Political Discourses (Paperback)

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1752. Excerpt: ... DISCOURSE vm. ] Of Public Credit. IT appears to have been the common practice of antiquity, to make provision, in time of peace, for the necessities of war, and to hoard up treasures, before hand, as the instruments either of conquest or desence; without trusting to extraordinary imposts, much less to borrowing, in times of disorder and consusion. Besides the immense sums above. mention'd, (tf) which were amass'd by Athens, and by the Ptolemies, and other successors of Alexander; we learn from Plato, (b) that the frugal Lacedemonians had also collected a great treasure; and Arrian(c) and Plntarch(d) specify the riches, which Alexander got possession of on the conquest of Susa and Ecbat-ma, and which were reserv'd, some of them, from the time of Cyrus. If I remember right, the scripture also mentions the treasure of Hezekiah and the "Jewijh princes, as profane history does that of Philip and Perseus kings of Macedon. The antient republics in Gaul had commonly L 2 large (a) Discourse V. (b) Alcib. 1. (c) Lib. 3. (d) Plat, in vita Alex. He makes these treasures amount to 80,000 talents, or about 15 millions 5 terling. Quintus Curtiu% (lib. 5. eaf. 2.) fays that Alexander found in Susa above 50,00a talents. large sums in reserve.(a) Every one knows the treasure seiz'd in Rarr.e by Julius C sar, during the civil wars; and we find asterwards, that the wiser emperors, Augustus, Tiberius, Vespasian, Severus DEGREES (jfc. always discover'd the prudent foresight, of faving great sums against any public exigency. On the contrary, our modern expedient, which has become very general, is to mortgage the public revenues, and to trust, that posterity, during peace, will pay off the incumbrances, contracted during the preceeding war: And they, having, before their eyes, so good an example of the...