| MAIES
ABSTRACT
PUT
lambe from eawe, To
weeding away,
to
milke a few. as
soone as ye may.
Be
not too bold, For
corne here reede,
to
milk and to fold. what
naughtie weed.
Five
ewes alow, Who
weeding slacketh,
for
everie cow good
husbandrie lacketh.
Sheepe
wringling taile, Sowe
buck or branke,
hath
mads without faile. that
smels so rank.
Beat
hard in the reede, Thy
branke go and sowe,
where
house hath need. where
barlie did growe.
The
next crop wheat,
Leave
cropping from May, is
husbandrie neat.
to
Mihelmas day.
Let
Ivie be killed, Sowe
peascods some,
else
tree will be spilled for
harvest to come..
Now
threshers warne, Sowe
hemp and flacks,
to
rid the barne that
spinning lacks..
Be
suer of hay Teach
hop to climb,
till
end of May. for
now it is time.
Let
sheepe fill flanke, Through
fowles and weedes
where
corne is too ranke. poore
hop ill speeds,
In
woodland lever, Cut
off or crop
in
champion never. superfluous
hop:
The
titters or tine,
Some
raleth their wheat, make
hop to pine.
with
rake that is great.
So
titters and tine Now
carrege get
be
gotten out fine. home
fewell to fet.
Tell
fagot and billet,
Now
sets do crave for
filching gillet.
some
weeding to have.
In
sommer for firing
Now
draine as ye like let
citie be buying.
both
fen and dike. Marke
colliers packing
least
coles be lacking.
Watch
bees in may, (See
opened sack)
for
swarming away. for
two in a pack.
Both
now and in June,
marke
maister bees tune. Let
nodding patch
go
sleepe a snatch.
Twifallow
thy land,
least
plough else stand. Wife
as you will,
now
plie your still.
No
longer tarrie,
out
compas to carrie. Fine
bazell sowe,
in
a pot to growe,
When
need doth pray it, Fine
seedes sowe now,
there
see ye lay it. before
ye sawe how.
Set
Jack and Jone, Keep
ox from cow,
to
gather up stone. for
causes ynow.
To
grasse with thy calves, From
bull cowe fast,
take
nothing to halves. till
Crowchmas be past.
From
heifer bul hid thee,
Be
suer thy neat till
Lammas doth bid thee.
have
water and meat.
By
tainting of ground,
destruction
is found.
MAIES
HUSBANDRIE
At
Philip and Jacob, away with the lams, Essex
and Suffolk
that
thinkest to have any milk of their dams.
At
Lammas leave milking, for feare of a thing:
least
(requiem æternam ) in winter they sing.
To
milke and to fold them is much to require, Milking
of eawes
except
ye have pasture to fill their desitre.
Yet
manie by milking (such heede they doo take),
not
hurting their bodies much profit doo make.
Five
eawes to a cow, make a proofe by a score,
shall
double thy darie, else trust me no more.
Yet
may a good huswife that knoweth the skill,
have
mixt and unmixt at hir pleasure and will.
If
sheepe or thy lambe fall a wrigling with taile,
go
by and by search it, whiles helpe may prevaile:
That
barberlie handled I dare thee assure,
cast
dust in his arse, thou hast finsht thy cure.
Where
houses be reeded (as houses have neede),
now
pare off the mosse, and go beat in the reed.
The
juster ye drive it, the smoother and plaine,
more
handsome ye make it to shut off the raine.
From
Maie til October leave cropping, for why? Leave
off cropping, Destroie Ivie.
in
wood sere, whatsoever thy croppest wil dy.
Where
Ivie imbraceth the tree verie sore,
kill
Ivie, or else tree wil addle no more.
Keep
threshing for thresher, til maie be come in,
to
have to be suer fresh chaffe in the bin.
And
somewhat to scamble, for hog and for hen,
and
work when it raineth for loitering men.
Be
sure of haie and of provender some, Count
store no sore.
for
labouring cattel til pasture to come.
And
if ye doo mind to have nothing to sterve,
have
one thing or other, for all thing to serve.
In
Maie get weed hook, a crotch and a glove, Weeding
and
weed out such weedes as the corne doth not love.
For
weeding of winter corne now it is best,
but
June is the better for weeding the rest.
The
May weed doth burn and the thistle doth freat, Ill
weeds
the
fitchis pull downward, both rie and the wheat.
The
brake and the cockle be noisome too much,
yet
like unto boddle no weede there is such.
Slack
never thy weeding, for dearth nor for cheape,
the
corne shall reward it er ever ye reape.
And
specially where ye doo trust for to seede,
let
that be weel used, the better to speede.
