Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
and praise and praie God a good haruest to send.
[Sidenote: Rowling of barlie.]
15
Some rowleth their barlie straight after a raine,
when first it appeareth to leauell it plaine.
The barlie so vsed, the better doth growe,
and handsome ye make it at haruest to mowe.
16
Otes, barlie and pease, harrow after you sowe,[14]
for rie harrow first, as alreadie ye knowe.[E279]
Leaue wheat little clod, for to couer the head,
that after a frost, it may out and go spread.
17[15]
If clod in thy wheat wil not breake with the frost,
if now ye doo rowle it, it quiteth the cost.
But see when ye rowle it, the weather be drie,
or else it were better vnrowled to lie.
[Sidenote: ¶ Gardening.]
18
In March and in April,[16] from morning to night,
in sowing and setting, good huswiues delight:
To haue in a garden, or other like plot,
to turn vp their house, and to furnish their pot.
[Sidenote: ¶]
19
The nature of flowers dame Physick doth shew,
she teacheth them all to be knowne to a few.
To set or to sowe, or else sowne to remoue,
how that should be practised, learne if ye loue.
[Sidenote: To know good land.]
20
Land falling or lieng full South or southwest,
for profit by tillage is lightly the best.
So garden with orchard and hopyard I finde,
that want the like benefit, growe out of kinde.
[Sidenote: ¶]
21
If field to beare corne a good tillage doth craue,
what thinke ye of garden, what garden would haue?
In field without cost[E280] be assured of weedes,
in garden be suer thou loosest thy seedes.
[Sidenote: ¶]
22
At spring (for the sommer) sowe garden ye shall,
at haruest (for winter) or sowe not at all.
Oft digging, remoouing, and weeding (ye see),
makes herbe the more holesome and greater to bee.
[Sidenote: ¶]
23
Time faire, to sowe or to gather be bold,
but set or remooue when the weather is cold.[17]
Cut all thing or gather, the Moone in the wane,
but sowe in encreasing, or giue it his bane.
[Sidenote: ¶]
24
Now set doo aske watering with pot or with dish,
new sowne doo not so, if ye doo as I wish.[E281]
Through cunning with dible, rake, mattock, and spade,
by line and by leauell, trim garden is made.
25
Who soweth too lateward, hath seldome good seed,
who soweth too soone, little better shall speed.
Apt time and the season so diuers to hit,
let aier and laier[18] helpe practise and wit.
[Sidenote: ¶]
26[19]
Now leekes are in season, for pottage full good,
and spareth the milchcow and purgeth the blood.
These hauing, with peason for pottage in Lent,
thou sparest both otemell and bread to be spent.[E282]
[Sidenote: ¶]
27
Though neuer so much a good huswife doth care,
that such as doe labour haue husbandlie fare.
Yet feed them and cram them til purse doe lack chinke,
no spoone meat, no bellifull, labourers thinke.
[Sidenote: Destroie pie, rooks, and rauens nest, etc.]
28
Kill crowe, pie and cadow, rooke, buzard and rauen,
or else go desire them to seeke a new hauen.
In scaling the yoongest, to pluck off his beck,
beware how ye climber, for breaking your neck.
Thus endeth Marches husbandrie.
[1] "The Retailer now sells them for 2¾d. the Quart."--T.R. 1710.
[2] In Lent, dog's meat was scarce, and "a mort Lamb now and then was
very apt to whet their appetite for Mutton."--T.R.
[3] goeler. 1577. goodlier. 1614. "The goeler is the yellower, which
are the best setts, old roots being red."--T.R.
[4] "Well taken off from the old Roots."--T.R.
[5] "A common Rubber or Whetstone."--T.R.
[6] "The best, in my minde, are those triangular ones used by the Fen
men and Bankers."--T.R. 1710.
[7] cf. _ante_, ch. 36, st. 4.
[8] plainted. 1577.
[9] "That impudent bird, a Tomtit, is not easily frighted."--T.R.
[10] "later."--T.R.
[11] "Barley is rarely sown in Clay, at present."--T.R. 1710.
