of comfortable Small Beer they had received from them, notwithstanding
they had so little deserv'd it, and continually quench'd their Thirst
with it; whereas they were so thorowly satisfy'd, that it was given
them for a better Use. Having begg'd Pardon for those Offences, they
desired the Gods to lessen their Thirst, and give them Strength to
resist the Importunities of it; yet, in the Midst of their sorest
Repentance, and most humble Supplications, they never forgot Small
Beer, and pray'd that they might continue to have it in great Plenty,
with a solemn Promise, that how neglectful soever they might hitherto
have been in this Point, they would for the Future not drink a Drop of
it with any other Design than to mend their Complexions._
_These were standing Petitions, put together to last; and having
continued to be made use of without any Alterations for several Hundred
Years together, it was thought by Some, that the Gods, who understood
Futurity, and knew, that the same Promise they heard in_ June, _would
be made to them the_ January _following, did not rely much more on
those Vows, than we do on those waggish Inscriptions by which Men offer
us their Goods,_ To Day for Money, and to Morrow for Nothing. _They
often began their Prayers very mystically, and spoke many Things in a
spiritual Sense; yet they never were so abstract from the World in
them, as to end One without beseeching the Gods to bless and prosper
the Brewing Trade in all its Branches, and, for the Good of the Whole,
more and more to increase the Consumption of the Hops and Barley._
This Parable likewise has been very displeasing to my Enemies, yet they
never complain'd of it, nor ever shew'd their Resentment against those
Passages, where their Frailties were most exposed. But the true
Grievance not being to be named, their next Care was to hinder the
Spreading of my Animadversions upon them; that what I had said might
not be read by Many; and accordingly, giving the Book an ill Name, and
making some imperfect Quotations from it, they procure, as I have said
before, the Grand Jury's Presentment against it. But this being
now-a-Days the wrongest Way in the World to stifle Books, it made it
more known, and encreas'd the Sale of it. This made some hot People
raving mad; and now I began to be attack'd with great Fury from all
Quarters; but as Nothing has appeared yet, that might not be easily
answer'd from _The Fable of the Bees_ it self, or the Vindication I
have spoke of before, I have not hitherto thought fit to take Notice of
any.
It was wrote for the Entertainment of idle People, and calculated for
Persons of Education, when they are at Leisure and want Amusement; and
therefore to ask Men of Business, or that have any Thing else to do, to
read such an incoherent Rhapsody throughout, would be an unreasonable
Request; at least, the Author himself ought to be more modest than to
expect it: Yet I must beg Leave to say, that whoever has not done this,
ought not to be so magisterial in his Censures, as Some have been on
Passages the most justifiable in the World. It is impossible to say
every Thing at once; and yet Every body, who has a Book before him, has
the Liberty of opening and shutting it, when and where he pleases.
There are many Things, which we entirely approve of, Part of which we
disliked, before we were acquainted with the whole; and we ought always
to consider, that Authors often reserve some Places on Purpose to clear
up and explain others, that are difficult and obscure: Even when we
meet with a Thing really offensive and no ways to be maintain'd, unless
we read a Book through, we do not know but the Author has excepted
against that very Passage himself; perhaps he has retracted, or begg'd
Pardon for it.
It is hardly possible, that a Man of Candour and any tolerable
Judgment, who seriously considers the Book, can be offended at it. In
the First Place, he will find, that what I call Vices are the
Fashionable Ways of Living, the Manners of the Age, that are often
practis'd and preach'd against by the same People: Those Vices, that
the Persons who are guilty of them, are angry with me for calling them
so: The Decencies and Conveniencies, which my Adversaries are so fond
of, and which, rather than forsake and part with, they would take Pains
to justify. In the Second, That I address myself to the Voluptuous,
whose greatest Delight is in this World; and, that when I speak to
Others, that would be contented without Superfluities, and prefer
Virtue and Honesty to Pomp and Greatness, I lay down quite different
Maxims: That what I have said, Page 258, is true, _viz._ Tho' I have
shewn the Way to Worldly Greatness, I have, without Hesitation,
preferr'd the Road that leads to Virtue.
Should it be objected, that I was not in Earnest, when I recommended
those mortifying Maxims, I would answer, That those, who think so,
would have said the same to St. _Paul_, or JESUS CHRIST himself, if he
had bid them sell their Estates and give their Money to the Poor.
