Mysteries and secrets of trade and mint-affairs with several reasons against transporting treasure; and waies set down for preventing the same : formerly presented to the Right Honorable the Lord Bradshaw, (at whose desire I undertook this pains,) and presented it to the late Council of State : and now enlarged, and humbly presented to this present Parlament of the Common-wealth of England, in Aug. 1653. / By Tho. Violet of London, goldsmith. Violet, Thomas, fl. 1634-1662. 1653 Approx. 31 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 12 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2012-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 2). A95988 Wing V583 Thomason E1070_3 ESTC R203958 99863717 99863717 170631

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

 Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A95988) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 170631) Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 160:E1070[3], 248:E1070[3]) Mysteries and secrets of trade and mint-affairs with several reasons against transporting treasure; and waies set down for preventing the same : formerly presented to the Right Honorable the Lord Bradshaw, (at whose desire I undertook this pains,) and presented it to the late Council of State : and now enlarged, and humbly presented to this present Parlament of the Common-wealth of England, in Aug. 1653. / By Tho. Violet of London, goldsmith. Violet, Thomas, fl. 1634-1662. [20], 164, 161-182, [8] p. Printed by William Du-Gard, London : anno Dom. 1653. With four final contents leaves. A reissue of "The advancement of merchandize.", with cancel title page, quire 2R and leaf 2b2 reset, and added quires ¹2S ² 2S-2Z. Includes opposite title page, "A list of all such ships as the fleet of the Parlament [sic] of England have brought into this Common-wealth as Dutch-prizes ..." Incomplete: Thomason copies include only first 20 unnumbered pages. Reproduction of the original in the British Library.

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.

 eng Precious metals -- England -- Early works to 1800. Coinage -- England -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- Commerce -- Early works to 1800. 2020-09-21 Content of 'availability' element changed when EEBO Phase 2 texts came into the public domain 2011-12 Assigned for keying and markup 2011-12 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2012-02 Sampled and proofread 2012-02 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2012-05 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

MYSTERIES, AND SECRETS OF Trade and Mint-affairs:

With ſeveral REASONS againſt tranſporting Treaſure; and waies ſet down for preventing the ſame: formerly preſented to the Right Honorable the Lord Bradſhaw, (at whoſe deſire I undertook this pains,) and preſented it to the late Council of State: and now enlarged, and humbly preſented to this preſent Parlament of the Commonwealth of ENGLAND, in Aug. 1653.

By THO. VIOLET of London, Goldſmith.

coat of arms surrounded by six cherubs

London, Printed by William Du-Gard, Anno Dom. 1653.

A Liſt of all ſuch Ships as the Fleet of the PARLAMENT of England have brought into this Common-wealth as Dutch-Prizes, (which Ships have all been diſcharged by the High Court of Admiraltie, the daies here-under written) beſides ſeveral other Ships diſcharged as Dutch-prizes brought into this Common-wealth by diverſ private men of War, the particular names and times of their diſcharge, I humbly deſire the Regiſter of the High Court of Admiraltie may bee ordered to bring into the Parlament.

Alſo I humbly deſire, that the Right Honorable Admiral Blake may bee deſired to ſend up unto the Parlament what Ships of Hamborough, Lubeck, Danzick, or any of the Hans-Towns, hee or any of his Officers hath given paſſes to ſail to the foreſaid places, ſince August 12, 1652.

