Chapter V: Introduction (5)

And if thou haue pastures, thou muste nedes haue
quyckesettynge, dychynge and plasshynge. Whan it is
[Sidenote: Quickset hedges.]
grene, and commeth to age, than gette thy quyckesettes
in the woode-countreye, and let theym be of whyte-thorne 4
and crabtree, for they be beste; holye and hasell be good.
And if thou dwelle in the playne-countrey, than mayste
thou gete bothe asshe, oke, and elme, for those wyll
[Sidenote: Set young oaks and ashes.]
encrease moche woode in shorte space. And set thy oke-settes 8
and the asshe .x. or .xii fote a-sonder, and cut them
[Sidenote: [Fol. 53_b_.]]
as thou dost thy other settes, and couer theym ouer with
thornes a lyttell, that shepe and cattell eate them not.
[Sidenote: Clear away the weeds.]
And also wede them clene in mydsomer mone or soone 12
after: for the wedes, if they ouer growe, wyl kyl the settes.
[Sidenote: Never have blackthorn.]
But get no blacke-thorne for nothynge, for that wyl grow
outwarde into the pasture, and doth moch hurte in the
grasse, and tearyng the woll of the shepe. It is good 16
tyme to set quickesettes, fro that tyme the leaues be fallen,
[Sidenote: When to set quicksets.]
vnto oure lady daye in lente; and thy sandye grounde or
grauell set fyrste, than clay grounde, and than meane
grounde, and the medowe or marreys grounde laste, for 20
the sande and grauell wyll drye anone, and than the
quyckeset wyll take no rote, excepte it haue greate weate;
for the muldes wyll lye lose, if it be dyched in February or
[Sidenote: How to set quicksets.]
marche, and lyke wise clay ground. And make thy settes 24
longe ynough, that they maye be set depe ynough in the
erth: for than they wyll growe the better. And to stande
halfe a foote and more aboue the erthe, that they maye
sprynge oute in many braunches. And than to take a lyne, 28
and sette it there as thou wylte haue thy hedge, and to
[Sidenote: Make a straight trench.]
make a trenche after thy lyne, and to pare awaye the
grasse there the quyckesettes shal be set, and caste it by,
[Sidenote: [Fol. 54.]]
where the erthe of the dyche shall lye, and dygge vp the 32
muldes a spade-graffe depe, and to put in thy settes, and
dygge up more molde, and laye vppon that set, and so
peruse, tyll thou haue set all thy settes, and let them lene
[Sidenote: Have the ditch a foot from the hedge.]
towarde the dyche. And a foote from that make thy 36
dyche. For if thou make it to nyghe thy settes, the
water maye fortune to weare the grounde on that syde,
and cause thy settes to fall downe.

125. ¶ To make a dyche.

[Sidenote: Of what size to make ditches.]
If thou make thy dyche foure foote brode, than wolde
it be two foote and a halfe depe. And if it be .v. fote
brode, than .iii. fote depe, and so accordynge; and if it
be fyue fote brod, than it wolde be double sette, and the 4
rather it wolde fence it-selfe, and the lower hedge wyll
serue.

126. ¶ To make a hedge.

[Sidenote: Stakes for a hedge.]
Thou muste gette the stakes of the harte of oke, for
those be best; crabtre, blacke-thorne, and ellore be good.
Reed wethy is beste in marsshe grounde; asshe, maple,
hasel, and whyte-thorne wyl serue for a time. And set 4
[Sidenote: [Fol. 54_b_.]]
thy stakes within .ii. foote and a halfe together, excepte
thou haue very good edderynge, and longe, to bynde with.
[Sidenote: Ethers for a hedge.]
And if it be double eddered, it is moch the better, and
gret strength to the hedge, and moche lenger it wil last. 8
And lay thy small trouse or thornes, that thou hedgeste
withall, ouer thy quickesettes, that shepe do not eate the
[Sidenote: Drive the stakes firmly.]
sprynge nor buddes of thy settes. Let thy stakes be well
dryuen, that the poynt take the hard erthe. And whan 12
thou haste made thy hedge, and eddered it well, than take
[Sidenote: Wind in the ethers.]
thy mall agayne, and dryue downe thy edderinges, and
also thy stakes by and by. For with the wyndynge of the
edderynges thou doost leuse thy stakes; and therfore 16
[Sidenote: Then drive the stakes again.]
they muste nedes be dryuen newe, and hardened agayne,
and the better the stake wil be dryuen, whan he is wel
bounden.

127. ¶ To plasshe or pleche a hedge.

[Sidenote: How to pleach a hedge.]
If the hedge be of .x. or .xii. yeres growing sythe it
was first set, thanne take a sharpe hachet, or a handbyll,
and cutte the settes in a playne place, nyghe vnto the
[Sidenote: Cut the sets more than half through,]
erthe, the more halue a-sonder; and bende it downe 4
towarde the erthe, and wrappe and wynde theym to-gether,
[Sidenote: [Fol. 55.]]
but alwaye se that the toppe lye hyer than the
[Sidenote: and bend them down, but not too low.]
rote a good quantytie, for elles the sappe wyll not renne
in-to the toppe kyndely, but in processe the toppe wyll 8
dye; and than set a lyttel hedge on the backe-syde, and
it shall nede noo more mendynge manye yeres after.
And if the hedge be of .xx. .xxiiii. or .xxx. yere of age,
[Sidenote: How to pleach an older hedge.]
sythe it was fyrst sette, than wynde in first al the 12
nether-moste bowes, and wynde them together, and than cutte
the settes in a playne place a lyttel from the erth, the
more halfe a-sonder, and to lette it slaue downewarde,
and not vpwarde, for dyuerse causes: than wynde the 16
bowes and braunches therof in-to the hedge, and at euery
two fote, or .iii. fote, to leaue one set growyng not
plasshed; and the toppe to be cut of foure fote hygh,
or there-aboute, to stande as a stake, if there be any 20
suche, or els to set an-other, and to wynd the other that
be pleched about them. And if the bowes wyll not
lye playne in the hedge, than cut it the more halfe
[Sidenote: How to pleach a very old hedge.]
a-sonder, and bynd it to the hedge, and than shal he not 24
nede for to mende the hedge, but in fewe places, .xx.
yeres after or more. And if the hedge be olde, and be
great stubbes or trees, and thyn in the bottome, that
beastes may go vnder or betwene the trees: thanne 28
take a sharpe axe, and cutte the trees or stubbes, that
[Sidenote: [Fol. 55_b_.]]
growe a fote from the erthe, or there-about, in a plaine
place, within an inche or two inches of the side, and let
them slaue downward, as I sayd before, and let the 32
toppe of the tree lye ouer the rote of an other tree, and
to pleche downe the bowes of the same tree, to stoppe
the holowe places. And if all the holowe and voyde
places wyl not be fylled and stopped, than scoure the 36
olde dyche, and cast it vp newe, and to fyll with erthe all
the voyde places. And if soo be these trees wyll not
reche in euerye place to make a sufficyent defence, than
double quicke-set it, & diche it new in euery place that 40
is nedeful, and set a hedge thervpon, and to ouerlay the
settes, for eatynge of shepe or other cattel.

