The Book of Husbandry

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One question of chief interest respecting the volume here printed is—who was the author? We know that his name was “Mayster Fitzherbarde” (see p. 125), and the question that has to be settled is simply this—may we identify him with Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, judge of the Common Pleas, the author of the Grand Abridgment of the Common Law, the New Natura Brevium, and other legal works?

The question has been frequently discussed, and, as far as I have been able to discover, the more usual verdict of the critics is in favour of the supposed identity; and certainly all the evidence tends very strongly in that direction, as will, I think, presently appear.

Indeed, when we come to investigate the grounds on which the objections to the usually received theory rest, they appear to be exceedingly trivial; nor have I been very successful in discovering the opposed arguments. Bohn’s edition of Lowndes’ Bibliographer’s Manual merely tells us that “the treatises on Husbandry and Surveying are by some attributed to the famous lawyer Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, by others to his brother John Fitzherbert.”

In the Catalogue of the Huth Library, we find this note: “The Rev. Joseph Hunter was the first person to point out that the author of this work [Fitzherbert’s Husbandry] and the book on Surveying was a different person from the judge of the same name.” It will be at once observed that this note is practically worthless, from the absence of the reference. After considerable search, I have been unable to discover where Hunter’s statement is to be found, so that the nature of his objections can only be guessed at.

In Walter Harte’s Essays on Husbandry (ii. 77) we read—“How Fitzherbert could be a practitioner of the art of agriculture for 40 years, as he himself says in 1534, is pretty extraordinary. I suppose it was his country amusement in the periodical recesses between the terms.” We are here presented with a definite objection, grounded, as is alleged, upon the author’s own words; and it is most probable that Harte is here stating the objection which has weighed most strongly with those who (like Hunter) have objected to the current opinion. The answer to the objection is, I think, not a little remarkable, viz. that the alleged statement is not the author’s at all. By turning to p. 125, it will be seen that it was Thomas Berthelet the printer who said that the author “had exercysed husbandry, with greate experyence, xl. years.” But the author’s own statement, on p. 124, is differently worded; and the difference is material. He says: “and, as touchynge the poyntes of husbandry, and of other artycles conteyned in this present boke, I wyll not saye that it is the beste waye and wyll serue beste in all places, but I saye it is the best way that euer I coude proue by experyence, the whiche haue ben an housholder this xl. yeres and more, and haue assaied many and dyuers wayes, and done my dyligence to proue by experyence which shuld be the beste waye.” The more we weigh these words, the more we see a divergence between them and the construction which might readily be put upon the words of Berthelet; a construction which, in all probability, Berthelet did not specially intend. Any reader who hastily glances at Berthelet’s statement would probably deduce from it that the author was a farmer merely, who had had forty years’ experience in farming. But this is not what we should deduce from the more careful statement of the author. We should rather notice these points.

1. The author does not speak of husbandry only, but of other points. The other points are the breeding of horses (not a necessary part of a farmer’s business), the selling of wood and timber, grafting of trees, a long discourse upon prodigality, remarks upon gaming, a discussion of “what is riches,” and a treatise upon practical religion, illustrated by Latin quotations from the fathers, and occupying no small portion of the work. This is not the work of a practical farmer, in the narrow acceptation of the term, meaning thereby one who farms to live; but it is clearly the work of a country gentleman, rich in horses and in timber, acquainted with the extravagant mode of life often adopted by the wealthy, and at the same time given to scholarly pursuits and to learned and devout reading. Indeed, the prominence given to religious teaching can hardly fail to surprise a reader who expects to find in the volume nothing more than hints upon practical agriculture. One chapter has a very suggestive heading, viz. “A lesson made in Englysshe verses, that a gentylmans seruaunte shall forget none of his gere in his inne behynde hym” (p. 7). This is obviously the composition of a gentleman himself, and of one accustomed to take long journeys upon horseback, and to stay at various inns on the way.[1]

2. Again he says, “it is the best way that euer I coude proue by experyence, the whiche ... haue assaied many and dyuers wayes, and done my dyligence to proue by experyence which shuld be the beste waye.” Certainly this is not the language of one who farmed for profit, but of the experimental farmer, the man who could afford to lose if things went wrong, one to whom farming was an amusement and a recreation, and who delighted in trying various modes that he might benefit those who, unlike himself, could not afford to try any way but that which had long been known.

3. We must note the language in which he describes himself. He does not say that he had “exercised husbandry” for forty years, but that he had “been a householder” during that period. The two things are widely different. His knowledge of agriculture was, so to speak, accidental; his real employment had been to manage a household, or, as we should rather now say, to “keep house.” This, again, naturally assigns to him the status of a country gentleman, who chose to superintend everything for himself, and to gain a practical acquaintance with everything upon his estate, viz. his lands, his cattle, his horses, his bees, his trees, his felled timber, and the rest; not forgetting his duties as a man of rank in setting a good example, discouraging waste, giving attention to prayer and almsgiving, and to his necessary studies. “He that can rede and vnderstande latyne, let hym take his booke in his hande, and looke stedfastely vppon the same thynge that he readeth and seeth, that is no trouble to hym,” etc. (p. 115). Are we to suppose that it could be said generally, of farmers in the time of Henry VIII., that Latin was “no trouble to them”? If so, things must have greatly changed.

I have spoken of the above matter at some length, because I much suspect that the words used by Berthelet are the very words which have biassed, entirely in the wrong direction, the minds of such critics as have found a difficulty where little exists. It ought to be particularly borne in mind that Berthelet’s expression, though likely to mislead now, was not calculated to do so at the time, when the authorship of the book was doubtless well known. And we shall see presently that Berthelet himself entirely believed Sir Anthony to have been the author of this Book on Husbandry.

Another objection that has been raised is founded upon the apparent strangeness of the title “Mayster Fitz-herbarde” as applied to a judge. The answer is most direct and explicit, viz. that the printer who uses this title did so wittingly, for he is the very man who helps us to identify our author with the great lawyer. It is therefore simply impossible that he could have seen any incongruity in it, and any objection founded upon it must be wholly futile. The title of master was used in those days very differently to what it is now. Foxe, in his Actes and Monuments, ed. 1583, p. 1770, tells us how “maister Latymer” encouraged “maister Ridley,” when both were at the stake; and, chancing to open Holinshed’s History (ed. 1808, iii. 754), I find a discourse between Wolsey and Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower, in which the latter is called “master Kingston” throughout.

I cannot find that there is any reason for assigning the composition of the Book of Husbandry to John Fitzherbert, Sir Anthony’s brother. It is a mere guess, founded only upon the knowledge that Sir Anthony had such a brother. It looks as though the critics who wish to deprive Sir Anthony of the honour of the authorship think they must concede somewhat, and therefore suggest his brother’s name by way of compensation.

We have no proof that John Fitzherbert ever wrote anything, whilst Sir Anthony was a well-known author. All experience shows that a man who writes one book is likely to write another.

When we leave these vague surmises and come to consider the direct evidence, nearly all difficulties cease. And first, as to external evidence.

The author of the Book of Husbandry was also author of the Book of Surveying, as has always been seen and acknowledged.[2] The first piece of distinct evidence on the subject is the statement of Thomas Berthelet. He prefixed some verses to Pynson’s edition of the Book of Surveying (1523), addressing the reader as follows:

This cannot well be mistaken. It is obvious that Berthelet believed the author to be a nobleman, one who “shewed things to husbands” which he had gained by his own “long experience;” one who wrote out of the “good will and mind that he bare unto the public weal,” thereby proving his “high love and zeal,” in that he delighted “to procure men’s wealth,” i.e. the welfare of others, not his own riches, by means of his “busy labour.” We hence conclude that Berthelet knew perfectly well who the author was; and indeed it would have been strange if he did not, since he was writing in 1523 (while the author was still alive), and subsequently printed both the books of which he is here speaking. He plainly tells us that the author was a nobleman, and merely wrote to benefit others out of pure love and zeal.

But this is not Berthelet’s only allusion to these books. In an edition of the Book of Surveying, printed by Berthelet,[5] there are some remarks by him at the back of the title-page to the following effect. “To the reder. Whan I had printed the boke longyng to a Justice of the peace, togither with other small bokes very necessary, I bethought me vpon this boke of Surueyenge, compyled sometyme by master Fitzherbarde, how good and howe profitable it is for all states, that be lordes and possessioners of landes, ... or tenauntes of the same, ... also how well it agreeth with the argument of the other small bokes, as court-baron, court-hundred, and chartuary, I went in hande and printed it in the same volume that the other be, to binde them al-togither. And haue amended it in many places.”

The mention of “the boke longyng to a Justice of the peace” is interesting, as bringing us back again to Sir Anthony Fitzherbert. “In 1538,” says Mr. Wallis,[6] Robert Redman printed “The newe Boke of Justices of the Peas, by A. F. K. [Anthony Fitzherbert, Knight], lately translated out of French into English, In the yere of our Lord God, M.D.xxxviii. The 29 day of December, Cum priuilegio.”[7] Mr. Hobson’s list (Hist. Ashborne, p. 234) mentions this as “the first work on the subject ever printed,” but this is not the case. Wynkyn de Worde and Copland both printed, as early as 1515, “The Boke of Justices of the Peas, the charge, with al the proces of the Cessyons, Warrants, Superseders, wyth al that longyth to ony justice, &c.” It is not pretended that this was our author’s work; but he improved upon it, as he did also upon the Natura Brevium. In his preface to La Novel Natura Brevium (Berthelet, 1534), he says that the original book was written by a learned man, whom he does not name: and that it was esteemed as a fundamental book for understanding the law. In the course of its translations, and of the alteration of the laws, many things had been retained which were unnecessary, and much desirable matter was omitted. This was what induced him to compose the new one.

Upon this I have to remark, that it is incredible that Berthelet should mention a work which he knew to be by Sir Anthony Fitzherbert in one line, and in the next should proceed to speak of “Master Fitzherbarde” without a word of warning that he was speaking of a different person. The obvious inference is that the author of the Book on Surveying was, in his belief, the same person as the “A. F. K.” who wrote “the boke longyng to a Justice of the peace.” As it is, he takes no trouble about the matter; for he could hardly foresee that any difficulty would thence arise. It is remarkable how frequently writers just stop short of being explicit, because they think that, at the moment of writing, a fact is too notorious to be worth mentioning.

Here the direct external evidence ceases. We now come to consider the internal evidence, which is interesting enough.

In the first place, the author of the Book of Husbandry was also the author of the Book of Surveying, as he tells us explicitly in his prologue to the latter book. But whoever wrote the Book of Surveying must have been a considerable lawyer. It is of a far more learned and technical character than the Book on Husbandry, and abounds with quotations from Latin statutes, which the author translates and explains. In Chap. 1 he says of a certain statute, that, in his opinion, it was made soon after the Battle of Evesham, in the time of Henry III.; and he frequently interprets statutes with the air of one whose opinion was worth having. In Chap, xi., he enlarges upon the mistakes made by lords, knights, squires, and gentlemen who know but little of the law. “They come to the court or sende their clerkes, that can [know] as litle law as their maister or lasse, but that he vnderstandeth a lytell latyn.” At the end of the same chapter, he is deep in law-terms, court-roll, fee simple, fee tayle, franke tenement, and all the rest of it. He then gives numerous forms, all in Latin, to be used by owners who wish to lease, grant, or surrender lands; but only a good lawyer would venture to recommend forms suitable for such important purposes.

Some other points of internal evidence have already been incidentally noticed, such as the author’s familiarity with the mode of life of the rich; his lesson made for “a gentylmans seruaunte”; his readiness to try many ways of farming as an experimentalist who could afford to lose money; and his statement that Latin was no trouble to him. I proceed to notice a few more.

Something further can be inferred from the author’s mention of places. He speaks of so many counties, as Cornwall, Devon, Essex, Kent, Somerset, Buckinghamshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, that we can at first obtain no definite result. But there is an express allusion to “the peeke countreye” at p. 44; whilst at p. 81 he alludes to the parts about London by using the adverb “there,” as if it were not his home. Yet that he was perfectly familiar with London is obvious from his allusions to it in chap. xix. of the Book on Surveying. But there are two more explicit references which are worth notice. At p. 27, he speaks of “the farther syde of Darbyshyre, called Scaresdale, Halomshyre, and so northewarde towarde Yorke and Ryppon.” Now Scarsdale is one of the six “hundreds” of Derbyshire, and includes the country about Dronfield and Chesterfield; whilst Hallamshire is a name given to a part of Yorkshire lying round and including Sheffield. We hence fairly deduce the inference that the author lived on the western side of Derbyshire, in the neighbourhood of Ashborne, so that he looked upon Chesterfield as lying on the farther side of the country, and at the same time northward, which is precisely the fact. We are thus led to locate the author in the very neighbourhood of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert’s home.

Again, at p. 65, he says that if he were to say too much about the faults of horses, he would break the promise that he made “at Grombalde brydge,” the first time that he went to Ripon to buy colts. After some search as to the place here intended, I found, in Allen’s History of Yorkshire, that one of the bridges over the Nidd near Knaresborough is called “Grimbald bridge;”[8] and, seeing that Knaresborough is exactly due south of Ripon, it follows that the author came from the south of Knaresborough. We seem, in fact, to trace the general direction of his first ride to Ripon, viz. from his home to the farther side of Derbyshire, through the northwest corner of Scarsdale to Sheffield, and “so northward” through Leeds and Knaresborough. Nothing can be more satisfactory.

A very interesting point is the author’s love of farming and of horses. As to horses, he tells us how he first went to Ripon to buy colts (p. 65); how many secrets of horse-dealing he could tell; how, in buying horses, he had been beguiled a hundred times and more (p. 63); how he used to say to his customers that, if ever they ventured to trust any horse-dealer, they had better trust himself (p. 73); and how he had in his possession at one time as many as sixty mares, and five or six horses (p. 60). In this connection, it becomes interesting to inquire if Sir Anthony Fitzherbert was fond of horses likewise.

It so happens that this question can certainly be answered in the affirmative; and I have here to acknowledge, with pleasure and gratitude, the assistance which I have received from one of the family,[9] the Rev. Reginald Fitzherbert, of Somersal Herbert, Derbyshire. He has been at the trouble of transcribing Sir Anthony’s will, a complete copy of which he contributed to “The Reliquary,” No. 84, vol. xxi. April, 1881, p. 234. I here insert, by his kind permission, his remarks upon the subject, together with such extracts from the will as seem most material for our present purpose.

“The following will of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, of Norbury, is transcribed from the Office Copy at Somerset House (Dingley, fol. 20), and is now printed, as I believe, for the first time. The contractions have been written out in extenso.

“Sir Anthony married, secondly, the co-heir of Richard Cotton, and with her he acquired the estate of Hampstall Ridware, which he probably kept in his own hands, and farmed himself. He succeeded his brother John at Norbury in 1531, and died there in 1538, aged 68.

“Fuller, in his Worthies, says that Sir Anthony Fitzherbert’s books are ‘monuments which will longer continue his Memory than the flat blew marble stone in Norbury Church under which he lieth interred.’ Camden (Gibson’s ed. 1753, vol. i. p. 271) calls him Chief Justice of the Common Pleas; but Thoroton (Notts., ed. 1677, p. 344) says, ‘I do not find that Anthony Fitzherbert was ever Chief Justice;’ and it does not appear that he was more than, as he describes himself, ‘oon of the kings Justices.’”

The will was proved at Lichfield, August 26, 1538.

I may add that the will mentions his wife dame Maude, his son Thomas, his three younger sons John, Richard, and William, and his daughter Kateryn; also his cousin Richard Coton and his wife Alice. Thomas Fitzherbert married the daughter of Sir Arthur Eyre.

It hence appears that Sir Anthony had no less than three farms, one at Castleton in the Peak, one at Caldon in Staffordshire, near Dove Dale, and a farm which he held of the King; besides the How Grange and some land at Whittington near Lichfield, as also some purchased lands and tenements in the counties of Stafford, Northampton, and Warwick, mentioned in a part of the will which I have not quoted. There was also the estate of Hampstall Ridware in Staffordshire, to which he attached considerable importance, directing his heir-looms to be kept there. He also makes mention, in all, of six horses (including a stallion and two geldings), twelve mares, three colts, one bull, four bullocks, five heifers, eight oxen, and ten cows, though it is obvious that these by no means include all his stock, but merely a selection from it. All this precisely agrees with the statements in the Book of Husbandry.

I do not think it necessary to pursue the subject further, but a word must be added as to the chronology. Not having seen the first edition of the Book of Husbandry printed by Pynson in 1523, I cannot certainly say whether the statement that the author had “been a householder for 40 years” occurs there. It occurs, however, in an undated edition by Peter Treuerys,[13] which is certainly the second edition, and printed between 1521 and 1531, as Treuerys is only known to have printed books during that period. Now this edition professes to have corrections and additions, the title being—“Here bygynneth a newe tracte or treatis moost profytable for all husbande men / and very [frutefu]ll for all other persones to rede / newly cor[rected] & amended by the auctour with to dyuerse other thynges added thervnto;” and it agrees very closely with the copy here printed. The date assigned for Sir Anthony Fitzherbert’s birth is 1470. If we suppose him to have begun housekeeping at 21, a period of 40 years will bring us to 1531, which is not inconsistent with his statement, if such be the date of the copy above mentioned. If, however, it should appear that the statement exists even in the first edition printed in 1523, then the “forty years” would lead us to suppose that, if the assigned date of his birth be correct, Sir Anthony began to be a householder, in his own estimation, at the early age of twelve or thirteen. This is of course a difficulty, but not an insuperable one, for the phrase “have been a householder” is somewhat vague, and the phrase “forty years or more” has rather the air of a rhetorical flourish.

It may here be noticed that Berthelet’s first edition (here reprinted) has nothing on the title-page but the words “The Boke of Hvsbandry,” with the date 1534 below. Later reprints which follow Berthelet have accordingly no statement as to the book being “newly corrected and amended by the auctour,” etc.; whilst those which follow Treuerys naturally copy it. This accounts for the fact that the later editions are, to the best of my belief, all very much the same, and that the claim to possess “corrections and amendments” means practically nothing, except with reference to the first edition only.

Of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, one of the best accounts seems to be that given in the Biographia Britannica, 1750, vol. iii. p. 1935, where Camden’s statement as to his being “Chief Justice” is refuted. Briefly recapitulated, this account tells us that he was born in 1470, and was the younger son of Ralph Fitzherbert, Esq., of Norbury in Derbyshire; that he went to Oxford, and thence to the Inns of Court; was made a serjeant-at-law, Nov. 18, 1511; was knighted in 1516; was made one of his majesty’s serjeants-at-law, and finally one of the Justices of the Court of Common Pleas in 1523. He died May 27, 1538, and was buried at Norbury. “Two things are mentioned in reference to his conduct; first, that, without fear of his power, he openly opposed Cardinal Wolsey in the heighth of his favour; the other, that, when he came to lie upon his death-bed, foreseeing the changes that were like to happen in the Church as well as State, he pressed his children in very strong terms to promise him solemnly, neither to accept grants, nor to make purchases of abbey-lands; which it is said they did, and adhered constantly to that promise, though much to their own loss.” The authorities referred to are Pits, De Illustribus Angliæ Scriptoribus, p. 707; Wood, Athenæ Oxonienses, i. col. 50; Fuller, Worthies, Derbyshire, p. 233; Tanner, Bibliotheca Britannico-Hibernica, p. 283; Chronica Juridicialia, pp. 153, 155., etc.

The number of editions of the Book of Husbandry is so large, and many of these are nevertheless so scarce, that I do not suppose the list here subjoined is exhaustive; nor have I much information about some of them. I merely mention what I have found, with some authorities.

1. A newe tracte or treatyse moost profytable for all Husbandemen, and very frutefull for all other persons to rede. London: by Rycharde Pynson. 4to. (1523). See Typographical Antiquities, by Ames and Herbert, ed. Dibdin, ii. 503. This is the first edition, and very rare. It was described by Dibdin from Heber’s copy, supposed to be unique. See Heber’s Catalogue, part ix. p. 61. The note in Hazlitt that a copy of this edition is in the Bodleian Library is a mistake, as I have ascertained. It is not dated, but the Book on Surveying, printed just afterwards, is dated 1523; and there is no doubt as to the date. It is remarkable for an engraving upon the title-page, representing two oxen drawing a plough, with drivers.

2. “Here begynneth a newe tracte,” etc. (See p. xx.) London, Southwark; by P. Treuerys, 4to. (No date; but between 1521 and 1531). In the Camb. Univ. Library. This is the only other edition which (as far as I know) has the picture of ploughing upon the title-page.[14]

3. By Thomas Berthelet, in 1532 (Lowndes). It is “12mo in size, but in eights by signatures,” and therefore 8vo. (A. Wallis; Derby Mercury, Nov. 1869).

4. By Thomas Berthelet; 8vo.; the edition here reprinted from the copy in the Cambridge University Library. There are also two copies of it in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The title-page has merely the words: “The | Boke of | Hvs- | bandry;” printed within a border bearing the date 1534. The reverse of the title-page is blank. On the second leaf, marked A ij, begins “The aucthors prologue.” The rest of sheet A (which contains in all only six leaves) is occupied with the Prologue and “the Table;” and is not foliated. Then follow sheets B to M, all of eight leaves, and sheet N, of two leaves only. Sheets B to H have the folios numbered from 1 to 56; sheets I, K, L have the folios numbered from 51 to 75; and sheets M and N, from 81 to 90. Thus the six numbers 51–56 occur twice over, and the five numbers 76–80 do not occur at all. It is not quite certain that the apparent date is also the real one; for at the end of Berthelet’s print of Xenophon’s treatise of Housholde, which has 1534 within the same border upon the title-page, there is a colophon giving the date as 1537. This border was evidently in use for at least three years. See Dibdin, iii. 287.

5. By Berthelet; 1546. This edition also contains the Treatise on Surveying. (Lowndes; compare Dibdin, iii. 348.)

6. By Berthelet; 1548. (Lowndes; Dibdin, iii. 334, where it is described as 12mo.) A copy of this is noticed in the Catalogue of the Huth Library.

7. By Thomas Marshe; (1560). This edition is said to be “newly corrected and amended by the author, Fitzherbarde;” but is, of course, a mere reprint. See remarks upon this above. (Lowndes; Dibdin, iv. 534.) In Arber’s Transcript of the Stationers’ Registers, i. 128, we find—“Recevyd of Thomas Marshe for his lycense for pryntinge of a boke Called the boke of husbondry, graunted the xx of June [1560] ... iiij. d.” Hence the date, which is not given, may be inferred.

8. By John Awdeley; 16mo. 1562; “wyth diuers addicions put ther-vnto.” (Dibdin, iv. 566.)

9. By John Awdeley; 8vo. 1576; “with diuers additions put therunto.” (Dibdin, iv. 568.)

10. Fitzharbert’s | Booke of | Husbandrie. | Devided Into foure seuerall Bookes, very ne | cessary and profitable for all sorts | of people. And now newlie corrected, amended, and reduced into a more pleasing forme of English then before. Ecclesiast. 10. ver. 28. Better is he that laboureth, and hath plentiousnesse of all thinges, then hee that is gorgious | and wanteth bread. At London, | Printed by J. R. for Edward White, and are | to be sold at his shoppe, at the little North doore of Paules Church, at the signe of the Gunne. | Anno Dom. 1598. Dedicated “To the Worshipfull Maister Henrie Iackman Esquire” ... by “Your Worships in affection I. R.” Of this book I shall say more below. I have used the copy in the Douce Collection in the Bodleian Library.[15]

11. etc. There are numerous other editions. Hazlitt mentions one by R. Kele (no date), “newlye corrected and amended by the auctor Fitzherbarde, with dyuers additions put therunto.” Lowndes says: “London, by Richard Kele, 16mo. There are two editions, one containing H, the other I, in eights.” Dibdin (iii. 533) mentions one by John Wayland, 8vo. (no date), Lowndes mentions an edition printed at London “in the Hovs of Tho. Berthelet,” 16mo.; eighty leaves; also—another edition, slightly differing in orthography, and having at the end “Cum privilegio;” also another “in the House of Thomas Berthelet,” 16mo. A, 6 leaves, B—M, in eights, N, 2 leaves, with the date of 1534 on the title-page; but this can be nothing else than the very book here reprinted, and it is not clear why he mentions it again. Lowndes also notices undated editions by John Walley, Robert Toye, Jugge, and Myddylton.

It hence appears that the book was frequently reprinted between 1523 and 1598, but the last of these editions was such as to destroy its popularity, and I am not aware that it was ever again reprinted except in 1767, when the Books on Husbandry and Surveying were reprinted together[16] in a form strongly resembling the edition of 1534.[17] The title of this book is—“Certain Ancient Tracts concerning the management of Landed Property reprinted. London, printed for C. Bathurst and J. Newbery; 1767.” This is a fairly good reprint, with the old spelling carefully preserved; but has neither note nor comment of any kind. A copy of it kindly lent me by Mr. Furnivall has proved very useful.

The editions of the Book on Surveying are almost as numerous as those of the Book on Husbandry, though this was hardly to be expected, considering its more learned and technical character. It is not necessary to speak here particularly of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert’s acknowledged works. The most important are the Grand Abridgment of the Common Law (1514, folio), Office of Justices of the Peace (1538), Diversity of Courts (1539), and the New Natura Brevium, of which the ninth edition, with a commentary by Lord Hale, appeared in 1794. The first edition of the Grand Abridgment was printed by Pynson, who was also the printer of the first edition of the Book of Husbandry. The New Natura Brevium was printed in 1534 by Berthelet, who reprinted the Book of Husbandry in the same year. In a bookseller’s catalogue, March, 1880, I chanced to see the following. “Early English Printing; Black Letter; Law Books in Latin and Norman-French (1543–51). Natura Brevium; newely and most trewely corrected with diverse additions of statutes bokes cases plees in abatements, etc.; London, Wyllyam Powel, 1551.—Articuli ad Narrationes novas; London, W. Powel, 1547.—Diuersite de courtz et lour jurisdiccions, et alia necessaria et utilia, London, W. Myddylton, 1543. The three works in 1 vol., sm. 8vo., old calf neat, quite perfect and very rare, 21s.”

The present volume contains a careful reprint of Berthelet’s edition of 1534, which is a fairly good one. I have collated it throughout with the curious edition of 1598, which abounds with “corrections,” some of them no improvements, and with additional articles. It is a very curious book, and I have given all the more interesting variations in the notes, with a description of the additions. The author, who only gives his initials “I. R.” (by which initials I have been often obliged to quote him[18]) has the effrontery to tell us that he has reduced Fitzherbert’s work “into a more pleasing forme of English then before;” and says that he has “labored to purge the same from the barbarisme of the former times.” Again he addresses the reader, saying—“Gentle Reader, being vrged by the consideration of the necessitie of this worke, and finding it almost cast into perpetuall obliuion, I haue purged it from the first forme of missounding termes to our daintie eares.” This means, of course, that he has altered terms which he did not understand, and occasionally turns sense into nonsense; yet he seems to have taken considerable pains with his author, and his additions are frequently to the point. Whether his discourses upon the keeping of poultry (p. 145, note to sect. 144) were really due to his “owne experience in byrds and foules,” or whether he copied much of it from some of his predecessors, I have not been curious to discover. His references to Virgil, to the fable of Cynthia and Endymion, the Cinyphian goats, and the rest, are in the worst possible taste, and he was evidently far too staunch a Protestant to be able to accept all Fitzherbert’s religious views, though modestly and unobtrusively introduced. After carefully reading his production, I infinitely prefer Fitzherbert’s “barbarisme” to I. R.’s pedantic mannerism, and I find the patronising tone of his occasionally stupid amendments to be almost insufferable; but he may be forgiven for his zeal. The art of sinking in poetry has rarely been so well exemplified as in the verses which are printed at pp. 145 and 148.