[12] St. 13 is not in 1577.
[13] Gervase Markham says: "You shall take care that in your seede
Barly there be not any Oates, for although they be in this case amongst
Husbandmen accounted the best of weede, yet are they such a disgrace,"
etc.;... and he adds that "some grounds will ... bring forth naturally
a certaine kinde of wilde Oates."--_English Husbandman_, Pt. I. ch. v.
[14] "That is, in our Countryman's Phrase, ... above furrow, that is
upon land after the last ploughing."--T.R. Cf. _ante_, ch. 37, st. 6.
[15] St. 17 is not in 1577.
[16] In March, April, and May. 1577.
[17] "There is an old Sawe to this purpose:
"'In Gard'ning never this Rule forget,
To Sow dry, and Set wet.'"--T.R.
[18] "By _Aier_ I understand Situation, Weather, etc.... By _Laier_,
Composition, the Nature of the Soil, Heart of the Land, etc."--T.R.
[19] Sts. 26 and 27 are not in 1577; but instead--
Good peason and leekes, to make porredge in lent,
and pescods in July, saue fish to be spent.
Those hauing with other things plentifull than,
thou winnest the hart of the labouring man.
47.
¶ _Aprils abstract.
Chap._ 37.
1[1]
Some champions laie
to fallow in Maie.
2
When tilth plows breake,
poore cattle cries creake.
3
One daie er ye plow,
spred compas ynow.
4
Some fodder buieth,
in fen where it lieth.
5
Thou champion wight,
haue cow meat for night.
6
Set hop his pole,
make déepe the hole.
7
First, bark go and sell,
er timber ye fell.
8
Fence copie in,
er heawers begin.
9
The straightest ye knowe,
for staddles let growe.
10
Crab trée preserue,
for plough to serue.
11
Get timber out,
er yéere go about.
12
Som cuntries lack plowmeat,
and som doe want cowmeat.
13
Small commons and bare,
yéelds cattell ill fare.
14
Som common with géese,
and shéepe without fléese.
Som tits thither bring,
and hogs without ring.
15
Some champions agrée
as waspe doth with bée.
16
Get swineherd for hog,
but kill not with dog.
Wher swineherd doth lack,
corne goeth to wrack.
17
All goes to the Deuill,
where shepherd is euill.
18
Come home from land,
with stone in hand.
19
Man cow prouides,
Wife dairie guides.
20
Slut Cisley vntaught
hath whitemeat[E283] naught.
21
Some bringeth in gaines,
some losse beside paines.
22
Run Cisse, fault known,[2]
with more than thine own,
Such Mistris, such Nan,
such Maister, such Man.
Thus endeth Aprils abstract, agréeing with Aprils husbandrie.
* * * In 1577 st. 11 is followed by sts. 20, 21, 22; then follows--
Such Mistres such Nan,
such master such man.
By such ill gestes,
poore Cis il restes.
Such fautes as thease
good dame will ease.
These faultes all ten,
abhorreth all men.
A warning for Cysse
for doing amysse.
[1] Sts. 1-5 are not in 1577.
[2] cf. _post_, ch. 48, st. 21.
48.
¶ _Aprils husbandrie.
Chap._ 38.
Swéete April showers,
Doo spring Maie flowers.
Forgotten month past,
Doe now at the last.
1[1]
In Cambridge shire forward to Lincolne shire way,
the champion maketh his fallow in May.
Then thinking so dooing one tillage woorth twaine,
by forcing of weede, by that meanes to refraine.
2
If April be dripping, then doo I not hate,
(for him that hath little) his fallowing late,
Else otherwise fallowing timelie is best,
for sauing of cattel, of plough and the rest.
3
Be suer of plough to be readie at hand,
er compas ye spred that on hillocks did stand:
Least drieing so lieing, doo make it decaie,
er euer much water doo wash it awaie.
4
Looke now to prouide ye of meadow for hay,
if fennes be vndrowned, there cheapest ye may.[2]
In fen for the bullock, for horse not so well,
count best the best cheape,[E284] wheresoeuer ye dwell.
