Page:Wiltshire, Extracted from Domesday Book.djvu/24

[ xviii ] proves that the money could not be appropriated for the pay of another.

It is probable, that the knowledge of agriculture remained tationary till the reign of Henry the eighth, or perhaps of Queen Elizabeth (at the latter end of whoe reign money was brought to the ame tandard as at preent), and that, conequently, the value of the manors continued of the ame etimation from the time of Domeday to that period, a proper allowance being only made for the increaing plenty of money. In the ixteenth century, the improvement of lands began to be tudied, but the progres of improvement was extremely low, and we may aert, that it did not arrive to any coniderable degree of perfection, till the retoration of Charles the econd; ince which area, the converion of pature lands into meadows, by the means of draining and drowning; a uperior kill in the management of woods; the profitable doctrine of manures; and, in later times, the univeral introduction of artificial grafes upon our arable lands, which are now carcely ever in wade, and which are,even enriched by their intermediate produce have improved the etates in o wonderful a manner, that we may afely aert, that the preent produce ariing from them, and conequently their intrinic value, has been, at