the maintenance of free trade-第13章

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e　out　in　continuance　of　time；　and　much　under　their　true　weight。　And　boasting　of　his　good　bargaine；　hee　was　made　to　calculate　what　an　ounce　of　silver　did　stand　him；　and　he　found　that　by　these　meanes；　he　had　paide　6　shillings　the　ounce　of　that；　which　was　offered　unto　him　for　5　shillings；　6　pence。　Fallere　fallentem　no　est　fraus。　　　　　　The　lighnesse　of　this　Pewterers　money　may　be　compared　to　the　low　exchange　in　the　undervaluation　of　our　moneys；　by　exchange；　for　if　a　Merchant　Stranger　did　bring　over　money　in　specie　at　this　time；　to　buy　commodities　within　the　Realme；　and　deliver　the　same　here　according　to　the　very　value　in　payment　by　the　Assay；　and　thereupon　doe　looke　backe　how　his　mony　is　overvalued　in　regard　of　the　exchange；　wherby　he　might　have　made　over　the　same　by　a　bill　of　exchange；　he　shall　finde　a　farre　greater　losse　then　the　Pewterer　did；　not　of　6　pence　in　an　ounce；　but　above　nine　pence　in　every　ounce　of　Silver。　Great　are　the　gaines　to　be　made　by　exchanges；　without　ever　to　deale　or　meddle　with　any　Commodities　at　all。　　　　　　I　know　that　to　the　judicious　Merchants；　I　have　given　cause　of　offence；　to　have　written　so　much　in　the　defence　of　exchange；　But　knowing　that　many　grave　and　discreete　persons　have　given　over　this　Princely　Study；　imagining　therein　more　mystery　then　there　is；　rather　then　they　would　take　paines　to　understand　it：　I　have　bin　prolixe；　wishing　that　the　saide　Authour　had　the　Purity　of　understanding　to　know　the　Parity　of　so　many　exchanges；　as　have　been　divised　in　Italy；　Germany；　France；　Spaine；　The　Low　Countries；　Eastland；　Poland；　and　other　places；　at　large　declared　in　my　booke；　Lex　Mercatoria；　serving　all　Societies　and　Companies　of　Merchants　to　bee　mindfull　of　the　Common　Wel…fare；　wherein　Master　Hussy　Governour　of　the　Merchants　Adventurers　company　in　the　beginning　of　Queene　Elizabeths　Raigne　tooke　great　paines　with　others；　To　find　and　establish　the　True　Par　of　exchange；　which　was　examined　and　altered　in　the　yeares；　1564；　and　1576　as　also　in　the　yeares　1586　and　1600；　my　selfe　being　a　Commissioner　in　the　later：　But　the　true　Remedy　to　rule　the　course　of　exchange；　was　but　lately　found　out。　　　　　　Concerning　the　government　of　Trade；　wee　have　noted　heretofore；　that　in　all　Traffiques；　the　generall　doth　governe　the　particular。　some　would　have　other　nations　to　come　to　buy　the　Commodities　of　us；　within　the　Realme；　for；　say　they；　there　is　according　to　the　Proverb；　twenty　in　the　hundreth　difference　between　Will　you　buy？　and　Will　you　sell？　These　men　have　no　consideration　of　the　maintenance　of　navigation；　which　is　the　greatest　strength　of　the　Realme；　whose　defence　（next　under　God）　consisteth　most　of　Ships　and　well　experienced　Marriners。　Whereas　also　the　transporting　of　our　Cloth　to　certaine　places；　causeth　other　nations　to　resort　thither　to　buy　them；　which　may　bee　more　properly　called　to　be　Will　you　sell？　Seeing　that　those　nations　doe　bring　their　owne　Commodities　unto　our　Merchants　to　the　places　by　them　appointed；　as　Delf　and　Hamborough；　which　is　（in　effect）　as　much　as　Will　you　buy？　And　would　not　this　be；　Will　you　buy？　if　in　a　dispersed　and　stragling　manner；　our　Cloth　were　carried　to　all　markets　beyond　the　seas　in　severall　places；　which　would　take　away　the　desire　of　buying：　for　he　that　buyeth；　doth　it　in　hope　of　gaine　to　be　had　in　places　where　he　intendeth　to　carry　the　Commodities；　which　Commodities　if　hee　knoweth　to　bee　extant　in　most　places　to　be　vented；　will　quench　his　desire　of　buying：　and　hee　that　commeth　to　barter　other　Commodities　for　ours；　hath　the　like　consideration。　　　　　　