

179'- ' REVEIW. WANSEY ON WOOL. 255 



loth, I (th, and 12th centuries, forgetting that Hume had ex- 

 prefsly {aid, that in the time of Edward 1. '" the wool in 

 GreatBritain was equal to half the lands in England;" and that 

 Spelman, whofe words are quoted i« the margin, had faid 

 nearly the f?,me thing *. He reprefents England as being near- 

 ly deflitute of flieep during the Saxon times ; aiid fays, that 

 hogs were almoft the only aiiimals that could then be found ; 

 quoting Doomfday Book for this fact, (a molt convenient book 

 to he referred to for purpofes of this fort, as it is not in every 

 perfon's hands for confultation). But he has omitted to men- 

 tion that Edward the elder was married to Eg'vjiha^ faid to 

 he a. Jhephcrd''s daughter, which, whether true or faife, fhows 

 that the popular opinion Was fo : And ibepherds could not be 

 without fhcep. He contends that the manufailure of wool was 

 never an object of any national confideration till after the 

 time of Edivard III. But he forgets to account for the general 

 prejudice fo long ago eftablifhcd of calling every qnmarried 

 woman in Britain -a. fpin/ier. If the practice had not been 

 general, how could they have ftumbled on this incongruous 

 appellation ? or how could Jervale o? Canterbury, who lived 

 about the 1200, have been fo far miftaken on this fubjeft, as 

 to fay, that *' the art of weaving feemed to be a particular 

 gift beflawed upon the people of Great Britain by nature ?" fo 

 diftant at that time feemed to be the origin of it. He quotes 

 an Aft of Parliament of 3d Edward III. prohibiting the expor- 

 tation of wool ; but he omits to mention, tliat that aft 

 was to be in force only fill otherrwife ordahied; that is, the 

 King (hould have it in his power to obtain a monopoly of 

 the faie of wool when he pleafed, to anfwer his own purpofes; 

 or to extort fines for private licences to expert wool : and thefe 

 ■were granted in abundance immediately after palHng that aft. 

 He might have quoted perhaps twenty fuch laws, had he 

 been defirous of it; all made with the fame intention, while 



* Spdxan is fti!! more precife and accurate in his diftinc- 

 tions; He fays, " Hxc ruris pars, ut occidcntis reliqua, paf- 

 ccndis oTjitus magnopcrc exponitur. Plera:que villas, aut uiium, 

 aut duo, ant tri^, inttrdum quatuor vel quinqiie millia nutri- 

 ant ; ut intelligas praceres AngUie aoud El, I. de vcdfigali lanis 

 itnpofito conquereiite', confulto afiinnane, opum regni diinidi- 

 urn in lanis cwfjlcri." ReHq. Spelm. p. 162. 



