第19章

But it may be said, that the giving long Credit, is rather owing to the Plenty of the Commodities credited, than to the Number of Traders in such Commodities.

But since the Plenty of such Commodities is owing to employing too many Hands in raising them, in which Case, there will always be too many to vend them, long Credit is still owing to such Trades being too numerous, and overdone in all the several Parts.

But the Plenty of the more immediate Necessaries of Life, can, I think, never be overdone, because the cheaper these are, which is inseparable from the Plenty of them, the greater will the Consumption of them be, since they will hence be more easily attained in much larger Quantities by almost all Ranks of Men;and as these are what all Men chiefly and ultimately work for, in whatever Way they are employed, so they are the principal and proper Foundation of the Plenty and Cheapness, and consequently of the proper Consumption of all other Things whatsoever. For to what Purpose is it to abound in all kinds of Manufactures, if the People are generally scarce able to procure themselves the other more immediate Necessaries of Life, Victuals and Drink?

But though the Rents must be lowered, as these Things shall, by the Plenty of them, be made cheaper, yet having before shewn that all things will hence become cheaper, in much greater Proportion, than the Rents will be lowered, I shall only say further, that since all Things must first come out of the Ground, Lands will always bear such Rents as the Cash circulating amongst the People, consistently with the general Welfare, will naturally support; and higher Rents they never can bear, without greatly distressing the People in general, and the Gentlemen themselves too in the End, of which the Multitude of Farms, which have of late been quitted through the Inability of the Farmers to pay the Rents, are a sufficient and melancholy Proof. For the Rents of Lands are undoubtedly as much subjected to the Quantity of Cash circulating amongst the People, as it has been clearly shewn the Price of Goods necessarily is.

And hence I conclude, that it is owing to too great a Scarcity of Money amongst the People in general, which doth necessarily lessen the Consumption of every thing so much, that the Price of the Produce of the Ground can't be raised high enough to enable the Farmers to pay all Charges and live and pay such Rents as they were to have paid.

Sixthly, The full and sufficient Execution of this Proposal,would be a vast Encouragement to young People to marry;since the Means of a Livelihood for Families, would hereby be vastly facilitated, and hereby the Marriage State would be relieved from the melancholy Difficulties it now too generally lies under, for want of striking out greater Plenty, and more Employment, to enable those that are in it, to support and make Provision for their Families, suitably to their several Ranks and Stations.

And those unjust Reflections, too frequently cast on the Marriage State, would cease with those Difficulties, which is the general Foundation of them all; and we should sing with Milton, book 4th,Hail wedded Love, mysterious Law, true Source Of human Offspring!

By thee adulterous Lust was driven from Men, Amongst the bestial Herd to range; by thee, Founded in Reason, loyal, just and pure, Relations dear, and all the Charities Of Father, Son, and Brother, first were known.

Here Love his Golden Shafts employs, here lights His constant Lamp, and waves his purple Wings;Reigns here, and revels; not in the bought Smile Of Harlots, loveless, joyless, unindear'd.

The full and sufficient Execution of this Proposal would cause much less Fortunes to be required with young Women; since not only much less Sums would transact much larger Affairs, but there would abundance more Business every way arise to be transacted; whence the young Men would not have Occasion for such Precautions, as are now absolutely needful to all that will marry.

I believe we should then be far from finding near a fourth part of our Traders single Men,(15*) as is by many with some Probability conjectured; to this Cause I attribute the great Number of Prostitutes of the other Sex, which I believe never can be so effectually remedied, as by making the Marriage State more easy in point of Charge.

And as this will infallibly be effected, by the Means I have pointed out, so it will at the same Time certainly furnish so much more Business of every kind, as considerably to increase the Gains likewise.

Further, when I consider that the Male exceeds the Female Sex about seven in an hundred, by which, if all the Women were in the Marriage State, the fifteenth Man must life single, there being no Female provided for him; and also the natural Modesty of the Female, which being greater, inclines them more strongly to virtuous Love, than the fashionable Boldness of the other Sex doth; when I consider these Things, I can find no Cause, to which to impute the great Number of Prostitutes, but that too many Men avoid the Marriage State, not, as they pretend, for the Sake of being free, and at their Liberty (for in truth they are often wretched slaves to ill Women and Diseases) but on the Account of the unavoidable and great Charges which attent it, and its being almost impossible to make such Provision for Children, as may put them into as good Circumstances as their Parents began in.

This Motive is indeed so prudent, that I can't help recommending it as the most laudable and praise-worthy Thing in the World, and which I wish both Sexes would always attend to, and be governed by; provided they do at the same time always preserve their Virtue and Innocence unblemished.