Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
Thy sowes, great with fare, that come best for to rere:
loke dayly thou seest them, and count them full dere.
For that time, the losse of one fare of thy sowe:
is greater, then losse of two calues of thy kowe.
56.
A kow good of milk, big of bulke, hayle and sounde,
is yerely for profet, as good as a pounde.
And yet, by the yere haue I proued ere now:
as good to the purse, is a sow as a kow.
57.
Kepe one and kepe both, so thou maist if thou wilt:
then all shall be saued, and nothing be spilt.
Kepe two bease, and one sow, and liue at thine ease:
and no time for nede, bye thy meate but thou please.
58.
Who both by his calues, and his lambes will be knowne:
may well kill a neate, and a shepe of his owne.
And he, that will rere vp a pig in his house:
shall eate sweter bakon, and cheaper fed sowse.
59.
But eate vp thy veale, pig and lambe being froth:
and twise in a weeke, go to bed without broth.
As that man that pas not, but sell away sell:
shall neuer kepe good house, where euer he dwell.
60.
Spende none but thyne owne, howsoeuer thou spende:
nor haft not to god ward, for that he doth sende.
Tythe truly for al thing, let pas of the rest:
the iust man, his dealinges god prospereth best.
61.
In January, husbandes that powcheth the grotes:
will breake vp their lay, or be sowing of otes.
Sow Jauiuer Otes, and lay them by thy wheate;
in May, bye thy hay for thy cattel to eate.
¶ Februarij.
62.
In Feuerell, rest not for taking thine ease:
get into the grounde with thy beanes, and thy pease.
Sow peason betimes, and betimes they will come:
the sooner, the better they fill vp a rome.
63.
In euery grene, where the fence is not thine:
the thornes stub out cleane, that the grasse may be fine.
Thy neighbours wil borow, els hack them beliue:
so neither thy grasse, nor the bushes shall thriue.
64.
Thy seruant, in walking thy pastures aboute:
for yokes, forkes and rakes, let him loke to finde oute.
And after at leyser let this be his hier:
to trimme them and make them at home by the fier.
65.
When frostes will not suffer to ditche nor to hedge:
then get the an heate, with thy betill and wedge.
A blocke at the harthe, cowched close for thy life:
shall helpe to saue fier bote, and please well thy wife.
66.
Then lop for thy fewel, the powlinges well growen:
that hindreth the corne, or the grasse to be mowen.
In lopping, and cropping, saue Edder and stake
thyne hedges, where nede is to mende or to make.
67.
No stick, nor no stone, leaue vnpicked vp clene:
for hurting thy sieth, or for harming thy grene.
For sauing of al thing, get home with the rest,
the snow frozen hardest, thy cart may goe best.
68.
Spare meddowes at shroftide, spare marshes at paske:
for feare of a drougth, neuer longer time aske.
Then hedge them, and ditche them, bestow thereon pence:
for meddow and corne, craueth euer good fence.
69.
And alway, let this be a part of thy care:
for shift of good pasture, lay pasture to spare.
Then seauer thy groundes, and so keping them still:
finde cattel at ease, and haue pasture at will.
¶ Marche.
70.
In Marche, sow thy barley thy londe not to colde:
the drier the better, a hundreth times tolde.
That tilth harrowde finely, set sede time an ende:
and praise, and pray God a good haruest to sende.
71.
Sow wheate in a meane, sow thy Rie not to thin;
let peason and beanes, here and there, take therein.
Sow barley and otes, good and thick doe not spare:
giue lande leaue, her sede or her wede for to bare.
72.
For barley and pease, harrow after thou sowe:
for rye, harrow first seldome after I trowe.
Let wheat haue a clodde, for to couer the hedde:
that after a frost, it may out and goe spredde.
¶ A digression from husbandrie:
to a poynt or two of huswifrie.
[72a]
Now here I think nedeful, a pawse for to make;
to treate of some paines, a good huswife must take.
