ON PROFITS.

65

his cloth, sells it at an advanced price, and purchases
 corn, or exchanges it directly for corn,
the result is, that he gets more corn for the same
quantity of cloth than he did before. If B the
grower of corn does the same with his produce,
he gets more cloth. But a cannot obtain from
B more corn for the same quantity of cloth, at
the same time that B obtains from A more cloth
for the same quantity of corn. Consequently
the value of goods cannot rise. Moreover, if
all commodities rise, they must rise in relation
to something, and as it is manifestly absurd
that all commodities should at once rise in relation
 to each other, this something must be
labour. But, by the supposition, labour itself
rises in relation to all commodities; whence it
is a contradiction to maintain, that a universal
rise in the value of labour can increase the
value of commodities.
It may be necessary to repeat the qualification
 with which the doctrine, that if labour rise
in value profits must fall, is to be received.
It is true only when the productive power