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<DATE>2010-07-07</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Did text and markup review.</ITEM>
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<BIBNO T="umi">99862578</BIBNO>
<VID>166754</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>CONSIDERATIONS Concerning COMMON FIELDS, AND INCLOSVRES, <HI>DIALOG&V;EWISE,</HI> Dige&s;ted into a deliberative Di&s;cour&s;e be|tween two &s;uppo&s;ed Friends, <HI>Philopeu&s;tus</HI> and <HI>Parrhe&s;ia&s;tes.</HI> AND TENDING Partly to &s;tate and determine the que&s;tion of law|fulne&s;&s;e or unlawfulne&s;&s;e between Inclo&s;ures, and Common Fields, Partly to an&s;wer &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages, which may be thought to make again&s;t Inclo&s;ure in general, in another di&s;cour&s;e lately publi&s;hed by M^r JOHN MOORE, under this Title, <HI>The crying &s;inne of</HI> England, <HI>of not caring for the poor.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Mat. 7.3, 4.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Why beholde&s;t thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye, but con&s;idere&s;t not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou &s;ay to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold, a beame is in thine own eye?</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Abel Roper,</HI> and are to be &s;ould at the &s;igne of the Sun, over again&s;t <HI>St</HI> Dun&s;tans Church in Fleet-&s;treet. 1654.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="author to friend">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>PSEUDOMISUS <HI>to</HI> PHILORTHUS; <HI>OR,</HI> The Author to his Friend.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_IF you chance to &s;ee in print (as perad|venture you may doe) a little di&s;cour&s;e under this Title, <HI>Con&s;iderations concerning Common Fields &amp; Inclo&s;ures,</HI> and conceive (as I &s;uppo&s;e you will doe) that it was penned by me, I &s;hall owe you an account of one thing, and entreat another of you, both which I thinke it not ami&s;&s;e to acquaint you with now. That which I &s;hall owe you an account of, is, the concealing of my name; and, to deal clearly with you, I doe it, partly becau&s;e I am not willing yet to relinqui&s;h an old re&s;olution, which I put on long ago, never to permit my name to be printed with
<PB REF="3">any work of my own; partly becau&s;e I now con|ceive it &s;omwhat nece&s;&s;ary to do &s;o, to the end that neither the Author, nor the Book may &s;peed the wor&s;e for one another. I know what briers and thorns are with me, &amp; amongst what Scorpions I dwel, who&s;e words though I may not be afraid of, nor di&s;mayed at their looks, which God forbad his Prophet, <HI>Ezek. 2.6.</HI> Yet I mu&s;t not forget, that our Saviour him&s;elf, <HI>Mat. 10.16.28.</HI> at the &s;ame time when he &s;aid unto his Di&s;ciples, Feare not them which kil the body, &s;aid likewi&s;e, be ye wi&s;e as &s;erpents; who&s;e waies upon rocks, as <HI>Agur</HI> ob&s;erves, <HI>Pro. 30.18, &amp;c.</HI> were amongst tho&s;e things, which he knew not. And for him, that would endure hardne&s;&s;e, as a good &s;ouldier of Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, a Brea&s;t-plate of Innocence, and a Shield of Patience, will not alwaies be defen&s;ive armour enough, without an Head-piece of pru|dent circum&s;pection; which &s;ometimes is &s;een in a purpo&s;ely concealed &s;ecre&s;ie, as well as in any thing el&s;e; e&s;pecially then, when it may bee a que|&s;tion,
<PB REF="3">whether of the two is mo&s;t commendable, to bee eminently virtuous, or ob&s;curely innocent. Having thus given you an account of the rea|&s;ons, why I conceal my name my &s;elf, that which I &s;hall intreat of you is, that you will doe the like for me; and though you may imagine who I am, yet I pray you lock up that thought within your own brea&s;t, and doe not lend the key to any one, except it be unto my &s;elf. So you &s;hall fur|ther oblige me to be &s;till, as I am,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Intirely yours.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>The Publi&s;her to all ingenious, and judicious, unprejudicate, and impartial Readers, wi&s;heth out|ward pro&s;perity in all things, together with the in|ward peace of a good Con&s;cience.</HEAD>
<P>GEntlemen, to you, as the onely competent judges in matters of controver&s;ie, I make my addre&s;&s;e, de&s;ir|ing you, before you pa&s;&s;e any cen&s;ure at all upon it, thorowly to examine this en&s;uing di&s;cour&s;e, which briefly and plainly, in a moderate way, di&s;covering the difference of Common fields and Inclo&s;ures, the evil of the one, and advantage of the other, may &s;erve as an Antidote again&s;t that mi&s;under&s;tanding, which may be rai&s;ed in the minds of &s;ome men, by tho&s;e &s;ugge&s;tions which are offered unto them, in another di&s;cour&s;e, lately publi&s;hed under this Title, <HI>The crying &s;in of</HI> England <HI>of not caring for the poor,</HI> and dedicated to the &s;upreme Authority of this Nation, The Parliament of the Commonwealth of <HI>England,</HI> by <HI>John Moor,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Church of <HI>Knapto&s;t</HI> in <HI>Leice&s;ter&s;hire.</HI> I confe&s;&s;e this di&s;cour&s;e was not written by my &s;elf, but it came to mee with this intimation, that the Author would not be offended to &s;ee it in print, either without any name at all, or with any name, except his own: His opinion being, that it is a &s;ymptome of too much di&s;temper in the minds of men, when truths are not well dige&s;ted, or ta&s;ted, without &s;auces of names; and his re&s;olution to rejoice in private, when he &s;eeth any good cau&s;e get the victory, al|though he him&s;elf be no publick partaker in the triumph. And now to follow his example therein, I am content to tender his di&s;cour&s;e to all men, to whom it may be benefi|cial, whether they will give me thanks for it, or no.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>The Contents.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>THe Authors Epi&s;tle to his Friend.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Publi&s;hers Epi&s;tle to the Reader.</ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 1.</LABEL> An Introduction to the en&s;uing di&s;cour&s;e, applying that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid of tho&s;e that care not for the poor, to them, that by hindering Inclo&s;ure prevent the reformation of tho&s;e abu&s;es in Common fields, which are meanes to make, and keepe men poore. <HI>page 1.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 2.</LABEL> Six con&s;iderations of important concernment in this ca&s;e. <HI>page 3.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 3.</LABEL> Injurious dealing of neighbours with one another in Common fields an ordinary means of making and keeping men poor. <HI>page 4.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 4.</LABEL> Inclo&s;ures rightly ordered the means to redre&s;&s;e the abu&s;e of injurious dealing in common fields, without depopulation, <HI>pag. 8.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 5.</LABEL> Decay of Tillage no proper adjunct, or nece&s;&s;ary effect of Inclo&s;ure, but rather the contrary. <HI>page 10.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 6.</LABEL> Manuring of land in common fields by the folding of &s;heep not &s;o beneficial as is commonly conceived. <HI>page 11.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 7.</LABEL> Fewer cattle kept in grounds inclo&s;ed may yeeld greater profit then more in common fields. <HI>page 12.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 8.</LABEL> Other inconveniencies in common fields, as want of good husbandry, <HI>&amp;c. page 14.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 9.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid, page 7. concerning Make-beggars, and the woe denounced by the Prophet, <HI>I&s;aiah 5.8. page 15.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 10.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid, page <HI>8.</HI> concerning depopulation. <HI>page 17.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 11.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid, page <HI>9.</HI> concerning decay of Tillage. <HI>page 18.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 12.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid, page <HI>10.</HI>
<PB REF="5">concerning the mi&s;ery of Tenants and Cottiers by means of Inclo|&s;ure. <HI>page 21.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 13.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid page <HI>11.</HI> concerning filthy lucre as the main inducement to inclo&s;ure. <HI>pag. 24.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 14.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid page <HI>12.</HI> concerning depopulation coming by degrees. <HI>page 25.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 15.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid page <HI>13.</HI> concerning famine by means of Inclo&s;ure. <HI>page 26.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 16.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid page <HI>13, 14.</HI> concerning Law-&s;uits for not con&s;enting to Inclo&s;ure. <HI>page 27.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 17.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid page <HI>14.</HI> concerning the price of land trebled upon Inclo&s;ure. <HI>page 29.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 18.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid page <HI>19.</HI> concerning worldlings, greedy gripes, delighting to conver&s;e with bea&s;ts. <HI>page 30.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 19.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath &s;aid page <HI>22, 23.</HI> concerning a cur&s;e following Inclo&s;ure. <HI>page 32.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 20.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which &s;ometimes is objected concern|ing the Churches right unto Tythes, and wrong done to Mini&s;ters by Inclo&s;ure. <HI>page 35.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 21.</LABEL> An&s;wers to that which is &s;ometimes objected, that In|clo&s;ure is a thing of evill report. <HI>page 36.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Sect. 22.</LABEL> The conclu&s;ion of the precedent di&s;cour&s;e, with a pro|po&s;al of four que&s;tions to be an&s;wered by them that are adver&s;aries to Inclo&s;ure, and a quotation out of Mr. <HI>Fullers</HI> de&s;cription of a good Landlord. <HI>page 37.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="dialogue">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>CONSIDERATIONS concerning common <HI>FIELDS</HI> and <HI>INCLOS&V;RES,</HI> Dialoguewi&s;e dige&s;ted into a deliberative di&s;cour&s;e, between two &s;uppo&s;ed friends, PHILOPEUSTUS and PARRHESIASTES.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Section 1.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Philo.</SPEAKER>
<P>_SIR, have you &s;een a little di&s;cour&s;e lately publi&s;hed under this Title, The crying sinne of England, of not caring for the poor, and dedicated to the &s;u|pream Authority of this Nation, the Par|liament of the Commonwealth of Eng|land, by <HI>John Moore</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Church of <HI>Knapto&s;t</HI> in Liece&s;ter&s;hire?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>Yes, I have &s;een it, and not &s;een it onely, but likewi&s;e &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered of it, having purpo&s;ely peru&s;ed it divers times.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>I pray you then tell me your opinion of it. Hath the Author therein approved him&s;elfe &s;uch an unan&s;werable advocate for com|mon Fields again&s;t Inclo&s;ures, as by report it is pretended that hee hath?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>What others may doe I cannot tell: but for my part I doe not perceive, that he hath &s;poken any thing at all to that purpo&s;e
<PB N="2" REF="6">It is true, that in the pathetick part of his di&s;cour&s;e he appeareth very zealous in behalfe of the poor, and bitter enough again&s;t tho&s;e that oppre&s;&s;e them, or do not take care for them: but the rationall part of his di&s;cour&s;e, wherein he pretends that he hath &s;et forth tho&s;e oppre&s;&s;ors to the life, is not indifferently extended unto all Inclo&s;ures, but expre&s;ly limited and re&s;trained unto &s;uch as unpeo|ple towns and uncorne Fields, in the Title page: to the un&s;ocia|ble, covetous, cruel brood of tho&s;e wretches, that by their Inclo|&s;ure doe unpeople towns and uncorne Fields, page 7. And in &s;un|dry other places of his di&s;cour&s;e hee &s;peaketh re&s;ervedly of the&s;e Inclo&s;ures, and &s;uch Inclo&s;ures, but never, that I can ob&s;erve of In|clo&s;ure in general, as if he under&s;tood all to be unlawful. Nay rather he &s;eems to take it for granted, that Inclo&s;ure is not unlawfull, if it be not &s;uch as he complaineth of, which I the rather conceive to bee &s;o, becau&s;e I have heard, that M^r <HI>Moore</HI> him&s;elfe was once very ear|ne&s;t for an inclo&s;ure, if he could have had it effected according to his own de&s;ire. Yea more, my opinion of that di&s;cour&s;e is, that from the Doctrine, the pro&s;ecution whereof he propoundeth to him|&s;elfe, as much may be inferred again&s;t common Fields, as can bee again&s;t Inclo&s;ures in general, and in particular more rea&s;onably a|gain&s;t the abu&s;es of common fields then of Inclo&s;ures, by how much, it is ea&s;ier to reforme all the abu&s;es of Inclo&s;ures, without turning the ground into common again, then tho&s;e of common Feilds, without inclo&s;ing them. And to prove, not the lawfulne&s;&s;e alone, but even the nece&s;&s;ity of Inclo&s;ure, for the benefit of the Common|wealth and prevention of poverty; there, needeth, I think, no bet|ter argument, then may be gathered out of that di&s;cour&s;e. So that the adver&s;aries of Inclo&s;ure in general, I think, will give M^r <HI>Moore</HI> but little thanks for it, when they truly under&s;tand the con&s;equents thereof. Page 2. His doctrine is, That they are not ordinary &s;in|ners, but <HI>Judas</HI>-like &s;inners, that care not for the poor. It is no lit|tle &s;inne, but a wrath-provoking &s;inne, not to care for the poor: yea, God and Chri&s;t (&s;aith he) care not for tho&s;e Nations, tho&s;e places, tho&s;e per&s;ons, that care not for the poor. If to this Propo&s;ition you adde this A&s;&s;umption, but they care not for the poor (under|&s;tand it as they ought to doe) who by hindering tho&s;e Inclo&s;ures, whereby the evils and abu&s;es of common Fields may bee reformed, are means either to make or continue men poor, the conclu&s;ion will bee, therefore, they are not ordinary &s;inners, but <HI>Judas</HI>-like &s;inners, that hinder the&s;e Inclo&s;ures. It is no little &s;inne, but a
<PB N="3" REF="6">wrath-provoking &s;inne, to hinder tho&s;e inclo&s;ures: yea, God and Chri&s;t care not for tho&s;e Nations, tho&s;e places, tho&s;e per&s;ons, that hinder tho&s;e Inclo&s;ures, and thereby prevent the reformation of tho&s;e evils and abu&s;es in common Fields, which are means either to make or continue men poor.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>This me thinks is &s;omewhat &s;trange: and yet, if you can make good the A&s;&s;umption, I doe not &s;ee how the conclu&s;ion can be any way avoided.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>The A&s;&s;umption I beleive may be ea&s;ily made good, by in&s;tancing the many particular evils and abu&s;es, which abound, where the Fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, and cannot bee reformed, but by Inclo&s;ure rightly ordered as it ought to be, or no way el&s;e &s;o well.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>I pray you then do me the favour to mention &s;ome of tho&s;e particulars.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 2</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>I will, But fir&s;t I think it not ami&s;&s;e to premi&s;e &s;ome general con&s;iderations, which are of much importance in this ca&s;e.</P>
