treatise on taxes and contributions-第4节

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how　much　greater　ease　would　common　expences　be　defrayed？　and　with　how　much　more　equality　would　the　same　be　assessed？　　　　　34。　We　enumerated　six　Branches　of　the　Publick　Charge；　and　have　slightly　spoken　how　four　of　them　might　be　lessened；　we　come　next　to　the　other　two　Branches；　whereof　we　shall　rather　recommend　the　augmentation。　　　　　The　first　of　these　two　Branches　I　call；　generally　speaking；　Care　of　the　Poor；　consisting　of　Receptacles　for　the　aged；　blinde；　lame；　etc。　in　health；　Hospitals　for　noysome；　chronical；　curable　and　uncurable；　inward　and　outward　Diseases。　With　others　for　acute　and　contagious。　Others　for　Orphans；　found　and　exposed　Children；　of　which　latter　sort　none　should　be　refused；　let　the　number　be　never　so　great；　provided　their　names；　families；　and　relations　were　well　concealed：　The　choice　of　which　Children　being　made　at　their　being　about　eight　or　ten　years　old；　might　afford；　the　King　the　fittest　Instruments　for　all　kinde　of　his　Affairs；　and　be　as　firmly　obliged　to　be　his　faithful　servants　as　his　own　natural　Children。　　　　　35。　This　is　no　new　nor　rare　thing；　onely　the　neglect　of　it　in　these　Countreys　is　rather　to　be　esteemed　a　rare　and　new　project：　Nor　is　it　unknown　what　excellent　fruits　there　have　been　of　this　Institution；　of　which　we　shall　say　much　more；　upon　another　occasion　hereafter。　　　　　36。　When　all　helpless　and　impotent　Persons　were　thus　provided　for；　and　the　lazy　and　thievish　restrained　and　punished　by　the　Minister　of　Justice；　it　follows　now；　that　we　finde　out　certain　constant　Employments　for　all　other　indigent　people；　who　labouring　according　to　the　Rules　upon　them；　may　require　a　sufficiency　of　food　and　raiment。　Their　Children　also　（if　small　and　impotent）　as　aforesaid；　being　provided　for　elsewhere。　　　　　37。　But　what　shall　these　Employments　be？　I　answer；　such　as　were　reckoned　as　the　sixth　Branch　of　the　Publick　Expence；　viz。　making　all　High…wayes　so　broad；　firm；　and　eaven；　as　whereby　the　charge　and　tedium　of　travelling　and　Carriages　may　be　greatly　lessened。　The　cutting　and　scowring　of　Rivers　into　Navigable；　the　planting　of　useful　Trees　for　timber；　delight；　and　fruit　in　convenient　places。　　　　　The　making　of　Bridges　and　Cawseys。　　　　　The　working　in　Mines；　Quarries；　and　Colleries。　　　　　The　Manufactures　of　Iron；　etc。　　　　　38。　I　pitch　upon　all　these　particulars；　first；　as　works　wanting　in　this　Nation；　secondly；　as　works　of　much　labour；　and　little　art；　and　thirdly；　as　introductive　of　new　Trades　into　England；　to　supply　that　of　Cloth；　which　we　have　almost　totally　lost。　　　　　In　the　next　place　it　will　be　asked；　who　shall　pay　these　men？　I　answer；　every　body；　for　if　there　be　1000　men　in　a　Territory；　and　if　100　of　these　can　raise　necessary　food　and　raiment　for　the　whole　1000。　If　200　more　make　as　much　commodities；　as　other　Nations　will　give　either　their　commodities　　or　money　for；　and　if　400　more　be　employed　in　the　ornaments；　pleasure；　and　magnificence　of　the　whole；　if　there　be　200　Governours；　Divines；　Lawyers；　Physicians；　Merchants；　and　Retailers；　making　in　all　900　the　question　is；　since　there　is　food　enough　for　this　supernumerary　100　also；　how　they　should　come　by　it？　