按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
probably have continued to take place； too； with regard to corn；
had not the institution of the public fiars put an end to it。
These are annual valuations； according to the judgment of an
assize； of the average price of all the different sorts of grain；
and of all the different qualities of each； according to the
actual market price in every different county。 This institution
rendered it sufficiently safe for the tenant； and much more
convenient for the landlord； to convert； as they call it； the
corn rent； rather at what should happen to be the price of the
fiars of each year； than at any certain fixed price。 But the
writers who have collected the prices of corn in ancient times
seem frequently to have mistaken what is called in Scotland the
conversion price for the actual market price。 Fleetwood
acknowledges； upon one occasion； that he had made this mistake。
As he wrote his book； however； for a particular purpose； he does
not think proper to make this acknowledgment till after
transcribing this conversion price fifteen times。 The price is
eight shillings the quarter of wheat。 This sum in 1423； the year
at which he begins with it； contained the same quantity of silver
as sixteen shillings of our present money。 But in 1562； the year
at which he ends with it； it contained no more than the same
nominal sum does at present。
Secondly； they have been misled by the slovenly manner in
which some ancient statutes of assize had been sometimes
transcribed by lazy copiers； and sometimes perhaps actually
composed by the legislature。
The ancient statutes of assize seem to have begun always
with determining what ought to be the price of bread and ale when
the price of wheat and barley were at the lowest； and to have
proceeded gradually to determine what it ought to be； according
as the prices of those two sorts of grain should gradually rise
above this lowest price。 But the transcribers of those statutes
seem frequently to have thought it sufficient to copy the
regulation as far as the three or four first and lowest prices；
saving in this manner their own labour； and judging； I suppose；
that this was enough to show what proportion ought to be observed
in all higher prices。
Thus in the Assize of Bread and Ale； of the 51st of Henry
III； the price of bread was regulated according to the different
prices of wheat； from one shilling to twenty shillings the
quarter； of the money of those times。 But in the manuscripts from
which all the different editions of the statutes； preceding that
of Mr。 Ruffhead； were printed； the copiers had never transcribed
this regulation beyond the price of twelve shillings。 Several
writers； therefore； being misled by this faulty transcription；
very naturally concluded that the middle price； or six shillings
the quarter； equal to about eighteen shillings of our present
money； was the ordinary or average price of wheat at that time。
In the Statute of Tumbrel and Pillory； enacted nearly about
the same time； the price of ale is regulated according to every
sixpence rise in the price of barley； from two shillings to four
shillings the quarter。 That four shillings； however； was not
considered as the highest price to which barley might frequently
rise in those times； and that these prices were only given as an
example of the proportion which ought to be observed in all other
prices； whether higher or lower； we may infer from the last words
of the statute： et sic deinceps crescetur vel diminuetur per sex
denarios。 The expression is very slovenly； but the meaning is
plain enough： 〃That the price of ale is in this manner to be
increased or diminished according to every sixpence rise or fall
in the price of barley。〃 In the composition of this statute the
legislature itself seems to have been as negligent as the copiers
were in the transcription of the others。
In an ancient manuscript of the Regiam Majestatem； an old
Scotch law book； there is a statute of assize in which the price
of bread is regulated according to all the different prices of
wheat； from tenpence to three shillings the Scotch boll； equal to
about half an English quarter。 Three shillings Scotch； at the
time when this assize is supposed to have been enacted were equal
to about nine shillings sterling of our present money。 Mr。
Ruddiman seems to conclude from this； that three shillings was
the highest price to which wheat ever rose in those times； and
that tenpence； a shilling； or at most two shillings； were the
ordinary prices。 Upon consulting the manuscript； however； it
appears evidently that all these prices are only set down as
examples of the proportion which ought to be observed between the
respective prices of wheat and bread。 The last words of the
statute are： reliqua judicabis secundum proescripta habendo
respectum ad pretium bladi。 〃You shall judge of the remaining
cases according to what is above written； having a respect to the
price of corn。〃
Thirdly； they seem to have been misled； too； by the very low
price at which wheat was sometimes sold in very ancient times；
and to have imagined that as its lowest price was then much lower
than in later times； its ordinary price must likewise have been
much lower。 They might have found； however； that in those ancient
times its highest price was fully as much above； as its lowest
price was below anything that had even been known in later times。
Thus in 1270； Fleetwood gives us two prices of the quarter of
wheat。 The one is four pounds sixteen shillings of the money of
those times； equal to fourteen pounds eight shillings of that of
the present； the other is six pounds eight shillings； equal to
nineteen pounds four shillings of our present money。 No price can
be found in the end of the fifteenth； or beginning of the
sixteenth century； which approaches to the extravagance of these。
The price of corn； though at all times liable to variation；
varies most in those turbulent and disorderly societies； in which
the interruption of all commerce and communication hinders the
plenty of one part of the country from relieving the scarcity of
another。 In the disorderly state of England under the
Plantagenets； who governed it from about the middle of the
twelfth till towards the end of the fifteenth century； one
district might be in plenty； while another at no great distance；
by having its crop destroyed either by some accident of the
seasons； or by the incursion of some neighbouring baron； might be
suffering all the horrors of a famine； and yet if the lands of
some hostile lord were interposed between them； the one might not
be able to give the least assistance to the other。 Under the
vigorous administration of the Tudors； who governed England
during the latter part of the fifteenth and through the whole of
the sixteenth century； no baron was powerful enough to dare to
disturb the public security。
The reader will find at the end of this chapter all the
prices of wheat which have been collected by Fleetwood from 1202
to 1597； both inclusive； reduced to the money of the present
times； and digested according to the order of time； into seven
divisions of twelve years each。 At the end of each division； too；
he will find the average price of the twelve years of which it
consists。 In that long period of time； Fleetwood has been able to
collect the prices of no more than eighty years； so that four
years are wanting to make out the last twelve years。 I have
added； therefore； from the accounts of Eton college； the prices
of 1598； 1599； 1600； and 1601。 It is the only addition which I
have made。 The reader will see that from the beginning of the
thirteenth till after the middle of the sixteenth century the
average price of each twelve years grows gradually lower and
lower； and that towards the end of the sixteenth century it
begins to rise again。 The prices； indeed； which Fleetwood has
been able to collect； seem to have been those chiefly which were
remarkable for extraordinary dearness or cheapness； and I do not
pretend that any very certain conclusion can be drawn from them。
So far； however； as they prove anything at all； they confirm the
account which I have been endeavouring to give。 Fleetwood
himself； however； seems； with most other writers； to have
believed that during all this period the value of silver； in
consequence of its increasing abundance； was continually
diminishing。 The prices of corn which he himself has collected
certainly do not agree with this opinion。 They agree perfectly
with that of Mr。 Dupre de St。 Maur； and with that which I have
been endeavouring to explain。 Bishop Fleetwood and Mr。 Dupre de
St。 Maur are the two authors who seem to have collected； with the
greatest diligence and fidelity； the prices of things in ancient
times。 It is somewhat curious that； though their opinions are so
very different； their facts； so far as they relate to the price
of corn at least； sho