Money Answers All Things [20]
themselves with what they could so easily and readily procure by exchanging Gold and Silver, which they too much abound in, they would certainly, in a great Measure, by so doing lose the Arts of Cultivation, and especially of Manufactures; as it's thought Spain hath done, merely by the Accession of the Wealth which the West Indies have produced them; whence they are become a poor Nation, and the Conduit-Pipes to disperse the Gold and Silver over the World, which other Nations, by making Goods cheaper than they can do, are fetching from them, to such a Degree, as that the Mines are scarcely sufficient to answer their Occasions; and though they are sensible of this, yet they find by Experience they can't prevent it. The case is the very same, in some Degree, in every Nation, whose Quantity of real or artificial Cash is large enough to support the Prices of their goods, considerably above the Rates such Goods bear in other Nations around them. Whence it's obvious, all Prohibitions must in the Issue be injurious to Trade, because beside all other Mischiefs they occasion, they are always designed to restrain the Money from going out of the Nation. Yet I must own, I am entirely for preventing the Importation of all foreign Commodities, as much as possible; but not by Acts of Parliament, which never can do any good to trade; but by raising such Goods ourselves, so cheap as to make it impossible for other Nations to find their Account in bringing them to us: And as this is the only natural and effectual Prohibition of such Things as we would not receive from abroad, so I wish every Nation in the World would do this as much as ever they can; for then the Plenty of every thing would be so great, that all Mankind would be happy, if this world is capable of making them so. I shall now proceed to some Observations upon the whole. First, That it is of no Consequence, whether any Nation hath a vast deal of Gold and Silver, or but very little Money amongst them, if sufficient Care be taken to make the Plenty of every thing gret enough, to make the Money they have, amply extend to circulate their Trade in every Branch, so as fully to employ and support all their People; which must and will make them all happy, and certainly cause them to have vastly more foreign Trade, by their thus being able to make and sell their Manufactures and Produce at lower Rates than their Neighbour Nations can do. And this is absolutely in the Power of every Nation, that will cultivate Land enough to effect it; unless any Nation should have more People in it than they have Land to support them; which may easily be known from the Demand there will be for Land, and raising the Rents in Consequence thereof, till the Prices of Necessaries become so dear, that the Wages of the labouring People will not purchase what is needful for the Support of their Families, and there be no more Land left to cultivate, and remove this Mischief, which will fall more or less on every Occupation, in Proportion as the Poor become thereby distressed. In this Case, there is no Relief but transporting the People where they can have Land enough for them. Secondly, It's of little or no Consequence to the Trade of any Nation, whether the People spend near or all their Gains, provided they do not spend more than they really gain; for this disables them to make good their mutual Contracts and Bargains; or whether they are generally frugal, and lay up considerably. For the Trade of a Nation doth very little depend on these Things, but intirely on employing the People in Cultivation of Land, in that Proportion to the other Employments of Mankind, that the Necessaries of Life, which all ultimately work for, may be so plentiful, that the meanest of the People may easily attain a Sufficiency of them; for Plenty of these comprehends all human Felicity, not excepting Peace itself. For why should we differ, or go to War; or how can we ask Heaven to succeed our Arms against our Neighbours, when we have enough of what we want amongst ourselves, and can sell our Produce, and make our