THE CORN LWAS. 7

quarter. In 1270, it was at L.4, 165. equal to L.47:12:4 of prefent money; fo that, in fuch times, it would appear in fmall quantities, and only at the tables of the rich. In: 288, it was 1. 6d In 1317, it was at L. 2, 4s. before harveft, and the fame year, after harveft, it fell to 6s. 8d. In 1340, the price was 28 In 1350, it was L.1:6:8; and in:1367;, 25. the quarter. So late as the year 1557, wheat rofe from 8s. the quarter, to L.2:13:4. In 1562, it was at 8s. the quar- ter, and'in 1574, at L.2, 165*.

We are difappointed, when we apply to the flatutes of our ancient legiflatures, to difcover the encouragement beftowed upon agriculture; for that feems not to have occurred to them, as a matter in any way neceflary: on the contrary, We find many of the old laws of England and Scotland, inviting and

encouraging foreign merchants and others, to import corn

* The principles, upon which the ancient money of England, and of Scotland is con- verted into the prefent Sterling money, are explained in the Appendix, No I.; which ao contains a Table of the price of the quarter of wheat iu England, at fuch periods as it can be properly authenticated, from the year 1223 to 1784.

The authors are numerous who have made calculations of the progrefs of the va- lue of money from the Conquelt to the prefent time; and to afcertain it has been found a matter of the greateft difficulty. Mr Hume, in his Hifory of England, vol. r. p: 228. calculates the money about the time of the Conquelt at 30 times the value of the prefent money. He even goes the length to fay, that we may multiply the fums mentioned by hiftorians, for fome reigns after the conquelt, by 10e.

Bifhop Fleetwood, in his Chronicon Pretiofum, publifhed in 1707, fhews, that a quarter of wheat, which in the year 1249 coft L. 4: 13: 9, would be equal to about L.so of prefent money. In 1489 he reckons that L.; was equal to L. 40 of prefènt money, Or as 1 to 8.

The calculations of our Author are lower than. Bifhop Fleetwood’s, but, upon

the whole, correfpond pretty nearly with them.. They are made upon principles

:‘ L be 1: a L= 2e+1 more general, and more eafily applied than the Bifhop’s, and appear, from other:

manuferipts left by the Author, to have been adopted by him, after a long and pain-

ful inveftigatien of the fubjeét.. Eds,

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