But alas! their covetous minds, one way in enlarging their revenues,
and carnal intent another, appeared herein too, too much. For, being
bold from time to time to visit their tenants, they wrought oft great
wickedness, and made those endwares little better than brothel-houses,
especially where nunneries were far off, or else no safe access unto
them. But what do I spend my time in the rehearsal of these
filthinesses? Would to God the memory of them might perish with the
malefactors! My purpose was also at the end of this chapter to have
set down a table of the parish churches and market towns throughout
all England and Wales; but, sith I cannot perform the same as I would,
I am forced to give over my purpose; yet by these few that ensue you
shall easily see what I would have used according to the shires, if I
might have brought it to pass.
[5] The first is a variant on a Keltic, the second on a Saxon
word, both relating to matters sufficiently indicated in the
text.--W.
Shires. Market Towns. Parishes.
Middlesex 3 73
London within the walls and without 120
Surrey 6 140
Sussex 18 312
Kent 17 398
Cambridge 4 163
Bedford 9 13
Huntingdon 5 78
Rutland 2 47
Berkshire 11 150
Northampton 10 326
Buckingham 11 196
Oxford 10 216
Southampton 18 248
Dorset 19 279
Norfolk 26 625
Suffolk 25 575
Essex 18 415
And these I had of a friend of mine, by whose travel and his master's
excessive charges I doubt not but my countrymen ere long shall see all
England set forth in several shires after the same manner that
Ortelius hath dealt with other countries of the main, to the great
benefit of our nation and everlasting fame of the aforesaid parties.
Pages:
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436