Memoirs of Count Tariff, &c

Memoirs of Count Tariff, &c

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MEMOIRS OF Count TARIFF, &c.

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MEMOIRS OF Count TARIFF, &c.

Omnibus in terris, quae sunt à Gadibus usque

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Vera bona, atque illis multûm diversa, remotâ

Erroris Nebulâ

Juv. Sat. 10.

LONDON: Printed for John Morphem, near Stationers-Hall. 1713. Price 1 s.

MEMOIRS OF Count TARIFF, &c.

[Page]

COUNT Tariff, whose History we are now to write, is a Person who has been so much misrepresented among us, and painted in such monstrous Shapes, that 'tis but a piece of Justice to a Stranger to rescue his Character from the Mob, and to search what may be found in ancient History concerning him.

So far as we have search'd into Antiquity, we find him lineally descended from the ancient Line of the Tariffs, a Family of such Quality as well as Antiquity in France, that they trace their Genealogy as high as any History can be [Page] found; and they appear equal in Birth to Commerce it self, whose Antiquity no Body doubts of.

The present Count Tariff, the chief of his Family, is a Person, who, as well for his proper Merit as his high Birth as aforesaid, has been esteemed and respected all over Europe; and for the great Interest he has in his Country, has been sought unto by most of the Nations in Europe, upon many occasions.

He always appear'd to be a Patron of Trade, as what he esteem'd was exceedingly conducive to the general Good of Mankind: As this was his especial Aim, so he did not so much apply himself to this or that particular Branch or part of Trade, but endeavour'd upon all occasions to shew himself a Friend to universal Commerce; as it respected the Improvement and general Advantage of the World, and from this Rule he constantly employ'd the Influence he had on Affairs, which was not small to the Regulation and good Government of Trade in his own Country.

He took on him the general Management of Commerce on the 18th of September, 1664. which being the first time of his publick Appearance in the World, [Page] we shall not enquire into any part of his Conduct before that time.

He had no sooner settled and made publick his Rules of Commerce; but all the Trading part of the World were made sensible of the Advantage they receiv'd thereby, and consequently began to entertain a true and very great Opinion of his Worth, and very quickly courted his Friendship: This Nation especially made great Advantage of his Correspondence, for he was a particular Friend to the English Trade, and encourag'd it upon all Occasions: It is true, he acted upon open Measures of Correspondence, and was a Friend to universal Trade, as above: He abhorr'd Prohibitions, Restrictions and Exclusion of Nations in Trade; but if he had any Peculiar, if he treated any one Nation with Distinction more than another, it was England; which was all the Reason that has yet been assign'd, why some People in the Kingdom have treated him with such Rudeness and Disrespect ever since: But however, they have used him, it is most certain England felt the sensible Advantage of his Acquaintance, and corresponded with him to their great Profit, as well as Satisfaction for several Years, receiving every Year [Page] great Sums of Money from him, and by his means.

He was particularly a very great Friend to the English Manufacture: He always appear'd at Court in a Suit of English Broad Cloth, and cloth'd all his Servants in the same; and tho' his Liveries were plain, they were handsomer and richer than any in that Country.

It happen'd however, after some time, Divisions prevailing there as well as in other Courts, that he began to be in less Repute with some People than before, yet he still went on as well as Circumstances would admit, in his own way, (viz.) of encouraging Trade; he receiv'd all the Equipages of his Servants and Furniture of his Houses from England: Notwithstanding the fine Brocades and rich Silks which are made in France, he cloathed his Countess, and the young Ladies his Daughters, and their Attendants in rich East-India Silks, fine Muslins, &c. bought in England, and brought from the Indies by the English East-India Company.

Upon building his fine Country-Seat of TARIFF-CASTLE, in France, all the fine Locks and Keys, and several other parts of the Furniture came from [Page] England; the Roof was cover'd with Lead to distinguish his Respect for the English Commerce, and all the Vessels and Utensils of his Family, which it was proper to have so, were of English Pewter.

This particular Conduct of the Count, with respect to the English Trade, gave some Umbrage in France; and whether it were by the Artifice of some of his Neighbours, who always envy'd and rivall'd the English; or whether it was meerly the Inclination of the People there to set up Manufactures of their own, Authors are not agreed about it; but it procured Count Tariff many Enemies at home, as is before observ'd; nay, even his own Tenants and Neighbours complain'd that he favour'd Foreigners and foreign Manufactures, alledging that his Coaches were lined with English CLOTH, his Rooms hang'd with English STUFFS, that all his Servants smoaked TOBACCO, and other Circumstances falling in with this at the same time, the Count was oblig'd to alter his Measures, and first declined some part of the English Trade by several publick Acts, as particularly on the 18th of April, 1665. the 20th of December, 1687. and at last he was obliged wholly to renounce it on the 7th [Page] of September, 1701. Upon these Disturbances Count Tariff being necessitated, as abovesaid, to lay aside all Correspondence with his English Friends; they, on the other hand, acted the weakest part that ever was known among Trading Men and Merchants; for however he had been their Friend, and however absur'd, it was on their side to forbid the Exportation of their own Manufactures; yet they took that simple Step, and without respect to Count Tariff, or the Injury they did to their own Workmen in the Countries, and their Families, truly, they cut off their own Trade, and would not suffer any more Broad-Cloth, or Serges, Stuffs, Bays, Kersies, Dozens, or any Woollen Manufactures, or other Goods, to be sent to Count Tariff; by which piece of Wisdom they lost their Country, the Exportation of above Six hundred thousand Pounds a Year, in Goods of their own Growth or Manufactures; besides those of the Growth and Produce of their Plantations and other Countries.

Count Tariff being treated thus by his English Friends, it was not to be wondred if Mynheer Coopmanschap, an old Carrier, and a cunning, tricking, circumventing, [Page] sharping Dutch Broker, fell in with him: This Coopmanschap was a great Dealer in the Manufactures and Produce of other Countries, but had very few or none at all of his own: He drove indeed a great Trade to most parts of the World: It was he who made that famous Voyage to Japan, where when he was asked by the Emperour, whether he was a Christian or not, he answer'd, he was a a HOLLANDER: He had been all over the East-Indies, and particularly was Governour at Amboyna upon a certain Butcherly occasion, which Authors say is nothing to the purpose now, because it was a great while ago: He has driven a great Trade ever since by Interloping into the Trade of other Nations, but is especially remarkable for keeping his Word no longer than he finds it for his Gain, and then complaining that others DO SO: It was not many Years before this, that he was in Partnership with a great German Merchant, one Mynheer Leopoldus of Vienna; in which they had agreed not to lay down their Trade but by mutual Consent, and particularly old Coopmanschap bound himself, not to contract any Partnership without the Consent of Leopoldus, and without taking him in; [Page] but he broke his Word, and left old Leopoldus in the Lurch before the Voyage was half finish'd; which is mention'd for their Service, who pretend to say he was injured lately that may himself.

Count Tariff was not ignorant of the Subtilty and Knavery of this Tricking Dutchman, for he had heard his Character, and had dealt with him before; but his Circumstances requiring him to settle a Correspondence some where, and having been ill used where he inclined to settle, he found it for his Advantage to engage with Mynheer; and accordingly Articles of Partnership were sign'd between them on the 7th of December, 1699.

It was no small Surprize to the rest of the Trading Nations of Europe that Count Tariff had settled with Mynheer; and tho' it had been better for them all, that he had continu'd to Trade with the whole World on equal Terms, as before; yet when they found that could not be, they would all have been glad to have had him exclusively to themselves; but old Coopmanschap, according to Custom, was too cunning for them all, and knowing the Worth of the Count, he supplanted all the World, and got him to himself.

[Page] One of the principal Businesses of Mynheer, after he had secur'd Count Tariff to himself, was to prevent his Trading with any Body else; and fain he would have had the Count have entered into some exclusive Terms with him, which at first he could not obtain, it being not included in their Articles; but it fell in afterwards upon the occasion of some of his old Correspondents prohibiting their Factors to send him any Woollen Manufactures, as aforesaid.

No sooner had old Coopmanschap and the Count engaged, but the Dutchman began to insult all Count Tariff's old Correspondents, and put the Dice upon all that Traded with him before; for no Body could Trade with Count Tariff at all NOW, but they must pay TOLL to old Coopmanschap, no Goods could be sent to Count Tariff, but in old Coopmanschap's Waggons and Ships, so that he became the general Carryer to all the Trade of that side of the World, and got something by every thing that other People dealt in.

This made him so Insolent, that if any Proposals of Peace or Trade were made to him, his Answer was always, Count Tariff, Count Tariff, ick vil hab [Page]Count Tariff, nothing must be done without Count Tariff.

At last Mynheer thinking he had effectually secured all the Trade of the World, and that he was able to keep every Body else out of it; truly he began to use Count Tariff himself very scurvily, and on several Occasions abused him very grosly; insomuch that the Count who easily saw himself maltreated, grew weary of him: He found that this Coopmanschap was but a Jobber of other Peoples Trade, a meer Pedlar, a Waggoner, or Carrier for other Merchants; that all the Goods he (Count Tariff) bought of him, were brought to him at Second Hand, and that he might much better have them directly from the Makers and Manufacturers, and the Countries where they were produced: Wherefore he (Count Tariff.) resolved at last, to put an end to it; and accordingly, he wrote him a very plain Letter, telling him what a cozening old Knave he had been, how rich he was grown by means of the Partnership, and yet how basely he had treated his Partner▪ and in short told him in so many Words at the end of his Letter, that he would have no more to do with him.

[Page] It is not to be wondred if Mynheer was Thunder-struck at this surprizing Letter; for by it, on a sudden, he lost all those Advantages which had for some time raised up both his Purse and his Pride; and which had enabled him to hold up his Head, and think himself equal with the richest Merchant in Europe. But from this Disappointment he began to alter his Tone, and talk a little humbler than he was wont to do; mean time he omitted nothing to recover his former Interest in Count Tariff, and if possible, to retrieve the Partnership; and to that purpose, he dispatched two of his Factors to go to Count Tariff's House, and to try if they could by any Offers, Submissions, and Promises, and on any Conditions whatsoever, retrieve this Blow; that he might preserve his governing Influence on the Trade of Europe: But after several vain Attempts of this nature, he found that it was impracticable, and that Count Tariff was resolved, for his sake, that he would never more engage in a separate Partnership; but that he had reassumed his former generous Principle, (viz.) of encouraging universal Commerce, a thing that did not suit with Mynheer's Designs at all; who always [Page] advanced himself by encroaching on other Mens Trade, rather than by carrying on any particular Trade of his own; as is evident by his Trade to the East-Indies, which he rifled a great Portuguese Merchant of; his Herring Fishery, which he got by Encroachment on the Scots Merchants, and by his Trade to the Brazils and Surinam, which he stole from the Spaniards; and the like.

