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different as the climates which they are under. I shall not trouble myself, or the reader, with naming of all the kingdoms in Europe, but shall only instance some of the most considerable; in order whereunto, I shall begin with Germany, the impositions of which country may be brought under two heads: That of the tenure and obligation of the princes, nobility, and free cities, to furnish a certain number of men in the wars against the Turk.

The second, By levying money in the dyets, neither of which, if compared with those of England, can be thought easy. That of fur. nishing men is little better than tyrannical in the lords and nobles, who arbitrarily force their tenants, and perhaps neighbours, to compleat their numbers, without any relief in the greatest abuse, having none to make complaint or application to, to redress their grievances and violent usage. Then, for their dyets, they are so few for the commonalty, and so much influenced and overpowered by the predominant interest of their grandees, that the impositions can hardly be laid with any equal or just regard to, or right consideration of the poor.

Taxes in Spain are yet more arbitrarily imposed, the people hav ing no vote there, but all the duties laid in effect by the king and his council. In some cases they will advise with the nobility and other communities, but it is no more than mere compliment, or matter of form; for, whatsoever the king and council enact, that they must acquiesce and agree to; and the truth is, it appears so by their irre. gular, vexatious, and yet most unprofitable way of taxes, in which they are much short and inferior to any government in Europe.

France makes a fair shew to the people, and yet makes a better market for the king. Ile imposes duties under the pretence of the parliaments of each province laying it on the people; but, at the same time, it is only the king's word that makes the ordinance of parliament; not as here in England, where it comes last to the king, for the royal assent: But there the king sends the parliament word, that he will have so much money; and all the favour, that they can obtain from him, is, to place it on such commodities, or ways, as they think most expedient.

And it is not unworthy observation to remark, that these parlia, ments of France are, in effect, no more than courts of judicature, in matters of right, betwixt man and man, hearing and judging causes, and their places bought from the king, not elected by the people. So that, from such parliaments, nothing can be expected but the king's dictates.

The great Duke of Muscovy is above all tyrannical in his impositions, charging on the subject what he pleases; and yet, which is more oppressive to his people, forestalls the chief commodities of the kingdom, or what comes from others, and sets what price he thinks fit upon them, by which he destroys his own merchants and dealers; and where other kings make themselves, and their subjects, rich, by raising money on them, he makes himself poor, and his subjects miserable slaves, barring them of all industry, by shutting them out from trade, and agreeably to such oppressions, his vast

dominions are thinly planted, and poor to a prodigy; and, had they the liberty of seeing other countries, he would yet have a smaller stock of inhabitants; but he keeps what he has, by making it death for all the kindred of such as go out of his dominions, without his license and permission.

Next to him, in arbitrary impositions, is the Duke of Florence, who is not bounded in his taxes, and likewise ingrosses several trades, and sets what price he pleases, upon his own commodities; by which his country would also be made poor, but that he has the opportunity of other helps, which the Great Duke of Muscovy is not assisted with, viz. a country placed in the garden of the world; and, by his making Leghorn a free port, made it the center of trade, and by that, got the start of all princes in Europe.

The kingdom of Sweden has many advantages of raising money from the country, rather than people, and yet they are not exempt from taxes; all which contributes to the enriching of that kingdom, which has little of arts or trade to improve it, only that which nature produces; and she indeed has been liberal to that great kingdom, in mines of all sorts, though least of gold or silver; but abounds in copper, tin, iron, &c. of all which, the king has a tenth, as also of cattle and corn; he has likewise the vast demesns of bishops and church-lands, out of which he only allows a small competency to his own bishops, and after all this, he has liberty, by the laws of the land, to raise money on the subject, in case of war.

The King of Poland is restrained, and can do nothing, but by the decree of the dyet; yet has, by that, power, upon occasion of sudden streights and emergencies in war, to raise money upon the people, by his own command, without assembling the dyet.

Denmark has a provision for its support, above any kingdom in Europe, God Almighty having, as it were, out of a particular pro. vidence, supplied that kingdom, out of its own production, seeing there is little in it, either of arts or nature.

