money answers all things-第30部分

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uently　happen　that　less　than　four　will　be　raised　by　others。　　　　　But　those　that　shall　happen　to　have　seven　or　eight　Children；　will　find　the　75　l。　per　Ann。　supposed　in　this　Estimate　to　be　laid　up；　in　order　to　provide　500　l。　a　Piece　for　four　Children；　hardly　sufficient　to　bear　the　extraordinary　Charge；　which　so　many　more　Children　will　occasion　in　this　Rank　of　Living。　And　surely　it　must　be　very　hard；　that　the　Man　who　happens　to　have　a　numerous　Family　（and　many　such　there　always　are）　should　thereby　be　render'd　not　only　uncapable　to　provide　any　Thing　for　them　to　set　out　in　the　World　with；　but　be　reduced　in　a　Course　of　Years；　as　he　certainly　must；　if　L。　1000　in　Trade　will　not　produce　at　least　40　per　cent　per　Annum。

　　　　But　I　have　not　produced　this　Estimate；　only　to　shew　what　is　the　needful　charge　for　the　decent　Support　of　such　a　Family　in　this　Rank　of　Life；　but　chiefly　to　shew　that　our　Trade　is　in　a　much　worse　State　than　it　was　about　forty　or　fifty　Years　ago：　For　then　it　was　a　very　common　Thing　for　People；　from　small　Beginnings　to　raise　L。　5000　or　more　for　each　Child；　tho'　the　Families　were　as　large　as　my　Estimates　supposes：　Which　is　a　Truth　so　well　known；　that　I　shall　not　attempt　any　Proofs　of　it；　but　take　it　for　granted；　not　doubting　that　the　Observation　of　the　aged　and　judicious　Tradesman　will　allow　it　me：　and　further　concur；　that　the　State　of　Trade　in　general　will　now　by　no　means　admit　of　making　40　per　cent　per　ann。　on　a　Capital　of　L。　1000　or　perhaps　hardly　more　than　half　as　much。　Yet　I　will　not　say　there　are　no　Instances　of　such　Profits；　for　perhaps　such　there　will　be；　as　long　as　there　is　Trade　amongst　us：　But　I　am　certain　they　are　few；　and　hard　to　be　found　or　guess'd　at；　there　being　too　many　People　in　almost　every　Occupation　to　admit　of　such　Gains。　And　I　am　as　certain；　that　the　Instances　of　raising　pretty　Fortunes　for　Children；　about　forty　or　fifty　Years　ago；　from　very　small　Beginnings；　were　vastly　more　numerous　than　any　are　to　be　found；　at　this　Time；　that　can　make　any　thing　near　40　per　cent　per　annum　on　a　capital　of　L。　1000。　And　therefore；　I　think；　I　may　justly　conclude；　that　Trade　is　now　in　much　worse　Circumstances　than　it　formerly　was。　But　were　our　Trade　to　be　put　on　the　Foot　I　am　pointing　out；　less　than　30　per　cent　per　annum　on　such　a　Capital；　wou'd　be　as　sufficient　for　the　Support　and　Provision　of　such　a　Family；　as　40　per　cent　per　annum　is；　as　the　Prices　of　Things　now　go：　And　then　the　Demand　for；　and　Consumption　of　every　Thing　would　be　so　much　augmented；　that　it　would　be　as　easy　to　make　30　per　cent　per　ann。　on　such　a　Capital；　as　it　is　now　to　make　20；　for　then　our　Trade　would　be　in　that　flourishing　State　I　am　aiming　at。　　　　　But　from　what　I　have　now　said；　and　also　from　this　Estimate；　it　must　appear；　that　the　Wealthy　have　the　Business　and　Affairs　of　the　trading　Part　of　the　People　transacted；　on　Terms　as　much　below　the　reasonable　and　just　Value　thereof；　as　the　Profits　such　a　Sum　will　generally　make；　are　less　than　the　Estimate　shews　to　be　needful　for　a　middling　Family　in　this　Rank　of　Life。　Therefore　such　diffusing　Property　amongst　the　People　in　general；　as　hath　been　before　in　this　Essay　represented；　is　absolutely　needful；　not　only　for　the　Sake　of　the　labouring　People；　but　for　the　trading　Part　too；　who　together　undoubtedly　are　more　than　19　Parts　in　20　of　the　People　of　the　Kingdom；（32*）　the　Generality　of　whom；　by　the　several　Estimates；　appear　to　be　in　equal　Difficulties；　in　Proportion　to　their　Stations　in　Life。　