pressure which arose from the wholesale evictions of the people.
The laws of Henry VII and Henry VIII., enforcing the tillage of the
land, preceded the suppression of religious houses, and the act of
the latter monarch allowing the poor to beg was passed before any
steps were taken to close the convents. That measure was no doubt
injurious to the poor, but the main evil arose from other causes.
The lands of these houses, when no longer applicable to the purpose
for which they were given, should have reverted to the heirs of the
donors, or have been applied to other religious or educational
purposes. The bestowal of them upon favorites, to the detriment
alike of the State, the Church, the Poor, and the Ignorant, was an
abuse of great magnitude, the effect of which is still felt. The
reigns of the Tudors are marked with three events affecting the
land--viz.:

1st. Relieving it of the support of the army;

2d. Burdening of it with the support of the poor;

3d. Applying the monastic lands to private uses.

The abolition of retainers, while it relieved the land of the
nobles from the principal charge thereon, did not entirely abolish
knight's service. The monarch was entitled to the care of all
minors, to aids on the marriage or knighthood of the eldest son, to
primerseizin or a year's rent upon the death of each tenant of the
Crown. These fees were considerable, and were under the care of the
Court of Ward and Liveries.

The artisan class had, however, grown in wealth, and they were