A certain Man having many Sons all bred to a Seafaring Way of Life, was desirous that they should live together in a just, brotherly, and social Manner; and that though he wished to encourage individual Industry, and Improvement in Abilities, by providing that every one should reap the Fruits of the same, yet was he determined to form their Plan of Union in such a Manner that none, not even their Children or Children's Children, should be so depressed as to be excluded from the common Benefits of their Birth-right and of an equal Token of the impartial Regard of their common Parent. Wherefore one Day having called his Sons together, he addressed them to this effect: “My dear Boys, my Behaviour and Conduct towards you, has always been such as to convince you, I was strictly, just, and impartial. You were all equally my Delight and Care in your Infancy, you have been equally provided with the Means of Education, and with every Comfort and Convenience. I have shewn no Partiality to any, as being older or younger, I have been in all Respects your Common Parent, and I wish you and your Children to live together as my common Children for ever, for I extend my parental Regard to your Offspring through every Generation— Behold, then, this gallant Ship, equipped and provided with every Thing necessary for Sea, her Rigging and Tackle of the best Materials, and admirably adapted to the Ocean you have to occupy; amply provided with Stores and Provisions for a long Voyage, and waiting only for intelligent and skilful Agents to conduct her whithersoever they will. You my dear Boys, are such Agents, sufficiently qualified for the Adventurous task. Accept, then my Sons this my precious Gift, but remember, I do not give it to one, or two, or a select Few, but to you ALL, and as many of your Posterity as shall sail therein, as a COMMON PROPERTY. You shall all be EQUAL OWNERS, and shall share the Profits of every Voyage equally among you. You shall choose from among yourselves, one fit to be Captain, another Carpenter, &c.—These Officers shall continue in Office while you please, and when you please you shall change them for others, that your Affairs may be conducted in the best Manner possible. At the end of the Voyage, or at other stated Times agreed upon, you shall settle your Accounts; and after paying the Captain, the Mate, and every other Officer and Man his wages, according to Station and Agreement, and all Bills for upholding Wear and Tear, Provisions, &c., then the Remainder, which is the net Profit of the Voyage, and which would have been mine had I retained the Property of the Ship in my own Hands, is now your common Property, and must be shared equally among you all, without Respect to any Office any One may have held. For as I make you all equal Owners, so shall you be equal Sharers in the Profits of each Voyage. You are all equal to me, and you shall be all equal in this respect to each other. Let not the Captain, who receives the Wages of a Captain, or any other Officer, who receives the Wages of his Station, murmur that his Brethren before the Mast, and who receive only the Wages of Common Men, should receive Share and Share alike with himself of the Profits. No my dear Children, let no such unjust and unbrotherly Grudging ever be found among you.”

“Again my Sons, as I have been just and impartial to you, be ye the same to your Children. And when they shall multiply so that you cannot all sail together in the same Vessel, provide another Ship out of the common Profits, for such of yourselves and your Sons as shall choose to sail together, which shall be the Common Property or 2 joint stock of this new Colony in the same manner as this Ship is yours. This do, and live like Men and Brethren through all Generations. And as a Swarm of Bees, when grown too numerous for one Hive, send off Colonies to people new Ones, according to the Parental Constitution, so when the Crews of your Ships become too numerous, let new Ships be built, and manned on the Same equitable Plan that I have done, and my Blessing go with you.”

These Injunctions were received by the young Men with inexpressible Joy. And having wrote them in a Book, they were called the Constitution of their MARINE REPUBLIC, and they sware to maintain them inviolate to the end of Time. They then chose a Captain, and other Officers, and proceeded on a Trading Voyage, and being prosperous they shared very considerable Dividends both at the end of this, and many future Voyages.

