THE WEALTH OF NATIONS.

C7

the commodities produced by equal quantities of labour wouldnaturally in this state of things be exchanged for one ano-ther, they would have been purchased likewise with the pro-duce of a smaller quantity.

But though all things would have become cheaper in re-ality, in appearance many things might have become dearerthan before, or have been exchanged for a greater quantityof other goods. Let us suppose, for example, that in thegreater part of employments the productive powers of labourhad been improved tenfold, or that a day’s labour could pro-duce ten times the quantity of work which it had done ori-ginally; but that in a particular employment they had beenimproved only to double, or that of a day’s labour could pro-duce only twice the quantity of work which it luul done be-fore. In exchanging the produce of a day’s labour in thegreater part of employments, for that of a day’s labour in thisparticular one, ten times the original quantity of work inthem would purchase only twice the original quantity in it.Any particular quantity in it, therefore, a pound weight forexample, would appear to be five times dearer than before.In reality, however, it would be twice as cheap. Though itrequired five times the quantity of other goods to purchaseit, it would require only half the quantity of labour either topurchase or to produce it. The acquisition, therefore, wouldbe twice as easy as before.

But this original state of things, in which the labourer en-joyed the whole produce of his own labour, could not lastbeyond the first introduction of the appropriation of landand the accumulation of stock. It was at an end, therefore,long before the most considerable improvements were madein the productive powers ot labour, and it would be to nopurpose to trace farther what might have been its effectsupon the recompense or wages of labour.

As soon as land becomes private property, the landlorddemands a share of almost all the produce which the la-bourer can either raise, or collect from it. His rent makesthe first deduction from the produce of the labour which isemployed upon land.

It seldom happens that the person who tills the groundhas wherewithal to maintain himself till lie reaps the harvest.His maintenance is generally advanced to him from thestock of a master, the farmer who employs him, and whowould have no interest to employ him, unless he was to share