Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
Least Mistres doe breech yee:
To worke and away,
As fast as ye may.
[1] showeth, here and in stanzas 5 and 6. 1577.
[2]
Both mayden and man
mend now what ye can.
Leave gibber gabber
mend slibber slabber. 1577.
75.
¶ _Huswiferie._
[Now listen, good huswiues, what doings are here
set out for a day as it should for a yere. 1577.]
¶ _Morning workes._[1]
No sooner some vp,
But nose is in cup.
1
Get vp in the morning as soone as thou wilt,
with ouerlong slugging good seruant is spilt.
2
Some slouens from sleeping no sooner get vp,
but hand is in aumbrie, and nose in the cup.
That early is donne,
Count huswifely wonne.
[Sidenote: Morning workes.]
3
Some worke in the morning may trimly be donne,
that all the day after can hardly be wonne.
4
Good husband without it is needfull there be,
good huswife within as needfull as he.
Cast dust into yard,
And spin and go card.
5
Sluts corners auoided shall further thy health,
much time about trifles shall hinder thy wealth.
6
Set some to peele hempe or else rishes to twine,
to spin and to card, or to seething of brine.
Grind mault for drinke,
See meate do not stinke.
7
Set some about cattle, some pasture to vewe,
some mault to be grinding against ye do brewe.
8
Some corneth, some brineth, some will not be taught,
where meate is attainted, there cookrie is naught.
[1] This and other sub-titles are not in 1577.
76.
¶ _Breakefast doings._
To breakefast that come,
Giue erie one some.
[Sidenote: Breakefast.]
1
Call seruants to breakefast by day starre appere,[E435]
a snatch and to worke, fellowes tarrie not here.
2
Let huswife be caruer, let[1] pottage be heate,
a messe to eche one, with a morsell of meate.
No more tittle tattle,
Go serue your cattle.
3
What tacke in a pudding, saith greedie gut wringer,
giue such ye wote what, ere a pudding he finger.
4
Let seruants once serued, thy cattle go serue,
least often ill seruing make cattle to sterue.
[1] see. 1577.
77.
¶ _Huswifely admonitions._
[Sidenote: Thée for thriue.]
Learne you that will thee,
This lesson of mee.[1]
1
No breakefast of custome prouide for to saue,
but onely for such as deserueth to haue.
2
No shewing of seruant what vittles in store,
shew seruant his labour, and shew him no more.
Of hauocke beware,
Cat nothing will spare.
3
Where all thing is common, what needeth a hutch?
where wanteth a sauer, there hauocke is mutch.
4
Where window is open, cat maketh a fray,
yet wilde cat with two legs is worse by my fay.
Looke well vnto thine,
Slut slouthfull must whine.
5
An eie in a corner who vseth to haue,
reuealeth a drab, and preuenteth a knaue.
6
Make maide to be clenly, or make hir crie creake,
and teach hir to stirre, when hir mistresse doth speake.
Let hollie wand threate,
Let fisgig be beate.
7
A wand in thy hand, though ye fight not at all,
makes youth to their businesse better to fall.
8
For feare of foole had I wist[2][E436] cause thee to waile,
let fisgig be taught to shut doore after taile.
Too easie the wicket,
Will still appease clicket.
9
With hir that will clicket make daunger to cope,
least quickly hir wicket seeme easie to ope.
10
As rod little mendeth where maners be spilt,
so naught will be naught say and do what thou wilt.
Fight seldome ye shall
But vse not to brall.
11
Much bralling with seruant, what man can abide?
pay home when thou fightest, but loue not to chide.
12
As order is heauenly where quiet is had,
so error is hell, or a mischiefe as bad.
What better a lawe
Than subjects in awe?
13
Such awe as a warning will cause to beware,
doth make the whole houshold the better to fare.
14
The lesse of thy counsell thy seruants doe knowe,
Their dutie the better such seruants shall showe.
Good musicke regard,
Good seruants reward.
