I. I. I aik, firfl:, Why are thou- fands of people ftarving, perifhing for Want, in every part of the Na- tion ? The Fad I know : I have feen it with my eyes, in every cor- ner of the Land. I have known thofe who could only afford to eat a little coarfe Food once every o- ther Dayv I have known one in Londorty (and one that a few Years before had all the Conveniencies of Life) picking up from a Dunghill Jiinkmg Sprats, and carrying them home for herfelf and her Children* I 14 ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK ( 5 ) I have known another gathering the Bones which the Dogs had left in the Streets, and making Broth of them, to prolong a wretched Life ! I have heard a third artlefly declare, " In- deed I was very faint, aild fo weak I could hardly walk, 'till my Dog, finding nothing at home, went out, and brought in a good fort of Bone % which / took out of his Mouth, and made a pure Dinner I " Such is the cafe at this Day of multitudes of People, in a Land flowing, as it were, with Milk and Honey ! A- boundlng with all the Neceflaries, the Conveniencies, the Superfluities of Life ! Now why is this ? Why have all thefe nothing to eat ? Becauie they have nothing to do. The plain reafon, why they have no Meat, is becaufe they have no Work. a. But why have they no Work ? B 2 Why ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK 15 { 6 ) Why are {o many thoufand People, in London, in Brijlol, in Norwich, in every Coiinty, from one End of England to the other, utterly delli- tute of Employment? Becaufe the Perfons that ufed to employ them cannot afford to do it any longer. Many that employed fifty Men, now fcarce employ ten : Thofe that employed twenty, now employ one, or none at all. They cannot, as they have no Vent for their Goods : Food being fo dear, that the generality of People are hard- ly able to buy any Thing elfe. 3. But why is Food fo dear ? To come to particulars: Why does Bread-corn bear fo high a Price? To fet afide partial Caufes, (which indeed, all put together, are little more than the Fly upon the Chariot- Wheel) the grand Caufe is, Becaufe fuch immenfe Quantities of Corn are continually i6 ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK ( 7 ) continually confumed by DtJlllUng. Indeed an eminent Diftiller, near London, hearing this, warmly replied, *' Nay, my Partner and I general- ly diftil but a thoufand garters a- Week. ** Perhaps fo. And fuppofe five and twenty Diftillers in and near the Town, confume each only the fame ^antityi Here are five and twenty thoufand Quarters a Week, that is above twelve hundred and fif- ty thoufand a Year, confumed in and about London ! Add the Diftillers throughout England, and have we not reafbn to believe, that (not a thirtieth, or a twentieth Part only, but) little lefs than half the Wheat produced in the Kingdom, is every Year confumed, not by fo harmlefs a way as throwing it into the Sea, but by converting it into deadly Poi- fon : Poifon that naturally deftroys not only the Strength and Life, but alfo the Morals of our Countrymen ? It ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK 17 ( 8 )

AI-modernized reading of the original text

I. Ask, first: Why are thousands of people starving, perishing for Want, in every part of the Nation ? The Fad I know : I have feen it with my eyes, in every corner of the Land. I have known those who could only afford to eat a little coarse Food once every other Day. I have known one in London (and one that a few Years before had all the Conveniencies of Life) picking up from a Dunghill stinking Sprats, and carrying them home for herself and her Children. ( 5 ) I have known another gathering the Bones which the Dogs had left in the Streets, and making Broth of them, to prolong a wretched Life ! I have heard a third artlessly declare, " Indeed I was very faint, and so weak I could hardly walk, 'till my Dog, finding nothing at home, went out, and brought in a good sort of Bone which I took out of his Mouth, and made a pure Dinner!" Such is the cafe at this Day of multitudes of People, in a Land flowing, as it were, with Milk and Honey! Abounding with all the Necessaries, the Conveniencies, the Superfluities of Life ! Now why is this ? Why have all thefe nothing to eat ? Becauie they have nothing to do. The plain reason, why they have no Meat, is becaufe they have no Work. a. But why have they no Work? Why { 6 ) Why are so many thousand People, in London, in Bristol, in Norwich, in every County, from one End of England to the other, utterly destitute of Employment? Becaufe the Persons that used to employ them cannot afford to do it any longer. Many that employed fifty Men, now scarce employ ten : Thofe that employed twenty, now employ one, or none at all. They cannot, as they have no Vent for their Goods : Food being fo dear, that the generality of People are hardly able to buy any Thing else. 3. But why is Food fo dear ? To come to particulars: Why does Bread-corn bear so high a Price? To fet afide partial Caufes, (which indeed, all put together, are little more than the Fly upon the Chariot- Wheel) the grand Caufe is, Becaufe fuch immense Quantities of Corn are continually ( 7 ) continually consumed by Distilling. Indeed an eminent Distiller, near London, hearing this, warmly replied, *' Nay, my Partner and I generally distil but a thousand quarters a-Week. ** Perhaps fo. And fuppofe five and twenty Diftillers in and near the Town, confume each only the fame Quantity! Here are five and twenty thousand Quarters a Week, that is above twelve hundred and fifty thoufand a Year, confumed in and about London ! Add the Distillers throughout England, and have we not reason to believe, that (not a thirtieth, or a twentieth Part only, but) little lefs than half the Wheat produced in the Kingdom, is every Year confumed, not by fo harmlefs a way as throwing it into the Sea, but by converting it into deadly Poison: Poison that naturally destroys not only the Strength and Life, but alfo the Morals of our Countrymen? It ( 8 )

The Abingdon war-food book