The reader can best understand what I. R. conceives to be elegance of style by comparing the following extract with section 1 at p. 9.

“Chapter 2. ¶ By what a Husbandman cheefely liueth.

The most generall and commonest experienst liuing that the toyle-imbracing Husbandman liueth by, is either by plowing and sowing of his Corne, or by rearing and breeding of Cattell, and not the one without the other, because they be adjuncts, and may not be disceuered. Then sithens that the Plough is the first good instrument, by which the Husband-men rips from the Earths wombe a well-pleasing liuing, I thinke it is most conuenient first to speake of the forme, fashion, and making therof.”

The words italicised (except in the title) are all his own.

The Glossarial Index, a very full one, was almost entirely prepared, in the first instance, by my eldest daughter, though I have since added a few explanations in some cases, and have revised the whole, at the same time verifying the references. As to the meaning of a few terms, I am still uncertain.

Fitzherbert’s general style is plain, simple, and direct, and he evidently has the welfare of his reader at heart, to whom he offers kindly advice in a manner least calculated to give offence. He is in general grave and practical, but there are a few touches of quiet humour in his remarks upon horse-dealing. “Howe be it I saye to my customers, and those that bye any horses of me, and [if] euer they wil trust any hors-master or corser whyle they lyue, truste me.” I would have trusted him implicitly.

The difficulties of his language arise almost entirely from the presence of numerous technical terms; and it is, indeed, this fact that renders his book one of considerable philological interest, and adapts it for publication by the English Dialect Society. By way of a small contribution to English etymology, I beg leave to take a single instance, and to consider what he has to tell us about the word peruse.

The whole difficulty as to the etymology of this word arises from the change of sense; it is now used in such a way that the derivation from per- and use is not obvious; nor does it commend itself to such as are unacquainted with historical method. For this reason, some etymologists, including Webster, have imagined that it arose from peruise = pervise to see thoroughly, the i being dropped, and the u (really v) being mistaken for the vowel. This is one of those wholly unscrupulous fictions to which but too many incline, as if the cause of truth could ever be helped forward by means of deliberate invention. But there is no such word as peruise, nor any French perviser. Fitzherbert is one of the earliest authorities for peruse, though it also occurs in Skelton, Philip Sparrow, l. 814. Investigation will show that, at the commencement of the sixteenth century, there was a fashion of using words compounded with per-, a number of which I have given in my Dictionary, s. v. peruse. The old sense was ‘to use up, to go through thoroughly, to attend to one by one;’ and the word was sometimes spelt with a v, because vse (use) was generally so spelt. Examples are:—

“Let hym [i.e. the husbandman who wants to reckon the tithe of his corn] goo to the ende of his lande, and begynne and tell [i.e. count] .ix. sheues, and let hym caste out the .x. shefe in the name of god, and so to pervse from lande to lande, tyll he have trewely tythed all his corne;” sect. 30, l. 4.

“And thus [let the shepherd] peruse them all tyll he haue doone;” sect. 40, l. 23.

“Than [let the surveyor who is surveying property go] to the second howse on the same east side in lyke maner, and so to peruse from house to house tyll he come to St. Magnus churche;” Book of Surveying (1767), chap. xix.

“Begyn to plowe a forowe in the middes of the side of the land, and cast it downe as yf thou shulde falowe it, and so peruse both sydes tyl the rygge be cast down,” etc.; Book of Surveying (1767); chap. xxiv.

The special application to a book may be seen in Baret’s Alvearie: “To ouerlooke and peruse a booke againe, Retractare librum.” And accordingly it need not surprise us that Levins, in 1570, translated to peruse by peruti.

There is just one more suggestion which I venture to make, though I fear, like most conjectures which are made with respect to Shakespeare, it is probably valueless. When King Lear appears, in Act iv. sc. 4—

I cannot help being reminded of Fitzherbert’s list of weeds in sect. 20 (p. 29), in which he includes haudoddes, i.e. corn blue-bottles, as is obvious from his description; see also Britten and Holland’s English Plant-names. It is certainly remarkable that the haudod is precisely one of “the idle weeds that grow in corn,” and that its bright colour would be particularly attractive to the gatherer of a wild garland. We must not, however, overlook the form hardhake, which Mr. Wright has found in a MS. herbal as a name for the knapweed; see his note upon the passage. The two results do not, however, greatly differ, and it is conceivable that the same name could be applied at different times to both these flowers, the latter being Centaurea nigra, and the former Centaurea Cyanus. We also find the term hardewes, occurring as a name for the wild succory; see Hawdod in the Glossarial Index, p. 156. In any case, the proposal of Dr. Prior to explain hordock by the burdock (Arctium lappa), merely because he thinks the burs were sometimes entangled with flax, and so formed lumps in it called hards, is a wild guess that should be rejected. Hards are simply the coarse parts of flax, without any reference to burdocks whatever.

The wood-cut on the title-page is copied from the edition of 1598. The longer handle of the plough is on the left. See the description on p. 128.

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In the first side-note on p. 18, for Beating read Beeting. See Beate in the Glossary, p. 150.

P. 120, sect. 169, l. 36. For a ut read aut.

P. 136. Headline. For Notes (34. 1–43) read Notes (34. 1–43).

P. 140, last line. For Hellebor read Hellybor.

   Sit ista questio. This is the questyon, whervnto is euerye manne ordeyned? And as Job saythe, Homo nascitur ad laborem, sicut auis ad volandum: That is to saye, a man is ordeyned and borne to do labour, as 4 a bird is ordeyned to flye. And the Apostle saythe, Qui non laborat, non manducet: Debet enim in obsequio dei laborare, qui de bonis eius vult manducare: That is to saye, he that laboureth not, shulde not eate, and he ought to 8 labour and doo goddes warke, that wyll eate of his goodes or gyftes. The whiche is an harde texte after the lyterall sence. For by the letter, the kynge, the quene, nor all other lordes spirituall and temporal shuld not eate, without 12 they shuld labour, the whiche were vncomely, and not conuenyente for suche estates to labour. But who that redeth in the boke of the moralytes of the chesse, shal therby perceyue, that euerye man, from the hyest 16 degree to the lowest, is set and ordeyned to haue labour and occupation; and that boke is deuyded in vi. degrees, that is to saye, the kynge, the quene, the byshops, the knightes, the iudges, and the yomenne. In the which 20 boke is shewed theyr degrees, theyr auctorytyes, theyr warkes, and theyr occupations, and what they ought to do. And they so doynge, and executynge theyr auctorytyes, warkes, and occupatyons, haue a wonders great 24 study and labour, of the whiche auctorytyes, occupations, and warkes, were at this tyme to longe to wryte. Wherfore I remytte that boke as myn auctour therof: The whiche boke were necessary to be knowen of euery 28 degree, that they myghte doo and ordre them selfe accordynge to the same. And in so moche the yomen in the sayde moralytyes and game of the chesse be set before to labour, defende, and maynteyne all the other 32 hyer estates, the whiche yomen represent the common people, as husbandes and labourers, therfore I purpose to speake fyrste of husbandrye.

Finis.

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Thus endeth the table.

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   The mooste generall lyuynge that husbandes can haue, is by plowynge and sowyng of theyr cornes, and rerynge or bredynge of theyr cattel, and not the one withoute the other. Than is the ploughe the moste necessaryest 4 instrumente that an husbande can occupy. Wherfore it is conuenyent to be knowen, howe a plough shulde be made.    There be plowes of dyuers makynges in dyuers countreys, and in lyke wyse there be plowes of yren of dyuers facyons. And that is bycause there be many maner of groundes and soyles. Some whyte cley, some 4 redde cley, some grauell or chylturne, some sande, some meane erthe, some medled with marle, and in many places heeth-grounde, and one ploughe wyll not serue in all places. Wherfore it is necessarye, to haue dyuers 8 maners of plowes. In Sommersetshyre, about Zelcester, the sharbeame, that in many places is called the ploughe-hedde, is foure or fyue foote longe, and it is brode and thynne. And that is bycause the lande is verye toughe, 12 and wolde soke the ploughe into the erthe, yf the sharbeame were not long, brode, and thynne. In Kente they haue other maner of plowes, somme goo with wheles, as they doo in many other places, and some wyll 16 tourne the sheldbredth at euery landes ende, and plowe all one waye. In Buckynghamshyre, are plowes made of an nother maner, and also other maner of ploughe-yrons, the whyche me semeth generally good, and lykely 20 to serue in many places, and specially if the ploughbeame and sharbeame be foure ynches longer, betwene the shethe and the ploughe-tayle, that the sheldbrede myght come more a-slope: for those plowes gyue out to sodeinly, 24 and therfore they be the worse to drawe, and for noo cause elles. In Leycestershyre, Lankesshyre, Yorkeshyre, Lyncoln, Norfolke, Cambrydge-shyre, and manye other countreyes, the plowes be of dyuers makinges, the whyche 28 were to longe processe to declare howe, &c. But how so euer they be made, yf they be well tempered, and goo well, they maye be the better suffred.    Men that be no husbandes maye fortune to rede this boke, that knowe not whiche is the ploughe-beame, the sharebeame, the ploughe-shethe, the ploughe-tayle, the stilte, the rest, the sheldbrede, the fenbrede, the roughe 4 staues, the ploughe-fote, the ploughe-eare or coke, the share, the culture, and ploughe-mal. Perauenture I gyue them these names here, as is vsed in my countre, and yet in other countreyes they haue other names: wherfore ye 8 shall knowe, that the ploughe-beame is the longe tree aboue, the whiche is a lytel bente. The sharbeame is the tre vnderneth, where-vpon the share is set; the ploughe-sheth 1is a thyn pece of drye woode, made of oke, that is 12 set fast in a morteys in the plough-beame, and also in to the share-beame, the whiche is the keye and the chiefe bande of all the plough. The plough-tayle is that the husbande holdeth in his hande, and the hynder ende of 16 the ploughebeame is put in a longe slyt, made in the same tayle, and not set faste, but it maye ryse vp and go dow[n]e, and is pynned behynde, and the same ploughe-tayle is set faste in a morteys, in the hynder ende of the 20 sharebeame. The plough-stylte is on the ryghte syde of the ploughe, whervpon the rest is set; the rest is a lyttell pece of woode, pynned fast vpon the nether ende of the stylt, and to the sharebeame in the ferther ende. The 24 sheldbrede is a brode pece of wodde, fast pinned to the ryghte side of the shethe in the ferther ende, and to the vtter syde of the stylte in the hynder ende. The fenbrede is a thyn borde, pynned or nayled moste commonly 28 to the lyft syde of the shethe in the ferther ende, and to the ploughe-tayle in the hynder ende. And the sayde sheldbrede wolde come ouer the sayde shethe and fenbrede an inche, and to come past the myddes of the 32 share, made with a sharpe edge, to receyue and turne the erthe whan the culture hath cut it. There be two roughe staues in euery ploughe in the hynder ende, set a-slope betwene the ploughe-tayle and the stilt, to holde out 36 and kepe the plough abrode in the hynder ende, and the one lenger than the other. The plough-fote is a lyttell pece of wodde, with a croked ende set before in a morteys in the ploughe-beame, sette fast with wedges, to 40 dryue vppe and downe, and it is a staye to order of what depenes the ploughe shall go. The ploughe-eare is made of thre peces of yren, nayled faste vnto the ryght syde of the plough-beame. And poore men haue a 44 croked pece of wode pynned faste to the ploughbeame. The share is a pece of yren, sharpe before and brode behynde, a fote longe, made with a socket to be set on the ferther ende of the share-beame. The culture is a 48 bende pece of yren sette in a morteys in the myddes of the plough-beame, fastened with wedges on euery syde, and the backe therof is halfe an inche thycke and more, and three inches brode, and made kene before to cutte 52 the erthe clene, and it must be wel steeled, and that shall cause the easyer draughte, and the yrens to laste moche lenger. The plough-mal[21] is a pece of harde woode, with a pynne put throughe, set in the plough-beame, 56 in an augurs bore.    Nowe the plowes be made of dyuers maners; it is necessarye for an housbande, to knowe howe these plowes shulde be tempered, to plowe and turne clene, and to make no reste-balkes. A reste-balke is where the plough 4 byteth at the poynte of the culture and share, and cutteth not the ground cleane to the forowe, that was plowed laste before, but leaueth a lyttell rydge standynge betwene, the whiche dothe brede thistyls, and other wedes. All 8 these maner of plowes shulde haue all lyke one maner of temperyng in the yrens. Howe-be-it a man maye temper for one thynge in two or thre places, as for depnes. The fote is one: the setting of the culture of 12 a depnes, is a-nother: and the thyrde is at the ploughe-tayle, where be two wedges, that be called slote-wedges: the one is in the slote above the beame, the other in the saide slote, vnder the plough-beame; and other whyle 16 he wyll set bothe aboue, or bothe vndernethe, but alway let hym take good hede, and kepe one generall rule, that the hynder ende of the sharebeme alway touche the erthe, that it may kyll a worde,[22] or elles it goth not truly. The 20 temperynge to go brode and narowe is in the settyng of the culture: and with the dryuinge of his syde-wedges, forewedge, and helewedge, whiche wolde be made of drye woode, and also the settynge on of his share helpeth 24 well, and is a connynge poynte of husbandry, and mendeth and payreth moch plowyng: but it is so narowe a point to know, that it is harde to make a man to vnderstande it by wrytynge, without he were at the operation 28 therof, to teache the practyue: for it muste leane moche in-to the forowe, and the poynt may not stande to moch vp nor downe, nor to moche in-to the lande, nor in-to the forowe. Howe-be-it, the settynge of the culture 32 helpeth moche. Somme plowes haue a bende of yron tryanglewise, sette there as the plough-eare shulde be, that hath thre nyckes on the farther syde. And yf he wyll haue his plough to go a narowe forowe, as a sede-forowe 36 shulde be, than he setteth his fote-teame in the nycke nexte to the ploughe-beame; and yf he wyll go a meane bredth, he setteth it in the myddell nycke, that is beste for sturrynge; and if he wolde go a brode 40 forowe, he setteth it in the vttermoste nycke, that is beste for falowynge: The whyche is a good waye to kepe the bredthe, and soone tempered, but it serueth not the depenesse. And some men haue in stede of the plough-fote, 44 a piece of yron set vpryghte in the farther ende of the ploughe-beame, and they calle it a coke, made with ii. or thre nyckes, and that serueth for depenes. The plowes that goo with wheles, haue a streyghte 48 beame, and maye be tempred in the yron, as the other be, for the bredth; but their most speciall temper is at the bolster, where-as the plough-beame lyeth, and that serueth both for depnes and for bredth. And they be 52 good on euen grounde that lyeth lyghte, but me semeth they be farre more costly than the other plowes. And thoughe these plowes be well tempred for one maner grounde, that tempre wyll not serue in an other maner 56 of grounde; but it muste reste in the dyscretion of the housbande, to knowe whanne it gothe well.

   Bvt or he begyn to plowe, he muste haue his ploughe and his ploughe-yren, his oxen or horses, and the geare that belongeth to them; that is to say, bowes, yokes, landes, stylkynges, wrethynge-temes. And or he shall 4 lode his corne, he muste haue a wayne, a copyoke, a payre of sleues, a wayne-rope, and a pykforke. This wayne is made of dyuers peces, that wyll haue a greate reparation, that is to saye, the wheles, and those be made 8 of nathes, spokes, fellyes, and dowles, and they muste be well fettred with wood or yren. And if they be yren bounden, they are moche the better, and thoughe they be the derer at the fyrst, yet at lengthe they be better 12 cheape; for a payre of wheles yren bounde wyl weare vii. or viii. payre of other wheles, and they go rounde and lyght after oxen or horses to draw. Howbeit on marreis ground and soft ground the other wheles be better, 16 bycause they be broder on the soule, and will not go so depe. They must haue an axiltre, clout with .viii. waincloutes of yren, ii. lyn-pinnes of yren in the axiltre-endes, ii. axil-pynnes of yren or els of tough harde 20 wodde. The bodye of the wayne of oke, the staues, the nether rathes, the ouer rathes, the crosse somer, the keys and pikstaues. And if he go with a hors-ploughe, than muste he haue his horses or mares, or both his hombers or 24 collers, holmes whyted, tresses, swyngletrees, and togwith. Alsoo a carte made of asshe, bycause it is lyghte, and lyke stuffe to it as is to a wayne, and also a cart-sadel, bakbandes, and belybandes, and a carte-ladder behinde, 28 whan he shall carye eyther corne or kyddes, or suche other. And in many countreys theyr waynes haue carte-ladders bothe behynde and before. Also an husbande muste haue an axe, a hachet, a hedgyngebyll, a pyn-awgur, 32 a rest-awgur, a flayle, a spade, and a shouell. And howe-be-it that I gyue theym these names, as is most comonly vsed in my contrey, I knowe they haue other names in other contreyes. But hereby a manne maye perceyue 36 many thynges that belonge to husbandry, to theyr greate costes and charges, for the mayntenance and vpholdyng of the same. And many moo thynges are belongynge to husbandes than these, as ye shall well perceyue, er I 40 haue made an ende of this treatyse. And if a yonge husbande shulde bye all these thynges, it wolde be costely for hym: wherfore it is necessarye for hym to lerne to make his yokes, oxe-bowes, stooles, and all 44 maner of plough-geare.    It is to be knowen, whether is better, a plough of horses, or a plough of oxen, and therin me semeth oughte to be made a distinction. For in some places an oxe-ploughe is better than a horse-plough, and in somme 4 places a horse-ploughe is better: that is to say, in euery place where-as the husband hath seueral pastures to put his oxen in whan they come fro theyr warke, there the oxe-ploughe is better. For an oxe maye nat endure his 8 warke, to labour all daye, and than to be put to the commons, or before the herdman, and to be set in a folde all nyghte without meate, and go to his labour in the mornynge. But and he be put in a good pasture all 12 nyghte, he wyll labour moche of all the daye dayely.
   And oxen wyl plowe in tough cley, and vpon hylly grounde, where-as horses wyll stande st[i]ll. And where-as is noo seuerall pastures, there the horse-plowe is better, 16 for the horses may be teddered or tyed vpon leys, balkes, or hades, where as oxen maye not be kept: and it is not vsed to tedder them, but in fewe places.
   And horses wyl goo faster than oxen on euen grounde 20 or lyght grounde, & be quicker for cariage: but they be ferre more costly to kepe in winter, for they must haue both hey and corne to eate, and strawe for lytter; they must be well shodde on all foure fete, and the gere that they 24 shal drawe with is more costely than for the oxen, and shorter whyle it wyll last. And oxen wyll eate but straw, and a lyttell hey, the whiche is not halfe the coste that horsis must haue, and they haue no shoes, as horses haue. 28 And if any sorance come to the horse, or [he] waxe olde, broysed, or blynde, than he is lyttell worthe. And if any sorance come to an oxe, [and he] waxe olde, broysed, or blinde, for ii.s. he maye be fedde, and thanne he is mannes 32 meate, and as good or better than euer he was. And the horse, whan he dyethe, is but caryen. And therfore me semeth, all thynges consydered, the ploughe of oxen is moche more profytable than the ploughe of horses. 36    Thou husbande, that intendeste to gette thy lyuynge by husbandry, take hede to the sayenge of the wyse phylosopher, the which sayth, Adhibe curam, tene mensuram, et eris diues. That is to saye, Take hede to thy charge, 4 kepe measure, and thou shalt be ryche. And nowe to speke of the fyrste artycle of these .iii. s[cilicet] Adhibe curam. He that wyll take vpon hym to do any thinge, and be slouthefull, recheles, and not diligent to execute 8 and to performe that thynge that he taketh vpon hym, he shall neuer thryue by his occupation. And to the same entente saythe our lorde in his gospell, by a parable. Nemo mittens manum suam ad aratrum respiciens retro, aptus 12 est regno dei. The spirytuall constructyon of this texte, I remytte to the doctours of dyuynitie, and to the greate clarkes; but to reduce and brynge the same texte to my purpose, I take it thus. There is noo man, puttynge his 16 hande to the plough, lokyng backewarde, is worthy to haue that thynge that he oughte to haue. For if he goo to the ploughe, and loke backewarde, he seeth not whether the plough go in rydge or rayne, make a balke, 20 or go ouerthwarte. And if it do so, there wyll be lyttell corne. And so if a man attende not his husbandrye, but goo to sporte or playe, tauerne or ale-house, or slepynge at home, and suche other ydle warkes, he is not than 24 worthy to haue any corne. And therfore, Fac quod venisti, Do that thou comest fore, and thou shalte fynde that thou sekest fore, &c.    Nowe these plowes be made and tempered, it is to be knowen howe a man shoulde plowe all tymes of the yere. In the begynnynge of the yere, after the feast of the Epiphany, it is tyme for a husbande to 4 go to the ploughe. And if thou haue any leys, to falowe or to sowe otes vpon, fyrste plowe them, that the grasse and the mosse may rotte, and plowe them a depe square forowe. And in all maner of plowynge, 8 se that thy eye, thy hande, and thy fote do agree, and be alwaye redy one to serue a-nother, and to turne vp moche molde, and to lay it flat, that it rere not on edge. For if it rere on edge, the grasse and mosse 12 wyll not rotte. And if thou sowe it with winter-corne, as whete or ry, as moche corne as toucheth the mosse wyll be drowned, the mosse dothe kepe such wete in it self. And in some countreys, if a man plowe depe, 16 he shall passe the good grounde, and haue but lyttel corne: but that countrey is not for men to kepe husbandry vppon, but for to rere and brede catell or shepe, for elles they muste go beate theyr landes with mattockes, 20 as they do in many places of Cornewayle, and in som places of Deuonshyre.    Howe to plowe for pees and beanes, were necessarye to knowe. Fyrst thou muste remember, whiche is mooste cley-grounde, and that plowe fyrste, and lette it lye a good space, er thou sowe it: bycause the 4 froste, the rayne, the wynde, and the sonne may cause it to breake smalle, to make moche molde, and to rygge it. And to plow a square forowe, the bredthe and the depenes all one, and to laye it close to his 8 felow. For the more forowes, the more corne, for a generall rule of all maner of cornes. And that may be proued at the comynge vp of all maner of corne, to stande at the landes ende and loke toward the other 12 ende; And than may ye se, howe the corne groweth.    Thou shalt sowe thy peas vpon the cley-grounde, and thy beanes vpon the barley-grounde: for they wolde haue ranker grounde than pease. How-be-it some husbandes holde opynion, that bigge and styffe 4 grounde, as cley, wolde be sowen with bigge stuffe, as beanes; but me thynke the contrary. For if a dry sommer come, his beanes wil be shorte. And if the grounde be good, putte the more beanes to the pease, 8 and the better shall they yelde, whan they be thresshed. And if it be very ranke grounde, as is moche at euery towne-syde, where catel doth resort, plowe not that lande, tyll ye wyll sowe it; for if ye do, there wyll 12 come vppe kedlokes and other wedes. And than sowe it with beanes; for if ye sowe pees, the kedlokes wyll hurte them; and whan ye se seasonable time, sow both pees and beanes, so that they be sowen in the 16 begynnynge of Marche. Howe shall ye knowe seasonable tyme? go vppon the lande, that is plowed, and if it synge or crye, or make any noyse vnder thy fete, than it is to wete to sowe: and if it make no noyse, and 20 wyll beare thy horses, thanne sowe in the name of god. But howe to sowe? Put thy pees in-to thy hopper, and take a brode thonge, of ledder, or of garthe-webbe of an elle longe, and fasten it to bothe endes of the 24 hopper, and put it ouer thy heed, lyke a leysshe; and stande in the myddes of the lande, where the sacke lyethe, the whiche is mooste conueniente for the fyllynge of thy hopper, and set thy lefte foote before, and take 28 an handefull of pees: and whan thou takeste vp thy ryghte foote, than caste thy pees fro the all abrode; and whan thy lefte fote ryseth, take an other handeful, and whan the ryght fote ryseth, than cast them fro the. 32 And so at euery ii. paces, thou shalte sowe an handful of pees: and so se that the fote and the hande agree, and than ye shal sowe euen. And in your castynge, ye muste open as well your fyngers as your hande, 36 and the hyer and farther that ye caste your corne, the better shall it sprede, excepte it be a greatte wynde. And if the lande be verye good, and wyll breke small in the plowynge, it is better to sowe after the ploughe 40 thanne tarye any lenger.

   There is a sede, that is called Discretion, and if a husband haue of that sede, and myngle it amonge his other cornes, they wyll growe moche the better; for that sede wyll tell hym, how many castes of corne 4 euery lande ought to haue. And a yonge husbande, and may fortune some olde husbande, hath not sufficyente of that sede: and he that lackethe, let hym borowe of his neyghbours that haue. And his neyghbours 8 be vnkynde, if they wyll not lende this yonge housbande parte of this sede. For this sede of Discretion hath a wonders property: for the more that it is taken of or lente, the more it is. And therfore me semeth, 12 it shoulde be more spyrituall than temporall, wherin is a greate dyuersitie. For a temporall thynge, the more it is deuyded, the lesse it is: and a spirytuall thynge, the more it is deuided, the more it is. Verbi 16 gratia. For ensaumple, I put case a wyfe brynge a lofe of breade to the churche, to make holy breade of; whan it is cut in many smal peces, and holy breade made therof, there may be so many men, women, 20 and children in the churche, that by that tyme the priest hath delte to euery one of them a lyttell pece, there shall neuer a crume be lefte in the hamper. And a spiritualle thynge as a Pater-noster, or a prayer, that any 24 man can say, let hym teache it to .xx., a .C., or to a .M., yet is the prayer neuer the lesse, but moche more. And so this sede of Discrecion is but wisdome and reason: and he that hath wysedome, reason, and discretion may teche 28 it, and enforme other men as he is bounde to do. Wherein he shall haue thanke of god: and he doth but as god hath commaunded hym in his gospell, Quod gratis accepistis, gratis date: That thynge that ye toke frely, gyue it frely 32 again, and yet shall ye haue neuer the lesse.

