第3章

Fromthebeginningoftheeighteenthcenturythereinsarethrowntothe

enclosuremovement，andthepolicyofenclosureisemancipatedfromallthese

checksandafterthoughts。OneinterestissupremethroughoutEngland，supreme

inParliament，supremeinthecountry；theCrownfollows，thenationobeys。

Theagriculturalcommunitywhichwastakentopiecesintheeighteenth

centuryandreconstructedinthemannerinwhichadictatorreconstructs

afreegovernment，wasthreatenedfrommanypoints。Itwasnotkilledby

avaricealone。Cobbettusedtoattributetheenclosuremovemententirely

tothegreedofthelandowners，but，ifgreedwasasufficientmotive，greed

wasinthiscaseclothedandalmostenvelopedinpublicspirit。Letusremember

whatthiscommunitylookedliketomenwiththemindofthelandlordclass。

TheEnglishlandownershavealwaysbelievedthatorderwouldberesolved

intoitsoriginalchaos，iftheyceasedtocontrolthelivesanddestinies

oftheirneighbours。’Agreatresponsibilityrestsonuslandlords；ifwe

go，thewholethinggoes。’SosaysthelandlordinMr。Galsworthy’snovel，

andsosaidthelandlordsintheeighteenthcentury。TheEnglisharistocracy

alwaysthinkingofthisclassasthepillarsofsociety，astheAtlasthat

bearstheburdenoftheworld，verynaturallyconcludedthatthisoldpeasant

community，withitstroublesomerights，wasapublicencumbrance。Thisview

receivedaspecialimpetusfromallthecircumstancesoftheage。Thelandlord

classwasconstantlybeingrecruitedfromtheranksofthemanufacturers，

andthenewlandlords，bringingintothischarmedcircleanenergyoftheir

own，caughtatonceitstasteforpower，fordirection，forauthority，for

imposingitswill。ReadersofShirleywillrememberthatwhenRobertMoore

picturestohimselfafutureofusefulnessandsuccess，hesaysthathewill

obtainanActforenclosingNunnelyCommon，thathisbrotherwillbeput

onthebench，andthatbetweenthemtheywilldominatetheparish。Thebook

endsinthisdreamoftriumph。Signorialpositionowesitsspeciallustre

forEnglishmindstotheassociationofsocialdistinctionwithpowerover

thelifeandwaysofgroupsofmenandwomen。WhenBagehotsneeredatthe

suddenmillionairesofhisday，whohopedtodisguisetheirsocialdefects

bybuyingoldplacesandhidingamongaristocraticfurniture，hewasremarking

onafeatureofEnglishlifethatwasveryfarfrombeingpeculiartohis

time。DidnotAdamSmithobservethatmerchantswereverycommonlyambitious

ofbecomingcountrygentlemen？Thiskindofambitionwastheformthatpublic

spiritoftentookinsuccessfulEnglishmen，anditwasaverypowerfulmenace

totheoldvillageanditstraditionsofcollectivelife。

Nowthispassionreceivedatthistimeaspecialmomentumfromthecondition

ofagriculture。Adictatorshiplendsitselfmorereadilythananyotherform

ofgovernmenttothequickintroductionofrevolutionaryideas，andnewideas

wereintheair。Thus，inadditiontothedesireforsocialpower，there

wasbehindtheenclosuremovementazealforeconomicprogressseconding

andalmostconcealingthedirectinspirationofself-interest。Manyanenclosing

landlordthoughtonlyofthesatisfactionofdoublingortreblinghisrent：

thatisunquestionable。Ifwearetotrustsowarmachampionofenclosure

asWilliamMarshall，thiswasthestateofmindofthegreatmajority。But

thereweremanywhoseeyesglistenedastheythoughtoftheprosperitythey

weretobringtoEnglishagriculture，applyingtoawiderandwiderdomain

thelessonsthatweretobelearntfromtheprocessesofscientificfarming。

AmanwhohadcaughtthelargeideasofaCoke，ormasteredthediscoveries

ofaBakewell，chafedundertherestraintsthatthesystemofcommonagriculture

placedonimprovementandexperiment。Itwasmaddeningtohavetosetyour

pacebytheslowbucolictemperamentofsmallfarmers，nursedinasimple

andold-fashionedroutine，wholookedwithsuspiciononanyproposalthat

wasstrangetothem。Inthistiresomepartnershiptheswiftwereputbetween

theshaftswiththeslow，andthetemptationtothinkthatwhatwaswanted

wastogetridofthepartnershipaltogether，wasalmostirresistible。From

suchastatethemindpassedrapidlyandnaturallytotheconclusionthat

thewiderthespherebroughtintotheabsolutepossessionoftheenlightened

class，thegreaterwouldbethepublicgain。ThespiritinwhichtheBoard

ofAgricultureapproachedthesubjectfoundappropriateexpressioninSir

JohnSinclair’shigh-soundinglanguage。’Theideaofhavinglandsincommon，

