DAIRY PRODUCE, EGGS AND POULTRY. 359 



at Wormleighton in 1621-22 the price in April is 5^. $d. 

 the dozen, in June $s. yd. At Winchester in 1643 it is 

 7.?. 5]</. in March or April, and sinks to 4^. 6d. in June. In 

 1686 it is 7s. 4$d. at Lady Day, and 4s. yd. at Midsummer. 

 So again in 1697, butter in London is qs. yd. the dozen in 

 April, and 6s. 6d. in July. There is to be sure in our time 

 a marked difference between the summer and winter price of 

 this article, but in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries 

 while the principal source of dairy fodder in winter was hay, 

 the contrast of price was more conspicuous. 



Notwithstanding the fact that butter is dearer from Sep- 

 tember to April than it is from April to September, the 

 largest purchases are made at Cambridge and Winchester in 

 the first two quarters of the agricultural year. But it appears 

 that butter was not much used, if used at all, for the purpose 

 with which we are familiar, but chiefly for cookery, and 

 especially for pastry. Now in the domestic life of the 

 Colleges, both at Oxford and Cambridge, the period lying 

 between S. Andrew's day, Nov. 29, and Candlemas, Feb. 2, 

 was the time of feasts and gaudies. In not a few of those institu- 

 tions, a more than ordinarily plenteous table was spread for 

 the whole seventeen days between S. Thomas, Dec. 21, and 

 the Epiphany, Jan. 6, as the outlay for spices, foreign fruit, 

 as raisins, currants and figs, entered in the Commons books 

 of King's College would testify. Before the days of rapid 

 communication began, by which I do not mean railways, 

 but stage coaches the long vacation was the only period of 

 the year in which the Oxford and Cambridge student quitted 

 his University. Adam Smith was an only child ; but he 

 resided in Oxford without a break from July 1740 till 

 August 1746. Hence the College contained all its ordinary 

 inmates at Midwinter, and when the periodical feasting time 

 came round, these inmates spent most of their time in the 

 College hall, round the great charcoal fire which was piled, 

 up high on the middle of the floor, and thoroughly enjoyed 

 the unusual festivities. 



