1000000031

281 / 868

M O N l\I O N
eonvey. a ele" and diftinfl idoa. I, i. dimininling ,he
O/ tlllifi:inl or !na/tria! ",on~)'. wcighl of lhe pure mcta~ contai nen in thal dl!nomin ..tion
I. FkOl't che inflOcy of lhe worJd, ¡u Jean iU far b:lck by which a natton r~ck~ns , and which \Ve havc called (he
ISour accounlS of lhe tranf"éllOns of mankind reach, \Ve mon..:y unir. Ru,r.n&the fLmJa rd requires; no farther de·
find chey hOld adopted lhe precious mC'tals . tlUl ¡s, Glver finuion. being the dlrclt conu;u y.
and gold, as the eomOlon OIcarure or \'alue, and a. ,he IV; Al,ering the fla nd"d (,ha! is, or deb.r,ng
adl equiv.\leOl fOf every ,hing alienable. lhe value of lhe OJonc:y unir) 15 like alteriog (he nalional
The meldls are admtr.bly ad.ptcd rvr ,his pllTpofe : ",<afures or weights . Th is is befl difeove red by eompa·
Thcy are pc:rfcllly honlogeneous: 'V\'henpure, thc:irm,.rfes, ring lhe thing altercd with things oC the (ame na[Ure which
or bulks, are cxallly In proportion tO !!lelr weights : No have fuffacd no aheratioD. Thus if che foot of meafure
rhyfic.1 diffatnce <"n be fOllnd be, 'Veen 'IVO pounds of w.s al,ered ar once over . 11 Encland, by adding 'o i" or
golJ, or (ilver, let Ihem be ,he prodoflioJl or ,he mine. taking from ir, any propor,ional pan of i" fiandard leng,h,
of Europe, Ar.a, Ar"ea , or Amerie.: They >re perfcflly ,he aherarion ,"oold be befl ddco\ ered, by eomparing ,he
m.dleable, CuTible, and fuff~r the moa exa8 dlvifion whi'Ch new foot with lhat o( P.tris, or oC aoy other counrry,.,)'o'hich
hom.n an is c'pable 'o gi,'e ,hem : The) ,are capable of . had fu ffered no .herarion. Jufl fo, ir , he pound f1eding,
being r,"xed wi,b one ono,her, as well as wi,h metal, of w"ich is Ihe Engli(h uni" (hall be found any how eh.nged,
a barer, that is. of a le(s homogcneous n.llore, Cuch as 3nd If the variation jI has met Wilh be diffi.:ult to alcer–
copper: By this mixlure they fpread themfelves uniform- n in. becaurc of a complication of circumflances, the befl
Iy ,hrough ,he whole mars of ,he eompofed lu",p, fo ,har IVay 'o diCeover i" will be ' o compare ,he former and ,he
c'Iery al0m of it becomes propon ionally polfeffed of a preCent value of ir with lhe money of other nations which
Ihare of this noble mixture; by whichmeans lhe fubdi. has fuffered no variat·ion. This the courre of exchange
.. on of the precious metal, is rcndered ver)' exten~ve: will perform with the greatefl exaélncrs .
Their phyfieal qu.lilies are invari.ble : ,hey no- V. Anills pretend o ,ha! ,he precious meoal., when ab-
,hing by keepinc : they are folid and durable; and ,hough folu,ely Fure fro m any mixture, are no, or f"¡¡¡eien, hard–
thdr pa", are fep.,ated by friflion, fike every o,her ,hing, nere 'o confli 'u,e a folid ami I,fling eoin. T hey are found
yel lIilJ tuey are of ,he number of ,hof. which fu/lú leafl airo in ,he mines mixed wi,h o,her meuls of", bafer n.·
by i,. ,ure, and ,he bringing ,hem 'o a fia'e of perreé! puri,y
If rnoney, thereforC', can be made of any thing. that occa~ons an unneceff..ry expcnce . 1"0 avoid, rherefore,
js, jr the proportional value of things v('ndibJe can be lhe inconvenience of employing them in aJl lhei r purity,
m..fured by any ,hing marerial, il nuy ue meaCured by people have adop'ed ,he expedien, of mixing ,hem wi,h
the: met:..!s. a ddlrl1Jinofe propórJion of other metals, which hurts
Il. The '\vo me,.ls being pi,ched upon as ,he mofl pro- nei,her ,heir {ur,bi li,y, malJeabili,y, bedu ,y, or lullre.
