1 10 History of Animal Plagues. 



' In that of the i8th year of Richard II. there were lo horses^ 

 46 head of cattle, and 8 calves, 374 sheep, and 70 lambs. 



' I have been unable to find any later accounts »f Richard II. 

 or any of Henry IV. 



' The great pestilence commenced in London in November, 

 1348, and the chroniclers generally state that the murrain 

 amonffst the cattle commenced at or about the same time, but 

 the first presentment I find about it in the Heacham Court Rolls 

 fixes the commencement of it in that manor in August, 1346, 

 more than two years before. 



' This presentment, which was at a Court held the Monday 

 after the feast of the Invention of the Cross, in the 21st year of 

 Edward III., is to the following effect: — "Demurina, jurati 

 presentant quod unus bos, tres boviculi, unus stottus, unus hur- 

 tardus, tres multones, tres oves matrices, et quinque hogastri 

 moriebantur inter Gulam Augusti et diem hujus curiae casualiter 

 et non ob defectum alicujus custodie. Item quod sex porculi 

 similiter moriebantur in hyeme non ob defectum, &c. Item 

 quod septem porcelli in hyeme similiter, 8cc." 



' Little more than another month had elapsed when another 

 Court was held on the Thursday after the feast of St Barnabas, 

 when the following presentment appears : — " De murina, jurati 

 presentant quod una vacca post vitulacionem circa festum Sancte 

 Trinitatis moriebatur, unus vitulus similiter moriebatur, septem 

 multones ante tonsionem, novem oves matrices ante tonsionem 

 et agnelacionem, novem hoggastri ante tonsionem, et triginti et 

 sex agni et octo porculi similiter non ob defectum, Scc.^' 



'But it is not my intention to place the whole mass of these 

 presentments before you. I have appended a number of them 

 sufficient to show the character of them to this paper — (these 

 extracts include the whole of the entries of murrain for the 21st 



horses. He, however, admits that it also refers to oxen, being obtained from the 

 Swedish ' stut 'land Danish ' stud,' a steer. 

 Piers Ploughman writes 



' Grace of his goodnesse, gaf 

 Peers foure stottes.' 



Rogers (Hist. Agric.) affirms that stotts were the small rough horses sometinies 

 called 'affiri' in medieval husbandry. — G. F. 



