Palladius On Husbondrie :: :: University of Virginia Library

Palladius On Husbondrie

From the Unique MS. of About 1420 A.D. in Colchester Castle. Edited by the Rev. Barton Lodge: With a Ryme Index Edited by Sidney J. H. Herrtage

Palladius, Rutilius Taurus Aemilianus

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TRANSLATION OF PALLADIUS ON HUSBONDRIE.

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TRANSLATION OF PALLADIUS ON HUSBONDRIE.

BOOK THE FIRST.

De preceptis rei rustice.

1

Consideraunce is taken atte prudence
What mon me moost enforme: and husbondrie
No rethorick doo teche or eloquence;
As sum have doon hemself to magnifie.
What com therof? That wyse men folie
Her wordes helde. Yit other thus to blame
We styntte, in cas men doo by us the same.

2

Us is to write tillinge of everie londe,
With Goddes grace, eke pasture and housyng;
For husbondry how water shal be fonde;
What is to rere or doon in everything,
Plesaunce and fruyte the tilier to bring
As season wol; his appultreen what houre
Is best to set is part of our laboure.

De iiiior rebus quibus agricultura consistit.

3

In thinges iiii alle husbondrie mot stande:
In water, aier, in lande, and gouvernance.
And iii the first, as water, aier, and lande
Beth natural, the iiiith is of plesaunce
And crafte of men; but this consideraunce
Is first to seen, how thyng is of nature
In places there thou wilt have the culture.

4

And first beholde aboute and se thin aire,
Yf it be clere and hole stand out of fere;
The Water eke beholde yf it be faire,
Hoolsum, and light, and eyther springing there
Or elles thider brought from elles where,
Or that it come of rayne; eke se thi lande
Be bering, and commodiously stande.

De aieris probacione.

5

Good ayer is there as dales deep are noon,
And mystes derk noo dayes maketh nyght;
The contreemen coloured well ichone,
Thaire wittes clere and unoffended sight,
Her voices faire, her herynge pure and light.
All this is preef of holsum aire and clene,
And there as is contraier is aire unclene.

De acquâ probandâ.

6

The water out of gayseyn or of myer
Be it not brought, nor out of metal synke,
That it be freshe coloured first desire,

Not poury, but plesaunt and good to drinke,
And smell also therto in cas it stynke;
If it be coole in heete and luke in colde,
The better may thowe with that water holde.

7

Yit although thees in water faire appere,
An hidde defaicte is sumtyme in nature
Under covert, and therof thus thowe lere:
Yf contreymen in likyng hele endure,
Her hedes good, her chekes also pure,
And lite or no compleynt inwith the brest,
The longes hole and wynded with the best.

8

The longe-woo cometh ofte of yvel eire,
The stomake eke of eire is overtake,
Take heede eke yf the dwellers in that leire
Her wombes, sydes, reynes swell or ake,
Yf langoure in thaire bledders ough' awake.
And if thoue see the people sounde and faire,
No doubt is in thy water nor thin aire.

De electione terre.

9

Ffecunditee thowe see thus in thi lande:
See not the swerd all naked, white, unclene,
All chalk or gravel groissyng in thi hande
Withouten moolde admixt, nor sandy lene,
Nor hongrie clay, nor stones ful iche rene,
To ronke aud weete, yolgh, bitter, salt ragstone,
Valeyes herde and depe eke be ther noon.

10

A roten swerd and welny blaake, it selve
Suffysing wel with graas to ouerwrie,
And tough to glue ayein though thowe it delve,

The fruit of it not scabby, rosted drie,
With walwort that goode lande wol signifie.
With ryshes, reede, graas, trefoil, plummes wilde,
And briers fatte also goo it with childe.

11

Coloured stonde not on to besily
To see thi lande; but rather fatte and swete;
To preve it fatte, a clodde avisely
To take, and with gode water weel it wete,
And loke if it be glewy, tough to trete;
Or make a dyche, and yf the moolde abounde
And wol not in agayn, it is fecounde.

12

Yf it be lene, it goeth all in and more,
Yf it be meene, it wol be with the brinke.
But for to take it swete, ataste alore
The bitterest erthe and werst that thou canst thinke;
An earthen potte thou take and yeve it drinke
In water swete, and theruppon thou deme.
Ffor vynes land to chees eke must thou yeme,

13

In coors and in colour solute and rare,
The treen thereon light, fertile, fair, and lange,
As peres wilde, as plummes boshes are,
Not croked, lene, or seke, but hole and strange;
Ne pulle it not, but goodly plaine elonge,
Ne pitche it not to sore into the vale,
Nor breke it not all doun aboute a dale.

14

Tempest, yf it be hilly, must assaille;
An even feelde thou chese, and in the mene,
Thater by the cleef awaie travaille;

Or hille or dale in mesure thou demene.
But se thin eyre be faire and land unlene,
An higher hille the wynd that wolde offende
Must holde of, but yf woddes the defende.

15

The landes fatte or lene, or thicke or rare,
Or drie, or moiste, and not withouten vice,
Ffor divers seede yit thay right needful are;
But chese the fatte and moyste is myne avyse.
Her werk is leest, and fruyt is moost of price.
And after it the thicke and ronke is best:
But thicke and drie espy, and grannt it rest.

16

Ayer, water, lande considered in nature,
Nowe se the crafte;—the crafte is gouvernance;
Nowe every worde and sentence hath greet cure;
The lord present his feelde may best avaunce.
The lande is goode, the colour nought perchaunce;
Therefore in hewe doo thou noo diligence,
ffor god by his plesaunce alle will dispence.

17

The graffe and grayne is goode, but after preef
Thou sowe or graffe, and seedes newe eschewe
To sowe or sette, and trust in thair bonchief.
Oute of thaire kynde eke seedes wol renewe
And change hemself, as writeth clercs trewe,
In places weete all rather then in drie.
ffor vynes nowe, apointe of husbondrie.

18

Northwarde in places hote, in places colde
Southward, and temporannt in Est and West;
Yet of tylling is dyvers reson holde;
But chuse of thi province I holde it best.
To fructifie also this is honest,

That yonger men obeye unto thaire eldron
In gouvernynge, as goode and buxom childron.

19

To kytte a vyne is thinges iij to attende:
The vyne, and fruyt, and place in whom thai growe.
Of erly kytting braunches fele ascende,
Of late kyttyng cometh grapes right enowe.
From feble lande eke chaunge hem yf thou mowe:
For man and tree from feble lande to goode
Who can and wol not chaunge I holde him woode.

20

And kytte hem streyt after thi goode vindage,
And grapes fewe and badde, thou kytte hem large.
Thyn yrons kepe in harde and sharpe usage
For graffyng and for kytting I the charge,
And doo thi dede, or flour or germ enlarge,
And yf the plough mys doo, the spade amende,
In landes drie and hoote noo vyne extende.

21

In places hoote, in places over drie
It is noo boote his vyne a man to sette,
There as for heete he must hem over wrie;
Yet if that he Vulturnus oversette
A vyne in heete or other blastes lette,
Or brenne a vyne, in stre or other thynge
To covert here is holsom husbondynge.

22

The bareyne braunche, if ronke and greene it be,
Right by lette kytte him of as mortal foo
Of alle thi tree; but barenne lande thou flee
As pestilence; in donged londe also,
To sowe in vynes younge as do not so;

Yit Grekes seyen that after yeres thre
Save Wortes, sowe in hem what ever it be.

23

Iche herbe also thai sayen it is to sowe,
In landes drie, outtake of hem the bene;
The bene in landes weete is best to throwe;
And sette not oute thi landes fate or lene
To him whoos lande adjoyneth on thi rene;
For harme and stryffe of that upon thi self
May ryse, ye and perchaunce the overwhelve.

24

Tylle all thi felde, or all thy felde is lorne;
Thi whete, a wonder, chaunging, thries sowe,
In lande to fatte, wol tourne into other corne,
And rie of whete ysowen wol up growe,
As thay that are expert in tilling knowe.
Iliche fre fro thinges thre thowe twynne,
Sterilitee, infirmitee, and synne.

25

In bareine lande to sette or foster vynes
Dispiseth alle the labour and expence.
In feldes more, in hilles nobler, wyne is;
Abundaunt wyne the north wynde wol dispence
To vynes sette agayne his influence;
The sotheren wynde enspireth better wyne.
Nowe moche or noble chees; the choys is thyne.

26

Necessitee nath never haliday:
Take hede on that, and feldes temporate
All though it be goode sowyng, yit alway,
Or long yf it be drie in oon astate,
Let sowe it forth, and god it fortunate;

And yf thi wey be foule, it is dampnable,
And neither plesaunt, neither profitable.

27

To tille a felde man must have diligence,
And balk it not; but eree it upbe bydene.
A litel tilled weel wol quyte expence,
So take on hande as thou may wele sustene.
The vynes blake awaie thowe take, eke greene
And tender vynes kytte are therby shent,
And stakes longe are vynes increment.

28

Twine every kirf aweywarde from the grape;
Lest dropping doo it harme, ennointeth eke
The braunches kitte, and up thay faste escape
Alle fatte and sadde: deep land also thai seke,
Olyves greet oute of that land wol reke
With drafty, wattry fruyte and late and lite
Unsuffisaunt the costes for to quyte.

29

Luke ayer and tempre wynde olyves love,
And vynes, that upon the hilles stande,
By processe may be brought to thair above,
Yit not but fotes iiii in feble land;
And seven foote in fatte up may they stande.
Eke as the grape is grene and wol not shake,
Up bind it softe, and it is undertake.

30

Thy vyne is oon stede ever thou ne bynde,
And delve her cloos for hurtyng thi vindage,
Eke deep and fertile land it is to fynde,
And two foote depe is good for corne tillage,
And double deep for treen in depnesse gage.
A novel vine up goeth by diligence
As fast as it goeth down by negligence.

31

And take on hande in husbonding thi lande
As thowe may bere in maner and mesure;
War arrogaunce in takyng thing in hande;
For after pride in scorne thou maist assure.
And elder then oon yere noo grayne in ure
Thowe putte, in drede it die; yit hilles yelde is
Wel gretter grayne and fewer than in feldys.

32

In springing of the moone is best to sowe
In daies warm; and, treen unprofitable—
Yf that thi land with hem be overgrowe,
Devide it thus;—that fatte and bering able
Let eree it up, and leve the lene unable
Covert in wode; yit wol this, with travaille
And brennyng it, thi fatte lande countervaille.

33

But when it is so brent by yeres fyve,
As nygh it not, and after shalt thou se
That is as fatter lande wol crece and thrive.
Tholyve, as Grekes sayen, shall planted be
Of children clennes in virginitee,
Perchance in remembraunce that tholyve tree
Ys p'mynent to virgyne chastitee.

34

The greynes names is noo nede to telle,
Nor after tyme and places how thai chaunge;
Suffice it the there as thow casteth dwelle,
To see the countrey seed, and seed estraunge,
Preve eke the unpreved grene afore eschaunge;
Lupyne and fetches sleyn, and on thaire roote
Up dried, are as dounging landes boote.

35

And lette hem drie unsleyne, and up thai drinke
The landes juce: in place eke hoote and drie,
In champeyne eke, and nygh the sees brynke
Betyme upon thi werk in vynes hie;
In places colde and moist, or shade and hie
Have thou noo haste, and this to kepe in houies
Aswell as moneth or dayes, thyne honoure is.

36

And tilling, when the tyme is it to doo,
Is not to rathe yf daies thries fyve
It do prevent, and not to late also
As for as long; eke cornes best wol thryve
In open lande solute acclyned blyve
Uppon the sonne, and lande is best for whete
If it be marly, thicke, and sumdele wete.

37

And barly lande is goode solute and drie,
That manner molde hath barly in delite,
In cley lande yf men sowe it, it wol die.
Trymenstre sedness eke is to respite
To places colde of winter snowes white,
There as the lande is weete in somer season;—
Aud other wey to wirche is counter reason.

38

Trymestre seede in hervest for to sowe
In lande colde is best, and yf the need
In landes salt that treen or greynes growe,
Thou must anoon on hervest plante or sede,
The malice of that lande and cause of drede
That wynter with his shoures may of dryve,
Yit must it have an other thing to thryve.

39

Sum gravel or sum water lande caste under
If thou it plannte, and yf thou wolt it sede
A comune molde among it part asonder,
And alle the better wol thi werkes spede.
The stones on thi lande is for to drede;
For thai be somer hoote and winter colde,
That vyne, and greyne, and tree distempre wolde.

