gi History of Animal Plagues. 



A.D. 1315. ' Also in the ninth year of King Edward's reign, 

 before Christmas, a blazing star or comet appeared in the north 

 part of the element by the space of a month together, and after 



followed dearth and death The dearth, by reason of the 



unseasonable weather in the summer and harvest last past, still 

 increased, so that which with much ado was issued (carried), 

 after, when it came to the proofs, yielded nothing to the value of 

 that which in sheaf it seemed to contain, so that wheat and 

 other grain which was at a sore price before, now was enhanced 

 to a far higher rate, the scarcity thereof being so great, that a 

 quarter of wheat was sold for forty shillings, which was a great 

 price, if we consider the value of money then current. Also by 

 reason of the murrain that fell among cattle, beeves and muttons 

 were unreasonably priced/ ^ 



A.D. 1316. For this year Duchesne makes mention of a 

 general epizooty and epidemy which prevailed in England. It 

 was supposed to be due to extreme humidity of the air occasioned 

 by long-continued rains after a severe winter, and inundations. 

 The grain was rotted, and fruit and all kinds of forage and grain 

 were destroyed. The consequence was a most intractable and 

 deadly form of dysentery, which carried off large numbers of 

 men and animals.^ ' Wheat, though poor stuff, was sold at 

 forty and forty-four shillings per quarter; and by reason of the 

 murrain among cattle, beef and mutton were exceeding dear; 

 after this, both famine and mortality increased much, together 

 with a general failure of all fruits of the earth, by excessive rains 

 and unseasonable weather.' ^ Rogers discovers in the records of 

 Ponteland, that the bailiff is allowed for six oxen which had died 

 of the disease ' current ' in the country. A similar state of 

 affairs was noted in Saxony.* 



In many countries the extraordinary state of the weather 

 gave rise to famuie and disease.^ 



A.D, 1317. ' In this season victuals were so scant and dear, 

 and wheat and other grain brought so high a price, that the 



^ Holinshed. Op. cit. 



2 A. Duchesne. Histoire Gen. d'Angleterre, p. 728. 



3 T. Short. Op. cit., p. 161. * Hist. Agric, vol. ii. 

 * See Frai'i, and also Schmirrer. 



