DREI VOLKSWIRTHSCHAFTL. DENKSCHRIFTEN A. D. ZEIT HEINRICHS VHI. 65 



Wherupon it may please our gracious king of Englond to make a 

 staple of all wollen clothes in London and that all clothe makers with 

 their artificers dwell to gethers in market townes like as in old tyme, 

 and that every market towne of clothe making have a common seale 

 and every wollen clothe made within the presinct and libertie and fre- 

 dome of the towne to reconrde the trew making of all wollen clothes so 

 sealed with the sealles of the townes , wherin they be made , theruppon 

 to be brought to the kinges staple of wollen clothe in London ther to 

 be sealed with the kinges seale of his staple to recorde all the wollen 

 clothes made in Englond, bought and sold by way of the kinges staple, 

 having the staple seale, shal be openly knowen to be trewe made clothes, 

 whersoever they be bought and sold. So shall all Englishe clothers 

 never be slaundered in no other realmes and contries for false making, 

 like as merchaunte adventurers in London hath caused fauls clothes to 

 be made in Englonde for low prices to trucke and barter theym for mer- 

 chaundizes and slayte wares in other contris for forcyng for their owne 

 falshod nor for the slander and dishonor of the realme. And under the 

 pretence of the same slander merchauntes in Anwarpe and other con- 

 trys and townes in the Loo contries hath and doth use to streche Eng- 

 lishe clothes upon tayntors five or six yerdes longer in every clothe^) and 

 so seil theym unto the Almaynes^ which muste nedes shrynk ageyn. 

 And the Almayns complaynyng of that falshod , the merchauntes of the 

 Low contryes, which doth so falsily, excusith themself saying: Englishe 

 wole is the beste , but the clothes draped therof ar falsely made , which 

 saying helpeth the sale of their owne contrey clothes made with Englishe 

 wolles and Spaynyshe wolles, which will not suffer to be streched. And 

 their untrue saying slaunderith the sale of Englishe clothes for lake that 

 their true making of theym is not recordyd by a staple seale. 



A staple of wollen cloth in London shal be the moste notable thing 

 for the honor and profite of Englond that ever was, by reasone of good 



1) If his cloth be seventeen yards long, he will set him on a rack, and streich 



him out with ropes, and rack him tili the sinews shrink again, while he hath brought 

 him to twenty seven yards, Latimer, Works 1, 138. 



Histor.-pMlolog. Classe. XXIII. 7. I 



