6o Rents, WageSy and Profits in Agriculture 



severe in his condemnation of what he 

 calls the rapacity of the landlords — but 

 even on his own evidence his judgment 

 seems overstrained. We must remember 

 that about the middle of the sixteenth 

 century, when the first period of enclosures 

 had reached its term, there began the great 

 rise in prices. This was at first brought 

 about by the debasement of the currency — 

 but after the currency had been restored by 

 Elizabeth, prices were kept up by the new 

 silver from America. With the general rise 

 in prices rents ought also to rise. And as 

 Rogers himself points out, tenants from a 

 distance were not to be expected, and 

 tenants on the spot were very unwilling, to 

 accept a rise in rents except under strong 

 compulsion. The difficulty that was felt 

 in raising rents in a fair proportion to the 

 rise in prices was specially felt by certain 

 corporations — e.g., the Oxford and Cam- 