In Process of Time, however, it so happened that these marine Republicans were dissatisfied with the Government of the Country, in which they resided. Wherefore taking all their Families and all their Effects on board, they set Sail for America, where they expected to see Government administered more agreeably to their Notions of Equality and Equity. But a violent Storm arising, they were driven far out of their Course, and at last arrived at an uninhabited Island of a luxurious Soil, and agreeable Climate. Here they gladly landed after much Danger, and their Ship being so much damaged as to be no more fit for Sea, they determined to settle on the Island. The Ship was now broken up, and Houses built with the Materials, and Preparations were made to cultivate the Soil, as they must now think of living by Gardening and Agriculture. But they foresaw that if they did not apply the Principles of the Marine Republic to their Landed Property and Government on Shore they would soon like all the rest of the World get into Quarrels about the Division of the Lands. They determined, therefore, to suffer no private Landlordism, no buying and selling, or Traffic in Land, the source of every Evil in Society. The Country they divided into Parishes, and called the Lands, PARISH LANDS. Then they made choice of One Parish to live together in, according to their brotherly Manner, as they were not numerous enough to people more. They appointed Officers, as they had done on Board of Ship, but of different Titles as being Parish Officers. The Officers next marked out certain Portions or Farms, and put them up at Auction on Leases for a certain Number of Years to the best Bidder. Thus was every sign of Partiality prevented and the most desireable Situations and the best Lands brought the most Rent to the Parish. This Rent being the Parish Revenue and the joint Property of the Parishioners they determined first to defray all the Public Expences of the Community out of the same that they might have no Taxes, and then to divide the Residue be it little or much equally among all the Men, Women and Children in the Parish, as the net Proceeds of their common Estate derived from Nature.

They soon perceived how much the Blessedness of their new Situation favoured Marriage by affording such Abundance of the Necessaries of Life. Everyone therefore married without Fear and they multiplied exceedingly. The first Parish soon became sufficiently stocked with Inhabitants, and another Parish was decreed to be peopled on the original Plan. They now acted as a federated Nation and sent Delegates from the Parishes to meet and act as a National Assembly for the Common Good. Thus they proceeded as they multiplied to constitute new Parishes, who also sent up their Delegates to the General Union.

But each Parish enjoyed the Sovereignty of its own Territory and the Administration of its own Police under the general Laws, as enacted by the National Assembly.

The Continent not being far distant from the Island of Spensonia, produced several Interviews between the respective Inhabitants, and of course frequent commercial Dealings, which, on the Part of the Spensonians, were conducted with the utmost Simplicity and good Faith. This Uprightness gained much on the Affections of the Indians, and naturally produced a yet nearer Connextion. Contrary to Expectation these Indians saw a People as free and independent as themselves and yet Tillers of the Ground, and Mechanics, and Tradesmen of every Description.

The Indians were astonished to find a civilized People so content with the small Portion of Territory which had fallen to their Lot contrary to the Manner of all others of the same Class. Therefore they enquired of the Spensonians the Cause of this wonderful Difference. Many of the Indians were so charmed with the brotherly System which they beheld that they begged to be incorporated with the Spensonians which Privilege was granted to as many as came. The parishes granted them Land for acertain Period rent-free and lent them Impliments of Husbandry and Food for Subsistence till they could support themselves. For these they gave their Bond to pay for, by certain easy Instalments.

“In this State was this wonderful Society,” said IGNORAMUS “when I happened accidentally to be cast among them. I was as astonished as the Indians at what I saw, nor could I help enquiring as they did, concerning such a Strange State of Things. I soon found the People were very communicative, and ready to give me every Information I desired. Now I shall just relate by way of Dialogue, what passed between a Spensonian and me, concerning the Manners, Customs and Constitution of this strange People.”

To be continued

12IGNORAMUS,

I am really astonished to see such a people as you are. You seem quite settled on your lees; every one enjoying himself under his vine and under his fig-tree and none to make you afraid. You seem to have no ambition— no desire to encroach on the Territories of your Neighbours;—You force no Trade;—You let every thing take its own natural course without any concern. Yet human nature seems the same in you as in other nations. There must be some grand cause for this wonderful difference and I should like to know it.