40

The land aboute a roote is to be moved
All upsodoune, and fleykes shal we take
Of dounge and moolde, and first be moolde admoved
And after dounge. Ap'mynent to make
Upon thi felde, hym nil I undertake
That is thi dere entere: and whi? For, he
Wol wene his werke be wele, hou soever it be.

41

To chese or bey a felde consider this,—
That his nature and his fecunditie
Be not fordoon. In housbonding is mysse,
Unhusbondyng undooth fertilitee.
Yet pose I that it myght amended be.
The surer is to trust in thinges sure;
The hoole is save, the hurt is for to cure.

42

Yit as for seede, it may wel been amended;
But vynes may have vices worthy blame,
To longe, or broode, uptrailed, or extended,
As dyvers men have doone to fresh her fame,
And fewe or feble grapes in the same
Have growe. A grete laboure is to correcte
A molde in this maner that is enfecte.

43

Thy landes is thus to cheese in costes colde;
On south and este se that it faire enclyne,
And that noone hille the sonne out from it holde,
But from the colde Septemptrion declyne,
And from northwest there chylling sonnes shyne.
In coostes hoote Septemtrion thou take,
Ther fruyte and high plesaunce and helthes wake.

44

And se the floode be goode ther thou will duelle;
For ofte of it exaleth myst impure:
And fle ther from, in caas it myght the quelle.
By myre also to dwelle it is not sure,
And namely and West that drie and dure
In season hoote, for causes pestilent
Engendring there, and wormes violent.

45

Thyne house as wol thi fortune and thi felde
Lete make it up in crafte and in mesure,
It to repaire as may thi lande foryelde,
Demened so that yf mysseaventure
Fordo thin house, a year or two recure
It at the mest, and sette it sumdele hie,
For gladsum and for sadder ground and drie.

46

The fundament enlarge it half a foote
Outwith the wough, but first the grounde assay
If it be ragge or roche; on it thou foote
In depth a foote or two; but uppon clay
If thou wilt bilde an other is the array;—
Let delve and cast it up until thou fynde
It herde and hoole, and tough itself to bynde.

47

With orchard, and with gardeyne, or with mede,
Se that thyne hous with hem be umviroune,
The side in longe upon the south thou sprede,
The cornel ryse upon the wynter sonne,
And gire it from the cold West yf thou conne,
Thus shall thyne hous be wynter warm and light,
And somer colde, and lo this crafte is light.

48

Eke fourme it so that faire it stande yfere;
The wynter wones on the sonny side
There Phebus with his bemes may it chere,
And tymber stronge enlace it for to abyde,
Eke pave or floore it wele in somer tyde,
But tymber not thyne hous with dyvers kynde
Of treen, as ashe and birche, and ooke, and lynde.

49

The mapul, ooke, and assche endureth longe
In floryng yf thou ferne it weele, er chave,
That in the tree the morter doo noo wronge.
Oon parte of lyme and tweyne of robell have,
Sex fyngre thicke a floore therof thou pave
With lyme and asshes mixt with cole and sande,
A flake above in thiknesse of thyne hande.

50

This flooring wol be blak and wynter warme,
And lycoure shedde, anoon it wol up drie,
But, lest the sonne in somer doo the harme,
Thy somer hous northest and west thou wrie,
With marble or with tyle thi flooryng wrie,
Or thus thou maist thi wynter flooryng take,
Or lyme or gravel mynge and therof make.

51

The bylder eke to knowe is necessarie
What gravel and what lyme is profitable.
Savelles dolve in iii natures varie,
In reed, and hoore, and blake unvariable.
Of hem the reed is best, the hoor is able,
The blake is werst, yit gripe hem in thyne honde,
For grossyng gravel fynest wol be fonde.

52

Eke preve it thus, in clothes white it kest,
And shaken oute yf that the clooth be clene,
Withouten spotte, that gravel is the best,
And yf thou may noon delve, in flood, or lene
Clay lande, or nygh the see, gravel thou glene.
The see gravel is lattest for to drie,
And lattest may thou therwith edifie.

53

The salt in it thi werkes wol resolve;
And lande gravel anoon set in worching,
Er soone or wynde or shoures it dissolve.
And floode gravel is goode for coveryng.
Oute of the see gravel the salt to bringe
Let drenche it for a tyme in water swete.
Thy lyme of stones harde is thus to gete—

54

Stone tiburtyne, or floody columbyne,
Or spongy rede, lete brenne, or marble stone,
For bylding better is the harder myne,
The fistulose and softer lete it goone
To cover with, and tweyne of lyme in oon
Of gravel mynge, and marl in floode gravel
A thriddendele wol sadde it wonder wel.

55

Thi walles bricke with brik thou must corone
A foote aboute, and sumdel promynent,
That thay by storme or rayne be not fordone,
And lete hem drie er thou thi bemes bent,
Or rovyng sette uppon, lest all be shent
For lacke of crafte, eke this is husbondrie
To covert hem with sumwhat whille thay drie.

56

Make light ynough aboute on everie syde,
And loke, as the is taught, that este and west
And north and southe thyne houses thou devyde,
In wynter south, in veer and hervest est;
Septemtrion in summer houseth best;
And half as high thy chambre and triclyne
Thou make as it is mesure long in lyne.

57

Of suche a stuffe as easy is to fynde
Is best to bilde, and bordes of cipresse
Plaine and directe upsette hem in thaire kynde
A foot atwynne, and hem togedre dresse
With jenyper, boxe, olyve, or cupresse,
So worching up thi wowes by and by,
But se that it be tymbred myghtely.

58

Fatte reed of myre yground and tempered tough,
Let daube it on the wough on iche asyde,
And with a trowel make it plaine yo,
That it upon the tymbre fast abyde,
Lyme and gravel comyxt thereon thou glide,
With marble greet ygrounde and myxt with lyme
Polisshe alle uppe thy werke in goodly tyme.

59

Eke whityng werk is thyng of grete delite.
Lime is for that in tymes long made lene;
That it be profitable preve astite;
As tymber hewe it with an axe and sene
Yf it be not in the egge, and sum sustene
In the axe all gliry tough and softe relente;
For whytyng that lyme is convenient.

60

The parget of thi wough be stronge and bright,
The truel firste ful ofte it must distreyne,
And as it drieth efte and efte it dight;
The kirtils doo theron of marble greyne,
But first lete oon be drie, and thenne engreyne
A smaller coote above on that, and thenne
A thridde on alle as small as it may renne.

61

And ware a thyng that many men have used,
To drenche her dwellyngplace in dales deep,
Lest water sholde hem lacke, and foule excused,
For helth is rather thenne thi lust to kepe;
The languor of thi lande is to bywepe.
In stede of Welle or wynche have a cisterne
And rayne of ever hous in it gouverne.

62

Let crafte it up pleasaunt as it may suffice
Unto thi self, as best is broode and longe.
The guttures left in sadde ground, assise
And yole on it tilpavyng playne and stronge.
This pavyng must thou cure and labovre longe
And clere it up, but frote it wol with larde
Fatte and decocte; thi werk wol the rewarde.

63

Whenne that is drie, upwalle it every side
In like maner, eke larde it, herdde it weel,
Tyl water wol endwelle it and abyde,
And fede in it thi waterfish and eel,
To move and make it faire and fresh as well,
As though it were a ryver or a welle.
Now chenes to repaire I am to telle.

64

The chenes, holes, pottes, poles mende,
And thorough the stoone yf that the water synke,
Take pitche and talgh, as nede is the to spende,
And seeth hem tyl thai boile up to the brynke,
And let it coole; eke give it lyme to drynke
A lite and lite and smal, but mynge it yorne,
Tyl every parte until oon body tourne.

65

Whenne this cyment is made, it must in synke
Uche hole, and chene, and every lekyng stoone,
And presse it thicke aboute on every brynke;
And holsum is that pipes from it goone,
To bringe aboute in water oon by oon,
To drynke of this of waters first and best,
Licoure of grace above, a thyng celest.

66

Thi wyne celar in colde Septemtrion
Wel derk and ferre from bathes, oste, and stable,
Myddyng, cisterne, and thynges everichoon
That evel smelle; eke se that it be able
As for thi fruyt, an other thyng notable,
Above it well the calcatory make,
A wyne pitte the oon half either to take.

67

Thre grece or iiii is up therto to goo;
Canels or pipes wynes forth to lede
Into the vat, and tonnes make also,
And pave it yf the lyst in length and brede.
A pitte in it, for wynes white and rede
That over renne of ignoraunt kepynge,
To make is oon goode poynte of husbondyng.

68

Thi barnes fer fro stynk and sumdele hie,
Thi stable ferre away therfro thou sette,
Eke se that thay be wyndy, colde, and drie,
Thi berne also be playne, and harde the flette,
And footes two to thicke it thou ne lette,
For every corne a place is to devyse,
As large as for thi tyllyng wol suffice.

69

Thi garner and thi vessel for thi grayne
Make sumdele high, and walle it thus to thryve:
Oyldregges mixt with clay thou must implayne
Thi wowes with, and leves of olyve,
In stede of chaf upon thi wowes dryve,
And drie it wel, and then oyldregge it efte,
And saufly may thi whete in it be lefte.

70

This maner crafte wol holde oute of thi whete
Gurgolions and other noyus bestes,
The coriander leves, lest it swete,
Is putte therin, an other crafte unleest is;
From floor to floor to chaunge it ofte his feest is.
Coniza is an herbe, as Greekes sayne,
That drie is goode to kest under thi grayne.

71

Thyne oilcellar sette on the somer syde,
Holde out the cold and lette come in the sonne
At hooles, so that in the wynter tyde
Thyne oil with esy pressure out be wonne.
Oilmylles, wheeles, wrynges, not begonne
Of newe I nyl not speke of nowe, but clene
Thyne oyle's receptacles thou demene.

72

Men may also doon other diligence
Aboute an oylcellar, it for to warme,
The pament under thorled and suspense
Bete under fyre, so smoke it may not harme,
A dell, and hete eke wol thi hous enarme,
As from the swerde of wynter kene and colde.
Now husbondrie for stables write I wolde.

73

Towards-the southe thi stable and thi stall
For hors and neet thou sette, and gette in light
Oute of the north, and wynterclose it all
To holde outte colde. In summer yeve it sight
Thi hous to cole, and nygh thi bestes dight
A fire in colde; it wol thyne oxen mende,
And make hem faire, yf thai the fyre attende.

74

For harming of thaire hoof eke sette hem drie,
And for iche yoke of exon in thi plough
VIII foote in brede, and goodly length outtrie,
The length as from the horne unto the sough,
The brede is crosse, and plank it stronge ynough
Under thyne hors, that it be lygging softe
Ynough, and harde enough to stande alofte.

75

Eke on the south thou make an hous for bestes,
But over hoote attemporate to holde
A pointe of husbondrie not this the leest is,
Of forkes, and of borde, and bowes colde
A standyng must be made, and overfolde
And heled weel with shyngul, tile, or broom,
Or segges are as good as to my doom.

76

This hous aboute also make up thi mewes,
For dounge of foules is ful necessarie
To londtillynge; yit gooses donnge eschew is,
It is right nought, it is an adversarie
To every seed, now everie birdde hem warie!
Fy on you, gees; fy on your tail for shame!
Your dounge is nought, turn out your taille of game.

77

And in a toure with plaine and whited walles
And fenestelles iiii, a columbaire,
As is the gyse, away from there thyne halle is
Lete sette, as doves may therto repaire,
And inwith make hem nestes many a paire.
Olde spartea, that bestes with beth shode,
To sprynge amonge the doves is ful goode.

78

The wesel shal for this doon hem noon harme,
So it be doon secré that noo man see.
Yit for the wesel use another charme,
Sum of the roope wherwith hath strangled be
Sum men, pray God lette it be never the,
Hang part of that in every fenestell,
And this wol from the wesel wite hem well.

79

Gyf hem comyne ynough, and barme her pennes,
And doves moo ynough in wol thay brynge;
And yf thou wolt have many briddes thennes,
Let barly bake, or bene, or fitches flynge
Afore hem ofte, also for her helping
Let honge aboute in dyvers places rewe,
And bestes adversannt hem wol eschewe.

80

Under thi colver hous in alle the brede
Make mewes tweyne, oon litel and obscure,
With whete and mylde in that thi turtours fede,
In somer faat ynough with litel cure:
But boile it in sweetness, and oon mesure
A strike is for vixx oon daies mete,
But water ofte refreshhed do hem gete.

