BOOK Both productive and unproductive labourers, and those who do not labour at all, are all equally maintained by the annual produce of the land and labour of the country. This produce, how great foever, can never be infinite, but must have certain limits. According, therefore, as a smaller or greater proportion of it is in any one year employed in maintaining unproductive hands, the more in the one cafe and the less in the other will remain for the productive, and the next year's produce will be greater or smaller accordingly; the whole annual produce, if we except the fpontaneous productions of the earth, being the effect of productive labour. Though the whole annual produce of the land and labour of every country, is, no doubt, ultimately destined for fupplying the confumption of its inhabitants, and for procuring a revenue to them; yet when it first comes either from the ground, or from the hands of the productive labourers, it naturally divides itself into two parts. One of them, and frequently the largest, is, in the first place, destined for replacing a capital, or for renewing the provifions, materials, and finished work, which had been withdrawn from a capital; the other for conftituting a revenue either to the owner of this capital, as the profit of his stock; or to some other person, as the rent of his land. Thus, of the produce of land, one part replaces the capital of the farmer; the other pays his profit and the rent of the landlord; and thus constitutes a revenue both to the owner of this capital, as the profits of his stock; and III. and to fome other perfon, as the rent of his land. CHAP. Of the produce of a great manufactory, in the fame manner, one part, and that always the largest, replaces the capital of the undertaker of the work; the other pays his profit, and thus constitutes a revenue to the owner of this capital. That part of the annual produce of the land and labour of any country which replaces a capi. tal, never is immediately employed to maintain any but productive hands. It pays the wages of productive labour only. That which is immediately destined for conftituting a revenue either as profit or as rent, may maintain indifferently either productive or unproductive hands. Whatever part of his stock a man employs as a capital, he always expects it to be replaced to him with a profit. He employs it, therefore, in maintaining productive hands only; and after having served in the function of a capital to him, it constitutes a revenue to them. Whenever he employs any part of it in maintaining unproductive hands of any kind, that part is, from that moment, withdrawn from his capital, and placed in his stock referved for immediate confumption. Unproductive labourers, and those who do not labour at all, are all maintained by revenue; either, first, by that part of the annual produce which is originally destined for conftituting a revenue to fome particular perfons, either as the rent of land or as the profits of stock; or, secondly, by that part which, though originally destined for replacing a capital and for maintaining productive labourers only, yet when it comes into B3 BOOK into their hands, whatever part of it is over and II. above their necessary subsistence, may be employed in maintaining indifferently either productive or unproductive hands. Thus, not only the great landlord or the rich merchant, but even the common workman, if his wages are confiderable, may maintain a menial servant; or he may fometimes go to a play or a puppet-show, and fo contribute his share towards maintaining one fet of unproductive labourers; or he may pay fome taxes, and thus help to maintain another fet, more honourable and useful, indeed, but equally unproductive. No part of the annual produce, however, which had been originally destined to replace a capital, is ever directed towards maintaining unproductive hands, till after it has put into motion its full complement of productive labour, or all that it could put into motion in the way in which it was employed. The workman must have earned his wages by work done, before he can employ any part of them in this manner. That part too is generally but a fmall one. is his fpare revenue only, of which productive labourers have feldom a great deal. They generally have fome, however; and in the payment of taxes the greatness of their number may compenfate, in some meafure, the smallness of their contribution. The rent of land and the profits of stock are every-where, therefore, the principal fources from which unproductive hands derive their fubfiftence. These are the two forts of revenue of which the owners have generally moft to spare. They might both maintain indifferently It III. ferently either productive or unproductiveCHAP. hands. They feem, however, to have fome predilection for the latter. The expence of a great lord feeds generally more idle than induftrious people. The rich merchant, though with his capital he maintains induftrious people only, yet by his expence, that is, by the employment of his revenue, he feeds commonly the very fame fort as the great lord. The proportion, therefore, between the productive and unproductive hands, depends very much in every country upon the proportion between that part of the annual produce, which, as foon as it comes either from the ground or from the hands of the productive labourers, is deftined for replacing a capital, and that which is destined for conftituting a revenue, either as rent, or as profit. This proportion is very different in rich from what it is in poor countries. Thus, at prefent, in the opulent countries of Europe, a very large, frequently the largest portion of the produce of the land, is deftined for replacing the capital of the rich and independent farmer; the other for paying his profits, and the rent of the landlord. But anciently, during the prevalency of the feudal government, a very finall portion of the produce was fufficient to replace the capital employed in cultivation. It confifted commonly in a few wretched cattle, maintained altogether by the spontaneous produce of uncultivated land, and which might, therefore, be confidered as a part of that fpontaneous produce. It generally too belonged to the landlord, and воок was by him advanced to the occupiers of the II. land. All the rest of the produce properly belonged to him too, either as rent for his land, or as profit upon this paltry capital. The occupiers of land were generally bondmen, whose perfons and effects were equally his property. Those who were not bondmen were tenants at will, and though the rent which 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 distance from his house, they were equally dependant upon him as his retainers who lived in it. But the whole produce of the land undoubtedly belongs to him, who can difpofe of the labour and service of all those whom it maintains. In the present state of Europe, the share of the landlord feldom exceeds a third, fometimes not a fourth part of the whole produce of the land. The rent of land, however, in all the improved parts of the country, has been tripled and quadrupled fince those ancient times; and this third or fourth part of the annual produce is, it feems, three or four times greater than the whole had been before. In the progress of improvement, rent, though it increases in proportion to the extent, diminishes in proportion to the produce of the land. In the opulent countries of Europe, great capitals are at present employed in trade and manufactures. In the ancient state, the littletrade that was stirring, and the few homely and coarse manu |