But Mynheer, who never used to give a Game over while he had any Cards left in his hand to play, when he found he could not get Count Tariff to himself; his next Concern was to take care that the Count should not engage with any body else; and particularly, he was sensible it would be a very great Loss to him if any English Merchants should embark with him: It seems he had had some private Intimation, that Count Tariff was about making a new Partnership with one Mr. Traffick, an eminent Merchant and Alderman of London. This Mr. Traffick traded, it seems, in Company with one Harry Woolpack, a famous Clothier in the West; and together, they two manag'd the whole Trade of the Woollen Manufacturers on that side of the World.

[Page] It was a mortal Blow to Mynheer, to think that Count Tariff should engage with these People, and it put him into a cold Sweat immediately; for these were the very Men that he had bubbled for so many Years past; for having kept Count Tariff under his Thumb, he got all the Trade into his own Hand, made those English Merchants glad to sell their Woollen Manufactures to him, some finish'd, some unfinish'd, as he pleased to take them, and at what Price he pleased to give for them; so that they only furnish'd Count Tariff at second-hand, and old Coopmanschap got the Profit.

All the while he did thus he wheedled Mr. Alderman Traffick and Harry Woolpack with fine Stories of his being their only Friend; of his taking off such vast Quantities of their Manufactures more than other Nations; nay sometimes he would say more than all the Nations of the World; and, that no body could do this but he; whereas the Truth was, that all this while he was only the Middleman, or Broker, between both; for Count Tariff was really the Man who procured most of the Trade, and made the great Consumption of the Woollen Manufactures by encouraging the wearing [Page] thereof, as aforesaid, among his Tenants and Servants: and this subtle Dutchman had only been a Pick-pocket on both Sides. As soon as Mr. Traffick and Harry Wo [...]lpack, and their other Partners, came to understand this, it gave them a most contemptible Opinion of old Coopman schap, and made them reflect with great Regret on those Councils which had led them into such a Noose, and caused them to be so dup'd, and made Fools of, by this old Dutch Man for so many Years, to the Ruin of their Trade, and the enriching of him and his Hangers on: When their Eyes were thus opened, and they saw clearly how they had been play'd upon and cozen'd, they entertained with great Readiness the Proposals of a new Partnership with Count Tariff, which the Count, by his Agents, had offered them about that time.

Upon this, the Treaty of Partnership between Alderman Traffick and the Count, having gone on with great Sincerity and Application on both sides, it was concluded and signed between Arbitrators employed by both Parties on the 31st of March 1712. tho' this was not brought to pass without a mighty Opposition of old C [...]opmanschap and his Friends.

[Page] It was thought at first, that the Treaty having been thus finished, and all Parties being thus agreed, there could not have been any room for a Miscarriage after that; and it was not doubted but Messieurs Traffick and Company would have driven a gallant Trade the next Year with Count Tariff; but it proved quite otherwise, by the Subtilty and indefatigable Cunning and Diligence of that old Fox Coopmanschap; the Particulars of whose Intrigues make the next part of our Story.

Old Coopmanschap having been alarmed, as is said already, by the Report of a Treaty being set on foot between Count Tariff on one hand, and the said Mr. Alderman Traffick of London, and his Partners in the Country, on the other hand; he found there was no time to be lost; for these, as aforesaid, were the greatest Dealers in the British Woollen Manufactures that were in the World; and the very same Men who he had bought all the Woollen Goods of, which he had supplied Count Tariff with, during their late Partnership; he knew also if the Count sell in with them, he should not only be circumvented and become useless in the Trade, but that all his Cunning [Page] and Knavery would be exposed on either Hand; That first Count Tariff would see how he had made him pay thro' the Nose for every thing which he had bought, and that he could buy cheaper of Alderman Traffick and Company; and not only so, but the Alderman and his Partners would discover also, how when he had beaten down the Price, and brought them to sell their Goods so monstrous cheap, that their poor Workmen could hardly get Bread by their Labour, he sold those Goods at the same time for a great Price to Count Tariff; and so he had gotten the Profit of all the Trade to himself.

He was conscious that when both Sides came thus to see into his Knavery, they would equally resent his former Correspondence with them, and never have any thing to do with him in that respect again; that by this means he should lose his Cullies, and be quite stript of the Advantage he had always made by them.

Upon this and many other Mischiefs which he foresaw would follow, he resolved to go over for England, and by all means possible, endeavour to prevent the Partners making their new Treaty of Partnership EFFECTUAL.

[Page] He was encouraged to make this Attempt by a secret Correspondence, which he always held in that Country with a certain CLUB or Society of Men, who having certain private wicked Projects of their own to carry on by his Assistance, were declared Enemies to Count Tariff for his sake; and by consequence would be sure, right or wrong, to oppose the new Partnership Count Tariff was making with their Fellow-Citizens, however it might be to the prejudice of their Country or of themselves; Envy and Revenge being the most Self-denying Vices in the World. These People pretended indeed to be very great Friends to Alderman Traffick and Henry Woollpack his Partner, yet they had given several sufficient Testimonies of their being willing to Sacrifice them both for the Interest of old Coopmanschap; and even to sell them and their Country too into Slavery to him, to work in his Rasp-house in Amsterdam, rather than not oblige him to be their Friend in those other Projects which they were carrying on, as aforesaid.

Having such an Interest there, he made the best of his way for England, and had the good Luck to come there before the Articles of Copartnership, which [Page] the Arbitrators on both Sides had made between Count Tariff and his new Partners, were arrived.

As soon as he was come to London, he gave notice to his trusty Friend Sir Politick Falshood, who was generally Chairman of that Society, that he Purposed to be at the Club the next Day, who accordingly intimated the same to the whole Party, in order to have a full Assembly.

Being come to the Club, and having saluted the Members, he stood up and made a Speech to them to the following Purpose.

Here follows an Account of the Speech which Mynheer VAN COOPMANSCHAP made at his first Appearance in the Club.

FIrst, He gave them thanks for the great Services they had done him upon all Occasions in time past, and the great Obligations which they had laid upon him; for That, not regarding their Country, their Liberty, their present Advantages, or their Posterity, they had, with a steady and unshaken Zeal, always preferred his Interest to THEIR OWN.

[Page] He acknowledged, that in a former Partnership, wherein they had been engaged with him, they never insisted upon his paying in the Proportions of STOCK agreed upon between them; But had very kindly carried on their own Part, and most of his too, tho' at the same time they were fain to run themselves into heavy Debts, more than ever they were like to have paid, besides several other Inconveniencies to do it; and also altho' the greatest part of the Profit of the Partnership fell to HIS SHARE; all which, he told them, added to the Generosity of their Treatment of him, and which therefore obliged him to this grateful Remembrance thereof.

He owned, and therewith he made them a Grimace, that they had been very Friendly to him, in not examining his Accounts relating to the said Partnership, but had passed them upon his Credit, which he (being utterly unable to make a fair Account) was very much obliged to them for.

He could not forget, he said, how frankly they had furnished the greatest part of the Ships employed in their Partnership, even without charging him for his share of the Freight, whereby he [Page] had been at leisure to carry on the North-Seas-Trade, which was quite out of the Partnership, at their Expence; and which had encouraged him to charge even those Ships also which were employed in the said separate Trade to the North-Seas, as if employed in the said Partnership, to his unspeakable Advantage; for which he said he was infinitely obliged to them.

That whereas they had been equally concerned for several Years past, in carrying on an Undertaking for the French PHILOSOPHERS STONE, which as it had been both hazardous and expensive, so it had been owned to be, as such Projects generally are, very unlikely to succeed, especially to the height that some proposed; he told them he thought himself obliged to confess, that they had generously supplied more Workmen for the said Undertaking than they were bound to furnish by their Agreement, and yet had not made him pay toward the extraordinary Charge of it. It is true▪ said he, you once proposed to me, that in Consideration thereof, I should break my Partnership with Count Ta [...], and have no more to do with him; [...], upon my representing to [Page] you faithfully how much it would be to my Prejudice tho' to your Advantage, you were so kind as not to insist upon it; which I acknowledge, said he, and made them a Dutch Bow, was a great Instance of Self-denial in you, and disinterested Friendship to me.

But he told them he had yet greater things than those to thank them for, and particularly, that bold Step they took on his Account, and which few Partners but they would have ventur'd at, (viz.) That when several of his principal Correspondents in England were in danger of being turned out of their Shops and Employments by their LANDLADY, the Club had appeared so much interested in their Behalf, as to depute some of their RUDEST Members to Her, to tell her very respectfully, that she ought not to do so; that she ought to have consulted them in the Management of her Servants and Family; that if she ventur'd to do it, she would entirely lose their Favour, and did not stick to threaten her, tho' she was their own Landlady too, that in such case they would shew their Resentment, and would neither give her or her Tenants, or her Workmen, Credit for one Farthing of [Page] Mony, nor suffer any body else to do it, nay nor pay her their Rent neither, if they could help it; which Threatning, tho' it did not succeed according to Expectation, yet was such an extraordinary Step in his Favour, as he could not but think himself very much obliged to them for it.

He told them farther, that he was particularly obliged to thank them for another Instance of their Zeal for his Interest, (viz.) that when some British Merchants came over to a Place called Ʋtrecht, a City in his Country, in order to recover a certain Branch of Trade out of his Hands which he had circumvented them of before, the Society had endeavoured to expose and ruin those Merchants, loudly declaring in all their Societies, as well Grecian as English, that it was neither just nor honest to take any thing away from Mynheer Van Coopmanschap, or to get any thing for Alderman Traffick and Company, without letting him have an equal Share of it, or, in short, to disoblige him in any respect whatsoever: So that they justified him highly in the Practice of what every one knew was his Principle, viz. That what every one else got should [Page] be part of it his, and what he himself got should be all his own.

He thank'd them, he said, that in their late famous Voyage or Adventure to Terra (Gertrudenburg) Incognita, in which they had been also Partners, yet the Club had generously left the Management of the whole Voyage to him, owning themselves not fit to be trusted in Affairs (tho' their own) of so nice a nature; by which, had not his unhappy native Avarice prompted him to grasp the Shadow and let slip the Substance, he might have made a very good Voyage for himself, at the Expence of all the rest of his Partners; but as he had no body to blame for the Miscarriage but himself, so he thank'd them for their Good-will, whatever Loss he sustain'd by the Voyage.

It was true, he said, that another Miscarriage of his had been the Effect of their Advice to him, (viz.) when they perswaded him to adhere to the Executors of old Leopoldus, and preferr his German-Partnership to all other Engagements; which piece of Council overthrew the whole Voyage; for as on the one hand he slip'd a good Opportunity, and refused an advantageous Offer [Page] of another Partnership, which he inclined to embark in; and which, had he closed with it, would have prevented the dismal Events that followed: So, on the other hand, he not only was disappointed in all his chimerical Hopes of that Voyage, but had all his Vessels plundered, his Goods and Merchandizes taken away, and most of his Agents and Servants were knock'd on the Head, and thrown over-board, or carried into Slavery; which forced him, at last, shamefully to quit the said German Partnership, and to lose all those Advantages that had been offered him at first, as aforesaid; however, he said, as he believed the Society did it for the best, and had only acted by him as they did for themselves, and according to their kown Politicks, (viz.) Never to know when they are well, so he could not blame them in the least.