81

And thrushes fede upon that other syde;
To faat hem is avayling and plesaunte;
But make this house wherin thay shal abyde
Light, clene, and playne with perches transversannte
To sitte upon, and bowes in to chaunte
Ychannged ofte; eke yeve hem figges grounde
Comyxt with flour to make hem faat and rounde.

82

The seed of mirt, if that thou maist it gete,
Of birch, of yvy, crabbe, and wild olyve
Lete yeve hem nowe and nowe for channge of mete;
With channged water ofte. Eke fressh as blyve
As thai be take unhurt, with iiii or v
Of thrusshes tamed, putte hem in this mewe,
To doo disport among thees gestes newe.

83

What woman cannot sette an hen on broode
And bryng her briddes forth? the crafte is lite,
But ashes smoke and dust is for hem goode.
Eke best are hennes blake, and werst are white,
And good are yolgh: but yf thaire appetite
With draff of wyne be fedde anoon bareyne
Their beth: for thi therfrom thou hem refreyne.

84

Wol thou thai often hatche and eyron grete
Thai legge? Half boiled barly thou hem bringe,
Twey cruses in oon day oon hennes mete
That gothe atte large, and odde eyron in springe
Of echates under thynne hen sittynge
To putte, as whenne the moone is daies dene
Of age is good, and til she be fiftene.

85

And other while an hen wol have the pippe,
A white pellet that wol the tonge enrounde,
And softely of wol with thi nailes slippe
Anoon, and askes after on the wounde
Thou kest, and clense it, ley on garlic grounde,
Ground alom eke with oile put in her mouthes.

86

As staphisagre medled in thaire mete
Wol hele her tonnge, another maladie
Wol ryse of soure lupyne, if thai it ete,
As cornes that wol under growe her eye,
That but thou lete hem oute, the sight wol die.
All esely thou maist undo the skynne
With prikyng of a nelde or a pynne.

87

Take woman's mylke and juce of portulake,
And therwith thou maist hele her eghen sore,
Or hony, myxt with salt armonyake
And comyn evenly, is goode therfore.
And yf thyne hen be lousy, there is more,
Eke luys with staphisagre and comyn
Igrounde in wyne and juce of soure lupyn.

88

The pokok men may rere up esily
Yf bestes wilde or theves hem ne greve.
Her briddes wol thai fede up besily
In feldes forth, and up thai wol atte eve
Into a tree lest thai by nyght myscheve.
But warre the fox, as while thai sitte on brode
To sette in an Ilande were ful goode.

89

And for a cok beth hennes v ynowe;
The Cok his eyron and his briddes hateth,
Until the crest upon thaire hedes growe,
And first in Feverer of love he prateth.
And benes bake alite his love abateth
Right nere adell, yf that he ete hem warme,
For thei wol rather his courage enarme.

90

The cok confesseth emynent cupide
When he his gemmy tail begynneth splay
About himself so faire on every side,
That never foul was in so fresh array.
A shuddering, a flusshing, and affray
He maketh thenne, and turneth him aboute
All golde begoon his tail and wynges stoute.

91

The pohen eke excused, yf men sette
Another henne her eyron forth to brynge,
Wol legge in oon yere thries dewe as dette,
V atte the frist and iiii at efte legginge,
And after iii or ii; but for bredynge
To set an hen on eyron ix is goode,
IV of her kynde, and v of other bloode.

92

The first day of the moone is this to doo,
The xth day the iiii away betake,
And other iiii enscore her place into.
To tourne hem ofte also good hede thou take,
For she may not the turnyng undertake.
Yet take for that a stronge hen and a grete:
A litel hen on fewer must be sette.

93

The xxx day goth al out of the shelle,
And oon norice may xxv lede.
So say not I, but so saith Columelle;—
XV I sey suffice oon henne to fede.
And first for hem spring wynes white or rede,
On barly seede, or puls decoct and colde
To yeve hem frist is good and holsum holde.

94

And after hacked leek or tender cheses
Lete fede hem with, but whey thou holde hem fro;
Ek pluck awey the feet and yeve hem breses;
And monethes vi it is to fede hem so;
And after geve him barly to and to
Right as the list, but xxx dayes olde
Thai with thaire norce into the felde betolde.

95

She nowe behinde, and nowe she goth before,
And clocketh hem, but when she fynt a corne,
She chicheth hem and loith it hem before,
Hem ledyng home atte nyght lest thai be lorne.
Eke hele hem of the pippe as is beforne
Of hennes taught; but when thaire crestes springe
As seke are thay as children in tothinge.

96

Fesanntes up to bringe is thus to doo:
Take noon but of oon yere; for, infecunde
Are olde; and frist in marche uppon thai goo
Her vyves; but the males not abounde
In coitu, though thai be faat and rounde;
A cok for hennes tweyne, and every hen
Wol ones sitte on eyron twies ten.

97

A commune henne may weel uppon xv
Of hem be sette, and of her owen a fewe.
And channge hem as before atte daies dene.
At xxx daies ende oute wol thai shewe.
Frist fede them daies thries v arewe
With barly coct and colde, and wyne besprong,
And after bresed whete and breses longe.

98

Annt eyron yeve hem eke, and kepe hem fro
The water for the pippe, and if it have hem,
With garlic stamped weel and tar therto
Her bekes froted ofte and sadde wol save hem,
Her tonnges eke right as an hen to shave hem,
And right as hennes heel her maladie
Is goode; to fatte hem eke is husbondrie.

99

With wheet a strike, or other half a strike
Of barly mele enoyled, offed lite,
In dayes thries ten thowe make hem slyke
And fatte ynough, so that her appetite
Be served weel, and that noon offes white
Englayme uppon the rootes of her tonnge;
For that and hunger sleth thees briddes young.

100

The goos with grasse and water up is brought,
To plant and tree an opon foo is she,
Her bityng harmeth corne, her donnge is nought;
Take for oon male of hem females thre,
And twies a yere deplumed may thai be;
In sprynging tyme and harvest tyme; eke make
For hem, yf other water wonte, a lake.

101

For wonte of grasse on trefoil lette hem bite,
On gouldes wilde, or letuce, grekysh hay.
The skewed goos, the brune goose as the white
Is not fecounde. And why? For as thai say
Oute of the kynde of wilde gees cam thay.
Fro Marche kalendes gees to sette on broode
Until the day be lengest is ful goode.

102

An hen upon thaire eyron maist thou sette,
As of the pocok saide is all before,
But lest this hennes eyron sholde ought lette,
Ley netteles under with, and evermore
The laughter last: unto the modres lore
Is to be lefte that thai may with her children
Laugh and be gladde, as with hem were here eldron.

103

Ten daies first lete hem be fedde withynne;
And thenne, is Wedir faire, doo forth hem lede;
But netles war, from hem thi briddes twynne,
And fatte hem xxx daies olde for nede;
Atte moneths foure alle fatte thou maist hem fede,
Flour thries a day; and lette hem not goo large;
In warme and derk to clese hem I the charge.

104

Eke mylde is goode also in every mete,
All manner puls is goode, the fitche outetake.
Swyne heres brustels kepe hem lest thay ete.
Two parties branne with flour thees Grekes take
With water hoote comyxt; also thai make
Her water thries freshed every day;
And ones in the nyght. This is no nay.

105

Yf thou desirest that thi gees be tender;
When thai in age be passed xxx daies,
Of figges grounde and water tempered slender
Gobbettes yeve thi gees. But these arayes
To speke of here for nought but myrth and play is;
Yit as myne auctor spak, so wolde I speke,
Seth I translate, and loth am fro him breke.

106

This doon, is other thinges for to doo:
Two stewes must thou make in erthe or stoone,
Not fer from home, and bryng water therto
Of sprynge, or rayne for water foul that oon
To swymme, also thi bestes to togoon;
That other wete in hides, yerdes drie,
Lupyne, and other thing for husbondrie.

107

For hay, for chaf, for tymber, and for redes
Make housyng as the list; it is noo charge;
In drie and wyndie places there noo drede is
Of brennyng hem, and for that alle atte large
Away from home ordeyn hem I the charge.
A fyre is foul affray in thinges drie.
And now for dounge an other husbondrie:

108

The myddyng, sette it wete as it may rote,
And saver nought, eke sette it oute of sight;
The seed of thorn in it wol dede and dote.
Thyne asses dounge is rathest for to dight
A garden with; sheep dounge is next of myght;
And after goot and neet; eke hors and mares;
But dounge of swyne the werst of all thees ware is.

109

Askes beth goode, and so hoot is noo dounge
Of foule as of the douve, a quysht outake,
And oon yere old is nought for herbes yonge
And goode for corne; but elder thou forsake,
Fresh dounge is best thi medes with to make;
Seeslyme al fresshe ywesh, and slyme of floode
With other dounge ymedled is right goode.

110

Thi garden and thyne orchard, sette hem nygh.
The garden from thi mydding softe enclyne,
That juce of that amonge thyne herbes sigh;
And water in sum stede away declyne.
Eke yf the lacke a welle, a winche enmyne;
And if thou may not soo, lette make a stewe
With rayne water thyne herbes to renewe.

111

And yf that help it not, lete delve it depe
Three foote or foure, in wyse of pastynynge,
That it may in itself his moister kepe.
And every lande, although a man may brynge
With help of dongyng hit into tylling,
Yit is the chalk or claylonde for to eschew,
And from the rede also thi garth remewe.

112

Eke yf thi garth be drie in his nature,
Depart it, and in wynter southward delve
Hit uppe, and in the somer doo this cure,
Upon Septemtrion to overwhelve
Hit upsodowne; thus wol hit save it selve.
The garth eke closed is in dyvers wyse;
Dyversed wittes dyversely devyse.

113

Hym liketh best a daubed wough, and he
Wol have a wall of clay and stoon, and stones
Withouten clay an other wol it be;
A nother with a diche aboute ygone is;
War that, for that the werst of everichon is.
That diche wol drie up thi humours of thi londe,
Yit yf thi garth be myree, a diche may stonde.

114

Oon planteth thorns, an other soueth seedes;
But bremble seede and seed of houndes thorn
Doo weel, and geder that as ripe as nede is;
With fitches flour, ywatered well beforn,
Lete medled all this seede, lest it be lorn.
In ropes kepe this confect meddissyng
Until the time of veer or of spryngyng.

115

Thenne eree a double forowe iii foote a sonder,
As ferre as thou wolt close, and deep a foote;
This ropes with thi seedes cloos hem under
Light moolde aboute, and on anoon lete wrote.
This doon, at twenty daies end a roote
In erthe, a branch in aier wol reche aboute.
Now rayle hem, and of closure is noo doute.

116

Lete veer goo delve, yf hervest shall go sowe;
If veer shall sowe it, hervest must go delve;
So shall her eitheres werke been overblowe
With colde or hoote under the signes twelve.
Mark oute thi tables, ichon by hem selve,
Sixe foote in brede and xii in length is best
To clense and make on evry side honest.

117

In places wete or moist make evry brynke
Two foote in heght, a foote in places drie,
And yf thyne humour from thyne herbes synke,
Dispose it soo that it from places hie
Descende, and doo thi lande to fructifie;
And thens to an other part procede,
And so to every parte, as it is nede.

118

To sowe and graffe although I sette a tyme,
Yit graffe and sowe as men doo the beside;
In places cold thyne hervest sede betyme
Is best to haast; in springyng seede to abyde.
In places hoote eke chaunge her either tyde.
To graffe and sowe in growing of the moone,
And kytte and mowe in wanyng is to doon.

119

For blichenyng and myst take chaf and raf,
And ley it on thi lande in dyverse stedes,
And when thou seest the myst, lete brenne up chaf
And raf, eke as for hail a russet wede is
To kest upon the querne, also it nede is
All bloody axes bere and heven threte
In hardy wyse as hym to slayne or bete.

120

Girde eke thi garth aboute in vynes white;
Or, sprad the wynges oute, sette up an oule.
Whi laugh ye so? this crafte is not so lite.
Or take thi spades, rake, knyf, and shovelle
And evry tole in beres grees defoule,
Eke sum have stamped oile with grees of beres
To greece her vyne-knyf for dyveres deres.

121

But that a man must doo full prively,
That never a warkman wite, and this is goode
For frost, and myst, and wormes sekirly.
But as I trust in Crist that shedde his bloode
For us, whos tristeth this Y holde him wode.
Myne auctor eke, (whoo list in him travaille!)
Seith this prophaned thyng may nought availe.

