First, Their Propositions.

The Grievances.

THat there are divers persons of mean condition who in ma­ny by-corners in and about London and Westminster, do make and sell Sope, not having bin Apprentices to that Trade.

• I. That this Sope for the most part is deceitfull and unserviceable.
• II. That abundance of this Sope being made and vented here and a­broad by stealth: they wholly deceive the State of the Excise thereof.
• III. That by this meanes they sell it at cheaper rates then the Trades­men paying the Excise can afford his Exciz'd Sope, and so draw all the trade from the Tradesmen, whereby their trade is decayed, and so consequently the losse falls upon the Excise produced out of that Trade besides the ruine of the Tradesmen.

The Remedies.

Whereas the Excise is but 6. d. per pound on pot-ashes, and 3 s. on every barrell of Sope.

• I. That the Excise may be advanced to 6 s. on every hundred weight of Pot-ashes, being the principall materiall (without which Sope cannot be made) in lieu of the 3 s. per barrell, which amounts to more then both the former Excises on Pot-Ashes and Sope
• II. That the Sope-makers may be enabled at their own charges to collect the said Excise, and to proceed that due search be made on all Pot-Ashes imported, that the Excise be not evaded.
• III. The former Excise of Sope, and the materialls thereof being cast up what it comes to per Annum, they will farm the same and secure the State, 1000 l. per Annum, in certain, more then the former revenew, which is cast all up, and by the Fraudes aforesaid daily deceived, and [...] without the enha [...]cing the usuall price to the Subject.

That they propound really (without any by-ends) for the publike good to preserve their Trade, by which both themselves and the Excise subsist; otherwise if either by this or some other like meanes the former Fraudes be not prevented, or if any further imposition be laid upon Sope, themselves add their Trade must necessarily fall to ruine.

Secondly, the Parts or Division of them.

• I. The Reasons or Arguments on which they ground these their Propositions, or the grievance of the State, and sufferings of the subject demonstrated by
  • 1. The Persons charged as offenders.
  • 2. The manner how, or the prescription of their offence by these three Particulars.
    • 1. By illegall boyling of Sope.
    • 2. By making deceitfull and unserviceable Sope.
    • 3. By not paying the duty of Excise thereof.
• 2. The Propositions themselves, or the remedies by them pro­pounded.
• 3. Their Protestations or Declaration of their simplicity in their Propositions.

Thirdly, the Exposition.

The answer which I shal give to these general parts, will declare that these Propositions (what ever these Patentees do declare and protest by them) are a new project (under vain and deceiving words) by them contrived and propounded to Monopolize the Sope-trade, and to trample upon the liberties, lively hoods, and estates of other Sope boy­lers and Tradesmen, (which are better Subjects and as free-born as themselves) now by the Authority of Parliament, as heretofore they have done, by the Authority of the Kings Majesty, and the Lords of the Privy Councel (in their prosecution of their illegal Patent) gained of them, by the self same false pretence of good to King and Kingdom. This being premised, I come now to the answer or exposition of these three Generals.

I will speak first of the Persons charged as offenders, described by these two Characters.

• 1 Men of mean condition.
• 2. Not Freemen, boyling in Corners.

First, They are now mean indeed (and they never shall be but mean, if these projecting Patentees can but trample upon them by Au­thority of Parliament) and the reason of their poverty is this, because these projecting Monopolers have by their several burlaryes or for­cible [Page 5] breaking open of their houses, Fellonies or forcible taking a­way their goods, acted upon them, spoiled their materials, and by imprisoning their persons, yea, by their cruel prosecution, have committed several murthers, or that which amounts to as much; And lastly, did binde them in Bonds not to boyle Sope, to which they have as much right as themselves; by all which oppressing practises, together with the general oppressions of the Kingdom, they have built their Nest on high, they have built their houses with blood of these poor men, and have heaped much riches to themselves by their oppressing Patent. These Patentees being covetous, dealt with these poor men, as the unbelieving Iews of Thessalonica moved with envy, dealt with Paul; namely, they did take to them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort to act their cruelty.

