A. D. 1628. ^^7- 



in fuccceding reigns, there were feveral other places for ihefe exchange 

 befides London : that this method continued till the time of King Henry 

 VIII, who fuflfered his coin to be fo far debafed that no regular ex- 

 changes could be made : that that confufion made way for the London 

 goldfmiths to leave off their proper trade of goldfmithrie, and to turn 

 exchangers of plate and foreign coins for Englifh coins; thoigh they 

 had no right to buy any gold or filver for any other purpofe than for 

 their manufacture; neither had any other perfon, but thofe fubftitured. 

 by the crown, a right to buy the fame. The king, therefor, has now 

 refumed this office, not merely to keep up his right fo to do, but like- 

 wife to prevent thofe trafficking goldfmiths from culling and forting all 

 the heavy coin, and felling the fame to the mint of Holland, which 

 gained greatly thereby, or melting thofe heavy coins down for making 

 of plate ; witnefs the pieces of 134-^, old fhillings of Queen Elizabeth, 

 gd, and ^.^d pieces ; which being wieghty monies, none of them are 

 now to be met with ; whereby they have raifed the price of filver to 

 2d per ounce above the value of the mint ; which thereby has flood Hill 

 ever fince the i ith of King James. That for above thirty years paft it 

 has been the ufual pradlice of thofe exchanging goldfmiths to make their 

 fervants run every morning from (hop to fhop, to buy up all weighty 

 coins for the mints of Holland and the eaft countries, whereby the king's 

 mint has flood ftill. The former allowances in the old cambium regis 

 were id, and fometimes i^^^ exchange upon the value of every noble, 

 {i. e. 6/B.) Thofe offices were vifually fold by the crown for a good 

 fum of money, and the king's exchanger had alfo the fole right of ex- 

 changing plate and any other manufacture of gold and lilver at home 

 for the king's coin, taking the like allowance, and alfo vhe coinage 

 duty. 



Againft the revival of this royal exchange, the goldfmiths company of 

 London earneftly petitioned the king and council, as did afterwards the 

 lord mayor, court of aldermen, and common coui:icil, in behalf of the 

 goldfmiths company, who called themfelves no fewer than 900 families, 

 whereas the royal pamphlet afferts that not above ten goldfmiths were 

 concerned in this exchanging trade. In brief, upon a fecond petition 

 of the goldfmiths, the king told them to trouble him no farther, fince 

 his right to the office was undoubtedly clear. 



1629. — On the 2d of March 1628-9 ^^^^S Charles diflblved his par- 

 liament, with many fharp expreflions of refentment againft thofe mem- 

 bers of the houfe of commons who oppofed his meafures ; {^Fcedera, V. 

 xix, p. 29] by which the differences between him and his people grew 

 dayly wider. Yet, rather than have any more parliaments, he went 

 deeper into arbitrary and illegal methods for railing money by his fole 

 prerogative. So from this time till the year 1640 there was no par- 

 liament fummoned. 