whether　by　begging；　or　by　stealing；　or　whether　they　shall　suffer　themselves　to　starve；　finding　no　fruit　of　their　begging；　or　being　taken　in　their　stealing　to　put　to　death　another　way？　Or　whether　they　sahll　be　given　away　to　another　Nation　that　will　take　them？　I　think　'tis　plain；　they　ought　neither　to　be　starved；　nor　hanged；　nor　given　away；　now　if　they　beg；　they　may　pine　for　hunger　to　day；　and　be　gorged　and　glutted　to　morrow；　which　will　occasion　Diseases　and　evil　habits；　the　same　may　be　said　of　stealing；　moreover；　perhaps　they　may　get　either　by　begging　or　stealing　more　than　will　suffice　them；　which　will　for　ever　after　indispose　them　to　labour；　even　upon　the　greatest　occasion　which　may　suddenly　and　unexpectedly　happen。　　　　　39。　For　all　these　Reasons；　it　will　be　certainly　the　safer　way　to　afford　them　the　superfluity　which　would　otherwise　be　lost　and　wasted；　or　wantonly　spent：　Or　in　case　there　be　no　overplus；　then　'tis　fit　to　retrench　a　little　from　the　delicacy　of　others　feeding　in　quantity　or　quality；　few　men　spending　less　than　double　of　what　might　suffice　them　as　to　the　bare　necessities　of　nature。　　　　　40。　Now　as　to　the　work　of　these　supernumeraries；　let　it　be　without　expence　of　Foreign　Commodities；　and　then　'tis　no　matter　if　it　be　employed　to　build　a　useless　Pyramid　upon　Salisbury　Plain；　bring　the　Stones　at　Stonehenge　to　Tower　Hill；　or　the　like；　or　at　worst　this　would　keep　their　minds　to　discipline　and　obedience；　and　their　bodies　to　a　patience　of　more　profitable　labours　when　need　shall　require　it。　　　　　41。　In　the　next　place；　as　an　instance　of　the　usefulness　of　what　hath　been　propounded；　I　ask　what　benefit　will　the　mending　of　High…wayes；　the　building　of　Bridges　and　Cawseys；　with　making　of　Rivers　navigable　produce；　besides　the　pleasure　and　beauty　of　them？　To　which　I　also　answer；　as　an　instance　of　the　premises；　that　the　same；　together　with　the　numerous　missions　of　Cattle　and　Sheep　out　of　Ireland；　shall　produce　a　vaste　superfluity　of　English　Horses；　the　which　because　they　have　the　many　excellent　qualities　of　beauty；　strength；　courage；　swiftness；　and　patience　concentrated　in　them；　beyond　the　Horses　of　other　places；　would　be　a　very　vendible　Commodity　all　over　Europe；　and　such　as　depending　upon　the　intrinsick　nature　of　the　English　Soyle　could　not　be　counterfeited；　nor　taken　away　by　others。　Moreover；　an　Horse　is　such　a　Commodity　as　will　carry　both　himself　and　his　Merchant　to　the　Market；　be　the　same　never　so　distant。

Chapter　3

How　the　Causes　of　the　unquiet　bearing　of　Taxes　may　be　lessened。

　　　　We　have　slightly　gone　through　all　the　six　branches　of　the　Publick　Charge；　and　have　（though　imperfectly　and　in　haste）　shewn　what　would　encrease；　and　what　would　abate　them。　　　　　We　come　next　to　take　away　some　of　the　general　Causes　of　the　unquiet　bearing　of　Taxes；　and　yielding　to　Contributions；　viz。　　　　　2。1。　That　the　people　think；　the　Soverign　askes　more　then　he　needs。　To　which　we　answer；　1。　