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1

26. HOWE RYE SHULDE BE SHORNE.

2
3    In the later ende of July, or in the begynnynge of
4Auguste, is tyme to shere Rye, the whiche wolde be
5shorne cleane, and faste bounden. And in somme
6places they mowe it, the whiche is not soo good to the
7housbandes profytte, but it is the sooner done. For
8whan it is mowen, it wyll not be so fast bounden: and
9he can not gather it soo cleane, but there wyll be moche
10losse, and taketh more rowme in the barne than shorne
11corne dothe. And also it wyll not kepe nor saue it selfe
12from rayne or yll wether, whan it standeth in the couer,
13as the shorne corne wyll do.
14
15

27. HOWE TO SHERE WHEATE.

16
17    Wheate wolde be shorne cleane, and harde bounden
18in lyke maner; but for a generall rule, take good hede,
19that the sherers of all maner of whyte corne cast not
20vppe theyr handes hastely, for thanne all the lose corne,
21and the strawes, that he holdeth not fast in his hande,
22flieth ouer his heed, and are loste: and also it wyll pull
23of the eares, and specyallye of the cornes that be verye
24rype. In somme places they wyll shere theyr cornes
25hyghe, to the entente to mowe theyr stubble, eyther to
26thacke or to bren: if they so do, they haue greate cause
27to take good hede of the sherers. For if the eares of
28corne croke downe to the erthe, and the sherer take
29not good hede, and put up the eare er he cut the
30strawe: as many eares as be vnder his hoke or sicle
31fall to the erthe, and be loste; and whan they mowe
32the stubble, it is great hyndraunce to the profytte of
33the grounde. And in Sommersetshire, about Zelcestre
34and Martok, they doo shere theyr wheate very lowe,
35and all the wheate-strawe that they pourpose to make
36thacke of, they do not thresshe it, but cutte of the

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37eares, and bynde it in sheues, and call it rede: and
38therwith they thacke theyr houses. And if it be a
39newe house, they thacke it vnder theyr fote: the
40whiche is the beste and the surest thacking that can
41be of strawe, for crowes and douues shall neuer hurte it.
42
43

28. TO MOWE OR SHERE BARLEY AND OTES.

44
45    Barley and otes be moste commonly mowen, and a
46man or woman folowythe the mower with a hande-rake
47halfe a yarde longe, with .vii. or .viii. tethe, in the
48lyfte hande, and a syckle in the ryghte hande, and
49with the rake he gethereth as moche as wyll make a
50shefe. And thanne he taketh the barley or otes by the
51toppes, and pulleth out as moche as wil make a band,
52and casteth the band from him on the land, and with his
53rake and his syckle taketh vp the barley or otes, &
54layeth them vppon the bande, and so the barley lyeth
55vnbounden .iii. or .iiii. dayes, if it be fayre wether,
56and than to bynde it. And whan the barley is ledde
57away, the landes muste be raked, or els there wyll be
58moche corne loste, and if the barley or otes lye, they
59muste nedes be shorne.
60
61

29. TO REPE OR MOWE PEES AND BEANES.

62
63    Pees and benes be moste commonly laste reped or
64mowen, of diuers maners, some with sickles, some
65with hokes, and some with staffe-hokes. And in some
66places they lay them on repes, and whan they be dry,
67they laye them to-gether on heapes, lyke hey-cockes,
68and neuer bynde them. But the beste way is, whan
69the repes be dry, to bynde them, and to set theym on
70the rydge of the landes three sheues to-gether; and
71loke that your sherers, repers, or mowers geld not
72your beanes, that is to saye, to cutte the beanes so hye,

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73that the nethermoste codde growe styll on the stalke;
74and whan they be bounden, they are the more redyer
75to lode and vnlode, to make a reke, and to take fro
76the mowe to thresshe. And soo be not the repes.
77
78

