FRUITS. ALMONDS. RICE. SUGAR. 633 



before the Plague, are worth i6s. icd. on an average; four, 

 after this event, give an average of ^i 7*. $d. In the earlier 

 period there is a considerable variation in the price of the 

 hundred, i. e. the hundred of 108 Ibs. (sup. p. 169) j for the 

 article is bought at ic*. in 1263, at i 8*. in 1364. In the 

 later period the price is more uniform, though the money- 

 value of this article is falling, as most other foreign commo- 

 dities are, at the close of the century. Hence the latest entry 

 (in 1398) gives only iqs. 8^/. the hundred. 



Once they are sold by the bale, namely, at Wye in 1370. 

 The price paid for this quantity is ^4 ; but I have no informa- 

 tion as to the precise amount implied in this term. 



RICE. Twelve entries of rice, between 1264 and 1399, give 

 a general average of i \d. the pound. Rice is also sold by the 

 hundred. It is bought at IQS. in 1264, and at 8s. in 1326, 

 Occasionally, as in 1334, it is quoted as c flour of rice.' 



SUGAR. This article, which is very costly in the Middle 

 Ages, is described under several names. It is distinguished by 

 its locality, as being of Alexandria or Cyprus, both of these 

 kinds being in general cheaper than other sorts, the origin of 

 which is not designated. Thus in the list of purchases for the 

 King's Wardrobe in 1264 c sugar' is bought at %s. the pound, 

 while that of Alexandria is only lod. Again, the sugar of 

 Cyprus in 1334 is priced at 7^., while sugar in cake costs is. id. 

 Or it is specified as c cafetyn,' or c sugar and caftetyn,' a term for 

 which I can give no explanation ; or it seems to be described 

 by its shape, as c in pane,' c in cake,' or c rock.' Once it is 

 spoken of as white. Considerable quantities are purchased by 

 Earl Clare in 1285; no less than 64^ Ibs. being entered in the 

 account. In 1285 the same nobleman buys two c pots,' desig- 

 nated as c sugar of roses' and 'sugar of violets,' the former 

 of which costs 14*., the latter \y. 



An average taken from seventeen entries gives is. ^\d. as 

 the price of sugar by the pound. But either from the various 

 qualities of the article, or, as is more probable, from the scanty 

 and variable nature of the demand and supply of so expensive 