   Bvt yet me thynkethe it is necessarye to declare, howe all maner of corne shuld be sowen, and howe moch vpon an acre most comonly, and fyrste of pease and beanes. An acre of grounde, by the statute, that is to say 4 xvi. fote and a half to the perche or pole, foure perches to an acre in bredth, and fortye perches to an acre in lengthe, may be metelye well sowen with two London busshelles of pease, the whyche is but two strykes in 8 other places. And if there be the .iiii. parte beanes, than wylle it haue halfe a London bushelle more: and yf it be halfe beanes, it wyll haue thre London bushels: and if it be all beanes, it wyll haue foure London busshelles fullye, 12 and that is half a quarter; bycause the beanes be gret, and grow vp streight, & do not sprede and go abrode as pease do. An acre of good beanes is worth an acre & a half of good pees, bycause there wylle be more busshelles. 16 And the beste propertie that belongeth to a good husband is, to sowe all maner of corne thycke ynough, and specially beanes and barley. For commonly they be sowen vpon ranke ground, and good grounde wylle haue 20 the burthen of corne or of wede. And as moche plowynge and harowynge hath an acre of grounde, and sowe thervppon but oone busshelle, as yf he sowed .iiii. busshelles. And vndoutedly .i. busshell may not gyue so 24 moche corne agayne, as the .iiii. busshels, though the .iii. bushels, that he sowed more, be alowed and set aparte. And i. busshel and an halfe of white or grene pees, wyll sowe as moche grounde, as two busshels of gray pees: 28 and that is bycause they be so smal, and the husband nedeth not to take so great an handful. In some countreys they begyn to sowe pees soone after Christmasse: and in some places they sowe bothe pees and 32 beanes vnder forowe: and those of reson must be sowen betyme. But moste generally, to begyn sone after Candelmasse is good season, so that they be sowen ere the begynnynge of Marche, or sone vpon. And specially let 36 them be sowen in the olde of the mone. For thopinion of olde husbandes is, that they shoulde the better codde, and the sooner be rype. But I speke not of hasty pees, for they be sowen before Christmasse, &c. 40    Every good housbande hath his barleye-falowe well dounged, and lyenge rygged all the depe and colde of wynter; the whiche ryggynge maketh the lande to be drye, and the dongynge maketh it to be melowe and 4 ranke. And if a drye season come before Candelmasse, or sone after, it wolde be caste downe and waterforowed bytwene the landes, that the wete rest not in the raine: and in the begynnynge of Marche, rydge it vppe agayne, 8 and to sowe in euery acre fyue London bushelles, or foure at the leaste. And some yeres it maye so fortune, that there cometh no seasonable wether before Marche, to plowe his barley-erthe. And as soone as he hath 12 sowen his pees and beanes, than let hym caste his barley-erthe, and shortly after rygge it agayne: soo that it be sowen before Apryll. And if the yere-tyme be paste, than sowe it vpon the castynge. 16
   ¶ It is to be knowen that there be thre maner of barleys, that is to say, sprot-barleye, longe-eare, and beare-barley, that some menne call bigge. Sprot-barley hath a flat eare most comonly, thre quarters of an inche brode, 20 and thre inches long, and the cornes be very great and white, and it is the best barley. Long-eare hath a flatte eare, halfe an inche brode, and foure inches and more of length: but the corne is not so greate 24 nor soo whyte, and sooner it wyll turne and growe to otes. Bere-barleye or bygge wolde be sowen vppon lyghte and drye grounde, and hathe an eare thre ynches of lengthe or more, sette foure-square, lyke pecke-whete, 28 small cornes, and lyttel floure, and that is the worste barley, and foure London bushels are suffycient for an acre. And in some countreyes, they do not sowe theyr barley tyll Maye, and that is mooste commonly vpon 32 grauel or sandy grounde. But that barley generally is neuer soo good as that that is sowen in Marche. For if it be verye drie wether after it be sowen, that corne that lyeth aboue, lyeth drie, and hath noo moysture, and that 36 that lyeth vndernethe, commeth vp: and whan rayne cometh, than sprutteth that that lyeth aboue, and often-tymes it is grene whan the other is rype: and whan it is thresshen, there is moche lyghte corne, &c. 40    And in Marche is tyme to sowe otes, and specially vpon lyght grounde & drie, howe-be-it they wylle grow on weter grounde than any corne els: for wete grounde is good for no maner of corne; and thre London bushels 4 wyl sowe an acre.
   And it is to be knowen, that there be .iii. maner of otes, that is to saye, redde otes, blacke otes, and roughe otes. Red otes are the beste otes, and whan they be thresshed, 8 they be yelowe in the busshell, and verye good to make otemele of. Blacke otes are as great as they be, but they haue not so moche floure in them, for they haue a thycker huske, and also they be not so good to make otemele. 12 The roughe otes be the worste, and it quiteth not the coste to sowe them: they be very lyghte, and haue longe tayles, wherby they wyll hange eche one to other. All these maner of otes weare the grounde very sore, and 16 maketh it to beare quyche. A yonge housbande ought to take hede, howe thycke he sowethe all maner of corne, two or three yeres: and to se, howe it cometh vp, and whether it be thycke ynoughe or not: and if it be thynne, 20 sowe thycker the nexte yere: and if it be well, holde his hande there other yeres: and if it be to thynne, let hym remember hym selfe, whether it be for the vnseasonablenes of the wether, or for thyn sowynge. And so 24 his wysedome and discretion muste discerne it.    Nowe these landes be plowed, and the corne sowen, it is conuenient, that they be well harowed; or els crowes, doues, and other byrdes wyll eate and beare awaye the cornes. It is vsed in many countreys, the husbandes to 4 haue an oxe-harowe, the whiche is made of sixe smal peces of timbre, called harowe-bulles, made eyther of asshe or oke; they be two yardes longe, and as moche as the small of a mannes legge, and haue shotes[23] of wode 8 put through theym lyke lathes, and in euery bull are syxe sharpe peces of yren called harowe-tyndes, set some-what a-slope forwarde, and the formes[t] slote[24] must be bygger than the other, bycause the fote-teame shall be fastened 12 to the same with a shakyll, or a withe to drawe by. This harrowe is good to breake the greatte clottes, and to make moche molde, and than the horse-harowes to come after, to make the clottes smaller, and to laye the grounde euen. 16 It is a greate labour and payne to the oxen, to goo to harowe: for they were better to goo to the plowe two dayes, thanne to harowe one daye. It is an olde saying, ‘The oxe is neuer wo, tyll he to the harowe goo.’ And 20 it is bycause it goeth by twytches, and not alwaye after one draughte. The horse-harrowe is made of fyue bulles, and passe not an elne of lengthe, and not soo moche as the other, but they be lyke sloted and tinded. 24 And whan the corne is well couered, than it is harowed ynough. There be horse-harowes, that have tyndes of wodde: and those be vsed moche about Ryppon, and suche other places, where be many bulder-stones. For 28 these stones wold weare the yren to soone, and those tyndes be mooste commonly made of the grounde ende of a yonge asshe, and they be more thanne a fote longe in the begynnynge, and stande as moche aboue the harowe 32 as benethe.
   And as they weare, or breake, they dryue them downe lower; and they wolde be made longe before, ere they be occupied, that they maye be drye; for than they shall 36 endure and last moche better, and stycke the faster. The horses that shall drawe these harowes, muste be well kepte and shodde, or elles they wyll soone be tyred, and sore beate, that they may not drawe. They must haue 40 hombers or collers, holmes withed about theyr neckes, tresses to drawe by, and a swyngletre to holde the tresses abrode, and a togewith to be bytwene the swyngletre and the harowe. And if the barleye-grounde wyll not breake 44 with harrowes, but be clotty, it wolde be beaten with malles, and not streyght downe; for than they beate the corne in-to the erthe. And if they beate the clot on the syde, it wyll the better breake. And the clot wyll lye 48 lyghte, that the corne maye lyghtely come vp. And they vse to role theyr barley-grounde after a shoure of rayne, to make the grounde euen to mowe, &c.    Nowe these housbandes haue sowen theyr pees, beanes, barley, and otes, and harowed them, it is the beste tyme, to falowe, in the later ende of Marche and Apryll, for whete, rye, and barley. And lette the husbande do the 4 beste he can, to plowe a brode forowe and a depe, soo that he turne it cleane, and lay it flat, that it rere not on the edge: the whiche shall destroy all the thistils and wedes. For the deper and the broder that he gothe, 8 the more newe molde, and the greatter clottes shall he haue, and the greatter clottes, the better wheate. For the clottes kepe the wheate warme all wynter, and at Marche they wyll melte and breake, and fal in manye 12 small peces, the whiche is a newe dongynge, and refresshynge of the corne. And also there shall but lyttell wedes growe vpon the falowes, that are so falowed. For the plough goth vndernethe the rootes of all maner of 16 wedes, and tourneth the roote vpwarde, that it maye not growe. And yf the lande be falowed in wynter tyme, it is farre the worse, for three principall causes. One is, all the rayne that commeth, shal washe the lande, and dryue 20 awaye the dounge and the good moulde, that the lande shall be moche the worse. An other cause is, the rayne shall beate the lande so flat, and bake it so hard to-gyther, that if a drye Maye come, it wyll be to harde to stere in 24 the moneth of June. And the thyrde cause is, the wiedes shall take suche roote, er sterynge-tyme comme, that they wylle not be cleane tourned vndernethe, the whiche shal be great hurte to the corne, whan it shall be sowen, and 28 specially in the weding-tyme of the same; and for any other thynge, make a depe holowe forowe in the rydge of the lande, and loke wel, thou rest-balke it nat; for if thou do, there wyll be many thystels: and than thou 32 shalte not make a cleane rydge at the fyrste sterynge, and therfore it muste nedes be depe plowed, or elles thou shalt nat tourne the wiedes cleane.

   And in the later ende of Apryll, and the begynnynge of Maye, is tyme to cary out his dounge or mucke, and to lay it vppon his barley-grounde. And where he hath barley this yere, sowe it with whete or rye the next 4 tyme it is falowed, and so shal he mucke all his landes ouer at euerye seconde falowe. But that husbande that can fynd the meanes to cary oute his donge, and to laye it vpon his lande after it be ones sturred: it is moche 8 better than to laye it vppon his falowe, for dyuer causes. One is, if it be layde vpon his fallowe, all that fallethe in the holowe rygge shall do lyttell good; for whan it is rygged agayne, it lyeth soo depe in the erthe, that 12 it wyll not be plowed vp agayne, excepte that whan he hath sprede it, he wyll with a shouell, or a spade, caste out all that is fallen in the rygge. And if it be layde vpon the sturrynge, at euery plowynge it shall medle 16 the donge and the erthe togyder, the whiche shall cause the corne moche better to growe and encreace. And in somme places, they lode not theyr donge, tyll harvest be done, & that is vsed in the farther 20 syde of Darbyshyre, called Scaresdale, Halomshyre, and so northewarde towarde Yorke and Ryppon: and that I calle better thanne vppon the falowe, and specyally for barley: but vppon the fyrste sturrynge, is beste 24 for wheate and rye, and that his dunge be layde vpon smal hepes nygh together, and to sprede it euenly, and to leue no dounge there-as the mucke-hepe stode, for the moystnes of the dounge shall cause the grounde to 28 be ranke ynoughe. And if it be medled with erthe, as sholynges and suche other, it wyll laste the longer, and better for barley than for whete or rye, bycause of wedes. Horse-donge is the worste donge that is. The 32 donge of all maner catell, that chewe theyr cudde, is verye good. And the dounge of douues is best, but it must be layde vppon the grounde verye thynne.

   Also it is tyme to set out the shepefolde in May, and to sette it vppon the rye-grounde, if he haue any, and to flyte it euery mornynge or nyght: and in the mornynge, whan he cometh to his folde, let not his 4 shepe out anone, but reyse theym vp, and let them stande stylle good season, that they may donge and pysse. And go amonge them to se whether any of them haue any mathes, or be scabbed: and se them 8 thre or foure tymes on the oone syde, and as ofte on the other syde. And whan the kelles begonne besyde the grounde, than lette theym out of the folde, and dryue theym to the soundest place of the felde. But 12 he that hath a falowe felde, seueral to hym-selfe, let hym occupie no folde. For foldynge of shepe maketh them scabbed, and bredeth mathes; and whanne a storme of yll wether commeth in the night, they can 16 nat flee nor go awaye, and that appeyreth them sore of their flesshe. But lette that man that hath such a seueral falowe-felde, driue twentie, thyrty, or forty stakes, accordynge to the nombre of his shepe, vpon his falowe, 20 where he wolde sette his folde, and specially in the farthest parte of the fyelde frome thense as they comme in, for the goynge vppon dothe moche good. And lette the sheparde brynge his shepe to the stakes, and 24 the sheepe wylle rubbe them on the stakes. And lette the sheparde goo aboute them, tyll they be sette, and thus serue theym two or three nyghtes, and they wyll folowe those stakes, as he flytteth them, and syt by 28 them. And if any yll wether come, they will ryse vp, and go to the hedge. And this maner of foldynge shall brede noo mathes nor scabbe, nor appeyre theym of theyr flesshe, and shall be a greate sauegarde to the 32 shepe for rottynge: and in the mornynge put them out of theyr pasture, and thou shalte not nede to bye any hurdels nor shepe-flekes; but howe ye shall salue them or dresse them, ye shall vnderstande in the chaypter of 36 shepe after.    And in May, whan thou hast falowed thy grounde, and set oute thy shepefolde, and caryed oute thy dounge or mucke, if thou haue any wodde, cole, or tymbre to cary, or suche other busynes, that muste nedes be doone, 4 with thy charte or wayne, than is it tyme to do it. For than the waye is lyke to be fayre and drye, and the days longe, and that tyme the husbande hath leeste to doo in husbandry. Perauenture I set one thynge to be done at 8 one tyme of the yere, and if the husbande shulde do it, it shulde be a greatter losse to hym in an other thynge. Wherefore it is moste conuenient to do that thynge fyrst, that is moste profytable to hym, and as soone as he 12 can, do the other labour.    In the later ende of Maye, and the begynnynge of June, is tyme to wede thy corne. There be diuers maner of wedes, as thistyls, kedlokes, dockes, cocledrake, darnolde, gouldes, haudoddes, dogfenell, mathes, ter, 4 and dyuers other small wedes. But these be they that greue mooste: The thistyll is an yll wede, roughe and sharpe to handell, and freteth away the cornes nygh it, and causeth the sherers or reapers not to shere cleane. 8 Kedlokes hath a leafe lyke rapes, and beareth a yelowe floure, and is an yll wede, and groweth in al maner corne, and hath small coddes, and groweth lyke mustard sede. Dockes have a brode lefe, and diuers high spyres, and 12 very small sede in the toppe. Cockole hath a longe small lefe, and wyl beare fyue or vi. floures of purple colour, as brode as a grote, and the sede is rounde and blacke, and maye well be suffred in a breade-corne, but not in sede, 16 for therin is moche floure. Drake is lyke vnto rye, till it begynne to sede, and it hath many sedes lyke fenell-sedes, and hangeth downewarde, and it maye wel be suffred in breade, for there is moche floure in the sede: and it is an 20 opinion that it commeth of rye, &c. Dernolde groweth vp streyght lyke an hye grasse, and hath longe sedes on eyther syde the sterte, and there is moche floure in that sede, and growethe moche amonge barley: and it is 24 sayde, that it cometh of small barley. Golds hath a shorte iagged lefe, and groweth halfe a yarde hygh, and hath a yelowe floure, as brode as a grote, and is an yll wede, and groweth commonlye in barleye and pees. Hawdod hath 28 a blewe floure, and a fewe lyttell leues, and hath .v. or syxe braunches, floured in the toppe: and groweth comonly in rye vpon leane grounde, and dothe lyttel hurte. Dogge-fenell and mathes is bothe one, and in the commynge vp 32 is lyke fenell and beareth many white floures, with a yelowe sede: and is the worste wede that is, excepte terre, and it commeth moste commonly, whan great wete commeth shortly after the corne is sowen. Terre is the 36 worste wede, and it neuer dothe appere tyll the moneth of June, and specyallye whanne there is great wete in that mone, or a lyttell before, and groweth mooste in rye, and it groweth lyke fytches, but it is moche smaller, and 40 it wyll growe as hyghe as the corne, and with the weyght therof it pulleth the corne flatte to the erth, and freteth the eares away; wherfore I haue seene housbandes mowe downe the corne and it together: And also with sharp 44 hokes to repe it, as they doo pees, and made drye, and than it wyll be good fodder.
   There be other wedes not spoken of, as dee-nettylles, dodder, and suche other, that doo moche harme. 48

   Nowe it wolde be knowen, howe these cornes shulde be weded. The chyefe instrument to wede with is a paire of tonges made of wode, and in the farther ende it is nycked, to holde the wed faster; and after a shoure of 4 raine it is beste wedynge, for than they maye be pulled vp by the rotes, and than it cometh neuer agayne. And if it be drye wether, than muste ye haue a wedynge-hoke with a socket set vpon a lyttel staffe of a yarde longe, and 8 this hoke wolde be well steeled, and grounde sharpe bothe behynde and before. And in his other hande he hath a forked stycke a yarde longe, and with his forked stycke he putteth the wede from hym, and he putteth the hoke 12 beyond the rote of the wede, and pulleth it to hym, and cutteth the wede fast by the erthe, and with his hoke he taketh up the wede, and casteth it in the reane, and if the reane be full of corne, it is better it stande styll, 16 whan it is cut, and wyddre: but let hym beware, that he trede not to moche vppon the corne, and specyallye after it is shotte, and whan he cutteth the wede, that he cut not the corne: and therefore the hoke wolde not passe 20 an inche wyde. And whanne the wede is soo shorte, that he can not with his forked stycke put it from hym, and with the hoke pull it to hym, thanne muste he set his hoke vppon the wede, fast by the erthe, and put it 24 from hym, and so shall he cutte it cleane. And with these two instruments, he shall neuer stoupe to his warke. Dogfenell, goldes, mathes, and kedlokes are yll to wede after this maner, they growe vppon so many braunches, 28 harde by the erthe: and therfore they vse most to pul them vppe with theyr handes; but loke well, that they pull not vppe the corne with all; but as for terre, there wyll noo wedynge serue. 32

   Also in June is tyme to rygge vppe the falowe, the whiche is called the fyrst sturrynge, and to plowe it as depe as thou canste, for to tourne the rotes of the wedes vpwarde, that the sonne and the drye wether maye kyll 4 them. And an housbande can not conuenyentelye plowe his lande, and lode out his dounge bothe vppon a daye, with one draughte of beastes: but he maye well lode oute his dounge before none, and lode heye or corne at-after 8 none: or he maye plowe before none, and lode hey or corne at-after none, with the same draughte, and noo hurte to the cattell: bycause in lodynge of hey or corne, the cattel is alwaye eatynge or beytynge, and soo they 12 can not doo in lodynge of dounge and plowynge.    Also in the later ende of June is tyme to begyn to mowe, if thy medowe be well growen: but howe-so-euer they be growen, in July they muste nedes mowe, for diuers causes. One is, it is not conuenient to haue hey 4 and corne bothe in occupation at one tyme. An other is, the yonger and the grener that the grasse is, the softer and the sweter it wyll be, whan it is hey, but it wyll haue the more wyddrynge; and the elder the grasse is, the 8 harder and dryer it is, and the worse for al maner of cattell: for the sedes be fallen, the whiche is in maner of prouander, and it is the harder to eate and chowe. And an other cause is, if drye wether come, it wyll drye 12 and burne vpon the grounde, and waste away. Take hede that thy mower mow clene and holde downe the hynder hand of his sith, that he do not endent the grasse, and to mowe his swathe cleane thorowe to that that 16 was laste mowen before, that he leaue not a mane bytwene, and specyallye in the common medowe: for in the seuerall medowe it maketh the lesse charge, and that the moldywarpe-hilles be spredde, and the styckes cleane 20 pycked out of the medowe in Apryll, or in the beginnynge of Maye.    A Good husbande hath his forkes and rakes made redye in the wynter before, and they wolde be gotte bytwene Mighelmasse and Martylmasse, and beyked, and sette euen, to lye vpryght in thy hande: and than they 4 wyll be harde styffe and drye. And whan the housbande sytteth by the fyre, and hath nothynge to do, than maye he make theym redye, and tothe the rakes with drye wethy-wode, and bore the holes with his wymble, bothe aboue 8 and vnder, and driue the tethe vpwarde faste and harde, and than wedge them aboue with drye woode of oke, for that is hard, and wil driue and neuer come out. And if he get them in sappe-tyme, all the beykyng and drienge 12 that can be had shal not make them harde and styffe, but they woll alwaye be plyenge: for they be moste comonly made of hasell and withee, and these be the trees that blome, and specially hasell: for it begynneth 16 to blome as sone as the lefe is fallen. And if the rake be made of grene woode, the heed wyll not abyde vppon the stele, and the tethe wyll fall out, whan he hath mooste nede to them, and let his warke, and lose 20 moche heye. And se that thy rake and forke lye vpryghte in thy hand, for and the one ende of thy rake, or the syde of thy forke, hang downe-warde, than they be not handsome nor easy to worke with. 24    Whan thy medowes be mowed, they wolde be well tedded and layde euen vppon the grounde: and if the grasse be very thycke, it wolde be shaken with handes, or with a shorte pykforke. For good teddynge is the 4 chiefe poynte to make good hey, and than shall it be wyddred all in lyke, or elles not: and whan it is wel wyddred on the ouer syde, and dry, than turne it cleane before noone, as soone as the dewe is gone: And yf thou 8 dare truste the wether, lette it lye so all nyghte: and on the nexte daye, tourne it agayne before none, and towarde nyght make it in wyndrowes, and than in smal hey-cockes, and so to stande one nyghte at the leaste, and 12 sweate: and on the nexte fayre day caste it abrode agayne, and tourne it ones or twyse, and than make it in greatter hey-cockes, and to stande so one nyght or more, that it maye vngiue and sweate. For and it sweate 16 not in the hey-cockes, it wyll sweate in the mowe; and than it wyll be dustye, and not holsome for hors, beastes, nor shepe. And whan it standeth in the cockes, it is better to lode, and the more hey maye be loded at a lode, 20 and the faster it wyll lye. Quyche-hey commeth of a grasse called crofote, and groweth flatte, after the erthe, and bearethe a yelowe floure halfe a yarde hygh and more, and hath many knottes towarde the roote, and it 24 is the beste hey for horses and beastes, and the sweteste, if it be well got; but it wyll haue moch more wyddrynge than other hey, for els he wyll be-pysse hym-selfe and waxe hote, and after dustye. And for to knowe whanne 28 it is wyddred ynoughe, make a lyttell rope of the same, that ye thinke shulde be moste greneste, and twyne it as harde to-gether bytwen your handes as ye canne, and soo beynge harde twon, let one take a knyfe, and cut it faste 32 by your hande; and the knottes wyll be moyste, yf it be not drye ynough. Shorte hey, and leye-hey, is good for shepe, and all maner of catell, if it be well got. A man maye speke of makynge of hey, and gettynge of corne, 36 but god disposeth and ordreth all thynge.

