verderers, and tapistry workes, wherewith they bee hanged com- of excesse monly, conueieth ouer into Flaunders, and other straunge countreyes, in buyld(where they be had from) much of our treasure.

Knight. Syr, yet I must remember you of one thing more, which men do suppose to be a great occasion of the spending of that treasure abroade: and it is, where there is comen to the crowne of late yeares much lands, by reasou of monasteries, colleges, and chauntres dissolued, which men suppose hath ben the cause two maner of waies, that there is lesse treasure a broade in the realme. One is because the reuenues of the sayd places dissolued heretofore were spent in the countrey, and went from hand to hande there, for vittaile cloth, and other things, and now are gone to one place out of the country. Another is that diuers men which had any ryches or wealth vttered the same, to buy perselles of the said dissolued lands lying commodious for them, whereby, one way and other, the whole riches of the countrey is sweeped away.

Doctor. Truth it is also, that it wringed the countrey abroade for the time, and had kept it so still if the kinges maiesty had not dispersed the same lands abroad among them in the countrey againe, but after that his highnes departed with a great deale of those possessions, part by gift and part by sale, treasure hath and will encrease againe abroad, as much as euer it was, if it be not letted by other meanes: so that I take that to be no great cause of the dearth that we haue, for the soile is not taken away, but the possession thereof is onely transferred from one kinde of persons to another.

Knight. Then to retourne to the matter of the coine where wee lefte. I haue heard your conceipt how the alteration thereof, within our realme did some men no harme, as buyers and sellers: some other it did good vnto, as farmors that had lande at the olde rent; and some other as gentlemen, men of warre, seruaunts, and all other liuing by any rated or stented rent or stipend, were great losers by it; but I heard you say it was so much withal to the losse of the prince, that it might be to the great perill of the whole realme in processe of time. I meruayle howe it should be so, for I heard wise men say, that the queenes highnesse father did winne inestimable great summes, by the alteration of the coyne.

ings.

of the coyne

Doctor. So it was for the time, but I liken that gaynes to such How the as men haue when they sell away their landes, to haue the greater alteration some at one time, and euer after to lose the continuall increase that should grow thereof: for you knowe all the treasure of this should be realme, must once in few yeares come to the princes handes by most losse one meanes or other, and from thence it should goe abrode againe to the subiects. As all springes runneth to the ocean sea, and out of it are they spred abrode agayne: then as they came into the

to the

prince.

kings coffers at the firste in good mettall, they came forth in such as you haue heretofore seene. And albeit it seemeth at the first vew to empouerishe but the subiects onely, at length impouerisheth also the prince: and then if the prince should want in time of warre, specially sufficient treasure to pay for armor, weapons, tacklings of shippes, gunnes, and other artillary necessary for the warre, and could by no meanes haue of the subiects wherewith to buy the same, what case should the realme be in? Surely in very euill, and therefore these coynes and treasure bee not without cause called of wise men, nerui bellorum (that is to say) the synowes of warre. And that is the greatest daunger that I doe consider should growe for want of treasure to the prince and the realme, for though a prince may haue what coyne he will currant within his realme, yet the straungers cannot be compelled to take them. And I graunt, if men might liue within themselues, all together without borowinge of any other thing outwarde, we might deuise what coyne wee would but since we must haue neede of other and they of vs, wee must frame our things not after our owne phantasies, but to followe the common market of all the worlde, and wee may not set the price of things at our pleasure, but follow the price of the vniuersall market of the world, I graunt also that brasse hath bene coyned ere this, yea and leather in some places. But euer I reade that that was at an extreme neede, which thinge is not to bee followed as an example, but to be eschewed as longe as possible may be and if our treasure be farre spent and exhaust (as it hapened in the later yeares of King Henry the eight) I could wish that any other order were taken for the recouery of it, then the deprauing of our coynes, which serueth the Prince but a litle while, for some present shifte, and hindred him a long time afterwardes. I am perswaded that within our realme treasure might bee soone recouered by these two meanes: first if we forbad the bringing in and selling of so many trifles as I before rehersed to be brought vs from beyond the sea, and that nothing made beyond the sea of our owne commodities should be sould heere. And secondly, if we forbad that none of our commodities should passe vnwrought ouer sea, which being wrought here and soulde ouer should bring in infinite treasure in shorte time.

