tour through the eastern counties of england-第3章

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are　such　lovers　of　the　sport；　and　go　so　far　for　it；　often　return

with　an　Essex　ague　on　their　backs；　which　they　find　a　heavier　load

than　the　fowls　they　have　shot。



It　is　on　this　shore；　and　near　this　creek；　that　the　greatest

quantity　of　fresh　fish　is　caught　which　supplies　not　this　country

only；　but　London　markets　also。　　On　the　shore；　beginning　a　little

below　Candy　Island；　or　rather　below　Leigh　Road；　there　lies　a　great

shoal　or　sand　called　the　Black　Tail；　which　runs　out　near　three

leagues　into　the　sea　due　east；　at　the　end　of　it　stands　a　pole　or

mast；　set　up　by　the　Trinity　House　men　of　London；　whose　business　is

to　lay　buoys　and　set　up　sea　marks　for　the　direction　of　the　sailors；

this　is　called　Shoe　Beacon；　from　the　point　of　land　where　this　sand

begins；　which　is　called　Shoeburyness；　and　that　from　the　town　of

Shoebury；　which　stands　by　it。　　From　this　sand；　and　on　the　edge　of

Shoebury；　before　it；　or　south　west　of　it；　all　along；　to　the　mouth

of　Colchester　water；　the　shore　is　full　of　shoals　and　sands；　with

some　deep　channels　between；　all　which　are　so　full　of　fish；　that　not

only　the　Barking　fishing…smacks　come　hither　to　fish；　but　the　whole

shore　is　full　of　small　fisher…boats　in　very　great　numbers；

belonging　to　the　villages　and　towns　on　the　coast；　who　come　in　every

tide　with　what　they　take；　and　selling　the　smaller　fish　in　the

country；　send　the　best　and　largest　away　upon　horses；　which　go　night

and　day　to　London　market。



N。B。　…　I　am　the　more　particular　in　my　remarks　on　this　place；

because　in　the　course　of　my　travels　the　reader　will　meet　with　the

like　in　almost　every　place　of　note　through　the　whole　island；　where

it　will　be　seen　how　this　whole　kingdom；　as　well　the　people　as　the

land；　and　even　the　sea；　in　every　part　of　it；　are　employed　to

furnish　something；　and　I　may　add；　the　best　of　everything；　to　supply

the　City　of　London　with　provisions；　I　mean　by　provisions；　corn；

flesh；　fish；　butter；　cheese；　salt；　fuel；　timber；　etc。；　and　clothes

also；　with　everything　necessary　for　building；　and　furniture　for

their　own　use　or　for　trade；　of　all　which　in　their　order。



On　this　shore　also　are　taken　the　best　and　nicest；　though　not　the

largest；　oysters　in　England；　the　spot　from　whence　they　have　their

common　appellation　is　a　little　bank　called　Woelfleet；　scarce　to　be

called　an　island；　in　the　mouth　of　the　River　Crouch；　now　called

Crooksea　Water；　but　the　chief　place　where　the　said　oysters　are　now

had　is　from　Wyvenhoe　and　the　shores　adjacent；　whither　they　are

brought　by　the　fishermen；　who　take　them　at　the　mouth　of　that　they

call　Colchester　water　and　about　the　sand　they　call　the　Spits；　and

carry　them　up　to　Wyvenhoe；　where　they　are　laid　in　beds　or　pits　on

the　shore　to　feed；　as　they　call　it；　and　then　being　barrelled　up　and

carried　to　Colchester；　which　is　but　three　miles　off；　they　are　sent

to　London　by　land；　and　are　from　thence　called　Colchester　oysters。



The　chief　sort　of　other　fish　which　they　carry　from　this　part　of　the

shore　to　London　are　soles；　which　they　take　sometimes　exceeding

large；　and　yield　a　very　good　price　at　London　market。　　Also

sometimes　middling　turbot；　with　whiting；　codling　and　large

flounders；　the　small　fish；　as　above；　they　sell　in　the　country。



In　the　several　creeks　and　openings；　as　above；　on　this　shore　there

are　also　other　islands；　but　of　no　particular　note；　except　Mersey；

which　lies　in　the　middle　of　the　two　openings　between　Malden　Water

and　Colchester　Water；　being　of　the　most　difficult　access；　so　that

it　is　thought　a　thousand　men　well　provided　might　keep　possession　of

it　against　a　great　force；　whether　by　land　or　sea。　　On　this　account；

and　because　if　possessed　by　an　enemy　it　would　shut　up　all　the

navigation　and　fishery　on　that　side；　the　Government　formerly　built

a　fort　on　the　south…east　point　of　it；　and　generally　in　case　of

Dutch　war；　there　is　a　strong　body　of　troops　kept　there　to　defend

it。



At　this　place　may　be　said　to　end　what　we　call　the　Hundreds　of　Essex

