Volume 1

The economic writings of Sir William Petty together with the Observations upon the bills of mortality, more probably by Captain John Graunt / edited by Charles Henry Hull.

  • Petty, William, Sir, 1623-1687.
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The economic writings of Sir William Petty together with the Observations upon the bills of mortality, more probably by Captain John Graunt / edited by Charles Henry Hull. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    357/418 (page 259)
    Husbandmen, Seamen, Soldiers, Artizans1 and Merchants, Husband- are the very Pillars of any Common-Wealth2; all the other men’ gQp great Professions, do rise out of the infirmities, and mis- diers, Ar- o ' tizans carriages of these ; now the Seaman is three of these four. ancj Mer- For every Seaman of industry and ingenuity, is not only a are Navigator, but a Merchant, and also a Soldier; not because Pillars of a he hath often occasion to fight, and handle Arms; but WealTh, because he is familiarized with hardship and hazards, ex- and a Sea- tending to Life and Limbs; for Training and Drilling is a tiiree 0f small part of Soldiery, in respeCl of this last mentioned them- Qualification ; the one being quickly and presently learned, the other not without many years most painful experience: wherefore to have the occasion of abounding in Seamen, is a vast conveniency. 2. The Husbandman of England earns but about 4 s. per Week, but the Seamen have as good as 12 s. in Wages, Victuals (and as it were housing) with other accommodations, [18] so as a Seaman is in effeCl three Husbandmen ; wherefore A Seaman there is little Ploughing, and Sowing of Corn in Holland and Ihr^e'^ Zealand, or breeding of young Cattle: but their Land is Husband- improved by building Houses, Ships, Engines, Dikes, Wharfs, men‘ Gardens of pleasure, extraordinary Flowers and Fruits ; for Dairy and feeding of Cattle, for Rape, Flax, Madder, &c. The Foundations of several advantageous Manufactures. 3. Whereas the Employment of other Men is confined to their own Country, that of Seamen is free to the whole World ; so as where Trade may (as they call it) be dead here or there2, now and then, it is certain that some where or other in the World, Trade is always quick enough, and Provisions are always plentiful, the benefit whereof, those who command the Shipping enjoy, and they only. 4. The great and ultimate effeCl of Trade is not Wealth Silver, at large, but particularly abundance of Silver, Gold, and [ewels, which are not perishable, nor so mutable as other Universal Wealth. 1 S, ‘ Artizans ’ inserted by Petty, not in R. Petty neglected to make a corresponding alteration in ‘three of these four,’ three lines further down. 2 Cf. P. de la Court, Aanwysing (1669), Engl, transl., p. m. 3 S omits ‘ or there,’ R has it. i 7 o 1 / ^