Money Answers All Things [54]
must ascribe the present low Rates of the Produce, at least as much to an Abatement of the Consumption, as to the Plenty consider'd as aforesaid; since by those Estimates it plainly appears, the Wants of the People are mightily abridged. Again, this Objection is contrary to the Nature of the Thing itself; since it suggests that Plenty is so enormous an Evil, as in general to ruin the Farmers and Gentlemen. For if the Farmers can't pay their Rent, they will certainly one time or other be seized on, and torn to Pieces; and the Gentlemen must also be ruin'd, if they can get no Rent for their Lands, as this Objection suggests. Now since Plenty is in its own nature a general Good, and a universal Blessing, always promoting and increasing the Consumption thereof, nor can possibly ever be otherwise; this objection, which suggests that Plenty is an Evil, and so great a one too, must be contrary to the Nature of the Thing itself. Again, if it were true, as this Objection suggests, that we have already so much Land in Use, as makes the Plenty so great, as to reduce the Price of the Produce so low, that the landlords can get no Rent for the lands; yet if it can be made appear (as I think by what I have said in this Essay it doth) that more Land is wanted to give full Employment to all the People, and thereby to supply their reasonable Wants, it will follow, whether Gentlemen can or cannot get any Rent for their Lands, that the People have a just and reasonable Right to have so much more Land put to Use, as shall be needful and sufficient to give them full Employment, and subsist them comfortably; because every Person is, by Nature, as much intitled to all the Land he can cultivate and use, as he is to the Air in which he breathes: For he can no more live without cultivating the Ground to supply his Wants, than he can breathe without Air. And therefore, since Mankind are all by Nature born equal in this respect, it can never be reasonable to abridge any Part of Mankind of this their natural Right, unless it can be clearly prov'd, that it is for the Good of every Individual to be thus abridged; and therefore, that they ought either to purchase, or pay Rent for the Land they shall use and enjoy. And this indeed, I doubt not, I could clearly make appear, if I were to shew the Preference of Civil Government, rightly administer'd, to a simple State of Nature without Government; of which the Hottentots seem to me to be the chief, if not the only Instance we have now perhaps in the World; and yet, I believe, I should prefer their abject Condition to any arbitrary or oppressive Government on Earth. But I deny that there is, or ever was such a Plenty as this Objection suggests; because the Produce of the Ground, when brought to Market by the Farmers, is always sold for ready Money. Now it is impossible that any Thing can properly be said to be too plentiful, for which the Demand is always so great, as to make it a ready Money Commodity. For if the Plenty were really too great for the Demand, it would, as we know many sorts of Goods and Manufactures are, necessarily be sold for Time. And since nothing but a greater Plenty of any Thing, than the Demand for it requires, is the Foundation and Cause of selling such Things on Credit, it follows that the Produce is not too plentiful, since it's always sold for ready Money, Nay, Victuals and Drink, which are the only Things in this Objection I am properly concern'd with, are so far from being too plentiful, that they are generally sold for ready Money, even down to the meanest Consumer. For the Number of those who do not pay present Money for these immediate Necessaries, are not only few in Comparison, but even those Persons, generally speaking, always pay for these immediate Necessaries in a very short time, unless when such a one happens to be trusted, that is not able to pay at all. And this, I believe, is so generally known to be true, that I need not fear having the Concurrence of the People in general on my side; by which the Truth of this Argument must stand or fall, no other Proof being