22 REINHOLD PAULI, 



alle sorts mete like to like , oone heryng of another tlie highnes of the 

 price of wolle so risyng stodyed and devisid, how to destroy mens werks 

 of housbondry to encrese more wolle , therof to have the more plenty. 

 So rose the price of wolle so hyghly, that in conclusion fermours, yhe, 

 and gentilmen began to putt ther erthe to idulnes , makyng pasture to 

 fede more shepe to encrease the more staple wolle, in so moch as they 

 begane to serche and stody ther wisdome to accownt the gret profite, 

 that they myght wynne therby , serchyng owt the leyrs of the grownd, 

 wherin Godd gaif his gifft of fyne wolle, either fermours, that of the lordes 

 cowd gete erth in ferme by leisz, or the lordes of the erthe theym selfes, 

 perceyvyng such singularites, made ther accownts. First accowntyng, how 

 moch money the yerly rent of a holle village or towne was worthe, wher 

 goode leyir of wolle was, which rent per adventure past not a 4 0 or 50 

 pownde by yere, wherupon a 400 peple hadde labours and lyvyng by 

 Werks of housbondry, daily encresyng bredyng and bryngyng forth of 

 plenty of corn and catall with ther bodily labours, every with other lyvyng 

 owt of nede and necessite, and over that paid the yerly rent to the lord 

 truly and lyvid in forme of Crist, as members of his body shuld live in 

 a holy chirch in eure of mystery of his holy spirit, mynestrid by a persone 

 havyng eure over sole and body. Upon such serche of the yerly rent 

 of such villages and townes accowntid, how many acres within the pre- 

 cinct therof and how great nomber of shepe it was able to fede, being 

 made idull and put to pasture, and how moche wolle thos shepe wolde 

 yerly encrease and how moch money that wolle was worth after so hygh 

 price reisid, that in conclusion they fownd soo gret yerly profits by the en- 

 creaseng of wolle more than by occupieng the erth with the werks of 

 husbondry for the meyntenaunce of comon peple, that causid them for 

 ther own singler weale to breke down all the howsis and howsholdes^) 

 puttyng the dwellers owt from ther labours and levyng to seke ther 



1) Wie die Gesetzgebung Heinrichs VII. und Heinrichs VIII. dagegen einzu- 

 schreiten suchte , führt aus E, Nasse , Die mittelalterliche Feldgemeinschaft und die 

 Einhegungen des sechszehnten Jahrhunderts in England, Bonn 1869. p. 56. 57. 



