History of A nivial Plagues. 13 



o 



In England, 'in 1539, the thirty-first year of Henry VIII., 

 was great death of burning agues and flixes; and such a drought 

 that Welles and small rivers were dryed up, and many cattle 

 dyed for lacke of water; the saltwater flowed above London 

 bridge.' ^ 



A.D. 1541-2. The summer of 1540 had been so excessively 

 hot, that the woods often took fire spontaneously. At this time 

 plague appeared in mankind in many parts of Europe, but/ 

 especially at Constantinople. At Geneva, Textor observed! 

 that birds left their nests at the commencement of the plaguej 

 and Fallopius thought he had discovered a pestilential bubof 

 on a bird. The following year, clouds of red locusts which 

 came from the interior of Asia, through Turkey, passed over 

 Sclavonia, Croatia, Austria, and Italy, and alighting in Spain 

 destroyed all vegetation, and were the cause of much misery.^ 

 Kaye saw a cloud of them in Padua which extended as far as 

 the eye could reach, and it was full two hours before they had 

 passed. ' In September a large number of locusts were seen 

 in this country, and especially around Leipsic, some with four, 

 and others with six wings — the king was about the size of a 

 sparrow. Wherever they came they devoured every leaf, herb, 

 and grass, and besmeared everything with a red blood-coloured 

 substance. In the day-time they travelled almost a mile (five 

 English miles) without resting; when they settled anywhere, or 

 were blown down by the wind, they lay a foot deep, and created 

 a dreadful stench.' ^ 



A.D. 1543. ' By reason of a great mortality among the cattle, 

 occasioned by great rains in the preceding season, nicat rose to 

 such an excessive price that mutton was sold at two shillings and 

 fourpence the quarter, and a lamb at three shillings and four- 

 pence. The consideration whereof induced the Lord Mayor and 

 Common Council to make a sumptuary law, for preventing 

 luxurious eating; whereby the Mayor was restrained from 

 having more than seven dishes at either dinner or sujipcr, and 

 the Aldermen and Sherifls to six, upon the penalty ot forty 



^ Stow. Annals. 



''■ Villalba. Op. cit. Liipcrcio Fanzano. Annales dc Aragon. 



•* Vogds. Annal. Leipzig, p. 151. 



