Money Answers All Things [16]
into the foundation of the Trade of the World, will certainly make Reprisals by Prohibitions,(9*) as we know they actually do, the Calamity of every Nation, that is no wiser, will increase; since they cut off so much Trade and Employment from Mankind, as these mutual Prohibitions can affect. But no Inconvenience can arise by an unrestrained Trade, but very great Advantage; since if the Cash of the Nation be decreased by it, which Prohibitions are designed to prevent, those Nations that get the Cash will certainly find every thing advance in Price, as the Cash increases amongst them. And if we, who part with the Money, make our Plenty great enough to make Labour sufficiently cheap, which is always constituted of the Price of Victuals and Drink, our Manufactures, and everything else, will soon become so moderate as to turn the Balance of Trade in our Favour, and thereby fetch the Money back again. Thus Money, on which Trade floats, like a Tide, by ebbing and flowing, will bring vast Business to our People, and furnish them with Employment and Happiness. But all this doth absolutely depend on cultivating such large Tracts of Land, as will make the Plenty great enough to reduce the Price of Labour, and all other Things in consequence thereof, so as to enable us to trade on Terms as reasonable as any other Nation; without which we must shut ourselves in a great Measure out of the foreign Trade of the World; as Merchants very well know, and every body will easily believe; since they that can work cheapest, must and will have the Trade. But those who prohibit the Exportation of the rough Principles of their Manufactures, are willing to have them exported when wrought up, and fully manufactured. Now beside that they must expect Reprisals to be made by other Nations, who will shift as much as they can without such Goods, for the sake, as they all seem to imagine, of employing their own People, not considering how much such shrinking and contracting their Trade within themselves, cuts off the more valuable maritime Trade and Employment, which all should strive to promote and enlarge, not only for the Reason I gave before, but because such Nations will always be the richest and most powerful (in respect to the Bigness of their Territory) who have the most maritime Trade, whether the Quantity of Cash amongst the People be as great as any other Nation or not; beside all this, I say, it may not be amiss to consider, what a vast Value must be risqued at Sea, when things are fully manufactured, to what would be risqued in their rough Principles; and what a Tendency the vast Value of Goods, fully manufactured, hath to make the Balance of Trade fluctuate, so as to hazard very great Quantities of Gold and Silver, much oftener at Sea, to make the Balance, than there otherwise would be Occasion for: And after all, how difficult is it, sufficiently to prevent the Exportation or Importation of any thing, which those who want it will be at the Charge to get; and what a Damage do a great many honest People sustain, by the unavoidable Inconveniences attending Prohibitions and high Duties, besides the Iniquity they too often occasion! But let us a little consider, whether a free and unrestrained Trade hath any Inconveniencies, we ought to guard against.(10*) I will not contend for it, with respect to France, though I can't see it could do us any Harm, even in that Case, if we were prudent enough to prevent the Inconvenience, by imploying more Land as our Cash decreases, thereby to employ the People, and lower the Price of things still so much, that whatever Cash remains amongst us, it may however be so plentiful as to circulate Trade to the utmost, and so make the People in general happy, notwithstanding its Decrease. For I am sensible that as France can work vastly cheaper, because they can live for a great deal less than we can do, so they can make most of the Manufactures we make, as well as we can; and therefore if we were to open Trade with them, they would bring us all sorts of Goods so cheap, that our Manufactures would be at an End,