5
Prouide ye of cowmeate, for cattel at night,
and chiefly where commons lie far out of sight:
Where cattel lie tied without any meat,
that profit by dairie can neuer be great.
[Sidenote: Put poles to your hophils.]
6
Get into thy hopyard with plentie of poles,
amongst those same hillocks deuide them by doles.
Three poles to a hillock[3] (I pas not how long)[4]
shall yeeld thee more profit, set deeplie and strong.
[Sidenote: Felling of timber.]
7
Sell barke to the tanner er timber yee fell,
cut lowe by the ground[5] or else doo ye not well.
In breaking[6] saue crooked, for mill and for ships,
and euer in hewing saue carpenters chips.[E285]
8
First see it well fenced er hewers begin,
then see it well stadled,[7][E286] without and within;
Thus being preserued and husbandlie donne,
shall sooner raise profit, to thee or thy sonne.
[Sidenote: Stadling of woods.]
9
Leaue growing for stadles the likest and best,
though seller and buier dispatched the rest.
In bushes, in hedgerowe, in groue, and in wood,
this lesson obserued is needfull and good.
10
Saue elme, ash and crabtree, for cart and for plough,
saue step for a stile, of the crotch of the bough.
Saue hazel for forks, saue sallow for rake,
saue huluer[8] and thorne, thereof flaile for to make.
[Sidenote: Discharge thy woods.]
11
Make riddance of carriage, er yeere go about,
for spoiling of plant that is newlie come out.
To carter (with oxen) this message I bring,
leaue oxen abrode[9] for anoieng the spring.[E287]
12[10]
Allowance of fodder some countries doo yeeld,
as good for the cattel as haie in the feeld.
Some mowe vp their hedlonds[11] and plots among corne,
and driuen to leaue nothing, vnmowne, or vnshorne.
13
Some commons are barren, the nature is such,
and some ouer laieth the common too much.
The pestered commons small profit doth geeue,
and profit as little some reape I beleeue.
14
Some pester the commons, with iades and with geese,
with hog without ring and with sheepe without fleese.
Some lose a daie labour with seeking their owne,
some meet with a bootie they would not haue knowne.[E288]
15
Great troubles and losses the champion sees,[12]
and euer in brauling, as wasps among bees:
As charitie that waie appeereth but small,
so lesse be their winnings, or nothing at all.
16
Where champion wanteth[E289] a swineherd for hog,
there many complaineth of naughtie mans dog.
Where ech his owne keeper appoints without care,
there corne is destroied er men be aware.
17
The land is well harted with helpe of the fold,
for one or two crops, if so long it will hold.
If shepherd would keepe them from stroieng of corne,
the walke of his sheepe might the better be borne.
18
Where stones be too manie, annoieng thy land,
make seruant come home with a stone in his hand.
By daily so dooing, haue plentie yee shall,
both handsome for pauing and good for a wall.
[Sidenote: ¶ Dairie matters.]
19
From April beginning, till Andrew be past,
so long with good huswife, hir dairie doth last.
Good milchcow and pasture, good husbands prouide,
the resdue good huswiues knowes best how to guide.
[Sidenote: ¶ Ill huswiferie.]
20
Ill huswife vnskilful to make hir owne chees,
through trusting of others hath this for hir fees.
Her milke pan and creame pot, so slabbered and sost,
that butter is wanting and cheese is halfe lost.
[Sidenote: ¶]
21
Where some of a cow doo raise yeerelie a pound,
with such seelie huswiues no penie is found.
Then dairie maid (Cisley) hir fault being knowne,
away apace trudgeth, with more than hir owne.
[Sidenote: ¶ Ill huswiues saiengs.]
22
Then neighbour, for Gods sake, if any you see,
good seruant for dairie house, waine[13] her to mee.[E290]
Such maister such man,[E291] and such mistris such maid,
such husband and huswife, such houses araid.[14]
[1] Sts. 1-5 are not in 1577.
[2] "Now ye may see what medows are well laid up, and what not, and
accordingly chuse your ground."--T.R.
[3] "I suppose in our Author's time they made the Hills less than they