In the multitude of people is the king’s honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.
A ruler's honor and a country's strength lie in the number of its inhabitants. The greatness of a multitude of people is what gives dignity to the throne. The loss of inhabitants is ruin, and want of people is the destruction of the prince. To diminish the population by sacrificing lives for the sake of government revenue is therefore a public wrong that money cannot make good. No amount of income gained in that way can repay the loss of the people destroyed.
A ruler's honor and a country's strength lie in the number of its inhabitants. The greatness of a multitude of people is what gives dignity to the throne. The loss of inhabitants is ruin, and want of people is the destruction of the prince. To diminish the population by sacrificing lives for the sake of government revenue is therefore a public wrong that money cannot make good. No amount of income gained in that way can repay the loss of the people destroyed.