§. 36. The same measure may be allowed still, without prejudice to anybody,
full as the world seems. For, supposing a man or family, in the state they were
at first, peopling of the world by the children of Adam or Noah, let him plant
in some inland vacant places of America. We shall find that the possessions he
could make himself, upon the measures we have given, would not be very large,
nor, even to this day, prejudice the rest of mankind or give them reason to
complain or think themselves injured by this man's encroachment, though the
race of men have now spread themselves to all the corners of the world, and do
infinitely exceed the small number was at the beginning. Nay, the extent of
ground is of so little value without labour that I have heard it affirmed that
in Spain itself a man may be permitted to plough, sow, and reap, without being
disturbed, upon land he has no other title to, but only his making use of it.
But, on the contrary, the inhabitants think themselves beholden to him who, by
his industry on neglected, and consequently waste land, has increased the stock
of corn, which they wanted. But be this as it will, which I lay no stress on,
this I dare boldly affirm, that the same rule of propriety — viz., that
every man should have as much as he could make use of, would hold still in the
world, without straitening anybody, since there is land enough in the world to
suffice double the inhabitants, had not the invention of money, and the tacit
agreement of men to put a value on it, introduced (by consent) larger
possessions and a right to them; which, how it has done, I shall by and by show
more at large.
