cts among the most brilliant in the annals of England,
was marked by an enormous increase of pauperism, and by the introduction
of the merciful but wasteful remedy of the Poor Laws.

1660-1773.

The corn legislation of Elizabeth remained without change during the
reign of James, the civil wars and the Commonwealth. But on the
restoration of Charles II. in 1660, the question was resumed, and an act
was passed of a more prohibitory character. Export and import of corn,
while nominally permitted, were alike subjected to heavy duties--the
need of the exchequer being the paramount consideration, while the
agriculturists were no doubt pleased with the complete command secured
to them in the home market. This act was followed by such high prices of
corn, and so little advantage to the revenue, that parliament in 1663
reduced the duties on import to 9% _ad valorem_, while at the same time
raising the price at which export ceased to 48s., and reducing the duty
on export from 20s. to 5s. 4d. per quarter. In a few years this was
found to be too much free-trade for the agricultural liking, and in 1670
prohibitory duties were re-imposed on import when the home price was
under 53s. 4d., and a duty of 8s. between that price and 80s., with the
usual make-weight in favour of home supply, that export should be
prohibited when the price was 53s. 4d. and upwards. But complaints of
the decline of agriculture continued to be as rife under this act as
under the others, till on the accession of William and Mary, the landed
interest, taking advantage of the Revolution as they had taken advantage
of the Restoration to promote their own interests, took the new and
surprising step of enacting a bounty on the export of grain. This evil
continued to affect the corn laws of the kingdom, varied, on one
occasion at least, with the further complication of bounties on import,
until the 19th century. The duties on export being abolished, while the
heavy duties on import were maintained, this is probably the most
one-sided form which the British corn laws ever assumed, but it was
attended with none of the advantages anticipated. The prices of corn
fell, instead of rising. There had occurred at the period of the
Revolution a depreciation of the money of the realm, analogous in one
respect to that which marked the first era of the corn statutes
(1436-1551), and forming one of the greatest difficulties which the
government of William had to encounter. Th