Utopia Council for Financial Affairs

Raphael goes on to imagine another scenario, where the king's treasures are the matter of discussion among his financial advisers. Each of the advisers speaks of a method to increase the king's treasure. One of them suggests currency manipulation, another a pretence of war in order to raise money, and yet another suggests punishing the public for breaking laws that had been forgotten about by the king himself. As more and more advisers offer increasingly manipulative alternatives, Raphael imagines himself standing up and stating his opinion that all the advisers have the wrong idea, that increasing the king's treasure should not be a main focus of the Court. Raphael then imagines himself continuing his speech, saying that the people of a country choose a king for their good, and not for the king's, and therefore it is the king's duty to rule over them justly, and to focus on his people's lives and situations, not his own. Raphael goes on to say that

"Nor is it so becoming the dignity of a king to reign over beggars as over rich and happy subjects." Financial Affairs, pg. 21

He then gives the example of the Macarians, neighbors of the Utopians. The Macarians' law states that the king is never to have more than one thousand pounds of gold in treasures, or the equivalent. Thus, the kings can focus on the wealth of the country, rather than their own wealth. As a result, the king found that there would be no harm in having free circulation of money, and that this would in fact increase commerce and exchange, and so he implemented this idea.

Topic Tracking: Money 4

Raphael again asks More if he thought that such ideas would be favored in court, and More replied that they wouldn't. However, More maintains his view that Raphael could engage in public affairs.