computation be 25 of 600, or a twenty-fourth part of the people, yet
that in natural possibility they may be near thrice as many, and
near 75. For that by some late observations, the teeming females
between 15 and 44 are about 180 of the said 600, and the males of
between 18 and 59 are about 180 also, and that every teeming woman
can bear a child once in two years; from all which it is plain that
the births may be 90 (and abating 15 for sickness, young abortions,
and natural barrenness), there may remain 75 births, which is an
eighth of the people, which by some observations we have found to be
but a two-and-thirtieth part, or but a quarter of what is thus shown
to be naturally possible. Now, according to this reckoning, if the
births may be 75 of 600, and the burials but 15, then the annual
increase of the people will be 60; and so the said 600 people may
double in ten years, which differs yet more from 1,200 above-
mentioned. Now, to get out of this difficulty, and to temper those
vast disagreements, I took the medium of 50 and 30 dying per annum,
and pitched upon 40; and I also took the medium between 24 births
and 23 burials, and 5 births for 4 burials, viz., allowing about 10
births for 9 burials; upon which supposition there must die 15 per
annum out of the above-mentioned 600, and the births must be 16 and
two-thirds, and the increase one and two-thirds, or five-thirds of a
man, which number, compared with 1,800 thirds, or 600 men, gives 360
years for the time of doubling (including some allowance for wars,
plagues, and famines, the effects thereof), though they be terrible
at the times and places where they happen, yet in a period of 360
years is no great matter in the whole nation. For the plagues of
England in twenty years have carried away scarce an eightieth part
of the people of the whole nation; and the late ten years' civil
wars (the like whereof hath not been in several ages before) did
not take away above a fortieth part of the whole people.