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<DATE>2012-09-11</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Susie Lorand</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>The Sope-Patentees Of <HI>Londons</HI> PETITION Opened and Explained.</P>
<P>OR, The Unmasking of the&s;e cruel Sope-Patentees deceitful Petition, pre&s;ented by them to the Honorable Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons.</HI></P>
<P>Wherein you have a Di&s;covery made (in part and but in part) of the great Sufferings of this Common-wealth: As al&s;o of the &s;pecial Suf|ferings of &s;ome Free-born Subjects in their Li|berties and E&s;tates, &s;u&s;tained by the&s;e cruel</P>
<P>SOPE-MONOPOLERS. By <HI>Richard Wilkins.</HI></P>
<P>Habbac. 2. 12. <HI>Woe unto him that buildeth a Town with Blood, and e&s;ta|bli&s;heth a City by Iniquity.</HI></P>
<P>Ier. 17. 11. <HI>As the Patridge gathereth the yong which he hath not brought forth, &s;o he that getteth Riches and not by right, &s;hall lo&s;e them in the mid&s;t of his dayes, and at his end &s;hall be a fool.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>I. F.</HI> for <HI>Iohn Rothwel,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the Fountain and Sun in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<P>_THere are three things that the&s;e Pa|tentees are eminently guilty of. Fir&s;t, the Monopolizing of the my&s;tery of Sope-boyling of the whole Kingdom into eight or ten mens hands, to the great oppre&s;sion of the Com|mon-wealth, and the ruine of many Families in their E&s;tates and Liberties. Secondly, they have been, and &s;till are, great deceivers of the Subjects, not only by adulterated and ba&s;e Sope, but al&s;o by tho&s;e ways which I have declared in my An&s;wering their Propo&s;itions. In the&s;e two particulars you have the&s;e three things ob|&s;ervable, Fir&s;t, that to Monopolize, they did take their Patent, and this offence they tran&s;late upon the fir&s;t Sope-Patentees. Secondly, that by Monopolizing, they have been great and barbarous oppre&s;&s;ors; this offence they charge upon the Kings Maje&s;ty, and the Lords of the Councel. Thirdly, that by &s;everal ways they have been great deceivers; and this offence they al&s;o unju&s;tly tran&s;late upon the ruined and op|pre&s;&s;ed Sope-boylers. The third and la&s;t thing which they are eminently guilty of, is this, That by lyes they deceived the Kings Maje&s;ty, and Lords of the Councel, &amp; now by lyes they have endeavored to deceive the Honorable and High
<PB REF="3"> Court of Parliament, not only by this vain and deceiving Petition, but al&s;o by their Propo|&s;itions for the Exci&s;e of Sope: All which wic|kedne&s;&s;e, together with the &s;everal aggravations of the&s;e Innovators of our Laws and Liberties offences, you have demon&s;trated in the en&s;uing Di&s;cour&s;e, I could give you many Arguments deductable, from the cryes of the oppre&s;&s;ed Sope-boylers; from the cry of this oppre&s;&s;ed and deplorable Common-wealth, which calls to our Worthyes for Ju&s;tice again&s;t the&s;e cruel, wilful and covetous oppre&s;&s;ors and fomentors of our pre&s;ent Troubles; but I will only men|tion the&s;e two; Fir&s;t, that I might keep all men undeceived, for general it concerns all, but e&s;pe|cially our mo&s;t Honored and Worthy Senators, in that &s;en&s;e which the Scripture &s;peaks <HI>(Prov. 24. 21, 22. Ho&s;.</HI> 7. 12.) concerning the&s;e changers of our Laws: or rather that I may take off that &s;en&s;e which godly &amp; wi&s;e men have received of them by their glorious words of deceit, by which they have put a fal&s;e glo&s;s upo~ their oppre&s;sings; for I finde that with &s;ome that fits at the Stern in the City, nay may I not &s;ay, it is to be feared with &s;ome in the Parliame~t, that the &s;en&s;e of the&s;e Patentees &s;ufferings by the cruel oppre&s;sions of the fir&s;t Sope-Projectors (for which they have al|ready
<PB REF="3"> &s;atisfied them&s;elves) hath &s;wallowed up the &s;en&s;e of their cruel oppre&s;sing of others, that the fal&s;e &s;en&s;e of their being nece&s;sitated to take a Patent, hath &s;wallowed up the &s;en&s;e of their delinquency in acting again&s;t Law and Liberty of Subject in their taking of their Patent. Secondly, that the executing of judgement upon the&s;e Projectors, is the only way as to Judge the poor oppre&s;&s;ed Sope-boylers with Righteou&s;ne&s;s; &s;o it is the only way, and there can (under favor) be no other by which the&s;e Patentees can be forced to make re&s;titution to the Common|wealth, which they have greatly oppre&s;&s;ed: For the rai&s;ing of a Sum of money from the&s;e Monopolers an&s;werable to their demerits (which they are able to &s;atisfie) for the benefit of the State, is a Negative re&s;titution to the Common-wealth, that which in|forces and backs this Argument is this, becau&s;e that it is con&s;i&s;tent to the Intentions, the unwearied and unparallel'd Actings and Declarations of the honorable Hou&s;es of Parliament, which I wil make out from three Scriptures: Sure I am, that the Laws and Liberties of this Common-wealth hath been wounded by the&s;e Innovators, the &s;ad con&s;equent is the pre&s;ent bleeding condition of this our Nation, by the unnatural Civil War that we have had, and &s;til is upon us, execution of judgement is the means of healing of us, <HI>Ier.</HI> 51. 1. Secondly, &s;ure I am, that
<PB REF="4"> your intendments, Right Honorable, is to loo&s;e the bands of wickednes, to take off the heavy burthens from the oppre&s;&s;ed, to execute judgement upon the&s;e fomentors of our pre&s;ent troubles, as wel as others, and God hath accepted and imbraced your intend|ments, while you are in the way, as the Father the prodigal Son, witne&s;&s;e the glorious and happy &s;uc|ce&s;&s;e that God hath given to your Armies: O let not the want of execution of Ju&s;tice bring our, I hope ungrounded, fears upon us, which is the re|newing of our troubles by the unfaithfulne&s;&s;e of Brethren, &amp; &s;o turn the &s;miles of God into frowns: For your encouragement unto a &s;peedy hearing of the oppre&s;&s;ed cries, reade your portion (Right Ho|norable) given you of God, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 58. 8. The third Scri|pture is the words of <HI>Solomon,</HI> recorded <HI>Prov. 20. 8. A King that &s;itteth in the Throne of judgment, cha&s;eth away all evil with his eyes;</HI> the Marginal note thus renders it, <HI>Where righteous judgment is executed, there &s;in cea&s;eth, and vice dares not appear.</HI> O remember how their im|pudency in propounding to you, Right Honora|ble (that in their Propo&s;itions, which is no le&s;s then a Monopoly) that which cals upon you for ju&s;tice, an unparalleld pre&s;umption, having ingagement upon me hereunto by Covenant and by tru&s;t; let the&s;e words of &s;obernes and truth finde acceptance from him that is a well-wi&s;her to the Kingdoms Peace and happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>R. Wilkins.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<FLOATEXT LANG="eng" TYPE="petition">
<PB N="7" REF="4">
<HEAD>To the Right Honorable, The Knights, Citizens and Burge&s;&s;es OF The Hou&s;e of COMMONS A&s;&s;embled in PARLIAMENT. The humble Petition of Lieut: Colonel <HI>John Hardwick,</HI> Captain <HI>John Hayes, Edmund Whitwel, Laurence Whitwel, Simon Weedon,</HI> Sope-boylers of <HI>London,</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Mo&s;t humbly &s;heweth:</OPENER>
