but in the most slovenly and unpolish'd Part of the Town, where Seamen
and Strangers of no Repute chiefly lodge and resort. The Street, in
which most of them stand, is counted scandalous, and the Infamy is
extended to all the Neighbourhood round it. In the Second, they are
only Places to meet and bargain in, to make Appointments, in order to
promote Interviews of greater Secrecy, and no Manner of Lewdness is
ever suffer'd to be transacted in them; which Order is so strictly
observ'd, that, bar the Ill Manners and Noise of the Company that
frequent them, you'll meet with no more Indecency, and generally less
Lasciviousness there, than with us are to seen at a Play-House.
Thirdly, the Female Traders, that come to these Evening-Exchanges, are
always the Scum of the People, and generally such, as in the Day-Time
carry Fruit and other Eatables about in Wheel-barrows. The Habits
indeed they appear in at Night, are very different from their ordinaray
ones; yet they are commonly so ridiculously gay, that they look more
like the_ Roman _Dresses of strolling Actresses, than Gentlewomens
Cloaths: If to this you add the Awkwardness, the hard Hands and course
Breeding of the Damsels that wear them, there is no great Reason to
fear, that many of the better Sort of People will be tempted by them._
_The Musick in these Temples of_ Venus _is perform'd by Organs, not out
of Respect to the Deity that is worship'd in them, but the Frugality of
the Owners, whose Business it is to procure as much Sound for as little
Money as they can, and the Policy of the Government, which endeavours
as little as is possible, to encourage the Breed of Pipers and
Scrapers. All Sea-faring Men, especially the_ Dutch, _are, like the
Element they belong to, much given to Loudness and Roaring, and the
Noise of Half a Dozen of them, when they call themselves Merry, is
sufficient to drown Twice the Number of Flutes or Violins; whereas with
one Pair of Organs they can make the whole House ring, and are at no
other Charge than the keeping of one scurvy Musician, which can cost
them but little, yet notwithstanding the good Rules and strict
Discipline that are observ'd in these Markets of Love, the Schout and
his Officers are always vexing, mulcting, and, upon the least
Complaint, removing the miserable Keepers of them: Which Policy is of
two great Uses; First, it gives an Opportunity to a large Parcel of
Officers, the Magistrates make use of on many Occasions, and which they
could not be without, to squeeze a Living out of the immoderate Gains
accruing from the worst of Employments, and at the same Time punish
those necessary Profligates, the Bawds and Panders, whom, tho' they
abominate, they desire yet not wholly to destroy. Secondly, as on
several Accounts it might be dangerous to let the Multitude into the
Secret, that those Houses and the Trade that is drove in them are
conniv'd at, so, by this Means appearing unblameable, the wary
Magistrates preserve themselves in the good Opinion of the weaker Sort
of People, who imagine, that the Government is always endeavouring,
tho' unable, to suppress what it actually tolerates: Whereas if they
had a Mind to rout them out, their Power in the Administration of
Justice is so sovereign and extensive, and they know so well how to
have it executed, that one Week, nay one Night, might send them all a
packing._
I appeal to your self, Sir, whether this Relation is not more proper to
give Men (even the Voluptuous, of any Taste) a Disgust and Aversion to
the Women in those Houses, than it is to raise any criminal Desire. I
am sorry the Grand Jury should conceive, as they said, that I publish'd
this with a Design to debauch the Nation; without considering, in the
first Place, that there is not a Sentence nor a Syllable, that can
either offend the chastest Ear, or sully the Imagination of the most
vicious; or, in the Second, that the Matter complain'd of, is
manifestly address'd to Magistrates and Politicians, or at least the
most serious and thinking Part of Mankind; whereas a general Corruption
of Manners, as to Lewdness, to be produced by Reading, can only be
apprehended from Obscenities, easily purchased, and every Way adapted
to the Tastes and Capacities of the heedless Multitude, and
unexperienc'd Youth of both Sexes; but that the Performance so
outragiously exclaim'd against was never calculated for either of these
Classes of People, is self-evident from every Circumstance. The
Beginning of the Prose is altogether Philosophical, and hardly
intelligible to any, that have not been used to Matters of Speculation;
and the running Title of it is so far from being specious, or inviting,
that, without having read the Book it self, No body knows what to make
of it, whilst at the same Time the Price is Five Shillings. From all
