irrecoverably lodged among such a collection of incurables!

How many orphans might then expect to see their guardians hurried away
to the hospital; and how many greedy executors find reason to lament the
want of opportunity to pillage!

Would not Exchange Alley have cause to mourn for the loss of its
stock-jobbers and brokers; and the Charitable Corporation for the
confinement of many of its directors?

Might not Westminster-Hall, as well as all the gaming-houses in this
great city, be entirely unpeopled; and the professors of art in each of
those assemblies become useless in their vocations, by being deprived of
all future opportunity to be dishonest?

In short, it might put the whole kingdom into confusion and disorder;
and we should find that the entire revenues of this nation would be
scarce able to support so great a number of incurables, in this way, as
would appear qualified for admission into our hospital.

For if we only consider how this kingdom swarms with quadrille-tables,
and gaming-houses, both public and private; and also how each of those
houses, as well as Westminster-Hall aforesaid, swarms with knaves who
are anxious to win, or fools who have anything to lose; we may be soon
convinced how necessary it will be to limit the number of incurables,
comprehended under these titles, lest the foundation should prove
insufficient to maintain any others besides them.

However, if, by this Scheme of mine, the nation can be eased of twenty
or thirty thousand such incurables, I think it ought to be esteemed