On 31st
March the Lord Mayor addressed a letter to the Lords of the Council, in
which he stated that from the evidence of the various witnesses he had
been convinced that the patent would raise the price of iron, hinder the
king in his customs, and further the decay of woods; and he added that
the Flemish iron was for the most part good and tough. It will be
observed that one of the objections raised by the Lord Mayor to the
granting of the patent--namely that a great consumption of wood (as fuel
for smelting the ore) would follow--is specially put forward by the
dramatist. The mention in Alfred's speech of a scheme for glassmaking
seems also to suggest 1613 as the date of authorship; for on 17th
November of that year Sir Jerome Bowes and Sir Edward Zouch procured
patents for making glass.[160]
There are other allusions that point to 1613. In II. 4, we find--"Make
us for want coyn brasse and passe it current." The first patent for the
coining of brass farthing-tokens was granted on 10th April, 1613, to
John Stanhope, Lord Harrington; and the grant caused general
dissatisfaction.
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