122

Oil dregges fresshe for gnattes and for snayles
Or chambre soote is goode to kest aboute;
For anntes eke an oules herte availe is
To putte upon her bedde, and alle the route
A trayne of chalk or askes holdeth oute.
Thi seed with juce of rucul or syngrene
To wete up sleth the rucul, as men wene.

123

Eke figtree askes oon on rucul throweth,
An other hangeth uppe or soweth squylle,
The thridde among his wortes chitches soweth,
For wondres fele and, he saith, as to kille
The rucul and fele other thinges ille,
A menstruous ungerd wommon, unshod
Untressed eke, about to goone is goode.

124

Floode crabbes here and ther to crucifie,
He seth, is goode; but bestes forto sle
That dooth thi vynes harm let sle the flie,
The cantharide in roses that we se;
Put hem in oile, and roton when thai be,
The vyne if thou shalt kytte enointe aforn
The knyf with this; for this craft is noo scorn.

125

Oile dregges and oxe galle is goode for gnattes,
So that the beddes therwith thou enoynte,
Eke oile and yvy grounde is goode as that is,
Or waterleches brende an other point is.
Thi wortes that the wermes not disyoint,
The seedes in a tortous skynne thou drie,
Or mynte among thi cool thou multiplie.

126

Eke fitches brese, of hem thair radissh springeth,
Or rape, or thus take juce of henbane
With soure aysell, and hem togeder mengeth,
And kest hem on your cool in every pane;
Ereither wol be worterwormes bane.
Brenne her and ther the heedles garlic sceles,
The stynke of it for hockes help and hele is.

127

Thi vyne knyf with garlic forto frote
Is goode, eke cley and brymstone yf me brenne
About a vyne, anoon this hockes rote,
Or hocke in water yf men seethe, and thenne
About in all thi garden do it renne,
It sleth the hocke, but bring it from withoute
Myne auctor saith, fro sum garth nygh aboute.

128

Upon the whetstoon sle the cantaride,
The cantaride a vyne yf she enfeste;
And Democrite he saith that mys betyde
Shal neither seede nor tree by worme, or beest,
Of flood, or see, x crabbes yf thou kest
With water in an erthen potte ywrie
Ten daies throut until the vapur die.

129

And herbe or tree to moiste in the licour
Iche viiith day is suffisaunt, saith he,
To heel and helpe hem forth in fruite and flour,
But holde aye on it holpon til thou see.
Pysmires yit yf thou wol make hem flee
Kest origane ystamped with brymstoone
Uppon thaire hoole, and oute thay flee anoone.

130

The same is doon with cokille shelles brente;
Eke brymstoon and galbane oute chaseth gnattes,
Also the fleen wol sleyn on thi pavyment
Oildregges ofte yspronge, eke myse and rattes
This dregges mo may sle than dooth thi cattes,
So it be thicke and poured in a ponne,
The mous by nyghtertale on it wol fonne.

131

Elebur blak with fatte, or brede, or chese,
Or floure comyxt and offred hem wol slen;
Cocumber wilde and coloquynt doo brese;
The juce will sle the myse as dyvers men
Have saide; A yit an other crafte sleth fleen:
Watered cucumber seede, or comyn grounde,
Lupyne, or psilotre kest on the grounde.

132

And for the feld mous, Apuleius
Saith goode is alle his greyne in oxes galle
A man to stepe, and sowe hem thenne: eke thus
With affadille upclose her hooles alle;
Thai gnawe it oute, but dede downe shal thai falle,
Right forth withall thai shall it not eschewe,
The moldewarp the Grekes thus pursue:

133

Thai thurle a nutte, and stuffe it so withinne
With brymstoon, chaf, and cedria, thees three.
Then alle her hooles ther the molde is ynne
Save oon, the moste, uppe stopped must thai be.
The fyred nuttes smolder shall thorowe fle
This grettest hoole, as wol the wynde him serve,
And either shall thees talpes voide or sterve.

134

Yit for the mous, kest oken askes soo
Aboute her hooles in it that thai may trede;
The scabbe anoon will ryse and hem fordoo.
For eddres, spirites, monstres, thyng of drede,
To make a smoke and stynke is goode in dede.
Brent hertshorne, or gootes cleen, or rootes
Of lilie brente, or galbane all this bote is.

135

The Greek saith eke that yf a cloude arise
Of breses smert, men muste in hous hem hide,
And thai wol voide. A crafte eke thai devyse
That, breses seyn, men fle to hous and byde
In hous, and as thai come, awaie thai glide.
Cocumber wilde, or sour lupyne in drestes
Of oil comyxt wol dryve away thees beestes.

136

And other sayne that scorpions and thees,
Yf sume of hem be brent, wol voide ichone;
And other als seyne, hockes for to lese,
Kest figtree aske on hem, and, but thai goone,
Oil dregges and oxe uren iliché anoon
Let mynge and boile, and when it coled is,
Byrayne aboute uppon thi wortes this.

137

The greek saith that a best prasocoride
The garth anoieth muche, and remedie
Is this for that, a rammes panch athide
Alle lightly soo there as thai multiplie,
When Phebus chare hath goon aboute it twye,
There shalt thou fynde hem heped, sle hem there
A twie or thrie, and thai ne shall the dere.

138

Yit efte for hail a crocodilles hide,
A see calf skynne, or of a lyonesse
Bere uppe aboute thi lande on evry side,
And whenne thou dredest hail or hevynesse
Lete honge it in thi yates or ingress
Of hous or towne, or thus in thi right hande
A myres tortous bere aboute thi lande.

139

But bere it bolt upright, and tourne agayne
Right as thou went, and ley her downe upright,
And undersette her crooked bakke, that mayne
Her lacke agayne to tourne herself downeright.
This (is) a crafte of witte, a thynge of myght,
For all the lande that thou haste goon aboute
For cloudes wick is save, this is noo doute.

140

When other seen derk cloudes over hove,
The shappe of it thai take in a myrroure,
And outher thus from hem his harme thai shove,
Or to sum other doubleth his terroure;
Amydde a vyne another thyng socoure,
For every mychief is a see calf hide
Aboute a quyk calf gridde on evry side.

141

Thi seedes with cocumber rootes grounde
Lete stepe, and save of evry mysse thai are;
An other thinge that lightly may be founde,
The calvair of an horsed asse or mare,
Sette that uppe: that wol make all fecundare
On every side as ferre as it may se.
Thus saithe the booke, and thus I trowe it be.

De area.

142

Thi thresshing floor be not ferre of awaie,
For beryng and for stelinge, as the gise is
Of servauntes; of flynt eke, if thou may
This floor thou make, or hewen stoones besides,
Or water myxt with grounde, the thridde avis is,
Upshette aboute, and trampled with catell
Maade playne and dried after, wol do well.

143

And nygh it make a place high, plain, and pure,
When nede is therto cave upon thi corne,
This wol availle, and make it longe endure.
Then after to thi berne it may be borne.
Eke, lest thi greyne in shoures sholde be lorne,
Right hoolsum is to have an hous besyde,
That for a shoure in that it myght abide.

144

But make it high, on everie half perflable,
Ferre fro thi garth, thyne orchard, and thi vynes;
For, right as chaf and dounge is profitable
On rootes, and upbryngeth brede and wynes;
Right so the same upon the top a pynne is,
The floures and the buddes wol thai drie,
And bore hem through, and make hem so to die.

De apium castris.

145

The Bee-yerd be not ferre, but faire asyde
Gladsum, secrete, and hoote, alle from the wynde,
Square, and so bigge into hit that no thef stride.
Thaire floures in coloures or her kynde
In busshes, treen, and herbes thai may finde;
Herbe origane, and tyme, and violette,
Eke affadille and savery therby sette.

146

And curiage, and gladiol the longe,
Eke amarac, and other fresshed floures,
Rosmary, yvy, rose, and lily spronge
In busshes, eke the blossom greet socond is.
Of evry tree thaire swetnesse in the floure is,
Ook fold and birche, eke terebynite, and lynde
But Utree, that is nought, leve it behynde.

147

Of tyme is wex and hony maade swetest,
Of tymbra, peleton; and origon
Is next to that; and after hem is best
Of rosmary, and savery, thenne is noone
So goode as thai, but rustik swete echoon.
Septemtrion sette treen upon his syde,
And bushes aboute under the walle devyde.

148

And after busshes herbes in the playne,
A sobre brook amyde, or elles a welle
With pulles faire, and bowes or it trayne
So langh and rare on hem that bees may dwelle
And drynke ynough, but ferre awaie propelle
Horrend odoure of kychen, bath, gutters;
Eddres to sleyn and foules oute to fere is.

149

The keper pure and chaste and with hem ofte,
His hyves havyng redy forto take
His swarmes yonge, and sette hem faire on lofte.
The smell of dounge and crabbes brende aslake
Away from hem; and places that wol make
A voice ayein as ofte as men wol calle
Is nought for hem, eke nought is titunalle.

150

This thapsia, this wermoote, and elebre,
Cucumber wild, and every bitter kynde
Of herbe is nought for hem, as hem is lever
Lete make her hyves all of thynner rynde,
It is not angry hoot, nor colde unkynde.
Take ferules eke, or saly twygges take
Ye may, but potters hyves thou forsake.

151

Or make an hyve of bordes like a stonde,
For that is goode, or hewe an holowe tree,
And therof make hem hyves into stonde,
But iii foote high on stulpes must ther be
A floor for hem, wel whited thou it se,
So made that lysardes may not ascende,
Ne wicked worme this catell forto offende.

152

Thyne hyves heer thou sette a lite asonder,
Her entre tourne it faire upon the southe;
No larger than a bee may trede in under.
Wickettes two or three thou make hem couthe,
That yf a wicked worme oon holes mouthe
Besiege or stoppe, an other open be,
And from the wicked worme thus save thi bee.

153

To bey thi been beholde hem riche and fulle,
Or preve hem by thaire murmure magnitude,
Or se the swarme and carie hem yf thou wolle
By myght upon thi bak, hem softe enclude,
And towarde nyght hir yates thou reclude.
But bey hem not too ferre oute from thyne eire,
For chaunge of ayer may putte hem in dispaire.

154

Thre daies thenne it is to taken hede
Yf alle the swarme oute atte the yates goo,
And if thai doo, then it is forto drede
Lest thai purpoos in haast to ben agoo.
Yit wene men that they wol not do soo
Aboute her hoole an heifer calves thoste
So that thou cleme, and this litel coste.

De balneis.

155

It is not strange, if water wol suffice,
An husbonde on his baathe to be bethought;
For therof may plesaunce and helthe aryse.
Towarde the sonne on drie it must be wrought,
Southwest and southe the sonnes ynne be brought,
That alle the day it may be warme and light;
The celles suspensures thus thou dight:

156

First floore it ii foote thicke, enclyninge softe
The forneis warde, so that the flamme upbende
The celles forto chere and chaufe olofte;
And piles maade of tiles must ascende
Two foote and half, and two foote wide attende
Hem forto sette, and upon hem thou sprede
A marble floor, or tyle it yit for nede.

157

A myliair of lede, the bothom brasse
Anende the feetes sette it so withoute
The fourneis, and the fire ther undre passe.
A conduite cold into it bringe aboute,
Make pipes water warme inwarde to spoute,
The celles square oblonge as x in brede,
As for xv in length is oute to sprede.

158

For hete in streite is gretter then in large;
But seetes make yfourmed as the list.
The somer celles lightes thou enlarge
Upon the north, but winter celles wist
From north; the southern light is best, as wist
Is well; and all the wesshe oute of thi bathes
The garden thorowe to go therto no scathe is.

159

The chambres in the bathes may be wrought
As cisterne is, but wol be well the stronger,
And other waies fele, yf thai besought,
As clene as it, but thai be yit unstronger.
Thi winter hous to sette eke studie lenger
Uppon thi bathe; for lo the groundes made,
And hete of it thi winter house wol glade.

De malthis calidariis vel frigidariis.

160

Convenient it is to knowe, of bathes
While speche is made, what malthes hoote and colde
Are able, ther as chynyng clifte or scathe is
To make it hoole, and water well to holde.
For bathes hoote ammonyake is tolde
Right goode with brymstone resolute ypitte
Aboute in evry chynyng, clifte, or slitte.

161

Or thus: hardde pitche, and wex, take even weight,
And herdde with pix liquide herto eche
An halvendele, and grounden shelles dight
With flour of lyme: al thees comixt wol deche
Every defaute, and all the woundes leche.
While wex, hardde, pitch, remysse ammonyake,
Thees three comixt therfore is goode to take.

