Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland ..

192 THE DESCRirTION OF BRITAINE.
Joo grow to be much more gulled than before, and thereby verie noisome for such as trauell
by the same. Sometimes also, and that verie oftcnj these daies works arc not imploied vpon
those waies that lead from market to market, but ech surueior amendeth such by-plots &
Lmes as seeme best for his owne conimoditie, and more easie passage vnto his fields JlVid
pastures. And whereas in some places there is such want of stones, as thereby the inhabitants
are driuen to seeke them farre oft' in other soiles : the owners of the lands wherein
those stones are to be had, and which hitherto haue giuen monie to haue them borne awaie,
doo now reape no small conmioditie by raising the same to excessiuc prices, whereby their
neighbours are driuen to gricuous charges, which is another cause wherefore the meaninff of
that good law is verie much defrauded. Finallie, this is another thing Ukewise to be considered
of, that the trees and bushes grovi'ing by the streets sides ; doo not a little keepe
off the force ot 'the sunne in sunnner for drieng vp of the lanes. V/herefore if order were
taken that their boughs should continuallie be kept short, and the bushes not suffered to
spread so far into the narrow paths, that inconuenience would also be remedied, and manie
a slough proue hard ground that yet is deepe and hollow. Of the dailie incroaching of tlie
couetous vpon the hie waies I speake not. But this 1 know by experience, that wheras
some streets within these fine and twcntie yeares haue bcenc in most places fiftie foot broad
according to the law, whereby the traueller might cither escape the theefe or shift the inier,
or passe by the loaden cart without danger of himselfe and his horsse ; now they are brought
vnto twelue, or twentie, or six and twentie at the most, which is another cause also whereby
the waies be the worse, and manie an honest man encombred in his iourneie. But what
speake I of these things whereof I doo not thinke to heare a iust redresse, because the error
is so common, and the benefit thereby so sweet and profitable to manie, by such houses and
cotages as are raised vpon the same.
OF THE GENERALL CONSTITUTION OF THE BODIES OF THE ERITONS.
CHAP. XX.
SUCH as are bred in this Hand are men for the most part of a good complexion, tall of
stature, strong in bodie, white of colour, and thereto o'f great boldnesse and courage in the
warres. As for their generall conrelinesse of person, the testimonie of Gregorie the great,
at such time as he saw English capteins sold at Rome, shall easilie confirme what it is, which
yet dooth difler in sundrie shires and soiles, as also their proportion of nicmbers, as we may
perceiue betwcene Herefordshire and Essex men, or Cambridgeshire and the Londoners for
the one, and Pokingion anu StJ'u^-.rie for the other ; these latter being distinguished by their
noses and heads, which commonlie are greater there than in other places of the land. As
concerning the stomachs also of our nation in the field, they haue alwaics beene in souereigne
admiration among forren princes : for such hath beene the estimation of our souldiers from
time to time, since our He hath beene knowne vnto the Romans, that wheresoeuer they haue
serued in forren countries, the cheefe brunts of seruice haue besne reserued vnto them. Of
their conquests and bloudie battels woone in France, Germanic, and Scotland, our histories
are full : & where they haue beene ouercome, the victorers themselues confessed their
victories to haue beene so deerelie bought, that they would not gladlie couet to ouercome
often, after such difficult maner. In martiall prowesse, there is little or no difference betwcene
Englishmen and Scots : for albeit that the Scots haue beene often and verie
greeuouslie ouercome by the force of our nation, it haih not beene for want of manhood
on their parts, but through the mercie of God shewed on vs, and his iustice vpon them,
.sith they alwaies haue begun the quartls, and offered vs nieere iniurie with great despite
and crueltie.
Leland noting somewhat of the constitution of our bodier, saith these words grounding
(1 thinke