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

$9+ THE DESCRIPTION OF ENGLAND.
vnder euerie clod that may be turned aside. The greatest mart for saffron is at Aqulla In
Abruzo, where they haue an especiall weight for the same of ten pounds lesse in tiie hundred
than that of Florens and Luke : but how it agrceth with purs it shall appeere hereafter.
OF QUARRIES OF STONE FOR BUILDING.
CHAP. IX,
QUARRIES with vs are pits or mines, out of which we dig our stone to build withall,
& of these as we haue great plentie in England, so are they of diuerse sorts, and those verie
profitable for sundrie necessarie vses. In times past the vse of stone was in maner dedicated
to the building of churches, religious houses, princely palaces, bishops manours, and holds
onlie : but now that scrupulous obseruation is altogither infringed, and building with stone
so commonlie taken vp, that amongst noble men & gentlemen, the timber frames are supposed
to be not much better than paper worke, of little continuance, and least continuance
of all. It farre passeth my cunning to set downe how manie sorts of stone for building are
to be found in England, but much further to call each of them by their proper names.
Howbeit, such is the curiositie of our countrimen, that notwithstanding almightie God hath
so blessed our realme in most plentifull maner, with such and so manie quarries apt and meet
for piles of longest continuance, yet we as lothsome of this abundance, or not liking of the
plentie, doo commonlie leaue these naturall gifts to mould and cinder in the ground, and
take vp an artificiall bricke, in burning whereof a great part of the wood of this land is
dailie consumed and spent, to the no small decaie of that commoditie, and hinderance of the
poore that perish oft for cold.
Our elders haue from time to time, following our naturall vice in misliking of our owne
commodities at home, and desiring those of other countries abroad, most esteemed the cane
stone that is brought hither out of Normandie : and manie eucn in these our dales following
the same veine, doo couet in their works almost to vse none other. Howbeit experience on
the one side, and our skilfull masons on the other (whose iudgement is nothing inferiour to
those of other countries) doo afiirme, t'nat in the north and south parts of England, and cer-
teine other places, there are some quarries, which for hardnesse and beautie are equall to the
oudandish greet. This male also be confirmed by the kings chappell at Cambridge, the
greatest part of the square stone whcrof was brought thither out of the north. Some
commend the veine of white free stone, slate, and meere stone, which is bctwe'ene Pentowen,
and the blacke head in Cornewall, for verie fine stufFe. Other doo speake much of the
quarries at Hainden, nine miles from Milbeiie, and pauing stone of Burbecke. For toph
stone, not a few allow of the quarrie that is at Dreslie, diuerse mislike not ol the veines of
hard stone that are at Oxford, and Burford. One praiseth the free stone at Manchester, &
Prestburie in Glocestershire ; another tlie quarries of the like in Richmont. The third likcth
well of the hard stone in Clee hill in Shropshire ; the fourth of that of Thorowbridge, Welden,
and Terrinton. Whereby it appeareth that we haue quarries inow, and good inough
in England, sufficient for vs to build withall, if the peeuish contempt of our owne commo-
dities, and delectations to inrich other countries, did not catch such foolish hold vpon vs. It
is also verified (as anie other waie) that all nations haue rather need of England, than Eng-
land of anie other. And this I thinke may sullice fur the substance of our works. Now if
you haue regard to their ornature, how manie mines of sundrie kinds of course & fine
marble are there to be had in England ? But chieflir one in Staffordshire, an other neere to
the Pcke, the third at Vauldric, the fourth at Snot!i-,li (longing to the lord Chaindois) the fift
at Eglestone, which is of blacke marble, spotted with gr.-le or white spots, the sixt not farre
from Durham. Of white marble also we haue store, and so faire as the Marpesian of Paris
lie. But what meaue I to go about to recite all, or the most excellent ? sith these which I
haue