162

Or thus: ammonyak remysse, and figges
With pix liquide and herdde sore ygrounde
To cleme upon right suffisianntly bigg is;
Or floure of lyme in oil, yf thou confounde
And helde it in, upheleth it by grounde,
But kepe it drie awhile, eke boles bloode
With oil and floure of lyme admyxt is goode.

163

Eke oister shelles drie and alle to grounde
With harde pitche and with fygges doth the same;
But malthes colde in other crafte thou founde,
Ox bloode with pitche and synder alle to frame,
And make it like a salve, and overflame
Iche hoole and chene, or siften askes clene
And sevum molton helde in evry chene.

De pistrino.

164

And yf thi water come in abundance,
As moche as may thi bathes overflowe,
Thi bakhous therwith all thou maist avance,
A water mylle herwith thou maist avowe
To make, in sparing beestes that shal plowe,
As hors and ox, and so with litel care
Shal water cornes grynde and beestes spare.

165

Make redie nowe iche nedeful instrument,
Lete se the litel plough, the large also,
The rigges forto enhance, and uppe to hent
Ther as the lande is moist, yit toles moo
The mattok, twyble, picoys, forth to goo,
The sawes longe and shortte, eke knyves crooked
For vyne and bough with sithes, sicles hocked,

166

And croked sithes kene upon the bake,
Showe forth also the cannibe knyves lite
In plantes yonge a branch awaie to take,
The hokes that the fern awaie shall bite,
And billes all thees brerers up to smyte,
Set rakes, crookes, adses, and bycornes,
And double bited axes for thees thornes.

167

Here must be markyng yrons for oure beestes,
And toles forto geldde, and clype, and shere;
Eke lether cotes us to were honest is,
So thair cuculle aboute oure brolles were,
And bootes, cocurs, myttens, mot we were:
For husbondes and hunters all this goode is;
For thai mot walk in breres and in woodes.

Palladii primus liber explicit: assit ut unus Alpha vocatus et ω det mihi Christus homo!

BOOK THE SECOND. JANYVEER.

Ablaqueacion of vines.

1

Atte Jannerie ablaqueacion
The vynes axe in places temporate;
Italiens excodicacion
Hit calle: and it is hem to desolate
Of erthe, and all from every roote abate.
Thus, delves made, on hem shall weete and heete,
Thai two dooth all engendre grapes greete.

2

In places glade and lene, in places drie,
The medes clensed tyme is now to make,
And beestes from nowe forth from hem to crie;
The feeldes faate and drie, on hem to wake
And breke hem up, but at the wendyng slake
The yoke, thyne oxen neckes forto cole:
But drawing by the horne is noo goode scole.

3

The balke, that thai calle, unered lande
And overheled, beholde that there be noon;
The cloddes malled be with mannes hande.
To wite if alle be well, thyself allone
Transversall thourgh the forowes everichone
Lette rush a rodde, and make hem ofte this went,
And thi ploughmen wol not be negligent.

4

The fenny feeld it is not forto plowe,
Lest all the yere it after be to tough
To plowe, eke, as men saith, noo thing wol growe
Thre yere on landes drier then ynough
And rayne betwet, so turne upp with the plough.
Demene it in the meene of moist and drie,
Eke sowe it so, and it wol multiplie.

5

Atte Janus mones Idus temporate
Grounde is to sowe in barly galatike,
viii busshels seede an acre lande is atte;
But first se that the winter have be like.
Now chiches, sowe in fatte and moist londe, like
Thre strike an acre seede, yit ofte it faileth;
So weete or heete in flouring it availeth.

6

And when this Janus xxv daies
Is olde, is best thi fitches forto sowe
Ffor seede but not for fodder, for noo nay is
That snailes rather lette hem forto growe.
vii bushels on an acre londe bestowe
When all the dewe is off, in houres warme,
And hele hem lest the nyghtes weete hem harme.

7

Ffeyngrek to have of seede is to be sowe
In Ytalie ene in this Janes ende;
vii strike upon an acre is to throwe,
But plowed thynne and smale is to commende.
Ffor fyngers foure if lower thou descende
Upp may it not: for thi with plowes light
Sum eree and sowe and rake it with forth right.

8

Also the tares in this Janes ende
Is goode to sowe in places drie and leene,
v strike upon an acre is to spende.
This mone, in sunny daies and serene
Withouten frost, thi cornes, weede hem clene.
Yit wol this werk the roote, as sum men telle,
Unhele, or kirve, and colde it after quelle.

9

When wheet is quaterfoile and barly v,
And puls and beenes fingers foure ascende
Aboven erthe, it is to weede hem blyve;
The lupinge is noo wedyng on to spende,
Withouten helpe himself it will defende
From wedes alle; it rootes hath but oon,
And yf me wede it slayne it is anoon.

10

Thi bene yweeded twyes wol availle,
To wol it fructifie in grettest wyse;
Of oon to have a strike is goode travaille;
Myne auctor saithe therto the wol arise.
To wede eke cornes drie is noo goode gyse,
Ffor blichenyng after that werk is drede,
Yit barly drie it harmeth not to wede.

11

This moone is goode to make in pastynyng,
That may be maade dyvers in wyses thre,
In delvyng alle, or plowing, or dichinge.
Thi lande unclene alle dolven uppe mot be,
Of rootes, fern, and weed, to make it free;
But yf thi lande be leys clene of weedes,
With diche or forowe to pastyne it noo drede is.

12

The forowe is best ille humour oute to wyse
Elonge eke as the liketh best thi lande,
Two foote and half the brede is to devyse.
Then yf the vyne is dight with mannes hond,
Two foote and half ther must unereed stond;
But otherwyse if vynes shall be plowed,
Ffeet v or vi of leye is hem alowed.

13

Two foote and half in brede and three in lenght,
Yf diches plese, hem make, and three feet deep;
With mannes hande to till, or oxen strenght;
Thyne enterspace in oon maner thou kepe,
But lest the scions crokedly up creep
And harmed be whenne yrons depe synke,
Pare all the diches even plaine the brinke.

14

The first is goode, two foote and half, or three
Feet depe to turne up all; but diligent
Thou be lest balkes underclosed be.
The wardeyne with his rodde experient
May be therof thourgh putting every went.
Eke heep uppe everie roote of ferne and brieres,
And everie weed, as used everi where is.

15

The tables for thi vynes maist thou make
Herafter as the list, or as thi lande
Wol axe. An acre all hool may thou take,
Or half an acre well therin may stande,
Eke of the thridde part it may be fonde,
The fourthe part an acre wol be square:
In londes mesuring yit craftes are.

16

Of pastyniug thus mesure every side
A table square an acre lande to holde,
Ffeet scores nyne in lenght as feele in wyde,
Let square it so, theroute of may be tolde
Of squares x feet wyde, who so beholde,
CCC square of x and twyes twelve.
The nomber wol thyne acre overwhelve.

17

This nomber what the liketh to pastyne
Dissensseth alle decempedes xviii.
Renomber hem, but tymes twyos nyde (nyne)
Decempedes, therof ther shall be seen
CCC iiii & iii and xviine (v. cccxxiv).
As was before; iche acre oute thou trace
In this maner of large or litel space.

18

Thi vynes soile be not to molsh nor hardde,
But sumdel molsh, neither to fatte ne leene,
But so wel fatte; nor pitche it not downwarde,
Nor splatte it not to flatte, but sumwhat lene;
Of drie and weete also kepe it the meene.
In bitter soil or salt sette I noo vynes;
In soiles so corrupt full sory wyne is.

19

The meane is best thyne aier to qualifie,
Yit sumdel warme is better thenne to cold.
Thenne ayer all weete is better sumdel drie,
But vynes fer of wynde and stormes cold,
And erthe and namely woode lande best is hold
For pastyning, and werst is holden there
As sumtyme olde vyneyerdes were.

20

Yit if thou tille it of necessitee,
Lette exercise and eree it ofte aforne,
That rootes olde and drosse out clensed be
And every filthe oute of this feeld be torne,
So vynes yonge in it ther shall be borne.
Ragstoon and thinges hardde in colde and hete
Relaxed bereth vyneyerdes grete.

21

Molsh cley and stany lande, and stering stones
Commyxt with moold and flynt that erthe is under,
Of cold and moist conservatour flyntstone is,
The rootes and the sonne it hath asonder,
Eke places unto whome from hilles sonder
The landes sweete, and valeys that the flood
Upfilleth,—all that is for vynes good.

22

Lande argillose, and not cley by it selve,
Ys commodiouse; and there as wrecthed greves
Soure lande to weete or salt is, never delve,
And alwey thristy drie land in repreve is.
Undounged sleek wol make hem lene, as preve is;
In reed erthe eke a vyne is harde to take,
Though afterwarde sumdele therin is wake.

23

But this lande is full wicked to be wrought,
To hardde in heete, and over softe in weete.
Now spek of goode lande, levyng that is nought,
As welny rare attemporanntly mete,
The mydday sonne eke stande it with to mete
In places cold, and to septemtrioun
In places hoote enclyne it sumwhat doune.

24

In places cole enclyne it on the est,
Yf Est or southeryn wyndes nought enaye,
And yf thai doo, turne hem southwest or west
Impedimentes rootes oute thou trie,
And tradde it so that wicked herbes die.
Two foote and half the feeld, and three the cleves,
And iiii an hille pastyned deepe to cheve is.

25

Rong lande a foote and half, a valey twey
Ffeet deep is atte the best, experte ynough
Am I that vynes preveth best if thai
Be sette anoon after the spade or plough,
Ar then the lande be wexen sadde or tough.
That this is goode whether me plowe or delve
Myne auctour saithe he sawe the preef himselve.

26

Letuce is to be sette in Janyveer,
Or December, the plantes to revieve
In ffeverer; either in ffeveryere
Let sowe and in Aprill her plantes meve.
Eke sowe hem alle the yere weel wol thai preve
In ronke and dounged fertil lande, but sette
Hem not but even kytte and dounge ywette

27

Sette if thai be, lette bare hem, yeve hem dounge;
Moist dounged londe and longh hem liketh best.
The weedes with an hande must uppe be wronge,
And thai that thynnest standeth beth gladdest.
Or slitte her leves growen so wel prest,
And with a shelle or a hutte adoune hem presse,
And thai wol glade and fate under this presse.

28

Thai wol be white, as men suppose, yf ye
Amonge hem gravel springe, and in the foiles
Gravel be bounde, eke suche her seede may be
Thai wexeth hardde, and sumtyme on the soile is
It longe, or on the tyme; eke every foile is
Maade tender twyes if it be transplaunted.
Now commeth a crafte is worthi to been haunted.

29

In letuce herbes umbigoon wol growe
But ye must take a bay of gootes dounge,
And with a nal as craftely as ye mowe
So make it holowe, and putte in seedes yonge
Basilicon, radish, and rucul stronge,
Letuce and cresse. and dounged weel this bay
Do sette it in as fyne lande as ye may.

30

The raphe is roote, alle other in letuce
Upgoothe and all on high thai wol devyde
Yche herbe in his coloure, odour, and juce.
Here is an heelful thing, a wonder wride;
Yit odir men in other crafte abyde,
As for the same a letuce uppe thai plucke
And from his roote ich foile awaie thai crucke.

31

And pricke her place, and sette in hem thees sedes,
The raphe outake, and lappe it faire in dounge
And sette it uppe, thai goo iche as her seede is,
And letuce in thair leves umbiyonge.
O blessed God! that nature is so stronge.
Letuce of lac derivyed is perchaunce;
Ffor mylk it hath or yeveth abundaunce.

32

Now cresses sowe, and sette hem when the list;
Of places, aier, or houer have thai noo doubte.
Dounging thai noon desire, and though hem list
Humor, thai axe it not, eke greet and stoute
With letuce up thai goo, and all the route
Of rucul, serve it like this, cool also,
Garlic, ulpike, eke sowe hem nowe both two.

33

In Jane, in ffeveryere, and Marche in cold
Erthe, October and November in hoote
Erthe, is settyng of serves noble holde,
So that thair apples riped with foothoote
The semynaire be sette in, eke I wote
Myself expert of apples trees have growe
Right faire, and brought uppe fruytes right ynowe.

34

Atte November to plannte hem in hoote londe
In thende of March in colde in Janyver is
And ffeveryer in temper lande fonde
Right goode, and hilly moist lande colde welner is
Thaire love, and fattest lande her grettest chere is.
Eke ther as serves feirest and thickest
Uppe springe is certayne preef of lande fattest.