…　that　is　to　say；　the　three　Hundreds　or　divisions　which　include　the

marshy　country；　viz。；　Barnstable　Hundred；　Rochford　Hundred；　and

Dengy　Hundred。



I　have　one　remark　more　before　I　leave　this　damp　part　of　the　world；

and　which　I　cannot　omit　on　the　women's　account；　namely；　that　I　took

notice　of　a　strange　decay　of　the　sex　here；　insomuch　that　all　along

this　country　it　was　very　frequent　to　meet　with　men　that　had　had

from　five　or　six　to　fourteen　or　fifteen　wives；　nay；　and　some　more。

And　I　was　informed　that　in　the　marshes　on　the　other　side　of　the

river　over　against　Candy　Island　there　was　a　farmer　who　was　then

living　with　the　five…and…twentieth　wife；　and　that　his　son；　who　was

but　about　thirty…five　years　old；　had　already　had　about　fourteen。

Indeed；　this　part　of　the　story　I　only　had　by　report；　though　from

good　hands　too；　but　the　other　is　well　known　and　easy　to　be　inquired

into　about　Fobbing；　Curringham；　Thundersly；　Benfleet；　Prittlewell；

Wakering；　Great　Stambridge；　Cricksea；　Burnham；　Dengy；　and　other

towns　of　the　like　situation。　　The　reason；　as　a　merry　fellow　told

me；　who　said　he　had　had　about　a　dozen　and　a　half　of　wives　（though　I

found　afterwards　he　fibbed　a　little）　was　this：　That　they　being　bred

in　the　marshes　themselves　and　seasoned　to　the　place；　did　pretty

well　with　it；　but　that　they　always　went　up　into　the　hilly　country；

or；　to　speak　their　own　language；　into　the　uplands　for　a　wife。　　That

when　they　took　the　young　lasses　out　of　the　wholesome　and　fresh　air

they　were　healthy；　fresh；　and　clear；　and　well；　but　when　they　came

out　of　their　native　air　into　the　marshes　among　the　fogs　and　damps；

there　they　presently　changed　their　complexion；　got　an　ague　or　two；

and　seldom　held　it　above　half　a　year；　or　a　year　at　most；　〃And

then；〃　said　he；　〃we　go　to　the　uplands　again　and　fetch　another；〃　so

that　marrying　of　wives　was　reckoned　a　kind　of　good　farm　to　them。

It　is　true　the　fellow　told　this　in　a　kind　of　drollery　and　mirth；

but　the　fact；　for　all　that；　is　certainly　true；　and　that　they　have

abundance　of　wives　by　that　very　means。　　Nor　is　it　less　true　that

the　inhabitants　in　these　places　do　not　hold　it　out；　as　in　other

countries；　and　as　first　you　seldom　meet　with　very　ancient　people

among　the　poor；　as　in　other　places　we　do；　so；　take　it　one　with

another；　not　one…half　of　the　inhabitants　are　natives　of　the　place；

but　such　as　from　other　countries　or　in　other　parts　of　this　country

settle　here　for　the　advantage　of　good　farms；　for　which　I　appeal　to

any　impartial　inquiry；　having　myself　examined　into　it　critically　in

several　places。



From　the　marshes　and　low　grounds　being　not　able　to　travel　without

many　windings　and　indentures　by　reason　of　the　creeks　and　waters；　I

came　up　to　the　town　of　Malden；　a　noted　market　town　situate　at　the

conflux　or　joining　of　two　principal　rivers　in　this　county；　the

Chelm　or　Chelmer；　and　the　Blackwater；　and　where　they　enter　into　the

sea。　　The　channel；　as　I　have　noted；　is　called　by　the　sailors　Malden

Water；　and　is　navigable　up　to　the　town；　where　by　that　means　is　a

great　trade　for　carrying　corn　by　water　to　London；　the　county　of

Essex　being　（especially　on　all　that　side）　a　great　corn　county。



When　I　have　said　this　I　think　I　have　done　Malden　justice；　and　said

all　of　it　that　there　is　to　be　said；　unless　I　should　run　into　the

old　story　of　its　antiquity；　and　tell　you　it　was　a　Roman　colony　in

the　time　of　Vespasian；　and　that　it　was　called　Camolodunum。　　How　the

Britons；　under　Queen　Boadicea；　in　revenge　for　the　Romans'　ill…usage

of　her　…　for　indeed　they　used　her　majesty　ill　…　they　stripped　her

naked　and　whipped　her　publicly　through　their　streets　for　some

affront　she　had　given　them。　　I　say　how　for　this　she　raised　the

Britons　round　the　country；　overpowered；　and　cut　in　pieces　the　Tenth

Legion；　killed　above　eighty　thousand　Romans；　and　destroyed　the

colony；　but　was　afterwards　overthrown　in　a　great　battle；　and　sixty

thousand　Britons　slain。　　I　say；　unless　I　should　enter　into　this

story；　I　have　nothing　more　to　say　of　Malden；　and；　as　for　that

story