Poverty and Self-denial have no Allurements in Sight of my Enemies;
they hate the Aspect and the very Thoughts of them, as much as they do
me; and therefore, whoever recommends them must be in Jest. No
Mathematical Demonstration is more true, than that to prohibit
Navigation, and all Commerce with Strangers, is the most effectual Way
to keep out Vice and Luxury: It is almost as true, that Citizens, and
Men of Worth, who defend their own, and fight _pro Aris & Focis_, when
once disciplin'd and inur'd to Hardship, are more to be depended upon
than hired Troops and mercenary Soldiers. Let a Man preach this in
_London_, and they'll say he is craz'd. But if Men won't buy Virtue at
the Price it is only to be had at, Whose Fault is that?
I knew what People I had to deal with; and when I spoke of the
_Spartans_ and their Frugality, and how formidable they were to their
Enemies, I said then, that such a Way of Living, and a Glory to be
obtain'd by so austere a Self-denial, were not the Things which
Englishmen wanted or desired. There are Twenty Passages in the Book to
the same Purpose; but from this alone it is manifest, that, unless I
was a Fool, or a Madman, I could have no Design to encourage or promote
the Vices of the Age. It will be difficult to shew me an Author, that
has exposed and ridicul'd them more openly. Breaches of the Law I have
treated in a more serious Manner; and tho' it has been insinuated, that
I was an Advocate for all Wickedness and Villany in General, there is
no such Thing in the Book. I have said indeed, that we often saw an
evident Good spring up from a palpable Evil, and given Instances to
prove, that, by the wonderful Direction of unsearchable Providence,
Robbers, Murderers, and the worst of Malefactors were sometimes made
instrumental to great Deliverances in Distress, and remarkable
Blessings, which God wrought and conferr'd on the Innocent and
Industrious; but as to the Crimes themselves, I have never spoke of
them, but with the utmost Detestation, and on all Occasions urg'd the
great Necessity of punishing all, that are guilty of them, without
Favour or Connivance.
That Honesty is the best Policy, even as to Temporals, is generally
true; but it does not so often raise Men to great Wealth and Power as
Knavery and Ambition; and Opportunity is a great Rascal. Attorneys,
Money-Scriveners, Bankers and Brokers, as well as Factors of all Sorts,
may, without doubt, be as honest in their Callings as Men of any other;
but it is evident in all Trades, that the greater the Trust is to be
reposed in Persons, and the more their Transactions are Secrets and
such as they can only be accountable for to God and their Conscience,
the more Latitude they have of being Knaves without being discover'd.
Should now a Man of a Business, where he has great Opportunity of
defrauding others with Impunity, be a cunning Sharper, a covetous
Miser, and a wicked Hypocrite; can it be a Question, whether he is not
more likely to get a great Estate, with the same setting out in a few
Years, than a charitable, religious Man, whose chief Care is not for
this World, in the same or any other Calling, equally beneficial to
fair Dealers? I am not ignorant of what may be said against me, about
God's Blessing, and on whom it is most likely to fall. The Dispositions
of Providence are unfathomable, and the Distribution of what we call
Good and Evil in this World, is a Mystery not to be accounted for by
the Notions we have of God's Justice, without having Recourse to a
Future State; therefore I need not to take this in Consideration here.
The Question is not, which is the readiest Way to Riches, but whether
the Riches themselves are worth being damn'd for.
There never was yet, and it is impossible to conceive, an opulent
Nation, without great Vices: This is a Truth; and I am not accessary to
its being so, for divulging it. When I have shewn the Necessity of
Vice, to render a Society great and potent, I have exposed that
Greatness, and left it to them, the Members of it, whether it is worth
buying at that Price; and I defy all my Enemies to shew me, where I
have recommended Vice, or said the least Tittle, by which I contradict
that true, as well as remarkable Saying of Monsieur _Baile_. _Les
utilites du vice n'empechent pas qu' il ne soit mauvais._ Vice is
always bad, whatever Benefit we may receive from it.--But I have been
strangely treated.
