344 ^' ^' 1627. 



minal fliillings and pounds a lefs proportion of filver and gold than they 

 did before this projeded alteration, and, at the fame time, pay for what 

 they buy at a rate enhanced, it mufl caft npon all a double lofs. What 

 the king will fuffer by it in the rents of his lands is demonftrated by 

 the alterations fnice the 1 8 th year of King Edward III, (anno 1344) 

 when all the revenue came into the receipt, pondere et numero, at the 

 rate of five groats per ounce ; which, fince that time, by the feveral 

 changes of the fiandard, is come to five fhillings, whereby the king hath 

 lofl two thirds of his revenue ; and the like in his cufloms and other re- 

 ceipts. And, as the king will lofe a fourteenth part in all the filver, 

 and a twenty-fifth part in all the gold he fhall receive, fo likewife will 

 the nobility and gentry in all their former fettled rents, annuities, pen- 

 fions, and loans. The like alfo will fall upon the labourers and work- 

 men in their ftatute wages : and as their receipts will hereby be leflened, 

 fo their ifllies will be increafed by raifing the prices of all things. It 

 will lay the lofs upon ourfelves and the profit on our enemies : fince all 

 our prefent good money will hereby be exported for bullion, our own 

 goldfmiths beipg their brokers. This enfeebling of the coin is but a 

 fliort-lived fliift, like drink to one in a dropfy, to make him fwell the 

 more. But the ftate was never thoroughly cured, as we favv b;y King 

 Henry the Vlllth's time, and the late queen's, until the coin was made 

 lip again. This mofi: judicious and feafonable remonfi;rance was fo well 

 approved of, that the projed was entirely fet afide. We fhall, never- 

 thelefs, feventy years later than this time, fee fo pernicious a propofal 

 again ftarted to King William's minifters ; and had it not been for the 

 remonfirance of another gi-eat man, the famous John Locke, (who pof- 

 fibly was indebted for the fame jufi; notions to this fpeech of Sir Robert 

 Cotton's) feemed in a fair way to be accepted of. 



In this fecond year, therefor, of King Charles T, a pound weight of gold, 

 of the old ftandard of 23 carats 3-^ grains, fine, and half a grain allay, 

 was coined into L44 : i o by tale, viz. into rofe-rials of thirty fliillings, 

 fpur-rials of fifteen fliillings, and angels of ten fliillings: and a pound 

 weight of another ftandard, viz. of 22 carats fine, and 2 carats allay, 

 (called crown gold) into L41 by tale, viz. into units of twenty fliillings, 

 double crowns, ten fliillings, and Britifli crowns, five fliillings. And a 

 pcuiid weight of filver, of the old ftandard of 1 1 ounces, 2 pennyweight, 

 fine, into 62 fliillings, by tale ; namely, into crowns, half crowns, fl:;il- 

 lings, fixpences, twopences, pence, and halfpence. 



We find the following catalogue of exclufive patents for new projecls 

 in this year, all for fourteen years. 



I) ' A patent to Lord D'Acre, and two others, for the fole making 

 * of fteel, according to the invention of Thomas Letfome, one of the 

 ' faid patentees.' 



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