A REMONSTRANCE, Proving that the Confinement of TRADE, to particular Companies, is of general loss to His Majesty, and His People.  
WHereas the Merchant Adventurers( as they style themselves) under pretext of Advantage to his Majesty, and advance of Trade, are restless in their attempts, to obtain a Charter confirmed for the engrossing the whole Trade of this Nation to themselves. If the said Charter should be confirmed, the consequent Narration will manifest those persons uncapable to buy from the Makers the twentieth part of the Commodities now made and vended in this Country, being easy to prove the said Company now Trade, as far as either Estate or Credit doth permit them, seeing several of them have lately come short, by extending their Credits in that particular: And if they were more in quantity, or greater in quality than now they are, the subsequent Particulars declare the Trade of these parts, to be far exceeding their power to manage, or Estates to compass; which if so, an impartial eye may easily s●● the vast loss likely to ensue to his Majesty, to the Gentry, and to the Commonalty of this Nation.  
I. The Particulars of Goods exported b●●hose Merchants, Free of said Company, and by those Unfree of said Company, will evidence how far his Majesty will be a loser, if said Trade should be limited, and Charter confirmed.  

An Account of all sorts of Wooll●n Manufactures, entered in the Custom-House of Exon, and transported into part of the sixteen Provinces of the netherlands, from June 24. 1661. to the 29. September, next following; for Account of several persons Free of said Company, of Merchant Adventurers.    li. ss. d. One hundred and thirty Pieces of Sarges, 4. 07. 09. Ten Pieces of Broadcloath, 1. 01. 03. Five Pieces of kerseys, 0. 03. 08. ½ Seventy Pieces of of Devon Dozens, 1. 11. 02. Ten Pieces of bays, 1. 00. 00. Those 225 Pieces pay His Majesty Custom, 8. 03. 10. ½ 
An Account of all sorts of Woollen Manufactures, entered in the said Custom-House, of Exon, and transported into the said netherlands, from June to September, 1661. by Mr. John Butler, and four or five Merchants more of the City of Exon, not Free of said Company, of Merchant Adventures.    li. ss. d. Eight thousand six hundred thirty eight Pieces of Sarges, which pay Custom, 287. 11. 03. Thirty Pieces of kerseys, 001. 01. 03. Two hundred sixty five Pieces of Broadcloath, 029. 08. 10. ½ One hundred eighty two Pieces of Devon Dozens, 004. 01. 01. ½ One hundred twenty nine Pieces of Straits, 002. 00. 11. Ten Pieces of Bayses, 001. 00. 00. Those 9254. Pieces pay His majesty Custom, 325. 03. 05.  
Hence it is evident, should all Merchants not Free of said Company, be forbidden Trade, what an infinite loss His Majesty should sustain in His customs, that in three Months those Merchants Free of the said Company, come short in pieces of those not Free of said Company, 9029 pieces, and in money paid His Majesty for Custom, 316 l. 19 s. 6 d. ½ which the above-mentioned Particulars do sufficiently demonstrate: And without dispute, the said Unfree Merchants would have transported greater quantities, had not the fear of the power of said Free Merchants deterred them. Moreover, the disproportion abovesaid is only of goods transported, which doubtless would be as great of goods imported, because it is not to be expected that the value of goods transported, will be greater than of goods imported: Hence it is deducible the infinite loss likely to accrue unto His said Majesty.  
II. The impartial Judgement may also see the great loss which will be to the poor of this Nation,( if said Company should be established) who in this cause will be the greatest sufferers.  
Wherefore to make this apparent by the consequent Particulars, may be seen in proportioning a number of poor-Workmen to each mixed Sarge, and Broadcloath, whence thousands of poor, extract a livelihood and maintenance by their labour in making those Manufactures, which if stinted to a small number of men,( not sufficient to manage the least part of it) the Gentleman, Farmer, and all other people of what degree soever, will insensibly come to ruin by this decay of Trade; which will be more visible by an exact scruting into the Charges of a particular piece of Sarge.  

The Cost of an ordinary mixed Sarge is as followeth, viz.    li. ss. d. To every Piece of Sarge is allowed 24 l. of rough Wool, cost 1. 03. 00. The Dy ng of this Wool, with Combing, soap, and oil, cost 0. 10. 00. The Spinning of the Obbe, and Warp, cost 0. 17. 00. The Warping, Spoaling, and Weaving, cost 0. 10. 00. The Dressing of it after 'tis made, cost 0. 02. 00. The Pressing of it, if hot prest, cost 0. 01. 00. So the whole Charge of making a Piece of Sarge fit to be transported into any Foreign parts, amounts to 3. 03. 00.  
