One of the pamphlets of the age of the Commonwealth is said, in the
title-page, to be
Printed in the year
That sea-coal was exceeding dear.
The remembrance of this inconvenience, which the Londoners had suffered
during the stoppage of their supply from Newcastle, made "the committees
of both kingdoms conclude and agree among themselves, that some of the
most notorious delinquents and malignants, late coal-owners in the town
of Newcastle, be wholly excluded from intermeddling with any shares or
parts of colleries;" "but as the parliament might find a difficulty in
_driving on the trade_, they did not conceive it for their service to
put out all the said malignants at once, but were rather constrained,
for the present, to make use of those delinquents in working their own
collieries as tenants and servants." The more stubborn and _wealthy_,
therefore, were selected for example; and the others had this favour
shown them.
* * * * *