per fubfian ee, for realizing ,he ideal fcaleof money, ,hofe Thi, metal .is ealJ.d alfay: and , being eonr.dered only as a
who undenake ,he operarion of adjufling a d mufl fuppon ' o 'he principal metal, i. aeeoun,ed of no value
confl.ntly keep in Iheir eye ,he nature and quali,ie, or . in i,relf. So ,ha! t leven ounees of gold, when mixed wi,h
, as well as the principies upon whic h itii formed. one ounce oC GlverJ acquires, uy that addition, 000 aug·
T he unit o( the fcale mufl conflantly be the fame. al · ruent;uion of value whatever.
'hough realized in ,he metals . or ,he "'hole operarion rails This being ,he cafe, we OlOlJ, as mlleh as poflible, overo
in ,he mofi effen,;.1 parto This reali zing ,he uni, is like look ,he exillenee or alloy, in fpeaking of money, in oro
. djufiing a or compaffes 'o a geometrie.rrcale, where der 'o render fanguage fefs fubj eé! ' o ambigui,y.
the fmall('fi deviatign from the exaél opcn;ng once given
muO occa~on an incorreét meafure. Thc metals, there Incllpacilio of ,he 71u fa/¡ I q puf?rm I h( GlfiCt o/ tln in ..
rore, are to oloney what a pair of cornra{f('$ is tO a g('o- variable 1IItajure o/va/Uf.
me"i,al feale. 1. WER[ there bu' one fpeei.. of fueh a fubflanee as
T ltís opera,ioo or adjufiing ,he metal, to Ihe money of we have reprer, ntcd gold and r,lver "1 be ; IVere ,here bUI
Iceoont implies an exa{l Rnd delermin~te proponíon of one metal poffcffing lhe qualities of purity, di\'iGbility,
both rneuls tO the mone>r unit, in all the fpecies' and durabililY; lhe inconveniences in the ure or it for
and denomtn..ion, of eoin, adjufled tO ,ltar Oand. rd . money 1V0uld be rewer by rae ,han ,hey are found 'o be
TIt" fm.lld! partide of ei,her m...1added ' o, or taken as mmers flARd.
away (rom any coin, which rcprefeot certain determínate Such a metal might then, by an unlinlited divifion into
f"" of ,he feale , OVenu"n· Ihe whole fyfiem of marerial pans exaflly ' qual, be made 10 ferre as a ,olaably flead y
mone}'. And if, notwithOanding fuch vari:uion, theCe and univerCal meaCure. But the ri\'aHh,p between the
coios continue to bear the fame deoomillation5 a.5 befare metals, and the perfeét equ.dity whieh is found betwe('n
,hi, will as elfeflually deflroy ,heir ufc(ulnefs in meafu: all lheir ph yr.cal quaftt ies, fo rae as recards puri,y and
ring ,he valoe or ,hing', .. i, would ovenurn ,he ufdul. divir,bility, render them fo equ.lly IVtll adapttd to fe"'e
nefs of a p"ir of compaCfe" to fu O'er th(' opening to va ry, as lhe comOJon rncafure of \'OIlue, that they are univerf.. lly
afttr il is adjuflcd 10 the fcale rcprefenling fcet, rOlfes, admiued 10 pars curreO( as money.
Ill i l15, or leagues, by which ,he diflances up ,he pl'D are Wha' is the confeqtlcnee of ,his I Tha, ,he one mea·
tO be meafured. fures the value of the uther. as w(·1I ;,¡s that of t'very otha
1,11. O .b¡fing ,he fiandard i, a good I<rm ; becaufe il ,hin!'l. Now ,he momen' ¡ay meafure begin; 'o be Dlea·
fu",d