The fixing[^1] of everyone’s lot, which benefits the state immensely as I will show elsewhere, (258) has its foundation and its basis in the fixing of the value of life’s necessary things. When the two extremes—so dangerous to a state—that I have just mentioned are no longer able to occur, everyone will be guaranteed the fruits of his labor; and as long as the prince wants to take the same care and make the same arrangements for the less necessary things for life, there will never be costliness or depreciation, and everyone will be more comfortably off than ever before. Public destitution usually begins with a food shortage and the high cost of life’s necessary things, especially grains, which always lead to the universal high cost of life’s other necessities and conveniences. Artisans only value (259) their work in relation to the value and quantity of the food that must be consumed while working, of which bread and flour are the principal and largest part. As soon as grains have a fixed and constant value, that of other foodstuffs will not change so easily, except wine, for which nearly the same arrangement could be made. Consequently, it is to be presumed that at the same time the prices of most of the other necessary and convenient things for life, which are only grown and made in order to have bread, meat, and wine, will fix themselves and will no longer be subject to varying, so that everyone can be assured in advance of the fruits of his labor and of (260) the value of his goods, without fearing disastrous events of which not only the effects but also very often the fear alone torment men day and night and make life difficult.
It seems to me that this fixing will also be a great remedy for the folly and injustice of misers. These people are continually shaken by fear, mistrust, and apprehension as well as an insatiable and wanton greed to have all the wealth of others. The fear of disastrous events of which they are always thinking makes them save and hoard goods to wait for the said events and to be sheltered from what they fear. While they wait, all the contributors[^2] to their wealth remain excluded from the use of (261) these goods to their detriment, to that of the misers, and consequently to that of the state. Fixing the value of goods will cure misers of their apprehension, and they will not delay in exchanging the goods that others can use because they are sure to have them back at the same value in time and place, which will considerably increase circulation and commerce. This fixing will also limit the wanton greed to appropriate the goods of others. When the necessary food for life is cheap and misprized, misers stockpile it to make huge profits in times of scarcity and build their fortune on public disasters by requiring others to give them (262) all their pennies[^3] in order to have very small portions of it and to protect themselves from dying of hunger. This cruel and inhumane greed, which causes so much misfortune, will end with the fixing of the price of foodstuffs, especially grains. Misers will be forced to focus their excessive desire to get rich on ordinary and legitimate ways, by working and trading like others.
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