which it is very plain, that if the Book contains any dangerous Tenets,
I have not been very sollicitous to scatter them among the People. I
have not said a Word to please or engage them, and the greatest
Compliment I have made them, has been, _Apage Vulgus_. _But as Nothing_
(I say p 257.) _would more clearly demonstrate the Falsity of my
Notions, than that the Generality of the People should fall in with
them, so I don't expect the Approbation of the Multitude. I write not
to Many, nor seek for any Well-wishers, but among the Few that can
think abstractly, and have their Minds elevated above the Vulgar._ Of
this I have made no ill Use, and ever preserv'd such a tender Regard to
the Publick, that when I have advanced any uncommon Sentiments, I have
used all the Precautions imaginable that they might not be hurtful to
weak Minds that might casually dip into the Book. When (_page 255_) _I
own'd, that it was my Sentiment, that no Society could be raised into a
rich and mighty Kingdom, or, so raised, subsist in their Wealth and
Power for any considerable Time, without the Vices of Man, I had
premised what was true,_ that I had _never said or imagin'd, that Man
could not be virtuous, as well in a rich and mighty Kingdom, as in the
most pitiful Commonwealth;_ mind Sir, p. 257. _When I say, that
Societies cannot be raised to Wealth and Power and the Top of Earthly
Glory without Vices, I don't think, that by so saying, I bid Men be
vicious, any more than I bid them be quarrelsome or covetous, when I
affirm, that the Profession of the Law could not be maintain'd in such
Numbers and Splendour, if there was not Abundance of too selfish and
litigious People._ A Caution of the same Nature I had already given
towards the End of the Preface, on Account of a palpable Evil,
inseparable from the Felicity of _London_. The Words are these, _There
are, I believe, few People in London, of those that are at any Time
forc'd to go a-foot, but what could wish the Streets of it much cleaner
than generally they are, whilst they regard Nothing but their own
Cloaths and private Conveniency: but when once they come to consider,
that what offends them, is the Result of the Plenty, great Traffick and
Opulency of that mighty City, if they have any Concern in its Welfare,
they will hardly ever wish to see the Streets of it less dirty. For if
we mind the Materials of all Sorts, that must supply such an infinite
Number of Trades and Handicrafts as are always going forward, and the
vast Quantities of Victuals, Drink, and Fuel, that are daily consumed
in it; the Waste and Superfluities, that must be produced from them;
the Multitudes of Horses and other Cattle, that are always daubing the
Streets; the Carts, Coaches, and more heavy Carriages, that are
perpetually wearing and breaking the Pavement of them; and, above all,
the numberless Swarms of People, that are continually harassing and
trampling through every Part of them: If, I say, we mind all these, we
shall find, that every Moment must produce new Filth; and considering
how far distant the great Streets are from the River-side, what Cost
and Care soever be bestow'd to remove the Nastiness almost as fast as
it is made, it is impossible_ London _should be more cleanly before it
is less flourishing. Now would I ask if a good Citizen, in
Consideration of what has been said, might not assert, that dirty
Streets are a necessary Evil inseparable from the Felicity of_ London,
_without being the least Hindrance to the Cleaning of Shoes, or
Sweeping of Streets, and consequently without any Prejudice either to
the_ Blackguard _or the_ Scavengers.
_But if, without any Regard to the Interest or Happiness of the City,
the Question was put, What Place I thought most pleasant to walk in? No
body can doubt but before the stinking Streets of_ London, _I would
esteem a fragrant Garden, or shady Grove in the Country. In the same
Manner, if, laying aside all worldly Greatness and Vain Glory, I should
be ask'd, where I thought it was most probable that Men might enjoy
true Happiness, I would prefer a small peaceable Society, in which Men,
neither envy'd nor esteem'd by Neighbours, should be contented to live
upon the Natural Product of the Spot they inhabit, to a vast Multitude
abounding in Wealth and Power, that should always be conquering others
by their Arms Abroad, and debauching themselves by Foreign Luxury at
Home._
I own, Sir, it is my Opinion, and I have endeavour'd to prove, that
Luxury, tho' depending upon the Vices of Man, is absolutely necessary
to render a great Nation formidable, opulent and polite at the same
Time. But before you pass any Judgment upon me for this, give me Leave
to put you in Mind of Two Things, which I take to be undeniably true.
