The next Reason they give , is the present War , which hath occasioned the Vent of all the English Commodities . This is not denied , but what is that to the Increased of our Silk Manufactory that is not exported ? for they say , That it is not the Want of East-India Commodities that hath increas'd them , for that there hath been more imported in four Years past than there was in twenty Years before . These Gentlemen seem very unhappy in bringing Arguments against themselves ; for if it be so that these Commodities so mightily increase , there may be the greater Reason to restrain them . And since our English Manufactories cannot abate them , as they have other Foreign Silks , by reason of the Cheapness of the East-India and Persian , then the Parliament have with great Judgment pitch'd upon the way to do it by prohibiting their Wear .

The next thing they bring against this Prohibition , is , That though they allow Raw Silks are the Product of our Woollen Manufactory , yet , say they , if the wearing any Persian wrought Silks were prohibited , our Woollen Manufactory would be prohibited also among the Persians , who spend more of this Commodity than any Nation of the World . This Assertion is extraordinary , I suppose there will be enough to answer it ; nor did I ever hear that at any time went eighty thousand Pounds worth of our Woollen Manufactory in a Year to the East-Indies , and the Persians use but part of it : but allowing what is said , that the Persian should prohibit our Woollen Manufactory , tho they who know the Trade wonder at the Argument , yet what is the Loss if true ? They say , This Prohibition would hinder three Parts of the Trade to the East-Indies . Here , in my humble Opinion , they say enough , and there needs no more to confirm the Prohibition , if three Parts in four be returned in Commodities manufactor'd in the Indies , and most consumed in this Kingdom : Is the sending forth one eighth Part of its Purchase in our Woollen Manufactory , a Compensation for the vast : Treasure we send out in Bullion and Money ? They deal fairly in this Confession , and will not deny , for they own it in their following Reasons , that most of these Commodities are consumed in England , and they bring it as an Argument , The improving the Customs ; and that if they should be shipp'd out , it would be a great Loss to the Customs . This is indeed the worst Account that ever appear'd in Print of the East-India-Trade , the only Defence being formerly , that there was more shipp'd out than all the Bullion and Money amounted to of East-India-Commodities : but these Gentlemen say three Parts of four is intirely spent at home ; and we know of the other Parts , Pepper excepted , most is consumed at home . So then if we come to make a Ballance in that Trade by the Estimates these Gentlemen make , we need not go to Flanders and Holland , as they insinuate , for our Loss in Trade , but to the East-Indies . It is a melancholy Improvement , if more in four Years hath been consumed of East-India Commodities than was in twenty Years before .

I cannot see the mighty Dependance our Navigation hath on the East-India-Trade ; twenty Ships a Year would undo us , if , as these Gentlemen say , we consume most of that Importation at home .

The next Reason they bring against this Prohibition is , The unspeakable Benefit the Dutch , Scotch , and other Nations , will have by the Trade , if we do not wear Persian and East-India Silks . The Meaning I suppose is , the Scotch , &c. will be made rich .

If this Argument were tanti , which to me I confess it is not , yet I presume it would not prevail with many to be content to be made poor , rather than their Neighbours should grow rich : But why we cannot export our Returns from the Indies as well as the Scotch and Dutch , I cannot see ; there is but 2 ½ per cent . Duty upon them , these Gentlemen own ; and if that were a Burden , it were easily moved ; but we are to be Antipodes to all the World beside , and increase our Treasure by Importations . If the Scotch and Dutch were to follow our Methods of consuming most of what they import from the East-Indies , they would soon be content to resign to these Gentlemen that Trade .

The last which I suppose they bring as the most weighty and prevailing Argument , is , that it will exceedingly diminish the King's Customs . By this and the whole Current of these Gentlemens Arguments , it might be thought all their Conceptions , Words and Understandings , were wrapt up in Persian Silks and Bengals ; and if they repeated only those Words to all the Weavers of Canterbury , it were as much to the purpose as all they here bring against them : Their printed Reasons against this Prohibition is to shew the Fallacy of the Canterbury-Weavers Pretence of the great Increase of their Manufactories , which they tell us is not so ; and for an incontestable Proof ( to use their own Word ) bring this , that this Prohibition will greatly abate the Customs . The Truth on 't is , one would think these Gentlemen were at Cross-purposes , rather than maintaining an Argument .

Having given such Proof as you see against the Canterbury-Weavers Allegations , they then come to Predictions , and say , This Prohibition with never be an Incouragement to the making of Silks in England , except the wearing of Silks made in Holland , Italy , &c. be prohibited also . I wish I could let this Paragraph pass , because it will expose these Gentlemen too much , I will only desire them to look back on their own Paper in the fourth and fifth Paragraphs , and there see whether they do not allow that there is a great Increase of the Canterbury and Norwich Manufactories , and at the same time say , that the East-India and Persian Silks have increased five to one ; it is then plain that our Manufactories have abated the Dutch and Italian Silks without a Prohibition , and so they would the East-Indian and Persian if they were not imported cheapter than they can be made in Europe .

