BREAD for the POOR: OR, OBSRVATIONS Upon certain PROPOSALS Lately offered To the Kings Majesty and both Houses of PARLIAMENT.

With some additional Considerations ten­ding to Inriching of the Nation, and E [...]rease of most necessary Manufactories amon [...] us.

WHEREBY All Poor people (Women and Children from five years old) may be comfortably Employ'd to get their own Livings, Beggars and Vagrants Restrain'd; the Parish-Charges for the Poor Lightned: And consequently our Lands improved, Rents raised, and yet both Farmers and Tradesmen Encouraged; And many Hundred thousand pounds a year kept at home, which now goes out of the Kingdom to French and ther Forraign Commodities.

By Philo-Anglicus, Gent.

With Allowance.

London: Printed for D. M. 1678.

Bread for the Poor: Or, Obser­vations upon certain PROPOSALS lately offered to the King and both Houses of Parliament.

THe Labours of the Poor, are the Mines of the Rich; Manufactories and Com­merce, the Springs of Wealth to eve­ry Nation, whence flow Power at home, and (the effect of that) Reputa­tion abroad; so that no doubt that Prince or Nati­on that can gain and keep the Trade of the World, will in short time bid fair to be in effect, Master of the World.

This the FRENCH have not only understood, but vigorously endeavour'd; As if they aim'd to be little less formidable for their subtlety in Traf­fique, than by the power of their Arms. For how considerably have they advanc'd their Trade, and promoted their own Manufactories? Still no less industriously beating down and supplanting those of their Neighbours▪ particularly of England, as (a­mongst others) for Instance, our WOOLLEN-CLOTH, [Page 4]on which they have laid such heavy Impositions, as almost quite discouraged the exporting any thither; Yet in the mean time bringing over vast quantities of their prohibited Trifles, with the same boats at their return jilting away our Wool ( one Pack of which puts three of theirs into Cloth, which other­wise were unserviceable;) and also invite over our workmen, undersel us at Market, and use a thou­sand Artifices to Ruine that Trade, which once was the Glory of our Nation, and made us renowned through the World.

These things are too apparent not to be taken no­tice of, too dangerous not to be obviated. To which purpose what remains, but that we Countermine their policies, and strive to improve to the utmost the Manufactories of those materials which our Kingdom does, or might plentifully yield; And as much discourage theirs, of which our people have hitherto been too fond?

In order to this, we cannot but observe and ap­plaud a very profitable PROPOSAL lately made by one Mr. Richard Hains, a person though to us un­known further than by his worthy Labours, and that we are informed he is a Sussex-Gentleman, Yet certainly his Zeal for promoting things tending to publick Good, and his Industrious Genius in the happy discovery of them, no less than the pains he takes to divulge them, that being reduced by Au­thority into Practice, they may accomplish the good ends desired, deserves both publick notice and thanks. Wherefore, though he has lately printed the same, yet the Book not being so generally dispers'd [Page 4]as might be wisht, we shall presume to recite some parts of it here: For, Omne Bonum quo Communius eo' Melius.

This Author considering the heavie Pressures most Parishes lie under to maintain their Poor, who daily increase; the decay of our Woollen Cloathing Trade, and the vast Charge we are yearly at for Lin­nen, Cordage, &c. from other Nations, whereby our Treasure is exhausted, and our Lands fall for want of being improved some other way, besides the common ones, of sowing of Corn, breeding for Wool, &c.

For Remedy, does propose,
That there may be erected in every County of En­gland, according to its Extent or Populousness, a greater or lesser VVork house or VVorking Alms-house, as he properly enough calls it; for so in the end and designe of the Erection it is; (Work for Money being a better piece of Alms to those that are able to do it, than Money or Victuals without Work to lazie Vagrants.) In which houses the Poor may be continually employed under Sober and Religious Go­vernment in the Manufactory of Linnen Cloath. Whereby he demonstrates by a modest Calculation, that above thirteen hundred thousand pounds worth of Linnen Cloath may yearly be spun in those houses, besides what is done in private Families: Whence a triple benefit would arise.

1. Those vast Sums now yearly sent out of the Nation for Linnen Cloath, &c. (which computed by very Intelligent persons, has of late cost us more than a Million per Annum) may be saved.

[Page 5] 2. It will be an Employment for the weakest people, not capable of stronger labour, viz. Women, Children, and Aged, now the most chargeable; and set to work those hands which for the most part now are idle; it being supposed there are at least 100000 Beggars or others that want a lawful Employment, who hereby will not onely be removed from being chargeable, but on the contrarie, kept in good order, may become serviceable to the Publick.

