THE restraint of wearing such Silks and Stuffs by the Nobility and Gentry seven Months in the Year, and by the Commonalty at all times, will necessarily impoverish and de­populate this Kingdom, there being no Trade that imploy so many people as those re­lating to the Manufacturing of Silk and Hair; for upon the most modest Computation they are judged to be several Hundreds of Thousands of Weavers, Throwsters, Windsters, Dyers, and other Dependants thereupon; many of which have (according to Law) served Seven Years Apprentiship to their several Trades, and have no other Freehold or Inheritance for themselves and Families to subsist on, and who by such a Law wil (in a manner) be deprived of their Trades, and thereby necessitated to seek their Living in other parts, or become chargeable to the places of their abodes; For that the Merchant cannot give Credit, nor the Weaver, Throwster, &c. supply their Journeymen and Windsters the year round, without returns of Moneys for their Commodities; And their Journeymen, &c. possess nothing but what they get by their daily Labour to supply their daily Wants, Nor can their Journeymen, &c. expect to be imployed in the Manufacturing of Cloath, for that (as hereafter is evident) Exportatien of Cloath to Turky will be abated, and consequently the present Manufactures of Wooll want imployment.

That although this Bill provides that Stuffs made of Mohair Yarn (being lined with Cloath or Stuffs made of Wooll) may be worn in upper Garments by men only, yet such Stuffs (if Camlets are meant thereby) do not consume the 8th. part of Mohair Yarn imported, nor will they imploy a 30th. part of the Manufactures that Mohair Yarn do now imploy: For that Hair Shaggs, the Ground and Shoot whereof is Woollen Yarn, and the several Commodities hereafter mentioned, viz. Hair Prunella, which are customarily worn by the Clergy in the Summer season, together with Camlets, Barratines, Crispiana's, Tamalta's, Calamancces, Mohair, Farrendiens, Morella's, and divers other Stuffs are made of three parts of Mohair Yarn, and but one part Silk, and these are chiefly for the use of Women in the Winter season who are not allowed to wear the same.

And although this Bill provides that Womens Garments may be lined with Silk, &c. yet such Linings have Customarily been imported from the Indies, and the English Manufactures of Silk and Hair by such Provision no wayes benefited.

That such a Law will destroy the intention of the Bill it self, by lessening the Consumption of English Wooll, and impoverishing the Manufactures thereof. For that the greatest part of our coarse Cloths and Stuffs made of English Wooll are Transported beyond the Seas, and chiefly to Turkey, in return whereof the Merchants necessarily import Raw Silk and Mohair Yarn wholly un­manufactured, which imploys so many Thousands in this Kingdom. Now it the Consumption of Silk and Hair be abated, as it must be by the restraint of the wear thereof, the Exportation of Cloth which goes out fully manufactur'd, must proportionably abate thereunto for that Turky doth not afford Commodities proper for England to be brought in returnes, other than Raw Silk and Mohair Yarn. So that Whereas the Turkey Company have so late Exported 25 or 30 thousand Cloths in one Year, they will by this Restraint be greatly reduced. And for that every of the Nobility, Gentry, and better sorts of Tradesmen and their Families will not wear our coarse Clothes made of English Wooll, but fine Dutch Clothes, and Clothes made of Spanish Wooll. It being evident, and the Clothiers themselves will acknowledge that Salisbury, Devonshire and Worcester Clothes from 11 s. per yard and upwards have not one Lock of English Wooll contained in them, except Clothes made of that small quantity of English Wooll which Lempster affords, the quantity whereof is very inconsi­derable. Upon which it is manifest, That the more Silks are worn in England (if Manufactur'd here) the greater is the Consumption of English Wooll, for such persons as wears a Silk or Mohair Garment doth certainly expend more English Wooll, that being return of English Woollen Cloth.

And the Consumption of Wooll will also be lessened by the Restraint of the wear of Stuffs, made of part Wooll, and part Silk; for that the several Stuffs hereafter mentioned, viz Bombazines Anthorines, Silk-Sayes, Crape, Silk Masquerade, Strip'd Cheneys, Virgins Beauty, Drafts of all sorts, Druggets of all sorts, Silk shades, Worsted Barratines, Glassamines, Katharina's, Tameenes, Estameenes, and all other or most Norwich Stuffs, with great Numbers of other sluifs too many to be here inserted, having but one part of Silk in them and nine parts of Worsted (which is our English Sheeps Wooll; yet because of that little part of Silk, must not be worn in Apparel.

That this Restraint will not only ruine the English Manufactures of Silk and Hair, but also great Numbers of French Protestants that fled hither from the Persecurions in France, who will be neces­sitated to depart into other parts, for it is well known that the farr greater Numbers of such Prote­stant Strangers have been imployed and wholly subsist by Manufacturing of Silk and Mohair Yarn.

But now if it shall please the Parliament instead of Restraining the Wear of our own Manufa­ctures to prohibit the Wearing of Silks and stuffs Manufactured the Forreign part, and that be cause Manufactured silks heretofore Imported from France was the return or product of Cloth, made of English Wooll, but of late Years hath been the return of Money only, whereby the Con­sumptlon of Wooll hath been abated about fix hundred thousand 1. per. Annum, this would certainly inrich this Nation; and cause a greater Consumption of Wooll.

For these Reasons and for that the said Restraints will in a manner prohibit the use of Silk & Hair stuffs, and be the present ruine of many Mercers and others, whose Stocks consist in Silks and Hair stuffe. It is humbly prayed, That this Honourable House will be pleased to lay aside the aforesaid Bill.