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THE
REGULATING
Silver Coin,
Made Practicable and Easie,
TO THE
GOVERNMENT
AND
SUBJECT.
Humbly submitted to the Consideration of both Houses of Parliament.
By a Lover of his Country.
_LONDON_,
Printed for _Henry Bonwick_, at the _Red-Lion_ in St. _Paul_’s
Church-Yard. 1696.
CONTENTS
THE REGULATING Silver Coin, &c.
DEFINITIONS.
CHAP. I. Of the present badness of our Coin.
CHAP. II. Of the present Scarcity of Silver Coin in England.
CHAP. III. Of the Importation of Silver.
CHAP. IV. Of Altering our Coin.
CHAP. V. Of Exportation of Coin’d Silver.
CHAP. VI. Of melting down the current Coyn of England by our Goldsmiths
and other Artificers.
CHAP. VII. Of Hoarding up of the Silver Coyn.
CHAP. VIII. Of Regulating our Silver Coyn.
CHAP. IX. Advantages and Conveniencies most of which may be expected
from this Method.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
REGULATING
Silver Coin, _&c._
Writing on so curious, and intricate a Subject, I have great Reason to
bespeak the Candour of the Reader.
A Book of this Nature cannot but expect to meet with great Opposition,
and ’tis very probable from Two sorts of Men especially, _viz._ Those
that know little of the Subject-Matter, and those that know much.
They that know little are Jealous, and they that know much Opiniatre,
and whilst one will not take Pains to comprehend a thing, another taketh
too much to overthrow it.
[Sidenote: _Mr._ Lowndes.]
But as I hope I shall say nothing here, to be pity’d; so I am on the
other side pretty secure from Envy, because, the greatest Credit that
can be gotten, by a thing of this Nature, doth already seem to be
engross’d by a late learned and industrious Writer upon this Subject.
It was, I must needs say, a prudent piece of Service the _Lords of the
Treasury_ did the Nation, and more particularly the _Parliament_, under
whose Judgment this matter justly falls, by imploying so able a Pen to
clear the way, in giving a true, and entertaining Account of Matter of
Fact.
But I must do my self that little piece of Justice too, as to
acknowledge the main Design of these Papers was laid before I could have
a sight of that Book:
And now I am ready enough to confess my own Weakness, and Insufficiency,
for so great an Undertaking; nor do I pretend to write a Stile equal to
that experienc’d Minister, but am contented to be understood without
shining, and to offer Mathematical Reasoning, without polishing and
Ornament.
When I at first form’d the whole Scheme, I had more Leisure, by much,
than when I put it in Writing, and I can better answer for my Design,
than for my way of expressing it; and therefore all the Favour I expect
or ask, is, that the _Theorem_, which is the main of the Work, may not
suffer for the Inartificialness of the _Problems_ that lead to it.