3. Much Land throughout England will be great­ly improved by sowing Hemp and Flax; one of which may be plentifully produced in every Countie of this Kingdom, to the great advantage of Farmers, and consequently of Landlords.

To facilitare this Work, he has invented an Eng [...]ne whereby one man may turn fifty Spinning-wheels, which shall serve a hundred persons to spin with at once: so that they shall have nothing to do but em­ploy both hands to draw Tire from the Distaff, and so earn nine pence a day as easily as now they can six pence; as is there evidently demonstrated.

The Objections that may be made either to the Advantages proposed, or the Method, he has largely and plainly solved; so that I do not perceive any thing that with any colour of reason can be started against it, but he has soundly and substantially an­swered.

The Title of his Book is, Proposals for building VVorking-Alms houses, as the best Expedient to per­fect the Trade and Manufactory of Linnen Cloath in England. To be sold by R. Harford, at the Angel in Cornhill. A Piece which I cannot but seriously [Page 6]recommend to the reading and consideration of every good Patriot and true English-man.

'Tis certain, when in any Nation Commodities are Imported to a greater value than what are Ex­ported, Impoverishment seems unavoidable: For then our ready Money must go out to even the Bal­lance; whence it appears, A Kingdom may be in as much danger by a great Trade ill managed, as by too little. It seems therefore Proposable, That special Care be taken to improve Commodities of our own growth and manufacture, and restrain the bringing in of Superfluities and Unnecessaries. Hence 'tis considerable, whether the prohibiting of that mightie Glut of French VVine may not be ad­visable, and the promoting of Cider or other En­glish Liquors (altogether as pleasant, and probably much more wholsome, because more agreeable to English bodies) in its stead. The Decrease of his Majesties Customs may easily be supplied by the great wisdom of the Nation another way.

Furthermore, since the first Riches of any Nation is the multitude of its Inhabitants, and that we are like to have great occasion for People, as well to be employ'd in profitable Manufactories at home, as necessary Defence abroad; 'tis sad to consider how many Thousands of his Majesties Subjects are yearly ruined by unjust Vexations and trivial Suits; their bodies buried alive in Prisons, and their Families reduced to a Parish-charge. This within the Liber­ties of London is in a good measure avoided, by that excellent Court establisht by King James P. M. de­servedly call'd The Court of Conscience. Judicaturs [Page 7]of like nature ('tis conceived) might be as commo­diously erected in the Suburbs of that Citie, and other grand Corporations, where they are more necessary, by reason of a greater confluence there of People mean and Indigent; the common Prey of Brokers, Tallymen, Bum-bayliffs, &c.

Indeed the whole business of Arrests and Impri­sonment (at least by Capias before Judgment) de­serves Consideration, if not Regulation. 'Tis cer­tain, From the beginning it was not so: Nor shall I dispute what our Ancestors did to make Trusting fools wise, or Ticking knaves honest. However, the present Course seems a little incongruous,

1. In Nature, consequently in Law; nothing be­ing destrainable but what can satisfie, which must be an Estate either in Land or Goods: For a mans body is neither Saleable (with us) nor Eatable.

2. In Discretion; the Creditor hereby disabling the Debtor, renders his Debt more desperate.

3. In reason of State; depriving the Soveraign of his Subjects, whose bodies thus immur'd might otherwise be serviceable in Peace or War.

4. In Justice and Conscience; that a man should be debarr'd of his Liberty (the greatest Enjoyment Temporal) meerly on a Suggestion, before it be ju­dicially proved that he is either a Debtor or Tres­passer: Experience witnessing, That scarce one Ar­rest in ten, but is either wholly causless, or for spleen, revenge, or some inconsiderable trifle.

Lastly, In Commerce; Spendthrifts are allur'd to Rookings, and the trusting Dealer is but smother'd in his own Feathers: For, to pack off his Wares at [Page 8] any Rate, he readily books the loose) the reach of his Purse: And if his fortune fall short▪, curses his Confidence; and to eke out his revenge, takes forth a Capias for his Carcass; which proves but throwing good money after [...] one Crawls out, Twenty are swallowed [...] or de­voured by excessive Fees, and Debaucheries com­monly incident to Goals. In a word, 'Tis both a pity and a shame, honest men, meerly because poor, should be kept a starving in Prisons; and as for rich Knaves, they do not regard them.

'Tis a good Maxime, No man ought to be wiser than the Law; yet 'tis hop'd, what tends to Publick Ad­vantage, may with modesty and due submission be offered to Consideration: And 'tis with that be­coming deference these few Hints are tendred to that Great Authority, which has) Power (if thought meet) to make such variations as shall be necessary; whose Consultations may the Everlasting Counsellor bless with Unanimity and Success, for the Good of his Church, and Prosperity of this Nation.

FINIS.

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