Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
Good husbandrie seeketh not that,
Nor ist any meaning of mine.
4
What lookest thou, speake at the last?
Good lessons for thee and thy wife?
Then keepe them in memorie fast,
To helpe as a comfort to life.
5
What looke ye for more in my booke?
Points needfull and meete to be knowne?
Then dailie be suer to looke,
To saue to be suer thine owne.
* * * Mason remarks that this metre was peculiar to Shenstone.[E20]
6.
_The commodities of Husbandrie.
Chap._ 6.
1
_Let house haue to fill her,
Let land haue to till her._
No dwellers, what profiteth house for to stand?
What goodnes, vnoccupied, bringeth the land?
2
_No labor no bread,
No host we be dead._
No husbandry vsed, how soone shall we sterue?
House keeping neglected, what comfort to serue?
3
_Ill father no gift,
No knowledge no thrift._
The father an vnthrift, what hope to the sonne?
The ruler vnskilfull, how quickly vndonne?
7.
_Chap._ 7.
_As true as thy faith
This riddle thus saith._
[Sidenote: The praise of husbandrie.]
I seeme but a drudge, yet I passe any King
To such as can vse me, great wealth I do bring.
Since Adam first liued, I neuer did die,
When Noe was shipman, there also was I.
The earth to susteine me, the sea for my fish:[E21]
Be readie to pleasure me, as I would wish.[1]
What hath any life, but I helpe to preserue,
What wight without me, but is ready to sterue.
In woodland, in Champion, Citie, or towne
If long I be absent, what falleth not downe?
If long I be present, what goodnes can want?
Though things at my comming were neuer so scant.
So many as looue me, and vse me aright,
With treasure and pleasure, I richly acquite.
Great kings I doe succour, else wrong it would go,
The King of al kings hath appointed it so.
[1]
The earth is my storehouse, the sea my fishpond,
What good is in either, by me it is found. 1577.
8.
¶ _The description of Husbandrie.
Chap._ 8.
1
Of husband, doth husbandrie challenge that name,
of husbandrie, husband doth likewise the same
Where huswife and huswiferie, ioineth with thease,
there wealth in abundance is gotten with ease.
2
The name of a husband, what is it to saie?
of wife and the houshold the band and the staie:
Some husbandlie thriueth that neuer had wife,
yet scarce a good husband in goodnes of life.
3
The husband is he that to labour doth fall,
the labour of him I doe husbandrie call:
If thrift by that labour be any way caught,
then is it good husbandrie, else it is naught.
4
So houshold and housholdrie I doe define,
for folke and the goodes that in house be of thine
House keeping to them, as a refuge is set,
which like as it is, so report it doth get.
5
Be house or the furniture neuer so rude,
of husband and husbandrie, (thus I conclude:)
That huswife and huswiferie, if it be good,
must pleasure togither as cosins in blood.
9.
¶ _The Ladder to thrift.
Chap._ 9.
1
To take thy calling thankfully,[E22]
and shun[1] the path to beggery.
2
To grudge in youth no drudgery,
to come by knowledge perfectly.
3
To count no trauell slauerie,
that brings in penie sauerlie.
4
To folow profit earnestlie
but meddle not with pilferie.
5
To get by honest practisie,
and kéepe thy gettings couertlie.
6
To lash not out too lashinglie,
for feare of pinching penurie.
7
To get good plot to occupie,
and store and vse it husbandlie.
8
To shew to landlord curtesie,
and kéepe thy couenants orderlie.
9
To hold that thine is lawfullie,
for stoutnes or for flatterie.
10
To wed good wife for companie,
and liue in wedlock honestlie.
11
To furnish house with housholdry,
and make prouision skilfully.
12
To ioine to wife good familie,[E23]
and none to kéepe for brauerie.
13
To suffer none liue idlelie,
for feare of idle knauerie.
14
To courage wife in huswiferie,
and vse well dooers gentilie.
15
To keepe no more but néedfullie,
and count excesse vnsauerie.
