The most immediate effect of the plague was that it led to higher wages for the poor. Before the Black Death, Europe was in a state of overpopulation and famines were a frequent occurrence (Herlihy 39). After the arrival of the first plague epidemic, however, the European population decreased by between 25 and 45% (Gottfried 77). Not only that, but repeated episodes of plague kept the European population low, and it did not regain pre-plague levels until the mid-sixteenth century (Gottfried 134). That overwhelming loss of so many lives changed the situation and suddenly Europe was facing a labor shortage. This gave workers an advantage over their employers. With a lack of workers capable of filling the positions, people could negotiate their employment, demanding more money. If their demands were not met, they were often able to find better opportunities elsewhere (Ziegler 233). This led Matteo Villani to complain in 1363 that: “The servants and inexperienced women without service experience and the grooms want at least 12 florins a year, and the most arrogant among them 18 or 24 florins a year, and also wet nurses and minors the craftsmen who work with their hands want three times or almost the usual wage…” (Herlihy 48-49). This clearly demonstrates what was happening at that time. Workers not only wanted more money, they expected it. What's more important, however, is that they actually received more pay. Indeed, wages overall doubled in the post-plague period. Evidence has shown that during the period between 1340 and 1390, the pay of skilled building workers increased from 3d to 5d a day in southern England, and unskilled ones saw an increase from 1½ to 3d... half of paper . .....cent (Gottfried 97). This led to a new trend in Europe, where many landowners, unable to make a profit from their lands, rented their lands to serfs for cash rent, and many became absentee landlords (Gottfried 138). For example, in a manor in the bailiwick of Clare, most of the lands were leased in 1380 (Ziegler 239). In another example, at Witchurch in England in 1383 the owner, Richard Talbot, moved to leasing land after attempts to farm directly failed (Platt 50). And these are just a couple of many examples of what happens. What this meant for serfs who received leases was that they were no longer bound by the shackles of servitude. They could cultivate the land as they saw fit, keep what they needed for their families, and sell what they didn't need. In exchange they only had to pay cash rent to the owner.