<P>1. _THat whereas your Petitioners, His Maje&s;ties Native Subjects, have been brought up and &s;erved in the Art afore&s;aid, according to the Statute, did u&s;e the &s;ame till 7. <HI>Caroli Rex,</HI> wherein divers Projectors (Enemies to the Common-wealth) under the Name of Gen|tleman Sope-boylers of <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> (upon fal&s;e pretences) obtained a Patent under the great Seal, for the ma|king of white Sope, to the great abu&s;e of His Maje&s;ty, and extraor|dinary damage to the Kingdom.</P>
<P>1. The Petitioners (not being able with good Con&s;cience to comply with them) u&s;ed their own Trade afore&s;aid (according to the liberty of the Subject) in a ju&s;t and legal maner, until for the &s;ame they were greatly oppre&s;&s;ed (by the &s;aid Patentees) by Suits in Star-Chamber, cau&s;ed them to be Fined in great Sums of money, their per&s;ons impri&s;oned for divers years (&s;ome dying in Pri&s;on) their hou&s;es broken open, their goods Seized (to the Beds they lay on) to
<PB N="8" REF="5"> <HI>their very great impoveri&s;hing, and unexpre&s;&s;ible damage being to|tally di&s;abled from the u&s;e of their Trade, to the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 words"> Sope-makers to for&s;ake the Kingdom and live Exile in Fo|raign parts.</HI></P>
<P>3. <HI>&V;nder which heavy burthen and bondage the Petitioners groaned divers years, untill they and others of their Art were forced to buy their Trade and Liberty (which they were born to) by giving the King a greater yearly Revenue then the Projectors did,</HI></P>
<P>4. <HI>Neverthele&s;&s;e many per&s;ons (not having been brought up nor &s;erved as Apprenti&s;es in the Petitioners Art) did u&s;e the making of Sope privately and &s;ecretly, putting the &s;ame to &s;ale, even to the ruine of the Petitioners, and great deceiving of the Kingdom by ba&s;e Sope.</HI></P>
<P>5. <HI>For remedy whereof, and to &s;ecure the Revenue, the Petitioners and the re&s;t of the Company were injoyned by His Maje&s;ty, and the Lords of the Privy Councel, and bound in 40000. l. Bond, to &s;up|pre&s;&s;e all &s;uch per&s;ons from the making Sope, which indeed were pro&s;e|cuted (only) but according to the tenour of the King and Lords Warrants.</HI></P>
<P>6. <HI>For &s;o doing, many Suits in Law have been pro&s;ecuted again&s;t the Petitioners upon the Statute of Monopolize, to the expence of 1000. l. &s;ome of them recovering 1000. l. 500. l. 300. l. when the Pe|titioners proved they were not really dampnified <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. l. and many more Actions are brought, and threatned to be brought again&s;t the Peti|tioners onely (being but few, to the many which were of their com|pany) which will tend to the great di&s;inabling of the Petitioners, in being &s;erviceable to the King and Parliament as formerly, and as they &s;till de&s;ire, in which cau&s;e they have greatly ingaged their pur&s;es and per&s;ons, but now are like to be utterly undone if not relieved.</HI></P>
<P><HI>In tender con&s;ideration of the premi&s;es, and in regard that your Pe|titioners are mo&s;t willing and ready to make &s;atisfaction to their ut|mo&s;t abilities, to all that can make it truly appear they are damnified by your Petitioners, (they having paid divers to the value of 6000 l. for &s;atisfaction of which their wrongs the Petitioners never received one peny.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And in regard many of the Petitioners company (who received a far greater benefit by His Maje&s;ties &s;aid grant then the Petitioners did) do refu&s;e to make as is herein de&s;ired, and leave the in&s;upportable burthen totally upon the Petitioners, who never acted any thing in the</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="5"> <HI>premi&s;es as private per&s;ons, but only as Members of their Company for the general &s;ervice and good of the &s;ame: May it therefore plea&s;e this Honorable A&s;&s;embly to take the &s;ad condition of the Petitioners into your Pious con&s;ideration, and to appoint a Commit|tee to call all &s;uch per&s;ons as afore&s;aid before them, and to examine their particular damages, and to compel all that had benefit by His Maje&s;ties &s;aid Grant, to joyn with the Petitioners in giving &s;uch &s;atisfaction (without Suit in Law) as to the &s;ame Committee &s;hall &s;eem mo&s;t meet. The parties who alleage them&s;elves grieved (by the Petitioners and their Company) being greatly de&s;irous to be relieved by the &s;ame means, as by their humble Petition, hereunto annexed, appeareth, whereby the Petitioners may be pre&s;erved from utter ruine.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>And your Petitioners, &amp;c.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</FLOATEXT>
<P>Having &s;et down and pre&s;ented to your view the Petition of the la&s;t Sope-Patentees, the mo&s;t ancient and mo&s;t cruel Mono|polers of the Art of Sope-boyling, I &s;hall fir&s;t give you the parts of it, and then explain it; wherein I &s;hall &s;hew, not only the greatne&s;&s;e of their oppre&s;&s;ing Patent, but al&s;o their wilful being oppre&s;&s;ors and invaders of the Subjects Liberties (which being done, will not only render them to be the greate&s;t oppre&s;&s;ors, and mo&s;t ancient Monopolers, but al&s;o men covering the &s;ins with lyes) which at pre&s;ent I &s;hall do it briefly (yet &s;atisfactorily) becau&s;e their more fuller declaring of their taking a Patent, was not to gain their Trade, but the inriching of them&s;elves by op|pre&s;&s;ing their fellow-Subjects in their Liberties and E&s;tates) is more proper either in an&s;wering their Book, Intituled, <HI>A true Relation concerning the Sope bu&s;ine&s;&s;e,</HI> or in proof of the Charge which I &s;hall exhibite again&s;t them (in the High and Honorable Court of Parliament) for their Delinquency, not only in their taking of their oppre&s;&s;ing Patent, but al&s;o in their cruel, barba|rous, and inhumane pro&s;ecution of it; in both which I have made &s;ome progre&s;&s;e in, and preparation for,</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>1. The general parts of their Petition are three:</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The body or &s;ubject matter of their Petition, which con&s;i&s;ts of &s;ix particular Branches.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The Arguments on which the reque&s;t of their Petition is grounded.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>The Reque&s;ts of their Petition it &s;elf.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="10" REF="6">
<HEAD>2. The opening or explanation of this their Petition.</HEAD>
<P>In the general part of this their Petition, which is the body or &s;ubject matter of the Petition, you &s;hall finde the&s;e four things laid down.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Fir&s;t, That the&s;e Patentees were, by the Patent and practi&s;e of the white Sope-Patentees, prohibited their Trade for divers years together: Together with the &s;ad con&s;equences that did fall upon the&s;e Petitioners, by rea&s;on of the Patent, which they demon|&s;trate by the&s;e five particulars:</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>By vexatious Suits in the Star-Chamber.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>By the great Fines impo&s;ed upon them in that illegal Court.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>By the long Impri&s;oning of their per&s;ons.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>By breaking open their hou&s;es.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>By Seizing and carrying away their goods.</HI></P>
