REASONS humbly offered to the Honourable House of Commons, by the Clothiers of Essex, viz. Colchester, Coxhall, Bocking, Braintree, Witham, and the Towns adjacent, against the intended Additional Duty to be laid upon Wines.  
1. AS our Bays, Says, Perpetuanos, &c. go Nine Tenths of them to Portugal and Spain, if a new Imposition be laid upon Wines, the King of Portugal( we cannot but reasonably expect) then will prohibit our Manufacture, having had an instance of the like; which will prove fatal to us as the stagnation of the Blood.  
2. It will totally destroy the Woollen manufacture of Essex, for 50 or 60000 Families, as Spinsters, Weavers, and Combers, who are employed therein; and have no other Employments whereby to get a livelihood, will be inevitably all Ruined, by reason those tradesman who employ the Poor, will be forced to lay by their Trades.  
3. When these Families have no Employment, the Lands of the County cannot maintain the Poor; and what the Poor will do for maintenance, we humbly Pray the Wisdom of this House to take into their Consideration.  
4. We humbly Pray, That if the Wisdom of this House will lay a new Imposition upon Wines; That those Farmers may be obliged upon the Penalty of 100000 l. or give such Security as this Honourable House shall think fit, to buy those Goods that are now upon Tradesmens hands, at such Rates as the Merchants at this time will give, and oblige themselves to buy the same quantities of our Manufacture for Four Years ensuing, as has been sold for Four Years last past, to prevent the ruin of so many Thousand Families.  
5. We believe by the Importation of Spanish and Portugal Wines, &c. since the Prohibition of French Wines, &c. the Exportation of all our Manufacturies have been near one Third part increased; which hath the better enabled us cheerfully to bear our proportion of Taxes, &c. in the carrying on the present War hitherto, which we can give no other Reason for, but from the Benefit the Native Subjects of Spain and Portugal reap, by our Merchants bringing Returns, in the Fruits of those Countries, which formerly came from France; and were not the Product of our Manufacturies, but of our moneys.