History of Anivial Plagues. 91 



districts multitudes were compelled through hunger to eat the 

 flesh of horses and of other unclean animals.' ^ 



A.D. 1313. An epizooty among the horses at Rome. Rusius 

 says of it: 'An epizooty of horses at Rome. Some called the 

 disease a fever, and some esquinancy {angina). I myself lost 

 more than fiftv horses in mv time.' ^ There was also an epizoo- 

 tic disease amongst horses [hrosfcUls vetr) in Iceland.^ 



A.D. 13 14. Famine in England. ' The morrow after Candle- 

 mas day there assembled a parliament at London to treat of the 

 state of the kingdom, and how to bring down the prices of vic- 

 tuals, that were now grown to be so dear that the common 

 people were not able to live. . . . Notwithstanding the statutes 

 of the last parliament, the King's writs, &c., all things were sold 

 dearer than before. No flesh could be had, capons and geese 

 would not be found, eggs were hard to come by, sheep died of 

 the rot, swine were out of the way ; a quartern of wheat, beans, 

 pease were sold for twenty shillings, a quartern of malt for a 

 mark, a quarter of salt for thirty-five shillings, &c. . . . The 

 king in a parliament at London revoked the provisions before 

 made for selling of victuals, and permitted all men to make the 

 best of what they had. Nevertheless, the dearth increased 

 throucrh the abundance of rain that fell in the harvest, so that a 

 quarter of wheat or malt was sold before midsummer for thirty 

 shillings, and after for forty shillings. There followed this 

 famine a grievous mortality of people, so that the quick had 



enouQ-h to do to bury the dead The beasts and cattle 



also, by the corrupt grass whereof they fed, died, whereby 

 it came to pass that the eating of flesh was suspected of all 

 men, for flesh of beasts not corrupted was hard to find. 

 Horse-flesh was counted great delicates, the poor stole fat dogs 

 to eat, some (it was said) compelled through famine, in hidden 

 places, did eat the flesh of their own children, and some stole 

 others which they devoured. Those who were in prisons did 

 pluck in pieces those that were newly brought amongst them, 

 and greedily devoured them half alive.'* 



* Jolian7iis de Fordun. Scotichronicon, p. 1005. 



* Laurent. Rushes. Op. cit. 



3 Annals Island. Laiigcbek, vol. iii. p. 129. •» Stow. Annals, p. 217, 218. 



