money answers all things-第16章

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。e。　Money）　increases　in　greater　Proportion　than　the　People　increase；　so　will　the　Prices　of　every　thing　advance；　and　that　in　much　greater　Proportion　than　the　Rents　will　or　can　rise；　wherefore　it　can't　but　be　beneficial　even　for　Trade；　that　as　much　of　these　Metals　be　used　in　Splendor；　as　is　consistent　with　the　abovementioned　Circumstances；　because　by　thus　keeping　so　much　of　those　Metals　out　of　Trade；　the　more　just　Distinction　will　it　keep　up　amongst　the　several　Ranks　and　Stations　of　Men；（20*）　whilst　at　the　same　time　it　will　give　so　much　greater　Employment；　and　that　in　the　most　nice　and　curious　Arts；　to　Mechanicks；　etc。　and　prevent　our　Markets　from　rising　so　high；　as　to　hinder　the　Exportation　of　our　Commodities；　or　give　too　great　Encouragement　to　the　Importation　of　foreign　Goods。　　　　　I　am　induced　to　make　this　Remark；　from　the　Practice　of　the　East…Indians；　who；　as　I　have　often　heard；　carry　this　Matter　so　far；　as　to　bury　the　Money　they　get　by　Trade；　as　E。　Phillips；　Esq；　Page　7　also　says；　that　they　have　since　the　Year　1602；　buried　above　150　Millions　of　Silver；　which　hath　been　brought　into　Europe。（21*）　　　　　'Tis　by　this　Practice　they　keep　all　their　Goods　and　Manufactures　at　such　low　Rates；　that　all　Europe　thinks　it　not　only　worth　while　to　trade　with　them；　but　to　carry　prodigious　Quantities　of　Silver（22*）　to　purchase　their　Commodities；　whilst　our　Goods　cannot　possibly　find　much　Vend　with　them；　being　so　much　dearer　than　theirs；　as　we　see　the　Great　Circulation　of　Gold　amongst　us；　makes　our　Goods　in　respect　of　the　Prices　of　theirs；　who　this　Way　prevent　the　Money　they　gain　by　Trade　from　raising　the　Prices　of　their　Commodities。　　　　　Thus　will　they　not　always　preserve　the　Balance　of　Trade　in　their　Favour；　but　make　many　other　Nations　carry　their　Money　to　them；　besides　what　Use　they　may　make　of　such　immense　Wealth；　if　any　Exigence　or　Design　should　oblige　them　to　use　it；　which　Wealth　is　as　many　times　more　powerful　to　them　than　it　would　be　to　us；　as　the　Wages　of　their　labouring　People　are　lower　than　ours。　　　　　But　an　Objection　arises　here；　which　though　it　allows；　that　if　all　the　Things　our　Gentry　consume　and　use　were　our　own　natural　Produce；　they　would；　as　I　have　proved；　be　the　richer　for　executing　this　Proposal；　yet　since　they　consume　so　many　foreign　Goods；　as　perhaps　constitute　half　their　Expence；　viz。　Teas；　Sugars；　Fruits；　Linens；　Cambrick；　Laces；　Wines；　etc。　the　Prices　of　which　depend　so　much　on　what　they　cost　at　the　Places　they　are　brought　from；　that　they　can　receive　but　little　Alteration　by　the　Execution　of　this　Proposal；　the　Gentry　therefore　will　not　be　the　richer　for　such　a　Reduction　of　Labour；　and　Prices　of　our　natural　Produce；　as　would　hereby　be　effected。　　　　　To　which　I　answer；　That　all　Nations　have　some　Commodities　peculiar　to　them；　which　therefore　are　undoubtedly　designed　to　be　the　Foundation　of　Commerce　between　the　several　Nations；　and　produce　a　great　deal　of　Employment　by　maritime　Affairs；　etc。　