Proposals For Building, In Every County, A Working-Alms-House or Hospital | Page 9

the Nation might well afford) then to be sure, our Hospitals
would be suddenly stock'd with curious Artists, by which our new
Manufactory would speedily be brought to perfection.
'Tis worth consideration also, how great an Ornament, besides the great
Wealth these Hospitals would be to His Majesties Kingdom, and how
much they would add to the Trade, Wealth, and greatness of those
Towns near which they are erected.
13. Obj. _You talk much of Charity, Let Charity begin at home with
good Husbandry; If this course be taken, we shall pay dearer for Linnen,
than now we do, and it must needs be best Husbandry to Buy where we
may have it Cheapest._
_Answ._ If we send our Money beyond-Sea for what we want, then the
more we Buy, the less Money we have to pay, which causes Scarcity of
Money, and also, want of Trade, whereby to get more; but if we bestow
our Money for Commodities made at home, our Money and Trade will
continually Increase; and though for a little while we pay somewhat
more, yet it is easier to part with 9 d. when Money and Trade are plenty
and increasing, than to part with 6 d. when Money and Trade is both
wanting; especially, seeing the 9 d. remains at home, and returns again,
but the 6 d. is carried into another Nation, and lost irrecoverably.
14. Obj. In _pag. 5._ you suggest, _That by your Engin, one Spinner
may earn 9_ d. _as easily as 6_ d. _without it; But how can that be?
since every Spinner now, may have a wheel to turn with her foot, and
so have both hands at liberty, as well as with your Engins: And again,
its a more usual fault to over-twist the thred, than to do it too slack;
therefore no need of help to turn the wheel._

_Answ._ To this I Answer, First, That the thing we chiefly design, is to
imploy and maintain such as cannot any other way earn half their living
by any other Imploy, so that more than half the Spinners would be very
young, and of little strength, and consequently to imploy one foot all
the time they Spin, will be very tiresome; nay, the strongest body
cannot do it, without easing the same, neither can they imply both
hands so freely, as when they are discharged of that burthen, or
incumbrance.
As for Example: Two men of equal strength, skill, and nimbleness in
all points, were to run a long Race, and one of them must carry such a
weight in his hand, as is more tiresome to him than the motion of his
Legs, and oft-times, must ease the Burthen with his foot: May not the
other, who hath all his Limbs free, be at the end of the Race and
half-way back again as soon, and more easily than this can get to the
end of the Race. Possibly some may say, _This Simile is not parallel,
and that I make it better on my side than it is_. To which I say, for the
Resolution of this Question, Do but inquire of those that Spin, which of
the Two is most tiresome, The turning of the Wheel, (either by the Foot
or Hand, no matter which) or the other part of the Work. I have almost
as often ask'd the Question, as I see any a Spinning (since I invented
this Engin) and the Answer has always been, The turning of the Wheel;
although they imploy both hand and foot by turnes to do it: Besides, it
is burthensome, and also injurious to the body; especially for youth,
which are growing, to be from Morning till Evening, always sitting.
Secondly, Although it be true, _That over-twisting the Thred is
commonly a fault, rather than slack twisting the same_; yet the Cause
of this fault is, that they do not draw the Thred fast enough: But to the
better advantage, this will be easily cured, for now all the aforesaid
inconveniencies being removed, which render the Work most
burthensome; they may for their ease stand or sit, when, and as often as
they please, and freely imploy both hands from morning to evening,
much more easily than they could one hand before; and the faster they
draw the Thred from the Distaff, the more they Spin, with less danger
of over-twisting the same; so that I do not know, but those that are
some-time used to this easie way, may Spin as much in one day, as now

in two.
Furthermore, these Spinning Instruments may in like manner be for
Expedition very serviceable for Spinning of Wollen, I mean Serges,
Worsted, Camlets, and Stockings, which being well made, are much
more to be incouraged than Hair and Silk,