30. HOWE ALL MANER OF CORNES SHULDE BE TYTHED.

79
80    Nowe that all these cornes before specyfyed be
81shorne, mowed, reped, bounden vp, and layde vppon
82the rydge of the lande, lette the housbande take
83hede of goddes commaundemente, and let hym goo
84to the ende of his lande, and begynne and tell .ix.
85sheues, and let hym caste out the .x. shefe in the
86name of god, and so to pervse from lande to lande,
87tyll he haue trewely tythed all his corne. And beware,
88and take hede of the sayinge of our lorde by his
89prophete Malachias, the whiche saythe, Quia michi non
90dedisti decimas et primitias, id circo in fame et penuria
91maledicti estis . That is to saye, Bycause ye haue not
92gyuen to me your tythes, and your fyrste-fruytes, therefore
93ye be cursed, and punysshed with honger and
94penury. And accordynge to that saynte Austyn saythe:
95Da decimas, alioqui incides in decimam partem angelorum
96qui de celo corruerunt in infernum . That is to say, Gyue
97thy tythes truely, or els thou shalt fall amonge the tenthe
98parte of aungelles that felle from heuen in-to hell, the
99whiche is an harde worde to euery man, that oughte to
100gyue tythes, and doth not gyue them truely. But saynte
101Austyne saythe a comfortable worde again, to them that
102gyue theyr tythes truely, that is to saye: Decimae sunt
103tributa egentium animarum : Tythes are tributes or
104rewardes to nedye soules. And ferther he saythe: Si
105decimam dederis, non solum abundantiam fructum recipies,
106sed etiam sanitatem corporis et animae consequeris , That
107is to saye, If thou haue gyuen thy tythes truely, thou
108shalte not onely receyue the profite, and the abundaunce

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109of goodes, but also helthe of bodye and soule shall
110folowe. Wolde to god, that euerye man knewe the
111harde worde of our lorde by his prophete Malachias,
112and also the comfortable wordes of the holy saynte
113Austyn. For than wolde I truste verely, that tythes
114shulde be truely gyuen.
115
116

31. HOWE ALL MANER OF CORNE SHULDE BE COUERED.

117
118    Nowe these cornes be shorne and bounden, and the
119tithes cast out, it is tyme to couer theym, shoke theym,
120or halfe-throne them, but couerynge is the beste waye
121of all maner of whyte corne. And that is, to set foure
122sheues on one syde, and .iiii. sheues on the other syde,
123and two sheues aboue, of the greatteste, bounden harde
124nyghe to the nether ende, the whiche must be set vpwarde,
125and the top downewarde spredde abrode to couer all the
126other sheues. And they wyll stand beste in wynde, and
127saue theym-selfe beste in rayne, and they wolde be set
128on the rydge of the lande, and the sayde sheues to leane
129to-gether in the toppes, and wyde at the grounde, that
130the winde may go through, to drye them. Pees and
131beanes wolde be set on the rydge of the lande, thre
132sheues together, the toppes vpwarde, and wrythen together,
133and wyde benethe, that they maye the better
134wyddre.
135
136

32. TO LODE CORNE, AND MOWE IT.

137
138    Whanne all these cornes be drye and wyddred ynoughe,
139than lode theym in-to the barne, and laye euerye corne
140by it-selfe. And if be a wete haruest, make many mowes:
141and if thou haue not housynge ynoughe, thanne it is
142better to laye thy pees and benes without vppon a reke,
143than other corne, and it is better vppon a scaffolde than
144vppon the grounde: for than it muste be well hedged

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145for swyne and catel, and the grounde wyll rotte the
146bottom, and the scaffolde saueth both hedgynge and
147rottynge: but they must be well couered bothe. And the
148husband may set shepe or catel vnder the same scaffold
149and wyll serue hym in stede of an house, if it be well
150and surely made, &c.
151
152

33. THE SECOND STURRYNGE.

153
154    In August, and in the begynnyng of September, is
155tyme to make his seconde sturrynge, and most commonly
156it is cast downe and plowed a meane forowe, not to depe
157nor to ebbe, so he turne it clene. And if it be caste, it
158wolde be water-forowed bytwene the landes, there-as
159the reane shulde be, and it wyll be the dryer, whan the
160lande shall be sowen. And if the landes lie high in
161the ridge, & highe at the reane, & lowe in the
162myddes of the side, that the water may not ronne easely
163in-to the reane, as I se dayly in many places: than let
164the husband set his plough .iii. or .iiii. fote from the
165rydge, and cast all the rydge on bothe sydes, and whan
166the rydge is cast, set his plough there-as he began, and
167rydge vp the remenant of the lande, and so is the land
168bothe cast and rydged, and all at one plowynge. And this
169shall cause the lande to lye rounde, whan it is sowen
170at the nexte tyme, and than shall it not drowne the corne.
171
172