<P>This fir&s;t thing, together with the&s;e five particulars, declaring the&s;e Petitioners &s;ufferings by the Patent and practi&s;e of the other Patentees, are expre&s;&s;ed in the two fir&s;t Branches of this Petition.</P>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>The An&s;wer is,</HEAD>
<P>That thought it is an undeniable truth which they have &s;et forth, yet they are not to be thought (or doth render them) the more excu&s;eable; nor is their &s;in in taking their oppre&s;&s;ing Patent ex|tenuated (thereby) but aggravated; and that for this rea&s;on, Be|cau&s;e they acted the &s;in of others again&s;t light, namely, the &s;in of Oppre&s;&s;ion, not of an ordinary, but of a &s;carlet dye; not only acting unrighteous Decrees, but procurers of them, thus making their Prince an oppre&s;&s;or to his people by their fal&s;e pretences; in not only a Law de&s;troying, but a Land ruinating &s;in, which they them&s;elves have demon&s;trated unto us by four things in the&s;e fir&s;t &amp; &s;econd Branches (&s;o that I may &s;ay unto them as Chri&s;t &s;aid to the unprofitable &s;ervant, <HI>They may be judged out of their own mouth)</HI> which being well confidered, will render the Petitioners Enemies (as well as the other Patentees) not only to the Kings Maje&s;ty, but al&s;o to the Law, Liberties and E&s;tates of the Subject in their taking of a Patent. I will only give you one Scripture in|&s;tance, which doth aptly prove the Argument, and render the&s;e Patentees greater offenders and &s;inners then the other (and then I will name the four particulars by them expre&s;&s;ed) <HI>Adam</HI> &s;inned as well as the woman in eating the forbidden fruit; and yet it was true which he &s;aid to God, <HI>The Woman which thou gave&s;t to be</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="6"> <HI>with me, &s;he gave me of the Tree, and I did eat:</HI> Nay, his &s;in was greater then the womans (&s;o is the &s;in of the&s;e Patentees greater then the others) if ye con&s;ider the&s;e two things: 1. The tempter was &s;tronger that deceived her. 2. He was &s;tronger to re&s;i&s;t the temptation. To apply. The fir&s;t Patentees were Papi&s;ts, and &s;o were principled to ruinate the Kingdom, and therefore mu&s;t needs &s;ee a goodne&s;&s;e in a Patent, being agreeable to their principles: So it is &s;aid of the woman (but not of the man) that &s;he &s;aw the Tree was good for food: The&s;e Patentees are Prote&s;tants, at lea&s;t at large (but, is to be feared, no more) I judge them not) and therefore their principles &s;hould have led them, to maintain, not to de&s;troy their King and Kingdom (as now it is) which they have a great &s;hare in.</P>
<P>And though it be a digre&s;&s;ion, yet becau&s;e it is both rea&s;onable and con&s;iderable, I will commend four things (in this Chapter con&s;iderable) in reference to the Lords judicial proceeding upon man &s;inning) as to the &s;erious con&s;ideration of the Right Honor|able and High Court of Parliament, by way of pre&s;ident for their imitation, &s;o al&s;o to the &s;erious con&s;ideration of the&s;e Patentees, by way of expectation; namely, <HI>That though they endeavor to co|ver their &s;in with lyes, they &s;hall not pro&s;per: That though they have got much riches by that which is not right, yet they &s;hall leave them in the mid&s;t of their dayes, and their end &s;hall be fools,</HI> as the Scripture &s;peaks, <HI>Jer.</HI> 17. 11. Even then, when from our worthy Senators Ju&s;tice &s;hall run down like water, and Judgement like a mighty flood; when <HI>they &s;hall Judge with righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e the poor, and re|prove with equity</HI> (the&s;e Projectors) <HI>for the meek of the Earth I&s;aiah</HI> 11. 4.</P>
<DIV5 TYPE="observations">
<HEAD>The four things ob&s;ervable are,</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That God did execute Judgement upon &s;inners, as he had &s;aid, Gen.</HI> 2. 17. compared with Chap. 3. 14, 15, 16. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 7. 12.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That God began Judgement where &s;in began,</HI> Gen. 3. 14.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>That God did not only begin Judgement where &s;in began, but al&s;o proceeded on as &s;in proceeded,</HI> Gen. 3. 14, 15, 16, 17.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>The &s;uitablene&s;&s;e of Gods Judgement to the Nature of &s;in, this is called, A reproving with equity,</HI> I&s;a. 11. 4. Achan <HI>troubled I&s;rael, and the Lord troubled him,</HI> Jo&s;h. 7 17.</P>
<P>The application which I &s;hall ob&s;erve to you, mo&s;t Honored and worthy Senators, that youmay bear his Image in this.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="12" REF="7">1. God executes Iudgement, as he hath &s;aid, &s;o mu&s;t yee again&s;t the&s;e Monopolors, in re&s;pect of tho&s;e that have been ruinated by them. <HI>Statute 21. Jacobi,</HI> again&s;t Monopolers.</P>
<P N="2">2. God began Iudgement where &s;in began, &s;o have yee, wit|ne&s;&s;e your Act of 200000. l. again&s;t the fir&s;t Sope-Patentees.</P>
<P N="3">3. God proceeds on in Iudgement as &s;in proceeded, &s;o mu&s;t ye again&s;t the&s;e Monopolers (as well as others) execute Iudge|ment.</P>
<P N="4">4. Gods Iudgements are &s;uitable and equal to the &s;ins of men, &s;o mu&s;t ye reprove with equity the&s;e Monopolers; and that you may reprove them with equity, though it is impo&s;&s;ible to expre&s;&s;e all the damage which they have done to King and Kingdom, by the obtaining and cruel pro&s;ecuting of their illegal Patent; yet this they are guilty of oppre&s;&s;ion by their Patetnt, to the Sum of Four hundred thou&s;and pounds. I come now to expre&s;&s;e the four particulars which the&s;e patentees have expre&s;&s;ed, which is appliable to them&s;elves, and renders them greater offenders then the other Sope-Patentees; which are the&s;e four:</P>
<LIST>
<LABEL>That it was a Patent</LABEL>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM><HI>1. Again&s;t the Law, Liberty and E&s;tates of the Subject.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>2. Abu&s;ive to the Kings Maje&s;ty.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>3. Of extraordinary damage to the Kingdom.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>4. Which their Con&s;ciences could not &s;uffer to comply with.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I will conclude &s;peaking to this fir&s;t general, with this (they have expre&s;&s;ed in the la&s;t of the&s;e four particulars) namely, the tenderne&s;&s;e of the&s;e Patentees Con&s;ciences, not daring to comply with the other Patentees; and the rea&s;on they give is to be taken from, or made up by the other three particu|lars, and it is this, <HI>Becau&s;e that it was a Patent again&s;t Law and Liberty of the Subject, again&s;t King and Kingdom;</HI> and yet con|&s;ider how &s;oon were the&s;e tender Con&s;ciences &s;eared and made hard, for that immediatly they did take up another Patent, more oppre&s;&s;ing (in its Covenants) to the Subjects then the other, and were more barbarous, cruel, and oppre&s;&s;ive in their pro&s;ecution, then the other Patentees; by which it doth appear, That their re|fu&s;ing to joyn with the other Patentees, did not ari&s;e either from tenderne&s;&s;e of Con&s;cience, or an unwillingne&s;&s;e to get riches by oppre&s;&s;ion (as they fal&s;ly pretend, and would make men believe)
