Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 2.djvu/635

] cottage. The evil produced its own remedy. The scarcity of tillage land raised the price of produce, and that stimulated to the manufacturing and better culture of the land.



We learn from Harrison and Norden, writers of the period, that towards the end of the century things were greatly improved. The farmers and small builders ware become more painstaking and skilful. They collected manure and even the sweeping of streets, burnt lime, and carted seasand, as in Cornwall and Devon. The consequence was that they had better cattle and better crops, they had milk from their cows, ewes and goar; and they used much more meat. In the autumn they cured bacon and beef for the winter; and in summer they had abundance of veal beef, and mutton, which, says Harrison, they ceased to baste with lard, but basted with butter, or suffered the fattest to taste itself.



With their living, their houses improved. Wood or wattle gave way to stone or brick, the wooden trenchers were superseded at substantial tables by pewter, and with the pewter began to show themselves articles of silver.