The toll of the Sound is a considerable revenue to the crown, and, as before-mentioned, such as no prince in Europe has the like, for that, in all other kingdoms, taxes are raised on themselves; but this of the toll from ships, passing the Sound, is from strangers that only pass by his country, and cannot reimburse themselves there: Whereas duties imposed on foreigners, that bring in their commodities to another country, is no more, than laying it on themselves, only with this difference, that they make foreigners the first collectors of it.

The other duties on Denmark are not considerable; that on cattle, which they sell in Germany, is of most value; as their intrado is not great, so is their country poor.

I need not mention the manner of laying taxes in commonwealths; it is always with the consent of the people, who are too apt to censure their representatives, if they give not satisfaction to the popu

lace.

And, notwithstanding that of Venice is aristocratical, yet have they such numbers in their senate, that no tax can be laid, but for the

different as the climates which they are under. I shall not trouble myself, or the reader, with naming of all the kingdoms in Europe, but shall only instance some of the most considerable; in order whereunto, I shall begin with Germany, the impositions of which country may be brought under two heads: That of the tenure and obligation of the princes, nobility, and free cities, to furnish a certain number of men in the wars against the Turk.

The second, By levying money in the dyets, neither of which, if compared with those of England, can be thought easy. That of fur. nishing men is little better than tyrannical in the lords and nobles, who arbitrarily force their tenants, and perhaps neighbours, to compleat their numbers, without any relief in the greatest abuse, having none to make complaint or application to, to redress their grievances and violent usage. Then, for their dyets, they are so few for the commonalty, and so much influenced and overpowered by the pre dominant interest of their grandees, that the impositions can hardly be laid with any equal or just regard to, or right consideration of the poor.

Taxes in Spain are yet more arbitrarily imposed, the people hav ing no vote there, but all the duties laid in effect by the king and his council. In some cases they will advise with the nobility and other communities, but it is no more than mere compliment, or matter of form; for, whatsoever the king and council enact, that they must acquiesce and agree to; and the truth is, it appears so by their irre. gular, vexatious, and yet most unprofitable way of taxes, in which they are much short and inferior to any government in Europe.

France makes a fair shew to the people, and yet makes a better market for the king. He imposes duties under the pretence of the parliaments of each province laying it on the people; but, at the same time, it is only the king's word that makes the ordinance of parliament; not as here in England, where it comes last to the king, for the royal assent: But there the king sends the parliament word, that he will have so much money; and all the favour, that they can obtain from him, is, to place it on such commodities, or ways, as they think most expedient.

And it is not unworthy observation to remark, that these parlia ments of France are, in effect, no more than courts of judicature, in matters of right, betwixt man and man, hearing and judging causes, and their places bought from the king, not elected by the people. So that, from such parliaments, nothing can be expected but the king's dictates.

The great Duke of Muscovy is above all tyrannical in his impositions, charging on the subject what he pleases; and yet, which is more oppressive to his people, forestalls the chief commodities of the kingdom, or what comes from others, and sets what price he thinks fit upon them, by which he destroys his own merchants and dealers; and where other kings make themselves, and their subjects, rich, by raising money on them, he makes himself poor, and his subjects miserable slaves, barring them of all industry, by shutting them out from trade, and agreeably to such oppressions, his vast

VII. That taxes will inrich the nation, and disperse in it as much treasure, when there is no foreign trade, as when it is open.

To begin then with the first head, who it is that pay most of the taxes: they are the worst members in the commonwealth, viz. the extravagant and debauched. The greatest duties are, or should be, laid upon commodities for pleasure and sumptuousness, as silks, gold and silver lace, &c. Now these are wore in the greatest excess, by the extravagant of the kingdom, both men and women. A debauchee shall spend more out of an estate of a thousand pounds a year, than a regular man will from the annual income of five times that proportion; and a miss lay out more on cloaths, than a countess. So in the excess to indulge the belly, as well as providing for the back. The vast consumption of wines and strong liquors is by this sort of men; nay, the poorest debauch, that can rise no higher than to beer and tobacco, pays ten times as much in the year, in proportion to his income, as the greatest peer. It will hardly gain belief, that there are many of the meaner people, labourers and mechanicks, that by their expence, when they are, as too many be, extravagant, pay to the publick taxes, above one tenth of their daily profit: As, supposing that a labouring man may earn sixteen pounds a year, he will expend, though not very extraordinarily profuse, one half of it in drink and tobacco, upon which, the duty of customs and excise is, at least, two pounds of the eight, which he lays out in idle expences, Now, it would be vehemently decried and exclaimed against, as the greatest oppression upon the poor imaginable, if by a poll or landtax, this man, that virtually pays forty shillings, should actually, and above-board, pay so many pence in the year.

