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- Title
The Authorship of the 'Discourse of the Commonweal'
- Authors
Dewar, Mary
- Abstract
This article focuses on the authorship of the book "Discourse of the Commonweal," by Thomas Smith. In 1893 E. Lamond, a writer reproduced the earlier edition of the book, discussed the rival claims of Smith and Jhon Hales, an author, and concluded that Hales was the author. Arguments as to the authorship of this most advanced statement of economic thought in England has continued. In 1934 J. Yves Le Branchu, another writer drew attention to another manuscript copy of the work and inclined towards Smith. Many of the other themes in the Discourse, which are repeated in Smith's writings, are neither new, individual, nor original, but the weight of agreement and similarity of phraseology grows heavy on such subjects as distrust of merchants and mintners, approval of expenditure on building, dislike of extravagance in apparel, familiarity with the technical details of the cloth trade, and great regard for the civil law. One important suggestion made in the Discourse concerns the period of dislocation when the recoinage was taking place and good coin would be scarce.
- Subjects
AUTHORSHIP; DISCOURSE of the Commonweal of This Realm of England Attributed to Sir Thomas Smith, A (Book); SMITH, Thomas; HALES, Jhon; CIVIL law; MANUSCRIPTS
- Publication
Economic History Review, 1966, Vol 19, Issue 2, p388
- ISSN
0013-0117
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/2592259