The Causes why this Time is most Commodious to erect

a Mart in.

1. The Wars between the French King and the Emperor, and the Ships of either side, maketh the Italians, Genoas, Portugals, and Spaniards, to forbear their Trade to Antwerp. 2. The Frenchmen, the Stadts, the Sprusses, and Ships of Eastland, being against the Emperor, will not come neither. 3. The French King invading Lorrain, and fearing Flanders. 4. And the Almains lying on the River of Rhene, stopeth the Course of Merchants out of Italy to Antwerp, and also Frankfort. 5. The putting of Men of War in the Town, maketh the Merchants to forbear their Traffique, and to look to their Lives. 6. The breach of the last Tempest is like, they say, to make the Channel uncertain, and the Haven naught. 7. The stop of the Exchange to Lions, will make many Flemings Bankrupts. These things will decay the Marts of Antwerp, and Frankfort. But these Nations cannot live without a Vent, therefore they will now most willingly come hither if they had a Free Mart.

2. It were an easier matter to come to Southampton for the Spaniards, Britanes, Vascoins, Lombards, Geneoese, Normands, and Italians, than to go to Antwerp.

3. It were easier for the Merchants of the Eastland, the Sprusses, the Danes, Swedens, and Norvegians, to come to Hull than to Antwerp.

4. Southampton is a better Port than Antwerp.

5. The Flemings have allured Men to make a Mart there with their Privileges, having but very little Commodities; much easier shall we do it, having Cloth, Tin, Seacoal, Lead, Bellmettal, and such other Commodities, as few Realms Christian have the like: nor they when they began had no such opportunity.

How the Mart will be brought to pass.

1. Our Merchants are to be staied from a Mart or two, under pretence that they abstain because of the Imposition. 2. Then proclamation must be made in divers places of the Realm where Merchants resort, That there shall be a free Mart kept at Southampton, with these Liberties and Customs.

1. The time of the Mart to begin after Whitsontide, and to hold on five weeks; by which means it shall not let St. James's Fair at Bristol, nor Bartholomew Fair at London.

2. All Men coming to the Mart shall have free going and free coming, without Arresting, except in cases of Treason, Murder, or Felony.

3. For the time of the Mart, all sorts of Men shall pay but half the Custom they do in other places of the Realm.

4. No Shipping shall be from any other place from SouthWales to Essex during that time.

5. In the Shires of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Dorsetshire, That no Bargain shall be made of Wares during that time but in the Mart Town.

6. A Court to correct Offenders, with Liberties thereto. 7. Some one Commodity must be assigned to the Mart, or some one kind of Cloth.

8. The Merchants of the Staple must be bargained withal, and contented with some honest Offer, to the intent by their Liberties they may not let the Mart.

9. Some more Liberties must be given to the Inhabitants of Southampton; and if Mony may be spared, some must be lent them to begin their Trade withal.

10. Our Ships on the Sea must look as well as they may, observing the Treaties, to the safeguard of the Merchants when they come.

11. If this prove well, then may another be made at Hull, to begin after Stowbridg-Fair, to the intent they may return before the great Ices come to their Seas.

The Discommodities and Letts to the Mart to be kept in

England.

1. Because Strangers lack access hither by Land, which they have at Antwerp.

2. The ill-working of our Cloths, which maketh them less esteemed.

3. The abundance of our Cloths in Flanders will make them less sought for here.

4. The Merchants have established their dwelling places at Antwerp.

5. That other Nations will stay their coming hither for a while by the Emperor's Commandment.

6. The denial of the Request of the Merchants of the Stiliard, will somewhat let the Mart, if it be not looked to. 7. The poverty and littleness of the Town of Southampton.

8. The goodliness of the Rhine.

The Remedies and Answers thereunto.

To the First Point.

1. At this time when the Mart should begin at Southampton, the French King and the Almains shall stop the

intercourse by Land, so that nothing shall come that way but in great danger.

2. When war shall be made against us, then our Navy may defend them.

3. As the Town of Southampton lacketh the Commodity of the Access of Merchandise by Land, so it hath this Commodity, that there can be no access of Enemies by Land, which may be at Antwerp, and Men think will be this year, which is a great safety to the Merchants.

4. The Traffique that cometh by Land will not much diminish the Mart, for it is only almost the Venetians Traffique, who shall much easilier come hither by Sea, than to Antwerp, and with less danger of the Seas.

