The different effects of Natural and Artificial Wealth

In the latter end of Chapter 3, I wrote about Natural and Artificial Wealth. I showed how much Art adds to Nature.

But we need to set these particulars apart, so that we can better discern their operations in a Commonwealth.

Their effect is seen in the difference between Turkey and Italy. But it is also obvious in the difference between Great Britain and the Netherlands.

England’s natural wealth creates a certain disposition in the people and strength of the Kingdome. This wealth is in its=

• Largeness, Beauty, Fertility, Strength by Sea and Land
• many military men,
• Horses, Ships, Ammunition,
• Advantagious situation for Defence and Trade
• number of Sea-ports and Harbours, which are of difficult access to Enemies, and of easy outlet to the Inhabitants
• excellent Fleece-wools, Iron, Lead, Tynn, Saffron, Corn, Victuals, Hides, Wax, and other natural Endowments

England can sit as master of a Monarchy. The excessive Consumption of England alone, without Scotland, leads to an export of our native commodities valued at 2,200,000. Of this, 1,500,000 might plentifully supply our unnecessary wants of Silks, Sugars, Spices, Fruits, etc. if we were more frugal. In this way, 700,000 pounds might be yearly saved in money to make the Kingdome rich and powerful in a short time.

But this great plenty which we enjoy, makes us vicious and excessive, wasteful, improvident & careless. This makes us shamefully lose our other wealth, such as the Fishing in the seas of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

At the same time, through lewd idleness, many of us cheat, roar, rob, hang, beg, cant, pine and perish. This increases our cost, to the further wealth and strength of Great Britain, especially by Sea, for our own safety and terrour of our enemies.

The industrious Dutch prove this to our great shame. It will be dangerous to us if not prevented. We leave our honourable exercises and studies for pleasures with pipe and pot, sucking smoke and drinking until death comes.

The Dutch have nearly left this swinish vice. They have taken up our wonted valour.

The general leprosie of our Piping, Potting, Feasting, Fashions, and mis-spending of our time in Idleness and Pleasure (contary to the Law of God, and the use of other Nations) has made us=

• effeminate in our bodies,
• weak in our knowledge,
• poor in our Treasure,
• declined in our Valour,
• unfortunate in our Enterprises, and
• contemned by our Enemies.

These excesses greatly waste our wealth, which is the main subject of this Book. All Christendom might admire and fear us for our wealth if we simply added Art to Nature and our labour as our natural advantage. The neglect of our art and labor has given a notable advantage to other nations, especially to the Hollanders,

Our Clothing is the greatest Wealth and best Employment of our Poor. Yet our policy supports agriculture and fishing more than the making of Cloth. In wartime, if some foreign Princes prohibits our cloth into their dominions, it might suddenly cause much poverty and dangerous uproars, especially by our poor people.

The Dutch

And so leaving England, we will pass over into the Netherlands.

Riches and power makes a nation vicious and improvident, so penury and lack makes a people wise and industrious.

The Dutch have little in their own Territories. They are now of greater note and fame due to their great wealth and strength from their industrious commerce with strangers. After they have cast off the yoke of Spanish slavery, they improved in all humane policy.

They are able to defend their liberty through their continual industry in the trade of Merchanidise.

If we compare the times of their subjection, to their present estate, they seem not the same people. Their mean and turbulent condition under the Spanish strengthened their ambition. It would not be difficult for its neighbors to rule over them. For their own safety, they ruled over themselves. This is the chief foundation of the Hollanders wealth and greatness.

Such a small Country, not fully so big as two of our best Shires, has little natural Wealth, Victuals, Timber, or other necessary amunitions. Yet they have them in such extraordinary plenty, that they can sell to other Princes, Ships, Ordance, Cordage, Corn, Powder, Shot, etc. They get these through their industrious trading with the world.

In their foreign trade, they are careful to strengthen themselves and injure others (especially the English). Their war with Spain is funded by fishing, which is permitted to them in His Majesties Seas. Robert Hichcock, Tobias Gentleman, etc. have published their fishing industry.

The great Fishing and catching of Herrings is the main trade and principal Gold Mines of the Netherlands. It employs many thousands of Housholds, Families, Handicrafts, Trades and Occupations, expecially the sailing and navigation. It increases the Convoys, Customs and revenues of these Countreys.

Their States General has a Proclamation preserving Fishing. Without it=

• they cannot long subsist and their wealth and strength both by Sea and Land must fall,
• their Shipping would suddenly decay. This would reduce their revenues and customs. Their land would be depopulated for want of maintenance. This would cause the Excize to fail, subsequently all their other trades to the East Indies must faint.

Thus, the glory and power of these Netherlanders is in this fishing of Herrings, Ling and Cod in His Majesties Seas.

What is the foundation of their fishing rights?

The Dutch Author of Mare Liberum cannot entitle them to Fish in His Majesty’s Seas. The fishing rights are sooner decided by swords, than with words. The fish are free to go there. But I am not saying that the Dutch should not be allowed to catch and carry them away from there without His Majesties licence. The fishing rights might be a good policy to keep them in league with England and in war against Spain.

But the Spaniards could also prohibit the Dutch from fishing. This is why the Dutch need a strong alliance with England. Spain cannot fish herrings there as conveniently as the Dutch and so the Spanish do not take it.

