Caledonia (Defoe)/Preface
The Preface
TO THE
PARLIAMENT.
RIGHT HONOURABLE,
IN the midst of all the Difficulties, and distracting Debates that too much harrass and fatigue you about National Settlements, and Affairs of the nicest, and most weighty Signification, permit an Humble Stranger, to interrupt you a little with some thing diverting.
Those that have represented the Design of it, before it came to your View, as a Party affair, will find themselves so mistaken, that, I doubt not, they will acknowledge they have done some other Gentlemen wrong besides the Author.
He has endeavoured to pay a Debt of Justice here to the Scots Nation: If he has not discharg'd it fully, he beggs you will please to accept of this in part, as Wit come sin, you shall find him Honest and willing to pay the Remainder.
RIGHT HONOURABLE,
I have Nothing to do here with the prefsent Disputes; I am sorry to see so much differing about uniting, and more, to see so much uniting about differing; but 'tis nothing to me, and less, if that can be, to my Poem: All I have said of Scotland and Scots Men, will, I hope, be true to the Worlds End, whether there be an Union or no.
The Temper of your People, the Bravery of your Soldiers, the Antiquity of your Families, and the Characters of your Persons are the same, and will be the same to all Ages, let the present Affair go which way it will.
If any thing in this Book has a Respect to uniting at all, 'tis but in General, as Peace and Union between two Sister Nations mulst be desireable to all that wish well to both; but here is not one Word of Terms nor Times, 'tis none of my Business.
And this I do on purpose, that if possible, this Book might oblige all sides, and none of the Gentlemen for whose Honour and Country it is wrote, should meet with any thing to shock their Reading, on account of the present Party Strife in this place.
'Tis unhappy to me that I came here to offer you this Present at a Time, when 'tis so hard to say any thing that one Side or other shall not be displeased with: And tho I steer as steady as I can; yet I cannot but expect Misconstructions, and they will be no Surprize to me.
I am only sorry, that some Gentlemen taking it for granted, I am byass'd by Party, have turn'd their Backs on this Work, before they suffered themselves to be inform'd what it was; but this troubles me not for my own Sake: For I seek nothing but the Honour of being the first Stranger that has attempted to oblige you this way.
If those Gentlemen have by this hindred me of those Helps I might have had from them, by which I might have been able to have done them and their Families more Justice, 'tis my Misfortune; but I hope the Gentlemen will not blame me for omitting what I could not be furnisht with, either of their Family's History, or their Personal Merit.
As far as without these Assistances the superficial Knowledge of Report, and General Character would supply, I have not been wanting to shew an impartial Honour for all Men of Merit, without the least Respect to Party Factions, or any of the unhappy Distinctions of the Times.
But as some very Noble Families are left out, by this means I have nothing to ask their Pardon for, but the Misfortune of being mistaken by them, which is a Loss, I am not out of Hopes, Time will repair, and that hereafter they will permit me to do them that Justice I was ready to have done now.
I hope none will quarrel with the Poem for the Author's not being able to give every Family, or every Gentleman in Scotland a Character suited to their Merit, and consequently for singling some out from the rest.
As to entring upon the Characters of every Noble Family in your illustrious Roll of Peerage, you will pardon me, not attempting what you will easily conclude a Stranger, that has not had the Honour of a long acquaintance here could not be capable of, at least to such a Degree as such Characters ought to be made.
The Few Attempts made here, I acknowledge to be very imperfect and short as to the Merit both of Person and Family, and the Gentlemen concern'd cannot expect I could go thorow either all the Families, or all in their Families that deserv'd Notice—. The Nature and Design of the Work could not permit it.
I intreat therefore, those Gentlemen who know their Families are of equal Antiquity, and their personal Merit equal to some that are mentioned here, to remember, Character is not the End of the Book, but a Circumstance like the finishing Strokes of a Fine Picture added to grace the Work: The principal Design was the Climate, Nation, Seas, Trade, Lands, Improvements and Temper of Scotland and its People: In pursuing this, some Actions, some Families, some Characters becoming necessary, it would be too great a nicety to quarrel the Author, that this or that is omitted, tho, equal in its Authority and Character to some that may be mentioned here.
Thus the Families of Crawford, Erskin, Rolle, Murray, Maxwel, Livingston, Forbes, and many others, tho some of them Senior in Antiquity to some of those named, will not, I hope, take their being omitted in the Examples, or larger Characters here quotted, as any Neglect either of their Persons or Merit, since it was impossible to run a length of Names with any tollerable Regard to the Version, or any possibility of keeping within the bounds of a Poem.
On this account, tho some of the Gentlemen have done me the Honour of their Acquaintance, and to others, I mean, the Family of Forbes in particular, I have extraordinary Obligations, yet have I been obliged to take but a few out of the great Mass of illustrious Merit which the Nobility of Scotland, furnishes for this Work.
