money answers all things-第24章

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efore　sufficiently　shewn；　can　hardly　ever　be　equal　to　the　Wants　of　the　People；　according　to　their　several　Ranks　and　Stations　only；　will　necesarily　require。　And　this　should　also　be　done；　for　the　sake　of　returning　the　Capitals　employed　in　Trade；　as　frequently　as　possible；　since　the　quicker　the　Returns　are　made；　the　cheaper　will　the　Goods　come　to　the　Consumer；　and　the　slower　the　Returns　are　made；　so　much　larger　should　the　Profits　always　be；　that　is；　so　much　dearer　ought　the　Goods　to　be　sold　to　the　Consumer。　If　this　is　not　the　Case；　the　Tradesman　must　suffer；　which　is　very　unreasonable；　since　all　Trade　is　carried　on　solely　for　the　Use　and　Benefit　of　the　Consumer。　　　　　Again；　this　Estimate　shews；　how　unfit　it　is　to　give　or　take　long　Credit　in　Trade；　since　the　Advance　of　the　Price　of　goods　sold　on　time；　ought　not　to　be　reckon'd　with　any　Regard　to　the　Interest　of　Money　on　Securities；　but　by　the　Rates　of　the　Profits　which　the　Capitals　employ'd　may　require　to　answer　the　End　of　Trade；　which　is　not　only　the　continual　Support　of　Families；　but　such　a　Provision　for　them　as　may；　at　least；　leave　the　Children　in　Condition　to　fill　up　the　same；　if　not　better　Stations　in　Life；　than　their　Parents　were　in。　For　as　all　below　this　Point　approach　so　much　nearer　Poverty；　so；　if　such　Descent　towards　Poverty　to　be　general　amongst　the　trading　People；　the　Rents　in　general　will　not　only　fall；　but　be　lost；　and　this；　I　imagine；　is　both　seen　and　felt　too　at　this　Time。　　　　　And　therefore；　I　think；　giving　long　Credit　in　Trade；　which　is　now　become　much　too　general；　ought　to　be　remedied；　since　it　must　affect　the　Landed…Men；　either　in　the　high　Price　of　their　Consumables；　or　in　their　Rents；　or　perhaps　in　both。　　　　　The　last　Thing　I　shall　mention；　to　shew　that　our　Trade　really　is；　and　hath　been；　for　some　considerable　Time　past；　growing　into　a　much　worse　State　than　it　formerly　was；　shall　be　the　acknowledged　Dearness　of　the　Labour　of　the　People　in　England；　to　the　Price　of　Labour　in　most　of　our　Neighbour　Nations；　the　Effect　of　which　hath　been　so　detrimental　to　our　Trade；　that　the　Nations　round　us　have；　in　less　than　half　a　Century；　enter'd　on；　and　set　up　the　Fabricating　many　Manufactures；　which　they　before　that　Time　had　from　us　only：　Which　hath　not　been　observed；　but　lamented　by　many　of　our　Merchants　and　Tradesmen；　etc。　And　at　length；　as　is　notoriously　know；　the　Dearness　of　Labour　hath　been　found　so　burthensome　to　our　Farmers；　that　the　Gentry　and　Justices　of　the　Peace；　in　their　open　Quarter　Sessions；　have　lately；　in　several　Places　in　the　Kingdom；　attempted　to　redress　this　Evil；　by　regulating　the　Rates　of　Servants　Wages。　Now　this　attempt；　though　it　be　unnatural；　and　impossible　to　answer　the　End；　is　however　a　publick　Acknowledgment；　that　our　Trade　is　in　a　very　bad　State。　For　if　our　Labour　be　really　too　dear；　as　it　most　certainly　is；　then　all　our　Commodities　must　be　so　too；　which　must　necessarily　greatly　lessen　the　Vend　and　Consumption　of　them。　And　hence　it　will　follow；　that　this　publick　Attempt　to　reduce　the　Rates　of　Labour；　amounts　to　a　publick　Declaration　that　our　Trade　is　in　a　very　bad　State。　　　　　