year by this number of workmen; consequently the wages earned would amount to £97. But this is not quite 7s. for each per week. He also gives an account of what was, or might have been, earned by their wives and families, or from poor rates; for, from the statements of other writers, these sort of people earned 10s. per week-that is, people in handicraft trades. App. iv.

From the Archæologia." The rates as fixed by the justices of the peace in 1610 for the county of Rutland, (a purely agricultural county to this day,) and which continued down to nearly the breaking out of the civil war: The yearly wages of a bailiff of husbandry, 52s.; of a man servant, for husbandry, who can plough, sow, mow, thresh, make a rick, thack, and hedge the same, and kill a hog, sheep, and calf, 50s. ; of a middling servant, 29s.; of a boy under sixteen years, 20s. ; of a chief woman servant, 26s. 8d., being a good cook, and can bake, brew, and make malt, and able to oversee other servants; of a second woman servant of the best sort, who cannot dress meat, nor make malt nor bread, 23s. 4d.; of a woman servant who can do but out work and drudgery, 16s.; of a girl under sixteen years, 14s.; of a chief miller, 468.; of a common miller, 31s. 8d.; of a chief shepherd, 30s.; of a common shepherd, 25s. For harvest work a mower is ordered to have, by the day, 5d. with his meat; a man reaper, haymaker, hedger, or ditcher, 4d.; a woman reaper, 3d.; a woman haymaker, 2d. If no meat was given, these sums were doubled in each case, except that the woman haymaker was to have 5d. instead of 4d." There is no doubt but that it was a rare instance of any farmer ever hesitating about feeding, because his purse would not be overloaded with cash, while his house would have good store of food. Every other kind of labour, at all other times than in harvest, was to have, from "Easter till Michaelmas, 3d. a day with food, cr 7d. without; and from Michaelmas to Easter 2d. with food, and 6d. without."

"The day's wages of various artificers were appointed to be, before Michaelmas, when they were highest, and were, for a carpenter, 8d. with meat, or 1s. 2d. without; for a free mason who can draw his plot, work and set accordingly, having charge above others, Sd. with meat, or 1s. without; for a chief joiner, or a master sawyer, 6d. with meat, or 1s. without; for a horse-collar maker, 6d. with meat, or 1s. without; for a ploughright, a rough mason, or expert carpenter, or a tiler, or slater, 5d. with meat, or 9d. without meat; for a thatcher, hurdle-maker, (slight wood fences for dividing of turnip-fields,) or bricklayer, 5d. with, or 9d. without meat. After Michael

mas the sums set down are from two-thirds or four-fifths of these sums, the greatest proportional deductions being generally made from the highest wages. Throughout the year farmers and gardeners were allowed 6d. with, and 1s. without meat, and tailors 4d. with, and Sd. without meat. "In these rates of wages, "observes Sir Frederick Eden, "the justices seem to have calculated that half the day's earnings were equivalent to diet one day; in modern times, however, a much greater proportion was appropriated to the purchase of the single article of bread." It must be observed that at this period there was neither tea nor coffee, so that the drink would be either milk, or broths, or beer, or cider, of which every able-bodied man would have at least two quarts per day, and in harvest-time more; for, as there was no excise, these would be cheap.

In a scarce tract, called "Britain's Busse," published 1615, in recommendation of a project to rival the Dutch herring fishery, the following is the expense of feeding the seamen of that time: "He proposes that every man should have a gallon of beer a day, which he says is the allowance made in the king's ships, the cost of which he makes at a trifle more than 2d. a gallon; then each hand to have a pound of biscuit per day, costing between five and six farthings; half a pint of oatmeal between his meals, costing a farthing and a half; two pounds of bacon a week, costing 61d., besides as much fresh fish as they could catch for themselves; a quarter of a pound of butter a day, costing about a penny; half a pound of cheese, costing five farthings; together with three pints of vinegar, costing about two pence, and seven Kentish fagots, costing about 6d. a day for every sixteen." The exact estimated daily cost of victualling is seven pence three farthings and one twentyeighth of a farthing. This is rather higher than the allowance made in the Rutland table for the highest class of mechanics, even than the master carpenter, being only allowed 6d. a day for diet; but the difference was found necessary to make up for the difficulties and dangers of a sailor's life, and also to create a rivalry in a branch of business in which the Dutch were reaping individually great profit, and sustaining a great commercial marine. The wages proposed to be paid to the crew were also high, as compared with the earnings of either agricultural or mechanical employment; for the masters were to have about 3s. 7d. a day; the mates about 101d.; one-half of the men about 8d. each, the other about 7d., and the boys about 21d. It appears, by an ordnance printed in "Rymer's Fœdera," that in 1636 seamen in the royal navy were allowed, in harbour, 73d. a day for their provisions, and, when at sea, 81d.

In a tract entitled "Stanley's Remedys, or the way to Reform

Wandering Beggars, Thieves, Highway Robbers, and Pickpockets," written in the reign of King James, 1646, the cost of the diet and maintenance of every one of the idle, thievish, and drunken persons that infested the kingdom, living only upon beggary and plunder, is estimated at three pence a day at the least.

We learn from those diarists so often quoted, that, when servants in London were out of places, they oftentimes repaired to St. Paul's churchyard, then the great public place of lounge, and stood against the pillars of the old cathedral, then remaining, holding before them a written placard, stating their particular qualifications and their desire of employment.

The rent of the cottages was almost universally £2 per year. Sir Kenelm Digby says, in his time nearly every cottager kept a cow. At the present time it is just the contrary.

In Lord Bacon's time it was the general custom for the farmers to sell wheat to the labourers at rather under market prices.

There was a steadiness in prices before paper money. Formerly, as many shillings as the bushel of wheat brought, so many pence was the price of the quartern loaf of 4lbs. Soz. of best white bread, in towns. In like manner, as many shillings as a bushel of beans sold for, so many pence would buy a pound of pork. App. v.

A pound of good wheat makes a pound of good bread; for, although the offal is taken out, yet salt, water, and yeast are added thereto. In former times it was considered that, on an average of individuals, each consumed a sack of flour of 20 stone of 14lbs. each. Thirteen pounds of good wheat make 12lbs. of good flour.

Before the excise was laid on making malt, it was common for the malsters to swop a bushel of ready made malt for a bushel of raw barley; the extra bulk in the process of malting was considered a sufficient profit for the labour and malt-house rent.

If the clothes of former times cost more, they were far more durable than at the present day.

King James I. settled upon his son Charles, created Duke of York, then five years old, £40 per annum; on the duke's nurse, £50; his seamstress, £20; the same on his chamberkeeper; and on his laundress and cook, £36 each, yearly. George Sheires, apothecary for the king's house, £40 per year; Robert Barker, the king's printer, £6 13s. 4d.; Alexander and Robert Arskin, the king's tailors, to each 2s. per day.

PAUPERISM.

"For the poor shall never cease out of the land."-BIBLE.

On this very important subject the author must claim permission to travel a little beyond the period he has prescribed. It is to be observed that, when the feudal system was in its full vigour, the lords of the soil were obliged to attend to their vassals, whether productive or indigent, let it arise from what cause it might, similar to what the planters now do in the southern parts of this Union. As that system began to be relaxed, the poor, as is always the case, began to feel its effects first.

The church then began to enter fully into the matter, upon the most benevolent and Christian principles; and herein we may see at the present day one of the good effects of the celibacy of the clergy. Portions of the tithes and other church property were set aside expressly for this purpose; and they were rigidly enforced by the canon, ecclesiastical, and civil laws. Thus things went on for several centuries, England never knowing all that time the hateful name of pauper. But when Henry the wife-killer, no matter for what cause, or why, or when, destroyed this system, a scene of horror and misery ensued for several years, that beggars all description. To cut the matter short, (for it is too sickening to dwell on,) Elizabeth was compelled, in the forty-third year of her reign, 1601, to cause her celebrated act to be passed-of a compulsory assessment for the poor.

Various changes and alterations have at times been made in the system. There was soon a vagrant act coupled with it, and workhouses, and houses of correction, and enlarged jails. So this frightful subject has gone on from that period till now, generally increasing in horror and misery, which can be traced as clear as any one can trace his own shadow in the sunshine, to the increase of enclosures, taxation, debts, paper money, &c.; for, as Mr. Cobbett observes, "taxation produces misery, and misery produces crime."

As, however, I only have prescribed to myself the part of the historian, I shall proceed now to state its progress during the time prescribed. Some statutes were passed during the reigns of James and Charles, relating to binding of poor chil dren apprentices; these acts, which were well intended, and which showed great marks of wisdom and benevolence, were often imperfectly executed. In many places no rates were levied for more than twenty, thirty, or forty years after the

passing of the Elizabethan act, so that many persons were left to perish for want. But in those places were the justices did their duty, Lord Coke says, upon the authority of Sir F. Eden, there was not a rogue to be seen; but where justices and other officers were remiss, rogues swarmed again. How much better would it have been for these two pig-headed kings, instead of employing their time in enforcing their undefined prerogatives, to have seen that these most important laws were fully, faithfully, and benevolently executed.

"When tyranny and usurpation

O'er run the freedom of a nation,

The laws o'the land-that were intended

To keep it out-are made defend it."-BUTLER.

The following historical extracts will, in the language of the times, better illustrate this grievous subject than any description of my own. The author of a pamphlet-reader, mark the frightful title and mark the date, and then bear in mind that the king and hundreds of his subjects were all professed Christians; nay, they were busy discussing this heavenly subject in all sorts of ways except the right, viz., how each should best show his charity and benevolence to his neighbour and his God; with this slight digression, let us feelingly listen to "GRIEVOUS GROANS for the Poor, by M. S., 1622"-says: "Though the number of the poor do daily increase, there hath been no collection for them, no, not these seven years, in many parishes of this land, especially in country towns; but many of those places do turn forth their poor, yea, and their lusty labourers, that will not work, or for any misdemeanour want work, to beg, filch, and steal for their maintenance; so that the country is pitifully pestered with them: yea, and the maimed soldiers, that have ventured their lives and lost their limbs in our behalf, are also thus requited; for when they return home to live by some labour in their natural country, though they can work well in some kind of labour, every man saith, we will not be troubled with their service, but make other shift for our business; so are they turned forth to travel in idleness, (the highway to hell,) and seek their meal upon meres, (as the proverb goeth,) with begging, filching, and stealing for their maintenance, until the law bring them unto the fearful end of hanging."

The following extract is from orders issued for the regulation of some branches of the police by the privy council, date 1630:* Common offences and abuses for stewards of lords and gen

* Reprinted by Eden, State of the Poor.