The Medicine it selfe followeth.

AN exhortation to all them that doe approve of my way, to ease the grievance by Farthing Tokens; to be both certaine, easie, and cheape, and in every Trades owne power amongst your selves to effect it, without troubling the Parliament, disobeying his Ma­jesties Proclamation, harming your neighbours, or hindring the poore; but much conducing to the good of you all. in shewing your selves obedient to his Majesties Proclamations: I doe now entreat your help in the prosecution hereof. And for the fur­her enciting you hereunto, I entreat you to consider the unthought on losse that is upon the Subjects by Tokens, against his Majesties intent in his Proclamation, wherein he onely desires your ease and benefit by Tokens. Secondly, How every one that takes or payes them under 21 for 20, is guilty of doing much more wrong to his Majesty, the Kingdome, to posterity, and neigh­bours then either the Patentees or Token-house doe: For indeed, they having a Lease for which they pay yearely Rent, doe but as others doe, making the most of their Commodities; and when men speake to them of the wrong by Tokens, they say men may let them alone, for they desire none to fetch them out but for their necessary exchange: but the fault indeed is in almost all Subjects in generall, but most especially in all Trades-men; for indeed I know not how they can cleare themselves from being either willingly or ignorantly Theeves to the Kingdome, or at lest Receivers; and we use to say, The Receiver is as bad as the Thief: but herein they are worse (although honester men in themselves) then the Theeves, for the Theeves gaine by the evill of their practice, and make themselves more able to lend to the King and Parliament, and give to the poore, but the receivers and dispersers to others make themselves and others more unable for all these. Againe, whereas other Theeves rob particular persons, these rob the King and all good Subjects; for the wealth of a King is in the wealth and abun­dance of his Subjects. And for a further motive, consider how much this practice tends to the ruine of the Kingdome, til (if not some way prevented) your Silver will be turned into Copper, or into nothing; but the most of it will be consumed into nothing: for if you did but consider it, you should finde that so many Tokens as you take in one weeke, so many you lose outright every one and twenty weeks, or else you wrong your neighbours, by causing them against their wills, and his Majesties Proclamation, to take them, and so you doe not as you would be done unto, which should be our Rule. Consider againe, how that they which let them lye by them, and doe not weekly exchange them, doe cause the greater losse at last; for the poore Patentees are loth (against their gaine) to let any goe away without Tokens for their money, and therefore your not supplying them with your store weekly causeth them still to make more, which will encrease your losse in generall when they fall, which of necessity they must one day doe. Consider, by relation there are now abroad about two hundred thousand pounds in Tokens, doe any thinke they can change them all? yet your keeping so many by you cause them to have custome yet for more; and by relation they doe make after the rate of 26000 pounds a yeare: if but 20, consider first the two hundred thousand pounds worth made, will by a weekly exchange be twice so much losse, and upwards, every yeare, and yet the same Tokens remaine for the like losse the next yeare, which is above foure hundred thousand pounds losse in the yeare, beside the twenty thousand a yeare made, which adde forty thousand a yeare to the losse, beside the losse of all at last, when they fall, for then they will be but Copper shruf. Againe consider, the longer you drive off the preventing of this losse, the greater the losse will bee, seeing every yeare doth adde to the encrease of your losse forty thousand pounds, so that if this yeare the losse be foure hundred thousand pounds, the next will bee foure hundred and forty thousands; the next, four hundred and eighty thousands; the next, five hundred and 20 thousands, till all your Silver be consumed and become Copper shruf. Againe, consider that the poore Trades-men that lose but twelve pence a weeke, it is more to them then twenty shillings a weeke to rich men; and fifty shillings a yeare would pay a poore mans house rent, and they especially are they that are constrained to take Tokens. I heard one say, seeming to have good store of money in her bag that it was all Tokens: Another, that his Wife took but ten shillings, and 7 of it was Tokens: All which this course will soon prevent or put an end to, if you set upon it, and will make that there will never any desire a Token Patent more, and the Tokens now made will be necessary change for you and posterity after you; and so howsoever. these will be no losse to any, and any Neighbour or Trades-man may let any countrey body have Tokens as cheap as the Token-house, although they buy but five penny worth at once, and be no losers, and who then will goe to the Token-house for any; and the poore, that sell them to Gentlemen, may have them of Brewers, and other great Tradesmen, as cheape as at the Token-house, and yet with­out losse to the Trades-men or themselves. By this course how soone will our grievance be our benefit, for the Countrey throughout will have them for ne­cessary exchange, when they koow the future losse, as also the encrease of them is prevented. And whereas now the Token-house will change them but one part of the day, they will then have more leisure then lift to take them in both forenoone and afternoone. And further consider, if you doe not ease this grie­vance, having this light into the way of it, and power in your hands to doe it, seeing it is good to all, if afterward the poore bee undone with the downfall of them, which will of necessity be either sooner or later, how shall you have besides your owne losse the just curse of the poore, that will be quite undone there­by, because you would not prevent their ruine at so cheap a rate; especially seeing they that take Tokens as they are now taken, do wrong themselves, and dis­obey the King; and they that pay them so, doe wrong their Neighbours, and cause them to wrong others by their example. Consider how that ignorantly we have been worse theeves then the Token-house, for they by putting out more then they take in get out of the Kingdome but eighteen or nineteene shillings in the pound, for which they doe the Kingdome service, and never get more out of the same Tokens though they exchange them never so often; but we in an ordinary course as we have taken them, if we returne them weekly (as we ought to doe) doe insensibly rob the Kingdome by every twenty shillings about eight or nine and forty shillings a yeare, and as much by the same the next yeare, and every yeare as long as they last as much: for so many as a man takes in one week so many he loses outright in 21 weeks, and as many more in 21 weeks more.