But　let　us　admit；　that　our　Cloth　would　bee　advanced　in　price；　when　men　（should　by　multitudes）　run　to　the　markets；　or　into　the　countrey　in　al　places　to　buy　it：　what　would　be　the　event　of　it？　It　would　not　onely　bee　solde　beyond　the　seas　with　a　smaller　gaine　and　many　times　to　losse　（we　being　naturally　to　make　speedy　returne：）　but　we　should　also　pay　dearer　for　the　forraine　Commodities；　which　wee　should　obtaine　by　way　of　Permutation；　or　for　the　Billes　obligatory　of　the　Merchants　to　who　wee　sell　our　Cloth：　and　if　our　Merchants　were　cut　off；　and　that　other　nations　should　buy　the　Cloth　within　the　Realme；　and　so　advance　the　price　thereof：　（as　it　happeneth　most　commonly　in　France　and　Spaine　at　the　Vintage　time　with　their　Wines　&　Raisons：）　Then　forraine　Commodities　would　be　sold　dearer　unto　us　by　them　againe：　for　the　small　gaine　had　upon　our　Commodities　causeth　us；　and　would　cause　them　to　seeke　a　better　gaine　upon　the　forraine　Commodities　to　the　generall　hurt。　　　　　　Others　would　have　all　things　at　large　in　the　course　of　Traffique；　and　that　there　should　be　no　societies　or　corporations　of　Merchants　for　any　places　of　Trade　（terming　them　to　be　Monopolies）　but　that　by　way　of　partnership　Merchants　might　associate　themselves；　according　to　the　manner　of　some　other　Countries：　These　men　have　no　regard；　that　innovations　are　as　dangerous；　as　to　remoove　the　corner　stones　of　a　building；　neyther　doe　they　observe　a　momentary　difference　betwixt　the　Government　of　a　Monarchy；　and　that　especially　in　an　Iland：　and　the　government　of　a　Democracy　which　is　popular；　or　of　an　Aristocracy；　which　is　governed　by　the　better　sort　of　the　people；　these　seeking　by　all　meanes　to　make　their　Countries　populous　by　the　inhabiting　of　all　nations　for　the　increase　of　their　meanes　collected　by　impositions　and　Aczises；　and　that　upon　all　things　consumed　and　most　upon　victuals；　the　other；　namely　the　Monarchy；　avoiding　asmuch　as　they　can；　the　multitude　of　forraine　nations　to　inhabite　within　their　government；　and　holding　impositions　and　Taxes　to　bee　done　with　great　advisement。　And　that　the　overballancing　of　forraine　Commodities　with　the　native　Commodities　may　be　prevented；　which　by　the　other　is　not　regarded；　neither　can　it　bee　by　them　observed。　　　　　　The　Providence　of　the　State　hath　also　a　great　consideration　in　the　course　of　Trade；　under　government　in　appointed　places；　especially　in　that　of　the　Merchant　Adventurers　company；　（who　have　the　managing　of　the　creame　of　the　land；　the　maine　Trade　of　the　kingdome；　and　doe　expose　to　adventure　the　greatest　part　of　the　wealth　therof　with　forraine　nations　in　troublesome　times　of　wars：）　because　they　may　by　this　order　be　soone　remooved　or　called　home　upon　occasion；　which　cannot　be　done　conveniently　otherwise：　where　there　is　no　vigilant　eye　to　take　care　for　the　generall　wealth　of　the　Realme；　for　no　nation　of　Christendome　Traffiques　so　much　in　Bulke　of　Staple　Commodities；　as　the　Realme　of　England；　which　Boters　（though　altogether　Spanish　in　times　past；　and　no　friend　to　England）　confesseth；　that　two　yeares　before　the　taking　of　Andwarpe；　all　the　wares　of　Christendome　being　valued；　and　summed　by　the　offices　of　that　City；　（which　were　vented　there　in　one　yeare。）　The　whole　being　divided　into　sixe　parts：　the　English　amounted　to　foure　parts　thereof。　　　　　　But　we　must　not　seeme　to　flatter　Companies　or　Societies；　when　it　is　found　that　they　deale　unadvisedly；　or　that　by　their　meanes；　things　are　out　of　order　in　the　course　of　Trade；　for　then　the　Kings　authority　or　the　Royall　Merchant　of　great　Brittaine；　must　be　the　true　Palynurus；　and　sit　at　the　Rudder　of　the　Ship　of　Traffique；　to　reforme　abuses。　For　a　Society　may　become　to　be　A　Monopoly　in　effect；　when　some　few　Merchants　have　the　whole　managing　of　a