He acknowledged, that their general Conduct had been always with an Eye to his Interest and Grandeur, which they had given him so many Testimonies of that it was very much to his Satisfiction, and which he had so far depended upon, as had made him talk in a different Tone from what he used [Page] to do, to several of his other Partners; for that he knew they were always ready to back him in and approve of all the Measures he took for advancing his own Trade: and that they were always, willing to sink their own Stocks, and throw away their own Estates, rather than he should be a Sufferer.

He told them also, that he thankfully remembred how they had given him timely notice, when they designed to ruin the Publick Credit, if it had been in their Power, that he might have sufficient time to draw out his Mony; whereas had their Design succeeded, he might, without such notice, have been a very great Loser.

It was true, he said, he had observed that altho' they had informed him that their Landlady was a Bankrupt, and her Credit broke, and perswaded him not to lend her Mony; yet, as soon as she had offered them a small Advantage in the Loan, they all run in privately, and lent their own Mony, leaving him out: But as this was nothing but what he taught them, and as he would have done by them if it had been in his Power, he was not at all disobliged by it, knowing they would make him amends for it many other ways.

[Page] He told them, he was in a particular manner obliged to them in other Affairs of their Partnership, especially for drawing up proper Memorials for him upon certain Occasions, in which they were so zealou, for his Interest, and so willing to make him popular, that they had frequently ventur'd to Print them before they had been delivered; and if at any time his secret Management had been discovered, and the People began to entertain a mean Opinion of his Honesty, they always had employed their whole Set of Pamphleteers to vindicate him, who had covered the foulest of his Actions with the most popular Lyes they could invent; of which they were very fruitful, and by an infinite number of Abuses, Invectives, and Libels, even against their Landlady herself, and all her Family, and Servants, they had diverted the Rage of the People, and impos'd upon them in such a manner, that his Character, which was much in Danger by some Mistakes he had fallen into, stood very right again with the People; and as he had maintained a kind of Correspondence, from the Teeth outward only, with their Landlady, which however he [Page] was alwas ready to break off when their Interest should require it, he had thereby he hop'd kept himself in a Condition to requite the Favours he had received from them.

That for his part, he said, tho' he should not boast of his Merit, yet he hoped he had not been wanting on all Occasions to shew his respect to them, and to lay all the Obligations upon them which it was in his Power to do. That upon all Occasions he had supported them in their private Designs and Contrivances against their Landlady and her Adherents, Family, and Servants; that he had acquiesced in all the Memorials they had drawn up for him, and been as well satisfied with them when they were drawn up at the farther End of Piccadilly, as when they were done at Amsterdam, which also had saved him a great deal of Trouble; and tho' in one of those Memorials they had committed a fatal Mistake, in acknowledging the Fact which it was intended to deny, (viz.) about his having not supplyed the Quota of Ships to the Partnership which he had agreed to furnish, yet he was very well satisfied with the Invention they found out to cover it, whether it were Truth of Fact or no.

[Page] He modestly put them in mind of his great Concern for them in another Affair, wherein he had made himself Arbitrator for the Succession of their Trade in the next Age; and preserving a Partnership, which it was agreed should be entered into, after a certain Engagement was expired, with some Merchants of Brunswick; which tho' they all knew there was not the least need of, that it was in it self nothing at all, that Contract being effectually secured by the Circumstances and nature of the thing; yet as it was of use to them otherways, and served to make the Reputation of the Club swell among some People, so he had done it to serve them; at the same time taking such effectual Care to preserve their Trade in Flanders, by securing it all into his own Hands, that he hoped it was to their exceeding great Satisfaction: He put them in mind how for their sakes he had continued his Partnership with the Executors of old Leopolaus Merchant of Vienna, altho' Count Tariff had made him very great Offers to break the same; and altho' he had met with very great Losses in carrying it on, and altho' one Merchant Eugene, who was Factor [Page] for the said Partnership, had imposed upon him, and outstood his Market, having been outwitted by Count Tariff's Factors, and so had spoiled the whole Voyage, as he had just now told them.

He assured them in the next place, that as he had served them with all his usual Sincerity in these and many other occasions; so he was still ready to assist and stand by them in their private Concerns, and to renew the Partnership they had carried on so long, and which they had so successfully been engaged in, for as many Years as they should think fit; that especially he was ready to support them and assist them in any Measures which they should think proper against their Landlady, whether to expose, ridicule, and affront her Person and the Management of her Family and Houshold, or to oppose any of her Designs, however laudable and useful for the good of her Tenants; (at which words the Assembly, in token of Gratitude, and accepting the Offer, stood all up) and Mynheer making another Dutch Bow went on—

He told them, that he was still very ready to settle Matters of Trade for this part of the World, if they would but stick fast to their old Maxims of leaving [Page] it all to him, and being willing that his Interest should be secured first and then their own brought in as subservient; and finally, he profest himself ready to require their Kindness at all times, if he might but enjoy the Benefit of their Trade, exclusive of themselves, as he had d [...]ne.

He then came to the main Point: He told them, that he understood there was a private Clandestine Negociation on foot between Merchant Traffick of London, and his Partner Henry Woolpack of the West, for a Partnership with Count Tariff of France, the Articles whereof, if they came to be made Effectual, would be very prejudicial to his Affairs, and that therefore he desired their utmost Assistance against is: He told them, that this Count Tariff was always Partner with him, and had left him without warning, that it would disable him from driving his Trade, and consequently from buying so many Woollen Manufactures [...] as he used to do because Count Tariff would take them here himself, and, in s [...]rt he told them that if they had any Respect for him, or expected any of his Assistance in their other secret Affair [...], which he had always [Page] been their Friend in, they must stand his Friend at this time, and prevent the Articles of this Partnership from being MADE EFFECTUAL.

Then he fell to railing at Count Tariff, told them he was a Frenchman and a Papist, and a tricking false Fellow that never kept his word with any Body, that he was a Bankrupt, and not able to make good what he had promised, that he would crowd them with his own Goods, such as Wine, Brandy, Silk, Linnen, Paper, &c. but would take little or nothing of them in return, only give them large Promises and good Words, with which he would feed them till the Partnership was settled and made effectual, and then he would laugh at them; and with much more of this kind he ended his Speech.

Mynheer Coopmanschap having thus finished his Speech and sat down, Sir Pol the Chairman seeing the Club in an unusual Agitation, and mightily incensed against Count Tariff, and also against Alderman Traffick and his Partners, called for a Bottle of Neat-Port, for they always drink Port at that Club, and beginning a Health, which for their Reputations sake, as they pretend to be [Page]Christians, is not fit to be named; the unnatural Pleasure of that Infamous practice took them a little off of their Fury. Indeed Authors do not say it cooled the Ferment they were in, but it turned it another way, tho' by a worse Inflamation, and having twice Cursed the Landlady, and five times her Servants, Sir Pol stood up, and addressing himself to Mynheer, he spoke in the Name of the whole Society, by way of Answer to his Speech, to the purpose following.

'FIrst, He told him they were very glad the Endeavours of the Club had been of Service to him, that they had faithfully pursued his Interest at all times, without respect to any Obligation they were under to the contrary, either to their Landlady, or otherwise; and that it was very much to their Satisfaction that he was sensible thereof.

They condoled with him, he said, in all his Misfortunes; particularly that which he had mentioned to them, viz. of having the British Merchants get the better of him in all his projects of Trade, especially that with the Spanish Merchant D [...] Philippo, and his Factor Seignior [...], which he could not but be sensible [Page] they had done their Endeavour to prevent; however it might be against the Honour and the Interest of their Country.'

'He told him, the Club was very sorry they had been any way instrumental to the loss of that Voyage of his, where his Ships were taken, his Goods plundered, and his Men thrown overboard, or carryed into Slavery; but that the Advice they gave him for adhering to his German Partnership, was chiefly founded on the Assurances, which he had sent them word were given him, that Merchant Eugene, who was Factor for Mynheer Leopoldus, would carry on that Trade successfully, without any farther help, or any Auxiliary Stock; and that they never suspected that those Promises of Merchant Eugene had been all but meer Gasconades, and that he was not able to perform them, for that the said Eugene was always esteemed an expert Merchant, and one who being bred to Business, always kept right Accounts, and might be depended upon in Adventures of the nicest Nature; that therefore the Miscarriage ought to be placed to Merchant Eugene's Account, and not to theirs, who had advised him for the best.'

[Page]' He told him, the Society were sorry he had been obliged to quit his German Partnership in such a manner as he did; but they were glad for his sake, that he had at last put an end to it, being afraid his German Partner would ruin himself, by following the precipitant Measures of his said Factor Merchant Eugene, especially in carrying on that Trade, which was too hazardous and expensive for his Strength of Stock; and that it was rumoured already upon Change, that his Bills had been protested in divers parts of Europe, so that it was feared we should quickly hear there was a Commission of Bankrupt taken out against him, and that he would make a Composition with his Creditors.'

'He told him, tho' the Society had been disappointed in every thing they had undertaken for him, and were at this time but in mean Circumstances; their Character declining, their Reputation very low, and most of their valuable Men gone off from them to the Interest of their Landlady, having by her Advice joined in a new Partnership with Merchant Moderation, an old and known Enemy to the whole Society, yet as their Spirit (Malice) was not in [Page] the least abated, and that they had yet Members enough left to make a great Effort (Noise) in his Favour, so he might depend upon their utmost Assistance in every thing whatsoever that he desired; in return whereof, they hoped Mynheer would continue to be their constant Friend and Correspondent in the same manner as he had done before; adding, that they had one farther Request to make to him, (viz.) That whereas they might probably find it needful sometimes, in carrying on his Intrigues, or their own; to make themselves obnoxious to the Law, and which was likely to be very frequent, to fly from Justice, run away from Bail, and such like, he would engage to receive their Criminals, and make them Burgesses in his Cities and free Denizens, Naturalizing them among the Servants of his Family, as would be most suitable to them, and to him also, whether they were felonious-Bankrupts, Murtherers of Nobility, Duellers, Scots Libellers, Traytors, or what kind of Offenders soever.'

'That as to the new Treaty of Partnership with Count Tariff, he told him there was no doubt but the Club would [Page] espouse his Cause, right or wrong, against that Frenchman and all his Attempts; that the name of French would make it exceeding Popular, and they would presently spread it over the whole Nation, that he was a Pick-pocket, a Conjurer, and dealt with the Devil, and they doubted not to have him Mobb'd if he came hither.'