That　if　the　Sovereign　were　sure　to　have　what　he　wanted　in　due　time；　it　were　his　own　great　dammage　to　draw　away　the　money　out　of　his　Subjects　hands；　who　by　trade　increase　it；　and　to　hoard　it　up　in　his　own　Coffers；　where　'tis　of　no　use　even　to　himself；　but　lyable　to　be　begged　or　vainly　expended。　　　　　3。2。　Let　the　Tax　be　never　so　great；　if　it　be　proportionable　unto　all；　then　no　man　suffers　the　loss　of　any　Riches　by　it。　For　men　（as　we　said　but　now）　if　the　Estates　of　them　all　were　either　halfed　or　doubled；　would　in　both　cases　remain　equally　rich。　For　they　would　each　man　have　his　former　state；　dignity　and　degree；　and　moreover；　the　Money　leavied　not　going　out　of　the　Nation；　the　same　also　would　remain　as　rich　in　comparison　of　any　other　Nation；　onley　the　Riches　of　the　Prince　and　People　would　differ　for　a　little　while；　namely；　until　the　money　leavied　from　some；　were　again　refunded　upon　the　same；　or　other　persons　that　paid　it：　In　which　case　every　man　also　should　have　his　change　and　opportunity　to　be　made　the　better　or　worse　by　the　new　distribution；　or　if　he　lost　by　one；　yet　to　gain　by　another。　　　　　4。3。　Now　that　which　angers　men　most；　is　to　be　taxed　above　their　Neighbours。　To　which　I　answer；　that　many　times　these　surmizes　are　mistakes；　many　times　they　are　chances；　which　in　the　next　Tax　may　run　more　favourable；　and　if　they　be　by　design；　yet　it　cannot　be　imagined；　that　it　was　by　design　of　the　Sovereign；　but　of　some　temporary　Assessor；　whose　turn　it　may　be　to　receive　the　Talio　upon　the　next　occasion　from　the　very　man　he　has　wronged。　　　　　5。4。　Men　repine　much；　if　they　think　the　money　leavyed　will　be　expended　on　Entertainments；　magnificent　Shews；　triumphal　Arches；　etc。　To　which　I　answer；　that　the　same　is　a　refunding　of　said　moneys　to　the　Tradesmen　who　work　upon　those　things；　which　Trades　though　they　seem　vain　and　onely　of　orniment；　yet　they　refund　presently　to　the　most　useful；　namely　to　Brewers；　Bakers；　Taylours；　Shoemakers；　etc。　Moreover；　the　Prince　hath　no　more　pleasure　in　these　Shews　and　Entertainments　than　100000　others　of　his　meanest　Subjects　have；　whom；　for　all　their　grumbling；　we　see　to　travel　many　miles　to　be　spectators　of　these　mistaken　and　distasted　vanities。　　　　　6。5。　The　people　often　complain；　that　the　King　bestows　the　money　he　raises　from　the　people　upon　his　Favourites：　To　which　we　answer；　that　what　is　given　to　Favourites；　may　at　the　next　step　or　transmigration；　come　into　our　own　hands；　or　theirs　unto　whom　we　wish　well；　and　think　do　deserve　it。　　　　　7。　Secondly；　as　this　man　is　a　Favourite　to　day；　so　another；　or　our　selves；　may　be　hereafter；　favour　being　of　a　very　slippery　and　moveable　nature；　and　not　such　a　thing　as　we　need　much　to　envy；　for　the　same　way　that　…　leads　up　a　hill；　leads　also　down　the　same。　Besides　there　is　nothing　in　the　Lawes　or　Customes　of　England；　which　excludes　any　the　meanest　mans　Childe；　from　arriving　to　the　highest　Offices　in　the　this　Kingdom；　much　less　debars　him　from　the　Personall　kindness　of　his　Prince。　　　　　8。　All　these　imaginations　（whereunto　the　vulgar　heads　are　subject）　do　cause　a　backwardness　to　pay；　and　that　necessitates　teh　Prince　to　severity。　Now　this　lighting　upon　some　poor；　though　stubborn；　stiffnecked　Refuser；　charged　with　Wife　and　Children；　gives　the　credulous　great　occasion　to　complain　o