(1357) The Ordinance of Herrings is a most interesting example of early intelligence in dealing with a modern abuse.  It provides “that no herring shall be bought or sold in the Sea, till the Fishers be come into the Haven with their Herring, and that the Cable of the Ship be drawn to the Land.”  That thereupon they may sell freely, but only between sunrise and sunset.  “The Hundred of Herring shall be ... six score, and the Last by ten Thousand and all Merchants must sell the Thousand of Herring after the Rate of the Price of the Last, and the people of Yarmouth shall sell the last [that is, the ten thousand red herring], bought for forty shillings for half a mark of gain and not above; and so the people of London for one mark of gain”; and the destruction of fish is prevented, but all caught must be sold.  It is well known that the custom was to destroy all the fish brought into Billingsgate market above a certain quantity, which led Ruskin to cry out furiously that the real prices of the world were regulated by Rascals, while the fools are bleating their folly of Supply and Demand.  One may guess to-day that most of the proceedings in the ports of Boston, New York, or Gloucester would be highly criminal under this ancient law.  So, in the Statute of Dogger (this ancient word meaning the ships that carry fish for salting to Blakeney, Cromer, and other ports in the east of England), the price of dogger fish is settled at the beginning of the day and must be sold at such price “openly, and not by covin, or privily,” nor can fish be bought for resale, but must be sold within the bounds of the market.  To-day there is not a quart of milk that goes into Boston that is not forestalled, nor possibly a fish that is not sold at sea or even before its capture; and the number of middlemen is many—­when, indeed, they all are not consolidated into a trust.  The destruction, directly or by cold storage, of milk, fish, eggs, or other food in order solely to maintain the price should to-day be a misdemeanor; and these early doctrines of forestalling and restraining trade should be to-day more intelligently applied by our judges—­or by the legislatures, if our lawyers have forgotten them—­for they all are “highly criminal at the common law.”

In the reign of Edward III appears one of many cruel ordinances for Ireland.  Although the Roman Church was then, of course, universal, the statute is addressed to “the Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Priors and our Officers both great and small of our land of Ireland,” and recites that “through default of good government and the neglect and carelessness of the royal officers there [this is probably true enough] our land of Ireland and the Clergy and People thereof have been manifoldly disturbed and grieved; and the Marches of said Land situate near the Enemy, laid waste by Hostile Invasions, the Marches being slain and plundered and their Dwellings horribly burnt.”  The Marchers were, of course, mainly of English descent;