ithasbeenjustlyremarked，istobederivedfromthatbarbarousstateof

society，whenmenwerestrangerstoanyhigheroccupationthanthoseofhunters

orshepherds，orhadonlyjusttastedtheadvantagestobereapedfromthe

cultivationoftheearth。’(16*)ArthurYoung(17*)comparedthewithitsinconveniences

’whichthebarbarityoftheirancestorshadneitherknowledgetodiscover

norgovernmenttoremedy’totheTartarpolicyoftheshepherdstate。

Itisnotsurprisingthatmenundertheinfluenceofthesesetideascould

findnovirtueatallintheoldsystem，andthattheysoonbegantopersuade

themselvesthatthatsystemwasatthebottomofalltheevilsofsociety。

Itwasharmfultothemoralsanduselesstothepocketsofthepoor。’The

benefit，’wroteArbuthnot，(18*)’whichtheyaresupposedtoreapfromcommons，

intheirpresentstate，Iknowtobemerelynominal；nay，indeed，whatis

worse，Iknow，that，inmanyinstances，itisanessentialinjurytothem，

bybeingmadeapleafortheiridleness；for，somefewexcepted，ifyouoffer

themwork，theywilltellyou，thattheymustgotolookuptheirsheep，

cutfurzes，gettheircowoutofthepound，or，perhaps，saytheymusttake

theirhorsetobeshod，thathemaycarrythemtoahorse-raceorcricket-match。’

LordSheffield，inthecourseofoneofthedebatesinParliament，described

thecommonersasa’nuisance，’andmostpeopleofhisclassthoughtofthem

assomethingworse。Mr。JohnBillingsley，whowrotetheReportonSomerset

fortheBoardofAgriculturein1795，describesinsomedetailtheenervating

atmosphereofthecommoners’life。’Besides，moraleffectsofaninjurious

tendencyaccruetothecottager，fromarelianceontheimaginarybenefits

ofstockingacommon。Thepossessionofacowortwo，withahog，andafew

geese，naturallyexaltsthepeasant，inhisownconception，abovehisbrethren

inthesamerankofsociety。Itinspiressomedegreeofconfidenceinaproperty，

inadequatetohissupport。Insaunteringafterhiscattle，heacquiresa

habitofindolence。Quarter，half，andoccasionallywholedaysareimperceptibly

lost。Daylabourbecomesdisgusting；theaversionincreasesbyindulgence；

andatlengththesaleofahalf-fedcalf，orhog，furnishesthemeansof

addingintemperancetoidleness。’(19*)Mr。Bishton，whowrotetheReport

onShropshirein1794，givesastillmoreinterestingglimpseintothemind

oftheenclosingclass：’Theuseofcommonlandbylabourersoperatesupon

themindasasortofindependence。’Whenthecommonsareenclosed’thelabourers

willworkeverydayintheyear，theirchildrenwillbeputouttolabour

early，’and’thatsubordinationofthelowerranksofsocietywhichinthe

presenttimesissomuchwanted，wouldbetherebyconsiderablysecured。’

AsimilarviewwastakenofthemoraleffectsofcommonsbyMiddleton，

thewriteroftheReportonMiddlesex。(20*)’Ontheotherhand，theyare，

inmanyinstances，ofrealinjurytothepublic；byholdingoutalureto

thepoorman——Imeanofmaterialswherewithtobuildhiscottage，andground

toerectitupon：togetherwithfiringandtherunofhispoultryandpigs

fornothing。Thisisofcoursetemptationsufficienttoinduceagreatnumber

ofpoorpersonstosettleuponthebordersofsuchcommons。Butthemischief

doesnotendhere：forhavinggainedthesetriflingadvantages，throughthe

neglectorconnivanceofthelordofthemanor，itunfortunatelygivestheir

mindsanimproperbias，andinculcatesadesiretolive，fromthattimeforward，

withoutlabour，oratleastwithaslittleaspossible。’

OneofthewitnessesbeforetheSelectCommitteeonCommonsInclosure

in1844wasMr。CarusWilson，whoisinterestingastheoriginalofthecharacter

ofMr。BrocklehurstinJaneEyre。WeknowhowthatzealousChristianwould

regardthecommonersfromthespeechinwhichhereprovedMissTemplefor

givingthepupilsatLowoodalunchofbreadandcheeseononeoccasionwhen

theirmeagrebreakfasthadbeenuneatable。’Oh，madam，whenyouputbread

andcheese，insteadofburntporridge，intothesechildren’smouths，you

mayindeedfeedtheirvilebodies，butyoulittlethinkhowyoustarvetheir

immortalsouls！’WearenotsurprisedtolearnthatMr。CarusWilsonfound

thecommoners’hardenedandunpromising，’andthathewasobligedtoinform

thecommitteethat。themisconductwhichthesystemencouraged’hardensthe

heart，andcausesagooddealofmischief，andatthesametimeputsthe

personinanunfavourablepositionfortheapproachofwhatmightbeserviceable

tohiminamoralandreligiouspointofview。’(21*)

