288 Of the only effectual Mode of Bk. iv. 



the cause of their own poverty; that the means of 

 redress are in their own hands, and in the hands 

 of no other persons whatever ; that the society in 

 which they live and the government which pre- 

 sides over it, are without any direct power in this 

 respect ; and that however ardently they may 

 desire to relieve them, and whatever attempts they 

 may make to do so, they are really and truly 

 unable to execute what they benevolently wish, 

 but unjustly promise ; that, when the wages of 

 labour will not maintain a family, it is an incon- 

 trovertible sign that their king and country do not 

 want more subjects, or at least that they cannot 

 support them ; that, if they marry in this case, so 

 far from fulfilling a duty to society, they are 

 throwing an useless burden on it, at the same 

 time that they are plunging themselves into dis- 

 tress ; and that they are acting directly contrary 

 to the will of God, and bringing down upon them- 

 selves various diseases, which might all, or the 

 greater part, have been avoided, if they had 

 attended to the repeated admonitions which he 

 giv^es by the general laws of nature to every being 

 capable of reason. 



Paley, in his Moral Philosophy, observes, that 

 *' in countries in which subsistence is become 

 " scarce, it behoves the state to watch over the 

 " public morals with increased solicitude; for 

 " nothing but the instinct of nature, under the 

 " restraint of chastity, will induce men to under- 

 *' take the labour, or consent to the sacrifice of 

 " personal liberty and indulgence, which the sup- 



