第17章

And this I think is a wise Disposition of Providence, shewing how Mankind may maintain Commerce and Peace over the Face of the whole Earth, without interrupting the one, or breaking the other.

Thirdly, The full and sufficient Execution of this Proposal, is the only natural Means to prevent the clandestine Exportation of our Wool; for it's evident, since there are the best Laws and severest Penalties, that could well be devised, already made to prevent the running our Wool, whoever will have it must wade through all the Difficulties and Impediments that lie in their Way; which can't possibly be done without very great Charges, and sometimes losing the Wool they are endeavouring to run; whence our Wool must needs come vastly dearer to those Nations that so fetch it from us, than what the same Wool costs our own Manufacturers; wherefore, if the People in foreign Nations could not live a vast deal cheaper than we can do, they could not be able to work so much cheaper, as to prevent us from sending them our manufactures. But because the Necessaries of Life cost them a vast deal less than those Things cost us, therefore notwithstanding our Wool costs them a vast deal more, for the Reasons above assigned, than it cost us, yet they are able by this Means to make the manufactures cheaper for themselves than they can have them from us;(12*) and this is both the Cause and Encouragement of the running our Wool, and enables those that so fetch it from us, to interfere with us, at other foreign Markets, with the Manufactures they make of our Wool, since they can make them cheaper than we can, and, for ought I can see, they might be able, if they could get these Manufactures imported amongst us, to beat us out of this Branch of our Trade even amongst ourselves, if we should continue to keep the Necessaries of Life so dear as to prevent our Manufacturers from working cheaper.

But if we make our Victuals and Drink so much cheaper, as shall enable us to work as cheap as other Nations can do,(13*)the running our Wool will stop of itself; for we shall then be able to send them our Manufactures so cheap, as to prevent them from putting themselves to such extraordinary Difficulties and Charges to get our Wool, as they now certainly must do if they will have it from us.

And as this is the natural Means to prevent the running our Wool, so, I believe, I may be positive the Woollen Manufactures in England will never be promoted or relieved any other Way whatsoever; because whilst the Necessaries of Life cost so much as they now do amongst us, most other Nations will be able to work a great deal cheaper than we.(14*) And if thereby they are really found able to interfere in almost the only natural Branch of our Trade, how much more must this affect us in many other Branches of our foreign Trade, beside the Encouragement they by this Means find to vend their Wares to us, whilst our Commodities are by this Means too dear to find sufficient Encouragement at any of those foreign Markets that can work cheaper than we?

But to encourage our Woollen Manufactures, we ought most certainly to make them cheaper, that many of our own People, who now go in Rags, and almost naked, may be able much easier to purchase Cloaths; and many others may be more frequently cloathed than they are, or, I believe, as Things now stand, they can be;but as this can't be done but by employing abundance more of our People in Cultivation of Land, so the employing them this Way, which will certainly make Things cheaper to what Degree we please, will also enable the People to purchase such Cloaths as will defend them from the Cold and Weather, and put it in the Power of abundance of People to be sweet and clean, who are now, without Remedy, a Reproach not only to our Country, but even to human Nature itself.

And thus I think our Woollen Manufactures, which now even lie by and spoil, or rot in our Warehouses, would be certainly wanted, and used as fast as they could be made by our Manufacturers; and this, I think, would save our Government the Charge they are now at for Officers and Vessels to prevent the running our Wool, which I suppose can't be an inconsiderable Article.

For such a greater Consumption of our Wool at home would take up a good Part of that Surplus, which perhaps, as things now stand, would make Wool of little Value, if Foreigners did not fetch it clandestinely from us; and what a Tendency this hath to make our Gentry connive at the running our Wool, to enable the Grower to pay his Rent, I shall leave to every one's own Reflection.

Fourthly, The full and sufficient Execution of this Proposal will lessen the Number of Hawkers and Pedlars, and all other Tradesmen in every Business, which is now overstocked with Numbers, by making it more profitable to them to employ themselves in transacting the Trade and Affairs, that must necessarily arise by increasing the Produce of the Earth to so very considerable a Degree, as will be needful to attain the End I am persuing in this Essay.