money answers all things-第17章

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　them　be　dispossessed　of　that　Property；　which　their　Rank　in　Life；　and　the　Good　of　the　Community；　naturally　intitle　them　too；　for　that　Community　will　always　be　most　powerful；　and　most　happy；　that　abounds　most　with　middling　People；　and　as　there　is　no　Means；　by　which　Property　can　be　diffused　amongst　the　People　in　general；　except　that　I　am　pointing　out；　so　I　think　it　self…evident；　that　this　Means　cannot　fail　of　diffusing　Property；　amongst　all　Ranks　of　People；　to　such　a　Degree；　as　that　all；　that　will　be　industrious；　and　careful；　may　be　comfortably　supported　according　to　the　several　Ranks　and　Stations；　in　which　Providence　may　think　fit　to　cast　them；　and　whenever　Property　is　thus　diffused；　it　is　not　only　sufficiently　diffused；　but　involves　all　the　Happiness　the　Nature　of　Things　is　capable　of　producing　to　mankind；　so　that　whatever　Difference　there　shall　then　be　in　the　Circumstances；　Conditions；　and　Ranks　of　Men；　they　will　only　be　such　as　the　Author　of　Nature　designed；　and　such　as　are　inseparably　connected　with　civil　Government；　in　which　there　must　necessarily　be　high　and　low；　as　long　as　Government　subsists。　　　　　9thly；　The　full　and　sufficient　Execution　of　this　Proposal；　is　the　only　natural　or　possible　Means；　by　which　Luxury；　so　far　as　it　is　injurious　to　Society；　can　be　removed。　　　　　I　don't　call　that　State；　Equipage；　or　Way　of　Living；　which　is　suitable　to　the　Rank　or　Condition　of　a　man；　Luxury　hurtful　to　Society；　how　pompous　soever；　if　it　be　contained　within　the　Limits　of　his　Estate；　to　such　a　Degree；　a　will　admit　of　his　making　such　Provision　for　his　Family；　as　his　Rank　and　Dignity　requires；　for　I　think　such　State　and　Way　of　Living　necessary　and　useful　to　Society；　whilst　it's　confined　within　the　Bounds　aforesaid。　　　　　Therefore　as　that　Man　only　can　be　called　luxurious；　in　a　Sense　hurtful　to　Society；　who　exceeds　these　Bounds；　so　a　Nation　only　can　be　said　to　be　luxurious；　when　the　People　too　generally　exceed　in　this　Respect。　That　this　may　possibly　be　the　Case　of　a　Nation；　I　shall　take　for　granted；　and　admit；　that　one　must　be　reduced　to　Distress；　as　sure　as　the　other。　　　　　Now　the　Cause　of　such　general　or　national　Luxury；　is　solely　owing　to　too　great　an　Inequality　of　Property；　by　which　too　many　are　enabled　to　live　excessively　splendid；　whilst　the　rest；　having　much　less　than　they　want；　are　too　much　depress'd　and　sunk；　so　that　whilst　one　Side　are　almost　adored　for　their　Wealth；　the　other　are　almost　abhorred　for　their　Poverty；　and　as　this　makes　the　Gap　much　too　wide　between　these　Extreams；　it　can't　be　expected；　but　that　the　adored　Part　of　Mankind　will　necessarily　be　imitated；　beyond　proper　Limits；　by　most　of　those　between　these　Extreams；　and　this　compleats　the　Notion　of　Luxury　hurtful　to　Society。　　　　　But　were　Property　to　be　so　diffused；　as　I　have　shewn　it　may　and　ought；　the　Labour；　etc。　of　the　People　would　not　come　on　Terms　so　unreasonably　low；　as　to　support　such　Excess　on　the　one　Hand；　or　to　depress　and　sink　the　rest　too　much　on　the　other：　Nay；　diffusing　Property　as　aforesaid；　will　not　only　remove　Luxury　so　far　as　it　is　hurtful　to　Society；　but　will　in　general　extinguish　all　Kinds　of　Vice　together　with　it。　