Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
both pleaseth thy friend and becommeth thine hall.
16
Enough is a plentie,[E446] too much is a pride,
the plough with ill holding, goes quicklie aside.
[1] Stanzas 3-12 are not in 1577.
[2] spilleth. 1577.
[3] in thy. 1577.
86.
¶ _Afternoone workes._
Make companie breake,
Go cherish the weake.
[Sidenote: Afternoone workes.]
1
When Dinner is ended, set seruants to wurke,
and follow such fellowes[1] as loueth to lurke.
2
To seruant in sicknesse see nothing ye grutch,
a thing of a trifle shall comfort him mutch.
Who manie do feede,
Saue much they had neede.
3
Put chippings[E447] in dippings, vse parings to saue,
fat capons or chickens that lookest to haue.
4
Saue droppings and skimmings, how euer ye doo,
for medcine for cattell, for cart and for shoo.
Leane capon vnmeete,
Deere fed is vnsweete.
5
Such ofcorne as commeth giue wife to hir fee,
feede willingly such as do helpe to feede thee.
6
Though fat fed is daintie, yet this I thee warne,
be cunning in fatting for robbing thy barne.
Peece hole to defende.
Things timely amende.
7
Good semsters be sowing of fine pretie knackes,
good huswifes be mending and peecing their sackes.
8
Though making and mending be huswifely waies,
yet mending in time is the huswife to praies.
Buie newe as is meete,
Marke blanket and sheete.
9
Though Ladies may rend and buie new ery day,
good huswifes must mend and buie new as they may.
10
Call quarterly seruants to court and to leete,[E448]
write euerie Couerlet, Blanket, and Sheete.
Shift slouenly elfe,
Be gayler thy selfe.
11
Though shifting too oft be a theefe in a house,
yet shift slut and slouen for feare of a louse.
12
Graunt doubtfull no key of his chamber in purse,
least chamber doore lockt be to theeuerie a nurse.
Saue feathers for gest,
These other rob chest.
[Sidenote: Saue feathers.]
13
Saue wing for a thresher, when Gander doth die,
saue feather of all thing, the softer to lie.
14
Much spice is a theefe, so is candle and fier,
sweete sauce is as craftie as euer was frier.
Wife make thine owne candle,
Spare pennie to handle.
[Sidenote: Candle making.]
15
Prouide for thy tallow, ere frost commeth in,
and make thine owne candle, ere winter begin.
16
If pennie for all thing be suffred to trudge,
trust long, not to pennie, to haue him thy drudge.
[1] marchants. 1577.
87.
¶ _Euening workes._
Time drawing to night,
See all things go right.
[Sidenote: Euening workes.]
1
When hennes go to roost go in hand to dresse meate,
serue hogs and to milking and some to serue neate.
2
Where twaine be ynow, be not serued with three,
more knaues in a companie worser they bee.
Make lackey to trudge,
Make seruant thy drudge.
3
For euerie trifle leaue ianting thy nag,
but rather make lackey of Jack boie thy wag.
4
Make seruant at night lug in wood or a log,
let none come in emptie but slut and thy dog.
False knaue readie prest,
All safe is the best.
5
Where pullen vse nightly to pearch in the yard,
there two legged foxes keepe watches and ward.
6
See cattle well serued, without and within,
and all thing at quiet ere supper begin.
Take heede it is needeful,
True pittie is meedeful.
7
No clothes in garden, no trinkets without,
no doore leaue vnbolted, for feare of a dout.
8
Thou woman whom pitie becommeth the best,
graunt all that hath laboured time to take rest.
88.
¶ _Supper matters._
Vse mirth and good woorde,
At bed and at boorde.
[Sidenote: Supper time huswiferie.]
1
Provide for thy husband, to make him good cheere,
make merrie togither, while time ye be heere.
2
At bed and at boord, howsoeuer befall,
what euer God sendeth be merrie withall.
No brawling make,
No ielousie take.
