THE Citizens and Tradesmens Case: Humbly to be Presented to the Ensuing Parliament, relating to the Price of Corn, by several Citizens and tradesman of London.  
WE have chosen a King who hath taken from us our Fears and Jealousies of Popery and Slavery at home, and ventured his Royal Person to defend us from our Enemies abroad; and in his absence left Lords Justices, who have taken notice of the Distress the Poor labour under, by the Excessive Price of Corn, and have Issued forth a Proclamation, and order to suppress the Causes thereof; And we still enjoy our Ancient liberty to Choose our Representatives who are shortly to sit, to hear the Peoples Grievances and Redress them, and if we have chosen such as do not, it's our own fault: No doubt, but they will at this time hear the Cry of the Poor for Bread, and not let them Perish amid Gods abounding mercies.  
Food and Raiment is the support of mankind,( the greatest of Men Enjoy no more.) And God hath seated us in a Land of Goshen which abounds in both, and by the Manufactory thereof provided a Maintenance for the Poor, and to augment our Happiness, we have been hitherto a Trading People, enabled by our Ships and Seamen to out-do our Neighbours, and by which our Merchants by Trading abroad, and our mechanics and tradesman at home have gotten Riches, whereby our Honourable City of London, hath hitherto been able to assist our Prince, to defend us from our Envious Enemies both at home and abroad.  
Trade and Industry beget Riches, and Riches( with Gods Blessing) is the Glory of this World, and is that, which made the Poor distressed States of Holland, High and Mighty, Hogan, Mogan.  
In the whip for the Mealman, Forestallers, &c. Published by A. Baldwin in Warwick-Lane, I set forth some Reasons of the present Dearness of Corn, which by wise men hath been taken notice of; and some discreet Citizens and tradesman of London, being sensible of the decay of their substance, by bad Trade and Dearness of Corn, have desired me to give my further thoughts herein( that they, together with their Brethren in City and Country, may pray for a redress) which I shall endeavour to do by further Demonstrating other Causes thereof, then what I have set forth, which of itself will Answer Objections, that some Person may make; and show the remedies thereof.  
Forestallers, Regrators, and engrossers of Corn, do not only buy Corn on the Ground, at the Farmers Houses, and at Inns, but themselves, or Factors have a strict watch upon the markets; And when the Labouring Farmer brings forth his Corn to sell plentifully to pay his Rent, or to supply his necessary occasions, then the engrossers, &c. Buy up the Corn, and when the Poor Farmers Corn is out, then these unmerciful Men raise the price at their pleasure, and tho there may be some plentiful markets, Yet there is never so many together, that will fall the price of Bread in London.  
I am not against such as( Joseph like) do preserve Corn in a plenty, against the time of scarcity; It's as good for the Poor as for the Farmer, and pleasant to see such plenty of Corn in the Farmers Yards, when it's kept only for the Markets.  
Another Reason of the Dearness of Corn is the Transporting of it, and that mostly in foreign bottoms, which other Nations also have, for fear of War and Scarcity, forbid the Transporting thereof. And it's generally reported, that there is some Hundred Thousand Pounds transmitted in Bills to England from Holland, to buy up our Corn; Especially in the West, where there hath been a plentiful Harvest. I remember a Story of a French Admiral, who sent Commissions to Factors in Poland, to buy Corn to Victual his Fleet, by which they bought up so much( the Poor Farmers being glad to receive ready Money) that it made Corn so scarce and dear, that the People of the Country were forced to buy again of the Factors, at double the rate they had paid for it.  
