A REPORT OF THE SPANISH GRIEVANCES. 207 



And thirdly, As from the lower house it was re 

 commended to the higher house. 



In the first of these considerations there fell out 

 naturally a subdivision into the persons of the peti 

 tioners, and the matter and parts of the petition. In 

 the persons of the merchants his lordship made, as I 

 have collected them in number, eight observations, 

 whereof the three first respected the general condition 

 of merchants ; and the five following were applied 

 to the particular circumstances of the merchants now 

 complaining. 



His lordship s first general observation was, that 

 merchants were of two sorts ; the one sought their 

 fortunes, as the verse saith, &quot; per saxa, per ignes ;&quot; 

 and, as it is said in the same place, &quot; extremes currit 

 &quot; mercator ad Indos ;&quot; subjecting themselves to 

 weather and tempest ; to absence, and, as it were, 

 exile, out of their native countries; to arrest in 

 entrances of war ; to foreign injustice and rigour in 

 times of peace ; and many other sufferances and 

 adventures. But that there were others that took 

 a more safe, but a less generous course in raising 

 their fortunes. He taxed none, but did attribute 

 much more respect to the former. 



The second general observation which his lord 

 ship made was, that the complaints of merchants 

 were usually subject to much error, in regard that 

 they spake, for the most part, but upon information ; 

 and that carried through many hands ; and of 

 matters done in remote parts; so as a false or 

 factious factor might oftentimes make great trage- 