  Ships and Goods therein reſtored Maſters. The Parties to whom. Decem. 10. 1652 A Sloape called the Love and Goods, London Luther Mayeer Unto the Mr and Comp. Decemb. 16. 52 Fiſher of Straelſondt and Goods, Dover Gaſpor Viſcar Unto the Mr and owners Decemb. 16. 52 Peter of Straelſondt and Goods, London Albert Hubertſon Unto the Mr and owners Decemb. 16. 52 Abraham's Sacrifice and Goods Ditto   Unto Peter Scrother for the uſe &c: Decemb. 16. 52 Fortune and Goods Ditto Berent Van Dunk Unto the ſaid Mr and owners Decemb. 16. 52 St John Baptiſt, and Goods Bartle Johnſon Unto the Mr for the owners Decemb. 18. 52 St John Baptiſt, and Goods Rattey Bye Mr Unto the ſaid Mr for &c. Decemb. 18. 52 George of Hambrough and Goods, Falmo Martine Stehew Unto the ſaid Mr for &c. Decemb. 18. 52 St John and Goods Ditto Berent Johnſonſon Unto the Mr for &c. Decemb. 18. 52 Temperance, and Goods Frederick Witherick Unto the Mr for &c. Decemb. 4. 52 Peter and Goods except the Silver, Ditto Daniel Stretman Unto the Mr for &c. Octob. 15. 52 St Jo. Baptiſt of Horn, & goods, except 1/16 part, Ditto Inebrand Peterſon Unto Laurence de Geere Octob. 1o 52 Goods Scedulate in the Cock, aliàs Roſecrame Tenby Unto Don Antonio de Plato Octob. 22. 52 Young Tobias, and Goods, Cows Weſell Goſenſon Mr Unto Zacharie Lappa July 30. 52 Love Galliots, and goods, London Sveyer Johnſon Unto Lewis de Geere, and compa Septem. 29. 52 Goods Scedulate in the Cock, alàs Roſecrame Tynby Unto Iacintho Lopez, Octob. 12. 52 Ann of Oſtend, and Goods, Plimo Daniel Cornellis Unto Joos Fremont, and Compa Decem. 10. 52 Sixtie eight Butts of Oyl in the Griman, London   Unto Cornellis and Gerard Knife Septem. 21. 52 A Sixth part of the Ship Hopewell, and Goods Peter Johnſon Unto John Southwood, or aſſigns Octob. 8. 52 ⅓ part of Ancona of Venice with freight due, Ditto Adrian Hendrickſon Unto Euſtace Van Ekey Decemb. 22. 52 Katharine of Hambrough, and goods, Ditto Briſtoll Unto the Mr for &c. Decemb. 10. 52 A Cheſt and half & Barrel of Sugar, Fortune of Fluſhing   Unto John Hubine, or aſſigns Octob. 15. 52 ¼ part of one two and thirtieth part of the Ship Maid of Enchuſen, and ¼ part of one two and thirtieth part of the lading, and 13 ſaccardave planks Wm Johnſon Lawne—London Unto Zachary Lappa, or aſſigns Auguſt 15. 52 15/16 parts of the King David and lading Walter Jacobſon Mr Unto Simon Clerk, and Compa Septem. 21. 52 Fortune of Hambrough, and goods, Plimo John Strother Maſter Unto Philip Dunker, &c. Octob 1o 52 May-Flower, and goods, Portſmo Andrew Shorte Maſter Except ⅛ part of Ship & goods for ſalvage Auguſt 5. 52 Gift of God of Ayre, and goods, Plimo Thomas Kennedy Mr Unto Thomas Jarvan, and others Octob. 5. 52 Fortune of Newport, and goods, Ditto Joos de Vink Maſter Unto Gaſper Sanſon, and others Novemb. 17. 52 Peace of Wiſemire, and goods, Dover Claes Maults Maſter Unto the ſaid Mr and Compa Novemb. 19. 52 St Jacob, and goods, London Chriſtian Vonderwetter Unto the Mr for the owners Novemb. 19. 52 Black Eagle, and goods, Dover Harman Luders Unto Hendrick Vanaskine, and others Novemb. 17. 52 St Matthew of Hambrough, and goods, Ditto Henry Cruſe Unto Peter Larkines, and others Novemb. 17. 52 Charitie of Gottenbrough, Ditto Paul Pawſon Boman Unto George Van Lingard, and others Novemb. 21. 52 Hunter, and goods, Ditto Claves Griſel Maſter Unto the Mr and Compa Novem. 17. 52 Fortune of Straelſondt, and goods, Ditto Daniel Ranges Unto the ſaid Daniel Ranges, and others Novem. 22. 52 Icedom, and goods, Ditto Paſque Alberts Unto the Mr for the uſe of Hen. Johnſon Novem. 19. 52 King David, and goods, London Gillos Lites Unto Vincent Kiningsburgh, and Compa Novem. 19. 52 Sampſon of Wiſemire, and goods, Dover Severt Godtman Unto Henrick Vanderdlen, and others Novem. 17. 52 Hope of Dantzick, and goods, Portſmo John Johnſon Unto Peter Benſon, and Compa Noxem. 17. 52 Land of Promiſe, Dover Garret Higenloe Unto Burgo▪ Mr Wakeman, and others Novem. 17 52 St Ellin of Roſtock, Ditto Hendrick Dureloffe Unto the ſaid M• and Compa Novem. 17. 52 Fortune of Hambrough, and goods, Ditto David Beck Unto the Mr for the uſe of the owners Novem. 17. 52 Fortune of Lubeck, and goods, Portſmo Joachim Dunke Unto the Mr and Compa Novem. 17. 52 Juſtice of Hambrough, London Frederick Fox Vnto the Mr and Compa Novem. 19. 52 St John, and goods, Dover Hendrick Pape Vnto the Mr for &c. Novem. 17. 52 Concord of Lubeck, and goods, Ditto John Dureloffe Unto Anthony Weffels and Compa Novem. 19. 52 Hope of Hambrough, and goods, Ditto Hendrick Elders Vnto John Jennink and Compa Novem. 19. 52 Sampſon of Hambrough, and goods, London Hans Hiteman Vnto William de la Biſtrus and others Novem. 17. 52 Black Oxe, and goods, Ditto Garret Hendrickſon Vnto Andrew Garretſon and others Novem. 8. 52 Lno King David ¼ part, and ¼ part Brazeile-wood   Vnto Baldwin Matthews Novem: 22. 52 St Jacob of Hambrough, Falmo Client Marenſon Vnto John Lemerman and Compa Octob. 15. 52 Lno Little Prince 1/ • part and of Tackle and Furniture Claes Juniſon Vnto Ralph Tomaines Octob. 12. 52 Ditto Antona of Venice ⅓ part and of Taclke, &c. Peter Johnſon Vnto Baltazar Vandegoes Decem. 1o 52 Two White Hawks, and goods, Dover Peter Harmaſon Beker Vnto the ſaid Mr Novem. 19. 52 Love, and goods, London John Hendricks Vnto William Blachford and others Decem. 1o 52 St George, and goods, Dover John Peterſon Greipe Vnto the Mr for the uſe of the owners Novem. 29. 52 Hope, and goods, London Hendrick Martines Vnto the ſaid Mr and Compa Novem. 29. 52 Childrens Plea, and goods Simon Fox Vnto the ſaid Mr and Compa Decem. 1o 52 St Sebaſtian, and goods John Geeſt Vnto the ſaid Mr. for the uſe of the owner.

