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1、THEMORALECONOMYOFTHEENGLISHCROWDINTHEEIGHTEENTHCENTURY*HethatwithholdethCorn,thePeopleshallcursehim:butBlessingshallbeupontheHeadofhimthatsellethit.Proverbsxi.26.IWEHAVEBEENWARNEDINRECENTYEARS,BYGEORGERUDEANDOTHERS,againstthelooseemploymentoftheterm"mob".Iwishinthisarticletoe
2、xtendthewarningtotheterm"riot",especiallywherethefoodriotineighteenth-centuryEnglandisconcerned.Thissimplefour-letterwordcanconcealwhatmaybedescribedasaspasmodicviewofpopularhistory.AccordingtothisviewthecommonpeoplecanscarcelybetakenashistoricalagentsbeforetheFrenchRevolutio
3、n.Beforethisperiodtheyintrudeoccasionallyandspasmodicallyuponthehistoricalcanvas,inperiodsofsuddensocialdisturbance.Theseintrusionsarecompulsive,ratherthanself-consciousorself-activating:theyaresimpleresponsestoeconomicstimuli.Itissufficienttomentionabadharvestoradown-turnint
4、rade,andallrequirementsofhistoricalexplanationaresatisfied.Unfortunately,evenamongthosefewBritishhistorianswhohaveaddedtoourknowledgeofsuchpopularactions,severalhavelentsupporttothespasmodicview.Theyhavereflectedinonlyacursorywayuponthematerialswhichtheythemselvesdisclose.Thu
5、sBeloffcommentsonthefoodriotsoftheearlyeighteenthcentury:"thisresentment,whenunemploymentandhighpricescombinedtomakeconditionsunendurable,venteditselfinattacksuponcorn-dealersandmillers,attackswhichoftenmusthavedegeneratedintomereexcusesforcrime".1Butwesearchhispagesinvainfor
6、evidenceastothefrequencyofthis"degeneration".Wearmouth,inhisusefulchronicleofdisturbance,allowshimselfone*Thisarticlereportsresearchcommencedin1963andsomewhatretardedinthepastfiveyearsbytheexigenciesandalarumsofworkinanewuniversity.Anearlierversionwaspresentedataconferenceorg
7、anizedbytheDepartmentofHistoryattheStateUniversityofNewYorkatBuffaloinApril1966.IhavealsotothanktheNuffieldFoundationforamorerecentgrantinaidofresearch;andtothankMr.MalcolmThomas,MissJ.NeesonandMr.E.E.Doddforassistance.Theoriginalpaperhasbeenrevisedandextendedatanumberofpoint
8、s.1M.Beloff,PublicOrderandPopularDisturbances,1660-1714(Oxford,1938)