<PB N="13" REF="7"> but to gain a Patent to them&s;elves to Monopolize the Sope-boyl|ing My&s;tery (from all other Sope-boylers) into their own hands, to get riches in abundance (as they did) by oppre&s;&s;ion. For you mu&s;t know, that the&s;e oppre&s;&s;ing cruel Patentees, are not like tho&s;e &s;inners which <HI>Solomons</HI> &s;peaks of, that &s;aid, <HI>Ca&s;t in thy lot amongst us, let us have all one pur&s;e, Prov.</HI> 1. 14. The&s;e men will have no Competiters in their gains, they well knowing by expe|rience how to &s;uck (out of a Monopelizing Patent) a greater &s;weetne&s;&s;e of gain then the other Sope-Projectors, having for twenty years together (before ever any Patent was) gained much riches by Monopolizing the Sope-boyling My&s;tery &s;olely into eight or ten mens hands, to the ruine of many a Family. I come now to &s;peak to their &s;econd general, which is this:</P>
</DIV5>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Secondly, That the&s;e Petitioners did take their Patent only to regain their Trade from the other Patentees, and were forced thereunto: which they demon&s;trate by the&s;e two Arguments:</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That they did contend for their liberty of Trade, by &s;uffering many years.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That confidering they could not gain liberty of Trade by &s;uf|fering, they were forced to purcha&s;e it, by giving the King a greater yearly benefit then the other Sope-Projectors.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;econd general, as al&s;o the&s;e two Arguments, you have contained in the third Branch of the &s;ubject matter of this their Petition.</P>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>The An&s;wer which I &s;hall give to it is this:</HEAD>
<P>The explaining and &s;hewing wherein the nece&s;&s;ity of the&s;e Pa|tentees (taking of their Patent did lie, I will truly demon&s;trate to you by this en&s;uing Propo&s;ition.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="proposition">
<HEAD>The Propo&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>That the Petitioners, to Monopolize the Sope-boyling Art into their own hands (from all other Sope-boylers) and to enrich them&s;elves by &s;uppre&s;&s;ing and tyranizing over all other Sope-boylers, and by being oppre&s;&s;ors of the Common-wealth in this &s;en&s;e and in no other, there was a nece&s;&s;ity of their taking of a Patent: But there was not, nor could there be in that &s;en&s;e which they pretend (and would make men believe) that is, To gain liberty of Trade.</P>
<P>There are the&s;e two parts in this Propo&s;ition.</P>
<P><HI>1. That liberty of Trade could not be the De&s;ign of the&s;e Pro|jectors in their taking of a Patent.</HI></P>
<PB N="14" REF="8">
<P>2. <HI>That their De&s;ign in taking of their Patent, was to Monopo|lize the Art of Sope-boyling, and to oppre&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Many Arguments may be given to prove both the parts of the Propo&s;ition; but I will only mention the&s;e four Rea&s;ons at pre|&s;ent; two to prove the fir&s;t, and the other two to prove the &s;econd part.</P>
<P>The two Arguments to prove the fir&s;t part, namely, <HI>That liber|ty of Trade was not the De&s;ign of the&s;e Patentees taking of their Patent, which is the Negative part of the Propo&s;ition,</HI> are,</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e, that though there may be a nece&s;&s;ity of &s;uffering for, yet there cannot be a nece&s;&s;ity of &s;inning again&s;t God, Li|berties and Laws; and the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e God, Liberties and Laws is to be contended for; yes, it is the duty of Saints, and the duty of Subjects, to contend for their Birth-right, witne&s;&s;e both the pre&s;ent contention in the Land, and the pre&s;ent ruines that is upon us, the &s;ad con&s;equences of the actings of the&s;e Patentees, as well as others, have brought upon us, as I have already &s;hewn.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e that the&s;e Petitioners and Patentees, at that time when they did take their Patent, might freely have u&s;ed the Art of Sope-boyling, and enjoyed liberty of Trade without a Patent; and the Rea&s;on why they might have had liberty of Trade with|out a Patent, is, becau&s;e the other Patentees were not able any longer to hold their Patent, being di&s;abled to pay the King His yearly Revenue, by the&s;e two things:</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The general di&s;ta&s;t that the people took again&s;t that project.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The con&s;tant &s;upply of Sope (Imported from Forraign parts and made at home) for the Subjects u&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>The con&s;ideration of this Argument, being judiciou&s;ly ob|&s;erved, will render the&s;e Patentees, not only Enemies to the Com|mon-wealth, but al&s;o wilful introducers of our troubles, and wic|ked oppre&s;&s;ors, becau&s;e covetous.</P>
<P>The two Arguments to prove the &s;econd part of the Propo&s;i|tion, namely, <HI>That the&s;e Patentees De&s;ign in taking of their Patent, was to Monopolize and oppre&s;&s;e, which is the Affir|mative part,</HI> are,</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e that the&s;e Patentees, by vertue and in pro&s;ecution of their &s;aid Patent, they did not only prohibite all others from boyl|ing Sope, and all manner of Sope, but even &s;uch as had &s;erved them&s;elves Apprenti&s;hips, yea, and even &s;uch as were as ancient
<PB N="15" REF="8"> Sope-boylers as them&s;elves; but al&s;o did carry away their goods, and de&s;troy their ve&s;&s;els.</P>
<P N="2">2. If their De&s;ign in taking and pro&s;ecuting of their Patent were not to Monopolize, then why was the Merchants through|out the Kingdom (to their great damage and di&s;couragment of Trade) by the cruel practi&s;e of the&s;e Projectors prohibited, not only the importing of any Pot-a&s;hes to any Port of <HI>England,</HI> but at <HI>London,</HI> but al&s;o the &s;elling of them (&s;o imported) to any other but them&s;elves.</P>
<P>That they did gain &s;uch a power, not only to the great damage of the Merchants, and prejudice of all other Sope-makers, but al&s;o to the great damage of all other Trade&s;men dealing with, and u&s;ing of Pot-a&s;hes; yea, to the ruine of &s;ome Families. I will give you a Copy of the Order of the Star Chamber, which the Merchants were &s;erved with, by them moved for, obtained and pro&s;ecuted.</P>
<FLOATEXT LANG="eng" TYPE="order">
<OPENER><DATELINE><HI>At Star Chamber</HI> <DATE><HI>the 18. of</HI> October. 1637.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Pre&s;ent,</HEAD>
