money answers all things-第14章

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s　much　as　will　provide　for　such　a　middling　Family；　as　the　Estimate　is　made　for。　　　　　But　I　must　observe；　that　the　Produce　of　the　Earth　could　not　be　doubled；　unless　the　Quantity　of　Land　in　Use　were　also　doubled；　for　the　Land　in　Use　doth　certainly；　generally；　produce　as　much　as　it　can　well　be　made　to　bear；　therefore　it　follows；　there　must　be　twice　as　much　Land　to　bear　twice　the　present　Quantity　of　Produce；　which　the　Estimate　shews　would　be　consumed；　without　altering　the　several　Ranks　and　Stations　of　Man　in　any　Respect；　but　that　of　being　comfortably　supported　in　the　several　Ranks　and　Stations　of　Life。　　　　　But　to　double　the　Produce；　there　must　be　double　the　Number　of　People　employed　in　Cultivation　of　Land。　Now；　I　think　it　self…evident；　that　Trade；　Manufactures；　etc。　could　not　possibly　spare　half　such　a　Number　of　People　out　of　them；　without　making　Trade；　Manufactures；　etc。　much　too　profitable；　and　encouraging；　to　suffer　half　so　many　People　to　employ　themselves　any　other　Way。　For　as　it　is　the　Demand；　which　governs　and　fixes　the　Price　of　every　thing；　if　so　many　People　were　to　be　taken　out　of　Trade；　Manufactures；　etc。　as　half　the　Quantity　of　Land；　we　have　now　in　Use；　would　require　to　cultivate　and　improve　it；　and　go　through　all　the　Parts　of　Business　arising　thereby；　the　Manufacturers；　Traders；　etc。　would　undoubtedly　be　able　to　exact　almost　what　Price　they　pleased　for　their　Work　and　Business。　Upon　the　whole　then；　we　may　see；　that　all　the　Produce　of　the　Earth　and　Manufactures　would　be　wanted　and　used；　if　Things　were　to　be　put　on　so　happy　a　Foot；　as　I　am　pointing　out；　and　that　the　Wants　of　Mankind　are　full　as　great；　as　both　their　Abilities；　and　the　Earth　too；　are　capable　of　supplying；　whence　it　follows；　that　any　Want　of　Employment　or　Trade　amongst　the　People；　is　solely　owing　to　this；　that　we　have　not　Land　enough　in　Use　to　employ　and　support　them。　　　　　Again；　I　would　observe；　that　if　the　present　Quantity　of　Produce　were　to　be　augmented　only　one　Fourth　at　most　（and　perhaps　People　enough　might　be　spared　out　of　Trade；　Manufactures；　etc。　to　do　this）　it　would　certainly　fall　the　Price　of　the　Produce　half。　　　　　For　since　Farms　must；　in　this　Case；　be　one　Fourth　more　numerous　than　they　are；　the　Rents　of　Lands　would　thereby　necessarily　be　considerably　lowered；　and　if　the　Produce　of　the　Earth　would；　in　this　Case；　be　augmented　to　so　great　a　Degree；　as　a　fourth　Part　also；　as　I　suppose　it　certainly　would；　these　Things　taken　together；　I　think；　could　not　fail　to　lower　the　Price　of　the　Produce　half；　and　then　Labour　would　of　Necessity　be　lowered　also；　because　the　working　of　Necessity　be　lowered　also；　because　the　working　People　would　be　under　no　less　Necessity　than　they　are　now；　to　work　as　cheap　as　they　possibly　can。　　　　　