34. TO SOWE WHEAT AND RYE.

173
174    Aboute Myghelmasse it is tyme to sowe bothe wheate
175and rye. Wheate is mooste commonlye sowen vnder the
176forowe, that is to saye, caste it vppon the falowe, and
177than plowe it vnder. And in some places they sowe theyr
178wheate vppon theyr pees-stubble, the whiche is neuer
179soo good, as that that is sowen vppon the falowe: and
180that is vsed, where they make falowe in a fyelde euery

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181fourthe yere. And in Essex they vse to haue a chylde,
182to go in the forowe before the horses or oxen, with a
183bagge or a hopper fall of corne: and he taketh his hande
184full of corne, and by lyttel and lytel casteth it in the
185sayde forowe. Me semeth, that chylde oughte to haue
186moche dyscretion.
187    Howe-be-it there is moche good corne, and rye is
188mooste commonlye sowen aboue and harrowed, and two
189London busshelles of wheate and rye wyll sowe an acre.
190Some grounde is good for wheate, some for rye, and
191some is good for bothe: and vppon that ground sowe
192blend-corne, that is both wheate and rye, the whyche is
193the surest corne of growyng, and good for the husbandes
194houshold. And the wheate, that shall be medled with
195rye, muste be suche as wyll soone be rype, and that is
196flaxen wheate, polerd wheate, or whyte wheate. And ye
197shall vnderstande, that there be dyuers maners of wheates.
198Flaxen wheate hath a yelowe eare, and bare without anis,
199and is the bryghtest wheate in the busshell, and wyll
200make the whytest breed, and it wyll weare the grounde
201sore, and is small strawe, and wyll growe very thycke,
202and is but small corne. Polerde wheate hath noo anis,
203thycke sette in the eare, and wyll soone fall out, and is
204greatter corne, and wyll make whyte breed. Whyte
205wheate is lyke polerde wheate in the busshell, but it
206hath anis, and the eare is foure-square, and wyll make
207white breed: and in Essex they call flaxen wheate
208whyte wheate. Red wheate hath a flat eare, an inche
209brode, full of anis, and is the greatteste corne, and
210the brodeste blades, and the greatteste strawe, and
211wyl make whyte breed, and is the rudeste of colour
212in the busshell.
213    Englysshe wheate hath a dunne eare, fewe anis or none,
214and is the worste wheate, saue peeke-wheate. Peekewheete
215hath a red eare, ful of anis, thyn set, and ofte
216tymes it is flyntered, that is to saye, small corne wrynkeled

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217and dryed, and wyll not make whyte breade, but it wyl
218growe vpon colde grounde.
219
220

35. TO THRESSHE AND WYNOWE CORNE.

221
222    This wheate and rye, that thou shalte sowe, ought to
223be very cleane of wede, and therfore, er thou thresshe
224thy corne, open thy sheues, and pyke oute all maner of
225wedes, and than thresshe it, and wynowe it cleane,
226and so shalt thou haue good clene corne an other
227yere. And in some countreys, aboute London specyallye,
228and in Essex and Kente, they do fan theyr corne, the
229whiche is a verye good gise, and a great saueguarde for
230shedynge of the corne. And whan thou shalte sell it,
231if it be well wynowed or fande, it wyll be solde the
232derer, and the lyghte corne wyll serue the husbande in
233his house.
234
235

36. TO SEUER PEES, BEANES, AND FYTCHES.

236
237    Whan thou haste thresshed thy pees, and beanes,
238after they be wynowed, and er thou shalte sowe or selle
239them, let theym be well reed with syues, and seuered in
240thre partes, the great from the small, and thou shalte gette
241in euerye quarter a London busshell, or there about. For
242the small corne lyeth in the holowe and voyde places of
243the greate beanes, and yet shall the greate beanes be solde
244as dere, as if they were all together, or derer, as a man
245may proue by a famylier ensample. Let a man bye
246 .C. hearynges, two hearynges for a penye, and an other
247 .C. hearynges, thre for a peny, and let hym sell these
248 .CC. hearinges agayne .v. heringes for .ii.d.; nowe hath
249he loste .iiii. d. For C. hearinges, .ii. for i.d., cost v.s.,
250and C. hearynges, .iii. for a peny, coste .iii s. and .iiii d.,
251the whiche is .viii. s and .iiii. d.; and whan he selleth
252 .v. herynges for .ii. d., xx. heringes cometh but

