THE MERCHANTS REMONSTRANCE.  
Wherein is set forth the inevitable miseries which may suddenly befall this Kingdom by want of Trade, and decay of Manufactures.  
By I.B. of London Merchant.  
This is licenced and entered into the Hall-book according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed by R.H. February 12. 1644.   

To the Reader.  
READER,  
MY Profession being that of a Merchant, thou must expect the Language and stile in this REMONSTRANCE, answerable thereunto: Let thy thoughts be upon the matter itself, weigh it well, for it is of such concernment to the welfare of the whole Kingdom, that it must stand and fall with it.  
Farewell. I. B.   

The Merchant's Remonstrance.  
TRade is the life of a State, Manufactures are the sinews of Trade, and Money is the soul of both. There is such a necessary connection and dependency between them, that the one cannot subsist without the other; The last doth animate the second, and the second supports the first, and the first gives motion and quickening to the other two. Now of all sorts of Trade, Traffic hath been always esteemed the most noble, because the most hazardous; And Traffic is most proper and useful to Islands, whose security and power depends principally upon shipping, and naval strength. Amongst Islands, this of great Britain hath been from all times held the most rich, and renowned, as well for the fertility of the soil, and temperature of the air; As for the substantial and necessary native commodities it affords in such plenty to advance Trade, and oblige all other Nations. Now there is no greater enemy to Trade than War, be it in what Country it will; our Neighbours the Hollanders excepted, who by so long a habit of War seems to make a Trade of it; They are the only men who by the advantage of their situation can fish best in troubled waters; witness the tumults of Germany, and these of England and Ireland. Yet foreign war is not so great a disturber of Trade, nor half so destructive, as intestine; For as the fire that's kindled within doors, and in the bedstraw, as it were, rageth more violently: so civil War ruins Trade faster than any other, and makes poverty and desolation post in one after the other, wheresoever it is kindled. Now the drift of this small Remonstrance is, to show the great misery that may suddenly befall this Kingdom through want of Trade, and the evil effects it may produce.  
First, for that the chiefest way of enriching a Kingdom, is the expense of its native or home commodities (that can well be spared) in foreign parts; if it fail, the Manufacture must cease, by which means many thousands of poor Families, which have no other maintenance by their daily labour, or by what each day's work will afford them, will be suddenly exposed to beggary.  
Secondly, divers Workmen or Artificers, through want of employment here, will doubtless go into other Countries, and exercise their Trade, whereby it may come to the knowledge and practice of strangers, as I fear is already: being at the penning hereof informed, that in Zealand there are Looms set up for Perpetuano's, and other Stuffs: And that in other places they are not idle, setting up daily Looms for Cloth, etc.  
It will perhaps be objected, that if our Wool (which is the chief material) be wanting, they will fail of the exercise of their Trade in foreign parts: I answer, that such Wools may be had elsewhere, as will serve their turn, by the due mixture of such sorts as will fit and agree best together.  
Witness, The store of course Cloth made in High Germany, where about 20000 English Clothes, narrow Lists (commonly called by the Merchant Adventurers, Franckfort sorts) each Cloth containing 28 yards in length, were yearly spent, and since not above 2000 vented of the said sorts; the cause whereof, was that unhappy Project of dying and dressing of Cloth by Sir William Cockaine and others: which so much insenced the Germans (for if it had taken effect, many Families of Clothworkers and Dyers would have been destroyed) that they used their utmost endeavours to practise the making of the said sorts of Clothes; which had such success, that in a very short time the expense of those sorts of English Clothes, was brought down from so great, to so small a number. That Project found the like or worse entertainment in Holland, and other parts of the Low Countries, where, before that time, many thousands of finer sorts of English Clothes were more vented then now are; so that it was observed, that whereas before the said Project was put in practice, there were about eighty thousand English Clothes of all sorts per annum, exported by the old Company of Merchant Adventurers, that in the new Companies time and since, not much above thirty thousand, whence this Inference may be easily drawn, That Innovations in a State or Commonwealth are always dangerous, and sometimes destructive.  
Before the late war between us & Spain, there were sent hence thither great store of knit Stockings; but the Importation of all English commodities into that King's dominions being prohibited, his Subjects put in practise the making of Stockings, and in those quantities, and at such easy rates, that since we have had peace with that King, it hath been free for English Merchants to import those of the Manufacture of our Country; yet very few are sent, for that they cannot be afforded at such low rates as those made there. That people did then also practise the making of Bays, which 'tis probable, had taken such effect, that if the war had continued betwixt the two Kings somewhat longer, the vent of English had been there quite lost. Hence it followeth, That War with foreign States is destructive to our Manufactures.  
But admit that foreign Nations, notwithstanding what hath been said, will in some measure have need of some of our Woollen Manufactures, we shall not be able to furnish them therewith, the chief material Wool being wanting; which want must follow when our Sheep are destroyed; and with them, all other kind of Cattles, if this most unnatural war continue but a short time.  
The Hollanders are an industrious and diligent People, and watch all opportunities to engross all the Trade they can into their own hands, they have certainly a vigilant eye over our Actions, that Lethargy which hath seized on us, will make them the more watchful; they will make no little use of our distractions; they will be ready to take hold of what we let lose, and with great eagerness pursue what we let go; we shall not so soon be out, as they will be in.  
Lastly, if the Traffic of this Kingdom be once lost, what will then become of it? what will then be preserved?  
Our Ships, the walls of this Land will rot, and moulder away.  
Our wealth and Estates will be consumed, and no means left for recovery.  
Tenant's will be disabled from paying their Landlords, and they, viz. the Landlords, for want of supplies of monies by their usual Rents, will not be able to furnish themselves, and Families with commodities needful, vented by men of sundry Trades, viz. 

