THE CLOATHIERS' ANSWERS to, and REASONS against THE Hamburgh-Company.  
WHEREAS a certain Printed Paper, entitled, An Humble Representation of the State of our Woollen-Manufacture, has been industriously handed about, in favour of the Hamburgh-Company; we shall, in the first place, most readily concur with the Representer, in the following Proposals, (viz.)  

I. That the most effectual Means be taken to prevent the Exportation of Wool.  
II. That the Price of the Workmanship of the Poor be kept up.  
III. That 'tis necessary we have all possible Advantages of Dying Materials, so that our Goods may be Exported more fully Manufactured.  
iv That the Measures for Cloth may be duly Regulated, and the Goodness of our Manufactures kept to a certain Standard.  
V That the Wooll-Broggers be suppressed, and the Market at Blackwell-Hall brought to a due Regulation.  
VI That the Aulnage is become Oppressive, and very Vexatious.   
These, and all other wholesome Regulations of the like nature, we desire may be established as the Wisdom of the Parliament shall think meet. But (with Submission) if the Exportation of our Woollen-Manufacture be not Free, and the same rendered as cheap as possible to Foreign Markets, all our Regulations will sail in their effect. Now the Hamburgh-Company has been the Cause of rendering our Manufactures dear to Foreign Markets, (as we shall immediately prove) and yet these are the Men for whom the Representer so earnestly pleads, under the Name of the Merchant-Adventurers of England; and therefore we suspect his Design is to prejudice our Trade, or that he has no Design at all: For he forgets himself, and the Cause he pleads, when he says, The having but one Seller of Alum, savours of a Monopoly, and so justly speaks against Monopolies: And so do we, and therefore against the Hamburgh-Company, because that has been, and would be (if encouraged) the greatest Monopoly that has been known.  
Whilst the Trade was limited to the Hamburgh Company only, there were several Woollen-Manufactures actually set up at Liege, Viviers, Cologne, Silesia, etc. which, during the time of a 〈…〉 have been much discouraged, and many of them laid down again; which sufficiently 〈…〉 

sliness may be Exported more fully Manufactured.  
iv That the Measures for Cloth may be duly Regulated, and the Goodness of our Manufactures kept to a certain Standard.  
V That the Wooll-Broggers be suppressed, and the Market at Blackwell-Hall brought to a due Regulation.  
VI That the Aulnage is become Oppressive, and very Vexatious.    
These, and all other wholesome Regulations of the like nature, we desire may be established as the Wisdom of the Parliament shall think meet. But (with Submission) if the Exportation of our Woollen-Manufacture be not Free, and the same rendered as cheap as possible to Foreign Markets, all our Regulations will fail in their effect. Now the Hamburgh-Company has been the Cause of rendering our Manufactures dear to Foreign Markets, (as we shall immediately prove) and yet these are the Men for whom the Representer so earnestly pleads, under the Name of the Merchant-Adventurers of England; and therefore we suspect his Design is to prejudice our Trade, or that he has no Design at all: For he forgets himself, and the Cause he pleads, when he says, The having but one Seller of Alum, savours of a Monopoly, and so justly speaks against Monopolies: And so do we, and therefore against the Hamburgh-Company, because that has been, and would be (if encouraged) the greatest Monopoly that has been known.  
Whilst the Trade was limited to the Hamburgh Company only, there were several Woollen-Manufactures actually set up at Liege, Viviers, Cologne, Silesia, etc. which, during the time of a Free Trade, have been much discouraged, and many of them laid down again: which sufficiently Answers what the Representer would fain have the World believe, (viz.) That the Hamburgh-Company is the Guardian of our Woollen-Manufacture. And to Answer his other Chimeras would be needless and troublesome, We now proceed to give our REASONS against the present, or any other Hamburgh-Company.  
A Hamburgh-Company is the most unnecessary of any Company yet known; for that Hamburgh is so near Home, and has been always so much at England's devotion, that that Trade may be easily managed without being at the Charge of a Hamburgh-Company, and therefore the Charge to support the Company is altogether needless. And though it may be said, That the Company raiseth that Charge amongst themselves; yet 'tis evident, that their Members must have it again out of our Manufactures, so they will be sold the dearer at Foreign Markets, which will very much prejudice the Clothing Trade here, and occasion the erecting again of other Manufacturies Abroad. And whereas the Company so much extol their Privileges and Immunities, which they pretend to have both at Home and Abroad; we know of none they have at Home but this, (viz.) That one not Free of that Company, pays, by virtue of a Patent granted by King Charles II. to a certain Duchess, for a long Western Cloth White, upon Exportation, 5 s. per Cloth; whereas one that is Free pays but 1 s. 4 d. per Cloth, over and above the King's Duty: Which looks rather like a Discouragement to our Manufacture, than a due Immunity of the Hamburgh-Company. And as to their Privileges and Immunities Abroad, whatever they be, they are such as will not countervail the Charges they must raise amongst themselves, and by this they render our Manufactures still dearer to Foreign Markets.  
