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“He will assemble materials with much pains.”—Bolingbroke on History.

The word much is never joined to a plural noun; much labours, much papers, would be insufferable[13].

Riches is generally now considered as a plural noun; though it was formerly used either as singular or plural. This substantive seems to have been nothing but the French word richesse; and therefore no more a plural than gentlenesse, distresse, and many others of the same kind. In this form we find it in Chaucer:

“But for ye spoken of swiche gentlenesse,

As is descended out of old richesse.

And he that ones to love doeth his homage,

Full often times dere bought is the richesse.”

Accordingly he gives it a plural termination, and uses it as a plural word.

“Thou hast dronke so much hony of swete temporal richesses, and delices, and honours of this world.”

It seems evident, then, that this word was originally construed as a substantive singular, and even admitted a plural form. The orthography varying, and the noun singular assuming a plural termination, it came in time to be considered by some as a noun plural.