SPENSONIAN— The grand cause of our content is this. We can buy no land were we ever so rich. Wherefore then should we disturb ourselves and all the world for useless riches merely to heap up? Yet we are not idle or lazy. We emulously strive to excell in cleanliness and even elegance of dress; as we do also in our habitations, in our gardens, and in our farms. But I need not inform you of these things, which present themselves to you in every walk.

IGNOR—Yet I wonder: Every thing is a wonder. Instead of having fences round your choice Fruit-trees as in other countries, you have your choice Fruit-trees in your fences. You do not seem to be afraid of thieves.

SPEN— Thieves! no— we are not afraid of thieves; our laws do not first make thieves and then hang them, as in a certain country. Our whole code of laws against thieving consists but of four words— viz, ‘THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.’ These words, and the meaning of them we teach our children as soon as they can walk. It is then we take them forth into the fields and gardens of our Neighbours, letting them approach as near as they please to the flowers and fruits, which if the child offer to take or injure, he is immediately checked, and made to understand that the Occupier or Farmer is our tenant, and pays us rent for the premises, which we duly receive every quarter. And we go on acquainting him, that it was some of the rent which bought him the toys, and other fine things at the Jubilee Fair. In this way, as familiarly as we can do, we instruct our young ones, in the real principles of morality and justice. The thing is true—Nothing is so easy as truth. We have and receive our whole rights of every man, and therefore we have no cause to make reprisals on any man. Would to God men could say so in every nation, and then we should see little or no thieving. For thieves act more upon principle than we are aware of, their consciences are commonly lulled asleep, by the law of reprizals. The Oppressors of the Earth ought therefore to take heed to this.

IGNOR.— But are there no poor people, no paupers whose distress might press them to put forth their hand to steal?

SPEN—No— We have no paupers nor people so degraded by their circumstances as to make depradations on their Neighbour's property. As long as people are able to work they may have work. If they cannot employ themselves in some trade or calling, or cannot be set to work by others as journeymen or labourers, they have only to apply to the parish, who will either set them to work on the roads or other public works, or furnish them with land, with tools and provisions, till they can maintain themselves, as was and is done with the Indians. If there be no land unoccupied in the parish that they can have, the the law provides that they shall be sent to some other parish, where there is room, and be provided for as aforesaid. Thus, as there always lies open a free and easy way to the occupation of the land, neither the towns nor trade can become overstocked with sturdy starving people. And as for the aged, the blind, and the lame, or orphans who may have no friends, or protectors, these, I say, are provided for as they ought to be, that is, as fellow creatures of the same dignity as ourselves, and as if they had a right in justice to be thus maintained, without being debased to humble paupers.

IGNOR.—All this is very good. But would not people be yet more industrious if they knew they could purchase Land with their riches?

SPEN.—I see you are a true born Englishman, whose heart is set upon nothing but riches and land. For these you would turn the World upside-down, and sacrifice like Judas every thing good, and sacred, as you do. But even in England, that dung-hill of Judases: the most laudably and usefully industrious, are such as have no prospect or hope of purchasing land. Happy would they think themselves if the insatiable Field-hunters above them, would suffer them to procure by their labour the necessaries of life. But notwithstanding, they must either pump or drown. But what think you of the Jews; do they cease to be industrious because they cannot purchase land? And have not many of them great riches, without repining? Indeed man is so active an animal, he cannot be kept from industry in one way or another. For want of employment he will turn his talents to work of mere fancy, and the fine Arts; others again, will as willing drudge at their respective callings to enable them to purchase these superfluities. Thus, here is a natural and innocent stimulus to industry. We take a pride in embellishing our persons, our homes and even our country; and we will work extraordinary for all these things. For the grandeur of our parish, and other public works, we are content with sharing less Dividends of our rents. Thus you see, though we have not so much cause to work as other people, we nevertheless create cause, of our own free will.

IGNOR.—But methinks you have no Foreign Commerce.

