CHAP. I. mn)

6 AN INQUIRY INTO

But whatever progrefs agriculture may have made in Scot- land, prior to the acceflion of William, in the year 1165, the war with England, the captivity of that prince, and the money paid for redeeming the fuperiority or vaflalage of his kingdom, which William had furrendered for his releafe, brought Scotland into fuch diftrefs, that, upon the acceflion of his fon Alexander I. in the year 1214, agriculture was found to have been almoft totally abandoned; and the very firft law, made in his reign, was to oblige the inhabitants to labour and fow their lands*,

Under Alexander IIL. Scotland recovered, in fome degree, its agriculture and its confequence; but the difputes that hap- pened upon his death, and the war which enfued with Eng- land, diminifhed both afterwards for many ages.

It is not, however, to a very diftant period we need apply to difcover at what time agriculture came to be{o far advanced in England, as to render wbeat the chief article of fubfftence. This could only be the cafe, when the quantity raifed became {10 abundant as to bring the prices of that grain, one year with another, to be reafonable, and nearly equal. If fcar- city fhould now double the ordinary prices, it would pro duce dearth; but if it fhould triple them, famine would follow. Therefore, fo long as we find the prices of wheat rary, ten, twenty, thirty, or forty times the current value of it, in years of ordinary plenty, we muft confider the cul-

ture of that grain to have been ftill in its infancy, and that

Pal

mankind did not depend upon wheat as the chief part of their

fupport. In the year 1244, the price of wheat was 25, the

PER AkRr ELLE

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