35

The planntes bigge a depper delf desireth,
And larger space, as wynde may hem to shake,
That greteth hem eke as the caas requireth;
Yf hery wormes reede her festes make
Inwith the pith, unhurt the tree thou take
Oute sum of hem, and brenne hem nygh beside,
And either wol thai die or nought abyde.

36

Yf thai nyl bere, a wegge oute of a bronde
Ywrought dryve in the roote, or sumdel froo
Let diche and fild with asshen let it stonde,
Eke graffe hem in Aprill is goode to doo
In white thorne, in hemself, in quynce also,
In trunke or rynde: her fruyte eke yf thou wolle
Have kepte, a party hardde thou must hem pulle.

37

And whan thai softe hem, putte in puttes lite
Of erthe, and cley her mouthes, sette hem depe
Two foote and under sonne as thai delite,
And tradde hem fast above, and lete hem slepe;
Eke slitte and sonne-dried thou maist hem kepe,
And when the list in water hoote revire
Thai wol, and taste even as the list desire.

38

Sum have hem greene ypuld, and stoon and alle
Thai honge hem uppe in place opake and drie
And wyne mellite, as saide is, save hem shall;
Aysell and wyne eke oute of hem men trie,
As oute of peres but if bookes lie.
Thyne almannd tree thou sette in Jannyver;
And yet as goode for that is Feveryere.

39

In October and November thai sette
Hem there as lande is drie as well the seedes
As scions from the grettest roote ysette;
But for this tree the semynair in dede is
To delve a foote and half depe wherin need is
An handfull depe, two feet to sette asonder;
Eke south and sonne is goode to sette hem under.

40

The feldes calculose, eke harde and drie
Thai love, and hattest ayer, forthi thai ripe
And floureth with; eke of the yonge oute trie
Oon here, oon there, and elles where hem dripe.
Let stand as feel as may thi lande begripe.
Sette eke noon almondes but greet and newe,
And hem is best in Feveryere remewe.

41

A day afore her setting, hem to stepe
In meeth is goode, but watter it wel for this.
Muche hony might hem harme, and sum hem kepe
Three nyght in molton dounge, and doo not mys;
The iiiith nyght in meeth is steped is;
Thenne is it in the semynair ysowe
Or sette in goode tyme up shall it growe.

42

And watter hem every moon in droughtes thrie,
Eke delve hem alle aboute and weede hem clene,
Dounge eke thi semynair to multiplie
Hem in, but plante hem twenty foote atween,
Or at the leest asonder hem xvne.
In November kytte of the bowes drie,
Superfluent, and thicke, eke utter trie.

43

Yf beestes bite hem, bitter wol thai be,
But mylge hem not in tymes when thai floure,
For therof wol anoone the blossom fle,
Her fertile age is faire, and for the honoure
The bareyne with a firebronde pyn socoure,
Dryve in the bored roote, or a flynte stoon
So doo that him the bark may overgoone.

44

In places colde if frottes be to doute,
As Marcial saith, this is remedie.
Or flouring tyme her rootes bare aboute
To make, and stoones white accompanye
With gravell to this roote forto plie;
And whenne that burgyne oute wel like to preve,
Thees stones and gravel me may remeve.

45

He saith also thaire tender fruite to make
Or then thai floure, alle bare hem atte the roote,
Warme wates certayne daies on hem slake,
And bitter yf thai be, this be thaire boote:—
Three fringers from the stocke the lande remote
Lete make a cave, evel humor oute to sweete,
And this wol oute of bitter make hem swete.

46

Or bored through the stocke, an honyed pynne
Dryve in, or daube her roote in swyne dounge.
But whenne thair fruyte is ripe, as take it ynne,
And that is when thaire huske is drie and clonge;
Withouten care a man may kepe hem longe;
And yf thaire huske of easily nyl goone,
Ley hem in chaf, and it wol of anoone.

47

Weshe hem in see licoure whenne thai be clene,
Or water salt, and white thai longe endure.
In December, or Janyveer demeane,
Or Feveryere in cold londe, a mesure
To graffe an almont tree whoos graffes pure
Oute of the toppe, eke graffe in stocke or rynde
In peches, and eke in thaire propere kynde.

48

This Greekes sayne: almonndes me may make
With lettres growe, her shelles to disclose
And write upon the cornel hool outetake
Or this or that, and faire aboute it close
In cley and swynes dounge and so repose,
And in thaire fruyte thi lettres wol be clere.
The nutte is to be sette in Janyveer.

49

Moist, hilly, cold, and stony lande thai love,
With humoure eke thai lyve in tempre stedes.
Eke sette hem so and thenne, as saide above
Of the almonndes is, in November eke nede is
To sunne and drie hem sumdel, also spede is
In Janyver and fferyer to steepe
Hem oon day into lande or then thei crepe.

50

Sette hem transverse oon syde intort the grounde,
But sette thaire tree, to looke on the Aquylone;
A stoon or tyle under the roote enrounde,
That it goo nought douneright a stalke alloone
But sprede aboute; eke gladder be ther noone
Then thai transplanted ofte, at three yere old
In hoote lande hem transplaunte, at tweyne in cold.

51

Thaire roote uncutte, yf other treen me cutte,
Oon plante in oon oxe dounge is doune to sette,
And askes with, the heete a part to putte
Of dounge indoon, lest it adure and lette.
This aske in tender rynde a tree wol frette,
As men beleve, or fruytes densitee
Fforth brynge on smal conceyve immensitee.

52

In delves deepe is sette thair appetite
Thaire magnitude a larger lande requireth.
Eke to noo tree thaire dropping is delite,
Her brere thorne and her owne kynde it ireth
And in thaire age a mylging thay desireth,
Lest thai therein all hoore yberded goo;
And chanel eke thaire tunicke unto the too.

53

The bonfice of sonne and wynde wol harde
Hem sure ynough that were in way to dede.
And yf thi nutte is knotty or to harde,
To slitte his rynde evel humours oute to lede,
The rootes forto croppe eke sum men rede.
A stake of boxe do thorough this bored roote
An yren nayle or topton: here is boote.

54

And yf thou wilt have nuttes tarentyne,
Ffor antes lappe a kyrnel save in wolle,
And in thi semynary it recline;
Eke chaunge a beryng nuttree if thou wolle
Into that kynde, as wete it atte the fulle
Thrie every moone a yere in lie allone,
And tarentyne his nuttes wex ichone.

55

And when thaire huske agooth hem thai beth ripe,
Eke so thai must be sette, and hem to kepe
Lete close hem in a barel or a pipe
Made of thaire owen tree, or lette hem slepe
In greet, or chaf, or oynyons yf thai wepe,
Ffor thai thaire bittre soure wol mortifie,
Or kepe hem in her owen leves drie.

56

And Marcial saithe nuttes shelled greene,
As greene, in hony putte, aier endure,
And drinke of this licoure wol cure up clene
The pipes and the gomes, as is sure
This Marcial expert upon this cure.
In plomtree, in thayme self, in crabbe tree
At Janyveer ygraffed may thai be.

57

Nowe tuberes in quynces may me graffe,
Nowe sette in peches boon, now almounde tree
And plomtrees wol conceyve a peches graffe,
In damacene eke graffed may it be,
In præcoqua the vyne eke men it se.
Nowe chiritree to graffe, and peches wilde
And plumtree eree in gumme it goo with childe.

58

And nowe is tyme, as telleth Columelle,
The lambes, and the beestes more and lesse
To marke, and rapes make wele to smelle
In condyment is nowe the tyme expresse.
Echinus, erchon fisshe is, as I gesse;
This fisshe, and lardde, and flitches salt to kepe
In just confection now taketh kepe.

59

In Janus oil confecte of myrtes bay is
In this maner: an unce of foiles take,
A pounde of oyle, and x unce of this bay is,
In half a sexter aged wyne do shake,
And alle this thing to boile atte ones make.
This wyne is in this werk lest foiles drie
This boyling wolde eschewe, and brenne or frie.

60

Now myrtite wyne is made of myrtes bayes,
Three sexter baies broke in x of wyne
That aged is so steped xix dayes,
Wrynge oute the myrte and clense it, put therein
A scriple of foil and half a scriple of fyn
Saffron; to this x pounde of hony sweete
And best, this wol be plesaunt drynke and sete.

61

Of laures bay an oil is now confecte:
Take of the laures bayes feel and greete
And ripe, in sething water hem dejecte,
So lette hem sething longe tyme swete,
And after that the swymming oil doo gete
Into sum thing with fetheres faire and clene,
And in sum goodly vessel it demene.

62

Oil lentiscyne is made in this manere:
Lentiskes greynes feele and ripe aslepe
Thou bryng a day and nyght to heet yfere;
The honging in a basket lete hem wepe,
But in some honest thyng thaire teres kepe,
As oil lauryne is lentiscyne of take,
Whoos vigour hoot water must underslake.

63

Now hennes legge upon thaire wynter rest;
Nowe forto hatche are hennes obroode;
Nowe make is to falle in season best
Ffor pale, or hegge, or house, or shippe in floode.
In olde eke of this moone is this most goode.
This moon and December wer oon in space
Of houres in myne auctours tyme and place.

60

The firste houre xxix foote is fixe,
xixne an other houre, and thries v
The thridde houre is, the fourthe is twies vi;
The fifte is x, the sixte is ix asblyve,
The vii as v, and viii as iv upthryve,
As iii is nyne, as ii is ten, the forme
Thelleveth is with, let Pallady say for me.

BOOK THE THIRD. FFEBERYERE.

De pratis servandis et letamine saturandis.
[_]

ON MANURING MEADOWS AND PLOUGHING HILLS.

1

Atte ffeveryere in places temporate
The medes forto kepe is to begynne,
And fede hem that be lene at poire astate
With dung, as Luna gynneth wex and wynne
Upon the nyght; eke never gretter wynne
Is to the graffe; and ley it on the syde
Above, all thourgh that juce of it may glyde.

De proscindendis collibus.

2

Atte places warme, in daies lithe and drie,
Ys nowe the hilly landes uppe to eree,
Trymenstre seede in erthe is nowe to strie;
Now wold also thi puls be sowen there
As thynne, and resolute, and fatte it were;
And namely drie. And whi? Lest luxurie
And humour excessyve go make it die.

3

Thay may be sowe until the moone be
Atte daies xii; and forto make hem greet
And uppe anoon, comyxt thou must hem se
With drie dounge, and therin lette hem sweet
Till daies foure: as for au acre mete
A strike of hem. It shall be so sufficed.
And chiches sowe afore as I devysed.

De serendo canabo.

4

Last in this moone eke Hemp is to be sowe
In dounged, fatty, playne, weet, and depe lande;
A foote of square in sixe sedes may growe.
Nowe londe, that medycyne is fore yfond,
(Wherof atte sowyng hem to understande
I wol ye doo) ye must it plowe eftesones,
Eke diligently clodde it, pyke oute stones.

5

In Marche kalendes in the soile ydight
In gardyn wyse is floures forth to sprede
X foote, and stretche hem L feet forth right,
Ffrom either syde all easely to weede,
And watter it as ofte as it is nede.
This land thus sette, old dounge is it to serve
And greythed thus tll Aprill to reserve.

De hervo, de curandis vitibus et arboribus.

6

Yit in this moone is forto sowe tares
And not in March, lest thay ennoie thi beestes,
Thi oxen might be woode therof as hares.
Now olde bryne atte tree and vyne a feest is,
Uppon thaire root as ofte as eree it kest is.
Sum men suppose bryne hem sholde appeire,
But it wol make her fruytes feel and feir.

7

Oyl dregges fresshe is profitable holde
To kest amonge, and rathest in olyve;
But this a man must doo in dayes colde,
Or thenne the fervour hoote on hem aryve.
Now barly Galatyk is forto thryve,
Abouten Marche kalendes yf me sowe
It in cold londe, white and sadde wol it growe.

8

This moone eke alle the soiles pastynate
With vynes wolde be fillde, whoose goode nature
No lande nor ayer forsaketh, so thaire state
Be shaped in convenient mesure.
The vyne in playne is sette that may endure
Eke myst and frost, but sette in hilles hie
That wyndes may endure and dayes drie.

9

Sette in the fertil feeld smale and fecounde,
The sadde and beryng vynes in the lene,
The bowy bigge in densed erthe abounde,
And sonnest ripe in cloudy cold demeene,
Or hardde graped stormes to sustene;
The moist in hoote, the tough in wyndy londe,
And vyne it drie, in rayne it may not stonde.

10

And shortte to sai,—se the profession
Of every vyne, and wherin thai myscheve
As counter it by goode discrecion.
In lande plesaunt and serenous thai cheve,
In every kynde as easy is to preve.
The vynes' kyndes is not forto telle:
To nomber hem therfore y nyl not dwelle.