   In the later ende of July, or in the begynnynge of Auguste, is tyme to shere Rye, the whiche wolde be shorne cleane, and faste bounden. And in somme places they mowe it, the whiche is not soo good to the 4 housbandes profytte, but it is the sooner done. For whan it is mowen, it wyll not be so fast bounden: and he can not gather it soo cleane, but there wyll be moche losse, and taketh more rowme in the barne than shorne 8 corne dothe. And also it wyll not kepe nor saue it selfe from rayne or yll wether, whan it standeth in the couer, as the shorne corne wyll do.    Wheate wolde be shorne cleane, and harde bounden in lyke maner; but for a generall rule, take good hede, that the sherers of all maner of whyte corne cast not vppe theyr handes hastely, for thanne all the lose corne, 4 and the strawes, that he holdeth not fast in his hande, flieth ouer his heed, and are loste: and also it wyll pull of the eares, and specyallye of the cornes that be verye rype. In somme places they wyll shere theyr cornes 8 hyghe, to the entente to mowe theyr stubble, eyther to thacke or to bren: if they so do, they haue greate cause to take good hede of the sherers. For if the eares of corne croke downe to the erthe, and the sherer take 12 not good hede, and put up the eare er he cut the strawe: as many eares as be vnder his hoke or sicle fall to the erthe, and be loste; and whan they mowe the stubble, it is great hyndraunce to the profytte of 16 the grounde. And in Sommersetshire, about Zelcestre and Martok, they doo shere theyr wheate very lowe, and all the wheate-strawe that they pourpose to make thacke of, they do not thresshe it, but cutte of the 20 eares, and bynde it in sheues, and call it rede: and therwith they thacke theyr houses. And if it be a newe house, they thacke it vnder theyr fote: the whiche is the beste and the surest thacking that can 24 be of strawe, for crowes and douues shall neuer hurte it.    Barley and otes be moste commonly mowen, and a man or woman folowythe the mower with a hande-rake halfe a yarde longe, with .vii. or .viii. tethe, in the lyfte hande, and a syckle in the ryghte hande, and 4 with the rake he gethereth as moche as wyll make a shefe. And thanne he taketh the barley or otes by the toppes, and pulleth out as moche as wil make a band, and casteth the band from him on the land, and with his 8 rake and his syckle taketh vp the barley or otes, & layeth them vppon the bande, and so the barley lyeth vnbounden .iii. or .iiii. dayes, if it be fayre wether, and than to bynde it. And whan the barley is ledde 12 away, the landes muste be raked, or els there wyll be moche corne loste, and if the barley or otes lye, they muste nedes be shorne.    Pees and benes be moste commonly laste reped or mowen, of diuers maners, some with sickles, some with hokes, and some with staffe-hokes. And in some places they lay them on repes, and whan they be dry, 4 they laye them to-gether on heapes, lyke hey-cockes, and neuer bynde them. But the beste way is, whan the repes be dry, to bynde them, and to set theym on the rydge of the landes three sheues to-gether; and 8 loke that your sherers, repers, or mowers geld not your beanes, that is to saye, to cutte the beanes so hye, that the nethermoste codde growe styll on the stalke; and whan they be bounden, they are the more redyer 12 to lode and vnlode, to make a reke, and to take fro the mowe to thresshe. And soo be not the repes.    Nowe that all these cornes before specyfyed be shorne, mowed, reped, bounden vp, and layde vppon the rydge of the lande, lette the housbande take hede of goddes commaundemente, and let hym goo 4 to the ende of his lande, and begynne and tell .ix. sheues, and let hym caste out the .x. shefe in the name of god, and so to pervse from lande to lande, tyll he haue trewely tythed all his corne. And beware, 8 and take hede of the sayinge of our lorde by his prophete Malachias, the whiche saythe, Quia michi non dedisti decimas et primitias, id circo in fame et penuria maledicti estis. That is to saye, Bycause ye haue not 12 gyuen to me your tythes, and your fyrste-fruytes, therefore ye be cursed, and punysshed with honger and penury. And accordynge to that saynte Austyn saythe: Da decimas, alioqui incides in decimam partem angelorum 16 qui de celo corruerunt in infernum. That is to say, Gyue thy tythes truely, or els thou shalt fall amonge the tenthe parte of aungelles that felle from heuen in-to hell, the whiche is an harde worde to euery man, that oughte to 20 gyue tythes, and doth not gyue them truely. But saynte Austyne saythe a comfortable worde again, to them that gyue theyr tythes truely, that is to saye: Decimæ sunt tributa egentium animarum: Tythes are tributes or 24 rewardes to nedye soules. And ferther he saythe: Si decimam dederis, non solum abundantiam fructum recipies, sed etiam sanitatem corporis et animæ consequeris, That is to saye, If thou haue gyuen thy tythes truely, thou 28 shalte not onely receyue the profite, and the abundaunce of goodes, but also helthe of bodye and soule shall folowe. Wolde to god, that euerye man knewe the harde worde of our lorde by his prophete Malachias, 32 and also the comfortable wordes of the holy saynte Austyn. For than wolde I truste verely, that tythes shulde be truely gyuen.    Nowe these cornes be shorne and bounden, and the tithes cast out, it is tyme to couer theym, shoke theym, or halfe-throne them, but couerynge is the beste waye of all maner of whyte corne. And that is, to set foure 4 sheues on one syde, and .iiii. sheues on the other syde, and two sheues aboue, of the greatteste, bounden harde nyghe to the nether ende, the whiche must be set vpwarde, and the top downewarde spredde abrode to couer all the 8 other sheues. And they wyll stand beste in wynde, and saue theym-selfe beste in rayne, and they wolde be set on the rydge of the lande, and the sayde sheues to leane to-gether in the toppes, and wyde at the grounde, that 12 the winde may go through, to drye them. Pees and beanes wolde be set on the rydge of the lande, thre sheues together, the toppes vpwarde, and wrythen to-gether, and wyde benethe, that they maye the better 16 wyddre.    Whanne all these cornes be drye and wyddred ynoughe, than lode theym in-to the barne, and laye euerye corne by it-selfe. And if be a wete haruest, make many mowes: and if thou haue not housynge ynoughe, thanne it is 4 better to laye thy pees and benes without vppon a reke, than other corne, and it is better vppon a scaffolde than vppon the grounde: for than it muste be well hedged for swyne and catel, and the grounde wyll rotte the 8 bottom, and the scaffolde saueth both hedgynge and rottynge: but they must be well couered bothe. And the husband may set shepe or catel vnder the same scaffold and wyll serue hym in stede of an house, if it be well 12 and surely made, &c.    In August, and in the begynnyng of September, is tyme to make his seconde sturrynge, and most commonly it is cast downe and plowed a meane forowe, not to depe nor to ebbe, so he turne it clene. And if it be caste, it 4 wolde be water-forowed bytwene the landes, there-as the reane shulde be, and it wyll be the dryer, whan the lande shall be sowen. And if the landes lie high in the ridge, & highe at the reane, & lowe in the 8 myddes of the side, that the water may not ronne easely in-to the reane, as I se dayly in many places: than let the husband set his plough .iii. or .iiii. fote from the rydge, and cast all the rydge on bothe sydes, and whan 12 the rydge is cast, set his plough there-as he began, and rydge vp the remenant of the lande, and so is the land bothe cast and rydged, and all at one plowynge. And this shall cause the lande to lye rounde, whan it is sowen 16 at the nexte tyme, and than shall it not drowne the corne.    Aboute Myghelmasse it is tyme to sowe bothe wheate and rye. Wheate is mooste commonlye sowen vnder the forowe, that is to saye, caste it vppon the falowe, and than plowe it vnder. And in some places they sowe theyr 4 wheate vppon theyr pees-stubble, the whiche is neuer soo good, as that that is sowen vppon the falowe: and that is vsed, where they make falowe in a fyelde euery fourthe yere. And in Essex they vse to haue a chylde, 8 to go in the forowe before the horses or oxen, with a bagge or a hopper full of corne: and he taketh his hande full of corne, and by lyttel and lytel casteth it in the sayde forowe. Me semeth, that chylde oughte to haue 12 moche dyscretion.
   Howe-be-it there is moche good corne, and rye is mooste commonlye sowen aboue and harrowed, and two London busshelles of wheate and rye wyll sowe an acre. 16 Some grounde is good for wheate, some for rye, and some is good for bothe: and vppon that ground sowe blend-corne, that is both wheate and rye, the whyche is the surest corne of growyng, and good for the husbandes 20 houshold. And the wheate, that shall be medled with rye, muste be suche as wyll soone be rype, and that is flaxen wheate, polerd wheate, or whyte wheate. And ye shall vnderstande, that there be dyuers maners of wheates. 24 Flaxen wheate hath a yelowe eare, and bare without anis, and is the bryghtest wheate in the busshell, and wyll make the whytest breed, and it wyll weare the grounde sore, and is small strawe, and wyll growe very thycke, 28 and is but small corne. Polerde wheate hath noo anis, thycke sette in the eare, and wyll soone fall out, and is greatter corne, and wyll make whyte breed. Whyte wheate is lyke polerde wheate in the busshell, but it 32 hath anis, and the eare is foure-square, and wyll make white breed: and in Essex they call flaxen wheate whyte wheate. Red wheate hath a flat eare, an inche brode, full of anis, and is the greatteste corne, and 36 the brodeste blades, and the greatteste strawe, and wyl make whyte breed, and is the rudeste of colour in the busshell.
   Englysshe wheate hath a dunne eare, fewe anis or none, 40 and is the worste wheate, saue peeke-wheate. Peeke-wheete hath a red eare, ful of anis, thyn set, and ofte tymes it is flyntered, that is to saye, small corne wrynkeled and dryed, and wyll not make whyte breade, but it wyl 44 growe vpon colde grounde.    This wheate and rye, that thou shalte sowe, ought to be very cleane of wede, and therfore, er thou thresshe thy corne, open thy sheues, and pyke oute all maner of wedes, and than thresshe it, and wynowe it cleane, 4 and so shalt thou haue good clene corne an other yere. And in some countreys, aboute London specyallye, and in Essex and Kente, they do fan theyr corne, the whiche is a verye good gise, and a great saueguarde for 8 shedynge of the corne. And whan thou shalte sell it, if it be well wynowed or fande, it wyll be solde the derer, and the lyghte corne wyll seme the husbande in his house. 12    Whan thou haste thresshed thy pees, and beanes, after they be wynowed, and er thou shalte sowe or selle them, let theym be well reed with syues, and seuered in thre partes, the great from the small, and thou shalte gette 4 in euerye quarter a London busshell, or there about. For the small corne lyeth in the holowe and voyde places of the greate beanes, and yet shall the greate beanes be solde as dere, as if they were all together, or derer, as a man 8 may proue by a famylier ensample. Let a man bye .C. hearynges,[26] two hearynges for a penye, and an other .C. hearynges, thre for a peny, and let hym sell these .CC. hearinges agayne .v. heringes for .ii. d.; nowe hath 12 he loste .iiii. d. For C. hearinges, .ii. for i. d., cost v. s., and C. hearynges, .iii. for a peny, coste .iii s. and .iiii d., the whiche is .viii. s and .iiii. d.; and whan he selleth .v. herynges for .ii. d., xx. heringes cometh but 16 to .viii. d. and there is but .xii. score heringes, and that is but .xii. grotes, and xii. grotes, and that cometh but to .viii. s. and so he hath lost .iiii. d. and it is bicause there be not so many bargeins, for in the bienge of these .CC. 20 heringes there be .v. score bargeins, and in the sellinge of the same there be but .xlviii. bargeyns, and so is there lost .x. hearinges, the whiche wolde haue ben .ii. bargeyns moo, and than it had ben euen and mete. And 24 therfore he that byeth grosse sale, and retayleth, muste nedes be a wynner. And so shalt thou be a loser, if thou sell thy pees, beanes, and fytches together: for than thou sellest grosse sale. And if thou seuer them in thre 28 partes, than thou doest retayle, wherby thou shalte wynne.    An housbande can not well thryue by his corne, without he haue other cattell, nor by his cattell, without corne. For els he shall be a byer, a borower, or a begger. And bycause that shepe in myne opynyon is 4 the mooste profytablest cattell that any man can haue, therfore I pourpose to speake fyrst of shepe. Than fyrst is to be knowen, what tyme thou shalt put thy rammes to thy ewes; and therin I make a distinction, for 8 euery man maye not put to theyr rammes all at one tyme; for if they doo, there wyll be greate hurte and losse; for that man, that hath the best shepe-pasture for wynter, and soone spryngynge in the begynnynge of the 12 yere, he maye suffre his rammes to goo with his ewes all tymes of the yere, to blyssomme or ryde whan they wyll: but for the comon pasture, it is tyme to put to his rammes at the Exaltation of the holye crosse: for than 16 the bucke goth to the rut, and so wolde the ramme. But for the common husbande, that hath noo pasture but the common fieldes, it is tyme ynoughe at the feste of saynt Mychaell the archangel. And for the poore 20 housbande of the Peeke, or suche other, that dwell in hylly and hyghe groundes, that haue no pastures, nor common fieldes, but all-onely the comon hethe, Symon and Jude daye is good tyme for theym, and this is the 24 reason why. An ewe goth with lambe .xx. wekes, and shall yeane her lambe in the .xxi. weke; & if she haue not conueniente newe grasse to eate, she maye not gyue her lambe mylke: and for wante of mylke, there be 28 manye lambes perysshed and loste: and also for pouertye, the dammes wyll lacke mylke, and forsake theyr lambes, and soo often tymes they dye bothe in suche harde countreys. 32    If thy ewe haue mylke, and wyll not loue her lambe, put her in a narowe place made of bordes, or of smothe trouse, a yarde wyde, and put the lambe to her, and socle it, and yf the ewe smyte the lambe with her 4 heed, bynd her heed with a heye-rope, or a corde, to the syde of the penne: and if she wyl not stande syde longe all the lambe,[27] than gyue her a lyttell hey, and tye a dogge by her, that she maye se hym: and 8 this wyll make her to loue her lambe shortely. And if thou haue a lambe deed, wherof the damme hath moche mylke, fley that lambe, and tye that skynne vpon an other lambes backe, that hath a sory damme, with 12 lyttell mylke, and put the good ewe and that lambe to-gether in the penne, and in one houre she wyll loue that lambe; & than mayst thou take thy sory weyke ewe awaye, and put her in an other place: and by this 16 meanes thou mayste fortune to saue her lyfe, and the lambes bothe.

   In some places they neuer seuer their lambes from theyr dammes, and that is for two causes: One is, in the beste pasture where the rammes goo alwaye with theyr ewes, there it nedeth not, for the dammes wil 4 waxe drye, and wayne theyr lambes theym-selfe. An other cause is, he that hath noo seuerall and sounde pasture, to put his lambes vnto whan they shoulde be wayned, he muste eyther sell them, or let them sucke 8 as longe as the dammes wyll suffre theym; and it is a common sayinge, that the lambe shall not rotte, as longe as it souketh, excepte the damme wante meate. But he that hath seueral and sounde pasture, it is tyme 12 to wayne theyr lambes, whanne they be .xvi. wekes old, or .xviii. at the farthest, and the better shall the ewe take the ramme agayne. And the poore man of the peeke countreye, and suche other places, where as 16 they vse to mylke theyr ewes, they vse to wayne theyr lambes at xii. wekes olde, and to mylke theyr ewes fiue or syxe wekes, &c. But those lambes be neuer soo good as the other that sucke longe, and haue 20 meate ynoughe.    Than thou grasier, that hast many shepe in thy pastures, it is conuenient for the to haue a shepefolde made with a good hedge or a pale, the whiche wyll receyue all thy shepe easyly that goo in one pasture, 4 sette betwene two of thy pastures, in a drye place; and adioynynge to the ende of the same, make an other lyttell folde, that wyll receyue lxxxx. shepe or moo, and bothe those foldes muste haue eyther of 8 theym a gate in-to eyther pasture, and at the ende of that folde make an other lyttell folde, that wyll receyue .xl. shepe or mo, and betwene euery folde a gate. And whan the shepe are in the greate folde, 12 let .xl. of them, or there about, come into the myddle folde, and steke the gate. And than let the shepeherde turne them, and loke them on euery syde, and if he se or fynde any shepe, that nedeth any helpynge or mending 16 for any cause, lette the shepeherde take that shepe with his hoke, and put hym in the lyttell folde. And whan he hath taken all that nedeth any mendyng, than put the other in-to whether pasture he wyll, and let in as 20 many out of the greate folde, and take those that nede any handling, and put them into the lyttell folde. And thus peruse them all tyll he haue doone, and than let the shepeherde go belte, grese, and handel all those that he 24 hath drawen, and than shall not the great flocke be taryed nor kepte from theyr meate: and as he hath mended them, to put them into theyr pasture.    If any shepe raye or be fyled with dounge about the the tayle, take a payre of sheres and clyppe it awaye, and cast dry muldes thervpon: and if it be in the heate of the sommer, it wolde be rubbed euer with a lyttell terre, to 4 kepe awaye the flyes. It is necessarye that a shepeherde haue a borde, set fast to the syde of his lyttell folde, to laye his shepe vpon when he handeleth theym, and an hole bored in the borde with an augur, and therin a 8 grayned staffe of two fote longe, to be set fast, to hang his terre-boxe vpon, and than it shall not fall. And a shepeherde shoulde not go without his dogge, his shepe-hoke, a payre of sheres, and his terre-boxe, eyther with 12 hym, or redye at his shepe-folde, and he muste teche his dogge to barke whan he wolde haue hym, to ronne whan he wold haue hym, and to leue ronning whan he wolde haue hym; or els he is not a cunninge shepeherd. The 16 dogge must lerne it, whan he is a whelpe, or els it wyl not be: for it is harde to make an olde dogge to stoupe.

   If any sheepe be scabbed, the shepeherde maye perceyue it by the bytynge, rubbyng, or scratchynge with his horne, and mooste commonly the woll wyll ryse, and be thyn or bare in that place: than take hym, and shede 4 the woll with thy fyngers, there as the scab is, and with thy fynger laye a lyttell terre thervpon, and stroke it a lengthe in the bottom of the woll, that it be not seen aboue. And so shede the woll by and by, and laye a 8 lyttell terre thervppon, tyll thou passe the sore, and than it wyll go no farther.    Let thy terre be medled with oyle, gose-grease, or capons grease, these three be the beste, for these wyll make the terre to ronne abrode: butter and swynes grease, whan they be molten, are good, soo they be not salte; for 4 terre of hym-selfe is to kene, and is a fretter, and no healer, without it be medled with some of these.    ¶ A medicyne to salue poore mennes shepe, that thynke terre to costely: but I doubte not, but and ryche men knowe it, they wolde vse the same. Take a shete ful of brome, croppes, leaues, blossomes, and all, and chop 4 them very smal, and than sethe them in a pan of .xx. gallons with rennynge water, tyll it begyn to waxe thycke like a gelly, than take two pounde of shepe suet molten, and a pottell of olde pysse, and as moche bryne made 8 with salte, and put all in-to the sayde panne, and styrre it aboute, and than streyne it thorowe an olde clothe, and putte it in-to what vessell ye wyll, and yf your shepe be newe clypped, make it luke-warme, and than washe your 12 shepe there-with, with a sponge or a pece of an olde mantell, or of faldynge, or suche a softe cloth or woll, for spendynge to moche of your salue. And at all tymes of the yere after, ye may relent it, and nede require: and 16 make wyde sheydes in the woll of the shepe, and anoynt them with it, & it shal heale the scabbe, and kyll the shepe-lyce, and it shall not hurte the woll in the sale therof. And those that be washen wyll not take scabbe 20 after (if they haue sufficient meate); for that is the beste grease that is to a shepe, to grease hym in the mouthe with good meate; the whiche is also a greate saueguarde to the shepe for rottynge, excepte there come myldewes, 24 for he wyl chose the beste, if he haue plentye. And he that hath but a fewe shepe moderate this medicyne accordynge.    If a shepe haue mathes, ye shall perceyue it by her bytynge, or fyskynge, or shakyng of her tayle, and mooste commonlye it is moyst and wete: and if it be nyghe vnto the tayle, it is ofte tymes grene, and fyled with his 4 dounge: and than the shepeherde muste take a payre of sheres, and clyppe awaye the woll bare to the skynne, and take a handfull of drye moldes, and cast the moldes thervpon to drye vp the wete, and then wype the muldes 8 away, and lay terre there as the mathes were, and a lyttell farther. And thus loke theym euery daye, and mende theym, if they haue nede.    There be some shepe that wyll be blynd a season, and yet mende agayn. And if thou put a lytel terre in his eye, he will mende the rather. There be dyuers waters, & other medicyns, that wolde mende hym, but this is 4 [the] mooste common medicyne that shepeherdes vse.

   There be some shepe, that hath a worme in his foote, that maketh hym halte. Take that shepe, and loke betwene his clese, and there is a lyttell hole, as moche as a greatte pynnes heed, and therin groweth fyue or syxe 4 blacke heares, lyke an inche long and more; take a sharpe poynted knyfe, and slytte the skynne a quarter of an inche long aboue the hole and as moche benethe, and put thy one hande in the holowe of the fote, vnder the hinder 8 clese, and set thy thombe aboue almooste at the slytte, and thruste thy fyngers vnderneth forward, and with thy other hand take the blacke heares by the ende, or with thy knyues poynte, and pull the heares a lyttell and a 12 lyttell, and thruste after thy other hande, with thy fynger and thy thombe, and there wyll come oute a worme lyke a pece of fleshe, nygh as moche as a lyttel fynger. And whan it is out, put a lyttel tarre into the hole, and it wyll 16 be shortely hole.    There is a sicknes among shepe, and is called the bloude; that shepe, that hath that, wil dye sodeinly, and er he dye, he wil stande stil, and hange downe the heed, & other-while quake. If the shepeherde can espye 4 hym, let him take and rubbe hym about the heed, & specyally about his eares, and vnder his eyen, & with a knyfe cut of his eares in the middes, & also let hym blode in a veyne vnder his eien: and if he blede wel, 8 he is lyke to lyue; and if he blede not, than kil him, and saue his fleshe. For if he dye by hym-selfe, the flesshe is loste, and the skyn wyll be ferre ruddyer, lyke blode, more than an other skynne shall be. And it taketh 12 mooste commonly the fattest and best lykynge.

   The pockes appere vppon the skyn, and are lyke reed pymples, as brode as a farthynge, and therof wyll dye many. And the remedy therfore is, to handle all thy shepe, and to loke on euery parte of theyr bodyes: and 4 as many as ye fynde taken therwith, put them in fresshe newe grasse, and kepe them fro theyr felowes, and to loke thy flocke ofte, and drawe theym as they nede. And if it be in sommer tyme, that there be no froste, than 8 washe them. Howe be it some shepeherdes haue other medycines.    There is a sickenes among shepe, and is called the wode euyll, and that cometh in the sprynge of the yere, and takethe them moste commonly in the legges, or in the necke, and maketh them to halt, and to holde theyr 4 necke awry. And the mooste parte that haue that sicknes, wyl dye shortely in a day or two. The best remedy is, to wasshe theym a lyttell, and to chaunge theyr grounde, and to bryng them to lowe grounde and freshe grasse. 8 And that sycknes is moste commonly on hylly grounde, ley grounde, and ferny grounde, And some men vse to let them bloudde vnder the eye in a vaine for the same cause.    In June is tyme to shere shepe, and er they be shorne, they muste be very well wasshen, the whiche shall be to the owner great profyte in the sale of his woll, and also to the clothe-maker; but yet beware, that thou put not to many 4 shepe in a penne at one tyme, neyther at the washyng, nor at the sheryng, for feare of murtheryng or ouer-pressyng of their felowes, and that none go awaye, tyll he be cleane washen, and se that they that hold the shepe by 8 the heed in the water, holde his heed hye ynoughe for drownynge.

   Take hede of the sherers, for touchynge the shepe with the sheres, and specially for pryckyng with the poynte of the sheres, and that the shepeherde be alway redy with his tarboxe to salue them. And se that they be well 4 marked, bothe eare-marke, pitche-marke, and radel-marke, and let the wol be well folden or wounden with a woll-wynder, that can good skyll therof, the whiche shal do moche good in the sale of the same. 8    Whan thou haste all shorne thy shepe, it is than best tyme to drawe them, and soo seuer theym in dyuers sortes; the shepe that thou wylte fede by them-selfe, the ewes by theym-selfe, the share-hogges and theyues by them-selfe, 4 the lambes by theym-selfe, wedders and the rammes by them-self, if thou haue soo many pastures for them: for the byggest wyll beate the weikeste with his heed. And of euery sort of shepe, it may fortune there be some, that 8 like not and be weike; those wolde be put in freshe grasse by theym-selfe: and whan they be a lyttel mended, than sel them, and ofte chaunge of grasse shal mend all 12 maner of cattell.    It is necessary that a shepeherde shoulde knowe what thynge rotteth shepe, that he myght kepe them the better. Ther is a grasse called sperewort, and hath a long narowe leafe, lyke a spere-heed, and it wyll growe 4 a fote hyghe, and beareth a yelowe floure, as brode as a peny, and it growethe alwaye in lowe places where the water is vsed to stande in wynter. An other grasse is called peny-grasse, and groweth lowe by the erthe in a 8 marsshe grounde, and hath a leafe as brode as a peny of two pens, and neuer beareth floure. All maner of grasse, that the lande-floudde renneth ouer, is verye ylle for shepe, bycause of the sande and fylthe that stycketh 12 vppon it. All marreys grounde, and marsche grounde is yll for shepe; the grasse that groweth vppon falowes is not good for shepe; for there is moche of it wede, and ofte tymes it commeth vppe by the rote, and that bryngeth 16 erthe with it, and they eate both, &c. Myldewe-grasse is not good for shepe, and that ye shall knowe two wayes. One is by the leaues on the trees in the mornynge, and specyally of okes; take the leaues, and putte 20 thy tonge to them, and thou shalt fele lyke hony vppon them. And also there wyll be many kelles vppon the grasse, and that causeth the myldewe. Wherfore they may not well be let out of the folde tyll the sonne haue 24 domynation to drye them awaye. Also hunger-rotte is the worst rotte that can be, for there is neither good flesshe nor good skynne, and that cometh for lacke of meate, and so for hunger they eate suche as they can 28 fynde: and so will not pasture-shepe, for they selden rot but with myldewes, and than wyll they haue moch talowe and fleshe, and a good skyn. Also white snailes be yll for shepe in pastures, and in falowes. There 32 is an other rotte, whiche is called pelte-rotte, and that commeth of greatte wete, specyally in woode countreyes, where they can not drye.    Take bothe your handes, and twyrle vpon his eye, and if he be ruddy, and haue reed stryndes in the white of the eye, than he is sounde; and if the eye be white, lyke talowe, and the stryndes darke-coloured, thanne he is 4 rotten. And also take the shepe, and open the wolle on the syde, and yf the skynne be of ruddy colour and drye, than is he sounde; and if it be pale-coloured, and watrye, thanne is he rotten. Also whanne ye haue 8 opened the woll on the syde, take a lyttell of the woll bytwene thy fynger and thy thombe, and pull it a lyttell, and if it sticke faste, he is sounde, and if it comme lyghtely of, he is rotten. Also whan thou haste kylde a 12 shepe, his belly wyll be full of water, if he be sore rotten, and also the fatte of the fleshe wyll be yelowe, if he be rotten. And also if thou cut the lyuer, therin wyll be lyttell quikens lyke flokes, and also the lyuer 16 wyll be full of knottes and whyte blysters, yf he be rotten; and also sethe the lyuer, if he be rotten it wyll breke in peces, and if he be sounde, it wyll holde together. 20    These housbandes, if they shall well thryue, they muste haue bothe kye, oxen, horses, mares, and yonge cattell, and to rere and brede euery yere some calues, and fools, or els shall he be a byer. And yf thou shalte 4 by oxen for the ploughe, se that they be yonge, and not gowty, nor broken of heare, neyther of tayle, nor of pysell. And yf thou bye kye to the payle, se that they be yonge and good to mylke, and fede her calues 8 wel. And if thou bye kye or oxen to feede, the yonger they be, the rather they wyll fede; but loke well, that the heare stare not, and that he lycke hym-selfe, and be hoole-mouthed, and want no tethe. And thoughe he 12 haue the goute and be broken, bothe of tayle and pysell, yet wyll he fede. But the gouty oxe wyll not be dryuen ferre; and se that he haue a brode ryb, and a thycke hyde, and to be lose-skinned, that it stycke not 16 harde nor streyte to his rybbes, for than he wyll not fede.

   If thou shalte bye fatte oxen or kye, handel them, and se that they be soft on the fore-croppe, behynde the shulder, and vpon the hindermost rybbe, and upon the hucbone, and the nache by the tayle. And se 4 the oxe haue a greate codde, and the cowe great nauyll, for than it shulde seme that they shuld be wel talowed. And take hede, where thou byeste any leane cattel or fat, and of whom, and where it was bred. For 8 if thou by out of a better ground than thou haste thy-selfe, that cattell wyll not lyke with the. And also loke, that there be no maner of sycknes amonge the cattell in that towneshyp or pasture that thou byest thy 12 catel oute of. For if there be any murren or longe sought, it is great ieoperdy: for a beast maye take sycknes ten or .xii. dayes or more, ere it appere on hym.    And yf it fortune to fall murren amonge thy beastes, as god forbede, there be men ynough can helpe them. And it commeth of a ranknes of bloudde, and appereth moste commonly fyrste in the heed; for his heed wyll 4 swell, and his eyen waxe greate and ronne of water and frothe at the mouthe, and than he is paste remedy, and wyl dye shortely, and wyll neuer eate after he be sycke. Than flee him, and make a depe pytte faste by, 8 there as he dyeth, and caste hym in, and couer hym with erthe, that noo dogges may come to the caryen. For as many beastes as feleth the smelle of that caryen, are lykely to be enfecte; and take the skynne, and haue it 12 to the tanners to sell, and bryng it not home, for peryll that may fal. And it is commonly vsed, and cometh of a greate charytie, to take the bare heed of the same beaste and put vpon a longe pole, and set it in a hedge, faste 16 bounden to a stake, by the hyghe-waye syde, that euerye man, that rydethe or goeth that waye, maye se and knowe by that signe, that there is sycknes of cattell in the towneshyp. And the husbandes holde an opynyon, that it shall 20 the rather cease. And whanne the beaste is flaine, there as the murren dothe appere bytwene the flesshe and the skynne, it wyll ryse vppe lyke a ielly and frothe an inche depe or more. And this is the remedy for the murren. 24 Take a smalle curteyne-corde, and bynde it harde aboute the beastes necke, and that wyll cause the bloudde to come in-to the necke, and on eyther syde of the necke there is a vayne that a man may fele with his fynger; and 28 than take a bloud-yren, and set it streight vppon the vayne, and smyte him bloudde on bothe sydes, and let hym blede the mountenaunce of a pynte or nyghe it, and than take awaye the corde, and it wyll staunche bleding. 32 And thus serue all thy cattell, that be in that close or pasture, and there shall no mo be sicke, by goddes leue.    There is an nother maner of sycknesse among bestes, and it is called longe soughte; and that sickenes wyl endure long, and ye shal perceyue it by his hoystynge; he wyl stande moche, and eate but a littel, and waxe very 4 holowe & thin. And he wil hoyst .xx. times in an houre, and but fewe of them do mende. The best remedy is to kepe thy cattell in sondrye places, and as many as were in companye with that beast that fyrst fell sycke, to let 8 them a lyttel bloude. And there be many men, that can seuer them, and that is to cutte the dewlappe before, and there is a grasse that is called feitergrasse, take that grasse, and broyse it a lyttell in a morter, and thanne put 12 therof as moche as an hennes egge in-to the sayd dewlappe, and se it fall not oute. Thus I have seen vsed, and men haue thought it hath done good.

   An other dysease amonge beastes is called dewbolne,[28] and that commeth whan a hungry beaste is put in a good pasture full of ranke grasse, he wyll eate soo moche that his sydes wyll stande as hygh as his backe-bone, 4 and other-whyle the one syde more thanne the other, and but fewe of them wyll dye; but he maye not be dryuen hastely, nor laboured, being so swollen, and the substaunce of it is but wynde; and therfore 8 he wolde be softly dryuen, and not sytte downe. Howe be it I haue seen a manne take a knyfe, and thruste hym thorowe the skynne and the flesshe two inches depe, or more, vi. inches or more from the ridge-bone, that the 12 wynde maye come out. For the wynde lyeth bytwene the fleshe and the grete paunche.    An other dysease is called rysen vppon, and no man can tell howe, nor wherof it cometh: but ye shall perceyue that by swellynge in the heed, and specyallye by the eyen, for they wyll ronne on water, and close his 4 syght; and wyll dye shortly within an houre or two, if he be not holpen. This is the cause of his dysease. There is a blyster rysen vnder the tounge, the whiche blyster must be slytte with a knyfe a-crosse. Whan ye 8 haue pulled out the tongue, rubbe the blyster well with salte, and take an hennes egge, and breake it in the beastes mouthe shell and all, and cast salte to it, and holde vp the bestes heed, that all maye be swalowed 12 downe into the body. But the breakynge of the blyster is the greate helpe, and dryue the beaste a lyttell aboute, and this shall saue hym, by the helpe of Jesu.

