THE
Citizens
and
Tradesmens
Case
:
Humbly
to
be
Presented
to
the
Ensuing
Parliament
,
relating
to
the
Price
of
Corn
,
by
several
Citizens
and
Tradesmen
of
London
.
WE
have
chosen
a
King
who
hath
taken
from
us
our
Fears
and
Jealousies
of
Popery
and
Slavery
at
home
,
and
ventur'd
his
Royal
Person
to
defend
us
from
our
Enemies
abroad
;
and
in
his
absence
left
Lords
Justices
,
who
have
taken
notice
of
the
Distress
the
Poor
labour
under
,
by
the
Excessive
Price
of
Corn
,
and
have
Issued
forth
a
Proclamation
,
and
order
to
suppress
the
Causes
thereof
;
And
we
still
enjoy
our
Ancient
liberty
to
Choose
our
Representatives
who
are
shortly
to
sit
,
to
hear
the
Peoples
Grievances
and
Redress
them
,
and
if
we
have
chosen
such
as
do
not
,
it
's
our
own
fault
:
No
doubt
,
but
they
will
at
this
time
hear
the
Cry
of
the
Poor
for
Bread
,
and
not
let
them
Perish
amidst
Gods
abounding
mercies
.
Food
and
Raiment
is
the
support
of
mankind
,
(
the
greatest
of
Men
Enjoy
no
more
.
)
And
God
hath
seated
us
in
a
Land
of
Goshen
which
abounds
in
both
,
and
by
the
Manufactory
thereof
provided
a
Maintenance
for
the
Poor
,
and
to
augment
our
Happiness
,
we
have
been
hitherto
a
Trading
People
,
Inabled
by
our
Ships
and
Seamen
to
out-do
our
Neighbours
,
and
by
which
our
Merchants
by
Trading
abroad
,
and
our
Mechanicks
and
Tradesmen
at
home
have
gotten
Riches
,
whereby
our
Honourable
City
of
London
,
hath
hitherto
been
able
to
assist
our
Prince
,
to
defend
us
from
our
Envious
Enemies
both
at
home
and
abroad
.
Trade
and
Industry
beget
Riches
,
and
Riches
(
with
Gods
Blessing
)
is
the
Glory
of
this
World
,
and
is
that
,
which
made
the
Poor
distressed
States
of
Holland
,
High
and
Mighty
,
Hogan
,
Mogan
.
In
the
whip
for
the
Mealman
,
Forestallers
,
&c.
Published
by
A.
Baldwin
in
Warwick-Lane
,
I
set
forth
some
Reasons
of
the
present
Dearness
of
Corn
,
which
by
wise
men
hath
been
taken
notice
of
;
and
some
discreet
Citizens
and
Tradesmen
of
London
,
being
sensible
of
the
decay
of
their
substance
,
by
bad
Trade
and
Dearness
of
Corn
,
have
desired
me
to
give
my
further
thoughts
herein
(
that
they
,
together
with
their
Brethren
in
City
and
Country
,
may
pray
for
a
redress
)
which
I
shall
endeavour
to
do
by
further
Demonstrating
other
Causes
thereof
,
then
what
I
have
set
forth
,
which
of
it self
will
Answer
Objections
,
that
some
Person
may
make
;
and
shew
the
remedies
thereof
.
Forestallers
,
Regrators
,
and
Ingrossers
of
Corn
,
do
not
only
buy
Corn
on
the
Ground
,
at
the
Farmers
Houses
,
and
at
Inns
,
but
themselves
,
or
Factors
have
a
strict
watch
upon
the
markets
;
And
when
the
Labouring
Farmer
brings
forth
his
Corn
to
sell
plentifully
to
pay
his
Rent
,
or
to
supply
his
necessary
occasions
,
then
the
Ingrossers
,
&c.
Buy
up
the
Corn
,
and
when
the
Poor
Farmers
Corn
is
out
,
then
these
unmerciful
Men
raise
the
price
at
their
pleasure
,
and
tho
there
may
be
some
plentiful
markets
,
Yet
there
is
never
so
many
together
,
that
will
fall
the
price
of
Bread
in
London
.
