74 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book II. 



luxury was fuch, that they could not be breakfafted unlefs the globe 

 was thrice circled. In my youger days tea was only drunk by people 

 of fafliion ; and not every day, but only on holidays. At prefent, 

 there is hardly a cottager and his family in Scotland, (and I believe 

 the fame is the cafe in England,) that do not drink tea once a day, 

 and fome of them twice. Now, I am perfwaded that what they lay 

 out upon tea and fugar would go near to furnifh to their famiUes the 

 neceifaries of life. 



The wages that are paid to workmen, though they appear high,., 

 do not make them lefs indigent; for they make them live at a great- 

 er expence, and be more idle than they would otherwife be. Thus> 

 a manufacturer earns more in the day than any common laboui'er : 

 He ought, therefore, not to increafe the poor's rate. But it is quite 

 the contrary : For the ufe manufacturers make of the profits of 

 their bufinefs, is to work only five days of the w^eek, and the other 

 two to fpend in idlenefs and debauchery; fo that they lay up no- 

 thino- for old age and bad health, and commonly leave their wives 

 and children a burden upon the parifh. It is for this reafon that 

 the gentlemen in England very often difcountenance the fetting up 

 any new manufacture upon their lands, as there is thereby a great: 

 increafe of the poor's rate. 



Thus, I think, I have proved, by reafon and argument, that the, 

 wealth of a nation increafes the number of poor: And it is alfo 

 proved by f^Cts ; for, as I have elfewhere obferved, when Rome 

 was miilrefs of the wealth of the world, the number of thofe who 

 lived upon public diftributions of com, or the poor s roll as we 

 would call it, amounted to 320,000, which was reduced by Julius 

 Csefar to 150,000*. Now, the wealth of England is certainly much 



increafed 



* Sucton. in vita Cxfaris cap. 41. — See what I have faid upon this fubjedi in vol. 5. 

 of Origin of Language, p. 188. and following. 



