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<DATE>2014-05-19</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<P>AN ESSAY, OR, Mode&s;t Propo&s;al, Of a WAY To encrea&s;e the Number of People, and con&s;e|quently the Strength of this Kingdom; to improve the Woollen Manufacture, and rai&s;e the Values of Land, of Corn, Cattle, and mo&s;t other things of the Product and Growth of <HI>England;</HI> and rai&s;e a con&s;iderable Sum of Money to their Maje&s;ties, and that after &s;uch a manner as will be very much for the Advantage of the Kingdom: Out of which might be &s;ettled a Fund for the En|couragement and Maintenance of Di&s;tre&s;&s;ed and Di&s;abled Mariners or Sea-men, or what el&s;e &s;hould be thought more convenient.</P>
<P><HI>With all Dutiful Re&s;pect mo&s;t humbly offered to the Con|&s;ideration of the</HI> LORDS <HI>and</HI> COMMONS <HI>in Parliament a&s;&s;embled.</HI></P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="essay">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>AN ESSAY, OR, Mode&s;t Propo&s;al, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>I Should not offer to pre&s;ent this to the Con&s;ideration of &s;o Augu&s;t an A&s;|&s;embly, but that the con&s;ideration of the Advantages that it would bring to the Publick; and to probably every particular Member of that Great Council; makes me not only hope for pardon, but that this will meet with a kind reception from tho&s;e worthy Patriots that have done &s;o much in a few years time towards rendering this Nation the happie&s;t &s;pot of ground in the Univer&s;e.</P>
<P>I do look upon this to be the time that the People of <HI>England</HI> may expect from the Great Council of the Nation all the extraordinary Laws for the Publick Good that can be thought of, and that upon a double account, both becau&s;e they are &s;ecure that their pre&s;ent Maje&s;ties will not give a Negative to any Bill that is for the Glory of God, or the Public Good; and for that they will (I pre&s;ume) think it convenient to endeavor, not only &s;uch a reformation as may render this Nation not unworthy that particular Providence that hath of late a&s;&s;i&s;ted it; but to put it into a way of growing better, richer and &s;tronger, both at home and abroad, that it may be the better able to a&s;&s;i&s;t his Maje&s;ty, to perfect tho&s;e great de&s;igns he hath &s;o happily begun, and carried on hitherto: and that when he hath got it an advantageous Peace, it may not by its Wickedne&s;&s;es provoke God Al|mighty to withdraw that Ble&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>That Debauchery, Leudne&s;s, and &s;ome other ills have been rather upon the increa&s;e, than otherwi&s;e, this Twenty or Thirty years la&s;t pa&s;t; and that they are now much too commonly practi&s;ed, I &s;hall not offer to prove, it being but too apparent to thinking and ob&s;erving People. And that the Values of Land hath not met with that improvement, that hath been wi&s;hed for and endeavoured by many Friends to their Country, I pre&s;ume mo&s;t People that have E&s;tates have experience; and particularly tho&s;e men of Quality and Fortune, to whom I ad|dre&s;s the&s;e lines; &s;o that I &s;hall let that alone too: and only at pre&s;ent endeavor to propo&s;e &s;omething that will remedy in a great mea&s;ure the&s;e Evils, which I hope will not be &s;lighted for coming from an unknown hand.</P>
<PB N="2" REF="3">
<P> I have with great impartiality and &s;trictne&s;s be&s;towed &s;ome time, to di&s;cover the Cau&s;e and Nature of the increa&s;e and continuance of the&s;e before-mentioned Evils, as al&s;o that of Drunkenne&s;s; and I hope with that &s;ucce&s;s, that I do not que&s;tion, but I could propo&s;e two or three things to this I &s;hall here mention, that would almo&s;t totally prevent Debauchery and Leudne&s;s for the future; and that would go a great way to cure Drunkenne&s;s&punc; or at lea&s;t prevent it in mo&s;t of the Youth that are yet free of it: and that without inflicting any corporal or pecuni|ary Puni&s;hment upon any one.