[1] THere are as I take it, few great townes in England, that haue not their weekely Markets, in which al maner of prouiſion for houſhold, is to be bought and ſoulde, for eaſe and benefite of the countrey rounde about, wherby as it commeth to paſſe that no buy|er ſhall make any great iourney in the pur|ueighaunce of his neceſſities, ſo no occupies ſhall haue occaſion to trauayle farre of with his commodities, except it be to ſéeke for the higheſt prices, which commonly are néere vnto great cities, where rounde and ſpée|dieſt vtteraunce is alwayes to be had. And as theſe haue béene in tymes paſt erected for the benefite of the realme, ſo are they in many places to to much abuſed: for the relief and eſe of the buyer, is not ſo much intended in them, as the benefite of the ſeller. Neyther are the Maieſtrats for the moſt part ſo care|full in their offices, as of ryght and dewtye they ſhoulde bee, for in moſt of theſe mar|kettes neyther ſizes of breade nor orders for goodneſſe of graine and other commodities, that are brought thither to be ſoulde are any whit looked vnto, but eache one ſuffered to ſell or ſet vp, what, and how himſelfe lyſteth, & this is one euident cauſe of darth in time of great abundance.
[1] [2] I coulde if I woulde exemplifie in many, but I will touch no one particularly. Certes it is rare to ſée in any market the aſſize of breade well kept according to the ſtatute, howbeit I finde, in lieu thereof ſuch headdy ale and béere in moſt of them, as for the mightyneſſe thereof among ſuch as ſéeke it out, is commonlye called huffecappe, the madde Dogge, father whoreſonne, Aungels foode, Dragons milke &c. And this is more to be noted, that when one of late fell by Gods prouidence, into a troubled conſcience, after he had conſidered well of his rekeleſſe lyfe, and daungerous eſtate: another thinking be|lyke to change his colour and not his mind, caryed hym ſtraight to the ſtrongeſt ale; as to the next Phiſition. It is incredible [...] ſay how our Maultbugges lug at this liquor, euen as pigges ſhoulde lye in a rowe, lug|ging at their dames teates, tyll they lye ſtill againe, & be not able to wagge. Neyther [...] Romulus and Remus ſucke their ſhée Wolfe Lupa, wyth ſuch eger & ſharpe deuotion as theſe men, hale at hufcappe, tyll they be read as cockes, and litle wyſer thẽ their combe [...]; But howe am I fallen from the mercate, into the Ale houſe. In returning therfore vn|to [page 86] to my purpoſe, I find therfore that in corne great abuſe [...] daily ſuffered, to the great preiudice of the towne & countrey, eſpecially the poore artificer & houſeholder, which til|leth no lande, but labouring all the wéeke to buy a buſhell or two of corne on the merra [...]e daie, can there haue none for his money, be|cauſe bodgers, loders, and common carry|ers of Graine, doe not onely buy vp all, but gyue about the pryce, to be ſerued of great quantities. Shall I go any farther, well I will ſaye yet a little more, and ſomewhat by mine owne experience. At Myghelmas tyme poore men muſt ſell theyr graine that they may paye their rentes. So long then as the poore man hath to ſell, ryche men wyll brynge out none, but rather buy vppe that which the poore bring vnder pretence of ſéede corne, becauſe one wheat often ſowen with|out chaunge of ſéede, will ſoone decay and be conuerted into darnell. For this cauſe there|fore they muſt néedes buy in the markettes, though they be twentye myles of and where they be [...] knowne, promiſing there to ſend ſo much to theyr next market, to performe I wote not when.
