11. vants, unproductive of any value, and does not CHAP. fix or realize itself in any permanent subject, or vendible commodity, which endures after that labour is past, and for which an equal quantity of labour could afterwards be procured. The fovereign, for example, with all the officers both of justice and war who serve under him, the whole army and navy, are unproductive labourers. They are the fervants of the public, and are maintained by a part of the annual produce of the industry of other people. Their service, how honourable, how useful, or how necessary foever, produces nothing for which an equal quantity of service can afterwards be procured. The protection, security, and defence of the commonwealth, the effect of their labour this year, will not purchase its protection, security, and defence for the year to come. In the fame class must be ranked, some both of the gravest and most important, and some of the most frivolous profeffions: churchmen, lawyers, physicians, men of letters of all kinds; players, buffoons, musicians, opera-fingers, opera-dancers, &c. The labour of the meanest of these has a certain value, regulated by the very fame principles which regulate that of every other fort of labour; and that of the noblest and most useful, produces nothing which could afterwards purchase or procure an equal quantity of labour. Like the declamation of the actor, the harangue of the orator, or the tune of the musician, the work of all of them perishes in the very instant of its production. 1 1 воок Вотн productive and unproductive labourers, 11. ☑ 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 supplying 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 conftitutes a revenue both to the owner of this capital, as the profits of his stock; and and to fome other person, as the rent of his land. CHAP. 111. : THAT part of the annual produce of the land and labour of any country which replaces a capital, never is immediately employed to maintain any but productive hands. It pays the wages of productive labour only. That which is immediately destined for constituting 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 is to be replaced to him with a profit. He employs it, therefore, in maintaining productive hands only; and after having ferved 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 consumption. 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 constituting a revenue to fome particular persons, 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 B 3 into 6 II. THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF воок into their hands, whatever part of it is over and ☑ 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 fervant; or he may sometimes go to a play or à puppet-show, and fo contribute his share towards maintaining one set of unproductive labourers; or he may pay some 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 small one. is his spare revenue only, of which productive labourers have seldom a great deal. They generally have fome, however; and in the payment of taxes the greatness of their number may compensate, in some measure, 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 subsistence. These are the two forts o revenue of which the owners have generally mof to spare. They might both maintain indiffer 4 entl It ently either productive or unproductive hands. CHAP. They feem, however, to have some predilection for the latter. The expence of a great lord feeds generally more idle than industrious people. The rich merchant, though with his capital he maintains industrious people only, yet by his expence, 111. 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 destined 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 present, in the opulent countries of Europe, a very large, frequently the largest portion of the produce of the land, is destined 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 small portion of the produce was sufficient to replace the capital employed in cultivation. It consisted commonly in a few wretched cattle, maintained altogether by the fpontaneous produce of uncultivated land, and which might, therefore, be considered as a part of that spontaneous produce. It generally too belonged to the landlord, and |