For　if；　as　it　hath　been　shewn；　the　Produce　can't　be　doubled；　to　enable　the　working　People　to　be　double　the　Consumers　they　now　are；　as　the　Estimate　shews　they　certainly　would；　if　they　could　get　it；　and　that　without　bringing　them　at　all　out　of　the　Rank　and　Condition　of　working　People：　Nay；　if　the　Produce　can't　be　increased　half；　nor　perhaps　hardly　one　Fourth　neither；　would　not　absolute　Necessity　oblige　the　working　People　to　work　as　cheap　as　they　possible　can；　that　they　may　be　able　to　supply　their　Wants　as　far　as　they　can；　which　yet；　it　appears　by　the　Estimate；　must　be　considerably　abridged；　notwithstanding　the　Plenty；　which　a　fourth　Part　more　Land　than　we　now　have　in　Use　would　produce；　and　notwithstanding　too；　that　there　would；　in　this　Case；　be　so　much　more　Employment　for　the　working　People；　as　would　fill　up　the　whole　Time　they　have　to　labour　in：　So　true　is　the　Proverb；　and　so　true　'twill　always　be；　That　nothing　is　cheap；　but　poor　Folks　Labour。　　　　　But　this　Estimate　shews；　how　much　the　Necessaries　of　Life　ought　to　be　lowered　in　Price；　in　order　to　reduce　the　Wages　of　the　labouring　People；　so　as　to　make　much　more　Employment　for　them；　and　at　the　same　time　increase　the　Consumption　of　every　thing　to　such　a　Degree；　that　there　may　be　a　great　deal　more　Business　amongst　the　trading　Part　of　the　People。　　　　　The　labouring　People；　I　am　sure；　and　do　insist　on　it；　notwithstanding　my　Estimate；　can　make　about　16　Shillings　per　Week　support　such　a　Family；　as　the　Estimate　is　made　for；　though　I　know　not；　nor　desire　to　know；　how　to　make　an　Estimate　thereof；　and　I　have　heard　them　that　have　such　Families；　declare　they　should　think　themselves　happy；　wherefore　it　appears　to　me；　that　in　order　to　reduce　Labour；　the　Necessaries　of　Life　should　be　lowered　at　least　one　Fourth；　and　the　labouring　People　be　enabled；　notwithstanding；　to　purchase　near　half　as　many　more　Necessaries　as　their　present　Wages　of　10　or　12　Shillings　per　Week　will　do；　at　the　Rates　these　Things　now　go；　and；　I　think；　any　one　who　considers　the　Pittances　allowed　in　the　Estimate；　must　think　it　fit；　that　the　labouring　People；　if　they　will　be　industrious；　should　notwithstanding　any　manner　of　Pretences　or　Suggestions　to　the　contrary；　have　it　in　their　Power　to　obtain　half　as　many　more　Necessaries　for　their　Support　and　Comfort；　as　their　present　Wages　will　now　purchase；　and　then　there　would　be　almost　half　as　many　more　Trade　and　Business　amongst　the　People　in　general；　as　there　now　is；　or　can　be　till　this　be　done；　besides　all　other　mighty　Advantages；　inseparably　connected　with　it；　of　which；　the　Removal　of　many　of　those　Temptations；　which　contribute　to　the　Destruction　of　the　Poor；　and　which　would；　in　this　Case；　in　a　great　Measure　be　certainly　removed；　is　no　small　one。　　　　　For　I　take　the　great　Number　of　Brandy…shops　and　Ale…houses；　which　have　multiplied　so　mightily　of　late　Years；　to　be　one　of　the　greatest　Snares　and　Temptations　that　could　be　laid　in　the　Way　of　the　labouring　People；and　which　introduces　most　of　the　Calamities　and　Vices　they　fall　into；　these　which　are　so　great　a　Snare　to　the　poorer　Sort；　as　Taverns　also　are　to　many　in　better　Stations；　would；　I　think；　soon　be　very　much　reduced　in　their　Numbers　（though　I　suppose　we　shall　always　have　enough　of　them）　if　so　much　new　Employment　were　produced　for　the　People　in　general；　as　would　arise　by　the　Execution　of　this　Proposal。　　　　　