The Hartlib Papers

Mr Hartlib

I give yow with this, a [writing? H alters from write?] which Mr Pruvost intreated me to translatte that it be presented unto the Committee,[H punctuates] which the Parlliament hath appointed to take his proposalls into Consideration. &because yow have desired to know my opinion of the man &of his matters I will freely and ingenuously[H alters?] let you know it.

First I judge (not only by a judgment of Charitie which we owe to all, but by a more distinct judgment of disquirie) the man to bee a sound &honest Christian well Principled in Pietie, in Faith, in Charitie in knowledge and in the wayes of Peace &Moderation aman free from partialitie; &Cantiously warie and Prudent in his owne affaires; quiet &free from the vanitie of appearing; &of an universall insight &experrience in matters of trade; and of all thinges belonging thereunto; cheifly of state-relations in that respect. &so farre as I can judge of a truly Public spirit zealous for the Protestant cause as now it is in agitation to bee maintained against Popery,[H punctuates] which I am perswaded is a great motive to draw him hether to make his offers to this State as being of all others the most likly to uphold the [cause? MS edge] unto which hee is confident his endeavours will mainly contribute if admitted and intertained by the Countenance of Authoritie. And[H capitalises] although the waye which hee followeth doth tend to profit, yet I find him noe wayes Covetously inclined or a lover of money; but contrariwise hee doth discourse of the covetous practises of merchants and other men very understandingly; &shewing the inconveniencies thereof towards the Publick, hee is able to propose wayes how theie may bee taken away and rectified; which I perceive is[H alters from his] on[H alters] of his cares: so that allthough hee bee a man of trade yet I perceive noe great Love of money in him Nor is hee in want or penurious[H alters?], though hee doth goe meanly, and without without appearance for the outside.

And for the matters which he doth propose; from the beginning as [yow? blotted] know I did conceive them to bee possible; as consisting in a Mysterie of orderly [catchword: carriage]

I have not beene curious to know particulars of him not so much because I see him reserved; or because I would not give him cause to thinke that I desire to pry into his secretts; but meerly because I am satisfied first in the mans behaviour towards me and in all his wayes which I finde discreet, reall, and rationall; Secondly in the possibility of the effect[;?] supposing the orderly waye of setling matters to bee such as I could immagine unto myselfe,[H punctuates] according to his Principells and for his end [left margin: //] &3dly because I have some small insight and experience of the usefullness of such like wayes and advices which have raised Holland to that Height wherin now it standeth and have (by the meanes of a man whom you know) raised Sweden in the space of lesse then 20 yeares to a perfection of trade and manufactures, which will from henceforth (seeing Peace with Dennmarke is concluded) increase the revenue of the Kingdom with the benefit of particulars tenne times above that which it hath beene a few yeares ago. Vpon[H alters] this small observa[catchword: tion]

But when I looke upon the proposalls in themselves, as in this adjoyned paper hee setts them downe; although I hadde no further light of observations: yet if I did beleeve the man to bee honest and found him rationall mee thinckes I could grant him soe much creditt as to beleeve that hee speakes truth; &if hee doth promise noe more then what hee can performe, I should not bee able to deny the consequence which is the effect of his Proposals namely that a great benefit will arrise from thence both unto the public &particulars. For to a man of reason I would undertake to make this good that if hee can <H: doe> that <H: what> hee doth promisse,[H punctuates] an exeedding great benefit will accrew to all that make usse of his way,[H punctuates] if hee shew <H: how> the [H: encrease] of the goods,[H punctuates] which the land and sea doth yeild unto mans indusstrie,[H punctuates] <H: is> to bee disspensed by way of regular trading unto neighbour Nations: which I am fully perswaded hee is able to doe. and I make noe doubt that there lyes the great secret of his way and of his complices,[H punctuates] which <H: hee> will not revealle unto any till matters bee ordered according to his desire to prevent covetous practises of particular men, who for their owne endes ruine a Public [good? blotted]. [catchword: And as]

And as I looke upon thinges proposed and undertaken[H alters from undertaking]; so I consider thinges demanded by him &him and his manner of craving them. The thinges demanded are only the meanes of securing the State of its benefit, in case his endeavours bee beneficiall to the subject: soe hee offers to the State a benefitt in Case it will take a course to secure[altered from securre] the State a benefitt in case it will take a course it unto itselfe; and hee demands nothing but that which all superiours are bound to give; namely the countenance of authoritie to regulat particular mens actions for a common good to represse the iniustice,[H punctuates] which Covetous practises and the Love of particular profit,[H punctuates] may produce from whence confusion,[H punctuates] and the disturbance of a state may proceed.

As for himselfe I find not that hee demands any speciall preiveledg as Monopolists or proiectores use to doe but hee will bee content to partake of the ordinarie regulated profit,[H punctuates] which others shall have acording to his proportion "a in the common stocke: and if for his paines in setting all a worke the State will give him freely any peculiar indulgence of benefit; I perceive that hee will leave that to their owne discretion.

Now his manner of Craving and proposing these things is somewhat considerable, and I have taken notice of it for [yow?] know that hee could by noe meanes bee induced[altered] to offer any thing to the Parlliament by waye of petition. for hee said I seeke nothing from them but offer a beneffit to them and it is incongruous to petition them to receive a beneffit which I am not obliged but off myne owne accord desirous to give them: therefore you out of your zeall undertooke (for the Love of the Public good) to petition that his[H alters] Proposalls might bee heard and a Committee named for him Truely[H capitalises] his plea was rational and his behaviour though [catchword: kinde]

In his manner of dealing the next thing which I consider is a great deal of patience and attendance which although hee doth <H: not> without some reluctance yeeld; yet I find that hee doth overcome himselfe with rationall considerations, and the observations of all circumstances which are any wayes remarkable for excusing of the seeming neglect,[H punctuates] which is hadde of of his person and proposalls,[H punctuates] which truly with a greatt deal of meeknes of spirit hee doth disgest,[H punctuates] and overcome,[H alters and punctuates] as[altered] I conceive out of Love to a public good and in hope that at last hee will gaine the spirits of those,[H punctuates] that he dealleth withall,[H punctuates] to consider the Truth of his aimes.

Nothing hath greived him soe much (soe farre as I have [beene?] able to observe) as that some jeallousies and injurious[H alters] suspicions of his aime have beene raised in the mindes of some of the Committee and utterred unto him;[H punctuates] of this hee hath complained twice unto mee with greif wondering at the occasion thereof and imputing[H alters] it rather to an aversion from the Nation,[H punctuates] then from himselfe: his patience of 13 [weekes? MS edge] continuance with soe small progresse in a matter soe faire doth offt tymes trouble him and hee [letter deleted] is upon the resolutions of going away now and then,[H punctuates] but yet hee is loath to despaire of being understood to meane well; and in hope to make this appeare he doth staye.

If the matter of advice according to his demandes in this paper cannot bee harkned[H alters] unto,[H punctuates] I am perswaded he will bee gone for to lay all his counsells open[H? alters from opened] beforre he knowes any ground for the right use of them,[H punctuates] is neither conscience nor reason, and I am fully perswaded that if nothing can bee done except hee will come to discover [catchword: all the]

                 Yowr affectionate and humble

                        servant in Christ.

at Wallsingham[H capitalises] house

 this 30 Nov: 1645

                       Iohn Durey

                            [squiggles]