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greater than we should at first view be apt to imagine it。 It is

impossible to pass very quickly from one kind of work to another

that is carried on in a different place and with quite different

tools。 A country weaver; who cultivates a small farm; must lose a

good deal of time in passing from his loom to the field; and from

the field to his loom。 When the two trades can be carried on in

the same workhouse; the loss of time is no doubt much less。 It is

even in this case; however; very considerable。 A man commonly

saunters a little in turning his hand from one sort of employment

to another。 When he first begins the new work he is seldom very

keen and hearty; his mind; as they say; does not go to it; and

for some time he rather trifles than applies to good purpose。 The

habit of sauntering and of indolent careless application; which

is naturally; or rather necessarily acquired by every country

workman who is obliged to change his work and his tools every

half hour; and to apply his hand in twenty different ways almost

every day of his life; renders him almost always slothful and

lazy; and incapable of any vigorous application even on the most

pressing occasions。 Independent; therefore; of his deficiency in

point of dexterity; this cause alone must always reduce

considerably the quantity of work which he is capable of

performing。

     Thirdly; and lastly; everybody must be sensible how much

labour is facilitated and abridged by the application of proper

machinery。 It is unnecessary to give any example。 I shall only

observe; therefore; that the invention of all those machines by

which labour is so much facilitated and abridged seems to have

been originally owing to the division of labour。 Men are much

more likely to discover easier and readier methods of attaining

any object when the whole attention of their minds is directed

towards that single object than when it is dissipated among a

great variety of things。 But in consequence of the division of

labour; the whole of every man's attention comes naturally to be

directed towards some one very simple object。 It is naturally to

be expected; therefore; that some one or other of those who are

employed in each particular branch of labour should soon find out

easier and readier methods of performing their own particular

work; wherever the nature of it admits of such improvement。 A

great part of the machines made use of in those manufactures in

which labour is most subdivided; were originally the inventions

of common workmen; who; being each of them employed in some very

simple operation; naturally turned their thoughts towards finding

out easier and readier methods of performing it。 Whoever has been

much accustomed to visit such manufactures must frequently have

been shown very pretty machines; which were the inventions of

such workmen in order to facilitate and quicken their particular

part of the work。 In the first fire…engines; a boy was constantly

employed to open and shut alternately the communication between

the boiler and the cylinder; according as the piston either

ascended or descended。 One of those boys; who loved to play with

his companions; observed that; by tying a string from the handle

of the valve which opened this communication to another part of

the machine; the valve would open and shut without his

assistance; and leave him at liberty to divert himself with his

playfellows。 One of the greatest improvements that has been made

upon this machine; since it was first invented; was in this

manner the discovery of a boy who wanted to save his own labour。

     All the improvements in machinery; however; have by no means

been the inventions of those who had occasion to use the

machines。 Many improvements have been made by the ingenuity of

the makers of the machines; when to make them became the business

of a peculiar trade; and some by that of those who are called

philosophers or men of speculation; whose trade it is not to do

anything; but to observe everything; and who; upon that account;

are often capable of combining together the powers of the most

distant and dissimilar objects。 In the progress of society;

philosophy or speculation becomes; like every other employment;

the principal or sole trade and occupation of a particular class

of citizens。 Like every other employment too; it is subdivided

into a great number of different branches; each of which affords

occupation to a peculiar tribe or class of philosophers; and this

subdivision of employment in philosophy; as well as in every

other business; improves dexterity; and saves time。 Each

individual becomes more expert in his own peculiar branch; more

work is done upon the whole; and the quantity of science is

considerably increased by it。

     It is the great multiplication of the productions of all the

different arts; in consequence of the division of labour; which

occasions; in a well…governed society; that universal opulence

which extends itself to the lowest ranks of the people。 Every

workman has a great quantity of his own work to dispose of beyond

what he himself has occasion for; and every other workman being

exactly in the same situation; he is enabled to exchange a great

quantity of his own goods for a great quantity; or; what comes to

the same thing; for the price of a great quantity of theirs。 He

supplies them abundantly with what they have occasion for; and

they accommodate him as amply with what he has occasion for; and

a general plenty diffuses itself through all the different ranks

of the society。

     Observe the accommodation of the most common artificer or

day…labourer in a civilised and thriving country; and you will

perceive that the number of people of whose industry a part;

though but a small part; has been employed in procuring him this

accommodation; exceeds all computation。 The woollen coat; for

example; which covers the day…labourer; as coarse and rough as it

may appear; is the produce of the joint labour of a great

multitude of workmen。 The shepherd; the sorter of the wool; the

wool…comber or carder; the dyer; the scribbler; the spinner; the

weaver; the fuller; the dresser; with many others; must all join

their different arts in order to complete even this homely

production。 How many merchants and carriers; besides; must have

been employed in transporting the materials from some of those

workmen to others who often live in a very distant part of the

country! How much commerce and navigation in particular; how many

ship…builders; sailors; sail…makers; rope…makers; must have been

employed in order to bring together the different drugs made use

of by the dyer; which often come from the remotest corners of the

world! What a variety of labour; too; is necessary in order to

produce the tools of the meanest of those workmen! To say nothing

of such complicated machines as the ship of the sailor; the mill

of the fuller; or even the loom of the weaver; let us consider

only what a variety of labour is requisite in order to form that

very simple machine; the shears with which the shepherd clips the

wool。 The miner; the builder of the furnace for smelting the ore;

the seller of the timber; the burner of the charcoal to be made

use of in the smelting…house; the brickmaker; the brick…layer;

the workmen who attend the furnace; the mill…wright; the forger;

the smith; must all of them join their different arts in order to

produce them。 Were we to examine; in the same manner; all the

different parts of his dress and household furniture; the coarse

linen shirt which he wears next his skin; the shoes which cover

his feet; the bed which he lies on; and all the different parts

which compose it; the kitchen…grate at which he prepares his

victuals; the coals which he makes use of for that purpose; dug

from the bowels of the earth; and brought to him perhaps by a

long sea and a long land carriage; all the other utensils of his

kitchen; all the furniture of his table; the knives and forks;

the earthen or pewter plates upon which he serves up and divides

his victuals; the different hands employed in preparing his bread

and his beer; the glass window which lets in the heat and the

light; and keeps out the wind and the rain; with all the

knowledge and art requisite for preparing that beautiful and

happy invention; without which these northern parts of the world

could scarce have afforded a very comfortable habitation;

together with the tools of all the different workmen employed in

producing those different conveniences; if we examine; I say; all

these things; and consider what a variety of labour is employed

about each of them; we shall be sensible that; without the

assistance and co…operation of many thousands; the very meanest

person in a civilised country could not be provided; even

according to what we very falsely imagine the easy and simple

manner in which he is commonly accommodated。 Compared; indeed;

with th

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