Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 1.djvu/49

 their wares by brokers only, and to pay them, beside the ordinary certain excessive brokerage whether brokers be thereto occupied or no. Moreover, one William Tipper hath likewise a patent for the hosting of the most part of your orators, not knowing to have given any occasion, wherefore they ought to be restrained and given in ward and keeping, with their families and wares, to such as should please him with money, or by other means get the acc$ons$ [accommodations?] from him to execute the same patent, for the execution whereof he keepeth a court in every ward within the city of London, examining all strangers, likewise your orators, taking twopence for every foreign-born for registering their names, and twelve pence of every denizen. Beside this, he pretendeth generally of all their wares to have twopence for every pound, and so to be made privy to all your orators’ doings and writings.

“All these extremities being such, your humble orators of very necessity are driven to recur to your Majesty’s clemency, beseeching that of your Majesty’s singular accustomed goodness, always to them shewed, it may please your Majesty to ordain, that of all such new burdens, extremely to them hurtful, and to your Majesty’s realm unprofitable, they may be delivered; and that the Royal Exchange of Merchants may be used without any troublesome orders and impositions, using brokers in exchange, buying and selling (if need be), for usual stipend; and likewise that they may be delivered from the bondage of William Tipp and of his exaction, according as hitherto under your Majesty’s protection they have used.

“And with heart and mind they will continue to pray to God for the increase and endurance of your gracious Majesty, and for this your blessed realm’s prosperity.”

This matter may seem rather uninteresting, but the study of it is rewarded by the discovery of the following valuable paper by Secretary Sir Thomas Smith, which escaped the notice of the indefatigable Strype. I copied it in the original spelling, but it will be better to print it in modern English.

“The Copy of Sir Thomas Smith’s Letter against hostage. Among other things in the last docquet there is one — that is, the grant of a certain office of Hostings to one William Tipper, that he only shall lodge all merchants strangers coming into England, paying for that office £5 by year to the Queen’s Majesty. This office seemeth new and strange to me, and contrary to our leagues made with the Low Countries and with France, by which there should be no new grievances or burdens laid upon them. How would we like that one man should lodge all Englishmen throughout all France or Spain? What, if he entreat them evil — compel them unreasonably, he, his ministers or deputies — may they not seek them a new host? Surely to me it seemeth contrary to Magna Charta Anglice touching strange merchants, and to all humanity, and to be indeed inhospitale ac ferum [inhospitable and savage], used in no nation ever yet. I like no monopolies, for they be to the monopolyer tyrannical — to all others, servitude and bondage. There may be some other reason which I see not. Wherefore I thought good to stay it from sealing until I had advertised you of it, which now I send you herewith, if you think so good to move her Majesty in it, or else cause it to be sealed. For, until I be better persuaded, my conscience will not suffer me to put the seal, until I had moved her Majesty in it again, whosoever did obtain it; for so I think it my duty, so long as I keep the seal, in anything that toucheth her Majesty’s honour, or breach of any league.”

With regard to naturalization, there was no public Act of Parliament under which a Protestant stranger could be naturalized on personal application and after compliance with certain regulations. Naturalization depended on the free-will of the sovereign, who could grant the favour and give authority for enrolling the names of favoured individuals as adopted lieges or denizens (quod sint indigenae). The same favour might be obtained by a private Act of Parliament. As to the census of Protestant strangers in London in the year 1571, it enables us to give a list of denizens. We find also that, in the reign of Elizabeth, James de Bois, of Canterbury, was naturalized in the eighth year of her reign (1566-7), and that in her reign Matthew de Quester, a native of Antwerp, was naturalized by Act of Parliament. In the next reign we have some names on record, but not so many as might have been. The Scotch subjects of the king were aliens in England, and required grants of naturalization. A memorandum in the State Paper Office, of date 1603, notes that the naturalization fee paid by the Earl of Mar was thirteen shillings and fourpence. This amount of coin was valued by some receivers, who did not care about the privilege paid for, or for the privileged persons. And so, instead of names of accepted and gratified denizens, we sometimes find such entries as these:— “22 Aug. 1605. Confirmation to John Stewart of a grant of the fees for making thirty denizens.” “10 Nov. 1618. Warrant for a grant of patents of denization to thirty foreigners to be named by John Bownall — to take effect after a similar grant to John Hall.” 