and money, as a symbol of exchange, arises out of this necessity?—Evidently.—When the husbandman, or any other artificer, brings the produce of his labours to the public place, and those who desire to barter their produce for it do not happen to arrive exactly at the same time, would he not lose his time, and the profit of it, if he were to sit in the market waiting for them?—Assuredly.—But, there are persons, who, perceiving this, will take upon themselves the arrangement between the buyer and the seller. In constituted civil societies, those who are employed on this service, ought to be the infirm, and unable to perform any other; but, exchanging on one hand for money, what any person comes to sell, and giving the articles thus bought for a similar equivalent to those who might wish to buy.
II. Description of a frugal enjoyment of the goods of
the world.
III. But with this system of life some are not contented.
They must have beds and tables, and other
furniture. They must have scarce ointments and perfumes,
women, and a thousand superfluities of the
same character. The things which we mentioned as
sufficient, houses, and clothes, and food, are not enough.
Painting and mosaic-work must be cultivated, and works
in gold and ivory. The society must be enlarged in
consequence. This city, which is of a healthy proportion,
will not suffice, but it must be replenished with
a multitude of persons, whose occupations are by no
means indispensable. Huntsmen and mimics, persons
whose occupation it is to arrange forms and colours,
persons whose trade is the cultivation of the more
delicate arts, poets and their ministers, rhapsodists,
actors, dancers, manufacturers of all kinds of instruments
and schemes of female dress, and an immense
crowd of other ministers to pleasure and necessity. Do
