404 Tradesman and Merchant — Commercial Population 



The second great result of the rise of men of commerce to social 

 recognition was the favorable reaction this very recognition had on 

 commerce itself. When wealth became a recognized source "of 

 civic distinction, of power in the state, of social position and consid- 

 eration," commerce received an invaluable aid.^ There came a 

 stimulus in two ways — men of noble rank and education were encour- 

 aged to enter trade with hardy spirit — and the intermixture of the 

 higher and lower classes, i.e., the gentry ^^ith the mercantile folk, 

 animated the lower by emulation and the higher by pride to do a more 

 extensive commerce.- A still more general stimulus came indirecth- 

 by the national concernment given to commerce in Parliament Hall 

 and Council Chamber. When merchants became legislators and 

 councilors, the interest of commerce found champions, even to the 

 degree of provoking a "Merchants' War." 



PUBLIC LIFE. 



This entrance of the merchant and tradesman into pubhc life may 

 be regarded as the third great consequence of his rise in wealth. The 

 last century of the Stuart regime was politically checkered and ended 

 in the Revolution but was on the whole a century of material pros- 

 perity. Particularly did England grow in wealth after the Common- 

 wealth period.^ In the midst of the growing commercial resources 

 the trading and moneyed classes were rising to a place of high impor- 

 tance in the counsels of state. Their opportunity came by the vices 

 of the last two Stuarts. The Revolution was effected by an alliance 

 of certain of the aristocracy, of the non-conformists, and of the com- 

 mercial classes — embraced in the Whig party. The Hanoverian 

 dynasty was thus dependent upon the maintenance of the support of 

 the merchants and men of wealth. William at once entered upon a 

 European war: the government suffered from financial difficulties; 

 every sort of taxation was attempted, but proved insufficient; the 

 exigencies led to the adoption of a new system of public finance — that 

 of a public funded debt. By acquiring public funds a permanent 

 interest was established by the monied class in the perpetuation of 



^ The ambition for acquisition of weahh was stimulated by the possibihty of 

 purchase of civil public office. See Von Ruville, Pitt, I, 113. 



2 These ideas are suggested in Mahan, Sea Power, 55, and Chalmers, Estimate, 

 46. 



3 See Chap. I; also Child, Discourse on Trade; Petty, Pol. Arith., 170-1; Dave- 

 nant, Dis. on Pub. Rev.; Macpherson, Annals, II, 629-30. 