Signed, THO. VIOLET.

A TRUE NARRATIVE OF SOM Remarkable Proceedings Concerning the Ships Samſon, Salvador, and George, and ſeveral other Prize-ſhips depending in the High Court of Admiraltie: moſt humbly preſented to the PARLAMENT of the Common-wealth of ENGLAND, and to the Right Honorable the COUNCIL of STATE by Autoritie of PARLAMENT, and to the Honorable the Council of Officers, of his Excellencie the LORD GENERAL.

By THO. VIOLET of London, Gold-ſmith.

Who moſt humbly deſire's them to take the ſame into their due Conſideration, it beeing for the ſecuritie and ſafetie of the Nation.

coat of arms surrounded by six cherubs

LONDON, Printed by William Du-Gard, An. Dom. 1653.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE Major General HARRISON, Major General DESBOROW, Collonel PHILIP JONES, and Collonel BENNET; All of the Right Honorable the Council of State. RIGHT HONORABLE!

WHen God, by his Providence, had diſſolved the late Parlament and Council of State, the 20 of April, 1653; and moſt of thoſe Honorable Members of the Council, and Parlament (to whom I made formerly my humble Addreſſes in the behalf of the State, againſt ſeveral Prize-ſhips and Silver, depending the 20 December, 1652, in the Court of Admiraltie) ceaſing from their publick emploiments, and reduced into the condition of private perſons; It pleaſed God to put it into my heart, to make my addreſſes to Col. Weeton, and Lievtenant Col. Joice, whom I had obſerved in all their actions to bee publick ſpirited men, and ſuch as daily ſought the honor and welfare of the Common-wealth.

