Richard Haines

“ How many Hundred Thousand Beggers, Vagrants, Drones, Nurses of Debauchery, &c. who are not only a Dishonour, but a great Disadvantage to the Nation, living in continual sinful Practices against the Laws of God and good Government, depriving themselves of all means of Religious and Civil Education, to the great danger of their own Souls ”

“ And who knows, but in very few Ages, each Hospital may have a plentiful Revenue bestow'd thereon: For what can be a fitter object for the Charity of such well disposed People, who out of their Abundance, may please to leave a Legacy behind them for Pious and Charitable uses, seeing here it will ever be imploy'd to the comfort of distressed Widows; the Maintainance and good Education of Fatherless Children ”

“ Whether these great Hospitals may not become Nurseries for bringing up all poor peoples Children to Industry, and how by a Methodical Government every one may be so encouraged, that one striving to excel the rest, in very short time, the finest Linnen may be made at home upon far better terms than what comes from beyond the Seas; and whether there be not a probability, if the Engines take, that we may come to transport Linnen upon as good terms as other Nations, since Flax and Hemp may here be as plentifully produced as in any other Countrey. ”

“ And all this, or the greatest part, from those who before lay a Begging at their Doors, or were maintained by Contribution; and now, the more people Increase, the better it will be for the whole Nation: And doubtless, if an Imposition sufficient were laid on Foreign Linnen, Hemp and Flax, and Incouragement due to ingenious and industrious people given, (as in this Case, the Nation might well afford) then to be sure, our Hospitals would be suddenly stock'd with curious Artists, by which our new Manufactory would speedily be brought to perfection. ”

“ Suppose every Parish, one with another, throughout the Nation, relieves as many poor People, Beggars, &c. as doth amount to 12 d. in the Pound, so that every 100 l. per Annum, pays 5l. per Annum to the poor; Now if every 100 l. per Annum, pay 5 l. towards Building such Hospital, then whereas more than half their poor consists of Children, Women, and decrepit weak persons, unfit for any other Employment, but such as may fitly be removed to this Hospital; it follows, more than half their Charge will for the future be abated; yea, many Parishes have scarce any poor to provide for. ”

“ Nay, if the thing were rightly considered, it might be easily Demonstrated, That the Money which goes out of the Nation for Linnen in one year, will pay for making of all the Cloth that may be made in 20 years; although in every year of that twenty, there be as much made, as now we buy a Year of other Nations: As thus;
Money being kept at home within the Body of the Nation, is (as it hath no less aptly, than frequently been resembled) like the Blood in its Circulation in the Body of Man, which is not the less for its perpetual Motion ”

“ The second Benefit aimed at, is the procuring the most Fine and curious Cloth, as well as quantities sufficient of Courser, for Domestick and Foreign Trade, to be obtained with great expedition: For so it is, That when so many are imploy'd in sight of each other (especially, where incouragement is given, and good Discipline maintain'd) the strife of all, both small and great, will be to excell each other, both in quantity and curiosity of Work. ”

“ As the Case now stands, every Family in the Nation either directly or indirectly, send their Money every year to the Drapers for Linnen, the Drapers they pay it to the Merchants, and away it goes every year beyond Sea, and never returns; whereby our Wealth is made a Prey to other Nations, whose Poor are imploy'd and maintain'd thereby, whilst in the mean time our Nation is in a Consumption, our Poor live by Begging, Poverty increases, and our Lands lye unimproved, for want of this Manufactory. ”

“ If this course be taken, we shall pay dearer for Linnen, than now we do, and it must needs be best Husbandry to Buy where we may have it Cheapest.
Answ. If we send our Money beyond-Sea for what we want, then the more we Buy, the less Money we have to pay, which causes Scarcity of Money, and also, want of Trade, whereby to get more; but if we bestow our Money for Commodities made at home, our Money and Trade will continually Increase; and though for a little while we pay somewhat more, yet it is easier to part with 9 d. when Money and Trade are plenty and increasing, than to part with 6 d. ”

“ But now under this Reformation, every Family that sends their Money to the Drapers, the Draper sends it to the Masters of these Hospitals, and they scatter it amongst all the Trades in the Nation; especially to the Farmers, and Tillers of Land, ready Money for Hemp and Flax; ready Money for Corn and Fat Cattle of all sorts ”

“ Humbly Offered to the Consideration of the great Wisdom of the whole Nation, now Assembled in Parliament.
Considering the great Complaints of Poverty, the heavy Burdens most Parishes lie under to maintain their Poor, which daily encrease; the Swarms of Beggars, Vagrants and Idle People in City and Countrey; the great, and 'tis fear'd, irrecoverable decay of our Ancient Trade for Woollen Cloth; the vast Charge we are yearly at in purchasing Linnen, &c. ”

“ Let it be considered, How acceptable an Offering it would be to the most High, when by so pious an Act of Our Gracious King and Parliament, together with the free Will Offrings of all able godly disposed people, so many Thousands, yea Thousands of Thousands, in process of time, may be restrained, and prevented from living in that broad way of Idleness and Lewdness, in which is all manner of Debauchery. ”

