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第17节

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shipping; &c。  With reference thereon to Attorney…General Palmer; and

his report; June 18; in favour of the petition;State Papers;

Charles II。  (Dom。 vol; xxxvii; 49。

 。。。'

were granted a patent to make iron with coal; but Dudley knew the

secret; which the new patentees did not; and their patent came to

nothing。



Dudley continued to address the king in importunate petitions; asking

to be restored to his former offices of Serjeant…at…arms; Lieutenant

of Ordnance; and Surveyor of the Mews or Armoury。  He also petitioned

to be appointed Master of the Charter House in Smithfield; professing

himself willing to take anything; or hold any living。*

 'footnote。。。

In his second petition he prays that a dwelling…house situated in

Worcester; and belonging to one Baldwin; 〃a known traitor;〃 may be

assigned to him in lieu of Alderman Nash's; which had reverted to

that individual since his return to loyalty; Dudley reminding the

king that his own house in that city had been given up by him for the

service of his father Charles I。; and turned into a factory for arms。

It does not appear that this part of his petition was successful。

 。。。'

We find him sending in two petitions to a similar effect in June;

1660; and a third shortly after。  The result was; that he was

reappointed to the office of Serjeant…at…Arms; but the Mastership of

the Charter…House was not disposed of until 1662; when it fell to the

lot of one Thomas Watson。*

 'footnote。。。

State Papers; vol。 xxxi。 Doquet Book; p。89。

 。。。'

In 1661; we find a patent granted to Wm。  Chamberlaine andDudley;

Esq。; for the sole use of their new invention of plating steel; &c。;

and tinning the said plates; but whether Dud Dudley was the person

referred to; we are unable precisely to determine。  A few years later;

he seems to have succeeded in obtaining the means of prosecuting his

original invention; for in his Metallum Martis; published in 1665; he

describes himself as living at Green's Lodge; in Staffordshire; and

he says that near it are four forges; Green's Forge; Swin Forge;

Heath Forge; and Cradley Forge; where he practises his 〃perfect

invention。〃  These forges; he adds; 〃have barred all or most part of

their iron with pit…coal since the authors first invention In 1618;

which hath preserved much wood。  In these four; besides many other

forges; do the like 'sic '; yet the author hath had no benefit

thereby to this present。〃  From that time forward; Dud becomes lost to

sight。  He seems eventually to have retired to St。  Helen's in

Worcestershire; where he died in 1684; in the 85th year of his age。

He was buried in the parish church there; and a monument; now

destroyed; was erected to his memory; bearing the inscription partly

set forth underneath。*

 'footnote。。。



  Pulvis et umbra sumus

  Memento mori。



Dodo Dudley chiliarchi nobilis Edwardi nuper domini de Dudley filius;

patri charus et regiae Majestatis fidissimus subditus et servus in

asserendo regein; in vindicartdo ecclesiam; in propugnando legem ac

libertatem Anglicanam; saepe captus; anno 1648; semel condemnatus et

tamen non decollatus; renatum denuo vidit diadaema hic inconcussa

semper virtute senex。



 Differt non aufert mortem longissima vita

 Sed differt multam cras hodiere mori。

 Quod nequeas vitare; fugis:  

 Nec formidanda est。



Plot frequently alludes to Dudley in his Natural History of

Staffordshire; and when he does so he describes him as the 〃worshipful

Dud Dudley;〃 showing the estimation in which he was held by his

contemporaries。

 。。。'