But　after　all　I　have　offer'd；　which　I　think　abundantly　sufficient　to　prove　that　our　Trade　is　in　a　much　worse　State　than　it　formerly　was；　I　know　it　will　be　objected；　that　we　have；　at　this　Time；　as　much　Trade　amongst　us　in　the　Nation　as　we　ever　had；　and　that　therefore　our　Trade　is　not　so　bad；　as　I　have　shewn　it　to　be。　Now；　tho'　I　should　allow　the　Objectors　their　Assertion；　yet；　I　think；　I　can　notwithstanding　produce　several　Reasons；　to　shew　that　our　Trade　is　in　a　much　worse　State　than　it　formerly　was；　as；　　　　　First；　That　the　People　in　this　Kingdom　have　increased　considerably　within　the　last　half　Century：　For　I　have　before　shewn　that　this　Town　is　increased　about　1/7　part；　in　the　Space　of　about　forty　Years。　And　Sir　William　Pettis　says；　A　Nation　will　double　itself　in　200　Years；　if　it　be　free　from　War；　Pestilence；　or　Draining　for　distant　Colonies。　Now　40　Years　being　1/5　of　the　Period　he　asserts　a　Nation　will　double　in；　it　follows；　by　this　Authority；　that　the　People　in　this　Kingdom　must　be　increas'd　1/5　within　the　last　forty　Years：　If　therefore　our　Trade　be　not　1/5　Part　greater　than　it　was　about　forty　Years　ago；　which　I　am　sure　cannot　be　shewn；　it　follows；　that　as　our　Trade　is　less；　in　Proportion　to　this　Increase　of　People；　than　it　formerly　was；　it　therefore　must　be　so　much　worse。　　　　　I　am　sensible　it　may　be　objected；　that　we　have；　within　half　a　Century；　had　two　Wars　with　France；　as　well　as　one　in　Ireland　upon　King　William's　coming　in；　and　that　therefore　this　Authority　will　not　support　so　great　an　Increase　as　I　have　deduced　from　it。　But　I　answer；　That　we　had　so　good　a　Trade　about　the　Revolution；　and　during　both　those　Wars　with　France；　as　drew　more　People　from　abroad　to　us；　than　these　Wars　did　probably　destroy。　　　　　Again；　Secondly；　allowing　that　we　have　now　as　much　Trade　in　this　Kingdom　as　we　formerly　had；　yet　it　must　also　be　allow'd；　that　if　Trade　be　now　carried　on　for　less　Profit；　than　it　formerly　was；　as　it　undoubtedly　is；　and　this　I　fear　now　will　be　generally　granted；　besides；　that　I　think；　what　I　have　said　under　the　last　Estimate；　doth　sufficiently　prove　as　much：　I　say；　if　Trade　be　now　carried　on　for　less　Profits；　and　if　the　Charge　of　Living　be　likewise　grown　much　greater　than　it　formerly　was；　which　I　know　will　easily　be　allow'd　me　too；　surely　then　Trade　must　necessarily　be　much　worse　than　it　formerly　was；　notwithstanding　we　may　have　as　much　Trade　is　certainly　in　a　much　worse　State　than　it　formerly　was；　especially　in　this　Metropolis；　I　think　it　will　not　be　unnecessary　to　shew　how　Trade　stands　in　the　Country　in　this　respect。　　　　　Now　it　hath　been　long　asserted；　that　many　Farmers；　in　several　Parts　of　the　Kingdom；　from　the　Cheapness　of　the　Produce　of　the　Ground；　and　from　the　Dearness　of　Labour　have　been　obliged　to　throw　up　their　Farms　to　their　Landlords。　And　of　late　this　is　grown　so　generally　the　Case；　that　the　News…Papers（33*）　have　assured　us；　that　most　of　the　Farmers　all　over　the　Kingdom　must　inevitably　have　been　ruin'd；　had　not　Corn；　etc。　taken　a　sudden　considerable　and　unexpected　Rise；　which　the　War　now　broke　out　in　Italy　hath　occasion'd。　