<ITEM>Lord Archbi&s;hop of Cant.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Lord Keeper.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Lord Trea&s;urer.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Lord Privy Seal.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Earl Mar&s;hal.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Earl of Dor&s;et.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Lord Cottington.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. Controller.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. Secretary Cook.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. Secretary Wyndebank.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>THis day was read to their Lord&s;hips an Order of this Board, made the 2. day of <HI>May</HI> la&s;t, touching Pot-a&s;hes, and the re|&s;traint of the common &s;ale thereof, to the prejudice of the Sope-makers of <HI>London,</HI> on who&s;e behalf it was now by their Councel prayed that the &s;ame Order might be explained and enlarged in the&s;e particulars following:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>That no Merchant, or other per&s;on or per&s;ons what&s;oever, &s;hould directly or indirectly, by them&s;elves, their Agents, Factors or Servants at any time or times hereafter, Sell, Barter, or do away, or deliver any Pot-a&s;hes what&s;oever, to any per&s;on or per&s;ons what|&s;oever,
<PB N="16" REF="9"> &s;ave only to the &s;aid Company of Sope-makers of</HI> London, <HI>who hath promi&s;ed to furni&s;h Dyers and Leather-dre&s;&s;ers with &s;uch quantities as they &s;hall u&s;e, at the &s;ame price for which they are bought, without any increa&s;e or further charge in that behalf.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>That no Merchant, or any other per&s;on what&s;oever, &s;hall land or bring to Shore any Pot-a&s;hes, imported from beyond the Seas, &s;ave only at the Port of</HI> London, <HI>and at no other Port, Ha|ven, Creek, or place what&s;oever.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>That no per&s;on that doth or &s;hall make, or have any Pot a&s;hes, &s;hall Sell, Barter, or do away the &s;ame, to any per&s;on or per&s;ons what&s;oever, &s;ave only to the Sope-makers of</HI> London, <HI>that are known lawfully to u&s;e that Trade, and not to any undue makers of Sope, or to any other: Neverthele&s;&s;e, it is not their Lord&s;hips plea&s;ure, nor was it now de&s;ired, That any Merchant or other &s;hould in any wi&s;e be re&s;trained to Export out of the Kings Dominions into any of the parts beyond the Seas, any Pot-a&s;hes, Forraign or Engli&s;h, and there to be vended.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And their Lord&s;hips being informed, That the Merchants having &s;ince the Moneth of</HI> May <HI>la&s;t &s;old 600. Tun of Pot-a&s;hes to the &s;aid Company, to the value of Thirteen thou&s;and pounds, or there|abouts.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sithence neverthele&s;&s;e, they have brought in and imported about 450. Tun, which if they be di&s;po&s;ed to undue makers of Sope, will overthrow the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, every Tun of A&s;hes &s;o u&s;ed, being near 30. <HI REND="roman">l.</HI> lo&s;&s;e to the King, be&s;ides the Companies lo&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>It is thereupon Ordered, That the &s;everal matters before de&s;ired be in all parts ob&s;erved, by the &s;aid Merchants and others, and that that they &s;o govern them&s;elves therein, as that no further Com|plaint be hereafter made again&s;t them, for or concerning any of the premi&s;es, And that they cau&s;e this Order to be publikely read at their next general meeting, to the end, that they may the better ob&s;erve the &s;ame: Yet notwith&s;tanding, if the Merchants &s;hall finde them&s;elves agrieved in any of the premi&s;es, as that they &s;hall think them&s;elves able to give good and &s;ound Rea&s;ons, why the &s;ame &s;hould not be ob|&s;erved, nor injoyned them as afore&s;aid, then their Lord&s;hips do hereby appoint them to give their attendance on the Board the 3. of Novem. next, together with the &s;aid Sope-makers, that after due hearing of both &s;ides, &s;uch final order may be therein made as &s;hall be fitting.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Ex. Dudley Carlton.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</FLOATEXT>
<PB N="17" REF="9">
<P>By what hath been &s;aid, you may &s;ee how <HI>Ab&s;olon</HI> like the&s;e Patentees have dealt with King and Kingdom: <HI>Ab&s;olon</HI> pretend|ed Ju&s;tice and good to the people, but his De&s;ign was Rebellion and Trea&s;on again&s;t his Father <HI>David,</HI> to a&s;pire his Throne, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15, 16, and 17. Chapters, you have the Hi&s;tory: The con&s;equent was a Civil War, and therein he peri&s;hed, God catcheth this wicked one in his craftine&s;&s;e, as <HI>Iob</HI> &s;peaks, Cap. 5. 13. Even &s;o the&s;e Patentees, by their fal&s;e pretences of good to the people, gained of His Maje&s;ty a Patent to Monopolize, and to oppre&s;&s;e thereby to enrich them&s;elves, which was their De&s;ign; and how far their Rebellion again&s;t King and Kingdom hath a &s;hare in the pre&s;ent Mi&s;eries and Civil Wars that is now upon us, as Introducers, I &s;hall leave to the judgement and determination of our grave and wi&s;e Senators: And why the&s;e changers of our Laws &s;hould not tremble to con&s;ider the nearne&s;&s;e of their down|fall, I under&s;tand not, becau&s;e the Scripture &s;peaks po&s;itively of their ruine, <HI>Prov.</HI> 24. 21. compared with the 22. Ver&s;e of that Chapter. And Chapter 22. Ver&s;e 23. And the rather becau&s;e they &s;till per&s;i&s;t and go on in the &s;elf &s;ame &s;inful de&s;ign, under the &s;elf &s;ame &s;inful pretences; for as they then dealt with the King and Kingdom in gaining of their Patent, &s;o now the&s;e Patentees deal <HI>Ab&s;olon</HI> like with the Parliament and Kingdom, witne&s;&s;e their Propo&s;itions concerning the Excize of Sope, by them pre&s;ented to the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons, which being well con&s;i|&s;idered, are to me and others (which well know their workings, and have felt their cruelties) no le&s;&s;e then a Monopoly, as I have already declared in An&s;wering of them in that &s;heet of Paper Intituled, <HI>A Looking-gla&s;&s;e for Sope-Patentees.</HI> Much more may be &s;aid again&s;t the Propo&s;itions (and &s;hall, when Providence gives me a fit opportunity) but I &s;hall not now, becau&s;e it is a digre&s;&s;i|on; only I will minde you of a Scripture or two that I cannot omit: <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 32. 7. The Lord by the Prophet &s;hews this, That ly|ing words are the weapons of wicked men to undo the poor: The words in the Text are, <HI>For the weapon of the Churl are wicked, he devi&s;eth wicked coun&s;els</HI> (what the&s;e wicked weapons are, and whereto they tend, you have in the following words) <HI>To undo the poor with lying words, and to &s;peak again&s;t the poor in judgement.</HI> Eccle&s;. 8. 11. <HI>Solomon</HI> tells us what is the re&s;ult and u&s;e that wic|ked men make of the delay of Ju&s;tice, in the&s;e words, <HI>Becau&s;e</HI>
