Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
Augusts husbandrie [agréeing with his former abstract _& corne
haruest_].
[Corne haruest equally diuided into ten partes.]
[_The conclusion of the whole booke set out in_ 12 _verses euery word
beginning with a T ye first letter of the Authors name_.]
[A briefe conclusion in verse, euerie word beginning with a T.]
Mans age [_divided into xij prentiships_, from seuen yeares to
fourescore and foure].
[_A briefe description of thenclinations of mans age by the similitude
of the Ape, Lion, Foxe, & the Asse_.]
[Another diuision of the nature of mans age.]
A comparison betwéene good husband[rie] and [bad _euill_].
A comparison betwéene [_woodland &_ Champion] countrie and Seuerall.
[The description of an enuious and naughtie neighbour.]
[_A Sonet howe to set a candle afore the Deuill_.]
A Sonet against a slaunderous tongue.
A Sonet [_to his Lord & Master of his first vij yeres seruice_ vpon
the Authors first seuen yeres seruice].
[The Authors _A_] dialogue betweene two Bachelers [_batchillers_],
of wiuing & thriuing, by affirmation & negation [_& the maryed mans
iudgment thereof_].
[The wedded mans iudgement taking vp the matter of wiuing and thriuing.
How ewes should be vsed that are néere lambing.
How lambes should be vsed when they are yoong.
What times are most méete for rearing of calues.
How to cure the wrigling of ye taile in a shéepe or a lambe.
Of gelding horsecolts.
A waie how to haue large bréede of hogs.
A medicine for faint cattle.
Howe to fasten loose téeth in a bullocke.
How to preuent the breeding of the bots in horses.
A medicine for the cowlaske.[E5]
Of burieng dead cattle.
A waie how to preserue bées.
What is to be done with measeled hogs.
What times are most méete for letting of horses blood.]
The Table of Huswiferie you shall finde at the ende of the booke.
FINIS.
* * * Tusser's references to pages are omitted.
1.
¶ _The Author's Epistle to the late Lord William Paget, wherein he doth
discourse of his owne bringing vp, and of the goodnes of the said
Lord his master vnto him, and the occasion of this his booke, thus
set forth of his owne long practise.
Chap._ 1.
_1[E6]
T Time trieth the troth,[E7] in euerie thing,
H Herewith let men content their minde,[1]
O Of works, which best may profit bring,
M Most rash to iudge, most often blinde.
A As therefore troth in time shall craue,
S So let this booke iust fauor haue.
2
T Take you my Lord and Master than,
U Vnlesse mischance mischanceth me,[E8]
S Such homelie gift, of me your man,
S Since more in Court I may not be,
A And let your praise, wonne heretofore,
R Remaine abrode for euermore.[E9]
3
M My seruing you, (thus vnderstand,)
A And God his helpe, and yours withall,[E10]
D Did cause good lucke to take mine hand,
E Erecting one most like to fall.
M My seruing you, I know it was,
E Enforced this to come to pas.
4
Since being once at Cambridge taught,
Of Court ten yeeres I made assaie,
No Musicke then was left vnsaught,
Such care I had to serue that waie.
When ioie gan slake, then made I change,
Expulsed[2] mirth, for Musicke strange.
5
My Musicke since hath bene the plough,
Entangled with some care among,
The gaine not great, the paine ynough,
Hath made me sing another song.
Which song, if well I may auow,
I craue it iudged be by yow._
Your seruant Thomas Tusser.
[1] How euery man doth please his mind. 1577.
[2] Expelled. 1585.
2.
¶ _To the Right Honorable and my speciall good Lord and Master, the
Lord Thomas Paget of Beaudesert, sone and heire to his late[1]
father deceased.
Chap._ 2.
1
My Lord, your father looued me,
and you my Lord haue prooued me,
and both your loues haue mooued me,
to write as here is donne:
Since God hath hence your father,
such flowers as I gather,
I dedicate now rather,
to you my Lord his sonne.
