638 ON THE PRICE OF FOREIGN PRODUCE. 



Virgin, then the most opulent parish in Oxford. Hence it 

 bought wine for masses, and wax for altar lights, and for the 

 image worship of the time, and received the payments for the 

 masses which its fellows said, and for the tapers which it 

 retailed to devotees. Such, again, is probably the 'singing' 

 wine at Sion in 1522, though the nuns of this opulent house 

 were not deprived of a generous beverage entirely. Hence in 

 the latter part of my period entries of wine are less frequent. 

 The Mass passed away ; this is one reason. Prices rose, the 

 ordinary consumer was impoverished, and wine disappears 

 except on state occasions. 



The difference of price between entries of the same kind of 

 wine appears to be entirely due to the market, and not to 

 variations in quality. I do not say that the skill with which 

 the wine-dealer detects the merits of various districts, and 

 various seasons within the same locality, was possessed in no 

 degree during the period before me ; but it was not developed 

 enough for trade purposes. I conclude that all sound and 

 fairly good wine was at the same value under the few heads 

 which are discoverable in my accounts. The only exception, 

 if it be one, is that of an entry under the year 1405, when the 

 Countess of Warwick buys five gallons of vernage at the high 

 rate of zs. 8d. a gallon. Vernage is named by Gower as a 

 specially good kind of wine. 



The favourite wine was that which is described in the 

 accounts as sweet, sometimes as Ossey or Osey, as Rumney, 

 Muscadel, Malmsey, Malvesyn, Muscadine. It is not clear 

 that this is the same as Sack, which I have found for the first 

 time, in 1532, among the Stonor purchases. It seems common 

 afterwards. Sweet wine is generally double the price of 

 Gascony wine and its congeners. But it is not so dear as 

 Bastard, which I find for the first time in 1424. In 1425, 

 among other purchases at Oxford, I find red wine at an 

 average of 8d. on draught, the greater portion being bought at 

 6d., while sweet wine is is. ^d. the gallon, and Bastard is 

 is. lod. Nor is it easy to determine that this dearer wine 