<PB N="18" REF="10"> <HI>Sentence again&s;t an evil work is not executed &s;peedily, therefore the hearts of the children of men is fully &s;et in them to do evil:</HI> The rea&s;on why I could not pa&s;&s;e by the citing of the&s;e Scriptures, is, becau&s;e the actings of the&s;e Patentees are the Expo&s;ition of them. There is a third Scripture, with which I will end this digre&s;&s;ion, propounding it by way of Que&s;tion, becau&s;e the pertinatiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the&s;e Patentees occa&s;ion (the High and Honorable Court of Par|liament) to &s;ay, as the Lord &s;aid of tho&s;e wicked ones in the time of the Prophet, <HI>I&s;a. 50. 21. The&s;e things ha&s;t thou done</HI> (what things? namely the&s;e things, <HI>Thou &s;ee&s;t a Thief, and runne&s;t with him; with thy tongue thou forge&s;t deceit, and &s;peake&s;t again&s;t thy Brother.</HI> V. 18, 19, 20. ob&s;erve the parrallel) <HI>And I kept &s;ilence, therefore thou thoughte&s;t I was like thee.</HI> (Is it not high time, Right Honorable, to do, with the&s;e Projectors, as the Lord &s;aid?) <HI>But I will reprove thee, and fet them in order before thee.</HI> I will now conclude &s;peaking to this &s;econd general, &s;hewing how they labor (by vain words) to cover all their cruelty, &s;aying, <HI>They were forced to take their Pa|tent to gain liberty of Trade,</HI> which I have by four Arguments proved to be a fal&s;e pretence, and their De&s;ign undoubtedly here|in, is the endeavoring to divert Ju&s;tice (now Ju&s;tice requires re&s;ti|tution) but let the Coun&s;el of God take place in the hearts of Parliament men: <HI>Ephe&s;. 5. 6. Let no man deceive you with vain words.</HI> I come now to &s;peak to the third general head.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P><HI>Thirdly, That many per&s;ons, not having been brought up to the &s;aid Art, did boil and put to &s;ale, to the ruine of the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e Projectors, and the great deceiving of the Kingdom by ba&s;e Sope, and that they did &s;uppre&s;&s;e: together with the rea&s;on why, and the maner how.</HI></P>
<P>There is in this third general, contained in the fourth and fifth Branches of their Petition, the&s;e two parts:</P>
<P>Fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t, &s;ome thing &s;uppo&s;ed, which is the Negative part.</P>
<P>Secondly, &s;ome thing expre&s;&s;ed which is the Po&s;itive part.</P>
<DIV4 TYPE="suppositions">
<HEAD>1. That which is &s;uppo&s;ed con&s;i&s;ts of the&s;e three things.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That none was &s;uppre&s;&s;ed but &s;uch which were not brought up and &s;erved Apprenti&s;hips to the&s;e Patentees Art.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That all tho&s;e that the&s;e Patentees did &s;uppre&s;&s;e from boyl|ing, did boyl illegally.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>That all the cruelty which the&s;e Patentees acted in breaking open mens hou&s;es, impri&s;oning their per&s;ons, &s;eizing and carrying away their goods, breaking and &s;poyling mens materials, and would|ing
<PB N="18" REF="10"> mens per&s;ons, is wholly and only chargeable upon the King and the Lords of the Councel.</HI></P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="expressions">
<HEAD>2. That which is expre&s;&s;ed are the&s;e four things.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That many per&s;ons not being brought up in the Art of Sope-boyling, did boyl and put to &s;ale ba&s;e Sope.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That the&s;e per&s;ons boyling of ba&s;e Sope, was ruinous to the&s;e Projectors, and a deceiving of the Common-wealth.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>That the&s;e Projectors did &s;uppre&s;&s;e them, and were both en|gaged by Bond, and commanded by the King and Lords Warrants to &s;uppre&s;&s;e them.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>That the&s;e Projectors &s;uppre&s;&s;ion of them, was only according to the purport and tenour of the &s;aid Warrants.</HI></P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answers">
<P>The An&s;wer which I &s;hall give to each particular of the&s;e two general parts of this third general Head, &s;hall be as they are propo&s;ed: and fir&s;t, I will &s;peak to tho&s;e three things here ex|pre&s;&s;ed to be &s;uppo&s;ed and implyed, briefly,</P>
<P N="1">1. That not only many, but all per&s;ons (which were not Pa|tentees) that had &s;erved Apprenti&s;hips, and had been brought up in the My&s;tery of Sope, were &s;uppre&s;&s;ed (by the&s;e Patentees) and prohibited to boil Sope, yea, and &s;ome of them their goods Seized, and materials &s;poiled and de&s;troyed, yea all men hindred, and became a prey to them which did boil for the maintenance of them&s;elves and Families; but if by not being brought up to the&s;e Patentees Art, they do mean, were not brought up and &s;erved Apprenti&s;hips in their Art of Monopolizing the My&s;tery of Sope-boyling into eight or ten mens hands, then the Suppo&s;ition is true, but el&s;e it is fal&s;ly implyed: Now there is this Rea&s;on to be given, deductable from their own &s;hewing in the Order of the Star-Chamber, which I have here recited; why by their Art mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be under&s;tood their Art of Monopolizing the Sope-boyling Art, becau&s;e by their own &s;hewing that all men which bo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">led Sope, and was not a Member of their Monopolizing Pa|tent, were undue boylers of Sope.</P>
<P N="2">2. That all men which the&s;e Patentees did &s;uppre&s;&s;e from boil|ing Sope, did as legally boil as them&s;elves, yea and more legally.</P>
<P N="3">3. Though it be true, that the King and the Lords are not ex|cu&s;eable, concerning the &s;pecial and univer&s;e &s;ufferings of the Common-wealth, by this Monopolizing and oppre&s;&s;ing Patent; yet it doth not le&s;&s;en or extenuate the offence of the&s;e cruel
<PB N="20" REF="11"> opre&s;&s;ing Patentees, and that for the&s;e Rea&s;ons:</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e the&s;e Patentees are not only guilty of acting, but were (by fal&s;e pretences) the procurers of the&s;e illegal and op|pre&s;&s;ive Warrants.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e that they wilfully of purpo&s;e to oppre&s;&s;e and Mo|nopolize, did gain the &s;aid Patent and Lords Warrant, though by their own experience did know them to be illegal and oppre&s;&s;ive.</P>
<P>I come now to &s;peak to the four things expre&s;&s;ed, which is the &s;econd part of this third general Head; and I &s;hall give you the An&s;wer in the&s;e two particulars.</P>
<P>The an&s;wer to tho&s;e things expre&s;&s;ed, 1. That tho&s;e per&s;ons which the&s;e Patentees did &s;uppre&s;s from boyling Sope, did boil better Sope then the Patentees, and did &s;ell to the Subjects at cheaper Rates; this I can prove by multitude of Evidences, and Rea&s;on tells every rational man, that it had been neither policy or profit for them to have boyled ba&s;e Sope: The Arguments to prove this are the&s;e two:</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e that men buying of Sope prohibited by the&s;e Pa|tentees, they did endanger not only the &s;eizing of the &s;aid Sope, but al&s;o the being much vexed and troubled by the cruel and ille|gal per&s;ecution of their illegal Court; for what Sope was made by any that were not Patentees, being &s;ound, was &s;eized, whether in the hands of maker or buyer of it.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e that when men may buy Sope freely, that will not &s;uffer them&s;elves to be defrauded and run a danger too.</P>
<P>This is &s;ufficient for An&s;wer to the fir&s;t and &s;econd particulars, and doth declare, That as this is that fal&s;e pretence by which they deceive the King, and gained their Patent; &s;o it is their vain words to deceive the Parliament, their end undoubtedly is to di|vert them from doing Ju&s;tice, by rendring the oppre&s;&s;ing Sope-boylers odious to the Parliament (under the notion of being de|ceivers of the Common-wealth by ba&s;e Sope) now they are Pe|titioning the Parliament for Ju&s;tice.</P>
