When Adam delved and Eve span, Who was then the gentleman? [View all]

[cthulu2016]

When Adam delved
and Eve span,
Who was then
the gentleman?

This is one of the oldest known rhymes in the English language, and one of the most important.

The literal question raised is, if we stated with Adam and Eve then who was the aristocrat and who the peasant? How could a fundamental difference in station and worth have developed? How could there be a divine right of kings when king and peasant had the same geneology... traceable to Adam and Eve.

How then could men not be equal?

This rhyme dates from (at least) the English peasant revolt of 1381, when it was a rallying cry.

The black death killed about a third of people in England and, for the first time, labor had the upper hand. Since there were only 2/3 as many people they should have needed only 2/3 as many crops to feed everyone, but the method of agricultural production was highly unequal and concentrated. A rich man owned fields tended by many laborers. All of those crops must be harvested, processed and stored or else go to rot. And that required labor, suddenly scarce labor, or else the landowner would lose everything.

So there was competition for labor and wages were increasing. The church made it a mortal sin to get a raise, or even to quit your job (!) but edict can seldom overrun the market.

In a classic revolution of rising expectations, laborers who were suddenly in demand (for the first time in anyone's memory) pressed their advantage, and marched chanting that lovely rhyme.