For huswifes must husbande, as wel as the man:
or farewel thy husbandrie, do what thou can.
[72b]
In Marche, and in Aprill, from morning to night:
in sowing and setting, good huswiues delight.
To haue in their gardein, or some other plot:
to trim vp their house, and to furnish their pot.
[72c]
Haue millons at Mihelmas, parsneps in lent:
in June, buttred beanes, saueth fish to be spent.
With those, and good pottage inough hauing than:
thou winnest the heart, of thy laboring man.
¶ Aprill.
[72d]
From Aprill begin, til saint Andrew be past:
so long with good huswiues, their dairies doe last.
Good milche bease and pasture, good husbandes prouide:
good huswiues know best, all the rest how to guide.
[72e]
But huswiues, that learne not to make their owne cheese:
with trusting of others, haue this for their feese.
Their milke slapt in corners, their creame al to sost:
their milk pannes so flotte, that their cheeses be lost.
[72f]
Where some of a kowe, maketh yerely a pounde:
these huswiues crye creake, for their voice will not sounde.
The seruauntes, suspecting their dame lye in waighte:
with one thing or other, they trudge away straight.
[72g]
Then neighbour (for gods sake) if any such bee;
if you know a good seruant, waine her to mee.
Such maister, suche man, and such mistres suche mayde
such husbandes and huswiues, suche houses araide.
[72h]
For flax and for hemp, for to haue of her owne:
the wife must in May, take good hede it be sowne.
And trimme it, and kepe it to serue at a nede:
the femble to spin, and the karle for her sede.
[72i]
Good husbandes, abrode seketh al well to haue:
good huswiues, at home seketh al well to saue.
Thus hauing and sauing, in place where they meete:
make profit with pleasure, suche couples to greete.
¶ May.
73.
Both Philip and Jacob, bid put of thy lammes:
that thinkest to haue any milke of their dammes.
But Lammas aduiseth thee, milke not to long:
for hardnes make pouerty, skabbed among.
74.
To milke and to folde them, is much to require:
except thou haue pasture, to fill their desire.
But nightes being shorte, and such hede thou mayst take
not hurting their bodies, much profit to make.
75.
Milke six ewes, for one kowe, well chosen therefore:
and double thy dayrie, els trust me no more.
And yet may good huswiues, that knoweth the skill:
haue mixt or vnmixt, at their pleasure and will.
76.
For gredy of gaine, ouerlay not thy grownde:
and then shall thy cattell, be lusty and sownde.
But pinche them of pasture, while sommer time last:
and plucke at their tailes, ere & winter be past.
77.
Pinche weannels at no time, of water nor meate:
if euer thou hope to have them good neate.
In sommer at al times, in winter in frost:
if cattell lacke drinke, they be vtterly lost.
78.
In May at the furdest, twy fallow thy lande:
much drougth may cause after, thy plough els to stande.
That tilth being done, thou hast passed the wurste:
then after, who plowgheth, plowgh thou with the furste.
¶ June.
79.
In June get thy wedehoke, thy knife and thy gloue:
and wede out such wede, as the corne doth not loue.
Slack no time thy weding, for darth nor for cheape:
thy corne shall reward it, or euer thou reape.
80.
The maywede doth burne, and the thistle doth freate:
the Tine pulleth downe, both the rie and the wheate.
The dock and the brake, noieth corne very much:
but bodle for barley, no weede there is such.
81.
In June washe thy shepe, where the water doth runne:
and kepe them from dust, but not kepe them from sunne
Then share them and spare not, at two daies anende,
the sooner, the better their bodies amende.
82.
Rewarde not the shepe, when thou takest his cote:
with two or three patches, as brode as a grote;
The flie than and wormes, will compel it to pine:
more paine to thy cattell, more trouble is thine.
83.
But share not thy lammes, till mid July be worne:
the better their cotes will be growne to be shorne.