   There be beastes that wyll turne about, whan they eate theyr meate, and wyll not fede, and is great ieoperdy for fallynge in pyttes, dyches, or waters: and it is bycause that there is a bladder in the foreheed 4 bytwene the brayne-panne and the braynes, the whiche must be taken out, or els he shal neuer mende, but dye at lengthe, and this is the remedy and the greatest cure that can be on a beaste. Take that beast, and cast him 8 downe, and bynde his foure fete together, and with thy thombe, thrust the beast in the foreheed, and where thou fyndest the softest place, there take a knyfe, and cut the skyn, three or foure inches on bothe sides 12 bytwene the hornes, and as moche benethe towarde the nose, and fley it, and turne it vp, and pyn it faste with a pyn, and with a knyfe cut the brayne-pan .ii. inches brode, and thre inches longe, but se the knyfe 16 go no deper than the thycknes of the bone for perysshynge of the brayne, and take away the bone, and than shalt thou se a bladder full of water two inches longe and more, take that out, and hurte not the brayne, and 20 thanne let downe the skynne, and sowe it faste there as it was before, and bynde a clothe two or thre folde vpon his foreheed, to kepe it from colde and wete .x. or .xii. dayes. And thus haue I seen many mended. But 24 if the beaste be fatte, and any reasonable meate vpon hym, it is best to kyll hym, for than there is but lyttell losse. And if the bladder be vnder the horne, it is past cure. A shepe wyll haue the turne as well as a 28 beast, but I haue seen none mended.    There be beastes that wyll haue warrybredes in dyuers partes of theyr body and legges, and this is the remedy. Cast hym downe, and bynde his foure fete together, and take a culture, or a payre of tonges, or such an other 4 yren, and take it glowing hote: and if it be a longe warrybrede, sere it of harde by the body, and if it be in the beginninge, and be but flatte, than lay the hot yren vpon it, and sere it to the bare skyn, and it will be 8 hole for euer, be it horse or beast.    There be bestes, that wyll haue the foule, and that is betwene the cleese, sometyme before, and sometyme behynde, and it wyll swell, and cause hym to halt, and this is the remedy. Cast hym downe and bind his foure 4 fete together, & take a rope of heare, or a hey-rope, harde wrythen together, and put it betwene his cleese, and drawe the rope to and fro a good season, tyll he blede well, and than laye to it softe made terre, and 8 binde a cloute aboute it, that noo myre nor grauell come betwene the clese: and put hym in a pasture, or let hym stande styll in the house, and he wyll be shortly hole. 12    There be beastes, that wyll haue the goute, and moste commonly in the hynder fete, and it wyll cause them to halt, and go starkely. And I knewe neuer manne that coulde helpe it, or fynde remedye therfore, but all-onely 4 to put hym in good grasse, and fede hym.    It is conueniente for a housbande to rere calues, and specyally those that come bytwene Candelmasse and Maye, for that season he may spare mylke beste; and by that tyme the calfe shall be wayned, there wyll be grasse 4 ynoughe to put hym vnto. And at winter he wyll be bygge ynoughe to saue hym-selfe amonge other beastes, with a lyttell fauoure. And the damme of the calfe shall bull agayne, and brynge an other by the same time of 8 the yere: and if thou shalt tary tyll after May, the calfe wolde be weyke in wynter, and the damme wolde not bull agayne: but ofte tyme go bareyn. And if thou shalte rere a calfe that commeth after Myghelmasse, it 12 wyll be costly to kepe the calfe all the wynter-season at hey, and the damme at harde meate in the house, as they vse in the playne champyon countrey. And a cowe shall gyue more mylke with a lyttell grasse and strawe, lyenge 16 without in a close, thanne she shall doo with hey and strawe, lyenge in an house; for the harde meate dryeth vp the mylke. But he that hath no pasture, muste do as he may; but yet is it better to the housbande to sell those 20 calues than to rere them, bycause of the cost, and also for the profytte of the mylke to his house, and the rather the cowe wyll take the bull. If the husbande go with an oxe-plough, it is conuenient that he rere two oxe-calues 24 and two cowe-calues at the least, to vpholde his flocke, and if he maye do moo, it wyll be more profyte. And it is better, to wayne thy calues at grasse before. And that man, that maye haue a pasture for his kye, and 28 an other for his calues, and water in them both, maye rere and brede good beastes with lyghte coste. And if thou waine thy calues with hey, it wyl make them haue great belyes, and the rather they wyll rotte whan they 32 come to grasse, and in wynter they wolde be put in a house by them-selfe, and gyuen hey on the nyghtes, and put in a good pasture on the day, and they shal be moche better to handell, whan they shal be kye or oxen. 36    It is tyme to gelde his oxen calues in the olde of the mone, whan they be .x. or .xx. dayes olde, for than it is leaste ieoperdye, and the oxe shall be the more hyer, and the lenger of body, and the lenger horned: and that maye 4 be well prouyd, to take two oxe-calues, both of one kynde, of one makynge, and both of one age; gelde one of them, and let the other goo forthe and be a bull, and put theym bothe in one pasture, tyll they be foure or 8 fyue yere olde: and than shall ye se the oxe-calfe ferre greatter euery waye than the bull; there is noo cause but the geldynge; and yf thou gelde them not tyll they be a yere olde, there is more ieopardye, he shall be lesse of 12 bodye, and shorte-horned.    A husbande maye not be withoute horses and mares, or bothe; and specially, if he go with a horse-ploughe, he muste haue both his horses to drawe, and his mares to brynge coltes, to vpholde his flocke, and yet at manye 4 tymes they maye drawe well, if they be well handled. But they maye not beare sackes, nor be rydden vppon noo iourneys whan they be with foole, and specyally whanne they haue gone with foole .xx. or .xxiiii. wekes, 8 for than is the greateste ieopardy. For yf she be rydden vppon, and sette vp hotte, or tourned out and take cold, she wil caste her foole, the whiche woll be a greatte losse to the housbande. For she wyll labour and beare whan 12 she hath fooled, and drawe whan she is with foole, as well as the horse. It is conuenient for the husbande to knowe, whanne his mare wolde be horsed. It is the common sayenge, that she wyll take the hors within .ix. or 16 .x. dayes, nexte after that she hath fooled: but that saying I holde not with, for and she do so, she wyll not holde therto, for the hors dothe dryue her to it. But .xx. days after, is tymely ynoughe to brynge her to a hors. 20 For she wyl not holde to it, excepte she be kene of horsyng, and that shal ye knowe by her shap, for that wyll twyrle open, and close agayne, many tymes in an houre: and than brynge her to a hors, and let her be with hym a day or a 24 nyght, and that is suffycyent. For it is better, to kepe the horse frome the mares, than to go with them, for dyuers causes, and specyally he shall be more lusty, and the moo horse-coltes shall he gete. But he that hath 28 very many mares, may not alway attende them, but let them go to-gether, and take as god sendes it. Some men holde an opinion, that if the horse be put to the mare in the begynnynge of the moone, after it be prime, 32 he shall gete a horse-foole. And some men saye the contrary: that if he be putte to the mare in the olde of the mone, he shoulde gete horse-fooles. And I saye, it maketh noo matter, whether: for this cause I haue 36 proued. I haue my selfe .lx. mares and more, able to beare the horse, and from Maye daye vnto saynte Barthylmewes daye, I have .v. or .vi. horses goynge with theym bothe daye and nyghte, and at the foolynge-tyme 40 I haue vpon one daye a horse-fole, and on the nexte daye, or seconde, a mare-fole, and on the thirde or fourth day next after, a horse-fole agayne, and soo euery weke of bothe sortes, and by theyr opynyon or reason, 44 I shulde haue .xiiii. dayes together horse-fooles, and other .xiiii. dayes together mare-foles. And me semethe, that those men that holde that opinyon, speke sophystycallye; that if soo be they layde any wagers thervppon, 48 that they shoulde bothe wynne in theyr owne conceyte by this reason. Whether it were gette in the newe of the mone or in the olde of the mone, it is a horse-foole, bycause a horse gate it, though it be a felly-fole; and it 52 is a mare-fole, bycause a mare fooled it, thoughe it be a horse-colte. And so (Diuersis respectibus) theyr opynions maye be trewe. But of one thynge I am certayne, that some one horse wyll gette more horse-fooles than 56 other horse wyll doo, and lyke wyse a mare wyll beare moo mare-fooles than some other mare wyll do, thoughe they be horsed bothe with one horse. Me semeth there is no reason why, but the lustynes of the nature of bothe 60 partes, whether of them shall haue the domination. But and ye haue mares of dyuers colours, than do as I do, seuer them in diuers parcels, and put to your white mares a grey horse, or a whyte horse that hath 64 noo whyte rathe in the foreheed; and to your grey mares a white horse, so that he be not al white-skynned aboute the mouthe. And to your mares of colour, that haue no white vpon them, a coloured horse that hath 68 moch white on hym, and to your coloured mares of mayne whyte, a horse of colour of mayn whyte. And thus shal ye haue well coloured coltes. It maketh noo mater of what colour the horse be, soo he be neyther 72 whyte nor grey. For if ye put a whyte horse to a coloured mare, she shall haue moste comonly a sandy colte, lyke an yren-gray, neyther lyke syre nor damme. Howe be it I haue seen and knowen many mares, that 76 wyll haue theyr colte lyke the horse that gate it, the whiche is agaynste kynde of mares, for a manne maye rather gette one good horse than many good mares.    It is lesse hurte to a man, to haue his cowe caste her calfe, thanne an ewe to caste her lambe. For the calfe wyll soucke as moche mylke, er it be able to kyll, as it is worthe, and of the ewe commeth noo profytte of the 4 mylke, but the lambe. Howe be it they vse in some places to mylke theyr ewes, whan they haue wayned theyr lambes: but that is great hurte to the ewes, and wyll cause them, that they wyll not take the ramme at 8 the tyme of the yere for pouertye, but goo barreyne. And if a mare caste her foole, that is thryse soo great a losse, for if that foole be commen of good brede, as it is necessary euery man to prouyde, for as moche 12 costes and charges hath a badde mare as a good, in shorte space the foole, with good kepynge, maye be solde for as moche money as wolde bye many calues and lambes. 15    Beastes alone, nor horses alone, nor shepe alone, excepte it be shepe vppon a verye hyghe grounde, wyll not eate a pasture euen, but leaue many tuftes and hygh grasse in dyuers places, excepte it be ouer-layde with 4 cattell. Wherfore knowe that horses and beastes wyll agree well in oone pasture, for there is some maner of grasse that a horse[29] wyll eate, and the beast wyl not eate, as the fytches, flasshes, and lowe places, and 8 all the holowe bunnes and pypes that growe therin. But horses and shepe wyll not so well agree, excepte it be shepe to fede, for a shepe wyll go on a bare pasture, and wyll eate the sweteste grasse: and soo wyll a horse, but he 12 wolde haue it lenger. Howe be it he wyll eate as nyghe the erthe as a shepe, but he can not so sone fyll his belly. To an hundred beastes ye maye put .xx. horses, if it be lowe ground, and if there be grasse ynoughe, 16 put in an hundred shepe, and so after the rate, be the pasture more or lesse. And after this maner they may fede and eate the close euen and leue but fewe tuftes. And if it be an hyghe grounde, put in moo shepe, 20 and lesse bestes and horses. Melch kye, and draught oxen, wyll eate a close moche barer than as many fatte kye and oxen. And a melche cowe may haue to moch meate: for if she waxe fatte, she wyll the rather take 24 the bull, and gyue lesse mylke. For the fatnes stoppeth the poores and the vaines, that shuld brynge the mylke to the pappes. And therfore meane grasse is beste to kepe her in a meane estate. And if a cowe be 28 fatte, whan she shall calue, than is there great ieoperdy in her, and the calfe shall be the lesse: but ye can not gyue your draught-oxe to moche meate, excepte it be the aftermath of a late mowen medowe. For that wyll 32 cause hym to haue the gyrre, and than he maye not well laboure. And there be to moche grasse in a close, the cattel shall fede the worse, for a good bytte to the erthe is suffycyente. For if it be longe, the beaste wyll byte 36 of the toppe and noo more, for that is swetest, and the other lyeth styll vppon the grounde and rotteth, and no beaste wyll eate it but horse in wynter; but these beastes, horses and shepe, maye not be fodered to-gether 40 in wynter, for thanne they wolde be seuered: for els the beastes with theyr homes wyll put bothe horses and the shepe, and gore them in theyr bellyes. And it is necessarye to make standynge cratches, to caste theyr 44 fodder in, and the staues set nyghe ynough togyther, for pullynge theyr fodder to hastely out, for shedynge. And if it be layde vppon the erthe, the fourthe parte therof wyll be loste: and if ye laye it vpon the erthe, 48 laye it euerye tyme in a newe place, for the olde wyll marre the newe.    Thou grasyer, that mayst fortune to be of myne opynyon or condityon, to loue horses and yonge coltes or foles to go amonge thy cattel, take hede that thou be not begyled, as I haue ben an hundred tymes and 4 more. And first thou shalt knowe, that a good horse hath .liiii. propertyes, that is to say .ii. of a man, .ii. of a bauson or a badger, .iiii. of a lyon, .ix. of an oxe, .ix. of an hare, .ix. of a foxe, .ix. of an asse, and .x. of a 8 woman.    The fyrste is, to haue a proude harte; and the seconde is, to be bolde and hardy.

   ¶ The fyrste is, to haue a whyte rase or a ball in the foreheed; the seconde, to haue a whyte fote.    ¶ The fyrste is, to haue a brode breste; the seconde, to be styffe-docked; the thyrde, to be wylde in countenaunce; the fourthe, to haue foure good legges.    ¶ The fyrste is, to be brode-rybbed; the .ii. to be lowe-brawned; the thyrde, to be shorte-pasturned; the .iiii. to haue greatte senewes; the fyfte, to be wyde betwene the challes; the syxte is, to haue great nosethrylles; 4 the .vii. to be bygge on the chyn; the .viii. to be fatte and well fedde; the .ix. to be vpryghte standynge.    ¶ The fyrste is styffe-eared; the seconde, to haue greate eyen; the thyrde, round eyen; the fourthe, to haue a leane heed; the .v. to haue leane knees; the syxte, to be wyght on foote; the .vii. to turne vpon a lyttell grounde; 4 the .viii. to haue shorte buttockes; the .ix. to haue two good fyllettes.    ¶ The fyrste is, to be prycke-eared, the seconde, to be lyttell-eared; the thyrde, to be rounde-syded; the fourthe, to be syde-tayled; the fyfte, to be shorte-legged; the syxte, to be blacke-legged; the .vii. to be 4 shorte-trottynge; the .viii. to be well coloured; the .ix. to have a lyttell heed.

   ¶ The fyrste is to be small-mouthed; the seconde, to be longe-rayned: the .iii. to be thyn-cressed; the fourthe, to be streyght-backed; the fyfth, to haue small stones; the syxte, to be lathe-legged; the .vii. to be rounde-foted; 4 the eyght, to be holowe-foted; the .ix. to haue a toughe houe.    ¶ The fyrst is, to be mery of chere; the seconde, to be well paced; the thyrde, to haue a brode foreheed; the fourth, to haue brode buttockes; the fyfthe, to be harde of warde; the syxte, to be easye to lepe vppon; the .vii. 4 to be good at a longe iourneye; the .viii. to be well sturrynge vnder a man; the .ix. to be alwaye besye with the mouthe; the tenth, euer to be chowynge on the brydell. ¶ It myght fortune I coude shewe as many 8 defautes of horses, as here be good propertyes, but than I shulde breake my promyse, that I made at Grombalde brydge, the first tyme I wente to Ryppon for to bye coltes. But it is to suppose, that if a horse want any of these 12 good propertyes, that he shulde haue a defaute in the same place. And this is suffycient for this time.    Nowe it is to be knowen, the soraunce and dyseases of horses, & in what partes of theyr bodyes they be; that a man maye the rather perceyue them. And howe be it that it may be against my profyt, yet I wil shewe you 4 suche as cometh to my mynde.    ¶ In the mouthe is the lampas, & is a thycke skyn full of bloude, hangynge ouer his tethe aboue, that he may not eate.

   ¶ The barbes be lyttell pappes in a horse mouth, and lette hym to byte: these two be sone holpen.    ¶ Mournynge of the tonge is an yll dysease, and harde to be cured.    ¶ Pursy is a dysease in an horses bodye, and maketh hym to blowe shorte, and appereth at his nosethrilles, and commeth of colde, and may be well mended.    ¶ Broken-wynded is an yll dysease, and cometh of rennynge or rydynge ouer moche, and specially shortely after he is watred, and appereth at his nosethryll, at his flanke, and also at his tuell, and wyll not be mended; 4 and wyll moche blowe and coughe, if he be sore chafed; and it wyl leaste appere, whan he is at grasse.    ¶ Glaunders is a disease, that may be mended, and commeth of a heate, and a sodeyne colde, and appereth at his nosethrylles, and betwene his chall-bones.    ¶ Mournynge on the chyne is a dysease incurable, and it appereth at his nosethryll lyke oke-water. A glaunder whan it breaketh, is lyke matter. Broken-wynded, and pursynes, is but shorte blowynge. 4

   ¶ Stranguelyon is a lyght dysease to cure, and a horse wyl be very sore sycke therof, and cometh of a chafynge hote, that he swete, and after he wyll ryse and swell in dyuers places of his body, as moche as a mannes fyste; 4 and wyll breake by it selfe, if it be kepte warme, or els is there ieoperdy.    ¶ The hawe is a sorance in a horse eye, and is lyke gristell, and maye well be cutte oute, or els it wyll haue out his eye; and that horse that one, hath commonly two. 4    ¶ A horse wyll waxe blynde with laboure, and that maye be cured betyme.    ¶ The viues is a sorance vnder a horse ere, bytwene the ouer ende of the chall-bones and the necke, and are rounde knottes bytwene the skyn and the fleshe lyke tennes-balles; and if they be not kilde, they wyl waxe 4 quicke, and eate the rotes of the horse eares, and kil hym.    ¶ The cordes is a thynge that wyll make a horse to stumble, and ofte to fall, and appereth before the forther legges of the body of the horse, and may well be cured in .ii. places, and there be but fewe horses but they 4 haue parte therof.    ¶ The farcyon is an yll soraunce, and maye well be cured in the begynnynge, and wyll appere in dyuers places of his bodye, and there wyll ryse pymples as moche as halfe a walnutshell, and they wyll folowe a veyne, and wyll 4 breake by it selfe. And as manye horses as do playe with him that is sore, and gnappe of the matter that renneth out of the sore, shall haue the same sorance within a moneth after; and therfore kepe the sycke frome the 8 hole. And if that sorance be not cured betyme, he wyll dye of it.    ¶ A malander is an yl sorance, and may wel be cured for a tyme, but with yl keping it wyl comme agayne, and appereth on the forther legges, in the bendynge of the knee behynde, and is lyke a scabbe or a skal: and 4 some horses wyll haue two vpon a legge, within an inche together, and they wyl make a horse to stumble, and other whyle to fall.    ¶ A selander is in the bendynge of the legge behynde, lyke as the malander is in the bendynge of the legge before, and is lyke a malander, and may be well cured.    ¶ A serewe is an yll soraunce, and is lyke a splent, but it is a lyttell longer and more, and lyeth vppe to the knee on the inner syde. And some horses haue a throughe serewe on bothe sydes of the legge, and that horse must 4 nedes stumble and fall, and harde it is to be cured.    ¶ A splent is the leaste soraunce that is, that alwaye contynueth, excepte lampas. And many men take vpon them to mende it, and do payre it.

   ¶ A ryngbone is an yll soraunce, and appereth before on the foote, aboue the houe, as well before as behynde, and wyll be swollen three inches brode, and a quarter of an inche or more of heyghte, and the heare wyll stare 4 and waxe thyn, and wyll make hym to halte, and is yll to cure, if it growe longe.    ¶ Wyndgalles is a lyghte sorance, and commeth of great labour, and appereth on eyther syde of the ioynte aboue the fetelockes, as wel before as behynde, and is a lyttell swollen with wynde. 4    ¶ Morfounde is an yll sorance, and cometh of rydynge faste tyll he swete, and than sette vp sodeynely in a colde place, without lytter, and take cold on his fete, and specially before, and appereth vnder the houe in the hert 4 of the fote, for it wylle growe downe, and waxe whyte, and cromely lyke a pomis. And also wyl appere by processe by the wryncles on the houe, and the houe before wyll be thycker, and more bryckle than and he 8 had not benne morfounde; nor he shall neuer trede so boldely vpon the harde stones as he dydde before; nor wyll not be able to beare a man a quarter of a yere or more; and with good paryng and shoynge, as he oughte 12 to be, he wyll do good seruyce.    ¶ Coltes euyll is an yll disease, and commeth of ranknes of nature and bloudde, and appereth in his scote, for there wyl he swel great, and wyll not be harde, and soone cured in the begynnynge. 4

   ¶ The bottes is an yll dysease, and they lye in a horse mawe, and they be an inche long, white-coloured, and a reed heed, and as moche as a fyngers ende, & they be quycke, and stycke faste in the mawe-syde; it apperethe 4 by stampynge of the horse, or tomblynge, and in the beginninge there is remedy ynoughe, and if they be not cured betyme, they wyll eate thorowe his mawe, and kyll hym. 8    ¶ The wormes is a lyght dysease, and they lye in the greatte paunche, in the belye of the horse, and they are shynynge, of colour lyke a snake, syxe inches in lengthe, greate in the myddes, and sharpe at bothe 4 endes, and as moche as a spyndel, and wyll sone be kylde.    ¶ Affreyd is an yll disease, and commethe of great labour and rydynge faste with a contynuall sweate, and thanne sodeynly to take a great colde, his legges wyll be styffe, and his skyn wyll stycke fast to his sydes, and 4 may be well cured.    ¶ Nauylgall is a soraunce, hurte with a saddle, or with a buckle of a croper, or suche other, in the myddes of the backe, and maye be lyghtely cured.    ¶ A spauen is an yll sorance, whervppon he wyll halte, and specyally in the begynnynge, and appereth on the hynder legges within, and agaynste the ioynte, and it wyll be a lyttell swolen and harde. And some horses haue 4 throughe spauen, and appereth bothe within and without, and those be yll to be cured.    ¶ A courbe is an yll sorance, and maketh a horse to halte sore, and appereth vppon the hynder legges streyght behynde, vnder the camborell place, and a lyttell benethe the spauen, and wyll be swollen, and yll to cure, if it growe 4 longe vpon hym.    ¶ The stryng-halte is an yl disease, and maketh hym to twyche vp his legge sodeynly, and maketh hym to halte, and cometh ofte with a colde, and doth not appere outwarde. 4    ¶ Enterfyre is a sorance, and cometh of yll shoynge, and appereth ofte both behynde and before, betwene the fete agaynst the fetelockes; there is no remedy but good showynge. 4    ¶ Myllettes is an yll sorance, and appereth in the fetelockes behynde, & causeth the heare to sheede thre or foure inches of length, and a quarter of an inche in brede, lyke as it were bare; and yll to cure but it maye be perceiued, 4 and specially in wynter tyme.    ¶ The peynes is an yll soraunce and appereth in the fetelockes, and wyl swel in wynter tyme, and oyse of water, and the heare wyll stare and be thyn, and yl to cure, but it wyl be seen in winter. 4

   ¶ Cratches is a soraunce that wyll cause a horse to halt, and commeth of yll kepynge, and appereth in the pasturnes, lyke as the skyn were cut ouerthwarte, that a man maye laye a white strawe, and it is sone cured. 4    ¶ Atteynt is a sorance, that commeth of an ouer-rechynge, yf it be before; and if it be behynde, it is of the tredynge of an other horse, the whiche maye be soone cured. 4    ¶ Grauelynge is a hurte, that wyll make a horse to halte, and commethe of grauell and lyttel stones, that goth in betwene the shough and the herte of the fote, and is sone mended. 4    ¶ A-cloyde is an hurte, that commeth of yll shoynge, whan a smyth dryueth a nayle in-to the quycke; the which wyll make hym to halt, and is sone cured.    ¶ There is a disease amonge horses that is called the scabbe, and it is a skorfe in dyuers places of his body. And it commeth of a pouertie and yll kepynge; and is most commonly amonge olde horses, and wyll dye 4 thervpon, and maye be well cured.    ¶ There be horses that wyll be lowsy, and it cometh of pouertie, colde, and yll kepynge; and it is moste commonly amonge yonge horses, and menne take lyttell hede vnto it; and yet they wyll dye thervppon, and it 4 maye be soone cured.    ¶ There is a defaute in a horse, that is neyther sorance, hurte, nor disease, and that is, if a horse wante wartes behynde, benethe the spauen-place, for then he is noo chapmannes ware, if he be wylde; but if he be tame, 4 and haue ben rydden vpon, than Caueat emptor, beware the byer, for the byer hath bothe his eyen to se, and his handes to handell. It is a sayenge, that suche a horse shoulde dye sodeynely, whan he hath lyued as 8 many yeres as the mone was dayes olde, at suche tyme as he was foled.    ¶ These be soraunce, hurtes, dyseases, that be nowe comme to my mynde; and the frenche-man saythe, Mort de langue et de eschine Sount maladyes saunce medicine. The mournynge of the tongue, and of the chyne, are 4 diseases without remedy or medicyne. And ferther he saythe, Gardes bien, que il soyt cler de vieu, Que tout trauayle ne soit perdue: Be wel ware that he be clere of syghte, lest all thy trauayle or iourneye be lost or 8 nyght. And bycause I am a horse-master my-selfe, I haue shewed you the soraunce and dyseases of horses, to the entent that men shulde beware, & take good hede what horses they bye of me or of any other. Howe 12 be it I saye to my customers, and those that bye any horses of me, and euer they wil trust any hors-master or corser whyle they lyue, truste me.