3
No taunts before seruants, for hindring of fame,
no iarring too loude for auoyding of shame.
4
As fransie and heresie roueth togither,
so iealousie leadeth a foole ye wot whither.
Tend such as ye haue,
Stop talkatiue knaue.
5
Yong children and chickens would euer be eating,
good seruants looke dulie for gentle intreating.
6
No seruant at table vse sausly to talke,
least tongue set at large out of measure do walke.
No snatching at all,
Sirs, hearken now all.
7
No lurching,[E449] no snatching, no striuing at all,
least one go without and another haue all.
8
Declare after Supper, take heede therevnto,
what worke in the morning ech seruant shall do.
89.
¶ _After supper matters._
Thy soule hath a clog,
Forget not thy dog.
[Sidenote: Workes after supper.]
1
Remember those children whose parents be poore,
which hunger, yet dare not craue[1] at thy doore.
2
Thy Bandog[E450] that serueth for diuerse mishaps,
forget not to giue him thy bones and thy scraps.
Make keies to be keepers,
To bed ye sleepers.
3
Where mouthes be many, to spend that thou hast,
set keies to be keepers, for spending too fast.
4
To bed after supper let drousie go sleepe,
least knaue in the darke to his marrow do creepe.
Keepe keies as thy life,
Feare candle good wife.
5
Such keies lay vp safe, ere ye take ye to rest,
of dairie, of buttrie, of cubboord and chest.
6
Feare candle in hailoft, in barne, and in shed,
feare flea smocke and mendbreech, for burning their bed.
See doore lockt fast,
Two keies make wast.
7
A doore without locke is a baite for a knaue,
a locke without key is a foole that will haue.
8
One key to two locks, if it breake is a greefe,
two keies to one locke in the ende is a theefe.
Night workes troubles hed,
Locke doores and to bed.
9
The day willeth done whatsoeuer ye bid,
the night is a theefe, if ye take not good hid.
10
Wash dishes, lay leauens, saue fire and away,
locke doores and to bed, a good huswife will say.
To bed know thy guise,
To rise do likewise.
[Sidenote: Bed time.]
11
In winter at nine, and in sommer at ten,
to bed after supper both maidens and men.
[Sidenote: Time to rise.]
12
In winter at fiue a clocke, seruant arise,
in sommer at foure is verie good guise.[E451]
Loue so as ye may
Loue many a day.
13
Be lowly not sollen, if ought go amisse,
what wresting may loose thee, that winne with a kisse.
14
Both beare and forebeare now and then as ye may,
then, wench God a mercie, thy husband will say.
[1] to. 1577.
90.
¶ _The ploughmans feasting daies._
This would not be slept,
Old guise must be kept.
1
Good huswiues, whom God hath enriched ynough,
forget not the feastes that belong to the plough.
The meaning is onelie to ioie and be glad,
for comfort with labour is fit to be had.
[Sidenote: Leicestershire.]
Plough Monday.[E452]
2
Plough Monday, next after that Twelftide is past,
bids out with the plough, the woorst husband is last.
If ploughman get hatchet or whip to the skreene,
maides loseth their cock if no water be seene.[E453]
[Sidenote: Essex and Suffolke.]
Shroftide.[E454]
3
At Shroftide to shrouing, go thresh the fat hen,
if blindfild can kill hir, then giue it thy men.
Maides, fritters and pancakes ynow see ye make:
let slut haue one pancake, for companie sake.
[Sidenote: Northamptonshire.]
Sheepe shearing.
4
Wife make vs a dinner, spare flesh neither corne,
make wafers and cakes, for our sheepe must be shorne.
At sheepe shearing neighbours none other thing craue,
but good cheere and welcome like neighbours to haue.
[Sidenote: Leicestershire.]
The wake day.[E455]
5
Fill ouen full of flawnes,[E456] Ginnie passe not for sleepe,
to morow thy father his wake day will keepe.
