THE Woollen Manufacture of our Engliſh Nation being the chief Support of our Foreign Trade, and the Maſter-wheel of all Trade at home (as will appear by the due Conſideration of the Multitudes of People that it directly employs, afterwards, by its immediate Effects of Raw-Silk, Grogerome, Yarn and the like, and the many Trades that have their whole dependance upon this) doth juſtly claim our chiefeſt Care to its Encouragement and Reputation: Experience ſhewing us, that when this fails, it hath a ſpeedy Influence upon all others, and ſoon upon the whole Nation; and I think I may add, without Oſtentation, that no part of the World doth now equal us in the Curioſity of this Commodity either for Cloth or Colour, I wiſh I could add in general. And the exact making of a good Piece of Cloth requires as great Care and Judgment as any Commodity in the Engliſh Nation, there being ſo many Particulars belonging to it, a Miſcarriage in each of which ſpoiling the Curioſity of the whole deſign; and, being brought to its due Perfection, (for its Beauty and Uſefulneſs) is the beſt Commodity in the whole World. And ſince Providence hath ſeemingly afforded us this as our particular Lot, with more Conveniences to bring it to its due Perfection, than any other part of the World; as is evident by the Goodneſs of our Wool, Fullers-Earth, Quick-Rivers and the like; we muſt be ſtrangely ſtupid to our own Intereſt, if we ſuffer the Reputation of it to be loſt by any undue Courſes, the Price of it inhanc'd by any unneceſſary Attendants, the Nation being herein wounded in its tendereſt Part, many other Nations being in Competition, and as it were at a Conteſt with us in all our Foreign Markets, with this Commodity; or that the Juſt and due Profit of it ſhould be carried away by any unreaſonable IntrudersQuis virtutem amplectitur ipſam, praemia ſi tollas.. The whole of this being ſufficiently confirmed by thoſe many good Statutes formerly made to guard it againſt all Inconveniencies; but as the worthy Makers of thoſe good Laws are now aſleep, ſo are their Laws too, and every Man's Rule is freely become his own choice; nay the greateſt trial of skill, of late Years, has been, who could make the worſt Cloth, which I think doth juſtly call for the Inſpection of this preſent Parliament.

1. The Firſt Reaſon that I humbly offer, is the abundance of Pinions and Niles that have of late years been made into broad Cloth tranſported abroad, and ſold with no diſtinction at all from Cloth that is made of good ſtaple Fleece-Wool; great Quantities of this Commodity being made of late years in this Nation, as our Trade of Stuffs and Serges hath increaſed: it is a ſort of ſhort Wool, of the nature of Flax, which the Wool-Combers ſeparate from the long ſtaple Wool, with which they make their Serges and Stuffs. This being made into Broad-Cloth and well preſt will deceive a prudent Buyer, but not do above half the Service of well made Fleece-Wool Cloth: many thouſand Cloths in a year are made of this Commodity in the Nation, which (to my own knowledge) hath brought a great Diſreputation upon our Cloth abroad. By the Statute of King James the firſt, Anno quarto cap. 2. Any ſuch Commodity as this was ſtrictly limited to narrow Cloth, and indeed all ſorts of Wool that was any thing of a worſe Quality than Fleece-Wool, I mean the beſt ſeparated from it upon any account, and that narrow Cloth to be diſtinguiſht with a plain Liſt on one ſide, and the other nothing but a Selvidge, that the Buyer of it might know what he bought. The Quantities of this Commodity of Niles and Pinions being now grown ſo great, it's a Queſtion whether it's beſt to limit it to narrow Cloth or not, that ſort of Cloth being now more out of uſe than formerly. But it is moſt agreeable to Reaſon and Juſtice, that it ſhould be diſtinguiſhed from good ſtaple Fleece-Wool Cloth, which I propoſe by making one plain black Liſt not topt, and the other white, in all ſorts of Cloth that it is made into; which will be no Hindrance or extraordinary Charge to the Cloth, only to ſhew the Buyer what it is made withal: That there may be a power lodg'd in the Overſeers of the Poor in every Pariſh in England to ſeize any ſuch Cloth that is other ways made; to diſtribute ſome part to the Informer, the Remainder to be divided by their diſcretion amongſt the Poor, any Charge that ſhould happen, to be bore by the Commodity. If any Queſtion ariſe about the Cloth the Owner to be put to his Oath, and this Act to be read once every Year in all Clothing Places: nothing would more mend the Price of ordinary Wool than this, hereby this Commodity would be known at all our Markets, and ſold according to its merit; the Price ſo much leſſen'd, that it would come into many hands that wear no Cloth, being not able to come to the Price of it; and certainly avoided by many that are now deceived by it, and hinder'd from wearing good Fleece-Wool Cloth that they expected: But, that which is chiefeſt, we ſhall ſecure the Reputation of our Fleece-Wool Cloth abroad; which is no ſmall Advantage to any Commodity, as appears by our Colcheſter-Bays, which carry the whole Trade of the World (in that Commodity) by their due preſervation of the good making of them.

