f 4'° ] 

 mult have ftarved; the barns mufr. have 

 remained full, for want of hands to thrafh 

 the corn. And, to complete the melancholy 

 talc, riches flowing in from North, South, 

 Eaji, and Wejl ; the pqfejfors of millions 

 ip reading the mf elves over the kingdom, and 

 bribing away the farmers few remaining 

 hands, to raife buildings, dig waters, and 

 lawn thofe acres that once were Ceres' own. 

 Enough ! enough ! Name not the cataf- 

 trophe of fo fad a tale ! We apprehend it 

 well : The nation's ruin followed : Rents 

 could no longer be paid, when hands were 

 wanting to till the land ; Husbandry died. 

 No, (fays common fenfe,) she at 



THAT MOMENT FLOURISHED MORE 



than Britain ever knew. But to 

 be ferious ; if my argument is falfe, let 

 thefe gentlemen account for the agriculture 

 of this kingdom never being in a more 

 profperous or improving ftate, than jufr. at 

 the time that every caufe confpired to rob 

 her of her hands. 



i Theie, it is true, are facts, but reafon 

 tells us, that it would be miraculous, were 

 the cafe otherwife. It is employment that 

 creates population ; there is not an inflance 

 in ' globe of an idle people being 



: u nerous, in proportion to their territory; 

 , on the contrary, . all industrious coun- 

 tries arc populous, and proportionably to 



the 



