CONSIDERATIONS TOUCHING TRADE, With the advance of the King's Revenue, and present Reparation of His MAJESTY;  
Containing these four Heads viz. 

1 From the Customs.  
2 From Fines and Confiscations.  
3 From Acts of Resumptions.  
4 And from Subsidies.    
Humbly Represented to the view of the Right Honourable high Court of Parliament.  
Printed in the year, 1641.   

CONSIDERATIONS TOUCHING TRADE; With the advance of the King's Revenue, and present Reparation of His MAJESTY.  
RIGHT HONOURABLE,  
AS one of the meanest (amongst millions) carried in the public Bark, so lately in an impetuous storm; neither can I (as yet) say secured from the Naufrage; I have taken the boldness to present your Honours (the members of the great Council, of the King and Kingdom) with some considerations touching the heads of the title, which (as you like them) dispose as you please and suffer me to be (as I desire) obscured, and to stand in the dark, as a well Wisher to my King, and Country, hoping that you will pardon my boldness, if I present you with the public fear; which is, that this Parliament will not be so propitious as it hath been hoped, through your own faults, and the desire that transports many of you to save his friend; whereby the reformation cannot have the full effect which it ought to have, which may cast a brand on your endeavours, in frustrating the public work, or at least leave an aspersion on you for a lame and imperfect emendation.  
It was the late King's Oracle, that the seat of justice, which now you hold in the greatest judicatory of the Kingdom; is neither a place to pleasure friends, nor to wrong enemies; for you are suum cuique tribuere, without respect of persons. And then as soon as you can, to remember the King's graces, in conferring power upon you, whereby to right the publiques, who (in respect of his reparation) hath hitherto been left out of your first considerations; which in due time is hoped, shall neither be forgotten nor so stinted, that the Limitation may leave behind it the least resentment of your neglect towards his Majesty's particular.  
The advance of the King's Revenue, with the payment of his debts, is doubtless a task of very great difficulty; so to do it, as that the subject in general (of late years strangely oppressed) may not again sink under that burden, which may be imposed by the Parliament, but that the house in justice will endeavour to saddle the right horse.  
Wherefore it is conceived, that there are but four ways, how (as from four Fountains) this work may be best done, and with least grudge, to set the King upright.  
And these are first: 

1. From the Customs.  
2. From Fines and Confiscations.  
3. From Acts of Resumptions.  
4. From Subsidies.    
Now the greatest of any one Income of the Kings, & that which may be much more if well managed, without doubt, is that which issueth from the trade, and commerce of the Kingdom, which are the customs; so that if trade be oppressed, or imprisoned as now it is; and the moneys of the Kingdom imbeziled and carried out, as since the last three years troubles it hath been most excessively, both by the Dutch and French, you may be sure to see (in a very short space) all the land in a general Indigency and Beggary. For remedy whereof besides divers pieces tending to this purpose; I have surveyed three gentlemen's honest endeavours. First, that of Sir Ralph Maddisons. 2. Secondly, that of Captain Roberts (both in print.) Thirdly, a short paper in Manuscript of master William Turnours. And from these you may draw excellent instructions, but I presume Master Turnours' paper of heads will yield you more, and by fare, the best furnishments, both for home and foreign trade, with the advance thereof; if the over-merit of them hurt not, and that they be well understood and secretly carried; with this Maxim; that a rich subject makes a rich Prince.  
That the customs in future shall be executed by Commission, is already conceived, to be resolved by the wisdom of the House: for by this way the King shall be sure, to have all that which the Farmers, and some others have (for many years past) shared and taken from His Majesty by a great deal of Artifice, and to the great damage of the universal trade of the Kingdom.  
The whole proceed whereof during these forty years and upwards, no man knows so well as Master Turnour, as one long versed in trade, and studied in the advance thereof, together with the secrets of the Farms, and ways of the Farmers.  

The Contents of Master Turnours' secrets are as followeth.  
1. An evident way how to advance the trade of the kingdom.  
2. An infallible way, how to preserve the King's customs from stealing, which should it be put in practice, and presently to vindicate the man, or the party from whence it was stolen.  
3. How to vent all the native commodities of this Kingdom, were they fare more than now they are, at reasonable and gaining rates, both to the Gentleman, Merchant; and country man, and therewith to buy up all stranger's commodities which may lie on their hands, and to serve the subject at reasonable prizes, with as much as may suffice the Kingdom, and to vent and transport the rest with advantage.  
How to supply His Majesty within ten day's warning, with the value of his whole Revenue on any sudden occasion, or foreign Enterprise, (gratis) and so from year to year on the only credit of his own Revenue.  
How to make the city of London the great Mart and Empory of the world.  
How to manage the fishing business with ease, and to the incredible enriching of the King and the Kingdom, and to the perpetual honour of the English Nation.   

