70 HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE 



to sell their corn at low prices to the detriment of the whole 

 kingdom : a typical example of the political economy of the 

 time, which considered the prosperity of agriculture indispen- 

 sable to the welfare of the country, even if the consumer 

 suffered. Accordingly, it was enacted that wheat could be 

 exported without a licence when it was under 6s. Sd. a quarter, 

 except to the king's enemies. On imports of corn there had 

 been no restriction until 1463, when 3 Edw. IV, c. a forbade 

 the import of corn when under 6s. Sd: a statute due partly to 

 the fear that the increase of pasture was a danger to tillage 

 land and the national food supply, and partly to the fact that 

 the landed interest had become by now fully awake to the 

 importance of protecting themselves by promoting the gains of 

 the farmer.^ It may be doubted, however, if much wheat was 

 imported except in emergencies at this time, for many countries 

 forbade export. These two statutes were practically unaltered 

 till 1571,^ and by that of 14(^3 was initiated the policy which 

 held the field for nearly 400 years. 



Thorold Rogers denounces the landlords for legislating with 

 the object of keeping up rents, but, as Mr. Cunningham has 

 pointed out, this ignores the fact that the land was the great 

 fund of national wealth from which taxation was paid ; if 

 rents therefore rose it was a gain to the whole country, since 

 the fund from which the revenue was drawn was increased.^ 



In spite of the high wages of agricultural labourers, the 

 movement towards the towns noticed by Richard II continued. 

 The statute 7 Hen. IV, c. 17, asserts that there is a great scarcity 

 of labourers in husbandry and that gentlemen are much 

 impoverished by the rate of wages ; the cause of the scarcity 

 lying in the fact that many people were becoming weavers,* and 



^ Cunningham, Industry and Commerce, i. 448. 



^ Mcculloch, Commercial Dictionary (1852), p. 412. In 1449 Parliament 

 had decided that all foreign merchants importing corn should spend the 

 money so obtained on English goods to prevent it leaving the country. 

 — M Pherson, Annals of Cotnmerce, i. 655. 



^ Cunningham, Industry and Commerce, \. 191. 



* Much of the weaving, however, was done in rural districts. 