Woollen & Linen Drapers.  
Mercers.  
Silkmen.  
Grocers.  
Haberdasher's.  
Vintners, etc. together with most sorts of Handicraftsmen, or Artificers.    
Part of the commodities wherein they deal, being native, or of our own Country, both for the materials and Manufacture, and part brought into this Kingdom from foreign Countries. Now those sorts of Tradesmen failing of the vent of their commodities, the Trade of Merchants into other Kingdoms must cease, there will be no need of them, thence will follow the decay of Ships, Mariners, and sundry sorts of Artificers, Labourers, and many others that have their dependency upon them. This mischief will not be altogether confined and bounded within our own Land, it will extend itself (like an Epidemical disease) into all or most other Kingdoms where we have Trade: For, if we take not off the commodities of those Countries in exchange of ours, they must suffer, and that not a little by it, and for remedy partly, for want of their accustomed employment, and vent of their said commodities; and partly, by reason of the want of ours, be enforced to seek out, and learn other Trades, and very likely pitch or fall upon the making of such as are here made: For, as in the Body natural, there is such a sympathy and connection of the parts, that if any of them be distempered, the rest hath a sense thereof: so it may be said of the Body of Trade, one Part hath such a dependency upon another, that if any one fail in any remarkable manner, the rest will in time suffer thereby.  
The Merchant's Strangers, both here and abroad, in regard of these troubles, have withdrawn most part of their Estates hence, and will have shortly little in this Kingdom: We shall have no little want and miss of their moneys, which we receive of them here, partly by Exchange from foreign Parts, made over, or remitted by our Factors, in return of such commodities as we usually send hence to our said Factors; and partly, by the taking up of their moneys here by Exchange, to be repaid by our Factors abroad; which moneys are commonly employed in the commodities of this Kingdom, which hath been no little furtherance to the more abundant vent of our Manufactures, and hath been otherwise a great help to our Merchants, specially to some of the younger sort, who had small stocks wherewith to begin their Trade; the want whereof, I mean of the Stranger's Money, must cause a great decay of Trade; and if once gone, as is almost, though a present Peace should follow, it will not be so easily brought bacl; They will in the Interim find or use other ways and means for employment of the same.  
By loss of Trade all sorts of People will fail of employment in all parts, and so wanting means to maintain themselves and Families, be driven into such straits (for Necessitas turpia coget) that they will lay hold on of what is next for their support; neither Laws Divine, nor humane, will be able to restrain them, a general confusion of, and in all things will follow. This Nation will become contemptible, and a scorn to all others, and be subject to be invaded and made a prey of by foreign people.  
Having thus briefly given a touch of the miserable effects the want of Trade may produce, which want (as beforesaid) must follow, if these sad distempers continue: I humbly leave the prevention to the trusties of the Kingdom, whose hearts I beseech God may be forthwith moved to take a matter of so great concernment into their serious consideration, not forgetting how easy a thing it is, Principiis obstare. And that as War in general, so intestine War is one of the greatest scourges of God Almighty, and a visible Argument of his displeasure, and vengeance upon a People.   

Pag. 3. line 13. read (but by)  
FINIS.