By considering that most men hardly appreciate things that are too common and never make proper use of them for their true interests, he will see that it is necessary to prevent this from happening by removing, saving, and even hiding or sending abroad at the right time superfluous portions so that what remains is better appreciated and utilized. This can be done in three different ways: by purchasing them on behalf of the Prince, by imposing a tithe[^1] instead of a taille,[^2] or by using a trading company that is dependent on the will of the (253) Prince to make the said purchases on its own behalf.[^3] When buying the said superfluous portions, one must think of the health and the good of those from whom one buys. They are the largest and, I dare say, the noblest part of the people, the farmers. However, they are usually the most abused in most states of the world to the great harm of the public good and even of the other people, though without them and their produce no one could live. When there is an abundance of the fruits of the earth that cannot be consumed in a short time, they have no choice but to sell at the pleasure and discretion of those who want to buy, of which there are a very small number. That is why they do not benefit from nature’s bounty; (254) rather, they are obliged to sell all the yield of their land for very little, that is to say, not enough to have the other needs of life. In times of scarcity, almost the same thing happens, because in spite of the excessive costliness of grains, their small quantity and the high prices of the other necessary and convenient goods mean that they still find themselves unable to have everything that is necessary for preserving and perfecting their bodies. And only the middle ground between these two extremes relieves them a little, which nevertheless hardly lasts very long and does not properly repair the harms of abundance and scarcity. That is why the (255) prince must be extraordinarily careful so that neither abundance nor scarcity are ever harmful to them, by having grains bought and sold in a judicious way that always maintains them at a value proportionate to their needs. To find this proportion, one must consider the labor and costs that are necessary for each acre of land; one must consider what the man who cultivates it and the prince to whom he is subject need. One must offset the sterile years with the abundant ones, and then set a moderate price[^4] on the fruits of the earth, especially grains, which prevents the terrible disturbances that I have just written about from ever happening. Because one is sure to prevent them by having produce[^5] bought and sold on an (256) equal footing, subtracting only the costs and the damages from storing them.
This arrangement will also considerably benefit those who are not farmers. As the latter are made comfortable, they will provide work for artisans; they will dress and house themselves more comfortably. Gentlemen will get more from their estates than before, and as farmers become richer, their numbers will also increase, the estates will be better cultivated and will produce more, which will consequently increase the size of towns where most artisans only live in order to provide country people with the rest of their needs. A fair (257) value for life’s necessary foodstuffs will also prevent the bad use of them, intemperance, and especially, laziness; and what is more, it will fix the lot of most of the other professions. The necessary things for life are usually wasted and consumed without measure when they can be had for nothing; at the same time a large number of people devote themselves to idleness because they find too easily what to live on. And when scarcity comes, there are as many beggars, vagabonds, and highway robbers, because the small amount of work to which they are accustomed no longer provides them with anything to eat.
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