TV. ofN. Book I, chap. vu ; vol. I, p

41. TV. ofN. Book IV, chap. vu; vol. II, p. 145. Nous traduisons, par le mot «classe», le mot order employé par Adam Smith.

42. TV. ofN. Book I, chap. xi ; vol. I, p. 264. — Book IV, chap. vu; vol. II, p. 180. — Car « le grand objet de l'économie politique, c'est d'accroître la richesse et le pouvoir » d'un pays déterminé (Book II, chap. v ; vol. I, p. 377). Mais comment l'accroître sans améliorer la condition de la classe la plus nombreuse? «Servants, labourers, and workmen of différent kinds make up the far greater part of every great political society. But what improves the circumstances of the greater part can never be regardedas an inconveniency to the whole. No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and mise-

340 NOTES. (Pp. 182-186)

rable. It is but equity, besicles, tliat tbey who feed, clothe, and lodge the whole body of the people, should hâve such a share of the produce of their own labour as to be themselves tolerably well fed, clothed, and lodged ». (Book I, chap. vin ; vol. I, pp. 82-3).

43. W. of N. Book I, chap. xi ; vol. I, p. 153. — Adam Smith établit cependant une opposition radicale {W. of N. Book I, chap. vu ; vol. I, p. 64) entre le prix de monopole et le prix naturel. « The price of monopoly is upon every occasion the highest which can be got. The natural price, or the price of free compétition, on the contrary, is the lowest which can be taken, not upon every occasion, indeed, but for any considérable time together. The one is upon every occasion the highest which can be squeezed out of the buyers, or which, it is supposed, they will consent to give : the other is the lowest which the sellers can commonly afford to take and at the same time continue their business. »