128. ¶ To mende a hye-waye.

[Sidenote: How to mend a road.]
Me semeth, it is necessarye to shewe mine opinion,
howe an hye-way shulde be amended. And fyrste and
pryncypally, se that there be noo water standynge in the
[Sidenote: Let no water stand on it.]
hye-waye, but that it be alwaye currante and rennynge, 4
nor haue none abydynge more in one place thanne in another.
And in somer, whan the water is dryed vp, than
to get grauell, and to fyll vp euery lowe place, and to
[Sidenote: [Fol. 56.]]
make theym euen, somewhat dyscendynge or currante, 8
[Sidenote: Fill up the holes with gravel.]
one waye or other; and if there be noo grauell nor
stones to gette, yet fyll vp with erthe in the begynnyge
of somer, that it maye be well hardened with
caryage and treadynge vppon, and it shall be well 12
amended, if the water maye passe away from it; the
whiche wolde be well consydered, and specially aboute
[Sidenote: About London they mend roads badly, putting in
earth before the gravel.]
London, where as they make moche more coste than
nedeth; for there they dyche theyr hye-wayes on bothe 16
sydes, and fyll vp the holowe and lowe places with erthe,
and than they caste and laye grauell alofte. And whan
a greatte rayne or water commeth, and synketh thorowe
the grauell, and commeth to the erthe, than the erthe 20
swelleth and bolneth and waxeth softe, and with
[Sidenote: Then the gravel sinks, and the road is like a
quicksand.]
treadynge, and specyally with caryage, the grauell
synketh, and gothe downewarde as his nature and kynde
requyreth, and than it is in maner of a quycke-sande, 24
that harde it is for any thynge to goo ouer. But yf they
wolde make no dyche in sommertyme, whan the water is
dryed vp, that a man may se all the holowe and lowe places,
[Sidenote: They should use gravel only.]
than to cary grauel, and fyl it vp as hygh as the other 28
knolles be; than wold it not bolne ne swell, nor be no
quycke-sande, and euery ma_n_ may go beside the hie-way
[Sidenote: [Fol. 56_b_.]]
with theyr cariage at theyr pleasure. And this me semeth
is lesse coste, and lenger wyll last with a lyttell mendynge 32
[Sidenote: This should be looked to.]
whan nede requyreth. Therfore me thynketh, yf this
were well loked vpon, it shuld be bothe good and
necessarye for that purpose: for soo haue I seen done in
other places, where as I haue ben, &c. 36

129. ¶ To remoue and set trees.

[Sidenote: How to remove and set trees.]
If thou wylte remoue and sette trees, get as manye
rotes with them as thou canste, and breake them not, nor
bryse theym, by thy wyll. And if there be any rote
broken and sore brused, cut it of harde by, there as it is 4
brused, with a sharpe hatchet, elles that roote wyll dye.
And if it be asshe, elme, or oke, cut of all the bowes
[Sidenote: Cut off some of the boughs.]
cleane, and saue the toppe hole. For if thou make hym
ryche of bowes, thou makeste hym poore of thryfte, for 8
two causes. The bowes causeth theym to shake with
wynde, and to leuse the rotes. Also he can-not be
soo cleane gete, but some of the rotes muste nedes be cut,
and than there wyll not come soo moche sappe and 12
moystenes to the bowes, as there dyd before. And if
the tree be very longe, cut of the top, two or thre
[Sidenote: [Fol. 51; _So misnumbered all the way to the
end. We may call it 51*._]]
yardes. And if it be an apple-tree, or peare-tree, or
suche other as beareth fruyte, than cut away all the 16
water-bowes, and the small bowes, that the pryncipall
bowes may haue the more sap. And if ye make a
marke, which syde of the tree standeth towarde the
sonne, that he may be set so agayne, it is soo moche 20
the better.

130. ¶ Trees to be set without rotes and growe.

[Sidenote: Some trees can be set without roots.]
There be trees wil be set without rotes, and growe
well, and sprynge rotes of them-selfe. And those be
dyuerse apple-trees, that haue knottes in the bowes, as
casses, or wydes, and suche other, that wyll growe on 4
[Sidenote: Poplar and withy.]
slauynges, and lykewyse popeler and wethy: and they
must be cut cleane besyde the tree, that they growe on,
and the toppe cut cleane of .viii. or .x. fote of lengthe,
and all the bowes betwene, and to be set a fote depe or. 8
in the erthe, in good grounde. And ye shall vnderstande,
[Sidenote: Four withies, viz. white, black, red, and osier.]
that there be foure maner of wethyes, that is
to say, white wethye, blacke wethy, reed wethy, and
osyerde wethy. Whyte wethye wyll growe vppon drye 12
grounde, yf it be sette in the begynnyge of wynter, and
[Sidenote: [Fol. 51*_b_.]]
wyll not growe in marsshe grounde; blacke wethy wyll
growe better on marshe grounde, and redde wethy in
[Sidenote: Osiers will grow in water.]
lyke maner: and osyerde wethy wyll growe beste in water 16
and moyste grounde. And they be trees that wyll soone
be nourysshed, and they wyll beare moche woodde, and
[Sidenote: Crop them every seven years.]
they wolde be cropped euery .vii. or .viii. yere or els they
wyll dye; but they maye not be cropped in sappe-tyme, 20
nor no tree els. And in many places, bothe the lordes,
freeholders, and tenauntes at wyll, sette suche wethyes, and
popelers, in marsshe grounde, to nourysshe wodde, &c.

131. ¶ To fell wodde for housholde, or to sell.