I
am
not
against
such
as
(
Joseph
like
)
do
preserve
Corn
in
a
plenty
,
against
the
time
of
scarcity
;
It
's
as
good
for
the
Poor
as
for
the
Farmer
,
and
pleasant
to
see
such
plenty
of
Corn
in
the
Farmers
Yards
,
when
it
's
kept
only
for
the
Markets
.
Another
Reason
of
the
Dearness
of
Corn
is
the
Transporting
of
it
,
and
that
mostly
in
Forreign
bottoms
,
which
other
Nations
also
have
,
for
fear
of
War
and
Scarcity
,
forbid
the
Transporting
thereof
.
And
it
's
generally
reported
,
that
there
is
some
Hundred
Thousand
Pounds
transmitted
in
Bills
to
England
from
Holland
,
to
buy
up
our
Corn
;
Especially
in
the
West
,
where
there
hath
been
a
plentiful
Harvest
.
I
remember
a
Story
of
a
French
Admiral
,
who
sent
Commissions
to
Factors
in
Poland
,
to
buy
Corn
to
Victual
his
Fleet
,
by
which
they
bought
up
so
much
(
the
Poor
Farmers
being
glad
to
receive
ready
Money
)
that
it
made
Corn
so
scarce
and
dear
,
that
the
People
of
the
Country
were
forced
to
buy
again
of
the
Factors
,
at
double
the
rate
they
had
paid
for
it
.
Another
Reason
of
the
Dearness
of
Corn
is
occasioned
by
the
Distillers
,
which
some
are
so
confident
as
to
aver
,
that
they
consume
as
such
Malt
in
some
places
as
the
Brewers
,
but
as
〈◇〉
out
of
my
knowledge
,
so
I
dare
not
meddle
with
it
,
neither
do
I
know
how
it
stands
in
the
Kings
Books
.
But
this
I
know
,
that
Barly
in
a
scarce
Year
,
(
sellers
being
forced
by
the
Magistrates
care
to
serve
the
poor
therewith
for
Bread
before
the
Maulsters
bought
in
the
Market
)
greatly
preserved
the
Poor
,
and
what
with
the
Excise
on
Beer
,
and
Tax
on
Mault
,
Barly
,
in
some
places
is
near
as
dear
as
Wheat
,
which
hath
brought
Mault
to
an
Excessive
rate
;
Insomuch
,
that
it
hath
caused
the
Brewen
to
raise
the
price
of
Beer
,
that
it
's
like
to
ruin
the
poor
Retailers
.
And
beer
being
such
a
succour
to
poor
Labouring
Men
,
that
I
pray
God
it
may
not
cause
a
Clamour
amongst
the
People
;
and
the
drinking
of
strong
Waters
,
causes
the
Poor
to
spend
the
more
easily
what
their
Families
want
,
and
Impair
,
their
Health
.
And
it
's
worthy
of
con●●deration
,
the
abominable
practice
of
Distill●rs
in
using
Mault
made
of
Wheat
.
The
greatest
Objection
that
the
Farmers
make
,
and
which
the
Poor
fear
will
be
to
their
prejudice
)
is
,
the
Farmers
say
,
that
if
the
Laws
are
put
in
Execution
against
Forestallers
,
&c.
it
will
thereby
lower
the
price
of
Corn
,
and
make
the
Landlords
Rents
to
fall
.
This
is
that
which
in
King
Charles
the
Second's
time
(
Corn
being
then
cheap
)
caused
the
Act
to
pass
against
bringing
in
Irish
Cattle
;
which
in
time
of
War
and
Scarcity
,
the
poor
Handycrafts
Men
have
much
wanted
:
And
now
if
the
Price
of
Corn
and
other
Provisions
do
not
fall
,
and
the
Tradesmen
able
to
work
as
cheap
as
in
other
Nations
,
(
that
have
more
plenty
of
Provisions
)
we
shall
lose
our
Trade
,
and
the
poor
Handycraftmen
must
leave
the
Country
or
starve
.