Should a thriving Youth in Athletick Health, almost arriv'd at Manhood,
industriously waste his Flesh for no other Purpose, than to weigh less,
I would 'count him a Fool for his Pains; because he runs the Risque of
doing himself great Injury. But he must ride; the Match is made; he has
a Master to oblige, and he is undone it he refuses: So he is managed
accordingly against the Time. If I had a Mind to expose this Practice,
and, laying open the whole Regimen Men are to go through in order to
waste, acquaint the World with the sharp Liquors they take, how they
are purged, sweated, stinted in their Food, and debarr'd from their
natural Rest; If, I say, I had a Mind to do this, and ridicule the
Expedient, I don't see where would be the Harm. As to the Thing it
self, No body would doubt, but drinking Vinegar, Physicking, Watching,
and Starving, would be a more proper Means to lose Flesh, than good
Nourishment three Times a Day, and comfortable Sleep at Night. But the
Question is, whether Weighing less, or the Riding it self, be of that
Importance, that a Man would undergo so much for it; and I believe,
most People, far from following this Method, would content themselves
with admiring and laughing at the Folly of it. But it would be
barbarous to say, that I had prescrib'd it, when I had openly declared
against it. But what Name would you give it, if the Jockeys themselves,
continuing their former Practice, should in Revenge, that I had expos'd
it, pretend seriously to exclaim against me for broaching a destructive
Doctrine, that would endanger the Health, and spoil the Growth of young
People, and to prove their Assertions, quote as many of my own Words as
would serve their Purpose, and no more?
I take this to be a pretty near Resemblance of my Case: _Omne Simile
claudicat_. But it is not sufficient for me to say, that I am innocent,
any more than it is for my Enemies to cry out, that I am guilty: Men of
Sense can not be long imposed upon by either: It is the Book we must
stand or fall by at last; and it is to this I refer all judicious as
well as impartial Readers. They will soon find out the true Cause of
the Malice, and all the Clamours against me, and that my laying open
the luxurious Lives of some Men; my shewing the great Scarcity of
Self-denial among Christians as well as others, and, in short, my
reprehending, lashing and ridiculing Vice and Insincerity, have
procured me infinitely more Enemies than all the pretended
Encouragement to Vice and Immorality they can meet with; and if, after
perusing the whole, all Persons of Candour, and Capacity to read Books
of that Nature, are not fully convinced of this, may I be despised for
ever, and forfeit the good Opinion of all Men I value. But still the
Title, _Private Vices, Publick Benefits_: The hearing and seeing of it,
I shall be told, must be offensive to those, who don't read the Book,
and will never vouchsafe to look into it.
Pray, Sir, let us examine this. It is evident, that the Words _Private
Vices, Publick Benefits_ make not a compleat Sentence according to
Grammar; and that there is at least a Verb, if not a great deal more
wanting to make the Sense perfect. In the Vindication of _The Fable of
the Bees_, I have said, that I understood by it, that _Private Vices_,
by the dexterous Management of a skilful Politician, might be turn'd
into _Publick Benefits_. There is Nothing forc'd or unnatural in this
Explanation; and Everybody ought to have the Liberty of being an
Interpreter of his own Words. But if I wave this Privilege, the worst
Construction that can be put upon the Words is, that they are an
Epitome of what I have labour'd to prove throughout the Book, that
Luxury and the Vices of Man, under the Regulations and Restrictions
laid down in the _Fable of the Bees_, are subservient to, and even
inseparable from the Earthly Felicity of the Civil Society; I mean what
is commonly call'd Temporal Happiness, and esteem'd to be such.
As to those who, without reading the Book, may be corrupted by the
Sight, or by the bare Sound of the Words _Private Vices, Publick
Benefits_, I confess, I don't know what Provision to make for them.
People who judge of Books from their Titles, must be often imposed
upon. There is neither Blasphemy nor Treason in the Words, and they are
far enough from Obscenity: If any Mischief is to be fear'd from them,
_Drink and be Rich_, a Title that has been bawl'd about the Streets,
must be far more dangerous. This latter is a direct Precept, a
pernicious, as well as deceitful Doctrine, comprised in a full
Sentence, wrote in the Imperative Mood. What strange Consequence would
it be of, especially among the Poor, if, relying on the Wisdom of this
Title, and taking it for wholesome Advice, People should act
accordingly, without any further Examination?
The true Reason why I made use of the Title, _Private Vices, Publick
Benefits_, I sincerely believe, was to raise Attention: As it is
generally counted to be a Paradox, I pitch'd upon it in Hopes that
those who might hear or see it, would have the Curiosity to know, what
could be said to maintain it; and perhaps sooner buy the Book, than
they would have done otherwise. This, to the best of my Knowledge, is
all the Meaning I had in it; and I think it must have been Stupidity to
have had any other.