[Sidenote: Fell underwood in winter; let the cattle
browze on it.]
If thou haue any woddes to felle, for thy householde
to brenne, or to sell, than fell the vnder-wodde fyrste in
wynter, that thy cattell or beastes maye eate and brouse
the toppes, and to fell noo more on a daye but as moche 4
as the beastes wyll eate the same daye, or on the morowe
after. And as soone as it is well eaten or broused,
thanne kydde it, and set them on the endes, and that
[Sidenote: Make it up into faggots.]
wyll saue the bandes from rottynge, and they shall be 8
[Sidenote: [Fol. 52*.]]
the lyghter to carye, and the better wyll they brenne,
and lie in lesse rowme. And whan thou shalt bryng them
[Sidenote: How to stack faggots.]
home to make a stacke of them, set the nethermoste
course vpon the endes, and the seconde course flat vppon 12
the syde, and the endes vpwarde, and the thyrde cou[r]se
flatte on the syde ouerthwart the other. And so to
peruse them, tyll thou haue layd all vp. And whan thou
shalte brenne them, take the ouermoste fyrste. 16

132. ¶ To shrede, lop, or croppe trees.

[Sidenote: How to shred, lop, and crop trees.]
If thou haue any trees to shrede, loppe, or croppe
for the fyre-wodde, croppe them in wynter, that thy
beastes maye eate the brouse, and the mosse of the
bowes, and also the yues. And whanne they be broused 4
and eaten, dresse the wodde, and bowe it clene, and
cutte it at every byghte, and rere the greatte wodde to
the tree, and kydde the smal bowes, and set them on
ende. And if thou shalte not haue sufficyent wodde, 8
[Sidenote: Do not head trees too low.]
excepte thou heed thy trees, and cut of the toppes, than
heed theym thre or foure fote aboue any tymber: and
if it be noo tymbre tree, but a shaken tree, or a hedge-rote
full of knottes, than heed hym thyrty foote hyghe, 12
[Sidenote: [Fol. 52*_b_.]]
or twenty at the leaste, for soo ferre he wyll beare
plentye of woode and bowes, and moche more, thanne
[Sidenote: Trees grow only to a certain height; then
they spread.]
if he were not heeded. For a tree hath a propertye to
growe to a certayne heyght, and whan he commeth to 16
that heyghte, he standeth styll, and groweth noo hyer,
but in brede; and in conclusion the toppe wyll dye
and decrease, and the body thryue. And if a tree be
heeded, and vsed to be lopped and cropped at euerye 20
.xii. or .xvi. yeres ende, or there-about, it wyll beare
moche more woode, by processe of time, than if it were
not cropped, and moche more profyte to the owner.

133. ¶ Howe a man shoulde shrede, loppe, or croppe
trees.

[Sidenote: In shredding trees, some men begin at the top.]
It is the comon gyse, to begynne at the top of the
tree, whan he shall be shred or cropped, bycause eche
bough shulde lye vppon other whan they shall fal, so
that the weight of the bowes shall cause theym to be 4
[Sidenote: It is not the best way.]
the rather cut downe. But that is not beste, for that
causeth the bowes to slaue downe the nether parte,
and pulleth awaye the barke from the bodye of the tree,
the whiche wyll cause the tree to be holowe in that place 8
in tyme commynge, and many tymes it shall hynder
[Sidenote: [Fol. 53*.]]
hym. And therfore lette hym begynne at the nether-moste
boughe fyrste, and with a lyghte axe for an hande,
to cut the boughe on bothe sydes, a fote or two foote 12
from the bodye of the tree. And specially cut it more
on the nether syde, than on the ouer syde, soo that
the boughe fall not streyght downe, but turne on the
syde, and than shall it not slaue nor breke no barke. 16
And euery boughe wil haue a newe heed, and beare
[Sidenote: Never crop or head a tree with a north or
east wind,]
moche more woode; and by thy wyll, without thou must
nedes do it, crop not thy tree, nor specyallye heed hym,
whan the wynde standeth in the northe, or in the eest. 20
And beware, that thou croppe hym not, nor heed hym
[Sidenote: nor in sap-time.]
(specially) in sappe-tyme, for than wyll he dye within
fewe yeres after, if it be an oke.

134. ¶ To sell woode or tymber.

[Sidenote: Retail the wood yourself.]
If thou haue any woode to selle, I aduyse the, retayle
it thy-selfe, if thou mayste attende vppon it: and if not,
thanne to cause thy baylye, or somme other wyse or
[Sidenote: If small, sell in faggots.]
dyscrete man, to do it for the. And if it be small wode, 4
to kydde it, and sel it by the hundredes, or by the thousandes.
And if there be asshes in it, to sell the smalle
[Sidenote: [Fol. 53*_b_.]]
asshes to cowpers for garches, and the gret asshes to
whele-wryghtes, and the meane asshes to plowe-wrightes, 8
and the crabbe-trees to myllers, to make cogges and
ronges. And if there be any okes, bothe gret and smal,
[Sidenote: Fell oaks and sell them.]
fel them, and pyl them, and sel the barke by it-selfe; and
than sorte the trees, the polles by them-selfe, the myddel 12
sorte[30] by them-selfe, and the greattest by them-selfe, &
than sel them by scores, or halfe scores, or .C. as thou
maist, and to fel it hard by the erth, for i. fote next
vnto the erth is worthe .ii fote in the top; and to cut 16
thy tymber longe ynoughe, that thou leue no timber in
the toppe. And to sell the toppes as they lye a greatte,
or elles dresse them & sel the great wodde by it-selfe,
& the kyd-wodde by it-selfe, and to fal the vnder-wode 20
fyrst at any tyme between Martilmas and holyrode-day.
[Sidenote: Ash-trees.]
And al the asshes, bytwene Martylmasse and Candelmas,
and all okes, as soon as they wyl pyl, vntyl May be done,
and not after. Perauenture the greattest man hath not 24
[Sidenote: Selling wood requires care.]
the beste prouisyon. And that is bycause the seruauntes
wyll not enfourme hym these wayes, and also may fortune
they wold bye suche woodes theym-selfe, or be partener
of the same and to auyse his lorde to sel them. It is not 28
co_n_uenient that the salesman, that selleth the wod, shuld
be partener with the bier.

[Sidenote: [Fol. 54*.]]
135. ¶ To kepe sprynge-wodde.

