Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
do now."--T.R. 1710.
[4] "Overpoling (especially in height) is worse than underpoling."--T.R.
[5] "Six inches at the but may be more worth than two foot in another
part."--T.R.
[6] "Sawing out; it being called breaking-up by workmen in those parts
near where our Author lived."--T.R.
[7] "To stadle a Wood is to leave at certain distances a sufficient
number of young Trees to replenish it."--T.R.
[8] "or Holly ... heavy enough for flail swingels."--T.R.
[9] T.R. reads "leave not oxe abroad," and explains spring to mean the
young buds of felled underwood.
[10] Sts. 12 to 18 are not in 1577.
[11] "The laying of headlands for grass is frequently used in Norfolk
to this day."--T.R. 1710.
[12] "Our Author liv'd in the Reigns of King Henry the Eighth, King
Edward the Sixth, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth: during which time
there were several commotions about the taking in of Common Field
Land.... The greatest part of the privileges of Common Fields,
etc., are but so many privileges to wrong and quarrel with their
neighbours."--T.R.
[13] waynes, 1573 (M.); wayne. 1577
[14] and house is araid. 1573 (M.); "such houses arayde." 1577.
49.
¶ _A lesson for dairie maid Cisley, of ten toppings gests._[E292]
(a)
As wife that will
good husband plese,
Must shun with skill
such gests as these.
(b)
So Cisse that serues
must marke this note,
What fault deserues
a brushed cote.
[Sidenote: ¶ Ten toppings gests vnsent for.]
(c)
Gehezie, Lots wife, and Argusses eies,[E293]
Tom piper, poore Cobler, and Lazarus thies,
Rough Esau, with Mawdlin, and Gentils that scrall,
With Bishop that burneth, thus knowe ye them all.[1]
(d)
_These toppingly gests be in number but ten,
As welcome in dairie as Beares among men.
Which being descried, take heede of[2] you shall,
For danger of after claps, after that fall._
[Sidenote: ¶ White and drie.]
1
Gehezie his sicknes was whitish and drie,
such cheeses, good Cisley, ye floted[3] too nie.[E294]
[Sidenote: Too salt.]
2
Leaue Lot with her piller (good Cisley) alone,
much saltnes in whitemeat is ill for the stone.
[Sidenote: Full of eies.]
3
If cheeses in dairie haue Argusses eies,
tell Cisley the fault in hir huswiferie lies.[4][E295]
[Sidenote: Houen.]
4
Tom Piper hath houen and puffed vp cheekes,
if cheese be so houen, make Cisse to seeke creekes.[E296]
[Sidenote: Tough.]
5
Poore Cobler he tuggeth his leatherlie trash,
if cheese abide tugging, tug Cisley a crash.[E297]
[Sidenote: Full of spots.]
6
If Lazer[5] so lothsome in cheese be espied,
let baies amend Cisley, or shift hir aside.[E298]
[Sidenote: Full of heares.]
7
Rough Esau was hearie from top to the fut,
if cheese so appeareth, call Cisley a slut.[E299]
[Sidenote: Full of whey.]
8
As Mawdlin wept, so would Cisley be drest,
for whey in hir cheeses, not halfe inough prest.
[Sidenote: Full of gentils.]
9
If gentils be scrauling, call magget the py,[E300]
if cheeses haue gentils, at Cisse by and by.
[Sidenote: Burnt to the pan.]
10
Blesse Cisley (good mistris) that Bishop doth ban
for burning the milke of hir cheese to the pan.[E301]
[11]
_If thou (so oft beaten)[6]
Amendest by this:
I will no more threaten,
I promise thee Cis._
[12]
Thus dairie maid Cisley, rehearsed ye see,
what faults with ill huswife, in dairie house bee.
Of market abhorred, to houshold a griefe,
to maister and mistris, as ill as a thiefe.
Thus endeth Aprils husbandrie.
[1] With bishop that turneth and burneth up all. 1573 (M.) and 1577.
[2] if. 1577.
[3] "Floting is taking off the Cream."--T.R.
[4] "Because she did not work the Curd well together."--T.R.
[5] "An inner corruption.... Chiefly occasioned from their using milk
soon after calving."--T.R.
