第20章

The rules laid down in this Essay are sufficient Direction to the first of these; and for the latter, I must address my self to the fair Sex, and desire them to consider and always remember, that as the great Point of Honour in them is Chastity, so they may see, how wisely Providence hath proportioned the Sexes to maintain it. For as they may assure themselves, the 15th Man through the whole Male Sex, never will, if they can help it, live without a woman; so the Demand for Women (to speak in the Tradesman's Stile) must necessarily be so great, that they shall not only all have Husbands, if they please, but may refuse too such as they don't so well like, provided they would all be wise and good enough to maintain this their great Point of Honour, Chastity.

And I would hope, it may be a Means to cause some of those, who shall hence be informed, how much more numerous the Male Sex are than the Female, who might otherwise be in any Danger of a dishonourable Surrender, to be more on their guard, and let no Arts, no Pretences ever prevail, but lawful Marriage, which is, and always will be honourable in all.

And hence we may see, how great an Injury Prostitutes are to Society, since 'tis they only are the Occasion, that so many Women do and must live single, and consequently put a great Impediment on the Increase of the human Race, and cut off a great deal of Employment from amongst the People, which depends very much on the Increase of Mankind; and thus they also contribute very much to make many Women enter on Trades, and work at Businesses, that should be Employment for Men, and afford better Wages for the Support of Families, than any Trades ever will do, where the Women are considerable Workers at such Trades; and as this often lays the married Women, whose Business is to bear Children and guide the House, which is generally Work enough for them, under a Necessity to work at some Trade or Calling to earn something to help to support their Families, their Husbands Wages being hence insufficient to do it; so their Children must, and hence often are so neglected, that many of them are lost, and such of them as will live almost in spight of such unavoidable Neglects, are commonly Cripples.

Seventhly. Though what I have been endeavouring to shew through this whole Essay, viz. that if the Plenty be made great enough, the Consequence must be both more Employment and Trade too amongst the People; and likewise that the necessaries of Life, which almost all are ultimately striving for, will be much easier attained, and the People in general thence be in better Circumstances, and a much happier Condition; I say, though these Things suggest themselves with the Clearness and Evidence of first Principles, yet I shall use one Argument more, which will evince, that a vast deal more Business of every Kind, will be the Effect of fully and sufficiently executing this Proposal in all its Parts; and that, from the Consideration of the general Condition and Circumstances of the People, 7/8 of whom, in much better Times of Trade and Business, are, by the Spectator, No.

200, asserted to be without any Property at all in themselves, or the Heads of their Families, and must Work for their daily Bread.

Now 7/8 of so large a Body, as the People of this Kingdom, must needs have a vast influence on the Trade of it, if we consider them, as being little more than half the Consumers they might and ought to be; which I shall shew, by the Following Estimate for a labouring Man and his Family; and though this Estimate is made for a labouring Man's Family in London, yet since the Wages of the labouring People in the Country are as much less than Wages in London, as the Country People can subsist cheaper, it will still hold that the labouring People in general are but half the Consumers they ought to be, as the following Estimate will sufficiently prove.

A Estimate of the necessary Charge of a labouring Man and his Family in London, consisting of a Man and his Wife and four Children, which I take to be a middling Family; however, since they often may have more Children, this must at least be a needful Allowance for a labouring Man and his Family.

Daily Expence per Head; Daily Expence for the whole Family;Weekly Expence for the whole FamilyBread for six Persons, 3 q.; 4 1/2 d.; 2 s. 7 1/2 d.

Butter, 1 q.; 1 1/2 d.; 10 1/2 d.

Cheese, 1/2 q.; 3/4 d.; 5 1/2 d.

Meat, 1 d.; 6 d.; 3 s. 6 d.

Small Beer, 2 q.; 3 d.; 1 s. 9 d.

Roots, Herbs, Flower, Oatmeal, Salt, Vinegar, Pepper, Mustard, Sugar, 1 q., 1 1/2 d. ; 10 1/2 d.

Soap, 1/2 q.; 3/4 d.; 5 1/4 d.

Threads, Needles, Pins, Worsteads, Tapes, etc. for repairing Cloaths, etc. 1/2 q.; 3/4 d.; 5 1/4 d.

Milk one day with another, for the whole Family, --; 3/4 d.; 51/4 d.

A Candle one day with another, --; 3/4 d; 5 1/4 d.

Coals one Day with another, -- ; 2 d.; 1 s. 2 d.

Strong Beer, -- ; 1 1/2 d.; 10 1/2 d.

Total, -- ; 1 s. 11 3/4 d.; 13 s. 10 1/4 d.

Weekly Expence of the whole Family; Yearly Expence.

Brought over, 13 s. 10 1/2 d.; --

Repairs of Household-Goods, as Bedding, Sheets, Table-linnen, Mops, Brooms, Brushes, Pots, Pans, etc. guess'd to make the Pence even, at 4 3/4 d; --Schooling for the Children, 9 d.; --

Rent of two Rooms, which is as little as such a Family can or ought to shift with, 1 s. 6 d.; --A Woman's Victuals and Wages in Lyings-in, and Illness, with extraordinary Charges on such Occasions, guess'd at, -- ; 2 l.

Cloaths, Linen, Woollen, Shoes, Stockings, etc. for the Man, guess'd at, -- ; 2 l. 10 s.

Ditto, for the Woman, -- ; 2 l. 10 s.

Ditto, for the four Children at 1 l. per Annum per Head, -- ; 4l.

Physick for the whole Family one Year with another, -- ; 10 s.

The necessary Yearly Charge of such a Family, -- ; 54 l. 10 s. 4d.

If any thing the Article of Cloaths too much, let them consider to what Purpose the Manufactures are made, if 7/8 of the People can't be allowed to be such inconsiderable Consumers.

And if any think the other Part of the Estimate too large, let them shew how such a family can with any Decency have their Wants supplied with these Things, cheaper than I have put them.