will not agree to break the agrarian, for that were to agree to
rob one another; nor to bring in a king, because they must
maintain him, and can have no benefit by him; nor to exclude the
people, because they can have as little by that, and must spoil
their militia. So the commonwealth continuing upon the balance
proposed, though it should come into 5,000 hands, can never
alter, and that it should ever come into 5,000 hands is as
improbable as anything in the world that is not altogether
impossible.

"My lord's other considerations are more private, as that,
this order destroys families; which is as if one should lay the
ruin of some ancient castle to the herbs which usually grow out
of them, the destruction of those families being that indeed
which naturally produced this order. For we do not now argue for
that which we would have, but for that which we are already
possessed of, as would appear if a note were but taken of all
such as have at this day above œ2,000 a year in Oceana. If my
lord should grant (and I will put it with the most) that they who
are proprietors in land, exceeding this proportion, exceed not
300, with what brow can the interest of so few be balanced with
that of the whole nation? or rather, what interest have they to
put in such a balance? they would live as they had been
accustomed to do; who hinders them? they would enjoy their
estates; who touches them? they would dispose of what they have
according to the interest of their families; it is that which we
desire. A man has one son, let him be called; would he enjoy his
father's estate? it is his, his son's, and his son's son's after
him. A man has five sons, let them be called; would they enjoy
their father's estate? It is divided among them; for we have four