Itisinteresting，afterreadingalltheseconfidentgeneralisationsabout

theinfluenceofthiskindoflifeuponthecharacterofthepoor，tolearn

whatthecommonersthemselvesthoughtofitsmoralatmosphere。Thiswecan

dofromsuchapetitionasthatsentbythesmallproprietorsandpersons

entitledtorightsofcommonatRaunds，inNorthamptonshire。Theseunfortunate

peoplelosttheirrightsbyanEnclosureActin1797，andduringtheprogress

oftheBilltheypetitionedParliamentagainstit，intheseterms：’That

thePetitionersbegLeavetorepresenttotheHousethat，underPretence

ofimprovingLandsinthesaidParish，theCottagersandotherPersonsentitled

toRightofCommonontheLandsintendedtobeinclosed，willbedeprived

ofaninestimablePrivilege，whichtheynowenjoy，ofturningacertainNumber

oftheirCows，Calves，andSheep，onandoverthesaidLands；aPrivilege

thatenablesthemnotonlytomaintainthemselvesandtheirFamiliesinthe

depthofWinter，whentheycannot，evenfortheirMoney，obtainfromthe

OccupiersofotherLandsthesmallestPortionofMilkorWheyforsuchnecessary

Purpose，but，inadditiontothis，theycannowsupplytheGrazierwithyoung

orleanStockatareasonablePrice，tofattenandbringtoMarketatamore

moderateRateforgeneralConsumption，whichtheyconceivetobethemost

rationalandeffectualWayofestablishingPublicPlentyandCheapnessof

Provision；andtheyfurtherconceive，thatamoreruinousEffectofthis

InclosurewillbethealmosttotaldepopulationoftheirTown，nowfilled

withboldandhardyHusbandmen，fromamongwhom，andtheInhabitantsofother

openParishes，theNationhashithertoderiveditsgreatestStrengthand

Glory，intheSupplyofitsFleetsandAries，anddrivingthem，fromNecessity

andWantofEmploy，invastCrowds，intomanufacturingTowns，wherethevery

NatureoftheirEmployment，overtheLoomortheForge，soonmaywastetheir

Strength，andconsequentlydebilitatetheirPosterity，andbyimperceptible

degreesobliteratethatgreatPrincipleofObediencetotheLawsofGodand

theirCountry，whichformstheCharacterofthesimpleandartlessVillagers，

moreequallydistributedthroughtheOpenCountries，andonwhichsomuch

dependsthegoodOrderandGovernmentoftheState：Thesearesomeofthe

InjuriestothemselvesasIndividuals，andoftheillConsequencestothe

Public，whichthePetitionersconceivewillfollowfromthis，astheyhave

alreadydonefrommanyInclosures，butwhichtheydidnotthinktheywere

entitledtolaybeforetheHouse(theConstitutionalPatronandProtector

ofthePoor)untilitunhappilycametotheirownLottobeexposedtothem

throughtheBillnowpending。’(22*)

Whenwerememberthattheenterpriseoftheagewasunderthespellof

themostseductiveeconomicteachingofthetime，andthattheoldpeasant

society，wearingasitdidthelookofconfusionandweakness，hadtofear

notonlythesimplifyingappetitesofthelandlords，butthesimplifying

philosophy，inEnglandofanAdamSmith，inFranceofthePhysiocrats，we

canrealisethatarulingclasshasseldomfoundsoplausibleanatmosphere

forthefreeplayofitsinterestsandideas。Descrimessontflatté；s

d’ê；trepré；sidé；sparunevertu。Benthamhimselfthought

thespectacleofanenclosureoneofthemostreassuringofalltheevidences

ofimprovementandhappiness。Indeed，alltheelementsseemedtohaveconspired

againstthepeasant，foraesthetictaste，whichmightatothertimeshave

restrained，intheeighteenthcenturyencouragedthedestructionofthecommons

andtheirroughbeauty。Theragefororderandsymmetryandneatcultivation

wasuniversal。ItfoundexpressioninBurnet，whosaidoftheAlpsandAppenines

thattheyhadneitherformnorbeauty，neithershapenororder，anymore

thanthecloudsoftheair：inJohnson，whosaidoftheHighlandsthat’the

uniformityofbarrennesscanaffordverylittleamusementtothetraveller；’

andinCobbett，whosaidoftheCotswolds，’thisisasortofcountryhaving

lesstopleasetheeyethananyotherthatIhaveeverseen，alwayssave

andexcepttheheathslikethoseofBagshotandHindhead。’Theenjoyment

ofwildnaturewasalostsense，toberediscoveredonedaybytheRomanticists

andtheRevolution，buttoolatetohelptheEnglishvillage。InFrance，

owingtovariouscauses，parteconomic，partpolitical，onwhichweshall

touchlater，thepeasantpersistedinhisancientandridiculoustenure，

andsurvivedtobecometheenvyofEnglishobserver：itwasonlyinEngland

thathelosthisfooting，andthathisancientpatrimonyslippedawayfrom

him。