<P N="2">2. That they were neither by Bond bound, nor by the Lords Warrant commanded to &s;uppre&s;&s;e any from Sope-boyling (which had a right to boil) as they have alledged; for you mu&s;t know, that the Lords warrants are not warrants commanding the&s;e Patentees to &s;eize Sope again&s;t their will, as they do affirm, but are Warrants of A&s;&s;i&s;tances, by the&s;e Patentees &s;ued for, and by them procured of the Lords (by the &s;ame &s;alfe pretences by which they gained
<PB N="21" REF="11"> their Patent, commanding power to Ayd and A&s;&s;i&s;t their cruel, barbarous, and blood-&s;ucking Agents in their execution of the illegal Deputations which the&s;e Patentees did i&s;&s;ue forth under the Seal of their illegal Company: For confirmation whereof, and to compleat the An&s;wering of this third general Head, I will give you a view of the Lords Warrants by them obtained.</P>
<FLOATEXT LANG="eng" TYPE="warrant">
<P>VVHereas divers great abu&s;es and deceits have been and are duly committed in the making of Sope, and his Maje&s;ty hath now &s;etled the Manufacture thereof under the Government of the Corporation of Sope-makers of the City of <HI>London:</HI> And whereas divers Mi&s;demeanors have been and are daily committed, as Well in the undue making, buying, and &s;elling of Sope prohibited, not made under the &s;aid Rule and Government; as al&s;o in re&s;isting and not a&s;&s;isting the Searchers appointed by the Society of <HI>London,</HI> and their Deputies in the Searching, for &s;eizing and carrying away of the &s;aid Sope prohibited: The&s;e are therefore to will and require you the Me&s;&s;engers of His Maje&s;ties Chamber, or any of you, or any other whom it may concern, That from time to time you Arre&s;t, Apprehend, and take into Cu&s;tody, all and every &s;uch per&s;on and per|&s;ons as the Governor or the Deputy of the &s;aid Society of Sope-makers of <HI>London</HI> for the time being &s;hall nominate and direct you to Apprehend, for their contempt in all or any of the Premi&s;es: And al&s;o by the like nomination and direction, to make &s;tay and &s;ei|zure of all the &s;aid prohibited Sope, not made under the &s;aid Govern|ment, or to &s;eize and carry away all Lees and other Materials, as Oyl, Tallow, and Pot-a&s;hes, prepared for the undue making of Sope, remaining in the Cu&s;tody and Charge of any per&s;on or per&s;ons in any place priviledged or not priviledged; and that every per&s;on which &s;hall be &s;o Apprehended, you bring, or cau&s;e to be forthwith brought to the Councel Chamber to enter their Appearance, to be proceeded withall according to their demerits. Hereof fail you not at your utter peril.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Dated at <HI>Whitehall</HI> <DATE>the 28. of <HI>July,</HI> 1637.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>To all Mayors, Sheriffs, Iu&s;tices of Peace, Bailiffs, Con&s;tables, Head-boroughs, and all other His Ma|je&s;ties Officers and loving Sub|jects whom it may concern, and e&s;pecially to the Me&s;&s;engers of His Maje&s;ties Chamber, and to every of them.</TRAILER>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>W. Cant. W: Lond: Arundel and Surry, Dor&s;et, Wimbleton, Cottington, Iohn Cook, Tho: Iurman, Fra: Wyndebank.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</FLOATEXT>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<PB N="22" REF="12">
<P>The fourth and la&s;t general Head, which is contained in the &s;ixth and la&s;t Branch of their Petition, is this:</P>
<P>4. <HI>That many actions upon the Statute again&s;t Monopolies have been brought again&s;t the&s;e Patentees, by the oppre&s;&s;ed Sope-boylers of</HI> London, <HI>for recovery of of their lo&s;&s;es and damages</HI>&punc; which they expre&s;&s;e as a grievance, and demon|&s;trate it by the&s;e two particulars,</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That by rea&s;on of this pro&s;ecution they have expended</HI> 1000. l.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That &s;ome have recovered</HI> 1000. l. <HI>&s;ome</HI> 500. l. <HI>&s;ome</HI> 300. l. <HI>and yet upon proof they have not been damnified five pounds.</HI></P>
<P>The An&s;wer that I &s;hall give to both the&s;e particulars briefly &s;hall be this; and fir&s;t to An&s;wer the first particular, which is their expence of One thou|&s;and pounds, being pro&s;ecuted by Law.</P>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>The An&s;wer is threefold.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. The pro&s;ecution is a ju&s;t and legal pro&s;ecution for recovery of &s;atisfacti|on of their &s;everal damages and lo&s;&s;es, &s;u&s;tained by the&s;e cruel projectors bar|barous pro&s;ecution of their illegal Patent; a ju&s;t means of relief again&s;t, and unju&s;t oppre&s;&s;ion, which hath the &s;tamp of the Parliaments approbation for its vindication.</P>
<P N="2">2. There was a nece&s;&s;ity of this pro&s;ecution, becau&s;e that the&s;e Patentees would not make re&s;titution without &s;uit of Law, unle&s;&s;e they will accept of that &s;atisfaction which they will give them, which is not a half peny, no not to &s;ome a farthing for a peny, whatever they do pretend.</P>
<P N="3">3. That if they have &s;pent 1000. l. (&s;ure I am that &s;ome of it mu&s;t be &s;pent either in a corrupt or exce&s;&s;ive way) as we u&s;e to &s;ay that Thieves are good Gue&s;&s;e upon the Rode, &s;pend free) yet they have made great advantage by that expence, becau&s;e the detainer of the complainants money, by vexatious delays, for the&s;e five years and upwards, hath been annually at lea&s;t 1500. l. benefit to them. I come now to &s;peak to the &s;econd, which is their expre&s;&s;ions, that the recoveries are unrea&s;onable that have been recovered again&s;t them; namely, <HI>That &s;ome have recovered</HI> 1000. l. <HI>&s;ome</HI> 500. l. <HI>&s;ome</HI> 300. l. <HI>and yet never been damnified five pounds.</HI></P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>The An&s;wer is:</HEAD>
<P>The fal&s;ity of this their affirmation is &s;o obvious, that no rational man will give credit to it, but becau&s;e it implies either an unrighteou&s;ne&s;s or oppre&s;&s;ion in the Law (for &s;o they have and do expre&s;&s;e) and &s;o &s;ecretly charge our Law makers) or in the Iury who are Iudges of the damages, I &s;hall by way of vin|dication of both, thus po&s;itively and truly &s;peak.</P>
<P N="1">1. That the recoveries were but 306. l.-13.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.-4. 150. l. and 90. l. all which &s;ome by vertue of the &s;tatute were trebled by the Court: Thus you &s;ee that the&s;e pre&s;umptuous oppre&s;&s;ors do &s;ecretly charge our Law makers of oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P N="2">2. That the parties did not recover, nor did the Iury award in damages more, no not &s;o much as the Plaintiffs proved that they had &s;u&s;tained by the&s;e cruel Patentees.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>I will now conclude &s;peaking of and to the &s;ubject matter or body of their Petition, with the ob&s;erving &s;ome &s;hort notes that are deductable, probably from the clo&s;ier of this fir&s;t general part of this Petition (which is this)</P>
<P><HI>That they have been &s;erviceable (and &s;till de&s;ire to be) to the King and
<PB N="23" REF="12"> Kingdom, by great engaging of their Pur&s;es and Per&s;ons.</HI></P>