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall content my &s;elf at pre&s;ent only to offer at one way to attain the&s;e ends, which is to bring Marriage, of late &s;o much neglected, into a little more reque&s;t, the doing of which would encourage Virtue, and di&s;courage Vice; in|crea&s;e the Number of People, and con&s;equently the Strength of the Kingdom, and contribute very much to rai&s;e the value of Land. For as the general indifferency that is now got even into the meaner &s;ort of People of this Age, for Marriage, occa&s;ions much Vice, &s;o doth it beyond any other thing, yea all other things tend to depopulation, an ill of dangerous con&s;equence, and mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary to be pro|vided again&s;t by any Government that de&s;ires to flouri&s;h: I know there are &s;ome other things that do harm, that are neither &s;o ea&s;y, nor &s;o convenient to be redre&s;&s;ed; as inclo&s;ing of common Fields, the Foreign Plantations, <HI>Ireland,</HI> and the Wars, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but they are not all to be compared to this, and if this were but &s;o effectually redre&s;&s;ed, as it would be by what is here propo&s;ed, there would &s;oon be &s;uch an increa&s;e of People as would &s;upply the re&s;t, and rai&s;e the Value of Land con&s;iderably.</P>
<P>Now be&s;ides this want of People (which is already in &s;ome places &s;o great, as that Laborors can hardly be got for Money) there are other things very fit and ea&s;y to be redre&s;&s;ed, that do much prejudice the increa&s;e of the Value of Land, and occa&s;ion a fall of Rents; as the increa&s;e of Wages of Servants, and all &s;orts of Laboring People, which in &s;ome places to my knowledge are ri&s;en a third part within the&s;e few years; for if a Farmer pay 5 <HI>l.</HI> a year more in Servants Wages than was paid twenty years ago, it mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily follow, that he mu&s;t pay &s;o much le&s;s Rent; but this would be much remedied by an increa&s;e of Peo|ple, or of the Number of Servants; but hardly by what &s;ome think, the Ju&s;tices of Peace &s;etting lower Wages at the Se&s;&s;ions, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> as might be ea&s;ily &s;hewn, were it to my purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>There is al&s;o another thing that doth very much prejudice the Value of Land, and doth yearly ruine many Families and hopeful Trade&s;men (which will al&s;o be remedyed by what I &s;hall here propo&s;e) that is the extravagant and expen&s;ive Apparel of the meaner &s;ort of People; for not only Farmers are obliged to be at a greater charge to habit (for I cannot call it cloath, that being &s;o little u&s;ed) their Children, that they may appear &s;omething like their Servants (which mu&s;t al&s;o occa&s;ion an abatement of Rents) but Countrymen that are aver&s;e enough to &s;uch exce&s;s, mu&s;t for decency &s;ake, &s;uffer their Children to follow the Stream. And the Trade&s;men, even in mo&s;t of the Towns of the Kingdom, mu&s;t for Quietne&s;s or Pride, habit their Wives and Daughters as if they had 500 <HI>l.</HI> a year inheri|tance: Yea, when they dare hardly appear in their Shops; and it is become a very great charge upon the inferior Gentry, to appear now like &s;uch, con&s;idering how Servants and other mean People are &s;et out.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="3">
<P> And this extravagancy is not only in Fooleries, and things that make no con&s;ide|rable con&s;umption of any thing of the Product of the Nation, for black Woollen Hats, which de&s;troyed a great quantity of Wooll, is almo&s;t quite routed from among&s;t the meaner &s;ort of People by in&s;ignificant Straw Hats, and from among&s;t the Trade&s;mens Wives and Daughters, by Black Hoods and Top-knots; and Cloth, Searges, and other Woollen Manufactures, by Half Silk Stuffs, a very improper Habit for every common Servant, and very unprofitable to the Public. And which is another ill, to maintain this expence, Ho&s;pitality is almo&s;t quite routed out of the Kingdom, which mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily be a great occa&s;ion of the fall of Rents, &s;eeing there is at lea&s;t a third part le&s;s Provi&s;ions de&s;troyed by the &s;ame number of People in many places than formerly, for it is but few that can bear the charge of both, and therefore the Belly and the Poor, mu&s;t be pinched to get fine Cloaths. I know &s;ome will &s;ay the&s;e exce&s;&s;es tend to the Advantage of the Kingdom, and to the Incouragement of Trade; I grant it might be &s;o, if they were in Ho&s;pitality, or in the Con&s;umption of the natural Product of the Nati|on; but not &s;o when they are in things that hinder the Con&s;umption of the Pro|duct of the Nation.</P>
