Injury Done to the Merchant Adventurers' Company by Members Trading Direct with Spain
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| Artifact type | |
| Creator/author | |
| Date | 1579 |
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Entry
[The York Mercers and Merchant Adventurers, ed. M. Sellers (Surtees Soc., 1918), pp. 216-21.]
1. The worshippfull company of marchaunt adventurers, who have authorytie to make lawes and ordinaunces for the generall benyfite of the same, have alwaies had a care, accordinge to equitye and accordinge to their othe, to provide for the generall state thearof. Item, accordinge thearunto in tyme long syns, when the company wear oppressed by brethren keepinge shoppes of retayle in London and other partes of England, [who]
did alsoe, becawse they weare free amongest us, goa over the sea and buy their wares at the marte townes as the rest of the company did ; therfore the company enackted at that tyme, that no brother therof should occupye over the sea and at home by retayll att one tyme, but using the one he shoulde leave the other, wherby syns that tyme bothe sortes have the better lyved.
And yet no doubt but many bothe would and could use bothe trades willinglye, and soe taike the livinge from their brotheren, as good members as they be, yf they weare not by this acte restrayned. 2. Item, the marchant adventurers tradinge Spayne (whoese trade as it is used dothe greatlye at this tyme hurt the generalytye) are necessarylye lyckwise by good lawes to be restrayned from occupyinge in the priviledged places of the company amongst us, unlesse they will give over occupieinge into Spayn, their trade, as the [sic] nowe use ytt, beinge onlye benyficiall unto themselves, but hurtfull to our companye. 3. Item, the merchant adventurers tradyinge Spayne doe now usuallye shipp great store of clothes and kersies to the mart townes, that with the monye that comethe of them their factors and servants may provide great store of comodities of Eastland, of Germany and Lowe Cowntries, which they use to ship thence directly into Spayne, and because the provisiones for thoes comodities must be made in tymes and seasones (as against the vintages), they shall in that respecte be driven to sell the said Englishe commodities the better cheape, and to smawll gayne ; which althoughe they may doe soe and yet verry well lyve, in that their gayne lyethe rather in the forraine comodities thear bought, yet the body of the company, which have alwaies esteemed the comodities of England, can not lyve by soe smawll gaynes, and clothes, which wee shipp with great dificulty withe gettinge the licence from her majetie, as is thought to owre great benyfite, may by these meanes [be] soe imbased in price, as they may be sould to macke mony of, much licke to thinges solde in London in shiftes, whensoever dead saill be, wherof our bretheren tradinge Spayne shalbe occasion. 4. Item, our company, contrairy wise, traidinge onlye the marte townes, being verry great and ample, and hable to carry and vent the clothes and other Englishe comodyties for that trade withowt any help of our brethren tradinge Spayne, have made their wholl contynuall retourn of all manner of merchandize directlye to England, and wear wonte to buy wax, copper, fustianes of all sortes, lynen, clothe, tapistry, faies [sic, ? saies], moccadoes, and divers other comodyties made bothe in the lowe countries, and norren boroughe, and in hyghe Ducheland, and paid the quenes majestie her costome for theis goodes, whereof we sold many tymes great quantities to Spanishe merchauntes, that paid costomes agayne for the same, and so by this meanes the quene majestie receaved divers tymes dobble costome, the navye was doble sett on worcke, and the realme of England, throughe the which these merchandise came, was by those meanes haboundantlye furnyshed and satissfied. But nowe of thes benyfites of our retourn, both the quene majestie, the realme and the company are deprived by these brethren that be free in Spayne, and their pretenders. 5. Item, it is to be feared that the marchant adventurers, tradinge and free in Spayne, will in smawll tyme by reason of their trade into many countries breed upp soe many servantes, which, if they shalbe free in bothe the corporacions as nowe their masters be, might growe to the hindraunce and hurt of bothe corporations, especyally of all suche of either of the said companyes as should not be free of bothe as they be ; for their number, waxing in smaull tyme greate, and by their many wayes occupyinge, are liklye to growe welthye, they might and woulde overrule the meere corporation in bothe the companyes, if speedy remedy be not had. But for this owre company hathe bene auncient, and hathe longe tyme governed others, it be- hoovethe them the spedier to loocke for redresse, least others of newe corporationes govern, and rule, and over rule them, which in tyme is to be foreseen. 6. Item, in all the new corporationes the quene maietie and her counsell have foreseen and provided, for that non of any other societye shall easelie have previledge amongest them, no not owr company of merchant adventurers, which had libertye over all (with some except), as wee receave non [?] of them into owre fellowshipp, which dothe signifye that they accownt it a burthen to their corporationes to have amongest them brethren of other corporationes. Then likwise it is necessary for our company to indevour owre selves, havinge authorytie and habilytie, to lett in tyme to our power that brethren of thes newe corporationes growe not to burthen some of owre auncient company.
