ON DRAUGHT OXEN. I27 



able harveft, when the prices, from a very natu- 

 ral, and, therefore, proper caufe, are advancing, 

 the cry is inftantly fet up, that the farmers are 

 doing all they can to raife the price of wheat, 



yet in fa61, thofe good folks have no more 

 hand in the matter, probably not fo much, as 

 the exclaimants themfelves. When from the 

 influence of a natural concatenation of caufes 

 and efPefts, prices advance, would you have the 

 farmer refufe the premium offered ? For my 

 part, I think it his duty, as well as that of 

 every other man, to make the beft price in his 

 power of his own commodity ; for the proper 

 time of his bringing it to market, it is precifely 

 that w^hich his own intereft or inclination (hall 

 point out, and the general average of thofe cri- 

 terions will always produce the exa£l and pro- 

 per time when the public (hould have it. It is 

 madnefs to attempt the divifion of an indivifi- 

 ble principle, and extreme pueriHty to call a 

 thing property, and at the fame time fuppofe 



, it exempt from the general law of its nature. 

 To trace the praftical effecls of the vulgar ideas 

 about monopoly, we need^ only to look into 

 the hiftory of the late revolutions, almoft every 

 one of which has commenced w^ith the hang- 

 ing up half a fcore of thofe unfortunate citi- 

 zens, who chanced either aftually to poflefs, or 

 w^ho, " laid under the fufpicion of being fiif- 

 peded" to poffefs, confiderable quantities of 



corn. 