<P>I do pre&s;ume it was never more &s;ea&s;onable than now to prevent all expences prejudicial to the Public, to help the Kingdom with more ea&s;e to pay &s;uch A&s;&s;e&s;&s;|ments as will be nece&s;&s;ary till the <HI>French</HI> King be brought lower, for till then we can hope for no Peace: And I do not que&s;tion, but if what is here propo&s;ed were put into a Law, that be&s;ides the other Advantages, it would &s;ave many Thou|&s;ands of People more Money yearly in unnece&s;&s;ary expences, than they have paid in A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ments, and would gain to as many others as much more in advance of Rents, and would make good every thing mentioned in its Title.</P>
<P>Now the ways I &s;hould propo&s;e to do this is, fir&s;t to injoyn a &s;mall &s;um of Money to be paid by all conditions of People, above &s;uch an Age, &s;o long as they &s;hall continue unmarried, and next enjoyn a &s;mall &s;um of Money to be paid by People under &s;uch and &s;uch Qualities, that &s;hall wear &s;uch and &s;uch Habits, for I am not for commanding the fir&s;t, that is Peoples marrying; or for forbidding the latter, the People of <HI>England</HI> hating to be forced: but to do it after &s;uch a man|ner as may &s;hew the Government is not plea&s;ed with it, and may cure it in&s;en&s;i|bly, as the Method I &s;hall here propo&s;e, I pre&s;ume would, if it were put into a Law, as I &s;hall endeavour afterwards to &s;hew.</P>
<P>I do humbly propo&s;e, <HI>That fore&s;eeing the General Di&s;re&s;pect for Marriage doth not only occa&s;ion much Lewdne&s;s, but al&s;o a decrea&s;e of People, and con&s;equently a Decay of Strength, of Riches, of the Value of Land; and doth threaten this Kingdom with depopulation, if not timely remedied: And being &s;en&s;ible that the expen&s;ive and extravagant Apparel of the meaner &s;ort of People doth not only tend much to their Impoveri&s;hment, but to the general Prejudice of the Kingdom, by di&s;couraging mo&s;t of the Woollen Manufactures, and hindering the Increa&s;e of the value of Land, that to prevent the&s;e Evils:</HI> It might by the Parlia|ment be Enacted, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>To incourage Marriage in all Conditions of People, and to &s;et a little Mark of Puni&s;h|ment or Shame upon all &s;uch as &s;hall contemn or neglect a Duty &s;o beneficial to the Govern|ment, and &s;o nece&s;&s;ary for the Propagation of Mankind: That the &s;everal Rates, or Sums</HI>
<PB N="4" REF="4"> <HI>of Money hereafter mentioned &s;hould be paid to their Maje&s;ties by all Men and Women of what condition &s;oever (that have not been married) for every half year they &s;hall live unmar|ried, after they come to the Ages hereafter mentioned and &s;et down, that is the Men to</HI> 21, <HI>and the Women to</HI> 20.</P>
<P><HI>And that every Man and Woman that &s;hould be above the Ages aforementioned, upon the fir&s;t day of</HI> May <HI>next, or upon the fir&s;t of</HI> November <HI>next following, or upon any fir&s;t day of</HI> May, <HI>or fir&s;t day of</HI> November <HI>afterwards, during their Majesties Life, or the Sur|vivor of them, &s;hould pay upon every of tho&s;e days after they attain to the Ages aforementi|oned, until they marry, according to the&s;e rates following.</HI></P>
<P><HI>That is, Every Man or Woman, of what condition or quality &s;oever, &s;hould upon every of the days aforementioned, while they continue unmarried, pay the &s;um of one &s;hilling &s;ix|pence, that is, three &s;hillings by the year. Except &s;uch Servants and Apprentices as &s;hould wear Hats of</HI> Engli&s;h <HI>Wooll, and no Silk or half-Silk, or Cloath or Stuff any ways mixed or lined with Silk upon their Heads or Bodies (other than the Silk u&s;ed in &s;owing or making up their Woollen eloths) nor any Buttons, Lace, Fringe, Thread or Wire of Gold or Silver, or any Mettal in imitation of, or gilded with Gold or Silver; who &s;hould only pay upon the days afore|mentioned the &s;um of &s;ix-pence, that is one &s;hilling by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Gentlemen, or Reputed Gentlemen, Clergy-men, Attor|neys, Sollicitors, Proctors, and of every other Per&s;on or Per&s;ons what&s;oever, that &s;hould after the fir&s;t day of</HI> April <HI>next wear any Silk, or Half-Silk, or Cloth, or Stuff mixed, lined, or faced, with any Silk or half Silk, upon their Heads or Bodies (other than the Buttons and Silk u&s;ed in &s;owing and making up their Woollen Cloaths) or any Buttons, Lace, Fringe, Thread or Wire of Gold or Silver, or of Tin&s;el, or any other Mettal gilded with Gold or Silver; and that &s;hould not wear Hats of Wool, &s;hould upon every of the days aforementioned, while they continue unmarried, pay the Sum of three Shillings, that is &s;ix Shillings by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Knights, Sergeants at Law, Doctors of