For　since　it　hath　been　shewn；　that　the　full　Execution　of　this　Proposal　will　create　as　much　Employment　and　Trade　as　the　People　can　possibly　perform；　I　think　the　trading　People　would　soon　find　more　honourable；　if　not　more　profitable　Ways　to　subsist；　than　by　enticing　and　encouraging　the　working　People　to　spend　the　Money　they　know　should　be　saved　for　and　laid　out　on　their　Families；　and　instead　of　suffering　them　to　disorder　themselves；　and　waste　that　Time；　which　should　be　employed　to　gain　a　Support　for　their　Families；　or　if　they　have　none；　to　provide　against　the　Infirmities　of　Age；　and　other　Accidents　of　Life；　or　for　near　and　helpless　Relations；　they　would　even　turn　such　disorderly　People　out　of　their　Houses；　or　at　least　not　sell　them　Liquors　so　vastly　injurious　to　them；　and　all　the　Relations　they　stand　in　to　others。　For　there　are　Instances　of　Brandy…Shops　and　Publick…houses；　who　having　pretty　good　Trades　will　not　suffer　such　Excesses　in　their　Houses；　notwithstanding　the　many　Examples；　and　State　of　Trade　in　general　are　bad　enough　to　justify　any　Means　of　attaining　a　Livelihood；　not　absolutely　unlawful。　But　there　is　a　Necessity　to　lower　the　Necessaries　of　Life　to　about　half　the　present　Price；　if　we　would　reduce　Labour　only　one　fourth　Part　lower　than　it　now　goes；　for　as　it　is　the　Demand　alone；　which　gives　the　Value；　and　fixes　the　Price　to　every　thing；　any　slender　attempts　to　employ　the　Poor；　and　make　more　Business　this　way　arise　to　others；　would　by　encreasing　the　Demand　for　Labour；　etc。　rather　tend　to　raise　the　wages　of　the　labouring　People；　and　augment　the　Profits　of　the　trading　Part；　than　to　lower　either　of　them；　for　I　believe　the　trading　People　in　general　（and　their　numerous　Complaints　to　the　Parliament；　shew　as　much；　as　well　as　an　Estimate　I　have　subjoined）　stand　in　need　of　larger　Profits；　as　the　first　Estimate　also　shews　the　labouring　People　do　of　larger　Supplies；　than　their　present　Wages　will　now　procure　them。　　　　　But　perhaps　it　may　be　asked；　How　Labour　can　be　reduced　the　Way　I　propose；　since　the　Demand　for　it　（which　always　advances　the　Price　of　every　thing）　will　be　greater：　To　which　I　answer；　that　it　is　the　present　Rates　of　Labour　only　that　will　be　reduced　my　Way；　but　its　Value；　according　to　the　above　Maxim　will　be　greater；　when　the　Necessaries　of　Life　are　rendered　so　much　cheaper；　that　a　fourth　part　less　Wages　will　purchase　near　half　as　many　more　Necessaries　as　the　present　Rates　of　Labour　will　do；　and　as　this　is　all　the　Reduction　of　Labour　I　am　aiming　at；　or　which　in　the　Nature　of　the　Thing　is　possible；　so；　that　I　may　be　clearly　understood；　let　it　be　supposed；　that　such　a　labouring　Man's　Family　can　be　decently　maintained　（as　it　most　certainly　may）　with　about　16　Shillings　per　Week；　and　that　the　Necessaries　of　Life　were　lowered　to　half　their　present　Price；　as　8　Shillings　would　then　purchase　as　much　as　16　will　now　do；　which　is　at　least　a　third　more　than　their　present　Wages　of　10　or　12　Shillings　will　now　purchase；　so　Labour　would　then　really　be　about　1/3　Part　more　valuable　than　it　is　now；　though　its　Rate　at　the　same　time　be　lowered　about　1/3　Part　also。　　　　　But　if　we　would　really　effect　this；　we　must　undoubtedly；　as　fast　as　possible；　improve　such　large　Tracts　of　w