'1

STATE OP ENGLAND IN 1685 .

wages paid to different classes of workmen who have beenemployed in the repairs of the building. From this valuable'record it appears that, in the course of a hundred and twentyyears, the daily earnings of the bricklayer have risen from halfa crown to four and tenpence, those of the mason from half acrown to five and threepence, those of the carpenter from halfa crown to five and fivepence, and those of the plumber fromthree shillings to five and sixpence.

It seems clear, therefore, that the wages of labour, esti-mated in money, were, in 1085, not more than half of whatthey now are; and there were few articles important to theworking man of which the price was not, in 1685, more thanhalf of what it now is. Beer was undoubtedly much cheaperin that age than at present. Meat was also cheaper, but wasstill so dear that hundreds of thousands of families scarcelyknew the taste of it. * In the cost of wheat there has been verylittle change. The average price of the quarter, during thelast twelve years of Charles the Second, was fifty shillings.Bread, therefore, such as is now given to the inmates of aworkhouse, was then seldom seen, even on the trencher of ayeoman or of a shopkeeper. The great majority of the nationlived almost entirely on rye, barley, and oats.

The produce of tropical countries, the produce of themines, the produce of machinery, was positively dearer thanat present. Among the commodities for which the labourerwould have had to pay higher in 1685 than his posterity pay in1848 were sugar, salt, coals, candles, soap, shoes, stockings,and generally all articles of clothing and all articles of bed-ding. It may be added, that the old coats and blankets wouldhave been, not only more costly, but less serviceable than themodern fabrics.

* King in his Natural and Political Conclusions roughly estimatedthe common people of England at 880.000 families. Of these families440.000, according to him, ate animal food twice a week. The remaining440,000 ate it not at all, or at most not oflener than once a week.

413

chap.

in.