16
To raise betimes the lubberlie,
both snorting Hob and Margerie.[2]
17
To walke thy pastures vsuallie,
to spie ill neighbours subtiltie.
18
To hate reuengement hastilie,
for loosing loue and amitie.
19
To loue thy neighbor neighborly,
and shew him no discurtesy.
20
To answere stranger ciuilie,
but shew him not thy secresie.
21
To vse no friend deceitfully,
to offer no man villeny.
22
To learne how foe to pacifie,
but trust him not too trustilie.
23
To kéepe thy touch substanciallie,
and in thy word vse constancie.
24
To make thy bandes aduisedly,
& com not bound through suerty.
25
To meddle not with vsurie,
nor lend thy monie foolishlie.
26
To hate to liue in infamie,
through craft, and liuing shiftingly.[3]
27
To shun all kinde of treachery,
for treason endeth horribly.
28
To learne to eschew ill cōpany,
and such as liue dishonestly.
29
To banish house of blasphemie,
least crosses crosse vnluckelie.[E24]
30
To stop mischance, through policy,
for chancing too vnhappily.
31
To beare thy crosses patiently,
for worldly things are slippery.
32
To laie to kéepe from miserie,
age comming on so créepinglie.
33
To praie to God continuallie,
for aide against thine enimie.
34
To spend thy Sabboth holilie,
and helpe the needie pouertie.[4]
35
To liue in conscience quietly,
and kéepe thy selfe from malady.
36
To ease thy sicknes spéedilie,
er helpe be past recouerie.
37
To séeke to God for remedie,
for witches prooue vnluckilie.
[38]
These be the steps vnfainedlie:
to climbe to thrift by husbandrie.
[39]
_These steps both reach, and teach thee shall:
To come by thrift, to shift withall._
* * * Stanzas 25, 27, 28, 32, 37 are not in the edition of 1577. After
31 the edition of 1577 has:--
29
To train thy child vp vertuously
that vertue vice may qualifie.
30
To bridle wild otes fantasie,[E25]
to spend thee naught vnthriftely.
[1] shonne. 1577.
[2] To rise betimes up readely. 1577.
[3] naughtily. 1573, 1557.
[4] poore in misery. 1577.
10.
¶ _Good husbandlie lessons worthie to be followed of such as will
thriue.
Chap._ 10.
1
God sendeth and giueth both mouth and the meat,
and blesseth vs al with his benefits great:
Then serue we that God that so richly doth giue,
shew loue to our neighbors, and lay for to liue.
2[1]
As bud by appearing betokneth the spring,
and leafe by her falling the contrarie thing:
So youth bids vs labour, to get as we can,
for age is a burden to laboring man.
3
A competent liuing, and honestly had,
makes such as are godlie both thankfull and glad:
Life neuer contented, with honest estate,
lamented is oft, and repented too late.
4
Count neuer wel gotten that naughtly is got,
nor well to account of which honest is not:[E26]
Looke long not to prosper, that wayest not this,
least prospering faileth, and all go amisse.
[Sidenote: Laie wisely to marrie.]
5
True wedlock is best, for auoiding of sinne,
the bed vndefiled much honour doth winne:
Though loue be in choosing farre better than gold,
let loue come with somewhat, the better to hold.[E27]
[Sidenote: Concord bringeth foyson.]
6
Where cooples agree not is ranker and strife,
where such be together is seldome good life:
Where cooples in wedlock doe louelie agree,
there foyson remaineth, if wisedome there bee.
[Sidenote: Wife and children craue a dwelling.]
7
Who looketh to marrie must laie to keepe house,
for loue may not alway be plaieing with douse:
If children encrease, and no staie of thine owne,
what afterwards followes is soone to be knowne.
[Sidenote: Thee for thriue.]
[Sidenote: Hostisses grudge: nurses craue.]
8
Once charged with children, or likelie to bee,
giue ouer to sudgerne, that thinkest to thee:[E28]
Least grutching of hostis, and crauing of nurse,
be costlie and noisome to thee and thy purse.
[Sidenote: Live within thy Tedder.]
