As It Has Two Provinces, So It Has Two
Archbishops:
The one of Canterbury, Primate and Metropolitan of all
England; the other of York:
Subject to these are twenty-five
bishops, viz., twenty-two to Canterbury, the remaining three to
York.
The soil is fruitful, and abounds with cattle, which inclines the
inhabitants rather to feeding than ploughing, so that near a third
part of the land is left uncultivated for grazing. The climate is
most temperate at all times, and the air never heavy, consequently
maladies are scarcer, and less physic is used there than anywhere
else. There are but few rivers; though the soil is productive, it
bears no wine; but that want is supplied from abroad by the best
kinds, as of Orleans, Gascon, Rhenish, and Spanish. The general
drink is beer, which is prepared from barley, and is excellently
well tasted, but strong, and what soon fuddles. There are many
hills without one tree, or any spring, which produce a very short
and tender grass, and supply plenty of food to sheep; upon these
wander numerous flocks, extremely white, and whether from the
temperature of the air, or goodness of the earth, bearing softer and
finer fleeces than those of any other country: this is the true
Golden Fleece, in which consist the chief riches of the inhabitants,
great sums of money being brought into the island by merchants,
chiefly for that article of trade. The dogs here are particularly
good. It has mines of gold, silver, and tin (of which all manner of
table utensils are made, in brightness equal to silver, and used all
over Europe), of lead, and of iron, but not much of the latter.
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