2
Your father was my founder,
till death became his wounder,
no subiect euer sounder,
whome Prince aduancement gaue:
As God did here defend him,
and honour here did send him,
so will I here commend him,
as long as life I haue.
3
His neighbours then did blisse him,
his seruants now doe misse him,
the poore would gladlie kisse him,
aliue againe to be:
But God hath wrought his pleasure,
and blest him, out of measure,
with heauen and earthlie treasure,
so good a God is he.
[Sidenote: _Ceres_ the Goddesse of husbandrie.]
4
His counsell had I vsed,
and _Ceres_ art refused,
I neede not thus haue mused,
nor droope as now I do:
But I must plaie the farmer,
and yet no whit the warmer,
although I had his armer,
and other comfort to.
[Sidenote: Æsops fable.]
5
The Foxe doth make me minde him,
whose glorie so did blinde him,
till taile cut off behinde him,
no fare could him content:
Euen so must I be proouing,
such glorie I had in loouing,
of things to plough behoouing,
that makes me now repent.
[Sidenote: Salust.]
6
Loiterers I kept so meanie,
both Philip, Hob, and Cheanie,
that, that waie nothing geanie,
was thought to make me thriue:
Like _Iugurth_, Prince of _Numid_,[E11]
my gold awaie consumid,
with losses so perfumid,[E12]
was neuer none aliue.
7
Great fines so neere did pare me,
great rent so much did skare me,
great charge so long did dare me,
that made me at length crie creake:[E13]
Much more[2] of all such fleeces,[E14]
as oft I lost by peeces,
among such wilie geeces
I list no longer speake.
8
Though countrie health long staid me,
yet lesse[3] expiring fraid me,
and (_ictus sapit_[E15]) praid me
to seeke more steadie staie:
New lessons then I noted,
and some of them I coted,[4]
least some should think I doted,
by bringing naught awaie.
[Sidenote: _Pallas_, Goddesse of wisdome and cunning.]
9
Though _Pallas_ hath denide me,
hir learned pen to guide me,
for that she dailie spide me,
with countrie how I stood:
Yet _Ceres_ so did bold me,
with hir good lessons told me,
that rudenes cannot hold me,
from dooing countrie good.
10
By practise and ill speeding,
these lessons had their breeding,
and not by hearesaie, or reeding,
as some abrode haue blowne:
Who will not thus beleeue me,
so much the more they greeue me,
because they grudge to geeue me,
that is of right mine owne.
11
At first for want of teaching,
at first for trifles breaching,
at first for ouer reaching,[5]
and lacke of taking hid,[6]
was cause that toile so tost me,
that practise so much cost me,
that rashnes so much lost me,
or hindred as it did.
12
Yet will I not despaier
thorough Gods good gift so faier
through friendship, gold, and praier,
in countrie againe to dwell:
Where rent so shall not paine me,
but paines shall helpe to gaine me,
and gaines shall helpe maintaine me,
New lessons mo to tell.
13
For citie seemes a wringer,
the penie for to finger,
from such as there doe linger,
or for their pleasure lie:
Though countrie be more painfull,
and not so greedie gainfull,
yet is it not so vainfull,
in following fansies eie.
14
I haue no labour wanted
to prune this tree thus planted,
whose fruite to none is scanted,
in house or yet in feeld:
Which fruite, the more ye taste of,
the more to eate, ye haste of,
the lesse this fruite ye waste of,[7]
such fruite this tree doth yeeld.
15
My[8] tree or booke thus framed,
with title alreadie named,
I trust goes forth vnblamed,
in your good Lordships name:
As my good Lord I take you,
and neuer will forsake you,
so now I craue to make you
defender of the same.
_Your seruant Thomas Tusser_.
[1] In the edition of 1575 the word Thomas, and the words following
Beaudesert, do not occur, and the whole Epistle precedes that to Lord
William Paget.
[2] mort. 1620.
[3] lease. 1585 and 1620.
