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culture, and refcue it from that oppreffioji 

 under which it has fo long groaned. 



Another evil, fcarcely, if at all inferior to 

 what has been juft mentioned, is the mono- 

 poly of land, both by the proprietor and the 

 fanner. 



What vaft trails of land do we not every 

 <Jay fee in the pofleffion of thofe who neither 

 attempt to improve them, nor feem- to have 

 any inclination to do fo ; while the farmers, 

 imitating the conduct of their fuperiors, feem 

 to be ambitious each of poflefling half a 

 county, without confidering how it fhould 

 be improved ; or, indeed, having it in their 

 power to do fo, by reafon of the great extent 

 of their fgrms. Thus the country is depopu- 

 lated, and even the means of real improve- 

 ment, ftiould any perfon attempt it, rendered 

 inuch more difficult to be procured than they 

 ought to be. 



This, like the former, can only be remov- 

 ed by the interference of the legiflature. It 

 has already been remarked, how careful the 

 Romans were in the diftribution of their 

 lands in the infancy of the republic ; how 

 powerful they were while this continued; 

 and what was the confequence of deviating 



from 



