almost absorbed the "freemen," the liberi homines, whose ancient rights the Conqueror had confirmed; and one way or another, had converted soccage into military service. Their tenants held by them by that service, and now that their right to arm their tenants was taken away, they demanded rent in money. Moreover, the tenants, since they could no longer be armed, lost half their value — and sheep-farming had come up, and wool paid well, requiring only a few shepherds to look after thousands of sheep. So landlords began to enclose. "Then commenced a struggle of the most fearful character. The nobles cleared their lands, pulled down the houses, and displaced the people. Vagrancy, on a most unparalleled scale, took place" (Fisher, "History of Landholding in England," p. 54).
Bacon says:
"Inclosures at that time began to be more frequent, whereby arable land, which could not be manured without people and families, was turned into pasture, which was easily rid [worked] by a few herdsmen; and tenancies for years, lives, and at will, whereupon much of the yeomanry lived, were turned into demesnes. [That is, were now to be held in capite.] This bred a decay of people, and, by consequence, a decay of towns, churches, tithes, and the like. The King likewise knew full well, and in no wise forgot, that there ensued withal upon this a decay and diminution of subsidies and taxes ; for the more gentlemen, ever the lower books of subsidies." Henry saw he had outwitted himself; so there were enactments for keeping lands in tillage, and keeping up of dwelling-houses. Moreover, the King saw that he would never get a good infantry out of men "bred in a servile or indigent fashion," and that if husbandmen and ploughmen "be but as the workfolke and labourers of the gentlemen, or else mere cottagers, which are but housed beggars, you may have a good cavalry, but never good stable bands of foot" ("History of King Henry VII.," 70, 71).
So now the King tried to restore the people to the land. If he had done it by re-establishing the "freemen," by