In
Maie good sowing, thy buck or thy brank, Sowing
of branke
that
black is as pepper, and smelleth so ranke.
It
is to thy land, as acomfort or muck,
and
al thing it maketh as fat as a buck.
Sowe
buck after barlie, or after thy wheat,
a
peck to a roode (if the measure be great);
Three
earthes see ye give it, and sowe it above,
and
harrow it finely if buck ye do love.
Who
peascods would gather, to have with the last,
to
serve for his household til harvest be past.
Must
sowe them in Maie, in a corner ye shal,
where
through so late growing no hinderance may fal.
Good
flax and good hemp for to have of hir owne, Sowing
of flax and hemp.
in
maie a good huswife will see it be sowne.
And
afterward trim it, to serve at a neede,
the
fimble to spin and the karl for hir seede.
get
into the hopyard, for now it is time,
to
teach Robin hop on his pole how to clime:
To
follow the Sunne, as his propertie is,
and
weede him and trim him, if aught go amis.
Grasse,
thisle and mustard seede, hemlock and bur, Ill
neighbours to hops.
tine,
mallow and nettle, that keep such a stir.
With
peacock and turkie, that nibbles off top,
are
verie ill neighbours to seelie poore hops.
From
wheat go and rake out the titters or tine,
ir
eare be not foorth, it will rise again fine.
Use
now in thy rie, little raking or none,
breake
tine from hid roote, and so let it alone.
Bankes
newly quicksetted, some weeding doo crave, Weeding
of quickset.
the
kindlier nourishment thereby to have.
Then
after a shower to weeding a snatch,
more
easlie weede with the roote to dispatch.
The
fen and the quagmire, so marrish be kind, Noe
draine ditches
and
are to be drained, now wine to thy mind.
Which
yeerlie undrained, and suffered uncut,
annoieth
the meadowes that thereon doo but.
Take
heede to thy bees, that are readie to swarme, Swarming
of bees.
the
losse thereof now is a crowns worth of harme:
let
skilfull be readie and diligence seene,
least
being too careles, thou losest thy beene.
In
Maie at the furthest, twifallow thy land, Twifallowing
much
drought may else after cause plough for to stand.
This
tilth being done, ye have passed the wurst,
then
after who ploweth, plow thou with the first.
Twifallow
once ended, get tumbrell and man, Carie
out compas
and
compas that fallow as soone as ye can.
Let
skilful bestow it, where need it upon,
more
profit the sooner to follow thereon.
Hide
hedlonds with muck, if ye will to the knees,
so
dripped and shaddowed with buses and trees:
Bare
plots full of galles, if ye plow overthwart,
and
compas it then, is a husbandlie part.
Let
children be hired, to lay to their bones,
from
fallow as needeth to gather up stones.
What
wisedome for profit adviseth unto,
that
husband and huswife must willingly do..
To
gras with thy calves in some meadow plot nere, Forth
to grasse with
where
neither their mothers may see then nor hear, thy
calves.
Where
water is plentie and barth to sit warme,
and
looke well unto them, for taking of harme.
Pinch
never thy wennels of water or meat, Let
not cattel want water
if
ever ye hope to have them good neat:
In
Sommor time daily, in Winter in frost,
if
cattel lack drinke, they be utterly lost.
For
coveting much overlay not thy ground, Overlay
not thy pastures
and
then shall thy cattel be lustie and sound.
But
pinch them of pasture, while Sommor doth last,
and
lift at their tailes er an Winter be past.
Get
home with thy fewell, made readie to fet, Get
home thy fewel
the
sooner the easier carriage to get:
Or
otherwise linger the carrege thereon,
till
(where as ye lift it) a quarter be gon.
His
firing in Somer, let Citizen buie, Husbandrie
for citizens
least
buieng in Winter make purse for to crie,
For
carman and collier harps both on a string,
in
Winter they cast to be with thee to bring.
From
maie to mid August, an hower or two, Sleeping
time.
let
patch sleepe a snatch, howsoever ye do.
Though
sleeping one hower refresheth his song,
yet
trust not hob growleth for sleeping too long.
The
knowledge of stilling is one pretie feat, Stilling
of herbes.
The
waters be wholesome, the charges not great.
What
timely thou gettest, while Sommer doth last,
thinke
Winter wwill help thee, to spend it as fast.
Fine
bazell desireth it may be hir lot,
to
growe as the gilleflower, trim in a pot.
That
ladies and gentils, for whom she doth serve,
may
helpe hir as needeth, poore life to preserve.
Keepe
oxe fro thy cowe that to profit would go,
least
cow be deceived by oxe doing so:
And
thou recompenced for suffering the same,
with
want of a calfe and a cow to wax lame.
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