The Real Price Of Everything,

China Is A Much Richer Country Than Any Part Of Europe.

A Monopoly Granted Either To An Individual Or To A Trading Company Has The Same Effect As A Secret In Trade Or Manufactures. The Monopolists, By Keeping The Market Constantly Understocked, By Never Fully Supplying The Effectual Demand, Sell Their Commodities Much Above The Natural Price, And Raise Their Emoluments, Whether They Consist In Wages Or Profit, Greatly Above Their Natural Rate.

Among Civilized And Thriving Nations, On The Contrary, Though A Great Number Of People Do No Labor At All, Many Of Whom Consume The Produce Of Ten Times, Frequently Of A Hundred Times More Labour Than The Greater Part Of Those Who Work; Yet The Produce Of The Whole Labour Of The Society Is So Great, That All Are Often Abundantly Supplied, And A Workman, Even Of The Lowest And Poorest Order, If He Is Frugal And Industrious, May Enjoy A Greater Share Of The Necessaries And Conveniencies Of Life Than It Is Possible For Any Savage To Acquire.

Though The Profusion Of Government Must Undoubtedly Have Retarded The Natural Progress Of England To Wealth And Improvement, It Has Not Been Able To Stop It.

With The Greater Part Of Rich People, The Chief Enjoyment Of Riches Consists In The Parade Of Riches, Which In Their Eye Is Never So Complete As When They Appear To Possess Those Decisive Marks Of Opulence Which Nobody Can Possess But Themselves.