   A Horse-mayster is he, that bieth wylde horses, or coltes, and bredeth theym, and selleth theym agayne wylde, or breaketh parte of them, and maketh theym tame, and than selleth them. A corser is he, that byeth 4 all rydden horses, and selleth them agayne. The horse-leche is he, that takethe vppon hym to cure and mende all maner of diseases and soraunce that horses haue. And whan these three be mette, if ye hadde a potycarye 8 to make the fourthe, ye myghte haue suche foure, that it were harde to truste the best of them. It were also conuenyent to shew medicynes and remedyes for al these diseases and sorances; but it wolde be to longe a processe 12 at this tyme, for it wolde be as moche as halfe this boke. And I haue not the perfyte connynge, nor the experyence, to shewe medycynes and remedyes for theym all. And also the horse-leches wolde not be 16 content therwith, for it myghte fortune to hurte or hynder theyr occupation.    Nowe thou husbande, that haste bothe horses and mares, beastes and shepe: It were necessary also, that thou haue bothe swyne and bees; for it is an olde sayinge: he that hath bothe shepe, swyne, and bees, 4 slepe he, wake he, he maye thryue. And that sayenge is, bycause that they be those thinges that moste profyt riseth of in the shortest space, with least coste. Than se howe manye swyne thou art able to kepe; let them 8 be bores and sowes all, and no hogges. And if thou be able to rere vi pigges a yere, than let two of them be bores, and foure of them sowes, and so to contynue after the rate. For a bore will haue as lyttell kepynge 12 as a hogge, and is moche better than a hogge, and more meate on hym and is ready at all tymes to eate in the wynter season, and to be layde in souse. And a sowe, er she be able to kyl, shall bryng forth as many pyggs or 16 moo, as she is worth; and her bodye is neuer the worse, and wyll be as good baken as a hogge, and as lyttell kepynge, but at suche tyme as she hath pygges. And if thy sowe haue moo pygges than thou wilt rere, sel them, 20 or eate them, & rere those pigges that come about lenten-time, specyally the begynnynge of somer, for they can-not be rered in winter, for cold, without great coste.    Of bees is lyttell charge but good attendaunce; at the tyme that they shall cast the swarme, it is conuenient, that the hyue be set in a garden, or an orchyarde, where as they maye be kepte from the northe wynde, and the 4 mouthe of the hyue towarde the sonne. And in June and July they do most commonlye caste, and they wolde haue some lowe trees nyghe vnto them before the hyue that the swarme maye lyght vpon; and whan 8 the swarme is knytte, take a hyue, and splente it within with thre or foure splentes, that the bees maye knytte theyr combes therto; and annoynte the splentes, and the sydes of the hyue, with a lyttell honye. And if thou 12 haue no honye, take swete creame, and than set a stole or a forme nyghe vnto the swarme, and laye a clene washen shete vppon the stole, and thanne holde the smalle ende of the hyue downewarde and shake the 16 bees in-to the hyue, and shortely sette it vppon the stole, and turne vppe the comers of the shete ouer the hyue, and to leue one place open, that the bees may come in and out: but thou mayst not fight nor stryue with theym 20 for noo cause; and to laye nettyls vppon the bowes, where as they were knytte, to dryue them from that place; and soo watche them all that daye, that they go not away; and at nyght, whan al be goone vp into the 24 hyue, take it away and set it where it shall stande, and take awaye thy shete, and haue claye tempered to laye aboute it vppon the borde or stone, where it shall stande, that noo wynde comme in, but the borde is better and 28 warmer. And to leaue an hole open on the south syde, of three inches brode, and an inche of heyghte, for the bees to come in and out. And than to make a couerynge of wheate-strawe or rye-strawe, to couer and house the 32 hyue about, and set the hyue two fote or more from the erthe vpon stakes, soo that a mouse cannot come to it, and also neyther beastes nor swyne. And if a swarme be caste late in the yere, they wolde be fedde with honnye in 36 wynter, and layde vppon a thynne narowe borde, or a thynne sclatte or leade; put it into the hyue, and an other thynne borde wolde be set before euery hyues mouthe, that no winde come in; and to haue foure or fyue 40 lyttell nyckes made on the nether syde, that a bee maye comme out or go in, and so fastened, that the wynde blowe it not downe, and to take it vp whan he wyll. And that hyue that is fedde, to stoppe the mouthe cleane, 44 that other bees come not in; for if they doo, they wyll fyghte, and kyll eche other. And beware, that noo waspes come in-to the hyue, for they wyll kyl the bees, and eate the honny. And also there is a bee called a 48 drone, and she is greatter than an other bee, and they wyll eate the honny, and gather nothynge: and therfore they wolde be kylde, and it is a sayenge, that she hath loste her stynge, and than she wyl not labour as the other 52 do.    If a housbande shall kepe cattell well to his profytte, he must haue seuerall closes and pastures to put his cattel in, the which wolde be wel quickesetted, diched, & hedged, that he maye seuer the byggeste cattell frome 4 the weykeste at his pleasure, and specyallye in wynter-tyme, whan they shall be fodered. And thoughe a man be but a farmer, and shall haue his farme xx yeres, it is lesse coste for hym, and more profyte, to quyckeset, 8 dyche, and hedge, than to haue his cattell goo before the herdeman. For let the housbande spende in thre yeres as moche money as the kepynge of his beastes, swyne, and shepe doth cost him in iii yeres, than alwaye after, 12 he shal haue all maner of cattell with the tenthe parte of the coste, and the beastes shal lyke moche better. And by this reason. The herdeman wyll haue for euery beast .ii.d. a quarter, or there aboute: And the swyneherde 16 wyll haue for euery swyne .i.d. at the leaste. Than he must haue a shepeherde of his owne, or elles he shal neuer thryue. Than reken meate, drinke, and wages for his shepeherde, the herdmans hyre, and the swyneherdes 20 hyre, these charges wyll double his rent or nyghe it, excepte his farme be aboue .xl. s. by yere. Nowe see what his charges be in .iii. yeres, lette hym ware as moche money in quickesettynge, dychynge, and hedgynge, and 24 in thre yeres he shall be discharged for euermore, and moche of this labour he and his seruauntes maye do with theyr owne handes, and saue moche money. And than hath he euery fyelde in seueraltye. And by the assente 28 of the lordes and tenauntes, euery neyghbour may exchaunge landes with other. And than shall his farme be twyse so good in profytte to the tenaunte as it was before, and as moche lande kepte in tyllage; and than shall not 32 the ryche man ouer-eate the poore man with his cattell, and the fourth parte of heye and strawe shall serue his cattell better in a pasture, than iiii. tymes soo moche wyll do in a house, and lesse attendaunce, and better the 36 cattel shall lyke, and the chiefe sauegarde for corne bothe daye and nyghte that can be.

   And if thou haue pastures, thou muste nedes haue quyckesettynge, dychynge and plasshynge. Whan it is grene, and commeth to age, than gette thy quyckesettes in the woode-countreye, and let theym be of whyte-thorne 4 and crabtree, for they be beste; holye and hasell be good. And if thou dwelle in the playne-countrey, than mayste thou gete bothe asshe, oke, and elme, for those wyll encrease moche woode in shorte space. And set thy oke-settes 8 and the asshe .x. or .xii fote a-sonder, and cut them as thou dost thy other settes, and couer theym ouer with thornes a lyttell, that shepe and cattell eate them not. And also wede them clene in mydsomer mone or soone 12 after: for the wedes, if they ouer growe, wyl kyl the settes. But get no blacke-thorne for nothynge, for that wyl grow outwarde into the pasture, and doth moch hurte in the grasse, and tearyng the woll of the shepe. It is good 16 tyme to set quickesettes, fro that tyme the leaues be fallen, vnto oure lady daye in lente; and thy sandye grounde or grauell set fyrste, than clay grounde, and than meane grounde, and the medowe or marreys grounde laste, for 20 the sande and grauell wyll drye anone, and than the quyckeset wyll take no rote, excepte it haue greate weate; for the muldes wyll lye lose, if it be dyched in February or marche, and lyke wise clay ground. And make thy settes 24 longe ynough, that they maye be set depe ynough in the erth: for than they wyll growe the better. And to stande halfe a foote and more aboue the erthe, that they maye sprynge oute in many braunches. And than to take a lyne, 28 and sette it there as thou wylte haue thy hedge, and to make a trenche after thy lyne, and to pare awaye the grasse there the quyckesettes shal be set, and caste it by, where the erthe of the dyche shall lye, and dygge vp the 32 muldes a spade-graffe depe, and to put in thy settes, and dygge up more molde, and laye vppon that set, and so peruse, tyll thou haue set all thy settes, and let them lene towarde the dyche. And a foote from that make thy 36 dyche. For if thou make it to nyghe thy settes, the water maye fortune to weare the grounde on that syde, and cause thy settes to fall downe.    If thou make thy dyche foure foote brode, than wolde it be two foote and a halfe depe. And if it be .v. fote brode, than .iii. fote depe, and so accordynge; and if it be fyue fote brod, than it wolde be double sette, and the 4 rather it wolde fence it-selfe, and the lower hedge wyll serue.    Thou muste gette the stakes of the harte of oke, for those be best; crabtre, blacke-thorne, and ellore be good. Reed wethy is beste in marsshe grounde; asshe, maple, hasel, and whyte-thorne wyl serue for a time. And set 4 thy stakes within .ii. foote and a halfe together, excepte thou haue very good edderynge, and longe, to bynde with. And if it be double eddered, it is moch the better, and gret strength to the hedge, and moche lenger it wil last. 8 And lay thy small trouse or thornes, that thou hedgeste withall, ouer thy quickesettes, that shepe do not eate the sprynge nor buddes of thy settes. Let thy stakes be well dryuen, that the poynt take the hard erthe. And whan 12 thou haste made thy hedge, and eddered it well, than take thy mall agayne, and dryue downe thy edderinges, and also thy stakes by and by. For with the wyndynge of the edderynges thou doost leuse thy stakes; and therfore 16 they muste nedes be dryuen newe, and hardened agayne, and the better the stake wil be dryuen, whan he is wel bounden.

   If the hedge be of .x. or .xii. yeres growing sythe it was first set, thanne take a sharpe hachet, or a handbyll, and cutte the settes in a playne place, nyghe vnto the erthe, the more halue a-sonder; and bende it downe 4 towarde the erthe, and wrappe and wynde theym to-gether, but alwaye se that the toppe lye hyer than the rote a good quantytie, for elles the sappe wyll not renne in-to the toppe kyndely, but in processe the toppe wyll 8 dye; and than set a lyttel hedge on the backe-syde, and it shall nede noo more mendynge manye yeres after. And if the hedge be of .xx. .xxiiii. or .xxx. yere of age, sythe it was fyrst sette, than wynde in first al the 12 nether-moste bowes, and wynde them together, and than cutte the settes in a playne place a lyttel from the erth, the more halfe a-sonder, and to lette it slaue downewarde, and not vpwarde, for dyuerse causes: than wynde the 16 bowes and braunches therof in-to the hedge, and at euery two fote, or .iii. fote, to leaue one set growyng not plasshed; and the toppe to be cut of foure fote hygh, or there-aboute, to stande as a stake, if there be any 20 suche, or els to set an-other, and to wynd the other that be pleched about them. And if the bowes wyll not lye playne in the hedge, than cut it the more halfe a-sonder, and bynd it to the hedge, and than shal he not 24 nede for to mende the hedge, but in fewe places, .xx. yeres after or more. And if the hedge be olde, and be great stubbes or trees, and thyn in the bottome, that beastes may go vnder or betwene the trees: thanne 28 take a sharpe axe, and cutte the trees or stubbes, that growe a fote from the erthe, or there-about, in a plaine place, within an inche or two inches of the side, and let them slaue downward, as I sayd before, and let the 32 toppe of the tree lye ouer the rote of an other tree, and to pleche downe the bowes of the same tree, to stoppe the holowe places. And if all the holowe and voyde places wyl not be fylled and stopped, than scoure the 36 olde dyche, and cast it vp newe, and to fyll with erthe all the voyde places. And if soo be these trees wyll not reche in euerye place to make a sufficyent defence, than double quicke-set it, & diche it new in euery place that 40 is nedeful, and set a hedge thervpon, and to ouerlay the settes, for eatynge of shepe or other cattel.    Me semeth, it is necessarye to shewe mine opinion, howe an hye-way shulde be amended. And fyrste and pryncypally, se that there be noo water standynge in the hye-waye, but that it be alwaye currante and rennynge, 4 nor haue none abydynge more in one place thanne in another. And in somer, whan the water is dryed vp, than to get grauell, and to fyll vp euery lowe place, and to make theym euen, somewhat dyscendynge or currante, 8 one waye or other; and if there be noo grauell nor stones to gette, yet fyll vp with erthe in the begynnyge of somer, that it maye be well hardened with caryage and treadynge vppon, and it shall be well 12 amended, if the water maye passe away from it; the whiche wolde be well consydered, and specially aboute London, where as they make moche more coste than nedeth; for there they dyche theyr hye-wayes on bothe 16 sydes, and fyll vp the holowe and lowe places with erthe, and than they caste and laye grauell alofte. And whan a greatte rayne or water commeth, and synketh thorowe the grauell, and commeth to the erthe, than the erthe 20 swelleth and bolneth and waxeth softe, and with treadynge, and specyally with caryage, the grauell synketh, and gothe downewarde as his nature and kynde requyreth, and than it is in maner of a quycke-sande, 24 that harde it is for any thynge to goo ouer. But yf they wolde make no dyche in sommertyme, whan the water is dryed vp, that a man may se all the holowe and lowe places, than to cary grauel, and fyl it vp as hygh as the other 28 knolles be; than wold it not bolne ne swell, nor be no quycke-sande, and euery man may go beside the hie-way with theyr cariage at theyr pleasure. And this me semeth is lesse coste, and lenger wyll last with a lyttell mendynge 32 whan nede requyreth. Therfore me thynketh, yf this were well loked vpon, it shuld be bothe good and necessarye for that purpose: for soo haue I seen done in other places, where as I haue ben, &c. 36    If thou wylte remoue and sette trees, get as manye rotes with them as thou canste, and breake them not, nor bryse theym, by thy wyll. And if there be any rote broken and sore brused, cut it of harde by, there as it is 4 brused, with a sharpe hatchet, elles that roote wyll dye. And if it be asshe, elme, or oke, cut of all the bowes cleane, and saue the toppe hole. For if thou make hym ryche of bowes, thou makeste hym poore of thryfte, for 8 two causes. The bowes causeth theym to shake with wynde, and to leuse the rotes. Also he can-not be soo cleane gete, but some of the rotes muste nedes be cut, and than there wyll not come soo moche sappe and 12 moystenes to the bowes, as there dyd before. And if the tree be very longe, cut of the top, two or thre yardes. And if it be an apple-tree, or peare-tree, or suche other as beareth fruyte, than cut away all the 16 water-bowes, and the small bowes, that the pryncipall bowes may haue the more sap. And if ye make a marke, which syde of the tree standeth towarde the sonne, that he may be set so agayne, it is soo moche 20 the better.

   There be trees wil be set without rotes, and growe well, and sprynge rotes of them-selfe. And those be dyuerse apple-trees, that haue knottes in the bowes, as casses, or wydes, and suche other, that wyll growe on 4 slauynges, and lykewyse popeler and wethy: and they must be cut cleane besyde the tree, that they growe on, and the toppe cut cleane of .viii. or .x. fote of lengthe, and all the bowes betwene, and to be set a fote depe or. 8 in the erthe, in good grounde. And ye shall vnderstande, that there be foure maner of wethyes, that is to say, white wethye, blacke wethy, reed wethy, and osyerde wethy. Whyte wethye wyll growe vppon drye 12 grounde, yf it be sette in the begynnyge of wynter, and wyll not growe in marsshe grounde; blacke wethy wyll growe better on marshe grounde, and redde wethy in lyke maner: and osyerde wethy wyll growe beste in water 16 and moyste grounde. And they be trees that wyll soone be nourysshed, and they wyll beare moche woodde, and they wolde be cropped euery .vii. or .viii. yere or els they wyll dye; but they maye not be cropped in sappe-tyme, 20 nor no tree els. And in many places, bothe the lordes, freeholders, and tenauntes at wyll, sette suche wethyes, and popelers, in marsshe grounde, to nourysshe wodde, &c.    If thou haue any woddes to felle, for thy householde to brenne, or to sell, than fell the vnder-wodde fyrste in wynter, that thy cattell or beastes maye eate and brouse the toppes, and to fell noo more on a daye but as moche 4 as the beastes wyll eate the same daye, or on the morowe after. And as soone as it is well eaten or broused, thanne kydde it, and set them on the endes, and that wyll saue the bandes from rottynge, and they shall be 8 the lyghter to carye, and the better wyll they brenne, and lie in lesse rowme. And whan thou shalt bryng them home to make a stacke of them, set the nethermoste course vpon the endes, and the seconde course flat vppon 12 the syde, and the endes vpwarde, and the thyrde cou[r]se flatte on the syde ouerthwart the other. And so to peruse them, tyll thou haue layd all vp. And whan thou shalte brenne them, take the ouermoste fyrste. 16    If thou haue any trees to shrede, loppe, or croppe for the fyre-wodde, croppe them in wynter, that thy beastes maye eate the brouse, and the mosse of the bowes, and also the yues. And whanne they be broused 4 and eaten, dresse the wodde, and bowe it clene, and cutte it at every byghte, and rere the greatte wodde to the tree, and kydde the smal bowes, and set them on ende. And if thou shalte not haue sufficyent wodde, 8 excepte thou heed thy trees, and cut of the toppes, than heed theym thre or foure fote aboue any tymber: and if it be noo tymbre tree, but a shaken tree, or a hedge-rote full of knottes, than heed hym thyrty foote hyghe, 12 or twenty at the leaste, for soo ferre he wyll beare plentye of woode and bowes, and moche more, thanne if he were not heeded. For a tree hath a propertye to growe to a certayne heyght, and whan he commeth to 16 that heyghte, he standeth styll, and groweth noo hyer, but in brede; and in conclusion the toppe wyll dye and decrease, and the body thryue. And if a tree be heeded, and vsed to be lopped and cropped at euerye 20 .xii. or .xvi. yeres ende, or there-about, it wyll beare moche more woode, by processe of time, than if it were not cropped, and moche more profyte to the owner.

   It is the comon gyse, to begynne at the top of the tree, whan he shall be shred or cropped, bycause eche bough shulde lye vppon other whan they shall fal, so that the weight of the bowes shall cause theym to be 4 the rather cut downe. But that is not beste, for that causeth the bowes to slaue downe the nether parte, and pulleth awaye the barke from the bodye of the tree, the whiche wyll cause the tree to be holowe in that place 8 in tyme commynge, and many tymes it shall hynder hym. And therfore lette hym begynne at the nether-moste boughe fyrste, and with a lyghte axe for an hande, to cut the boughe on bothe sydes, a fote or two foote 12 from the bodye of the tree. And specially cut it more on the nether syde, than on the ouer syde, soo that the boughe fall not streyght downe, but turne on the syde, and than shall it not slaue nor breke no barke. 16 And euery boughe wil haue a newe heed, and beare moche more woode; and by thy wyll, without thou must nedes do it, crop not thy tree, nor specyallye heed hym, whan the wynde standeth in the northe, or in the eest. 20 And beware, that thou croppe hym not, nor heed hym (specially) in sappe-tyme, for than wyll he dye within fewe yeres after, if it be an oke.    If thou haue any woode to selle, I aduyse the, retayle it thy-selfe, if thou mayste attende vppon it: and if not, thanne to cause thy baylye, or somme other wyse or dyscrete man, to do it for the. And if it be small wode, 4 to kydde it, and sel it by the hundredes, or by the thousandes. And if there be asshes in it, to sell the smalle asshes to cowpers for garches, and the gret asshes to whele-wryghtes, and the meane asshes to plowe-wrightes, 8 and the crabbe-trees to myllers, to make cogges and ronges. And if there be any okes, bothe gret and smal, fel them, and pyl them, and sel the barke by it-selfe; and than sorte the trees, the polles by them-selfe, the myddel 12 sorte[30] by them-selfe, and the greattest by them-selfe, & than sel them by scores, or halfe scores, or .C. as thou maist, and to fel it hard by the erth, for i. fote next vnto the erth is worthe .ii fote in the top; and to cut 16 thy tymber longe ynoughe, that thou leue no timber in the toppe. And to sell the toppes as they lye a greatte, or elles dresse them & sel the great wodde by it-selfe, & the kyd-wodde by it-selfe, and to fal the vnder-wode 20 fyrst at any tyme between Martilmas and holyrode-day. And al the asshes, bytwene Martylmasse and Candelmas, and all okes, as soon as they wyl pyl, vntyl May be done, and not after. Perauenture the greattest man hath not 24 the beste prouisyon. And that is bycause the seruauntes wyll not enfourme hym these wayes, and also may fortune they wold bye suche woodes theym-selfe, or be partener of the same and to auyse his lorde to sel them. It is not 28 conuenient that the salesman, that selleth the wod, shuld be partener with the bier.    In the wynter before that thou wilt fel thy wodde, make a good and a sure hedge, that no maner of cattel can get in. And as shortly as it is fallen, let it be caryed away, or the sprynge come vp, for els the cattell, that doth cary 4 the wodde, wyll eate the sprynge: and whan the top is eaten, or broken, it is a great lette, hurte, and hynderaunce of the goodnes of the sprynge; for than where it is eaten, it burges oute of many braunches, and not soo fayre as 8 the fyrst wolde haue ben. A parke is best kept, where there is neyther man, dogge, nor foure-foted beast therin, except dere. And so is a spryng beste kepte, where there is neyther manne nor foure-foted beastes within 12 the hedge. But if there be moche grasse, and thou were lothe to lose it, than put in calues, newly wained and taken from theyr dammes, and also waynynge coltes, or horses not paste a yere of age: and let thy calues be 16 taken away at Maye; the coltes may go lenger for eating of any wodde; but there is ieoperdy bothe for calues, foles, and coltes, for tyckes or for beinge lowsy, the whiche wyl kyl them, if they be not taken hede vnto. 20 And .vii. yeres is the lest that it wil saue it-selfe, but .x. yeres is best. And than the vnder bowes wolde be cutte awaye, and made kyddes therof, and the other wyll growe moche the better and faster. And if the 24 vnder bowes be not cutte awaye, they wyll dye, and than they be loste, and greatte hurte to the sprynge, for they take awaye the sappe, that shoulde cause the sprynge to growe better. 28    It is necessarye, profytable, and also a pleasure, to a housbande, to haue peares, wardens, and apples of dyuerse sortes. And also cheryes, filberdes, bulleys, dampsons, plummes, walnuttes, and suche other. And 4 therfore it is conuenyent to lerne howe thou shalte graffe. Than it is to be knowen what thynges thou must haue to graffe withall. Thou muste haue a graffynge-sawe, the whiche wolde be very thynne, and 8 thycke-tothed; and bycause it is thynne, it wyll cut the narower kyrfe, and the cleaner, for brusynge of the barke. And therfore it is sette in a compasse pece of yren, syxe inches of, to make it styffe and bygge. Thou 12 muste haue also a graffynge-knyfe, an inche brode, with a thycke backe, to cleue the stocke with-all. And also a mallet, to dryue the knyfe and thy wedge in-to the tree: and a sharpe knife, to pare the stockes heed, and 16 an other sharpe knyfe, to cutte the graffe cleane. And also thou muste haue two wedges of harde wood, or elles of yren, a longe small one for a small stocke, and broder for a bygger stocke, to open the stocke, whan it is clouen 20 and pared: and also good tough claye and mosse, and also bastes or pyllynge of wethy or elme, to bynde them with, &c.    Peares and wardens wolde be graffed before any maner of apples, bycause the sappe commeth sooner and rather in-to the peare-tree and warden-tree, thanne in-to the apple-tree. And after saynt Valentynes daye, it is tyme 4 to grade both peares and wardens, tyll Marche be comen, and thanne to graffe appels to our lady daye. And than graffe that that is gette of an olde apple-tree fyrste, for that wyll budde before the graffe get of a yonge apple-tree 8 late graffed. And a peare or a warden wolde be graded in a pyrre-stocke; and if thou canst get none, than graffe it in a crabbe-tree stocke, and it wyll do well: and some men grade theym in a whyte-thorne, and than 12 it wyll be the more harder and stonye. And for all maner of appels, the crabtree stocke is beste.    Thou muste get thy graffes of the fayrest lanses, that thou canste fynde on the tree, and see that it haue a good knotte or ioynte, and an euen. Than take thy sawe, and sawe in-to thy c[r]abbetree, in a fayre playne place, pare it 4 euen with thy knyfe, and thanne cleaue the stocke with thy greatte knyfe and thy mallet, and set in a wedge, and open the stocke, accordynge to the thyckenesse of thy graffe; thanne take thy smalle sharpe knyfe, and cutte 8 the graffe on bothe sydes in the ioynte, but passe not the myddes therof for nothynge, and let the inner syde, that shall be set in-to the stocke, be a lyttel thynner than the vtter syde, and the nether poynte of the graffe the 12 thynner: than proferre thy graffe in-to the stocke; and if it go not close, than cut the graffe or the stocke, tyll they close cleane, that thou canste not put the edge of thy knyfe on neyther syde betwene the stocke and the 16 graffe, and sette them so that the toppes of the graffe bende a lyttell outewarde, and see that the wodde of the graffe be set mete with the wodde of the stocke, and the sappe of the stocke maye renne streyght and euen with 20 the sappe of the graffe. For the barke of the graffe is neuer soo thicke as the barke of the stocke. And therfore thou mayste not sette the barkes mete on the vtter syde, but on the inner syde: than pulle awaye thy wedge, 24 and it wyl stande moche faster. Than take toughe cleye, lyke marley, and ley it vppon the stocke-heed, and with thy fynger laye it close vnto the graffe, and a lyttel vnder the heed, to kepe it moyst, and that no wynde come into 28 the stocke at the cleauynge. Than take mosse, and laye thervpon, for chynynge of the claye: than take a baste of whyte wethy or elme, or halfe a bryer, and bynd the mosse, the clay, and the graffe together, but be well ware, 32 that thou breake not thy graffe, neyther in the clayenge, nor in the byndynge; and thou muste set some-thinge by the graffe, that crowes, nor byrdes do not lyght vpon thy graffe, for if they do, they wil breake hym, &c. 36    There is an other maner of graffinge than this, and soner done, & soner to growe: but it is more ieoperdy for winde whan it begynneth to growe. Thou muste sawe thy stocke, and pare the heed therof, as thou diddest 4 before, but cleue it not: than take thy graffe, and cut it in the ioynt to the myddes, and make the tenaunte therof halfe an inche longe or a lyttell more, all on the one syde, and pare the barke awaye a lyttel at the poynt on the 8 other syde: than thou muste haue made redy a ponch of harde wood, with a stop and a tenaunte on the one syde, lyke to the tenaunte of the graffe. Than put the tenaunt of the ponche betwen the barke and the woode of the 12 stocke, and pull it out agayne, and put in the graffe, and se that it ioyne close, or els mende it. And this can-not fayle, for now the sappe cometh on euery syde, but it wyl spring soo faste, that if it stande on playne 16 grounde, the wynde is lykelye to blowe it besyde the heed, for it hath no fastnes in the wodde. And this is beste remedy for blowynge of, to cutte or clyppe awaye somme of the nethermooste leaues as they growe. And 20 this is the beste waye to graffe, and specyally a greate tree: than claye it, and bynde it as dyddest the other, &c.    As for cheryes, dampsons, bulleys, plummes, and suche other, maye be sette of stones, and also of the scyences, growynge aboute the tree, of the same, for they wyll sooneste beare. Fylberdes and walnuttes maye be set of 4 the nuttes in a gardeyne, and after remoued and sette where he wyll. But whan they be remoued, they wolde be set vpon as good a grounde, or a better, or els they wyll not lyke. 8    I auyse hym to gette a copy of this presente boke, and to rede it frome the begynnynge to the endynge, wherby he maye perceyue the chapyters and contentes of the same, and by reason of ofte redyng, he maye 4 waxe perfyte, what shulde be doone at all seasons. For I lerned two verses at grammar-scole, and they be these: Gutta cauat lapidem non vi, sed sæpe cadendo: Sic homo fit sapiens non vi, sed sæpe legendo: A droppe of water perseth 8 a stoone, not al-onely by his owne strengthe, but by his often fallynge. Ryghte so a man shall be made wyse, not all-onely by hym-selfe, but by his ofte redynge. And soo maye this yonge gentyllman, accordynge to the 12 season of the yere, rede to his seruauntes what chapyter he wyll. And also for any other maner of profyte conteyned in the same, the whiche is necessary for a yonge husbande, that hath not the experyence of housbandrye, 16 nor other thynges conteyned in this presente boke, to take a good remembraunce and credence thervnto, for there is an olde sayinge, but of what auctorytie I cannot tell: Quod melior est practica rusticorum, quam scientia 20 philosophorum. It is better the practiue or knowlege of an husband-man well proued, than the science or connynge of a philosopher not proued, for there is nothynge touchyng husbandry, and other profytes conteyned in 24 this presente booke, but I haue hadde the experyence therof, and proued the same. And ouer and beside al this boke, I wil aduise him to ryse betime in the morning, according to the verse before spoke of, Sanat, sanctificat, 28 et ditat surgere mane: And go about his closes, pastures, fieldes, and specially by the hedges, & to haue in his purse a payre of tables, and whan he seeth any-thing, that wolde be amended, to wryte it in his tables: as if he 32 fynde any horses, mares, beastes, shepe, swyne, or geese in his pastures, that be not his owne: And perauenture thoughe they be his owne, he wolde not haue them to goo there, or to fynde a gap, or a sherde in his hedge, 36 or any water standynge in his pastures vppon his grasse, wherby he maye take double hurte, bothe losse of his grasse, and rotting of his shepe and calues. And also of standynge-water in his corne-fieldes at the landes 40 endes, or sydes, and howe he wolde haue his landes plowed, donged, sturred, or sowen. And his corne weded or shorne or his cattell shifted out of one pasture into an other, and to loke what dychyng, quicsettyng, or plashing, 44 is necessary to be had, and to ouer-se his shepeherd, how he handleth and ordreth his shepe, and his seruantes howe they plowe and do theyr warkes, or if any gate be broken down, or want any staues, and go not lyghtly 48 to open and tyne, and that it do not traile, and that the windes blowe it not open, with many mo necessary thynges that are to be loked vpon. For a man alwaye wanderynge or goinge aboute somewhat, fyndeth or seeth 52 that is a-mysse, and wolde be amended. And as soone as he seeth any suche defautes, than let hym take oute his tables, and wryte the defautes. And whan he commeth home to diner, supper, or at nyght, than let hym call his 56 bayly, or his heed-seruaunte, and soo shewe hym the defautes, that they may be shortly amended. And whan it is amended, than let him put it out of his tables. For this vsed I to doo .x. or .xii. yeres and more. And thus 60 let hym vse dayely, and in shorte space he shall sette moche thynges in good order, but dayely it wyll haue mendynge. And yf he canne not wryte, let hym nycke the defautes vppon a stycke, and to shewe his bayely, as 64 I sayde before. Also take hede bothe erly and late, at all tymes, what maner of people resorte and comme to thy house, and the cause of theyr commynge, and specially if they brynge with them pytchers, cannes, tancardes, 68 bottelles, bagges, wallettes, or busshell-pokes. For if thy seruauntes be not true, they maye doo the great hurte, and them-selfe lyttel auauntage. Wherfore they wolde be well loked vppon. And he that hath .ii. true seruauntes, 72 a man-seruaunte, and an-other a woman-seruaunt, he hath a great treasure, for a trewe seruaunte wyl do iustly hym-selfe, and if he se his felowes do amysse, he wyl byd them do no more so, for if they do, he wyll shewe his master 76 therof: and if he do not this, he is not a trewe seruaunt.    Nowe thou husbande, that haste doone thy dylygence and labour, that longeth to an husbande, to get thy lyuynge, thy wyues, thy chyldrens, and thy seruauntes: yet are there other thynges, that muste nedes be done, 4 or elles thou shalte not thryue. For there is an olde common sayenge, that seldom doth the housbande thryue, withoute the leue of his wyfe. By this sayenge it shoulde seme, that there be other occupations and labours, that 8 be moste conuenient for the wyues to do. And howe be it that I haue not experyence of al theyr occupations and warkes, as I haue of husbandry, yet a lyttell wyl I speke what they ought to do, though I tel them nat howe they 12 shulde doo and exercyse theyr labours and occupations.

