ENCLOSURES, 1770-1820 75 



My cow do run in common vor to pick 



A blade or two o' grass, if she can vind 'em, 



Vor tother cattle don't leave much behind 'em. 



An' then, bezide the cow, why, we do let 



Our geese run out among the emmet hills ; 



An' then, when we do pluck 'em, we do get 



Yor seale zome veathers an' zome quills ; 



An' in the winter we do fat 'em well. 



An' car theui to the market vor to zell 



To gentle-volks. 



An' then when I ha' nothen else to do. 



Why, I can teake my hook an' gloves, an' goo 



To cut a lot o' vuzz and briars 



Vor heten ovens or vor lighten viers ; 



An' when the childern be too young to earn 



A penny, they can g' out in zunny weather, 



An' run about, an' get together 



A bag o' cow-dung vor to burn. 



The change came at a difficult crisis. An artisan class- 

 was arising, and population shifting from the south to the 

 north. Commoners and open-field farmers could not readily 

 adapt themselves to altered conditions, or join in the keen 

 struggle for existence which was commencing. At the 

 same time the prices of necessaries were doubled during 

 the war ; yet wages remained the same. It was this 

 combination of circumstances which rendered the poor- 

 lavv system so fatal. And the law was most unwisely 

 administered. The weekly earnings of labourers were 

 supplemented from the poor T'ate with such a sum as in 

 the opinion of the magistrates would support their family ; 

 a shilling or eigliteen-pence was paid for each child. This 

 bounty upon production threw single men upon the rates, 

 because employers calculated that labourers with the largest 

 families required least wages. While the war swelled 

 farmers' profits, ratepayers paid their labour bill. Wages 