for　Mankind；　which　probably；　without　such　Peculiarities；　could　not　be；　and　in　this　Respect；　I　suppose　we　are　distinguished；　as　well　as　other　Nations；　and　I　have　before　taken　Notice；　that　if　one　Nation　be　by　Nature　more　distinguished　in　this　Respect　than　another；　as　they　will　by　that　Means　gain　more　Money　than　such　other　Nations；　so　the　Prices　of　all　their　Commodities　and　labour　will　be　higher　in　such　Proportion；　as　my　fourth　Maxim　demonstrates；　and　consequently；　they　will　not　be　a　Jot　the　richer　or　more　powerful　for　having　more　Money　than　their　Neighbours。　　　　　But　if　we　import　any　kind　of　Goods　cheaper　than　we　can　now　raise　them；　which　otherwise　might　as　well　be　raised　at　home；　in　this　Case；　undoubtedly；　'tis　indispensibly　necessary　for　us　to　practice　the　Method　I　prescribe；　which　is　the　only　one；　by　which　we　ever　can　be　enabled　to　raise　all　such　Commodities　at　home；　and　thereby　furnish　so　many　new　Branches　of　Employment　and　Trade　for　our　own　People；　and　remove　the　Inconvience　of　receiving　any　Goods　from　abroad；　which　we　can　any　ways　raise　on　as　good　Terms　our　selves；　and　as　this　should　be　done　to　prevent　every　Nation　from　finding　their　Account　with　us；　by　any　such　Commodities　whatsoever；　so　this　would　more　effectually　shut　out　all　such　foreign　Goods　than　any　Law　can　do。　　　　　And　as　this　is　all　the　Prohibition　and　Restraint；　whereby　any　foreign　Trade　should　be　obstructed；　so　if　this　Method　be　continually　observed　and　practised；　as　it　most　certainly　ought；　our　Gentry　would　find　themselves　the　richer；　notwithstanding　their　Consumption　of　such　other　foreign　Goods；　as　being　the　Peculiarities　of　other　Nations；　we　may　be　obliged　to　import。　For　if；　when　we　have　increased　our　Produce　to　so　great　a　Degree；　as　to　reduce　the　Rates　of　Labour　considerably　too；　and　have　thereby　enabled　ourselves　to　raise　many　Kinds　of　Goods；　which　we　now　import；　cheaper　than　we　now　import　them；　which　is　the　necessary　Consequence　of　executing　this　Proposal；　I　say；　when　we　have　thus　raised　all　we　can　at　home；　and　thereby　put　our　Trade　into　a　flourishing　State；　the　Goods　we　import　after　this　is　done；　being　cheaper　than　we　can　raise　such　Goods　ourselves；　which　they　must　be；　or　we　shall　not　import　them；　I　say；　it's　plain　the　Consumption　of　any　such　Goods　cannot　occasion　so　great　an　Expence；　as　they　would　if　we　could　shut　them　out；　by　an　Act　of　Parliament；　to　raise　them　ourselves。　If　therefore　it　would　be　true；　as　the　Objection　allows；　that　the　Gentry　would　be　the　richer　for　executing　this　Proposal；　if　all　the　Goods　they　consume　and　use　were　the　natural　Produce　of　our　own　Country；　they　must　be　so；　notwithstanding　their　Consumption　of　any　Quantity　of　foreign　Goods；　which　we　can　import　and　sell　at　cheaper　Rates　than　we　can　possibly　raise　them　ourselves；　for　none　but　such　cheaper　foreign　Goods；　can　ever　find　a　Vend　in　any　Nation；　except　they　be　the　Peculiarities　of　other　foreign　Nations；　to　which　I　have　given　a　full　Answer　above。　　　　　From　hence　therefore　it　must　appear；　that　it　is　impossible　any　body　should　be　the　poorer；　for　using　any　foreign　Goods　at　cheaper　Rates　than　we　can　raise　them　ourselves；　after　we　have　done　all　we　possibly　can　to　raise　such　Goods　as　cheap　as　we　import　them；　and　find　we　cannot　do　it；　nay　this　very　Circumstance　makes　all　such　Goods　come　under　the　Character　of　the　Peculiarities　of　those　Countries；　which　are　able　to　raise　any　such　Goods　cheaper　than　we　can　do；　for　they　will　necessarily　operate　as　such。　　　　　