Knight. Mary, and there yee bee contrary to the opinions of many a great wise man, which thinke it better that all our wooll were sould ouer sea vnwrought, then any clothiers should be set a worke withall, within this realine.

Doctor. That were a straunge thinge in mine opinion, that any man should thinke so, and what should mooue them to be of that opinion I pray you.

Knight. I will tell you. They take it that all insurrections and

proares for the most parte, do rise by occasion of these clothiers: for when clothiers lack vent ouer sea, then is a great multitude of these clothiers idle. And when they be idle, then they assemble in companies and murmur for lack of liuing, and so picke one quarrell or other to stirre the poore commons that bee as idle as they Whether to a conmotion. And sometimes by occasion of warres there muste all our needes bee some stay of clothes, so as they cannot haue alwayes expedient like sale or vent: at euery which time if the said clothiers should to be sould take occasion of commotion, they thinke it were better that there ouer vnwrought. were none of them in the realme at all, and consequently that the woll were vttered vnwrought ouer sea, then to haue it wrought here.

wooll were

Doctor. So it may seeme to them that considers one inconuenience, and not another. Surely who soeuer hath many persons vnder his gouernaunce, shall haue much a doe to gouerne them in quietnes, and he that hath a greate familye shal haue somtimes trouble in the ruling of them. It were but a meane pollicye eyther for a prince to deminish his number, or for a maister of a house to put away his seruauntes, because he would not haue any trouble with the gouernaunce of them: he that would do so, might be well resembled to a man that should sell his land, because he wold not be troubled with the accompt of it. I thinke it meete that we did not onely encrease the feate of clothing, but also intend diuers other mo feats and occupations, whereby our people myghte bee set a worke, rather then take away any occupation from them, specially such as clothynge is, that settes so many thousandes a woorke, and enryche both towns and countrey. Where it is occupyed in Venice, as I haue heard, and in many other places beyond sea, they rewarde and chearish euery man that brings in any newe arte or mistery, whereby the people might bee set a Mysteries worke, with such thinges as shoulde both finde their workemen, increased and also bring some treasure or other commodity into the coun- rather than trey. And shall we contrary wise labour to destroy our best and diminishmost profitable trade, which is by clothing? I would know what thing els might bring vs treasure from straunge parties, or wherewith shoulde so many of our people be set a worke, as haue nowe their liuings by clothing, if that occupacion were layde down?

Knight. Mary, wee might haue treasure ynough from outward parties for our woolles, though nonne were wroughte within the realme and as for an occupation, to set our clothiers a worke, they might bee set to the plough and husbandry, and that should make husbandry to be the more occupied, and grasing lesse, when all these people that nowe doe occupy clothing, should fall to husbandry.

Doctor. As to the first that yee sayd, that wooll is sufficient to

are to be

ed.

Three sortes of artificers.

bring in treasure: if it were (as it is not in deede) yet that feate were not for the weale, nor for continuaunce of the realme, for when éuery man would fall to breede sheepe and to increase wooll, and so at length all other occupations should bee set aside, and breedinge of sheepe onely occupied, then yee knowe that a fewe sheepe maisters would serue for a whole shyre: and so in processe of time the multitude of the subiects should be worne away, and none lefte but a fewe sheepherds, which were no number sufficient to serue the prince at neede, or to defend this realme from enemies. As to the other parte of your tale, whereby yee woulde that these clothiers should fall from that occupation to husbandry: how coulde so many added to them that occupy husbandry already, get their lyuinge by the same, when they that bee husbandmen nowe, haue but a small lyuinge thereby. And if yee woulde say to mee that they should haue at all times, free vent and full sale of their corne ouer sea, then commeth the same inconuenience in that ye thought to auoide before, by putting them from clothing. For some yeres it should happen either for warres, or by reason of plenty in all parties beyond the sea, that they should haue no vent of their corne, and then be dryuen to be idle, and consequently for lacke of luing to assemble together, and make like vproares as ye spake of before. They haue in Fraunce more handy craftes occupied and a greater multitude of artificers, then wee haue heere by a greate deale, and for all that they haue made many greate sturres and commocions there before this: yet they will not destroy artificers, for they know that the highest princes of them all, without such artificers could not mainteine their estate. Doth not all theyr toules, customes, taxes, tallages, and subsidies, chiefely growe by such artificers? What king can mainteine his estate with his yearely reuenues onely growing of his landes; for as many seruaunts in a house well set a worke, gaines euery man somwhat to their maister: so doth euery artificer in a realme ech gaine somewhat, and altogether a great masse to the king and his realm euery yeare it brigeth.

