THe Amendment of the Silver Coins, being looked upon as 〈◊〉 Matter necessary to be Performed, i● is thought convenient that this Report should be Printed, to the en● that any Persons who have Considered an Affair of this Nature, m●● (if they please) Communicate the●● Thoughts, for Rendering the Desig● here aimed at more Perfect or Agreeable to the Public Service.   

THE PETITION and CASE OF THE Embroiderers, Flourishers, Raiser's and Stitchers of East-India Silks, and other Goods, and Stainers thereof,  
Together with those that Employ them, And of many others, etc.   

TO The Right Honourable THE Lords Spiritual and Temporal, In PARLIAMENT Assembled.  
THE PETITION and CASE OF THE Embroiderers, Flourishers, Raiser's and Stitchers of East-India Silks, and other Goods, and Stainers thereof, Together with those that Employ them, And of many Others; In Relation to the BILL, FOR Prohibiting the Wearing of East-India and Persia Wrought Silks, Bengals, etc.  
London, Printed Anno, 1696.   

TO The Right Honourable THE Lords Spiritual and Temporal, NOW Assembled in PARLIAMENT.  
May it Please Your Lordships,  
WE Humbly Address this Paper to Your Lordships in General: But adventure in an especial manner ●o Implore the Favour of You, Our good Lords, the Bishops; because Matters relating to Piety and Virtue are more immediately under the Care of Your Lordships.  
The Late Queen, of Ever Blessed Memory, well knowing, That most Vices have ●heir Original from Sloth and Idleness, did by Her own Good Example, give great Encouragement to all kind of Works with the Needle, and otherwise, relating to your Petitioners respective Employments; where by those of Better Quality might find Diversion and Employment, and the Meane● Sort receive an Honest Maintenance.  
There is hardly any Country in the World, where the Women have been so much a Burden to the Public, as in England; whereas, in other Nations, they Contribute a large Proportion to the Livelihood of their Families.  
But the Countenance Her Sacred Majesty did give to Needle Works of all kinds has made them for these Six Years last passed so Fashionable, and of such General Use in this Kingdom, that many Thousands of Women do thereby Maintain themselves their Aged Parents, and Young Children.  
By which Means the Weaker Sex have been preserved from those Temptations t● which Want might otherwise incline them and, by this Houswisery, many Mode●● Virgins have recommended themselves t● Frugal and Industrious Husbands.  
We must crave leave to lay before Yo●● Lordships, That the long War Abroad the Civil War in Ireland, and other Accidents at Home, have made great Chang● in Families heretofore Rich and Prosperous. And we the Principal Employers of these Embroiderers, Stitchers, etc. in and about London, (if it were fit and proper) could make it appear to the Parliament, That very many Gentlewomen of good Birth and Education, have not any Bread or Subsistance, but what they Earn Daily by their Work, as 'tis delivered to us.  
We have not thought it Dutiful or Decent to trouble either Houses of Parliament with Complaints or Clamours, Not but that our Numbers are exceeding great, and our Case full as deplorable as that of the Weavers.  
We shall not pretend to Calculate how many Hands are thus employed, but this in some measure may be guessed at, by Considering, of what general Use, from the highest, to the lowest, those Indian Goods are, which we improve in England.  
If, as some People apprehend, the intended Prohibitions should Occasion the entire Loss of the East-India Trade, we may venture to affirm, That many Thousand Families will thereby be utterly ruined who have no Other Subsistance than by bettering those Sort of Goods by their Skill and Fancy.  
If the Prohibitions should so Opperate as as to lose the Trade, it would undo some Hundreds of Families, who live by Printing, Dying, and Staining the Courser Calicoes. For in such a Case those who set these Men at Work, must be forced either to buy Calicoes of the Dutch, or Scotch-Cloth at near double the Price.  
Many Thousand Hands are likewise employed in Stitching Calicoes, and Flourishing Muzslings, which must entirely lose their Work, if these Prohibitions should destroy the East-India Trade; no●● other kind of Linen being proper for that Use, but fine calico and Muzslin.  
But may it please your good Lordships, The intended Prohibitions will certainly ruin yet a greater Number of People, who entirely Subsist, by Staining, Painting, Printing, Embroidering, Stitching, and Flourishing a great part of the Ginghams', Plain Damask, Bengals, Taffetas and Satins, and several other sorts of Goods that come from India.  
If it should be Objected, That this Workmanship may be employed upon Silks Manufactured at home; We humbly Answer, That it will not be Worth Our while so to do, and that it cannot be practicable, because many of the foremention'd Wares, come as Cheap into Our Hands, as the Silk comes into the Weavers Reed.  
As for Example, The first Cost to us, of an Indian Silk may be Two Shillings the Yard, which when We have improved, by Embroidering, Stitching, or otherwise, may Sell for Nine Shillings per Yard, whereby there is gained for the Manufacturers Livelihood Seven Shillings per Yard.  
A Silk of very little better Substance, either brought from Italy, France, and Holland, or Wrought at Home, shall Cost Nine Shillings per Yard: Notwithstanding which, the Indian Silk so improved by us, shall do equal the Service, and be More acceptable to the Customer than any European Silk.  