For　this　too　great　Inequality　of　Property；　I　have　now　represented；　is　the　sole　Source；　whence　they　all　spring；　and　Solomon；　the　wisest　of　Men；　hath　determined　this　of　the　Poor；　who　are　the　Bulk　of　Mankind；　when　he　says；　as　in　the　Motto　I　have　chosen　to　this　Essay；　The　Destruction　of　the　Poor　is　their　Poverty。　But　sure；　Destruction　was　never　justly　attributed　to　any　other　Cause　than　Vice；　wherefore　Poverty　and　Vice　must　according　to　Solomon　be　necessarily　connected；　and；　I　think；　Excess　of　Affluence　must　be　so　too；　since　it　is　but　changing　Solomon's　Determination　to　the　other　Extream。　　　　　But　that　I　may　fully　prove；　that　the　Execution　of　this　Proposal　will　certainly　remove　Luxury；　so　far　as　it's　hurtful　to　Society；　which　is　all　the　Concern　we　need　in　the　present　Case　have　about　it；　I　assert；　that　a　middling　Family　in　London；　will　in　a　very　moderate　Way　of　Living；　in　the　middling　Station　of　Life；　require　about　400　l。　per　Annum　to　maintain　and　make　Provision　for　them；　as　by　a　subsequent　Estimate　shall　be　made　appear：　Now　this　Sum　is　undoubtedly　as　much　more　than　the　People　in　the　middling　Rank　of　Life　can　generally　get；　as　the　Wages　of　the　labouring　People　are　less　than　the　Estimate　for　such　a　Family　shews　to　be　needful；　therefore　I　insist；　as　I　have　before　shewn；　that　if　the　Produce　of　the　Ground　were　augmented　about　half；　the　Wants　of　the　People　are　great　enough　to　consume　it　all；　and　that　without　living　in　the　least　luxuriously；　since　by　both　Estimates　it　appears；　only　necessary　Things　are　allowed　for　the　two　Stations　of　Life；　in　which　almost　all　Mankind　are　included。　For　the　Number　of　those　above　the　lower　and　middling　Stations；　are　undoubtedly　few　in　Comparison　　to　the　Numbers；　which　must　be　included　within　the　bounds　of　these　Estimates：　If　therefore　the　Produce　of　the　Earth　would　be　wanted　and　consumed；　though　it　were　augmented　to　so　great　a　Degree　as　half；　and　if；　as　I　have　before　shewn；　it　is　perhaps　not　possible　to　increase　it　so　much；　and　if；　however；　what　we　can　do　to　augment　it　makes　Plenty；　and　the　Nature　of　Plenty　be　such　as　necessarily　to　bring　those　Things　into　the　Power　of　the　middling　and　lower　People；　who　are　those　only　that　stand　in　need　of　them；　if　these　Things　are　so；　how　is　it　possible　there　should　be　any　general　or　national　Luxury　amongst　the　People；　since　we　can't　make　the　Earth　produce　so　much　as　will　support　or　cause　it？　Nay；　since　the　Method　of　increasing　the　Produce；　naturally　and　necessarily　diffuses　the　Increase　amongst　the　lower　and　middling　People　who　alone　want　it；　it　must　be　plain；　that　this　must　remove　Luxury；　so　far　as　it's　hurtful　to　Society；　and　also；　that　Luxury　is　founded　in　too　great　an　Inequality　of　Property；　as　I　have　asserted：　And　hence　also　it　must　appear；　that　Luxury　is　not　the　Cause　but　the　Effect　of　a　Decay　of　Trade；　since　a　Decay　of　Trade　is　nothing　else　but　the　Bulk　of　the　Peoples　wanting　many　Things；　which　they　ought　to　have；　and　which；　for　want　of　sufficient　Employment　and　Business；　it　is　out　of　their　Power　to　procure。　　　　　