[6]
Amend so oft beaten
for doing amisse. 1577.
50.
¶ _Maies abstract.
Chap._ 39.
1
Put lambe from eawe,
to milke a feawe.
2
Be not too bold,
to milke and to fold.
3
Fiue eawes alow,
to euerie cow.
4
Shéepe wrigling taile
hath mads without faile.
5
Beat hard in the réede
where house hath néede.
6
Leaue cropping from May
to Mihelmas day.
Let Iuie be killed,
else trée will be spilled.
7
Now threshers warne
to rid the barne.
8
Be suer of hay
till thend of May.
9
Let shéepe fill flanke,
where corne is too ranke.
In woodland leuer,[1]
in champion neuer.
10
To wéeding away,
as soone as yée may.
11
For corne here réede,[E302]
what naughtie wéede.
12
Who wéeding slacketh,
good husbandrie lacketh.
13
Sowe buck or branke,
that smels so ranke.
14
Thy branke go and sowe,
where barlie did growe.
The next crop wheat
is husbandrie neat.
15
Sowe pescods some,
for haruest to come.
16
Sowe hemp and flacks,
that spinning lacks.
17
Teach hop to clime,
for now it is time.
18
Through fowles & wéedes
poore hop ill spéedes.
Cut off or crop
superfluous hop:
The titters or tine
makes hop to pine.[2]
19
Some raketh their wheat,
with rake that is great.
So titters and tine
be gotten out fine.
20
Now[3] sets doe craue
some wéeding to haue.
21
Now draine as ye like
both fen and dike.
22
Watch bées in May,
for swarming away.
Both now and in June,
marke maister bées tune.
23
Twifallow thy land,
least plough else stand.
24
No longer tarrie,
out compas to carrie.
25
Where néede doth pray it,
there sée ye lay it.
26
Set Jack and Jone
to gather vp stone.
27
To grasse with thy calues,
take nothing to halues.[E303]
28
Be suer thy neat
haue water and meat.
29
By tainting of ground,
destruction is found.
30
Now carrege get
home fewell to fet.
Tell fagot and billet
for filching gillet.[E304]
31
In sommer for firing
let citie be buying.
Marke colliers packing
least coles be lacking.
(Sée opened sack)
for two in a pack.
32
Let nodding patch
go sléepe a snatch.
33
Wife as[4] you will,
now plie your still.
34
Fine bazell[5] sowe,
in a pot to growe.
Fine séedes sowe now,
before ye sawe how.
35
Kéepe ox from cow,
for causes ynow.
Thus endeth Maies abstract, agréeing with Maies husbandrie.
¶ Two other short remembrances.
[36]
From bull cow fast
till Crowchmas[6] be past.
From heifer bul hid thée
till Lammas[7] doth bid thée.
Here ends Maies short remembrances.
* * * Sts. 14, 15, 19, are not in 1577.
[1] euer. 1577.
[2] now take out fine. 1577.
[3] New. 1577.
[4] yf. 1577.
[5] Bezell. 1577.
[6] Saint Helens daie (_side note_).
[7] August (_side note_).
51.
_Maies husbandrie.
Chap._ 40.
Cold Maie and windie,
Barne filleth vp finelie.
Forgotten month past,
Doe now at the last.
[Sidenote: Essex and Suffolke.]
1
At Philip and Jacob,[E305] away with the lams
that thinkest to haue any milke of their dams.
At Lammas leaue milking, for feare of a thing:
least (_requiem æternam_) in winter they sing.
[Sidenote: Milking of eawes.]
2
To milke and to fold them is much to require,
except yee haue pasture to fil their desire.
Yet manie by milking (such heede they doo take),
not hurting their bodies much profit doo make.
[Sidenote: ¶]
3
Fiue eawes to a cow, make a proofe by a score,
shall double thy dairie, else trust me no more.
Yet may a good huswife that knoweth the skill,
haue mixt and vnmixt at hir pleasure and will.
4
If sheepe or thy lambe fall a wrigling with taile,
go by and by search it, whiles helpe may preuaile:
That barberlie handled[E306] I dare thee assure,
cast dust in his arse, thou hast finisht thy cure.
5
Where houses be reeded[1] (as houses haue neede),
now pare off the mosse, and go beat in the reed.
