22 Of Systems of Equality . Godwin. Bk. iii. 



lation. He says, " The obvious answer to this ob- 

 '* jection is, that to reason thus is to foresee dif- 

 " ficulties at a great distance. Three-fourths of 

 " the habitable globe are now uncultivated. The 

 " parts already cultivated are capable of immea- 

 " surable improvement. Myriads of centuries of 

 ** still increasing population may pass away, and 

 " the earth be still found sufficient for the subsist- 

 " ence of its inhabitants.'"* 



I have already pointed out the error of sup- 

 posing that no distress or difficulty would arise 

 from a redundant population,- before the earth ab- 

 solutely refused to produce any more. But let us 

 imagine for a moment Mr. Godwin's system of 

 equality realized, and see how soon this difficulty 

 might be expected to press, under so perfect a 

 form of society. A theory that will not admit of 

 application cannot possibly be just. 



Let us suppose all the causes of vice and misery 

 in this island removed. War and contention cease. 

 Unwholesome trades and manufactories do not 

 exist. Crowds no longer collect together in great 

 and pestilent cities for purposes of court intrigue, 

 of commerce, and of vicious gratification. Simple, 

 healthy and rational amusements take place of 

 drinking, gaming and debauchery. There are no 

 towns sufficiently large to have any prejudicial 

 effects on the human constitution. The greater 

 part of the happy inhabitants of this terrestrial 

 Paradise live in hamlets and farm-houses scattered 



* Polit. Justice, b. viii, c. x. p. 510. 