These are Master Turnours' principals, besides some particulars, which are utterly lost, if but publicly disputed.  
For furtherance whereof a principal consideration will be how to settle a Commission for trade, by the authority of the King and the Parliament, with correspondency to the Commissioners, for managing the King's Revenue, wherein it is further to be considered, what the house shall think fit to leave on His Majesty of the present Impositions, lest by taking away too much before it be consulted by the Commissioners for trade, when and where to take it, the King's Revenue may be made of little consideration: especially when you shall look bacl to the many Alienations and diminutions of the Crown Lands, and the house thereof may be deprived of doing that service, which it is presumed they mean to do, and in that bountiful measure, as that it may remain unparaleld to posterity.  
Wherefore it is conceived, that excepting some Monopolies which invade the liberty of the land, and entrench on the native commodities of the Kingdom, you can not well as yet and at present take away much, but rather leave it to be taken away by the Commissioners for trade, which should be most of them of both houses with some Merchants, whereby as occasion shall present itself, both the native and foreign Merchant might be encouraged, and the King with the subject in general well pleased, with your discreet and provident proceed, for as one of our weightiest Authors observes, it cannot be well with a state where the Prince and people seek but to obtain their several ends, and to work upon the advantages of each others necessities,; where they should go hand in hand in a reciprocal co-operation, for the advance of the public, wherein the benevolence of the subject should ever preceded, the better to draw on the Prince to a Royal retribution, and to comply with his people in all just and honourable conjectures.  
The second Fountain, from whence His Majesty may best cheap be repaied, is from fines and confiscations, which in the justice of the house may be laid on delinquents without partiality, and for the ease of the subject in general, since it is impossible to set the King upright (only by subsidies without beggering of the Countryman: Wherefore it is presumed, that such will be the wisdom of the house, that they will lay a good part of the burden on those which would have laid perpetual slavery and bondage on us all.  
3. The third Fountain from whence to repair the King, is from Acts of Resumptions, and these are of two sorts.  
1. First, Bargains and sales made by the late Commissioners for sale of His Majesty's lands, wherein if it may be made apparent, that the King hath been abused, and cozened in any particular of consequence, and that there hath been divers Bargains not legally contracted for, and according to the limitation, and warrant of His Majesty's Co●… 〈…〉 King aught to be righted, since 〈…〉 that in this way there hath bi●… 〈…〉 fraudulent conveyance.  
A second sort of Res●… 〈…〉 ●…ch you account me no Heretik●… 〈…〉 (I do not say aught to be take●… 〈…〉 ●…ch, for that were sacrilege) should be the Bishop's lands, which in the potency of the 〈…〉 ●…apacy have been, quo jure, engrossed God knows, and cui bono-with-held, judge you; and to what end, more than to the perpetual disturbance of this Kingdom, and all the world: where a needless superfluity of temporal fortune hath been ever the bellows to pride, and arrogancy, and a restless ambition throughout all Ages inseparable & incident to the pontificial Clergy which can never be extinguished, till the original cause, abundance of temporal fortune, be removed, which hath ever been the poison of the Church. But with this proviso, that the Church may first be righted, I mean, that all the Impropriations of the land, heretofore merely raped by the excess of Episcopal power from the church, and annexed to their own fees; or to the useless and idle Monasteries, may be first redeemed out of the Bishop's lands, and resettled in the old and right place, for the better maintenance and encouragement of Scholars and able Divines, whereby the cures and chapels of Ease converted into Barnes and Stables in many places of the Kingdom, as well as the Mother Churches, may be better served than they have been, the remainder to be settled on the Duke of York. And of this with the many and further reasons thereof, both for the security of the King, and quiet of the Kingdom; May you be pleased to receive fuller satisfaction from a few papers apart, which happily may not be altogether unworthy of yours, and the Parliaments serious and second consideration.  
4. The fourth Fountain from whence to repair, the King is from subsidies, which should they not be sparingly imposed. It must necessarily beggar most of the poor inferior Yeomanry of the Kingdom. Since it is conceived, that 20. subsidies cannot set the King upright, which (I say) should they be levied upon poor Renters and Farmers (generally indebted) and of late years much cast behind hand, through the late troubles and fall of their commodities, would ruin many a poor man. For twenty Subsidies amounts to 20. marks to him that is rated at 5 l. goods, and to 20. l. to him that is rated at 4 l. lands, which must enforce one of these evils, if he be not aforehand, to sell half his Cows, or half his Team to pay the King, who may perhaps owe the Usurer for all the stock he employs.  
And here the inequality, and unconscionable disproportion of rating of the subsidies, may be opportunely presented unto your consideration, wherein the old Riddle is fully verified, that Deuce ace cannot, since sink will not, but cater trey must, the poorer sort cannot pay the King: the greater sort, as having the law in their own hands, will pay but what they please, but the middle sort, they must and shall pay; and in such a disproportion as is insufferable; for demonstration whereof.  
