so that they receive not each others Beams, but leave too great a Vacuum; they might be improved also in their Light, which ought to be clearer, and more diffusive, whereas these have Darks. Several have lost that have had Shares, and few (that I hear of) have gained any thing considerable; there are other Pretenders besides the first; which has balked the Business, for 'tis our unhappiness in England (as I observed before) to invade each others Invention, and by Trick and Artifice ruin many hopeful Undertake.  
New Settlements in Carolina, Pensilvania, Tobago, and other Places, make a great Noise in the World. The first Planters fared but ill, having wasted their Substance, without being able to reap the Benefit, laying only a Foundation for the next comer, who may succeed better; and, in all probability, that industrious People, who make up the Gross of those Colonies, (the Quakers, as they are commonly called) will cultivate, and improve a mighty Tract of Land in those Parts, to their future Advantage; though, I think, to the Injury of their Native Country, which suffers now, and will more, by their absence; and, I believe, it will be found impolitic to permit so many People to abandon this happy Island, to Seat themselves in a Soil so remote; for, I think, it is granted by all, That 'tis Number of Subjects, and not Extent of Territory, makes up the Greatness of a Prince; and, if so, we visibly decline, for we are very thin of People at this time, having been exhausted by the unnatural and imprudent Persecutions in the late Reigns, and by the long knocking War in this present. But, Thanks be to God, and our good Stars, our present Constitution, like  of the English make, sits easy on our Bodies, and Minds too; and therefore 'tis pity but a stop were put to these American Travellers, who having gone a great way towards their Establishment in those Places, are willing to go through with it, for their own particular Interest, without any Regard to that of Old England, who then ought to take Care of itself, and keep those Subjects at home, who now have not Reason to retire, seeing they have Liberty of Person and Persuasion, and Property too! So well secured both for the present and the future.  
Fisheries Royal, Greenland, Newfound Land, and others, are worthy our Care and Application: The first has been long talked of, and some Steps made to bring it about, but still one ill Accident or another fell in, and damped it; 'tis now again on foot, I wish it good success: That 'twill be of infinite Advantage to this Kingdom every Body knows, the Benefits are plain and obvious, and so well received, and so often told, they need not be mentioned; our Sage Senate will be ready to establish this, as they did the Greenland, which is like to flourish, notwithstanding some Losses have already attended it. Indeed, I think it highly unreasonable that the Dutch (whom I love as our Neighbours and Allies) should come on our Coasts, and take our Fish, and cure them, and carry them away, and Trade so prodigiously, with them as they do, to the vast Advantage of their State, and to the enriching of so many particular People, and to the employing so many thousand Hands, and filling more Bellies, breeding up great Numbers of Seamen, which calls for our first Thoughts, and deserves our most hearty Endeavours, they being our best Guard; and therefore should have the greatest Encouragement; for our Walls of Oak would not defend us, without their Hearts, all out as firm, stout and impenetrable. I shall say the less on this Head, because so much has already been said by others, and therefore shall conclude this Paragraph with a word or two more. We have now got a KING after our own Hearts, a Prince whose Interest is ours, and who esteems ours His, and who seems destined by Heaven to recover and establish the ancient Honour and Esteem of the English Name and Nation, and who will join with us, and assist us in all Things that may tend to the increase of our Wealth and Reputation; He will make us Formidable abroad, and Happy at home; his Victorious Arms will do the first, and his Wise Councils the last; He will preserve and improve our Commerce, the best Support of his Government, and the sweetest Flower in our Paradise; and though the Hollanders, who chief vie with, and would rob us of this inestimable Jewel; I say, though they are his Countrymen, yet we are his Subjects, he will cherish us and chastise them.  
And now to conclude, for 'tis high time, having spun out this Pamphlet longer than I intended, though I found Matter so flowing, that I could hardly give over; just as I am winding up, and closing mine, I understand there are new Books laid open for Annuities and Lotteries, with which last I thought the Town had been tired; it seems one is fled to Chichester, for there (if full) 'tis to be drawn. As for the Annuities, I find the Projectors by their Proposals intent good Bargains for themselves; which, indeed is the chief Aim they all have: These as well as the former Projects, which I have distinctly considered, will have fatal and pernicious Consequences; for, in the bottom of most, there lies a deep Deceit.  
Pray let us Reflect on the vast Number of Projectors in and about this City, how bare-boned they are, that is, how few of 'em are Rich? Therefore we may conclude, these Airy Gentlemen in some Measure resemble Witches, who do harm 〈◊〉 others, but seldom good to themselves: It is pity there is not a Register of them, (as also of Lands, Houses, etc.) the poor Purchasers of Shares from the first, and of Estates of the last, often meet with bad Bargains; and by that means, viz. of a Register, they might escape the better, and save their Money from being picked out of their Pockets, by these Chameleons, who know no end of Projects, for what they get by one, they lay out in another; so that Poverty seems to be the constant Companion of Projectors as well as Poets.  
FINIS.   

There is lately published, SOlon Secundus: Or, some Defects in the English Laws; with their Proper Remedies.  
Sold by John Whitlock, near Stationers-Hall.