The National Register.
London, England, 1811-10-06 00:00:00

NATIONAL RECIISTVR

Q UEEN

(The following was the method resorted to by Queen Elizabeth,
fur stopping the circulation of base coin ; and will, we trust,
be acceptable to many of our zeaders.i
The summarie of certaine reasons, which have moved Quene
Elizabeth to procede in reformations of her base and course
monies ; and to reduce them to their values, in sorte, as they
may. be turned to fine monies. Appointed to be declared by her
Majestic, by order of her proclamation, in herocitie of ondon.
First of all h is knower, that the honour and reputation of the
singuler wealth, that this realm was wont to have above all other
realms, was partly in that it had no current monies but golde and
silver; whereas contrary all other countreys, as Almayn, Fraunce,
Spain, Flaunders, Scotland, and the rest of Christendom have
hadde, and still have cerain base monies now of late dayes, by
turning of fine monies into base, muche decayed, and dayly
growen into infamie and reproche, and therefore is thought ne-
cessary to be recovered ; whtrin, Tyke as her Majestie, for her
part, rneaneth to be at great charges, so every good Englishe sub-
3ectes ought to be content, though at some mai losse at the
first.

Also, by continuing of the base monies, divers person, both in
forrein partes, and within the realm, have counterfaicted, from
tyrne to tyme, no small quantitie, and brought to porte-townes,
and uttered the same at the fyrste after the rate of xii pence a
teston, and after that for
.vi pence, where the same was not in
dede worth above .two-pence ; and caried out of the realm, for
those base monies, the rich commodities of the same, as wclle,
cloth, lead, tiisue, leather, tallowe ; yea and all kiude of victual,
at cortie, malt, beer, butter, cheese, and such tyke; so as coun-
terfaicters and such lylte, have for small summe of monies
counterfaicted, caried out six times the value in commodities of
the realm.

By the means also that these base monies were current, divers
subtyll peoplehave chaunged the same for the golde and fine sylver
monies of this realm, and have transported and caried out the
same golde and sylver, so as although there bath ben coyned
both in the later end of the raigne of Kyng Edward, and in the
tyme of Quene Mary, and now also sence the queen's majestie's
raigne, great quantities of golde and sylver, yet no part thereof
is sene commonly currant; but, as it may be thought, some part
thereof is carved hence, and some, percase. by the wyser sort of
people kepte in store, as it were to be wished that the whole
were.

Also, by continuance of this sort of base monies, although
Almightie God hath gyven now of late yeares pl‘tntifull increase
by the earth, for the which he is to be thanked, without any
such plages of scarcitie, as in our forefathers tyme bath hene
read, when many hundrethes and thousandas of people have
dyed for famit.e; yet the prices of all thynges, growing or coin-
myng from the earth, bath immeasurably and dayly risen ; as all
manner of grayne, fruite, cattell, bestiall, victuel, wolle, leather,
and such dyke; and no reMetly could be devysed to amend the
same, bit to cause that the same base monies shuld .be currant
for no more than they were in just value. For every man, of the
least understanding, by one means or other, knew that a teston
was not worth ,ix-pence, nor the peece of two-pence was worth
so much; and therefore no man would gyve gladly that thing
which was and ever had ben worth six-pence, for a teston, but
would rather require two to-tonc.*: and so a thyng, being worth
six-pence, was bought and soil eyther for two testons, or one
and a halfe, which was in reckenyng xii or ix pence ; and n w
every teston being brought to the just value, it must needs fol-
low, that one shall buy of another hereafter that for iiii pence
halfpeny, wh;,ch was wont to cost vi pence. And. when the
teston shall be brought into tint, sylver, then shall all men be as
desirous to sell any ware for suche fine monies, as they have of
late ben loth and unwyllynge to sell any thyng for the base mo-
nies; except they might have had twyce as much of the base
monies, as they were wont to have of the fine, or ela that for
necessitie they
.sw_.re dryven to sell the same.
By this meanes al,to, now that the base monies are brought to
the just value, and that every man shall have fine' monies for
them, all poor people that lyved of theyr hand-labour, as well
artificers in cities or towneq, as labourers in husbandrye, or
men that coke dayetall wages, eyther by land, by sea, or by
freshe waters, and all meane gentlemen that lyved hut upon
pensions and stipendes, and all souldinurs and servyng-men, that
lyved upon solde • and wages, shall have theyr pensions, sti-
pendes, solder, and wages, now payde in good and fine monies,
and therewith she bye more necessaries for theyr sustentacion,
then could duet be bought ; who surely havving heretofore after
the rate of Us. Yxvis. viiid. v nobles, xls, iv marks, v marks,
Iv pounds, v pounds, xx nobles, and so upward, by the yere payde
Co chitin in these base monies, could not have so much victuel,

