Till', WEALTH OF NATIONS.

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The expense of a great lord feeds generally more idle thanindustrious people. The rich merchant, though with his ca-pital he maintains industrious people only, yet by his ex-pense, that is, by the employment of his revenue, he feedscommonly the very same sort as the great lord.

The proportion, therefore, between the productive and un-productive hands, depends very much in every country uponthe proportion between that part of the annual produce, which,as soon as it comes either from the ground or from the handsof the productive labourers, is destined for replacing a capi-tal, and that which is destined for constituting a revenueeither as rent or as profit. This proportion is very differentin rich from what it is in poor countries.

Thus, at present, in the opulent countries of Europe , a verylarge, frequently the largest portion of the produce of theland, is destined for replacing the capital of the rich and in-dependent farmer; the other for paying his profits, and therent of the landlord. But anciently, during the prevalencyof the feudal government, a very small portion of the producewas sufficient to replace the capital employed in cultivation.It consisted commonly in a few wretched cattle, maintainedaltogether by the spontaneous produce of uncultivated land,and which might, therefore, be considered as a part of thatspontaneous produce. It generally too belonged to the land-lord, and was by him advanced to the occupiers of the land.All the rest of the produce properly belonged to him too,either as rent for his land, or as profit upon this paltry capi-tal. The occupiers of land were generally bondmen, whosepersons and effects were equally his property. Those whowere not bondmen were tenants at will, and though the rentwhich they paid was often nominally little more than a quit-rent, it really amounted to the whole produce of the land.

Their lord could at all times command their labour in peace,and their service in war. Though they lived at a distancefrom his house, they were equally dependent upon him ashis retainers who lived in it. But the whole produce of theland undoubtedly belongs to him, who can dispose of the la-bour and service of all those whom it maintains. In the pre-sent state of Europe , the share of the landlord seldom exceedsa third, sometimes not a fourth part of the whole produce ofthe land. Theirent of land, however, in all the improvedparts of the country, has been tripled and quadrupled siucethose ancient times; and this third or fourth part of the an-

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