288 A. D. 1066. 



The fertile and extenfive paflures of the Britifli iflands, exempted, 

 by the changeable nature of our climate, from the long-continued 

 parching droughts, which frequently deftroy the grafs in other coun- 

 tries, have, from the earlieft ages that we have any account of, nourifh- 

 ed innumerable herds and flocks, from which the natives derived the 

 principal part of their food, their clothing, bedding, armour, and even 

 their boats. The flvins alfo furniflied an article of the rude commerce 

 of the Britons, before they became fubject to the Romans. And, 

 though there is not, I believe, any pofitive authority to eftablifli the 

 fa6t, there can be little doubt, that the Flemings, the great manufactur- 

 ers of fine woollen goods for the whole of Europe, carried great quan- 

 tities of wool from this country in the period now under our confider- 

 ation, as, we know for certain, they did in the following ages : [M. 

 Wejlm. p. 396] and we may thereby account for the difproportionate 

 price of the fleece, which feems to be valued at two pennies in the 68''^ 

 law of Ine, king of the Weft Saxons, whereas the value of a fheep with 

 her lamb, by the ^di'^ law of the fame king, was only one fliilling, i. e. 

 either five or four pennies. By the S'*" law of King Edgar, the higheft 

 price which could be taken for a weigh of wool, was fixed at half a 

 pound of filver, being, if the weigh contained then as now, 182 pounds 

 of wool, near three fourths of a penny for a pound ; a price which, as 

 far as we are enabled to compare it with the prices of other articles, 

 may be thought high. 



We know that lead was frequently ufed for the roofs of churches and 

 other buildings ; and we know from Domefday book, that in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Gloucefter, there were iron works in the time of Edward 

 the ConfefFor, which had probably been kept up fince before the invafion 

 of the Romans. Though there is no account of the exportation of any 

 metals in the ages now under our confideration, it. is reafonable to fup- 

 pofe, that the demand from other countries muft at all times have pre- 

 vented the owners of the mines from negleding them ; and we may 

 prefume, that at leaft lead and tin *, if not iron, formed a confiderable 

 part of the few exports during the Anglo-Saxon period. 



It may be prefumed, that horfes had been fometimes exported, as 

 King Athelftan made a law againft carrying any out of the kingdom, 

 unlefs they were to be given as prefents. 



When the couutiy was alnwd covered with wood in the times of the Anglo-Saxons ; and he fays, 



fo near the capital, the remoter dillrifts mull af- the exhaufted mines arc called in Corni(h Attal 



furcdly have l)cen in a dill lower degree of culti- Surifin, which he interprets the Ua-viiigi of the Sa- 



vation. f which indeed many poiitive proofs might racens. 



be adduced, if it were ncceflary. Raynal [_Hi/l. phil. et polit. V. ii, p. 177, eJ. 



* Mathew Paris \_Hil}. p. 570] fays, errone- 1782] fays, that in the fevcnth century the Sax- 



oufly, tl.at fiom ihe creation of tiie world to the ons carried thtir tin and lead to the fairs cdablilh- 



year 12^1 :;o tin had ever been found anywhere cd in France by Dagolitrt. It is a pity that that 



, but in Cor. '.'•all Camden \_Briian. p. i34Jfup- valuable author never produces his authorities. 

 pofes, that the Saracens worked the Cornilh mines 



