HAving ſome time ſince humbly offered to the grave and pious Conſideration of the Supream Authority aforeſaid, PROPOSALS for Promoting and ſpeedy perfecting the Linnen-Manufacture; by which the good Ends beforementioned may infallibly be accompliſhed, and more than ten hundred thouſand pounds per Annum ſaved to the Nation; as is plainly demonſtrated by what I firſt printed, intituled Propoſals for building a Working-Alms-houſe in every County, &c. Wherein I give an account of a Spinning-Engine of my own invention; by which a Child of four or five years of age, may learn to ſpin, and earn three pence a day, eaſier than a Childe of ſeven or eight years old now; and others nine pence a day, eaſier than ſix pence a day without it.

But finding ſtill ſome very judicious perſons, after they have highly expreſt their Approbation of ſuch my Propoſals in the main, at the ſame time declaring, That they muſt oppoſe me, unleſs I could propoſe ſuch a method of Government in thoſe Worke-houſes as the Nation may be ſecured of theſe four things, viz. The Country from being cheated of their Money raiſed for erecting and furniſhing ſuch Houſes; the Poor from being abuſed, Knaves and unfit Perſons from being Officers and bearing Rule; and Juſtice from being wreſted, ſo as not to redreſs Grievances and puniſh Offenders.

To which I anſwer, That the beſt Deſignes or Models may in ſome meaſure be abuſed; but it will not therefore follow, That with a deſtructive careleſneſs we ſhould neglect what appears of certain uſe and profit, but rather to Regulate things ſo by the beſt of humane prudence, that they may as little as is imaginable be obnoxious to the inconveniences of Fraud and ill-adminiſtration. The particular method to do this, I left to the great wiſdom of the whole Nation, as beſt able to contrive the ſame; yet ſince it ſeems expected ſo far from me, that without it my Propoſals are oppoſed, I ſhall with all ſubmiſſion to better judgments, humbly offer, A Model of Government of ſuch Working Alms-houſes as far as concerns the preſervation ot the Stock raiſed, and prevention of frauds and corruptions in Officers: which I conceive will remove all apprehenſions of any the four before-mentioned Miſchiefs. That ſo all Judicious Perſons piouſly-diſpoſed for this Good and Pulick Buſineſs, may be ſatisfied before I move further for the proſecution of it. As thus:

Since all Pariſhes are to contribute to this Work, and every Pariſhioner is concern'd in the Charge, and may reap Benefit by it, if honeſtly managed; therefore becauſe it cannot be ſuppoſed, that any people will cheat or injure themſelves, let each perſon in every Pariſh be concern'd in or about the Government and inſpection thereof, as follows.

This method of Government or Inſpection I humbly offer as moſt ſafe, becauſe from Head to Foot the intereſt of one Member hath its dependance on the other. Intereſt is a thing that governs all people in the World, both good and bad. A good man knows 'tis his greateſt Interiſt to live honeſtly and uprightly in the fight of God and Man; becauſe then he believes a bleſſing attends him. A bad man, though ſo fooliſh as not to regard his future happineſs, will yet act honeſty too, when it is for his advantage ſo to do. Now according to the Conſtitution of the Government here preſcribed, euery mans Intereſt is linked together. As, 1. 'Tis the Intereſt of each Pariſh to elect honeſt Repreſentatives. 2. 'Tis the Intereſt of theſe Repreſentatives to act righteous things, and elect honeſt Truſtees, not only becauſe if they betray their Truſt for Favour, Bribes, or Prejudice, they are in danger of puniſhment and diſhonour; but alſo becauſe their own private Intereſt lies at ſtake in the common intereſt of the Pariſhes. 3. 'Tis the intereſt of the Officers and Truſtees, whether honeſt men or Knaves, to do honeſtly; becauſe then they may continue in their Places of reaſonable profit; but if they do otherwiſe under ſo many Eyes, and ſuch frequent Inſpections, they cannot hope to conceal their Miſdemeanours, and then muſt be ſeverely corrected, and pay dearly for it,