SPEN.—Have we not? Yet we have as much as we want or care for. Do you think we are like the beggarly Europeans, to go a scrambling and fighting all over the world for the sake of trade? We have not got such an outcast starving population to provide for. We send our people as I told you to the land, as fast as they want employment; these new Cultivators in their turn again make trade, and abundance of it, so that we overflow with trade among ourselves of the most wholesome and permanent kind, without forcing it. And for Foreign trade our Ports are open and free to Natives and Foreigners without custom-house, or officers to molest them, or raise the price of their commodities by duties or taxes; so what more would you desire?

13IGNOR.—But pray now, as you do not seem to be a warlike people, are you not afraid of foreign Enemies breaking in upon you, and conquering you, and so put an end to your excellent Constitution?

SPEN.—I believe they had better let us alone, for we should be more likely to overturn their constitution, than they to overturn ours. We would indeed: We could if we had not a man willing to fight, buy up all our enemies, from the highest commander to the lowest private, by giving them DOUBLE PAY for life, which to be sure they would not refuse: This we could make good with ease, without laying ourselves under taxes, as we have no landlords to eat us up. It is they that devour the resources of a country, and prevent it from great efforts. These new comers, (I mean the new purchased army,) would immediately become the most strenuous defenders of our constitution, which provided so well for them, and which no System with landlords could do. And as they would spend their large pay amongst us, it would make more trade, and so would not be altogether lost.

But though this may be done with ease, we do not depend altogether on buying our enemies. Our Spensonians are in continual training, as Volunteers, from childhood, by way of amusement, and without pay; but if we were to march them we could afford to pay them DOUBLE for life, as well as strangers: Then what have we to fear from enemies? Besides, by marching into the enemies country, we could soon Spensonianize them by proclaiming all the lands as we went, to be PARISH LANDS, and enforcing our constitution, so they had better let us alone.

IGNOR.—Would you not be afraid of becoming subject to a Military Government by thus taking a foreign Army into your bosom all at once?

SPEN.—Every government founded on Injustice, is, and must be, a military government in some degree. And are there any founded on pure justice, except ours? Therefore they must one and all be supported by an armed force more or less, according to the quantity of injustice in their respective Constitutions. An Army or overbearing Force is absolutely necessary to cover any alteration in a State whether for the better or the worse. There are always a great many Craftsmen and Shrine-makers and other interested People under every System who would stick to, and support it in all its enormities as long as they could, and would only give way to superior force. Well then, this being the case, even Spensonianism could not be established where other governments had been before without an Army. But there is a mighty difference in the Task, that the Military would have to perform. When the Military are aiding the establishment of Justice, they have the bulk of the people on their side, almost every man is their Friend and Well-wisher; and Soldiers are more like Peace Officers more to keep order for the public good, than objects of Terror; therefore, in this case, they need not be numerous. But in the case of establishing a conquest of despotism they must look on every man as an enemy, and to succeed must be completely irresistable. The Army themselves in a good cause act more willingly, which makes their Commanders never fail by manifestos, &c. to colour over their cause in the best manner. Now from all these considerations, the Spensonians have occasions for the smallest armed force of any People to establish their System where ever they will, and when once done, could either the Army or People hope to better themselves by a change of any kind? No! certainly not, the Chiefs of the Army by their DOUBLE PAY FOR LIFE are as Princes already, and all below them GENTLEMEN FOR LIFE; then who or what could mend their condition? But Armies are not much given to mutiny when paid regularly though on single pay; how much less would they think of mutinying when on magnificent Spensonian Pay? So we have nothing to fear from an ARMY OF GENTLEMEN who would be a pattern of the strictest discipline and order. Neither Officers nor Privates would like to be broke or turned out of such an Army, through Treason or Misconduct. Where could they better their Situations?

IGNOR—But I am afraid you will become too populous for the country the way you go on. Full employment, and overflowing plenty, invites every Body to marry; and strangers being naturalized and incorporated without ceremony, your country must soon, as I say, become too strait for you.