Divinity, Law or Phy&s;ick, &s;hould upon every of the days aforementioned, while they continue unmarried, pay the &s;um of four &s;hillings, that is eight &s;hillings by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Baronets and Judges, &s;hould upon every of the days,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>pay the &s;um of</HI> 5 <HI>&s;hillings; that is</HI> 10 <HI>&s;hillings by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Barons,</HI> &amp;c. 7 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d. that is</HI> 15 <HI>s. by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Vi&s;counts,</HI> &amp;c. 10 <HI>s. that is</HI> 20 <HI>s. by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Earls,</HI> &amp;c. 12 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d. that is</HI> 25 <HI>s. by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Marqui&s;&s;es,</HI> &amp;c. 15 <HI>s. that is</HI> 30 <HI>s. by the year.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Sons and Daughters of all Dukes,</HI> &amp;c. 20 <HI>s. that is</HI> 40 <HI>s. by the year.</HI></P>
<P>I do al&s;o humbly propo&s;e, that <HI>Whereas the expen&s;ive and extravagant apparel of the meaner &s;ort of Women, is not only prejudicial to their Husbands, but to Ho&s;pitality, and to the Kingdom in general,</HI> It might be by the Parliament Enacted, &amp;c. <HI>that all Wives and Widdows, (except the Wives, Widdows, Daughters, and Sons Wives of all the No|bility, and their Children; and of all Baronets and Knights, and of all tho&s;e that are or &s;hall be Members of Parliament; and of all E&s;quires by Birth or Office, all Ju&s;tices of the Peace, Sheriffs, Barri&s;ters at Law; and of all Doctors of Divinity, Law or Phy&s;ick: And except the Wives of all Deans, Arch-Deacons, Chancellors, Prebendaries, Heads of Col|leges or Halls; and except the Wives of all Merchants, Shop-keepers and Hou&s;holders, that are Free-men of the Cities of</HI> London <HI>and</HI> We&s;tmin&s;ter, <HI>and are worth Three hun|dred pounds; and of all Mini&s;ters officiating within the &s;ame: And except the Wives of all</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="4"> <HI>Mayors of Corporations, for the time of &s;uch their Mayoralty only) that &s;hall, after the fir&s;t day of</HI> April <HI>next, wear any Silk or Half Silk, or Cloath or Stuff any way mixed or lined with Silk, upon their Heads or Bodies, (other than the Silk u&s;ed in &s;owing or making up their Woollen Cloths) or any Buttons, Lace, Fringe, Thread or Wire of Gold or Silver, or of Tin|&s;el, or any other Mettal gilded with Gold or Silver, and that &s;hall not wear Hats of Wooll, &s;hould upon every of the days afore-mentioned pay the &s;um of three &s;hillings, that is &s;ix &s;hil|lings by the year, till they &s;hould wear Hats of Wooll, and give over wearing Silk, Lace, Buttons, Fringe, Thread or Wire of Gold or Silver, or of Tin&s;el, or any other Mettal gilded with Gold or Silver.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And to di&s;courage the wearing of Straw or Wood Hats or Bonnets, &s;o expen&s;ive and preju|dicial to the Woollen Manufacture of Hats, That all Men and Women, above the age of</HI> 16, <HI>that &s;hould after the fir&s;t day of</HI> April <HI>next, wear any Straw or Wood Hats or Bonnets, &s;hould be charged for the &s;ame, as tho&s;e that wear Gold or Silver Lace,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>that is, &s;hould pay</HI> 3 <HI>s. upon every of the days afore-mentioned.</HI></P>
<P><HI>That the Wives and Widdows of all Aldermen of Corporations, and of all Mini&s;ters &s;hould be allowed for Decency and Gravity &s;ake to wear little black Silk Hoods under their Woollen Hats.</HI></P>
<P>I do al&s;o humbly propo&s;e, that <HI>To the end that the &s;everal &s;ums afore-mentioned might be rai&s;ed with the lea&s;t trouble, that the Con&s;tables, Headboroughs or Tything men, and three or more &s;ub&s;tantial Inhabitants of every Con&s;tablewick or Town&s;hip, &s;hould upon every fir&s;t day of</HI> May, <HI>and upon every fir&s;t day of</HI> November, <HI>in the afternoon, meet at &s;ome publick place within the &s;aid Con&s;tablewick or Town&s;hip, and make up a Li&s;t of all the Men and Women in their Con&s;tablewick or Town&s;hip, chargeable upon the &s;aid days to pay. Two of which Li&s;ts, fairly written under their hands, &s;etting down the Names, Sirnames and Qualities, under which every one is to pay, &s;hould be carried within four days, by the Con|&s;table, Headborough or Tything-man, or other Officer of the place, to the