To the Second Point.

1. The ill-making of our Clothes will be meet to be looked on this Parliament, and order thereupon to be given.__The Matter is come to some ripeness already, the Upper House hath one Bill, and the Nether House hath another in good forwardness.

2. As ill as they be made, the Flemings do at this time desire them wonderfully, offering rather to pay the Imposition of the Emperor than to lack them.

To the Third Point.

1. It were very necessary that the Ships that shall be hereafter going were staied till the Mart were come to some ripeness.

2. The Clothes hereafter might be bought up with our Mony here, and conveied to Southampton, to be there uttered at the Mart time, and so it should help the Mart very well.

To the Fourth Part.

1. The danger of their Lives, which they now fear very much, will make them seek another Harbor to rest in more safely.

2. They came from Bruges to Antwerp only for the English Commodities, although they were settled at Bruges.

3. They have a great Commodity to come to Southampton, and a great fear of spoiling to drive them from Ant

werp.

4. The Merchants never assign to themselves such a Mansion, but for more gain they will leave that, and take another.

To the Fifth Point.

1. The Emperor is at this time so driven to his Shifts, that neither he shall be able to attend the stay of Mony from coming to the Mart, neither if he were able to attend, could, I think, do it, now the Flemings being put in such fear as they be of the loss of all they have.

2. The Flemings and the Spaniards which be under him, can hardlier be without us than we without them, and therefore they would hardly be brought to forbear our Traffique.

To the Sixth Point.

1. It were good the Stilliard-men were for this time gently answered, and that it were seen, whether by any gentle offer of some part of their Liberties, again they might be brought to ship their Wares to the Mart. The Frenchmen also I think would easily be brought to come hither, having now none other Traffique but hither, these two Nations would suffice to begin a Mart for the first part.

To the Seventh Point.

1. It is not the ability of the English Merchants only that maketh the Mart, but it is the resort of other Nations to some one place when they do exchange their Commodities one with another, for the bargaining will be as well amongst the Strangers themselves; the Spaniards with the Almains, the Italians with Flemings, the Venetians with the Danes, &c. as other Nations will bargain with Us.

2. The Merchants of London, of Bristol, and other places, will come thither for the Mart time, and traffique.

3. The Merchants will make shift enough for their Lodging. 4. There may be same of these Clothes that shall go hereafter, be bought with my Mony, and so carried to Southampton to be there uttered.

To the Eighth Point.

1. Bruges, where the Mart was before, stood not on the River of Rhine, nor Antwerp doth not neither stand on that River.

2. Frankfort Mart may well stand for a Fair in Almain, although Southampton serve for all Nations that lie on the Sea-side; for few of those come to Frankfort Mart.

No. V.

The Method in which the Council represented Matters of State to the King. An Original. Written by Sir William Cecil, Secretary of State.

(Windsor, Sept. 23. Sexto Edwardo Sexti, 1552.

Question.

1. Whether the King's Majesty shall enter into the Aid of the Emperor?

Answ. He shall.

1. THE King is bound by the Treaty; and A Pacto. and if he will be helped by that Treaty, he

must do the Reciproque.

2. If he do not Aid, the Emperor is like to A periculo Ruin, and consequently the House of Bur- vitando. gundy come to the French Possession, which

is perilous to England; and herein the greatness of the French King is dreadful.

3. The French King bringeth the Turk into Religio Christendom, and therefore that exploit to be Christiana. staied.

4. If the Emperor, for Extremity, should Periculum agree now with the French, then our Peril violati pacti. were double greater. 1. The Emperor's Offence for lack of Aid. 2. The French King's Enterprises towards us; and in this Peace, the Bishop of Rome's devotion towards us.

5. Merchants be so evil used, that both for Pro Repub. the loss of Goods and Honour, some Remedy et Patria. must be sought.

6. The French King's Proceedings be sus- Pericula conpicious to the Realm, by breaking and burn- sequentia. ing of our Ships, which be the old strength of

this Isle.

Declaration of Stukley's Tale.

Answer, He shall not.

1. The Aid is to be chargeable for the Cost, Difficile and almost to be executed is impossible.

quasi impos2. If the Emperor should die in this Con- siblile. federacy, we should be left alone in the War.

Solitudo in periculis.