9
Good husbands that loueth good houses to keepe
are oftentimes careful when other doe sleepe:
To spend as they may, or to stop at the furst,
for running in danger, or feare of the wurst.
[Sidenote: By haruest is ment al thy stock.]
10
Go count with thy cofers,[2] when haruest is in,
which waie for thy profite, to saue or to win:
Of tone of them both, if a sauer wee smel,[E29]
house keeping is godlie where euer we dwel.
[Sidenote: Be thine own purs bearer.]
11
Sonne, think not thy monie purse bottom to burn,
but keepe it for profite, to serue thine owne turn:
A foole and his monie be soone at debate,
which after with sorrow repents him too late.[E30]
12
Good bargaine a dooing, make priuie but few,
in selling, refraine not abrode it to shew:
In making make haste, and awaie to thy pouch,
in selling no haste, if ye dare it auouch.[E31]
[Sidenote: Euill landlord.]
13
Good Landlord who findeth, is blessed of God,
A cumbersome Landlord is husbandmans rod:
He noieth, destroieth, and al to this drift,
to strip his poore tenant of ferme and of thrift.
[Sidenote: Rent corne.]
14[3]
Rent corn[E32] who so paieth, (as worldlings wold haue,
so much for an aker) must liue as a slaue:
Rent corne to be paid, for a reasnable rent,
at reasnable prises is not to lament.
[Sidenote: Foure beggers.]
15
Once placed for profit, looke neuer for ease,
except ye beware of such michers[E33] as thease:
Unthriftines, Slouthfulnes, Careles and Rash,
that thrusteth thee headlong to run in the lash.
[Sidenote: Thrifts officers.]
16
Make monie thy drudge, for to follow thy warke,
Make wisedome controler, good order thy clarke:
Prouision Cater, and skil to be cooke,
make steward of all, pen, inke, and thy booke.
[Sidenote: Thrifts phisicke.]
17
Make hunger thy sauce,[E34] as a medcine for helth,
make thirst to be butler, as physick for welth:
Make eie to be vsher, good vsage to haue,
make bolt to be porter, to keepe out a knaue.
[Sidenote: Thrifts bailie.]
18
Make husbandrie bailie, abrode to prouide,
make huswiferie dailie at home for to guide:
Make cofer fast locked, thy treasure to keepe,
make house to be sure, the safer to sleepe.
[Sidenote: Husbandly armors.]
19
Make bandog[E35] thy scoutwatch, to barke at a theefe,
make courage for life to be capitaine cheefe:
Make trapdore thy bulwarke, make bell to be gin,[4]
make gunstone and arrow shew who is within.
[Sidenote: Théeves to thrift.]
20
The credite of maister, to brothell his man,
and also of mistresse, to minnekin Nan,
Be causers of opening a number of gaps,
That letteth in mischiefe and many mishaps.[E36]
[Sidenote: Friends to thrift.]
21
Good husband he trudgeth, to bring in the gaines,
good huswife she drudgeth, refusing no paines:
Though husband at home be to count[5] ye wote what,[E37]
yet huswife within is as needfull as that.
[Sidenote: Enimie to thrift.]
22
What helpeth in store to haue neuer so much,
halfe lost by ill vsage, ill huswiues, and such:
So, twentie lode bushes, cut downe at a clap,
such heede may be taken, shall stop but a gap.[E38]
[Sidenote: Sixe noiances to thrift.]
23
A retcheles[6] seruant, a mistres that scowles,
a rauening mastife, and hogs that eate fowles:
A giddie braine maister, and stroyal his knaue,
brings ruling to ruine, and thrift to hir graue.
[Sidenote: Inough is a praise.]
24
With some vpon Sundaies, their tables doe reeke,
and halfe the weeke after, their dinners to seeke:[E39]
Not often exceeding, but alwaie inough,
is husbandlie fare, and the guise of the plough.
25
Ech daie to be feasted, what husbandrie wurse,
ech daie for to feast, is as ill for the purse:
Yet measurely feasting with neighbors among,