294 



capital, is repaid, with very great profit, and encreafes the annual pro- 

 duce, by a much greater value, than that of the fupport, which fuch 

 improvement requires. 



" The true and natural grounds of trade and riches," fays Sir Wil- 

 liam Temple,* " is the number of people, in proportion, to the com- 

 " pafs of ground they inhabit ; this makes all things, neceffary to life, 

 " dear, and forces men to induftry and parfimony. Thefe cuftoms, 

 " which grow, at firft, from necellity, come with time, to be habi- 

 " tual to a country ; and, wherever they are fo, that country muft 

 " grow great, in traffic and riches, if not difturbed by accidents."! — 

 " By felling more in proportion, than they bought, the Englijh were 

 " rich, in comparifon of their neighbours. In Edward the Third's 

 " time, when England maintained fuch mighty wars, in France, and 

 " carried her viftorious arms into the heai-t of Spain, — in the 28th 

 " of that reign, the value of all exported commodities amounted to 

 " 294184/. lys. 2d. that of imported, but to 38,970/. 3^. 6d. So 

 " there entered, that year, into the kingdom, in coin or bullion, or 

 " elfe grew a d^bt to the nation, 255,214/. 13^. 8d. Yet, they then 

 " carried out our wool unwrought, and brought in a great part of the 

 " doathing of the people from Flanders." 



Parfimony is, not only ferviceable to indullry direftly, in the quan- 

 tity of produ&ve labour it employs ; it contributes not lefs to foreign 

 commerce, than to domeflic exertion. The lefs that is confumed, in a 

 country, ^the more is exported abroad ; they will, mod readily, find 

 a market, who can afford to fell cheapeft. The induftrious and par- 

 fimonious people can thrive, by prices, by which the lazy and expen- 

 five cannot live. It is a miftake, that the importation of luxuries, 

 which are not purchafed with money, but with native commodities, 

 does not make a nation poorer. The native commodities, if they had 

 not been expended, in the purchafe of luxuries, would have repro- 

 duced 



* Vol. 3, page 6. 

 t Vol. I, page 197. 