And, may it please your Lordships, generally Speaking, We can afford Wares so improved, Cheaper, as Serviceable and more pleasing to the Eye, than any Silkman, Because among the Silk-Weavers, a good Workman will expect half a Crown a-day, and not work hard from Six in the Morning to Six at Night, whereas Our People begin at Five, and are at their Needles till Nine at Night: and much the greatest part of them earn not above Six Penc● by the Day.  
It must without doubt import an● Country that the prime Cost in Manufactures wrought from foreign Materials should be as low as possible.  
And those Manufactures are to be encouraged, which Employ many Hands though at small Wages, because the Profi●… thereby arising, becomes, so, more dispersed among the Common People.  
And 'tis humbly hoped, such Work may be Countenanced by the State, tha● Employ hands which would otherwise b● Idle.  
We who Employ many Thousand F●milies in the second Manufacturing an● Improving East-India Goods, are ready t● make it appear before Your Lordships when called upon, by the Oaths of Credible Persons,  
First, That the Prime Cost of ou● Goods is so low that we can affor● to let the Poor Manufacturers be reasonable Gainers by Us.  
Secondly, That this Gain is widely dispersed among the Common People, reaching to Parts very distant from London.  
Thirdly, That we Employ some Thousands of Children and Women, who probably could not otherwise get an honest livelihood.  
And, Lastly, May it please Your Lordships, We shall perhaps be able to prove, That upon the whole, not many fewer Families Subsist by Improving East-India Goods, than by means of the Silk Manufacture.  
All which will appear plainly to such as consider, how great the Consumption is, of these Wares, by both Sexes, and among all Degrees of People.  
The Head-dressing for Women, Waste-Coats, and Nightcaps for Men, Stitched Quilts, Embroideries, and Flourished Muzslins for both Sexes, with many other things that might be enumerated, must of Necessity set many Hands at work upon different Manufactures, of which the Prime Cost of the first Materials at the East-India Sales, is not, one with another, above a third; the other two thirds being divided among the Poorer sort, and such as Employ 'em.  
We are afflicted from the bottom of Our Hearts at the Case of the Poor Weavers who want Work, but we must Crave leave to lay before Your Lordships, That We the Employers of these Embroiderers and other Manufacturers are credibly Informed that the Weavers want of Business does not arise from the Importation of East-India Goods, but from other Causes. For,  
First, Before the War, when much greater Quantities of Wrought Silks were brought from India, they had full Employment and there was no Complaint.  
Secondly, The Excessive Price of Raw Silk, and the present Scarcity of Money (occasioned by the War) are Causes that the Head Weavers cannot set the Poor to Work.  
So long a War must needs afflict all the different Ranks of Men, and the Weavers bear but their proportion in the Common Calamity.  
The Nobility and Gentry pay in Taxes a Fifth part of their Revenues, besides well nigh double for all Materials of a Foreign Growth.  
The Merchant pays more now for Freight and Seamens Wages than ever, besides the hazard he runs from an Enemy, who has diverted his whole Naval Strength to a Pyratical War.  
The present Want of Species makes Trading dead every where, and we who are now Petitioners before Your Lordships, have Our full Share in this general Misery; being forced to keep at Work, and Pay Our People, though Our Goods can have but little Vent.  
But we live in hopes that the High Wisdom, and Valour, of the King, will restore Our Affairs either by a Peace, or by His Victories Abroad.  
And in the mean while we Your Petitioners humbly submit it to the Consideration of Your Lordships, how far it may be Consistent with Your Piety and Justice to relieve one sort of Men at the Expense of others, a yet more helpless People.  
We hope the Blessed Memory of Her Sacred Majesty, now Deceased, will prevail upon Your Lordships to take Our Case into Your Thoughts, and the sad Condition of such as depend upon Us, who are generally Orphans, Poor Widows, and Young Virgins, who must be deprived of their Subsistance, if the Prohibition of East-India Goods passes, which is now Proposed in Parliament.  
The Hearty Prayers of Widows and Virgins We hope will undoubtedly bring Success to Your Lordship's Councils, and Prosperity to the King's Arms, who will be shortly Contending in the Field for the Liberties of Europe.  
Not only some Thousands of Women subsist from Work merely occasioned by East-India Goods, as well as very many Families of other Manufacturers, but many Virgins also have been thereby preserved from Vice and Corruption; And 'tis upon this Score chief that we presume to Implore Your Lordship's assistance, who are the Principal Protectors of Modesty and Virtue.  
The Protection of the Weaker Sex, and the keeping of them within the Bounds of Modesty and Goodness, have been always the Care of Wise Governments; because in all Countries the Courage of Men does very much depend upon the Virtue of their Women: For at all Times, and in all Places, where the Women have grown Vicious, either through too much Wealth, or too much Want, the Men have immediately become Fearful and Effeminate.  
The Premises considered, We humbly hope Your Lordships will not think it Adviseable, nor for the Public Good, to pass this Bill now Proposed for Prohibiting the Wearing East-India and Persia Wrought Silks, Bengals, etc.  
And Your Petitioners, as in Duty bound, shall ever Pray for the Welfare and Prosperity of your Lordships.  
FINIS.