Thus much for the Form of Government relating to the election and qualification of Governors; I ſhall now adde a few words concerning the Perſons to be governed, the rather for that I finde our deſigne abuſively repreſented, as if we intended theſe Houſes to be places of of ſlavery, and to keep people there all their lives; whereas I propoſe only this, 1. That the Children of all poor people, who are chargeable to the Pariſh, be without abuſe employed in theſe Houſes at four or five years old and upwards; and all impotent people having one hand, to worke, and ſuch that can make uſe of their Legs, though no Hand, who cannot earn their living at home, and all others that are chargeable, unleſs it be married people having Children, not deſigning to part Man and Wife, as ſome Oppoſers do ſuggeſt. 2. That the Men-children brought up in theſe Houſes, have their liberty to go to Trades or Service in Husbandry, &c. when they come to the Age of 13 or 14 years; and the Maiden children to have like liberty, if they pleaſe, at the ſame age, to go to learn Houſewifry, &c. 3. That all Beggars, Vagrants, &c. who have no Habitation, nor will earn their livings in any lawful Employment, be placed there. 4. That all dangerous perſons, Criminals, &c. whom the Law condemns to be hang'd, &c. (except in the Caſe of Murder and Treaſon) eſpecially ſuch as are guilty of Perjury and Forgery, may be confined to theſe Houſes, during life, or for a certain term of years; whereby they may have the opportunity to be reformed and made fit for another world before they die: and in the mean time to ſerve the Publick, being able by their labour to maintain as many more as themſelves. 5. That all Debtors in Priſon, not able to pay their Debts, or maintain themſelves (whereof there are many hundreds ready to ſtarve, having but three halfpence a day, and what they can beg, to live on) may remove themſelves to this Hoſpital; where they may live comfortably and be inſtruments for publick good. This I the rather preſs for, for that I have obſerved ſuch dogged Cruelties in ſome of our Priſons, where many poor famiſhing perſons have been crouded up in one little Room, without any thing to lie on, ſave Straw, and that ſo ſeldom changed, that 'twas become Muck, and only fit to breed Vermine: And to aggravate their miſery, the Jaylor faſtned broad thin Plates of Iron, pent-houſe-wife acroſs the Grates of the Priſon, to prevent thoſe who were charitably diſpoſed, that they ſhould not give them Beer through the Grates, but that they might be forced to drink his, and pay two pence for little more than a pint. This unmerciful Cruelty have I ſeen in our Nation; And were it not better to have ſo many people comfortably at work, than languiſhing thus under unconſcionable Oppreſſors?

Theſe are the perſons that may compoſe and fill up theſe Houſes. As for the Officers, the way of providing their Diet, Clothes, and other Circumſtances, I ſhall not here particularize, Chriſts Hoſpital, or the like Foundation, may afford a good precedent for us to imitate: Onely as a thing moſt neceſſary for the Chriſtian Education and happy Reformation of this, great Family, ſpecial Care muſt be taken that a godly Miniſter of a good kind diſpoſition and exemplary Converſation, be placed and maintained in each Hoſpital; and that the Children be allow'd one hour in each day to learn to read Engliſh.

If any doubt whether the Inhabitants of the reſpective Houſes will be able to maintain themſelves, my Anſwer is, That a man who hath health and ſtrength, may by reaſonable labour, earn 18 d. a day; a woman 9 d. or 10 d. a day. Men or women, who are impotent, and can do nothing but ſit ſtill and imploy their hands, may earn with eaſe 8, 9, or 10 d. a day: Yea, any one that could earn 6 d. a day heretofore, ſhall in this houſe as eaſily earn 9 d. or 10 d. a day. A Child of moderate underſtanding at four or five years old, which coſt the Pariſh 1 s. 6 d. or 2 s. a week keeping, may after two months teaching, earn 3 d. a day the firſt year the ſecond year 5 d. a day, the third year 7 d. a day, and the fourth year 9 d. a day: ſo that at nine yars of age, they may earn more than any woman by the ſame employment can do without the help of our Engine: So that all may live comfortably on ſo eaſie an employment as cannot poſſibly do them hurt. And by this means all the Nation will ſuddenly be bred up to ſuch an excellent profitable way of Induſtry, that no Nation in the world can exceed us; which without this Expedient, can never be effected with ſo much Expedition, Profit, and Eaſe.

Thus much I have propoſed, for the ſatisfaction as I hope, of thoſe who are the moſt judicious Objectors or at leaſt ſo far, as that with their Corrections, it may be made feazable and acceptable to the great Wiſdome of the Nation. In the mean time I leave my Propoſals, as a Ship without Governour, running a drift amongſt the raging waves between the higheſt Rocks, and the ſhallow Sands, attended with Storms, Calms and Croſſ-winds; yet laden with Treaſure ſufficient to enrich the whole Kingdom to that degree, that there may not be one Beggar in the Nation. Nay, I will affirm, that 'tis more than 3000 l. a day loſt to the Nation for every day in the year, whilſt it is neglected; beſides the loſs of what is of a far greater value, as may be more plainly demonſtrated, if deſired.

