Sir John. I am much more afraid, Mr. Smoothwell, that you have learnt a Language newly imported from Court. Confusion, if you mean here at Home, there is none; and as for the War, I don’t think it wou’d or cou’d go on more ingloriously and scandalously than it has since the Commencement of it, should our State Physicians alter their Practice.
Blunt. Scandalously as it has been conducted, it has cost us more than the most successful and best managed War.
Over. Our last Foraging Campaign stood us dearer than that of Blenheim; and shou’d we have one or two more such parading Summers, to pot goes the Sinking Fund.
Sir John. I shudder at the Thoughts of re-mortgaging that only Hope we had of seeing one Day our Trade and Industry exonerated from the Clogs that oppress them. The Fund, which should be sacred, has been too often made free with; but the Incroachments upon the Purpose of it being temporary only, it had no very bad Effect; whereas the Case would be otherwise, should they be perpetual.
Blunt. And because it will have that ruinous Consequence, you’ll see violent unhallow’d Hands laid on that darling Hopes of our People.
Over. Why the D——l don’t our Sages give Lotteries of six Millions, instead of six hundred Thousand? There are Fools enough in England to fill them.
Sir John. Another destructive Way of raising the Supplies. There is no Method more injurious to Trade than Lotteries in general; but when managed as our late ones have been, they become essentially a public Nusance.
Blunt. You mean the sharing out Tickets and Chances?
Sir John. I do. Never was any Invention more destructive of Industry. The poor Industrious, whom it is the Policy of all Nations to cherish and encourage, are by this sharing Traffick, exposed to inevitable Destruction. Who but the Poor will buy an Eighth or Sixteenth of the Chance of a Ticket? The Rich will deal in whole Tickets; but ’tis the poor Industrious only that ruin themselves to be in Luck’s Way, as they term it. ’tis this poor but useful Class of the People only, that game at 30 per Cent. more Disadvantage than the richer Drones. No Temptation should be thrown in the Way of the Industrious; but on the Contrary, all hurtful Incentives should be removed. If you will tempt them to the Hazard Table, let them play upon the Square. Bring the Price of Tickets down to their Level; and let not the Jews, Sharpers, and Drones of the Nation be permitted to make a Property of them. But why might not the Sums raised the two last Years by way of Lottery, be as well brought into the Exchequer by any other Means?
Over. But no Means would so effectually draw off the Attention of the Public from our Misery and impending Danger. And whatever some idle Folks may think, they tell me ’tis one of the principal Arcana’s of the Cabinet, to contrive artfully, that is imperceptibly, to draw off the public Attention from the Conduct of Superiors. You can’t conceive how close and out of Sight these State Spiders spin their Webs.