nce, there is no good reason to doubt but
that Povey wrote the entire draft of these instructions himself. Even
those portions that are not to be found in the "Overtures" are written
in Povey's peculiar and rather stilted style.

That Povey and Noell were the authors of the instructions given to the
Council of Trade it is not so easy to demonstrate. A preliminary sketch
of "Instructions for a Councill of Trade" as well as a copy of the final
instructions are to be found among the Povey papers and both Povey and
Noell were sufficiently familiar with the requirements of trade at that
period to have drafted such a document. The fact that the second paper
is but an elaboration of the first leads to the conclusion that they
bear to each other much the same relation that the "Overtures" bear
to the Instructions for the Council of Plantations:

FIRST DRAFT. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS.

1. You shall in the first place 1. You shall take into your
consider, and propound how to consideration the inconveniences
remedy inconveniencys of the the w^{ch} the English Trade hath
English trade, in all the respective suffered in any Partes beyond the
dominions of those Princes and Seas, And are to inquire into such
States with whom his Mat^{ie} may Articles of former Treaties as
renew Alliance, and to that end have been made with any Princes or
make due enquiry into such former States in relation to Trade, And
treaties as relate to Trade. to draw out such Observations or
Resolutions from thence, as may be
necessary for us to advise or
insist upon in any forreigne
Leagues or Allyances. That such
evills as have befallen these our
Kingdomes through the want of
good information in these great
and publique concernm^{ts} may be
provided against in tyme to come.

What Articles have bin provided 2. You are to consider how & by
in favour of the Trade of his whome any former Articles or
Ma^{ties} Subjects, How they have Treatyes have been neglected or
been neg