A. D. 1238. 391 



fertile England, ftrong in her foldiers, and guarded by her fleets ; naval 

 Denmark ; bloodthirfly Ireland ; lively Wales ; Scotland abounding with 

 lakes ; frozen Norway, &c. [M. Paris, p. 560.] 



Such were the characters of the Europeaii nations, as drawn by the 

 emperor Frederic, to which it may be proper to add the ftile of living 

 and manners of the Italians of this age, probably the moft polifhed peo- 

 ple (except perhaps the Greeks) at this time in Chriflian Europe, as 

 drawn by an author who flourilhed about the end of the thirteenth cen- 

 tury. Their food was very moderate, or rather fcanty. The common 

 people had meat only three times in a week : their dinner was pot-herbs 

 boiled with meat, their fupper the cold meat left from dinner *. The 

 hufband and wife ate out of the fame difli ; and they had but one or 

 two cups in the houfe. They had no candles made of tallow or wax ; 

 but a torch, held by one of the children or a fervant, gave them light 

 at fupper. Many had no wine in the fumraer. Their wine cellars were 

 fmall, and their barns were not large. The men, whofe chief pride was 

 in their arms and horfes, wore caps made with iron fcales, and cloaks 

 made of leather without any covering, or of woollen cloth without lea- 

 ther. The women wore jackets of a fluff called pignolate with gowns 

 of linen, and their head-dreffes were very fmiple. Very few people 

 had any gold or filver on their clothes. Thofe who poffefled a fmall 

 fum of money were thought rich ; and the homely drefs of the women 

 required but fmall marriage portions. The nobles were proud of living 

 in towers, and thence the cities were filled with thole fortified dwell- 

 ings. [Riccobaldi Ferrarienfis Hijl. imper. op. Muratori Script. V. v, col. 

 128.] This portrait, taken from the accounts given by the generation 

 immediately preceding the author, fliows us that the manufadures and 

 commerce of Italy had not yet diffufed general wealth, or introduced 

 comfortable and convenient modes of living (according to the ideas ot 

 the immediately fucceeding age) throughout the country. Indeed the 

 fondnefs for living in towers is a proof that too much of the feudal 

 manners fl;ill prevailed to admit of a generally-flourifliing trade, or a 

 generally-profpei-ous condition of the people. But we alfo find, that iu 

 the courfe of fixty or feventy years the general fl;ile of living and the 

 circumflances of the people were much improved, and that our author 

 by no means regretted that he was not born in the good old times of his 

 anceftors. 



I 239 — Four plates of filver, weighing fourteen marks (or 1 1 2 ounces), 

 got out of a mine in the bifhoprick of Durham, were delivered at VV efi:- 

 minfter by Robert de Crepping to the proper ofScer, to be made into 

 images for the king. \MS. Harl. 624, p. 175 b.] A copper mine, with 

 veins of gold and filver, at Newlands in the adjacent county of Cumber- 



* By the immediately preceding clnufc they could have fuch boilings of herbs z.yl fuch fuppcrs on'y 

 '-Uiicc in a week. 



