PROPOSED RY MR. MALTHUS. 145 
10 men having been proved to be as valuable 
at one time as at another, the value of the la- 
bour for which they are exchanged must be also 
constant.” By wages he means the aggregate 
quantity of corn; and how has he shown these 
wages to be of invariable value? He has shown 
them to be invariable, estimated in labour: his 
argument consequently is, that because the 
wages of ten men are always of the same value, 
estimated in labour, therefore the labour for 
which they are exchanged must be of invaria- 
ble value. 
In the same way any article might be proved 
to be of invariable value; for instance, 10 yards 
of cloth. For whether we gave £5 or £10 for 
the 10 yards, the sum given would always be 
equal in value to the cloth for which it was 
paid, or, in other words, of invariable value in 
relation to cloth. But that which is given for 
a thing of invariable value, must itself be in- 
variable, whence the 10 yards of cloth must be 
of invariable value. 
It is scarcely necessary to expose the futility