Thus we see, that most of the duties and impositions on the kingdom light upon such as do least good with their substance; and since they imprudently fling it away upon their extravagancies, it is cer tainly a benefit to the kingdom, that there are taxes, to catch some thing out of it, for the improvement of better disposed men; as we shall see in the next paragraph.

The second particular is, what use is made of these taxes; and how they circulate in the kingdom. In order to which, there are but two ways, in which they are employed; one is for the king's court, the other for provisions of war, in the maintenance of naval and land forces. Now, both these are as well the employment of trade and artisans, as they resolve into the security of the kingdom, and the preservation of the publick peace. There is no money which circulates so fast, as that which comes into the hands of seamen and sol. diers. Other men, that get money, frequently lay it up, and so it becomes of no use or benefit in the kingdom: but men, that live by their pay, generally spend it faster than it comes in, by which means the money of the kingdom, like the blood in the veins, has its regu lar, circular motion, and every member of the body is warmed and refreshed by it, which gives life and motion in the whole. And this, I presume, this second instance of the use of taxes proves, that they are of advantage and profit to the kingdom.

Thirdly, How trade is improved by taxes. Upon this head, there

is much to be said; and, first, it will be requisite to say something of the nature of trade, how it affects the kingdom; for that trade may in some cases prejudice a nation, and make it poor; as the trade of Spain does that kingdom. Trade may also effeminate and debauch a country, as it does Italy.

Now, it is certain, that we are not free from both these publick mischiefs and inconveniences in England; though our fortune is such, that being islanders, and masters of one commodity, which no king. dom has in that perfection as ourselves, which is wool, that hath put our people upon manufactories, which is the treasure of this nation, and keeps our exports to a balance with our imports; otherwise, this kingdom would have been as poor as Spain, and as effeminate as Italy; but the employment of our milder sort in manufactories at home, and the more robust, at sea abroad, keeps us a people in action, and so preserved from the luxury and effeminateness of Italy, and the poverty of Spain. I need not spend time to prove how far we are tainted with the mischiefs before-mentioned. Our trade with France, in all ages past, sufficiently proves, that a kingdom may be made poor by trade; as we should have been by the vast treasure, their linnens, wine, silks, toys, and salt, drew from this kingdom, if our other commerce in the world, had not balanced our loss there.

Nor are we free from the effeminateness of Italy, which I take to be the returns of our gentry's travels; a mischief to be lamented, rather than expected a reformation of, since we are arrived to that height of vanity, as to think that man not accomplished, who is not become master of the delicacies of Italy, and extravagant modes of France.

But to return to my province, how trade is improved by taxes. For the proof of which assertion, it seems plain, that some trade may impair a kingdom, and such taxes and impositions may abate, by imposing such duties as they cannot bear. So far then it will be allowed, that they improve trade, as we commonly say, saving is gain: So, if we keep out a destructive trade by duties, we may allow that an improvement of our own.

But to come nearer to the matter: taxes improve trade, by em, ploying numbers of idle men in naval and land-service, that would otherwise be of no use, but, on the contrary, a pest and charge to the commonwealth. We seldom see any inlisted into the army, that are men of industry, or labour; such persons are the wens and ex. crescencies of the commonwealth, that deform, but not strengthen the body; and these being paid by the taxes of another sort of crea tures, as, before I mentioned, are of no use in the state, but to throw abroad the treasure left them by their fathers, is virtually an improvement of trade; for that all, like the rivers in the sea, terminate in the hands of industry and trades. And, perhaps, if duly considered, more men, and with more certain profit, make voyages within this island upon this fund, than there do to most of our foreign trades. And in this place I must touch again upon the nature of trade, to shew that private hands may raise their fortunes by a trade, that may yet be a loss to a kingdom, as in that of France, already insisted upon,

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