   But yet er I begynne to shewe the wyfe, what warkes she shall do, I wyll firste teche her a lesson of Salomon, as I did to her husbande a lesson of the philosopher, and that is, that she shulde not be ydle at noo tyme: 4 for Salomon saythe, Ociosus non gaudebit cum electis in cælo: sed lugebit in æternum cum reprobis in inferno: That is to say, The ydle folke shall not ioye with the chosen folkes in heuen, but they shall sorowe with the reproued 8 and forsaken folkes in hell. And saynt Iherom saythe: Semper boni operis aliquid facito, vt te diabolus inueniat occupatum: Quia sicut in aqua stante generantur vermes: sic in homine ocioso generantur malæ cogitationes: That is to say, 12 Alwaye be doinge of some good werkes, that the dyuell may fynde the euer occupied: for as in standynge water are engendred wormes, ryghte soo in an ydle body are engendred ydle thoughtes. Here mayste thou se, that 16 of ydelnes commeth damnation, and of good warkes and labour cometh saluation. Nowe arte thou at thy lyberty, to chose whether waye thou wylt, wherin is a great diuersitie. And he is an vnhappy man or woman, that 20 god hath giuen bothe wyt and reason, and putteth hym in chose, and woll chose the worst parte. Nowe thou wyfe, I trust to shewe to the dyuers occupations, warkes, and laboures, that thou shalt not nede to be ydle no tyme 24 of the yere.    First and prynycypally the wyfe is bounde of ryghte to loue her housbande, aboue father and mother, and aboue all other men. For our lorde saythe in his gospell; Relinquet patrem et matrem, et adherebit[31] vxori suæ: A man 4 shulde leue father and mother, and drawe to his wyfe: and the same wyse a wyfe shulde do to her husbande. And are made by the vertue of the sacrament of holy scripture one fleshe, one bloude, one body, and two 8 soules. Wherfore theyr hartes, theyr myndes, theyr warkes, and occupations, shulde be all one, neuer to seuer nor chaunge durynge theyr natural lyues, by any mannes acte or dede, as it is sayde in the same gospel: 12 Quod deus coniunxit, homo non separet: That thynge that god hath ioyned to-gether, noo man maye seuer nor departe. Wherfore it is conuenyente that they loue eche other as effectually as they wolde doo theyr owne 16 selfe, &c.    First in a mornyng whan thou arte waked, and purposeste to ryse, lyfte vp thy hande, and blesse the, and make a sygne of the holy crosse, In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti. Amen. In the name of the father, the 4 sonne, and the holy gooste. And if thou saye a Pater noster, an Aue, and a Crede, and remember thy maker, thou shalte spede moche the better. And whan thou arte vp and redy, than first swepe thy house, dresse vp thy 8 dyssheborde, and sette all thynges in good order within thy house: milke thy kye, socle[32] thy calues, sye vp thy mylke, take vppe thy chyldren and araye theym, and prouyde for thy husbandes brekefaste, dynner, souper, 12 and for thy chyldren and seruauntes, and take thy parte with theym. And to ordeyne corne and malte to the myll, to bake and brue withall whanne nede is. And meete it to the myll, and fro the myll, and se that thou 16 haue thy measure agayne besyde the tolle, or elles the myller dealeth not truely with the, or els thy corne is not drye as it shoulde be. Thou must make butter, and chese whan thou maist, serue thy swyne bothe mornyng and 20 euenynge, and gyue thy poleyn meate in the mornynge; and whan tyme of the yere cometh, thou must take hede howe thy hennes, duckes, and geese do ley, and to gather vp theyr egges, and whan they waxe brodye, to sette 24 them there as noo beastes, swyne, nor other vermyn hurte them. And thou muste knowe, that all hole-footed fowles wyll sytte a moneth, and all clouen-footed fowles wyll sytte but three wekes, excepte a peyhenne, and greatte 28 fowles, as cranes, bustardes, and suche other. And whan they haue broughte forthe theyr byrdes, to see that they be well kepte from the gleyd, crowes, fullymartes, and other vermynne. And in the begynnynge of Marche, or 32 a lyttell afore, is tyme for a wyfe to make her garden, and to gette as many good sedes and herbes as she canne, and specially suche as be good for the potte, and to eate: and as ofte as nede shall requyre, it muste be weded, for 36 els the wedes wyl ouergrowe the herbes. And also in Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe and hempe, for I haue harde olde houswyues saye, that better is Marche hurdes than Apryll flaxe, the reason appereth: but howe it 40 shulde be sowen, weded, pulled, repeyled, watred, wasshen, dryed, beaten, braked, tawed, hecheled, spon, wounden, wrapped, and wouen, it nedeth not for me to shewe, for they be wise ynough; and therof may they 44 make shetes, bordclothes, towels, shertes, smockes, and suche other necessaryes, and therfore let thy dystaffe be alwaye redye for a pastyme, that thou be not ydle. And vndouted a woman can-not gette her lyuynge 48 honestely with spynnynge on the distaffe, but it stoppeth a gap, and muste nedes be had. The bolles of flaxe, whan they be ripeled of, must be rideled from the wedes, and made drye with the son, to get out the sedes. Howe 52 be it one maner of linsede, called loken sede, wyll not open by the son: and therfore, whan they be drye, they muste be sore brused and broken, the wiues knowe howe, and than winowed and kepte drye, tyll yere-tyme come 56 agayn. Thy female hempe must be pulled from the churle hempe, for that beareth no sede, and thou must do by it, as thou dydest by the flax. The churle hempe beareth sede, and beware that byrdes eate it not, as it 60 groweth: the hemp therof is not soo good as the female hempe, but yet it wyll do good seruyce. May fortune somtime, that thou shalt haue so many thinges to do, that thou shalt not well knowe where is best to begyn. Than 64 take hede, which thing shulde be the greattest losse, if it were not done, and in what space it wold be done: than thinke what is the greatest losse, & there begyn. But in case that thynge, that is of greateste losse, wyll 68 be longe in doynge, and thou myghteste do thre or foure other thynges in the meane whyle, thanne loke well, if all these thynges were sette together, whiche of them were the greattest losse; and if all these thynges be of 72 greater losse, and may be all done in as shorte space, as the other, than doo thy many thynges fyrste.
   ¶ It is conuenyente for a housbande to haue shepe of his owne, for many causes, and than maye his wife haue 76 part of the woll, to make her husbande and her-selfe some clothes. And at the leaste waye, she may haue the lockes of the shepe, eyther to make clothes or blankettes & couerlettes, or bothe. And if she haue no woll of her 80 owne, she maye take wol to spynne of clothe-makers, and by that meanes she maye haue a conuenyent lyuynge, and many tymes to do other warkes. It is a wyues occupation, to wynowe all maner of cornes, to make malte, to wasshe 84 and wrynge, to make heye, shere corne, and in tyme of nede to helpe her husbande to fyll the mucke-wayne or dounge-carte, dryue the ploughe, to loode hey, corne, and suche other. And to go or ride to the market, to sel butter, 88 chese, mylke, egges, chekyns, capons, hennes, pygges, gese, and all maner of cornes. And also to bye all maner of necessarye thynges belongynge to houssholde, and to make a trewe rekenynge and a-compte to her housbande, 92 what she hath payed. And yf the housbande go to the market, to bye or sell, as they ofte do, he than to shewe his wife in lyke maner. For if one of them shoulde vse to deceyue the other, he deceyueth hym-selfe, and he is 96 not lyke to thryue. And therfore they muste be trewe eyther to other. I coulde peraduenture shewe the housbandes dyuerse poyntes that the wyues deceyue them in: and in lyke maner, howe husbandes deceyue theyr 100 wyues: but if I shulde do so, I shulde shewe mo subtyll poyntes of deceypt, than eyther of them knewe of before. And therfore me semeth beste to holde my peace, least I shoulde do as the knyght of the toure dyd, the whiche 104 had many fayre doughters, and of fatherly loue that he oughte to them, he made a boke, to a good entente, that they myghte eschewe and flee from vyces, and folowe vertues. In the whiche boke he shewed, that if they 108 were wowed, moued, or styred by any man, after suche a maner as he there shewed, that they shulde withstande it. In the whiche boke he shewed so many wayes, howe a man shoulde atteyne to his purpose, to brynge a woman 112 to vice, the whiche wayes were so naturall, and the wayes to come to theyr purpose were soo subtylly contryued, and craftely shewed, that harde it wold be for any woman to resyste or deny theyr desyre. And by the sayd boke 116 hath made bothe the men and the women to knowe more vyces, subtyltye, and crafte, than euer they shulde haue knowen, if the boke had not ben made: in the whiche boke he named hym-selfe the knight of the towre. And 120 thus I leue the wyues, to vse theyr occupations at theyr owne discreation.    Nowe thou husbande and huswyfe, that haue done your diligence and cure, accordynge to the fyrste artycle of the philosopher, that is to saye: Adhibe curam. And also haue well remembred the sayeng of wyse Salomon: 4 Quod ociosus non gaudebit cum electis in cælo: sed lugebit in æternum cum reprobis in inferno: Thanne ye must remembre, obserue, and kepe in mind, the seconde article of the sayinge of the philosopher, that is to saye, Tene 8 mensuram: That is to saye in englysshe, holde and kepe measure. And accordynge to that sayenge, I lerned two verses at grammer-schole, and they be these, Qui plus expendit, quam rerum copia rendit: Non admiretur, si paupertate 12 grauetur: he that dothe more expende, thanne his goodes wyll extende, meruayle it shall not be, thoughe he be greued with pouertee. And also accordynge to that sayenge speketh sayncte Paul and saythe, Iuxta 16 facultates faciendi sunt sumptus, ne longi temporis victum, breuis hora consumat: That is to saye, A[f]ter thy faculty or thy honoure, make thyne expences, leste thou spende in shorte space that thynge, that thou shouldest lyue 20 by longe. This texte toucheth euery manne, from the hyest degree to the loweste; wherfore it is necessary to euerye manne and womanne to remembre and take good hede there-vnto, for to obserue, kepe, and folowe the 24 same; but bycause this texte of sayncte Paule is in latyn, and husbandes commonely can but lyttell laten, I fere leaste they can-not vnderstande it. And thoughe it were declared ones or twyse to theym, that they wolde 28 forgette it: Wherfore I shall shewe to theym a texte in englysshe, and that they maye well vnderstande, and that is this, Eate within thy tedure.    Thou husbande and huswife, that intend to folowe the sayinge of the philosopher, that is to saye, kepe measure, you muste spare at the brynke, and not at the bottom, that is to vnderstande, in the begynnynge of 4 the yere, sellynge of thy cornes, or spendynge in thy house, vnto the tyme that thou haue sowen agayne thy wynter-corne, and thy lente-corne, and than se what remayneth to serue thy house, and of the ouerplus thou 8 mayste sell and bye suche other necessaryes, as thou must nedes occupie. And if thou spende it in the begynnynge of the yere, and shall want in the hynder ende, than thou doste not eate within thy tedure, and at the laste 12 thou shalte be punyshed, as I shal proue the by ensample. Take thy horse, and go tedure him vpon thyne owne lees, flytte hym as ofte as thou wylte, no manne wyll saye ‘wronge thou doste’; but make thy horse to longe 16 a tedure, than whan thou haste tyed hym vppon thyne owne lees, his tedure is so longe, that it recheth to the middes of an-other mans lees or corne: Nowe haste thou gyuen hym to moche lybertye, and that man, whose 20 corne or grasse thy horse hath eaten, wyll be greued at the, and wyll cause the to be amerced in the court, or elles to make hym amendes, or bothe. And if thy horse breake his tedure, and go at large in euery mans 24 corne and grasse, than commeth the pynder, and taketh hym, and putteth hym in the pynfolde, and there shall he stande in prison, without any meate, vnto the tyme thou hast payde his raunsome to the pynder, and also 28 make amendes to thy neyghbours, for distroyenge of theyr corne. Ryght so, as long as thou eatest within thy tedure, that thou nedest not to begge nor borowe of noo man, soo longe shalte thou encrease and growe in 32 rychesse, and euery man wyll be content with the. And if thou make thy tedure to longe, that thyne owne porcyon wyll not serue the, but that thou shalte begge, borowe, or bye of other: that wyll not longe endure, 36 but thou shalte fall in-to pouertye. And if thou breake thy tedure, and ren ryot at large, and knowe not other mennes goodes frome thyne owne, than shall the pynder, that is to saye, the sheryffe and the bayly, areste the, 40 and putte the in the pynfolde, that is to say, in prison, there to abyde tyll the truth be knowen: and it is meruayle, if thou scape with thy lyfe, and therfore eate within thy tedure. 44    One thinge I wyl aduise the to remembre, and specially in wynter-tyme, whan thou sytteste by the fyre, and hast supped, to consyder in thy mynde, whether the warkes, that thou, thy wyfe, & thy seruauntes shall do, be more 4 auauntage to the than the fyre, and candell-lyghte, meate and drynke that they shall spende, and if it be more auantage, than syt styll: and if it be not, than go to thy bedde and slepe, and be vppe betyme, and breake thy 8 faste before day, that thou mayste be all the shorte wynters day about thy busynes. At grammer-scole I lerned a verse, that is this, Sanat, sanctificat, et ditat surgere mane. That is to say, Erly rysyng maketh a man 12 hole in body, holer in soule, and rycher in goodes. And this me semeth shuld be sufficient instruction for the husbande to kepe measure.    To me it is doubtefull, but yet me semeth, they be rather to lyberall in expences, than to scarce, and specyally in three thynges. The fyrste is prodigalytie in outragious and costely aray, fer aboue measure; the 4 seconde thynge is costely charge of delycyous meates and drynkes; the thyrde is outragious playe and game, ferre aboue measure. And nowe to the fyrste poynte.

   I haue seen bokes of accompte of the yomen of the wardropes of noble men, and also inuentorys made after theyr decease of their apparell, and I doubte not but at this daye, it is .xx. tymes more in value, than it was to 4 suche a man of degree as he was an .C. yere a-go: and many tymes it is gyuen away, er it be halfe worne, to a symple man, the whiche causeth hym to weare the same; and an other symple man, or a lyttell better, seynge him 8 to weare suche rayment, thynketh in his mynde, that he maye were as good rayment as he, and so causeth hym to bye suche other, to his great coste and charge, aboue measure, and an yll ensample to all other: and also to see 12 mens seruantes so abused in theyr aray, theyr cotes be so syde, that they be fayne to tucke them vp whan they ryde, as women do theyr kyrtels whan they go to the market or other places, the whiche is an vnconuenient syght. And 16 ferthermore, they haue suche pleytes vpon theyr brestes, and ruffes vppon theyr sleues, aboue theyr elbowes, that yf theyr mayster, or theym-selfe hadde neuer so greatte nede, they coude not shoote one shote, to hurte 20 theyr ennemyes, tyll they hadde caste of theyr cotes, or cut of theyr sleues. This is fer aboue measure, or common weale of the realme. This began fyrste with honour, worship, and honesty, and it endeth in pryde, presumption, 24 and pouertye. Wherof speketh saint Austin, Quemcunque superbum esse videris, diaboli filium esse ne dubites: That is to say, who-so-euer thou seest that is proude, dout the not, but he is the diuels chylde. Wherfore agaynst pryde he 28 byddeth the remembre: Quid fuisti, quid es, et qualis post mortem eris: That is to say, what thou were, what thou art, and what thou shalte be after thy death. And S. Bernarde saythe, Homo nihil aliud est, quam sperma 32 fetidum, saccus stercorum, et esca vermium: That is to saye, A man is nothynge but stynkynge fylthe, a sacke of dounge, and wormes meate. The whiche sayinges wolde be remembred, and than me semeth this is sufficient at this 36 time for the first point of the thre.    Howe costely are the charges of delycious meates & drynkes, that be nowe most commonly vsed, ouer that it hath ben in tymes paste, and howe fer aboue measure? For I haue seen bokes of accompte of householde, 4 and brumentes vpon the same, & I doubte not, but in delycyous meates, drinkes, and spyces, there is at this daye foure tymes so moche spent, as was at these dayes, to a lyke man in degree; and yet at that tyme 8 there was as moche befe and mutton spent as is nowe, and as many good housholdes kept, and as many yomenne wayters therin as be nowe. This began with loue and charytye whan a lorde, gentylman, or yoman 12 desyred or prayed an other to come to dyner or soupper, and bycause of his commynge he wolde haue a dysshe or two mo than he wolde haue had, if he had ben away. Than of very loue he, remembrynge howe louyngely 16 he was bydden to dynner, and howe well he fared, he thynketh of very kyndnes he muste nedes byd hym to dyner agayne, and soo ordeyneth for hym as manye maner of suche dysshes and meates, as the other man dyd, and 20 two or .iii. mo, & thus by lyttel and litell it is commen fer aboue measure. And begon of loue and charyte, and endeth in pryde and glotony, wherof saynte Ierome saythe: Qui post carnem ambulant, in ventrem et libidinem, 24 proni sunt, quasi irrationabilia iumenta reputantur. That is to say, They that walke, and be redy to fulfill the lust of the fleshe and the bely, are taken as vnreasonable beastes; and sayncte Gregory sayth, Dominante vicio gulæ, omnes 28 virtutes per luxuriam et vanam gloriam obruuntur: That is to saye, where the vice of glotony hath domination, all vertues by luxury and vayne glory are cast vnder: the whiche sayinges wold in lykewise be remembred; and 32 this me semeth sufficient for the .ii. poynte of the thre.    It is conueniente for euery man, of what degree that he be of, to haue playe & game accordynge to his degree. For Cato sayth, Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis: Amonge thy charges and busynes thou muste haue sometyme ioye 4 and myrthe; but nowe a-dayes it is doone ferre aboue measure. For nowe a poore man in regarde wyll playe as great game, at all maner games, as gentylman were wont to do, or greater, and gentilmen as lordes, and 8 lordes as prynces, & ofte tymes the great estates wyll call gentylmen or yomen to play with them at as great game as they do, and they call it a disport, the whiche me semeth a very trewe name to it, for it displeaseth 12 some of them er they departe, and specyall god, for myspendynge of his goodes and tyme. But if they played smalle games, that the poore man that playeth myght beare it thoughe he loste, and bate not his 16 countenaunce, than myght it be called a good game, a good playe, a good sporte, and a pastyme. But whan one shall lose vpon a day, or vpon a nyght, as moche money as wold fynde hym and all his house meate and 20 drynke a moneth or a quarter of a yere or more, that maye be well called a disporte, or a displeasure, and ofte tymes, by the meanes therof, it causeth theym to sell theyr landes, dysheryte the heyres, and may fortune to fall to 24 thefte, robbery, or suche other, to the great hurte of them-selfe, & of theyr chyldren, and to the displeasure of god: and they so doinge, lyttel do they pondre or regarde the saying of saynt Paule; Iuxta facultates faciendi sunt 28 sumptus, ne longi temporis victum breuis hora consumat: This play begun with loue and charity, and oft times it endeth with couetous wrath and enuy. And this me thynketh shoulde be a sufficient instruction for kepynge 32 of measure.    Nowe thou housbande and housewife, that haue done your diligence and cure about your husbandrye and huswyfry, accordynge to the fyrste sayenge of the philosopher, Adhibe curam: And also haue well remembred and 4 fulfylled the seconde sayinge of the sayde philosopher, Tene mensuram: I doubte not but ye be ryche accordyng to the thyrde sayinge of the sayde philosopher, Et eris diues. Nowe I haue shewed you the sayinge of the 8 philosopher, wherby you haue goten moche worldely possession, me semeth it were necessary, to shewe you howe ye maye gette heuenly possessions, accordynge to the sayenge of our lorde in his gospel, Quid prodest 12 homini, si vniuersum mundum lucretur, animæ vero suæ detrimentum paciatur: What profyteth it to a man, thoughe he wyn all the worlde, to the hyndraunce and losyng of his soule? Howe be it, it shoulde seme vnconuenient 16 for a temporall man to take vpon hym to shewe or teache any suche spirytuall matters; and yet there is a great diuersytie betwene predication and doctrine.    As sayncte Iherome saythe, there is greate difference or diuersitie betwene preachinge and doctrine. A preachyng or a sermon is, where [is] a conuocation or a gatherynge of people on holye dayes, or other dayes in churches or 4 other places, and times sette and ordeyned for the same. And it belongeth to theym that be ordeyned there-vnto, and haue iurisdiction and auctorytie, and to none other. But euery man may lawefully enforme and 8 teache his brother, or any other, at euery tyme and place behouable, if it seme expedient to hym, for that is an almes-dede, to the whiche euery man is holden & bounde to do, accordyng to the sayenge of saynt 12 Peter, Vnusquisque, sicut accepit gratiam, in alterutrum illam administrare debet. That is to saye, as euery man hath taken or receyued grace, he oughte to mynyster and shewe it forthe to other. For as Chrisostome saythe, 16 great merite is to hym, and a great reward he shall haue in tyme to come, the which writeth or causeth to be writen, holy doctrine, for that entent, that he may se in it, howe he may lyue holylye, and that other may haue 20 it, that they maye be edyfyed or sanctyfyed by the same; for he saythe surely, knowe thou, that howe many soules be saued by the, soo many rewardes thou shalte haue for eyther. For saynt Gregory saythe, Nullum sacrificium ita 24 placet deo, sicut zelus animarum: There is no sacrifyce that pleaseth god so moche, as the loue of soules. And also he saythe, Ille apud deum maior est in amore, qui ad eius amorem plurimos trahit: He is greateste in fauour 28 with god, that draweth moste men to the loue of god. Wherfore me semeth, it is conuenient to enforme and shewe them, how they maye gette heuenly possessions, as well as I haue shewed them to get worldly possessions. 32 Than to my purpose, and to the poynt where I lefte, ‘nowe thou art ryche.’    It is to be vnderstande what is rychesse; and as me semeth, rychesse is that thynge, that is of goodnes, and can-not be taken awaye from the owner, neyther in his temporall lyfe, nor in the lyfe euerlastynge. Than these 4 worldly possessions, that I haue spoken of, is no richesse, for why they be but floures of the worlde. And that may be wel consydered by Iob, the whiche was the rychest man of worldely possessions, that was lyuynge in those 8 daies, and sodeynely he was the poorest man agayne that coulde be lyuynge, and all the whyle he toke pacyence, and was content, as appereth by his sayenge, Dominus dedit, dominus abstulit: sicut domino placuit, ita factum est, sit 12 nomen domini benedictum: Our lorde hath gyuen it, our lorde hath taken it awaye, and as it pleaseth our lorde, so be it, blessed be the name of our lorde. The whiche Iob may be an ensample to euery true chrysten man, of 16 his pacyence and good liuing in tribulation, as appereth in his storye, who that lyste to rede therin. And saynte Austyne saythe: Qui terrenis inhiat, et æterna non cogitat, utrisque in futuro carebit: he that gathereth in worldly 20 thynges, and thynketh not vppon euerlastynge thynges, shall wante bothe in tyme to come. For sayncte Ambrose saythe, Non sunt bona hominis, quæ secum ferre non potest: They are not the goodes of man, the whiche 24 he can-not beare with him. And saynte Bernarde saythe: Si vestra sint, tollite vobiscum: Yf they be yours, take them with you. Than it is to be vnderstande, what goodes a man shall take with hym. And these be the good dedes 28 and warkes that thou doste here in this temporall lyfe, wherof speketh Crysostome: Fac bene, et operare iustitiam, vt spem habeas apud deum, et non desperabis in terra: Doo well, and worke ryghtwysly, that thou mayste haue truste 32 in god, and that thou be not in despayre in this worlde. Accordynge to that saythe the prophete Dauyd, Iunior fui, etenim senui, et non vidi iustum derelictum, nec semen eius querens panem: I haue ben yonge, and I haue waxen 36 olde, and I haue not seen a ryghtwyse man forsaken, nor his chyldren sekynge theyr breade.

