Fiue hundred pointes of good Husbandrie as well for the Champion, or open countrie, as also for the woodland, or Seuerall, mixed in euerie Month with Huswiferie, ouer and besides the booke of Huswiferie, corrected, better ordered, and newly augmented to a fourth part more, with diuers other lessons, as a diet for the fermer, of the properties of winds, planets, hops, herbes, bees, and approoued remedies for sheepe and cattle, with many other matters both profitable and not vnpleasant for the Reader. Also a table of husbandrie at the beginning of this booke: and another of huswiferie at the end: for the better and easier finding of any matter conteined in the same. Newly set foorth by Thomas Tusser |
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The Authors life.
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 | Fiue hundred pointes of good Husbandrie |  |
[84]
The Authors life.
1
Now gentle friend, if thou be kinde,Disdaine thou not, although the lot,
Will now with me, no better be,
than doth appere:
Nor let it grieue, that thus I liue,
But rather gesse, for quietnesse,
As others do, so do I to,
content me here.
2
By leaue and loue, of God aboue,I minde to shew, in verses few,
How through the breers, my youthfull yeeres,
haue runne their race:
And further say, why thus I stay,
And minde to liue, as Bee in hiue,
Full bent to spend, my life to an end,
in this same place.
3
It came to pas, that borne I was,Of linage good, of gentle blood,
In Essex laier, in village faier,
that Riuenhall hight:
Which village lide, by Banketree side,
There spend did I, mine infancie,
There then my name, in honest fame,
remaind in sight.
4
I yet but yong, no speech of tong,Nor teares withall, that often fall,
From mothers eies, when childe out cries,
to part hir fro:
Could pitie make, good father take,
But out I must, to song be thrust,
Say what I would, do what I could,
his minde was so.
85
5
O painfull time, for euerie crime,What toesed eares, like baited beares?
What bobbed lips? what ierks what nips?
what hellish toies?
What robes, how bare? what colledge fare?
What bread, how stale? what pennie ale?
Then Wallingford, how wart thou abhord
of sillie boies?
6
Thence for my voice, I must (no choice)Away of forse, like posting horse,
For sundrie men, had plagards then,
such childe to take:
The better brest, the lesser rest,
To serue the Queere, now there now heere,
For tune so spent, I may repent,
and sorrow make.
7
But marke the chance, my selfe to vance,By friendships lot, to Paules I got,
So found I grace, a certaine space,
still to remaine:
With Redford there, the like no where,
For cunning such, and vertue much,
By whom some part, of Musicke art,
so did I gaine.
8
From Paules I went, to Eaton sent,To learne streight waies, the latin phraies,
Where fiftie three, stripes giuen to mee,
at once I had:
For fault but small, or none at all,
It came to pas, thus beat I was,
See Udall see, the mercie of thee,
to me poore lad.
[85]
9
From London hence, to Cambridge thence,With thankes to thee, O Trinitee,
That to thy hall, so passing all,
I got at last:
There ioy I felt, there trim I dwelt,
There heauen from hell, I shifted well,
With learned men, a number then,
the time I past.
10
Long sicknes had, then was I glad,To leaue my booke, to proue and looke,
In Court what gaine, by taking paine,
mought well be found:
Lord Paget than, that noble man,
Whole soule I trust, is with the iust,
That same was hee, enriched mee,
with many a pound.
11
When this betide, good parents dide,One after one, till both were gone,
Whose petigree, who list may see,
In Harolds booke:
Whose soules in blis, be long ere this,
For hope we must, as God is iust,
So here that craue, shall mercie haue,
that mercie looke.
12
By Court I spide, and ten yeres tride,That Cards and Dice, with Uenus vice,
And peeuish pride, from vertue wide,
with some so wraught:
That Tiburne play, made them away,
Or beggers state, as euill to hate,
By such like euils, I saw such dreuils,
to come to naught.
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13
Yet is it not, to be forgot,In Court that some, to worship come,
And some in time, to honour clime,
and speede full well:
Some haue such gift, that trim they shift,
Some profite make, by paines they take,
In perill much, though oft are such,
in Court that dwell.
14
When court gan frowne, and strife in towne,And lords and knights, saw heauie sights,
Then tooke I wife, and led my life,
in Suffolke soile:
There was I faine, my selfe to traine,
To learne too long, the fermers song,
For hope of pelfe, like worldly elfe,
to moile and toile.
15
As in this booke, who list to looke,Of husbandrie, and huswiferie,
There may he finde, more of my minde,
concerning this:
To carke and care, and euer bare,
With losse and paine, to little gaine,
All this to haue, to cram sir knaue,
what life it is.
16
When wife could not, through sicknes got,More toile abide, so nigh Sea side,
Then thought I best, from toile to rest,
and Ipswich trie:
A towne of price, like paradice,
For quiet then, and honest men,
There was I glad, much friendship had,
a time to lie.
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17
There left good wife, this present life,And there left I, house charges lie,
For glad was he, mought send for me,
good lucke so stood?
In Suffolke there, were euerie where,
Euen of the best, besides the rest,
That neuer did, their friendship hid,
to doo me good.
18
O Suffolke thow, content thee now,That hadst the praies, in those same daies,
For Squiers and Knights, that well delights,
good house to keepe:
For Norfolke wiles, so full of giles,
Haue caught my toe, by wiuing so,
That out to thee, I see for mee,
no waie to creepe.
19
For lo, through gile, what haps the while,Through Uenus toies, in hope of ioies,
I chanced soone, to finde a Moone,
of cheerfull hew:
Which well a fine, me thought did shine,
Did neuer change, a thing most strange,
Yet kept in sight, hir course aright,
and compas trew.
