RAISINS. 669 



interpretation given in 1438, that the sort is two frails of one 

 fruit, and one of the other, each frail being worth 4$-. In 1498 

 the sort is nj., this being the last occasion on which the 

 measure is recorded. I conclude, therefore, that the sort was 

 three frails of fruit, generally of raisins and figs ; though some- 

 times, as in 1490, 1491, and in 1494, the sort is, according to 

 the entry, of figs only. The term is found at Cambridge, 

 Finchale, and Sion, and there is no real discrepancy in price at 

 Finchale and Oxford in 1490, when the sort costs at the former 

 place 55-., and at the latter the frails are bought, taking three to 

 the sort, at 4^-. the sort, seeing that Oxford was so much nearer 

 to the market. Finally, I infer that when raisins and figs are 

 taken together, whether by the pound, the frail, the piece, or 

 the sort, the market price of each quantity, and most probably 

 the weight of each parcel, was the same. The average price of 

 the above entries of the sort of figs and raisins is los. 5i<, and 

 agrees with the hypothesis that the * sort ' is 84 Ibs., as this would 

 be is. 6d. the dozen. 



I do not find any weight assigned to the frail of raisins or 

 figs. But the piece, which seems to be sometimes identical 

 with the frail, is of various amount. At Sion, in 1496, the 

 piece of raisins is 39 Ibs. ; in 1533 the piece of figs at Stonor 

 is 30 Ibs. ; in 3532 the piece of raisins at Durham is 50 Ibs. In 

 1555 the piece of raisins in Oxford is 82 Ibs. ; in 1556 the 

 piece of figs is 64 Ibs. ; and lastly, in 1582, the piece of raisins 

 in Oxford is 84 Ibs. It seems impossible to reconcile these 

 variations. Raisins are bought by the piece in 1533 at ios. ; 

 in 1534 at 9j. 4^.; in 1555 at 14^. 5^.; in 1559 at i6j. &/. ; 

 in 1576 at 23.$-. %d. ; and in 1578 at zis. 8</. The first and 

 second of these entries are at Durham, the rest are at Oxford, 

 and I feel sure that in these latter cases at least, the piece was 

 from 84 Ibs. to 82 Ibs. in weight. As we have seen, the Durham 

 piece is 50 Ibs. But in 1573 Corpus College, Oxford, buys 

 three < frails ' of raisins at 30^., 29^.,. and zzs. id. respectively. 

 Here the frail seems to be nearly double the piece, for the same 

 college at the same time buys 1 80 Ibs. of raisins for 33^-. 4^., 