<P>One is, that &s;inne is alwaies an accur&s;ed thing: e&s;pecially then, when it is mo&s;t generally practi&s;ed, with the lea&s;t regret of con&s;ci|ence, and there, where the reformation of it is, not only not endea|voured, but purpo&s;ely oppo&s;ed, when it is &s;ought.</P>
<P>Another is, that as &s;inne is alwayes the proper cau&s;e, &s;o mo&s;t an end it is, the &s;peciall occa&s;ion, as of other mi&s;eries among&s;t men, &s;o of povertie in particular.</P>
<P>A third is, that the mo&s;t effectual means to prevent and to remove as other mi&s;eries among&s;t men, &s;o povertie in particular, is to put an end to &s;infull cour&s;es.</P>
<P>A fourth that then the be&s;t care is taken for the poor, when the mo&s;t effectuall means is u&s;ed to prevent, or to remove their po|vertie.</P>
<P>A fift, that it is a dutie incumbent upon all that are members of a Commonwealth, as they have means and opportunitie, to the be&s;t of their under&s;tandings &amp; abilities, to endeavour the advance|ment of the publique benefit, which is but the <HI>&s;umma totalis</HI> of all particular <HI>Items:</HI></P>
<P>A &s;ixt, that the greate&s;t advantage to the Common-wealth, that can be rai&s;ed out of land, is then, when it is imployed unto that u&s;e e&s;pecially, for which it is fitte&s;t, and in &s;uch manner, that the great|e&s;t proportion of profit may be rai&s;ed, with the lea&s;t expence of charge.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="section">
<PB N="4" REF="7">
<HEAD><HI>Sect.</HI> 3.</HEAD>
<SP>
<P>The&s;e things premi&s;ed, and taken for granted, which I think in rea&s;on cannot be denyed: The fir&s;t particular in&s;tance that I wil give you, of the evils and abu&s;es in Common-fields, is the injurious dealing of neighbours one with another, tre&s;pa&s;&s;ing upon, and intruding into that which is not theirs, either carele&s;ly, or wilfully. This, be&s;ides the cur&s;e which hangeth over the head of the wrong doer him&s;elf, is a great hinderance to the owner, who&s;e right is taken by another, without any recompence to him. Thus, where fields lye open, and the land is u&s;ed in Common, he that is rich, and full &s;tocked, eateth, with his cattle, not his own part onely, but likewi&s;e his neighbours, who is poor, and out of &s;tock. Be&s;ides that it is an ordinary practice with uncon&s;ciona|ble people to keep above their ju&s;t proportion, untill they thinke there wil be notice taken of it, and then to remove their cattle out of &s;ight, that they may not be ob&s;erved. And with &s;ome, not onely to encroach upon other mens lands, and upon the Common by plowing further then they ought to doe, in balks and hades, but likewi&s;e to remove meer &s;tones, to deface the marks of other mens lands, and where they finde leas not marked at all, to mark them as their own. And I beleeve it may be ob|&s;erved, that for the mo&s;t part, the greate&s;t complainers again&s;t, and op|po&s;ers of Inclo&s;ure, either in generall or upon equall and indifferent termes, are &s;uch as have been accu&s;tomed unto, or de&s;ire they may have liberty to practi&s;e &s;uch licentious cour&s;es.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>But &s;ome of this me-thinks is not &s;o much to be complained of, as you &s;eem to conceive: For the poor man, that hath not &s;tock of his own to &s;tore his Commons with, may &s;et them unto other men, and &s;o not be deprived of his right.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>It is true that &s;ometimes he may doe &s;o, but not without much di&s;advantage to him&s;elf: For the benefit which he &s;hould have, if the &s;tock were his own, accrews unto him, to whom he &s;ets his Commons; who will be &s;ure not to take them, but at &s;uch an under rate, as that hee may make advantage to him&s;elf thereby. Which if it be not <HI>damnum emergens,</HI> an encrea&s;e of lo&s;&s;e, mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be <HI>lucrum ce&s;&s;ans,</HI> an a|batement of profit to the owner. And by this meanes in Common-fields many times, not Tenants alone, but even Freeholders al&s;o are eaten out of all, and reduced to beggary. But what meanes of redre&s;&s;e can you ima|gine may be had in Common-fields, for the rich mans eating up the poor mans Commons in ca&s;e he can neither &s;tock them him&s;elf, nor &s;et them unto others?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>As much I &s;uppo&s;e, as if his land were inclo&s;ed, and that he could not have a Tenant for that part which hee could not &s;tock him&s;elf.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<PB N="5" REF="7">
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>No, therein you are deceived: For, in a ground inlo&s;ed, that gra&s;&s;e which he hath not cattle of his own to eat, if he cannot, or be not minded to &s;et it to another, he may either mow, if it be fit for hay, or el&s;e pre&s;erve for his own u&s;e again&s;t another time, when he can get &s;tock to put upon it, or if he cannot &s;o &s;oon as he would, yet the land at the lea&s;t would be improved by it again&s;t another time; whereas in a Common-field it would bee eaten bare by others, without any re|compence at all to the owner. So the two great rules of Moral righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>Suum cui&abque;,</HI> Render to all their dues, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.7. and, <HI>Quod tibi fieri non vis, alteri ne feceris,</HI> All things what&s;oever ye would that men &s;hould doe to you, doe ye even &s;o to them, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7.12. are both tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, by meanes of this one unremediable evill, which fields ly|ing open, and u&s;ed in common, are &s;ubject unto. And why &s;hould not all that Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> in his di&s;cour&s;e hath &s;aid again&s;t oppre&s;&s;ion and wrong-doing, be applyed as well to oppre&s;&s;ion and wrong-doing in com|mon fields, as in grounds that are inclo&s;ed?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>But why &s;hould you pretend a breach of tho&s;e rules of morall righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, by the rich mans eating up the poor mans Commons, when the rich man Commoneth no more, then his proportion commeth to? For although it happeneth &s;o, that the poor mans Commons not being &s;tored, the rich mans cattle doe feed upon them, yet it is not the rich mans intent, or de&s;ire that it &s;hould be &s;o.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>If that were alwaies true, and you could likewi&s;e adde, that he took no content or plea&s;ure in it, but were &s;orry for it, you &s;hould &s;ay &s;omething to free the rich man from being guilty of approving him&s;elf in doing wrong, though not to repair the poor mans lo&s;&s;e. But then, why doe not &s;uch rich men, where the fields lye open, and are u&s;ed in com|mon, &s;hew their care of the poor, by recompencing them for tho&s;e their Commons, according unto the proportion of the profit, that accrews unto them&s;elves thereby? Is not neglect of the poor in this, which is a means both to make, and to keep them poor, as crying a &s;inne in Common|fields as it is in Inclo&s;ure not to relieve them out of a mans own, wherein they can challenge no intere&s;t or right at all, but of charity? Mee|thinkes it &s;hould not be denyed by any man, that pretendeth care of the poor. But what doe you &s;ay to tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and intru&s;ions in Common fields?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>I &s;ay they are not proper unto Common-fields alone, but the like objection may bee made again&s;t Inclo&s;ures, al&s;o. Hee that hath the con&s;cience to put cattle upon Commons, either more then he hath right to doe, or where he hath no right at all, it is very like, will make little
<PB N="6" REF="8">&s;cruple to do &s;o in ground inclo&s;ed al&s;o, if he can finde a fit oppor|tunity to &s;erve his turne.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>You doe well to &s;ay &s;o, if he can finde a fit opportunitie to &s;erve his turne: for that indeed makes a very great difference be|tween common Fields and grounds inclo&s;ed, namely, that ill con|ditioned uncon&s;iderable people have not the like opportunities to &s;erve their turnes in the&s;e, as they have in tho&s;e. If the fences a|bout inclo&s;ed grounds be good, and the gates kept fa&s;t, other mens cattle cannot ea&s;ily be turned in, or if they be, may quickly bee ob|&s;erved. But all the wrong in this kind is not done with loo&s;e cat|tle alone. It is a thing too u&s;uall in common Fields for one man to tre&s;pa&s;&s;e upon another, when ground, either for gra&s;ing, or for mowing, is &s;everally lotted out: tho&s;e who have con&s;ciences large enough to do it, will lengthen their ropes, or &s;take them down &s;o, that their hor&s;es may reach into other mens lotts, and either in mowing or in making their hey, will adde unto their own by ta|king from another mans. And for the removing or altering of land marks, the abu&s;e is &s;o gro&s;&s;e, that no man I think can bee &s;o &s;hame|le&s;&s;e, as to offer any excu&s;e for it, though many be neither a&s;hamed nor affraid to practi&s;e it. Now all unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is &s;inne, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5.17. And God is the avenger of all &s;uch as goe beyond or defraud (the margin of our bibles hath it, oppre&s;&s;e, or overreach) their brethren in any matter. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 4.7. So that, if it were but for this one thing alone, inclo&s;ure rightly ordered, would be nece&s;&s;ary to deliver him that is &s;poiled out of the hand of the oppre&s;&s;or, that he may doe no wrong, <HI>Jer.</HI> 22.3. Yea to deliver them out of the hand of the Lord, who otherwi&s;e would commit a tre&s;pa&s;&s;e again&s;t him by wronging other men, <HI>Jo&s;h.</HI> 22.31.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>It is true as you &s;ay; the&s;e evils are great, and &s;uch, as for which men may be ju&s;tly puni&s;hed by God him&s;elfe, yea peradven|ture &s;ometimes are. But there may be other means of redre&s;&s;e then by Inclo&s;ure onely. The parties that are wronged may be righted by law, and tre&s;pa&s;&s;ers taught to take heed of doing wrong, by being made to pay dearly for it.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>It is true, they may be &s;o, when the wrong done, is not only taken notice of, but al&s;o may be proved again&s;t him that hath done it: and were it not for that, there were no living for hone&s;t men, where the Fields lying open are u&s;ed in common. But would it not be better that the evill it &s;elfe &s;hould be prevented, then hone&s;t men be nece&s;&s;itated, either to have recour&s;e to that remedie, or &s;uf|fer
<PB N="7" REF="8">perpetually without redre&s;&s;e? <HI>Bonum e&s;t cauterium, &s;ed quo mihi vulnus ut indigeam canterio.</HI> Phy&s;ick is good, but not to have need of it is better. Be&s;ides that, the wrong done is not the le&s;&s;e, nor will the puni&s;hment from God be the lighter, when it is done &s;o &s;ecretly and &s;ubtilly, that either it is not taken notice of at all, or cannot be proved. Are not law &s;uits, and actions of tre&s;pa&s;&s;e, par|ticularly complained of by M^r <HI>Moore,</HI> as means to make men beg|gers, and undoe them? page 13. If <HI>cau&s;a cau&s;ae, be cau&s;a cau&s;ati,</HI> if effects mu&s;t be attributed, not onely to the next immediatly prece|ding, but likewi&s;e to remote antecedent cau&s;es, then keeping Feilds in common, which gives opportunitie to tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, and con&s;e|quently occa&s;ion to law &s;uits, cannot but bee in &s;ome &s;ort guilty of that poverty, which followeth upon &s;uch &s;uits. And therefore they that will not permit the prevention of tho&s;e &s;uits, and &s;o of that poverty, by giving way unto the removall of the occa&s;ion, by In|clo&s;ure rightly ordered, &s;ure care not for the poor, &s;o as they ought to do. And yet this it not all the wrong, that u&s;ually is done in common Fields. In all, or mo&s;t townes where the Fields lie open and are u&s;ed in common, be&s;ides hou&s;es of husbandry, and ancient cottages, that have right of common, there is a new brood of up|&s;tart intruders, as inmates, and the inhabitants of unlawfull cotta|ges erected contrary unto law; who live upon the &s;poyle of other men, without making difference of any, rich or poor, whether they are able to bear it or no, they are &s;ure to &s;uffer by them. And if they be found with that, which any man may tell is not their own, becau&s;e all men may be &s;ure they &s;hould have nothing there: yet no man in particular can challenge them for it, unle&s;&s;e he take them in the very act upon his own ground, not that which he hath right unto in common with others, but that which is di&s;tinctly known to be his: and then if they be but threatned that they &s;hall be legally que&s;tioned, and puni&s;hed for it, they on the other&s;ide threaten to leave their charge, their wives and children, on the town to bee provided for. So that in mo&s;t places, the old &s;tocks are not able to maintain the new &s;prung branches, except they can draw more nouri&s;hment unto them&s;elves, by preventing tho&s;e di&s;orders, which drain it away from them. When the be&s;t living in a town is hard|ly &s;ufficient to finde maintenance and imployment for one familie, how &s;hall three or four, as &s;ometimes it hapeneth, be &s;u&s;tained upon it? And tho&s;e for the mo&s;t part not of labourers, but of loyterers, who will not u&s;ually be got to work, unle&s;&s;e they may have &s;uch
<PB N="8" REF="9">exce&s;&s;ive wages, as they them&s;elves de&s;ire, but choo&s;e rather to bee idle, if not wor&s;e imployed. Can any man in rea&s;on, and with a good con&s;cience pretend, that to &s;uffer &s;uch people to goe on in their &s;innes, without reformation, or re&s;traint is to have care of the poor? unle&s;&s;e men may be &s;aid to have care of the poor then, when they take a cour&s;e, that they may continue alwaies poor, and never be otherwi&s;e.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 4.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>But do you think that by Inclo&s;ure this may be remedied?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>Yes, very ea&s;ily. Let every man that hath right unto any land, either as a freeholder, or as a tenant, have the &s;ame propor|tion of land allotted him to occupy in &s;everal, as before he had, or &s;hould have had, in common: and then, by ray&s;ing greater profit to him&s;elfe, he &s;hall be better able, both to pay weekly contribution for the relief of the impotent poor, and to bear his part in the ray|&s;ing of a &s;tock to &s;et the able poor on work: which are the onely two cour&s;es, which the law hath provided, whereby care is to bee taken of the poor, and would bee fully &s;ufficient to that purpo&s;e, if duly put in practi&s;e, as they ought to be: and both of them may be as well put in practi&s;e, where lands are inclo&s;ed, as where they lye open, and are u&s;ed in common if not better.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>It &s;eems then, when the land belonging to a town is inclo|&s;ed, you would not have any of the inhabitants turned out, or the hou&s;es pulled downe.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>No, by no means, nor would they be at all, if con&s;cionable care were taken for the due execution of that, which the law hath &s;ufficiently provided for, namely, that hou&s;es of husbandry be not decayed, nor cottages unlawfully erected, or inmates entertained. But, where hou&s;es of habitation have been erected, or inmates en|tertained contrary unto law, as I would not have them pre&s;ently pulled down, or the inhabitants turned out, &s;o neither would I have them continued any longer, then of nece&s;&s;ity they mu&s;t bee, that is, untill they grow empty of inhabitants: unle&s;&s;e that the con|tinuance of them by entertaining other inhabitants, may be found convenient for the town in generall, as well as for the owners in particular: and then I would have &s;ome land laid unto them; at lea&s;t &s;o much, as is required by the law. For ancient cottages, which are not hou&s;es of husbandry, in the interpretation of the law, as the law hath made no provi&s;ion for them, &s;o I would have them left to the owners di&s;cretion, when they grow voyd, either by the
