The harvest was spoilt by the excessive rains and 

 floods (M. of W.\ 



1196 A marvellous sore death which daily consumed such 

 numbers of people that scarce there might be found any 

 to keep and look to those that were sick or to bury them 

 that died. In the octaves of Pentecost, before this death, 

 there appeared two suns, the true sun and another, which 

 was hard for the common people to distinguish one from 

 the other. A great dearth chanced through this realm of 

 England (Holinshed). 



War and famine had sore afflicted the people before, 

 and as yet ceased not ; but as for the pestilence, it began 

 soon after the strange sight (Holinshed). 



In this year there was in England, and in all its bor- 

 ders, a great famine and mortality among men (Roger de 

 Hoveden). 



1197 This year it was ordained that measures of all manner 

 of grain should contain one quantity throughout the 

 realm, that is to say one reasonable horse load ; also that 

 weights should be of like rate, etc. (Holinshtd). 



1198 More dearth felt in Scotland than ever was heard of 

 before, for a measure of barley, called a boll, was sold for 

 5 crowns, and yet in the year following was more plentiful 

 abundance than ever had been seen before {Holinshed'}. 



There was an extraordinary storm of thunder, light- 

 ning, and rain such as was never seen before ; also a 

 shower of blood fell at Audley (M. of W.). 



1199 Many great floods in England and on the borders of 

 Scotland by violence, whereof many bridges were borne 

 down (Holinshed]. 



General price of an ox 4 shillings, horse 4 shillings, 

 sow i shilling, sheep in fine wool 10 pence, with coarse 

 wool 6 pence, and 120 acres of land was commonly let 

 at 20 shillings a year (Hume]. 



Earthquake principally in Somerset, persons were 

 thrown from their feet in some places (Mallet). 