next Ju&s;tice of the Peace, to be by him allowed under his Hand and Seal; one of which Li&s;ts &s;o &s;igned, &s;hould be delivered forthwith to &s;uch Collector as &s;hould be appointed by their Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ioner General to receive the &s;aid Money, to be by him tran&s;mitted to the &s;aid Commi&s;&s;ioner Gene|ral, to be a charge upon the &s;aid Collector&punc; And the other List &s;hould be kept by the &s;aid Con|&s;table, or other Officer, thereby to demand, collect, and gather the &s;ums therein mentioned, which he &s;hould be obliged to do within fifteen days time after the day the &s;aid &s;ums become due; and to pay the &s;ame, and deliver the &s;aid Li&s;t within &s;ix days afterwards to the &s;aid Collector, who&s;e Receipt &s;hould be a &s;ufficient di&s;charge to the &s;aid Con&s;table, and to tho&s;e who&s;e Money he had received: And for his pains the Collector &s;hould allow him &s;ix pence for every twenty &s;hillings he &s;hould &s;o collect and pay.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the Trea&s;urers or other Officer of every Inns of Court, Inns of Chancery, College or Hall, &s;hould make and return Li&s;ts, &s;igned by the Head, or two of the next pre&s;ent Seniors, of &s;uch per&s;ons as are chargable within their &s;everal precincts, in the &s;ame manner, and at the &s;ame time as Con&s;tables, and be liable to the like penalties in ca&s;e of neglect or refu&s;al.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And to the end that none &s;hould evade paying, by pretending them&s;elves Servants or Appren|tices, when indeed they were no &s;uch thing, or by &s;hifting from place to place before the days of payment; power &s;hould be given to Ma&s;ters and Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es to detain or keep back &s;o much of their Wages, upon their removing near &s;uch days of payment, as afore&s;aid; and that none &s;hould be excu&s;ed as Servants or Apprentices, that &s;hould live with their Father or Mother, Grand father or Grand&punc;mother, &V;nkle or Aunt, Brother or Si&s;ter, or with their Guardians; and to prevent abu&s;es in fal&s;e Li&s;ts, in peoples being left out or charged &s;hort, that upon their being convicted of the &s;ame before the next Ju&s;tice of the Peace, they &s;hould be charged double.</HI></P>
<PB N="6" REF="5">
<P> <HI>That the Collectors &s;hould have power to enquire into the truth of the Li&s;ts brought them, and upon di&s;covery of any abu&s;es, might &s;ummon the Offender to go before the next Ju&s;tice of the Peace,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>and that if any per&s;on &s;hould think him&s;elf aggrieved by the Judgment of the &s;aid Ju&s;tice, he &s;hould have liberty to appeal to the next Se&s;&s;ions (giving notice to the other party) which &s;hould be final.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And to prevent their Maje&s;ties being cheated of any part of the Money to be rai&s;ed, that the Ju&s;tices &s;hould be obliged once a year to certifie to the Se&s;&s;ions an account of all convictions made before them, and that the Clerks of the Peace &s;hould be obliged to certifie once a year as well tho&s;e return'd by the Ju&s;tices, as tho&s;e made in open Se&s;&s;ions, to their Maje&s;ties Commi&s;|&s;ioner General, to be a charge upon the Collectors.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And to prevent any failure in the due execution, and to the end that the Money received. might be truly an&s;wered, that a penalty of</HI> 10 <HI>l. &s;hould be inflicted upon every Con&s;table,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>that &s;hould neglect or refu&s;e to do his duty; and al&s;o upon the Clerks of the Peace for every time they &s;hould neglect to make Certificates to the Commi&s;&s;ioner General, as afore-mentioned.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hould have been much more particular about the Method of collecting the Money, that would ari&s;e upon the propo&s;als before mentioned, as well to pre|vent abu&s;es in tho&s;e that &s;hould pay, and in tho&s;e that &s;hould collect or receive; as al&s;o that it might the better an&s;wer what I promi&s;e in the Title: but for fear of offending, or being tedious. And yet I thought it nece&s;&s;ary to hint at the mo&s;t material things, that I might the better &s;hew how they would an&s;wer the ends I propo&s;ed, if they &s;hould be framed into a Bill, and pa&s;&s;ed into a Law.</P>