<PB N="9" REF="9">decea&s;e, or voluntary departure of the pre&s;ent inhabitants, to take them down, or to imploy them otherwi&s;e, or to take in new Te|nants, if they &s;ee good; So that be it not to the wrong of their neigh|bours, or to the prejudice of the other poor; who the fewer they are in any place, the better they may be there relieved, or other|wi&s;e provided for. And yet their madne&s;&s;e is &s;uch many times, that they will bitterly exclaim again&s;t tho&s;e men that will not give way to the increa&s;e of their numbers, by the bringing in of others a|mong&s;t them; or that would have all idle Beggars, Rogues, and Va|grants, that wander up and down without a calling, to be re&s;trained; to whom in mo&s;t country towns there is commonly given by the inhabitants, almo&s;t every day, as much as might &s;erve in a competent manner to relieve their own poor.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Although you may be of this mind as you pretend, yet it &s;hould &s;eem that few Inclo&s;ers heretofore have been, or yet are &s;o; as may appear by tho&s;e complaints, which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath mentioned <HI>pag.</HI> 9, 10, 11. of Tenants and Cottiers di&s;charged of their Tene|ments, and turned out of their hou&s;es.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>That &s;uch complaints are commonly made, and not without cau&s;e &s;ometimes, is very likely to be true. But I can hardly believe that all, who make &s;uch complaints, have alwayes &s;uch cau&s;e as they pretend. For it is certaine, that &s;ome have been pretended to be di&s;charged, and turned out, who voluntarily did choo&s;e to be gone, and might have tarryed, if they would. But as tho&s;e who have been bred and brought up to be wandring beggars, will not be content with good entertainment in hone&s;t mens hou&s;es, e&s;pecially if they bee con&s;tantly put to any good employment: So tho&s;e that have been u&s;ed to wrong doing, and tre&s;pa&s;&s;ing upon others in common fields, cannot endure to live where they mu&s;t be re&s;trained of that liberty, and will be &s;ure to pretend them&s;elves wronged, if they be not permitted to doe wrong to others. But in ca&s;e not one of all the complaints in that kind, which Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> hath heard, were cau&s;le&s;s, and unju&s;t; yet this is certain, there have been Inclo&s;ures made which have not unpeopled Towns, where none, either Te|nants, or Cottiers have been di&s;charged or turned out; and &s;o may bee againe, without giving ju&s;t occa&s;ion to any &s;uch complaints. Therefore to urge tho&s;e complaints as an argument again&s;t all In|clo&s;ure, to prove it unlawfull, were to inferre an univer&s;al conclu|&s;ion upon particular premi&s;es; which no good di&s;putant will doe.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="section">
<PB N="10" REF="10">
<HEAD>Sect. 5.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>This which you have &s;ayd may be &s;omething, per|haps, in re&s;pect of Depopulation, or un-peopling of townes, but what will you &s;ay to the decay of Tillage, or un-corning of fields by Inclo&s;ure?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>I &s;ay it is no nece&s;&s;ary effect of Inclo&s;ure in generall, nor any effect of Inclo&s;ure at all, if it be rightly ordered, as it &s;hould bee; but rather the contrary. More Grain may be rai&s;ed, and with le&s;&s;e charge, in grounds inclo&s;ed, then in Common fields; if that which hath been tilled out of heart, and is weary of bearing, be laid down to re&s;t, and that which is re&s;ty be broke up and tilled. Which may well bee done in grounds that are inclo&s;ed, but cannot be done in Common fields, where land mu&s;t be u&s;ed as hath been accu&s;tomed, and cannot be otherwi&s;e, without a joynt con&s;ent: which common|ly is as hard to be obtained, as agreement to Inclo&s;ure. By this means in common fields much land is continued in tillage, which for the pre&s;ent is not fit for it, but after a rea&s;onable time of re&s;t wold be: And much is continued in Gra&s;ing, which for a time were fitter to be Corned, and afterward, being layd down againe, would bear better Gra&s;&s;e then formerly it did. Thus to the great prejudice of the Commonwealth in generall, as well as of the owners in par|ticular, the land in common fields is not imployed to the u&s;e that it is fitte&s;t for, nor &s;o much Corn as might be rai&s;ed. For it is well known by experience, that a few Acres of re&s;ty ground inclo&s;ed, with one plowing only, and le&s;&s;e &s;eed, will ordinarily yeeld a grea|ter increa&s;e then more Acres, and a greater proportion of &s;eed, are wont to doe in common fields with divers plowings. Be&s;ides that, in common fields, where divers mens lands lye intermixt, and e|very mans lands di&s;per&s;ed &s;o, that many parcels in many places, and &s;ometimes far a&s;under, goe to make up one Acre, there is occa|&s;ion of great inconvenience, and charge to the owners divers waies. Many dayes workes are ca&s;t away, and much labour is lo&s;t in the plowing of the land, in the carriage of Manure, and inning of the crop, which might be &s;pared, if the land lay all together, as it doth in Inclo&s;ures. Be&s;ides the wrong that is many times done to other men by carting over, and turning, and winding upon their lands; and &s;o in the Meddows by treading down, and driving over one a|nothers Gra&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Again, where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, for the mo&s;t part in the winter time cattle of all &s;orts, both &s;mall and great, are &s;uffered at their plea&s;ures to goe over the fields, where Corn is
<PB N="11" REF="10">&s;own, and do more hurt with their feet then with their mouthes, e|&s;pecially when the weather is wet: and in the &s;ummer time, much co&s;t and &s;poil is made in the corne, both whil&s;t it is growing, and when it is cut, by hor&s;es breaking loo&s;e, and by the great heards of cattle, that are dayly driven up and down between the furlongs, &s;ometimes in narrow pa&s;&s;ages: &s;o that u&s;ually the lands lying, next to tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages on either &s;ide, or butting on the common grounds, have little or nothing left upon them at harve&s;t, to the prejudice of the owners in particular, and of the Commonwealth in general, which proportionably &s;uffers in every mans lo&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Again, in common Fields the land is much impoveri&s;hed, not onely by being continually kept in tillage without re&s;t, which in its kind is as nece&s;&s;ary for it, as for living creatures, but likewi&s;e by the burning of dung, and of &s;traw, for want of other fuel, with which the land might be manured. But u&s;ually the hedges upon grounds that are inclo&s;ed, &s;erve in a good mea&s;ure, if not altoge|ther, to &s;upply that want: and be&s;ides the profit of fruit trees, if they be planted there, they likewi&s;e afford good &s;hade and &s;helter for cattle, which in common Fields they cannot have, though it bee many times almo&s;t as nece&s;&s;ary for them as their meat.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 6.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>The &s;upply that ari&s;eth out of hedges for fewell I confe&s;&s;e is a good convenience, where wood is &s;carce, and coal not to be had, or only at exce&s;&s;ive rates: but for the manuring of the arable land with dung and &s;traw, that want is well &s;upplyed in common Fields by the folding of &s;heep.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par</SPEAKER>
<P>It may be not &s;o well as you think: nor would it appear to be &s;o, if all things &s;hould be well con&s;idered. For, fir&s;t, The manu|ring of land with the fold &s;erveth onely for one year: and after the fir&s;t croppe the land is left as barren as before. The rea&s;on whereof I conceive to be, becau&s;e the &s;trength of the dung is much exhaled, &s;pent and wa&s;ted by the weather, it lying long on the face of the earth not plowed in, and &s;o being turned, either to du&s;t in a dry, or unto dirt in a wet &s;ea&s;on. Secondly the manuring of land with the fold is many times dearly paid for, with the lo&s;&s;e of the flock by the rot. Thirdly, in ca&s;e the &s;heep e&s;cape the rot, yet nei|ther in their bodies, nor in their fleeces, doe they yeeld &s;o much profit, as they might doe in grounds inclo&s;ed. Whereof the later, the fleece in grounds inclo&s;ed is u&s;ually fit to be combed for jer&s;ey, which in common Fields it is not: and combing of wooll for jer|&s;ey is likely, by the new manufactures, to prove a farre greater bene|fit
<PB N="12" REF="11">to the Commonwealth, then clothing along, either is or can be. And yet, if manuring of land with the fold be any way advantagi|ous, it may be practi&s;ed as well in grounds inclo&s;ed, as in common Fields, or rather better: becau&s;e, when the &s;ea&s;on is not fit for fold|ing, the &s;heep may be left at large in the pa&s;ture, without any dan|ger of tre&s;pa&s;&s;ing in the meddowes, or on the corne, which in com|mon Fields they cannot be.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 7.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>But in grounds inclo&s;ed there cannot be kept &s;o many cattel either great or &s;mall, as u&s;ually are kept in common Fields.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>It may be &s;o: and yet fewer cattle kept in pa&s;ture grounds may yeild the owners greater profit, then more cattle of the &s;ame &s;orts kept in common Fields can doe: and that in divers re&s;pects.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, they require le&s;&s;e attendance, and &s;o put the owner to le&s;&s;e charge.</P>
<P>Secondly, they are not &s;ubject to &s;o much hazard. Sheep that are naturally quiet cattle, being hunted and hurried with doggs (as u&s;ually they are in common Fields, to keep them within their compa&s;&s;e) are apt to get heats, to grow &s;cabbed and break, which is not &s;o in grounds inclo&s;ed: be&s;ides that which was ob&s;erved be|fore, concerning the lo&s;&s;e of &s;heep in common Fields by rotts: which many times is as great as the yearly rent of the whole Lord|&s;hip would amount unto. And among&s;t great cattle in the common Fields, the weaker are wont to be hurt by the &s;tronger, when they are driven togeather in a throng, by fighting, ru&s;hing, goaring, and the like: and are apt to be tainted by one another in times of in|fection: all which in conveniences are much prevented by Inclo|&s;ure.</P>
<P>Thirdly, where the Fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, which kine being in the &s;ummer time kept fa&s;ting all night, and lodged on the hard &s;tones, and in the day time driven up and down from place to place, their milk is not onely le&s;&s;e in quantity, but likewi&s;e wor&s;e in quality, being often &s;o heated in their udders, that it cannot bee &s;o good for u&s;e in butter, and chee&s;e, as other|wi&s;e it might bee, and is in grounds that are inclo&s;ed.</P>
<P>Fourthly, where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, when the weather is wet, the cattle, by driving to and fro, make foul the wayes, and having therein fir&s;t dirtied them&s;elves, then &s;tain the ground, and make the gra&s;&s;e unhol&s;ome: which is not &s;o in grounds inclo&s;ed.</P>
<P><PB N="13" REF="11">
Fiftly, where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common both greater &amp; le&s;&s;er cattle, contrary to their natures, are con&s;trained to re&s;t, when they would feed, &amp; feed when they would re&s;t: yea &s;ome|times are not &s;uffered to be quiet, even while they are feeding, but kept going &amp; eating together; which is not &s;o in grounds inclo&s;ed.</P>
<P>Sixtly, where grounds are inclo&s;ed, both the grounds and the cattle may be &s;everally u&s;ed, as is fitte&s;t for each: &s;tore cattle may be put upon grounds that are fitte&s;t for &s;tore, and feeding cattle upon feeding grounds. The owners may put off, or put on, ei|ther fewer, or more, from time to time, as they find it mo&s;t con|venient, and wait the be&s;t times both for &s;elling, and buying again with the greate&s;t advantage, their grounds in the mean time ga|thering head, &s;o long as they are not fully &s;tockt: whereas in com|mon Fields, all &s;heep by them&s;elves, and other cattle by them&s;elves, go togeather, young and old, &s;ick and &s;ound, fat and lean: and when ever any are taken off, others mu&s;t be pre&s;ently put on in their &s;teed or el&s;e the commons, in the mean time, will be lo&s;t from the ow|ner, and eaten up by other mens cattle, as was &s;aid before. So u|&s;ually after maths in common Fields are never let grow to any good head: but, all being eaten bare before hand, long and hard winters make lean and hungry cattle, and poor di&s;tre&s;&s;ed husband|men. And, as it is generally to be ob&s;erved, that the riche&s;t coun|treys in the land are tho&s;e that are inclo&s;ed, &s;o in particular townes ir may be &s;een, that not freeholders only, but even tenants al&s;o, thrive better there, where their lands are inclo&s;ed, though they pay farre greater rents for them, then they doe in common fields, though the rents, which they pay, bee le&s;&s;e by much. Yea, in &s;ome places it is certainly known, that the inclo&s;ure of their meddowes onely, though the re&s;t of the land were &s;till left open, hath been a great benefit to the inhabitants, and a means to redeem them from a poor unto a rich condition: much more might it have been &s;o, if their pa&s;ture grounds al&s;o, as well as their medowes had been &s;o in|clo&s;ed: and yet more, if their tillage likewi&s;e had been laid to|gether, each mans by it &s;elfe, whether they had inclo&s;ed it, or no, &s;o that they had only put an end unto their cu&s;tome of common: which is the great occa&s;ion of many di&s;orders, where the fields lye open, and which without inclo&s;ure are never likely to be redre&s;&s;ed. But, if all places were inclo&s;ed, upon equall and indifferent termes for all that have right there, and with due re&s;pect unto pro|vi&s;ion for the poor, the &s;candall, I believe, would quickly
