A prince who wants to get rich and to perfect his government must follow here as elsewhere the order and the natural combination of things, which are manifested by universal wisdom (276) in nature. If it is necessary for the good of the state for the prince to be master dispenser and principal administrator of the necessary things for preserving the body, it is all the more necessary that he endeavors to make himself master and sovereign arbiter of everything that must nourish and perfect the minds of the contributors[^1] to public opulence. To this end, he must begin by devoting himself to the instrument by which men communicate this education[^2] and ensure that, through its perfection, communication becomes easier and more perfect. It is no small matter to perfect the language of the country, to purge it of all ambiguities, to exclude (277) foreign words, and to ensure that all the contributors[^3] to the state’s wealth speak and explain themselves in the same way so that there are no misunderstandings and double meanings, which give rise to an infinite number of lawsuits and quarrels, countless treacheries and deceptions, and consequently stop the increase of public opulence. Besides this, as long as this instrument is subject to these disadvantages, the nourishment that it carries to the mind will be equally defective and produce an infinite number of false ideas and prejudices that spoil the mind and prevent it from reaching maturity.
It would therefore be advantageous for Germany’s wealth if, following the example of France, the Emperor and the (278) Princes united to establish societies in order to reform the flaws that have crept into our language and to make it uniform in all the provinces and to prevent further muddling it with a mixture of foreign words. This work would be infinitely better for the public good than the incredible pains and tortures that so many pedants go through day and night to find the true meaning and spelling of some Latin, Greek, or Hebrew word. It would also be good to teach young people, without any distinction, to speak, read, and write their language well and to establish adequate schools at no cost to the fathers and mothers who will be obliged to send (279) their children to them. It is clear that by implementing this one thing, the state’s wealth will increase considerably.
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