The ninth cause of the decay of Trade, consisting of the interruption thereof by Warres, Pirates and Bankrupts, I have partly handled in the fifth Cause. And although decayed men are found at all times, yet the want of money hath caused divers Merchants and Tradesmen to Breake, who might have maintained their credits, but that being out of their moneys, and the moneys out of the Kingdome, maketh them to goe out of their credits; for Necessitas Parit Turpia. The Remedy hereof doth most depend upon plenty of money or meanes in the liew of money, as the setting over of Bills of debt before spoken of. For the Statute against Bankcrupts, cannot produe any great effect, but be a meane to undoe the party for ever, if it doe depend long upon him, contrary tothe intention thereof; for whereas all such as are Creditors, ought to come in within foure moneths to take their part, of what may appeare of the State of the Bankcrupt, to bee examined by all lawful meanes: the same is protracted for tenne, twenty, and more moneths; and all those that come in the said Interim are admitted with the former, and a great part of the estate is spent in charges. This may bee remedied by the Authority of the Chauncery to the Commissioners appointed for th'execution of the said Statute.
The Remedy to the last and tenth Cause of the decay of Trade, (being the immoderate use of forraine Commodities:) doth (as I have shewed before) consist, partly by the abundance of those Commodities imported by the abuse of exchange, and partly by the wearing of those Commodities, affected by the vulgar sort or Common people. Monsieur Bodine doth observe with Plato, that as the Prince is, so are the Subjects, who (by imitation) follow his example, which sooner entreth into their eyes, then into their eares: And the greater their Authority is, the more affectionate is their imitation. Alexander cast his head aside, and all the Court held their necks awry; Denis was Purblinde, and his Courtiers stumbled at every step and justled each other, as if they had beene evill sighted: and so of other Princes in their apparell, precious stones and other things, which is made to bee the fashion. Hence the Proverbe tooke beginning, Countries fashion, Countries honour. And the effect hereof, is many times greater then the Lawes can bring to passe, unlesse it be upon some Remarkable occasion, as the late Command may prove for the wearing of Blackes at Funeralls, in Cloth and Stuffes made of English Wooll within the Realme.
Here I have omitted, to speake of Customes, Impositions publike and secret, layed upon Commodities, especially upon Cloth, both here and beyond the Seas; because the same requireth great consideration, and the abolishing thereof (being once laied on) will hardly bee brought about, unlesse it bee, with the consent of both parties, where the one hath provoked the other to impose them.
For a Conclusion therefore let us note, That all the said causes of the decay of Trade in England, are almost all of them comprised in one, which is the want of money; whereof wee finde the abuse of exchange, to bee the efficient Cause, which maketh us to find out so easie a Remedie, whereby the Kingdome shall enjoy all the three essentiall parts of Traffique under good and Politike Government, which will bee Free Trade effectually or in deed. And this will also bee admirable in the eyes of other Princes, finding his Majesties wisdome to bee Transcendent in Governing of his owne, which (by so many sendings and remissions of Ambassadours unto forraine Princes and States by his Noble Predecessours:) could never bee effected, as by divers Records appeareth; albeit there was nothing required of them, but what did stand with the Rule of Equality and Equitie, which cannot erre: But velut Ariadne caeca regens filo vestigia, non modo nos errare non finit, sed etiam efficit, ut aberrantes in Rectam viam deducamur.
Soli Deo Gloria