'He told him, that as to Alderman Traffick, he knew he was an eminent Dealer, and understood Trade, and perhaps he might be steady as to his old Notions of the Liberty of Trade; but as for honest Woolpack he knew him well enough, that he was a well-meaning Country-Fellow, but very Passionate, and Ignorant, and he did not question but the Club would find means to Impose upon his Judgment, by telling him a hundred Stories and Shams of this Frenchman Count Tariff; and if they did but once make him believe that Count Tariff would take off none of his Manufactures, he would go stark Mad, and break off the new Partnership at once, or quarrel with Alderman Traffick his Partner, and refuse to go on with the Trade; concluding upon the whole, in the Name of the Society, [Page] that he might depend upon it, they were all Mynheers hearty Friends more than their own.'

The Chairman having ended his Speech, a Tool of his who sat at his Elbow, lately turned Malecontent because he was left out of a certain Commission, made a motion to the Club, that they should declare their Assent to all that Sir Pol had said, which was done, the following Minute being extracted out of the Journal of the Club.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente,

That the Thanks of the Club be given to Sir Pol Falshood the Chairman, for his excellent Speech to Mynheer van Coopmanschap.

Sir Pol having gone thus far, proceeded then to put the grand Question, which was also carried, as follows.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente,

That this Club will stand by, assist, and support Mynheer van Coopmanschap, their old and constant Partner, Confederate and Ally, with all their Art and Skill, not only against Count Tariff and Alderman Traffick, but against all the Harry Woolpacks in England, and against all other Opposers whatsoever, Landlady and all.

[Page] This Vote being past, Sir Pol stood up and made another Speech, and directed himself then to the Club, Mynheer being withdrawn, in which he spoke with a great deal of Heat, and with all that Sense and Passion he used to speak with elsewhere.

'He told them, that having heard what had been said by Mynheer van Coopmanschap, and what return had been made to him, he expected no other, but that they would Resolve to assist and stand by him, &c. as they had done; and that now having thus entered upon the thing, the next and immediate Step was, that they should consider of Ways and Means, to put in execution what they had Resolved on; that no time was to be lost; that they expected every Post to hear that Count Tariff was come over, and that the Articles of Partnership between him and Alderman Traffick, &c. would presently be Ratifyed, and a Law pass to make them EFFECTUAL, and that then all was lost, and their fast Friend Coopmanschap would be ruined.'

'Then he run out in the praise of Mynheer, how necessary it was to them to Support him, how they could never hope to carry on their secret Designs [Page] against the Landlady, if they lost Mynheer, and that all their Trade (juggling) which they had carried on so long with Mynheer van Coopmanschap would be spoiled, if they did not prevent it just now.'

'Then he fell foul upon Count Tariff, you have heard his Character, said he, from Mynheer van Coopmanschap's own Mouth, what a Tricking, Cozening, Bankrupt Fellow he is, and what a Trade we are like to have with him, if this Partnership should proceed; and therefore, continued Sir Pol, my good Friends, I would not have you be deceived by those who talk of your having a great Trade with him; It is all a Cheat: How should he want any of your Manufactures when he can make them all himself by his own Tenants and Servants whom he has lately set up, and given great Encouragement to them out of his own Estate? and as to the defect of Wooll, which they pretend to say will prevent this, that is effectually Answered by the News which came to me by the last Post, and which I thought fit to communicate to you, that it may by your Diligence and Correspondence in the Country, be spread about among the Woollen Manufacturers and Clothiers of Britain, (viz.) [Page] That this Count Tariff has found out a new Invention not only to supply his own Tenants and Servants with good Woollen Manufactures, but that in a little time he would be able to supply the whole World with Woollen Manufactures, even Britain and all; for that by this new Invention, they could make FINE Manufactures of COARSE Wooll, and he was told of another new Project setting up just now among them of making all the English Manufactures in France without any Wooll AT ALL, which, if they should bring to Perfection, as he feared they would, the English Trade would be quite ruined, and the French Tenants of Count Tariff would Undersell them at all the Markets in Europe, so that he doubted not but the Club would be convinced that it was their own Interest as well as his, to prevent Count Tariff entering into any Measures here.'

The Club were mightily affected with this part of Sir Pol's Speech, and the Noise interrupted him for some time; they appeared in a great Consternation, as well they might, at the mention of such a Project being set on foot in France, for making Broad-Cloth, Sarges, &c. WITHOUT [Page] WOOLL, and a wise Senator of the Club wrs observed to shake his Head, and with a deep Sigh to send forth this Ejaculation, LAURD! said he, What will become of poor England! This will ruin us all with a Witness! What! The French Manufactures without Wooll! good lack! This is the effect of making Peace with the French! This is a French Popish Project indeed! I'll warrant the New Ministry have a Hand in it! We shall be all undone! alas! poor England.

There was a general Murmur thro the whole Society on this surprizing Information, insomuch that the House seemed in some Commotion, and Sir Pol could not yet proceed; but the wise Expressions which on that Occasion dropt from sundry Members of the Society being yet reserved in Whispers only; History has made mention of no more than what is hinted above, which Silence has been a sensible loss to Posterity, who are thereby deprived of the many weighty Sentences dropt on that Occasion.

After some time, the Club being a little recovered, Sir Pol reassumed his former Discourse, and went on to lay down his Measures, which, as he said, he would have them take to prosecute this Design, [Page] and the Ways and Means thereof, as aforesaid: And First,

'He told them he had been with Alderman Traffick, and it is true, says he, I found him inflexible, he talked loudly of the vast Advantages of the Partnership with Count Tariff, the great Quantities of English Manufactures he was formerly accustomed to take off, and would now again take off of our Hands; but said Sir Pol, I will confute them all by one piece of Conduct of mine, for since Alderman Traffick cannot be brought over, we must overpower him, and run him down by our Numbers and Noise; for this end, says he, it is absolutely necessary to separate Harry Woolpack from him, that is, to sow such Jealousies and Misunderstandings between the Country Manufacturers and the Merchants, that they may not join together in this Partnership; and therefore, continues he, I design in the next place, to attack my old Acquaintance Harry Woolpack, and I doubt not, with a little help, to make this Affair so popular, that I will make Harry ashamed to show his Face in the Country, if he does not break off this Partnership with Tariff.'

[Page]' To this purpose, says he, we must in the first place, set to work all our Agents to expose, bespatter, villify, blacken, and defame Count Tariff, and that not only here in the Town, which we can do by the Assistance of our Friends at North's, and at the Amsterdam Coffee-Houses, not forgetting our learned Statesmen at the Grecian; but also in all the Cloathing and Manufacturing Towns and Countries throughout England; for this Work, says he, turning to two Blackwell-Hall-Factors, who sat next him, here's my Friend Josiah White-Cloth and Phil. Medley, Men of Interest in the Country, shall write our Minds to Harry Wool-pack; and if they should not be able to prevail, there's old Joshua Double-dozen, the Yorkshire Man, shall threaten him with his Mob out of the North; and there is no doubt but Harry Woollpack will come up to Town, and tell Alderman Traffick to his Face, that he will have nothing to do with Count Tariff.'

Sir Poll received several Humms, and other Testimonies of Applause, from the Club, as he went on with this; by which they signified their full Approbation of [Page] every thing he said to them; which encouraged him to proceed as follows.

'He told them, the breaking of Harry Wooll-pack from his Engagements with Alderman Traffick, was, tho' in it self a Trifle, of very great Consequence to many other of their Designs, as well as this of Count Tariff; for it would immediately affect all the People of Britain; it would alarm all the Manufacturers, and make them believe their Trade was to be lost and undone, and that they should be ruined; it will make, says he, all the Clothing Towns write up to their Representatives, and perswade them that all is at stake, and that they'll CHOOSE them NO MORE, if they do not take care about it in Parliament: nay, says Sir Poll in some Extacy, it is not to be imagined how far we may run this Thought; I question not, srys he, but we shall make it a DOCTOR SACHEVERELL to us, and perhaps may make as good use of it for our purpose, as was made by other People of that Affair of Dr. Sacheverell's, which it is evident was improved to a quite contrary purpose to what it was designed for; and as the former part said he will be easily managed by [Page] our Assistants at the places before named, so we can never want a Detachment of Bullies from Jenny Man's and St. James's Coffee-house, to assist in the latter, and make a Tumult for us if there be occasion.'

'Our Business then, continued he, is to raise Harry Wool pack's Passions, for he is naturally a hot-headed Fellow, and as furious and inconsiderate as my self when he is moved; and when we have screw'd him up to a pitch, he'll make such a Noise, no body else shall be heard all over the Kingdom but he: besides, he has a prodigious Interest in the Country; as well Landed-men and Trading-men, as Monied-men, they are all of his side; and if once he raises his Voice, he can call a strange multitude about him: There's Sergius Perpetuanus the Spaniard of Exeter, is always at his Elbow, with an hundred thousand Devonshire-men, and as many from Tauntondean; There's Joshua Double-dozen and Tom Kersie out of the North, from Hallifax and Leeds; they were famous for their Numbers in Qu. Elizabeth's time: Then there's Goad Cotton Esq and Flanel ap Plane the Welch-man; they are all at his Beck, and are able to raise [Page] all North-Wales, Shropshire, and Lancashire for him; besides Henry Stroudwater of Cirencester, Sir Isaac Re-Bay of Colchester, Jack All-Stuff of Norwich, Benjamin Drugget of Newberry, and several others, who are all such Dependants upon this Wooll-pack, that if he does but hold up his Finger, they are at his Beck; so that, in short, the Sum of this Matter is to perswade Harry Wooll-pack to break this Bargain, and to fright him with the Apprehensions of losing all his Trade. Let us get but this done then, says he, and we need not value Old Traffick; for if he insists upon it never so much, if Wool-pack does not come in, it can never go on, or be made EFFECTUAL.'

'It follows next, says Sir Pol, that we consider of the Methods to bring this to pass; and the only way to do this, as I said before, is to bespatter Count Tariff, and heap up all the Scandal we can upon him, by which we shall make him frightful and odious to Wooll-pack and his Friends; and if he should venture after this to come over hither, to get the Articles of his new Partnership made EFFECTUAL, we'll bring Harry Wooll-pack in, as Plaintiff, get him Indicted [Page] for a Cheat, and a Pick-pocket, and have him Tried for his Life.

This Speech was too full of Gall, Party-Rage, and particular Malice, not to suit well and be very acceptable to the whole Assembly; for Temper and Moderation was long ago hiss'd out of the Club, as an Enemy to the Being and Nature of their Constitution; like a Coward, who is Troop'd out of a Camp by Beat of Drum, as a Person of no manner of use in the Army.

Being then sufficiently prepared by this Plan of their Proceedings, laid down by Sir Poll, they fell to work immediately, and first they voted that Count Tariff was a Frenchman, and therefore let the Gain of the Partnership be what it would, we had better be without him. This was voted with such a Clamour in the Club, that nothing could be heard for a great while but the repeated Cry of No French Man! no French Wine! no French Trade! no Brandy! sell no Manufactures to a French-man! and the like.

