A Discourse of Coin and Coinage [14]
do their Manufactures encrease withall. But the
ways of encreasing and maintaining Manufactures do depend upon
other considerations in civil Government, and in no sort upon the
course of Money except by accident, that the good Government of
the course of Money may breed plenty of money, and plenty of
Money doth help to encrease Manufactures, and therefore to speak
no more of this Subject; I purpose.
A Second cause of want of Means to bring in the Materials of
Money, is the want of Sumptuary Laws to be made and executed, for
as in private Families there is no so easie and certain way to
thrive, as the cutting off superfluous expences, so is it in the
Common-wealth; and that which the Industry and Will of the Master
doth perform in every Private Family, that the Magistrates and
Law ought to perform in the Common-wealth. But this Title
likewise hath not Coherence with my Subject; and therefore I do
omit to speak any further of it.
A Third cause, is the want of Sufficient Search of these
Mettals in the Bowels of the Earth within the Kingdom, and it is
a certain Experiement that there are sundry Mines of Silver in
this Kingdom: and there is ground to believe both that they are
of great Profit and of long continuance, if the working of them
shall be well regulated by the State, and judiciously prosecuted
by the Undertakers: but this also hath no dependance upon my
Subject, and therefore here I leave it.
The fourth cause of the want of means to bring in the
Materials of Money is the impediments of Trade, which are very
many, and of subtile disquistion; but have no dependance upon our
Enquiry, but by accident; and therefore I leave them to be
discussed where it appertaineth.
A fifth Defect, in the bringing in of the Materials of Money,
is the Prohibition of Forrein, especially Spanish, and this Title
hath entirely relation to our Subject, and hereof I purpose
hereafter to examine the Inconvenience apart, together with the
Remedies propounded.
A sixth cause, is the Low price of our Moneys, especially of
our Silver Moneys, which is the cause assigned by many that much
of the Materials that would be brought hither into England, if
the price were higher, is now transported into other parts: And
in this Title I mean first to examine apart the disproportion
between our Money of Silver and Gold. But the low price of our
Money in respect of our Neighbours and the raising of it higher,
or not raising of it, or the reducing of it yet lower, according
to the values of more ancient times, and the Inconveniences that
may grow by the one or the other, and the remedies propounded
will occurr to be considered in every division of the causes of
the Rarity of Money. But to avoid Confusion, I do purpose to
handle them all together in one Chapter.
The Second cause of the rarity of Money and the Materials
thereof, is the facility of exporting them out of the Kingdom
which doth arise out of these Causes;
First, out of raising of prices of Moneys by our Neighbours,
which in effect is the same with the former of the low prices of
our Moneys; for by giving a greater price for our Moneys, than it
is valued here with us, they allure both our own and Forrein
Merchants to carry our Moneys to them.
A second Cause is the unequal Coinage of our Moneys, by which
cometh to pass that those pieces which are over heavy and of
finer Allay, are tried and culled out, and either exported into
Forrein parts, or melted down for other uses. And although it
might be thought that the strict care used by the State in this
behalf should have prevented this mischief, yet daily experience
doth shew that great Quantities of the weightiest and best Moneys
are daily exported, and that the Silver which remaineth amongst
us is so much under the Standard as is hardly credible: which
matter I purpose to handle, being naturally incident to this
subject. The want likewise of Manufactures and Sumptuary Laws,
are two causes of the facility of the exporting the Money and the
Materials thereof
ways of encreasing and maintaining Manufactures do depend upon
other considerations in civil Government, and in no sort upon the
course of Money except by accident, that the good Government of
the course of Money may breed plenty of money, and plenty of
Money doth help to encrease Manufactures, and therefore to speak
no more of this Subject; I purpose.
A Second cause of want of Means to bring in the Materials of
Money, is the want of Sumptuary Laws to be made and executed, for
as in private Families there is no so easie and certain way to
thrive, as the cutting off superfluous expences, so is it in the
Common-wealth; and that which the Industry and Will of the Master
doth perform in every Private Family, that the Magistrates and
Law ought to perform in the Common-wealth. But this Title
likewise hath not Coherence with my Subject; and therefore I do
omit to speak any further of it.
A Third cause, is the want of Sufficient Search of these
Mettals in the Bowels of the Earth within the Kingdom, and it is
a certain Experiement that there are sundry Mines of Silver in
this Kingdom: and there is ground to believe both that they are
of great Profit and of long continuance, if the working of them
shall be well regulated by the State, and judiciously prosecuted
by the Undertakers: but this also hath no dependance upon my
Subject, and therefore here I leave it.
The fourth cause of the want of means to bring in the
Materials of Money is the impediments of Trade, which are very
many, and of subtile disquistion; but have no dependance upon our
Enquiry, but by accident; and therefore I leave them to be
discussed where it appertaineth.
A fifth Defect, in the bringing in of the Materials of Money,
is the Prohibition of Forrein, especially Spanish, and this Title
hath entirely relation to our Subject, and hereof I purpose
hereafter to examine the Inconvenience apart, together with the
Remedies propounded.
A sixth cause, is the Low price of our Moneys, especially of
our Silver Moneys, which is the cause assigned by many that much
of the Materials that would be brought hither into England, if
the price were higher, is now transported into other parts: And
in this Title I mean first to examine apart the disproportion
between our Money of Silver and Gold. But the low price of our
Money in respect of our Neighbours and the raising of it higher,
or not raising of it, or the reducing of it yet lower, according
to the values of more ancient times, and the Inconveniences that
may grow by the one or the other, and the remedies propounded
will occurr to be considered in every division of the causes of
the Rarity of Money. But to avoid Confusion, I do purpose to
handle them all together in one Chapter.
The Second cause of the rarity of Money and the Materials
thereof, is the facility of exporting them out of the Kingdom
which doth arise out of these Causes;
First, out of raising of prices of Moneys by our Neighbours,
which in effect is the same with the former of the low prices of
our Moneys; for by giving a greater price for our Moneys, than it
is valued here with us, they allure both our own and Forrein
Merchants to carry our Moneys to them.
A second Cause is the unequal Coinage of our Moneys, by which
cometh to pass that those pieces which are over heavy and of
finer Allay, are tried and culled out, and either exported into
Forrein parts, or melted down for other uses. And although it
might be thought that the strict care used by the State in this
behalf should have prevented this mischief, yet daily experience
doth shew that great Quantities of the weightiest and best Moneys
are daily exported, and that the Silver which remaineth amongst
us is so much under the Standard as is hardly credible: which
matter I purpose to handle, being naturally incident to this
subject. The want likewise of Manufactures and Sumptuary Laws,
are two causes of the facility of the exporting the Money and the
Materials thereof