But some rich men and others may say, they never lost by Tokens, therefore they will not meddle in this worke to have ought to doe with it.

Consider (I beseech you) if it be not all one as if London should say the Cavaleers never plundered us, therfore we will not prevent their entring the City:or seeing some Neighbours houses burned downe, and others on fire, should say, because it hath not burned their houses they will not endevour the quenching thereof. But whereas rich men, that trade not in small things, thinke they lose nothing. I thinke they especially are like to lose the most, although they feele it least; for when thousands of poore Trades-men are undone quite, no one of them can lose much, because they have very little of their owne to lose, but the speciall losse will be their Landlords and Creditors, whose houses and goods are in their possession; who also after this must help to relieve those poore and their families.

But some may say, the Token-house will deliver 22 for 20 if we take this course, for they stand them in little.

I answere, so they would soone undoe themselves, for then they would soone have store of Customers that would take out 22 for 20, and presently take out twelve pence and send them againe, and enforce them (as they are bound by their Patent) to give them twenty shillings in silver for 21 of the 22 shillings they had of them. But farther, to the end the benefit of Tokens might redound to the good of the whole Kingdome, it were desirable that the Souldiers had a good part of their pay of them, twenty one for twenty, I conceive they would be profitable for them, and also for those-parts of the Kingdome that having for­merly been abused with Tokens, doe now refuse to take them for exchange, who if they heare of this course taken, to ease the grievance, and prevent the in­crease of them, they will be glad of them for exchange; and so they shall have exchange, and the City shall be eased of her burden.

And whereas some say, they like the practice well, and it is a certaine good way, but they are loth to have a hand in it because the Parliament takes the rent of the Token-house for the Kingdomes occasion.

I answere, shall we have such meane low thoughts of that honourable Assembly, to conceive that they should not make their bargaine sure for their rent: but if not, that they should in the least desire that the Token-house rent of three or foure thousand pounds a yeere should be paid with the Kingdomes losse of as many hundred thousands a yeare and upwards and meane Trades-men to be deepest sharers therein.

Other things I could mind you of concerning the Tokens, which are not convenient at present; but with the help of God I hope I shall thankfully and satis­factorily answere any mans objection against any thing in this paper or heretofore written by me concerning Tokens. Thus intreating your acceptation and furtherance I rest.