<PB N="14" REF="12">cea&s;e, and all occa&s;ions of complaint be taken away.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 8.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>That may be your opinion perhaps; but notwith|&s;tanding all that you have &s;aid, there are divers pa&s;&s;ages in Ma&s;ter <HI>Moores</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, which &s;ome men (tho&s;e that would have it &s;o at lea&s;t) will think doe make again&s;t inclo&s;ure in generall, even that which is ordered in the be&s;t &s;ort that can be devi&s;ed, and not onely again&s;t that, which alone (as you ob&s;erved) it &s;eemeth he did intend to &s;peak of, <HI>viz.</HI> &s;uch as doth un-people towns, and un-corn fields. I pray you let me hear what you can &s;ay concerning them.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>I ea&s;ily believe, it may be &s;o: For commonly things appeare to mens eyes, as if they were of the &s;ame colour with the gla&s;&s;es, thorough which they are looked upon; and u&s;ually &s;uch gla&s;&s;es, to the minds of men likewi&s;e, are prejudice, and partiality: with which that tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, which you &s;peak of, in Ma&s;ter <HI>Moores</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, may not be di&s;coloured, when you repeat the words, I &s;hall quickly tel you what I think of them.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t I have &s;omething more to &s;ay, concerning the inconve|niences. or mi&s;chiefs rather, which they are &s;ubject to, who live where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common. As this, that there is a great deal of land in common fields, which formerly hath been good, and might be &s;o again, utterly &s;poyled for want of good hu&s;|bandry. I know a place, where by this meanes the Commons were &s;o impaired, that the inhabitants agreed to abate of their ancient u&s;ual &s;tint one &s;heep in &s;ix, and one cow in three, and yet did con|fe&s;s, that formerly their cattle had fared better at the long &s;tint, then afterward they did at the &s;hort; but they would not be per&s;waded to be&s;tow better husbandry upon their land, though they thought it nece&s;&s;ary to make a greater abatement in the number of the cattle which they kept upon it. And &s;o by degrees, through the neglect of good husbandry, their Commons in time mu&s;t needs have come to be but little worth: and yet they pretended, that they lived on their Commons onely, and that their tillage did not quit their co&s;t.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>But they might have be&s;towed better husbandry on the land if they would, and &s;o the cau&s;e of that complaint might have been taken away.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>By a generall agreement of all to that purpo&s;e they might; otherwi&s;e they could not, unle&s;s &s;ome alone &s;hould have been at the charge for all. And that is one great evil in common fields, that they who would be good husbands cannot, when other perver&s;e conditioned people are not minded to permit them. But where
<PB N="15" REF="12">grounds are inclo&s;ed, if any man wil be a good husband on the land which he holdeth, he may, if he wil not, he hurteth him&s;elf alone, and not his neighbours, nor needeth to be hurt by them, unle&s;s it be through his own default. Another thing, which in common fields is a great means of making and keeping men poor, and more of late then heretofore, is, that all publique paiments, as taxes and the like, are laid according to the number of the yard lands as they are u&s;ually accounted, and valewed alike, though &s;ome times there is &s;carce halfe &s;o much profit made of one as of another. A poor man for a &s;mall yard land, and peradventure not halfe &s;tocked, &s;hall pay as much as a rich man doth for a great one &s;tocked to the full: and &s;o the poorer that a man is already, the poorer, and poor|er &s;till it is like he &s;hall be.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>This might ea&s;ily be prevented in common fields, as well as in grounds inclo&s;ed, if all payments were proportioned accor|ding unto the pound rent for the land, and the &s;tocks valued &s;eve|rally.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Per.</SPEAKER>
<P>Peradventure not &s;o ea&s;ily as you imagine. For in com|mon fields although the yard lands be not equal, either in quantity, or in quality, yet becau&s;e they have like proportions of commons appertaining unto them, whether they be furni&s;hed with &s;tock or no, the inhabitants will never be per&s;waded to charge them other|wi&s;e then equally; as they have been accu&s;tomed. Whereas in grounds inclo&s;ed there is commonly con&s;ideration had, in the va|luation of them, both to the quantity and to the quality: or if un|to the quantity onely, yet it is upon &s;uppo&s;ition, that one with another there is no much con&s;iderable difference in the quality: And for the valuation of &s;tocks, it is an endle&s;&s;e piece of work to ex|amine who&s;e they are, and a means to &s;et all men at variance. Ano|ther thing is, that where grounds are inclo&s;ed, cattle cannot ea&s;ily go away of them&s;elves, or be driven out, but that they may quickly bee mi&s;&s;ed, and tracked: whereas in common fiields they may wander of them&s;elves, or be driven away by others, long before the owners can tell, either whether they be there, or whether they be gone: and &s;ometimes they are long in looking far for that, which at la&s;t they mu&s;t find either neer at hand, or not at all. But, to trou|ble you no further now in this kind, let me hear, if you plea&s;e, what it is in M^r <HI>Moores</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, which you think may be &s;u&s;pected to make again&s;t inclo&s;ure in general.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 9.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 7 hee &s;aith, How great a &s;hame is it for a
<PB N="16" REF="13">Go&s;pel magi&s;tracy not to &s;uppre&s;&s;e make-beggers, which make &s;uch &s;warmes of beggers in countries, Cities, and Townes? That care not how many beggers they make, &s;o them&s;elves may be gentlemen; nor how many poor they make, &s;o them&s;elves may be rich. I mean the un&s;ociable covetous cruel brood of tho&s;e wretches that by their inclo&s;ure doe unpeople towns, and uncorne fields: who fall under the Prophets woe, <HI>I&s;a</HI> 5.8. That joyn hou&s;e to hou&s;e, and field to field, till there be no place, that they may bee placed alone in the middle, of the earth, and be ridd of all the poor. What &s;ay you to this?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>To this <HI>I&s;ay,</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. that for the general it an&s;wereth it &s;elfe, as was before ob&s;erved, in that it is expre&s;ly limitted and re&s;trained unto tho&s;e, that by their inclo&s;ure doe unpeople townes, and un|corne fields; making no more again&s;t all inclo&s;ures, then the woe denounced again&s;t drunkards, in the 21 ver&s;e of the &s;ame chapter doth prove all drinking to bee unlawfull.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That it is as great a &s;hame for a Go&s;pel magi&s;tracy not to &s;uppre&s;&s;e make-beggers, which make &s;uch &s;warmes of beggers in Countreys, Cities, and Townes, where the Fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, as where they are inclo&s;ed: and &s;o much the more, by how much the evill is more general, and of longer continuance, and people make le&s;&s;e con&s;ci|ence of tho&s;e cour&s;es there, which produce &s;uch effects: I mean, as before, di&s;order, unju&s;t dealing, and the like.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That for the text alleadged in particular, <HI>I&s;ay,</HI> 5.8. it is a wonder unto me, how M^r <HI>Moore,</HI> or any man of an ordinary capacity, can imagine, that the holy Gho&s;t, who knoweth very well, and better then men, how to expre&s;&s;e him&s;elf, by laying field to field, till there be no place, &s;hould mean the inclo&s;ing of common fields, rather then the throwing o|pen of inclo&s;ures: whereas indeed to throw open inclo&s;ures, and to lay tho&s;e grounds common, which before were &s;everal, that &s;o there may be no place for any man to enjoy his own with peace and quietne&s;&s;e, mu&s;t needs be laying field to field, rather then to inclo&s;e tho&s;e grounds, which before lay in common, that &s;o, fields being orderly divided, every man may enjoy that which is his own in &s;everal to him&s;elfe with peace and quietne&s;&s;e, and that there may be place for others al&s;o to doe the like by theirs. But the truth is, as the word in the original tran&s;lated field, doth indifferently &s;ig|nify any ground, whether open or inclo&s;ed, that lyeth about an hou&s;e, or a town, as belonging unto it: &s;o the purpo&s;e of the holy Gho&s;t is, to denounce a woe again&s;t all tho&s;e, whether rich or poor,
<PB N="17" REF="13">that either out of ambition or covetou&s;nes enlarge their own, either hou&s;es or lands by adding unto them tho&s;e of other men wrongfully wre&s;ted from the right owners, whether poor or rich, by fraud or by force, that there may be no place there le&s;t for any, but only for them&s;elves, though others have as much, or more, right unto it: paralel whereunto is that of <HI>Jer.</HI> 22.13, &amp;c. and <HI>Habak.</HI> 2.6, &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST>
But &s;uch unju&s;t dealing may be, and is, for ought I know, as often pra|cti&s;ed there, where the fields lying open, are u&s;ed in common, as where they are inclo&s;ed, if not oftner, as was before ob&s;erved: And out of que&s;tion make-beggers, be they what they will bee in com|mon fields fall under the Prophets woe, <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 5.8. as well as there, where the grounds are inclo&s;ed.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 10.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 8. he &s;aith, que&s;tion many of our beggers, that goe from dore to dore, with wife and children after them, where they dwell, and why they goe a begging. Alas, ma&s;ter (&s;ay they) we were forced out of &s;uch a town, when it was inclo&s;ed, and &s;ince we have continued a generation of beggers.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>For the truth of this relation, we mu&s;t take it upon the cre|dit of Mr <HI>Moores</HI> own te&s;timony: and I will not deny, but that it may be he hath heard &s;ome beggers &s;ometimes &s;ay &s;o. Yet I believe there are thou&s;ands in England, that in their owne particulars are as charitably affected, and have given as much unto the poor as Mr <HI>Moore,</HI> who never heard &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions from any of them: It is like that Mr <HI>Moore,</HI> thus publiquely declaring him&s;elfe again&s;t in|clo&s;ure, although it be but re&s;ervedly, &s;uch as he mentioneth, &s;hall not want tho&s;e that will furni&s;h him with &s;uch &s;ugge&s;tions: but whether all that they tell him in that kind be true, or no, hee may doe well to enquire, and not take it upon tru&s;t. <HI>Haudrecte facit, qui facile credit.</HI> It is not the propertie of a wi&s;e man to believe all that he hears, <HI>Prov.</HI> 14.15. And if it be granted the complaint was ju&s;t, yet nothing can be inferred upon it, but the particular fault of tho&s;e parties only, by whom the occa&s;ion of it was given.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>In the &s;ame page he further &s;aith. When we take a view of the multitude of poore in market townes and fielden townes, we &s;ee how the&s;e poor wretches were driven out of their hive, their honey taken away, I mean their trade of plowing by &s;uch inclo&s;ure, and glad were they to find an old hou&s;e any where to put their heads in, where they might have any imploiment to keep them&s;elves and fa|milie alive.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>This is largely &s;poken: and I believe, if Mr. <HI>Moore</HI> were put
<PB N="18" REF="14">to prove it true, by an induction of particulars, hee could not name two Market-towns, wherein, I will not &s;ay all, but onely the greater part of the poor are &s;uch as he &s;peaketh of, Bees that were driven out of their hives, and had their honey taken away, and not rather, either idle Drones, or angry Wa&s;ps, &s;uch as &s;uck the &s;weet of other mens labours, and &s;ting them with bitter words at the lea&s;t, from whom they have their greate&s;t relief. How&s;oever, if that which Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> hath there &s;aid, were certainly true in every particular, yet to conclude from thence, that all Inclo&s;ure is unlawful, would but be &s;till the &s;ame fallacious way of arguing, <HI>&agrave; dicto &s;ecund&ugrave;m quid ad dictum &s;impliciter.</HI></P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 11.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 9. he &s;aith. For a groundwork we mu&s;t lay this undeniable truth, <HI>viz.</HI> That the great Manufacture and Trade of <HI>Leice|&s;ter&s;hire,</HI> and many, if not mo&s;t, of the inland Counties, is Tillage. It is the Plow whereby Tenants Cottiers, and their children were &s;et a work, and lived very happily and comfortably before there was &s;o much of &s;uch Inclo&s;ure.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>That [&s;uch] doth make this argument al&s;o ju&s;t &s;uch ano|ther as the former was, guilty of the like incon&s;equence, as to the proving of all Inclo&s;ure to be unlawful; and therefore I &s;hould pa&s;&s;e it over lightly, with the re&s;t of the &s;ame nature, but that I have &s;ome|thing to &s;ay concerning that which he termeth an undeniable truth, <HI>viz.</HI> That the great Manufacture, and Trade of <HI>Leice&s;ter&s;hire,</HI> and many (if not mo&s;t) of the in-land Countries, is Tillage, <HI>&amp;c.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t. Suppo&s;e it be &s;o, yet Inclo&s;ure, as was &s;aid before, may be &s;o ordered, that the Trade of Tillage &s;hall not be decayed by it, but rather advanced: Yea that Tenants Cottiers, and their children may be &s;et a work, and live more happily and comfortably after &s;uch Inclo&s;ure then they did before.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly. Suppo&s;e it be &s;o now, or hath heretofore been &s;o, it it therefore nece&s;&s;ary that it mu&s;t be &s;o alwayes? May not tho&s;e Counties hereafter have other Manufactures and Tradings, of as great or greater advantage, for the commonalty, yea for the Com|monwealth, as well, as Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> confe&s;&s;eth, other Counties have? Mu&s;t <HI>Leice&s;ter&s;hire,</HI> and other in-land Counties only, by be|ing kept open, and u&s;ed in common, be condemned unto a perpe|tuall expence of greater pains and charge, for the rai&s;ing of le&s;s pro|fit and advantage, when if they were inclo&s;ed, as other Counties are, they might, as they do, rai&s;e greater advantage and profit, with le&s;&s;e expense of charge and paines? Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> &s;aith it is the Plow whereby Tenants Cottiers, and their children were &s;et on
<PB N="19" REF="14">work. Wee mu&s;t under&s;tand him in tho&s;e places, where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common. But he doth not tell us how many Tenants Cottiers, and their children, yea even Freeholders al&s;o, in tho&s;e places, through di&s;order and unju&s;t dealing, have been ut|terly undone, and reduced to beggary. He doth not &s;ay, how many have there been trained up to idlene&s;s; and taught to doe almo&s;t nothing el&s;e, but to wait advantages of doing wrong to others. He doth not boa&s;t, how many of tho&s;e, that in &s;uch places have been imployed about Husbandry in the &s;ummer time, in the winter time are turned off, either to beg, or &s;teal, or &s;tarve; or, that if they con|tinue &s;till with the &s;ame Ma&s;ters, their Winters maintainance, to do little or nothing, brings greater charge with it then their &s;um|mers work was worth; &s;o that many times the poor husbandman in his e&s;tate is fed upon, and eaten out of all, by them who&s;e bodies he doth feed.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil</SPEAKER>
<P>In the &s;ame page he further &s;aith. Other Counties have other Manufactures and Trading for the Commonalty, we Tillage, and the Plough, whereby wee breed multitudes of hardy men, and hor&s;es for the &s;ervice of the Commonwealth, if need be; whereby we al&s;o &s;end forth abundance of all manner of Corn and Grain, and pea&s;e-fed cattle to the City, to victual our Shipping at Sea, and to countreyes round about us: all fed with the Plow in the Common fields.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Var.</SPEAKER>