They then tell us , that the Allegation of the Weavers that this Prohibition will open a way for imploying a great many Weavers , &c. is as frivolous and insignificant as any of the rest , seeing it may be turned upon themselves , that Dying , Printing , &c. of East-India wrought Silks imploys many thousands of Persons . May not both be true ? tho it is said the latter is doubted : but were that true , where is the Consequence that the Silk and Woollen Manufactory of England can never be improved , because there are now many Hands imployed in Pressing , Dying , &c. of East-India and Persian Silk , which will be all undone for want of Work , when there is a Prohibition of the Wear of East-India and Persian Silks ? Now to any European understanding , it would seem that taking of Hands from one Imployment and putting them to another , would inlarge the latter . I omit the Reflections they make on the Canterbury-Weavers being Foreigners , intending to speak a little of it in the Close , and so come to their many more Reasons that might be suggested to prove , that it is directly against the Interest of the Nation , and in Conclusion will prove fatal to those Manufactories in whose favour it is made : and the reason they give for this Assertion is , Because they ( meaning I suppose the Canterbury-Weavers ) have falsly insinuated the increase of their Trade to have proceeded from the Scarcity of these imported Foreign Commodities , when it is occasioned by nothing but the rise of Guinea's , our Miscarriages in the Wars , and the continual Demands and Exactions from abroad .

Here with their Favour I think they reflect upon the Government , Continual Demands and Exactions from abroad , are hard Words : But what use could they make of this were it all true ? First , They deny that the Manufactories of Canterbury are increased , but that it was the great quantities of Persian and East-Indian Silks that were imported here , that beat out the French , Italian and Dutch Silks : Now they own the increase of the Canterbury Manufactories , but say it rose from the Wars , &c. And yet these Wars and Exactions they talk of , happen'd some Years after the Increase and Growth of our Silk-Manufactories .

They conclude with repeating what they had before mentioned , though in other Words , viz. Since the Nature of Trade is to exchange one Commodity for another , if we prohibit , the Persian will do the same . If what they use here in Argument , were practised in the Trade they labour to support , the Dispute would be over ; but by their own saying it is just the contrary : when they import at least fifteen hundred thousand Pounds value in Manufactor'd Commodities , and carry not two hundred thousand Pounds worth out of ours , the Overplus must then be purchased with Money ; and were their Profits Out and Home four for one , yet the Loss must be great to the Nation upon the Ballance .

I shall now make some few Remarks upon the whole Matter .

And first shew , what Detriment the use of East-Indian and Persian Silks , Bengalls , &c. have brought to our Woollen Manufactories . I have been told by several antient Mercers , and other Dealers in Woollen Manufactories , that since the great Consumption of East-India Manufactories , the use of Tammies , Sayes , and some fine Stuffs for Womens Wear , is in a manner quite lost , and that they now fell not a twentieth part so much as they formerly did , and that they believe it hath abated several hundred thousand Pounds per Annum of the Woollen Manufactory .

The wear of East-Indian and Persian Commodities doth also lessen our Silk Manufactories to a great Degree , especially if what these Gentlemen say be true , of the Quantity brought in .

And if their Maxim in Trade be true , That there must be no Prohibition of Foreign Manufactories , because they will turn the same upon us , our Condition is desperate ; for by the same Rule all Nations may impose on us whatever Manufactories they think fit to make , and if we prohibit their use , they will take nothing from us .

But suppose , which is not impossible , that we should grow so poor as not to be able to purchase or consume their Commodities , must we then lose that Trade ? if so , there seems Reason for us to quit it while we have some Money left , and not out of Necessity .

Instances may be given that shew the Mischief of admitting the Increase and Consumption of Foreign Commodities , beyond the Exports of our own Product to purchase .

That of French Wine , until the Year fifty five , all the Imports of French Wine amounted not to four thousand Tuns per Annum , and then they were bought in France , Langoons at thirty Crowns , and Grave for twenty four Crowns , and purchased all with Commodities , and we had an over-Ballance in Money ; but by degrees we increas'd our Importation to that vast Expence , that in the Year seventy six , we imported 36000 Tun , and then paid 45 Crowns for Langoon , and as much for Graves Claret , and great part purchas'd with Money , or Bills of Exchange which is the same ; and as we have increas'd in the French ; so we have in the Spanish , and raised the Price of Canaries from ten to twenty Pounds the Pipe in the Countrey .