DREIVÜLKSWIRTHSCHAFTL. DENKSCHRIFTEN A.D. ZEIT HEINRICHS VIIL 55 



the tenawntes wolde not or dare not shewe trewth, it shall be no matter 

 gretly to passe an act the first tyme , so that all such grownde , which 

 shalbe openly declarid to be usid contiary to the welth and comodytie of 

 the comynaltie to be imployede to husbondry. So shall the comen people 

 be the workers of the kynges pleasure in this matter, and the kynges 

 maiestie may commawnde all lordes , which hath theire landes in theire 

 owne handes, to set up plowes themselves, and all fermores, which hath 

 takyn leases of growndes, to tyll the erth themselves and set up plowes 

 or elles to give up theire lease to the lorde, and that the lorde to sett 

 in such, which shall tyll the erth, as is afore saide. For comenly in all 

 places riche fermers be the kepers of such grownde, that is laide to 

 pasture, therfore they may wel be commawndyd to make plowes and to 

 set men to worke theire erth, which theye have in ferme. So in all 

 quarters within this realme I thynke there wyl be 30000 plowes set to 

 worke therth mo than now do, so at the least I thynke 30000 men ser- 

 vauntes shal be set to worke, which now lyvith in myserable case. Some 

 men thynke, it wyll set an hondrede thousande comen people to worke 

 within this realme. Now, yf there may be an hondrede thousand set to 

 worke by hosbondry , what a decaye is it to this realme not to worke 

 the erth, wherby thees people myght be set to laboure for the welthe of 

 the rest of the people within this realme. 



I have harde say, the tyme shall come, and that by olde prophecies, 

 that Englande shal be paradise, which I thynke veryly cannot be untyll 

 such tyme, that people be set owt of all evell order, the which they 

 now are in , and that people be first sett to laboure the erth to make 

 plentye of vitale, that artifycers may be wyllyng to take the resydew of 

 the kynges subiectes to worke artyficiall workes, the whiche shulde be 

 nedfuU for the whole realme, besydes also that it may be commawnded, 

 that no clothe to be made but only in the good townes within this 

 realme, which townes shulde shortly prospere agayne , as they have of 



richs VII. und Heinrichs VIII. ertheilten Instructionen, abgedruckt in Strype's Eccle- 

 siastical Memorials II, 2. 359, lauten in der That sehr ähnlich. 



