On Public Credit
On Public Credit
by David Hume
It appears to have been the common practice of antiquity, make provision, during peace, for the necessities of war, and to hoard up treasures before-hand, as the instruments either of conquest or defence; without trusting to extraordinary impositions, much less to borrowing, in times of disorder and confusion. Besides the immense sums above mentioned, which were amassed by ATHENS, and by the PTOLEMIES, and other successors of ALEXANDER; we l ...