First, That it is of no Consequence, whether any Nation hath a vast deal of Gold and Silver, or but very little Money amongst them, if sufficient Care be taken to make the Plenty of every thing gret enough, to make the Money they have, amply extend to circulate their Trade in every Branch, so as fully to employ and support all their People; which must and will make them all happy, and certainly cause them to have vastly more foreign Trade, by their thus being able to make and sell their Manufactures and Produce at lower Rates than their Neighbour Nations can do. And this is absolutely in the Power of every Nation, that will cultivate Land enough to effect it; unless any Nation should have more People in it than they have Land to support them; which may easily be known from the Demand there will be for Land, and raising the Rents in Consequence thereof, till the Prices of Necessaries become so dear, that the Wages of the labouring People will not purchase what is needful for the Support of their Families, and there be no more Land left to cultivate, and remove this Mischief, which will fall more or less on every Occupation, in Proportion as the Poor become thereby distressed. In this Case, there is no Relief but transporting the People where they can have Land enough for them.
Secondly, It's of little or no Consequence to the Trade of any Nation, whether the People spend near or all their Gains, provided they do not spend more than they really gain; for this disables them to make good their mutual Contracts and Bargains;or whether they are generally frugal, and lay up considerably.
For the Trade of a Nation doth very little depend on these Things, but intirely on employing the People in Cultivation of Land, in that Proportion to the other Employments of Mankind, that the Necessaries of Life, which all ultimately work for, may be so plentiful, that the meanest of the People may easily attain a Sufficiency of them; for Plenty of these comprehends all human Felicity, not excepting Peace itself. For why should we differ, or go to War; or how can we ask Heaven to succeed our Arms against our Neighbours, when we have enough of what we want amongst ourselves, and can sell our Produce, and make our goods so cheap, as almost to lay them under a Necessity to buy them of us? And this is the best Condition our Trade with foreign Nations can ever have, and will render all other Stipulations and Treaties about our Trade, almost, if not altogether unnecessary.
So that we may very well maintain Peace with all the World, if they do not mediately or immediately attack or make Depredations upon us; in which Case alone I apprehend it can be justifiable to suffer so many People to be cut off, as War necessarily destroys on both Sides. And if every Nation would pursue these Things, each would be so far from injuring another, that every one would contribute to the Happiness of the whole.
And since I have asserted the Connection of Plenty and Peace to be such, that they may always be maintained together, and support each other, I shall shew how to avoid a War, in all Cases, except that of one Nation's making Depredations on the Goods or Territories of another; in which Case, the Aggressors so kindling War are the greatest Plagues and Murderers of Mankind, with whose Calamities they are justly chargeable.
I would by no Means have any Nation tamely, or easily give up the minutest Advantage in Trade they justly possess; and whoever will force such Advantages from them, invades their just Rights and Properties, and may therefore undoubtedly be repell'd by Force of Arms.
Yet we should not easily be drawn into a War, it being one of the greatest Calamities to which Mankind can be subjected; the End of which none can well foresee, and the Burthens of which (i.e. publick Debts and Taxes) are seldom discharged in one Generation, tho' a Peace of so long Duration should happen to ensue; not to insist on the prodigious Devastations War often makes, and the tributary State nations are sometimes brought under by it: On this Account, I say, we should not easily be drawn into a War, but rather give up an important Point of Trade, if it can't be preserved without a War, the Success and Duration of which we find ourselves not able to determine when we engage in it.
For why do Nations contend about Points of Trade? Is it not solely for the sake of the Money they shall get by it?
Now if this be a true Principle, that the Price of the Produce and Manufactures of every Nation will advance, as the Cash amongst the People increaseth; if we, to avoid a War, prudently give up a Point of Trade which augmented our Money, we must then for want of such Point of Trade, and that Money, make every thing so much cheaper at home, by the Means I have shewn, as that we may be able to go with our Produce and Manufactures, still so much cheaper than before, to those Nations whose Markets will now be considerably advanced by the Money they get by the Points of Trade we parted with to them. Now if our Produce, etc.
be made cheap enough, as I have shewn they certainly may they will force themselves on them, and find so much more Vend at such Markets, as to supply them even with what before they either raised themselves, or had from other Nations, and at the same time prevent them from sending many of their Goods to our Markets, where all things being thus made plenty, and consequently good, will be too cheap to admit the much dearer Commodities of other Nations. And thus we may have the Balance on any such Nation, and bring home the Money thro' their Canal, even though we give up such considerable Points of Trade, by which they first get the Money we should otherwise have had.
And if there really be this Way, as there undoubtedly is, for every Nation, that will be so prudent sufficiently to pursue it, to preserve Peace, and extend their Trade, and avoid War; how absurd as well as wicked is it to go to War about Trade, which we hence see may be more effectually promoted by the Arts of Peace!