Of the want of our commodities here at home, by their
great transportation of them into other countries, I speak not, sith
the matter will easily betray itself. Certes among the Lacedaemonians
it was found out that great numbers of merchants were nothing to the
furtherance of the state of the commonwealth: wherefore it is to be
wished that the huge heap of them were somewhat restrained, as also
of our lawyers, so should the rest live more easily upon their own,
and few honest chapmen be brought to decay by breaking of the
bankrupt. I do not deny but that the navy of the land is in part
maintained by their traffic, and so are the high prices of wares kept
up, now they have gotten the only sale of things upon pretence of
better furtherance of the commonwealth into their own hands: whereas
in times past, when the strange bottoms were suffered to come in, we
had sugar for fourpence the pound, that now at the writing of this
Treatise is well worth half-a-crown; raisins or currants for a penny
that now are holden at sixpence, and sometimes at eightpence and
tenpence the pound; nutmegs at twopence halfpenny the ounce, ginger
at a penny an ounce, prunes at halfpenny farthing, great raisins
three pounds for a penny, cinnamon at fourpence the ounce, cloves at
twopence, and pepper at twelve and sixteen pence the pound.
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