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men and other labourers, were hired fervants by thé 
year, living in the houfes, and eating with their 
mafters, and their wages were from four to fix 
pounds, according to their charaéters, ftrength, and 
abilities. “By degrees the mode of executing farm 
jJabour was greatly altered; the labourers married, 
lived to themfelves, and worked by the day, at the 
rate of 5s. per week from Michaelmas to Lady-Day, 
and 6s. from Lady-Day to Michaelmas. Within 
thefe ten years, the price of labour has been in- 
creafed 1s. per day, throughout the year; and within 
thefe three or four years to 14d. befides a fupply of 
grain from their employers, under the market’price. 
But there is not above one-third of the labourers 
now kept as yearly fervants, in the houfes with the 
farmers, to what there were twenty years ago; and I 
believe, there are three times the number of labourers 
now married (many of whom have numerous fami- 
lies) that there were at the above period. While 
the men were yearly fervants with the farmers they 
could not marry; at prefent they certainly add much 
to the population, and by having feparate houfes to 
the confumption of fuel. The poor-rate is alfo 
greatly increafed by this feparation, for moft of the 
labourers’ children are fupported and bound out by 
the parifh; and farmers houfes, who rent or occupy 
of their own above 2ol. per annum, are filled with 
fuch apprentices of both fexes, where, in general, 
they are better fed and taken care of than they could 
have 
