220 ON THE CAUSES 
muscles. As therefore no labour has been 
really exercised in any way relating to the wine, 
a tenth more of labour cannot be correctly con- 
sidered as having been expended upon it, un- 
less that can be truly regarded as having oc- 
curred which never happened. 
Doctrines of this kind, which attempt to re- 
duce all phenomena to a uniform expression, 
ought to be rigidly scrutinized. In the present 
instance, the eminent writer just quoted ap- 
pears to have been seduced by a preceding false 
generalization, that, namely, which designates 
capital as accumulated or hoarded labour. This 
is at best an aukward mode of expression, which 
can answer no good purpose. When we accu- 
mulate we add one thing to another, and it is 
essential to the process, that both should re- 
main in existence. But labour, consisting in 
the mere exertion of muscular power, or in the 
equally evanescent motions of the brain, con- 
tinually perishes in detail, and therefore admits 
of no accumulation. It may be alleged, ne- 
vertheless, that when a series of days’ labour