injured by this man's incroachment, though the race of men have now
spread themselves to all the corners of the world, and do infinitely
exceed the small number was at the beginning. Nay, the extent of ground
is of so little value, without labour, that I have heard it affirmed,
that in Spain itself a man may be permitted to plough, sow and reap,
without being disturbed, upon land he has no other title to, but only his
making use of it. But, on the contrary, the inhabitants think themselves
beholden to him, who, by his industry on neglected, and consequently
waste land, has increased the stock of corn, which they wanted. But be
this as it will, which I lay no stress on; this I dare boldly affirm,
that the same rule of propriety, (viz.) that every man should have as
much as he could make use of, would hold still in the world, without
straitening any body; since there is land enough in the world to suffice
double the inhabitants, had not the invention of money, and the tacit
agreement of men to put a value on it, introduced (by consent) larger
possessions, and a right to them; which, how it has done, I shall by and
by shew more at large.
Sec. 37. This is certain, that in the beginning, before the desire of
having more than man needed had altered the intrinsic value of things,
which depends only on their usefulness to the life of man; or had agreed,
that a little piece of yellow metal, which would keep without wasting or
decay, should be worth a great piece of flesh, or a whole heap of corn;
though men had a right to appropriate, by their labour, each one of
himself, as much of the things of nature, as he could use: yet this could
not be much, nor to the prejudice of others, where the same plenty was
still left to those who would use the same industry. To which let me
add, that he who appropriates land to himself by his labour, does not
lessen, but increase the common stock of mankind: for the provisions
serving to the support of human life, produced by one acre of inclosed
and cultivated land, are (to speak much within compass) ten times more