2. The next is the Exceſſive ſtraining of our Cloth, which is become a general practice in all Cloth that is exported, and indeed the common ſhelter of all bad making of Cloth in general. A Cloth that is but five quarters wide, when ſtrain'd out, ſet and dry, will make as fair a ſhew at Market as that of ſix, and few but may be deceìved by it; all Irregularities in Breadth and Length being hereby in a great meaſure ſtifled: Beſides, it fruſtrates the End of good dreſſing of Cloth; the chiefeſt care being now to make the Cloth look well to the Eye, after ſtrain'd and fitted for a Market; which End being ſerved, the Cloth muſt needs wear too high after ſhrunk and made into a Garment; ſo the true end of good dreſſing of Cloth loſt to ſerve a falſe. Beſides many other Inconveniencies that might be urged upon that ſcore. How far the reputation of our Engliſh Cloth is liable to ſuffer hereby, I leave to better Judgments, only add, that it is too much encouraged and uſed by our Merchants. That there ſhould be a Statute made that no Cloth of what nature ſoever ſhould be ſtrained above one Yard in twenty in the Length of the Cloth, and one Nail of a Yard in Breadth upon forfeiture of the Cloth. That all Cloth-Drawers in the City of London ſhould be ſworn to diſcover any Cloth that comes to their Hands that ſhrunk any more than this, and to have ſome Reward for the Diſcovery. All Cloth that is exported going through their Hands, and the Hot Iron that they uſually uſe to preſs their Work, the fitteſt Means to diſcover it. This being done, it would have a good Effect upon Mens Care in making of good Cloth, and in great meaſure anſwer thoſe many Searches that have lately been propoſed, by a Bill, to the Parliament.

The goodneſs of Cloth in it ſelf muſt, in great meaſure, be left to the Judgment of the Buyer, if he plainly ſees the Condition of it, his Price will be juſtly guided; and there is nothing will quicken Mens care more in any Commodity than a certain Loſs in a Failure.

3. The next Inconveniency that our Clothing Trade ſuffers under, is, the many Wool-Broghers, or Ingroſſers of Wool that are ſprung up theſe late Years, calling themſelves by the Names of Wool-Staplers, but never bring a Pound of Wool to a Staple in a Year. They buy up great Quantities of Wool in ſeveral Counties, bring it up to London, divide it into two or three ſorts or more; then ſell it or ſend it down to Clothiers in all clothing parts of England; they come down thirty or forty Miles towards clothing places, buy up the Wool, bring it to London and divide it, and afterwards ſend it through thoſe parts again; their breaking of this Wool into ſorts, no real advantage to the Clothiers, but very often the contrary, for little ſo exactly done but muſt be parted again, in the exact way of making of Cloth: Theſe Men buy their Wool in different Counties, their deſign not to make it into Cloth, but to order it for the advantage of ſale, and are not careful to keep the different Counties Wool apart, but rather the contrary, to make two Counties of good Wool ſell off one that is but indifferent, in purſuance of their intereſt; hereby theſe Counties Wools being of differing proof and ſcouring, as moſt Counties are, many rowy and cuckly Clothes are made, that the Clothier can't poſſibly avoid, it being the Clothiers greateſt care always to uſe a Counties Wool by itſelf, this being a great advantage by the equal proof of the Cloth in the Mill: And no Clothier but may fit himſelf with any ſort of Wool from the Breeder, that his occaſion requires, and have it directly to his own Houſe, without any inconveniency of more ſorts than he hath occaſion for: or if ſo, he may ſpin it into Yarn and fairly ſell it again. Theſe Men buy up moſt of their Wool in the Summer, and ſend down a great part of it into the Country in the Winter, by which means, thro' the wetneſs of the Ways, and the neglect of Carriers, the Wool moſt times receives wet, which is very prejudicial to the working of the Wool, and the making of good Cloth. By the Rules of Reaſon, and having Charity for their Sellers, theſe Men ſhould have a hard Task to get a Livelihood, but we too plainly ſee the contrary, and that they carry away a great ſhare of the profit of the Clothing Trade, live very ſplendidly, and come to great Eſtates. What Civilities the Breeders receive more from theſe Men, than they did formerly from the Clothiers, is to me uncertain, but the whole Practice of their Trade, is plainly againſt the Statute of Edward the Sixth, Anno quinto, ch. 7. And I think more ſtrictly to be made, if poſſible, as may yet a little farther appear.