Another Reason of the Dearness of Corn is occasioned by the Distillers, which some are so confident as to aver, that they consume as such Malt in some places as the Brewers, but as 〈◇〉 out of my knowledge, so I dare not meddle with it, neither do I know how it stands in the Kings Books. But this I know, that barley in a scarce Year,( sellers being forced by the Magistrates care to serve the poor therewith for Bread before the Maulsters bought in the Market) greatly preserved the Poor, and what with the Excise on Beer, and Tax on malt, barley, in some places is near as dear as Wheat, which hath brought malt to an Excessive rate; Insomuch, that it hath caused the Brewen to raise the price of Beer, that it's like to ruin the poor Retailers. And beer being such a succour to poor Labouring Men, that I pray God it may not cause a Clamour amongst the People; and the drinking of strong Waters, causes the Poor to spend the more easily what their Families want, and Impair, their Health. And it's worthy of con●●deration, the abominable practise of Distill●rs in using malt made of Wheat.  
The greatest Objection that the Farmers make, and which the Poor fear will be to their prejudice) is, the Farmers say, that if the Laws are put in Execution against Forestallers, &c. it will thereby lower the price of Corn, and make the Landlords Rents to fall.  
This is that which in King Charles the seconds time( Corn being then cheap) caused the Act to pass against bringing in Irish Cattle; which in time of War and Scarcity, the poor handicrafts Men have much wanted: And now if the Price of Corn and other Provisions do not fall, and the tradesman able to work as cheap as in other Nations,( that have more plenty of Provisions) we shall lose our Trade, and the poor Handycraftmen must leave the Country or starve. And so this Objection is only to amuse the World, and to affright the Landlords; for the engrossing of Farms, will in time be as great a prejudice to the Landlords, as the Dearness of Corn is to the Poor, for in many places, Rich Farmers have now engrossed so many Farms into their hands, that they have much Depopulated the Parishes where they live, having driven away the working Tenants( who would pay their Rents well and be at the Landlords command) let fall the Farm Houses, lose the Kings Window Tax, and have the Landlord at command, by being tied to one Tenant; For to my own knowledge, a Person of Honour in the West Depopulated a Parish to his great loss. Whereas the worthy Sir John Strangeways, made his Servants good Husbands to save their Wages, and lent them Money to enable them to Farm, and thereby increased his Tenants and made them serviceable to himself and Country, and are at this Day Men of repute.  
How to cure so long growing and profitable a corruption, is too hard a task for my poor understanding, the more considering how many Persons have already been stigmatized in their reputations, with the odious Name of Informers, ruined in their substance and in danger of their lives for discovering Frauds and Cheats; And tho those that wronged the King and got great Estates thereby, yet have they gone unpunished, which does so discourage Men that they, dare not meddle with such rich offenders.  
As to the great out-cry there is against Corn metres, and the Actions of Bear-Key( judged to be through the neglect of the City Officers, who buy their places, and mind only their own profit) which relates to the City, the wise Heads in their Councils can best order, and no Question the next Lord Mayor will be as Zealous in assisting the Poor, in putting these wholesome Laws in Execution to keep them from starving, as this present Lord Mayor hath been in punishing offenders.  
Our Ancestors have left us good Laws and Remedies, against this foul distemper of Forestalling, engrossing and Transporting of Corn; Our Lords Justices have Issued out a Proclamation, and order thereupon to prevent both. The Magistrates have full Power and encouragement to Act in it, and the Laws already made hath given so great a Power to the Justice of the Peace, that it will look as if it were their fault if the Laws be not put in Execution, but if they want power to make a full cure of this Distemper, we have a Parliament suddenly to sit, and persons ready to pray for their assistance, which no doubt will give it them, if wanting, and they desire it; and the people, by the Act, may prosecute such that in 2 Years past have been guilty of Forestalling, Transporting, &c. And there has been an instance seen lately, of the good effect of the Prosecuting of offenders, by the Lutestring Company, that put the Law in Execution against such as Imported French Goods, tending to the destruction of the Allamode patent; and carried on by a Rich Man, who did not value the By-Name of an Informer, whereby the offenders were punished, and that distemper to appearance cured. I wish all that have cheated the King and Country, and Transgress the Law may be so served, then the King would have more Money, the People fewer Taxes, and the Poor more bread, and all Men cause to praise God for having such good Laws and Good Magistrates.  
Tho. Samson.   

LONDON, Printed for the Author. 1698.