plead his hunger;
and much more when we baptise business with the name of diet.

But this has not much force, since it is not intended to suppress,
but only to change the mode of this supply. In order to see whether
it be feasible, one should consider, that, barring certain articles
of adornment and luxury, the chief exports from Espana to Mejico are
wine, oil, and linen, and from the Philipinas woven and raw silk.

The former products, in whatever quantity needed, must always be
bought from Espana. There is no other region that can supply them,
nor does Mejico itself produce them; therefore its enforced dependence
on Espana follows. However, in what pertains to linen, Mejico may
supply itself in part by using the cloth that the Indians make from
cotton. The rest (namely, silks supplied by Manila) may be obtained in
great abundance, without begging it from anyone, by only encouraging
the industry in any of Mejico's provinces. These are very suitable
for it, especially the province of Misteca, [58] where it could be
cultivated and woven admirably.

Admitting the above, my opinion is that, allowing that Nueva-Espana
could be maintained, although with difficulty, without trade with
the Philipinas, it must be by means that would prove harmful to those
islands alone--which would lose this aid without any resultant good
to Espana; since they would not ask for those products of Espana
which they at present demand, or increase those which they are now
exporting because of the increase of money [in Nueva Espana]. And we
have already stated that Nueva-Espana is incapable of consuming more
wine and oil than it now uses.

But if all this should cease, and Espana should have to supply the
above-mentioned necessities because of shutting the door to the trade
in the Philipinas, the bulk of silk stuffs would have to be brought
from Francia and Flandes, to whom Espana always gives her treasures
in exchange for this merchandise. For Constantinopla is so far from
Italia, and so little do gold and silver suit that route--or else
the French and the rebels [59] are so skilful in getting this product
away from us, that one may doubt whether they do not take it all with
them. According to this, he who is not suspicious enough to believe
that the merchants of Sevilla alone consider as enemies prejudicial
to your Majesty's crown those who do not trade much with them, should
be astonished that they direct and regulate the reform so that the