value of the fervice, from all perfons who, having no real bodily infirmity or incapacity, fhall decline a personal attendance for the general contribution, either through pride, by setting themfelves up above their brethren in their own estimation, as fuperior to the common lot of ordinary labour, or elfe by having a better and more reasonable motive, that of a more profitable occupa→ tion for the employment of their time, which will equally render them capable of paying, without any actual hardship, the additional tax for the cafe, indulgence, and fuperior profit, which they enjoy by the purchase. Suppose there be ten men in an hundred, or thirty males in one hundred families, whose pride, or wealth, or indolence, would induce them to decline. perfonal labour: fuch men ought furely to redeem their exemption at a triple value, nary value, which cannot amount to any real hardship or oppreffion; as the alternative, and only hardship to those who may love too well their wealth, and deem the tax too heavy, is to fubmit to the ordilot of their brethren, in complying with a short limited fervice for the publick benefit, in which they themselves have an equal profit. And fuppofe there be alfo double that number of perfons in an hundred divifion, who have useful arts and more profitable trades and occupations to induce their redemption of perfonal fervice:-The produce of the tax will be as follows-the first clafs of thirty gentlemen, or idle men, taxed at triple the value of the fixty-two days of ordinary labour, will pay all together the fum of 2791. but as the fixty-two days of labour from each is already included in the former general calculation, one third must be deducted from the efti 1 1. 2 mated 1 mated value of this additional tax, where by it is reduced to The fecond clafs of 60 merchants," tradesmen, or useful artificers, who will be induced by more profitable occupations to redeem their perfonal labour, I will each pay a double tax, viz. the value of 124 days ordinary labour at 1. S. d. 186 0 15. per day which all together is only 186 0 Total additional tax on the 2 claffes abovementioned in one hundred families Which addition, if laid out on the eultivation of land in the publick lots, would produce three times that value, according to the ordinary increafe of land, for the labour bestowed on it. The rifque, indeed, of a mifapplication of the labour, or of a defalcation of the increase, may reasonably be objected, according to the ordinary mifconduct of perfons intrufted with the care of farms, at present in this country; but the fame objection will not hold where Frankpledge is duly established, because the eye of every neighbour would be a watchful guard against fraud, all being equally interested in the pub lick profit. I will therefore multiply this additional tax by 3, the ordinary rate of increase to be expected from the land which is cultivated by it To which add the general contribution before estimated at The total amount of revenue for one fingle divifion of an hundred families L 372 1116. 2790 0 3906 Thus Thus an ample fource is opened not only of publick credit but also of private Jecurity, or truft, in traffick, by the fame. eafy means; whereby poor labouring men may be enabled to obtain all the neceffary articles of merchandize, though they have no ready money to advance. For, as ordinary labour is rendered the medium of traffic, instead of cash, the first advantage to a poor industrious man, accustomed only to ordinary labour, is, that he will, at all times, have it in his power to obtain employment; in the fearch of which, with us, many honest men, in all the three kingdoms, are obliged to leave their native country. And the fecond material advantage to him is, that he can always obtain an immediate credit, proportionable to the value of his unengaged time, for any articles of trade that he may want, by giving the merchant, or tradefman, in return for them, an indenture for as many days labour as the the purchase is worth; and he is alfo enabled to employ a blacksmith, carpenter, or other ufeful artificer (in cafe he fhould want their affiftance on his own lot) by giving them, in like manner, an indenture, for as many days of ordinary labour, as will amount to the value of the work. Thefe indentures (as before propofed for the indentures of general contribution) fhould express the names of the hundred, and of the dozen in which the figner is affociated, and should be previoufly carried by him to be entered at the public Exchequer, or bank, of the hundred, and be there properly certified, as before proposed; after which the labourer may cut off the indentures from his checques, at the printed tally, and pay them to the merchant or tradefman, for the article purchafed; or to the artificer for his job, retaining the checques in his own cuftody, that he may always know the L 2 amount |