The History of the Bohemian Persecution/Chapter 47
Chap. XLVII.
The horrible adulterating of Money.
I. VVHilst the Kingdome is emptied of gold and silver, the Emperour commands that Cijpris money should be made, and silvered over, of severall values and that with such abundance, that the common people not perceiving the deceite might imagine their great abundance, in the mean time the souldiers extort onely good mony: the value of golde and silver rise to ten times the price of it, so that an Imperiall Shilling was worth ten Bohemian Florenees. But in the year 1624. the Emperour unexpectedly did diminish the vallue of that money, and commanded that every piece of that mony should be worth onely the tenth part: by which thing it is incredible, into what streights all were brought, they report that Paul Michna the chiefe politician, did bragge that the Bohemians were more compendiously thus impoverisht, than if they had layne under the burthen of a continuall army for tenne yeares, and those that were understanding did assert, that the losse was more than if half the Kingdome had bin consumed in ashes.
2. After they were exhaulted of their money, it was ordered for the debtors sake, that the creditor should loose the whole summe that he lent in the time of the Rebellion, he should loose the use and part of that summe which was lent before the Rebellion, the payment of the rest was deferred for tenne yeares; this was proclaimed by the Edict of Cæsar the Emperour, in the year 1628. the 18. of August.