222 History of the E^iglish Landed Interest. 



of the latter, had not yet been clearly defined. Until, there- 

 fore, boon and predial services had been entirely replaced by 

 a money commutation, the lord was in direct touch with the 

 labourer, and looked with a jealous eye on any depletion of his 

 industrial store. At the same time the partial introduction of 

 rents for services had begun to operate in an antagonistic 

 manner between lord and villein. The former ceased to iden- 

 tify his profits with those of the latter, so that henceforth two 

 divided interests in the soil arose, and the capitalist began to 

 restrict the efforts of the producer. It was the object of the 

 former to squeeze out of the latter all he wanted at the least 

 possible loss to his capital, and there was at this time no 

 hostile camp of traders to frighten the two landed classes into 

 showing a united front. Interests that ought ever to have 

 been identical were formed in battle array against each other, 

 but it was a warfare betwixt giants and dwarfs ; for the vil- 

 leins had no political power, and even if they had had the 

 sense to co-operate and resist, as later on they did for a short 

 time resist, they would only have ultimately starved them- 

 selves as well as their antagonists. It was the old fable of the 

 belly and its members over again, with the exception that no 

 patrician was forthcoming to preach a lesson of compromise to 

 both sides. 



The effects of the unfortunate split brought about by the 

 separation of the interests of the consumer and producer were 

 at once apparent in the political arena. 



The legislation of the age forthwith teems with statutes pro- 

 hibitory of free trade. As early as 12G6 we read of the Assisa 

 Panis et CervisisB which determined by sliding scale the market 

 prices of wheat, barley, and oats, according to those of their 

 baking and brewing. But in 1315 began a preposterous struggle 

 between Parliament and nature. A famine had reduced the 

 supply of marketable produce to a minimum, and so forsooth a 

 law was passed prescribiu!;- the price of all articles destined for 

 food consumption, which immediately drove whatever remained 

 out of the public market. Meat and grain were henceforth 

 sold surreptitiously at prices enhanced by the dangers attend- 

 ant on illicit proceedings; until Parliament, seeing its egregious 