11

But knowe is this that grapes faire and greet
Pypyned hardde and drie it is to take
Unto the borde; and tender grapes weete
That savour best and sonnest wolde asslake
And dwyne awey, of hem thi wynes make.
The place chaungeth kynde of sum vynes.
Vyne Amynee hath ever fairest wynes.

12

Thai change not, but better hoote then colde
Thai may abyde; and after fatte, in leene,
But dounging helpe hem well, thai nyl uot holde.
Two kyndes are of hem, a more and meene.
This meene effloureth sone, and knotteth clene
And smale, eke greyneth lite; in meene londe
Allone, and with a tree fatte must it stonde.

13

This smaller vyne eke hateth wynde and rayne;
The grettest of this Vynes Amynee
In blossomyng or flowryng ofte is slayne.
Vyne Apianes profitable be.
Suffice it forto name up thees three.
A witty man taketh preved thinge, and channge
He maketh, that lande from lande be not to strange.

14

Suche erthe as thai come oute of sette hem too,
And in thaire merites thai wol abyde.
And vyne or tree to channge yf thou wolt doo,
From leene land to fatte thou must hem gide.
From fatte to leene is nought; lette that crafte slyde.
Scions to sette oute of the myddel trie,
And neither of to lowe nor of to hie.

15

Take hem that gemmes v or vi ascende
Ffro the elder brannche; and yf thou take hem soo,
Withouten channge hemself thai wol extende;
A vyne abundant eke thou take hem froo,
And take not hem that bere a grape or two,
But hem that kneeleth down for ubertee.
Oon bough may better thenne an other be.

16

And this a signe is of fertilitee:
In places hardde yf fruytes multiplie,
Iche bough eke from roote uptrailed be
With fruyte; and thoo lete marke and signifie
Atte settyng tyme oute forto trie.
But see that ther be noon olde upon the ende,
Ffor it wol roote, and alle corrupte and shende.

17

The squorges hie and graffes from the folde,
Though thai wol growe, and scions pampinary
With fruyte, for fruytfull lete hem not be told,
Ffor thai from fruyte to barynesse wol vary
Whenne thai be sette, and then hem wol thou wary.
But writhe not the hede of the sarment,
Whenne it is sette, nor doo it noo turment.

18

And vynes wolde be sette in plesaunt dayes
And warme, unbrenned in sonnes or wynde
As cutte and sette; or if thai have delaies,
So save hem moist that thai may kepe her kynde.
While spryngyng tyme endureth have in mynde
In places colde and moist and fatte by wette
With shoures often vynes forto sette.

19

The scions shall be sette a cubit longe;
And there as lande is fatte doo sette hem wide.
And thicke and leene lands so that amonge
Hem in thi pastinated lande devyde
Three foote of open lande on everie syde;
So shall thou in acre tabul mette
MMM and LX scions sette.

20

Two foote and halfe if thai be sette atwynne,
VM 6 save twyes twelve
Sarmentes wol fille up the lande withinne
An acre table tilled by it selve:
And wethir thou thi landes eree or delve,
Overward and afterlonge extende a lyne,
And putte a sticke in place of every vyne.

21

Then kest adoune the scions here and there,
And ympe in oon in every stickes place.
Oon maner vyne yf alle thi landes bere,
A wicked yere myght come and alle difface;
So dyvers vynes sette in divers space,
And vynes goode of iv or v have mynde,
And severed by hemself sette everie kynde.

22

Thi vynes olde eke graffe hem table mele;
It wol be faire, it wol be profitable,
Thus easely thaire fruytes may me dele
The rathest riping grapes in thaire table,
That other may come after as thai able;
Thus better wyne and besinesse
Shall be as knoweth tilliers expresse.

23

But this in pastynyng and ereed londe
Is rewle, and not there as be delves made.
Sarmentes there in angles iiii stonde,
And, as saith Columelle, it is to glade
Hem, if the londe be leene in every slade,
With fatte erthe, yf me fetche it elleswhere
Ffro places ferre or nygh, and brynge it there.

24

Wyndraf is goode also comixt with dounge,
But yf thou sette a plant or a slevyng,
Put in a litel moisty molde amonge,
But doo noo cley therto for anything.
Two gemmes upon erthe eke forto springe
To leve(s) is goode; the sonner wol thai take.
Nowe cometh a crafte arbustes forto make.

De arbustis, vitibus et plantis arborum vitiferarum.

25

That yf the list to have a grove of vynes,
Lete plantes in the seminarie sette,
But trie hem oute of it that gentil vine is.
And whenne thai roote and wexe a litel grete,
To stande aboute her tree lete hem be sette.
The semynair is even dolven londe
Two foote and half deepe planntes in to stande.

26

In that thi scions or thi planntes may
Be sette a little asonder, gemmes three
Of scions under moolde is sette alway.
And yeres two whenne that thai rooted be,
Translate hem be thai scions, be thai tree.
The scabby braunches and the wexed rootes
To cut away for dyvers harmes boote is.

27

Two scions in oon diche it is to sette
That neither oth'r touch a sounder soo
Thaire growing forto encumb'r or to lette,
But faire up by the sydes lette hem goo.
The first yere fille it not, as saith Mago,
But fille it full uppe at the yer(d)es end;
The depper wol the roote of hem descende.

28

But this is in hoote lande convenient
And not in colde, thair moist wol purifie; (putrify)
The rootes hele hem there is myn entente.
And planntes forto sette also thou trie.
Asshe, popler, elm, thoo three wol multiplie,
As semeth me, in every maid lande.
Yit Columelle is so not understande.

29

Her plantes in this moone it is to sette
Not ferre thy vyne, and in thi felde for corne
If thai be sette, a xl foote of mette
Iche elme away from oth'r must be borne.
So may thou sowe, and not thi seede be lorne,
In landes fatte; and yf thi lande be leene,
Thenne sette hem not but xxti foote atwene.

30

A scion sette it vi feet from the tree,
Lest that the tree encrece, and it oppresse,
From beestes kept with dichyng must it be;
The vyne eke to the tree with bondes dresse.
A bettir crafte is for this besinesse
Lette make a skeppe of twygge a foote in brede,
And sumdel lesse alle though it be, noo drede.

31

This bring unto the tree with vynes spredde,
And thorowe the bothom therof make a gappe,
That thorowe that gappe a scion may be ledde.
This (s)keppe unto the tree thou bynde and happe,
And fille it with quyk moolde, and therin wrappe
This scion in the skeppe a lite ywounde
Or writhed in this litel skeppe grounde.

32

Within a yer weel rooted wol it be
In with this skeppe, under whoos bothom sholde
Hit be so kytte and borne unto the tree
Ther it shal growe, and set it faire in moolde,
The skeppe and all,—so wol it take and holde,
Withouten doute, as fele as er the list.
Doo serve hem thus, and in thaire growyng triste.

De vineis provincialibus.

33

Provyncial of is dyvers kynde of vynys:
The best is like a bosshe ythied breefe.
Till it be stronge, susteigned first this vyne is,
And stronge allone it stonte in his bonechief.
Next it beth borne up vynes best of preef,
Upbounde, orbicular, and turnede rounde.
And last is it that streght lithe on the grounde.

De putandis vineis communibus et humilibus.

34

In landes temporate and sumdel cold
Good tyme is nowe the vynes kitte to be.
And there thai multiplie manyfold,
Thoo vynes that Septentrion dothe se
To kutte in springing tyme ains the;
That oth(e)r part that loketh on the sonne
To cutte in hervest newe is not begonne.

35

And strength allway the theigh in the kytting.
Two hardness in oon vyne is not to make.
The crooked, febul, fatte, and mys growing,
And eke the greyne branche away thou take.
The lower branche in goodly place awake.
Let suffre that a gemme or two extende,
The vynes to repaire or forto amende.

36

In easy places hier may thai traile,
In lene, or hoote, declyne, or stormy stedys
Lete hem be lowe; also this wol advaile.
In place fatte of iche an arm no nede is
Of branche moo than two. Also it spede is
To deme upon the bygnesse of the vyne,
As what wol make it stande, and what declyne.

37

The vyne hie and of fecunditee
In brannches viii ynough is to dilate,
Aboute his thegh lette noo thing growing be,
But yf it axe to be revocate,
And yf the stok be holgh or concavate,
Purge of the dede, oildregges on the wounde
With erthe ydoon wol hele it uppe by grounde.

38

And take awaie the torne and honging rynde,
The dregges wol the fewer be by grounde,
The mosse awaie doo that where ye fynde,
And in the harde if that thou make a wounde,
Adounewarde sumdel lenyng must it rounde,
The clawes drie and scabbed olde busely
Kytte all away, and kepe up that is wely.

39

And if thi vynes footes iv ascende,
Thenne armes iv is goode forth forto streyne,
Yf it be lene in iche an arme extende,
A branche, if it be fatte, extend up tweyne.
But alle oute of oon syde if thou hem treyne,
As thing with leyt forsmitten, wol thai die,
For thi doo way that feble husbondrie.

40

Upon the harde, or on the toppe ne leve
Thi scions. Whi? for that is to feconde.
The toppe with litel fruyt wol all for leve.
Amyddes wol the best scions be founde.
A lite above his gemme eke make the wounde,
And turne it from the gemme in caas it wepe;
The turnyng may the teres under drepe.

De putacione arbusti.

41

The vyne ysette into the tree to growe,
His first matier at the thridde or secounde,
Gemme is to cutte, and everie yere alowe
It up to encrece, and wynes forto abounde,
Yf thou wolt have on bowes hem fecounde.
But fewer forto have and gretter wynes
Into thi trees toppe lede uppe thi vynes.

42

In bigger bowes fele, and fainter fewe
Brannches doo traile, and cutte hem bei this reason:
To that the grapes were uppon by rewe
The forme yere, now cutte hem this season.
The rainal from the fressher bough to leson
Ys goode, and everie yere hem forto unbinde
Is comforte and refresshing to thaire kynde.

43

And make the tree that euerie bough extende
By oth'r forth as lyne leide be lyne.
An elm in fatte lande viii feet may ascende,
In lene lande atte vii him declyne.
In dewy, clowdy lande thi tree for vyne
Kytte it that est and west his bowes ronne.
The vynes sides bete uppon the sonne.

44

To thicke uppon the tree doo not the vyne,
And yf oon faille, up reree an oth'r tree;
And make hem lough in cleves that declyne,
In plaine or ronke lande hier may thai be,
But bondes harde in vyne is not to se.
Do bondes softe and esy forto were
Theron, lest bondes harde it kerbe or tere.

De putacione provincialium vitium.

45

A dight vyne in provinciale manere,
That like a bosshe upstonte, iiii armes make,
And brannches leve on hem as thai may bere.
The vyne orbiculer with canne or stake
Upborne, in commune fourme her cuttyng take.
The streght vyne on the grounde gemmes twoo
The frist yere leef, and after mo and moo.

De novellæ putacione.

46

A novel vyne, as telleth Columelle,
After the formest yere to oon matiere
(The) fourme is goode, and not as other telle,
The seconnde yer to kytte of alle yfere,
That thai or dede, or pampinary, were:
But better is to lette a gemme or twoo.
In bigger vynes rather this is do.

47

Ffirst helpe hem uppe with canne and litel stakes,
And yeve hem streng yeres after three.
At yeres iiii uppe iii matiers takes
On hem, alle ronk yf that the landes be.
The brannches eke kitte of fro vyne or tree,
And brere, and roote, and alle impediment
In haast is from the delver to been hent.

De propaginibus.

48

Nowe husbondrie his olde vynes plecheth.
The long endured, olde, for freeten vyne
Is not to helpe, as Columelle techeth,
To delve it under alle, but to reclyne
It like abowe, and under lande it myne.
Ffor, as he saithe, the cors I delve in grounde,
The rootes wol abounde and alle confounde.

49

He saithe also that after yeres tweyne
This bowes into brannches wol abounde.
But tiliers upon this thing compleyne:
That if me cutte hem after the secounde
Wynter, thai wol be seke and in the grounde
Her rootes faile, and sodainly thai die.
Ffor graffyng now cometh crafty husbondrie.

De insitionibus.

50

As in this moone in places warm and glade
Thi graffing goode it is to solemnyse,
Three maner graffynges may be made,
An tweyne of hem is now to do the gyse,
In somer doon the thridde hath his devyse,
Oon in the stok, oon graffeth under rynde;
Emplastering an other dothe in kynde.

