What was it induced so many of the commonalty lately to go to America but high rents, bad seasons, and want of good tenures, or a permanent property in their land?
This kept them poor and low, and they scarce had sufficient credit to procure necessaries to subsist or till their ground.

They never had anything to store, all was from hand to mouth; so one or two bad crops broke them.

Others found their stock dwindling and decaying visibly, and so removed before all was gone, while they had as much left as would pay their passage, and had little more than what would carry them to the American shore.
'This, it may be allowed, was the occasion of the poor farmers going who had their rents lately raised.

But it may be objected that was not the reason why rich farmers went, and those who had several years in beneficial leases still unexpired, who sold their bargains and removed with their effects.

But it is plain they all went for the same reason; for these last, from _daily examples before them_, saw the present occupiers dispossessed of their lands at the expiration of their leases, and no preference given to them; so they expected it would soon be their own case, to avoid which, and make the most of the years still unexpired, they sold, and carried their assets with them to procure a settlement in a country where they had reason to expect a permanent property.' It is a curious fact that sentiments very similar were published by one of Cromwell's officers about a century before.