Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
survived him, he had three sons, Thomas, John and Edmond, and one
daughter Mary.
His will, which is exceedingly characteristic, is given in full at
the end of this introduction, from a copy in the British Museum,[21]
privately printed in 1846 by Mr. Charles Clark, of Great Totham, Essex,
from a transcript furnished to him by Mr. E. Ventris, of Cambridge, by
whom the original was discovered in the Registry at Ely.[22] At the
end of the will were printed Tusser's metrical Autobiography, and a
few notices from nearly contemporary authors. Mr. Clark also printed
in 1834 a few copies of the original edition of 1557 of the "Hundredth
good Poyntes of Husbandrie."
Tusser was, as may be seen from his writings, a man of high religious
principles, good-natured and cheerful, of a kindly and generous
disposition, and hospitable to a fault. Although he constantly
inculcates economy, he was entirely free from the meanness and pitiful
spirit, which, according to Stillingfleet, made farmers of his time
starve their cattle, their land and everything belonging to them;
choosing rather to lose a pound than spend a shilling. "Mirth and good
cheer," seems to have been his motto, and although he may have been
imprudent in allowing his love of hospitality to be carried to such
an excess as to keep him from independence, yet we cannot help loving
the man, and admiring the justness of his sentiments on every subject
connected with life and morals. Strict as he appears to have been
in all matters connected with religion, he was far from being what
he terms "fantastically scrupulous," or, as we should now say, of a
puritanical disposition. He prefers a merry fellow to a grave designing
villain:--
"Play thou the good fellow! seeke none to misdeeme;
Disdaine not the honest, though merie they seeme;
For oftentimes seene, no more verie a knave,
Than he that doth counterfeit most to be grave."[23]
How strongly, too, does he support the keeping up of the old
"feasting-daies," "Olde customes that good be let no man dispise," the
festivities of Christmas,[24] the Harvest Home, etc. His maxims on the
treatment of servants and dependents are conceived in a truly Christian
spirit, as when he says:--
"Once ended thy harvest, let none be beguil'd,
Please such as did help thee--man, woman, and child;
Thus doing with alway such help as they can,
Thou winnest the praise of the labouring man."
"Good servants hope justly some friendship to feel,
And look to have favour, what time they do well."
And again, such as these--
"Be lowly, not sullen, if aught go amiss,
What wresting may lose thee, that win with a kiss."
"Remember the poor that for God's sake do call,
For God both rewardeth and blesseth withall.
Take this in good part, whatsoever thou be,
And wish me no worse than I wish unto thee."
The versification of Tusser does not call for any lengthened remarks.
The greater portion of his work is written in the same anapæstic metre,
which, though rough, is well adapted for retention in the memory. There
are, however, two exceptions worthy of special notice: firstly, the
"Preface to the Buier" (ch. 5) and the "Comparison between Champion
Countrie and Severall" (ch. 63), which are the first examples of a
metre afterwards adopted by Prior and Shenstone, and generally believed
to have originated with the latter: secondly, the "Author's linked
verses" (ch. 113), a species of what Dr. Guest calls Inverse Rhime
in the following passage from his "History of English Rhythms":[25]
"Inverse Rhime is that which exists between the last accented syllable
of the first section, and the first accented syllable of the second.
It appears to have flourished most in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. I do not remember any instance of it in Anglo-Saxon, but it
is probably of native growth.[26] A kindred dialect, the Icelandic,
had, at an early period, a species of rhime closely resembling the
present--the second verse always beginning with the last accented
syllable of the first. It is singular that the French had in the
sixteenth century a rhime like the Icelandic, called by them _la rime
entrelassée_. The present rhime differed from it, as it was contained
in one verse.... Thus:--
"'These steps| both _reach_|| and _teach_| thou shalt|
To come| by _thrift_|| to _shift_| withal|.'----Tusser.
"'The pi|pers _loud_|| and _loud_|er blew|,
The dan|cers _quick_|| and _quick_|er flew|.'----Burns."
The following are Tusser's principal peculiarities:--
1. The use of a plural noun with a verb singular. This very frequently
occurs. "_Some_," too, is almost invariably treated thus.
2. His omissions and elliptical phrases, such as [while]
_plough-cattle_ [are] _a-baiting_ (85/2); _thy market_ [having been]
_despatched_, 57/45; _a small_ [income] 62/11; in the mottoes of
the months, [work] _forgotten_ [in the] _month past_; and in such
expressions as "_fault known_" 47/22, "_that done_" 55/2, "_who
living_" 26/1, etc.
3. Peculiarities of rime. Tusser appears to have attributed far more
importance to the _outward appearance_ of his riming words, than to
the _reality_ of the rimes. So long as they _appeared_ to rime, it
seems to have mattered little that in _pronunciation_ they were widely
different. We thus find them constantly (_a_) changing the spelling of
words in order to make them _look like_ others; and again (_b_) using
as rimes words which, though similarly spelt, are totally unlike in
pronunciation. The following examples will suffice. In alterations of
orthography we find _weight_ (for wait) to rime with _eight; raies_
(for raise); _mutch_ to rime with _hutch; thease_ to rime with _ease;
ise_ (for ice) to rime with _device; flo_ (for flow) to rime with _fro;
feere_ (for fire or fier) to rime with _Janiveere; tought_ (for taught)
to rime with _thought; cace_ (for case) to rime with _place; waight_
(for wait) to rime with _straight; bilde_, to rime with _childe; thoes_
(for those) to rime with _sloes_, etc.
