Contemporary Criticism over the East India Company
- When
- 1776–1778
- Where
- British literary debate
In the 1778 second edition of his poem's introduction, Mickle attacked Smith's laissez-faire doctrines on the East India Company question.
In the introduction to the first edition of 1776, Mickle described his poem as the Epic Poem of the Birth of Commerce, relevant to contemporary discussion of the true spirit of commerce. The second edition, published in 1778, carried an expanded introduction in which Mickle launched a violent attack on Smith and his laissez-faire doctrines as applied to the East India Company issue, contrasting them with his own vision of an ideal Christian, righteous, and naturally superior empire.
Sources
- The Wealth of Nations Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21
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