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253to .viii. d. and there is but .xii. score heringes, and that
254is but .xii. grotes, and xii. grotes, and that cometh but to
255 .viii. s. and so he hath lost .iiii. d. and it is bicause there be
256not so many bargeins, for in the bienge of these .CC.
257heringes there be .v. score bargeins, and in the sellinge
258of the same there be but .xlviii. bargeyns, and so is
259there lost .x. hearinges, the whiche wolde haue ben .ii.
260bargeyns moo, and than it had ben euen and mete. And
261therfore he that byeth grosse sale, and retayleth, muste
262nedes be a wynner. And so shalt thou be a loser, if
263thou sell thy pees, beanes, and fytches together: for than
264thou sellest grosse sale. And if thou seuer them in thre
265partes, than thou doest retayle, wherby thou shalte wynne.
266
267

37. OF SHEPE, AND WHAT TYME OF THE YERE THE RAMMES
268SHULDE BE PUT TO THE EWES.

269
270    An housbande can not well thryue by his corne,
271without he haue other cattell, nor by his cattell, without
272corne. For els he shall be a byer, a borower, or
273a begger. And bycause that shepe in myne opynyon is
274the mooste profytablest cattell that any man can haue,
275therfore I pourpose to speake fyrst of shepe. Than
276fyrst is to be knowen, what tyme thou shalt put thy
277rammes to thy ewes; and therin I make a distinction, for
278euery man maye not put to theyr rammes all at one
279tyme; for if they doo, there wyll be greate hurte and
280losse; for that man, that hath the best shepe-pasture for
281wynter, and soone spryngynge in the begynnynge of the
282yere, he maye suffre his rammes to goo with his ewes
283all tymes of the yere, to blyssomme or ryde whan they
284wyll: but for the comon pasture, it is tyme to put to his
285rammes at the Exaltation of the holye crosse: for than
286the bucke goth to the rut, and so wolde the ramme.
287But for the common husbande, that hath noo pasture but
288the common fieldes, it is tyme ynoughe at the feste of

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289saynt Mychaell the archangel. And for the poore
290housbande of the Peeke, or suche other, that dwell in
291hylly and hyghe groundes, that haue no pastures, nor
292common fieldes, but all-onely the comon hethe, Symon
293and Jude daye is good tyme for theym, and this is the
294reason why. An ewe goth with lambe .xx. wekes, and
295shall yeane her lambe in the .xxi. weke; & if she haue
296not conueniente newe grasse to eate, she maye not gyue
297her lambe mylke: and for wante of mylke, there be
298manye lambes perysshed and loste: and also for pouertye,
299the dammes wyll lacke mylke, and forsake theyr lambes,
300and soo often tymes they dye bothe in suche harde
301countreys.
302
303

38. TO MAKE AN EWE TO LOUE HER LAMBE.

304
305    If thy ewe haue mylke, and wyll not loue her lambe,
306put her in a narowe place made of bordes, or of smothe
307trouse, a yarde wyde, and put the lambe to her, and
308socle it, and yf the ewe smyte the lambe with her
309heed, bynd her heed with a heye-rope, or a corde, to
310the syde of the penne: and if she wyl not stande
311syde longe all the lambe, than gyue her a lyttell hey,
312and tye a dogge by her, that she maye se hym: and
313this wyll make her to loue her lambe shortely. And
314if thou haue a lambe deed, wherof the damme hath
315moche mylke, fley that lambe, and tye that skynne vpon
316an other lambes backe, that hath a sory damme, with
317lyttell mylke, and put the good ewe and that lambe together
318in the penne, and in one houre she wyll loue
319that lambe; & than mayst thou take thy sory weyke
320ewe awaye, and put her in an other place: and by this
321meanes thou mayste fortune to saue her lyfe, and the
322lambes bothe.

