134 HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE 



bushel, and the worser of those grains at a meaner rate, the poorer 

 sort that would have been glad but a few years before of coarse 

 rye bread, did now usually traverse the markets to find out 

 the finer wheats as if nothing else would please their palates '. 

 Instead of being glad that they were for once having a small 

 share of the good things of this world, he rejoices that their 

 unthankfulness and daintiness was soon punished by high 

 prices and dearness of all sorts of grain. 1 The year 1 630 was 

 the commencement of a series of dear seasons, when for nine 

 consecutive years the price of wheat did not fall below 4os. 

 a quarter and actually touched #6s. The restraints laid on 

 corn-dealers had, since the principles of commerce were being 

 better understood, been modified in 1624, but the high prices 

 revived the old hatred against them, and we find Sir John 

 Wingfield writing from Rutland that he has ' taken order that 

 ingrossers of come shall be carefullie seen unto and that 

 there is no Badger (corn-dealer) licensed to carry corne out of 

 this countrye nor any starch made of any kind of graine '. 

 He adds that he had ' refrayned the maulsters from excessive 

 making of mault, and had suppressed 20 alehouses '. 2 How- 

 ever, the senseless policy of preventing trade in corn received 

 a severe blow from the statute 15 Car. II, c. 7, which enacted 

 that when corn was under 48^. persons were to be allowed to 

 buy and store corn and sell the same again without penalty, 

 provided they did not sell it in the same market within three 

 months of buying it, a statute which Adam Smith said contri- 

 buted more to the progress of agriculture than any previous 

 law in the statute book. 



Gervase Markham, who was born about 1568 and died in 

 1637, gives us a description of the day's work of the English 

 farmer. He is to rise at four in the morning, feed his cattle 

 and clean his stable. While they are feeding he is to get his 

 harness ready, which will take him two hours. Then he is to 



1 Life of Sir S. D'Ewes, i. 180. 



2 Calendar of State Papers, Domes tic, 1629-31, p. 414. 