In the wynter before that thou wilt fel thy wodde, make
a good and a sure hedge, that no maner of cattel can get
in. And as shortly as it is fallen, let it be caryed away, or
[Sidenote: Of plantations or ‘spring-wood.’]
the sprynge come vp, for els the cattell, that doth cary 4
the wodde, wyll eate the sprynge: and whan the top is
eaten, or broken, it is a great lette, hurte, and hynderaunce
of the goodnes of the sprynge; for than where it is eaten,
it burges oute of many braunches, and not soo fayre as 8
the fyrst wolde haue ben. A parke is best kept, where
there is neyther man, dogge, nor foure-foted beast therin,
except dere. And so is a spryng beste kepte, where
[Sidenote: If there is much grass there, put in only
calves and colts.]
there is neyther manne nor foure-foted beastes within 12
the hedge. But if there be moche grasse, and thou were
lothe to lose it, than put in calues, newly wained and
taken from theyr dammes, and also waynynge coltes, or
horses not paste a yere of age: and let thy calues be 16
taken away at Maye; the coltes may go lenger for eating
of any wodde; but there is ieoperdy bothe for calues,
foles, and coltes, for tyckes or for beinge lowsy, the
whiche wyl kyl them, if they be not taken hede vnto. 20
And .vii. yeres is the lest that it wil saue it-selfe, but
[Sidenote: [Fol. 54*_b_.]]
.x. yeres is best. And than the vnder bowes wolde be
cutte awaye, and made kyddes therof, and the other
wyll growe moche the better and faster. And if the 24
[Sidenote: Cut away the underwood.]
vnder bowes be not cutte awaye, they wyll dye, and than
they be loste, and greatte hurte to the sprynge, for they
take awaye the sappe, that shoulde cause the sprynge to
growe better. 28

136. ¶ Necessary thynges belongynge to graffynge.

[Sidenote: Pears, apples, cherries, filberts, bullace,
damsons, &c.]
It is necessarye, profytable, and also a pleasure,
to a housbande, to haue peares, wardens, and apples of
dyuerse sortes. And also cheryes, filberdes, bulleys,
dampsons, plummes, walnuttes, and suche other. And 4
therfore it is conuenyent to lerne howe thou shalte
graffe. Than it is to be knowen what thynges thou
[Sidenote: A grafting-saw.]
must haue to graffe withall. Thou muste haue a graffynge-sawe,
the whiche wolde be very thynne, and 8
thycke-tothed; and bycause it is thynne, it wyll cut the
narower kyrfe, and the cleaner, for brusynge of the barke.
And therfore it is sette in a compasse pece of yren,
syxe inches of, to make it styffe and bygge. Thou 12
[Sidenote: Grafting-knife.]
muste haue also a graffynge-knyfe, an inche brode, with
[Sidenote: [Fol. 55*.]]
a thycke backe, to cleue the stocke with-all. And also
[Sidenote: Mallet, and sharp small knives.]
a mallet, to dryue the knyfe and thy wedge in-to the
tree: and a sharpe knife, to pare the stockes heed, and 16
an other sharpe knyfe, to cutte the graffe cleane. And
[Sidenote: Two wedges.]
also thou muste haue two wedges of harde wood, or elles
of yren, a longe small one for a small stocke, and broder
for a bygger stocke, to open the stocke, whan it is clouen 20
[Sidenote: Clay, moss, and bast.]
and pared: and also good tough claye and mosse, and
also bastes or pyllynge of wethy or elme, to bynde them
with, &c.

137. ¶ What fruite shuld be fyrste graffed.

[Sidenote: Graft pears before apples.]
Peares and wardens wolde be graffed before any maner
of apples, bycause the sappe commeth sooner and rather
in-to the peare-tree and warden-tree, thanne in-to the
[Sidenote: Graft from Feb. 14 to March 25.]
apple-tree. And after saynt Valentynes daye, it is tyme 4
to grade both peares and wardens, tyll Marche be comen,
and thanne to graffe appels to our lady daye. And than
graffe that that is gette of an olde apple-tree fyrste, for
that wyll budde before the graffe get of a yonge apple-tree 8
late graffed. And a peare or a warden wolde be
graded in a pyrre-stocke; and if thou canst get none,
[Sidenote: [Fol. 55*_b_.]]
than graffe it in a crabbe-tree stocke, and it wyll do well:
and some men grade theym in a whyte-thorne, and than 12
[Sidenote: A crab-stock is best for apples.]
it wyll be the more harder and stonye. And for all
maner of appels, the crabtree stocke is beste.

138. ¶ Howe to graffe.

[Sidenote: Select the graft.]
Thou muste get thy graffes of the fayrest lanses, that
thou canste fynde on the tree, and see that it haue a good
[Sidenote: Saw the crab-tree,]
knotte or ioynte, and an euen. Than take thy sawe, and
sawe in-to thy c[r]abbetree, in a fayre playne place, pare it 4
[Sidenote: cleave and open the stock;]
euen with thy knyfe, and thanne cleaue the stocke with
thy greatte knyfe and thy mallet, and set in a wedge, and
open the stocke, accordynge to the thyckenesse of thy
graffe; thanne take thy smalle sharpe knyfe, and cutte 8
the graffe on bothe sydes in the ioynte, but passe not the
myddes therof for nothynge, and let the inner syde, that
shall be set in-to the stocke, be a lyttel thynner than the
vtter syde, and the nether poynte of the graffe the 12
[Sidenote: then put the graft into the stock.]
thynner: than proferre thy graffe in-to the stocke; and
if it go not close, than cut the graffe or the stocke, tyll
they close cleane, that thou canste not put the edge of
[Sidenote: [Fol. 56*.]]
thy knyfe on neyther syde betwene the stocke and the 16
graffe, and sette them so that the toppes of the graffe
bende a lyttell outewarde, and see that the wodde of the
graffe be set mete with the wodde of the stocke, and the
sappe of the stocke maye renne streyght and euen with 20
[Sidenote: The bark of the graft is thinner than that
of the stock.]
the sappe of the graffe. For the barke of the graffe is
neuer soo thicke as the barke of the stocke. And therfore
thou mayste not sette the barkes mete on the vtter
syde, but on the inner syde: than pulle awaye thy wedge, 24
and it wyl stande moche faster. Than take toughe cleye,
lyke marley, and ley it vppon the stocke-heed, and with
thy fynger laye it close vnto the graffe, and a lyttel vnder
the heed, to kepe it moyst, and that no wynde come into 28
[Sidenote: Cover with moss, and bind with bast.]
the stocke at the cleauynge. Than take mosse, and laye
thervpon, for chynynge of the claye: than take a baste
of whyte wethy or elme, or halfe a bryer, and bynd the
mosse, the clay, and the graffe together, but be well ware, 32
that thou breake not thy graffe, neyther in the clayenge,
nor in the byndynge; and thou muste set some-thinge
by the graffe, that crowes, nor byrdes do not lyght vpon
thy graffe, for if they do, they wil breake hym, &c. 36

[Sidenote: [Fol. 56*_b_.]]
139. ¶ To graffe bytwene the barke and the tree.

