But it is too well known, how remiss and careless the Officers are, and neglectful of their duties in many of the out-Ports especially, that it is a thing very usual with Smugglers to get blank Certificates, with the Seal of the Customehouse, to take up their Bonds that are given for the true delivery of their goods at some other Port in _England_; and moreover there is a great cheat in the shifting Masters of such Vessels, as take in such goods, they will oftentimes exchange the Master, before he goes out of the Liberty of the Port, where the goods were Shipped; and yet if all these things fail, and their coast Bonds come to be forfeited and put into Suit, it is not to be exprest, the delayes, shifts and deceitful tricks that are practised by some undersheriffs and their Deputies, in their returns, and in the Execution of the Law, which ought to be done both with speed and justice, but both these are by such persons omitted, and these kind of doings do highly incourage these offenders, in their sinful practices. [Sidenote: _Farming the King’s Customes._] [Sidenote: _Injury to the Kingdome._] [Sidenote: _Springs to fill us with Forreign goods._] I have also observed that the Farming the King’s Customes hath been an occasion of great prejudice to the trade of the Kingdome, and the publique good; for when the weal and good of the whole Nation, comes in competition with the present profit of the Farmers, they are apt to resolve the question for their own advantage, permitting Prohibited goods to be Landed, so long as the due Customes, for them come into their Coffers, and the under-Officers, knowing what the Farmers their Masters do, are very apt to learn the trade, to let pass our goods out of the Land that are also prohibited: and those Smuggling Merchants that deal in such kind of wares, can easily find out the blind side of such Officers, & that will be bribed, to wink at such their deceitful practises, such an unfaithful Officer shall be highly commended among these theevish Merchants for a brave fellow, one that knows his business, and for a very civil person, that will do a Merchant a kindness upon occasion. Thus evil is called good, and good is stiled evil, as I said before; those Officers that are faithful to King and Countrey, are called Knaves, Troublesome fellowes, evil Neighbours, _&c._ these the honest good men, &c. Good Lord! what a pass are we come to in this Nation? people account it no sin to steal from the King, and now a daies those that practice such things have changed the terme, it is not (by them) called stealing Custome, but saving custome; for my part I am of the opinion, that he that steals Custome from the King to the value of twenty shillings, deserves to be punished as well as he that steals so much from any other man. For as I heard a Scholler once a reasoning, either it is this or that, &c. so I say here, either Custome is the Kings due, or it is not, but no man dares be so impudent