256 A. D. 1609. 



sir Robert Cotton, in an efiay written in 1609, probably for King. 

 James's private information, propoied the coining of Li 20,000 in cop- 

 per halfpence and fartliings, by which the king would gain Li 0,000; 

 and by an annual increafe of Li 2,000 of thofe coins, he would gain 

 yearly Liooo. In order to render this profit to the king effectual, he 

 propofed to prohibit retailers of viduals and fmall wares from ufing 

 their own tokens, (a pracT:ice then univerfal, efpecially in London.) 

 ' For (fays he) in and about London, there are above three thoufand' 

 (perfons) ' that, one with another, call yearly L5 a-piece in leaden to- 

 ' kens, whereof the tenth remaineth not to them at the year's end ; and 

 ' when they renew their flore, it amounteth to above Li 5,000; and all 



* the reft of this realm cannot be inferior to the city in proportion. Here- 

 ' by, (he obferves,) ift, thofe retailers made as much advantage of 

 ' their own tokens as is nov/ propofed for the king to make by the 

 ' copper coins,' (which he had before obferved were already in i\{e in 

 all the monarchies of Chriftendom.) ' 2dly, The buyers hereafter fliall 

 ' not be tied to one feller and his bad commodities, as they are ftill ; 



' when his tokens, hereafter made current by authority, {hall leave him ' 

 ' the choice of any other chapman. Belides, it cannot but prevent much 



* wafte of filver, that there will be no occafion hereafter to cut any bul- 

 ' lion into proportions fo apt for lofs : what that hath been may be con- 

 ' jeclured, if we mark but of the great quantities, from the penny down- 



* ward, fince Henry VIlI's time flamped, how few remain ; whereas all 

 ' the coins, from threepence upward, which are manual, plenty pafs ilill 



* in dayly payment.' This fcheme foon after put an end, in a great 

 meafure, to thofe private leaden tokens, and introduced the legal cop- 

 per coins, as at prelent. It alfo put an end to the "coining of fuch mi- 



' nuce gold and filver pieces, fo eafily to be loft. But our great author 

 was certainlv miftaken in imagining, that, becaufe the leaden tokens of 

 ■i^rivate retailers were moftly loft, that metal being naturally very perifli- 

 able, the national copper coin would.be fo likewiie ; or that fo large a 

 new annual coinage thereof would be requiiite, or that the public 

 would require lo great a ium to be circulated as Li 20,000 in half- 

 p:;;nce. 



The fuburbs of London dayly increafmg, and confequently the dan- 

 ger of fire and fcarcity of water, notwiihftanding the many fprings 

 broughc in leaden pipes into the city, as well as the many wells with 

 pumps almoft every where dug within ihe city and fuburbs ; an aft of 

 parliament was obtained in tlic year 1605 for bringing a frefli ftreani 

 of running water to the north parts of London from tbiC fprings of 

 ChadwcU and Amwell, &c. in the county of Hertford ; giving power to 

 the lord-mayor, &c. of London to lay out fuch convenient ground fou 

 making the trench for the faid nevi^ river, not to exceed ten feet in 

 breadth, leaving the inheritance in the owners thereof, who are to allow 