7. Item, in the service of our company this is a gret hurt and mischiefe to the same, when thoes that be chosen to be assistantes or comoties to doe our company good shalbe alsoe chosen to the same functions in the other new corporationes, whoe beinge sworn to bothe the companies to deall for the benyfite of eache, thear may fawll owt suche matter as may be directly opposit and contrary, and repugnant the one to the other ; hearin either coldnes or neclygens at the least wise must needs appeare in the on, for no man can serve 2 masters ; well, I say nothinge of the suspition that will every day increase, especially when thinges comethe not to passe as wee look to have them ; what a misery is this, when wee shall have in our corporation men that wee knowe can doe us good, and we are afearde to trust them that have in their power to helpe us, and lacke a good will to doe it. 8. Item, wheare we usually cawll courtes to heare mens opynions for the benyfite of our company, the brethren assembled beinge of soe many corporationes as of us, of Spayne, of Eastland, of the staple of Muscovye, etc. , and using sundry contries, what strifes, contentions, and brawlers doe this stir up. For the most parte will have respecte whether the proposition put forthe dothe hurt or hinder that place whear they most frequent, and soe instead of sound counsell to doe the company good, wee shall have oppyniones, sectes, deviciones, brawles, and suspitiones amongest us, as if weare to begin hell uppon earthe ; which will come by thes soe many corporacions that be amongest us. 9. Item, howe ordynaunces wilbe kept, wee have seen of late, and dayly doe see by experience, that whear the honourable counsell made a decree forbidinge trafficque to the hauncs townes, and our company confirmed it by ordynaunce, yet some of thes bretheren, that be free of other societies, neither could nor have observed it, but sometymes by peticion, sometymes by complayninge and hart burninge, and sometymes by adventuringe without leave, some mens tornes have been served. What is to be looked for to be observed of our ordynaunces, if thoes ordynaunces ratified by a decree of the lords be broken ?
Moreover, the paiement of impositiones, loanes, taskes, and suche licke, howe well shall the company gather them amongest bretheren of soe manye societies, and occupieinge in soe many contries ? For when wee shall looke for him in our mart townes, he wilbe gone into Spayne, or Eastland, and one contrye or corporation is as good for him as on other ; soe wee shalbe defrauded, and the meere bretheren the more burthened. 10. Item, the lynitie of our company hathe been suche, that while the trade into Spayn was litle, the [sic] suffered and did tollerat the merchauntes thear tradinge to bringe and sell to and in the mart townes all sortes of Spanishe comodities, and that withowt payment of any impositiones or duties to our house ;
which as our company had thearby no gayne att all, for the lessenyng of unfree mens trades, who by that meanes have seen into the doinges of the company, speedy remedye is to be sought forbiddinge factors, servants, and bretheren of the company to receave, handell, or sell the goods of any unfree man what soever, or to tacke upe, or deliver any mony per exchange for their behoofe, for wee thinck and hope that by force of our priviledges and auncient orders, our company may not onlye tacke impositions of them, but wholly restrayne them. 11. Item, it is apparant that some bretheren of our company, free bothe of our companye and the Spanishe, doe in their trade from Andwarpe into Spain and Portingall joyne themselves in portable dealinges with unfree men, and their servantes are made partakers of the secrets of the comodyties, and reckonynges of our company, whilst they make their portable provisiones for Spayne and other countries. Thearfore, for that men in these daies have suche respecte to themselves that they forgett their bretheren, yea sometymes thear othe, they are either to be punysshed for offence comyttid, ore els to be under great penalty forbiddinge such occupyenge, wherby they should bring the utter decaye, subvercion, and desolation of the companye.
Wherefore, the premisses consithered, wee think it verry needfull that you would forthwithe by acte provide forbiddinge all bretheren of our company tradinge Spayne, Eastland, etc., duringe their said trades to occupye as a merchaunt adventurer in our preveledged places, and that before he be enhabeled to occupye amonge us, he shalbe holden to give our companye a yeares warninge, that he will leave of that trade of Spayne and Eastland, and occupye amongest us as a meere merchaunt adventurer.
Jesu. As before tyme hathe bin provided for the retaylors in the acte of retaile, all that is afore written is the opynion and judgement of sundrye bretheren, well willers of the company, and the wrighters wishethe it accordinglye ; but the opynion and judgement of the wrighter is that, notwithstandinge sufficient reasons and arguments are alledged whye bretheren free of the companye trading Spayne and Portingall, etc., should be quite cut of from any trade amongest us, for that I think the same wilbe verry hard to gett them to doe it for sundrye reasones that they will alledge, as that the trade between the East parte and the lowe countries is but the trade the straunger did, and yett dothe use, and then whye not they? I for i [one] thinck it good that thear be a tolleration that in restrayninge them the shippers of clothes, kersies, etc., they should have lybertye for the rest.
Item, it is alsoe to be consithered and remembred howe the trade to and from Hambroughe might be stayed, and the offendours better mett with all. I thinck the smaull penaltie of the acte imboldens divers to adventure to do as they doe ; for this last weeke heare arryved 2 shippes fully laden from Hambroughe. Written in London this 18th Marche, anno 1579, by a rude and ill wrighter, but yet a well wisher, etc. Nicolas. This agreeth with the coppye presented in the courte att Andwarpe, Gilpin, Secretary.
