meanes which hereby shall still be mynistred unto them,
shalbe kepte from idlenes and be made able by their owne honest and easie
labour to finde themselves, withoute surchardginge others. For proofe of
the last part of my allegation I will use but onely this one example
followinge.

In the yere of our Lorde 1564. at what tyme the Flemishe nation were
growen, as they were, to the fulnes of their wealthe and to the heighte of
their pride, and not remembringe what wonderfull gaine they had yerely by
the wolles, clothes, and comodities of England, beganne to contempne our
nation and to rejecte our clothes and comodities, a subjecte of the then
twoo Erles of Emden, a man of greate observation, wrote a notable
discourse to the younge erles, to take occasion of that present tyme by
offer of large priviledges in Emden to the Englishe men.(63) In which
discourse, the said subjecte, for the better inducemente of the said twoo
younge erles, dothe write of his owne knowledge, as he in his discourse
affirmeth, and as also by his reporte appereth in the 22d booke of
Sleydans Comentaries,(64) that, anno 1550. Charles the Fifte, then
Emperour, would have had the Spanishe Inquisition broughte into Andwerpe
and into the Netherlandes; whereaboute there was moche adoe, and that
neither the sute of the towne of Andwerpe, nor the requeste of their
frendes, could perswade the Emperour from it, till at the laste they tolde
him playnely, that if the Inquisition came into Andwerpe and the
Netherlandes that the Englishe marchantes woulde departe oute of the towne
and out of his contries; and upon declaration of this suggestion, searche
was made what profile there came and comoditie grewe by the haunte of the
Englishe marchantes. Then was it founde by searche and enquirie, that
within the towne of Andwerpe alone, there were fourtene thousande persons
fedde and mayneteyned onely by the workinge of Englishe commodities,
besides the gaines that marchantes and shippers with other in the sayd
towne did gett, which was the greatest parte of their lyvinge, which were
thoughte to be in nombre half as many more; and in all other places of his
Netherlandes by the indrapinge of Englishe woll into clothe, and by the
workinge of other Englishe comodities, there were thirtie thousande
persons more mayneteyned and fedd; which in all amounteth to the nomber of
lj.M. persons. And this was the reporte that was geven to this mightie
Emperour, whereby the towne of An