SPEN. We are not concerned on that score. If our Country should become too narrow for us, the world is large enough. So in that case, as I said before, a certain number of us have only to take our constitution in one Hand and our Sword in the other, and wherever the soles of our Feet shall tread, there shall we find our Country; and all the Natives will join and incorporate with us, the Soldiers for the sake of DOUBLE PAY FOR LIFE, and the People for the sake of our Constitution, and then we shall become immediately one People. Thus you see we need not feel jealous at the Influx of strangers, nor uneasy at our increase by Marriage, as we can so easily help ourselves.

Here we adjourned our conversation and retired for the evening. The next Morning I was awaked in great surprize by the Thundering of Artillery, the ringing of Bells, and the sound of the Trumpet. I ran immediately to my Friend to learn the Meaning of all this din, for he had given me no Intimation before-hand. Our conversation now commenced again as follows.

SPEN. This is our quarterly Jubilee in this Parish. Our Rents having been paid in at the Vestry some Days before, and the Parish Affairs and Accounts all settled, the Trumpet this morning summons us to come and receive our dividends of the overplus remaining in hand, Every Man, Woman, and Child who are Parishioners, will receive their dividends either by themselves, or by the Hands of their Parents, or other Friend, if Children or sick. At the same time each will receive a printed Abstract of the Parish Accounts for the quarter. But after breakfast we shall go forth and see the Fair and the whole Business.

First we went to the Vestry, and there were the People bustling to receive their dividends. Next we went to the Fair, where were numbers of Booths, Tents and Shows, and plenty of Goods and Cattle of all kinds to be sold. There you might see the Parents treating their Children with Toys, or some new wearable out of their dividends, which had become customary in commemoration of the day. The young men also treating their Sweethearts, and Husbands their Wives. In short I never saw so much Happiness before. I could not contain myself, and our Conversation again commenced.

13IGNOR.—Is this Rejoicing general Today over the Country?

SPEN.—No—the Parish-quarter commences, and ends on different days throughout all the parishes, that the people may have an opportunity of attending the different Fairs, round-about, without being hindered by their own. For every parish holds a fair, on these occasions. This keeps up a friendly intercourse in the country and promotes trade, hilarity, and good humour.

IGNOR.—Do not those Parishes that have a larger rental and income that others, on account of Mines, Fisheries, &c. object to strangers coming to settle among them, and share in their dividends?

SPEN.—Our Legislature will not encourage any narrow, selfish measures. Natives may remove freely from one parish to another, without asking any leave. They have only to acquaint the parish they come to, that they mean to settle there, and that their probationary year is to commence from such a day. When this year is finished, they together with all their Family are enrolled as free parishioners, enjoying from henceforth all the privileges and immunities of Spensonian parishioners. A Foreigner proceeds in the same manner; first chusing his parish, and then giving notice, and after that, residing his time as others. No Nation was ever great or permanent that acted upon narrow and exclusive principles. But the receiving of our dividends is the least of the blessings derived from our constitution. It is the security of property, exemption from wars, the freedom from taxes, from revenue officers, from oaths, informers and every irksome shackle, that constitutes our supreme happiness. Therefore we begrudge no one a share of our good fortune. Every one that comes and maintains himself, whether he bring property with him, or not, is sure to amke trade by his consumption, and so far he promotes the good of society. These things we all know, and have no narrow-minded selfish repinings. Besides, a great influx of Inhabitants, encreases the competition for Houses and Farms, and raises the rents, and thus corrects itself. And as the more people as I say, make the more trade, higher rents are paid with pleasure, for Situations more favourable to trade: Thus, where the foundations of Society are laid in justice, every thing goes right, takes its proper course, and finds its proper level, leaving no cause of complaint.

IGNOR.—Pray what do you do with the unoccupied Land beyond the bounds of the Parishes—Does it remain entirely unproductive?

SPEN.—O never fear. We know how to make a proper use of every thing. The Farmers put cattle upon such out-laying land, for which they pay a certain sum, per head. It is called National Domain, till it become settled in the parochial way. This revenue, which is considerable, goes to the National Treasury, towards public rents, for we pay no Taxes, but a poundage or tax on the rents, which you may call a Land-tax.

T.S.