To the Kynges moste honorable Counsell, and the Lordes of the Parlayment house.
THe fyrst Article & poynt as we do thynke, is it great pittye (so the will of God it were) that there is no corne ynough within this Realme of Englande, at all tymes necessary to certyfy & suffyce the Kynges subiectes for the space of one yere two or thre, yf there were no corne sowen in this Realme by the sayde space.
We do saye that y e Kinges Maiestie mercifully hearing the peticiō of these his graces poore subiectes maye at altymes remedy it, when it shall [Page]please hys maiestie, being for a common wealth for his graces subiectes, & to the greate encrease of this noble realme of Englande.
We saye as reason doeth leade vs, y e shepe & shepemasters, doeth cause skātyte of corne, whiche we do thynke, it maye be well approued, by reason of six prouerbes, for & yf all our lyuynges, and all our commodities, were diuyded in partes, by reason of y e same syx prouerbes, we that be y e Kynges maiestyes poore subiectes do lose syx of our cō modityes, then haue we thre losses, whiche make nyne, by reason of the same thre losses we the Kynges mayestyes subiectes do lose y e third part [Page]of our lyuinge, then haue we the tenth part, which we cal a remedy, beseching your noble grace, to remedye when your maiestye shall please.
As touchyng the fyrste prouerbe of the syx we do thynke.
- The more shepe the dearer is the woll.
- The more shepe the dearer is the motton.
- The more shepe the dearer is the beffe.
- The more shepe the dearer is the corne.
- The more shepe the skanter is the whit meate.
- The more shepe the fewer egges for a peny.
In y e fyrst prouerbe, y e more shepe the dearer is the woll. Our complayntis for Oxford shyre, Buckyngham shyre, & Northampton shyre, and as for all other shyres, we refer it to the playntyues.
We shal desyre you, and al other that reade and se the true ententes & meanynges of this our doinges to pardon our ignoraunce, yet not with standyng we desyre you sumwhat to attender the premisses, seinge it is doue, and put forth, for the commoditye of y e Kinges magesties realme, and for the welth of his graces poore subiectes.
In the sayde Oxford shyre Buckyngham shyre & Northhampton shyre, there be many [Page]men of worshyp dwellyng within the sayde thre shyres. And hath great laudes rolyue vpon, the which we praye to God to geue them ioye of, and well to occupye its Many of these worshipful men, sette no store, nor pryse, vpon the mayntenaunce of tyllage of theyr landes, as before tyme hath bene vsed, neyther breadyng nor feadynge of catle, but many of them doeth kepe the most substaunce of theyr landes, in theyr owne handes. And where tillage was wont to be, now is it stored, wyth greate vmberment of shepe: & they that haue great vmberment of shepe, muste nedes haue greate store of woll, and we cannot thynke [Page]who shulde make the pryse of woll, but those y t haue great plentye of shepe. And we do partly knowe that there be some dwellynge within these thre shyres, rather then they wyll sell theyr woll at a lowe pryse, they will kepe it a yere or twayne, and all to make it deare, and to kepe it a deare pryse. And by this meanes y e fyrst prouerbe to be true The more shepe the dearer is the woll.
In the seconde prouerbe as we do thynke: The more shepe, the dearer is y e moton.
As by reason, the most substaunce of our feadynge was wont to be on beffe, and now it is on motton, And so many mouthes goith to motton, [Page]which causeth motton to be deare.
In the thirde prouerbe as we do thinke: The more shepe the dearer is the beffe.
As by reason that breding and fedyng, is not set by as it hath bene in tymes past, and where as shepe is kept vpon the pasture groundes where breadyng & fedynge of beffes was wont to be kept: & where as shepe is kept vpon the pasture groundes, where bredyng and fedynge was wont to be kept: And now there is nothyng kept there but motton.
The fourth prouerbe: The more shepe, the dearer is the corne.
By reason tyllage is not [Page]vsed, occupyed, and mainteyned as it hath bene before tyme, but shepe kept vpon the grounde, where tyllage was wont to be kept and mainteyned.
