Money Answers All Things [9]
which I take to be the Number of one Marriage with another raises; this Sum therefore will be but 1200 l. for each Child's Share, if a like Sum be reserved for the Widow; and if there should be now Widow, but 1500 l. for each Child, which will not often set them in better Circumstances than their Parents set out it: But if Things must be worse than this, Families must soon sink into Poverty. And since these Things are subject to many and great Contingencies, nobody ought to think 25 l. per cent per annum even on such a Capital imployed in Trade, too great a Gain; especially considering what Skill and Pains are necessary to reach this End, and to what great Risk Money imployed in Trade is always exposed, beside the present and future Provision with which Families are to be supplied out of it. Nothing ought to be deemed Luxury in a Tradesman, whilst he lives at about half the income of his Business; yet in Prudence he ought not to make too great a figure, because of the uncertain and fluctuating Nature of Trade, which may happen some time or other, by Misfortune, if not otherwise, to turn against him; and because the more he can lay up for his Children, the more will he have done towards raising them to better Stations in Life. Nor ought it to be deemed Luxury in a Tradesman if he spends the whole Income of his business, if such Expence is unavoidable, when the utmost Frugality and good Management are exercised in such a Man's Family. Peace and Plenty comprehend all the Felicity Mankind were designed to enjoy in this mortal State; and are so well known to constitute the Happiness of the World, that they are proverbial Terms to express the compleatest general Felicity; which undoubtedly suggests, that they have by Experience been found to answer the End. Wherefore, if there be any Difficulty amongst the People, it must be owing to the Defect of one or both of these. As we are now in Peace, it must be owing to the Deficiency of Plenty, that the Trade of this Nation is in such a languishing Condition; the Truth of which the numerous Complaints to the Parliament, and great Number of empty Houses abundantly evince. Where Tillage and Cultivation of Land are not annually to a considerable Degree increased, Peace, and the natural Increase of Mankind do necessarily produce a general Decay of Trade. For Peace, which puts an End to the vast Business which War necessarily creates, obliges those that were employed, and found their Livelihood by the Affairs of War, to employ themselves in the Business which the common Affairs of Life produce; and as
hereby there is a much greater Number of People to be subsisted, on so much less Business as the ending a War puts a Period to, it's plain this must divide the remaining Business into a great many more Parts; whence the Profits, which ought to be so much augmented as the Business to each Particular becomes less (because the Expence of Living will not be less) are always found by Experience to lessen, in a greater Proportion than the Business to each Particular lessens. And this is the necessary Consequence of having a greater Number of People in any Trade, where the Business transacted by them all is no greater than when the same Trade and Business were in so much fewer Hands; and hence Ruin must happen to may whose Trades are thus unhappily circumstanced. Besides, Peace lowering the Interest of Money brings many more People into Trade, who either cannot live on the reduced Interest of their Money, or are not satisfied to do so, and therefore enter on Trade on Trade to improve their Money to better Advantage. And such having abundance of Money to employ, must needs take a great deal of Business from those that had it before, by doing Business at much less Profit than it was before done, that they may employ the large Sums they bring into Trade; this must needs make it very difficult for People of much less Fortunes to get a Living, and of Consequence greatly increase the Number of Poor, and must needs empty the Houses too, by disabling the People to pay such
hereby there is a much greater Number of People to be subsisted, on so much less Business as the ending a War puts a Period to, it's plain this must divide the remaining Business into a great many more Parts; whence the Profits, which ought to be so much augmented as the Business to each Particular becomes less (because the Expence of Living will not be less) are always found by Experience to lessen, in a greater Proportion than the Business to each Particular lessens. And this is the necessary Consequence of having a greater Number of People in any Trade, where the Business transacted by them all is no greater than when the same Trade and Business were in so much fewer Hands; and hence Ruin must happen to may whose Trades are thus unhappily circumstanced. Besides, Peace lowering the Interest of Money brings many more People into Trade, who either cannot live on the reduced Interest of their Money, or are not satisfied to do so, and therefore enter on Trade on Trade to improve their Money to better Advantage. And such having abundance of Money to employ, must needs take a great deal of Business from those that had it before, by doing Business at much less Profit than it was before done, that they may employ the large Sums they bring into Trade; this must needs make it very difficult for People of much less Fortunes to get a Living, and of Consequence greatly increase the Number of Poor, and must needs empty the Houses too, by disabling the People to pay such