Sir Richard Martin, who was Maior 1589, was a very Wealthy, as well as wise Citizen. He was a Goldsmith, and had the Care of the Queen's Mint, being Warden thereof, and made her Plate, and bought her Jewels: Whereby very great Sums became due to him from her and the Court: Being Maior, he gave up to the Lord Treasurer, an Account of the Debts owing to him, and other of his Expences: And prayed him for his honourable Help herein, especially at that Time, because of his present Charges, and Care of the Cities Affairs. And these were some of the Particulars brought in by him.

That particular Expence above-mentioned, which he brought in for Balances and Weights, refer to a very good Motion he made to the Treasurer the last Year. There were Three Matters of publick Concern, which he propounded in February, Anno1588, to the Consideration of the Lord Treasurer, in Relation hereunto.

The First was, the great Inconvenience that grew to the Queen's Subjects, and the whole Realm, by reason that the Treasures of Gold and Silver passed then without weighing, contrary to her express Proclamation in that Behalf: Which, he said, was the Occasion of bringing in, by Merchant Strangers, of much Light, false and counterfeited Gold Monies, and of the counterfeiting of much within the Realm; besides Clipping, Sealing, and Washing; as lately had been done in Westminster, where Four Shillings of the Pound was taken away by Clipping; and yet the Gold so clipped, uttered at the ordinary Value, as good and lawful. And also the Merchant Strangers perceiving a great Advantage in it to themselves, to the intolerable Loss of the Realm, did use (upon the Coining and Delivery of all heavy and fine Gold from her Majesties Mint) to get the greatest Part of it into their Hands, and Transport it out of the Realm; and instead thereof, bring in again that which was either Light, or else False and Counterfeit. And besides, the Clippers, Sealers, and Washers, and such like Practisers, chose and weighed out a great Part of the heaviest, to make their Gains thereof by their unlawful Practices, to the Hindrance of the Commonweal. And albeit her Majesties Proclamation, published for the Redress of those Abuses, did expresly forbid the Taking and Delivery in Payment, of any Counterfeit Gold, or any Piece of Gold embased, or lacking of the just Weight, over the Remedies set down by the Proclamation: And albeit, as Warden of the Mint, according to the Queen's Commandment, and the Proclamation, he had made ready a convenient Number of Balances and Weights, (having disbursed above Six Hundred Pounds for the same) as well of every Piece of Lawful Gold, as of the Remedies and Abatements, and stricken them with an F. Crowned; having ever since the Proclamation had them ready, to be delivered at those Prices, which the Lord Treasurer had Rated and Published, as the Proclamation appointed: And albeit also, her Majesty by the Proclamation had appointed the chief Officers of every good Town, to have one Pair of the said Ballances and Weights at his (the Wardens) Hands, marked, as aforesaid, for every of their Towns, and had forbidden the Use of any other Weights for Gold, amonst any of her Subjects, than only those of the making and sizing of him, the said Warden of her Majesties Mint, or his Deputies.

Yet notwithstanding the said Balances and Weights, that he had thus Made, Sized and Marked, remained, and lay in his Hands; and only a very few had been fetched away by those Officers, and other Subjects. But the Coins of Gold still passed in Payment without weighing, to the great Prejudice of the whole Realm.

For the Remedy of these Abuses, he judged it convenient, that some Provision and Law were set down at the Parliament then in Being, for the effecting of the Proclamation. And, forasmuch as Laws, without Overseers to see them kept, were to small, or no Effect, that therefore the Warden of the Mints within London, and the Suburbs, should have Authority to Oversee, that the same be kept and observed there: And that all other Weights and Grains, used against the Meaning of the Proclamation, should be rejected and forfeited; and the Offenders punished by Imprisonment, and Penalty limited. And also, that the said Warden, and such of the Mint, and his Deputies, as he should think meet, should have Authority to enquire, examine, search and find out the Offenders, in transporting her Majesties Coin and Bullion of Gold and Silver out of the Realm; and to cause the Laws in that Behalf to be executed upon them; and the Forfeitures growing thereof, to redound to the said Warden, and Officers, for their Pains.

The Second Matter propounded to the Treasurer by Sir Richard Martyn, to be considered and remembred, was, that whereas her Majesty had set forth a Proclamation for the establishing of the Standard presented to him by the late Jury; the one for the Troy Weights, which were to be used only for weighing of Gold, Silver, Bread, and Electuaries; and the other for the Avoir de Poiz Weights, used for the weighing of Spices, and all other Things vendible by Weight: Both the which Sorts of Weights were justly Sized, and marked with distinct Marks, according to that Proclamation, and remained in the Exchequer of Westminster, as her Majesties approved Standards, to Size and reform all other Weights by: And by the Proclamation, the Mint, the Clerk of the Market, and the Chief of every Town, named in the Statute for Weights, enacted in the Eleventh Year of King Henry the VIIth, were appointed to provide and fetch Standards, conformable to those out of the Exchequer: And thereby to cause the like to be used in every good Town of England and Wales; and either to destroy all other varying from them, or to reform them to these: The which Standards had been delivered out to the Mint in the Tower of London, to the Chamber of London, the Clerk of the Market, and other appointed Places: So that there ought to be no other Weights used, than according to these Standards:

Now forasmuch as it was greatly to be feared, and most certain, that for want of good Oversight to the Observation of the Proclamation, divers Persons used hard Conscience in using the