And　if　so；　is　there　any　room　to　wonder　at　the　Misery　we　see　amongst　the　Poor；　or　the　Ruin　which　so　frequently　befals　the　middling　People；　since　by　both　the　Estimates　it　appears；　the　Nature　of　Things；　in　our　present　Circumstances；　is　so　big　with　these　Evils；　that　we　may　much　rather　wonder　the　Misery　and　Ruin　are　not　universal？　　　　　Again　it　must　appear　by　this　Estimate；　that　if　1000　l。　employ'd　in　Trade；　ought　to　make　so　large　a　Gain　as　about　40　per　cent　per　ann。　all　necessary　Means　should　be　used；　to　make　as　large　a　Consumption　of　all　Kinds　of　Goods；　as　the　Nature　of　Things　is　well　capable　of；　which；　as　hath　been　before　sufficiently　shewn；　can　hardly　ever　be　equal　to　the　Wants　of　the　People；　according　to　their　several　Ranks　and　Stations　only；　will　necesarily　require。　And　this　should　also　be　done；　for　the　sake　of　returning　the　Capitals　employed　in　Trade；　as　frequently　as　possible；　since　the　quicker　the　Returns　are　made；　the　cheaper　will　the　Goods　come　to　the　Consumer；　and　the　slower　the　Returns　are　made；　so　much　larger　should　the　Profits　always　be；　that　is；　so　much　dearer　ought　the　Goods　to　be　sold　to　the　Consumer。　If　this　is　not　the　Case；　the　Tradesman　must　suffer；　which　is　very　unreasonable；　since　all　Trade　is　carried　on　solely　for　the　Use　and　Benefit　of　the　Consumer。　　　　　Again；　this　Estimate　shews；　how　unfit　it　is　to　give　or　take　long　Credit　in　Trade；　since　the　Advance　of　the　Price　of　goods　sold　on　time；　ought　not　to　be　reckon'd　with　any　Regard　to　the　Interest　of　Money　on　Securities；　but　by　the　Rates　of　the　Profits　which　the　Capitals　employ'd　may　require　to　answer　the　End　of　Trade；　which　is　not　only　the　continual　Support　of　Families；　but　such　a　Provision　for　them　as　may；　at　least；　leave　the　Children　in　Condition　to　fill　up　the　same；　if　not　better　Stations　in　Life；　than　their　Parents　were　in。　For　as　all　below　this　Point　approach　so　much　nearer　Poverty；　so；　if　such　Descent　towards　Poverty　to　be　general　amongst　the　trading　People；　the　Rents　in　general　will　not　only　fall；　but　be　lost；　and　this；　I　imagine；　is　both　seen　and　felt　too　at　this　Time。　　　　　And　therefore；　I　think；　giving　long　Credit　in　Trade；　which　is　now　become　much　too　general；　ought　to　be　remedied；　since　it　must　affect　the　Landed…Men；　either　in　the　high　Price　of　their　Consumables；　or　in　their　Rents；　or　perhaps　in　both。　　　　　The　last　Thing　I　shall　mention；　to　shew　that　our　Trade　really　is；　and　hath　been；　for　some　considerable　Time　past；　growing　into　a　much　worse　State　than　it　formerly　was；　shall　be　the　acknowledged　Dearness　of　the　Labour　of　the　People　in　England；　to　the　Price　of　Labour　in　most　of　our　Neighbour　Nations；　the　Effect　of　which　hath　been　so　detrimental　to　our　Trade；　that　the　Nations　round　us　have；　in　less　than　half　a　Century；　enter'd　on；　and　set　up　the　Fabricating　many　Manufactures；　which　they　before　that　Time　had　from　us　only：　Which　hath　not　been　observed；　but　lamented　by　many　of　our　Merchants　and　Tradesmen；　etc。　And　at　length；　as　is　notoriously　know；　the　Dearness　of　Labour　hath　been　found　so　burthensome　to　our　Farmers；　that　the　Gentry　and　Justices　of　the　Peace；　in　their　open　Quarter　Sessions；　have　lately；　in　several　Places　in　the　Kingdom；　attempted　to　redress　this　Evil；　by　regulating　the　Rates　of　Servants　Wages。　Now　this　attempt；　though　it　be　unnatural；　and　impossible　to　answer　the　End；　is　however　a　publick　Acknowledgment；　that　our　Trade　is　in　a　very　bad　State。　For　if　our　Labour　be　really　too　dear；　as　it　most　certainly　is；　then　all　our　Commodities　must　be　so　too；　which　must　necessarily　greatly　lessen　the　Vend　and　Consumption　of　them。　And　hence　it　will　follow；　that　this　publick　Attempt　to　reduce　the　Rates　of　Labour；　amounts　to　a　publick　Declaration　that　our　Trade　is　in　a　very　bad　State。　　　　　But　after　all　I　have　offer'd；　which　I　think　abundantly　sufficient