Secondly, They are Freemen, and have as much right to the Sope-boyling Art as themselves, and did serve Apprentises for their Free­dom to Trade: And the truth is, these Patentees are not Sope-boy­lers, in right of serving Apprentiships thereunto, but Salters and Lether-sellers, although they charge these as usurpers of a Trade; and concerning Sope-boyling, it is not a Manufacture within the Sta­tute of 5. Eliz. limiting Trades, as they would make men believe (as they well know themselves) but an Art or Mystery which every Freeman that knows how to boyl, may as lawfully as themselves use Sope-boyling. As for their charging of boyling Sope in corners, they mean, did boyle Sope in corners, if they did mean to speak the truth; and then this prescription is to be considered as words of Patentees, and are thus to be understood, to be a Declaration what they forced men to in the time of their Patent, (to escape their cruel and barbarous prosecution of the illegal oppressing Patent) and not that any now boyle Sope in corners as they here falsly charge them. Besides this I know, that there are 36. or 37. Complainants in the Committee, and ready to be put in, for reparation for their several damages; and yet there is but two of them that boyle Sope, and as publiquely as themselves.

Having spoken of the persons charged as offenders, I come now to speak to the offences charged upon them; which are these two:

• 1. Making deceitfull and unserviceable Sope: this suffering relates to the Subjects.
• 2. Deceiving the State of the Excize thereof.

If there be any that deceive the State (besides themselves) of the duty of the Excise; this I am sure of, That it cannot be much, a [Page 4] [...] [Page 5] [...] [Page 6] very inconsiderable ground to propound to so Honorable an Assem­bly as the Honorable House of Commons, such Propositions (that amounts a Monopoly) for remedy: This being premised, I will now to Answer the second particular offences above expressed.

1. Making deceitfull and unserviceable Sope; there are many hun­dreds of evidences to prove the contrary; and reason tells every rational man, that when men may buy freely, that none will volun­tarily suffer themselves to be defrauded by deceitfull Sope: And the truth is, This is that false allegation which these Monopolers have formerly calumniously charged upon them, and made it their de­ceiving Argument to gain their Patent to oppresse the Subjects in their priviledges and birth-right, in their estates and lively hoods, and they themselves are now and have been great deceivers of the Kingdom by deceitfull and base Sope, which I will demonstrate to you by three particulars of their practises.

• 1. They adulterate the Major part of the Sope they make.
• 2. Witnes the many parcels of Sope which their Chapmen are forced to return to them again not fit for use.
• 3. Witnes the many parcels of old Sope cask which have been seized in their hands, and burned in publique view, by which said practise they have deceived the Subjects, and gain'd many hundreds of pounds into their purse by the said deceiving practise, though contrary to a Statute Law.

2. By deceiving the State of the Excize thereof: This is un­doubtedly a grounded charge, imposed upon them by these their oppressors, to render them odious to the Parliament, (who are now Petitioners (in the Honorable Committee of the House of Com­mons) for reparation for their several losses which they sustained by these Projecting Monopolizing Patentees) and the better to accom­plish their wicked designes, which is the enriching of themselves by the ruines of their Brethren, by this new Projecting Monopolizing Propositions: And I am confident they are not able to make good their charging of them; but if there be a deceiving of the State in the duty of Excize of Sope, if they which are trusted with the Levy­ing of the said Excize will but consider this insuing Proposition, (and what is the Annual Revenue of the said Excize) it will evidently de­monstrate to them how much they are deceived, and by whom.

The Proposition.

That weekly there is made in and about London, near 700 Barrels of Sept, out week with another, all which is made by themselves, only some very small quantities. Now the Revenue of the said Exci [...] doth [Page 7] annually amount to near the sum of 5000. l. Look upon your Acco [...] ▪ and then tell whether you may not say to these Projectors as once Elijah in said to Ahab, It is not the oppressed Sope-boylers, but your selves that have deceived the State of the Excize of Sope.

