Menasseh ben Israel's Mission to Oliver Cromwell: Being a reprint of the pamphlets published by Menasseh ben Israel to promote the re-admission of the Jews to England, 1649-1656Manasseh ben Israel
History
Menasseh ben Israel's Mission to Oliver Cromwell: Being a reprint of the pamphlets published by Menasseh ben Israel to promote the re-admission of the Jews to England, 1649-1656
Manasseh ben Israel
Jews -- Great Britain
Besides, seeing it is no wisedome for them to endeavour the gaining of
Lands and other immovable goods, and so to imprison their possessions
here, where their persons are subject to so many casualities,
banishments and peregrinations; they are forced to use marchandizing
untill that time, when they shall returne to their own Country, that
then as God hath promised by the Prophet Zachary, _Their shall be found
no more any marchant amongst them in the House of the Lord_.
From that very thing we have said, there riseth an infallible Profit,
commodity and gain to all those Princes in whose Lands they dwell above
all other strange Nations whatsoever, as experience by divers _Reasons_
doth confirme.
I. The Iews, have no oportunity to live in their own Country, to till
the Lands or other like employments, give themselves wholy unto
merchandizing, and for contriving new Inventions, no Nation almost going
beyond them. And so ’tis observed, that wheresoever they go to dwell,
there presently the Traficq begins to florish. Which may be seen in
divers places, especially in Ligorne, which having been but a very
ignoble and inconsiderable City, is at this time, by the great concourse
of people, one of the most famous places of Trafique of whole Italy.
Furthermore, the Inventor of the famous _Scala de Spalatro_ (the most
firme and solid Traficq of Venice) was a Iew, who by this his Invention
transported the Negotiation from a great part of the Levant into that
City.
Even that very same is seene likewise at this day in Nizza and in other
innumerable places more, both in Europe and Asia.
II. The Nation of the Iews is dispersed throughout the whole World, it
being a chastisement that God hath layd upon them for their Idolatries,
Deut. 28,69. Ezech. 20,23. Nehem. 1,8. Ps. 107,27. and by other their
sinnes their families suffer the same shipwrack.
Now in this dispersion our Fore-fathers flying from the Spanish
Inquisition, some of them came in Holland, others got into Italy, and
others betooke themselves into Asia; and so easily they credit one
another; and by that meanes they draw the Negotiation where-ever they
are, where with all of them marchandising and having perfect knowledge
of all the kinds of Moneys, Diamants, Cochinil, Indigo, Wines, Oyle, and
other Commodities, that serve from place to place; especially holding
correspondence with their friends and kinds-folk, whose language they
understand; they do abundantly enrich the Lands and Countrys of
strangers, where they live, not onely with what is requisite and
necessary for the life of man; but also what may serve for ornament to
his civill condition. Of which _Traficq_, there ariseth ordinarily
_Five_ important benefits.
1. The augmentation of the Publiq Tolls and Customes, at their coming
and going out of the place.
2. The transporting and bringing in of marchandises from remote
Countries.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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