meddle with it; I never had thanks for any public good I ever did. I am not forward to printing the Political Arithmetic, but do wish that what goeth abroad were compared with the copy in Sir R. Southwell's hands, which I corrected in 1679."[1] The treatise on taxes to which he here refers was printed in 1662 anonymously. Petty's name does not appear on the title page until 1690. It is difficult to discover any great diversity in style, language, or in any other point between the "Bills" and Petty's authentic writings. Fortunately there is an effective way of testing this question. The first edition of the "Bills of Mortality" bears the date 1661. It was, however, probably published in 1661⁄1662. The following passage from Pepys' "Diary," 24th March, 1662, throws some light on the date of its publication: "To Westminster Hall, and there bought Mr. Grant's book of observations upon the weekly bills of mortality." The "Treatise on Taxes" appeared in 1662. The two works were nearly coincident. The following parallel passages show a conspicuous similarity. The pages are quoted from the first editions of each book:
"Bills," page 57. "We incline, therefore, to think the parishes should be equal or near, because in the reformed religion the principal use of a church is to preach in." Page 19. "I make this question, whether, since they do all live by begging... it were not better for the state to keep them." |
"Taxes," page 6. "One cause of publick charge in matters of religion is the not having changed the limits of parishes and cures.... For now when the ministers of the gospel preach unto multitudes assembled in one place, may not parishes be bigger?" Page 12. "In the next place, it will be asked, who shall pay these men? I answer, everybody." |
- ↑ Egerton manuscript, 2231.
