Further Considerations [1]
whilst every body else finds his Fortune streightned by them, be a publick Merit, that deserves a publick and signal Reward;) This Loss, of one Fifth of their Debts and Income, will sit heavy on them, who shallfeel it without the Alleviation of any Profit or Credit, that will thereby accrue to the Nation, by such a lessening of our Coin. If any one ask, how I, a retired private Man, come at this time to meddle with Money and Trade: For they are inseparable; I reply, that your Lordship, and the other great Men that put me upon it, are answerable for it: Whether what I say be to the purpose or no, that I my self am answerable for. This I can answer to all the World, that I have not said any thing here, without a full Perswasion of its Truth; nor with any other Motive or Purpose than the clearing of this artificially perplexed, rather than in it self mysterious Subject, as far as my poor Talent reaches. That which perhaps I shall not be so well able to answer, to your Lordship and my self, is the Liberty I have taken, in such an Address as this, to profess that I am, My LORD, Your Lordships most humble and most Obedient Servant JOHN LOCKE.
THE PREFACE.
THOUGH Mr. Lowndes and I differ in the Way, yet I assure myself, our End is the same; and that we both propose to our selves the Service of our Country. He is a man known so able in the post he is in; to which the business ofmoney peculiarly belongs: And has shewed himself so learned in the Records, and matters of the mint; and so exact in Calculations and Combinations of Numbers relating to our Coin, either already in use, or designed by him, that I think I should have troubled the Publick no more on this Subject, had not he himself engaged me in it; and brought it to that pass, that either I must be thought to renounce my own Opinion, or must publickly oppose his. Whilst his Treatise was yet a manuscript, and before it was laid before those great Persons, to whom it was afterwards submitted, he did me the Favour to shew it to me; and made me the Compliment, to ask me my Opinion of it. Though we had some short Discourse on the Subject, yet the multiplicity of his business, whilst I staid in Town; and my Health, which soon afterforced me out of it, allowed us not an occasion to debate any one point throughly, and bring it to an issue. Before I returned to Town, his Book was in the Press; and finished before I had the opportunity to see Mr. Lowndes again. And here he laid a new Obligation on me, not only in giving me one of them; but telling me, when I received it from his Hands, that it was the first he had parted with to any Body. I then went it over a second time, and having more leisure to consider it, I found there were a great many Particulars in it drawn out of Ancient Records, not commonly known, wherewith he had obliged the World. These, which very pleasingly entertained me, though they Prevail'd not on me to be of his Opinion every where, yet joyn'd with the great Civilities he had shewn me, left me in a disposition so little inclined to oppose any thing in it, that I should rather have chosen to acknowledge my self in Print, to be his Convert, if his Arguments had convinced me; than to have troubled the World with the Reasons, why I Dissent from him. In this Disposition my Pen rested,from medling any farther with this Subject whilst I was in Town. Soon after, my own Health, and the Death of a Friend, forc'd me into the Country: And the business occasion'd thereby, and my own private Affairs, took up all ny time, at my first coming thither; and had continued on to do so, had not several repeated intimations and instances from London, not without some reproaches of my backwardness, made me see, that the World concern'd me particularly in Mr. Lowndes's Postscript, and expected something from me on that occasion. Though possibly I was not wholly out of his mind when Mr. Lowndes writ that Invitation, yet I shall not make my self the Compliment, to think I alone am concern'd in it. The great
THE PREFACE.
THOUGH Mr. Lowndes and I differ in the Way, yet I assure myself, our End is the same; and that we both propose to our selves the Service of our Country. He is a man known so able in the post he is in; to which the business ofmoney peculiarly belongs: And has shewed himself so learned in the Records, and matters of the mint; and so exact in Calculations and Combinations of Numbers relating to our Coin, either already in use, or designed by him, that I think I should have troubled the Publick no more on this Subject, had not he himself engaged me in it; and brought it to that pass, that either I must be thought to renounce my own Opinion, or must publickly oppose his. Whilst his Treatise was yet a manuscript, and before it was laid before those great Persons, to whom it was afterwards submitted, he did me the Favour to shew it to me; and made me the Compliment, to ask me my Opinion of it. Though we had some short Discourse on the Subject, yet the multiplicity of his business, whilst I staid in Town; and my Health, which soon afterforced me out of it, allowed us not an occasion to debate any one point throughly, and bring it to an issue. Before I returned to Town, his Book was in the Press; and finished before I had the opportunity to see Mr. Lowndes again. And here he laid a new Obligation on me, not only in giving me one of them; but telling me, when I received it from his Hands, that it was the first he had parted with to any Body. I then went it over a second time, and having more leisure to consider it, I found there were a great many Particulars in it drawn out of Ancient Records, not commonly known, wherewith he had obliged the World. These, which very pleasingly entertained me, though they Prevail'd not on me to be of his Opinion every where, yet joyn'd with the great Civilities he had shewn me, left me in a disposition so little inclined to oppose any thing in it, that I should rather have chosen to acknowledge my self in Print, to be his Convert, if his Arguments had convinced me; than to have troubled the World with the Reasons, why I Dissent from him. In this Disposition my Pen rested,from medling any farther with this Subject whilst I was in Town. Soon after, my own Health, and the Death of a Friend, forc'd me into the Country: And the business occasion'd thereby, and my own private Affairs, took up all ny time, at my first coming thither; and had continued on to do so, had not several repeated intimations and instances from London, not without some reproaches of my backwardness, made me see, that the World concern'd me particularly in Mr. Lowndes's Postscript, and expected something from me on that occasion. Though possibly I was not wholly out of his mind when Mr. Lowndes writ that Invitation, yet I shall not make my self the Compliment, to think I alone am concern'd in it. The great