Money may bring them materials and Artsmen to build them Shipping. But without the fishing, they can only use a few ships. If Dutch fishing fails then the Spanish will turn their power on us. When nations invade others, they must likewise encrease their strength at home for defense. If the Spanish invades us or the Dutch, they will drain their Treasure in Shipping.

Can our military strength be increased by fishing?

The Spanish were the sole Lord of all the Netherlands. They must necessarily drive a sea trade to it to supply the common wants of those Countreys. In wartime they can take wealth from the Dutch. Nowadays, Spain has no trade with it.

Are the Hollanders able to possess and keep this fishing against all other Nations?

Their basis for their fishing rights is their own freedom in this Fishing. Yet if other Nations also fish there, the Dutch would oppose them, except England, whose harbours and In-lands with other daily reliefs are necessary for fishing. Our naval Power will also able to get it from them.

People will say that the Hollanders are very strong by Sea. I say that if we take their root then their branches soon will wither. Their branches are their foreign trade. These would soon be consumed in a war against a potent enemy if their original source of wealth is taken.

The Netherlands are like a fair bird with goodly borrowed plumes. But if every Fowl takes his feather, it would be naked.

The Dutch have less warships than us. They have an infinite number of weak Ships to fish with, and fetch Corn, Salt, Timber, Plank, Boords, Pitch, Hemp, Tar, Flax, Masts, Cordage, and other Ammunitions. Those ships are like Ploughs to us which prevent people from starving. Their Shipping therefore cannot be militarized without starving their people.

Their many ships are not strong or fit for war even if their manpower is skilled. They would need to triple their industry to build and maintain a strong navy. The Dutch brag that they have Forts, Bulwarks, Walls, out-works that protect England from Spain. In reality, we are the main fountain of their happiness, both for war and peace, for trade and treasure, for Munition and Men.

We spend our blood in their defence while their people conquer the Indies and to reap the fruits out of our own bosoms. If we took their colonies, (as we have right and power to do), we would mightily=

• encrease the breed of our people
• enable us against the strongest enemy, and
• force many of those Netherlanders to seek their living here with us for want of better maintenance
• repopulate our many decayed Sea-towns and Castles

A unted England and Netherlands will be stronger. The Dutch want to possess and fortify that excellent Island of Lewis in the Orcades near Scotland. Its situation, harbours, fishing, fertility, largeness and other advantages, would have offended other Kingdoms. It would allow them to send their ships onto the world without passing through the English channel.

They claim the Island of Lewis under the fair pretence of bringing Comerce into those remote parts of Scotland. Their aim is to extend their trade to the East Indies. But this will make them notorious. The Maxim of Philip of Macedon was to bribe people if they could not be coerced. This leads to a monarchy that the Dutch may aim for, as proven by their attemps at India since their own lands are unable to contain their own people.

This colonial policy draws many thousands of foreigners to the Netherlands for martial employments. It increases the great revenue of their Excises because those well-paid foreign Soldiers spend their earning in the Netherlands. Thus, the Wealth remains still in their own Countreys while the foreigners are not so much enriched.

Some Italians wisely remark of England’s natural Strength and Wealth

if we should (but in part) apply our selves to such policies and endeavours as are very commonly used in some other Countreys of Europe; and much they ahave admired, that our thoughts and jealousies attend only upon the Spanish and French greatness, never once suspecting, but constantly embracing the Netherlanders as our best Friends and Allies;

when in truth (as they well observe) there are no people in Christendome who do more undermine, hurt, and eclipse us daily in our Navigation and Trades, both abroad and at home;

this not only in the rich Fishing in his Majesty’s Seas (whereof we have already written) but also in our Inland trades between City and City, in the Manufacture of Silk, Wools, and the like, made here in this Kingdom, wherein they never give employment or education in their Arts to the English, but ever (according to the custom of the Jews, where they abide in Turkey, and divers places of Christendome) they live wholly to themselves in their own Tribes.

The Dutch are amongst us but are not of us. The Dutch born here will still be Dutch and not English. The Dutch hope to grow mighty as a people in matters of bloud, trade, and other profits. The Dutch are now are so great a trouble to us and a terror to the Spanish.

But this is not the top of this chapter. It is natural vs artificial wealth.

• Natural wealth is most noble and advantageous being always ready and certain. But it also makes the people careless, proud, and given to all excesses.
• Artificial wealth enforces Vigilancy, Literature, Arts and Policy.

England can plentifully enjoy their natural wealth yet be fully capable of artificial wealth if we can reform our vicious idleness. If an Englishman sells £1,000 worth of goods and buys £600, he will only have £400 balance from the transaction. Likewise, no matter how we force money into the nation, the only ones which will remain with us shall be gained by the balance of our trade.

The Dutch may exchange with the English for £400,000. If our money was undervalued by 10% then the Dutch must deliver £440,000 to get the Englishman’s £400,000 in Amsterdam. So that there will then remain but £60,000 for the Dutch to carry out of the nation for the balance.

Some have supposed that the undervaluing of our money in exchange will carry it out of England. Rather it only reduces the amount of money is a means to make a less quantity thereof to be exported, than would be done at the Par pro pari.