The First is, that the Kingdom of _Christ_ is not of this World; and
that the last-named is the very Thing a true Christian ought to
renounce: I mean, that when we speak of the World in a figurative
Sense, as the Knowledge of the World, the Glory of the World; or in
_French, Le beau Monde, le grand Monde_; and when in a Man's Praise we
say, that he understands the World very well; that, I say, when we use
the Word in this Manner, it signifies, and we understand by it that
same World which the Gospel gives us so many Cautions and pronounces so
severely against. The Second is, that I have wrote in an Age and a
Nation, where the greatest Part of the Fashionable, and what we call
the better Sort of People, seem to be far more delighted with Temporal,
than they are with Spiritual Enjoyments, at the same Time that they
profess themselves to be Christians; and that whatever they may talk,
preach or write of a Future State and eternal Felicity, they are all
closely attach'd to this wicked World; or at least, that the
Generality, in their Actions and Endeavours, seem to be infinitely more
sollicitous about the one, than they are about the other.
If you will consider these Two Things, you'll find, that I have
supposed no Necessity of Vice, but among those by whom worldly
Greatness is in Esteem and thought necessary to Happiness. The more
curious and operose Manufactures are, the more Hands they employ; and
that with the Variety of them, the Number of Workmen must still
encrease, wants no Proof. It is evident likewise, that Foreign Traffick
consists in changing of Commodities, and removing them from one Place
to another. No Nation, that has no Gold or Silver of their own Growth,
can purchase our Product long, unless we, or Some body else, will buy
theirs. The Epithets of polite and flourishing are never given to
Countries, before they are arriv'd at a considerable Degree of Luxury;
and a flourishing Nation without it, is Bread without Corn, a Perriwig
without Hair, or a Library without Books.
Assertions as these, an indulgent Reader will say, might yet be borne
with; and Hypocrites, by putting false Glosses on Things, and giving
favourable Constructions to their Actions, might persuade the World,
that to make this necessary Consumption, they labour'd for the Publick
Good; that they fed on Trouts and Turbots, Quails and Ortolans, and the
most expensive Dishes, not to please their dainty Palates or their
Vanity, but to maintain the Fishmonger and the Poulterer and the many
Wretches, who, for a miserable Livelyhood, are daily slaving to furnish
them. That they wore gold Brocades, and made new Cloaths every
Fortnight, not to gratify their own Pride or Fickleness, but for the
Benefit of the Mercer, the Merchant, and the Weaver, and the
Encouragement of Trade in general. That the Extravagancy of their
Tables, and Splendor of Entertainments, were only the Effects of an
Hospitable Temper, their Benevolence to others, and a generous
Disposition: That Pride or Ostentation had no Hand in these Things, nor
yet in the laying out of the immense Sums for the Elegancy and
Magnificence of Equipages, Gardens, Furniture and Buildings. All these
Things, I dare say, you would let pass; but if you should hear a Man
say, that this Consumption depends chiefly upon Qualities, we pretend
to be asham'd of, it would be offensive to you; and if he should
maintain, that, without the Vices of Man, it would be impossible to
enjoy all the Ease, Glory, and Greatness, the World can afford, and
which, in short, we are fond of, you would think his Assertion to be a
terrible Paradox.
Many People would believe, that Hunger, tho' they never felt the
Extremities of it, is, in order to live, as requisite to a Man, as it
is to a Cormorant, or to a Wolf; and that without Lust, if you give it
a softer Name, our Species could not be preserv'd, any more than that
of Bulls or Goats. But not One in a Thousand can imagine, tho' it be
equally demonstrable, that in the Civil Society the Avarice of Some and
the Profuseness of Others, together with the Pride and Envy of most
Individuals, are absolutely necessary to raise them to a great and
powerful, and, in the Language of the World, polite Nation. It seems
still to be a greater Paradox, that natural as well as moral Evil, and
the very Calamities we pray against, do not only contribute to this
worldly Greatness, but a certain Proportion of them is so necessary to
all Nations, that it is not to be conceiv'd, how any Society could
subsist upon Earth, exempt from all Evil, both natural and moral.
Yet these Things are asserted, and, I think, demonstrated in _The Fable
of the Bees_. The Book has run through several Impressions, and met
with innumerable Enemies: Nothing was ever more reviled from the Pulpit
as well as the Press. I have been call'd all the ugly Names in Print,
that Malice or ill Manners can invent; but not one of my Adversaries
has attempted to disprove what I had said, or overthrow any one
Argument, I made Use of, otherwise than by exclaiming against it, and
saying that it was not true: which to me is a Sign, that not only what
I have advanced is not easy to refute, but likewise, that my Opposers
are more closely attach'd to the World, than even I my self had
imagined them to be. Otherwise it is impossible, but, perceiving this
Difficulty, some of them would have reason'd after the following
Manner, _viz._ Since this worldly Greatness is not to be attain'd to
without the Vices of Man, I will have Nothing to do with it; since it
is impossible to serve God and Mammon, my Choice shall be soon made: No
temper I Pleasure can be worth running the Risque of being eternally
miserable; and, let who will labour to aggrandise the Nation, I will
aim at higher Ends, and take Care of my own Soul.
