Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-16 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES, SATURDAY, APRIL 16 1859

singular, however, to be obliged to add, that not-
withstanding the antiquity of the bequest, and the
notorious love of the English lot good bacon, the
flitch was very seldom claimed. (2)
The diet of the people at this period does not
appear to have greatly differed from the present.
In cities, meat entered into the general consumption
of the inhabitants. But the food of agricultural
labourers was of an inferior kind. The substantial
diet, in fact, for which the sixteenth century is
renowned, was limited to the tables of persons of rank.
A maid of honour, of Queen Elizabeth's Court,
perhaps breakfasted on beef-stakes; but the plough-
man was compelled to regale himself ou barley or
rye bread and water-gruel. Their attire, too, was of
the most humble description. " Husbandmen," says
Moryson, " wore garments of coarse cloth made at
.home, and their wives wore gowns of the same cloth,
kirtles of some light stuff, with linen aprons, and
cover their heads with a linen coyfe and a felt hat,
and in general their linen is coarse and made at
home." Nor were the dwellings of the working
classes much improved upon those of a former period ;
and there is no room to doubt that the frequent
visitations of sickness at this time may be ascribed in
a very great measure to the defective character of
the buildings. In the remote parts of the country,
where timber was scarce and building expensive, the
ancient practice—and modern one too, I may also
observe, as in Ireland—of uniting the house, offices
and stables, all under one roof, was by no means
obsolete.

I cannot more appropriately conclude this chapter
than by one or two remarks on the general tendency
of the system under which the Legislature endea-
voured to regulate the labouring class prior to the
introduction of the great and final act of Elizabeth
in 1601. Experience is a valuable instructor, and
we derive an important advantage from the history
of the poor, in the light it throws on the tendency of
suggestions often made for bettering the condition.
For nearly two centuries the price of labour was
fixed by proclamation. The injurious, if not futile
tendency of this interference hardly needs demon-
' stration. The price of labour, like that of other
commodities, is best determined by the proportion
between the supply and demand; and it cannot, with
advantage, either to workman or employer, be regu-
lated by any other principle. If the profits of the
master are great, his capital will augment—he will
be enabled to employ more labourers, and, the com-
petition being increased, the rate of wages will rise.
If, on the other hand, profits decline, the fund
for paying wages will decline also, and the re-
muneration of the labourer will be abated. But
how, in either case, could the Legislature fix
either a minimum or a maximum of wages ? To
compel a master to give higher wages than he could
afford and. would be voluntarily disposed to give,
must necessarily tend to his impoverishment and to
destroy his branch of trade ; and to compel him to
give lower, under similar circumstances, would,
besides unnecessarily depressing the workmen, tend
to keep back the supply of labour adequate to the
demand.

These are the consequences which would ensue,
supposing the interference of the legislature efficient.
But the fact is, it would be nugatory. Nothing
could prevent the master giving, nor the workman
taking, whatever rate of wages suited their re-
spective interests, and all coercive provisions to
enforce a contrary conduct would be easily evaded.

These articles being Copyright, the Author reserves to himself
the privilege of further publication or translation.]

(2) W. Harrison Ainsworth has sought of late years to
revive this ancient custom, but not, I think, with very much

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
EPSOM SPRING MEETING. —YESTERDAY.
The RAILWAY PLATE (Handicap) of 50 sovs fur all ages;
winners (matches excepted) after publication of the weights,
51b extra ; new T.Y.C., three quarters of a mile.
Vulture 1
Lord Berkeley
Lime Deep