15
Such seruants are oftenest painfull and good,
that sing in their labour, as birdes in the wood.
16
Good seruants hope iustly some friendship to feele,
and looke to haue fauour what time they do weele.
By once or twise
Tis time to be wise.
17
Take runagate Robin, to pitie his neede,
and looke to be filched, as sure as thy creede.
18
Take warning by once, that a worse do not hap,
foresight is the stopper of many a gap.
Some change for a shift,
Oft change, small thrift.
19
Make fewe of thy counsell to change for the best,
least one that is trudging infecteth the rest.
20
The stone that is rolling can gather no mosse,[E437]
for maister and seruant, oft changing is losse.
Both liberall sticketh,
Some prouender pricketh.
[Sidenote: One liberall.]
21
One dog for a hog, and one cat for a mouse,
one readie to giue is ynough in a house:
22
One gift ill accepted, keepe next in thy purse,
whom prouender pricketh are often the wurse.
[1] How daintie some be. 1573.
[2] "A wise man saith not, had I wist."--Uncertain Author in _Tottel's
Miscellany_ (p. 244, Arber's ed.).
78.
¶ _Brewing._
Brew somewhat for thine,
Else bring vp no swine.
[Sidenote: Brewing.]
1
Where brewing is needfull, be brewer thy selfe,
what filleth the roofe will helpe furnish the shelfe:
2
In buieng of drinke, by the firkin or pot,
the tallie ariseth, but hog amendes not.[1]
Well brewed, worth cost,
Ill vsed, halfe lost.
3
One bushell well brewed, outlasteth some twaine,
and saueth both mault, and expences in vaine.[2]
4
Too new is no profite, too stale is as bad,
drinke dead or else sower makes laborer sad.[E438]
Remember good Gill,
Take paine with thy swill.
[Sidenote: Séething of graines.]
5
Seeth grains in more water, while grains be yet hot,
and stirre them in copper, as poredge in pot.
6
Such heating with straw, to haue offall good store,
both pleaseth and easeth, what would ye haue more?
[1] Score quickely ariseth, hog profiteth not. 1577.
[2] Two troubles for nothing, is cost to no gaine. 1577.
79.
¶ _Baking._[E439]
Newe bread is a driuell.
Much crust is as euill.
[Sidenote: Baking.]
1
New bread is a waster, but mouldie is wurse,
what that way dog catcheth, that loseth the purse.
2
Much dowebake I praise not, much crust is as ill,
the meane is the Huswife, say nay if ye will.
80.
¶ _Cookerie._
Good cookerie craueth,
Good turnebroch saueth.
[Sidenote: Cookerie.]
1
Good cooke to dresse dinner, to bake and to brewe,
deserues a rewarde, being honest and trewe.
2
Good diligent turnebroch and trustie withall,
is sometime as needfull as some in the hall.
81.
¶ _Dairie._
Good dairie doth pleasure,
Ill dairie spendes treasure.
[Sidenote: Dairie.]
1
Good huswife in dairie, that needes not be tolde,
deserueth hir fee to be paid hir in golde.
2
Ill seruant neglecting what huswiferie saies,
deserueth hir fee to be paid hir with baies.[E440]
Good droie[E441] woorth much.[1]
Marke sluts and such.
3
Good droie to serue hog, to helpe wash, and to milke,
more needfull is truelie than some in their silke.
4
Though homelie be milker, let cleanlie be cooke,
for a slut and a slouen be knowne by their looke.
In dairie no cat,
Laie bane for a rat.
[Sidenote: Traps for rats.]
5
Though cat (a good mouser) doth dwell in a house,
yet euer in dairie haue trap for a mouse.
6
Take heede how thou laiest the bane for the rats,
for poisoning seruant, thy selfe and thy brats.
[1] Though droy be, etc. 1577.
82.
¶ _Scouring._
No scouring for pride,
Spare kettle whole side.