When I had acquainted them with my buſineſs, and how far I had proceeded in the Court of Admiraltie, and the preſent condition and poſture of the Common-wealth's Silver-priſes, and other affairs in that Court: They were pleaſed, when they underſtood my deſires, freely to preſent the ſtate of this weightie affair unto your Honors, deſiring your care of the buſineſs, even ſo far as your Honors ſaw it did conduce to the profit, ſafetie, and honor of the Common-wealth: thereupon I made my humble addreſſes to your Honors; Major General Harriſon beeing pleaſed to give mee thanks for my pains and care I had taken about the ſtaying the Prize-Silver and Ships; and Collonel Bennet and Col. Jones ſending for mee, upon the Lievtenant of the Tower's information to them about mee, They deſired mee to give them informations for the carrying on the buſineſs of the Silver Prizes, and that I ſhould ſet down ſeveral rules for the managing the Coining of the ſilver for the State's profit, and for keeping an account of all the particular parcels, which I did, and delivered it to Col. Jones, and Col. Bennet.

Major General Desborow procured mee a new Warrant from the Council of State: theſe great favors of your Honors, for giving mee encouragement to proceed in this buſineſs of the Prize-ſhips and Silver, I humbly conceiv, was onely in relation to the ſervice and proſperitie of the Common-wealth, and your love to Juſtice, that every one ſhould have his right.

May it pleaſ your Honors! The Court of Admiraltie, in time of VVar, is like a private Poſtern to a ſtrong Caſtle that is beſieged; the paſſage is narrow, you can com in but one by one; but if the Garriſon neglect to put a Sentinel at that door, that little Poſtern ſhall, in ſhort time, through the vigilancie of the Adverſaries, let in ſo many enemies, that the Caſtle will bee taken.

Your Court of Admiraltie is a dangerous Back-door of the Common-wealth; if the State watch not carefully, to ſee what goe's, and to have a good account of what Prizes com in, either for the State, or for private men of VVar.

May it pleaſ your Honors! there is a great deal of difference between the judgment of any Court of Juſtice in Weſtminſter, which are between man and man, and the Judgments and Acts of a Court of Admiraltie for maritime cauſes; for if an error in judgment, or any undue practices in the proceedings of the Chancerie, Upper-Beuch, Common-Pleas, and Checquer doth fall out; if it bee for the State, the Common-wealth may have a review, and trie their Title again: and the like it is between partie and partie, if they pleaſ: the Lands remain, the people are here to give a reſponſ to any ſuch actions. But your Court of Admiraltie hath ſuch a Poſtern door, called, the Sea, that an error in judgment there, is a damage irreparable, in this conjuncture of time; for the Ships and Merchandize may bee, and have been, in your enemie's power, to bee imploied againſt you in 40 hours after, as in caſe of ſeveral Ships diſcharged the Court of Admiraltie.

This Poſtern of your Court of Admiraltie was made ſo wide, by the induſtrie of ſeveral Merchants: and no doubt but it was by means of monie, that will cut through the Pirenean mountains, that twelv Ships paſſed out of the Court of Admiraltie at one time, the 17 of November, 1652; and ſeven Ships the 19 Nov. and five the 16 Dec. 1652. & 4 Ships 18 Dec. 1652: quick judgments in ſuch weightie buſineſſes; whereas the ſafetie of the Common-wealth, and every particular perſon, was concerned to have every Prize-ſhip ſtrictly examined before their Diſcharge; and this was don after they were brought as Prize, at a vaſt charge of your Fleet and loſs of blood; a ſad thing to think, that the State's buſineſs ſhould bee ſo managed.

May it pleaſ your Honors! about the 16 December, 1652, ſeventeen Ships were to bee diſcharged by the Court of Admiraltie, conteining 3400 Tuns; all laden with rich Commodities, and ſilver, had not I com into the Court of Admiraltie, and proteſted againſt the Deliverie of them: as appear's on Record in the ſaid Court; for my doing thereof I had a verbal VVarrant from the Committee of Forreign Affairs. If you will bee pleaſed to enquire what became of many of theſe Ships ſo diſcharged, this Narrative following will acquaint you: Som of them went to Holland, Captain Biſhop's Letters from Holland will tell you the ſame of many of theſe Ships.

May it pleaſ your Honors! The Court of Admiraltie was, about Christ-tide laſt, ruled by three men, of different affections: One, that knew much of the Law, and the practice of that Court, which hee did daily ſhew openly; but it was in that waie of bitterneſs againſt the State's Intereſt in their ſeveral Prizes, that no Counſel at the Bar ſaid half ſo much for their Clients, as hee, beeing a Judg, declared againſt the Common-wealth's Title about ſom of the Prizes, and Silver. The Other juſt, and would have been glad to have don the Common-wealth's buſineſs, but that hee was not grounded in the Proceeding of that Court. A Third grown ſuddenly rich, by the common rule that all Judges that grow ſuddenly rich, muſt walk by.

