a single weaver earned two pounds a week at his loom. By degrees the class of farming weavers wholly disappeared, and was merged in the newly arising class of weavers who lived wholly upon wages, had no property whatever, not even the pretended property of a holding, and so became workingmen, proletarians.
Moreover, the old relation between spinner and weaver was destroyed.
Hitherto, so far as this had been possible, yarn had been spun and woven under one roof.
Now that the jenny as well as the loom required a strong hand, men began to spin, and whole families lived by spinning, while others laid the antiquated, superseded spinning-wheel aside; and, if they had not means of purchasing a jenny, were forced to live upon the wages of the father alone.
Thus began with spinning and weaving that division of labour which has since been so infinitely perfected.