THEIR beds should be good, and their bed-fellows better; seeing the richest yeomen in England would not disdain to marry their daughters unto them; and such the English beauties, that the most envious foreigners could not but commend them.
Liberty is a lesson quickly conned* by heart; men having a principle within themselves to prompt them, in case they forget it. Persuaded with the premisses, many Dutch servants leave their masters and make over for England. Their departure thence (being picked here and there) made no sensible vacuity;* but their meeting here all together amounted to a considerable fulness. With themselves, they brought over their trade and their tools; namely, such which could not as yet be so conveniently made in England.
Happy the yeoman’s house into which one of these Dutchmen did enter, bringing industry and wealth along with them. Such who came in strangers within their doors, soon after went out bridegrooms, and returned son-in-laws, having married the daughters of their landlords who first entertained them. Yea, those yeomen in whose houses they harboured soon proceeded* gentlemen, gaining great estates to themselves, arms and worship to their estates.*
* The verb ‘con’ here means ‘commit to memory’, a use rarely found today. The arguments for seeking liberty are easily learnt, because basic human desires drive a man to seek it.
* That is, the flow of craftsmen to England did not noticeably deplete the Dutch textile industry in any given town because they came from all over the land; but their impact when gathered in England was very significant.
* ‘Proceeded’ here means ‘became, rose to be’. Some of the English families wise enough to let these Dutchmen lodge with them saw their own fortunes take a turn for the better.
* That is, they became gentry with a coat of arms and a high degree of local respect.