ARTICLES EMPLOYED IN AGRICULTURE. 395 



In the latter part of the period tar is purchased extensively 

 for naval stores, sometimes by the barrel, more frequently by the 

 last of fourteen barrels. The earlier purchases made in the 

 Howard accounts (1462, 1465, 1469) are for the same object. 

 The price when obtained in these large quantities is less than 

 that by the barrel. 



It is probable that the gallon of 'resina' bought in 1401 

 (544. i), and that of ' pisagra ' in 1419 (547. iv), are really entries 

 of tar. 



Pitch was bought for marking sheep at id. the pound. It is 

 also purchased by the stone and the barrel. The price does not 

 differ generally from that of tar. In the latter period, however, 

 it is rather cheaper. Here again it is cheaper by the last than 

 it is by the barrel. 



The price of resin is entered in eighteen years. It is bought 

 by the pound, the dozen, and the cwt. In the earlier period, 

 when bought by the pound it is worth \d. y but is once i\d., and 

 is sometimes much cheaper, as in 1515. Five entries by the 

 cwt. between 1506 and 1537 give an average of 4s. \\\d. In 

 1552 it costs by the pound \\d.> in 1567 ^\d. and 2<, in 1574 

 4<, 2 cwts. i qr. 8 Ibs. being bought on behalf of the navy. 

 In 1562 23 cwts. 12 Ibs. are bought at 8s., 20 cwts. 2 qrs. 27 Ibs. 

 at js., and 73 cwts. 2 qrs. 15 Ibs. at js. 6d., these quantities 

 being employed by the navy. Resin was used, it seems, occa- 

 sionally for agricultural purposes to form unguents, but more 

 frequently to mix with wax for torches, and latterly for 

 caulking. 



The only medicine which I have found besides is 2 lb. of 

 ' nerval ' for six horses at 8d. in 1454, a receipt for which is 

 given in Halliwell's Glossary, and a horse drench in 1457, which 

 costs 4<^., another in 1540 for 6d.> and nine in 1542 at ^d. 

 There are entries of rat poison in 1506 and 1525, the quantity 

 in the later entry, whatever it was, costing New College 

 6s. 8^. 



It may be convenient here to take notice of the price of 

 soap. It was employed for sheep-dressing, and for lubricating 



