第 17 节
作者:铲除不公      更新:2021-03-08 19:38      字数:9322
  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