And forasmuch as Execution is the life of the law, as His Majestie in his high wisedome admonisheth: and the Prudence and providence of the State, have beene very great in devising and enacting such good lawes from time to time, as might tend to the encreae and advancement of the Drapery of this Kingdome: If therefore now any think bee amisse therein, it must needs come through the want of execution of those lawes. Hinc illae lachrymae! This Bonum according to His Majesties Regall rule, is not Bene. For these Overseers and Searchers beeing silly Countreymen, and generally not expert in the mystery of making of Cloth: in the Search whereof, there is as much neede of skill as in the making: for how should they finde the fault, that know not how it is committed? These Searchers I say, thus being ignorant and unskilfull in their offices, and negligent also, (in which last, it hath been againe and againe confest, that they have set the seales of their office, to Clothes they never search't nor saw) needs must there be a great abuse, in the execution of those good lawes.
Nay I would I could not say, how much our Nation hath beene upbraided by the people of forreine parts with this abuse, that the Searchers Seales of England are bought and sold as in a market, and put on the Clothes by the Tuckers, and other the servants of the Clothiers, as if the same had beene lawfully Searched and Sealed according to the Statute; when as the Searchers Eye never so much as beheld the Clothes.
Wherein the people of the Netherlands are so exact, that you shall never find any of their Countrey Clothes false search't or sealed. For you sahll nave a Seale set upon the Cloth when it commeth from the Weavers: anothe whenit commeth from the Tuckers: another when it commeth from the Dyers: and that by men of good quality, appointed for tha purpose in every City and Towne where Cloth is made, termed Curemasters: so called from the Care they ought, and doe performe, in the execution of their office: wherein indeed they are so strict, that you shall never finde any of the seales aforesaid, set to any manner of false or defective Cloth.
For indeed the Searcher being a sworne Officer, ought to be as witnes without exception betwixt man and man: that when a man seeth the Searchers seale set upon the Cloth, it should serve as a true Certificat of the true making thereof. It is a great impiety before God and Man, to be a false witnesse in any case: but these Searchers are false witnesse ipso facto, when they doe testifie to the world by their seales, that those Clothes are good and true, which indeede are utterly false. And which aggravateth the matter yet more, that the Kings Seale of Armes, which is testis omni exceptione major, should also be set to Clothes thus falsely searched and sealed; whereby not only the Kings subjects, but the strangers also in forreine parts are deceived, is a very grosse and grievous abuse.
Amongst other abuses of this kinde, one precedent come's to my minde, of ten Clothes bought not long since by a Merchant, of a Clothier of Wiltshire. Which Clothes were all Sealed by the Searchers of that place, for good & true, according to the Statute. but being tried by the Merchant Buyer, and afterwards by the Sworne measurer of the Citie of London, were found so defective in length, breadth and waight, that where these ten Clothes cost but 60 lib. or thereabouts, the faults in these ten Clothes came to neere 20 lib which ws one third part of the value of the Cloth. And it being a notable comtempt of the law, the Lords of His Majesties most Honourable Privie Councell were informed thereof; who were pleased to send down a Messenger into that County, and fetch't up both the Clothier and Searchers, who worthily under-went the Condigne Censure of the Lords.
Under the Merchant also the Cloth-trade suffereth both at Home and Abroad. At Home, by Exporting the Materials, either of Woolles or Wool-sels from the Sea-coasts of England, and the Kingdome of Ireland: or by Over-lading the Cloth-trade, either with any generall or speciall charge.
The latter I cannot pretermit: for as the chiefe waight of the Cloth-trade lyeth on the Merchants-Adventures; so also is the burthen of charge most felt under that trade. For the Impositions and Imprest money by them laid upon the Cloth, for defraying the charge of their Government, and payment of their Debts; hath driven many good Merchants out of the trade, and given the Clothiers occasion to complaine of want of Buyers, and thrust the trade it selfe more and more into the Strangers hands.
And abroad, by the unfit place of Residence, which the Merchants-Adventurers are fallen upon in Holland. Whither they goe with great perill of Shippe and Goods: And where they come farre short of that they hoped for; and of that quicke and ample vent of their Cloth they found in Zeeland. The Agitation of which remoove; is vehemently suspected to have moved the Merchants of Holland, to procure Priviledges of the States Generall to Incorporate themselves, and keep Courts, to confront the Merchants-Adventurers; which they never did before: To have drawne the Taring of Cloth into Holland, where the Buyers are in some sort, Judges & Parties; which before was in the Mart-towne, where the Seller was present: And lastly to have hastned the great Imposition in Holland. All which are matters of moment, and concerne the Cloth-trade very much, and whereof the English Factors there residing doe generally complaine: Yet These Irather instance then urge: leaving the further Overture thereof to their own relation.
Now the forreine causes of the decay of the Drapery of England: are either generall, as the warres in Germany: or speciall as the great Imposition lately laide upon our Cloth in Holland.
By the former, the Course of Trade is stopt and hindered, that Merchants cannot passe without perill from place to place: and the monies become so variable, that when a Merchant hath sold his Cloth, and hopeth to have gained something thereby; by that time that the terme for payment is expired, he receiveth lesse in value then the Clothes cost, by the raising and rising of the monies.
By the latter, the Merchants of the Netherlands are discouraged, wherby many of them have given over their trades, which heretofore they followed in ample manner, unto Muscovy, the East-Countries and other places, in our English Clothes bought of the Merchants-Adventurers from time to time.