4. Theſe lead me directly to another ſort of Men, that are their great Aſſiſtants, called Factors, or indeed their Brethren in a higher Form, Ingroſſers of Spaniſh Wool. Theſe at firſt ſet up, (or crept in unawares) and their Original not quite out of memory, to aſſiſt the Clothiers in ſelling their Cloth to the Merchants and Woollen-Drapers, and ſending down their Money, and to have a ſmall Salery for doing it: But now, to admiration, become the chief Maſters of the Clothing Trade, they buy up and ingroſs into their hands, almoſt all the Spaniſh Wool that comes into England, then ſell or ſend it down at their own Prizes to the Clothiers; their uſual profit being two Pence in a Pound in Price, and four Pounds in Tare, leſs in the Bag of Wool than the Merchant allows them, which makes near three Pence; ſo that there is not a Nobleman in the Nation that wears a Sute of Spaniſh Cloth (the moſt reputable wear in the World) but doth in effect pay two Shillings Factoridge. Their Saleries afterwards for ſelling the Cloth, as they ſet themſelves, (who being linkt by one common Intereſt, and the Makers of the Cloth in effect become their Servants) are ſure enough on their ſides. But this as to Spaniſh Wool. They find a way likewiſe to get a Salery out of moſt of the Engliſh Wool, that theſe Wool-Broakers ſend down to their Clothiers, and uſually five Shillings in a Pack: The ſupport of this Salery being partly upon this ſcore, theſe Factors have the whole management of their Clothiers Eſtates; theſe other can't well be ſecure of their Money, or know well whom to truſt, but by theſe Factors aſſiſtance. But here's a further cunning in the matter, As theſe Factors have a certain advantage by this Wool, they will be ſure to incourage the Cloth that is made of it, and manage many of the Clothiers ſo, that they ſhall not be able to buy any other way: And ſo their Intereſts jump. The Wool-Brogher to ſerve the Wool at his price, the Factor to have half a Crown in a Clothier's Wool down, five Shillings in a Cloth for ſelling the Cloth to the Merchant, and the value of this Cloth about ſeven Pounds.

The Intereſt of theſe Men, thus joyn'd, and being always at London, to obſerve all Opportunities of Trade, and improve their Intereſt with Merchants, and the Clothiers for moſt part in the Country, hath prevail'd ſo far, that there are many thouſand Cloths made in a Year, where (I dare affirm) the Makers of them do not get one Shilling in a Cloth: And they eaſily find out ſuch Men in all Countries, that will catch at an empty reputation, and anſwer their ends, and when the Wheel's once going round, there's no ſtop. And thoſe Clothiers, that will not follow this Pipe, have their Cloth laid by, and their Money poſſibly us'd to incourage thoſe that bring this extraordinary profit: And the command of Blackwell-hall Markets being ſo much in their power, moſt of the Trade is carried in this chanel; to change from one of theſe great Factors to another, no remedy, being all governed by one Intereſt; nay farther, theſe Men are great dealers in theſe Pinions and Niles, I think I may add, equal Promoters of our Engliſh Intereſt, or as our Proverb, Like to like Similis ſimili gaudet.. Theſe, as the uſeleſs Cions of the Tree, draw away great part of the Sap, and bear no Fruit, nay, which is worſe, ſtarve the Branches that would bear: the one a Coach, a Country-houſe; the other forc'd to come up in a Waggon to ſave charges:

Si natura negat, facit indignatio verſum. Juv. This doth certainly reflect upon the Clothiers themſelves to be thus managed, and poſſibly would not be ſo ingeniouſly own'd, did not neceſſity require it, and their intereſt ſo plainly overpower'd; but think it the greateſt wiſdom to make an Appeal before quite ſwallowed up, there remaining no poſſibility of withſtanding their force:Ne pars ſincera tràhatur. Ovid. In your Account made up, in which you are uſually brought ſomething in their Debts, you have ſo much Money ſtanding out to ſuch and ſuch Men; if you are uneaſie, and go and ask any of theſe Men for Money, you diſoblige your Factor, and get nothing by it neither, for theſe Men buying a great many Mens Cloth, and keeping a general Account with the Factor, will know no particulars; and ſo you are forc'd to an implicit Faith; and their exact knowledge of the ſtrength of your Stock and Weekly Expence, is better to them than auricular Confeſſion. So that many of your great Factors manage ſome of their Clothiers as exact as their Watches: The intereſt of Rome is plainly out-done; if uneaſie, no help for it: So where a War can't be continued to advantage, it's good making the beſt Peace a man can, and turn to the other point, and endeavour to become a Favourite, and exerciſe the thoughts about a good Side of Bacon, or rather than be out-done, the whole Pig, or to get the largeſt Coller of Brawn, a little ſuitable to the quality of the Receiver. And, as well as out-done this way, we are quite hinder'd from ſhewing our own Cloth to Merchants at Blackwel-Hall, unleſs in the open Court; for the whole Hall is ſo taken up with theſe Factors, that there's no room but in their ſtandings: we pay the Hoſpital all the charge of taking in and keeping account in ſending out, and are wholly ſhut out; if you ſhew any Cloth in any of their Standings, you muſt be ſure to pay Factoridge. Their right in a Standing, after Poſſeſſion, (by the leave of the Hoſpital) is not reckon'd much leſs than a Fee ſimple, if they have Heirs, I cannot tell whether diſpoſable by Will; but we find (too often to our Loſs) that it is of a ſhorter tenure, but however ſtill full, and many times ſuch conteſts for Standings, that it wants good Judgment to decide. Theſe Factors come to Market in their Morning-Gowns and Slippers, their Honour in the way, proportionable to their Clothiers in Town, and the greateſt Inconveniency that is to them, is, many times our Country Waggons in Blackwel-Hall Court are much in their Coaches way; and the poor Carriers oft times (at their firſt coming up) are ſo ſcar'd to make way and move their poor Cattle for this great ſplendour and Gallantry, that they ſcarce recover their Senſes until a Mile out of town, and then bleſs themſelves for their great deliverance from ſome Nobleman's Coach;Quis coelum terris non miſceat & mare coelo? Juven. I muſt confeſs I have not yet heard much of their Heraldry: and hope we ſhall have ſome Credit in the Harpalus à come, eques ab ore rupe. Eraſm. Factors, — ſo flat—like the Swans black Legs to their Ladies; and ſo great a Mortification that it muſt be changed, if by Act of Parliament. Settlement. Thus much of Charybdis, but here'sEcce iterum Criſpinus, & eſt mihi ſaepe vocandus Ad partes, monſtrum nulla virtute redemptum. Juvenal. Scylla too.

The numbers of theſe Blackwel-Hall Factors are ſo much increaſed within theſe ten or fifteen Years, by their taking ſo many Apprentices, that the Cloth Trade is not able to ſupport them, (had they not been out in their politicks, in this point, I ſhould have thought they had ingroſſed all the Craft to themſelves:) and theſe often plac'd according to their Friends Ability in ſetting them up; no more being required to ſet up a Factor than an Ink-box and two Quires of Paper: And theſe Apprentices having as well learnt their Maſters way of Living as their Trade, begin accordingly, giving out at firſt that there's a good Eſtate in the Country, or a fair Eſtate ſome other way, to incourage their Credit; which hath hitherto prov'd ſtill reverſional, when to help the Clothiers at a dead lift; neither can it, in reaſon, be otherwiſe expected: And going on as they begun (there being a neceſſity for that) and the Profit of the Trade not anſwering, they begin to ſpend the Clothiers Money, (being ready at hand) and, after ſome conſiderable time, make a Breach. Quae tam Feſta dies ut ceſſat prodere? Hor. Were it not to ſpoil the Poet's verſe. There has beeen loſt to our Clothiers, (within this ten or fifteen years) by the Blackwell-Hall Factors, I believe, 40000 l. beſides, poſſibly, as great a ſum, that they have been the occaſion of, that hath been loſt by other men; to give an Account of the Practices that they have been guilty of, and the many abuſes they have uſed to our Clothing Trade, is a Task too difficult for me to undertake, and ſo copious, that I know not where to beginInopem me copia fecit.: And our Clothing Trade decreaſing, and theſe Factors increaſing; I would not inſure (if capable) for ſo many years to come, for more Money.