And
so
this
Objection
is
only
to
amuse
the
World
,
and
to
affright
the
Landlords
;
for
the
Ingrossing
of
Farms
,
will
in
time
be
as
great
a
prejudice
to
the
Landlords
,
as
the
Dearness
of
Corn
is
to
the
Poor
,
for
in
many
places
,
Rich
Farmers
have
now
Ingrossed
so
many
Farms
into
their
hands
,
that
they
have
much
Depopulated
the
Parishes
where
they
live
,
having
drove
away
the
working
Tenants
(
who
would
pay
their
Rents
well
and
be
at
the
Landlords
command
)
let
fall
the
Farm
Houses
,
lose
the
Kings
Window
Tax
,
and
have
the
Landlord
at
command
,
by
being
tied
to
one
Tenant
;
For
to
my
own
knowledge
,
a
Person
of
Honour
in
the
West
Depopulated
a
Parish
to
his
great
loss
.
Whereas
the
worthy
Sir
John
Strangeways
,
made
his
Servants
good
Husbands
to
save
their
Wages
,
and
lent
them
Money
to
enable
them
to
Farm
,
and
thereby
increased
his
Tenants
and
made
them
serviceable
to
himself
and
Country
,
and
are
at
this
Day
Men
of
repute
.
How
to
cure
so
long
growing
and
profitable
a
corruption
,
is
too
hard
a
task
for
my
poor
understanding
,
the
more
considering
how
many
Persons
have
already
been
stigmatized
in
their
reputations
,
with
the
odious
Name
of
Informers
,
ruined
in
their
substance
and
in
danger
of
their
lives
for
discovering
Frauds
and
Cheats
;
And
tho
those
that
wrong'd
the
King
and
got
great
Estates
thereby
,
yet
have
they
gone
unpunished
,
which
does
so
discourage
Men
that
they
,
dare
not
meddle
with
such
rich
offenders
.
As
to
the
great
out-cry
there
is
against
Corn
Meeters
,
and
the
Actions
of
Bear-Key
(
judged
to
be
through
the
neglect
of
the
City
Officers
,
who
buy
their
places
,
and
mind
only
their
own
profit
)
which
relates
to
the
City
,
the
wise
Heads
in
their
Councils
can
best
order
,
and
no
Question
the
next
Lord
Mayor
will
be
as
Zealous
in
assisting
the
Poor
,
in
puting
these
wholesom
Laws
in
Execution
to
keep
them
from
starving
,
as
this
present
Lord
Mayor
hath
been
in
punishing
offenders
.
Our
Ancestors
have
left
us
good
Laws
and
Remedies
,
against
this
foul
distemper
of
Forestalling
,
Ingrossing
and
Transporting
of
Corn
;
Our
Lords
Justices
have
Issued
out
a
Proclamation
,
and
order
thereupon
to
prevent
both
.
The
Magistrates
have
full
Power
and
Incouragement
to
Act
in
it
,
and
the
Laws
already
made
hath
given
so
great
a
Power
to
the
Justice
of
the
Peace
,
that
it
will
look
as
if
it
were
their
fault
if
the
Laws
be
not
put
in
Execution
,
but
if
they
want
power
to
make
a
full
cure
of
this
Distemper
,
we
have
a
Parliament
suddenly
to
sit
,
and
persons
ready
to
pray
for
their
assistance
,
which
no
doubt
will
give
it
them
,
if
wanting
,
and
they
desire
it
;
and
the
people
,
by
the
Act
,
may
prosecute
such
that
in
2
Years
past
have
been
guilty
of
Forestalling
,
Transporting
,
&c.
And
there
has
been
an
instance
seen
lately
,
of
the
good
effect
of
the
Prosecuting
of
offenders
,
by
the
Lutestring
Company
,
that
put
the
Law
in
Execution
against
such
as
Imported
French
Goods
,
tending
to
the
destruction
of
the
Allamode
Pattent
;
and
carried
on
by
a
Rich
Man
,
who
did
not
value
the
By-Name
of
an
Informer
,
whereby
the
offenders
were
punished
,
and
that
distemper
to
appearance
cured
.
I
wish
all
that
have
cheated
the
King
and
Country
,
and
Transgress
the
Law
may
be
so
served
,
then
the
King
would
have
more
Money
,
the
People
fewer
Taxes
,
and
the
Poor
more
bread
,
and
all
Men
cause
to
praise
God
for
having
such
good
Laws
and
Good
Magistrates
.
Tho
.
Samson
.