[Sidenote: Scouring.]
1
Though scouring be needfull, yet scouring too mutch,
is pride without profit, and robbeth[1] thine hutch.
2
Keepe kettles from knocks, set tubs out of Sun,
for mending is costlie, and crackt is soone dun.
[1] rubbeth. 1573, 1577.
83.
_Washing._
Take heede when ye wash,
Else run in the lash.
[Sidenote: Washing.]
1
Maids, wash well and wring well, but beat ye wot how,
if any lack beating, I feare it be yow.
2
In washing by hand, haue an eie to thy boll,
for launders and millers, be quick of their toll.
Drie sunne, drie winde,
Safe binde, safe finde.
3
Go wash well, saith Sommer, with sunne I shall drie,
go wring well, saith Winter, with winde so shall I.
4
To trust without heede is to venter a ioint,
giue tale and take count, is a huswifelie point.
Where many be packing,
Are manie things lacking.
5
Where hens fall a cackling, take heede to their nest,
where drabs fall a whispring, take heede to the rest.
6
Through negligent huswifes, are many things lacking,
and Gillet suspected will quickly be packing.
84.
_Malting._
Ill malting is theft,
Wood dride hath a weft.
[Sidenote: Malting.]
1
House may be so handsome, and skilfulnes such,
to make thy owne malt, it shall profit thee much.
2
Som drieth with strawe, and some drieth with wood,
wood asketh more charge, and nothing so good.[E442]
Take heede to the kell,
Sing out as a bell.
3
Be suer no chances to fier can drawe,
the wood, or the furzen, the brake or the strawe.
4
Let Gillet be singing, it doth verie well,
to keepe hir from sleeping and burning the kell.
Best dride best speedes,
Ill kept, bowd breedes.
5
Malt being well speered, the more it will cast,
malt being well dried, the longer will last.
6
Long kept in ill soller, (vndoubted thou shalt,)
through bowds without number loose quickly thy malt.[E443]
85.
¶ _Dinner matters._
For hunger or thirst,
Serue cattle well first.
[Sidenote: Dinner time.]
1
By noone[E444] see your dinner, be readie and neate,
let meate tarrie seruant, not seruant his meate.
2
Plough cattle a baiting, call seruant to dinner,
the thicker togither, the charges the thinner.
Togither is best,
For hostis and gest.
3[1]
Due season is best, altogither is gay,
dispatch hath no fellow, make short and away.
4
Beware of Gill laggoose, disordring thy house,
mo dainties who catcheth, than craftie fed mouse!
Let such haue ynough,
That follow the plough.
5
Giue seruant no dainties, but giue him ynough,
too many chaps walking,[E445] do begger the plough.
6
Poore seggons halfe starued worke faintly and dull,
and lubbers doo loiter, their bellies too full.
Giue neuer too much,
To lazie and such.
7
Feede lazie that thresheth a flap and a tap,
like slothfull, that all day be stopping a gap.
8
Some litherly lubber more eateth than twoo,
yet leaueth vndone that another will doo.
Where nothing will last,
Spare such as thou hast.
9
Some cutteth thy linnen, some spoileth[2] their broth,
bare table to some doth as well as a cloth.
10
Treene dishes be homely, and yet not to lack,
where stone is no laster take tankard and iack.
Knap boy on the thums,
And saue him his crums.
11
That pewter is neuer for manerly feastes,
that daily doth serue so vnmanerly beastes.
12
Some gnaweth and leaueth, some crusts and some crums,
eat such their own leuings, or gnaw their own thums.
Serue God euer furst,
Take nothing at wurst.
[Sidenote: Grace before and after meate.]
13
At Dinner, at Supper, at morning, at night,
giue thankes vnto God, for his gifts so in[3] sight.
14
Good husband and huswife, will sometime alone,
make shift with a morsell and picke of a bone.
Inough thou art tolde,
Too much will not holde.
15
Three dishes well dressed, and welcome withall,