jNgi. LITERARY INTELLIGENCER. 8^ 



carpenter, fhould alfo choofe to be his own butcher, and 

 baker, and taylor, &c. by way of faving expcnce. 

 This would turn out a narrow plan of policy. 



No tax Ihould be impofed, which from its nature 

 tends to difcourage ihiraii/re, and the improvement of 

 the human mind. Small are the advances we can make 

 in knowledge with our utmoll efforts. Why thvju 

 ftiould we throw bars in our own way? All the tuxes 

 on paper are impolitic. The national ailembly ha\ e 

 pi'opofed to abciifh them in France. They only aftccb 

 the people who euglit not to be affefted by them. The 

 writer ol an obfcene novel feels them not ; but to the 

 man of fcience, whofe book often hardly pays cxptnccs, 

 they are a ferious and fevcrc burden. All duties en 

 fcreign books are a diigrace to the prince* who fuiTer 

 them to be impofed. Ifbw fe^v ai-e the foreign bucks 

 that can pofhbly be imported into any kingdom, fince 

 fo few can read thci-n? And Ihculd we deny to thefe few, 

 •who have taken the pains to learn foreign languages, 

 who are moftly laborious, learned, and often poor men, 

 the means of acquainting thcmfelves with the knowledge 

 arid difcoveries made by fcreign writers, which dii'o- 

 veries we ourfelves will foon and largely profit from } 

 If a country has no good author of its own, the import- 

 ation of foreign books Ihould be encouraged by a prc- 

 vutiin. 



Taxes fhould not be Impofed, which tend to in- 

 jure the morals of the people. All thofe that are eafi- 

 ly evaded do fo, as there io a continual temptation laid 

 in the way of mankind, to cnder.vour to efcape them : 

 Taxes that are too trifling produce the lame efft ft, as 

 the ftamps for gloves, wliicli the buyer does not attend 

 to, and the fhopman either pockets, to defraud govern- 

 ■nientj or his mafler. 'faxes too heavy are cpprefTive, 

 and occafion a combination among thofe concerned, not 

 to pay them fully. Then the mcft unconfctentious 

 'man has the bell: chance, as he will always go faitlieil 

 "■ rigtbs in cvuding the t:;;;. 



