PROPOSED RY MR. MALTHUS. 145

10 men having been proved to be as valuable
at one time as at another, the value of the labour
 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 invariable
 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 invariable,
 whence the 10 yards of cloth must be
of invariable value.
It is scarcely necessary to expose the futility