Perhaps another Occasion may present, which may furnish me to make amends to the whole Body, and answer for this seeming Defect.
But this is far from being the occasion of my Addressing this Poem to this Honourable Assembly, and therefore I begg leave to come directly to the Design.
Thro the whole Poem, I think it is plain, I go all along upon a Supposition of Improvement; and it is not without some Difficulty a Poet can escape letting go some Severities by way of Reflection on the Neglect of it.
When have said what Scotland may be, and when I reflect what she is, I need say no more than lay open the Scheme of both, it would certainly lay a most indelible blame some where.
That the Land, the Sea, the Climate, and the People of Scotland are all adapted for Plenty, Wealth, Riches, and Fruitfulness is no Complement to you, but really a Satyr, and leads so directly to the main Question, that I see no avoiding it, viz. Why is she not Rich, Plentiful, and Fruitful?
And this is the Head on which I address to this Honourable Assembly, and begging first your Pardon for the plainness, I say, 'tis in your Power to put a new Countenance on the dejected Countrey Men, a new Prospect on the melancholly Surface, a New Treasure in the General Stock, and a new Face on the whole Nation.
As I said before, I shall not concern the Union in this Discourse; So I take the freedom to say here, the Union is noways concern'd in this Proposal.
With or without an Union the Lands may be improved, the Tenants incouraged, the Fields inclosed, Woods planted, the Moors and Wastes fed, and Scotland recovered from languishing Poverty.
With or without an Union, the Nobility and Gentry may plant, manure and enrich their Estates; the Sheep Masters manage, direct, and take care of their Sheep, preserve the Breed, and nourish the Encrease of their Cattel.
With or without an Union Husbandry may be revived, the Farmers restored, and the Tenantry in general encouraged, and this alone would change the Face, both of the Countrey, and of the People, make the Life of the poor Husband-Man easy and pleasant, and the Estates of the Gentry would rise in their Value.
I have been, My Lords, two or three times going to address the Nobility in this Humble manner, that your Lordships would be pleased to condescend to double your Estates.
Indeed my thought was by the Extravagance of the Title, to gain your more severe Attention to the Novelty of the Proposal.
But I freely appeal to this august Assembly, for the justness of what I am going to say.
'Tis plain, and it would be trifling with you to enter into the particulars, That Scotland is capable of great Imrpovement—. I cannot enter into Methods particular, or Schemes for the performance here, being also preparing for your View, a small Discourse on that particular Subject, which I shall call an Essay at the improvement of the Lands and Trade of Scotland, with or without an Union, to which I refer.
But the Reason of this Discourse, is to examine who are the Objects of this Improvement, who the Persons must do it, to whom Scotland looks for the Advantages and Helps of Art, how the Industry of the People must be revived, the poor ruin'd Farmer restored, the Husband-Mans Diligence encouraged, and the whole Kingdom recovered.
And this, My Lords and Gentlemen, must be your Part; you alone can put your Hands to the healing the Wounds, Time, Negligence, unhappy Constitutions, civil dissentions, and all the State Broils of the Nation have made upon your Prosperity.
'Tis too evident the Tenant cannot do it, he is poor, and a Slave, he is dejected, discouraged, and absolutely depriv'd of Means to do it.
Nor shall I take upon me to say, as some do, that this is wholly owing to the high Rents you take; for if you should lower the Rent, and consequently sink the Value of the Free-hold in the whole Kingdom; yet is the Poverty and Misery of the Tenant, such at this time, that it would be many Ages before they could recover enough, to be able to make considerable Steps this way; and if they could, I believe there may be some Reason to doubt their Inclination, something unqualified by disuse, to improve for the Land-Lord.
But if Scotland must be improv'd, it must be done by you that are the Land-Lords, whose Property in the Freehold gives you a Just Concern in the Quality of it, to be very willing to have it made better.
The Landed Men are the only proper Persons to help forwards this General Blessing, 'tis their own before, and the Improvement is their own: As no Men but they are able to do it, so no Men but themselves have a Paternal Concern in it—. They are Fathers of their Countrey; because Owners of their Countrey. Improving your Lands, Gentlemen, is like Educating your Children, not a Duty only, but has something of a Natural Obligation in it, which you cannot resist.
I have not room here to enter into Methods, and I shall be the last Man in Scotland upon Project—. The only Caution I take leave to give, is this— That Gentlemen being first well advised from the Nature of the Land, the Method of its Management, the Produce of the Earth, and the Cattel, would be pleased by little and little; for to attempt it all at once, is to destroy themselves and their Design, but by little and little, to cause every piece of Land to be improved, better'd and hearten'd to the Extent of its Nature and Capacity, in this Case you would soon see the Lands in Scotland equal in many places to the Lands in England, and all places much differing from what they are now.
