NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 215 



a noble one near Durham ; three in London and Southwark ; and 

 perhaps many more in or near our great towns and cities. More- 

 over, some crowned heads, and other wealthy and charitable 

 personages, bequeathed large legacies to such poor people as 

 languished under this hopeless infirmity. 



It must, therefore, in these days be to an humane and thinking 

 person a matter of equal wonder and satisfaction, when he contem- 

 plates how nearly this pest is eradicated, and observes that a leper 

 now is a rare sight. He will, moreover, when engaged in such a 

 train of thought naturally inquire for the reason. This happy 

 change, perhaps, may have originated and been continued from the 

 much smaller quantity of salted meat and fish now eaten in these 

 kingdoms ; from the use of linen next the skin ; from the plenty of 

 better bread ; and from the profusion of fruits, roots, legumes, and 

 greens, so common in every family. Three or four centuries ago 

 before there were any enclosures, sown-grasses, field-turnips, or 

 field-carrots, or hay, all the cattle which had grown fat in summer, 

 and were not killed for winter use, were turned out soon after 

 Michaelmas to shift as they could through the dead months ; so 

 that no fresh meat could be had in winter or spring. Hence the 

 marvellous account of the vast stores of salted flesh found in the 

 larder of the eldest Spencer* in the days of Edward II., even so 

 late in the spring as the 3rd of May. It was from magazines like 

 these that the turbulent barons supported in idleness their riotous 

 swarms of retainers ready for any disorder or mischief. But agri- 

 culture is now arrived at such a pitch of perfection that our best 

 and fattest meats are killed in the winter ; and no man need eat 

 salted flesh unless he prefers it, that has money to buy fresh. 



One cause of this distemper might be, no doubt, the quantity of 

 wretched fresh and salt fish consumed by the commonalty at all 

 seasons as well as in Lent ; which our poor now would hardly .be 

 persuaded to touch. 



The use of linen changes, shirts or shifts, in the room of sordid 

 and filthy woollen, long worn next the skin, is a matter of neatness 

 comparatively modern; but must prove a great means of prevent- 

 ing cutaneous ails. At this very time woollen, instead of linen 

 prevails among the poorer Welsh, who are subject to foul eruptions. 



The plenty of good wheaten bread that now is found among all 

 ranks of people in the south, instead of that miserable sort which 

 used in old days to be made of barley or beans, may contribute not 



* Viz., Six hundred bacons, eighty carcasses of beef,, and six hundred muttons. 