This is the true and impartial Account of the beſt part of the Clothing Trade of England, and its management; I know not now what to propoſe better in this caſe, than the following of the good example of our Saviour, in his turning out the Money-Changers out of the Temple, to drive them all out of Blackwell-Hall, and overturn their Standings.Grex totus in agris, unius ſcabie cadit. ſuv. And if they are excuſed from the Scourge, I think it a kindneſs beyond ſome of their merits, (for ſhould ſome of theſe receive but one ſingle ſtripe from each Clothier that they have cheated and abuſed, Jefferies would be out-done in his Politicks; for we have many poor Women in the Country, ſuffering under theſe Calamities, that would charge their Husbands to ſtrike home)Neceſſitas durum telum. ſparing neither Agagite nor Amalakite; this County nor that; but putting us all once more upon equal Terms, and our due poſſeſſion of Blackwell-Hall into our hands, whoſe right it is ſo long as we pay the Duty. And if it doth appear to be any kindneſs to our Trade, to have any the like Aſſiſtance, we can eaſily find out ſuch Men in the Country, that will be fit to mannage it (the honeſt myſtery of the Factors Trade being eaſy to be underſtood) and limit them from ſuch practices, that we ſee the inconveniency of, now, whom the example of theſe may a little ſcare for ſome years, and I think as much need of an example as on Bagſhot-Heath, it being wholly impoſſible to limit theſe Mens IntereſtCanem vetulum loris aſſueſcere difficile, Eraſ. Nothing but Hanging. . Neither do I think the withdrawing of theſe Mens Stocks, will at preſent be much inconveniency to the Trade, the Clothiers own will run the freer, and poſſibly thrive the better, for being ſeparate, and not ſo much credit given: And any Clothier that is ingenious at his Trade, will find as much kindneſs from ſome Merchants and Woollen-Drapers, the former of theſe poſſible as willing to Credit the Clothiers as they do now the Factors, and be willing to direct them in any particular of the Trade, as well as theſe Men do now.

And how far the Intereſt of the whole Nation doth ſuffer by theſe Practices (when there is not one yard of fine Cloth that goes abroad, but is advanced hereby, ſix pence in a yard, where we ſhall meet the near Induſtry of the Dutch and many others ſtriving to out-do us) I leave to better Judgments.

But if the neceſſity of our Trade doth require ſuch Men, we had beſt ſend them out of the Country, where we will be ſure to follow the prudent and wary Example of our good Father Jacob to his Son Joſeph, who made him put his hand under his thigh, and ſwear that he would not bury him in the Land of Egypt: and ſhould the good old Patriarch be thus careful that his Body ſhould not remain in ſo ſlaviſh a Land, it would ſtrangely reflect upon us, in a greater Deliverance, to be leſs mindful to ſecure our ſelves againſt a relapſe; Nay, farther, to purſue the ſimile (old wit being as good as new) to make theſe Men put their hand upon the Key of Blackwell-Hall Door (before entrance) and ſwear that they will never turn it, or enter, but to promote the Intereſt of their Principals, according to the beſt of their Judgments, and to be abjur'd againſt buying of Wool of any ſort, directly or indirectly, or taking of any Money from any Clothier for procuring any Wool, by the ſtricteſt Teſt: to take no Apprentices, and their Saleries fixt; and not to be admitted upon theſe terms, without a firm Teſtimonial of their Fidelity, under the Hand Writing of ſo many Clothiers.

Theſe, with many other good things that may be thought on, to be the Statutes of the Hall, to be obſerved by the Governours.

5. The laſt reaſon that I humbly offer, is the Abundance of our Engliſh Wool that hath, of late Years, been carried into France and other Places (as I have been credibly inform'd;) and it is thought, by many wiſe Men, that the ſtrictneſs of that Statute doth not ſo well anſwer the End, as if the Intereſt and full Advantage of any Wool that ſhall at any time be ſecured or diſcover'd, ſhould come with all poſſible Eaſe into the Hands of thoſe that ſecured or diſcovered it, without much trouble; many Men making a ſcruple at the taking away a Man's Life on that ſcore, and that France hath an Intereſt by that Statute. But this is fitter for better Judgments, and I ſhall offer no more than my own Knowledge.

Every Pound of Wool carried away unmanufactur'd, is the value of the Wool loſt that way to the Nation, in the common way of Trade: whatſoever worſted Wool, above treble, that by the help of ours mix'd with their own, it anſwers that End that otherwiſe it would not do, which is our greateſt Loſs. That, ſome few years ago, we had ſome French Men in our Parts that bought ſome Cloth of us; but in all likelyhood, their Deſign was chiefly to ſatisfie themſelves in the Curioſity of our Trade, as did appear by their exact notice of our Mills, and curious Obſervations of many Particulars of our Trade; at the ſame time our Sheermakers were altogether employ'd in making of Sheers for France: ſoon after which our Woollen Cloth was ſtopt, by the extraordinary Duty impoſed by the French King, which hath been a great ſtop to our Trade ever ſince.

Thus I have humbly offer'd, in matters of Fact, a true and unprejudiced account of the Hindrances of our Clothing Trade, and the methods of its Retrieve, to the beſt of my judgement, which I hope will be better ſeconded; and humbly ſubmit to this honourable Parliament, how far the Publick Intereſt, Honour and Reputation of our Engliſh Nation ſuffers hereby.