[4] quoted. 1585 and 1620.
[5] reacing. 1599.
[6] hede. 1577.
[7]
Which fruite to say (who hast of)
though nere so much they taste of
yet can they make no waste of. 1577.
[8] this. 1573. 1577.
3.
¶ _To the Reader.
Chap._ 3.
1
I have been praid
to shew mine aid,
in taking paine,
not for the gaine,
but for good will,
to shew such skill
as shew I could:
That husbandrie
with huswiferie
as cock and hen,
to countrie men,
all strangenes gone,
might ioine in one,
as louers should.
2
I trust both this
performed is,
and how that here
it shall appere,
with iudgement right,
to thy delight,
is brought to passe:
That such as wiue,
and faine would thriue,
be plainly taught
how good from naught
may trim be tride,
and liuely spide,
as in a glasse.
3
What should I win,
by writing in
my losses past,
that ran as fast
as running streame,
from reame to reame
that flowes so swift?
For that I could
not get for gould,
to teach me how,
as this doth yow,
through daily gaine,
the waie so plaine
to come by thrift.
4
What is a grote
or twaine to note,
once in the life
for man or wife,
to saue a pound,
in house or ground,
ech other weeke?[E16]
What more for health,
what more for wealth,
what needeth lesse,
run Iack, helpe Besse,
to staie amis,
not hauing this,
far off to seeke?
5
I do not craue
mo thankes to haue,
than giuen to me
alreadie be,
but this is all
to such as shall
peruse this booke:
That for my sake,
they gently take,
where ere they finde
against their minde,
when he or she
shall minded be
therein to looke.
6
And grant me now,
thou reader thow,
of termes to vse,
such choise to chuse,
as may delight
the countrie wight,
and knowledge bring:
For such doe praise
the countrie phraise,
the countrie acts,
the countrie facts,
the countrie toies,
before the ioies
of anie thing.
7
Nor looke thou here
that euerie shere[E17]
of euerie verse
I thus reherse
may profit take
or vantage make
by lessons such:
For here we see
things seuerall bee,
and there no dike,
but champion like,
and sandie soile,
and claiey toile,
doe suffer[1] much.
8
This[2] being waid,
be not afraid
to buie to proue,
to reade with loue,
to followe some,
and so to come
by practise true:
My paine is past,
thou warning hast,
th' experience mine,
the vantage thine,
may giue thee choice
to crie or reioice:
and thus adue.
_Finis T. Tusser._
[1] differ. 1573; suffer. 1577.
[2] Thus. 1577.
4.
¶ _An Introduction to the Booke of Husbandrie.[1]
Chap._ 4.
1
Good husbandmen must moile & toile,
to laie to liue by laboured feeld:
Their wiues at home must keepe such coile,[E18]
as their like actes may profit yeeld.
For well they knowe,
as shaft from bowe,
or chalke from snowe,
A good round rent their Lords they giue,
and must keepe touch in all their paie:
With credit crackt else for to liue,
or trust to legs and run awaie.
[Sidenote: _Ceres_, Goddesse of husbandry.]
2
Though fence well kept is one good point,
and tilth well done, in season due;
Yet needing salue in time to annoint,
is all in all and needfull true:
As for the rest,
thus thinke I best,
as friend doth gest,
With hand in hand to leade thee foorth
to _Ceres_ campe, there to behold
A thousand things as richlie woorth,
as any pearle is woorthie gold.
[1] This Introduction is not in the editions of 1573 or 1577.
5.
¶ _A Preface to the buier of this booke.
Chap._ 5.
1
What lookest thou herein to haue?
Fine verses thy fansie to please?
Of many my betters that craue,
Looke nothing but rudenes in thease.[E19]
2
What other thing lookest thou then?
Graue sentences many to finde?
Such, Poets haue twentie and ten,
Yea thousands contenting the minde.
3
What looke ye, I praie you shew what?
Termes painted with Rhetorike fine?