There is an other maner of graffinge than this, and
soner done, & soner to growe: but it is more ieoperdy for
[Sidenote: Another way of grafting.]
winde whan it begynneth to growe. Thou muste sawe
thy stocke, and pare the heed therof, as thou diddest 4
before, but cleue it not: than take thy graffe, and cut it in
the ioynt to the myddes, and make the tenaunte therof
halfe an inche longe or a lyttell more, all on the one syde,
and pare the barke awaye a lyttel at the poynt on the 8
[Sidenote: Use a punch of hard wood.]
other syde: than thou muste haue made redy a ponch of
harde wood, with a stop and a tenaunte on the one syde,
lyke to the tenaunte of the graffe. Than put the tenaunt
of the ponche betwen the barke and the woode of the 12
stocke, and pull it out agayne, and put in the graffe,
and se that it ioyne close, or els mende it. And this
can-not fayle, for now the sappe cometh on euery syde,
but it wyl spring soo faste, that if it stande on playne 16
[Sidenote: The graft requires protection from the wind.]
grounde, the wynde is lykelye to blowe it besyde the
heed, for it hath no fastnes in the wodde. And this is
beste remedy for blowynge of, to cutte or clyppe awaye
[Sidenote: [Fol. 57.]]
somme of the nethermooste leaues as they growe. And 20
this is the beste waye to graffe, and specyally a greate
tree: than claye it, and bynde it as dyddest the other, &c.

140. ¶ To nourishe all maner of stone fruite, and nuttes.

[Sidenote: Stone-fruits.]
As for cheryes, dampsons, bulleys, plummes, and suche
other, maye be sette of stones, and also of the scyences,
growynge aboute the tree, of the same, for they wyll
[Sidenote: Filberts and walnuts.]
sooneste beare. Fylberdes and walnuttes maye be set of 4
the nuttes in a gardeyne, and after remoued and sette
where he wyll. But whan they be remoued, they wolde
be set vpon as good a grounde, or a better, or els they
wyll not lyke. 8

141. ¶ A shorte information for a yonge gentyl-man, that
entendeth to thryue.

[Sidenote: Get a copy of this book, and read it from
beginning to end.]
I auyse hym to gette a copy of this presente boke,
and to rede it frome the begynnynge to the endynge,
wherby he maye perceyue the chapyters and contentes
of the same, and by reason of ofte redyng, he maye 4
waxe perfyte, what shulde be doone at all seasons. For
[Sidenote: [Fol. 57_b_.]]
I lerned two verses at grammar-scole, and they be these:
[Sidenote: Cf. Ovid, ex Ponto Epist. IV. x. 5.]
_Gutta cauat lapidem non vi, sed sæpe cadendo: Sic homo fit
sapiens non vi, sed sæpe legendo_: A droppe of water perseth 8
a stoone, not al-onely by his owne strengthe, but by his
often fallynge. Ryghte so a man shall be made wyse,
not all-onely by hym-selfe, but by his ofte redynge. And
soo maye this yonge gentyllman, accordynge to the 12
[Sidenote: Read a chapter to your servants now and then.]
season of the yere, rede to his seruauntes what chapyter
he wyll. And also for any other maner of profyte conteyned
in the same, the whiche is necessary for a yonge
husbande, that hath not the experyence of housbandrye, 16
nor other thynges conteyned in this presente boke, to
take a good remembraunce and credence thervnto, for
there is an olde sayinge, but of what auctorytie I cannot
tell: _Quod melior est practica rusticoru_m, _q_uam _scie_n_tia 20
[Sidenote: Practice is better than theory.]
philosophorum._ It is better the practiue or knowlege of
an husband-man well proued, than the science or connynge
of a philosopher not proued, for there is nothynge
touchyng husbandry, and other profytes conteyned in 24
this presente booke, but I haue hadde the experyence
therof, and proued the same. And ouer and beside al
this boke, I wil aduise him to ryse betime in the morning,
[Sidenote: [Fol. 58.]]
according to the verse before spoke of, _Sanat, sanctificat, 28
et ditat surgere mane_: And go about his closes, pastures,
fieldes, and specially by the hedges, & to haue in his
[Sidenote: Keep a pair of tables, and make notes of all
that seems amiss.]
purse a payre of tables, and whan he seeth any-thing,
that wolde be amended, to wryte it in his tables: as if he 32
fynde any horses, mares, beastes, shepe, swyne, or geese
in his pastures, that be not his owne: And perauenture
thoughe they be his owne, he wolde not haue them to
goo there, or to fynde a gap, or a sherde in his hedge, 36
or any water standynge in his pastures vppon his grasse,
wherby he maye take double hurte, bothe losse of his
grasse, and rotting of his shepe and calues. And also
of standynge-water in his corne-fieldes at the landes 40
endes, or sydes, and howe he wolde haue his landes
[Sidenote: Look to the corn, cattle, ditches, etc.]
plowed, donged, sturred, or sowen. And his corne weded
or shorne or his cattell shifted out of one pasture into
an other, and to loke what dychyng, quicsettyng, or plashing, 44
is necessary to be had, and to ouer-se his shepeherd,
how he handleth and ordreth his shepe, and his seruantes
[Sidenote: Look to the gates.]
howe they plowe and do theyr warkes, or if any gate
be broken down, or want any staues, and go not lyghtly 48
to open and tyne, and that it do not traile, and that the
windes blowe it not open, with many mo necessary
[Sidenote: [Fol. 58_b_.]]
thynges that are to be loked vpon. For a man alwaye
wanderynge or goinge aboute somewhat, fyndeth or seeth 52
that is a-mysse, and wolde be amended. And as soone
as he seeth any suche defautes, than let hym take oute his
tables, and wryte the defautes. And whan he commeth
home to diner, supper, or at nyght, than let hym call his 56
[Sidenote: Tell your bailiff of all that needs to be done.]
bayly, or his heed-seruaunte, and soo shewe hym the
defautes, that they may be shortly amended. And whan
it is amended, than let him put it out of his tables. For
this vsed I to doo .x. or .xii. yeres and more. And thus 60
let hym vse dayely, and in shorte space he shall sette
moche thynges in good order, but dayely it wyll haue
[Sidenote: If you cannot write, make nicks on a stick.]
mendynge. And yf he canne not wryte, let hym nycke
the defautes vppon a stycke, and to shewe his bayely, as 64
I sayde before. Also take hede bothe erly and late, at
all tymes, what maner of people resorte and comme to thy
house, and the cause of theyr commynge, and specially
if they brynge with them pytchers, cannes, tancardes, 68
[Sidenote: Keep an eye on the servants, and on all who
come to your house.]
bottelles, bagges, wallettes, or busshell-pokes. For if thy
seruauntes be not true, they maye doo the great hurte,
and them-selfe lyttel auauntage. Wherfore they wolde be
well loked vppon. And he that hath .ii. true seruauntes, 72
a man-seruaunte, and an-other a woman-seruaunt, he hath
[Sidenote: [Fol. 59.]]
a great treasure, for a trewe seruaunte wyl do iustly hym-selfe,
and if he se his felowes do amysse, he wyl byd them
do no more so, for if they do, he wyll shewe his master 76
therof: and if he do not this, he is not a trewe seruaunt.