If it be urged, that these Benefits are worldly, I own it; and Every
body may see, in whose Sense I call them so; in the Language of the
World, the Age and the Time I live: This one of my Adversaries
perceived plainly, and endeavoured to take Advantage of it against me,
by saying, that Nothing could be a real Benefit, that did not conduce
to a Man's eternal Happiness; and that it was evident, that the Things,
to which I gave that Name, did not. I agree with him, that a Man's
Salvation is the greatest Benefit he can receive or wish for; and I am
persuaded, that, speaking of Things Spiritual, the Word is very proper
in that Sense; the same may be said of the Words Profit, Gain, and, if
you please, Lucre; but I deny, that without any Addition, this is the
common Acceptation of them; in which, I hope, I may have the Liberty to
make use of Words with the Rest of my Fellow-Subjects. All temporal
Privileges and worldly Advantages whatever, are call'd Benefits, and a
Thousand Things are beneficial to the Body, that have Nothing to do
with the Soul. So a Felon may have the Benefit of the Clergy; such are
Benefit-Tickets; and so a Man may go in the Country for the Benefit of
the Air. I would ask this wise Gentleman, when he reads, that a Play is
to be acted for the Benefit of such a one; which he thinks it is, the
Money the Person receives, or the Performance it self, that contributes
most to his eternal Happiness.
But I am more cautious and exact, than my Enemies imagine: If I would
have made my Readers to understand, that the Vices of Men often prove
of worldly Advantage to those who commit them, tho' it is very true,
yet in this Case, I would not have used the Word Benefit in so general
a Manner: for as Nothing is of greater Concern to every individual
Person, than his future Welfare, Nothing can be Beneficial to him, in
an unlimited Sense, that might destroy, or any Ways interfere with his
eternal Happiness: But this eternal Happiness cannot at the soonest
commence till after this Life; and when a Man is dead, he ceases to be
a Member of the Society, and he is no longer a Part of the Publick;
which latter is a collective Body of living Creatures, living upon this
Earth, and consequently, as such, not capable of enjoying eternal
Happiness. A Miser may go directly to Hell, as the Reward of his
Avarice and Extortion, at the same Time, that the great Wealth he
leaves, and the Hospital he builds, are a considerable Relief to the
Poor, and consequently a Publick Benefit.
If a Man should affirm, that the Publick is wholly incapable of having
any Religion at all, it would, perhaps, be shocking to some People; yet
it is as true, as that the Body Politick, which is but another Name for
the Publick, has no Liver nor Kidneys, no real Lungs nor Eyes in a
literal Sense. Mix'd Multitudes of Good and Bad Men, high and low
Quality, may join in outward Signs of Devotion, and perform together
what is call'd Publick Worship; but Religion it self can have no Place
but in the Heart of Individuals; and the most a Legislator can act in
Behalf of it in a Christian Country, is, first, to establish it by Law;
and, after that, every way to secure and promote the Exercise of it on
the one Hand; and, on the other, to prohibit and punish Wickedness, and
all Manner of Impiety, that can fall under the Cognizance of
Magistrates. But thus much I think to be necessary in the Civil
Administration of all Governments, for the temporal Interest of the
Whole, before true Christianity comes in Question, which is a private
Concern of every Individual: And tho' I have not every where taken
Notice of this, when I have been soothing the Voluptuous, yet when it
has come directly in my Way, I have earnestly recommended to all
Magistrates the Care of Divine Worship, even when my greatest Regard
has been for the Wealth and Greatness of Nations, and the Advancement
of worldly Glory; which good Christians ought to have little to do
with. Of which you may see an undeniable Proof in Page 352, where
speaking of the Instructions the Children of the Poor might receive at
Church; _From which,_ I say, _or some other Place of Worship, I would
not have the meanest of the Parish, that is able to walk to it, be
absent on Sundays,_ I have these Words: _It is the Sabbath, the most
useful Day in Seven, that is set apart for Divine Service & Religious
Exercise, as well as Resting from bodily Labour; and it is a Duty
incumbent on all Magistrates, to take a particular Care of that Day.
