the advancement of prices in all things that belong to the said servants and labourers, the said lawes cannot conveniently without the great greefe and burden of the poore labourer and hired man be put in due execution.’  But as several of these Acts were still beneficial it was proposed to consolidate them into one statute in order to banish idleness, advance husbandry, and give the labourer decent wages.  It was enacted therefore that all persons between the ages of twelve years and sixty, not being otherwise occupied, ’nor being a gentleman born, nor having lands of the yearly value of 40s., nor goods to the value of L10,’ should be compellable to serve in husbandry with ’any person that keepeth husbandry’ by the year, and the hours of work were re-enacted.

The rates of wages of artificers, husbandmen, &c., were to be ascertained yearly by the justices and the sheriff, ’if he conveniently may,’ at quarter sessions, ’calling unto them such discrete and grave persons as they shall thinck meete and conferring together respecting the plentie or scarcitie of the tyme and other circumstances necessary to be considered,’ and the wages fixed were to be certified into Chancery.  Then proclamations of the wages thus determined were to be made in the cities and market towns.  Every person who gave higher wages than those established by the proclamation was to be imprisoned for ten days and fined L5, every receiver to be imprisoned twenty-one days.  The importance still attached to the harvest season is shown by the section that all artificers and others were compellable to work in harvest or be put in the stocks two days and a night.  For the better advancement of husbandry and tillage every householder farming 60 acres of tillage or more might receive an apprentice in husbandry, but no tradesman or merchant might take an apprentice save his own son, unless his parents had freehold of the annual value of 40s.; and no person was to use ‘any art mistery or manual occupation now in use’ unless he had served seven years’ apprenticeship to it.  There can be no doubt that the clauses last quoted confined a large portion of the population to agricultural work, but as we know that the people were deserting the country and flocking to the towns, this must have seemed to the framers of the law very desirable.

This method of fixing wages was in force until 1814, and its repeal then was entirely contrary to the opinion of the artizan class; but it may be doubted if the magistrates extensively used the powers given them by the Act, and wages seem to have been settled generally by competition.  Several instances remain, however, of wages drawn up under this Act.  Almost immediately after it was passed, in June 1564, the Rutland magistrates met under the Act, and stated that the prices of linen, woollen, leather, corn, and other victuals were great, so they drew up the following list of wages[246]:—­

  A bailiff in husbandry, having charge of two plough lands,
    at least should have by the year 40s., and 8s.
    for his livery.