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Monopolies are the most wicked, tyrannical and injurious Usurpations over other Men, and the greatest Violations of the Law of Nature, of any other, and are so much worse than Robbery, by how much the Quality of them is worse, and the Extent farther. A Monopoly, is the arrogating a Power of Working or Trading, by one Man, or a Company of Men, exclusive to all others. Here consider, that all Men are born naked, and the generality of Manking have nothing but their Labour, industry and Ingenuity ( I do not mean undue Craft and Deceit ) to feed, cloath and provide themselves an Habitation with ; and therefore for one Man, or Company of Men, to impose upon all others besides themselves, a Negative of not Working or Trading, infinitely resolves into all others, who, if this Restriction had not beenm might have not only subsisted in these trades and Imployments, but also have enlarged and improved them by their Industry and Ingenuity ; for all Arts are infinitely improvable, and one Man in the present Time, and another in future Generations, may proveed further in any Art than was known or understood
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understood in former Ages, which will be lost, if this man shall be Excluded from having any benefit of it, or be punished for working in it. If one Man, or Company of Men, rob another, or more Men, this extends no farther than the Loss of what these were robbed, which it may be is easily Repairable : but for any Man, or Company of Men, to arrogate to themselves a Power of Robbing all others in those Imployments, which they Ascribe to themselves, for ever Ruins multitudes of Men and Families, which might have been imployed in them : And let any Prince consider the consequence of Granting Monopolies to his Subjects; for if any of his Subjects, which might have been imployed, if the Imployments and Trades had been free, shall, to supply their necessities, Steal or Beg; the same Prince hangs and punishes these poor People... [They] must either seek unlawful Means to subsist, or flee into other Countries to get Subsistance there, which was denied them here... Besides, Monopolies, I say, are injurious to the rest of the Inhabitants of the Kingdom and Country within, and to the Vent of the foreign Trade of them ; for by their Restraint, the Inhabitants shall pay dearer for worse Commodities, than if the trade were free...
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