[1] [2] [3] [4] If thys ſhyft ſerue not (neither doth the foxe vſe alwayes one tracke for feare of a ſnare) they wil compound wt ſome one of the towne where the market is holden, who for a pot of hufcappe or mery go downe, wyll not let to buy it for them, & that in his owne name. Or elſe they wage one poore man or other, to become a bodger, & thereto get him a ly|cence vpon ſome forged ſurmize, which be|ing done, they will féede him with money, to buy for them till he hath filled theyr loſſes, and then if he can doe any good for himſelfe ſo it is, if not, they wyll gyue him ſomewhat for his paines at this [...]y [...]le, and reſerue him for another yeare. How many of theſe pr [...]|ders ſtumble vppon blynde créekes at the ſea coſt, I wote not well, but that ſome haue ſo done vnder other mens winges, the cauſe is to playne. But who dare finde faulte with thẽ, when they haue once a lycence, though it be but ſo ſerue a meane Gentlemans houſe with corne, who hath caſt vp at his talage be|cauſe he b [...]aſtreth how he can buy his graine in ye market better cheape, thẽ he can ſ [...]w his lãd, as the [...] graſier often doth alſo vpon ye like deuiſe. If any man come to buy a buſhel or two for his expences vnto ye market croſſe, aunſwere is made, forſooth here was one e|uen nowe that badde me money for it, and I hope he will haue it. And to ſaye the truth, theſe bodgers are faire [...], for there are no more words with them, but let me ſée it, what ſhall I giue you, kniti [...] it vp, I will haue it, go c [...]ry it to ſuch a chamber. But to [...] by this [...]y [...]ke this poore occupie [...] hath all [...] his croppe for [...] of money, be|yng [...] againe [...] longe. And [...] the whole ſale of corne in the great [...] handes who hyther|to [...] lyttle [...] of their own, [...] men, ſo much as they [...] Hencefoorth alſo they begin to [...] by the quarter or made at the firſt,For ma|ring of the mar|ket. but by the [...] or two, or an [...] the moſt, therby to be [...] [...]o kéepe the mar|ket, eyther for a ſhewe, or to made men [...]ge [...] to buy, and ſo as they maye haue it for mo|ney, not to regarde what they pay. And thus corne [...] deare, but it will be dearer the next [...] day. It is poſſible alſo that they myſlyke the pryce in the begynnyng for whole yeare [...], as m [...]n [...] that corne [...] of bet|ter price in the next [...] wyll they threſhe out thrée partes of [...] corne, toward the [...], when newe commeth a [...] to hande, and caſt the ſame into the fourth vnthreſhed, where it ſhall lye vntyll the next Spryng, or peraduenture tyll it muſt [...]. Or elſe they [...]ill gyrde their [...] of by the hand and ſt [...]cke it vp of newe in [...] to thende it may not onely appeare leſſe in quantity, but alſo gyue place to the corne that is yet to come into the [...]arne, or grow|ing the field. If there happen to be ſuch plen|tye in the market vpon any [...] day, that they can not [...]ell at their owne [...] they ſet it vp in ſome friendes houſe, againſt an other or the thirde day, and not bringe it foorth vntyll they lyke of the [...]. If they [...]ell any at home, beſide harder meaſure, it ſhal be dearer to the poore man by two pence or a groate in a buſhell then they maye [...] in the market. But as there things are wor|thy redreſſe, ſo I wyſhe that God woulde once open their eyes that [...] thus, to ſée there owne errours: for as yet ſome of them lyttle care howe many poore men ſuffer ex|tre [...]ie, ſo that they may [...] their [...], and carye aldaye the gaine. I coulde ſaye more but this is euen ynough, and more per|aduenture then I ſhall be well thanked for: yet true it is though ſome [...] it no [...] This moreouer is to be lamented, that one generall meaſure is not in vſe thorow|out all Englande, but euery [...] towne hath in a maner a ſeuerall meaſure, and the leſſer it be, the [...] ſellers it draweth [...] vnto the ſame. It is oft [...]ounde likewiſe, that diuers [...] haue one meaſure to [...] by, and another to buy with|all, [page 96] the lyke is alſo in weightes. Wherfore it were verye good that theſe two were re|duced vnto one ſtanderd, that is, one buſhell, one pound, one quarter one hũdred, one tale, one number, ſo ſhould things in time fal into better order, & fewer cauſes of contention be mooued in this land. But more of this heraf|ter in the next booke, where I haue inſerted a litle treatize, which I ſometimes collected of our weights, & meaſures, and their compa|riſon with thoſe of the auncient Gréekes and Romaines. To cõclude therfore in our mar|kets all things are to be ſolde neceſſarie for mans vſe, and there is our prouiſion made commonly for all the wéeke inſuing. There|fore as there are no great townes without one wéekely market at the leaſt, ſo there are very fewe of them that haue not one or twoo fayres or more within the compaſſe of the yeare aſſigned vnto them by the prince. And albeit that ſome of them are not much bet|ter then the common kirkemeſſes beyonde the ſea, yet there are diuers not inferiour vn|to the greateſt martes in Europe, as Stur|bridge Faire neare to Cambridge, Bar|tholomewe fayre at London, Linne mart, Cold fayre at Newport pond for cattell, and diuers other, all which or at the leaſtwyſe the greateſt part of them (to the end I may with the more eaſe to the reader & leſſe tra|uayle to my ſelf fulfill my taſke in their reci|tall.) I haue ſet down according to ye names of the monethes wherin they are holden at ye end of this booke, where you ſhall finde them at large, as I borowed the ſame frõ Stow.