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323

39. WHAT TYME LAMBES SHULDE BE WAYNED.

324
325    In some places they neuer seuer their lambes from
326theyr dammes, and that is for two causes: One is, in
327the beste pasture where the rammes goo alwaye with
328theyr ewes, there it nedeth not, for the dammes wil
329waxe drye, and wayne theyr lambes theym-selfe. An
330other cause is, he that hath noo seuerall and sounde
331pasture, to put his lambes vnto whan they shoulde be
332wayned, he muste eyther sell them, or let them sucke
333as longe as the dammes wyll suffre theym; and it is
334a common sayinge, that the lambe shall not rotte, as
335longe as it souketh, excepte the damme wante meate.
336But he that hath seueral and sounde pasture, it is tyme
337to wayne theyr lambes, whanne they be .xvi. wekes
338old, or .xviii. at the farthest, and the better shall the
339ewe take the ramme agayne. And the poore man of
340the peeke countreye, and suche other places, where as
341they vse to mylke theyr ewes, they vse to wayne theyr
342lambes at xii. wekes olde, and to mylke theyr ewes
343fiue or syxe wekes, &c. But those lambes be neuer
344soo good as the other that sucke longe, and haue
345meate ynoughe.

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346

146. WHAT WARKES A WYFE SHULDE DO IN GENERALL.

347
348    First in a mornyng whan thou arte waked, and purposeste to
349ryse, lyfte vp thy hande, and blesse the, and
350make a sygne of the holy crosse, In nomine patris, et filii,
351et spiritus sancti. Amen. In the name of the father, the
352sonne, and the holy gooste. And if thou saye a Pater
353noster, an Aue, and a Crede, and remember thy maker,
354thou shalte spede moche the better. And whan thou arte
355vp and redy, than first swepe thy house, dresse vp thy
356dyssheborde, and sette all thynges in good order within
357thy house: milke thy kye, socle thy calues, sye vp thy
358mylke, take vppe thy chyldren and araye theym, and
359prouyde for thy husbandes brekefaste, dynner, souper,
360and for thy chyldren and seruauntes, and take thy parte
361with theym. And to ordeyne corne and malte to the
362myll, to bake and brue withall whanne nede is. And
363meete it to the myll, and fro the myll, and se that thou
364haue thy measure agayne besyde the tolle, or elles the
365myller dealeth not truely with the, or els thy corne is not
366drye as it shoulde be. Thou must make butter, and chese
367whan thou maist, serue thy swyne bothe mornyng and
368euenynge, and gyue thy poleyn meate in the mornynge;

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369and whan tyme of the yere cometh, thou must take hede
370howe thy hennes, duckes, and geese do ley, and to gather
371vp theyr egges, and whan they waxe brodye, to sette
372them there as noo beastes, swyne, nor other vermyn
373hurte them. And thou muste knowe, that all hole-footed
374fowles wyll sytte a moneth, and all clouen-footed fowles
375wyll sytte but three wekes, excepte a peyhenne, and greatte
376fowles, as cranes, bustardes, and suche other. And whan
377they haue broughte forthe theyr byrdes, to see that they
378be well kepte from the gleyd, crowes, fullymartes, and
379other vermynne. And in the begynnynge of Marche, or
380a lyttell afore, is tyme for a wyfe to make her garden, and
381to gette as many good sedes and herbes as she canne,
382and specially suche as be good for the potte, and to eate:
383and as ofte as nede shall requyre, it muste be weded, for
384els the wedes wyl ouergrowe the herbes. And also in
385Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe and hempe, for I haue
386harde olde houswyues saye, that better is Marche hurdes
387than Apryll flaxe, the reason appereth: but howe it
388shulde be sowen, weded, pulled, repeyled, watred,
389wasshen, dryed, beaten, braked, tawed, hecheled, spon,
390wounden, wrapped, and wouen, it nedeth not for me to
391shewe, for they be wise ynough; and therof may they
392make shetes, bordclothes, towels, shertes, smockes, and
393suche other necessaryes, and therfore let thy dystaffe
394be alwaye redye for a pastyme, that thou be not
395ydle. And vndouted a woman can-not gette her lyuynge
396honestely with spynnynge on the distaffe, but it stoppeth
397a gap, and muste nedes be had. The bolles of flaxe,
398whan they be ripeled of, must be rideled from the wedes,
399and made drye with the son, to get out the sedes. Howe
400be it one maner of linsede, called loken sede, wyll not
401open by the son: and therfore, whan they be drye, they
402muste be sore brused and broken, the wiues knowe howe,
403and than winowed and kepte drye, tyll yere-tyme come

