+Source.+--Sir Thomas More, _The First Booke of Utopia_, 1516.
Cambridge Press, p. 29, l. 18.
But let us consider those things that chance daily before our eyes.
First, there is a great number of gentlemen, which cannot be content
to live idle by themselves, like drones, of that which others have
laboured for; their tenants I mean, whom they poll and shave to the
quick, by raising their rents (for this only point of frugality do
they use, men else through their lavish and prodigal spending likely
to bring them to very beggary). These gentlemen, I say, do not only
live in idleness themselves, but also carry about with them at their
tails a great flock or train of idle and loitering serving men, which
never learned any craft whereby to get their livings. These men as
soon as their master is dead, or be sick themselves, be incontinent
thrust out of doors. For gentlemen had rather keep idle persons, than
sick men, and many times the dead man's heir is not able to maintain
so great a house, and keep so many serving men as his father did. Then
in the mean season they that be thus destitute of service, either
starve for hunger, or manfully play the thieves. For what would you
have them to do? When they have wandered abroad so long, until they
have worn threadbare their apparell, and also appaired their health,
these gentlemen, because of their pale and sickly faces, and patched
coats, will not take them into service. And husbandmen dare not set
them a work, knowing well enough that he is nothing meet to do true
and faithful service to a poor man with a spade and a mattock for
small wages and hard fare, which being daintily and tenderly pampered
up in idleness and pleasure, was wont with a sword and buckler by his
side to strut through the street with a bragging look, and to think
himself too good to be any man's mate. Nay, by Saint Mary, Sir (quod
the lawyer), not so. For this kind of men must we make most of. For in
them as men of stouter stomachs, bolder spirits, and manlier courages
than handycraftsmen and plowmen be, doth consist the whole power,
strength, and puisance of our army, when we must fight in battle.
Forsooth, Sir, as well you might say (quod I) that for war's sake you
must cherish thieves. For surely you shall never lack thieves, while
you have them. No, nor thieves be not the most false and faint-hearted
soldiers, nor soldiers be not the cowardliest thieves: so well these
two crafts agree together. But this fault, though it be much used
among you, yet is it not peculiar to you only, but common also to most
nations. Yet France, besides this, is troubled and infected with a
much sorer plague. The whole realm is filled and besieged with hired
soldiers in peace time (if that be peace) which be brought in under
the same colour and pretence, that hath persuaded you to keep these
idle serving men. For these wise fools and very archdolts thought the
wealth of the whole country herein to consist, if there were ever in a
readiness a strong and sure garrison, specially of old practised
soldiers, for they put no trust at all in men unexercised. And
therefore they must be forced to seek for war, to the end they may
ever have practised soldiers and cunning manslayers, lest that (as it
is prettily said of Sallust) their hands through idleness or lack of
exercise should wax dull; but how pernicious and pestilent a thing it
is to maintain such beasts, the Frenchmen by their own harms have
learnt. For not only the kingdom but also their fields and cities by
divers occasions have been overrunned and destroyed by their own
armies beforehand had in a readiness. Now how unnecessary a thing this
is, hereby it may appear that the French soldiers, which from their
youth have been practised and inured in feates of arms, do not crack
nor advance themselves to have very often got the upper hand and
mastery of your new made and unpractised soldiers. But in this point I
will not use many words, lest perchance I may seem to flatter you.
Yet this is not only the necessary cause of stealing. There is
another, which, as I suppose, is proper and peculiar to you Englishmen
alone. Your sheep that were wont to be so meek and tame, and so small
eaters, now, as I hear say, be become so great devourers and so wild,
that they eat up, and swallow down the very men themselves. They
consume, destroy, and devour whole fields, houses and cities. For look
in what parts of the realm doth grow the finest and therefore dearest
wool, these noblemen and gentlemen, yea, and certain abbots, holy men
no doubt, not contenting themselves with the yearly revenues and
profits, that were wont to grow to their forefathers and predecessors
of their lands, nor being content that they live in rest and pleasure
nothing profiting, yea, much annoying the weal public, leave no ground
for tillage, they enclose all into pastures; they throw down houses;
they pluck down towns, and leave nothing standing, but only the church
to be made a sheep house. And as though you lost no small quantity of
ground by forests, chases, lands and parks, those good holy men turn
all dwelling places and all glebeland into desolation and wilderness.
Therefore that one covetous and insatiable cormorant may compass about
and enclose many thousand acres of ground together within one pale or
hedge, the husbandmen be thrust out of their own, or else either by
coveyn[7] and fraud or by violent oppression they be put besides it,
or by wrongs and injuries they be so wearied, that they be compelled
to sell all; by one means therefore or by other, either by hooke or
crooke they must needs depart away, poor, silly, wretched souls, men,
women, husbands, wives, fatherless children, widows, woful mothers,
with their young babes, and their whole household small in substance
and much in number, as husbandry requireth many hands. Away they
trudge, I say, out of their known and accustomed houses, finding no
place to rest in. All their household stuff, which is very little
worth, though it might well abide the sale; yet being suddenly thrust
out, they be constrained to sell it for a thing of nought. And when
they have wandered abroad till that be spent, what can they else do
but steal, and then justly pardy[8]! be hanged, or else go about a
begging. And yet then also they be cast in prison as vagabonds,
because they go about and work not: whom no man will set at work,
though they never so willingly profer themselves thereto. For one
shepherd or herdman is enough to eat up that ground with cattle, to
the occupying whereof about husbandry many hands were requisite. And
this is also the cause why victuals be now in many places dearer. Yea,
besides this the price of wool is so risen, that poor folks, which
were wont to work it and make cloth thereof, be now able to buy none
at all. And by this means very many be forced to forsake work, and to
give themselves to idleness. For after that so much ground was
inclosed for pasture, an infinite number of sheep died from the rot,
such vengeance God took of their inordinate, unsatiable covetousness,
sending among the sheep that pestiferous murrain, which much more
justly should have fallen on the sheep masters own heads. And though
the number of sheep increase never so fast, yet the price falleth not
one mite, for there be so few sellers. For they be almost all come
into a few rich mens hands, whom no need forceth to sell before they
lust, they lust not before they may sell as dear as they lust. Now the
same cause bringeth in like dearth of the other kinds of cattle, yea
and that so much the more, because that after farms plucked down and
husbandry decayed, there is no man that passeth for the breeding of
young store. For these men bring not up the young of great cattle as
they do lambs. But first they buy them abroad very cheap, and
afterward, when they be fatted in their pastures, they sell them again
exceeding dear. And therefore, I suppose, the whole incommodity hereof
is not yet felt. For yet they make dearth only in those places where
they sell. But when they shall fetch them away from thence where they
be bred faster than they can be brought up; then shall there also be
felt great dearth, store beginning then to fail, when the ware is
bought. Thus the unreasonable covetousness of a few hath turned that
thing to the utter undoing of your land, in the which thing the chief
felicity of your realm did consist. For this great dearth of victuals
causes men to keep as little houses and as small hospitality as they
possible may, and to put away their servants: whither, I pray you, but
a begging: or else (which these gentle bloods and stout stomachs will
sooner set their minds unto) a stealing?
[Footnote 7: = conspiracy.]
[Footnote 8: = pardieu.]