8thly；　The　full　and　sufficient　Execution　of　this　Proposal；　is　the　only　Means　by　which　Property　can　be　reasonably　and　sufficiently　diffused　amongst　all　Ranks　of　People。　For　whilst　the　working　People　have　not　sufficient　and　full　Employment；（23*）　their　Labour；　like　all　other　Things；　whose　Quantity　is　greater　than　the　Demand　for　them；　must　be　disposed　of　below　its　true　and　just　Value；　which　I　have　shewn　is；　or　ought　to　be；　as　near　as　possible；　so　much　as　will　produce　a　comfortable　Subsistence　for　a　Family；　suitable　to　that　Rank　of　Life：　Now　so　long　as　these　in　general　work　so　considerably　below　this　Point；　that　their　Wages　are　generally　insufficient　to　support　such　a　Family；　as　the　Estimate　supposes　them　to　have；　Property　is　evidently　not　so　much　diffused；　as　in　the　Nature　and　Reason　of　Things　it　ought　to　be；　which　will　necessarily　be　attended　with　many　Kinds　of　Evils；　in　Proportion　to　the　Degree；　which　the　working　Peoples　Wages　fall　short　of　the　Point　abovementioned：　For　hence　the　Wealthy　having　the　working　Peoples　Labour　and　Skill　so　much　too　cheap；　do　not　only　engross　that　Property；　in　which　the　labouring　People　have　a　just　and　natural　Right；　so　far　as　their　Wages　fall　short　of　the　End　aforesaid；　but　they　hereby　accumulate　a　great　deal　of　Wealth；　in　which　the　middling　People　have　a　reasonable　and　natural　Property；　and　many　of　them　who　understand　Trade；　are　enabled　by　the　Force　of　such　unequal　Wealth；　to　trade　on　Terms　too　low　to　admit　many　of　the　middling　People　to　get　a　Livelihood；　suitable　to　their　Rank　and　Station：　For　instance；　suppose　a　Man　in　Trade　worth　10000　l。　and　the　Reduction　of　Interest　hath　actually　brought　too　many　such　into　several　Retail　Trades；　I　say；　suppose　such　a　one；　in　order　to　turn　his　Stock　once　in　the　Year；　will　vend　his　Goods　at　10　per　cent　profit；　this　will　produce　1000　l。　per　annum；　now　let　another　in　the　same　Way　of　Trade　worth　1000　l。　sell　at　the　same　Rate　（as　he　must；　or　have　very　little　Business）　and　let　him　be　supposed　（because　a　less　Stock　may　commonly　be　oftener　return'd　than　a　greater）　to　turn　his　Stock　twice　a　Year；　which；　since　giving　Credit　is　become　so　general；　is　as　often　as　such　a　Stock　in　Retail　Trade　can　generally　be　returned；　this　though　it　produces　20　l。　per　Cent　on　this　Capital；　or　200　l。　per　Annum；　shall　hereafter　be　shewn　to　be　very　insufficient　to　bear　all　Charges　of　Trade；　and　support　a　middling　Family；　so　as　it　is　undoubtedly　reasonable　such　a　Family　should　live；　for　whose　Support　1000　l。　of　their　own　Money　is　employed　in　Trade：　Whilst　the　other　making　10　per　Cent　on　his　large　Capital；　may　still　more　and　more　encrease　it；　at　the　same　time　that　he　is　bringing　on　the　Ruin　of　many　that　have　but　middling　Capitals。　Hence　therefore　it　must　appear；　that　not　only　the　labouring　Mechanicks；　but　many　of　the　middling　People　must　with　them　be　dispossessed　of　that　Property；　which　their　Rank　in　Life；　and　the　Good　of　the　Community；　nat