On the other hand, we find such rimes as the following: _plough, rough;
shew, few; have, save; have, crave; feat, great; overthwart, part;
shal, fal;_ and a very curious instance in Chapter 69, stanza 1, where
_thrive_ is made to rime with _atchive_.
* * * * *
If the number of editions through which an author's works pass be a
proof of merit, as it certainly is of popularity, few writers of his
time can enter into competition with Tusser. During the forty years
from the appearance of the first edition of the "One Hundreth Poyntes"
in 1557 to the end of the sixteenth century, no fewer than _thirteen_
editions of his work are known to have been published. Yet all are
scarce, and few of those surviving are perfect; a proof that what was
intended for practical use had been sedulously applied to that purpose.
"Some books," says Mr. Haslewood, in the "British Bibliographer," No.
iii., "become heir-looms from value; and Tusser's work, for useful
information in every department of agriculture, together with its
quaint and amusing observations, perhaps passed the copies from father
to son, till they crumbled away in the bare shifting of the pages,
and the mouldering relic only lost its value by the casual mutilation
of time." Subjoined is a list of all the various recorded editions,
extracted from Mavor's introduction and other sources.
1557. A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie. Reprinted here from the
unique copy in the British Museum.
1561. Thomas Hacher had licence for a "dyalogue of wyuynge and
thryuynge of Tusshers, with ij lessons for olde and yonge." Ritson,
though improperly, considers this as a different work from the piece
which appears under the same title in later editions.[27]
1562. It appears probable that this edition, though its existence
is disputed by some, contained the original germ of the Book of
Huswifery, as we find, on the authority of Warton, that in the
preceding year Richard Totell had licence to print "a booke entituled
one hundreth good poyntes of housbondry lately maryed unto a hundreth
poyntes of huswiffry, newly corrected and amplyfyed."[28]
1564. The existence of an edition of this date rests on the authority
of Otridge's Catalogue, 1794. It is probably a misprint for 1562.
1570. A hundreth good pointes of husbandry, lately maried unto a
hundreth good poynts of huswifery: newly corrected and amplified, with
dyuers proper lessons for householders, as by the table at the latter
ende more plainly may appeare. Set foorth by Thomas Tusser, gentleman,
servant to the right honorable lorde Paget of Beudesert. In ædibus
Richardii Tottyli, cum privilegio, Anno 1570.
1573. Five hundreth pointes of good husbandry united to as many of
good huswifery, first devised and more lately augmented, with divers
approved lessons, concerning hopps and gardening and other needful
matters, together with an abstract before every moneth, containing the
whole effect of the sayd moneth, with a table and a preface in the
beginning, both necessary to be reade, for the better understanding
of the booke. Set forth by Thomas Tusser, gentleman, servant to the
honorable lorde Paget of Beudesert. Imprinted at London in Flete
Strete within Temple Barre, at the signe of the hand and starre, by
Richard Tottell. Anno 1573. Cum privilegio.[29]
1577. A reprint of the above, by the same person [but with some
alterations, W.P.].
1580. The edition here reprinted, 4to.
1585. Five hundred pointes, etc. Newly set foorth by Thomas Tusser,
gentleman. At London, printed in the now dwelling house of Henrie
Denham, in Aldersgate Street, at the signe of the Starre.[30]
1586. By Denham, as before. 4to., pp. 164.
1590. By the assignees of Serres.[31]
1593. By Yardley. 4to. (in the Bodleian Library, M.)
1597. By Peter Short. 4to.
1599. Again by Peter Short.[32] Also by Waldegrave in Scotland. 4to.
1604. Printed for the Companie of Stationers. Five hundreth points of
good husbandrie: as well for the Champion or open countrie, as also
for the Woodland or Severall, mixed in every Month with Huswiferie,
over and besides the booke of Huswiferie. Corrected, better ordered
and newly augmented to a fourth part more, with divers other lessons,
as a diet for the farmer, of the properties of winds, plants, hops,
herbs, bees, and approved remedies for sheepe and cattell, with manie
other matters both profitable and not unpleasant for the Reader. Also
two tables, one of husbandrie, and the other of Huswiferie, at the
end of the booke; for the better and easier finding of any matter
contained in the same. Newlie set foorth by Thomas Tusser, gentleman,
etc. (Public Library, Cambridge, M.).
1610. Printed for the Company of Stationers. 4to.[33]
1614. id. id. 4to.
1620. id. id. The orthography in the title in some respects
more obsolete than in earlier impressions: thus we have _moneth_ for
_month_, and _hearbs_ for _herbs_. 4to. In British Museum.
1638. For the Company of Stationers. 4to.[34]
1672. Printed for T. R. and M. D. for the Company of Stationers. 146
pp., exclusive of the tables, closely printed.[35]
1692. Bibliotheca Farmeriana, No. 7349. Haslewood.
All the foregoing editions are in small 4to. black-letter [with roman
and italic headlines and occasional verses, W.P.].
1710. Tusser Redivivus. The Calendar of the twelve months with notes,
published in as many numbers, by Daniel Hilman, a Surveyor of Epsom in
Surry. 8vo. Lond. pp. 150.
1744. The same with a new title-page only. Printed for M. Cooper,
in Paternoster Row; and sold by J. Duncan, in Berkley Square, near
Grosvenor Gate. The title runs thus: Five Hundred points of Husbandry: