Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
Though then he spake as some had cause,
As touching for to wiue?
_Obiection._
[22]
Why then I see to take a shrew,
(As seldome other there be few)
Is not the way to thriue:
So hard a thing I spie it is,
The good to chuse, the shrew to mis,
That feareth me to wiue.[E422]
_Affirmation._
[23]
She may in something seeme a shrew,
Yet such a huswife as but few,
To helpe thee for to thriue:
This prouerbe looke in mind ye keepe,
As good a shrew is as a sheepe,[E423]
For you to take to wiue.
_Obiection._
[24]
Now be she lambe or be she eaw,
Giue me the sheepe, take thou the shreaw,
See which of vs shall thriue:
If she be shrewish thinke for troth,
For all her thrift I would be loth
To match with such to wiue.
_Affirmation._
[25]
Tush, farewell then, I leaue you off,
Such fooles as you that loue to scoff,
Shall seldome wiue to thriue:
Contrarie hir, as you do me,
And then ye shall, I warrant ye,
Repent ye if ye wiue.
_Obiection._
[26]
Friend, let vs both giue iustly place,
To wedded man to iudge this cace,
Which best way is to thriue:
For both our talke as seemeth plaine,
Is but as hapneth in our braine,
To will or not to wiue.
¶ _Wedded mans iudgement
Vpon the former argument._
[Sidenote: Moderator.]
[27]
As Cock that wants his mate, goes rouing all about,
With crowing early and late, to find his louer out:
And as poore sillie hen, long wanting cock to guide,
Soone droopes and shortly then beginnes to peake aside:
Euen so it is with man and wife, where gouernment is found,
The want of ton the others life doth shortly soone confound.
[28]
In iest and in earnest, here argued ye finde,
That husband and huswife togither must dwell,
And thereto the iudgement of wedded mans minde,
That husbandrie otherwise speedeth not well:
So somewhat more nowe I intende for to tell,
Of huswiferie like as of husbandrie tolde,
How huswifelie huswife helpes bring in the golde.
[1] they. 1577.
[2] you. 1577.
[3] you shall. 1577.
[4] you hap. 1577.
[5] quod. 1577.
_Thus endeth the booke of_ Husbandrie.
[Finis (1577).]
The points of Huswiferie, vnited to the comfort of Husbandrie, newly
corrected and amplified, with diuers good lessons for housholders to
recreate the Reader, as by the Table at the end hereof more plainlie
may appeere.
Set forth by Thomas Tusser Gentleman.
68.
_To the right Honorable and my especiall good Ladie and Maistres, the
Ladie Paget._[E424]
1
Though danger be mickle,
and fauour so fickle,
Yet dutie doth tickle
my fansie to wright:
Concerning how prettie,
how fine and how nettie,
Good huswife should iettie,[1]
from morning to night.
2
Not minding[2] by writing,
to kindle a spiting,
But shew by enditing,
as afterward told:
How husbandrie easeth,
to huswiferie pleaseth,
And manie purse greaseth
with siluer and gold.
3
For husbandrie wéepeth,
where huswiferie sléepeth,
And hardly he créepeth,
vp ladder to thrift:
That wanteth to bold him,
thrifts ladder to hold him,
Before it be told him,
he falles without shift.
4
Least many should feare me,
and others forsweare me,
Of troth I doo beare me
vpright as ye sée:
Full minded to looue all,
and not to reprooue all,
But onely to mooue all,
good huswiues to bée.
5
For if I should mind some,
or descant behind some,
And missing to find some,
displease so I mought:
Or if I should blend them,
and so to offend them,
What stur I should send them
I stand in a dought.
6
Though harmles ye[3] make it
and some doo well take it,
If others forsake it,
what pleasure were that?
Naught else but to paine me,
and nothing to gaine me,
But make them disdaine me
I wot ner for what.
7
Least some make a triall,
as clocke by the diall,
Some stand to deniall,
some murmur and grudge:
Giue iudgement I pray you,
for iustlie so may you,
So fansie, so say you,
I make you my iudge.
8
In time, ye shall try me,
by troth, ye shall spy me,
So finde, so set by me,
according to skill:
How euer trée groweth,
the fruit the trée showeth,[E425]
Your Ladiship knoweth,
my hart and good will.
9
Thogh fortune doth measure,
and I doo lacke treasure,
Yet if I may pleasure
your Honour with this:
Then will me to mend it,
or mend er ye send it,
Or any where lend it,
if ought be amis.
Your Ladiships Seruant,
_Thomas Tusser._
[1] yettie. 1557.
[2] minded. 1577.
[3] I. 1577.
69.
¶ _To the Reader._[1]
1
Now listen, good huswiues, what dooings are here
set foorth for a daie, as it should for a yere.
Both easie to follow, and soone to atchiue,
for such as by huswiferie looketh to thriue.[E426]
2
The forenoone affaires, till dinner (with some,)
then after noone dooings, till supper time come.
With breakfast and dinner time, sup, and to bed,
standes orderlie placed, to quiet thine hed.
3
The meaning is this, for a daie what ye see,
that monthlie and yeerlie continued must bee.
And hereby to gather (as prooue I intend),
that huswiuelie matters haue neuer an end.
4
I haue not, by heare say, nor reading in booke,
set out (peraduenture) that some cannot brooke,
Nor yet of a spite, to be dooing with enie,
but such as haue skared me many a penie.
5
If widow, both huswife and husband may be,
what cause hath a widower lesser than she?
Tis needfull that both of them looke well about:
too careles within, and too lasie without.
6
Now therefore, if well ye consider of this,
what losses and crosses comes dailie amis.
Then beare with a widowers pen as ye may:
though husband of huswiferie somewhat doth say.[E427]
[1] "First introduced in the edition of 1580" (M.).
70.