The .v. prouerbe: The more shepe the skanter is the weyte meate.
By reason tyllage is not vsed, occupyed and maynteyned nother mayntenaunce of houses and hospitalytye, where as catle was wont to be fede and brede, by reason of kepynge of catle shulde increase whyt meate, and now there is nothyng kept there but only shepe.
The syxte prouerbe: The more shepe the fewer egges for a peny.
By reason cottages go downe in the contre, where as pultrye was wont to be breade and fedde, now there is nothyng kept there but shepe, which cause the egges to be solde for fower a penny. Thus be the syx prouerbes true, as we do thynke desyrynge you to geue hearynge vnto them, and that it may be wel amended, for the common welthe of the Kynges poore subiectes.
Then haue we thre losses that maketh nyne.
The fyrst losse as we do thinke, there is not so many plowes vsed, occupied, and mainteyned within Oxforth shyre, [Page]as was in Kynge Henry the seuenth tyme, and sens hys fyrste comming there lacketh xl. plowes, euery plough was able to kepe .vi. persōs downe lyinge and vprisynge in hys house, the whiche draweth to twelf score persons in Oxford shyre. And where y t the sayde twelf score persons were wōt to haue meate, drynke, rayment and wages, payinge skot and lot to God, & to our Kyng, now there is nothyng kept there but onlye shepe. Now these twelfscore persons had nede to haue liuing, whether shal they go, into Northhampton shyre? and there is also the lyuing of twelef score persons loste, whether shall then they goo? foorth from [Page]shyre to shyre, and to be scathered thus abrode, within y e Kynges maiestyes Realme, where it shall please almighty God, and for lacke of masters, by compulsion dryuen some of them to begge, and some to steale.
The seconde losse as we do thinke, that there is neuer a plough of the .xl. plowes, but he is able to tyll and plowe to certifye syx persons, and euery ploughe to sell .xxx. quarters of grayne by the yeare, or els he can full yll paye, syx, seuen, eyght poundt by the yeare, xl. plowes .xxx. quarters euery ploughe, draweth to two hundreth quarters in Buckingham shyre, two hundreth quarters in Oxforde [Page]shyre, & two .cc. quarters in Northāptō shyre, & so forth frō shyre to shyre in certayne shyres within y e Kings maiesties Realme of Englande, what shall the twelf two hundreth quarters of corne do in Oxforth shyre: we do thynke it wyll mainteyne the Kynges markettes, and sustayne the Kynges subiectes, and lykewyse in Buckyngham shyre, & also in Northampton shyre, and so from shyre to shyre, in certayne shyres wythin the Kynges magesties Realme. Furthermore it is to be consydered what thys twelf hundreth quarters of corne is able to do within Oxford shyre, it is able to certifye & suffyce xv. score people by the yeare [Page]breade, and drynke, & allowe to euery person .ij. quarters of weate, and two quarters of malt by the yere, where as in the fyrst the hole lyuing of twelf score persons meate, & drynke, and rayment, vprysyng & downe lying, payinge skot and lot to our God, and to our Kyng. And the second losse bread and drynke for. xv score persons by the yeare, whiche the hole nombre draweth to .v. hundreth and .xl. persons in Oxforth shyre, so in Buckyngham shyre, & so lykewyse in Northampton shyre, and so forth from shyre to shyre wythin the Kynges maiestyes Realme.
And yf it be as we do thīke y t there be .iiij. score plowes in [Page]euery one of these shyres les thē there was, then is there y e lyuyng lost of a thousand & iiij. score persons in euerye one of these foresayde shyres: Thys is the seconde losse as we do thynke and call for remedy for it.
The thyrde losse, as we do thynke, we do lose in the sayd thre shyres kepynge of houshold and hospitalitye & maintayning of tyllage and houshold kepyng, we do lacke corne and also lese our cattell, for where any housholde is kept, there is kept kyne and calues, and of our kine there commeth mylke, butter and chease, and all this doeth sustayne the Kynges Mayesties subiectes, and for thys [Page]we haue nothyng but shepe.
