Land Forces without Money in 1667.

189 many other nations, and by the Spaniards, whofe bafe or black money, there fo called, if forbidden, would, for want of other mo- nies to fupply the occafions of that nation at home, whilft they paid their armies and hired foldiers abroad with better money, would be the utter and irrecoverable ruin of that king and people. When every man may acknowledge it to be a fadly experiment- ed truth that by the unlawful tranfport of our money as frequently, if not more, than merchandize and ' commodities* a more than 20 years warrs and taxes unbecoming, vail and luxurious expences-at home,, and fending our moneys into foreign parts to purchafe vani- ties not only for- the nobility, gentry, but our citizens, mechanics, artifans, and common and ordinary fervants, our England and al- m oft all forts of the people in it, are fo impoveriihed and ruined as they have not wherewithall to pay their debts, rents, or taxes, or to help to maintain an army to defend their king, country, children and pofterity, and retift infulting and provoking neighbour enemies, that if the debating of our coin upon fome of our princes occafions had done any hurt to fome particular perfons, yet the good it generally brought did greatly overbalance it, and that it being in fome years after recalled and reduced, all the harm it did was to relieve the prefent neceffities with a far lefs damage than the abating or alter- ing the value of the money would have enforced upon it. That of evills the lefs are to be chofen, that the not having of money to repell the enemy, or being fubdued for want of it, will allways be found to be more prejudicial! than any imaginary mo- ney can be to prevent it, that all the ways, but this of our forefa- thers, have been by our princes great occations for their and our prefervation worn out and tired, and can no more be trodden : and that when the people are willing,, as they ought, to furnifh their fovereign's neceflary and importunate occations, and have no money nor can borrow any to do it. There