John Locke wrote the draft "For a General Naturalization," because the Bill of general naturalization for all the alien Protestants had been rejected in the House of Commons in December of 1693. Since the repeal of Edicte de Nante by Louis XIV in 1685, many French Protestant refugees (Huguenots) had come to England. Locke argued that the naturalization of them would contribute to the advancement of trade and make labor cheaper. Naturalization ensured that Protestant refugees were accorded membership of the Commonwealth of England and granted civil rights and privileges of the Commonwealth. It was important for Locke that the toleration of the Protestant dissenters was in the economic interest of England.