OF LABOUR.

61

change for his labour, and could not starve.
It will be replied, perhaps, that corn is high
too, and therefore, although labour is high, the
labourer obtains little corn. But if corn and
labour are both affirmed to be high, the assertion
 must mean, that they are high in relation
to other commodities, as it is an absurdity to
say, that they are both at once high in relation
to each other. If therefore the labourer ob
tains little corn, labour must be low in relation
to corn.
The same result will be obtained if the definition
 of value is substituted for the term.
The author's proposition then would be, it is
perfectly consistent with a great power of commanding
 commodities in exchange for his labour,
 that the labourer should be almost starving,
 and perfectly consistent with a small
power, that the labourer should be living in
great ease and comfort.” This is asserting
power to be in an inverse ratio to the effects
produced *.

See Note B.