The iuster ye driue it, the smoother and plaine,
more handsome ye make it to shut off the raine.
[Sidenote: Leaue off cropping.]
[Sidenote: Destroie Iuie.]
6
From Maie til October leaue cropping, for why?
in wood sere, whatsoeuer thou croppest wil dy.
Where Iuie imbraceth the tree verie sore,
kill Iuie, or else tree wil addle no more.[E307]
7
Keepe threshing for thresher, til Maie be come in,
to haue to be suer fresh chaffe in the bin.
And somewhat to scamble, for hog and for hen,
and worke when it raineth for loitering men.[E308]
[Sidenote: Count store no sore.]
8
Be sure of haie and of prouender some,
for labouring cattel til pasture be come.
And if ye doo mind to haue nothing to sterue,
haue one thing or other, for all thing to serue.
9
Ground compassed wel and a following[2] yeare,
(if wheat or thy barlie too ranke doo appeare)
Now eat it with sheepe or else mowe it ye may,
for ledging, and so, to the birds for a pray.
[Sidenote: ¶ Wéeding.]
10
In Maie get a weede hooke, a crotch and a gloue,[E309]
and weed out such weedes as the corne doth not loue:
For weeding of winter corne now it is best,
but June is the better for weeding the rest.
[Sidenote: Ill wéeds.]
11
The May weed doth burn[E310] and the thistle doth freat,[E311]
the fitchis[3] pul downward,[E312] both rie and the wheat.
The brake and the cockle[E313] be noisome too much,
yet like vnto boddle[E314] no weede there is such.
[Sidenote: ¶]
12
Slack neuer thy weeding, for dearth nor for cheape,
the corne shall reward it er euer ye reape.
And specially where ye doo trust for to seede,[4]
let that be well vsed, the better to speede.
[Sidenote: Sowing of branke.]
13
In Maie is good sowing, thy buck[E315] or thy branke,[E316]
that black is as pepper, and smelleth so ranke.
It is to thy land, as a comfort or muck,
and al thing it maketh as fat as a buck.
14[5]
Sowe buck after barlie, or after thy wheat,
a peck to a roode (if the measure be great);
Three earthes see ye giue it, and sowe it aboue,
and harrow it finelie if buck ye doo loue.
15
Who pescods would gather, to haue with the last,
to serue for his houshold till haruest be past,
Must sowe them in Maie, in a corner ye shal,
where through so late growing no hindrance may fal.[E317]
[Sidenote: ¶ Sowing of flax and hempe.]
16
Good flax and good hemp for to haue of hir owne,
in Maie a good huswife will see it be sowne.
And afterward trim it, to serue at a neede,
the fimble to spin and the karl for hir seede.[E318]
17
Get into the hopyard, for now it is time,[6]
to teach Robin hop on his pole how to clime:
To follow the Sunne, as his propertie is,[E319]
and weede him and trim him, if aught go amis.
[Sidenote: Ill neighbours to the hop.]
18
Grasse, thistle and mustard seede, hemlock and bur,
tine, mallow and nettle, that keepe such a stur.
With peacock and turkie, that nibbles off top,
are verie ill neighbors to seelie poore hop.
19
From wheat go and rake out the titters or tine,
if eare be not foorth, it will rise againe fine.
Use now in thy rie, little raking or none,
breake tine[7] from his roote, and so let it alone.[E320]
[Sidenote: Wéeding of quickset.]
20
Bankes newly quicksetted, some weeding doo craue,
the kindlier nourishment thereby to haue.
Then after a shower to weeding a snatch,
more easilie weede with the roote to dispatch.
[Sidenote: Now draine ditches.]
21
The fen and the quamire,[8][E321] so marrish be kind,
and are to be drained, now wine to thy mind:
Which yeerelie vndrained and suffered vncut,
annoieth the meadowes that thereon doo but.
[Sidenote: ¶ Swarming of bées.]
22
Take heede to thy bees, that are readie to swarme,
the losse thereof now is a crownes worth of harme:[9]
Let skilfull be readie and diligence seene,
least being too careles, thou losest thy beene.
[Sidenote: Twifallowing.]
23
In Maie at the furthest, twifallow thy land,
much drout may else after cause plough for to stand: