98 ENGLISH RURAL LIFE 



the acute political differences of the time. But not- 

 withstanding this, agriculture definitely improved, and 

 if the progress was not startling, it can at least be 

 said that the way was being cleared for the beginning 

 of the new agriculture which was developed in the 

 two centuries that followed. The labourers, how- 

 ever, of whom there seemed to be an increasing 

 number in these times, lost ground, for whilst prices 

 as a rule went up, wages remained at about the old 

 figures. J 



Before dealing in further detail with the events 

 that belonged to the general stream of change, it 

 will be well to refer to two special and peculiar 

 events of the century, the Civil War and the Puritan 

 movement. 



Of these the first, the Civil War, the great political 

 event of the century, seems, apart from the sense of 

 insecurity it engendered, to have had corn- 



War paratively little effect on rural life. It does 



not appear that the armies of either side 

 devastated the country to any great extent. Of course, 

 many men went from the villages to fight for Loyalists 

 or for the Parliamentarians, according to their view of the 

 great controversy. On the whole the squires, especially 

 those of the old families, were on Charles's side, and 

 in the early days of the struggle many of the peasants 

 followed the squires. On the other hand, there were 

 many Puritan yeomen and farmers, austere men, im- 

 pressed with the new religious ideas, who followed 

 Cromwell. But the main body of the country people 

 remained at home, where, driven by need and interest, 

 they ploughed, sowed and harvested their crops and 

 pursued their ordinary occupations. 