'The last Word startled a certain Warehouse-man in the Club, whose Interest could not tell how to lye like the rest, Hold there a little, says he, sell no Manufactures to a French-man! Hang it, [Page] says he, I can't go that Length neither, for I sold one of Count Tariff's Friends a thousand Pounds worth of Druggets and Serges but last Week: That won't do says he; and so taking the Opportunity of the Hurry, he sneak'd out of the Club.'

But the Vote passed, as above, with too much Noise for any thing of Reason or Argument to be heard. This was no sooner over, but another Wise-man stands up, (whether he was a Salter or a Grocer, Authors are not agreed about it.) But addressing himself to the Chair, ‘'Sir Pol, says he. I understand this Count Tariff is a French-man, then to be sure he is a Jacobite, and will bring in the Pretender upon us; ergo, all they who are for Count Tariff are Jacobites. I desire it may be put to the Question; which was done thus:'’

RESOLVED, That it is the Opinion of this Society, that all those who are for Trading with a French-man are JACOBITES: Upon which the House divided, Yeas 116, No's 11.

So it was carried by a great Majority; But that not being satisfactory to the Citizen who proposed it, who was for thorough Work, he moved again, and said, it was a [Page] Dishonour to the Club, that such a significant Vote as that should not have passed Nemine contradicente; and therefore the 11 No's ought to be Expelled the House, which was accordingly done.

The 11 Members who were voted expell'd, desired to explain themselves; but a Scots Pamphleteer, since fled from Justice, stood up, and said, the Tories condemned a Peer to lose his Head, in his Country, for offering an Explanation to a publick Act: and he was sure those 11 Members were Tories in Disguise; for sure none but a Tory would Trade with a Frenchman; and therefore he was for farther Prosecution against them: Ʋpon which the 11 withdrew, for fear of some of his Justice.

The next Question was, What Religion Count Tariff was of? This produced a hideous Cry, of a Papish, a Papish, a Papish! no Trade with a Papish! no Trade with a Papish! and such as that: and this rung round the Club-Room, like a Vote in the Common-Hall when a Sheriff is put up from the Hustings, which is usually a Quarter of an Hour a sounding.

After many Debates of this nature, it was resolved, That the Votes of the Club should be made publick, and be sent down [Page] into the West to their honoured Friend Henry Wooll-pack, Esq and, that he be admonished by his trusty Correspondent Josiah White-cloth, and Phil. Medley, that as it is resolved in the Committee, that it cannot be safe for England that he should trade with Count Tariff, who is a French-man, a Jacobite, and a Papist; so that this is the Advice of the whole Club to him, and that he should take care not to be wheedled into it by Alderman Traffick, for that altho' the said Traffick was an experienc'd Merchant, and generally speaking, an honest Man; yet he was lately turned about, and was on the wrong Side; that it was to be feared he was inclined to the Pretender, and therefore he should have a care of him; for if he was drawn in to join in the Partnership, he was undone.

Nor did they stop here; but they order'd that the Character of Count Tariff should be defamed, and bespattered as much as possible by their Scots Pamphleteer aforesaid, as long as he durst stay for fear of the Pillory; and by their Lying Posts, their daily Libels, circular Letters, and scurrilous Prints of every kind, for which they had their Authors and Printers of the Society always in Pay: and they gave them [Page] a general Order, not to stick at any thing, so it would but blacken Count Tariff and Alderman Traffick; nor to stick at any Person that spake in their behalf, tho' it were the Landlady herself; agreeing also, that they would carry on the same Design themselves in all their Conversation, and at all the Committees of their Society held at the usual Places, to wit, the Grecian, Jenny Man's, St. James's, and those in the City, viz. North's, the Amsterdam, Hamlin's, &c. and that this should be carried on universally, without Respect of Persons as aforesaid; but especially upon their Landlady, who they reported to be sick and dying, and openly acknowledged they wish'd it was so, till the Brewer in Thames-street was taken up for it, which terrified the disbanded Officer aforesaid, and others his Neighbours, and made them more careful of their Tongues.

In the mean time Alderman Traffick, whose Genius was turned for Trade, and who understood it better than Sir Pol, or any of them, being convinc'd that the Partnership with Count Tariff was well-grounded, and that it was calculated for the general Good, not of himself only, but of his Partner Harry Wooll-pack, and all his Dependants, he resolved to regard [Page] none of them, but to go on steadily in his Design of making the Partnership EFFECTUAL.

But the Alderman knowing what sort of People he had to do with and what he was to expect from them afterwards; that he might leave them without Excuse, resolved to have their own Testimonials to what he was doing; and therefore long before he concluded the Treaty for this Partnership by his Agents abroad, he s [...]nt Letters down into the Country, not only to Harry Wooll-pack himself, but to all his [...]f [...]rementioned Friends and Dealers, such as Joshua Double-dozen of Leeds. Tom [...] Perpetuanus of Exet [...], Sir Isaac [...] of Colchester, Goad Cotton Esq and Flannel ap Plane. Clothiers of North-Wales; and to many more, which it would be too long to name here signifying his Intention of entering into Partnership with Count Tariff, and asking their Opinion of the same, whether they thought it might be for the Publick Advantage or no; particularly and expresly desiring them, if they had any Objections to make, or any thing to propose for their own Advantage in the said Trade and Partnership with Count Tariff, that they would send up their said Requests and Objections [Page] before the Partnership was concluded, and particularly their Opinions as to the Trade it self, after it should be agreed, whether it was for the Publick Advantage or no.

In Answer to this, Harry Wooll-pack in particular, and all the rest also, however they have been misguided since, sent up long Memorials and Representations, expressing their full Satisfaction in the said Partnership, and proposing such and such Alterations and Additions as they thought necessary to be provided against, altered or added; upon doing whereof, they all gave it under their hands, that the said Partnership would be very advantageous to them, and that a Trade with Count Tariff had been before, and would be again, with such Regulations, a very beneficial Trade to them and all their Neighbours: Which Memorials and Representations, under their Hands, are yet to be produced to their Faces, when occasion requires.

As Alderman Traffick was thus confirmed in his Opinion of the Goodness of his Design, not only by his own Judgment, but by the said Memorials and Representations of Harry Woollpack, and all his Friends, he gave Count Tariff an Invitation [Page] to come over to England, in order to have the Partnership consummated, and the Articles MADE EFFECTUAL, who accordingly arrived here the 31st Day of March last, being the same Day that Sir Pol laid the Plan in the Club for his Destruction, as aforesaid.

No sooner was the Count arrived, but the Club began to put their Measures, which they had resolved on, in Execution: And FIRST, In order to make the Affair of the said Partnership a Party-Cause, they railed at him as a Jacobite, and caused a Report to be spread all over the Kingdom, that he had brought the Pretender with him, and particularly they took care to make Harry Woollpack really believe it; which was the first beginning of the Breach on that Side.

The poor Count, who never knew what Whig and Tory meant, and was of no Party, but for the Universal Good of Mankind, was surprized to hear them call him a Jacobite, and askt, What Trade that was? ‘'He told them, he never concerned himself with Government, it was his Business always to submit to the legal Establishment of the Country he was in, to pay Customs and Duties chearfully, and not only to augment the Revenues [Page] of the Princes who Reigned, but to assist and enable their People to pay chearfully and willingly whatever the Laws obliged them to; that it was his constant Custom to acknowledge the Power, but never concerned himself about the Persons Reigning, much less about those who should or should not succeed; and that for being a Jacobite, he knew nothing of it.'’

But let the Count say what he would, it was to no purpose, Sir Pol and his Club had Voted it, and the Cry was gone out into the Country, that Count Tariff was come over with the French Ambassador, and had brought over the Pretender, nay, and that he was actually lodged in Somerset-house: The Design of this was to have the Count Mobb'd and torn to pieces in the Street; or else, which would answer Mynheer Coopmanschap's end better, that he should be terrified with the Apprehensions of it, and should be obliged to retire with him to Holland.

But they were disappointed in the first part of their Project, for the Count having given Alderman Traffick full Satisfaction, that he was a Person wholly concerned in Matters of Trade, and in them only; and that he desired to have no [Page] other Busines, here; the Alderman protected him from the Mob, and from the fury of Sir Pol, and also cleared up his Character, as to Jacobitism, well enough.

The Party then finding themselves unable to hurt the Count this way, apply themselves to their OTHER METHOD, (viz.) To attack his Character, as to Trade; and here indeed they met with better Success, tho' it was by the help of the most scandalous Methods, and the unjust Practices in the World, as will appear in the sequel of our History.

To enter into the better Description of these things, we must go back to the Club, and to Sir Pol their Director: Sir Pol, who is naturally Cholerick, and abominably revengeful, having been heated with the Disappointment he had received, as above, and not being able to get the Count Mobb'd for a Jacobite, and for bringing over the Pretender; he called a Club on a Saturday Night late, and coming into the Assembly in a great Passion, told them, the Alderman had basely entertained Count Tariff, by Authority; and that he believed that even the LANDLADY her self was a Jacobite; and he did not question but the Pretender might have been found hid under Count Tariff's Cloak, [Page] or was pack'd up in his Equipage, if the Officers might have searched him; whereas Alderman Traffick had forbidden them to Affront him; but that he had been even both with the Alderman and the Landlady too for that, and had taken Care they should be both Exposed for it over the whole Nation; and upon this he called for the Scots Pampleeter who pulled out two Printed Ballads, which, he said, would do their Business; one was The Merchant Alamode; the other The Ambassadresses Speech, which he gave about to the whole Club, and ordered Copies to be distributed to Harry Woollpack and his Friends, by the Printer to the Society.

It was true, that those Wicked Measures of Sir Pol and his Fraternity, did a little stagger Harry Woollpack and his Friends, so that they began to decline the Partnership which Alderman Traffick had made, and sent up Letters and Addresses to the Alderman, not to go on with it; and made some Clamours against making it EFFECTUAL, as shall be shewn in its place; which Proceedings occasioned some delay in the Matter at first, but their Eyes were soon opened, and they were all convinced of their Mistake at last; and [Page] tho' 'tis true it was too late to retrieve the first Damages of the thing, yet it taught them to know Sir Pol a little better than they did before, and to have a care of him accordingly; which tended, in the end, to the Effectual settling the Affair. But to return to Sir Pol and the Club.

