OF VALUE.

137

tion, but it will not of itself throw any light on
the food, clothing, and comfort, which the labourers
 are able to procure ; and he must therefore
 search in the proper registers for the
prices of such commodities as constitute these
necessaries and conveniences. He can ascertain
 nothing but what is shown by the historical
 documents which he consults. When he
has found the price of labour, the price of
corn, of cloth, of hats, of stockings, of fuel, of
house-room, he will be able to tell how much
of each of these commodities a weeks or a
year’s labour could command : in other words,
the condition of the labouring class of society
in these respects will become manifest.
But these are all separate particulars, to be
separately ascertained: one will not disclose
another ; each must be individually established
by independent evidence. There can be no
commodity, by a reference to which the power
of a given income over any or all other commodities
 may be shown.