The General Aspect of the Coiuitry. 299 



accessories to the business-like purposes for wliicli this manorial 

 plan was drawn by some Tudor surveyor. 



From Harrison's description of the English buildings we may 

 conclude that the greatest part of our cities and good towns 

 consisted only of timber cast over with thick clay to keep out 

 the wind. "Certes," he says, " this rude kind of building made 

 the Spaniards in Queen Mary's days to wonder, but chiefly 

 when they saw that ' large diet ' was used in many of these 

 so homely cottages, insomuch that one of no small reputation 

 amongst them, said after this manner : — ' These English,' 

 quoth he, ' have their houses made of sticks and dirt, but they 

 fare commonly so well as the king,' whereby it appeareth that 

 he liked better of our good fare in such coarse cabins, than of 

 their own thin diet in their princely habitations and palaces. 

 The clay with which our houses are commonly empanelled is 

 either white, red, or blue." ^ 



^ Harrison, Description of England, Bk. 11. , cli. 12. 



