The eight cause of the decay of Trade, is Th'exportation of the materials of Wools, and Wooll-fells, from the Sea-coasts of England, and the Kingdome of Scotland, and the Customes and Impositions laid upon Clothes at home and abroad in other Countries, especially the great Imposition in the Low united Provinces called Consumption Money, payed by the Retaile of Cloth or Drapery, only upon our English Clothes, and not upon Cloth in those parts, whereby their Cloth is more vented, and English Cloth in less Request.
Touching the exportation of Materials, there is a provident order taken, to prevent the same in England, by a late direction and Proclamation, prohibiting the exportation of Woolls, Wooll fells, Wool-yearne, Fullers earth, and Wood ashes. And the like will be done in Scotland; and for the better execution, there is a Committee appointed of certaine selected discreet persons under the great Seale of England.
The ninth Cause of the decay of Trade, are the Warres in Christendome, as also in other Countries out of the same, where our Cloth and Manufactures have been transported, increased by the daily losses sustained by Pirats, and continuall breaking of Merchants and Tradesmen; all which is meerely Heterocliton or opposite to Traffique, and they concurre all in nature, to the interruption and overthrowing of Trade; and this can never be divereted, prevented, nor remedied, by selling our Clothes or Manufactures cheape, to undersell other Nations, who meet with the said hinderances and interruption as well as we doe, in the Trade of the Clothes made by them: But Time and quietnesse must be expected in some measure. The price of Wool being fallen from 33 shillings the Todde, to 18 shillings and under disimproving the Revenue of lands, can never increase Trade, but improverish the Kingdome and all landed men.
Aristotle saith, that Riches is either Natural or Artificiall. The natural Riches, as lands, vines forrests, meddowes, etc. The Artificiall, as Money, Gold, Silver, Cloth, and all things metalline or mineral, and manufactures, proceeding of the Naturall Riches. And as both these doe receive their price and estimation by mony (as the Rule and square) so reason requireth a certaine Equality betweene them in the estimation of the value thereof, which dayly decreaseth by abating the price of our Commodities, and for the want of moneys; which in some unskilful merchants are much to bee blamed in making inconsiderate Barters for our Clothes beyond the Seas, wanting vente, and being (by the abuse of exchange) deprived to import moneys and Bullione. To conclude this point, let us remember, that the Protection of Princes in warres and against the Pirates, is to be maintained to prevent the decay of Trade.
The tenth and last Cause of the decay of Trade, is the immoderate use of forraine Commodities, and the lesse use of our home Commodities: for albeit that by the Superfluity of our native Commodities, Trade is procured; yet if that Superfluity do abound so, that thereby the price of it becommeth abated: The forraine Commodities being more used and worne, come in the liew thereof and are advanced, which bringeth an evident overballancing of Comodities.
This cause some Statesmen in France, to invent meanes how the Trade might be cut off, and that no Commodities should be transported out of the Realme, making account, that they could live peaceably within themselves and very good cheape, without giving or receiving any thing of other nations. This was much contradicted by Monsieur Bodine the great Polititian of France, as is noted in Englands View, who shewed that they had neede of the Stranger, and most especially of the Traffique with them:
Insomuch, that although they could have lived without them in regard of Commodities: yet charity, humanity, and Policy willeth us to maintaine friendship with our neighbours, and rater to give them part of our blessings, then not to deale or Communicate with them. True it is, that it cannot bee denyed, that if any kingdome under the Sunne, can subsist of itself, none hath more cause of thankgiving unto God, then the Kingdomes of Great Brittaine and Ireland, so richly replensihed with all things serving and Victum & Vestitum, for the Backe and Belly, as we terme it, not onley for our owne maintenance, but also for the supply of others. But God caused nature to distribute her bennefites, or his blessings to severall Climates, supplying the barrennesse of some things in one countrey, with the fruitfulnesse and store of other countries, to the end that interchangeably one Common-weale should live with an other. And therefore is Traffique and Trade so much to bee maintained and defended, where in all manner of rashnesse in the sale of wares is to be avoided, but by Policy to be prevented and upholden, according to the Policy of that valiant Captaine Sertorius, who did preferre the same before strength by setting the feeble Souldior to pull out the horses taile, which the mightiest man of his campe could not effect, using violance: when the feeble man did performe the same by pulling out the haires by little and little. Merchants can use the like Policie, when they want not monyes, and doe expect a convenient time to sell their Clothes with reputation.