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404agayn. Thy female hempe must be pulled from the
405churle hempe, for that beareth no sede, and thou must
406do by it, as thou dydest by the flax. The churle hempe
407beareth sede, and beware that byrdes eate it not, as it
408groweth: the hemp therof is not soo good as the female
409hempe, but yet it wyll do good seruyce. May fortune
410somtime, that thou shalt haue so many thinges to do, that
411thou shalt not well knowe where is best to begyn. Than
412take hede, which thing shulde be the greattest losse, if
413it were not done, and in what space it wold be done:
414than thinke what is the greatest losse, & there begyn.
415But in case that thynge, that is of greateste losse, wyll
416be longe in doynge, and thou myghteste do thre or foure
417other thynges in the meane whyle, thanne loke well, if
418all these thynges were sette together, whiche of them
419were the greattest losse; and if all these thynges be of
420greater losse, and may be all done in as shorte space, as
421the other, than doo thy many thynges fyrste.
422    It is conuenyente for a housbande to haue shepe of
423his owne, for many causes, and than maye his wife haue
424part of the woll, to make her husbande and her-selfe
425some clothes. And at the leaste waye, she may haue the
426lockes of the shepe, eyther to make clothes or blankettes
427& couerlettes, or bothe. And if she haue no woll of her
428owne, she maye take wol to spynne of clothe-makers, and
429by that meanes she maye haue a conuenyent lyuynge, and
430many tymes to do other warkes. It is wyues occupation,
431to wynowe all maner of cornes, to make malte, to wasshe
432and wrynge, to make heye, shere corne, and in tyme of
433nede to helpe her husbande to fyll the mucke-wayne or
434dounge-carte, dryue the ploughe, to loode hey, corne, and
435suche other. And to go or ride to the market, to sel butter,
436chese, mylke, egges, chekyns, capons, hennes, pygges,
437gese, and all maner of cornes. And also to bye all maner
438of necessarye thynges belongynge to houssholde, and to

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439make a trewe rekenynge and a-compte to her housbande,
440what she hath payed. And yf the housbande go to the
441market, to bye or sell, as they ofte do, he than to shewe
442his wife in lyke maner. For if one of them shoulde vse
443to deceyue the other, he deceyueth hym-selfe, and he is
444not lyke to thryue. And therfore they muste be trewe
445eyther to other. I coulde peraduenture shewe the housbandes
446dyuerse poyntes that the wyues deceyue them
447in: and in lyke maner, howe husbandes deceyue theyr
448wyues: but if I shulde do so, I shulde shewe mo subtyll
449poyntes of deceypt, than eyther of them knewe of before.
450And therfore me semeth beste to holde my peace, least
451I shoulde do as the knyght of the toure dyd, the whiche
452had many fayre doughters, and of fatherly loue that he
453oughte to them, he made a boke, to a good entente, that
454they myghte eschewe and flee from vyces, and folowe
455vermes. In the whiche boke he shewed, that if they
456were wowed, moued, or styred by any man, after suche
457a maner as he there shewed, that they shulde withstande
458it. In the whiche boke he shewed so many wayes, howe
459a man shoulde atteyne to his purpose, to brynge a woman
460to vice, the whiche wayes were so naturall, and the wayes
461to come to theyr purpose were soo subtylly contryued,
462and craftely shewed, that harde it wold be for any woman
463to resyste or deny theyr desyre. And by the sayd boke
464hath made bothe the men and the women to knowe more
465vyces, subtyltye, and crafte, than euer they shulde haue
466knowen, if the boke had not ben made: in the whiche
467boke he named hym-selfe the knight of the towre. And
468thus I leue the wyues, to vse theyr occupations at theyr
469owne discreation.
470
471