<P>The Money propo&s;ed to be charged upon the &s;everal conditions of unmarried people, tho in it &s;elf not &s;o con&s;iderable as may at fir&s;t glance appear, will yet I pre|&s;ume be &s;ufficient to an&s;wer all the ends I expect from it; and the Ages propo&s;ed for the beginning of the &s;aid charge, is I think mo&s;t equal: The &s;hame that Men and Women will fancy in paying, will &s;pur them on to Marriage, at lea&s;t the better &s;ort; and it will not only do as much in the meaner &s;ort, but it will in&s;en&s;ibly bring them to wear the manufacture and product of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Nation; the want of the doing of which, with want of People, are the two chief cau&s;es of the decrea&s;e of the value of Land, and the dullne&s;s of Trade, &s;o much complained on, and not the War, as &s;ome fancy, &s;eeing there is certainly more Wollen Cloth now exported than was when Wooll carried a much greater price in the Kingdom. And the Army doth con&s;ume many thou&s;and pounds worth of Wooll more year|ly than would be if there were no &s;uch thing.</P>
<P>I have on purpo&s;e propo&s;ed it harder upon three &s;orts of People than any other, and that for the&s;e rea&s;ons.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> upon the Sons and Daughters of the meaner &s;ort of People that &s;hall be kept idling at home, who I propo&s;e to be charged three &s;hillings by the year, that they may marry them, or put them abroad to be Servants, which would make Servants more plentiful, and to be had for much le&s;s wages, a thing of great advantage to all Farmers and Hou&s;e-keepers in general, and that would certainly encrea&s;e Rents: And I hope it will not be thought too great a charge, upon &s;uch as are too proud to be Servants, to pay three &s;hillings a year till they marry: Nor I think is one &s;hilling a year either too little or too much for tho&s;e Servants or Apprentices that comply with wearing Woollen, &s;eeing they cannot well pay le&s;s, and it's convenient they &s;hould pay &s;omething to prompt them to marry. And if
<PB N="7" REF="5"> any are again&s;t having tho&s;e excepted, from paying as Servants, that live with their Fathers, Mothers, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I de&s;ire they will but con&s;ider, and they will find, that without that exception there will be few more Servants than are now, nor would the mo&s;t of tho&s;e that live with &s;uch Relations pay more than Servants, though in truth they were no &s;uch thing: which would prejudice &s;everal of the benefits to be received by the&s;e propo&s;als.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Upon &s;uch Servants and meaner &s;ort of People as &s;hall continue to wear Silk, Gold or Silver Lace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and as &s;hall refu&s;e to wear Hats of Wooll, all which I propo&s;e to be charged as much as Gentlemens Sons and Daughters, that is &s;ix Shillings by the year, to make them give over wearing Habits &s;o un&s;uitable to their conditions, by the doing of which the Woollen Manufacture would not only be very much improved, (for even the general wearing but of Woollen Hats would con&s;ume a great quantity of Wooll yearly) But it would become a much le&s;s expence to the meaner &s;ort of Gentry to di&s;tingui&s;h their Children for &s;uch, and it would certainly in a little time gain, or &s;ave, mo&s;t of the Land-holders in <HI>England</HI> more Money than would an&s;wer their A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ments to their Maje&s;ties for carrying on the War; that is, gain in the increa&s;e of Rents, and of the value of all things of <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Growth; and &s;ave in Servants Wages, in clothing their Chil|dren, and &s;everal other things that might be named, worth being con&s;idered.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Upon the Wives of the Meaner &s;ort of People, to bring them to wear &s;uch Cloaths as are fitter for them, than often to wear a great part of their Hus|bands E&s;tate upon their Backs. And there is no que&s;tion but it will do it by de|grees, for the generality of People will comply with wearing any &s;ort of Habit, rather than pay yearly, a &s;mall Sum of Money upon any public account.</P>
<P>And if any &s;hall think this charge will be too hard, or that it will rai&s;e too much Money, or that it will occa&s;ion too many new Offices, or that it will prejudice the Manufacture of Silk, or that of Straw, or Wood Hats or Bonnets.</P>