The Club received his last Harangue with great Satisfaction, and were more especially diverted with the Ballads; for any thing that affronted their Landlady was always agreeable to the Club: But their Mirth was almost spoiled by an unlucky Motion, made by one of their own Body, tho' Innocently, for he was as much a well-wisher to Sir Pol and to his Country's disorder, as any of them, but was not let into the whole Secrets of Management, and did not know that the Work was to be done Per fas aut Ne fas: This grave Citizen was a Warehouseman by Occupation, and therefore mightily concerned for the Woollen Manufacture, tho' History has not recorded his Name: This Man standing up in his place, told the Chairman that he approved very well of what Sir Pol had proposed, as to defaming and blackning Count Tariff and his Adherents, to [...] Harry Woolpack and his Friends [Page] against the proposed Partnership, and to raise the Mob upon Count Tariff; only, says he, ‘'I think it would be necessary to get a certain eminent old Citizen, whom I was formerly acquainted with, on our Side, in all we do of this Nature; one, says he, you have all heard of, for he fined for Alderman in the time of Sir William Turner, was well acquainted with the French Trade; and might be a match for old Alderman Traffick, or any of them, and this is old Merchant FACT; for, continues he, the Reputation of this old Gentleman is such, that no Body will question what we say, if he is on our Side; and on the other hand, if Count Tariff should get him from us, it will put us to a very great Nonplus.'’

Upon this Motion Sir Pol stood up, and first looking about to see if the Door was shut, and none of the Drawers in the Room, ‘'GENTLEMEN, says he, what Deputy …….. has proposed is very good, and would be to the Purpose, and I have been trying some time to get this old Gentleman on our Side; but I must tell you in Confidence, that he is gone out of the way, and I fear is gone over to the Enemy, or at least [Page] has withdrawn himself; whereupon, having seriously bethought my self, I have found out two Expedients in order to supply his Place.'’

'1. Says he, I own 'tis absolutely necessary to make Harry Woolpack and his People believe that Merchant FACT is really on our Side; and therefore I have resolved to take that part upon my self, and set up a Counterfeit Merchant FACT in his room, which I will show to the Mob, as I find occasion: nay, rather than fail, says Sir Pol, I'll counterfeit Merchant FACT my self; indeed I must be concealed from those People's View who are well acquainted with his Countenance, or with his Mind; but as to Harry Woollpack he will take any thing we say to him upon Trust; and we have nothing to do, as to him, but to say we have got Merchant FACT on our Side, and he will presently cry out of all that Count Tariff and his Friends can say, that it is all Lyes, and therefore, if you please, leave this to my Management; it is but putting a good Face to it: I make no question, but we shall carry it as well, as if we had Merchant FACT along with us, for Noise and Falshood, at this time of [Page] Day, will with good Management go as far as Fact and Truth can do.'

'2. To carry on this Disguise with the greater certainty of Success, continues he, I have found out an excellent Assistant, and one that stood a fast Friend to me, in former Days, when the Citizens our Ancestors had just such another Game to play upon King Charles II.

This Assistant, says he, has misled the City these thirty Years with such Dexterity and such admirable Success, that no Body has discovered or detected him yet, having thirteen or fourteen Hands of the principal Merchants of London, to a Certificate of his Integrity in the Year 1674; these he drew in at that time, without any enquiry, to Vouch for him, taking all he said upon Trust: And that I may hold you in suspence no longer, this is the famous SCHEME OF TRADE brought up with old Whiston, the Devil's Broker, and as accurate a Lvar as ever his Master was.'

The Assembly received this Proposal of Sir Pol's with a general Approbation, and recommended to him the necessary Dispatch: In the mean time, Count Tariff began to appear abroad again, and Alderman Traffick declared that he had entered [Page] into Partnership with him, and that he had resolved to apply to the Landlady to have the Articles of the said Partnership MADE EFFECTUAL by Law.

Now was Sir Pol to play his Game, or never, for Alderman Traffick pushed on his Design to a Hearing, before such Judges as the LANDLADY had directed it to be laid before; wherefore, in the First place, Sir Pol attacks him with publick Defamation, as was agreed before, and spread a thousand Clandestine Stories about of his Behaviour; as that he was Clandestinely run away from his Partners abroad, that he had broke his word there, and never kept his Articles with any Body; so that there was no depending upon any thing he said; that he was a Bankrupt, and had not paid his Debts, and therefore it was not safe to enter into any Treaty of Partnership with him; that he pretended to come hither for Trade, and to buy a great many Woollen Manufactures, but that his Design was of another kind; that he was no Friend to Trade at all, but a meer Papish, and a Jacobite, and had a Design to bring in the Pretender; that he intended not to buy any of our Manufactures, and was so far from [Page] wanting Woollen Manufactures at home, that he was the Inventor and Encourager of that new Invention among his own Tenants, of making fine Goods of coarse Wooll, as abovesaid; and of making sundry Woollen Manufactures without any Wooll AT ALL; in which he had made a very considerable Progress; now tho' among Merchants, this way of Defaming a Man, is very Barbarous and Infamous also, yet Count Tariff bore it without any Concern, and went on with his Business.

Sir Pol, and his Party, then finding this would not do neither, and that Count Tariff's Reputation was so clear, that if they did not find out some other way to Ruin him, he would not carry his Point; they resolved to spring their last Mine, and blow him up at once; to this purpose OLD SCHEME, the Fellow mentioned before; who, as above, had lived several Years by Cheating, and Counterfeiting Names, making false Accounts, forming Abstracts of the Custom-House Books, and the like, is brought out to act his part upon Count Tariff, to get him Indicted for a Cheat, and so they resolved to bring him to a Tryal. This old Knight of the Post having his Lesson given [Page] him, alledged, that the Count came hither to sell his Goods for ready Mony, and carry it away in Specie, contrary to the Act of Parliament in that Case made and provided; that he had Contracted to turn OWLER, and carry away our Wooll Ʋnmanufactured into France; that all the Accounts given by Alderman Traffick of the large Commissions the Count had brought from France, for buying English Woollen Manufactures, was a meer Cheat; that he had 25 Ships already upon the Coast loaden with Wine and Brandy, which must be all paid for in Mony, the Bills being drawn already, and accepted; that he was in a Plot to introduce the French Wines to be the common Draught, instead of neat-Port, contrary to the Inclination of our Soveraign Lord the People; and to poison us all with French Brandy; our own Malt Spirits being known to be much wholsomer.

These, and many other heinous Crimes, being laid to Count Tariff's Charge by this suborner old SCHEME, they pushed on the Process, and got Count TARIFF arraigned for a Cheat, in the Name, and at the Suit of Henry Woollpack and Company; tho' without their actual Consent too.

[Page] The Count, who knew his own Innocence, did not question but in such a Religious Nation as this was fam'd to be, he should have Justice done him; and therefore tho' he might have pleaded to the Jurisdiction of the Court, as having entered into a Partnership, which those who contracted it with him, were undoubtedly impowered by their own Natural Right to engage in; and that without giving an Account to any Body; and tho' also he might have pleaded the Law of Nations for Protection; yet waving all these things, he frankly offered himself to the Court, and desired to be brought to Tryal, which accordingly was done.

Upon his Tryal, the usual Forms having passed, and the Charge being read, the first thing that gave the Court some Diversion, was the detecting Sir Pol; for he had Disguised himself, and appeared in Court under the Name of MERCHANT FACT; but as he was personating the old Man, and endeavouring also to speak as if he had lost his Teeth, that he might conceal the Hesitations which want of Truth obliged him frequently to make; by great Misfortune, all on a sudden his FALSE BEARD fell [Page]off, this made him be more strictly observed, and some Persons in Court, who formerly had some Acquaintance with the real Merchant FACT, spoke openly, and offered to prove that this was not the Man; upon which all the honest People that stood by, hissed at him most intolerably; and if ever he could have Blushed in his Life, it was thought it would have been at this time.

Tho' he found himself thus detected, yet wanting no Assurance, he turned it off with a ready shift, that indeed he was not Merchant FACT of London, but he was Goodman FACT of Gloucestershire, and he hoped, he said, that if he was a true FACT, the Difference of City-Fact or Country-FACT would not be much.

The Court allowed that in his favour, and then put him to the proof of what he had said, for which he appealed all along to his FACT-OR old Scheme.

The whole Charge being read, and all Sir Pol and his Voucher old Scheme had to say, being heard with the utmost patience by the Court; Count Tariff was allowed to speak for himself.

He spoke with great Modesty of himself: He said, ‘'That he was no Cheat, [...] and had no Evil Design; that he had [Page] always been a Friend to the British Commerce, and that he had been suspected in his own Country on that Account; that he came to reside here for the Benefit of Great-Britain; that he could have had very advantageous Conditions, if he would have joined with Mynheer van Coopmanschap, and never have come here at all; and that he could still be very well received, if he would engage with him, instead of the English Merchants; that he was so far from being in Debt abroad, that on the contrary, Mynheer van Coopmanschap owed him twenty Millions of Guilders, and he was ready to prove it by his Books; but that he feared very much he should never get his Money.'’

‘'He told them, that considering how well it was known, that he came hither with no other Intent but purely to do the Nation Service, and that the Dutch might not run away with their Trade; he was surprized that he should meet with such Treatment: That he expected better Usage; that he had been promised he should be Amicably received when he came hither, and that by some who he saw appeared very warm against him now, and who he [Page] took for Men of more Honour.'’ This Reflected upon Harry Woollpack and his Friends who indeed began to be ashamed of Sir Pol, and to sneak away one by one.

He went on to Complain, ‘'That the Witnesses who appeared against him were scandalous Fellows; that Merchant Fact was personated indeed, but it was a Counterfeit; for Merchant FACT was his old Acquaintance and Correspondent, and he knew him very well; he was a middle sized FAIR Gentleman, of an honest Countenance, and a calm composed Temper: But as to that tall, black, passionate, hangman look'd Fellow, who called himself Merchant FACT, he was not in the least like him; and he much wondered, he said, that any Court of Justice should admit counterfeit FACTS for true, especially after they were so openly Detected.'’

'Then, a to OLD SCHEME, he said, he was an Upstart that indeed he had not heard of before, but upon hearing his Evidence, he would undertake to prove upon the spot, that he was guilty of Lying and Counterfeiting, and that he had practised those things ever [Page] since the Year 1674. and he desired he might call his Witnesses to this.'

The Court was very much moved at this Discourse, and readily gave the Count leave to call his Witnesses, which made every Body believe that he would carry his Cause, and indeed Sir Pol's Friends began to despair for him; for the Count in the first place produced a whole Cart-load of Books, Draughts, Accounts, and other Papers from the Custom-house, with the proper Officers attending, to Vouch their being Authentick, and the Commissioners Hands to them; upon Examining whereof, it appeared that OLD SCHEME had really drawn false Accounts, counterfeited the Names who he had pretended had attested them, and that none of all the Accounts he had produced, agreed with the Originals in the Custom-house Books; from whence he pretended he had copied them.

This caused the Court very much to resent the Usage they had met with from the old Knave, and some Authors affirm, that it was moved he should be exposed, and his Accounts burnt by the Hangman; but the turn that afterwards happened to [Page] these things, saved him from receiving his just Reward at that time.

This put Sir Pol's Party into a great Consternation: But Sir Pol, who never was at a loss, produced in the next place, a great Number of Petitions from Country and City, the first procured by the two Blackwell-Hall Factors, formerly mentioned: These had sent blank Petitions of their own drawing up, to Harry Woollpack's Friends all over England, telling the Country Clothiers by Letters, that if they did not Sign them they were undone; and their Trade would be all given away to France; the last was from the Weavers and Companies in London, procured by the same Sollicitation, and most of the said last Petitions having the same Hands to them all.