The Moment such a Thought enters into a Man's Head, all the Poison is
taken away from the Book, and every Bee has lost his Sting.
Those who should in Reality prefer Spirituals to Temporals, and be seen
to take more Pains to attain an everlasting Felicity, than they did for
the Enjoyment of the fading Pleasures and transient Glorie of this
Life, would not grudge to make some Abatements in the Ease, the
Conveniencies, and the Comforts of it, or even to part with some of
their Possessions upon Earth, to make sure of their Inheritance in the
Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever Liking they might have to the curious
Embellishments and elegant Inventions of the Voluptuous, they would
refuse to purchase them at the Hazard of Damnation. In Judging of
themselves they would not be such easy Casuists, nor think it
sufficient not to act contrary to the Laws of the Land, unless they
likewise obey'd the Precepts of _Christ_. No Book would be plainer or
more intelligible to them than the Gospel; and without consulting
either Fathers or Councils, they would be satisfied, that mortifying
the Flesh never could signify to indulge every Appetite, not prohibited
by an Earthly Legislator.
What Skill, pray, would it require in Controversy, to be convinced,
that to yield to all the Allurements, to comply with every Mode and
Fashion, and partake of all the Vanities of the World, was the very
Reverse of Renouncing it, if Words had any Signification at all? Here
lies the Difficulty; and here is the true Cause of the Quarrel, and all
the Spite and Invectives against _The Fable of the Bees_ and its
Author. My Adversaries will not be stinted, or abate an Ace of the
wordly Enjoyments they can purchase, because the whole Earth was made
for Man; Libertines say the same of Women, and with equal Justice; yet
relying on this pitiful Reason, they will eat and drink as deliciously
as they can: No Pleasure is denied them, forsooth, that is used with
Moderation; and in Cloaths, Houses, Furniture, Equipages and
Attendance, they may live in perfect Conformity with the most vain and
luxurious of the fashionable People; only with this Difference, that
their Hearts must not be attach'd to these Things, and their grand Hope
be in Futurity. This notable Proviso being once made, tho' in Words
only, all is safe; and no Luxury or Epicurism are so barefac'd, no Ease
is so effeminate, no Elegancy so vainly curious, and no Invention so
operose or expensive, as to interfere with Religion or any Promises
made of Renouncing the World; if they are warranted by Custom, and the
Usage of others, who are their Equals in Estate and Dignity.
Oh rare Doctrine! Oh easy Christianity! To be moderate in numberless
Extravagancies, _Terence_ would tell them was as practicable as _cum
ratione insanire_: But if we grant the Possibility of it, how shall we
know and be convinced that they are sincere; that their Hearts and
Desires are so little engaged to this vile Earth, as they pretend; or
that the Thoughts of a World to come are any Part of their real
Concern, when we have Nothing but their bare Word for it, and all other
Appearances are unanimous, and the most positive Witnesses against
them?
I know, that my Enemies won't allow, that I wrote with this View; tho'
I have told them before, and demonstrated, that _The Fable of the Bees_
was a Book of exalted Morality; they refuse to believe me; their
Clamours against it continue; and what I have now said in Defence of
it, will be rejected, and call'd an Artifice to come off; that it is
full of dangerous, wicked and Atheistical Notions, and could not have
been wrote with any other Design than the Encouragement of Vice. Should
I ask them what Vices they were; Whoring, Drinking, Gaming; or desire
them to name any one Passage, where the least Immorality is
recommended, spoke well of, or so much as conniv'd at, they would have
Nothing to lay hold on but the Title Page. But why then, will you say,
are they so inveterate against it? I have hinted at it just now, but I
will more openly unfold that Mystery.
