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1、ThewealthofnationsIntroductionANINQUIRYINTOTHENATUREANDCAUSESOFTHEWEALTHOFNATIONSINTRODUCTIONANDPLANOFTHEWORKTHEannuallabourofeverynationisthefundwhichoriginallysuppliesitwithallthenecessariesandconveniencesoflifewhichitannuallyconsumes,andwhichconsistalwayseith
2、erintheimmediateproduceofthatlabour,orinwhatispurchasedwiththatproducefromothernations.Accordingthereforeasthisproduce,orwhatispurchasedwithit,bearsagreaterorsmallerproportiontothenumberofthosewhoaretoconsumeit,thenationwillbebetterorworsesuppliedwithalltheneces
3、sariesandconveniencesforwhichithasoccasion.Butthisproportionmustineverynationberegulatedbytwodifferentcircumstances;first,bytheskill,dexterity,andjudgmentwithwhichitslabourisgenerallyapplied;and,secondly,bytheproportionbetweenthenumberofthosewhoareemployedinusef
4、ullabour,andthatofthosewhoarenotsoemployed.Whateverbethesoil,climate,orextentofterritoryofanyparticularnation,theabundanceorscantinessofitsannualsupplymust,inthatparticularsituation,dependuponthosetwocircumstances.Theabundanceorscantinessofthissupply,too,seemsto
5、dependmoreupontheformerofthosetwocircumstancesthanuponthelatter.Amongthesavagenationsofhuntersandfishers,everyindividualwhoisabletowork,ismoreorlessemployedinusefullabour,andendeavourstoprovide,aswellashecan,thenecessariesandconveniencesoflife,forhimself,orsucho
6、fhisfamilyortribeasareeithertooold,ortooyoung,ortooinfirmtogoahuntingandfishing.Suchnations,however,aresomiserablypoorthat,frommerewant,theyarefrequentlyreduced,or,atleast,thinkthemselvesreduced,tothenecessitysometimesofdirectlydestroying,andsometimesofabandonin
7、gtheirinfants,theiroldpeople,andthoseafflictedwithlingeringdiseases,toperishwithhunger,ortobedevouredbywildbeasts.Amongcivilisedandthrivingnations,onthecontrary,thoughagreatnumberofpeopledonotlabouratall,manyofwhomconsumetheproduceoftentimes,frequentlyofahundred
8、timesmorelabourthanthegreaterpartofthosewhowork;yettheproduceofthewholelabourofthesocietyissogreatthatallareoftenabundantlysupplied,andaworkman,evenofthelowestandpoor