142. ¶ A lesson made in Englisshe verses, to teache a gentylmans
seruaunt, to saye at euery tyme whan he
taketh his horse, for his remembraunce, that he shall
not forget his gere in his inne behynde hym.

[Sidenote: Hexameter verses, to help the memory.]
Pvrse, dagger, cloke, nyght-cap, kerchef, shoyng-horne,
boget, and shoes.
Spere, male, hode, halter, sadelclothe, spores, hatte, with
thy horse-combe.
Bowe, arrowes, sworde, bukler, horne, leisshe, gloues,
stringe, and thy bracer.
Penne, paper, inke, parchmente, reedwaxe, pommes, bokes,
thou remember. 4
Penknyfe, combe, thimble, nedle, threde, poynte, leste
that thy gurthe breake.
Bodkyn, knyfe, lyngel, gyue thy horse meate, se he be
showed well.
Make mery, synge and thou can; take hede to thy gere, that
thou lose none.

[Sidenote: [Fol. 59_b_.]]
143. ¶ A prologue for the wyues occupation.

Nowe thou husbande, that haste doone thy dylygence
and labour, that longeth to an husbande, to get thy
lyuynge, thy wyues, thy chyldrens, and thy seruauntes:
[Sidenote: Seldom thrives the husband without his wife’s
leave.]
yet are there other thynges, that muste nedes be done, 4
or elles thou shalte not thryue. For there is an olde
common sayenge, that seldom doth the housbande thryue,
withoute the leue of his wyfe. By this sayenge it shoulde
seme, that there be other occupations and labours, that 8
be moste conuenient for the wyues to do. And howe be
[Sidenote: I will tell the wives part of their duties.]
it that I haue not experyence of al theyr occupations and
warkes, as I haue of husbandry, yet a lyttell wyl I speke
what they ought to do, though I tel them nat howe they 12
shulde doo and exercyse theyr labours and occupations.

144. ¶ A lesson for the wyfe.

But yet er I begynne to shewe the wyfe, what warkes
[Sidenote: A lesson of Solomon.]
she shall do, I wyll firste teche her a lesson of Salomon,
as I did to her husbande a lesson of the philosopher,
and that is, that she shulde not be ydle at noo tyme: 4
for Salomon saythe, _Ociosus non gaudebit cum electis in
cælo: sed lugebit in æternum cum reprobis in inferno_: That
[Sidenote: [Fol. 60.]]
is to say, The ydle folke shall not ioye with the chosen
folkes in heuen, but they shall sorowe with the reproued 8
[Sidenote: A lesson of Jerome.]
and forsaken folkes in hell. And saynt Iherom saythe:
_Semper boni operis aliquid facito, vt te diabolus inueniat
occupatum: Quia sicut in aqua stante generantur vermes: sic
in homine ocioso generantur malæ cogitationes_: That is to say, 12
Alwaye be doinge of some good werkes, that the dyuell
may fynde the euer occupied: for as in standynge water
are engendred wormes, ryghte soo in an ydle body are
engendred ydle thoughtes. Here mayste thou se, that 16
of ydelnes commeth damnation, and of good warkes and
labour cometh saluation. Nowe arte thou at thy lyberty,
[Sidenote: Choose either idleness or labour.]
to chose whether waye thou wylt, wherin is a great
diuersitie. And he is an vnhappy man or woman, that 20
god hath giuen bothe wyt and reason, and putteth hym
in chose, and woll chose the worst parte. Nowe thou
wyfe, I trust to shewe to the dyuers occupations, warkes,
and laboures, that thou shalt not nede to be ydle no tyme 24
of the yere.

145. ¶ What thynges the wyfe is bounden of ryght to do.

[Sidenote: Let the wife love her husband.]
First and prynycypally the wyfe is bounde of ryghte to
loue her housbande, aboue father and mother, and aboue
[Sidenote: [Fol. 60_b_.]]
all other men. For our lorde saythe in his gospell;
[Sidenote: Matt. xix. 5.]
[Sidenote: Mark x. 7.]
_Relinquet patrem et matrem, et adherebit[31] vxori suæ_: A man 4
shulde leue father and mother, and drawe to his wyfe:
and the same wyse a wyfe shulde do to her husbande.
And are made by the vertue of the sacrament of holy
[Sidenote: One body, and two souls.]
scripture one fleshe, one bloude, one body, and two 8
soules. Wherfore theyr hartes, theyr myndes, theyr
warkes, and occupations, shulde be all one, neuer to
seuer nor chaunge durynge theyr natural lyues, by any
mannes acte or dede, as it is sayde in the same gospel: 12
[Sidenote: Matt. xix. 9.]
[Sidenote: Mark x. 9.]
_Quod deus coniunxit, homo non separet_: That thynge that
god hath ioyned to-gether, noo man maye seuer nor
departe. Wherfore it is conuenyente that they loue
eche other as effectually as they wolde doo theyr owne 16
selfe, &c.

146. ¶ What warkes a wyfe shulde do in generall.

