City thereby deprived of one principal Means of bearing the Charge, and supporting the Grandeur and Magnificence thereof. There are several other Instances to be given, to prove that the Naturalization of Aliens is greatly prejudicial to the Trade of the said City, and publick Good of the Nation in general; some of which are set out in the Statute of 1 Hen. VII. Cap. 2. in these Words, (viz.)

Whereas in Times past divers Grants have béen made by King Edward, as well by his Letters Patents as by Acts of Parliament, to divers Merchants Strangers, born out of this Realm, to be Denizens, whereby they have and enjoy such Fréedoms and Liberties as do Denizens born within the said Realm, as well in Abatement of their Custom which they should bear as if they were no Denizens, as in buying and selling of their Merchandize to their great Avail and Lucre, and oft-times suffer other Strangers, not Denizens, deceitfully to ship and carry great and notable Substance of Merchandize in their Names, by which the said Goods be frée of Custom, in likewise as if they were the Goods of a Denizen, where of Right they ought to pay Custom as the Goods of Strangers, by the which they be greatly advanced in Riches and Honour; and after they be so enriched, for the most part they convey themselves with their said Goods into their own Countries, wherein they be naturally born, to the great impoverishing of this Realm, and to the great Hurt and Defraud of the King's Highness in Payment of his Customs: Wherefore it is Enacted, Established and Ordained, by the Advice of the Lords Spiritual, &c. That any Person hereafter to be made Denizen, shall pay for his Merchandize like Custom and Subsidy as he ought or should pay, before that he were made Denizen; any Letters Patents, or other Ordinances by Parliament or otherwise notwithstanding.

The Statutes of 11 Hen. VII. Cap. 14. and 22 Hen. VIII. Cap. 8. are both to the same purpose. And during the Reigns of Edward VI. Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, few or none were Naturalized. And in all the Reigns of King James I. and King Charles I. not above ten Aliens Merchants were Naturalized, and those such as by long abode in England had merited that Kindness of the Nation; and then it was rare to hear of an English Merchant that failed, so that the Clothiers grew rich, and the Clothing was in great Request abroad. Besides which,

This Favour of Naturalizing Aliens is ruinous to the English Merchants Trade, by Commission, which they enjoyed plentifully before these Naturalizations, which these naturalized Aliens now enjoyed. The English had Factories settled in all Countries, whereby they governed the Trade of the World; and these English Factors were great Incouragers of our Manufactures, and brought a great Addition to the Capital Stock of the Kingdom, by the great Estates they arrived to, and brought home. But since these particular Naturalizations of Merchants Aliens, our Factories in France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Hamburgh, and other near Countries, are ruined and enjoyed by Aliens.

By the second Rules in the Book of Rates, annexed to the Act of Tunnage and Poundage, Goods imported having paid Custom, and again exported by English in Twelve Months, and Aliens in Nine Months, draw back from his Majesty half the Customs paid by them on the Importation, and in some Cases more than half: Which Rule was designed to give the English Merchant three Months longer time for a Market for their Goods in England than Aliens had, and yet saved to them the Benefit of the Draw-back of half the Custom, in case they missed of a Market here, and were necessitated to send them abroad for a foreign Market. Which discriminating Advantage will be lost to the English, when Aliens being Naturalized shall thereby have the same Priviledge.

And (among other things) it is not to be forgotten, how our ancient native Manufactures are slighted and neglected, by reason of the many Aliens being Naturalized and settled among us, have introduced foreign Fashions and Inventions, to the Ruin of the honest English Handicrafts Tradesman, whose Manufactures thereby become a Drug, which would not be, were Aliens not Naturalized: For by the Statute of 32 Hen. VIII. Cap. 16. an Alien Artificer is disabled from settling among us, and can't so much as take the Lease of an House in England to drive his Trade in.

Upon the whole matter, it should seem highly consonant to Reason, for all English Men, Lovers of their Country, and especially for this High Court of Parliament, to take care to preserve the Revenue and Trade of the Great and Populous City of London, to the Native Freemen thereof, for the Benefit of themselves and their Successors, by preventing the future Naturalization of Aliens: Or if any hereafter, for weighty Reasons, be Naturalized, that it may be under a Proviso, That they pay a greater Custom to his Majesty and his Successors, for the Goods and Merchandizes they shall import or export, than his Majesty's Native Subjects; and may pay all City, Town and Port Tolls and Duties payable before by any Aliens. And hereby will Trade be by the native English carried on in an equal Ballance with Aliens, the Customs (being the publick Revenue of the Nation for guarding the Seas) increased; the honest English Handicrafts Men encouraged; the native Manufactures brought again into request; the ancient Trade by Commission regained; the Number of English Factors abroad increased; the younger Sons of the English Gentry preferred; the Freemen and Members of this great Metropolis enriched, and the Revenue thereof, for Payment of the Orphans Debts, and supporting the Magistracy and Government thereof, preserved; and generally, the Good of all his Majesty's Subjects advanced.