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# Assize of Bread and Ale

## Definition

Medieval English regulations that set the prices of bread and ale based on the prices of wheat and barley. These statutes attempted to maintain stable prices for essential food items by adjusting their prices according to grain market conditions.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 11

## Context

Smith discusses the assize of bread and ale as another historical example of price regulation, using it to trace the changes in grain prices and the value of silver over time.

## Economic Domain

Regulation

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