LAW IN POLITICS. 369 



absurd doctrine that Nature was wrong when 

 she taught men to desire wealth, they did hold 

 the doctrine hardly less mischievous that Nature 

 was incompetent to teach them how best to 

 acquire it. It would be difficult to say whether 

 the law of ancient Sparta prohibiting gold from 

 ever coming into the State was worse than the 

 law of modern Spain, which prohibited gold from 

 ever being allowed to leave it. It is certain that 

 the Spanish law was at least the more irrational 

 of the two. If a State wishes to be poor, it is not 

 absurd to prohibit the making of money. But if 

 a State wishes to be rich, it is mere stupidity to 

 prohibit the natural use of the medium of ex- 

 change. Yet this law of Spain is only an ex- 

 treme example of the system and the theories 

 which governed, until the other day, the legisla- 

 tion of all the nations of Europe, and which still 

 largely prevails amongst them. 



It was no oratorical exaggeration, but a strict 

 and literal description of the truth, when Mr 

 Gladstone said * of the old commercial policy 

 that it was "a system of robbing and plun- 



* In his Speech at Glasgow, Oct. 1S65. 



2 A 



