fate to which he would have condemned the Bill for Naturalizing of Foreign Protestants. . . . Let him caw and bray and kick, and do what he pleases, it signifies nothing so long as he kicks against the pricks, whereof I hope that by this time he himself may be persuaded; especially if he consider the disgraceful exit which the Commons have given to his speech, and he may thank his stars for having escaped so well.”
The foreigners, pelted and bespattered by Sir John, were chiefly the Dutch, and by including even the king his words were seditious. There was only one paragraph as to the French, which I quote:— “A Fourth Pretence for this Bill is, a want of husbandmen to till the ground. I shall say little on this head, but request the honourable person below me to tell me. Of the 40,000 French (which he confesseth are come into England) how many does he know, that at this time follow the plough-tail? For it’s my firm opinion, that not only the French, but any other nation this Bill shall let in upon us, will never transplant themselves for the benefit of going to plough. They will contentedly leave the English the sole monopoly of that slavery.”
True to its description [“The said pretended speech is faithfully repeated, paragraph by paragraph — the falsehood of its reasoning, and the malice and sedition couched in it, plainly demonstrated and confuted”] the pamphlet contains the following answer to that paragraph:—
“This worthy knight may please to consider, that abundance of those French would be glad to follow the plough-tail in England, if their language and other circumstances would but admit it, rather than be in the starving condition that many of them labour under. Such of them as have been farmers are neither acquainted with our way of manuring, nor have they stock or credit to procure farms. Most of them have been brought up in another way of living; for it’s sufficiently known that the Protestants in France had the greatest part of the trade and manufactures in the nation. Many of them are gentlemen, officers, and scholars, and consequently unfit for such an employment; and our farmers have not commonly so much respect for the meaner sort of them, as to make use of their service either for plough or cart. And, for such as would come hither to reap the benefit of being naturalized, it’s probable that they may be persons of better condition than ordinary farmers, and their stocks might be more advantageously employed in the kingdom. While at the same time the increase of people will require an increase of provisions, and by consequence make farming and ploughing both more frequent and profitable than it is at present.”
We pass on to 1696, and discover in the Patent-Rolls five more lists of naturalized foreigners, dated from that year down to the last year of William III.
XXL— 10th July, 8th Will. III. (1696).
- Peter Brocas De Hondesplains (clerk), John son.
- Moses Pujolas (clerk).
- James Guesher (clerk).
- Charles Theophilus Mutel (clerk).
- Richard VVilcens (clerk).
- John Mason (clerk).
- Ireneus Crusins (clerk).
- James Teissoniere D’Ayrolle.
- Anthony Cordes, Esther-Magdalen wife.
- James Fury.
- Louis Fury.
- Peter Poincet, .Sarah wife.
- Henry Albert.
- John Bonine.
- Louisa Beauchamp Vareilles.
- Magdalen Olympia Beauchamp.
- John Galissard.
- Berend Lorens.
- Thomas Turst.
- Anne Barat.
- Elizabeth Barat De Salenave.
- Alexander La Plaigne.
- Peter Silvestre.
- Petter Gusson.
- Renatus Grillet, John and Renatus sons.
- Stephen Rainbaux.
- Charles Breband.
- Jonah Bonhoste.
- Burchard Poppin.