Then euerie wanton may daunce at hir will,
both Tomkin with Tomlin, and Jankin with Gill.
Haruest home.
6
For all this good feasting, yet art thou not loose,
till ploughman thou giuest his haruest home goose.[E457]
Though goose go in stubble, I passe not for that,
let goose haue a goose, be she leane, be she fat.
[Sidenote: Essex and Suffolke.]
Seede cake.
7
Wife, some time this weeke, if the wether hold cleere,
an end of wheat sowing we make for this yeere.
Remember you therefore though I doo it not:
the seede Cake, the Pasties, and Furmentie pot.[E458]
Twise a week roast.
8
Good ploughmen looke weekly, of custome and right,
for roast meat on Sundaies and Thursdaies at night.
This dooing and keeping such custome and guise,
they call thee good huswife, they loue thee likewise.
91.
¶ _The good huswifelie Physicke._
[1]
Good huswiues prouides, ere an sicknes doo come,
of sundrie good things in hir house to haue some.
Good Aqua composita,[E459] Vineger tart,
Rose water and treakle, to comfort the hart.
[2]
Cold herbes in hir garden for agues that burne,
that ouer strong heat to good temper may turne.
While Endiue and Suckerie, with Spinnage ynough,
all such with good pot herbes should follow the plough.
[3]
Get water of Fumentorie, Liuer to coole,
and others the like, or els lie like a foole.
Conserue of the Barberie, Quinces and such,
with Sirops that easeth the sickly so much.
[Sidenote: Physition.]
[4]
Aske _Medicus_ counsell, ere medcine ye make,
and honour that man, for necessities sake.
Though thousands hate physick, because of the cost,
yet thousands it helpeth, that else should be lost.
[Sidenote: Good diet.]
[5]
Good broth and good kéeping do much now and than,
good diet with wisedome best comforteth man.
In health to be stirring shall profit thée best,
in sicknes hate trouble, séeke quiet and rest.
[Sidenote: Thinke on thy soule and haue a good hope.]
[6]
Remember thy soule, let no fansie preuaile,
make readie to Godward, let faith neuer quaile.
The sooner thy selfe thou submittest to God,
the sooner he ceaseth to scourge with his rod.
92.
¶ _The good motherlie nurserie._
[1]
Good huswiues take paine, and doo count it good luck,
to make their owne brest their owne childe to giue suck.
Though wrauling and rocking be noisome so neare,
yet lost by ill nursing is woorser to heare.
[2]
But one thing I warne thee, let huswife be nurse,
least husband doo find thée too franke with his purse.
What hilback and filbellie maketh away,
that helpe to make good, or else looke for a fraie.
[3]
Giue childe that is fitly, giue babie the big,
giue hardnes to youth and to roperipe a twig.
Wee find it not spoken so often for naught,
that children were better vnborne than vntaught,
[4]
Some cockneies[E460] with cocking are made verie fooles,
fit neither for prentise, for plough, nor for schooles.
Teach childe to aske blessing, serue God, and to church,
then blesse as a mother, else blesse him with burch.
Thou huswife thus dooing, what further shall néede?
but all men to call thée good mother in déede.
93.
¶ _Thinke on the poore._
Remember the poore, that for Gods sake doo call,
for God both rewardeth and blesseth withall.
Take this in good part, whatsoeuer thou bee:
and wish me no woorse than I wish vnto thee.
94.
¶ _A comparison betweene good huswiferie and euill._[E461]
Comparing togither, good huswife with bad,
The knowledge of either, the better is had.
1
Ill huswiferie lieth
till nine of the clock.
Good huswiferie trieth
to rise with the cock.
2
Ill huswiferie tooteth,
to make hir selfe braue.[E462]
Good huswiferie looketh
what houshold must haue.
3
Ill huswiferie trusteth
to him and to hir.
Good huswiferie lusteth
hir selfe for to stir.
4
Ill huswiferie careth
for this nor for that.