SPENCE'S SONGS.

A certain Country was so infested with Beasts of Prey of every Description that the Cattle could by no Means graze in Peace for them. There were Lions, Tigers, Hyenas, Wolves, Foxes, &c. without Number. The Cattle finding no Rest held several Consultations concerning what should be done for the Public Safety: and many desperate Battles were fought with various Success. The Beasts of Prey though often repelled, yet always renewed the Attack, being impelled thereto by Hunger as they could not subsist but on their Prey, and often succeeded by lying in Ambush and seizing the straggling Cattle unawares. The suffering Animals laid most of the Blame on the Lion, as the Instigator of the Rest, and as their Strongest and most powerful Enemy. Therefore it was universally resolved to destroy and expel all the Lions from the Country; and many of the Tigers and other inferior savages joining in the Cause against the Common Enemy there was not a Lion left in all thier Coasts. But behold now they had got rid of the Lions, the Beasts of Pasture found their State rather worse than better. For the smaller Tyrants finding ithemselves free from the Dread of the Lions were more audacious than ever, dividing themselves into Factions, each striving for the Dominion, and all of them falling upon the Flocks and Herds in Troops, tearing and destroying without Measure.

The Cattle finding themselves in this woeful Plight, wished they had not expelled the Lions, and longed for them back again; and it was even proposed to send abroad for a Breed of them to be their Protectors against the more savage Crew they had left. Upon this one Brute stood up and begged first to be heard before they did such a rash inconsiderate thing. Said he, Will you never have done with your silly half Measures? You know while there is a single Beast of Prey left, be he little or great, you will always have an Enemy. The War must therefore be eternal. Therefore take Courage from Necessity. Great Part of the work is already done, as you have not the Lions to fight with. We are ten-fold more numerous and strong than the Enemy. Let us then arise and destroy the whole blood-thirsty Breed without Reserve.

But this wholesome Advice was not relished. For all the mixed Breed, such as Hogs that lived partly on animal and partly on vegetable Food, raised their Voices with one Accord against such a thing, as being both inhuman and unjust, asking the Proposer How he would like to be served so were it his Case? Nay they even doubted whether the Seasons would continue their Course, and Nature perform her Functions!

Notwithstanding all such vile and foolish, Objections, this honest Beast would not be silenced, but still persisted till the whole of the peaceable Animals saw that his Advice was good, when they all arose as one Beast, and fell upon their Bloody Tyrants with Horn and Hoof, not leaving one to disturb more the Reign of Justice and Peace.

1. Is the State of Nature a State of War?
2. Are gregarious or Sociable Animals in a State of War? Do they fight with each other about their common Pasture?
3. Do Beasts of Prey feast lovingly together or quarrel and fight about their Prey?
4. Which of the two Classes of Animals ought Mankind to be Classed with? The peaceable or the Savage?
5. If the Earth be given to the children of Men as their common Pasture, is it absolutely necessary that they should fight about it?
6. Is it for want of Ability, or for want of Inclination, that Men never found out any way of living in Peace? Is it a hard and unnatural thing to enjoy Property in Land in Partnership?
7. Would it be unnatural and base of Mankind, to divide their Nations into Districts or Parishes; and the Parishioners to enjoy their respective Territories in Partnership?
8. Would not a just Foundation respecting the Soil, lay a just Foundation respecting every thing else?
9. Would a People so just and brotherly at Home, be troublesome Neighbours to other Nations?
10. Did God give Man this world to fight about as Beasts of Prey, or to live in as sociable and friendly Neighbours?
11. As Men were originally their own Carvers[?] in taking Possession of the Earth, Is it wonderful that they quarelled about it? And while Men continue to get and to hold Possessions independently and exclusively of others; Will not the same Disposition to War and Violence continue?
12. Does Conquest, as Lawyers hold, give the best Title to Property? If so, Can that title be good any longer, than till a stronger Power dispossess the Holder?
13. According to this Principle, must not Force be supposed the only Law, and Mankind in an eternal State of Warfare?
14. After laying down such an exclusive savage Position, Why do the same Lawyers hypocritically preach to criminals about Society, and Public Spirit? Do not their own Principles destroy every thing of the kind?
15. Can there be said to be Society, among a People where a Few by Force and Fraud, have deprived the Bulk of Mankind, of all Right and Title in the Land; and left them to shift as they can, as Strangers and Sojourners? Is it not ridiculous to look for Public Spirit among such a People?
16. Ought not Mankind to be ashamed of a System commenced in War and Violence, and upheld by the same?
17. Why do modern Nations strive to force Trade above its Level, rather than let it take its own natural course? Does not forced Trade like War, only tend to make a few Individuals rich, and the Bulk of the People miserable?
18. When Trade fails can the unemployed get to till the Earth, during the present Monopoly of Land? Would not more Hands in Tillage make Provisions cheap and Rents fall? And will the Landlords suffer that?
19. In the proposed Partnership System of the Parishes having the Land, Could there be too much Tillage or too great Abundance of Provisions? Would not too much be better than too little?
20. Would not the Super-abundance feed Swine, and Cattle, and Fish, and Fowl, which would all come back again to the Table of Man?
21. Therefore, if every Wall produced Fruit, and every Hedge and Fence consisted of the choicest Fruit-trees, instead of Briers and Thorns, Would the Nation fare the worse? Would the People ungenerously rob their Neighbour's Orchard or even his Hedges, though his Fruits were ever so tempting? Would the Public, rob the Tenants of the Public?
22. Would not rather such a brotherly State of Society create and keep up a noble and generous Public Spirit? And would not the Laws against Theft and Robbery of course become obsolete for want of Use?
23. Could a People without Landlords who encouraged Agriculture to the utmost want Trade?
24. Do Beggars who live on Scraps and wear Rags make Trade? But rather, Are it not the People who are well fed, and well cloathed, who make Trade?
25. Can Husbandmen when unoppressed by Landlords, afford to feed and cloath themselves?
26. If you destroy all the Husbandmen Will you have Trade? If you destroy half of them, Will you have more Trade or less? And if you double their Number, Will you have more Trade or less?
27. Is the Trade that flows from Husbandry of a permanent or a precarious Nature?
28. Do ever Trades-people or Merchants, complain that there are too many Husbandmen?
29. Is not the Increase therefore of Husbandmen, the Increase of Happiness in the world?
30. Do Landlords prevent the increase of Husbandmen: If so, How will they answer for their Conduct to God and Man?
31. Ought Men that are willing to till the Earth, be suffered to starve, while there is Land to till, to please Landlords?
32. Would a Nation without Landlords be fond of Foreign Wars? If People could not buy Land with their superfluous Riches, Would they harass the World as they do to get them? Therefore, can there be Peace on Earth while Landlords are suffered?
33. If Injustice, War and Violence, brought the Old World to an untimely End; Can this World expect a better Fate in following the same Track?
34. But on the contrary, if Mankind turn at last, after all their Wanderings to the Practice of Justice, and its amiable Concomitants Peace, Benevolence, and Philanthropy; May they not reasonably hope to draw down on their Heads, the choicest Blessings of a well-leased Deity?
35. Will it not take an immense deal of Sophistry to answer these Queries, consistently with the present Principles of Society?