The Poor more especially, and their Children, should be made to go to
Church on it, both in the Fore- and the Afternoon, because they have no
Time on any other. By Precept and Example they ought to be encourag'd
to it from their Infancy. The wilful Neglect of it ought to be 'counted
scandalous; and if down-right Compulsion to what I urge, might seem too
harsh, and perhaps impracticable, all Diversions, at least, ought
strictly to be prohibited, and the Poor hinder'd from every Amusement
abroad, that might allure or draw them from it._
I return to my Subject. How shocking to Some, and ridiculous to others,
the explanatory Part of the Title I mention'd, may have been, yet it is
irrefragrably true; and there are various Ways, by which Private Vices
may become Publick Benefits, Ways more real and practicable, than what,
some Time ago, was offer'd by that serious Divine, whose Religion and
Piety are so amply set forth in that undisguised Confession of his
Faith, _The Tale of a Tub_. People may wrangle about the Definition of
Luxury as long as they please; but when Men may be furnish'd with all
the Necessaries for Life from their own Growth, and yet will send for
Superfluities from Foreign Countries, which they might (as many
actually do) live comfortably without, it certainly is a Degree of
Luxury, if there be such a Thing as Luxury in the World. Now, if a
Legislator, who is to take Care of the Welfare, and consequently the
Defence, as well as the Tranquility of the Publick, perceiving this
vicious Inclination and Longing after Superfluities, made use of it as
a Means to provide for the Publick Safety, and actually raised Money by
Licensing the Importation of such Foreign Superfluities; might it not
be said, that, by such skilful Management, _Private Vices_ were turn'd
into _Publick Benefits_? And is this not done, when heavy Duties are
laid on Sugar, Wine, Silk, Tobacco, and a Hundred other Things less
necessary, and not to be purchas'd but with infinite Toil and Trouble,
and at the Hazard of Men's Lives? If you tell me, that Men may make use
of all these Things with Moderation, and consequently that the Desire
after them is no Vice, then I answer, that either no Degree of Luxury
ought to be call'd a Vice, or, that it is impossible to give a
Definition of Luxury, which Every body will allow to be a just one.
But I'll give you another Instance, how palpable and gross Vices may
be, and are turn'd into Publick Benefits. It is the Business of all
Law-givers to watch over the Publick Welfare, and, in order to procure
that, to submit to any Inconveniency, any Evil, to prevent a much
greater, if it is impossible to avoid that greater Evil at a cheaper
Rate. Thus the Law, taking into Consideration the daily Encrease of
Rogues and Villains, has enacted, that if a Felon, before he is
convicted himself, will impeach two or more of his Accomplices, or any
other Malefactors, so that they are convicted of a Capital Crime, he
shall be pardon'd and dismiss'd with a Reward in Money. There is no
Doubt but this is a good and wise Law; for without such an Expedient,
the Country would swarm with Robbers and Highwaymen Ten-times more than
it does; for by this Means we are not only deliver'd from a greater
Number of Villains, than we could expect to be from any other; but it
likewise stops the Growth of them, breaks their Gangs, and hinders them
from trusting One another. For Three Rogues, acting separately, cannot
do so much substantial Mischief on all Occasions, as when they act in
Company. All this while it is evident, that in this Case the Law has
only Regard to the Publick Good, and, to procure that, sets aside all
other Laws, and proceeds rather contrary to the Common Notions we have
of Justice; which, according to the _Civilians_, consists _in a
constant and perpetual Desire of giving every one his Due_: For instead
of Hanging, which is a Felon's Due, it pardons him; and for Fear he
should have some Goodness left, and that natural Compassion might make
him unwilling to destroy his dearest Friends, and perhaps his Brother,
with his Breath, the Law invites him to it by a large Sum of Money, and
actually bribes him to add to the Rest of his Crimes that Piece of
Treachery to his Companions, whom he had sworn Fidelity to, and perhaps
drawn into the Villany.
It is in vain to tell me, that this Impeaching of his Companions is no
Crime in a Felon, but a Duty which he owes his Country; and that I
don't know but it is the Effect of his sincere Repentance, which makes
him look upon this open Confession as the only Attonement he is able to
make the Publick for all his Offences against it. Those who would
impeach Others from a Motive of Conscience, and a Sense of their Duty,
were not the Men the Legislature had in View. When that Law was made,
it was well known, from what was observed of Thieves, Pickpockets, and
House-breakers, that those Common Villains will do any Thing to get
Money, and still more to save Life, when they are conscious that it is
forfeited. The Knowledge of this was the Foundation of that Law. For
the Worst of Rogues have Friendship and Affection for one another; and
Constancy, Faithfulness, and Intrepidity are 'counted valuable
Qualities among them, as well as among other People. One Villain who
betrays another merely for Money, and without Necessity, thinks himself
to be guilty of a bad Action; and among the many Hundreds of Rogues,
who have impeach'd and hang'd their Companions, I don't believe there
ever was one, who made himself a Witness against an Associate, with
whom he was not at Enmity before, if he could have got the same
Temporal Advantage by holding his Tongue.