THE CASE OF THE Master-TAYLORS residing within the Cities of London and Westminster, and the Weekly Bills of Mortality.  
HUMBLY OFFERED To the Consideration of the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, in relation to the Great Abuses committed by their Journeymen.  
THAT towards the latter of End of last Summer, when the Master Tailors were in the greatest Hurry of Business, occasioned by a more than odinary Run of Trade, their Journeymen (not content with the same Wages and Hours of Working as usual, which their Masters, when in Their Station, were well satisfied with) taking Advantage thereof, and likewise of the Universal Extravagance at that Time prevailing, did (after several unlawful Assemblies) enter into a Solemn Combination, having their Names entered into a Book for that Purpose, to compel the Masters to Raise their Wages, and Lessen the Hours of Working, notwithstanding the Laws in Force for Regulating Labourers and Journeymen; Viz. The 5th of Q. Eliz. Cap. 4. sect. 21. settled 15 Hours in a Day for Working, as hath been ever since continued, and at much lower Wages than they have now, allowing for the Difference of the Times.  
THIS Combination of the Journeymen-Taylors was come to such a Height, that Complaint being made to His Majesty's Justices of the Peace against those Offenders, as Loisterers, several of them were bound over to the Sessions, and others to appear in His Majesty's Coart of King's Bench; and their Subscription-Books were also seized, by virtue of the Secretary of State's Warrant: Yet they still continue Obstinate, and persist in putting the abovesaid Difficulties upon their Masters, to the great Prejudice of Trade in general. They also collect great Sums of Money Weekly, to support their unlawful Combinations and Confederacies, to the great Prejudice of the Families of such of them as are Married; which Proceed are of very ill Examples to Journeymen of all other Trades, as is sufficiently seen in the Journeymen Curriers, Smiths, Farriers, Sailmakers, Coachmakers, and divers other Arts and Mysteries, who have actually entered into Confederacies of the like Nature; and the Journeymen Carpenters, Bricklayers and Joiner's, have taken some Steps for that purpose, and only wait to see the Event of a Law for Regulating the Journeymen-Taylors.  
THE Master-Taylors, after several Difficulties occasioned by the Proceed of their Journeymen aforesaid, applied to Parliament; and the Honourable House of Commons were pleased to Pass the Bill now depending before Your Lordships, in order to prevent the like for the future; and therein did grant to the Journeymen, what they principally insisted on, Viz. Shortening the Hours of Work from 6 o'Clock in the Morning, till 8 of the Clock at Night, instead of Nine, which was the usual Custom, Time out of Mind.  
THE Master-Taylors came into the lessening the Hours of Work, in order to indulge their Men, and make them easy, if possible; which Hour of a Day taken off from their Work, will occasion the Loss to their Masters according to the Computation following:  l. s. d. One Hour's Work per Diem lost to the Master per Annum, for each Journeyman, the Master loses 2: 12: 00 If a Master keeps Ten Men at Work, he loses Annually 26: 00: 00 If he keeps Twenty Men at Work, he loses Annually 52: 00: 00 If he keeps Thirty Men at Work, he loses Annually 78: 00: 00  
FROM the foregoing Calculations, it appears, what great Loss the Masters will sustain, and that the Wages settled by the Bill now depending, are ethe utmost that the best Journeymen can possibly Earn; and if higher Wages were to be allowed to the said Journeymen, the Masters must either raise the Prices of making  considerably, or else be inevitably ruined.  
BY the Bill now depending before your Lordships, when at the Honourable House of Commons, the Journeymen were very desirous to have a Clause inserted, to oblige their Masters to pay them their Wages by a summary Way before Justices of the Peace, which the said Masters also readily complied with; and for want of Payment, the said Justices of the Peace are impowered to commit the said Masters to Gaol, without Bail or Mainprize; which is putting the Masters under the same Restrictions of the Justices, as their Journeymen are, and is what they then seemed to be contented with at the House of Commons.  
THAT the Journeymen do still combine to raise their Wages to Half a Crown and Three Shillings per Diem, and out of the said extravagant Wages, they are spirited on by designing Persons, to collect Large Sums for the Support of such Journeymen in Idleness, as are not to comply with Reasonable Wages; and also expend Large Sums of Money in Law and Soliciting, to oppose the Passing of the Bill now depending before your Lordships; which, if the same should pass into a La, would render both the Masters and their Men easy in the said Trade.  
HE Masts humbly conceive, That the leaving for the future (if Occasion should require it) the altering and settling of the Wages and Hours by the Justices, at a General Quarter-Sessions, from Time to Time, as they shall see Cause, is entirely consistent with the Liberty of the Subject, and according to former Laws in the like Cases; viz. That of the 5th of Q. Elizabeth, and that of the 1st of K. James I. give the same Powers to Justices at the Quarter-Sessions. The Journeymen have the same Privileges in Appealing, as the Masters have, by the present Bill.  
WHEREFORE, the Masters humbly Pray, That the BILL, as it no● stands, may pass into a LAW.   

The CASE of the Master-Taylors, etc. Humbly Offered To the Consideration of the House of Peers, in relation to the Great Abuses committed by their Journeymen.