I come now to speak the Propositions themselves, (or the reme­dies by them propounded) which is the second general part, wherein they have propounded three things:

1. That the Excize of Pot-ashes which is but 6. d. per pound, may be advanced to 6. s. upon every hundred wait, and 3. s. a barrel may be taken off which is charged upon Sope; And they give you two Arguments to enforce this Proposition: The first Argument is in­cluded, not expressed, and it is this, That it is the most feasable way to prevent the deceiving of the State of the duty of Excize, and this is limited in this expression, without which Sope cannot be made. Their second Argument is this, That it will be advantage to the State in the Revenue of the Excize. The other two Propositions are but a prescription of a way how this remedy shall be acted.

• 1. That they be made searchers. (which have been P [...]tentees) likely men to be trusted by a State, which have been barbarous and cruel oppressors of the Kingdom, and great introducers of the present troubles that now lyes upon us.
• 2. That they may farm of the State the said Excize. But before they are trusted, it were meet, as I conceive, under correction, that they did give satisfaction, first, for the re-infringing of the subject; liber­ties and birth-right in point of Trade, by taking their illegal Patent for their general oppressing of the Subject in the price of Sope, and cruel prosecution of their Patent upon hundreds of Free-born Sub­jects, as is already expressed.

These things being premised, I will briefly, but satisfactorily, (in Answer to these Propositions) speak to these two particulars.

1. These Propositions as they are groundlesse and upon false pre­tences, propounded by these Patentees; so they are deceiving and oppressing, tending to the damage of many Tradesmen in all parts of the Kingdom.

That they are so, I prove by these two Arguments:

1. Pot-ashes are of a different value, some worth four or five and twenty pounds a Tun, others not really above fourteen or twelve pounds. It would be unequall then that the worst sort of Ashes should be chargeable with as much Excise as those which are of dou­ble the value; this oppression would lie heavy not onely upon other [Page 8] Sope-boylers, but also upon Salters and Dyers, and all other Trades­men that use Pot-ashes.

2. One hundred of Pot-ashes will make two barrels of Sope, and some Ashes will not make above one barrell.

3. If the Parliament will but make these Projectors searchers, and farmers of the Excise, they will undoubtedly make themselves posses­sors of all the best Pot-ashes, and so put all the burthen of the Excise upon the rest of the Sope-boylers to their inevitable ruine.

Secondly, That these Patentees design (by these deceiving Propo­sitions) is to Monopolize the Sope-boyling mystery into their owne hands (which is sufficient to maintain 200 Families) as they have done for above 30 yeers together, namely by the ingrossing into their owne hands all the Pot-ashes.

The reason why this must be their designe.

Because the Arguments on which they do ground these Propositions, are the selfe-same false pretences, and against the self-same persons which they did charge to gaine their Patent. There is one Scripture which I will propound that proves this to be their design, Ier. 13.23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots, then can yee also doe good that are accustomed to do evill. I will conclude speaking of this second generall part with this, They offer the Parliament but a 1000 l. per Annum, for that which will be as advantagious to them as their Patent, for which they gave the King 40000. l. of the King­domes money, not their owne.

Their third and last generall is their Protestation that they have no by-ends in these Propositions, but really intend the good of the State, and the preserving of Trade, Ephes. 5.6.

What I shall speak to this is by way of Caution to our worthy Senators, who are Gods Vice-gerents and bear Gods Image, from whom as from a fountain we ex­pect that iustice shall run like water, and judgement like a mighty flood.

• 1. Let no man deceive you with vain words, it is the Word of the Lord by the Apostle Paul.
• 2. You are not to judge by the sight of the eye, nor by the hearing of the care, but with Righteousnesse to judge the poore, and reprove with equity for the meek of the Earth, Isa. 11.3, 4.

I will leave all that I have said in answer to these Propositions to the Iudicious Reader, and conclude with this third caution, That if these Patentees should obtain their Desires in these Propositions, and be oppressors in the prosecution of them, and at last be called to answer their Delinquency, they will translate their offence upon the Parliament, and say they did no more then what they comman­ded them to doe; Witnesse their Petition, in the answering whereof I shall de­clare their Delinquency, in their taking of a Patent more at large.