Rising and Falling of Corn, Sixpence in the Quarter, and which they were content to abide by, but that the last Lord Mayor, (Sir JOHN ABBOT,) under a certain Statute, made in the Twenty-third Year of HENRY VIII. did publish by Proclamation, that no Brewer should make but Two Sorts of Beer or Ale, viz. the Strong and the Double, and that the same should be sold, after the Rate of Six Shillings and Eightpence per Barrel, of the Best, and Three Shillings and Fourpence, of Double Beer or Ale, and not above, at which Rates, MALT being now at 13s. per Quarter, HOPS from 31. 6s. 8d. to 4l. 10s. per Cwt. which heretofore were sold for 6s. 8d. and yet One Hundred weight, then, was well worth Three Hundred of the Hops, now, to be purchased. Barrels and Coals being at twice their former Cost, and all other Articles in equal Advance, the BREWERS could not sell such Goods, as are fit for the said CITY, without their utter Undoing." By the STATUTES above alluded to, when WHEAT was at Four Shillings per Quarter, ALE was sold, at One Penny per Gallon. In the Reign of HENRY VIII. a Quarter of WHEAT, sold for Six Shillings and Eightpence. MALT, from Four to Five Shillings. OATS, Two Shillings and Eightpence. One Hundred of the best Hops, Six Shillings and Fourpence. Let these Sums, be contrasted with the Prices of the same Articles, in September, 1812, and the stupendous Difference, would hardly gain Belief, were the FACTS less fairly established, and in some Measure accounted for, by the heavy DUTIES they now sustain. Hence it is apparent, that in HENRY the Eighth's time, the Charge of a Quarter of Wheat, of Malt, of Oats, and one Hundred of Hops, was One Pound, and Eightpence. In 1812, an equal Quantity of Wheat, Malt, Oats, and Hops, would cost Nineteen Pounds, Fifteen Shillings, and at this Hour, ONE QUART of strong Beer or Porter, costs as much as FIVE GALLONS, in the Days of EDWARD I. At present, in the METROPOLIS, and its Environs, there are at least FIVE THOUSAND Public Houses, of which, it is computed, that about One Thousand, change Tenants from once, to thrice, a Year. Hence, no less than two thousand Individuals, are in a floating state, from one Public House to another. The Quantity of Beer, Porter, Gin, and Compounds, sold in these Repositories, has been estimated, after considerable Pains in forming the Calculation, at nearly Three Millions, Three hundred Thousand per Annum*. *The Author of a Tract entitled, "Observations and Facts relative to PUBLIC HOUSES," has fully explained the Mode of conducting them, and the Evils arising from this Fountain of Iniquity, and Idleness. By this Publication it is ascertained, after much Investigation, that there is sold in the aforementioned number of Alehouses, 158,400,580 Pots of Porter, Ale, and} £2,911,466 15 10 Twopenny, Gin and Compounds, from the Distil lers and Rectifiers, stil-} 975,000 0 O To which add, Pipes, Tobacco, &c. at least 113,533 4 2 Total £ 3,310,000 0 0 The SPRING from whence this immense Sum, (equal to double the Income, of many Our British SOLOMON, JAMES the Ist, who was a great Opponent of the Devil, and even wrote a Book against Witchcraft, made a formidable Attack also upon this "Invention of Satan," in a learned Performance, which he called a "Counter-blaste to Tobacco*." It is printed in the Edition of his Works, by Barker and Bill, London, 1616. He concludes this bitter Blast †, his sulphureous Invec His MAJESTY in the Course of his Work informs us, "that some of the Gentry of the Land, bestowed (at that Time) three, some four hundred pounds a Yeere, upon this precious Stink !” An incredible Sum, especially when we consider the Value of Money in his Time. They must not have been Sterling, but Scotch pounds. The extraordinary Account of a Buckinghamshire PARSON, who abandoned himself to the use of Tobacco, is worth quoting. It may be found in LILLY'S History of his Life and Times, p. 44. "In this Year also, WILLIAM BREDON, Parson, or Vicar of THORNTON in Bucks, was living, a profound Divine, but absolutely the most polite Person for Nativities in that Age, strictly adhering to PTOLEMY, which he well understood; he had a Hand in composing, Sir CHRISTOPHER HEYDON'S Defence of judicial Astrology, being at that time his Chaplain; he was so given over to Tobacco and Drink, that when he had no Tobacco, (and I suppose toouch Drink) he would cut the Bell-ropes, and smoke them!" How widely different the Strains of the subsequent Parody: Little Tube of mighty pow'r, Charmer of an idle hour, Object of my warm desire, &c. of the KINGDOMS and STATES of EUROPE,) is drawn; independent of the noxious Conse tive, against this transmarine Weed, with the following Peroration: "Have you not Reason then to be ashamed and to forbear this filthy Novelty, so basely grounded, so foolishly received, and so grossly mistaken in the right Use thereof! In your Abuse thereof sinning against GOD, harming yourselves both in Persons and Goods, and taking also thereby (look to it, ye that take Snuff in Profusion!) the marks and notes of Vanity upon you; by the Custom thereof, making yourselves to be wondered The Stile of that puling Bard, AMBROSE PHILLIPS, is here ridiculed. As is also that of the subsequent Imitation of Dr. YOUNG. Critics avaunt, Tobacco is my Theme; For which we driuk, eat, sleep, smoke, every Thing. BOTH of these were written by HAWKINS BROWNE, Esq. |