CHAPTER IV。



ANDREW YARRANTON。



〃There never have been wanting men to whom England's improvement by

sea and land was one of the dearest thoughts of their lives; and to

whom England's good was the foremost of their worldly considerations。

And such; emphatically; was Andrew Yarranton; a true patriot in the

best sense of the word。〃DOVE; Elements of Political Science。





That industry had a sore time of it during the civil wars will

further appear from the following brief account of Andrew Yarranton;

which may be taken as a companion memoir to that of Dud Dudley。  For

Yarranton also was a Worcester ironmaster and a soldierthough on

the opposite side;but more even than Dudley was he a man of public

spirit and enterprise; an enlightened political economist (long

before political economy had been recognised as a science); and in

many respects a true national benefactor。  Bishop Watson said that he

ought to have had a statue erected to his memory because of his

eminent public services; and an able modern writer has gone so far as

to say of him that he was 〃the founder of English political economy;

the first man in England who saw and said that peace was better than

war; that trade was better than plunder; that honest industry was

better than martial greatness; and that the best occupation of a

government was to secure prosperity at home; and let other nations

alone。〃*

 'footnote。。。

PATRICK EDWARD DOVE; Elements of Political Science。  Edinburgh; 1854。

 。。。'

Yet the name of Andrew Yarranton is scarcely remembered; or is at

most known to only a few readers of half…forgotten books。  The

following brief outline of his history is gathered from his own

narrative and from documents in the State Paper Office。



Andrew Yarranton was born at the farmstead of Larford; in the parish

of Astley; in Worcestershire; in the year 1616。*

 'footnote。。。

A copy of the entries in the parish register relating to the various

members of the Yarranton family; kindly forwarded to us by the Rev。

H。  W。  Cookes; rector of Astley; shows them to have resided in that

parish for many generations。  There were the Yarrantons of Yarranton;

of Redstone; of Larford; of Brockenton; and of Longmore。  With that

disregard for orthography in proper names which prevailed some three

hundred years since; they are indifferently designated as Yarran;

Yarranton; and Yarrington。  The name was most probably derived from

two farms named Great and Little Yarranton; or Yarran (originally

Yarhampton); situated in the parish of Astley。  The Yarrantons

frequently filled local offices in that parish; and we find several

of them officiating at different periods as bailiffs of Bewdley。

 。。。'

In his sixteenth year he was put apprentice to a Worcester

linendraper; and remained at that trade for some years; but not

liking it; he left it; and was leading a country life when the civil

wars broke out。  Unlike Dudley; he took the side of the Parliament;

and joined their army; in which he served for some time as a soldier。

His zeal and abilities commended him to his officers; and he was

raised from one position to another; until in the course of a few

years we find him holding the rank of captain。  〃While a soldier;〃

says he; 〃I had sometimes the honour and misfortune to lodge and

dislodge an army;〃 but this is all the information he gives us of his

military career。  In the year 1648 he was instrumental in discovering

and frustrating a design on the part of the Royalists to seize Doyley

House in the county of Hereford; and other strongholds; for which he

received the thanks of Parliament 〃for his ingenuity; discretion; and

valour;〃 and a substantial reward of 500L。*

 'footnote。。。

Journals of the House of Commons; lst July; 1648。

 。。。'

He was also recommended to the Committee of Worcester for further

employment。  But from that time we hear no more of him in connection

with the civil wars。  When Cromwell assumed the supreme control of

affairs; Yarranton retired from the army with most of the

Presbyterians; and devoted himself to industrial pursuits。



We then find him engaged in carrying on the manufacture of iron at

Ashley; near Bewdley; in Worcestershire。  〃In the year 1652〃; says he;

〃I entered upon iron…works; and plied them for several years。〃*

 'footnote。。。

YARRANTON'S England's Improvement by Sea and Land。  Part I。  London;

1677。

 。。。'

He made it a subject of his diligent study how to provide employment

for the poor; then much distressed by the late wars。  With the help of

his wife; he established a manufacture of linen; which was attended

with good results。  Observing how the difficulties of communication;

by reason of the badness of the roads; hindered the development of

the rich natural resources of the western counties;*

 'footnote。。。

There seems a foundation of truth in the old English distich 



 The North for Greatness; the East for Health;

 The South for Neatness; the West for Wealth。

 。。。'

he applied himself to the improvement of the navigation of the larger

rivers; making surveys of them at his own cost; and endeavouring to

stimulate local enterprise so as to enable him to carry his plans

into effect。



While thus occupied; the restoration of Charles II。 took place; and

whether through envy or enmity Yarranton's activity excited the

suspicion of the authorities

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