May it pleaſ your Honors! When I was firſt commanded by the Council of State to attend this buſineſs, about the Prize-ſilver, I ſaw ſo much in theſe perſons & their practice, and ſom of the Proctors of that Court, at the firſt entrance into the Court about this buſineſs of my Proteſt, that I was ſtartled and troubled to conſider, what a buſineſs I had undertaken to the Committee of Forreign Affairs.

But I put on a Reſolution, by God's Aſsiſtance, not to bee worded out of this buſineſs, but to wade through it; for that the ſafetie of the whole Nation was at the Stake, in that conjuncture of time, the Hollanders beeing at that time in the Downs. And to terrifie mee, and to deter mee from proceeding to do you this ſervice; when I ſeriouſly conſidered of the buſineſs, I had firſt the Merchants ready to load mee with actions, if I could not have proved my Allegations. Secondly I had publick Miniſters, that would have taken away my life as an Incendiarie, if I could not have proved, there was Silver belonging to the Hollanders, in the Ships, Sampſon, Salvador, and George, which I ſtaied. And thirdly, had theſe Prizes been cleared, I had many of the Council of State would have ſent mee back to my Old Lodging in the Tower. Fourthly I had an enraged companie of Doctors and Proctors, and ſuch things, whoſe Trade I diſcovered, and was reſolved, by God's aſsiſtance, to ſpoil for the time to com; and indeed I had ſo many obſtacles to conteſt with, as would have ſtartled a thouſand men.

Againſt this, I ſet the Safetie of the Nation, and reſtoring mee to my Estate: and that I ſhould convince mine enemies that they had don ill in oppreſsing mee, when they ſee both what I could and would venture to do for my Countrie's ſervice; and the world ſhould ſee, that I would not fear the face of any to unmask theſe frauds: And I hope the Juſtice and VViſdom of Parlament, will make ſtrict laws and rules for the future, to prevent ſuch abuſes as have been notoriouſly practiſed by many in that Court; and that the State will keep good Sentinels and watchmen for the future, both to examine all papers, Bills of Lading, and the Regiſters and all the Examiners, and other proceedings in that Court.

It is not one or two of the ableſt men that can bee found in this Nation can do this buſineſs in the Admiraltie duly as it ſhould bee don: If I bee commanded, and have a moderate allowance, I will give the State a good account for the time to com.

And at this preſent time the Prizes are many, and ſomtimes a man may light on a Letter, a Paper, or ſheet of Account, that may bee worth to the State a hundred thouſand pounds: and there are ſecrets in the expounding of Merchant's Letters, (that are not eaſily diſcovered) Accounts, and Bills of Lading, Purſer's Books; and will take up ſeveral knowing men's time to underſtand: a ſtrict eie will improve the State's Intereſt much; and if the State will have this buſineſs well don, it muſt bee well paid for; for ſmall fees and penſions, where great truſts are, make's the Divel ſuggeſt invitations to take Bribes; and where a man muſt laie out two or three hundred pounds, or more, for his intelligence, boat-hire, and meſſengers, (and without this your buſineſs cannot bee well don) and if your Officer ſhall not have much more a year from the State for his yearly Fees in this buſineſs; this, I believ, hath made ſom to take up the temptation, and to make them finde out waies to help themſelvs, ſeeing the State will not paie them well for their pains, getting more in an hour by delivering a paper, or concealing it, than the State will allow them for ſeven years Salarie. If I would have driven this Trade to have betraied my truſt, I needed not have asked the State a pennie: I could have had my eleven thouſand pound, without Petitioning for it. I have good reaſon to believ this is, and hath been acted by ſom: I would wiſh to mend it for the future, leaſt this fire burſt out, and conſume them before they bee aware of it: I have given ſom notice of it, if God give them grace to prevent it for the future; for elſ at one time or other it will burſt out. If I have proof of it, I ſhall not ſpare him or them, when I am emploied by the State.