john a style hath in the parish of Alcat 100 l. land per annum: And it is all the estate he hath, the Sessors rates him at 5. l. lands, which is the usual ratement for men of that quality; Sir William a Downes hath in several counties and parishes 1000 l. per annum, resides at Grantham, where he is of the Commission of the peace; and can ease himself, and is rated at 20. l. lands, and sends his Certificate from Grantham, how he hath there paid the subsidies, which acquits him in all other places.  
Sir john a Nokes hath in divers counties and parishes 10000 l. land per annum, and is rated 100 l. lands. Now the Parliament for relief of the King, grants His Majesties tenentire subsidies, which for john a styles, payment, ariseth to ten pounds: Sir William a Downes payment, (whose estate in true valuation is ten times to that of john a styles) ariseth to 40. l. which ratably should be 100 l. so that the King is cozened by Sir William a Downs 60. l. in one hundred.  
And Sir john a Nokes, payment ariseth to 200. l. which rateably to Sir William a Downs true valuation, and to john a styles sesment, it should be 1000 l. So that on true valuation, the King is cozened in 11000. l. land per annum, (and held by great men) 860. l. declaro; which through the Kingdom, looseth the King two thirds (at the least) of that which of right his Majesty should have; which would triple his Majesty's Subsidies, were he well dealt with all: and this is without all contradiction: the remedy whereof is easy, let every man's estate (where so ever it lies) be made liable to pay proportionably. And as your Cater treys and middle sort of people, are usually rated by the justices or their appointment, then shall you do right, both to the King and the middle sort of subjects.  
Wherefore you can never do yourselves more right, then to redress this abuse, where you may do such a service for the King, as that his Majesty may be brought in love with you, and with Parliaments, and therewith manifest it to the world, that you came not to the house to contest and capitulate with Sovereignty, but to win his Majesty your loyalty and bounty, and to cure that wound, which others have made almost incurable through their insincerity, and preferring of their perilous and desperate counsels, before safe and faithful advice. And for the better explanation of the even and just rating of lands. If the Parliament shall think fit to sesse every 100 l. land a year that a man hath, to pay 20. s. for a Subsidy.  
Then if john a Nokes hath 100 l. a year, (whereof 50. l. a year lies at Lambeth) there he must pay 10. s. & hath 25. l. land a year at Kensington, there he must pay 5. s. and other 25. l. at Islington, where he must pay the other 5. s. And this proportion to be sessed ratably for every man's estate, in several parts where it lies.  
Some considerations which have not as yet been spoken of in Parliament, from whence both the King and the Subject (as they may be handled) may reap both infinite profit and contentment, whereof two principals are here offered to your consideration.  
The first is touching the Court of Wards which concerns none but the rich men of the Kingdom.  
The second is touching such a Manufacture, as concerns both all the poor and rich men of the Kingdom, which (introduced) will necessarily set all the idle and poor people of the land to work; and enable them to get an honest living, after the pattern of Edward the third, who first introduced the woollen Manufacture, which (to this day) employs a Million of poor People, which without it, within 3. Months would starve for want of a subsistence, for let no man flatter himself that the wools in England (were they double in quantity to that which now they are) can employ all the people of the land; for that the fourth part of the Inhabitants of most of the parishes of England, are miserable poor people: and (harvest time excepted) without any subsistence, the number whereof, daily grow and increase, without any regard to the redress.  
And therefore there can be no such prevention so ready and profitable, both for the enriching of the King and the subject, as the reinforcing of the sowing of hemp and flax throughout every parish of the Kingdom, which amongst divers others, (I know not on what ground) were repealed, ultimo of the late Queen, the effects whereof, would be many, both pious and profitable, as  
First, this manufacture alone, would without doubt employ all the poor people of the land in the very places of their abode.  
Secondly, in very short time we might all wear our own linen, and therewithal export some.  
Thirdly, we might use our own sails, and cordage, and as good as any is in Europe.  
Fourthly, we might save the Kingdom, 500000. per annum, with the least, expense for linen and cordage, to foreign nations.  
And of both these, as you shall approve, you may receive many notable remembrances, both concerning this Manufacture, and the proceed of this Parliament, touching the Court of Wards, about 11. jacobi, where it was then in question to be compounded for, by the Parliament, with divers passages therein, not unfit for your present consideration, if compared with the excessive compositions there now imposed, with what in future they may come unto, to the utter ruin of your posterities. Since the world knows that the undoing of poor Orphans (committed by the laws of the land to the King's Protection) suits not with the nobleness and goodness of the King's nature: Besides, the workmanship of Feoders and Escheators in the inthraling of the subject, and deflowering of the ancient Tenors of the Kingdom; and in drawing in of all the lands (as in short time it may be expected) held in soccage, within the Tenure of military service. For if his Majesty may have more rend then now is, raised by the Compositions, and the subject better concented; when in his life time, he knows both his own and his son's payment. I see no reason but this proposition may be acceptable, both to the Sovereign and subject, especially when you shall not only know the utter-most of your pains, but preserve your posterity from falling into a more intricate Labyrinth, then is commonly taken into every man's regard.   
FINIS.