I have, in the Book in Question, exposed the real Pleasures of the
Voluptuous, and taken Notice of the great Scarcity of true Self-denial
among Christians, and in doing this I have spared the Clergy no more
than the Laity: This has highly provoked a great many. But as I have
done this without the least Exaggeration, meddled with Nothing, but
what is plainly known and seen, and always said less than I could have
proved, my Adversaries were obliged to dissemble the Cause of their
Anger. What vex'd them the more was, that it was wrote without Rancour
or Peevishness; and, if not in a pleasant, at least in an open
good-humour'd Manner, free, I dare say, from Pedantry and Sourness.
Therefore None of them ever touch'd upon this Point, or spoke one
Syllable of the only Thing, which in their Hearts they hate me for.
Here, Sir, I must trouble you with a Parable, in which are couch'd the
Prevarications and false Pretences with which the Generality of the
World would cover their real Inclinations and the Ends of their Wishes.
May it prove as diverting to you as the Matter is really instructive.
_In old Heathen Times there was, they say, a Whimsical Country, where
the People talked much of Religion; and the greatest Part, as to
outward Appearance, seem'd really devout: The chief moral Evil among
them was Thirst, and to quench it, a Damnable Sin; yet they unanimously
agreed, that Every one was born Thirsty more or less. Small Beer in
Moderation was allow'd to All; and he was counted an Hypocrite, a
Cynick, or a Madman, who pretended that One could live altogether
without it; yet those, who owned they loved it, and drank it to Excess,
were counted Wicked. All this while the Beer it self was reckon'd a
Blessing from Heaven, and there was no Harm in the Use of it; all the
Enormity lay in the Abuse, the Motive of the Heart, that made them
drink it. He that took the least Drop of it to quench his Thirst,
committed a heinous Crime, whilst others drank large Quantities without
any Guilt, so they did it indifferently, and for no other Reason than
to mend their Complexion._
_They brew'd for other Countries as well as their own; and for the
Small Beer they sent abroad, they receiv'd large Returns of
Westphaly-Hams, Neats-Tongues, Hung-Beef, and Bolonia-Sausages, Red
Herrings, Pickled Sturgeon, Cavear, Anchovies, and every Thing that was
proper to make their Liquor go down with Pleasure. Those who kept great
Stores of Small Beer by them, without making use of it, were generally
envied, and at the same Time very odious to the Publick; and No body
was easy that had not enough of it to come to his own Share. The
greatest Calamity they thought could befall them, was to keep their
Hops and Barley upon their Hands; and the more they yearly consumed of
them, the more they reckon'd the Country to flourish._
_The Government had made very wise Regulations concerning the Returns
that were made for their Exports; encouraged very much the Importation
of Salt and Pepper, and laid heavy Duties on every Thing that was not
well season'd, and might any ways obstruct the Sale of their own Hops
and Barley. Those at_ Helm, _when they acted in Publick, shew'd
themselves on all Accounts exempt and wholly divested from Thirst; made
several Laws to prevent the Growth of it, and punish the Wicked who
openly dared to quench it. If you examin'd them in their private
Persons, and pry'd narrowly into their Lives and Conversations, they
seem'd to be more fond, or at least drank larger Draughts of Small Beer
than others, but always under Pretence that the Mending of Complexions
required greater Quantities of Liquor in them, than it did in those
they ruled over; and that what they had chiefly at Heart, without any
Regard to themselves, was to procure great Plenty of Small Beer among
the Subjects in general, and a great Demand for their Hops and Barley._
_As No body was debarr'd from Small Beer, the Clergy made use of it as
well as the Laity, and some of them very plentifully; yet all of them
desired to be thought less Thirsty by their Function than others, and
never would own, that they drank any, but to mend their Complexions. In
their Religious Assemblies they were more sincere; for as soon as they
came there, they all openly confess'd, the Clergy as well as the Laity,
from the highest to the lowest, that they were Thirsty; that Mending
their Complexions was what they minded the least, and that all their
Hearts were set upon Small Beer and Quenching their Thirst, whatever
they might pretend to the Contrary. What was remarkable is, that to
have laid Hold of those Truths to any one's Prejudice, and made use of
those Confessions afterwards out of their Temples, would have been
counted very impertinent; and Every body thought it a heinous Affront
to be call'd_ Thirsty, _tho' you had seen him drink Small Beer by whole
Gallons. The chief Topicks of their Preachers was the great Evil of
Thirst, and the Folly there was in quenching it. They exhorted their
Hearers to resist the Temptations of it, inveigh'd against Small Beer,
and often told them it was Poyson, if they drank it with Pleasure, or
any other Design than to mend their Complexions._