FARMING FOR PROFIT 25 



at rack-rent, existence was a misery. There was an 

 ominous growth of middlemen, ' leasemongers, who take 

 groundes by lease to the entente to lette them againe 

 for double and tripple the rente,' who battened on the 

 earth-hunger of the people. In the reign of Henry VI. 

 the average price of wheat was 6s. 8d. a quarter, of rye 4s., 

 of barley os. The daily wages of labourers without food 

 from Easter to Michaelmas were 4cZ. Thus the labourer 

 could then earn a quarter of wheat in 20 days, of rye in 

 12 days, of barley in 9 days. In 1595 the price of wheat 

 was 20s. a quarter, of rye 13s. 4(i., of barley 12s. In the 

 same year the wages of labourers were fixed by the York- 

 shire justices at 6d. a day without food, from March 1 to 

 November 1. Thus labourers could then earn a quarter of 

 wheat in 48 days, of rye in 32 days, of barley in 28 days. 

 Even those labourers who found employment worked for 

 less wages than they received in the preceding century. 

 'They were compelled to accept the rate fixed by the em- 

 ployers ; the arguments were whipping, branding, the 

 galleys, or death. Thousands besides 'poor Tom' were 

 whipped from ' tything to tything, and stock'd, punish'd, 

 and imprisoned.' Legislators were bewildered by cur- 

 rency questions. Violent changes in the coinage aggra- 

 vated distress. The nominal value of wages remained 

 stationary while the purchasing power rapidly diminished. 

 The standard purity of the pound of silver was, in the 

 reign of Henry VIII. , 18 dwts. of alloy to 11 oz. 2 dwts. 

 of silver. The pound of silver was coined into 45 shil- 

 lings. In the fifth year of Edward VI. there were 9 oz. of 

 alloy to 3 oz. of silver. The pound of silver was coined 

 into 72 shillings. In other words, the ounce of silver 

 varied between 3s. 9d. in 1509 and 24s. in 1552. The 

 standard of purity was restored in 1553, only to be again 



