THe Trade of Weaving is of great Antiquity and Usefulness , and for these Forty Years past , hath exceedingly Improved , and been very advantagious to this Nation , the Woollen Manufactures Wrought in England , being Exported to Turky , Italy , &c. have been chiefly paid for with Raw Silks and Hair , greatly beneficial to His Majesty in His Customs , to the incouragement of Navigation , and to the imploying of very great numbers of English , there having been imployed at one time in the City of London , and Parts adjacent , in and about the Weaving the said Silk and Hair , at least One Hundred Thousand Persons , old and young , besides very great numbers at Canterbury , Manchester , Exerter , Norwich , and other Places .

That the English have arrived to very great Skill and Experience in the Weaving all manner of Silks and Stuffs , and having duly paid and answered the Customs for the Raw Silks , Hair , and other Commodities used in the Dying thereof , and working and providing ( at the dead time of the year ) great quantities of well-contrived , and workman-like Broad and Narrow Commodities , as well Plain as Fashionable , Figured and Flowered , expecting to Sell the same at other times , are disappointed by the frequent Importation of Foreign-wrought Commodities of Silk and Wool , especially from France , most of which ( by small Sloops or Shallops ) are privately conveyed hither without paying Custom , it being very obvious and plain , that not one Peece in twenty are Entred or Paid for , to the great Deceipt of His Majesty . And however slight , defective , and old-fashioned the said Foreign Goods are , yet being here , and term'd A la mode de France , are greatly used , to the Deceipt also of the Subject ; whereby the English Artists , having little or no Vent for their Commodities , have no incouragement to Ingenuity , and many hundreds of Weavers , aswell at London , Canterbury , Norwich , and other Places , have through these discouragements , especially for these last six years , been ruined , and inforced to desist from their Callings , and many of them betaken to Porteridge , and other servile Imployments , and great numbers of Persons , old and young , by them formerly set to Work , are now ( for want thereof ) become burthensome and chargeable to their respective Parishes ; and without speedy remedy , the Art of Weaving will be here totally lost , to the great Dishonour of this Kingdom .

That hereby also a great number of English Merchants , Trading to Turky and Italy for Raw Silks and Hair as aforesaid , are greatly discouraged by the small Vent for the same , and consequently the Vent for the Woollen Manufactures is and will be exceedingly lessened , to the great Dammage of His Majesty in His Customs , and the whole Kingdom in general .

That the Mercers , Trading in Silks and Stuffs , are also greatly damnified ; for that , although they usually venture upon small quantities of the English Woven Goods , sometimes but for one Garment which they Cut out of the Weavers Loom , because of the alteration of Fashions , yet will not the French Merchants sell the Mercer less than several Peeces of great lengths , and at high Rates , and before he can have Vent for one half , the said Merchants immediately bring in other Fashions , so that either some whole Peeces , or many Remnants , remain upon the Mercer's Hands , to his greater Loss than the Profit of the former will enable him to bear .

That it hath been truly computed , that the English pay yearly for the Manufacturing of French-Women Silks , ( besides Stuffs ) which might be Wrought by Handicrafts in England , and which are generally paid for with Monies , not with other Commodities , the Sum of Five Hundred Five Thousand One Hundred and Ten Pounds : So that allowing to every Person , working in Silk , Fifteen Pounds per Annum , ( which is the most , one with another , they do or can earn ) it would imploy Thirty Three Thousand Six Hundred Seventy Four , Men , Women and Children , which number , were they here imployed , would be considerably advantagious to this Kingdom . And from hence it is evident , That the English do maintain the French Kings Subjects at Work , whilst the Natives here are ready to starve and perish through want thereof .

That all these Inconveniences to Trade , and Dammage to the Kingdom , doth ensue by the Craft and Subtilty of a few French Merchants in London , about seven or eight in number , who to enrich themselves , care not how many thousands of the English ( especially the poor Handicrafts ) are ruined .

That the Weavers , in and about London , have been lately required by His Majesty and Council , to receive and imploy Aliens and Strangers , Weavers , which they readily submitted unto , in confidence , that then Foreign Work would be discouraged , for that Foreign Work and Workmen coming together , will certainly ruin the English Artists ; and if Work be brought , there can be no incouragement for Foreign Workmen to come , and many Strangers repairing hither of late , through want of Imployment in the Weavers Trade , have returned back again : And were there Imployment sufficient ( which can never be but by discouragement of these French Silks and Stuffs ) the Weavers will willingly and chearfully imbrace as many Strangers in the Weaving Trade , as shall by Authority be thought fit to be allowed here to reside .

That the French King , because His Subjects have gained some little Experience in the Weaving of Silk Stockings , hath lately prohibited the Sale of English Stockings in His Countries , whereby that Trade is like to be lost .

Now , inasmuch as the Weavers desire not to discourage the Importation or Use of such Silks as are not Wrought and Manufactured here , they hope they shall receive all due incouragement in such as they do or can Make , and which from the Reasons aforesaid will so greatly tend to the Advantage and Honour of this Kingdom : And therefore humbly Pray , That the Importation of all Foreign-wrought Figured , Flowered , Biassed , Stitched , and Stripe Silks and Drugets , Tameenes and Estimenes , and other Stuffs made of Wool , may be prohibited amongst other Commodities prohibited by the Bill of Imposition now under Consideration .