Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
History
Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
England -- Social life and customs -- 16th century; Great Britain -- History -- Edward III, 1327-1377
latter end of the summer, when new cometh apace to hand, and cast the
same in the fourth unthreshed, where it shall lie until the next
spring, or peradventure till it must and putrify. Certes it is not
dainty to see musty corn in many of our great markets of England which
these great occupiers bring forth when they can keep it no longer. But
as they are enforced oftentimes upon this one occasion somewhat to
abate the price, so a plague is not seldom engendered thereby among
the poorer sort that of necessity must buy the same, whereby many
thousands of all degrees are consumed, of whose death (in mine
opinion) these farmers are not unguilty. But to proceed. If they lay
not up their grain or wheat in this manner, they have yet another
policy, whereby they will seem to have but small store left in their
barns: for else they will gird their sheaves by the band, and stack it
up anew in less room, to the end it may not only seem less in
quantity, but also give place to the corn that is yet to come into the
barn or growing in the field. If there happen to be such plenty in the
market on any market day that they cannot sell at their own price,
then will they set it up in some friend's house, against another on
the third day, and not bring it forth till they like of the sale. If
they sell any at home, beside harder measure, it shall be dearer to
the poor man that buyeth it by twopence or a groat in a bushel than
they may sell it in the market. But, as these things are worthy
redress, so I wish that God would once open their eyes that deal thus
to see their own errors: for as yet some of them little care how many
poor men suffer extremity, so that they fill their purses and carry
away the gain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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