<P><HI>To the first,</HI> I an&s;wer it cannot really be e&s;teemed &s;o, &s;eeing none needs pay long|er than they plea&s;e, for let them but marry and wear Cloaths &s;uitable for them, and they will be no ways charged by what I have propo&s;ed, or let them but be Servants, and the charge will be very &s;mall.</P>
<P><HI>To the &s;econd,</HI> I an&s;wer, it will not rai&s;e &s;o great a &s;um as may be apprehended, for people will comply with the de&s;ign of &s;uch a Law rather than pay any thing, and then the Money due would be every year much le&s;s than other. And proba|bly before it could be got into a good way of management, there would not be &s;o many people chargable by at lea&s;t a third part as would be now: But admit it would rai&s;e a much greater &s;um than it really will, hath not the Government oc|ca&s;ion for it; and can it be better rai&s;ed than after a way that will bring &s;o many benefits to the publick; for if this Money were to be buried, I dare engage the Kingdom would gain by paying it, for it is hardly to be imagined how much it would do as to the an&s;wering all that's promi&s;ed in its title: But there might be a fund charged out of it for the maintenance of di&s;tre&s;&s;ed or di&s;abled Mariners or Seamen, and con&s;idering that <HI>England</HI>'s &s;afety depends much upon tho&s;e &s;ort of People, it is but prudent to give them more than ordinary encouragement. Or it might go towards paying of the charge of the Tran&s;port Ships, and prevent the ruine of a great many Families; or there might be a fund to cure an evil now too common in mo&s;t parts of the Kingdom, that is Clipping and Coyning, by erecting
<PB N="8" REF="6"> a Pri&s;on or Work-hou&s;e in &s;ome remote part of the Kingdom, to which &s;uch Of|fenders &s;hould be confined for Life, which might be &s;o contrived, as to cure that evil &s;ooner than the taking away of Life, as now practi&s;ed, as I think I could make evident; or to what el&s;e &s;hall be thought more convenient.</P>
<P><HI>To the Third,</HI> I an&s;wer, it is true it mu&s;t neeeds occa&s;ion &s;ome Officers to get it truly collected, and the more exactly it is collected the better it will be for the Kingdom: but the number imployed need not be many, for I &s;hould not que&s;tion but to propo&s;e a way to manage it at a very moderate charge, and &s;o as it &s;hould hardly be po&s;&s;ible for any imployed therein to cheat ot wrong their Maje&s;ties of any part of it without being di&s;covered.</P>
<P>And as <HI>to the Fourth,</HI> I de&s;ire to know whether the manufacture of Wooll, the natural Product of the Nation, be not in the fir&s;t place to be con&s;idered, and then I &s;hall an&s;wer that it will not prejudice the Silk Manufacture near &s;o much, as it will advantage the other; for there will be &s;o many to wear Silk, that are not propo&s;ed to be charged for the &s;ame, as will be &s;ufficient not only to keep up, but to encourage that Manufacture: As all the Nobility, the Gentry, mo&s;t of the Citi|zens of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> and a great many others that will come within that exception; and be&s;ides which there will be a great many that will wear it, though they pay for their Pride, but for &s;uch it is but rea&s;onable they &s;hould pay for pre|judicing the Public. And as to that of Straw Hats or Bonnets, it is not to be na|med the &s;ame day with that of Wool; however there may be enough worn to continue that Manufacture, which doth much more prejudice than good to the Public; for Children, and young People under 16 are not propo&s;ed to be forbid wearing them, and tho&s;e that wear Silk may wear them without any increa&s;e of Charge.</P>
<P>I need not I think &s;ay much, why I would di&s;courage the wearing of Lace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> in the Meaner &s;ort of People, it being &s;o apparent an improper Habit, and become &s;o expen&s;ive to them, that I believe no thinking man will encourage it.</P>
<P>Now be&s;ides the benefits that what is here propo&s;ed, would bring to the Public in incouraging the Woollen Manufacture, and increa&s;ing the Value of Land, the Number of People, and con&s;equently the Strength of the Kingdom: The Di&s;cou|ragement that it would give to Vice, will I pre&s;ume be &s;ufficient to make it take with all good Friends to their Country. I know that there is another thing that would much more effectually &s;uppre&s;s Vice, and encourage Marriage, which I have before hinted at, and which I may probably offer to the Public, if this meet with a kind reception. But this would do well at pre&s;ent, and truly I cannot but think, &s;omething more than ordinary &s;hould be done to &s;uppre&s;s Vice, and to inable the Kingdom to pay A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ments; if we de&s;ire God Almighty &s;hould continue his fa|vors to us, and to be in a po&s;ture to defend our &s;elves again&s;t a <HI>French</HI> power.