[Sidenote: First, at rising, bless thyself.]
First in a mornyng whan thou arte waked, and purposeste
to ryse, lyfte vp thy hande, and blesse the, and
make a sygne of the holy crosse, _In nomine patris, et filii,
et spiritus sancti. Amen._ In the name of the father, the 4
[Sidenote: [Fol. 61.]]
sonne, and the holy gooste. And if thou saye a _Pater
noster_, an _Aue_, and a _Crede_, and remember thy maker,
thou shalte spede moche the better. And whan thou arte
[Sidenote: Sweep the house,]
vp and redy, than first swepe thy house, dresse vp thy 8
dyssheborde, and sette all thynges in good order within
[Sidenote: milk the cows, dress the children.]
thy house: milke thy kye, socle[32] thy calues, sye vp thy
mylke, take vppe thy chyldren and araye theym, and
prouyde for thy husbandes brekefaste, dynner, souper, 12
and for thy chyldren and seruauntes, and take thy parte
[Sidenote: Send corn to the mill, and measure it before
it goes.]
with theym. And to ordeyne corne and malte to the
myll, to bake and brue withall whanne nede is. And
meete it to the myll, and fro the myll, and se that thou 16
haue thy measure agayne besyde the tolle, or elles the
myller dealeth not truely with the, or els thy corne is not
[Sidenote: Make butter and cheese.]
drye as it shoulde be. Thou must make butter, and chese
whan thou maist, serue thy swyne bothe mornyng and 20
euenynge, and gyue thy poleyn meate in the mornynge;
and whan tyme of the yere cometh, thou must take hede
[Sidenote: Gather the eggs.]
howe thy hennes, duckes, and geese do ley, and to gather
vp theyr egges, and whan they waxe brodye, to sette 24
them there as noo beastes, swyne, nor other vermyn
hurte them. And thou muste knowe, that all hole-footed
fowles wyll sytte a moneth, and all clouen-footed fowles
[Sidenote: [Fol. 61_b_.]]
wyll sytte but three wekes, excepte a peyhenne, and greatte 28
fowles, as cranes, bustardes, and suche other. And whan
they haue broughte forthe theyr byrdes, to see that they
be well kepte from the gleyd, crowes, fullymartes, and
[Sidenote: Put in order the garden.]
other vermynne. And in the begynnynge of Marche, or 32
a lyttell afore, is tyme for a wyfe to make her garden, and
to gette as many good sedes and herbes as she canne,
and specially suche as be good for the potte, and to eate:
and as ofte as nede shall requyre, it muste be weded, for 36
els the wedes wyl ouergrowe the herbes. And also in
Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe and hempe, for I haue
[Sidenote: Better are March hards than April flax.]
harde olde houswyues saye, that better is Marche hurdes
than Apryll flaxe, the reason appereth: but howe it 40
shulde be sowen, weded, pulled, repeyled, watred,
wasshen, dryed, beaten, braked, tawed, hecheled, spon,
wounden, wrapped, and wouen, it nedeth not for me to
shewe, for they be wise ynough; and therof may they 44
[Sidenote: Make sheets, towels, and shirts.]
make shetes, bordclothes, towels, shertes, smockes, and
suche other necessaryes, and therfore let thy dystaffe
be alwaye redye for a pastyme, that thou be not
ydle. And vndouted a woman can-not gette her lyuynge 48
honestely with spynnynge on the distaffe, but it stoppeth
[Sidenote: [Fol. 62.]]
a gap, and muste nedes be had. The bolles of flaxe,
whan they be ripeled of, must be rideled from the wedes,
[Sidenote: Dry the flax.]
and made drye with the son, to get out the sedes. Howe 52
be it one maner of linsede, called loken sede, wyll not
open by the son: and therfore, whan they be drye, they
muste be sore brused and broken, the wiues knowe howe,
and than winowed and kepte drye, tyll yere-tyme come 56
agayn. Thy female hempe must be pulled from the
churle hempe, for that beareth no sede, and thou must
do by it, as thou dydest by the flax. The churle hempe
beareth sede, and beware that byrdes eate it not, as it 60
groweth: the he_m_p therof is not soo good as the female
[Sidenote: Sometimes there is a great deal to do.]
hempe, but yet it wyll do good seruyce. May fortune
somtime, that thou shalt haue so many thinges to do, that
thou shalt not well knowe where is best to begyn. Than 64
take hede, which thing shulde be the greattest losse, if
it were not done, and in what space it wold be done:
than thinke what is the greatest losse, & there begyn.
[Sidenote: Leave that till last which will best wait.]
But in case that thynge, that is of greateste losse, wyll 68
be longe in doynge, and thou myghteste do thre or foure
other thynges in the meane whyle, thanne loke well, if
all these thynges were sette together, whiche of them
were the greattest losse; and if all these thynges be of 72
[Sidenote: [Fol. 62_b_.]]
greater losse, and may be all done in as shorte space, as
the other, than doo thy many thynges fyrste.

¶ It is conuenyente for a housbande to haue shepe of
his owne, for many causes, and than maye his wife haue 76
[Sidenote: With some of the wool make clothes.]
part of the woll, to make her husbande and her-selfe
some clothes. And at the leaste waye, she may haue the
lockes of the shepe, eyther to make clothes or blankettes
& couerlettes, or bothe. And if she haue no woll of her 80
owne, she maye take wol to spynne of clothe-makers, and
by that meanes she maye haue a conuenyent lyuynge, and
many tymes to do other warkes. It is a wyues occupation,
[Sidenote: Winnow corn, brew, wash, make hay, etc.]
to wynowe all maner of cornes, to make malte, to wasshe 84
and wrynge, to make heye, shere corne, and in tyme of
nede to helpe her husbande to fyll the mucke-wayne or
dounge-carte, dryue the ploughe, to loode hey, corne, and
[Sidenote: Sell the butter, cheese, hens, geese, and corn.]
suche other. And to go or ride to the market, to sel butter, 88
chese, mylke, egges, chekyns, capons, hennes, pygges,
gese, and all maner of cornes. And also to bye all maner
[Sidenote: Keep accounts.]
of necessarye thynges belongynge to houssholde, and to
make a trewe rekenynge and a-compte to her housbande, 92
what she hath payed. And yf the housbande go to the
market, to bye or sell, as they ofte do, he than to shewe
[Sidenote: [Fol. 63.]]
his wife in lyke maner. For if one of them shoulde vse
to deceyue the other, he deceyueth hym-selfe, and he is 96
not lyke to thryue. And therfore they muste be trewe
[Sidenote: I will not explain all points of deceit.]
eyther to other. I coulde peraduenture shewe the housbandes
dyuerse poyntes that the wyues deceyue them
in: and in lyke maner, howe husbandes deceyue theyr 100
wyues: but if I shulde do so, I shulde shewe mo subtyll
poyntes of deceypt, than eyther of them knewe of before.
And therfore me semeth beste to holde my peace, least
[Sidenote: Else I should act like the Knight de la Tour,]
I shoulde do as the knyght of the toure dyd, the whiche 104
had many fayre doughters, and of fatherly loue that he
oughte to them, he made a boke, to a good entente, that
they myghte eschewe and flee from vyces, and folowe
vertues. In the whiche boke he shewed, that if they 108
were wowed, moued, or styred by any man, after suche
a maner as he there shewed, that they shulde withstande
[Sidenote: who wrote a book against vice,]
it. In the whiche boke he shewed so many wayes, howe
a man shoulde atteyne to his purpose, to brynge a woman 112
to vice, the whiche wayes were so naturall, and the wayes
to come to theyr purpose were soo subtylly contryued,
and craftely shewed, that harde it wold be for any woman
[Sidenote: but really taught vice.]
to resyste or deny theyr desyre. And by the sayd boke 116
hath made bothe the men and the women to knowe more
[Sidenote: [Fol. 63_b_.]]
vyces, subtyltye, and crafte, than euer they shulde haue
knowen, if the boke had not ben made: in the whiche
boke he named hym-selfe the knight of the towre. And 120
thus I leue the wyues, to vse theyr occupations at theyr
owne discreation.

