[ 4" ] 



the degree of their indufhy. When em- 

 ployment is plentiful, and time of value, 

 families are not burthens. The father, 

 mother, and moil of the children, apply 

 themfelves to labour, and earn fuch a com- 

 petency, that lazinefs is the only road to 

 poverty. Marriages are early and nume- 

 rous, in proportion to the amount of em- 

 ployment. The great point is, to keep it 

 on the increafe, however flowly, for then 

 indullrious population will always be active. 

 In a great kingdom there mult always be 

 hands that are either idle, backward in the 

 age of work, unmarried for fear of having 

 families, or indulfrious only to a certain 

 degree. Now an increafe of employment 

 raifes wages, and high wages changes the 

 cafe with all thefe hands ; the idle are con- 

 verted to induftry; the young come early 

 to work ; the unmarried are no longer fear- 

 ful of families ; and the formerly induitri- 

 ous become fo in a much greater degree. 

 It is an abfolute impoffibility that, in fuch 

 circumftances, the people lhould not in- 

 creafe ; great numbers being carried off by 

 war, or otherwiie, matters nothing; it is 

 rather a fpur to the induflry of the remain- 

 der; for the greater the confumption of 

 hands, the greater the demand for induf- 

 try ; and that demand can never exiftwith- 



e ; 