“ Besides, almost all both Men, Women and Children that can but pull Tire or Tow from the Distaff, or such easie work, may be speedily employed and removed from being chargeable; so that there will be no fear of any Parish in the Kingdom being oppressed, or indeed charged, save only in case of extream Age, or Children in their Infancy, neither of which continues long. ”

“ Moreover, hereby the distracting cares of poor honest Parents, oft occasioned by a foresight of their incapacity to provide for their Children, will be removed; so that they may pass their time in peace, knowing that a good honest comfortable Employment and Education is provided for their Children, and their Childrens Children ”

“ Two men of equal strength, skill, and nimbleness in all points, were to run a long Race, and one of them must carry such a weight in his hand, as is more tiresome to him than the motion of his Legs, and oft-times, must ease the Burthen with his foot: May not the other, who hath all his Limbs free, be at the end of the Race and half-way back again as soon, and more easily than this can get to the end of the Race. ”

“ And why should not our people, when they find the Manufactory Incouraged, and especially by the Emulation and desires to out-vie each other in good Work-manship in these publick Working Alms-Houses; Why, I say, May we not arrive at as great Perfection in the Mystery as any people in the World? ”

“ And now by this Reformation, from Generation to Generation, may become attentive hearers of his Holy Word, which is the most Infallible Directory to bring them to Heaven.
Obj: You talk of great Profits made of Flax in other Countries: But some are of the Opinion, That to raise the Linnen Manufactory here to that degree, is utterly Impracticable; as well, because our Domestick Flax is not so good as that which comes from beyond the Seas; as also, because our people cannot work it so well. ”

“ They may be secured well enough, and those that turn the Wheel, &c. may be separated by an Iron Grate from the rest:—And here by the way, the pious wisdom of the City of London may find out a means, whereby all those Impudent Night-walkers, and Nurses of Debauchery may be wholly removed, which at present are a destruction both to the Estates, Bodies and Souls of many Hundreds, and cannot be reclaimed by ordinary Bridewels, because their Labour there is only a punishment, and turns not to advantage, to keep them there all their days, or at least until they marry, and keep within doors. ”

“ This or some such prodigious Sum of Money might yearly be raised to the Nation, whereby a Treble Benefit would ensue, First, we might save so much Money now yearly sent out of the Nation for Linnen, which, as computed by very worthy Intelligent persons, has of late cost us more than a Million per Annum. Secondly, By employing those hands, which for the greatest part are idle, it being reasonably supposed that there are at least 100000 Beggars or others who want a lawful Employment. ”

“ To this I Answer, First, That the thing we chiefly design, is to imploy and maintain such as cannot any other way earn half their living by any other Imploy, so that more than half the Spinners would be very young, and of little strength, and consequently to imploy one foot all the time they Spin, will be very tiresome; nay, the strongest body cannot do it, without easing the same, neither can they imply both hands so freely, as when they are discharged of that burthen, or incumbrance. ”

“ But this Method will not hold, because one County hath not so many Parishes as another.
Answ. It matters not; Let each County build proportionally to their Money as it will arise at 12 d. per Pound, we doubt not but it will be sufficient.
Obj. 4. It may further be Objected as impossible, That the Spinning Engine should turn to account, because as oft as one Spinner has occasion to stop, all the rest must be idle; and again, since every Wheel hath its motion alike, and several Spinners work some faster, some slower, therefore all considered, this Project will make but a Confusion. ”

“ Furthermore, these Spinning Instruments may in like manner be for Expedition very serviceable for Spinning of Wollen, I mean Serges, Worsted, Camlets, and Stockings, which being well made, are much more to be incouraged than Hair and Silk, these being Foreign Commodities, the other of our own Growth, especially, since it is so, that our home Markets for Wool, and Foreign Markets for our Cloth grow worse and worse, and in the opinion of most, scarce ever to be recovered ”

“ But to the better advantage, this will be easily cured, for now all the aforesaid inconveniencies being removed, which render the Work most burthensome; they may for their ease stand or sit, when, and as often as they please, and freely imploy both hands from morning to evening, much more easily than they could one hand before ”

“ Whether this great and profitable Trade may not be managed for the most part by those who at present are a burden; so that those which before were industrious, may follow their former employments, and so no want of People for Husbandry, &c. ”

“ That for the better encouragement and support of so many poor people labouring in so profitable a Manufactory, each Alms-house be provided with and allowed a publick Granary, for stocking themselves with Corn when it is cheapest, against the time of Dearth ”

“ Having received the princely Approbation of that most Judicious and publick spirited Promoter of Englands Weal and Prosperity, and all such Ingenuites as tend to general Good, and whole Noble Actions have given matchless proofs of his great zeal thereunto, viz. His Illustrious Highness Prince Rupert who having condiscended to peruse the preceeding Proposals, was pleas'd to Honour me with his Approvement, Advice, and Encouragement therein ”

“ And to the intent these Hospitals may never fail of encouragement, that the Invention may be for ever secured to them, and prohibited to all others, so that the same may be improved only for their benefit, and private persons not take the advantage thereof to the prejudice of this our pious and necessary Design: I doubt not but many will say, Tush! this is easie; any body may invent such things as these.—Thus the Industry of one is gratified with the contempt of others: Howbeit I leave it with all humble submission to the grave Wisdom aforesaid, to consider,
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