<P>What its fed with the Plow in common fields, may as well, yea and better he fed with the Plow in grounds inclo&s;ed, as was &s;aid before. And if we &s;hould appeale unto the City to &s;ay from whence the greate&s;t abundance of provi&s;ion both for &s;ea and land doth come, whether from tho&s;e countries, where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, or from tho&s;e, where grounds are in|clo&s;ed, the que&s;tion, I believe, would be quickly determined in the behalf of the countries inclo&s;ed, without any doubt or di&s;puta|tion about it. And for the multitudes of hardy men, which hee &s;peaketh of, if there could be &s;een a Li&s;t of all that have &s;erved in the late Warres on every &s;ide, and that yet are in Arms, I believe there would be found but few that have come from the Plow to that im|ployment, in compari&s;on of other Trades. Many hor&s;es indeed are u&s;ed, or abu&s;ed rather, where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, but few bred there that are fit for good &s;ervice any where, even then when they are mo&s;t &s;et forth to &s;hew. Hardly in any other thing, or in any other place, but where the fields lye open, and are u&s;ed in common, is
<PB N="20" REF="15">there more, or &s;o much cheating, cou&s;enage, and deceitful dealing u&s;ed. And, if que&s;tion may be made concerning hardy men, for which I know no rea&s;on way it &s;hould, yet hor&s;es out of doubt may better be bred in grounds inclo&s;ed then in common fields; whereof experience is &s;ufficient evidence.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> adds further in the &s;ame page. They make beggars of Tenants upon &s;uch Inclo&s;ure: For the Tenant forthwith is di&s;char|ged of Tillage and Farme to &s;eek a living he knowes not where&mdash; And in &s;ome Towns there is fourteen, &s;ixteen, or twenty Tenants di&s;|charged of plowing, all in this &s;ad condition, be&s;ides many other teams and farmes of Freeholders layd down in the &s;ame Towns. What &s;ay you to this?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>I &s;ay the&s;e re&s;trictive termes of limitation, &s;uch, and &s;ome, [upon &s;uch Inclo&s;ure, in &s;ome Townes] make it needle&s;&s;e for me to &s;ay any thins, more then I have &s;aid, to di&s;able it from doing any &s;ervice again&s;t Inclo&s;ure in generall; becau&s;e, with tho&s;e re&s;trictive termes that which is &s;o &s;aid is nothing to the purpo&s;e, and without them would be fal&s;e. Yet this let me tell you, that for Tenants to be di&s;charged of Tillage, and of their Farmes, and for Teams to be layd down, as it is no nece&s;&s;ary effect, &s;o neither is it any proper adjunct of Inclo&s;ure. It doth neither <HI>convenire omni,</HI> nor <HI>&s;oli,</HI> nor <HI>&s;emper.</HI> Not <HI>omni;</HI> for Inclo&s;ures may be, yea have been, made, and Tenants neither di&s;charged of Tillage, nor of Farmes. Not <HI>&s;oli;</HI> for Tenants have been, and may be, di&s;charged of Tillage, and Farmes, and Teames layd down, in Common-fields. Not <HI>&s;emper;</HI> for even in grounds inclo&s;ed, there where Tillage and Teames have been layd down, and Tenants di&s;charged, at &s;ome times, at other times Tenants have been entertained, and Tillage, and Teames &s;et up again. But whether the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, or be in|clo&s;ed, why &s;hould not the Landlord have liberty to di&s;charge the Te|nant, when his time is expired, and come him&s;elf to live upon his owne land, or take in another Tenant? If a Tenant &s;o di&s;charged complain, will Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> think the Landlord de&s;erveth to be condemned for it? Sure, it is not &s;ufficient for Ma&s;ter <HI>Moors</HI> or for any man el&s;e, out of charity to the Tenant, to take notice of his complaint alone, but hee mu&s;t likewi&s;e, out of ju&s;tice to the Landlord, duly con&s;ider whether the cau&s;e of his complaint is ju&s;t; Le&s;t he fall under the woe denounced by the Prophet, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 5.22. again&s;t them that ju&s;tifie the wicked, and take away the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the righteous from him. What find you next in Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, that you think may carry any colour of an argument again&s;t Inclo&s;ure in generall?</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="section">
<PB N="21" REF="15">
<HEAD>Sect. 12.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 10 he &s;aith, Herein is the mi&s;ery of the Tenant the greater, Tho&s;e that have thus uncorned the &s;aid towns, and turned all into Pa&s;ture, and di&s;charged their Tenants, the&s;e thus inclo&s;ed wretches become Tenants them&s;elves, and rent land in the open fields round about them, or near unto them, to maintain their own families with corns, and their hor&s;es, with feeding, for which land they give (being able to pay for it out of their inclo&s;ed grounds) exce&s;&s;ive rates, which if the poor Tenant &s;hould give, he and his mu&s;t forthwith come to beggary. So that they do not only turn tho&s;e poor tenants out of in|clo&s;ed towns, but al&s;o rent tho&s;e Farmes, and that land in the common fields, which the poor tenants el&s;e might have rented at an ea&s;ier rate; &s;o that in the conclu&s;ion mo&s;t of the&s;e tenants become Cottiers.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>The like complaint maybe made in behalf of Tenants that live upon lands that are inclo&s;ed. Tho&s;e that live where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common become tenants them&s;elves, and rent inclo&s;ed grounds round about them, or near unto them, that they may bee better able to maintain their own families, and mannage their tillage in the common fields with more advantage; for which inclo&s;ed grounds, in that re&s;pect, they can afford to give greater rents, then they that live on|ly upon inclo&s;ure can doe. So that this, as the other arguments urged a|gain&s;t Inclo&s;ures, hath (the misfortune it may bee &s;ome men would think it, but I &s;ay rather) the good hap to conclude as much again&s;t common fields: If Inclo&s;ure make land in common fields &s;carcer, com|mon fields make grounds inclo&s;ed dearer. And therefore the wonder is le&s;&s;e, that tho&s;e, who live where the fields are inclo&s;ed, endeavour to hinder the inclo&s;ure of the common fields about them. They know very will their advantage would be le&s;&s;e, if all men be&s;ides had the like op|portunity to make it, that they have: And, if there were not &s;o much help, as there is, from them, who live when the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, from inclo&s;ed grounds in other places, they would the &s;ooner find them&s;elves nece&s;&s;itated to inclo&s;e: And then, tho&s;e that live where the grounds are all inclo&s;ed, would finde it more profitable tilling &s;ome, then gra&s;ing all, &s;o that there would need no law at all to com|pell them to it. When tillage is more profitable then pa&s;turage, men will break up their pa&s;tures to till: And why &s;hould they not have li|berty then to lay down their Arable land for gra&s;&s;e, when pa&s;turage is more profitable then tillage: I mean, as before, when the land is fitter for it. And &s;o I make no que&s;tion but they have, if the Statutes concern|ing Husbandry and Tillage were rightly under&s;tood, and well ob&s;erved. Nor needeth any man in rea&s;on to de&s;ire greater freedom for laying down
<PB N="22" REF="16">any land, which bath been u&s;ed to tillage before, then is granted him by the Provi&s;o's in tho&s;e &s;tatutes. But it maybe the rate of the rents is the main matter that is &s;tumbled at: which yet comes all to the &s;ame pa&s;&s;e, whether the fields be inclo&s;ed or no: &s;ave that there is not &s;o much ca&s;ualty in grounds inclo&s;ed, as in common fields, as was before ob&s;erved. Tenants may be oppre&s;&s;ed and beg|gered by rents over-rated in common fields, as wel as Inclo&s;ures, and I beleive more often are: the over-rating of rents being not the ine|quality of them unto other rents, either in other places at the &s;ame time, or at other times in the &s;ame place, but the di&s;proportion of them unto the profit, which ordinarily <HI>communibus annis,</HI> may bee rai&s;ed of the land that is rented, over and above the nece&s;&s;ary charge of the labour and &s;tock, that is to be employed upon it. And for tenants becoming cottiers, I believe, if any man will examine his own experience impartially, hee may ob&s;erve as many not tenants only, who alwayes paid great rents, but even freeholders al&s;o, who &s;ometimes payd but little rent, or none at all, to have become cot|tiers, where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, as where they have been inclo&s;ed. But &s;ome men, whom our &s;aviour calls hy|pocrites. Mat. 7.5. will &s;ooner ob&s;erve and reprove a few &s;mall faults in others, then acknowledge and reforme many greater in them&s;elves. And I doe not think M^r <HI>Moore</HI> can &s;hew &s;o many com|mon fields without di&s;orders, as another man may do inclo&s;ures without pulling down hou&s;es, and turning out tenants. What have you yet more ?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>In the &s;ame 10 page, and &s;o forward in the it he &s;aith. In the&s;e inclo&s;ed towns in laying down the plow, and taking away the crop of corne, how many crops doe they rob the poor cottier of? This poor man had a crop and income of every tilth of the plow, in the following tilth, in the &s;tirring tilth, in the arring tilth, in the &s;owing tilth: he had his income in the manuring, weeding, mowing, inning, gleaning, and thre&s;hing of the corne. And now alas, &s;aith the poor cottier, there is no worke for me; I need not be thru&s;t out of the town, I mu&s;t be gone where I may get my living; and if I can get no hou&s;e el&s;ewhere, I and mine mu&s;t &s;tare. And hence it comes to pa&s;&s;e that the open fielden townes have above double the number of cottiers they had wont to have, &s;o that they not live one by another, &amp; &s;o put the fielden townes to va&s;t expences in caring for tho&s;e poor that the&s;e inclo&s;ures have made. And what enquiring everywhere is there of the&s;e poor cottiers (after the town
<PB N="23" REF="16">is inclo&s;ed) to get an hou&s;e in any place where they may have work?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>All this goes &s;til upon the &s;ame fal&s;e ground, that unpeop|ling towns and uncorning fields is the proper and nece&s;&s;ary fruit and effect of inclo&s;ure: which experience &s;hewes to be otherwi&s;e. I could in&s;tance a place, where within a &s;hort time after the fields were inclo&s;ed, more hou&s;es were built and repaired, then had been in many years before: where they that caled them&s;elves the poor, yet thought they were able enough to take land out of other mens hands, and to offer more for it then other men paid: and even then, when they did complain that they could not get work, the other inhabitants complained that they could not get workmen. So that you mu&s;t not al|wayes &s;o much take heed to what &s;uch people &s;ay, as to the cau&s;e which they have to &s;ay &s;o, which is not alwayes &s;uch as they pretend. For the incomes which M^r <HI>Moore</HI> &s;aith that the poor cottier had in every tilth of the plow, in the manuring, weeding, mowing, inning, and thre&s;h|ing of the corne, if the husbandman (as u&s;ually it is in common fields, more then inclo&s;ures) had children and &s;ervants of his owne to doe his work, it is like the poor cottiers part was very little. And I believe it may be ob&s;erved, that when townes are inclo&s;ed, although there be not &s;o much u&s;e of hou&s;hold &s;ervants, as formerly there was, yet of day-la|bourers there is, or more,</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>But that M^r <HI>Moore</HI> in the next words hath complained of, when he &s;aith, &s;uch inclo&s;ure makes beggers of the children both of tenants and cottiers; the children of both u&s;ually become &s;ervants to the husband|man, and brought up at the plow &amp;c. But now in &s;uch in clo&s;ed towns where there were kept 30, 40, 50, &s;ervants, there is not above three or four. Hence the droves of poor children, when they are reproved for begging, are complaining, we would willingly work, if any would fet us on work.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>It is well if M^r <HI>Moore</HI> hath had the good hap to meet with no poor children, but &s;uch as are willing to work; I wi&s;h that all men el&s;e could &s;ay &s;o. But rather I fear the mo&s;t of tho&s;e, which come out of com|monfields, have been &s;o inured to idlene&s;s there, that they will not ea&s;ily be brought to take any good pains any where. And if this objection drawn from the great di&s;proportion in the number of &s;ervants u&s;ually kept there where the fields lying open are u&s;ed in common, and where they are inclo&s;ed, carry any con&s;equence with it again&s;t inclo&s;ure in generall (as I confe&s;&s;e in my apprehen&s;ion it &s;eemeth to do more then any of the re&s;t) it mu&s;t be upon this &s;uppo&s;ed principle, that all land in every place is to be u&s;ed in &s;uch &s;ort, as may occa&s;ion the imployment
<PB N="24" REF="17">of mo&s;t people; which for all the fair &s;hew that it maketh, is fal&s;e.</P>
<P>For
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. it is contrary to that generall rule, <HI>Fru&s;tra fit per plura, quod fieri pote&s;t per pauciora.</HI> It is a needle&s;&s;e, fruitle&s;&s;e vanity (at lea&s;t, if it be no wor&s;e) to u&s;e many meanes for effecting of that, which may as well be done with few.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. It is not a practice agreeable to the pattern and example which both God and Nature have &s;et; <HI>Deus &amp; Natura nihil agunt fru&s;tra;</HI> God and Nature do nothing in vain. They are followers of neither, that purpo&s;ely choo&s;e to do things in &s;uch &s;ort, as that more men mu&s;t be employed in doing them, then is either nece&s;|&s;ary, or convenient.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. It is a great hinderance of the common good, when all tho&s;e people are needle&s;ly imployed in one place, whereof &s;ome might be more profitably employed el&s;where.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. If that principle were true, the practi&s;e accordingly mu&s;t bee to put down teames, and in&s;tead of plowing, and harrowing, and carting, to dig, and rake, and carry on mens backs; which if it be ab&s;urd to doe, that rule, according unto which it is done, cannot be rea&s;onable. What follows next?</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="13" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 13.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>A blow made at the root of all &s;uch Inclo&s;ure, as Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> doth &s;peak again&s;t. In brief, &s;aith he, is it not palpa|ble, that the main inducement unto &s;uch Inclo&s;ure is filthy lucre, and to be rid of Tenants, poor, and &s;ervants? So far are they from caring for the poor, and in&s;tead of bringing them into their hou&s;es, to rid them of their hou&s;es. As for example, they being hot upon &s;uch inclo&s;ure in a town I am well acquainted with, one of the in|habitants gave this rea&s;on why they mu&s;t do it, in the&s;e words, <HI>viz.</HI> The poor increa&s;e like Fleas, and live, and the&s;e vermine will eat us up, unle&s;&s;e we inclo&s;e. And &s;ure it was plain dealing; for without que&s;tion he &s;pake the &s;ence of mo&s;t of the re&s;t. What can you &s;ay to this?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>To this I can &s;ay;</P>
<P N="1">1. That all men who endeavour to provide for the prevention of a mi&s;chief, or of an inconvenience, before it come, or for the re|movall of it when it is come, are not induced thereunto by filthy lucre. Some men, for ought that Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> can tell to the con|trary, do it out of con&s;cience of that duty which they owe to God, them&s;elves, and others.</P>
<P N="2">2. By this example, which Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> hath produced, it appear|eth,
