is now generally engroffed by one great Farmer. One farms an Eftate of a thoufand a Year, which for- merly maintained ten or twenty. — Every one of thefe little Farmers kept a few Swine, with fome Quan- tity of Poultry : And having little Money : was glad to fend his Ba- con, or Pork, or Fowls and Eggs to Market continually. Hence the Markets were plentifully ferved: And Plenty created Cheapnefs. But at prefent, the great, the Gentlemen- Farmers, are above attending to thefe little Things. They breed no Poultry ot Swine ; unlefs for their own Ufe: conlequently they fend none to Market. Hence it is not flrange, if two or three of thefe, living near a Market Town, occaflon fuch a Scarcity of thefe tilings, by preventing the former Supply, that the Price of them is double or treble to what it was before. Hence (to inflance 22 ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK ( «3) inftance iii a fmall Article) in the fame Town, wherein within my me- mory. Eggs were fold fix or eight a penny, they are now fold fix or eight a gToat. Another Caufo, (the moft terrible one of all, and the moft deftru£live both of perfonal and focial Happi- nefs) why not only Beef, Mutton, and Pork, btit all kinds of Viduals are fo dear, is Luxury, What can ftand againft this? Will it not wafte and deftroy all that Nature find Art can produce ? If a Perfon of Quality will boil down three dozen of Neat's Tongues, to make two or three Quarts of Soup, (and fo proportionably in other things) what wonder that Provifions fail r — Only look into the Kitchins of the Great, the Nobility and Gentry, al- moft without exception, (confider- ing withal, that " the Toe of the C Peafant ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK 23 ( 14) Peafant treads upon the Heel of the Courtier : ") And when you have ob- ferved the amazing Wafte which is made there, you will no longer won- der at the Scarcity, and confequently Dearnefs, of the Things which they ufe fo much Art to deftroy. 7. But Why is Land fo dear? Becaufe on all thefe Accounts, Gentlemen cannot live as they have been accuftomed to do, without in- creafing their Income; which moft of them cannot do, but by ralfing their Rents. And then the Farmer paying an higher Rent for the Land, muft have an higher Price for the Produce of it. This again tends to r^fe the Price of Land : And fo the Wheel runs round. 8. But Why is it, that not Qnly Provifions and Land, but well nigh every Thing elfe is fo dear ? Becaufe 24 ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK ('5) Becaufe of the enormous ftaxes^ which are laid on almoft every Thing that can be named. Not only abun- dant Taxes are raifed, from Earth, ahd Fire, and Water : But in Efig- landy the ingerriouS Statefmen have found a way, to lay a Tax upon the very L'ght ! Yet one Ekment re- mains : And furely fome Man of Honour will find a way to tax this alfo. For how long fhall the fancy Air, ftrike a Gentleman on the Face, nay a Lord, without paying for it ? 9. But \Vhy are the 'Taxes fo high ? Becaufe of the 'National Debt. — They muft be fo, while this conti- nues. I have heard, that the na- tional Expence, feventy Years ago, was in time of Peace, three Millions a Year. And now the bare Intcreft of the public Debt, amounts yearly C 2 to ABINGDON WAR-FOOD BOOK 25 ( 16 ) above four Millions ! To ralfe which, with the other ftated Expences of Government, thofe Taxes are abfo- lutely neceflary.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

is now generally engroffed by one great Farmer. One farms an Eftate of a thoufand a Year, which formerly maintained ten or twenty. — Every one of thefe little Farmers kept a few Swine, with fome Quantity of Poultry : And having little Money : was glad to fend his Bacon, or Pork, or Fowls and Eggs to Market continually. Hence the Markets were plentifully ferved: And Plenty created Cheapnefs. But at prefent, the great, the Gentlemen- Farmers, are above attending to thefe little Things. They breed no Poultry ot Swine ; unlefs for their own Ufe: conlequently they fend none to Market. Hence it is not flrange, if two or three of thefe, living near a Market Town, occaflon fuch a Scarcity of thefe tilings, by preventing the former Supply, that the Price of them is double or treble to what it was before. Hence (to inflance ( «3) inftance iii a fmall Article) in the fame Town, wherein within my memory. Eggs were fold fix or eight a penny, they are now fold fix or eight a groat. Another Caufo, (the moft terrible one of all, and the moft destructive both of perfonal and focial Happinefs) why not only Beef, Mutton, and Pork, btit all kinds of Viduals are fo dear, is Luxury, What can ftand againft this? Will it not wafte and deftroy all that Nature find Art can produce ? If a Perfon of Quality will boil down three dozen of Neat's Tongues, to make two or three Quarts of Soup, (and fo proportionably in other things) what wonder that Provifions fail r — Only look into the Kitchins of the Great, the Nobility and Gentry, almoft without exception, (confidering withal, that " the Toe of the C Peafant ( 14) Peafant treads upon the Heel of the Courtier : ") And when you have obferved the amazing Wafte which is made there, you will no longer wonder at the Scarcity, and confequently Dearnefs, of the Things which they ufe fo much Art to deftroy. 7. But Why is Land fo dear? Becaufe on all thefe Accounts, Gentlemen cannot live as they have been accuftomed to do, without increafing their Income; which moft of them cannot do, but by ralfing their Rents. And then the Farmer paying an higher Rent for the Land, muft have an higher Price for the Produce of it. This again tends to r^fe the Price of Land : And fo the Wheel runs round. 8. But Why is it, that not Qnly Provifions and Land, but well nigh every Thing elfe is fo dear ? Becaufe ('5) Becaufe of the enormous Taxes, which are laid on almoft every Thing that can be named. Not only abundant Taxes are raifed, from Earth, and Fire, and Water : But in Efiglandy the ingerriouS Statefmen have found a way, to lay a Tax upon the very L'ght ! Yet one Element remains : And furely fome Man of Honour will find a way to tax this alfo. For how long fhall the fancy Air, ftrike a Gentleman on the Face, nay a Lord, without paying for it ? 9. But \Vhy are the 'Taxes fo high ? Becaufe of the 'National Debt. — They muft be fo, while this continues. I have heard, that the national Expence, feventy Years ago, was in time of Peace, three Millions a Year. And now the bare Interest of the public Debt, amounts yearly C 2 to ( 16 ) above four Millions ! To ralfe which, with the other ftated Expences of Government, thofe Taxes are abfolutely neceflary.

The Abingdon war-food book