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monarch in the year 1591, having most probably shared with him 
in the glories of Ivry and. Arques, fought not long before ; but 
when the French King abjured Protestantism, Chaloner would 
feel that his service was no fitting place for him. Most probably 
between this time and the year 1595 a great project was taking 
growth and substance in Sir Thomas’s mind. He had visited and 
closely observed the Pope’s alum works, during his travels in Italy; 
and riding a-hunting near Guisborough, he noticed that the rocks, 
the soil, and the vegetation were very similar to that he had 
observed there. Drayton in his Poly-olbion has given a faithful 
picture of this part of Yorkshire :— 
Marke Gisbrough’s gay scite where Nature seems so nice, 
As in the same shee makes a second Paradice ; 
Whose Soyle imbroidered is with so rare sundry flowers, 
Her large okes so long greene, as Summer there her bowers 
Had set up all the yeare, her ayre for health refin’d, 
Her earth with Allome Veine most richly intermin’d, 
In other places these might Rarities be thought, 
So common but in me, that I esteem as nought. 
The value of alum in trade at that particular period may be well 
illustrated by an extract from a dispatch of Don Guerran to the 
Duke of Alva dated February 2oth, 1569. Spain was intriguing 
with a view to support the rebellion of that year, the famous 
“ Rising of the North.” “It is essential,” he writes, “that the 
trade with France be kept closed. Without oil and alum they 
cannot continue their cloth manufacture, and when work is slack 
and commerce suspended, they then fly to arms.” The principal 
difficulty with which Chaloner had to contend in the establishment 
of his manufacture was the procuring of skilful workmen, and 
these were obtained from the Pope’s works at Rocca, which 
produced a very large income. Latimer speaks of the importance 
of these works in one of his sermons ; and being so very lucrative, 
and the art a monopoly, they were most vigilantly watched. In 
spite, however, of these precautions, means were found to convey 
some workmen, who had familiarized themselves with the manu- 
facture, on board ship enclosed in casks, amongst them being one 
named Lambert Russell, a Walloon. It has been said that the 
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