<PB N="25" REF="17">that poverty, in the towne which &s;peaketh of, was not the follower, but the forerunner of Inclo&s;ure. And by that it &s;hould &s;eem, that whether care were taken of the poor there, or no, yet care was not taken to prevent their poverty, whil&s;t the fields lying open were u&s;ed in common; or if it were, it had proved inef|fectuall till then, and &s;o was like to have done &s;till without in|clo&s;ure.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Charity thinketh no evill,</HI> 1 Cor. 13.5. and if Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> be &s;o charitable minded, as hee maketh &s;hew, why could hee not take that &s;peech, which he relateth, in the be&s;t &s;ence, and think that hee by whom it was &s;poken, had a charitable intent to &s;ee the poor better provided for then they were, or could have been, if the fu|ture increa&s;e of them &s;hould not have been prevented? Is there no mean between eating up the poor, and being eaten up by them? Cannot tho&s;e that are poor already be relieved, or maintained, un|le&s;&s;e that others al&s;o may be added to increa&s;e the number? If the mans comparing tho&s;e poor, concerning whom he &s;pake, to fleas and lice, and calling them vermine, be that which Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> took offence at, I will not goe about to ju&s;tifie it. But I wi&s;h, that as it is better to prevent the increa&s;e of Fleas, and Lice, by clean|line&s;s and diligence, then to catch them, and kill them; &s;o none that pretend they have care of the poor, may &s;trengthen their hands, or give them encouragement in any of tho&s;e evil cour&s;es, from whence occa&s;ion may bee taken to thinke that they de&s;erve &s;uch a compari&s;on.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="14" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Section 14.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 12. He &s;aith, Depopulation comes by de|grees, and the next generation u&s;ually knows neither Tenant nor Cottier in &s;uch inclo&s;ed places; for townes we mu&s;t call them no longer.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>I think it will be hard for Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> to give in&s;tance of any &s;uch place, where towns have been un-peopled in another ge|neration, that were not at the fir&s;t time of Inclo&s;ure. But in ca&s;e he can, is there any nece&s;&s;ity therefore that in all it mu&s;t be &s;o? E&s;peci|ally con&s;idering what excellent Lawes have been provided for re|dre&s;&s;e of &s;uch abu&s;es. Or, if &s;uch a thing might be feared indeed, for which the Law had not provided a remedy, in ca&s;e it &s;hould happen, mu&s;t pre&s;ent mi&s;chiefs, &s;uch as the abu&s;es of common fields are, be perpetually continued without redre&s;s, becau&s;e there is a po&s;&s;ibility of an after inconvenience? <HI>Hicrogonon furor e&s;t n&egrave; mo iare mori?</HI> Doth any thing look more like the madne&s;&s;e of de|&s;pair
<PB N="26" REF="18">then this? Not much unlike that of a &s;imple Ideot in the daies of Queen <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> when the Wars in <HI>Ireland</HI> were on foot: Who being in waggery told by one, that the Rebels were coming, made all the ha&s;te home that he could; and begged of his aged Mother, that &s;he would let him kil her him&s;elf, &s;aying, he would do it hand|&s;omly, that &s;he might not be killed by the Rebels; &amp; was &s;o earne&s;tly intent upon it, that the poor woman had much adoe by creeping under a bed to hide her &s;elf. Thus it &s;eemes, for fear of having Te|nants and Cottiers turned out of a Town, he knows not when, Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> is &s;o charitably affected to them, that he would not have In|clo&s;ure brought in to prevent the continuance of tho&s;e abu&s;es, wher|by they run headlong into pre&s;ent poverty.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="15" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 15.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 13 he &s;aith, If the Lord &s;hould &s;lack his hand but a little, and withhold his more then u&s;ual encrea&s;e of corn from us, it is &s;uch, Inclo&s;ure would make a flat Famin: as within the&s;e few yeares, what crying for bread, and complaining in our &s;treets of &s;uch Inclo&s;ure? If then, what will become of us now? &s;ince when there hath been &s;o much inclo&s;ed; and even at this pre&s;ent they are &s;o mad upon it, as though it was their project one time or other to ruin the poor.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>For this, I told you before, that decay of Tillage and uncorn|ing of fields, is no nece&s;&s;ary effect of inclo&s;ure in general, nor any effect of inclo&s;ure at all, if it be rightly ordered as it &s;hould be; but rather the contrary. And now I wil adde, that our prudent forefa|thers were of this mind: In who&s;e &s;tead we are ri&s;en up a genera|tion of men made as it were in the afternoon of nature, in whom weakne&s;&s;e of judgement, and &s;trength of pa&s;&s;ion &s;trive for the ma|&s;tery, upon &s;uch equal termes as it is not ea&s;ie to determine, whether of the two we are, more witle&s;s, or more wilfull. Our prudent fore|thers, I &s;ay, knew this &s;o wel, that when they &s;et them&s;elves of pur|po&s;e to prevent the decay of Tillage, and to provide for the increa&s;e of Corn, they never prohibited Inclo&s;ure at all, but rather gave en|couragement unto it, by providing that for the better, and more commodious occupying of husbandry, of any the lands, meddows, or pa&s;tures, which &s;hall bee allotted, or belonging to any hou&s;e of husbandry, it &s;hall be lawfull for any Lord to make exchange with any his tenants; or any tenant, or other per&s;on, with the a&s;&s;ent of the Lord, to change the one with the other. <HI>An.</HI> 39 <HI>Eliz. cap.</HI> 1. Yea, how nece&s;&s;ary they e&s;teemed &s;ome Inclo&s;ure to bee, for the maintainance husbandry and tillage, may appear by the Statute
<PB N="27" REF="18">made to that purpo&s;e, in the behalf of certain particular places in the County of <HI>Hereford, an.</HI> 4 <HI>Jacobi cap.</HI> 11. And when they &s;tu|dyed to reform the abu&s;es committed contrary to the Law by de|population and decay of tillage, they never commanded the laying open again of Inclo&s;ures, as if hedges and ditches had been any ei|ther cau&s;es or occa&s;ions of &s;uch abu&s;es, but made as &s;trict Laws, with as &s;evere penalties, for the puni&s;hment of tho&s;e riotous per|&s;ons that goe about to pull down inclo&s;ures, as of others, 1 <HI>Eliz. cap.</HI> 16. Yea, if my memory deceive me not (for I cannot now tell where to finde it) I have long agoe read a provi&s;ion made by Law, that if an Inclo&s;ure were pulled down, and the parties that did it could not be found, it &s;hould be made good again by the inhabitants of the next adjoyning town: And I cannot but wonder, that any man, who pretendeth &s;o highly to honour the pre&s;ent Parliament, as Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> doth, &s;hould imagine that the Members thereof will forget them&s;elves &s;o much, as to &s;uffer the &s;olid wi&s;dome of their predece&s;&s;ors to be (overweighed I will not &s;ay, but) over&s;wayed, or rather cryed down by the empty noi&s;e of hollow heads. Far be it from me to harbour &s;o poor an opinion of them. If my di&s;cre|tion did not, yet my charity would teach me better.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="16" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 16.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>In the next words, page 13, he &s;aith, I proceed to the fourth &s;ort, which they make beggars, and they are tho&s;e ho|ne&s;t hearts, who out of a tender con&s;cience take &s;uch care for the poor, as they dare not comply with them in their uncharitable de|&s;ignes, nor con&s;ent to &s;uch inclo&s;ure. Again&s;t the&s;e they fret and &s;torm, and tell them in plaine termes they will undoe them, and make them beggars: And &s;o they doe indeed, in bringing multipli|city of Law &s;uits, Actions of Tre&s;pa&s;&s;e for nothing, or at lea&s;t for trifles, as for coming over their ground, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and vex them all with long tedious &s;uits in Chancery, to force them to doe again&s;t their con&s;ciences&mdash;. Ala&s;&s;e how many among&s;t us are now per&s;ecuted in this manner, becau&s;e they would keep faith and a good con&s;cience, pure and un&s;potted, both before God and man?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>Here Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> would have us believe, that all tho&s;e who with&s;tand &amp; refu&s;e to con&s;ent unto &s;uch inclo&s;ure, as he &s;peak|eth of, are hone&s;t hearted, and tender con&s;cienced men, &s;uch as have a care of the poor, and becau&s;e they de&s;ire to keep faith and a good con&s;cience, pure and un&s;potted, will not comply with uncharitable de&s;ignes, although they be vexed and pre&s;ented for it. Concerning all which I would I could &s;ay, as the Apo&s;tle doth, <HI>Tit.</HI> 1.13. <HI>This witne&s;&s;e is true.</HI> But the contrary is &s;o apparently evident, that if
<PB N="28" REF="19">&s;ome of the men, whom Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> doth mean, be the &s;ame that it is conceived they are, &s;hould I name them onely, tho&s;e that know them would wonder, how Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> could be &s;o much mi&s;taken in them. But leaving the men, let us come to the matter, and &s;etting a&s;ide Ma&s;ter <HI>Moores</HI> re&s;trictive termes, of uncharitable de&s;igns, and &s;uch Inclo&s;ure, let us con&s;ider whether it be &s;uch a cruel oppre&s;|&s;ion, and not to be &s;uffered in the land of uprightne&s;&s;e, as hee pre|tends, that &s;ome men &s;hould be forced by &s;uits in Chancery to con|&s;ent to inclo&s;ure, I mean when it may be done upon equall and in|different termes for all that have right, and with due re&s;pect unto provi&s;ion for the poor: And whether &s;uch men refu&s;ing to give &s;uch con&s;ent; may not without tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the rules of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, or breach of charity, have law &s;uits, or actions of tre&s;|pa&s;s brought again&s;t them.</P>
<P>For the former we know, that the mo&s;t important affairs both of Church and Commonwealth are alwayes determined in publick a&s;&s;emblies, as Parliaments, and the like, by the major part, although many times in number but little exceeding the other. And can it then be rea&s;onable, that in particular towns, when the far greater number of tho&s;e that are intere&s;ted doe agree upon a cour&s;e (as of inclo&s;ure) for the general good of them all, upon equall and indif|ferent termes for every one of them, and with due re&s;pect unto the poor, who have no intere&s;t of right among&s;t them, one or two, or but a few in compari&s;on of the re&s;t, &s;hould have liberty to with|&s;tand and hinder all? E&s;pecially, if it may appear that they do it meerly of perver&s;ne&s;s, or for evill ends? For a court of Con&s;ci|ence (as the Chancery) to take cogni&s;ance of &s;uch a ca&s;e, and force the refractory to conformity, when Courts of Law cannot, I con|ceive to be not only lawfull, but likewi&s;e very convenient, if not nece&s;&s;ary, in re&s;pect of that intere&s;t, which the Commonwealth in generall hath in the welfare and pro&s;perity of all its members in particular; and therefore hath great cau&s;e to take care, that the wel-being, or wel-doing of many may not bee needle&s;ly hin|dered by the wilfulne&s;&s;e onely of a few. For the later, as it is a tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the rule of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to bring &s;uits and a|ctions at Law again&s;t any man for nothing, and a breach of cha|rity to multiply &s;uch &s;uits and actions for trifles onely, &s;o, in determining whether the ground of the &s;uit or action bee nothing, or a trifle only, not the &s;ub&s;tance of the matter it &s;elf alone, but the circum&s;tances al&s;o are to be con&s;idered. As for example, If your neighbour have an hor&s;e to &s;el you, and you offer him his ful
<PB N="29" REF="19">price, if he refu&s;e to let you have him, it is but a matter of unkind|ne&s;&s;e, nothing to ground a &s;uit or action at law upon. But if hee promi&s;e you &s;hal have his hor&s;e at &s;uch a time for &s;uch a price, and you tru&s;t upon him, having occa&s;ion at the time appointed to ride a journey upon bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of importance, if in the mean time hee &s;ell the hor&s;e unto another man, at a greater price, although hee bee willing to give you the overplus, &s;o that you &s;hall not need to &s;u|&s;tain any lo&s;&s;e that way; yet being by that means di&s;appointed of your journey, and &s;o damnified in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which you &s;hould have gone upon, in that re&s;pect you have ju&s;t cau&s;e of action again&s;t your neighbour. So your neighbours comming over your ground is in it &s;elfe but a trifle, but if he practi&s;e it ordinarily, and will not take warning, intending to intitle him&s;elf to a way there with|out leave, where of right he hath none, it may be a ju&s;t ground of a law &s;uit, and action of Tre&s;pa&s;&s;e. Therefore that, which Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> hath added, concerning the evil con&s;equences of Law &s;uits, and &s;uits in Chancery, that &s;ome parties have grown di&s;tracted, and others have never lived a comfortable hour after all the daies of their lives, is &s;uch as I can &s;ay nothing to, nor any man el&s;e to the purpo&s;e, unle&s;&s;e I were acquainted with the particular ca&s;es, and the circum&s;tances of them.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="17" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 17.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 14. he &s;aith, They u&s;ually upon &s;uch in|clo&s;ure treble the price of their land: and this they get by flaying the skin off the poor.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>If any man impo&s;e a greater rent upon his land, then it is worth, I will not go about either to ju&s;tifie or to excu&s;e him: but that may be done upon land in common fields, as well as inclo&s;ure: and therefore this objection can be of no force again&s;t inclo&s;ure in general. Land may be inclo&s;ed, and yet no rent put upon it more then it is worth. And, if after inclo&s;ure, the profit of the land to the tenant be rai&s;ed, to what proportion &s;oever it bee, double or treble, what wrong can it be unto him if his rent be rai&s;ed accord|ingly? But, if the profit to the tenant be not rai&s;ed, it is in vain for the Landlord to expect that he &s;hould rai&s;e his rent, any more in grounds inclo&s;ed, then in common fields.</P>
<P>I tould you before, in an&s;wer unto that which you alleadged out of page 10. that the over-rating of rents is not the inequality of them, but their di&s;proportion to the profit that may bee rai&s;ed of the land: and &s;o I &s;ay now. Be&s;ides that this objection makes nothing again&s;t inclo&s;ure there, where there are no tenants, but all