And furthermore, where housholdes be kept, there is hogges, pygges and bakon, capons, hēnes, duckes, Egges, frute and many other cō modityes, that is necessary & nedefull to be had for y e maintenaunce and lyuinge of the Kynges maiesties poore subiectes to lyue by, and for that we haue nothyng but shepe. This is the thyrd losse.
The .x. is whiche we do cal for remedy, and we desyre of God and the Kynges maiestye, yf it shal please his highnes to be so good & gracyous vnto his poore subiectes, that there might be in euery shyre & hundred as many plowes vsed, occupyed, and maynteyned [Page]as many housholds kept as was by king Henry the seuenth tyme, fyrst commynge and then vnfayned as we do thynke we sholde haue corne ynough, cattell ynough, and shepe ynough, then wil shepe and woll be in more mens hā des, we shall haue also white meate ynough, and all thynges necessary. And thus Iesu preserue our dreade soueraingne Lorde and Kynge.
As we do thynke we haue two losses more that we haue not spoken: The firste losse is for lacke of houshold kepyng & mayntenaunce of tyllage, it is great decay to artyllary: for y t do we reken that shepeherdes be but yll artchers.
And as we do further thīke [Page]it leseth the kings maiesty in prouisiō for his noble housholdes, that is to saye in wheat, malt, beues, mottons, veles, hay and otes, and pultry, & all maner suche prouisions, y t belongeth to hys maiestyes housholde as we do thynke, v. thousande markes by the yeare with y e lest. In a trial as we do thynke yf it shuld please the Kynges maiesties offycers to call in hys graces purue yers, & examyne them where they haue had within their tyme for his graces prouisiōs of his warres, & for his maiestyes housholde: where as there is nowe nothyng to be gotten, for they that kepe the sayde lādes, hath put the fore sayde landes to pastures [Page]themself byeth all maner of grayne & corne to kepe theyr houshold with all.
Furthermore, yf it shall please the Kynges highnes, and hys noble counsell for to haue a further tryall of thys matter, and to assure it to be true: take al craftes mē dwelling in cyties & townes, day laborers that laboreth by water or by lande, corrygers & other housholders, refusyng none, but only them y t hath al this aboundaunce, that is to saye: shepe or woll masters and inclosers, the lamentacions of the Kinges maiestyes subiectes will make any true herted body to seke & call for remedy, whiche we beseche y e Lorde to amende. Amen.
Furthermore, as we do thinke, this Realme doeth decaye by thys meanes, it is to vnderstande and knowen, y t there is in England townes and villages to the nomber of fifty thousand & vpward, & for euery towne and vyllage take them one with an other throughout all, there is one plowe decayed sens the fyrste yeare of the raigne of kynge Henry the seuenth. And in som townes and vyllages all the hole towne decayed sens that time, and yf there be for euery towne and village one plough decayed, sens the first yeare of the raygne of kyng Henry the seuenth: Then is there decayed .l. thousande plowes and vpwarde. The [Page]whiche .l. thousande plowes, euerye ploughe were able to mainteine .vi. persons. That is to saye: the man, the wyfe and fower other in his house lesse and more .l. thousande plowes, syx persons to euery plough, draweth to the nomber of thre hundred thousand persons were wont to haue meate, drynke and rayment, vprysing and downe lyinge, paying skot and lot to God, & to the Kyng. And now they haue nothynge, but goeth about in England from dore to dore, and axe theyr almose for Goddes sake And because they will not begge, some of them doeth steale, and then they be hāged, and thus the Realme doeth decay, and by [Page]none other wayes els, as we do thynke, besechynge your hyghnes of your moste noble grace and honourable Lordshyppes, the premisses tenderly considered before you in examinacion vpon y e premisses, th [...] we may haue a remedy in this behalf. And we shall dayely praye for the cōseruacion of your highnes and for your ful noble lordshyppes.