147. ¶ To kepe measure in spendynge.

[Sidenote: Take care.]
Nowe thou husbande and huswyfe, that haue done
your diligence and cure, accordynge to the fyrste artycle
of the philosopher, that is to saye: _Adhibe curam_. And
also haue well remembred the sayeng of wyse Salomon: 4
_Quod ociosus non gaudebit cum electis in cælo: sed lugebit in
æternum cum reprobis in inferno_: Thanne ye must remembre,
obserue, and kepe in mind, the seconde article of
the sayinge of the philosopher, that is to saye, _Tene 8
[Sidenote: Keep measure.]
mensuram_: That is to saye in englysshe, holde and kepe
measure. And accordynge to that sayenge, I lerned two
[Sidenote: Spendthrifts come to poverty.]
verses at grammer-schole, and they be these, _Qui plus expendit,
quam rerum copia rendit: Non admiretur, si paupertate 12
grauetur_: he that dothe more expende, thanne his
goodes wyll extende, meruayle it shall not be, thoughe
[Sidenote: [Fol. 64.]]
he be greued with pouertee. And also accordynge to
that sayenge speketh sayncte Paul and saythe, _Iuxta 16
facultates faciendi sunt sumptus, ne longi temporis victum,
[Sidenote: Spend according to your income;]
breuis hora consumat_: That is to saye, A[f]ter thy faculty
or thy honoure, make thyne expences, leste thou spende
in shorte space that thynge, that thou shouldest lyue 20
by longe. This texte toucheth euery manne, from the
hyest degree to the loweste; wherfore it is necessary to
euerye manne and womanne to remembre and take good
hede there-vnto, for to obserue, kepe, and folowe the 24
same; but bycause this texte of sayncte Paule is in latyn,
and husbandes commonely can but lyttell laten, I fere
[Sidenote: or, in plain English,]
leaste they can-not vnderstande it. And thoughe it
were declared ones or twyse to theym, that they wolde 28
forgette it: Wherfore I shall shewe to theym a texte
in englysshe, and that they maye well vnderstande, and
[Sidenote: eat within your tether.]
that is this, Eate within thy tedure.

148. ¶ To eate within the tedure.

Thou husbande and huswife, that intend to folowe
the sayinge of the philosopher, that is to saye, kepe
[Sidenote: Spare at the brink, not at the bottom.]
measure, you muste spare at the brynke, and not at the
[Sidenote: [Fol. 64_b_.]]
bottom, that is to vnderstande, in the begynnynge of 4
the yere, sellynge of thy cornes, or spendynge in thy
house, vnto the tyme that thou haue sowen agayne thy
wynter-corne, and thy lente-corne, and than se what
remayneth to serue thy house, and of the ouerplus thou 8
mayste sell and bye suche other necessaryes, as thou must
[Sidenote: Do not spend much at the beginning of the year.]
nedes occupie. And if thou spende it in the begynnynge
of the yere, and shall want in the hynder ende, than
thou doste not eate within thy tedure, and at the laste 12
thou shalte be punyshed, as I shal proue the by ensample.
Take thy horse, and go tedure him vpon thyne owne
lees, flytte hym as ofte as thou wylte, no manne wyll
saye ‘wronge thou doste’; but make thy horse to longe 16
[Sidenote: Give not your horse too long a tether.]
a tedure, than whan thou haste tyed hym vppon thyne
owne lees, his tedure is so longe, that it recheth to the
middes of an-other mans lees or corne: Nowe haste
thou gyuen hym to moche lybertye, and that man, whose 20
corne or grasse thy horse hath eaten, wyll be greued at
the, and wyll cause the to be amerced in the court, or
elles to make hym amendes, or bothe. And if thy
[Sidenote: If the horse break his tether,]
horse breake his tedure, and go at large in euery mans 24
corne and grasse, than commeth the pynder, and taketh
hym, and putteth hym in the pynfolde, and there shall
[Sidenote: [Fol. 65.]]
he stande in prison, without any meate, vnto the tyme
thou hast payde his raunsome to the pynder, and also 28
[Sidenote: he will be impounded.]
make amendes to thy neyghbours, for distroyenge of
theyr corne. Ryght so, as long as thou eatest within
[Sidenote: Wherefore, ‘eat within thy tether.’]
thy tedure, that thou nedest not to begge nor borowe of
noo man, soo longe shalte thou encrease and growe in 32
rychesse, and euery man wyll be content with the. And
if thou make thy tedure to longe, that thyne owne
porcyon wyll not serue the, but that thou shalte begge,
borowe, or bye of other: that wyll not longe endure, 36
but thou shalte fall in-to pouertye. And if thou breake
[Sidenote: Do not break your tether.]
thy tedure, and ren ryot at large, and knowe not other
mennes goodes frome thyne owne, than shall the pynder,
that is to saye, the sheryffe and the bayly, areste the, 40
and putte the in the pynfolde, that is to say, in prison,
there to abyde tyll the truth be knowen: and it is
meruayle, if thou scape with thy lyfe, and therfore eate
within thy tedure. 44

149. ¶ A shorte lesson for the husbande.