Page:William Petty - Economic Writings (1899) vol 1.djvu/292

194 11 Millions, being divided among 1,100 M. people, then no one man having above 10 l. he could Probably build no House worth above 3 1. which would be to leave the face of Beggery upon the whole Nation: And withal such Parity would beget Anarchy and Confusion. |86|

Of the other Impediment of Trade, the not raising of Money above the value which the generality of the whole World hath of it, that is, the intrinsick value, I have spoken before: And now return to other matters relating to the Trade of Ireland.

Having shewn that there is little or no Trade or Commutation of Commodities, where people live so simply, and as it were exsponte creatis, as the Inhabitants of 184 M. do live; It follows, that what Trade is in Ireland must be found in the 16,000 other Houses of above one Chimney in each, and amongst the Inhabitants of them. Though Trade, properly speaking, be the Commutation of Commodities; that generally speaking, 'tis the way whereby to purchase Riches and Power, the Parents of Pleasure: Not only by getting Commodities out of the Earth and Sea; by ploughing, fishing, Mines, Vecture, &c. by getting away those Commodities from them, who first got them out of the Earth and Sea, as aforesaid. And not only, or at all encreasing the whole Wealth of the Nation, but ones own former share and proportion of the whole, though diminish'd ; that is to say, Supposing the whole Wealth of Ireland were 10 Millions, and the Share |87| of A. was 1000 l. thereof; I say, 'tis commonly more the care of A. to make his 1000 l. 3000, though by lessening the whole Stock 2000 l. than to make the whole Stock 30 Millions, by lessening his own 1000 l. to 300 l.

Now this is the Trade of Ireland, and I think of most other places, but exercised in Ireland by the following ways, viz.

Whereas the Lands of Ireland have within 150 years been most of them forfeited, and the Lands of Monasteries have