<PB N="30" REF="20">men freeholders, that live upon their own lands. And more then that, to &s;erve Ma&s;ter <HI>Moores</HI> purpo&s;e, it mu&s;t pre&s;uppo&s;e all Land|lords rich men, and all Landlords of inclo&s;ed grounds, not Land|lords of tho&s;e that lie in common fields, &s;uch as pant, thir&s;t, and are enflamed, as he &s;peaks, with covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e; and all tenants poor, yea &s;uch as have nothing but skin left upon them, that is, according to his own interpretation, page, 26. very poor: none of all which is alwaies &s;o. For tenants may be, and &s;ometimes are, richer then their Landlords, and Landlords in common fields may pant, thir&s;t, and be inflamed with covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, when Landlords of inclo&s;ed grounds may be pittifull and compa&s;&s;ionate, yea bountiful and li|beral unto the poor. And therefore that which he addeth page 15. I mu&s;t tell the&s;e that thus &s;ell the poor for trifles, that I am &s;u&s;pi|cious they will &s;ell their God for gold, and Judas-like their Chri&s;t to fill the bagge: their profe&s;&s;ion is nothing, if they care not for the poor. A Go&s;pel &s;pirit is a giving &s;pirit &amp;c. let him be&s;tow upon covetous oppre&s;&s;ors, where&s;oever he finds them, either in common fields, or grounds inclo&s;ed: &s;o that he be care|full not to mi&s;take them, for fear he mark the &s;heep, with the brand that was made for none but for goats. How&s;oever let this be ob|&s;erved, as given for granted by Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore,</HI> that upon &s;uch inclo|&s;ure the price of the land may be trebled, which I confe&s;&s;e is &s;ome|times true, although not alwaies, and then it will follow, that by hindring &s;uch inclo&s;ure, a double benefit to the owner in particu|lar, and con&s;equently in proportion unto the Common-wealth in general, is hindered: for upon &s;uch inclo&s;ure the price of the land could not be trebled, unle&s;&s;e a treble profit might bee rai&s;ed. And this, for as much as concernes the Common-wealth in general, is e|vident by experience, becau&s;e upon inclo&s;ure, the proportion of the taxes is accordingly rai&s;ed above the rate, which they were for|merly at, when the fields lay open, &amp; the land was u&s;ed in common.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="18" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 18.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Page 19. he &s;aith, The&s;e worldlings are the un|profitable burdens of the earth, in whom there is no charity, libera|lity, ho&s;pitality nor humanity; &s;uch are greedy gripes, which by their inclo&s;ure would have no poor to live with them, nor by them, but delight to conver&s;e with bea&s;ts, and to this purpo&s;e turn corne into gra&s;&s;e, and men into bea&s;ts.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>Such worldlings, as Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> there de&s;cribeth (if there be any &s;uch) he may well call unprofitable burdens of the earth: but that all inclo&s;ers are &s;uch greedy gripes, as would have no poor to live with them, or by them, he hath not yet proved, not e|ver
<PB N="31" REF="20" MS="y">will doe. And yet to &s;ay, that &s;ome of them would have no poor to live with them, or by them, may be &s;o under&s;tood, that it would be no di&s;paragement at all, but an high commendation: I mean &s;o, that they would have the poor, who live with them, to live by them, that is, by their means, &s;o that they may in time out-live their poverty, and be no more poore: which would be the be&s;t cour&s;e of caring for the poor, that they could take. But, why doth Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> de&s;cribe &s;uch greedy gripes, &s;uch worldlings, as hee there &s;peaketh of, by delighting to conver&s;e with bea&s;ts, and &s;ay, that to this purpo&s;e they turn corne into gra&s;&s;e, and men into bea&s;ts, Are oxen, kine, and &s;heep bea&s;ts, any more then hor&s;es are? Or do not plowmen delight to conver&s;e with hor&s;es, as much as Shepheards, or heard&s;men, do to conver&s;e with other cattle? Or are not hor&s;es for the plowmans u&s;e maintained with gra&s;&s;e, as well as oxen, kine and &s;heep? and, more then they, even with corne it &s;elfe al&s;o? doth Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore</HI> conceive, that a plowman, as a plowman, is, or may be, more &s;pirituall, then a &s;hepheard, or an heard&s;man? and a &s;hep|heard, or an heard&s;man, as a &s;hepheard, or an heard&s;man, more carnal, then a plowman? much good, if it can, may his conceit do him. But yet if he plea&s;e, for the further &s;atisfaction of others, let him tell them, which of the two it was, <HI>Abel</HI> a keeper of &s;heep, or <HI>Cain</HI> a tiller of the ground, unto whom the Lord had re&s;pect, and unto his offering, &amp; unto which of the two he had not, <HI>Gen.</HI> 4.2. &amp;c. And which doth he think were heardsmen and &s;hepheards, which were plowmen and tillers of land, the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> in the land of <HI>Go|&s;hen,</HI> or the <HI>Aegyptians</HI> in the land of <HI>Aegypt?</HI> whether it was from the &s;heepfolds, or from the thre&s;hing floores, from following the ewes great with yong, or from holding the plow, that God tooke <HI>David,</HI> a man after his own heart, to feed <HI>Jacob</HI> his people, and I&s;|rael his inheritance? P&s;. 78.70. &amp;c. Though page 22 Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore,</HI> is plea&s;ed to &s;ay, that fle&s;h is but &s;awce as it were, to make our bread reli&s;h better, and goe down the glibber: yet he may ob&s;erve, that <HI>Mo&s;es, Gen.</HI> 4.2. doth fir&s;t make mention of <HI>Abels</HI> keeping &s;heep, although he were but the yonger brother, before he &s;peaks of the elder brother <HI>Cains</HI> tilling the ground: and meat is not wont to be an after additament to &s;awce, but &s;awce to meat; yet all this is but little to the purpo&s;e, becau&s;e, as I told you before, decay of tillage is no nece&s;&s;ary effect, nor any proper adjunct of inclo&s;ure, but rather the contrary.</P>
<P>I pray you proceed: for I believe there is &s;omething yet be|hind
<PB N="32" REF="21">un&s;poken to, which &s;ome men, if they can, will make a great matter of.</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="19" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 19.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>It is true: for page 22. hee &s;aith, How nigh are they to a cur&s;e, that u&s;e &s;uch means, that there may bee no corne, nor &s;eed time, nor harve&s;t, in the places where they inhabit? The&s;e break our &s;taffe of bread. This argument prevails much with a car|nal mind, and the natural con&s;cience doth much perplex the&s;e op|pre&s;&s;ours. Oh (&s;ay they) though wee have a good mind to this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, yet the cur&s;e that followes &s;uch inclo&s;ure! And none of us here can be ignorant how vi&s;ibly God hath pur&s;ued &s;uch inclo|&s;ure with his &s;everal judgements, having written this very &s;inne in the ludgement. I &s;hall bee &s;paring of the particular vengeances that have followed this &s;inne: only thus much I &s;hall &s;ay, that the prophe&s;ie of <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 5.9. is fulfilled on them, Many hou&s;es are de|&s;olate, even great and fair, without inhabitants: &s;o that wee may &s;ay u&s;ually of them, as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaks of &s;uch. P&s;. 37.35, 36. I have &s;een him in great power, and &s;preading him&s;elfe like a green bay tree, yet he pa&s;&s;ed away, and loe he was not, yea I &s;ought him, but he could not be found. His hou&s;e and land hath vomited him out and his po&s;teritie. Seldome the third generation can call tho&s;e inclo&s;ed grounds his owne.</P>
<P>This natural con&s;cience dot &s;o terrifie them, when they are upon &s;uch cur&s;ed de&s;ignes, that they can goe on with no complacency of &s;pirit in it. When they are agreed upon Articles of &s;uch inclo&s;ure, how every one trembles to &s;et his hand fir&s;t to them, or to &s;et the fir&s;t &s;pade in the ground of &s;uch inclo&s;ure, becau&s;e God many times &s;o vi&s;ibly meets with the ringleaders. In one town being upon &s;uch inclo&s;ure, and to &s;et their hands to the Articles, &s;o terrible was the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, that no body would begin: at la&s;t one &s;natched the penne, &s;ub&s;cribed his name, and bid them follow him all in the devils name. When they have thus inclo&s;ed, you &s;hall hardly find who was the author of it, none will acknowledge them&s;elves to be prin|cipal agents in it, though they have all done it. I have this one word to &s;peak to the&s;e Mammoni&s;ts that thus dare to &s;tifle con&s;ci|ence, 1 <HI>John</HI> 3.20. If thy heart condemn thee, God is greater then thine heart, and knoweth all things.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>I thank you, that you have repeated Mr. <HI>Moores</HI> words &s;o at large: I hope to make &s;ome good u&s;e of them: For
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 His frequent in&s;erting of tho&s;e re&s;trictive termes, &s;uch meanes, the&s;e oppre&s;&s;ors, &s;uch inclo&s;ure, this &s;in, tho&s;e inclo&s;ed grounds,
<PB N="33" REF="21">&s;uch cur&s;ed de&s;ignes, and the like, &s;hew plainly that hee had no de|&s;ire, that all men &s;hould under&s;tand him &s;o, as it &s;eemes you con|ceive &s;ome men may doe, namely, as &s;peaking of inclo&s;ure in gene|rall. And therefore I &s;ay, as well as he, if any man who&s;oever bee con&s;cious to him&s;elf, that hee hath an heart exerci&s;ed with cove|tous practi&s;es, that have made, or would make u&s;e of oppre&s;&s;ive, unju&s;t, uncharitable actions for inclo&s;ure, or of inclo&s;ure for op|pre&s;&s;ive, unju&s;t, uncharitable ends, let him tremble at the expecta|tion of a cur&s;e, and if it conic let him not &s;tick to charge the par|ticular vengeance that follows him, upon his own particular &s;inne that went before. But what I &s;ay of inclo&s;ure I will in like manner &s;ay of land in common, If any man be con&s;cious to him&s;elf of an heart excerci&s;ed with covetous practi&s;es, that hee hath made, or would make u&s;e of oppre&s;&s;ive, unju&s;t, uncharitable actions to hin|der inclo&s;ure; for oppre&s;&s;ive, unju&s;t, uncharitable ends, let him tremble at the expectation of a cur&s;e, and if it come, let him not &s;tick to charge the particular vengeance that follows him, upon his own particular &s;in that went before. But, when Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> and I have &s;aid all this, we have &s;ayd nothing at all again&s;t inclo&s;ure in generall, or again&s;t common fields, but only &s;o farre forth as in common fields there is greater opportunity of covetous, vncon|&s;cionable, oppre&s;&s;ive, unju&s;t, uncharitable practi&s;es, then there is in grounds inclo&s;ed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. When Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> &s;aith of a covetous, uncon&s;cionable, oppre&s;&s;ing, unju&s;t, uncharitable inclo&s;er, his hou&s;e and land hath vomited him out, &s;eldom the third generation can call tho&s;e inclo&s;ed grounds his own, either Ma&s;tes <HI>Moor</HI> mu&s;t &s;uppo&s;e him unblameable in o|ther re&s;pects, or el&s;e he cannot certainly tell, that &s;uch a particular judgement was inflicted for that particular &s;in. If be&s;ides that hee were likewi&s;e an idolater, a bla&s;phemer, a murtherer, an adulterer, a drunkard, or the like, that particular judgement, for ought that Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> can tell, might bee brought upon him for &s;ome of tho&s;e particular &s;ins, as well, as for that, which hee is minded to a&s;cribe it to. Yea it might bee for &s;ome antecedent &s;in of his Ance|&s;tors, as well as for his own. So uncertain a thing it is, as well as pre&s;umptuous, and therefore the more pre&s;umptuous, becau&s;e it is uncertain, without &s;peciall revelation from God him&s;elf to meddle with his &s;ecret coun&s;els, and take upon us to de&s;ign the particular occa&s;ions of tho&s;e things which are ordered and di&s;po&s;ed of by his ei|ther operative, or permi&s;&s;ive providence. You know what our Saviour
<PB N="34" REF="22">an&s;wered his di&s;ciples concerning the man that was blind from his birth, <HI>John</HI> 9.2, 3. <HI>Who, &s;ay they, did &s;in, this man, or his parents, that hee was born blind? Neither hath this man &s;inned,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>nor his parents, but that the works of God &s;hould be made manife&s;t in him.</HI> And that ge|nerall rule of <HI>Solomon</HI> may &s;erve to give an&s;wer unto a thou&s;and &s;uch arguments as this. <HI>No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them: All things come alike to all,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 9.1, 2, 3, and chap. 8.14. <HI>There be ju&s;t men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked: Again there be wicked men, to whom it hap|peneth according to the work of the righteous.</HI> Therefore the Apo&s;tles either precept or advice is, <HI>Judge nothing before the time, untill the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkne&s;&s;e, and will make manife&s;t the coun&s;els of the hearts.</HI> 1 Cor. 4.5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. When men of competent, yea of plentifull e&s;tates, who have not on|ly oppo&s;ed, but likewi&s;e hindered inclo&s;ure in the places where they lived, have afterward been known to runne out of all, &s;o that not the third, nor the &s;econd generation, only, but not them&s;elves in their own life time could call tho&s;e common grounds their own, which they had been the means to hinder the inclo&s;ure of: would Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> thinke it charity in me, or in any man el&s;e, to &s;ay their hou&s;es and their lands had vomited them out, and their po&s;terity, becau&s;e out of cur&s;ed de&s;ignes of their own they had hindered inclo&s;ure? If not, then let him call to mind that of our Saviour, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7.1, 2. <HI>Judge not, that ye be not judged: For with what judgement ye judge, ye &s;hall be judged; and with what mea|&s;ure ye mete, it &s;hall be mea&s;ured to you again:</HI> And that of the Apo&s;tle <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.1. <HI>Therefore thou art inexcu&s;able, O man, who&s;oever thou art that judge&s;t,</HI> &amp;c.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Complacency of &s;pirit, or a trembling perplexity of con&s;cience, in the things which men doe, or goe about, are not alwayes nece&s;&s;ary evi|dences of lawfulne&s;&s;e or unlawfulne&s;&s;e in the things them&s;elves: And there may be other rea&s;ons, without &s;tifling of their con&s;ciences, or be|cau&s;e their own hearts doe condemne them, that &s;ome men &s;ometimes are not willing to own &s;ome actions (though lawful and laudable) or to acknowledge them&s;elves to bee principall agents in them. I could give you in&s;tances enough to this purpo&s;e, but that I am loath to bee too tedious, and the matter is &s;o plaine of it &s;elfe, that it needs no proof.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. I thinke it might not be ami&s;&s;e for Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor,</HI> and other men of his mind, to examine their own experiences concerning tho&s;e Inclo|&s;ers, whom they thinke God hath vi&s;ibly pur&s;ued with this particular