I suppose you may see by this, that the making of a Sarge requires various sorts of people for each several employment, whose urgent necessities require a weekly supply of money, or they must want bread, for it is not a work to be done by one person alone: Here also may be observed that the Wool of each Piece, cost but 23 s. the other 40 s. comes clear to the poor Workmen, who within the space of fourteen or sixteen dayes, by their industry and labour, bring this Wool into a Sarge, which contains 1. yard broad, and 22. yards long, fit for sale, and then reduce that into moneys for a new employment; the quick dispatch in making the said Commodity, and converting it to money, is an advantage to the rich, and an help to the poor, who being supplied constantly with money, are made capable to buy off all sorts of Provision from the Gentleman, and Farmer, which could not be done, if Trade were limited by this Company.  
If there be 40. s. distributed amongst the poor for their labour, in making one Sarge, then those Sarges transported by the Merchants not Free of the said Company, would dispose amongst the poor in three months time, 17276. l. and the Merchants of Exeter, Free of the said Company, bestow amongst the poor, in three months, for the said Sarges, but 260. l. wherein they come short of the Unfree Merchants 17016. l.  
Having now proved the loss that the poor should sustain,( were the said Campany confirmed) in the making those Sarges, transported by the Unfree Merchants: Next shall demonstrate the Particulars of a Broadcloath, which redound to the poor for their labour, and wages, also what quantity is necessary for the making of an ordinary Spanish Cloth,( of Wool) about the price of 7. s. or 7. s. 2. d. per yard, and that very good, substantial, and loyal Cloth.  

The Cost of an ordinary mixed Broadcloth is as followeth, viz.    li. ss. d. The Wool allowed to every Pieces of Cloth, is 76. l. clean Wool, cost 4. 10. 08. The Dying, Mixing, and Breaking this Wool, with the oil, cost 0. 15. 00. The Spinning of the Obbe and Warp, cost 1. 15. 00. The Warping, Spoaling, and Weaving the Cloth, cost 1. 00. 00. The Dressing, and Shearing this Cloth, cost 1. 06. 00. The Draing, Pressing, and making up in Tillets, fit for Sale, cost 0. 06. 04. So the whole Charge of making a Broad Cloth, fit to be transported into Foreign parts, amounts to 9. 13. 00.  
It is therefore now worth our noting, that the Wool of an ordinary Cloth, costs but 4 l. 10. s. 00. d. which comes short of half the value of the Cloth, the other part goes to the Workman, 5. l. 3 s. 00. d. for his labour and wages, in making of this sort of Cloth; But the charge of a better, sort will be greater, and proportionably advantageous to the poor Workman, according to the goodness of the said Commodity. This Trade of Cloth and Sarge, is carried on by a small number of Merchants, of the said City of Exon, against whom the Dutch Company have a boundless malignity, because themselves are deficient in the knowledge of those mysteries, wherein some of them are expert.  
III. Having now particularized the advantage of a free Trade to the poor Spinster, Weaver, cumber, Dyer, Tucker, and several other such Trades for their labour in making a Sarge or Cloth, in one quarter of a year.  
My intert is next to show what a vast quantiy of Wool the making of those Manufactures doth expend, which if interrupted by the said Company, will be a general loss to all His Majesties Subjects, for they lose not only the disposing of their Wool, but the vending of their Corn, Butter, Cheese, Bacon, and other such like necessaries, which will follow upon the obstructing of Trade, and making scarce of money.  
      li. s. d. The quantity of Wool, expended on the Goods, transported by the Merchants of Exon( in three months time) not Free of the said Company, is 234852. l. at 14. d. amounts to 13699. 14. 00. The Wool spent by those Free of the Company in Exon in Goods, transported by them( in three months time) is in Wool 5580. l. 325. 10. 00. S● there hath been spent in Wool, by the Unfree Merchants, more than those Free of the said Company, in three Months, 229272. l. 13374. 04. 00.  
This 13314. l. 4 s. being the value of the Wool expended on the Commodities transported by the Unfree Merchants, more than the value of the Wool used by the Free Merchants, is sufficiently able to show the infinite loss apparently ensuing on the whole Kingdom, if none should be permitted to Trade, but such as are Free of the said Dutch Company.  

The manner how the TRADE decays, is thus.  