147. TO KEPE MEASURE IN SPENDYNGE.

472
473    Nowe thou husbande and huswyfe, that haue done

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474your diligence and cure, accordynge to the fyrste artycle
475of the philosopher, that is to saye: Adhibe curam . And
476also haue well remembred the sayeng of wyse Salomon:
477Quod ociosus non gaudebit cum electis in caelo: sed lugebit in
478aeternum cum reprobis in inferno : Thanne ye must remembre,
479obserue, and kepe in mind, the seconde article of
480the sayinge of the philosopher, that is to saye, Tene
481mensuram : That is to saye in englysshe, holde and kepe
482measure. And accordynge to that sayenge, I lerned two
483verses at grammer-schole, and they be these, Qui plus expendit,
484quam rerum copia rendit: Non admiretur, si paupertate
485grauetur : he that dothe more expende, thanne his
486goodes wyll extende, meruayle it shall not be, thoughe
487he be greued with pouertee. And also accordynge to
488that sayenge speketh sayncte Paul and saythe, Iuxta
489facultates faciendi sunt sumptus, ne longi temporis victum,
490breuis hora consumat : That is to saye, After thy faculty
491or thy honoure, make thyne expences, leste thou spende
492in shorte space that thynge, that thou shouldest lyue
493by longe. This texte toucheth euery manne, from the
494hyest degree to the loweste; wherfore it is necessary to
495euerye manne and womanne to remembre and take good
496hede there-vnto, for to obserue, kepe, and folowe the
497same; but bycause this texte of sayncte Paule is in latyn,
498and husbandes commonely can but lyttell laten, I fere
499leaste they can-not vnderstande it. And thoughe it
500were declared ones or twyse to theym, that they wolde
501forgette it: Wherfore I shall shewe to theym a texte
502in englysshe, and that they maye well vnderstande, and
503that is this, Eate within thy tedure.
504
505

148. TO EATE WITHIN THE TEDURE.

506
507    Thou husbande and huswife, that intend to folowe
508the sayinge of the philosopher, that is to saye, kepe

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509measure, you muste spare at the brynke, and not at the
510bottom, that is to vnderstande, in the begynnynge of
511the yere, sellynge of thy cornes, or spendynge in thy
512house, vnto the tyme that thou haue sowen agayne thy
513wynter-corne, and thy lente-corne, and than se what
514remayneth to serue thy house, and of the ouerplus thou
515mayste sell and bye suche other necessaryes, as thou must
516nedes occupie. And if thou spende it in the begynnynge
517of the yere, and shall want in the hynder ende, than
518thou doste not eate within thy tedure, and at the laste
519thou shalte be punyshed, as I shal proue the by ensample.
520Take thy horse, and go tedure him vpon thyne owne
521lees, flytte hym as ofte as thou wylte, no manne wyll
522saye 'wronge thou doste'; but make thy horse to longe
523a tedure, than whan thou haste tyed hym vppon thyne
524owne lees, his tedure is so longe, that it recheth to the
525middes of an-other mans lees or corne: Nowe haste
526thou gyuen hym to moche lybertye, and that man, whose
527corne or grasse thy horse hath eaten, wyll be greued at
528the, and wyll cause the to be amerced in the court, or
529elles to make hym amendes, or bothe. And if thy
530horse breake his tedure, and go at large in euery mans
531corne and grasse, than commeth the pynder, and taketh
532hym, and putteth hym in the pynfolde, and there shall
533he stande in prison, without any meate, vnto the tyme
534thou hast payde his raunsome to the pynder, and also
535make amendes to thy neyghbours, for distroyenge of
536theyr corne. Ryght so, as long as thou eatest within
537thy tedure, that thou nedest not to begge nor borowe of
538noo man, soo longe shalte thou encrease and growe in
539rychesse, and euery man wyll be content with the. And
540if thou make thy tedure to longe, that thyne owne
541porcyon wyll not serue the, but that thou shalte begge,
542borowe, or bye of other: that wyll not longe endure,
543but thou shalte fall in-to pouertye. And if thou breake

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544thy tedure, and ren ryot at large, and knowe not other
545mennes goodes frome thyne owne, than shall the pynder,
546that is to saye, the sheryffe and the bayly, areste the,
547and putte the in the pynfolde, that is to say, in prison,
548there to abyde tyll the truth be knowen: and it is
549meruayle, if thou scape with thy lyfe, an therfore eate
550within thy tedure.
551
552

149. A SHORTE LESSON FOR THE HUSBANDE.

553
554    One thinge I wyl aduise the to remembre, and specially
555in wynter-tyme, whan thou sytteste by the fyre, and hast
556supped, to consyder in thy mynde, whether the warkes,
557that thou, thy wyfe, & thy seruauntes shall do, be more
558auauntage to the than the fyre, and candell-lyghte, meate
559and drynke that they shall spende, and if it be more
560auantage, than syt styll: and if it be not, than go to thy
561bedde and slepe, and be vppe betyme, and breake thy
562faste before day, that thou mayste be all the shorte
563wynters day about thy busynes. At grammer-scole I
564lerned a verse, that is this, Sanat, sanctificat, et ditat
565surgere mane . That is to say, Erly rysyng maketh a man
566hole in body, holer in soule, and rycher in goodes. And
567this me semeth shuld be sufficient instruction for the
568husbande to kepe measure.