630 SUNDRY ARTICLES. 



lead, marticot or massicot, byse or byce (once described as 

 green), red, yellow, black, and spruce ochre, pink, roset, russet, 

 verdigris and vermilion. In 1524 a substance called 'general,' 

 apparently also a colour, is bought at Cambridge, and in 1471 

 two casks of linseed, that is, I conclude, linseed oil, are bought 

 at York at 36^. icd. each. Linseed oil is found in 1570, 

 Vol. Ill, p. 309, ii, at $s. the gallon. 



Of the pigments the most costly is byce. In 1420 the 

 King's Hall, Cambridge, gives is. for two pounds of 'byze.' 

 I have entered it as this pigment, but the price is so different 

 from that which is found elsewhere, that I cannot think it to 

 be identical with what occurs subsequently. In 1481 York 

 Minster buys it at is. id. the ounce, in 1549 Magdalen College 

 buys three parcels of it, half a pound at los. 8</., two ounces at 

 8d., and an ounce of green byce at 8d. Next year i Ib. 7 ozs. 

 of byce are bought at 6s. 4d. the pound. The proportion of 

 the pound and the ounce given above suggests that in buying 

 this article sixteen ounces went to the pound. It appears that 

 the colour of this pigment was blue, and it is probably smalt 

 or ultramarine. 'Lamplack' in 1549 is also a very dear pig- 

 ment, being bought at 43. the pound. 



The price of vermilion varies from 8d. to 1.$-. $d. the pound. 

 In 1549 it costs 2J-. The average price in the earlier period is 

 nd. The average price of verdigris up to 1537 is 9$<, after- 

 wards it is 2,s. 4d. Massicot is found in 1471 and 1472 only, 

 when the price is yd. a pound. 



Red lead or minium is z\d. a pound in 1449, id. in 1465, 

 i\d. in 1533, id. in 1549, and $d. in 1557. In 1577 it is 

 bought at 22J. the hundredweight. White lead, with which 

 ' cerussa ' is probably to be identified, is rather dearer. It costs 

 3</. in 1465 and 1549, and 2,6s. 8d. the hundredweight in 



In 1537 pink is $d. a pound, in 1549 roset is 8d., in 1577 

 russet is 6d.> and in 1578 spruce ochre is d* a pound. 



The cheapest colours are the Spanish whites, blacks, and 

 browns, and red and yellow ochre, red being the cheapest of 