Knight. And now because we are entred into communication of artificers, I will make this diuision of them. Some of them do but conuey money out of the countrey: some other that which they get, they do spend againe in the countrey: and the third sorte of artificers is of them that doe bring in treasure into the countrey. One bring. Of the first sort I recken all mercers, grocers, vintners, haberdasheth out our ers, milleners, and such as do sell wares growing beyond the sea,

treasure.

and do fetch out our treasure for the same, which kinde of artificers as I recken them tollerable, yet not so necessary in a common weale, but they might be best spared of all other. Yet if we had not other artificers to bringe in as much treasure as they

in treasure

be cherish

ed.

doe cary forth, we should be greate loosers by them. Of the se- Another cond sorte bee these, shoomakers, tailours, carpenters, masons, spend that tylers, bouchers, brewers, bakers, and vittailers of all sortes, which in the same like as they get their liuing in the countrey, so they spend it; but countrey they bring in no treasure vnto vs. Therefore we must chearish well as gayne. the third sort, and those be clothiers, tamers, cappers, and worst- The third edmakers, onely that I knowe, (which by their misteries and facul- sort bring ties) do bring in any treasure. As for our wolles, felles, tinne, and thereledde, butter, and cheese, these be commodityes that the ground fore must beares requiring the industrye of a fewe persons, and if wee shoulde onely trust to such, and deuyse nothing els to occupy our selues with, a few persons wold serue for the rearing of such thinges, and few also it woulde fiude: and so should our realne be but like a grange better furnished with beastes then with men, whereby it mighte be subiecte to the spoile of other nations, aboute whych is the more to bee feared and eschued, because the country of his owne kinde is apte to brynge forth such thinges as bee for encrease of cattell, then for such thinges as be for the nourishment of men. If Pomponeus mela be to be beleeued, which descrybing thys Pomp.Me. ilande sayeth thus, Plana, ingens, et ferax: sed eorum quæ pecora, quam homines benignius alant. That is to say, it is playne, large, and plentiful, but of these thinges that nourisheth beastes more kindely then men. So many forestes, chases, parkes, marshes, and waste groundes being more here, then most commonly elsewhere, declare the same not to bee all in vayne, that hee affyrmes. It hath not so much erable grounde, vynes, olyues, fruites, and such as bee both most necessary for the foode of meu. And as they requyre many hands in their culture, so they finde most persons foode, as Fraunce and diuerse other countries haue. Therefore as much ground as is here apte for these things would be tourned as much as may be to such vses as may finde moste persons. And ouer that townes and cities would be replenished wyth all kinde of artificers, not onely clothyers, which is as it were our natural occupation, but with cappers, glouers, paper makers, glasiers, paynters, golde smithes, blacke smithes of al sortes, couerlet makers, needle makers, pinners, and such other, so as we should not onely haue mnough of such thinges to serue our realme and saue an infinyte treasure, that goeth now ouer for many of the same: but also might spare of such things ready wrought to be solde ouer, whereby we should fetch againe other necessary commodities or treasure. And this shoulde both replenish the realme of people able to defende it, and also saue and win much treasure to the same. Such occupations Mysteries alone do enrich diuers countreyes that be else baren of them selues. doe enrich And what riches they bring to the countries where they be well that be vsed, the countrey, of Flaunders and Germanie do well declare, els barren.

countries