Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
O Of court ten yeres, I made a say;
N No musike than, was left vnsought,
A A care I had, to serue that way,
M My ioye gan slake, then made I chaunge,
E Expulsed myrth, for musike straunge.
M My musike synce, hath been the plough,
E Entangled with, some care among:
T The gayn not great, the payn enough,
H Hath made me syng, another song.
A And if I may, my song auowe;
N No man I craue, to iudge but you.
¶ Your seruant,
Thomas Tusser.
¶ _Concordia paruæ res crescunt
Discordia maximæ dilabuntur._
1.
Where couples agree not, is rancor and poysen,
where they two kepe house, than is neuer no foysen:
But contrary lightly, where couples agree,
what chaunseth by wisdom, looke after to see.
2.
Good husbandes, that loueth good housholdes to kepe,
be sometime full carefull, when others do slepe:
To spend as they may, or to stop at the furst,
for running behinde hand, or feare of the wurst.
3.
Then count with thy purse, when thy haruest is in,
thy cardes being tolde, how to saue or to win:
But win or els saue, or els passe not to farre,
For hoping to make, least thou happen to marre.
4.
Make money thy drudge, for to folow thy warke,
and Wisdom thy steward, good Order thy clarke:
Prouision thy cator, and all shall goe well,
for foysen is there, where prouision doth dwell.
5.
With some folke on sundayes, their tables do reke:
and halfe the weke after, their diners to seke.
At no tyme to much, but haue alway ynough:
is housholdy fare, and the guyse of the plough.
6.
For what shal it profet, ynough to prouide,
and then haue it spoiled, or filched aside:
As twenty lode busshes, cut downe at a clappe,
such hede may be taken, shall stoppe but a gappe.
7.
Good labouring threshers, are worthy to eate,
Good husbandly ploughmen, deserueth their meate,
Good huswiuely huswiues, that let for no rest,
should eate when they list, and should drinke of the best.
8.
Beware raskabilia, slouthfull to wurke,
proloiners and filchers, that loue for to lurke:
And cherishe well willers, that serueth thy nede,
take time to thy Tutor, God sende the good spede.
¶ August.
9.
When haruest is done, all thing placed and set,
for saultfishe and herring, then laie for to get:
The byeng of them, comming first vnto rode,
shal pay for thy charges, thou spendest abrode.
10.
Thy saultfishe well chosen, not burnt at the stone,
or drye them thyselfe, (hauing skill is a lone:)
Brought salfe to thy house, would be packed vp drie,
with pease strawe betweene, least it rot as it lie.
11.
Or euer thou ride, with thy seruauntes compound,
to carry thy muckhilles, on thy barley ground:
One aker wel compast, is worth akers three,
at haruest, thy barne shall declare it to thee.
12.
This good shalt thou learne, with thy riding about,
the prises of thinges, all the yere thoroughout:
And what time is best, for to sell that thou haue,
and how for to bye, to be likely to saue.
13.
For bying and selling, doth wonderfull well,
to him that hath wit, how to by and to sell:
But chopping and chaungeing, may make such a breck,
that gone is thy winninges, for sauing thy neck.
14.
The riche man, his bargaines are neuer vnsought,
the seller will fynde him, he nede not take thought:
But herein consisteth, a part of our text,
who byeth at first hand, and who at the next.
15.
He byeth at first hand, that ventreth his golde,
he byeth at second, that dare not be bolde:
He byeth at third hand, that nedes borrow must,
who byeth of him, than shall pay for his lust.
16.
When euer thou bargain, for better or wurse,
let alway one bargain, remain in thy purse:
Good credit doth well, but good credit to kepe,
is pay and dispatche him, or euer thou slepe.
17.
Be mindeful abrode, of thy Mighelmas spring,
for theron dependeth, a marueilous thing:
When gentiles vse walking, with hawkes on their handes,
Good husbandes, with grasing doe purchase their landes.
18.
And as thou come homeward, bye xl. good crones,
and fatte me the bodies, of those sely bones:
With those and thy swine, or and shrouetyde be past,
thy folke shal fare well, where as others shal fast.
19.
Thy saffron plot, pared in saint mary daies,
for pleasure and profit, shal serue many waies:
With twenty foote square, knowing how for to doo,
shal stede both thine own house, and next neighbour too.
¶ September.
20.
Threshe sede and goe fanne, for the plough may not lye,
September doth bid, to be sowing of rye:
The redges well harrowde, or euer thou strike,
is one poynt of husbandry, rye land do like.
21.
Geue winter corne leaue, for to haue full his lust,
sowe wheate as thou mayst, but sowe rye in the dust:
Be carefull for sede, for such sede as thou sowe,
as true as thou liuest, loke iustly to mowe.
22.
The sede being sowne, waterforow thy ground,
that rain, when it cummeth, may runne away round:
The diches kept skowred, the hedge clad with thorne,
doth well to drayne water, and saueth thy corne.
23.
Then furth with thy slinges, and thine arowes & bowes,
till ridges be grene, kepe the corne from the crowes:
A good boye abrode, by the day starre appere,
shall skare good man crowe, that he dare not come nere.
24.
At Mihelmas, mast would be loked vpon,
and lay to get some, or the mast time be gon:
It saueth thy corne well, it fatteth thy swyne;
In frost it doth helpe them, where els they should pine.
¶ October.
25.
The rye in the ground, while September doth last:
October for wheate sowing, calleth as fast.
What euer it cost thee, what euer thou geue,
have done sowing wheate, before halowmas eve.
26.
The mone in the wane, gather fruit on the tree,
the riper, the better for graffe and for thee.
But michers, that loue not to bie nor to craue:
make some gather sooner, els fewe should they haue.
