working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

126 TEXTILES TEXTILESclosely imitated the costly muslins, or calicoes asthey were then called, imported from India ; but atso reasonable a price that they were within the reach ofa servant's purse. Servants were therefore able to goout in dresses scarcely distinguishable from theirmistresses', and the sale of woollen and silk goods wasseriously affected. The woollen trade became alarmed ;riots took place ; weavers assaulted women who werewearing printed linens in the streets, and finally,Parliament, always tender to the woollen trade,which furnished so large a part of the national revenue,prohibited their use altogether. The linen printersrecognising that " the Reason why the English Manufactureof linnen is not so much taken notice of as theScotch or Irish, is this, the Englzsh is mostly consumedin the Country, . . . whereas the Scotch and Irishmust come by sea and make a Figure at our custom'shouse,"' urged in their defence that " the linensprinted are chiefly the Growth and Manufacture ofNorth Britain pay gd. per Yard to the Crown, . . .and Employ so many Thousands of British poor, aswill undoubtedly entitle them to the Care of a BritishParliament.""But even this argument was unavailing against thepolitical influence of the woollen trade. The spiritof the time favouring the spread of capitalistic enterprisefrom the woollen trade into other fields of action,an attempt was now made to form a Linen Company.Pamphlets written for and against this project furnishmany details of the conditions then prevailingin the manufacture of linen. " How," it was said,will the establishment of a Linnen Company "affectthe Kingdom in the two Pillars that support it, thatof the Rents of Land and the imploying our Shipsand Men at Sea, which are thought the Walls of the1 Case of Brrtzsb and Zrrrb Manujacturc of Lznncn.Case of tbe Lznen Drapers.Nation.127For the Rents of Land they must certainlvfall, for that one Acre of Flax will inlploy as manyHands the year round, as the Wool1 of Sheep thatgraze twenty Acres of Ground. The Linnen Manufactoryimploys few men, the Woollen most, Weaving,Combing, Dressing, Shearing, Dying, etc. These Eatand Drink more than Women and Children ; and soas the Land that the Sheep gaze on raiseth the Rent.so will the Arable and Pasture that bears Corn, andbreeds Cattle for their Subsistence. Then for theEmployment of our Shipping, it will never be pretendedthatwe can arrive to Exportation of Linnen ; thereare others and too many before us in that. . . . ThatProjectors and ourt tiers shoulil be inspired withNew Lights, and out of love to the Nation, createnew Methods in Trades, that none before found out ;and bp inclosing Commons the Liberty of Trade intoShares, in the first place for themselves, and then forsuch others as will pay for both, is, I must confess,to me, a Mystery I desire to be a Stranger unto . . .The very Name of a Company and Joint-Stock inTrade, is a spell to drive away, and keep out of thatplace where they reside, all men of Industry. . . .The great motive to Labour and Incouragement ofTrade, is an equal Freedom, and that none may besecluded from the delightful Walks of Liberty . . .a Subjection in Mnnufactories where a People areobliged to one Master, rho' they hale the full Valueof their Labour, is not pleasing, they think themselvesin perpetual Servitude, and so it is obserk ed in I?rlnnd,where the 1rt.h made a Trade of Linnen Yarn, noMan could ingage them, hut thev would go to theMarket and be better satisfied with a less price, thanto be obliged to one master. . . . There wasmuch more Reason for a Company and Joint-stock'0 set up the Woollen Manufa~tor~, in that ignorantAge, than there is for this of the Linnen Manufactorv ;that of the Woollen was a new Art not known in this