Why were merchants from towns in Europe began to move countryside in seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries? (CBSE 2018)

In the 17th and 18th century, the urban crafts were more flourished and powerful compared to traditional crafts.
a. They were asked to produce products for the international market. But their products were not able to compete with urban crafts and guilds.
b. Urban guilds were granted a monopoly right to produce and trade in specific products.
Hence they moved to the countryside and began to work for merchants.