27.
Or winter doe come, while the weather is good:
for gutting thy grounde, get the home with thy wood.
Set bauen alone, lay the bowghes from the blockes:
the drier, the les maidens dablith their dockes.
28.
For rooting thy grounde, ring thy hogges thou hast nede
the better thou ring them, the better they fede.
Most times with their elders, the yong ones kepe best:
then yoke well the great knaues, and fauour the rest.
29.
But yoke not thy swine, while thine akorne time last:
for diuers misfortunes, that happen to fast.
Or if thou loue eared, and vnmaimed hogges:
giue eie to thy neighbour, and eare to his dogges.
¶ November.
30.
Get vp with thy barley lande, dry as thou can:
at March (as thou layest it) so loke for it than.
Get euer before hande, drag neuer behinde:
least winter beclip thee, and breake of thy minde.
31.
At Hallowmas, slaughter time sone commeth in:
and than doth the husbande mans feasting begin.
From that time, to Candlemas weekely kill some:
their offal for household, the better shal come.
32.
All soules that be thursty, bid threshe out for mawlt:
well handled and tended, or els thou dost nawlt.
Thencrease of one strike is a pek for thy store:
the maker is bad els, or pilfreth the more.
33.
For Easter, at Martilmas hange vp a biefe:
for pease fed and stall fed, play pickpurse the thiefe.
With that and fat bakon, till grasse biefe come in:
thy folke shall loke cherely, when others loke thin.
34.
Set gardeine beanes, after saint Edmonde the king:
the Moone in the wane, theron hangeth a thing.
Thencrease of one gallonde, well proued of some:
shall pleasure thy householde, ere peskod time come.
35.
Except thou take good hede, when first they apere,
the crowes will be halfe, grow they neuer so nere.
Thinges sowne, set or graft, in good memory haue:
from beast, birde and weather to cherishe and saue.
¶ Decembre.
36.
Abrode for the raine, when thou canst do no good;
then go let thy flayles, as the threshers were wood.
Beware they threshe clene, though the lesser they yarne:
and if thou wilt thriue, loke thy selfe to thy barne.
37.
If barne rome will serue, lay thy stoouer vp drye
and eche kinde of strawe, by hitselfe let it lie.
Thy chaffe, housed sweete, kept from pullein and dust:
shall serue well thy horses, when labour they must.
38.
When pasture is gone, and the fildes mier and weate:
then stable thy plough horse, and there giue them meate.
The better thou vse them, in place where they stande:
more strength shall they haue, for to breake vp thy lande.
39.
Giue cattell their fodder, the plot drie and warme:
and count them, for miring or other like harme.
Trust neuer to boyes, if thou trust well to spede:
be serued with those, that may helpe at a nede.
40.
Serue first out thy rie strawe, then wheate & then pease,
then otestrawe then barley, then hay if you please.
But serue them with haye, while thy straw stoouer last,
they loue no more strawe, they had rather to fast.
41.
Kepe neuer such seruantes, as doth thee no good,
for making thy heare, growing thorrough thy hood.
For nestling of verlettes, of brothels and hoores:
make many a rich man, to shet vp his doores.
¶ Christmas.
42.
Get Iuye and hull, woman deck vp thyne house:
and take this same brawne, for to seeth and to souse.
Prouide vs good chere, for thou knowst the old guise:
olde customes, that good be, let no man dispise.
43.
At Christmas be mery, and thanke god of all:
and feast thy pore neighbours, the great with the small,
yea al the yere long, haue an eie to the poore:
and god shall sende luck, to kepe open thy doore.
44.
Good fruite and good plenty, doth well in thy loft:
then lay for an orcharde, and cherishe it oft.
The profet is mickell, the pleasure is mutch;
at pleasure with profet, few wise men will grutch.
45.
For plantes and for stockes, lay afore hand to cast:
but set or remoue them, while twelue tide doe last.
Set one from another, full twenty fote square:
the better and greater, they yerely will bare.
¶ January.
46.
When Christmas is done, kepe not Christmas time still:
be mindefull of rering, and loth for to kill.
For then, what thou rerist thou nede not to dout:
will double thy gaine, ere the yere come about.
47.
Be gredy to spende all, and careles to saue:
and shortly be nedy, and redy to craue.
be wilfull to kill, and vnskilfull to store:
and sone giue vp houskeping, longe any more.
48.
Thy calues then, that come betwene new yere and lent:
saue gladly for store, lest thou after repent.
For all thing at that time, that colde feleth some:
shall better beare colde, when the next winter come.
49.
Weane no time thy calfe, vnder xl daies olde:
and lay for to saue it, as thou sauest golde.
yet calues that doe fal, betwene change and the prime:
pas seldome to rere them, but kill them in time.
50.
For stores of thy swine, be thou carefull betwix:
of one sow at one time, rere seldome past six.
The fewe that she kepe, much the better shal bee:
of all thing, one good is worth steruelinges three.
51.
Geld vnder the dame, within fornight at least:
and saue both thy money, and life of the beast.
But gelde with the gelder, as many one doe:
and of halfe a dosen, go geld away two.
52.
Thy coltes for the sadle, geld yong to be light:
for cart doe not so, if thou iudgest a right.
Nor geld not, but when they be lusty and fat:
for there is a point, to be learned in that.
53.
Geld marefoles, but titts ere and nine dayes of age:
they die els of gelding, some gelders wil gage.
But marefoles, both likely of bulke and of bone:
kepe such to bring coltes, let their gelding alone.
54.
For gaining a trifle, sell neuer thy store:
for chaunsing on worse, then thine owne were before.
More larger of body, the better for brede:
more forward of growing, the better they spede.
55.