92

THE EFFECTS OF

CHAP. XX.

“ are forced, therefore, to minish the third part of“ our householde, or to rayse the third part of our“ revenewes, and for that we cannot so doe of our“ owne landes that is already in the hands of other“ men, many of us are enforced either to keepe“ peeces of our owne landes when they fall in our“ owne possession, or to purchase some farme of“ other men’s landes, and to store it with sheep or“ some other cattel, to help make up the decay of“ our revenewes, and to maintayne our olde estate“ withall, and yet all is little ynough.”

The husbandman is not without his causes ofcomplaint, though he evidently had less reasonfor them than his landlord. Instead, however, ofproving his actual state to be bad, he dwells muchon the causes of the suffering which he pretendsthose ofhis class are subjected to. He says—“ These“ inclosures doe undoe us all, for they make us to“ pay dearer for our land that we occupy, and causes“ that we can have no land in manner for our money“ to put to tyllage, all is taken up for pasture—forff pasture eyther for sheepe, or for grasing of cattell“ —in so much that I have knowne of late a dozen“ ploughes within less compass than six myles about“ mee layde down within this seven yeares: and“ where threescore persons or upwards had their“ livings, now one man with his cattell hath all,“ which thinge is not the least cause of former up-“ rores; forby these inclosures many doe lack livings“ and be ydle, and therefore for very necessity they