20
Behold of truth, with wife in youth,For ioie at large, what daily charge,
Through childrens hap, what opened gap,
to more begun:
The childe at nurse, to rob the purse,
The same to wed, to trouble hed,
For pleasure rare, such endlesse care,
hath husband wun.
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21
Then did I dwell, in Diram sell,A place for wood, that trimlie stood,
With flesh and fish, as heart would wish,
but when I spide:
That Lord with Lord, could not accord,
But now pound he, and now pound we,
Then left I all, bicause such brall,
I list not bide.
22
O Soothwell what, meanst thou by that,Thou worthie wight, thou famous knight,
So me to craue, and to thy graue,
go by and by?
O death thou fo, why didst thou so,
Ungently treat, that Iewell great,
Which opte his doore, to rich and poore,
so bounteously?
23
There thus bestad, when leaue I had,By death of him, to sinke or swim,
And rauens I saw, togither draw,
in such a sort:
Then waies I saught, by wisdome taught,
To beare low saile, least stock should quaile,
Till ship mought finde, with prosperous winde,
some safer port.
24
At length by vew, to shore I drew,Discharging straight, both ship & fraight,
At Norwhich fine, for me and mine,
a citie trim:
Where strangers wel, may seeme to dwel,
That pitch and pay, or keepe their day,
But who that want, shall find it scant,
so good for him.
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25
But Salisburie how, were kept my vow,If praise from thee, were kept by mee,
Thou gentle deane, mine onely meane,
there then to liue?
Though churles such some, to craue can come,
And pray once got, regard thee not,
Yet liue or die, so will not I,
example giue.
26
When learned men, could there nor then,Deuise to swage, the stormie rage,
Nor yet the furie, of my dissurie,
that long I had:
From Norwich aire, in great despaire,
Away to flie, or else to die,
To seeke more helth, to seeke more welth,
then was I glad.
27
From thence so sent, away I went,With sicknes worne, as one forlorne,
To house my hed, at Faiersted,
where whiles I dwelt:
The tithing life, the tithing strife,
Through tithing ill, of Iacke and Gill,
The dailie paies, the mierie waies,
too long I felt.
28
When charges grew, still new & new,And that I spide, if parson dide,
(All hope in vaine) to hope for gaine,
I might go daunce:
Once rid my hand, of parsonage land,
Thence by and by, away went I,
To London streight, to hope and waight,
for better chaunce.
88
29
Well London well, that bearst the bell,Of praise about, England throughout,
And doost in deede, to such as neede,
much kindnes shew:
Who that with thee, can hardly agree,
Nor can well prais, thy friendly wais,
Shall friendship find, to please his mind,
in places few.
30
As for such mates, as vertue hates,Or he or thay, that go so gay,
That needes he must, take all of trust,
for him and his:
Though such for wo, by Lothburie go,
For being spide, about Cheapeside,
Least Mercers bookes, for monie lookes,
small matter it is.
31
When gaines was gon, and yeres grew on,And death did crie, from London flie,
In Cambridge then, I found agen,
a resting plot:
In Colledge best, of all the rest,
With thankes to thee, O Trinitee,
Through thee and thine, for me and mine,
some stay I got.
32
Since hap haps so, let toiling go,Let seruing paines, yeeld forth hir gaines,
Let courtly giftes, with wedding shiftes,
helpe now to liue:
Let Musicke win, let stocke come in,
Let wisedome kerue, let reason serue,
For here I craue, such end to haue,
as God shall giue.
[88]
33
Thus friends by me, perceiue may ye,That gentrie standes, not all by landes,
Nor all so feft, or plentie left,
by parents gift:
But now and then, of gentlemen,
The yonger sonne, is driuen to ronne,
And glad to seeke, from creeke to creeke,
to come by thrift.
34
And more by this, to conster is,In world is set, ynough to get,
But where and whan, that scarsely can,
the wisest tell:
By learning some, to riches come,
By ship and plough, some get ynough,
And some so wiue, that trim they thriue,
and speede full well.
35
To this before, adde one thing more,Youth hardnes taught, with knowledge wraught,
Most apt do prooue, to shift and shooue,
among the best:
Where cocking Dads, make sawsie lads,
In youth so rage, to beg in age,
Or else to fetch, a Tiburne stretch,
among the rest.
36
Not rampish toie, of girle and boie,Nor garment trim, of hir or him,
In childhoode spent, to fond intent,
good end doth frame:
If marke we shall, the summe of all,
The end it is, that noted is,
Which if it bide, with vertue tride,
deserueth fame.
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37
When all is done, lerne this my sonne,Not friend nor skill, nor wit at will,
Nor ship nor clod, but onelie God,
doth all in all:
Man taketh paine, God giueth gaine,
Man doth his best, God doth the rest,
Man well intendes, God foizon sendes,
else want he shall.
38
Some seeke for welth, I seeke my helth,Some seeke to please, I seeke mine ease,
Some seeke to saue, I seeke to haue,
to liue vpright:
More than to ride, with pompe and pride,
Or for to iet, in others det,
Such is my skill, and shall be still,
for any wight.
39
Too fond were I, here thus to lie,Unles that welth, mought further helth,
And profit some, should thereby come,
to helpe withall:
This causeth mee, well pleasde to bee,
Such drift to make, such life to take,
Enforsing minde, remorse to finde,
as neede, neede shall.
40
Friend al thing waid, that here is said,And being got, that paies the shot,
Me thinke of right, haue leaue I might,
(death drawing neere:)
To seeke some waies, my God to praies,
And mercie craue, in time to haue,
And for the rest, what he thinkes best,
to suffer hate.
| Fiue hundred pointes of good Husbandrie | |