May it pleaſ your Honors! I diſcovered the frauds of the Merchants, and others, in laboring to deceiv the State of their Prize-ſilver. But it was my Lord Bradſhaw, who, by his power, intereſt, and influence in the late Council of State, and his profound experience and judgment that cauſed the imbargo of the Silver to bee made: and what benefit and Treaſure doth com into the Common-wealth by the Silver-prizes. The Common-wealth, I humbly ſay, ow's the primarie Remembrance thereof to his judgment and vigilancie in this weightie buſineſs: For when I brought him firſt my Papers, thoſe of the 8th December, 1652. And after other Papers, hee preſently upon his diligent reading of them, found out the fraud, as to his particular judgment, and asked mee many other Queſtions then I had writen; which ſatisfied him, and that made his Honor preſs ſo hard in this buſineſs againſt thoſe that oppoſed mee at the Council of State for my proſecution thereof; and to ſee that I ſhould not bee oppreſſed for doing the State this ſervice.

For at one time in the Council of State, it was at a ſtanding-water, whether I ſhould ſhoot Bridg, and ſo go back to the Tower, where I had been formerly laid up, by the power of malitious and ſubtil men, who made many of the late Parlament-men their inſtruments to keep mee in the Tower, upon pretence that I was a malignant, that ſo I ſhould not diſcover the neſt of Tranſporters of Gold and Silver; which I then was Ordered by the Parlament to do: and there is about twentie Orders of Parlament and Committees, for the bringing in the Act for the diſcoverie of the ſame, and the Act twice read in the late Parlament; and an Order for the finiſhing the Act againſt the Tranſporters of Gold, about 14 April laſt, was appointed in the Parlament.

May it pleaſ your Honors! my Lord Bradſhaw told mee; about Chriſt-tide laſt, before Tho. Weſtroop Eſquire, that there was ſom of the Council would, if they could, hang mee for ſtaying this Silver; which doing of mine, as hee conceived, was a great and good ſervice to the Common-wealth; but to the uttermoſt of his power hee would ſee they ſhould not oppreſs mee: So that the State ow's his Lordſhip for that benefit they receiv by the Prize-ſilver, and I ow my libertie to his juſtice and goodneſs, that would engage himſelf in this buſineſs, to ſee I ſhould not bee oppreſſed for my doing this ſervice for the Common-wealth. I humbly wiſh, for the ſafetie of the Common-wealth, wee had more States-men of his profound judgment, vigilancie and courage.

The God of heaven proſper your Honors in all you take in hand; that ſo you may bee a bleſsing to this Nation in general; that as God hath choſen you from thouſands of your Brethren to do mightie things, and wonderful in the eies of this Generation, both at home and abroad; ſo hee would out of his infinite mercies keep your hearts upright, that no worldly proſperitie make you forget God's infinite mercies to you and yours; but that you may, all the daies of your life remember your deliverances in the daies of battle, when you jeoparded your lives for the freedom of this Nation: no doubt God heard your vows, and exſpect's your performances for the good of this Nation.

May it pleaſ your Honors! This Narrative I humbly preſent you, is the unmasking of a cunning and dangerous plot againſt the Parlament, tending to the ruine and deſtruction of every particular Member of this Nation.

When I was firſt engaged in making my diſcoverie, I met with many Waſps that did ſting mee, and venemous Adders; but by the good guidance of God, the State hath plucked out ſom of their teeth; others will ſtorm to ſee theſe Truths diſcovered and laid open to your Honors. I am a moſt humble ſuiter to the Parlament and your Honors for your protection and countenance in the doing this ſervice to the Nation.

God bleſs and proſper all the counſels and undertakings of Your Honors, and every particular Member of this preſent Parlament; that no force or combination of forreign or home-born Traitors may undermine them; that they beeing delivered from their enemies both at home and abroad, may never forget God's great mercies, that they may bee nurſing fathers of this Nation, that they may bee tender and merciful to the poor and diſtreſſed, that they bee builders up of our breaches, and that they carefully cheriſh Arts and Manufactures for the ſetting all the poor of this Nation a Work, that all the bleſſings of this life may bee beſtowed on them. And as God hath raiſed them above their brethren, ſo that hee would bee pleaſed to raiſ them all to reign with his Son for ever; it beeing that which is promiſed thoſe that rule well here, ſhall reign with him eternally in the heavens: and this ſhall bee the praier of

Your Honor's humble ſervant Tho. Violet. Aug. 3. 1653.