Читать книгу An Essay on the State of England. In Relation to Its Trade, Its Poor, and Its Taxes, for Carrying on the Present War Against France онлайн
10 страница из 26
The Trade of England.I shall now take the Trade of England as 'tis divided into Domestick and Forreign, and consider each, and how they are Advantagious to the Nation, and may be made more so.
Inland Trade.The Inland Trade of England consists either in Husbandry, Manufactures, or Buying and Selling Buying & Selling., the last of which is of least Advantage to the Nation, and rather to be allowed forConveniency then encouraged, whereby one Man lives on the Profits he makes by anotherwithout any Improvement to the Publick, Peoples Occasions requiring Commodities to beRetailed to them by such small parcels as would fit their Necessities, they were willing to give aprofit to him who bought them in greater. And as this way of Trade came more in use, so thefirst Buyer not only sold his Commodities to the Consumer at home, but also dispersed themamongst those who were seated in the Country at a distance in order to supply the Inhabitantsthere, who allowed them a profit on what they bought; this begat the Ingrosing of Commodities,and thence came in skill and cunning to foresee their Rise and Falls according to theirConsumption and prospect of supply; hence came the vitiating our Manufactures, every oneendeavouring to under buy that he might under sell his Neighbour; which way of living beingfound in time to have less of Labour and more of Profit than Husbandry and Manufactures, wasthe occasion so many fell into it. From these Bargains Differences arising encreased anothersort of People which were thought useful, whose business was either by their Wisdoms topersuade, or by their Knowledge in the Laws to force the unjust Person to do right to his fellowTrader, an Honourable imployment at first, and is still so in those who keep to the strict Rulesof its Institution, which Differencies being to be Decided in the Courts of Justice (at first setledin Westminster-Hall, and afterwards for the Subjects ease carried into the Country by ItinerentJudges) these Orators were desired by the Complainants to present their Suites to the King inthose Courts, to be heard and determined by his Judges, and to set forth the Case of the Plantiff,and Produce Evidence to prove the Truth thereof against the Defendant, who also appeared byanother to make his Defence. But as Suites increased, it was thought necessary to confine all toone Method of Proceeding, which was called The Practice of the Court, therefore another sortof People called Attorneys were appointed to observe that Mechanical part of the Law, and seethat all was Regularly and Formally managed; hence arose Sollicitors, who were to attend both,as well to represent the Matter rightly to the Orator or Council, as to see the Attorney fit thingsfor a hearing, and also to Reward them for their pains, so that this Produced another way ofliving seperate from Husbandry and Manufactures: And as Trade increased so Courts of Justicewere Appointed in several great Towns and Cities, which being of different Natures, Multitudesof People gave Attendance, expecting to get livelihoods by them.