10thly；　The　full　and　sufficient　Execution　of　this　Proposal；　will　prevent　too　great　a　Reduction　of　the　Interest　of　Money；　because　the　continual　inclosing　and　improving　so　much　waste　Land；　as　will　be　needful　for　the　Purposes　laid　down　in　this　Essay；　will　not　only　make　abundance　of　Estates　to　be　purchased；　which　are　now　not　worth　one　fourth；　perhaps；　of　what　they　will　be　when　improved；　but　will　raise　such　vast　Quantities　of　Produce；　and　consequently　Manufactures；　to　invest　that　Money　in；　which　the　Government　may　from　Time　to　Time　be　paying　off；　which　Money；　if　this　Way　be　not　provided　for　employing　and　investing　it；　must　again　come　to　Market　to　find　Interest；　whereby　the　Plenty　of　Money；　seeking　Interest；　will　be　so　great；　that　Interest　must　sink；　or；　which　is　equivalent；　the　Premiums　on　Money　at　Interest　advance；　in　such　Proportion　as　the　Plenty　of　Money　seeking　Interest　shall　increase；　which　Premiums；　with　the　Interest　thereof；　must　in　the　End　be　lost；　in　consideration　of　receiving　three　or　four　per　cent　for　a　Time；　instead　of　such　Interest；　as　the　Plenty　of　Money　seeking　Interest　would　naturally　bear。　　　　　But　the　executing　this　Proposal　is　absolutely　needful；　as　it　is　the　only　Means；　whereby　the　Price　of　all　Things　can　be　lowered　in　such　Proportion　as　the　publick　Securities　shall　be　paid　off：　For　these　having　now　the　Operation　of　Money；　keep　up　the　Price　of　all　things　in　Proportion　to　their　Quantity；　which；　as　they　shall　from　Time　to　Time　be　paid　off　and　annihilated；　will　be　found　to　have　just　the　same　Effect　in　lowering　the　Price　of　every　thing；　as　as　if　the　Nation　had　really　lost　so　much　Gold　and　Silver。　And　though　I　think　this　self…evident；　yet　I　shall　quote　E。　Phillips；　Esq；　to　support　me；　who；　Page　42；　says；　there　can　be　no　doubt；　that　in　the　Year　1750；　or　thereabout；　when　we　may　suppose　the　whole　national　debt　paid　off；　and　all　the　Paper　Effects；　which　now　have　the　Operation　of　Money；　annihilated；　all　Goods　will　fall　in　their　Price；　because　these　Paper　Effects　being　then　sunk；　their　Operation　must　cease　of　Course。　For　as　the　Value　of　Commodities　has　risen；　by　the　Increase　of　Gold　and　Silver　within　these　150　Years；　so　would　they　of　Necessity　fall　in　their　Price；　if　our　Golda　nd　Silver　were　considerably　diminished；　the　Consequence　must　be　the　same；　if　there　is　a　Diminution　of　that　which　hath　the　Operation　of　Money。　　　　　'Tis　true；　as　he　further　says；　That　as　the　Taxes　will　be　abated；　as　the　national　Debts　are　paid　off；　so　the　Prices　of　Goods　will　fall　in　Proportion　to　the　Abatement　of　the　Impost　on　them；　yet　this　will　by　no　means　suffer　the　Prices　of　things　to　fall　in　Proportion　to　the　sinking　such　a　prodigious　Value　of　Paper　Effects；　as　at　present　operate　with　the　full　Force　of　Money　amongst　us；　for　these　being　several　Times　as　great　as　our　real　Specie；　must；　by　the　aforesaid　Rule；　when　sunk；　make　all　Things　fall　in　such　Proportion；　unless　our　real　Specie　can　be　augmented　in　the　Interim　to　prevent　it；　and　this；　I　doubt　not；　but　it　certainly　will；　if　the　Way　I　have　pointed　out；　be　heartily　and　sufficiently　persued。　　　　　11thly；　The　full　and　sufficient　Execution　of　this　Proposal；　will