To
the
Right
Honourable
the
Knights
,
Citizens
and
Burgesses
in
Parliament
Assembled
.
The
humble
Proposal
of
Lewis
Rawlins
,
Whether
the
Restraining
of
Retailers
of
Beer
and
Ale
within
the
Kingdome
of
England
and
Dominion
of
Wales
from
Brewing
,
may
not
only
prove
profitable
to
the
Crown
,
but
be
expedient
;
upon
due
consideration
of
subsequent
Reasons
.
1.
BEcause
it
will
supply
his
Majesties
Exchequer
in
present
with
three
hundred
thousand
pounds
of
lawful
money
or
thereabouts
;
without
the
least
trouble
●o
the
King
,
or
Kingdome
,
to
which
Sum
the
present
Farmers
of
the
Excise
can
make
no
claim
.
II
.
It
will
advance
his
Majesties
Annual
Revenue
in
the
Excise
of
Beer
and
Ale
for
the
future
,
and
that
considerably
.
III
.
It
will
save
his
Majestie
near
30000
per
annum
,
which
hath
hitherto
been
disbursed
out
of
that
part
of
his
Revenues
in
contracting
the
number
of
Officers
which
attend
that
duty
.
IV
.
It
will
obviate
that
general
Fraud
which
is
practised
by
these
brewing
Retailers
,
to
the
detriment
of
his
Majestie
some
thousands
yearly
.
V.
Hereby
the
common
Brewer
will
receive
encouragement
from
his
encrease
of
Trade
.
VI
.
No
damage
can
hereby
accrue
to
the
Farmers
of
the
Excise
,
for
they
still
enjoy
their
contract
:
The
consumption
of
Beer
and
Ale
will
not
be
lessened
by
reducing
the
Brewing
only
of
such
Exciseable
Liquors
to
the
common
Brewer
,
whilst
the
Victuallers
,
Inholders
and
the
like
,
retail
as
great
quantities
as
formerly
,
which
in
short
,
is
but
for
Country
Retailers
to
conform
to
the
Example
of
the
City
of
London
.
This
Proposition
may
perhaps
be
excepted
against
by
the
Commissioners
of
the
Excise
,
whose
andor
in
the
Kings
business
is
hardly
justified
by
the
ensuing
Narrative
.
The
Propounder
L.R.
Gager
in
the
year
1573.
did
exhibit
as
many
Informations
in
the
Excise
office
against
W.C.
a
common
Brewer
in
London
,
as
the
forfeitures
thereupon
amounted
to
above
2000
l.
some
of
those
were
heard
by
the
Commissioners
,
and
W.C.
the
offender
thereupon
comdemned
in
the
sum
of
340
l.
or
thereabouts
.
The
Prosecutor
continued
solliciting
the
Commissiioners
by
Petitions
,
and
otherwise
during
the
space
of
six
Moneths
,
to
hear
and
determine
the
remaining
Propositions
,
upon
which
,
the
said
W.C.
(
if
Justice
had
accordingly
been
done
)
must
as
inevitably
have
been
pronounced
guilty
,
as
he
was
upon
those
which
were
tryed
.
Whilest
Justice
was
thus
delayed
.
W.C.
makes
his
Address
to
Sir
William
Bucknall
and
other
Farmers
of
the
Excise
,
and
with
the
payment
of
200
l.
or
such
like
sum
to
them
contracts
to
purchase
his
peace
,
and
excuse
his
crime
.
At
this
Contract
Robert
Huntingdon
and
Richard
Kingdon
Esquirs
,
two
of
the
Commissioners
connive
,
and
from
that
day
hitherto
,
the
prosecutor
could
not
by
any
means
be
admitted
to
make
good
the
charge
against
the
said
W.C.
a
practise
infinitely
tending
to
the
prejudice
of
the
Kings
interest
,
and
contrary
to
the
Act
of
Parliament
in
that
case
made
and
provided
,
which
gives
one
moyety
of
the
Fines
to
the
Informer
,
whereof
the
Informer
L.R.
hath
not
as
yet
received
one
penny
.
Hereupon
the
Prosecutor
being
in
effect
denyed
Justice
by
the
Commissioners
,
humbly
acquaints
his
Majesty
by
Petition
with
his
greivance
,
who
gratiously
referred
the
examination
of
the
matter
to
the
present
Lord
High
Treasurer
,
of
which
so
soon
as
the
aforenamed
Comissioners
had
notice
,
they
and
the
Farmers
without
any
other
cause
dismissed
the
said
L.R.
out
of
his
office
of
Gager
,
of
which
injury
the
Propounder
justly
complains
,
and
prays
upon
the
whole
matter
Redress
,
as
the
wisedom
of
Parliament
shall
judge
meet
.