Now would I crave leave to add a word or two to another ſort of Pople, whom I cannot ſo properly call Objectors, as Oppoſers of my Propoſals, ſince they are ſo Cenſorious as to judge and condemn them before they have read them, or know what my Reaſons are; and ſo regardleſs of the happy Reformation intended thereby, that they think it too much to part with their unneceſſary ſelf-intereſt, and contribute a ſmall Aſſiſtance for improving the beſt and moſt profitable Expedients, crying out, The old way is beſt, and the work will be better done at home by their own fires; when perhaps the wood is ſtoln out of their Neighbours hedge; And that the Parents may beſt bring up their own Children. Though too true it is, that inſtead of bringing them up in Induſtry to earn their Livings at five or ſix years old, and to be inſtructed in good manners both towards God and man, they now generally at four or five years old learn of their Parent to curſe, ſwear, lye, beg and ſteal, until they be fourteen or fifteen years of age, and ſo addicted to vice, that they are not fit for a good man to take into his houſe. And thus from generation to generation have they been, and are brought up to live and dye moſt miſerably. To theſe Gentlemen I have this to offer, viz. Suppoſe, Sirs, there were no Profits to be reap'd, That what we contribute is only a meer Act of Charity, accompliſhing the happy Reformation, comfortable Imployment and Maintenance of the Poor. Conſider I ſay, if this were all, whether it be ſafe to keep that Intereſt or money which we ought to part with, and improve for Gods glory, and good of our poor Neighbours; ſince by ſo doing we may incur his diſpleaſure and our own ruine for ever. Or how can we that are impiouſly uncharitable, expect pardon and mercy ſince it is ſo, that our Faith, our Hope, and all we can do without Charity availeth nothing? What more plain and loud Call can there be for an Act of Charity, than when thou feeſt that by a free and general Contribution ſo profitable a Reformation may be ſo accompliſhed? I thank God, I think it not too much, or any diſhonour, to be 〈…〉 a Beggar for the Poor at the doors of thoſe in whoſe power to carry on this 〈…〉 I am certain, if they be for it, no good man dares be againſt it. What you may do I know not: for my own part, rather had I be a ſimple object of Charity like La ••••• a Beggar at the door of the Rich, than to be a rich man without Charity, to lift up my eyes in the flames of Hell. What will it profit a man to keep his money in his pocket, when God ſhall certainly make him miſerable for not improving of it? Is it not an infallible Truth, that no good man can poſſibly be uncharitable; and alſo that no bad man ſhall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? How neceſſary then is it for thee to be found in thy Stewardſhips improving thy Talent while thou may'ſt? that ſo thou mayeſt be an object of mercy in that day when Almighty God ſhall accept of thy Account, and ſay, Well done, good and faithful ſervant, thou haſt been faithful in few things, thou ſhalt be Ruler over many Cities. Thou didſt not hide thy Talent in a Napkin: Thou haſt been a Father to the fatherleſs, an Husband to the widow, in their diſtreſs and poverty: Thou haſt fed the hungry, clothed the naked, made ſuch comfortable Proviſion for their Children, and their Childrens Children that none of them ſhall beg their bread, or want an Habitatoon; yea thou haſt contributed of thy ſubſtance to turn many Thouſands, who like the blind were wandring in the paths of Death, and haſt led them into the way of Eternal Life. Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord.

Much more might be added for the admonition of thoſe who had rather hide their Talents in the earth, than improve them for the moſt publique and greateſt Advantage; but I leave it as a work more ſuitable for the moſt Grave and Pious Divines, the Archbiſhops, Biſhops, &c. whoſe expreſſions of zeal to the pious ends of this Deſigne, have invited me to believe they will not be wanting to contribute their aſſiſtance, whereby to encourage thoſe who are under their Spiritual Care, to be aſſiſting in ſo profitable and charitable a work; by which the Glory of God, the Proſperity of the whole Nation, and the Welfare and happy Reformation of all poor diſtreſſed People, may be at once and together promoted.

If any ſhall object and ſay, Such a deſign would have been certainly embraced and proſecuted, had you propoſed it, in the Generation paſt; but is not ſo proper for, or probable to thrive in this. I deſire to know the obſtacle, at whoſe door the fault muſt lie: Sure I am, his Majeſty hath been moſt graciouſly pleaſed to give a Signal Inſtance, of his Royal Approbation and Encouragement thereunto, though it ſeem to diminiſh his Majeſties particular advantage, more than all the People in the Nation beſides. His Illuſtrious Highneſs Prince 〈◊〉 , that eminent Promoter of the Proſperity of our Kingdom, and ſeveral Noble Peers in particular have expreſt themſelves ſatisfied with the Utility of the Deſign: divers Reverend Prelates and Divines have declared their great and unanimous Zeal for promoting the work. And not a few worthy Gentlemen of the Houſe of Commons are convinced, that no other expedient yet offered, can ſo certainly, ſpeedily, and eaſily accompliſh the good ends deſigned. And why then may not this Age be as proper as the age paſt, for this hopeful Plant to flouriſh in, under ſo many cheriſhing Influences.

Howbeit with all humble ſubmiſſion I refer the ſame, and all that I have ſaid, to the favourable Conſtruction and grave Conſideration of the great wiſdome of the Nation; beſeeching God to direct their Councels, and bleſs their Enterpriſes, as may make moſt for his Glory, and the Nations Proſperity.