Against these, Alderman Traffick, in behalf of Count Tariff, produced a Multitude of Representations from all parts of England to himself, being the same formerly mentioned, entreating him to invite Count Tariff over hither, and to engage in Partnership with him; expressing their great Satisfaction, and how advantageous it would be to the Nation, if he could be prevailed upon to become Partner with Harry Woolpack and himself, [Page] as aforesaid; representing also what an advantageous Trade Great-Britain enjoyed formerly, when the old real Merchant FACT, and the Count corresponded together: And that which was most surprizing in this part of the Count's Defence was, that many of these Petitions and Representations were from the very same Places, and Signed by the very same Hands which had Signed Sir Pol's Petitions, (viz.) from Harry Woollpack and his Friends, abovenamed; which was a clear Proof, that Party and Faction had procured the last, and Truth and Reason had procured the first.

Sir Pol finding that it thus went against him, and that he was in danger of losing his Cause, had got one Card left to play, which indeed carried the whole Cause, and ruined all the Measures which Alderman Traffick had laid for making this Partnership EFFECTUAL; and this was to bring a MOB and make a Tumult round about the Court; These old Scheme had prepared for his Attendants, consisting of Harry Woollpack's Servants and Dependants, tho' their Master was withdrawn, as before, (viz.) Cloth-workers, Dyers, Packers, Calenders, Setters, Hotpressers, Blackwell-Hall FACT-ORS, with [Page] their Apprentices. Porters, Carmen, and whatever Sir Pol and Scheme by their mighty Interest could get together. These raised a Hubbub without the Court, crying out, no Count Tariff, no Tariff; send away Count Tariff! Let the Dutch or the Devil have Count Tariff, and Alderman Traffick too, we care not; no TARIFF, no TARIFF; likewise all the while the Court were considering of the Case, and preparing to give their Opinion, Sir Pol and old Scheme, who had now no other Game to play, and were at their Wits end, interrupted them with a hideous Noise and Clamour; crying no Tariff, no Tariff; nay, some it seems cryed, no Trade, no Tariff.

This, as Noise generally does in the like Cases, was said to have influenced many, whether it intimidated any or no, History is silent as to that; but Sir Pol saw evidently, that it had turned the Scale very much on his Side: At length a certain Suffolk Gentleman then in Court, desired leave to offer an Expedient to appease the present Tumult, and satisfy all Parties; which having been granted, he began to speak He acknowledged, ‘'That he had been as forward as any for the Count's coming over; he said, that he was still of the [Page] Opinion, that Count Tariff was capable of laying a good Foundation for the Interest of Great-Britain, and that he abhorred the Tricks and Forgeries of Sir Pol, and his Sham-Evidence Old Scheme, as much as any one did; that he had given his Assistance in drawing the Partnership now in Debate, and did think the Articles of it were a sufficient Ground to establish the Commerce of the Nation upon: But that, in regard the Noise was so great, and the Clamour without doors so loud, that neither the Count nor his Witnesses could be heard; and that the Term being now expiring, the Court could not sit long enough to determine a thing of so great Consequence; he proposed therefore that Persons might be chosen on both sides, and appointed to adjust such Matters as were not fully settled, and to explain the several Meanings of both sides; so that an entire Scheme of the Trade, which Count Tariff proposed, might be framed, which might fully answer the good Intentions of the LANDLADY for the Good and Welfare of her Tenants: And that to this purpose, the Debate about confirming the Articles of the Partnership with Count Tariff, and making the same EFFECTUAL, [Page] might be delayed for the present, to be reassumed the first Cause next Michaelmas-Term, and then to be fully discussed, try'd and determined, by a Jury of Landed-Men, to be returned by all the High Sheriffs of Great-Britain; and that in the mean time Direction might be given, that the Court might be imposed upon by no more Counterfeits, no more Goodman FACTS, but that the true Merchant FACT of London might be found out, and desired to appear; to whom all due Respect, Honour and Regard, should be shewn by the Court.'’

This, after some Debate, being put to the Question, and carry'd by a Majority of nine Voices, the Cause was put off accordingly.

As soon as Mynheer Van Coopmanschap, who lay all this while concealed at a certain Lawyer's Chamber in the Temple, had an Account of this Success, he came down to the Club with great Joy, having first, by Advice of Sir Pol and other Members of his Acquaintance, sent several Loads of Fagots to Basinghall-street, Spittlefields, Ludgate-bill, and other convenient Places, to make Bonfires and please their Mob.

[Page] Being come into the Club, ‘'he return'd them his hearty Thanks for the great Service they had done him, which he assured them he would endeavour to return, upon all occasions; if they should have any need of him, whether upon falling out with their LANDLADY, or in whatever Business, they should require his Assistance.'’

He told them, ‘'He hop'd they would continue the same Care for his Affairs, against the next Term; and especially, to provide good Advocates to plead for him: He likewise told them, he doubted not but he should renew his Partnership with Count Tariff the next Morning, for he was a Person that could not be out of Business:'’ And so making a very low Bow, he offered to take his Leave.

But Sir Pol making a Sign to him to stay, stood up, and spoke to him to the following Purpose.

He told him,

The Society was very glad they had been serviceable to him in this Affair; that they were well satisfied that he should enter into the Partnership with Count Tariff, as he desired, tho' thereby he should engross all the Trade to himself; that they would not fail to use their Interest, to [Page] get him good Lawyers to plead for him against next Term; and particularly he told him, that they would use their Endeavours to get the High Sheriffs to return him a good Jury, who should be as willing to give up the Trade of the Kingdom to him as the Club had been; which, he said, required a great deal of Art and good Management on their part to bring to pass.

He put him in mind however, That the Club had pawn'd their Credit with Harry Wool-pack and his Friends in the Country, and with all the Mob that they had gotten together to make a Noise for him: that he (Mynheer) and his Partners in Holland, would take off all their Woollen Manufactures and Fish; and, that they should have no Loss by their refusing the Partnership with Count Tariff: which if I had not done, says Sir Pol, and my good Friend here Mr. SCHEME, you had had no Appearance for you to day, and had certainly lost your Point: And therefore Mynheer, said Sir Pol we hope you will be as good as your Word, and keep up our Credit with the Country, without which we shall never be able to get you a good Jury chosen.

[Page] Mynheer chang'd the Air of his Countenance upon this Proposal, and told them coldly, he would do them what Service he could; but that as to the Fish-Trade, it was out of his way to buy any in Britain, he having Ships of his own with which he could catch them on our North-coasts sooner than we did our selves.

But as to our Woollen Manufactures, he said he would take a pretty large Quantity of Glocestershire-cloths and Exeter-serges; only he said he must have the Cloths WHITE, and the Serges in the GREASE, because the Dying, Dressing, &c. was to be done in Holland, that his own poor Servants might be employed.'

Having said thus, he withdrew; and the next Morning having enter'd into a Parnership with Count Tariff, for one Year certain, they went away together for Amsterdam, where, as we are informed, they drive a very great Trade; and Count Tariff, in particular, has already bought a very great Quantity of East-India Goods of him, with 20000 Hogsheads of Guelderland Tobacco, and other Goods in proportion.

[Page] The Club being thus disappointed, appeared very much dejected; and we hear that Harry Wooll-pack and his Friends are gone home into the Country, in a Fret, disoblig'd and dissatisfied; as they might very well be, their Manufactures being thrown back upon their hands by the Dutchman now his own Ends were served.

Mynheer Van Coopmanschap being gone, and Count Tariff also, the Chair-man thought fit to appoint, that the Committee should meet every Evening to concert Measures for the carrying on the Interest of Mynheer, according to their Promise; and to oppose every one that in the least countenanced the Partnership with Alderman Traffick: And to the end that this might be done more effectually, Sir Pol proposed, that they should send for their Scots Pamphleteer, who had formerly done them very good Service in frequent publishing their Scandals, and who being lately fled from Justice, had been entertained in Coopmanschap's Family abroad. This was no sooner agreed to, but the Fugitive appeared in the Club, having been lurking about the Town for some time; and was set immediately to work to write Pamphlets in Favour of Mynheer Coopmanschap.

[Page] It cannot be expected we can collect all the scurrilous Invectives which History has given an Account of, that were written upon this Occasion, as well against Count Tariff, as against the LANDLADY her self; the first were especially directed to reconcile the People to the breaking off the Partnership between Count Tariff and Alderman Traffick, and to inflame Harry Wooll-pack again; so that instead of being sensible of his Loss, and the Injury done to his Trade, he should like well to have all the Business go through old Coopmanschap's Hands, and himself be a Jack-hold-my-staff to the Dutch-man.

This was the more difficult for them to effect, because Harry Wooll-pack had been so ill used by Mynheer, and had seen so much of his Knavery in the late Tryal; especially when the pretended Merchant FACT's false Beard dropt off, and discover'd him to be no FACT, but meer Sir Pol Falshood, disguised in the Habit of the true Merchant FACT; that he was gone down in the Country disgusted, and had openly said, they were a Pack of Knaves; and, that he would never have any more to do with them; that they were in a Confederacy with Old Coopmanschap, to enrich him at the Expence [Page] of their Country, and to let him make a Monopoly of the English Trade.

Sir Pol was not ignorant, that it was absolutely necessary, in order to prevent their present Design, that they should bring over this Harry Wooll-pack again; and to this end, they were to set all their Engines at work to blow Dust into his Eyes, that he should not see too far into their Measures. The Methods they took for this, as is said before, are too many to be inserted in this place; but the Histories of those Times cannot fail to supply the Want. It may suffice to let the Reader know, that this was diligently endeavoured by charging Alderman Traffick with the Breach of a Partnership he had been engaged in with Don Sebastian, a Portuguese Merchant, and with threatning what a great Damage it would be to Harry Wooll-pack if Don Sebastian should take the Pett, and refuse to Trade with him and his Friends; altho' it was well known that Don Sebastian had no other Market for his own Goods, nor could he be supplied any other way with such Goods as Harry Wooll-pack Traded in; and besides all that, Don Sebastian was so Embarrassed, with reference to a neighbouring Merchant, who demanded great Arrears from him, of an [Page] old Contract that was between them, which amounted to more than the said Don Sebastian was able to pay; that he was fain to make use of Alderman Traffick, and his Interest, to prevent a very great Suit at Law being commenc'd against him; and it was very improbable that he would do any thing so very affronting to Alderman Traffick as what these Men talked of, at the same time that he was so much obliged to him other ways.