The pie will discharge thee, for pulling the reste:
the lighter the shepe is, then fedeth it beste.
84.
Saint Mihel byd bees, to be brent out of strife:
sajnt John bid take honey, with fauour of life.
For one sely cottage, set south good and warme:
take body and goodes, and twise yerely a swarme.
85.
At Christmas take hede, if their hiues be to light:
take honey and water, together wel dight.
That mixed with strawes, in a dish in their hiues:
they drowne not, they fight not, thou sauest their lyues.
86.
At midsommer downe with thy brimbles and brakes:
and after abrode, with thy forkes and thy rakes.
Set mowers a worke, while the meddowes be growne;
the lenger they stande, so much worse to be mowne.
87.
Prouide of thine owne, to haue all thing at hande:
els worke and the workman, shall oftentimes stande.
Loue seldome to borow, that thinkest to saue;
who lendeth the one, will loke two thinges to haue.
88.
Good husbandes that laye, to saue all thing vpright:
for Tumbrels and cartes, haue a shed redy dight.
A store house for trinkets kept close as a iayle:
that nothing be wanting, the worthe of a nayle.
89.
Thy cartes would be searched, withoute and within;
well cloughted and greased, or hay time begin.
Thy hay being caried, though carters had sworne:
the cartes bottome borded, is sauing of corne.
¶ Julii.
90.
Then muster thy folke, play the captaine thyselfe:
prouiding them weapon, and suche kinde of pelfe.
Get bottels and bagges, kepe the fielde in the heate:
the feare is not muche, but the daunger is great.
91.
With tossing and raking, and setting on cox:
the grasse that was grene, is now hay for an ox.
That done, leaue the tieth, lode thy cart and awaye:
the battell is fought, thou hast gotten the daye.
92.
Then doune with thy hedlondes, thy corne rounde about
leaue neuer a dalop, vnmoune or had out.
Though grasse be but thinne, about barley and pease:
yet picked vp clene, it shall do thee good ease.
93.
Thryfallowe betime, for destroing of weede:
least thistle and dock, fall a bloming and seede.
Such season may hap, it shall stande the vpon:
to till it againe, or the somer be gone.
94.
And better thou warte, so to doe for thy hast:
then (hardnes) for slougth make thy lande to lie wast.
A redy good forehorse, is dainty to finde:
be hindred at first, and come alway behinde.
95.
Thy houses and barnes, would be loked vpon:
and all thing amended, or haruest come on.
Thinges thus set in ordre, at quiet and rest:
thy haruest goeth forwarde and prospereth best.
96.
Sainct James willeth husbandes, get reapers at hande:
the corne, being ripe doe but shead as it stande.
Be sauing and thankfull, for that god hath sent:
he sendeth it thee, for the selfe same entent.
97.
Reape well, scatter not, gather cleane that is shorne:
binde fast, shock a pase, pay the tenth of thy corne.
Lode salfe, carry home, lose no time, being faier:
golfe iust, in the barne, it is out of dispaier.
98.
This done, set the pore ouer all for to gleane:
and after thy cattel, to eate it vp cleane.
Then spare it for pasture, till rowen be past:
to lengthen thy dayrey, no better thou hast.
99.
Then welcome thy haruest folke, seruauntes and all:
with mirth and good chere, let them furnish thine hall.
The haruest lorde nightly, must geue the a song:
fill him then the blacke boll, or els he hath wrong.
100.
Thy haruest thus ended, in myrth and in ioye:
please euery one gently, man woman and boye.
Thus doing, with alway, such helpe as they can:
thou winnest the name, of a right husband man.
_Finis._
Nowe thinke vpon god, let thy tonge neuer cease:
from thanking of him, for his myghty encrease.
Accept my good wil, finde no fault tyll thou trye:
the better thou thryuest, the gladder am I.
¶ _A sonet or brief rehersall of the properties of the twelue monethes
afore rehersed._