A Treatise of Taxes and Contributions: Shewing the nature and measures of crown-lands, assessements, customs, poll-moneys, lotteries, benevolence, penalties, monopolies, offices, tythes, raising of coins, harth-money, excize, &c.; with several intersperst discourses and digressions concerning warres, the church, universities, rents & purchases, usury & exchange, banks & lombards, registries for conveyances, beggars, ensurance, exportation of money [&] wool, free-ports, coins, housing, liberty ofPetty, William, Sir
History
A Treatise of Taxes and Contributions: Shewing the nature and measures of crown-lands, assessements, customs, poll-moneys, lotteries, benevolence, penalties, monopolies, offices, tythes, raising of coins, harth-money, excize, &c.; with several intersperst discourses and digressions concerning warres, the church, universities, rents & purchases, usury & exchange, banks & lombards, registries for conveyances, beggars, ensurance, exportation of money [&] wool, free-ports, coins, housing, liberty of
Petty, William, Sir
Finance -- Great Britain -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1660-1688; Taxation -- Great Britain -- Early works to 1800
5. There be Offices which are but πἀρεργα, as Sheriffs, Justices
of the Peace, Constables, Churchwardens, &c. which men may attend
without much prejudice to their ordinary wayes of livelihood, and
for which the honour of being trusted, and the pleasure of being
feared, hath been thought a competent Reward.
6. Unto this head, the Charge of the administring Justice may
be referred, as well between man and man, as between the whole
State or Commonalty and particular members of it; as well that of
righting and punishing past injuries and crimes, as of preventing
the same in time to come.
7. A third branch of the Publick Charge is, that of the _Pastorage
of mens Souls_, and the guidance of their Consciences; which,
one would think (because it respects another world, and but the
particular interest of each man there) should not be a publick
Charge in this: Nevertheless if we consider how easie it is to
elude the Laws of man, to commit unprovable crimes, to corrupt and
divert Testimonies, to wrest the sense and meaning of the Laws,
&c. there follows a necessity of contributing towards a publick
Charge, wherewith to have men instructed in the Laws of God, that
take notice of evil thoughts and designs, and much more of secret
deeds, and that punisheth eternally in another world, what man can
but slightly chastise in this.
8. Now those who labour in this publick Service, must also be
maintained in a proportionable splendour; and must withall have the
means to allure men with some kinde of reward, even in this life;
forasmuch, as many heretofore followed even Christ himself but for
the Loaves he gave them.
9. Another Branch is, the Charge of Schools and Universities,
especially for so much as they teach above _Reading, Writing,
and Arithmetick_; these being of particular use to every man, as
being helps and substitutes of Memory and Reason, Reckoning being
of the latter, as Writing and Reading are of the former, for
whether Divinity, &c. ought to be made a private Trade, is to me
a question.
10. ’Tis true, that Schools and Colledges are now for the most part
but the Donations of particular men, or places where particular
men spend their money and time upon their own private accounts;
but no doubt it were not amiss, if the end of them were to furnish
all imaginable helps unto the highest and fined Natural Wits,
towards the discovery of Nature in all its operations; in which
sense they ought to be a publick Charge: The which Wits should not
be selected for that work, according to the fond conceits of their
own Parents and Friends, (Crows that think their own Birds ever
fairest) but rather by the approbation of others more impartial;
such as they are, who pick from out of the Christians Children the
ablest Instruments and Support of the Turkish Government. Of which
Selections more hereafter.
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