calculated on the old value of money) diminished in reality.[1] Thus they grew rich at the expense both of their labourers and their landlords. No wonder therefore, that England, at the end of the 16th century, had a class of capitalist farmers, rich, considering the circumstances of the time.[2]
- ↑ On the influence of the depreciation of money in the 16th century, on the different classes of society, see “A Compendious or Briefe Examination of Certayne Ordinary complaints of Diverse of our Countrymen in these our days.” By W. S., Gentleman. (London 1581). The dialogue form of this work led people for a long time to ascribe it to Shakespeare, and even in 1751, it was published under his name, Its author is William Stafford. In one place the knight reasons as follows:
Knight: “You, my neighbour, the husbandman, you Maister Mercer, and you Goodman Cooper, with other artificers, may save yourselves metely well. For as much as all things are deerer than they were, so much do you arise in the pryce of your wares and occupations that ye sell agayne. But ye have nothing to sell whereby, we might advance ye price there of, to countervaile those things that we must buy agayne.” In another place the knight asks the doctor: “I pray you, what be those sorts that ye meane. And first, are those that ye thinke should have no losse thereby?”——Doctor: “I mean all those that live by buying and selling, for as they buy deare, they sell thereafter.” Knight: “What is the next sort that ye say would win by it?” Doctor: “Marry, all such as have takings or fearmes in their owne manurance [cultivation] at the old rent, for where they pay after the olde rate they sell after the newe—that is, they paye for theire lande good cheape, and sell all things growing thereon deare.” Knight: “What sorte is that which, ye sayde should have greater losse hereby, than these men had profit?” Doctor: “It is all noblemen, gentlemen, and all other that live either by a stinted rent or stypend, or do not manure [cultivation] the ground, or doe occupy no buying and selling.”
- ↑ In France, the régisseur, steward, collector of dues for the feudal lords during the earlier part of the middle ages, soon became an homme d’affaires, who by extortion, cheating, &c., swindled himself into a capitalist. These régisseurs themselves were sometimes noblemen. E.g. C’est li compte que messire Jacques de Thoraine, chevalier chastelain sor Besançon rent ès-seigneur tenant les comptes à Dijon pour monseigneur le duc et comte de Bourgoigne, des rentes appartenant à la dite chastellenie, depuis xxve jour de décembre MCCCLIX jusqu’ au xxville jour de décembre MCCCLX. (Alexis Monteil: Histoire des Materiaux manuscrits, etc. p. 244.) Already it is evident here how in all spheres of social life the lion’s share falls to the middleman. In the economic domain, e.g., financiers, stock-exchange speculators, merchants, shopkeepers skim the cream; in civil matters, the lawyer fleeces his clients; in politics the representative is of more importance than the voters, the minister than the sovereign; in religion God is pushed into the background by the “Mediator,” and the latter again is shoved back by the priests, the inevitable middlemen between the good shepherd and his sheep. In France, as in England, the great feudal territories were divided into inumerable small homesteads, but under conditions incomparably more unfavourable for the people. During the 14th century arose the farms or terriers. Their number grew constantly, far beyond 100,000. They paid rents varying from 112 to 13 of the product in money or is kind. These farms were fiefs, sub-fiefs, &c., according to the value and extent of the domains, many of them only containing a few acres. But these farmers had rights of jurisdiction in some degree over the dwellers on the soil; there were four grades. The oppression of the agricultural population under all these petty tyrants will be understood. Monteil says that there were once in France 160,000 judges, where today 4000 tribunals, including justices of the peace, suffice.