• Fr. a soldier's pay,

\

, -
apparel, weapon, .armure, horses, or such lyke, with the saide
stipend, by more than a fourth part, as they shall now' have;
because in dede the saide_base monies were of themselves no
more worth.
By this reformation also, of base monies, shall necessarety
folowe a more profitable accoumpte betwixt the monies of this
realm and of other countries; and thereby the accoumpte,
which, by marchauntes, is called the Eschaunge, shall also arise
in estimation of the monies of Engkied, in suche sorte, as in
former tymes bath ben ; and the forreine commodities therelay
also be bought for easyer pryses, to the benefit of all such as use
the same. So as, the matter well considered, the greatest num-
bre, and especially the poorest, shall have most commoditie
hereby : yea, and such others as have moste gayned by excessive
prices, shall have also (if they will consider them elves) no small
profyte and helpe. And fynally, no manner of person in the
whole realm shall have, after one or two monthes, hurt hereby ;
except onely the traytnur which bath lived by counterfaicting.—
And, therefore, it is to be allowed and imbraced of all people,
and every man to thinke, that although at the first he may sup-
pose that he hath !else mottle in his purse; yet shall he have for
the same metal, as much as that was worth, either in ware, or
at her Majesties' *lint, in fine monies. And whensoever he
shall utter that base monies, which, at the tyme of the procla-
mation, he hadde ; the next that he shal gette, eyther by his
hand-labour, or for his wages, shal be eyther fine monies, or
such as he may have as much fine monies in the mint for it.—
And, consequently. every man ought to thank Almyglitie God,
that he may lyve to see the honour of his countrey thus partely
recovered; sylver to come in place of copper, pryses of thynges
amende, all people to he more able to lyve of theyr wages,
every man's purse, or coffer, made free from the privie thefel
which was the counterfaictorir. And, fynally, the treasure of
this realm to be of sylver and golde, as was wotite in our fore-
fathers' time, and not of brasse and copper ; besydes many othert
great commodities that hereof must needs ensue, which, but fur
length, might be declared ; and, for, all the same, ro lost,e to any,
otherwise, but in opinion at the begynnyng, not much unlyke
to them, that being sicke, receive a medicine, and in the takyng,
feele some bitterness, but yet, thereby, recover health and
strength, and save theyr lives.
And, because it is st. tie by experience, that many tymes, when
good thynges be devysed and attempted, the devyl sleapeth not
to hinder the same, but caused' them eyther to be deftattel, or
to be defamed and mistaken ; therefore it is mecte, th:q no 1-min-
tier of person gyve any credite to such as shall caste abr de mis-
trust or amendment of the money, or pretend this decree to he
greater, or more burdenous than it is• For, truely, this amend-
ment is so fully purposed by her majestic, as, besyde that, expe-
rience shal trio it within one month, or vi weekes; within
which tymes, necessarie thynges for the mint must be provided.
It is sene, that her majestic may refourme these monies accord-
ing to her proclamation, without any such great fosse as might
move her to forbeare it : and, on the other syde, the monies be
so justly valued, as, in dede, the base tritons being set at ii
farthyng, and her majestie giving at her mint, for every pound
of them, xxs. and iii d. in rewarde, shall, thereby, gyve rather
more than they shall he worth, beynge melted, than lesse. So
that her majestie, who, since she came to this croune, never
gayned any thing by any coynage, nor yet ever coyned any man-
ner of base monies for this realm, will not now determine to

636 THE
CURIOUS PROCLAMATION of
• ELIZABETH.