<P>Their ends and intentions in this expre&s;&s;ion, undoubtedly mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be to render them Friends and not Enemies to King and Kingdom; having hinted to you their end, I will give you the Ob&s;ervations.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, if you con&s;ider how the&s;e Petitioners are Enemies, as is above ex|pre&s;&s;ed, and then take their being &s;erviceable to King and Kingdom, by way of co-<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ction; then the probable re&s;ult of the&s;e words may be this: <HI>That they have given a&s;&s;istance to both &s;ides.</HI> And there is rea&s;on to be rendred, Be|cau&s;e that at the breaking up of the la&s;t Parliament, <HI>May</HI> 1640. they did give the King Ten or Twelve thou&s;and pounds to take up their Patent again, (which they had &s;urrendred) in hopes never to &s;ee Parliament more in <HI>Eng|land;</HI> which money, as was &s;uppo&s;ed, was given as an additional a&s;&s;i&s;tance again&s;t the <HI>Scots.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, if you con&s;ider, That if the Parliament do prevail, thay are ac|comptable for their Delinquency; then their giving a&s;&s;i&s;tance probably is po|lity, and not piety; &s;elf-&s;eeking, not Gods glory; them&s;elves, not the Kingdoms good.</P>
<P>Thirdly, if you do con&s;ider, That they do oppre&s;&s;ively detain the other Petitioners E&s;tate, and the advantage they make of that detainer, to the di&s;|abling of them which are cordial for the Parliament (and have as far engaged their per&s;ons as tho&s;e Patentees) it affords the&s;e two Propo&s;itions.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That it is not an ingaging of their own but other mens pur&s;es.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That their ingaging of their pur&s;es is not an advantage but a damage to the Parliaments Cau&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>I have done with the fir&s;t general part, I &s;hall only ob&s;erve &s;ome few things from the other two general parts, and &s;o conclude.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That the&s;e Patentces are mo&s;t ready and willing to make &s;atisfaction to all that can make it appear that they have wronged them.</HI></P>
<P>To this I an&s;wer, That their willingne&s;&s;e that &s;atisfaction &s;hould be given, doth not lye in their de&s;ire of making re&s;titution, but in this, That they are mo&s;t willing to be di&s;burthened of the &s;uits at Law again&s;t them commenced by the Parliament, forcing their fellow Projectors thereunto.</P>
<P N="2">2. That of all the goods they have forcibly and oppre&s;&s;ively taken and &s;poil|ed of the other Sope-boylers, they never received one peny.</P>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>To this I An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P>That all the goods that was by them &s;eized and &s;poiled of the oppre&s;&s;ed Sope-boylers, was &s;eized for the u&s;e of the&s;e Projectors, one moity thereof, and the other moity for the u&s;e of the Kings Maje&s;ty, and was by the&s;e Pro|jectors appointment and command, &s;eized and brought to their own hou&s;es, and converted to their own u&s;e, which is evident by their Patent; by which Grant Col: <HI>John Hardwick,</HI> Captain <HI>John Hayes, Iames Baker,</HI> and <HI>Ionathan Mot,</HI> (Members of that illegal Corporation) were con&s;tituted and ordained &s;earchers of the &s;aid company, &s;ome of them barbarou&s;ly breaking into hou|&s;es, &s;eizing and carrying away mens goods, others receiving in the goods ille|gally &s;eized and carried away, witne&s;&s;e the accompt that Col: <HI>Iohn Hardwick</HI> made in the Exchequer upon his Oath, who was one of the fir&s;t &s;earchers, and mo&s;t active&s;t Member of that Patent. There is one thing which I will relate
<PB N="24" REF="13"> to you, which is not only an aggravation of this &s;trange, and I pre&s;ume un|paralleld pre&s;umption of theirs, in daring to pre&s;ent to &s;o Honorable an A&s;|&s;embly as the High Honorable Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons,</HI> &s;o deceiving and vain a Pe|tition as this; but al&s;o di&s;covers to what a height of wickedne&s;&s;e, what dan|gerous de&s;igns coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e will put men upon: The Relation is this, what the&s;e Petitioners have here untruly affirmed, namely, that not one peny of the goods &s;eized came to them. <HI>Anthony Whitwel,</HI> one of the&s;e Sope-Patentees, did fal&s;ly depo&s;e the &s;ame at a Tryal between <HI>Iohn Doughty</HI> Plaintiff, and Col: <HI>Iohn Hardwick,</HI> and other Patentees Defendants, which perjury was to the damage of the Plaintiff <HI>Doughty</HI> 200 l. as the Iury then confe&s;&s;ed, and hath been &s;ince proved at the Tryal of the Action, upon a &s;tatute of perjury, which the &s;aid <HI>Doughty</HI> did bring, and proved again&s;t the &s;aid <HI>Anthony Whitwel,</HI> and the Iury did at Tryal finde him guilty of perjury again&s;t the Plaintiff, com|mitted in the former Action to his damage of 200. l. and did finde in dama|ges, according to the limitation of the &s;tatute; but there was a &s;pecial Ver|dict found by the direction of the Iudge, for that the Plaintiffs Attorney did not produce a copy of the Original in the former Action, and &s;ince hath compounded for the &s;ame. I have mentioned this to &s;hew of what validity their words are; and the rather for this rea&s;on, becau&s;e one of the Petitioners hath told me &s;ince his conviction, that they all would take the &s;ame Oath. Thus you &s;ee the&s;e men, as they did not leave any way of cruelty unattempted and acted, that might conduce to accompli&s;h their covetous de&s;ign, though ne|ver &s;o de&s;tructive to the Common-wealth, and ruinous to their fellow &s;ub|jects in their E&s;tares and Liberties: &s;o now they will not cea&s;e covering their &s;ins with lyes, even with an Oath.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="continuation of section">
<P N="3">3. That many of their company that had greater benefit by their patent then them&s;elves, refu&s;e to joyn in making &s;atisfaction.</P>
<DIV4 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>To this I An&s;wer.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. That there are not many that refu&s;e had greater benefit.</P>
<P N="2">2. That this is in the mo&s;t part of it rather a pretence then real matter of complaint; for the petitioners dares not cau&s;e all tho&s;e (which they have no|minated and pre&s;ented to the Honorable Committee of the Hou&s;e of Com|mons for petitions) to be compelled to joyn with them in making re&s;titution,</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="conclusion">
<P>Much more might be &s;poken to the&s;e three particulars, to &s;hew how they endeavour to deceive the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons by the&s;e vain words; but I will neither trouble my &s;elf or you, becau&s;e it is not materiall to the Iudge to hinder him in execution of Iu&s;tice, whether the Malefactor be wil|ling or not willing to be tryed, whether a Malefactor do po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e any of the money which he hath &s;toln or not po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, whether the re&s;t of the Malefactors be di&s;covered or not di&s;covered, at pre&s;ent I will conclude with the words of <HI>Solomon, Prov. 18. 17. He that is fir&s;t in his own cau&s;e &s;eemeth ju&s;t, but his neigh|bor cometh and &s;earcheth him.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
