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An ANSWER toa Paper Falſly called, The Caſe of the 
Company of Weavers. 


HE Title is falſe, becauſe when it was ſhewn at a Court of Aſſiſtants of the Weavers Company, they all 
diſown'd it, and faid they knew nothing of it. | 


Obje&ion, They ſay the I uſtring Company obtained from the laſt Parliament a Clauſe whereby it prohivits 
the Buying or Selling any Allamodes and Luitrings that are not ſealed by the Seal of the Cuſtom-Houſe for Forezgn, and 
the Seal of the Company, for Goods mate by them, By which it manifeſtly appears, that by this Clauſe it is wot the Impor- 
tation of French that is preventea, but the Selling of thoſe of the ſame Nature made by others at Home, &c. | 

Anſwer, Tt manifeſtly appears the contrary ; becauſe when there was no Seal but for Foreign Alamoaes and 
Luſtrings, when any fiezure was made,the Smnglers would pretend them made in Enz/azd, and fo puzzle the Officers : 
For remedy whereof the Commiſſioners of the Cuſtoms promoted a Seal for thoſe made by the Luffring-Company ; 
it being taken for granted, that ſince the ſaid Company had a Patent for the ſole making of Alamodes and Luſtrings 
in Exg/and, none could pretend to have a right to make them during the time of their Patent. 


Obj. They ſay by Vertue of this Clauſe the Company has Eſftab!iſhed a Monopoly in favour of themſelves, and that they are 
proſecuting #n the Exchequer a great number of Weavers who have all along made theſe Goods. | 

Anſw. 'The contrary appears by their Letter ſent ro the Weavers Company, wherein they offer them, or any of 
their Members, to receive them in thetr Company, according to the true Value of their Stock ; reckoning nothing 
for all their Trouble and great Charges ſome of them had been at : Beſides many of the Company did put in their 
Money meerly to imploy the Poor., The Luftrizg-Company doth not Proſecute any Body in the Exchequer, but likely 
the Cuſtom-Houſe Officers finding ſome Offenders are putting the Law in execution againſt them ; of which moſt, or 
all, are Frexch-mex ; and none of them made any Alamodes bur fince the Patent, and ſeveral of them did work for 
the Company, and learned at the Companies coſt, in making bad Goods, and after were inticed away by the Com- 
panies Enemies to work for themſelves. | 


Obj. They ſay this abuſe is intolerable, and more miſchievons than ca: be eaſily either expreſſed or conceived. | 
Anſw. This Expreſſion ſeems to proceed from Envy and Paſſion ; and being a Slander necds no further Anſwer, 


Obj. They ſay it hinders multitudes of Men from getting their Livelyhoods by their Lawful Trades, &c. 


Auſwv. Ttis the only means to ſet more People ac work, and to ſettle that Manufafture in Exgland; becauſe thoſe 


of Lyons in France ule all indeavours to hinder this Manufacture to be fer up in any place, even in their own Country, 
{o jealous are they of letting it go from them. They have Ruined that ManufaQture in Holland, Switzerland, Florence, 
and other Places; and they have {worn to Ruine it in Exg/azd, as can be proved by ſeveral Letters from Holland ; fo 
that thoſe that aCt againſt the Luſ?ring-Company, do help the Fre: ch to accompliſh their deſigns. 


Obj. They ſay it puts the Subjeits of England ini0 a worſe condition than Strangers, fince they may bring thoſe ſorts of 
Silks from beyond Seas, &C. | 

Anfw. "This Afertion is frivolous, becauſe all Patents have no farther regard than to the making in Exe/znd, and 
not to Importation ; thoſe Foreign Goods paying 32 per Cext. Cuſtom, 


Obj. They ſay thut the Manufaifre of Alamodes and Tuſtrings will by rhis means never be brought to perfeition ; becauſe 
the Company having the ſole uſe of it, wilt not only ſell their Goods a: what rate they pleaſe, whether good or bad ; and even 
the few Workmen that the Company employs will be broaght to work at what rate the Company pleaſeth, 

Anſw. The quite contrary 1s plain (to any that underſtand Trade) that a Company has more Opportunity to im- 
provea Manufacture, than many private Perſons can have ; and the want of Companies with Joint-Stocks, is evidently 
the occaſion that the Freach have ruined this ManutaQture 1n the Places before-mentioned : So of cenſequence the 
Luſtrino-Company 1s the likelieft to Sertle it 1n Exg/and, they having brought it to Perfection, and do already Maintain 
above Four "thouſand People. As for Selling at what Rate they pleaſe; rhey have alwayes fold at moderate Rates, 
and willalwayes do ſo. The La{#7izg-Company 1s fo reaſonable ro their Workmen, that they have go cauſe to Com- 
plain, but bleſs God for the good rhey daily receive from the {aid Company, | | 


Obj. They ſay the Luſtring-Company can have no juſt Pretexce to hinder others from making thoſe Silks, becauſe the 
Patent was Granted as being a New Invention ; ana that there is Oath made by Weavers that have praiticed it many Tears 
before. 

—_ The Parent was as fairly obtained as ever Patent was. The Weavers-Company appeared before King and 
Council, and uu their Conſent, and wiſh'd the Patentees good Succeſs ; at which time there was but one Loomb 
or two in Exg/and, and they were {cr up by the Fatentees ; and the Weavers-Company did then declare, That none 
were ever made before, but only tryals; and thoſe that made the tryals could not go on with that ManufaQture, to 
bring it to Perfection. | 


Obj. Therefore they pray that the Parliament would appoint a place to Seal all thoſe that are made by thoſe independent of the 
Company, and to have them Mayk*d inthe Loomb. 


Anſw. There is about One Hundred Corporations of Weavers in England ; if moſt of theſe would make theſe 


Goods, they mult have at leaſt One Officer to every Corporation to Mark them. The Laſtriz -Company have abour 
Six Hundred Loombs in and about London (befides what they have ar Ipſwich) ſome living at Stepzey, ſome at Lam- 


beth, at great diſtances, which would require a great many Officers ro Mark them, which will render it {o troubleſome 


and Chargeable, as will prove the Ruine of that Manufacture here ; belides the Luſtring-Company are Authorized by : 
Law to {cal their own Goods, which they carefully do, and do Number, and Mark, and Regiſter them to prevent _ 
Counterfeiting ; but to have multiplicity of Seals 1s to give way to Counterfeits, and ſo the Goods that come trom_ 


France will be proteQted, no Officer will dare to fieze for tear of Miſtakes : So that ir is plain, the French have blown 


up the Coals; as it appears by ſome French Merchatnngeng amongtt the Heavers, to [tir them up againſt che Laſtring- es 
[ veral other Inſinuations ; and great Sums of gems” has been 


Company ; telling them, It was their Birth-right, and | 
ſpent in Treats at Taverns and Ale-Houles ; they haveat length prevailed with ſome to appear againſt the 
the Frenchmen declaring the Eng!ith ſhould ſpend nothing, 


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