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t needs &s;ay I think there might be &s;everal con&s;iderable &s;ums of money rai&s;ed towards the &s;upport of the Government, after &s;uch ways as would be much for the advantage of the Kingdom, as in&s;tead of forbidding any thing that is pre|judicial to the the Public, to lay an impo&s;ition upon it, and &s;o rai&s;e an additio|nal Revenue, which would not only be a better way of rooting any inconvenient thing out of the Kingdom, but would decrea&s;e as to the quantity of the &s;um to be rai&s;ed, as the inconveniency to be removed were di&s;continued, which would
<PB N="9" REF="6"> be a way of rai&s;ing money in reality hard upon no body, for I cannot look upon it hard if upon the doing &s;ome extravagant action, I &s;hould be obliged to pay &s;o much to the Government, &s;eeing by the not doing it I &s;hould be clear, and that therefore the charge is Voluntary. And I do not que&s;tion but I could propo&s;e &s;omething to this I here offer, that &s;hould not only this year rai&s;e a con&s;iderable &s;um of Money to the Government, and that without being hard upon any one poor per&s;on, but that &s;hould put the Kingdom into a much better condition to pay a&s;&s;e&s;&s;ments; and which &s;hould be managed after the &s;ame manner, and by the &s;ame Officers without any increa&s;e of charge. And I have had thoughts of men|tioning a thing that &s;hould either &s;ave the Kingdom 2 or 300000 pounds a year in a very unnece&s;&s;ary and prejudicial expence, or rai&s;e a &s;um of money to the u&s;e of the Government, and which &s;hould decrea&s;e as the expence aforementioned were di&s;continued; but for fear it &s;hould be thought I have done more than enough already, I &s;hall forbear.</P>
<P>Now <HI>I</HI> &s;hall not &s;ay much about the way <HI>I</HI> propo&s;e for the collecting of it, it be|ing <HI>I</HI> think obvious to any that the Con&s;tables are not only the likelie&s;t to know who are chargeable, but to collect it with the lea&s;t trouble and charge, and by that means there needs be fewer Officers imploy'd by their Maje&s;ties, which make the money rai&s;ed more con&s;iderable. I do al&s;o propo&s;e to have all di&s;putes deter|mined by the adjoyning Ju&s;tices, with only an appeal to the Se&s;&s;ions; and the penalty propo&s;ed to be laid upon the Clerks of the Peace, Con&s;tables, &amp;c. that &s;hall neglect or refu&s;e to do their duty, is but convenient to get the Revenue truly an&s;wered, and to prevent abu&s;es.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t confe&s;s <HI>I</HI> am a little at a lo&s;s as to the wording that part of the Exception for the Citizens Wives of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> for though <HI>I</HI> would bring ma|ny into the Exception that <HI>I</HI> think were as fit to be habited in Woollen, as in Silk, out of re&s;pect to the inhabitants of tho&s;e great Cities, yet <HI>I</HI> would not have it reach to every poor Mans Wife of the Town, and therefore <HI>I</HI> propo&s;e they &s;hould be worth 300 pounds at lea&s;t. As to the re&s;t of <HI>England I</HI> think the Ex|ception is large enough.</P>
<P>And now give me leave to hope that none of the Worthy Founders of their Countrys happine&s;s will &s;cruple to give his a&s;&s;ent to a thing that will be &s;o bene|ficial to the Publick, though he do thereby lay a &s;mall charge upon &s;ome of his Children, or may be upon him&s;elf, for as neither of them will I pre&s;ume be of any long continuance, &s;o will they not be of any con&s;ideration in compari&s;on of the gain they will meet with in the improvement of Rents, and the le&s;&s;ening of other expences, and of the general advantages that will accrue to the Publick, which &s;hould be the chief thing to be con&s;idered, as I am &s;ure it is by me: for the charge I here propo&s;e is likely to lie as hard upon me, and probably for as long a time, as upon any man, but I do not con&s;ider that in compari&s;on with the other, nor will I hope any of tho&s;e worthy Patriots, to whom this is addre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P REND="indent"><HI>Who&s;e Pardon I do with all Humility and Submi&s;&s;ion beg for this boldne&s;s, which is purely occa&s;ioned by my Zeal for the Pro&s;perity of my Native Country.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