   In myne opynyon the propertye of a ryche manne is, to be a purchaser; and if he wyll purchase, I councell hym to purchase heuen. For sayncte Austyne saythe, Regnum cælorum nulli clauditur, nisi illi, qui se excluserit: The 4 kyngedome of heuen is to noo man closed, but to hym that wyll putte oute hym-selfe. Wherfore this texte maye gyue the a courage to prefixe thy mynde, to make there thy purchase. And Salomon saythe: Quod mali 8 carius emunt infernum, quam boni cælum: Ill men bye hell derer, thanne the good men bie heuen. And that me semeth maye well be proued by a common ensample: As if I had a .M. shepe to sell, and dyuers men come to me, 12 and bye euery manne a .C. of the shepe, all of one price, to paye me at dyuers dayes. I am agreed, and graunt them these dayes; some of the menne be good, and kepe theyr promesse, and paye me at theyr dayes, and some of 16 theym doo not paye me. Wherfore I sue theym at the lawe, and by course of the common lawe, I doo recouer my duetie of them, and haue theyr bodyes in prisone for execution, tylle they haue made me payment. Nowe these 20 men, that haue broken me promesse, and payed not theyr dewetye, bye theyr shepe derer thanne the good menne bought theyrs. For they haue imprysonment of theyr bodyes, and yet must they pay theyr duetyes neuer the 24 lesse, or elles lye and dye there in pryson: the whiche sheepe be derer to them, then to the good men that kepte theyr promes. Righte so euery man chepeth heuen, and god hath sette on it a pryce, and graunted 28 it to euery man, and giuen to them dayes of payment: the pryce is all one, and that is to kepe his commaundementes, duryng theyr lyues: the good men kepe his commaundementes, and fulfyll theyr promesse, and haue 32 heuen at theyr decease. The yll men breake promesse, & kepe not his commaundementes, wherfore at theyr decease they be put in pryson, that is to say in hell, there to abyde his ryghtuousenes. And soo the yll men 36 bye hell derer, than the good menne bye heuen. And therfore it is better, to forgoo a lyttel pleasure, or suffer[33] a lyttell payne in this worlde, than to suffer a moche greatter and a lenger payne in an other worlde. Nowe 40 sythe helle is derer than heuen, I aduyse the specyally to bye heuen, wherin is euerlastynge ioye without ende.    Saynt Austyn saythe, Ibi erunt quæcunque ab hominibus desiderantur, vita et salus, copia glorie, honor, pax, et omnia bona: That is to saye, There shall be euery thynge that any man desyreth, there is lyfe, helth, plenty of ioye, 4 honour, peace, and all maner of goodnes. What wolde a man haue more? And saynt Paule sayth, Occulus non vidit, nec auris audiuit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quæ preparuit deus diligentibus se: That is to say, The eye hath not seen, nor 8 the eares hath herde, nor the herte of a man hath thought of so goodly thynges, that god hath ordeyned for theym that loue hym. O what a noble acte that were for an husbande or houswyfe, to purchase suche a royall place in 12 heuen, to whiche is no comparyson. Than it is to be knowen, what thynge pleaseth god most, that we myght do it.    By the texte of sayncte Paule, before sayd, loue pleaseth god aboue al thinge, and that maye be well proued by the sayinge of our lorde hym-selfe, where he saythe: Da mihi cor tuum, et sufficit mihi; Gyue me thy harte, and that is 4 sufficiente for me; for he that hath a mannes harte, hath all his other goodes. What is this mans harte? it is nothyng elles, but very trewe loue. For there can be no true loue, but it commeth meryly and immediately from 8 the harte: and if thou loue god entyerlye with thy harte, than wylte thou do his commaundementes. Than it wolde be vnderstande and knowen whiche be his commandementes, that a man may obserue and kepe them. 12    There be in all .x. commaundementes, the which were to long to declare, but they be all concluded and comprehended in two, that is to say: Diliges dominum deum tuum super omnia: Et proximum tuum sicut te ipsum: Loue thy 4 lorde god aboue al thing, and thy neyghboure as thy-selfe. These be lyghte commaundementes, and nature byndeth a man to fulfyll, obserue, and kepe them, or els he is not a naturall man, remembryng what god hath doone for the. 8 Fyrste he hath made the to the symylytude and lykenes of his owne ymage, and hathe gyuen to the in this worlde dyuerse possessions, but specyally he hath redemed thy soule vpon the crosse, and suffered great payne and 12 passion and bodelye deathe for thy sake. What loue, what kyndenes was in hym, to doo this for the? What couldest thou desyre hym to do more for the? And he desyreth nothynge of the agayne, but loue for loue. What 16 can he desyre lesse?    Surelye a man maye loue god and please hym very many wayes: but fyrste and principally, he that wyll loue god, and please hym, he muste doo as it is sayde in Symbalo Athanasii: Quicunque vult saluus esse, ante omnia opus est 4 vt teneat catholicam fidem, Who so euer wyll be saued, aboue all thynge he must nedes be stedfast in the faythe of holy churche. And accordynge to that, saythe sayncte Paule: Sine fide impossibile est placere deo; Without faythe 8 it is impossible to please god. And Seneca sayth: Nichil retinet, qui fidem perdidit: There abydeth no goodnes in hym, that hath loste his faythe. And soo thou mayste well perceyue, that thou canst not loue nor please god, 12 without perfyte fayth. And ferther-more thou mayste not presume to study, nor to argue thy faithe by reason. For saynte Gregory saythe: Fides non habet meritum, vbi humana ratio prebet experimentum: Faythe hath no meryte, where 16 as mannes reasone proueth the same. This faythe is a pryncypall sygne, that thou loueste god. Also thy good dedes, and thy warkes, is a good sygne, that thou loueste god. For saynt Iherome saythe: Vnusquisque, cuius opera 20 facit, eius filius appellatur: whose warkes euery man dothe, his son or seruaunt he is called. And sayncte Bernarde saythe, Efficatior est vox operis, quam vox sermonis: The dedes and the warkes of a man is more euydent profe, 24 than his wordes. The fulfyllynge of the .vii. workes of mercye is an other specyall sygne, that thou louest god: and many mo there be, whiche were to longe to reherse them all. 28    Thou must loue thy neyghboure as thy-selfe, wherin thou shalt please god specially: for if thou loue thy neyghbour as thy-selfe, it foloweth by reason, that thou shalte do nothyng to hym, but suche as thou 4 woldest shulde be done to the. And that is to presume, that thou woldest not haue any hurte of thy body, nor of thy goodes, done vnto the, and lykewyse thou shuldest none do vnto hym. And also if thou 8 woldest haue any goodnes done vnto the, eyther in thy bodye, or in thy mouable goodes, lykewyse shuldest thou do vnto thy neyghbour, if it lye in thye power, accordynge to the sayinge of saynte Gregorye, Nec deus sine proximo, 12 nec proximus vere diligitur sine deo: Thou canste not loue god, with-out thou loue thy neyghbour, nor thou canst not loue thy neighbour, without thou loue god. Wherfore thou muste fyrste loue god pryncypallye, and thy neyghbour 16 secondaryly.    Prayer is honour and laude to god, and a specyall thynge that pleaseth hym moche, and is a greate sygne, that thou louest god, and that thou arte perfyte and stedfaste in the faythe of holy churche: and that it is so, 4 it maye be well consydered by our forefathers, that haue for the loue and honour of god made churches. And a man muste dayly at some conuenyente tymes exercyse and vse prayer hym-selfe, as he oughte to doo. For saynt 8 Ambrose sayth, Relicto hoc, ad quod teneris, ingratum est spiritui sancto quicquid aliud operaris: If thou leaue that thynge vndone, that thou arte bounde to doo, it is not acceptable to god, what-so-euer thou dooste elles. Than 12 it is necessarye, that thou do praye, and a poore manne doynge his labour trewely in the daye, and thinketh well, prayeth well: but on the holye daye, he is bounde to come to the church, and here his diuyne seruyce. 16    There be two impedimentes, that lette and hynder prayer, that it maye not be herde. And of the fyrste impedimente speketh Ysaye the prophete: Quia manus vestræ plenæ sunt sanguine .i. peccato, ideo non exaudiet vos dominus: 4 Bycause your handes be full of bloude, that is to saye, full of synne, therfore our lorde dothe not graciousely here you. And also prouerbiorum tertio, Longe est dominus ab impiis, et orationes iustorum exaudiet. Our lorde is ferre 8 fro wycked men, and the prayers of ryghtewyse men he gracyously hereth. And sayncte Bernarde saythe, Qui a præceceptis dei auertitur, quod in oratione postulat non meretur: He that dothe not goddes commaundementes, he 12 deserueth not to haue his prayer harde. The seconde impediment, saythe Anastasius, is, Si non dimittis iniuriam, que tibi facta est, non orationem pro te facis, sed maledictionem super te inducis: If thou forgyue not the wronge done 16 vnto the, thou doste not praye for thy-selfe, but thou enducest goddes curse to fall vppon the. And Isodorus saythe, Sicut nullum in vulnere proficit medicamentum, si adhuc ferrum in eo sit: ita nihil proficiat oratio illius, cuius 20 adhuc dolor in mente vel odium manet in pectore. Lyke as the playster or medycyne can-not heale a wounde, if there be any yren styckinge in the same, ryghte soo the prayer of a man profyteth hym not, as longe as there is sorowe 24 in his mynde, or hate abydynge in his breste. For sayncte Austyne saythe, Si desit charitas, frustra habentur cetera. If charitie wante, all other thynges be voyde. Wherfore thou muste se that thou stande in the state of 28 grace, and not infecte with deedly synne, and than praye if thou wylt be harde.    It is to be vnderstande that there be dyuers maner of prayinges, Quedam publica, et quedam priuata; That is to saye, some openlye, and some priuately. Prayer openly muste nedes be done in the churche by the 4 mynystratours of the same people. For it is done for all the comynaltye, and therfore the people in that oughte to conferme theym-selfe to the sayde mynystratours, and there to be presente to praye vnto god after a dewe 8 maner. Oratio priuata. The prayer pryuately done, oughte to be doone in secrete places, for two causes. For prayer eleuateth and lyfteth vp a mannes mynde to god. And the mynde of man is sooner and better 12 lyfte vppe whan he is in a pryuye place, and separate frome multytude of people. An other cause is to auoyde vaynglory that myghte lyghtely ensue or ryse thervppon, whan it is doone openly; and therof speketh our 16 sauyour, where he sayth, Cum oratis, non eritis sicut hypocritæ, qui amant in sinagogis et in angulis platearum stantes orare. That is to saye, whan ye praye, be not you as the hypocrytes, the whiche loue to stande in 20 theyr synagoges and corners of hyghe-wayes to praye. Also some folkes pray with the lyppes or mouthe, and not with the herte, of whome spekethe our lorde by his prophete, Hij labiis me honorant, cor autem eorum longe 24 est a me; They honour me with theyr mouthe, and theyr hertes be ferre from me. And sayncte Gregory saythe, Quid prodest strepitus labiorum vbi mutum est cor? What profyteth the labour of the mouthe, where the 28 herte is dombe? And Isodore saythe, Longe quippe a deo est animus, qui in oratione cogitationibus sæculi fuerit occupatus. His soule is far from god, that in his prayer his mynde is occupied in warkes of the worlde. There 32 be other that pray both with the mouth and hart, of whom speketh sayncte Iohan .x. Veri adoratores, adorabunt patrem in spiritu et veritate. The true prayers wylle worshyp the father of heauen in spirite and with trouthe. 36 Isodorus saythe, Tunc veraciter oramus, quando aliunde non cogitamus. Than we praye truely, whan we thynke on nothynge elles. Richardus de Hampole. Ille deuote orat, qui non habet cor vacabundum in terrenis occupationibus, 40 sed sublatum ad deum in cælestibus. He prayeth deuoutly, that hath not his harte wauerynge in worldelye occupations, but alwaye subleuate and lyfte vppe to god in heuen. There be other that praye with the harte. vnde 44 Mat. vi. Tu autem cum oraueris, intra [in] cubiculum tuum .i. in loco secreto, et clauso hostio, ora patrem tuum. Whan thou shalte praye, entre into thy chambre or oratory, and steke the doore, and praye to the father of heuen. 48 Isodorus, Ardens oratio est non labiorum sed cordium, potius enim orandum est corde quam ore. The hoter prayer is with the harte than with the lyppes, rather pray with thy herte than with thy mouth. Regum primo. Anna 52 loquebatur in corda. Anna spake with the harte.    And to auoyde wauerynge myndes, in worldlye occupations whanne thou shalte praye, I shall shewe vnto you the beste experience that euer I coulde fynde for the same, the whiche haue benne moche troubled therwith, and that 4 is this. He that can rede and vnderstande latyne, let hym take his booke in his hande, and looke stedfastely vppon the same thynge that he readeth and seeth, that 8 is no trouble to hym, and remembre the englysshe of 8 the same, wherin he shall fynde greatte swetenes, and shall cause his mynde to folowe the same, and to leaue other worldly thoughtes. And he that canne-not reade nor vnderstande his pater noster, Aue, nor Crede, he must 12 remembre the passyon of Christe, what peyne he suffered for hym, and all mankynde, for redemynge of theyr soules. And also the miracles and wonders that god hath doone, and fyrste what wonders were doone the nyghte of his 16 natiuitie and byrthe. And howe he turned water in-to wyne, and made the blynde to se, the dombe to speake, the deafe to here, the lame to go, the sycke to be hole. And howe he fed fyue thousande with two fysshes, and 20 fyue barley loues, wherof was lefte .xii. coffyns or skyppes of fragmentes. And howe he reised Lazare from deathe to lyfe, with manye moo myracles that be innumerable to be rehersed. And also to remembre the specyall poyntes 24 of his passion, howe he was solde & betrayed of Judas, and taken by the iewes, and broughte before Pylate, than to kynge Herode, and to bysshope Cayphas, and than to Pylate agayne, that iudged hym to death, and howe he 28 was bounde to a piller, and how they scurged, bobbed, mocked hym, spytte in his face, crowned hym with thornes, and caused hym to beare the crosse to the mounte of Caluary, whervppon he was nayled both handes and 32 fete, and wounded to the harte with a sharpe spere, and soo suffered deathe. And howe he fette out the soules of our forefathers forthe of hell. Howe he rose frome deathe to lyfe, and howe ofte he appered to his discyples and 36 other moo. And what myracles he wroughte afterwarde, and specyally what power he gaue to his dyscyples, that were noo clerkes, to teache and preche his faythe, and worke many myracles, and specyally whan they preached 40 before menne of dyuers nations and languages, and euerye man vnderstode in theyr own language, the whiche is a sygne that god wolde haue euery manne saued, and to knowe his lawes, the whiche was a myracle able to 44 conuerte all the infydeles, heretykes, and lollers in the worlde.    It is ofte-tymes seen, that the holyer that a man is, the more he is tempted, and he that soo is, maye thanke god therof. For god of his goodnes and grace hath not gyuen to the dyuell auctoritie nor power to attempte any man 4 ferther and aboue that, that he that is so tempted, maye withstande. For sayncte Gregory sayth, Non est timendum (sic) hostis, qui non potest vincere nisi volentem. An enemye is not to be dradde, the whiche maye not ouercome, but if a 8 manne be wyllynge. And it is to presume, that he that is soo tempted, standeth in the state of grace. For sayncte Ambrose saythe, Illos diabolus[34] vexare negligit, quos iure hæreditario se possidere sentit. The dyuell despyseth to 12 vexe or trouble those, the whiche he felethe him-selfe to haue in possessyon by ryght inheritaunce. And if thou be so tempted, vexed, or troubled, I shall shewe vnto the two verses, that if thou do therafter, thou shalte be eased 16 of thy temptacyon, and haue greatte thanke and laude of god and rewarde therfore; these be the verses. ¶ That is to say, The gostly enemy hurteth not, but whan he that is tempted obeyeth to his temptation. Than his ghostly enemy plaieth the lyon, if that he that is so tempted syt styll and obey to hym. And if he that is 24 tempted, stande styfly agaynste hym, the ghostlye ennemye flyeth awaye lyke a flye. This me semeth maye be wel proued by a famylier ensaumple. As if a lorde had a castell, and deliuered it to a capitayne to kepe, if there 28 come ennemies to the castell, and call to the capytayn, and byd hym delyuer them this castell. The capytayne cometh and openeth them the gates, and delyuereth the keyes. Nowe is this castell soone wonne, and this 32 capytayne is a false traytour to the lorde. But lette the capitaine arme hym-selfe, and steke the gates, and stande styfly vpon the walle, and commaunde them to auoyde at theyr peryll, and they wyll not tary to make 36 any assaut. Ryght so euery man is capitayne of his owne soule, and if thy gostely ennemy come and tempte the, and thou, that art capytayne of thyne owne soule, wyll open the gates, and delyuer hym the keyes and let hym 40 in, thy sowle is soone taken prysoner, and thou a false traytour to thy soule, and worthye to be punysshed in pryson for euer. And if thou arme thy-selfe and stande styfly agaynste hym, and wyll not consente to hym, he 44 wyll auoyde and fle away, and thou shalt haue a greate reward for withstandynge of the sayde temptation.

   Almes-dedes pleseth god very moche, and it is great sygne that thou loueste bothe god and thy neyghboure. And he of whome almes is asked, oughte to consyder thre thynges, that is to saye, who asketh almes, what he 4 asketh, and wherevnto he asketh. Nowe to the fyrste, who asketh almes, Deus petit. God asketh. For saynte Jerome sayth, Quia deus adeo diligit pauperes, quod quicquid fit eis propter amorem suum, reputat sibi factum. That is 8 to saye, bycause that god loueth poore men so moche, what-someuer thynge is gyuen vnto them for the loue of hym, he taketh it as it were done to hym-selfe; as it is sayde in his gospell, Quod vni ex minimis meis fecistis, 12 michi fecistis. That thynge that ye gyue or do to the least of those that be myne, ye do it to me. Thanne to the seconde, what asketh god? Non nostrum, sed suum. He asketh not that thynge that is ours, but that thynge that is 16 his owne. As saythe the prophete Dauid, Tua sunt domine omnia: Et quæ de manu tua accepimus, tibi dedimus. Good lorde, all thynges be thyne, and those thynges that we haue taken of the, of those haue we gyuen the. Thanne 20 to the thyrde, Where-vnto dothe god aske? He asketh not to gyue hym, but all-onely to borowe, Non tamen ad triplas, s[c]ilicet, immo ad centuplas. Not all-onely to haue thryse soo moche, but forsothe to haue an hundred tymes 24 soo moche. As saynt Austyn saythe, Miser homo, quid veneraris homini; venerare deo, et centuplum accipies, et vitam æternam possidebis? Thou wretched manne, why doste thou worshyp or dreade manne: worshyp thou god and dreade 28 hym, and thou shalte receyue an hundred tymes so moche, and haue in possessyon euerlastynge lyfe, the whiche many-folde passeth all other rewardes? Prouerbiorum xiiii. Veneratur domino,[35] qui miseretur pauperibus: He worshyppeth 32 our lorde, that hath mercye and pytye on poore folkes. And the glose therof sayth, Centuplum accepturus. And thou shalte receyue an .C. tymes so moche. And it is to be vnderstande, that there be thre maner of almes-dedes, 36 that is to saye: Egenti largire quicquid poteris: dimittere eis a quibus lesus fueris: Errantem corrigere, et in viam veritatis reducere. That is to saye, to gyue to the nedy what thou well mayste, to forgyue theym that haue 40 trespaced to the, and to correcte them that do amysse, and to brynge them into the way of ryghte.    Egenti largire quicquid poteris. Gyue to the nedye what thou well maye. For our lorde saythe in his gospell: Date elemosinam, et omnia munda sunt vobis. Et alibi. Date, et dabitur vobis: Gyue almes, and all worldly rychesse is 4 yours; gyue, and it shall be gyuen to you. Almes-dede is a holy thynge, it encreaseth a mans welthe, it maketh lesse a mannes synnes, it lengtheth a mans lyfe, it maketh a man of good mynde, it delayeth yll tymes, and closeth 8 all thynges, hit delyuereth a manne from deathe, it ioyneth a manne with aungelles, and seuereth hym from the dyuell, and is lyke a wall vnable to be foughten agaynst. And saynt James saythe: Sicut aqua extinguit ignem, ita elemosina 12 peccatum. As water slecketh fyer, soo dothe almes-dede slake synne. Salomon saythe, Qui dat pauperi, non indigebit. He that giueth vnto a poore man, shal neuer haue nede. And also he sayth, Qui obturat aurem suam 16 ad clamorem pauperis, et ipse clamabit, et non exaudietur. He that stoppeth his eare at the clamoure or crie of a pore man, he shall crye, and he shall not be gracyousely herde. There maye no manne excuse hym from gyuynge 20 of almes, thoughe he be poore. And let hym doo as the poore wydowe dyd, that offered a farthynge, wherfore she hadde more thanke and rewarde of god, thanne the ryche men that offered golde. And if thou mayste not 24 gyue a farthynge, gyue lesse, or gyue fayre wordes, or good information, ensaumple, and token: and god shall rewarde the bothe for thy dede and for thy good wyll. And that thou dooste, do it with a good wyll. For saynte 28 Paule saythe, Hilarem datorem diligit deus. God loueth a glad gyuer, and that if it be of true begotten goodes. For Salomon saythe, De tuis iustis laboribus ministra pauperibus. Of thy trewe labours mynystre and gyue to 32 the poore folkes. For Isodorus saythe, Qui iniuste tollit, iuste nunquam tribuit. He that taketh wrongfully, cannot gyue trewelye. For it is wrytten Ecclesiastici xxxv. Qui de rapinis, aut vsuris, aut de furto immolat: e[s]t quasi 36 qui coram patre victimat filium. He that offereth of the goodes, that he getteth by extortyon, vsurye, or thefte, he is lyke as a man slewe the sonne in the presence of the father. Thou mayste ryghte well knowe, the father 40 wolde not be well contente. Noo more wolde god be pleased with the gyfte of suche begotten goodes.    Dimittere eis, a quibus lesus fueris. To forgyue theym that haue trespaced to the, wherin thou shalte please god moche. For it is in the gospell of sayncte Marke .xii. Si non dimiseritis aliis, nec pater vester celestis dimittet 4 vobis peccata vestra. If you forgyue not, your father of heuen wyll not forgyue you your synnes. Also if thou doo not forgyue other, thou shalte be founde a lyer, as ofte as thou sayeste thy Pater noster, where thou sayste: 8 Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. And forgyue to vs our dettes, as we forgyue to our detters. By these dettes maye be vnderstande the thynges that we oughte to do to god, and doo not them. 12 And also the trespaces and the synne that we haue offended to god, in that we aske mercye of. And if thou wylte not forgyue, thou mayst not aske mercy of ryght. Eadem mensura, qua mensi fueritis, remetietur vobis. 16 The same measure that ye meate other men by, shall be moten vnto you. Dimittere autem rancorem et maliciam omnino necessitatis est, dimittere vero actionem et emendam opus est consilii. To forgyue all rancour and malyce, that 20 a manne oweth to the in his harte, thou arte bounden of necessitie to forgyue all the hole trespace, or to leaue thyne actyon, or a reasonable mendes. Therfore it is but a dede of mercye if thou so do, and no synne though 24 thou sue the lawe with charytie. But and a manne haue done to the a trespace, and that thou arte gladde that he hathe soo done, that thou mayste haue a quarell, or a matter, or an accyon agaynste hym, and nowe of malyce 28 or yll wyll thou wylte sue hym, rather than for the trespace; nowe thou synnest dedely, bycause thou doest rather of malyce than for the trespace, and than haste thou loste thy charitie, Prouerbiorum .xxxii. Qui pronus 32 est ad misericordiam, benedicetur. He that is redy to forgiue, shall be blessed.    Errantem corrigere, et in viam veritatis reducere. To correcke a misdoer, and to brynge hym into the waye of ryghte. It is to be vnderstand, that there be thre maner of corrections. 4
   ¶ The fyrste correction is of an ennemye, the seconde is of a frynde, and the thyrde correction is of a Iustyce. The fyrste saythe Chrisostome, Corripe non vt hostis expetens vindictam, sed vt medicus instituens medicinam. 8 Correcke not as an enemye doinge vengeaunce, but as a phisicyon or surgyon, mynistringe or gyuynge a medicyne. To the seconde saythe Salomon. Plus proficit amica correctio, quam correctio turbulenta. A frendelye 12 correction profyteth more than a troublous correction. For yf thou speke courteysly to a man that hath offended, and with sweete wordes of compassion, he shall rather be conuerted by theym, than with hye wordes of great 16 punysshement. And Isodorus saythe, Qui per verba blanda castigatus non corrigetur, acrius necesse est, vt arguatur. He that wylle not be chastysed by fayre wordes, it is necessary that he be more hardlyer and straytlyer reproued 20 or punysshed. To the thyrde saythe sayncte Ierome, Equum iudicium est, vbi non persona sed opera considerantur. There is an euen Iugemente, where the personne is not regarded, but the warkes are consydered. And alsoo hit 24 is wrytten. Reddet vnicuique iuxta opera sua. He shall yelde vnto euery manne after his workes. And sayncte Augustyne saythe, Sicut meliores sunt, quos corrigit amor, ita plures sunt quos corrigit timor. As those be better, 28 that be chastysed by loue, soo there be many moo that be chastysed by feare. For and they feared not the punyshement of the lawe, there wolde be but a fewe chastysed by loue. And saynte Gregory sayth, Facientis 32 procul dubio culpam habet, qui quod potest corrigere negligit emendare, et illicita non prohibere consensus erroris est. He that maye correcke, and dothe not, he taketh the offence to hym-selfe of the dede; and he that dothe not forbede 36 vnlawefull thynges, consenteth to the same, &c.    In myne opynyon, it is to be in despayre of the mercye of god. And therefore what soo euer thou haue doone or offended god, in worde, warke, thought, or dede, be neuer in despayre for it; for Isodorus saythe, Qui veniam 4 de peccato desperat, plus de desperatione peccat quam de culpa cadit. He that despayreth to haue forgyuenes of his synnes, he synneth more in despayrynge than he dyd in the synne doynge. For saynte Iherome sayth, Magis 8 offendebat Iudas deum in hoc quod suspendebat, quam in hoc, quod eum tradidit: Judas offended god more in that that he hanged hym-selfe, than he dydde whanne he betrayed god. For god sayth in his gospell, Nolo mortem 12 peccatoris, sed magis vt conuertatur et viuat. I wyll not the deathe of a synner, but rather that he maye be conuerted and lyue. And also he saythe, Non veni vocare iustos, sed peccatores ad penitentiam. I am not comen to call 16 ryghtwyse men, but to call synners to do penaunce. For thou canste not so soone crye god mercy with thy harte, but he is as redye to chaunge his sentence, and to graunte the mercy and forgyuenes of all thy synnes. For 20 saynte Austyne saythe, Sicut scintilia [sic] ignis in medio maris, sic omnis impietas viri ad misericordiam dei. As a sparke of fyer is in comparison able to drye vppe all the water in the se, noo more is all the wyckednes of man 24 vnto the me[r]cyfulnes of god. And therfore it is conuenyent that a manne shulde be penytent, contryte, and aske god mercye and forgyuenesse of his synnes and offences, that he hath done; wherof speketh Chrysost[o]me, Nemo 28 ad deum aliquando flens accessit quod non postulauerit accepit. No man hath gone any tyme wepynge to god, but he hath taken or had that thynge that he hath asked. And sayncte Bernarde saythe, Plus cruciant lacrime peccatoris 32 diabolum quam omne genus tormentorum. The teares of a synner tourmenteth the deuyll more, than all other kyndes of turmentes. And sayncte Austyne saythe, Acriores dolores demonibus non inferrimus, quam cum peccata nostra 36 penitendo et confitendo plangimus. We canne not doo more sharper sorowes to the dyuell, than whan we wayle or wepe in confessyon, and doynge of penaunce. And that maye be well proued by Mary Magdaleyn, 40 whanne she kneled downe and cryed god mercye, and kyste his fete, and wasshed theym with the teares of her eyen, and wyped them with the heare of her heed, to whom our lorde sayde, as in his gospell, 44 Dimittuntur tibi peccata tua. Thy synnes are forgyuen to the; and also he sayde to her: Fides te saluam fecit, vade in pace. Thy faythe hath saued the, goo thou in peace. To the whiche mercy and peace I besech 48 almyghty Iesu brynge all chrysten soules. Amen.

Finis.