And　this　seems　to　be　allow'd　to　be　Fact；　even　by　the　most　sanguine　of　those　that　contend　for　the　present　most　flourishing　State　of　our　Trade；　whilst　they　content　themselves　with　assigning　this　Cause　for　it；　viz。　That　the　Gentry　truly　do　not　now　live；　and　spend　their　Money　in　the　Country；　as　formerly。　Now　this；　if　it　be　true；　seems　to　me　a　very　inadequate　Cause；　either　of　the　late　Cheapness　of　the　Produce；　or　present　Dearness　of　Labour；　to　which　Causes　the　Farmers　justly　attribute　the　unhappy　Dilemma　they　have　for　some　Time　labour'd　under。　　　　　But　however；　Fact　it　seems　it　is；　that　the　Farmers；　generally；　were　so　near　inevitable　Ruin　as　is　above　asserted：　Now　I　would　fain　know　what　the　State　of　Trade　must　be　in　the　Country；　when　the　Farmers　in　general　were　in　so　dreadful　a　Condition：　For　the　Trade　in　the　country；　I　think；　turns　chiefly；　if　not　entirely；　upon　the　general　Prosperity　of　the　Farmers；　for　I　believe　the　Country　People　would　be　able　to　raise　but　few　Manufactures；　if　the　Farmers　in　general　were　so　reduced；　as　to　be　unable　to　raise　the　Principles　out　of　the　Ground；　for　them　to　work　on；　and　yet　this　must　be　the　Case；　if　the　Farmers　were　generally　ruin'd。　For　the　Gentlemens　employing　their　Farmers　themselves；　would　not　mend　the　Matter；　since　they　find　by　Experience；　those　Farms　always　bring　them　in　Debt；　on　which　the　Farmers　find　they　can't　get　a　Livelihood；　which　therefore　in　the　End；　must　ruin　the　Gentlemen　as　well　as　the　Farmers。　And　therefore　it　follows；　that；　allowing　the　above　Fact　to　be　true；　the　Trade　in　the　Country；　as　well　as　the　Trade　in　London；　is　in　a　much　worse　Condition　than　it　was　formerly；　when　the　Prosperity　of　the　Farmers；　and　other　Circumstances；　enabled　the　Gentlemen　almost　universally　to　raise　their　Rents；　as　it's　well　known　they　have　done　very　considerably；　within　the　Space　of　30　or　40　years　last　past。　　　　　But　I　shall　now　proceed　to　obviate　an　Objection；　which；　as　Things　are　now　circumstanced；　may　seem　to　lie　against　this　Proposal；　viz。　'Tis　objected；　that　the　Plenty　is　now　so　great；　as　to　reduce　the　Price　of　the　Produce　so　low；　that　the　Farmers　can　pay　no　Rent；　and　therefore　it　follows；　that　we　have　already　broke　up　and　improv'd　too　much　Land；　since　such　Plenty　can　arise　only　from　having　too　much　Land　in　Use。　　　　　In　answer　to　which；　I　shall　first　observe；　that　the　Price　of　Things　may　be　reduced　too　low　to　answer　and　turn　to　Account；　not　only　from　the　Plenty　of　those　Things　consider'd　in　themselves；　but　from　the　Inability　of　the　People　in　general　to　purchase　them；　in　such　Quantities　as　their　Wants　may　require；　since　a　consideration　Abatement　of　the　Consumption　of　any　Thing；　will　operate　to　the　Reduction　of　its　Price；　more　than　even　Plenty　of　any　Thing；　consider'd　with　due　Regard　to　the　Wants　of　the　People；　will　do；（34*）　and　whoever　considers　the　two　Estimates　I　have　produced；　which　shew　how　much　greater　the　Wants　of　the　People　are；　than　they　can　in　general　be　supposed　to　get；　must　ascribe　the　present　low　Rates　of　the　Produce；　at　least　as　much　to　an　Abatement　of　the　Consumption；　as　to　the　Plenty　consider'd　as　aforesaid；　since　by　those