On the other hand, Don Sebastian saw that there was so much Necessity for what Alderman Traffick had done, with respect to some Particulars of their Partnership, that he appeared very well satisfied therewith, and did not pretend to take any Step that look'd as if there was any Unkindness between them: So that all the Clamour on that side ceased, and Don Sebastian very freely offered to renew his Partnership with Alderman Traffick upon Terms of Friendship, and good Correspondence, and to Trade together as much as ever they did. On the other hand, Alderman Traffick espoused the Interest of Don Sebastian so heartily and so effectually, being made Arbitrator between him and his Neighbour Don Philippo the Spanish Merchant, that he got that Breach [Page] amicably made up, and a chargeable Suit at Law, which he was threatned with, effectually prevented.

This was such a piece of Service to Don Sebastian, and he being a Person of great Honour and Gratitude, was made so sensible of it, that it prevented all manner of Misunderstanding between him and Alderman Traffick, to the great Mortification of Sir Pol and his Friends, who had made a mighty great Noise of this Business.

Being disappointed in their Measures in this Particular, and not able to bring over Harry Wooll-pack, as they designed to do, to their Party; the next thing they went about was, to see what they were able to do as to getting a pack'd Jury against Count Tariff's Tryal came on.

Writing Pamphlets, and filling the Country with most abominable Untruths, Scandal, Slander, and false Rumours, to make the People uneasy, this was their stated never-failing Method; but the main Point was, to bring the Character of Count Tariff into Contempt; to which nothing was wanting, that could possibly be done by Men who neither valued their own Reputation, or any Man's else; nay, even the LANDLADY her self was in [Page] a most unchristian manner insulted by their Writers, and treated with the greatest Indecency imaginable, although they knew her to be the best of Landladies, and though they enjoyed their Shops with the utmost Quiet under her, paying as little Rent as could be expected; and although she had successfully protected them against all those who would have disturbed them.

Whenever these Pamphleteers had printed any thing that treated their said LANDLADY either disrespectfully or injuriously, or that insulted her in the Government of her own Affairs; the Club industriously conveyed those Prints throughout the whole Kingdom, and spread them among all her Tenants and Servants, in order to accustom and inure them to treat her in the same manner.

As to her immediate Servants, they were treated by these People in the most scandalous manner imaginable; and upon all Occasions so scurrilously and injuriously used in their ordinary Business, and in the Discharge of their Duty to their Landlady and Mistress, that it look'd not only as if these Men had a Right superior even to their Landlady her self, but that she was not lawfully Lady of the Manour, [Page] or were not rightful Possessor of the Tenements which she had let to them.

This they thought was useful to awe and brow-beat those good Country People whose proper Business it was to bring the Names of those Gentlemen to the High Sheriffs, &c. who were to return the Jury by whom Count Tariff was to be tryed.

But this had a quite contrary Effect; for when the Country Tenants, especially Harry Wooll-pack and his People, came to see how their good Landlady was served, for whom they had an unseigned Zeal and Affection; and upon what Account, and with what little Reason she was so unmannerly and undutifully handled, it raised their Passions to the highest degree, and they resolved to have nothing to do with Sir Pol and his Party.

This also had a good effect the other way; for, it discovered the Designs of Sir Pol and his CLUB, and it gave the People Warning against being farther imposed upon; by which means there appears a general good Disposition among them all, to choose such a Jury as shall hear the Cause of Count Tariff with Impartiality, and that will not be bullied by Sir Politick Falshood and his False-beard, [Page] or be put off from doing Justice by the Noise of his Rabble; so that there is no Question but the Partnership between Count Tariff and Alderman Traffick will be approved, and the Articles thereof, upon a fair and full hearing of the Cause, be made EFFECTUAL.

POSTSCRIPT.

[Page]

SInce the aforesaid Memoirs were written, we are given to understand, that there are divers Accounts come from abroad, of the great Joy which the rejecting Count Tariff in England, had occasioned in France, especially among the Manufacturers of Woollen Goods in the several Provinces of Languedoc, Pictou, Anjou, &c. where upon the first News of the Treaty of a Partnership between Count Tariff; and Harry Woollpack, Alderman Traffick, and others in London, the People were under the greatest Consternation imaginable; knowing that if that Partnership went on, and should be made EFFECTUAL by Alderman Traffick's Landlady; and that Count Tariff had come off at his Tryal with that Applause which they heard was expected, their several Undertakings of Woollen Manufactures in those Places would be ruined.

They had represented this before to Count Tariff himself, humbly Addressing [Page] and Entreating him not to enter into Partnership with Alderman Traffick, for that it would be to the ruin of his own Country if he did: They also applyed themselves to their own Landlord, to try if he could be prevailed upon to prevent Count Tariff from entering into any Engagement which would be so fatal to all his Tenants.

But the Landlord's Circumstances were at that time such, that he could not conveniently interpose in the Matter; for Alderman Traffick's Landlady, and he, had newly ended a long and chargeable SUIT at LAW, and being made Friends, he was unwilling to Disoblige her, tho' he complyed with Conditions, which at other Times he would not have done; nor had the Partnership with Count Tariff ever been made upon such advantageous Terms, if it had not been so.

Being thus repulsed by their Landlord, the poor Manufacturers had no recourse but to Count Tariff, entreating him not to engage with Alderman Traffick, and representing that it would be their utter ruin, if they did; that they should never get any WOOLL to go on with their Manufactures, and without which it was impossible for them to carry on their [Page] Trade: They knew, they said, that Alderman Traffick, and his Partner Harry Woollpack, were utter Enemies to them and to their Employment, and would Effectually put a stop to their having any Wooll from Great-Britain or Ireland, without which they should be all undone; whereas those People who had managed the Trade in Great-Britain formerly, were very easie in that Affair, and at least were slack in preventing the Exportation of their Wooll; so that they could get over whatever Quantity they had occasion for.

They farther represented to him, that if he went on with this Partnership, it would bring in such a prodigious Quantity of Woollen Manufactures from England upon them; and that so much better than any they could make at home, that no one would buy their Goods made in France: As to the high Duties which they were informed he would take off, they represented, that the English Manufactures would not only be better than theirs, but would thereby be cheaper also; for that notwithstanding their People worked as cheap, and fared as hard as any People in the World, yet they were but young, and unexperienced in the Trade, [Page] and had not the Arts of doing every thing so at first hand, as the English: Nor had they Materials as the English had, but at very remote distances, and upon much dearer Terms than the English had; so that AS it had been impossible for them to set up their several Manufactures, if it had not been for Count Tariff's breaking off his former Partnerships in Britain, in the Years 1667, 1687, and 1701, by which the Markets were their own, and they were admitted to sell at what Price they pleased; SO it would be impossible for them to go on with any Success, if he should renew his said Business; and engage anew with the said Traffick and Woollpack, who were sworn Enemies to their Trade.

These Representations, however importunate, and made by vast Numbers of the said Count's Tenants and Servants, yet could not prevail with the Count at all; especially when Alderman Traffick's Landlady interposed her good Offices to have the Partnership agreed on; so that as you have heard the Affair went on successfully, and the Partnership was concluded; only that it wanted some Ratifications to make the same EFFECTUAL among Harry Woollpack's Friends, and others, as has been shewn.

[Page] The poor Manufacturers being thus repulsed, were driven even to Despair, and had no remedy but Prayers and Tears, for they are not such noisie Fellows as our Sir Pol and old Scheme brought along with them to the Parliament: They dare not come up with their Mob at their heels, and interrupt the Assembly and Parliaments of their Country, with their Clamours and Cries of no Tariff! no Tariff! no English Partnership! and the like; but seeing the same like to go on, they sat down with a profound Submission to their Landlord, but at the same time crying universally to one another, that they were all undone, and their Trade ruined.

As their Grief was inexpressible at the prospect of the opening of the English Commerce into France, so when they understood how things were like to go in England, they began to revive in their Hopes; and having their trusty Agents in the Club in self, at London, by whom they had Intelligence every Post, how things went on, those Agents did not fail to push forwards Sir Pol and the Club, to insult Count Tariff as much as possible, and in order to this, they scattered about private Papers, signifying, that Count Tariff had little or [Page] no Influence on the Woollen Manufactures in his own Country; that they were now come to that Perfection, that they valued no English Manufactures at all, but made them better at home; and were able not only to supply themselves, but all the World, and even Britain it self.

These were the Men that put it into Sir Pol's Head, to impose a distracted Notion upon the Club, (viz.) That there was a Project set up in France to make Woollen Manufactures without WOOLL at all; and thus they help'd blow the Coals up in the Club against Count Tariff; when, at the same time, they in France were in the utmost Consternation, for fear his Articles with Alderman Traffick should be made EFFECTUAL.

But it is impossible to express the Joy of the poor People, all over the aforesaid Provinces, where the Woollen Manufactures are made, when their Agents in the Club wrote them the following Letter, which being written in French, we thought fit to Translate for the benefit of the Publick.

[Page]

Messieurs,

WE do our selves the Honour to acquaint you, that we are just now returned from the Assembly of Estates of this Country, where the Case of Count Tariff, and his new Partnership, was brought to a Tryal; we have been assisting in the Club of the City-Malecontents, and others, in raising an hideous outcry in the Streets and outer Courts of the Parliament, where we met with a great Number of their Canaille to say, no Tariff! no Tariff! which has had the desired Success; for the Court has refused to make the said Partnership EFFECTUAL; and have put off the Cause till the next Meeting: So, Messieurs, you are secure of enjoying your Manufactures for one whole Year longer; and that you may carry them on the more successfully, we have, according to your Order, bought you a large parcel of fine Wooll, to be ready, as usual, when your Boats shall come for it; which, with what we formerly Shipp'd off from Ireland, will be of great Service to you.

Your most Obedient Servants, &c.

London, August 3. 1713.

[Page]

P. S. The Club are very well satisfied, that you should have what Wooll can be conveyed away; tho' Traffick and Woollpack had Proposals ready for the preventing it, if their Partnership had gone forward—

This News occasioned such a Universal Joy thro' all that Country, that nothing could exceed it, except the Extravancies of the Club and their Agents in Britain, tho' History has not yet let us know how their Friends reconciled it to Reason, that both the French could rejoyce, and they also, upon the same Occasion; perhaps Time may assist us to unfold the Mystery.

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

Memoirs of Count Tariff, &c

Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731.

Publication

Publisher

University of Michigan Library

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Date

2007 January

ID [DLPS]

004834097

ID [ESTC]

T56930

ID [DOCNO]

CW101579832

ID [TCP]

K050314.000

ID [GALEDOCNO]

CW3301579832

ID [CONTENTSET]

ECHG

ID [IMAGESETID]

0435900500

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Source

— Memoirs of Count Tariff, &c, Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731..

Extent

95,[1]p. ; 8⁰.

printed for John Morphew,. London :: 1713.. (Anonymous. By Daniel Defoe.) (Reproduction of original from the British Library.) (Moore, 262) (English Short Title Catalog, ESTCT56930.) (Electronic data. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale, 2003. Page image (PNG). Digitized image of the microfilm version produced in Woodbridge, CT by Research Publications, 1982-2002 (later known as Primary Source Microfilm, an imprint of the Gale Group).)

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