But we presume, no body does grudge or envy them for their Immunities; they may sit quiet in the enjoyment of them. If we have but a Free Trade, we are contented: And (with Submission) a Free Trade in our Woollen-Manufacture is what England is chief to consider, and not those trifling and petty Immunities of the Hamburgh-Company Abroad, from which England reaps no Benefit.  
Experience has shown, That a Free and Unrestrained Trade is most beneficial to our Woollen-Manufactures: For in the three succeeding Years after Passing the Act 1 W. M. for a Free Trade, there was bought, and actually Exported (though in a time of War) to Holland, Flanders, Brabant and Germany, of our Woollen-Manufactures, to the value of 400000 l. and upwards, from the Port of London only, more than was Exported in the three Years preceding the said Act, when the Trade was limited to the Hamburgh-Company only; as may appear by the Entires in the Customhouse Books, relation being had thereunto.  
A limited Sett of Men will buy but when they please; but when the Trade is Free, there will be constant Buy. Experience has evidenced this: For when the Trade was confined to the Hamburgh-Company, they allowed but two Exportations in the Year, to the end the wealthy Merchants might make their advantage of the poorer sort of Cloathiers, who not having sufficient Stocks to keep their Goods from one time of shipping to another, were often necessitated to sell for great Loss, to the Ruin of their Families, and many Poor which they employed. But since the Trade has been Free, the number of Buyers are much increased, and thereby our Manufactures constantly in good demand; every Cloathier exposing his Cloth to Sale in the Market, may every Week have several Chapmen, and sell for Ready-Money, and at better Prices than were ever known when the Trade was confined to the Hamburgh-Company only. And a Free Trade is evidently the chief, if not the only Reason, that Wool has yielded such good Prices for many Years past, having generally sold for above one Third part more than it did when the Trade was limited as aforesaid. And since a Free Trade has been granted, all the Chief Trading Towns in Germany have been so plentifully supplied with our Manufactures at the best hand, that the Foreign Woollen-Manufactures have been much discouraged, and the wearing of ours, grows daily more in esteem.  
The Germans never could nor would be prevailed upon (notwithstanding the pretended stocked Aware houses of the Hamburgh-Company at Hamburgh) to make some hundred Miles Journeys thither to buy our Manufactures, but would be provided, from time to time, according to their own Patterns, from England, especially when thus they could have them above 10 per Cent. cheaper; and if they could not have them directly from England, they would provide themselves elsewhere; which very much tended to the obstruction of the Sale of our Woollen-Manufactures, and the erecting of Woollen-Manufactures in Foreign Parts.  'Tis true, the Hamburgh-Company offer to admit any of His Majesty's Natural born Subjects into their Society, for such a Fine as shall be thought reasonable. 
〈…〉 to be an Ensnaring Invitation, for that no body can be admitted without 〈…〉 necessitated to sell for great Loss, to the Ruin of their Families, and many Poor which they employed. But since the Trade has been Free, the number of Buyers are much increased, and thereby our Manufactures constantly in good demand; every Cloathier exposing his Cloth to Sale in the Market, may every Week have several Chapmen, and sell for Ready-Money, and at better Prices than were ever known when the Trade was confined to the Hamburgh-Company only. And a Free Trade is evidently the chief, if not the only Reason, that Wool has yielded such good Prices for many Years past, having generally sold for above one Third part more than it did when the Trade was limited as aforesaid. And since a Free Trade has been granted, all the Chief Trading Towns in Germany have been so plentifully supplied with our Manufactures at the best hand, that the Foreign Woolen-Manufactures have been much discouraged, and the wearing of ours, grows daily more in esteem.  
The Germans never could nor would be prevailed upon (notwithstanding the pretended stocked Aware houses of the Hamburgh-Company at Hamburgh) to make some hundred Miles Journeys thither to buy our Manufactures, but would be provided, from time to time, according to their own Patterns, from England, especially when thus they could have them above 10 per Cent. cheaper; and if they could not have them directly from England, they would provide themselves elsewhere; which very much tended to the obstruction of the Sale of our Woollen-Manufactures, and the erecting of Woollen-Manufactures in Foreign Parts.  'Tis true, the Hamburgh-Company offer to admit any of His Majesty's Natural born Subjects into their Society, for such a Fine as shall be thought reasonable. 
But this we take to be an Ensnaring Invitation, for that no body can be admitted without taking an Oath to obey their By Laws, now made, or to be made; and all Persons have not Latitude enough to bind themselves by such an Oath; the Company not declaring what those By-Laws are, or shall be hereafter: Which By-Laws will appear to be made for the private Advantage of some few Merchants at Hamburgh, who arbitrarily make and alter them at pleasure. And a further Danger doth arise from the great Debts owing by that Company, to which every Person that shall be admitted will become liable.  
From all these Considerations, 'tis humbly hoped, that the Wisdom of Parliament (as the only true Guardian of our Woollen-Manufactures) will not admit any thing to pass into an Act, to the so great prejudice of our Manufacture; but keep it at least in its present Freedom, if a further Encouragement shall not be thought Convenient.