<PB N="35" REF="22">judgement, to be vomited out by their hou&s;es and lands, which they have inclo&s;ed, whether they are not decayed in their e&s;tates before, if not runne out of all, or &s;o deeply indebted, that without &s;uch improvement, as they made of their e&s;tates by inclo&s;ure, they could not have been able to fatisfie their creditors, and re&s;erve any thing to be a means of future &s;ub&s;i&s;tance to them&s;elves, and their po&s;terity. If all, or &s;ome, or any of them, were &s;uch, the parting with that e&s;tate afterwards, which before was inclo&s;ed, may rather &s;eem to have been a ble&s;&s;ing, then a cur&s;e, as a means of the creditors better &s;atisfaction, and the owners future freedom from a former intanglement at lea&s;t, if not bondage al&s;o. But I &s;pend too many words upon a matter manife&s;t enough of it &s;elf, if the prejudicate opinions and pa&s;&s;ions of men did not fiel up the eyes of their under&s;tand|ings, or render them re&s;olute not to acknowledge even what they cannot choo&s;e but know. Yet one thing &s;eemes a little &s;trange unto mee.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>What is that?</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="20" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 20.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor,</HI> that hath filled his di&s;cour&s;e in &s;ome places with froth that hath fallen from the mouthes of other men, hath not once that I remember made mention of one thing, more materiall, and more nearly concerning him&s;elfe, then mo&s;t of the re&s;t, if not all, and that which I think hath been one of the mo&s;t effectual meanes to hinder Inclo&s;ures, where they have been oppo&s;ed. I meane the Churches right unto Tythes, and the wrong that is pretended would be done un|to Mini&s;ters, if fields lying open, and u&s;ed in common &s;hould bee in|clo&s;ed. I wonder how Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> could mi&s;&s;e this? Were the poor &s;o much in his heart, that they put the Church quite out of his head?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Whether Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> did purpo&s;ely omit that particular, or no, I cannot tell. But, if hee did, I thinke hee de&s;erves to be commended for it. Having &s;poken &s;o plainly, as hee hath done, page 17. again&s;t &s;elfi&s;h|ne&s;&s;e, which hee calls &s;owing to the fle&s;h, and having &s;ayd expre&s;ly, page 27, that Mini&s;ters mu&s;t not onley preach, but likewi&s;e practi&s;e this duty of charity, to beware of covetou&s;ne&s;s, and to be of a giving &s;pi|rit: me-thinks it was well done of him to forbear this argument, where|in hee him&s;elfe is &s;o nearly concerned, le&s;t that, if hee &s;hould have urged it, as he hath done others, &s;ome might have taken occa&s;ion thereupon to have retorted this Text, and &s;ayd of him, as St. <HI>John</HI> did of <HI>Judas, This he &s;ayd, not that he cared for the poor.</HI> And indeed to what purpo&s;e &s;hould an argument again&s;t Inclo&s;ure bee urged now from Tythes, and the right of the Church to them, when not onely the right of the
<PB N="36" REF="23">Church to tithes is que&s;tioned, but likewi&s;e tithes them&s;elves cryed down by &s;ome, as not Jewi&s;h only, but Antichri&s;tian al&s;o. So that &s;ome men peradventure might &s;u&s;pect the urging of an argument again&s;t inclo&s;ure from tithes to be a de&s;igne for the continuance of tithes, as a nece&s;&s;ary means for the pre&s;ervation of common fields from inclo&s;ure, which u&s;u|ally tho&s;e that have intere&s;t in tithes are great oppo&s;ers of. But what e|ver was the rea&s;on of Ma&s;ter <HI>Moores</HI> omitting it, I pray you let mee heare, what an&s;wer you would have given unto it, if he had urged it.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>The &s;ame that I have done before, namely, that inclo&s;ure rightly ordered cannot be prejudicial to the right of the Church in tithes, or to any man, unto whom that right of tithes doth ap|pertain.</P>
<P>For
<LIST>
<ITEM>fir&s;t, If as I &s;aid before, decay of tillage bee no proper or ne|ce&s;&s;ary adjunct, fruit and effect of inclo&s;ure rightly ordered, but rather the contrary: if more corne may be rai&s;ed in grounds inclo|&s;ed then in common fields, the tiths may be bettered, rather then impaired by inclo&s;ure.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, In ca&s;e tho&s;e that have right to tithes are doubt|full of an uncertainty, in that whether men will doe what they might doe in that kind or no, their intere&s;t, as well as other mens, may be provided for in the agreement, and the tithes com|pounded for, either in money, or in land.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, If no agreement at all be made, yet if the tiths be all duly paid in kind, as they &s;hould be, what ever valew they be of, the right is pre&s;erved, and there is no wrong done; and that they may bee in grounds inclo&s;ed, as well as in common fields.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Since you are &s;o willing to tell me your mind in that par|ticular, although it be not mentioned by Ma&s;ter <HI>Moore,</HI> I pray you do the like in one other thing.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>What it that?</P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="21" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 21.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>The Apo&s;tles rule is, Ab&s;tain from all appear|ance of evil. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.22. and <HI>Philip.</HI> 4.8. among&s;t the properties of the things that mu&s;t be thought upon, one is, that they be of good report. But again&s;t inclo&s;ure generally it is objected by &s;ome men, that it is of evil report, that it hath an appearance of evil in it, and therefore mu&s;t not be thought upon, but ab&s;tained from. What do you &s;ay to this?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>To this I &s;ay,
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, That an appearance of evil, and an evil report, are ju&s;t oc|ca&s;ions for men to &s;u&s;pend their re&s;olutions of doing tho&s;e things,
<PB N="37" REF="23">wherein there is &s;uch an appearance, concerning which there is &s;uch a report, until they have &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered of the matter, and thorowly tryed whether the things them&s;elves bee &s;uch indeed as they appear, and whether they ought to bee &s;o reported of. But when they come to &s;et up their re&s;t, which &s;ide they will &s;it down upon, and &s;ettle their re&s;olution what to doe indeed, it mu&s;t not be according unto that which doth appear, but that which is, not according unto that which is reported, but according unto that which ought to be. It is the Apo&s;tles rule, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5, 21. Prove all things, hold fa&s;t that which is good. and our Saviours, <HI>John</HI> 7.24. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That as evil indeed and the appearance of evill are two di&s;tinct things, &s;o it is one thing to be ill reported of, and another thing to be of evill report. Tho&s;e things alone are of evill report, which are evil indeed, and ought to bee &s;o reported of. But many things are ill reported of, which only appears to be evill, and are not. <HI>Multa videntur, quae non &s;unt.</HI> So the way of Chri&s;tian religion it &s;elf, the way wherein <HI>Paul</HI> pro|fe&s;&s;ed to wor&s;hip the God of his fathers, by his own confe&s;&s;ion, was cal|led here&s;ie, <HI>Acts,</HI> 24.14. and, by the te&s;timonie of the Jewes, was every where &s;poken again&s;t, <HI>Acts</HI> 28, 22. yea our &s;aviour &s;aith to his di&s;ci|ples, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.11. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are ye when men revile you, and &s;hall &s;ay all manner of evil again&s;t you fal&s;ly for &s;ake.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That although in &s;ome inclo&s;ure there may bee, and too often is, not an appearance only of evill, but evill indeed, though &s;ome inclo&s;ures have been indeed of evil report, that is, &s;uch as de&s;erve to be evil reported of; Yet all inclo&s;ures neither have been are, or need to be &s;uch.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That even in this particular al&s;o, as much may be &s;aid of common|fields, as of Inclo&s;ures; that in &s;ome at lea&s;t, if not in all commonfields, there is not onely appearance of evil, but evill indeed, and that they are not only it reported of, but likewi&s;e de&s;erve to bee &s;o: as I think may &s;ufficiently appear by that, which hath been &s;aid already. Is there any thing el&s;e in Ma&s;ter <HI>Moores</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, which you make que&s;tion of?</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
</SP>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="22" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>Sect. 22.</HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>Not that I remember now. But I &s;hall thankfully ac|knowledge it a further favour, if you will be plea&s;ed to an&s;wer my de&s;ire in one thing more.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>What may that be?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Phil.</SPEAKER>
<P>I hear that now Ma&s;ter <HI>Moor</HI> doth intend to procure a Peti|tion again&s;t inclo&s;ure generally &s;ub&s;cribed by the inhabitants of divers Counties, to be pre&s;ented to the Parliament: which may peradventure give occa&s;ion to others to procure an Anti-petition in behalfe of inclo|&s;ure
<PB N="38" REF="24">&s;ub&s;cribed in the &s;ame Counties. By which means it may truly appear, who they are, and of what condition, that &s;tand for common fields, or for inclo&s;ure. In ca&s;e &s;uch a cour&s;e &s;hould be ta|ken, what forme of Petition doe you think fit to be pre&s;ented in be|halfe of inclo&s;ure?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Par.</SPEAKER>
<P>For that you &s;hall pardon mee, I will not pre&s;ume to take upon me &s;o much, as to thinke of the forme of &s;uch a Petition, but leave it to men of more ability, and experience, better acquainted with &s;uch cour&s;es. And for the matter of &s;uch a Petition, I have told you &s;o much of my mind already, that I need to &s;ay no more, either of what I think fit in &s;uch a ca&s;e to be de&s;ired, or of what may be ur|ged as rea&s;on to induce to a conce&s;&s;ion of it. But peradventure, if this di&s;cour&s;e, which now you and I have had, &s;hould be known to &s;ome of them, unto whom Mr. <HI>Moor</HI> pre&s;ented his, they would think it more fit for him to be&s;tow his pains in &s;eeking to reform the evils and abu&s;es in common fields, there where he is acquainted, then in &s;olliciting &s;trangers for a Petition again&s;t Inclo&s;ure. How&s;oever, although I grant not your reque&s;t in this, yet having already an|&s;wered your de&s;ire in other things, give me leave likewi&s;e to pro|po&s;e &s;ome que&s;tions unto you. I will not put you to the trouble now to an&s;wer them, but if you know any that are adver&s;aries to inclo&s;ure in general, de&s;ire them, if they can, and will, to doe it for you.
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, doth it appear by any text in Scripture, or by the te&s;timony of any Author what&s;oever, that ever any fields lay open, and were u&s;ed in common, &s;o as now they are in &s;ome places of <HI>England</HI> (tho&s;e in-land Counties in particular, where inclo&s;ure is now &s;o much inveighed again&s;t) either in the land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> the lot of <HI>I&s;raels</HI> in|heritance, or in any other countrey what&s;oever?</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, doth it appear, that breaking down walls, or taking a|way hedges, whereby grounds formerly inclo&s;ed, and kept &s;everall, may again bee layd open, and u&s;ed in common, is any where in Scripture &s;poken of otherwi&s;e, then as an accur&s;ed thing, either the fruit or puni&s;hment of &s;in?</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, is there any probability, that it can be any more unlaw|full to inclo&s;e hereafter any land which is now in common, then it is nece&s;&s;ary now, to lay open all the land, which hath been hereto|fore inclo&s;ed?</ITEM>
<ITEM>Fourthly, is it true, or no, which hath been &s;aid by &s;ome, that it was a practi&s;e of policy in King <HI>William</HI> the Conqueror, to have
<PB N="39" REF="24">mens lands layd &s;cattered, as they are in common fields, of purpo&s;e to mini&s;ter unto them &s;o much occa&s;ion of contention with one a|nother, that they might not have opportunity and lei&s;ure to unite again&s;t him, in con&s;ideration whereof it hath been called the Con|querours cur&s;e?</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I will &s;ay no more, but only trim up this homely di&s;cour&s;e with a few fine lines borrowed from him, in all who&s;e writings wit and art doe equally triumph together; Mr. <HI>Fuller</HI> I mean, who in the &s;econd book and thirteenth chapter of <HI>The holy State,</HI> concerning the good Landlord, among&s;t other things writeth thus. <HI>He dete&s;ts and abhors all inclo&s;ure with depopulation.</HI> And, becau&s;e this may &s;eem a matter of importance, we will break it into &s;everall Propo&s;itions.</P>
<P N="1">1. Inclo&s;ure may bee without depopulating. Infinite examples &s;hew this to be true. But depopulation hath ca&s;t a &s;lander on Inclo|&s;ure, which becau&s;e often done with it, people &s;u&s;pect it cannot bee done without it.</P>
<P N="2">2. Inclo&s;ure made without depopulating, is injurious unto none. I mean, if proportionable allotments bee made to the poor for their commonage, and free and lea&s;e-holders have a con&s;iderable &s;hare with the Lord of the Mannor.</P>
<P N="3">3. Inclo&s;ure without depopulating is beneficiall to private per|&s;ons. Then have they mo&s;t power and comfort to improve their own parts, &amp; for the time and manner thereof may mold it to their own conveniency. The Monarch of one Acre will make more profit thereof, then he that hath his &s;hare in forty in common.</P>
<P N="4">4. Inclo&s;ure without depopulating is profitable to the Common|wealth. If injurious to no private per&s;on, and profitable to them all, it mu&s;t needs be beneficial to the Commonwealth, which is but the <HI>&s;umma totalis</HI> of &s;undry per&s;ons as &s;everal figures. Be&s;ides if a Mathematician &s;hould count the wood in the hedges, to what a mighty Forre&s;t would it amount? This underwood &s;erves for &s;up|plyes to &s;ave timber from burning, otherwi&s;e our woodden walls in the water mu&s;t have been &s;ent to the fire. Adde to this the &s;trength of an inclo&s;ed country again&s;t a forrain Inva&s;ion. Hedges and coun|ter hedges (having in number what they want in height and depth) &s;erve for barracadoes, and will &s;tick as birdlime in the wings of the Hor&s;e, &amp; &s;cotch the wheeling about of the Foot. Small re&s;i&s;tance will make the enemy to earn every mile of ground as he marches. Object not, That Inclo&s;ure de&s;troyes Tillage, the &s;taffe of a country, for it need not all bee converted to Pa&s;turage: <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel</HI> may
<PB N="40" REF="25">very wel agree in the Commonwealth, the Plowman and Shepheard part the Inclo&s;ures betwixt them.</P>
<P N="5">5. Inclo&s;ure with Depopulation is a canker to the Common|wealth. It needs no proof, woful experience &s;hews how it unhou&s;es thou&s;ands of people, till de&s;perate need thru&s;ts them on the Gal|lows. Long time had this land been &s;ick of a Pleuri&s;ie of people, if not let blood in the We&s;tern plantations.</P>
<P N="6">6. Inclo&s;ure with depopulation endamageth the parties them|&s;elves: 'Tis a Paradox, and yet a truth, that rea&s;on &s;hews &s;uch in|clo&s;ures to be gainfull, and experience proves them to be lo&s;&s;e to the makers. It may bee becau&s;e God being <GAP DESC="foreign">, a lover of mankind, and mens &s;ociety, and having &s;aid unto then, <HI>Multiply and increa&s;e,</HI> counts it an affront unto him that men depopulate; where|as Bees daily &s;warm, men make the hives fewer. The Margin &s;hall direct you to the Author, that counts eleven Man|nors in <HI>Northampton&s;hire</HI> thus inclo&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mr.</HI> Benthams Chri|&s;tian conflict, <HI>pag.</HI> 322.</NOTE> which Towns have vomited out (to u&s;e his own expre&s;|&s;ion) and unburthened them&s;elves of their for|mer de&s;olating owners, and I think their po&s;terity.</P>
</SP>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Lectori candido S.</HI></BIBL>
<L>Daveniam &s;ubitis: non displicui&s;&s;e meretur,</L>
<L>Qui prode&s;&s;e magis, qu&agrave;m placui&s;&s;e cupit.</L></Q>
<Q><L>Pardon this &s;udden work: who &s;trives to profit,</L>
<L>More then to plea&s;e, &s;hould not repent him of it.</L></Q>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
