The Fourth Book : Essays and Discourses 123 



merce is decayed ; because the cheapness of them shows a 

 scarcity of money. For example, put the case five men came 

 to market to buy a horse, and each of them had no more but 

 ten pounds, the seller can receive no more than what the 

 buyer has, but must content himself with those ten pounds, 

 if he be necessitated to sell his horse : but if each one of the 

 buyers had an hundred pounds to lay out for a horse, the 

 seller might receive as much. Thus commodities are cheap 

 or dear, according to the plenty or scarcity of money ; and 

 though we had mines of gold and silver at home, and no traffic 

 into foreign parts, yet we should want necessaries from other 

 nations, which proves that no nation can live or subsist well, 

 without foreign trade and commerce ; for God and nature 

 have ordered it so, that no particular nation is provided with 

 all things. 



XIII 



That merchants by carrying out more commodities than 

 they bring in, that is to say, by selling more than they buy, 

 do enrich a state or kingdom with money, that hath none in 

 its own bowels ; but what kingdom or state soever hath mines 

 of gold and silver, there merchants buy more than they sell, 

 to furnish and accommodate it with necessary provisions. 



XIV 



That debasing, and setting a higher value upon money, is 

 but a present shift of poor and needy princes ; and doth more 

 hurt for the future, than good for the present. 



xv 



That foreign commerce causes frequent voyages, and 

 frequent voyages make skilful and experienced seamen, and 

 skilful seamen are a brazen wall to an island. 



XVI 



That he is the powerfullest monarch that hath the best 

 shipping ; and that a prince should hinder his neighbours as 

 much as he can, from being strong at sea. 