The Merchants of Exon not free of the s●id Company, being obstructed in their Trade, by those free of the Company, have bought less quantities of all sorts of Manufactures than formerly, which hath reduced the Trade almost to nothing: For we are assu●ed by Information of very able Clothiers, in the County of Devon, that there are 300. Pieces of Broad-Cloth made now less weekly, than formerly were made, and at least 1000. Pieces of mixed Sarges made less weekly, besides kerseys, Bayses, and other such Woollen Manufactures. For Example, in Hemiock, Ufculme, and Culmstock( th●ee Parishes in the County of Devon) were made weekly formerly 120. Pieces of Cloth, which Parishes now make but 20. Pieces weekly, whence we may compute at least 200. Pieces of Cloth, made less than formerly, and 1000. pieces of Sarges, which is the lowest estimation, where we may see what a great loss this is to His Majesty, to the Gentry, the Farmer, and indeed to all Conditions, and Degrees.  
  li. ss. d. I. If there be 200. Broad Clothes made less weekly than formerly, each Cloth paying the King almost 2. s. 2. d. ¾ for Custom, then H●s Majesty loseth for 200 Clo●hes 22. 04. 05. II. If there be 1000. Sa●ges made less weekly, each Sarge paying 9. d. per Pieces for Custom, H●s M●jesty loseth 37. 10. 00.   59. 14. 05. Thus then His M●jesty receiveth short in His Customs 59. 14. 05. III. The poor Trades-man loseth weekly the making of 2●0. B●oad Clothes, which at 5. l. 3. s a Cloth is 1030. 00. 00. IV. The poor loseth also weekly for the making of 1000. Sarges at 40. s a piece for Wages 2000. 00. 00.   3030. 00. 00. Thus then the poor man receives less in Wages 3030. 00. 00. V. The Gentleman, and Farmer loseth the selling of 76. l. of wool for each Cloth, which for 200. Pieces weekly is— li. wool. 15200.       And for 1000. Sarges, each piece using 24. l. wool— 24000.       Thus then there is every week less wool sold— 39200.       VI. Which 39200. l. of wool, valued at 14. d. per pound, so much the Gentleman, and Farme● loseth the receiving in moneys weekly less than formerly 2286. 13. 04. Total. 5376. 07. 09.  
VII. And were not Trade by Interruption of the Company so decayed,( whereby you see there is near 40000. pounds weight of wool used less in one County than formerly every week( there would hardly be any wool carried out of the Kingdom, because when there were greater quantities of the Manufactures made within these few years( whiles the Company had no power) all the wool both of England and Ireland, was bought up from the Growers, that at the years end, scarce any old wool left, and at far greater prices than now it is, which gave them no opportunity or encouragement to Transport it; And although wool at that time was dear( which made our Manufactures then far dearer also than now they are,) and we paid 3. s. custom to His Majesty for each S●rge,( which now we pay but 9. d.) yet all sorts of Goods sold off quicker, and at better rates beyond the Seas than now; And the reason is, that then there was very little, or no wool at all Transported, by which means Strangers could not make our Manufactures, and now are great quantities made by them, which makes Goods cheap, and plenty in all Foreign Pa●ts, so that they desire not ours; The Cause( as I have shewed before) is the Interruption of Trade here, that the wool cannot be taken off from the Grower, which makes people use all the unlawful ways to Transport it they can invent.  
VIII. It is now obvious to every man, that His Majesty, the Gentleman, and Farmer, the poor Trades-man, &c. are by this decay in Trade, weekly, on but two sorts of Woollen Manufactures, losers of what they did receive, and might still, did not the said Company deter Merchants 5376. l. 07. s. 09. d.  
If therefore Trade be so fallen in so short a time, what( may we fear) will become of this County, and Nation, when the French King was lately petitioned by some of his Subjects, to forbid the bringing of any of our Manufactures into His Dominions, because there are such great quantities of said Commodities made there, as they all●●●e to be sufficient for the whole kingdom: And the Dutch Company forbid all others not Free of their Company, to T ade for Germany, or other the Provinces in the netherlands. This Kingdom must inevitably be ruined unl●ss timely Course be taken to prevent the power of the said Company, and a free Trade permitted to all Merchants, pay king His Majesty His due customs: It is not to be imagined by the desiring of a free Trade, that all fo●●● o● people should be permitted to exercise the mystery of a Merchant, but such only who have been bread Merchants, or served an Apprentice, or used the Trade of a Merchant for seven years past, and no others, Then let the Manufactures be reformed as hath been already set forth, and demonstrated at large: Let the Laws against Transportation of wool, and such Materials as concern that Manufacture, be strictly put in Execution; And by Gods blessing ●n our Endeavours, His Majest●●s Revenue will be increased, the Gentleman, and Farmer flourish, and the Poor live Comfortable; which is, and ever shall be my desire.