Young People should be prohibited from Hawking about the Streets, and from selling Ballads; if these things must be allowed they are fitter for the Aged.
Stage-Plays, Lotteries, and Gaming, should be more strictly look'd after, Youth in this Age of Idleness and Luxury being not only drawn aside by them, but more willing to put themselves on such easie ways of living than Labour.
These and such like Methods being improved by the Wisdom of a Parliament may tend not only to the introducing a habit of Vertue amongst us, but also to the making Multitudes of People serviceable who are now useless to the Nation, there being scarce any one who is not capable of doing something towards his Maintenance, and what his Labour doth fall short must be made up by Charity, but as things now are, no Man knows where 'tis rightly placed, by which means those who are truly Objects do not partake thereof; And let it be also considered, that if every Person did by his Labour get one Half Penny per diem to the Publick, 'twould bring in Six Millions Eighty Three Thousand Three Hundred Thirty Three Pounds Six Shillings and Eight Pence per Annum, (accounting Eight Millions of People to be in the Kingdom) which would pay the Charge of the War, so vast a Summ may be raised from the Labours of a Multitude, if every one paid a little.
Nor is the sending lazy People to our Plantations abroad (who can neither by good Laws be forced, or by Rewards encouraged to work at Home) so Prejudicial to the Nation as some do dream, they still serve it in one of its Limbs, where they must expect another sort of Treatment if they will not labour; 'tis true they give no help to the Manufactures here, but that is made up in the Product they raise there, which is also Profit to the Nation; besides, the Humours and other Circumstances of People are to be inquired into, some have been very useful there, who would never have been so here, and if the People of England are imployed to the advantage of the Community, no matter in what part of the King's Dominions it is; many Hundreds by going to those Plantations have become profitable Members to the Common-Wealth, who had they continued here had still remained idle Drones; now they raise Sugar, Cotten, Tobacco, and other things, which imploy Saylors abroad, and Manufacturers at Home, all which being the Product of Earth and Labour I take to be the Wealth of the Nation.
The Imployment of Watermen on the River Thames breeds many Saylors, and it were good to keep them still fill'd with Apprentices; also the Imployment of Bargemen, Lighter-men, and Trow-men, both on that and other Rivers does the same, who should be encouraged to breed up Landmen, and fit them for the Sea.
Confining the Importation of Sugars from the Plantations to Muscovadoes would give Life to our Refining Houses at Home, so would prohibiting (as much as may be) the Shipping thither things unwrought give Encouragement to our Manufactures, both which would imploy the Poor.
Idleness is the Foundation of all those Vices which prevail amongst us, People aiming to be maintained any way rather than by Labour betake themselves to all sorts of Villanies, the ill Consequences whereof cannot be prevented but by encouraging Youth in an early Delight of Living by Industry, which would keep up a true English Spirit in them, and create a Desire to secure a Property in what they have; whereas a sloathful Dependance on another's Bounty makes Men slavishly give up all at the Will of their Benefactors, and having no Properties of their own to secure, are easily perswaded to part with their Liberties; this a former Reign knew well, when the Ministers of that Court found an Inclination in the People to sell their Priviledges for Luxury and ease.
And certainly nothing hath so much supported the Rights and Priviledges of the Commons of England as making so many of them Free-holders, whereby they are encouraged to make Improvements where they have Properties, and to defend them when made, Estates raised by their own Industry and Labours; which likewise stirrs up Tenants to endeavour by the same means to attain the same ends; a Spirit great where-ever it is, tho' in the meanest Peasants, when they rather desire to live of their own than by Dependance on others; this puts them on honest Endeavours, these get them Credit and Reputation, which gives Opportunities of advancing their Fortunes, and if this Emulation went through the Kingdom we should not have so many lazy Beggars or Licentious Livers as now there are; nor is God more honoured among any than He is among these industrious People, who abhor Vice on equal Principles of Religion and good Husbandry, Labour being usually a Barrier against Sin, which doth generally come in at the Doors of Idleness.
The third Consideration is what Methods may be used to provide for those who either are not able to work, or whose Labours cannot support their Charge. Here I take Alms-Houses to be good Gifts, where they are designed to relieve Impotent old Age, or educate Youth; not to maintain idle Beggars, or ease rich Parishes, but to provide for those who have been bred up in careful Imployments, though notable to stem the Current of a cross Fortune; Such a one is magnificently built, and suitably endowed by a certain Gentleman near a great City,Mr Edw. Colson, near Bristoll. for which he deserves to be truly honoured, though perhaps he may scarce be imitated.
Another way to provide for those who are true Objects of Charity is by taking care that the Poor's Rates be made with more equality in Cities and Trading Towns than now they are, especially in the former, where the greatest number of Poor usually residing together in the Suburbs or Out-Parishes are very serviceable by their Labours to the Rich in carrying on their Trades, yet when Age Sickness or a numerous Family makes them desire Relief, their chief Dependance must be on People but one step above their own Conditions, by which means those Out-Parishes are more burthened in their Payments than the In-Parishes are, tho' much Richer, and is one reason why they are so ill inhabited, no one careing to come to a certain Charge; And this is attended with another ill Consequence, the want of better Inhabitants makes way for those Disorders which easily grow among the Poor; whereas if Cities and Towns were made but one Poor's Rate, or equally divided into more, these Inconveniencies might be removed, and the Poor maintained by a more impartial Contribution.