A Demonstration that Farthings are as necessary as Bread, for most of the people: And that Farthings of an intrinsick value, are useless, and deceitful.
THe number of those whose bowels yearn for their dayly bread, before they can earn a penny to buy it, do eminently exceed all the rest of the people in any Nation; and their extream poverty makes them uncapable of paying, if trusted; So that to keep them from Farthings, and such small exchanges, were to starve three quarters of the people, and withal to break, and so in fine, to starve all these multitude of petty Retailers, who sells onely these poor all necessaries for life.
This necessity enforceth those Retailors, for want of a publique allowed Token, to make Tokens of Pence, Half-Pence, and Farthings, and therein, as in all else, to grind the faces of the poor, by wholly refusing, or at best, giving but what they please, for their own late vented Tokens.
This unresistable want of small exchanges, is yet cleerer by the general acceptance of the Rump two pences, Dutch Stivers, and French Souces.
These experiences, together with the observed [Page 2]waste of Bulloin by loss of small Coyn, hath ever produced Copper or Brass Tokens in all Nations for the necessary traffick and subsistance of the needy, chusing rather to endure the mischeif of counterfeits, then the dying groans of their starved poor.
Tokens therefore being as necessary as Bread, it is the same charity to provide that silver be repayed for all Tokens, as that a penny loaf shall weigh so many Ounces, without which care the poor would quickly be forced to give a penny for one ounce of bread, as now they do ten pence to some chandlers of their own Farthings for a two-penny loaf.
Master Slingsby of the Mint, to accomodate the poor, and prevent counterfeits, proposeth a Farthing of an intrinsick worth; but considers not that if he justly performe it, their burthen will be so intollerable, that the Chandlor will not sell his ware for them, because in one week he will have a Cart load of them, and withal, will not know how to get silver for them, without which he breaks, because though he sells by Farthing parcells, yet be buyeth by pounds and shillings.
Next, though Mr. Slingsby be still of so publique a Spirit, to give his pains for no gains, yet the people, who have so lately been so cheated by pretenders to this publique spirit, may reasonably desire sure security, that he, and all under, and after him, shall never lessen his waight, embase his Mettal, or refuse to return silver for his Tokens, without loss of time or money to the people, and that he will also take all Counterfeits that shall deceive them, under colour of his.
Yet if he would undertake to secure all this, which no security can, until he can afford Copper and labour as cheap as the Sweads, and withal bind both Sweads and Dutch from sending us in lighter and courser Copper Farthings, which cannot be discerned, without a Touch-stone, and Gold weights in every Family, if these impossibilities could be secured, yet the King loseth the Noble in the pound which Sir Edward Ford offereth, with certain security and clear evidence that he can performe all. And yet desires no Monopoly of Tokens, but that all, who will so secure the people from all damage, and pay the Noble, as he offereth, may also make Tokens, so they use not his Invention, which the Law gives him for fourteen years, and the King he doubts not, will allow him.