When Land is thus inclos'd, planted and improved, I hope I need not say it shall be let to the Tenant, not for less, but for much more than before; and it remains only, that your Servants take care the Tenants keep it up to its Goodness, and that till they are used to Methods of Husbandry, suitable, they may neither by want of Skill or Diligence weaken the Land—. And thus no Gentleman shall sink his Rent, and yet the Tenant be set to work in carrying on the Improvement which the Landlords have begun, till both together enjoy the Benefit of a plentiful and improv'd Country.
By this Method the Gentlemen of Scotland shall encreafe their Estates, the Tenant shall, to encourage his Industry, have his Farm at such a Rent as he may pay it, and live comfortably also, and both together shall revive from the present languishing posture of their Affairs.
If it be objected, this shall put the Gentlemen to extraordinary Charges—, I readily grant, Fencing, Enclosing, Planting, &c. of Land, must imply some Charge—: But this is answered with so many unanswerable Reasons,that nothing can resist—. As, 1. It is your own, the Charge is laid out upon your own, all the Profit is your own—, and that Profit so infallibly certain, if perform'd with Judgment, that no Man can call it an Expense. 2. No Money can be laid out to equal Advantage, nor in which the return can be equally certain or soon. 3. 'Tis your Countreys Advantage in general, and as the Scots have always been ready to adventure Life and Estate for the Honour and Advantage of their Countrey, as much as any People under Heaven, it is hard they should be backward to a Service in which is no Hazard, little Trouble, and certain Gain, both to themselves and their Posterity.
For this Reason I have addrest these Sheets to this Honourable Assembly, humbly to lay before you the Necessity, the Advantage, and the Easiness of thus setting your Hands to the general Good of your Countrey.
If this be done, I presume 'tis easy to make it appear, you may bring Scotland to be equal in her Native Wealth, I mean the Produce of the Ground, Breed of her Cattel, Industry of her People, and greatness of Trade and Manufactures, in Proportion to any of her Neighbours, and that with or without an Union.
Indeed I have often wondred, the Gentlemen who are warm against an Union, have never erected this Proposal as an Equivalent against it—. They have entred into the Preliminaries of Scotland's Felicity, and attempted to show which way to bring it to pass; but I never met with this Medium.
If any thing will make you able to live without an Union, it must be improving your Estates, encreasing the Produce, and enriching your Lands.
To say Scotland is too poor for this, is no Answer at all: 'Tis for a Lame man, because he cannot run, to ly down in the Dirt, and say, He wont stand upon his Legs: To be thus poor, is to be ever poor—. Your Wealth is before you, 'tis in your very Bowels, 'tis in every Landlords hand to encrease and improve; no Nation has so much room for it; none so much Cause for it as your selves.
There are some Noble Families in Scotland, whose improv'd Estates are living Witnesses to the Truth of this, where the Flourishing Groves, Flowry Meadows, Rich Pastures, large Cattel, stores of Hay for the Cattel, and Muck for the Land, upbraid the Neighbouring Gentlemen with not being equally forward, to accept of Natures Bounty, and put her on to do her Duty.
I shall conclude this Address with a few Lines, which you will find again in the following Poem, and which contrary to Practice, I quote here to inculcat this Argument.
'Tis Blasphemy to say the Climat's curst,
Nature will ne're be fruitful till she's forc't;
Nature's a Virgin very Chast and Coy,
To court her's nonsense: If you will enjoy
She must be ravisht; when she's forc't she's free,
A perfect Prostitute to Industry.
This is the short Substance of this Address, and indeed is the chief Design of the following Poem, next to doing that Justice to the Scots Nation, which I thought my Duty. If either be accepted or esteemed useful, the Author is sufficiently gratified.
I acknowledge that the Honour done both to the Author and the Work, in the ready subscription to the Charge, by such an illustrious Roll of the Nobility and Gentry of this Kingdom, and in the Grant from her Majesties most Honourable Privy Council, to prevent surreptitious Impressions of it, are such Honours, especially being done before the performance has been shown, as I know not how to express my grateful Sense of, only by acknowledging my self infinitly obliged, and ever bound to show my Gratitude, both to the Gentlemen, and on their Accounts to the whole Nation; and tho their own Modesty forbids me printing a List of the Names of the Subscribers; yet it cannot be conceal'd from the World, that any Man that attempts to serve Scotland, shall always meet with Men of Sense and Honour there, both to reward and encourage him.
The Debt of Justice due from me on this Account, will, I hope, excuse me for offering these Sheets to the Parliament of Scotland, where as some Gentlemen have encoureg'd this Work without Doors, all I hope, will grant their Pardon within to the weak endeavour of
Right Honourable,
Your most Humble, and most obedient Servant,
DE FOE.