sheep, putting such lands as they can get to pasture and not to
tillage: whereby they have not only pulled down churches and towns,
and enhanced the old rates of the rents of possessions of this
realm, or else brought it to such excessive fines that no poor man
is able to meddle with it, but have also raised and enhanced the
prices of all manner of corn, cattle, wool, pigs, geese, hens,
chickens, eggs, and such commodities almost double above the prices
which hath been accustomed, by reason whereof a marvellous
multitude of the poor people of this realm be not able to provide
meat, drink, and clothes necessary for themselves, their wives, and
children, but be so discouraged with misery and poverty, that they
fall daily to theft, robbery, and other inconveniences, or
pitifully die for hunger and cold; and it is thought by the king's
humble and loving subjects, that one of the greatest occasions that
moveth those greedy and covetous people so to accumulate and keep
in their hands such great portions and parts of the lands of this
realm from the occupying of the poor husbandmen, and so use it in
pasture and not in tillage, is the great profit that cometh of
sheep, which be now come into a few persons' hands, in respect of
the whole number of the king's subjects, so that some have 24,000,
some 20,000, some 10,000, some 6000, some 5000, and some more or
less, by which a good sheep for victual, which was accustomed to be
sold for 2s. 4d. or 3s. at most, is now sold for 6s., 5s., or 4s.
at the least; and a stone of clothing wool, that in some shire of
this realm was accustomed to be sold from 16d. to 20d, is now sold
for 4s. or 3s. 4d. at the least; and in some counties, where it has
been sold for 2s. 4d. to 2s. 8d., or 3s. at the most, it is now 5s.
or 4s. 8d. at the least, and so arreysed in every part of the
realm, which things thus used to be principally to the high
displeasure of Almighty God, to the decay of the hospitality of