The Complaint of many Free-holders, Famer, and others, of the Common-wealth of ENGLAND. Against the unlawfull planting of English Tobacco. With an Act of PARLIAMENT Prohibiting the same.
WHereas divers great quantities of Tobacco have been of late yeares, and now are planted in divers parts of this Nation, tending to the decay of husbandrie and tillage, the prejudice and hindrance of the Plantations abroad, and of the trading, commerce, Navigation and Shipping of this Nation; For prevention thereof, Be it Enacted or Ordained by this present Parliament, and by the Authority of the same, That no person or persons whatsoever, doe or shall at any time from and after the first day of May, one thousand six hundred fifty and two, plant, set, grow, make or cure, or cause to be planted, set, grown, made or cured, any Tobacco whatsoever as aforesaid, in any ground, field, place or places as aforesaid, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this present Act, every such person or persons so offending shall forfeit the sum of twenty shillings for every Pole or Rod of ground; and so after the Rate for a greater quantity that shall be so used or imployed, the one moyety of such forfeiture, to the use of the Common-wealth, the other moyety thereof, for the discoverer or Prosecutor, to be recovered by Action or Debt, Bill, Plaint or Information, in any Court of this Nation, wherein no Essoyn, wager of Law or Protection shall lye: And for the more effectuall preventing the planting of Tobacco's as aforesaid, That it shall be lawfull to or for any person or persons whatsoever, to enter into and upon all and every, or any place or ground within this Common-wealth, where any Tobacco shall be planted▪ growing, curing or making, contrary to this present Act, and to grub, cut up, destroy, and utterly to consume all and every such Tobaccos: And the Commissioners, Sub-Commissioners and Officers of Excise, are especially inioyned and required to look to the due execution hereof.
The Weed.
ENgland is called by the Nations of the world, the Garden of the world, but in it there is many weeds, and although divers have been at work to pull them up, yet still they grow, and more when they that indeavour to pull them up, seeme to take the greatest pains and care. Weeds grow faster then good herbs, yet weeds are never planted, being they desetve not pains of planting but are unprofitable unnecessary and unwholsome. I shall say little concerning the allegory that may be upon weeds in generall, but in particular, one weed that cumbereth and anoyeth this garden of England is Tobacco: the which some who have been and now are evill Members of this Common-wealth do indeavour to plant; the onely rise of it is coveteousness, a sinne of high nature, and the cause of much evill in all persons and places, and to be abandoned, the continuance of it is, through the subtilty of a resolute people, who have no regard to obey, neither feare any threat, nor regard any publick good the end of it will be the beggering of our forraign Plantations who have had, and doe depend on our Brethren natives for relief by traffique with them the great hindrance of shipping and navigation, and the continuation of a long and impoverished condition among divers manufactors that might supply forreigne parts with needfull things.
As for English Tobacco it is thus caractered.
A Subject of deceit, causing many quarrels and law suits, a destroyer of all sorts of graine, by occupying the best ground, and using all the Dung they can get to force their seed to plants, and after to inable the Fields for such a stinking, rotten, unprofitable, unwholsome, unnaturall stuff, an inhauncer of Rents, a barrenner of good land, an expugner of lawfull trades, an increaser of idleness, distructive to health of a perishing condition, a thing not worthy to have its being in our Nation, alwayes by every power prohibited▪ not accounted as a commodity, but as expeld exild and banished. That it doth deterr and hinder many thousand pounds a year to this Nation of Excise and Custome that might be paid for other Tobacco, if this were not pernicious in the roome of Forraigne, besides the imployment of our ships and men, and other inconveniences, it is also not fit to grow in our climate, it never commeth to maturity it was not on the list for Excise, but accounted as Docks or Hemlock.
Tobacco of forraign Plantations is on the co [...]trary beneficiall to Merchandises and manufacture, profitable in the support of our Nation, it officiates as money abroad, and gives content, to the buyer at home, and is accounted a commodity that hath sustained life upon the Seas in time of distress, as also in Prisons and Garrisons when need hath been, it groweth in its proper place, comes to perfect maturity, and of all that are affected with Tobacco, it is loved and desired▪ and of all powers and people allowed in all Nations, being of a sound quality, and fit for exportation to many places. The dammage that may grow by this English Tobacco [...] the decay of Merchandise, tillage, Husbandrie, the causing of Corne to grow deare, the discomforting of our Merchants, the undoing of our Artificers, the increase of an idle and disobedient and rebel lious people, the Plnaters of Collonies will be discouraged, and the people that are abroad wanting necessaries must return home for reliefe: and be forced to trade with other Nations that are our enemies. I shlll referre all things else that may be said to your best skill. And remaine Your Friend.