¶ _The Preface to the booke of Huswiferie._
1
Take weapon away, of what force is a man?
Take huswife from husband, and what is he than?
2
As louers desireth together to dwell,
So husbandrie loueth good huswiferie well.
3
Though husbandrie seemeth to bring in the gaines,
Yet huswiferie labours seeme equall in paines.
4
Some respit to husbands the weather may send,
But huswiues affaires haue neuer an end.
71.
As true as thy faith,
Thus huswiferie saith.
[Sidenote: The praise of huswiferie.]
_I serve for a daie, for a weeke, for a yere,
For life time, for euer, while man dwelleth here.
For richer, for poorer, from North to the South,
For honest, for hardhead, or daintie of mouth.
For wed and vnwedded, in sicknes and health,
For all that well liueth, in good Commonwealth.
For citie, for countrie, for Court, and for cart,
To quiet the head, and to comfort the hart.
72.
¶ _A description of Huswife and Huswiferie._[E428]
1
Of huswife doth huswiferie challenge that name,
of huswiferie huswife doth likewise the same,
Where husband and husbandrie ioineth with thease,
there wealthines gotten is holden with ease.
2
The name of a huswife what is it to say?
the wife of the house, to the husband a stay.
If huswife doth that, as belongeth to hur:
if husband be godlie,[1] there needeth no stur.
3
The huswife is she that to labour doth fall,
the labour of hir I doo huswiferie call.
If thrift by that labour be honestlie[2] got:
then is it good huswiferie, else is it not.
4
The woman the name of a huswife doth win,
by keeping hir house, and of dooings therein.
And she that with husband will quietly dwell,
must thinke on this lesson, and follow it well.
[1] wittie. 1577. Cf. _post_, ch. 100, st. 6.
[2] be sued or got. 1577.
[Finis (1577).]
73.
_Instructions to Huswiferie._[E429]
Serue God is the furst,
True loue is not wurst.
1
A dailie good lesson, of huswife in deede,
is God to remember, the better to speede.
2
An other good lesson, of huswiferie thought,
is huswife with husband to liue as she ought.
Wife comely no griefe,
Man out, huswife chiefe.
3
Though trickly to see to, be gallant to wiue,
yet comely and wise is the huswife to thriue.
4
When husband is absent, let huswife be chiefe,
and looke to their labour that eateth hir biefe.
Both out not allow,
Keepe house huswife thow.
5
Where husband and huswife be both out of place,
there seruants doo loiter, and reason their cace.[E430]
6
The huswife so named (of keeping the house,)
must tend on hir profit, as cat on the mouse.
Seeke home for rest,
For home is best.
7
As huswiues keepe home, and be stirrers about,
so speedeth their winnings, the yeere thorow out.
8
Though home be but homely, yet huswife is taught,
that home hath no fellow to such as haue aught.[E431]
¶ Vse all with skill,
Aske what ye will.
9
Good vsage with knowledge, and quiet withall,
make huswife to shine, as the sunne on the wall.
10
What husband refuseth all comely to haue,
that hath a good huswife, all willing to saue.
Be readie at neede,
All thine to feede.
11
The case of good huswiues, thus daily doth stand,
what euer shall chance, to be readie at hand.
12
This care hath a huswife all daie in hir hed,
that all thing in season be huswifelie fed.
By practise go muse,
How houshold to vse.
13
Dame practise is she that to huswife doth tell,
which way for to gouerne hir familie[E432] well.
14
Vse labourers gently, keepe this as a lawe,
make childe to be ciuill, keepe seruant in awe.
Who careles doe liue,
Occasion doe giue.
15
Haue euerie where a respect to thy waies,
that none of thy life any slander may raies.
16
What many doo knowe, though a time it be hid,
at length will abrode, when a mischiefe shall bid.
No neighbour reprooue,
Doe so to haue looue.
17
The loue of thy neighbour shall stand thee in steede,
the poorer, the gladder, to helpe at a neede.
18
Vse friendly thy neighbour, else trust him in this,
as he hath thy friendship, so trust vnto his.
¶ Strike nothing vnknowne,
Take heede to thine owne.
19
Reuenge not thy wrath vpon any mans beast,
least thine by like malice be bid to like feast.
20
What husband prouideth with monie his drudge,
the huswife must looke to, which waie it doth trudge.
74.
_A digression._
[1]
Now, out of the matter, this lesson I ad,
concerning cock crowing, what profit is had.
Experience teacheth, as true as a clock:
how winter night passeth, by marking the cock.
[2]
Cock croweth at midnight, times few aboue six,
with pause to his neighbour, to answere betwix.
At three a clock thicker, and then as ye knowe,
like all in to Mattens, neere daie they doo crowe.
[Sidenote: Cocke crowing.]
[3]
At midnight, at three, and an hower ere day,
they vtter their language, as well as they may.
Which who so regardeth what counsell they giue,
will better loue crowing, as long as they liue.
For being afraid,
Take heede good maid:
Marke crowing of cock,
For feare of a knock.
[4]
¶ _The first cock croweth._
Ho, Dame it is midnight: what rumbling is that?
The next cock croweth.[1]
Take heede to false harlots, and more, ye wot what.
If noise ye heare,
Looke all be cleare:
Least drabs doe noie thee,
And theeues destroie thee.
[5]
¶ _The first cock croweth._
Maides, three a clock,[E433] knede, lay your bucks,[E434] or go brew,
The next cock croweth.
And cobble and botch, ye that cannot buie new.
Till cock crow agen,
Both maidens and men:
Amend now with speede,
That mending doth neede.[2]
[6]
¶ _The first cock croweth._
Past fiue a clock, Holla: maid, sleeping beware,
The next cock croweth.
Least quickly your Mistres vncouer your bare.
Maides, vp I beseech yee,