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ployment, the principal or fole trade and occupation of a particular CHAP. clafs of citizens. Like every other employment too, it is fubdivided into a great number of different branches, each of which affords occupation to a peculiar tribe or class of philofophers; and this fubdivifion of employment in philosophy, as well as in every other business, improves dexterity and faves time. Each individual becomes more expert in his own peculiar branch, more work is done upon the whole, and the quantity of fcience is confiderably increased by it.

IT is the great multiplication of the productions of all the different arts, in confequence of the divifion of labour, which occafions in a well governed fociety that univerfal opulence which extends itself to the loweft ranks of the people. Every workman has a great quantity of his own work to dispose of beyond what he himself has occafion for; and every other workman being exactly in the fame fituation, he is enabled to exchange a great quantity of his own goods for a great quantity, or, what comes to the fame thing, for the price of a great quantity of theirs. He fupplies them abundantly with what they have occafion for, and they accommodate him as amply with what he has occafion for, and a general plenty diffuses itself through all the different ranks of the fociety.

OBSERVE the accommodation of the most common artificer or

day-labourer in a civilized and thriving country, and you will perceive that the number of people of whofe industry a part, though but a small part, has been employed in procuring him this accommodation exceeds all computation. The woollen coat, for example, which covers the day-labourer, as coarse and rough as it may appear, is the produce of the joint labour of a great multitude of workmen. The shepherd, the forter of the wool,

the

I.

BOOK the wool-comber or carder, the dyer, the fcribbler, the fpinner, the weaver, the fuller, the dreffer, with many others, muft all join their different arts in order to complete even this homely production. How many merchants and carriers, befides, muft have been employed in transporting the materials from fome of those workmen to others who often live in a very diftant part of the country! how much commerce and navigation in particular, how many ship-builders, failors, fail-makers, rope-makers, must have been employed in order to bring together the different drugs made use of by the dyer, which often come from the remotest corners of the world! What a variety of labour too is necessary in order to produce the tools of the meaneft of those workmen ! To say nothing of such complicated machines as the ship of the failor, the mill of the fuller, or even the loom of the weaver, let us confider only what a variety of labour is requifite in order to form that very simple machine, the shears with which the shepherd clips the wool. The miner, the builder of the furnace for smelting the ore, the feller of the timber, the burner of the charcoal to be made use of in the fmelting house, the brick-maker, the brick-layer, the workmen who attend the furnace, the millwright, the forger, the smith, must all of them join their different arts in order to produce them. Were we to examine, in the fame manner, all the different parts of his dress and houfhold furniture, the coarse linen shirt which he wears next his skin, the shoes which cover his feet, the bed which he lies on, and all the different parts which compofe it, the kitchen grate at which he prepares his victuals, the coals which he makes ufe of for that purpose, dug from the bowels of the earth, and brought to him perhaps by a long fea and a long land carriage, all the other utenfils of his kitchen, all the furniture of his table, the knives and forks, the earthen or pewter plates upon which he serves up and divides his victuals, the different hands employed in preparing his bread

and

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and his beer, the glafs window which lets in the heat and the light, CHA P. and keeps out the wind and the rain, with all the knowledge and art requifite for preparing that beautiful and happy invention, without which these northern parts of the world could scarce have afforded a very comfortable habitation, together with the tools of all the different workmen employed in producing those different conveniencies; if we examine, I say, all these things, and confider what a variety of labour is employed about each of them, we fshall be fenfible that without the affistance and co-operation of many thousands, the very meanest person in a civilized country could not be provided, even according to, what we very falfely imagine, the easy and simple manner in which he is commonly accommodated. Compared, indeed, with the more extravagant luxury of the great, his accommodation muft no doubt appear extremely fimple and easy; and yet it may be true perhaps that the accommodation of an European prince does not always fo much exceed that of an induftrious and frugal peafant, as the accommodation of the latter exceeds that of many an African king, the abfolute mafter of the lives and liberties of ten thousand naked favages.

BOOK

I.

CHA P. II.

Of the Principle which gives Occafion to the Divifion of Labour.

HIS divifion of labour, from which so many advantages are derived, is not originally the effect of any human wisdom, which forefees and intends that general opulence to which it gives occafion. It is the neceffary, though very flow and gradual confequence of a certain propenfity in human nature which has in view no fuch extensive utility; the propenfity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another.

WHETHER this propenfity be one of those original principles in human nature, of which no further account can be given; or whether, as feems more probable, it be the neceffary confequence of the faculties of reafon and fpeech, it belongs not to our present fubject to enquire. It is common to all men, and to be found in no other race of animals, which seem to know neither this nor any other species of contracts. Two greyhounds in running down the fame hare, have fometimes the appearance of acting in fome fort of concert. Each turns her towards his companion, or endeavours to intercept her. when his companion turns her towards himself. This, however, is not the effect of any contract, but of the accidental concurrence of their paffions in the fame object at that particular time. Nobody ever saw a dog make a fair and deliberate exchange of one bone for another with another dog. Nobody ever faw one animal by its geftures and natural cries fignify to another, this is mine, that yours; I am willing to give this for that. When an annimal wants to obtain fomething either of a man or of another animal, it has no other, means of persuasion but to gain the favour of those whose service it requires. A puppy fawns upon its dam, and a spaniel endeavours by a thousand

attractions

attractions to engage the attention of its mafter who is at dinner, when it wants to be fed by him. Man fometimes ufes the fame arts with his brethren, and when he has no other means of engaging them to act according to his inclinations, endeavours by every fervile and fawning attention to obtain their good will. He has not time, however, to do this upon every occafion. In civilized fociety he ftands at all times in need of the co-operation and affiftance of great multitudes, while his whole life is fcarce fufficient to gain the friendship of a few perfons. In almost every other race of animals each individual, when it is grown up to maturity, is intirely independent, and in its natural ftate has occafion for the affiftance of no other living creature. But man has almost conftant occafion for the help of his brethren, and it is in vain for him to expect it from their benevolence only. He will be more likely to prevail, if he can interest their self-love in his favour, and fhew them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them. Whoever offers to another a bargain of any kind, proposes to do this. Give me that which I want, and fhall have this which you want, is the meaning of every fuch offer; and it is in this manner that we obtain from one another the far greater part of thofe good offices which we stand in need of. It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own intereft. We addrefs ourselves, not to their humanity but to their felf-love, and never talk to them of our own neceffities but of their advantages. Nobody but a beggar chufes to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his fellow-citizens. Even a beggar does not depend upon it entirely. The charity of well-difpofed people, indeed, fupplies him with the whole fund of his fubfiftence. But though this principle ultimately provides him with all the neceffaries of life which he has occafion for, it neither does nor can provide him with them as he has VOL. I. occafion

you

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