51

Thus graffe under the rynde a bough or tree,
There cicatrice is noon but plaine and clene.
So sawe it that the bark unbresed be,
And smothe it after with thi knyves kene.
A wegge of boone or yron putte bytwene
The bark and tree welnygh iii fingers depe
Avisily, the rynde unhurte to kepe.

52

Oute with this wegge, in with a graffe anoon,
That oon half cutte, the pith hool and the rynde
Upon that other half, and uppe to goon
Ouer the hede two handbrede is his kynde.
With risshes and with stren me must hem bynde,
And iii or iiii, as wol thi stok suffice,
Asondered fyngers iiii is to devyse.

53

Do clay uppon, and mose it alle aboute,
And bynde it to so that the graffe stonde
An handbrede up the messe and clay withoute.
And other bynde it straitly with sum bonnde,
And in the cloven hedes forto stonde,
Thai graffes doon on either side & shave
Sharppe as a wegge, her pith so that thai save.

54

A wegge in it there must be put aforne,
That, it, puld oute, the tree theron may chinge.
This either crafte for springing tyme is borne,
And worcheth while the moone is in springinge,
Whenne graffes gynneth swelle in burgynynge.
Ffertil and frisshe eke knotty sprongen newe
Thi graffes be, so that estwarde thai grewe.

55

The graffes be thi litel finger g(r)ette,
And forked as with forkes oon or two
With gemmes fele aboute on hem ysette.
The yonger tree the better wol it doo.
But nygh the grounde it must be cutte, and so
Sette in the graffe atwixe his tree and rinde,
And as is taught afore, is it to bynde.

56

Ane other take a graffe of that greetnesse
As is the stocke, that thai wol frist devyde.
This graffe unto that wol thai shappe and dresse
That bark with bark acorde on either side.
They cley and bynde it wel, but forto abyde
And growe it helpeth wel to doo goode lande
The stock aboute, until the graffe upstande.

57

A diligent husbonde enformed me,
That doutlesse every graffyng wol comprende.
Untempered lyme yf with the graffes be
Put in the plages there thai shall descende,
He saide her either sappe wol condescende
Unto that mene, and glewe hemself yfere
In mariage ymixt as though thai were.

58

Of emplastrynge is after in his moone.
Eke Columelle hath told an other crafte
To graffe; unto the pith it is to doone,
A tree to bore and se nothing be lefte
Inwith this bore, and thenne a graffes shafte
Of vyne or tree with gemmes oon or two
By even mete unto that bore ydoo.

59

With clay and mosse it cloos advysely.
Thus in an elm a man may graffe a vyne.
A Spaniald taught me wonder gisily
To graffe, and bade me theron not divyne.
In peches it was preved tymes ixne,
As forto take an arme greet withi bough
Two cubette longe or more and sadde ynough.

60

He saide amyddes thorowe I must it bore,
And ther it growed croppe a plante of peche,
And there uppon let slippe adowne that bore
That either hede into the lande forth reche.
Bende as a bowe, or vynes that men pleche,
And cleme it, mose it, bynde it softe aboute.
Quod he thus wol it growe it is noo doute.

61

A yere agoone, thai two wol joine as oon.
Thenne cutte away the roote under the bowe,
And ley goode erthe on everie side, and on
Withouten bones fruyt theron wol growe.
In places moist and ronke is moost to trowe
Upon this crafte: for withi loveth wete,
And children on an oth'r tree to gete,

62

This moone in places temporate olyve
In pastyne, or in tables brinkes sette,
Or in thaire groundes, beth to growe and thrive.
And oute of thi pastyne if thai be fette,
The hed and everie bough or smal or grette
Kitte of; a cubit and an handful longe
Thai must be sette if they shal have noo wronge.

63

Shouve a stake afore, and in doo kest
Sum barly seede, and kitte of everie drie,
Her hedes and mose, and bind hem fest.
The same side uppon the south to wrie,
As dede beforne, is holden husbondrie.
Let sette hem feete a sonder thries v,
Or twies x, as best is hem to thrive.

64

Plucke uppe iche weede aboute, at everie reyne
Do delve up smal the moolde of every roote,
Let mynge it wel, and putte it on ayeine,
And more a litel herre upon it wrote.
But in his place if thou wolt have him soote,
Lande, mixt with cley, or sondly cley, fatte sonde,
Lande thicke and quicke, is goode in hem to stonde.

65

The potter's clay, the wlonk, or sondy lene,
And naked cley nys nought; for, though it take,
It wol not cleve; eke there as ook hath bene
Or crabtree, the olyves it forsake.
The rootes wol thaire oile or slen or slake.
Northwarde of fervent grounde, southward of colde,
And enter both of hilly lande thai wolde.

66

Her baies names:—oon is Pausia,
An other Orchas, then is Radius,
Licinia, Sergy, Comminia,
And many moo calde oth'r way then thus,
Whoos names shal unwriten be for us.
Oil Pausia, while it is greene, is best,
But sone in age it is corrupt and lest.

67

Licinia her oil is best atte alle,
But Sergia hath moost in quanitee.
Suffice of hem to saie in general,
The grettest for the borde preserved be,
The smallest for thine oil ykepte thou se.
There corne is, sette hem xv foote atwene,
And xxv there as lande is lene.

68

And West Southweste hem forto order best is,
In delves drie and footes iiii depe
Idolve; and if the place is saaf for bestes
Unneth oute of the lande thou lete hem crepe.
And elles herree hem selven forto kepe
Ffrom bestes byte, and ther as wanteth stonys.
Cley mixt with donnge in settyn with hem doon is.

69

There raynes faile, and lande is over drie,
And nedeth to be wette and bere olyve,
And plannte is noon hem with to multiplie,
Lette sette into thi semynary blyve
Olyves bowes vi feet longe or v.
And v yere olde transplante hem in this moone
To places colde, as best it is to doone.

70

I knowe hem that have take olyves yonge,
This wey is light and more utilitee,
In wodes or desertes uppe yspronge,
Kitte and sette a cubit long to be,
And plantes fele have spronge of suche a tree.
But in the semynairie moost thai roote
With dounge and moolde admixt unto thaire roote.

De pomiferis arboribus in generali.

71

Now appultreen towarde Septentrion
In pastyne is the season to dispose,
That by and by shal of be saide ichone.
Lande that is goode for vynes may be chose
As goode for hem: but xxxti footes pose
Iche order of from other: croppe and tail
To save in setting hem is thyne advail.

72

Yeve every kynde an order by him selve,
Lest myghti treen the smal downe oppresse;
And as the plantes growed, so thou delve
Hem uppe, and so to stand ayeine hem dresse;
Ffrom clif to playne, from lene unto fatnesse,
Ffrom dried lande to moiste is hem to bringe.
Transplant hem so, and sone up wol thai springe.

73

The stocke, if thou wolt set it, doo to stonde
Three foote in heght, and plantes forto sette
Tweyne in oon delve is not to take on honde
Ffor wormes, and lest either oth'r lette.
In places drie also thai must be wette.
Yit Columelle he saithe of seedes sowe
Or nuttes wol best bering treen up growe.

De vitibus et plantis circumfodiendis.

74

Nowe by the see coste and in hoote countree
The vynes delve or cree, as is to doon,
Now staked and upbounden wol thai be.
Olyves nowe and oth'r treen ichone
Do dounge hem in decresinge of the moone,
The gretter tree, the gretter quantitee
Therof, and half so moche a litel tree.

75

Ffrist from the roote abate of alle the moolde
And mynge it weel with dounge, and kest it on
Ayaine. Eke in the seminary sholde
The plantes now be mylged everichone,
And brannches now superfluent of gone,
And rootes smale of noon utilitee
Cutte of for lettyng of fertilitee.

76

This moone is eke the rosaries to make
With setes, or me may here sedes sowe.
The floure me with the roos is not to take
But baies, that as litel peres growe;
By broune coloure and softenesse is to knowe
Yf thai be ripe. Eke now is to repare
Rosaries olde, and drynesse of to pare.

77

Nowe unbydelve hem, and if thai be rare,
Me may hem thicke, enducyng planntes moo,
With crafte eke roses erly riped are.
Tweyne handbrede of aboute her rootes doo
A delvyng make, and every day thereto
Doo water warme. Now hilly bulbes sowe
Or sette, and wede hem that of rather growe.

78

In wedyng hem thou must be diligent
Ffor hurtyng of her bulbe, or of her eye.
But bulbes smale uppe from her moder hent
Let putte in oth'r lande to multiplie.
The violet to plannte is nowe to trie.
Now saffron bulbes beth to sette or sowe,
Or subtillie to delve, if that thai growe.

79

Nowe sum in soile ydounged lynseede sowe,
X busshels serveth for an acre lande.
Fful subtil flaxe and smal therof wol growe,
And also thicke and longe as it may stande.
Cannetes nowe with craftes may be fande.
In delves breef this cannes eyon doo,
And iche half a foote his felawe froo.

80

In places drie and hoote me must assigne
Hem mooldes moist, and ther as it is colde.
To weet is nought; to drie is nought; benynynge
Is goode, so that the towne water doune folde
Streght hem amonge. Sperages seede eke holde
Is goode hem with, with hem to springe.
Ffor cannes and sperage have oon tillynge.

81

Cannetes olde eke tyme is nowe to wede,
And of to kytte it that thaire roote uneseth,
And hem that rote or crokydly procede.
The barein eyles canne also displeseth.
Now wylous, busshes, bromes, thing that eseth
Let plannte; and nowe of mirte and laures baies
To make or tile a seminary day is.

De Ortis et diversis herbis.

82

And atte this moones Idus is goode houre
To make a gardaine hegge, as is beforne
Itaught, when the was saide in fitches floure
The seede to keepe of brere and houndes thorne.
Ffor hegges made of it shall not be torne.
The Greek saithe of scions of fatty brere
As vynes sette, an hegge a man may rere.

83

But everie day me must it delve and weete
Until it take. Eke letuce is nowe sowe,
In Aprill it to plannte in other lete.
Nowe trefull, cresse, and coriander growe,
Nowe popy seede in grounde is goode to throwe.
Now savery seede in fatte undounged londe
Dooth weel, and nygh the see best wol it stonde.

84

Smal onyons be with it, or by hem selve
I sowe; eke hem in veer and in harvest
Thai sowe, whoos seede in moolde if that me delve,
The body smal, the hede wol be grettest.
But onyons as for seede to sette is best.
The hede wol dwyne awaie as it wolde die,
The croppe encrece, and seedes multiplie.

85

Ffate lande ydounged moist and wel ywrought
Onyons desire. In it lete beddes make
Iche herbe and roote oute of it fetely sought.
A plesaunte day and clere to sowe in take,
And grettest wol the growyng moone hem make
And sweet ynough; the wanyng of the moone
Wol make hem smale and bitter everichoone.

86

Let hem be thynne ynough, and weede hem ofte,
And if the list her hedes forto swelle,
Plucke of the foiles alle aboute on lofte.
So wol the juce inwith her hedes dwelle,
And thai that shall of seedes bere a belle,
Let raile hem uppe, and when thaire seedes blake,
That thai be ripe of that a signe is take.

87

Half drie up plucke hem, in the sonne hem drie.
Now dile in places colde is goode to sowe,
Hit may with everie ayer under the skye.
Gladder it is there warmer wyndes blowe,
And water hem yf shoures be to slowe.
But wede hem seld. Eke sum have this bileve,
That bare ylefte there shall noo foul it greve.

88

Senvey lete sowe it nowe, and cool sede bothe,
And when the list, weelwrought fatte lande thai love,
And sondy cley gravelous thai lothe.
But yf it reyned day and nyght above
Ther may noo wether harme hem, nor remove.
But sette hem southwarde sonner wol thai preve,
Septentrion wol make hem latter cheve.

89

But there thai wol be greet and savoure well.
The clyf thai love and fatte ydounged londe,
And weded well it mot ben everidell,
Eke sumdel ferre asonder must thai stonde.
To make hem hoor as frost eke crafte is fonde:
Let grounden glasse goo sifte on hem aboute,
When thaire trefoil or quaterfoil is oute.

90

This wol hem make in vigoure long dwelle,
And forto seethe eke tender wol thai be.
To holde hem grene, eke chargeth Columelle
Thaire rootes in see froth wrapped to se,
And therwithall of dounge a quantitee.
And sette hem greet aparty, for though longe
Or then thai taked be, thai wol be stronge.

91

In winter sette hem in a warme day;
In summer whenne the sonne gothe to rest;
And hele her lande the wyder wol thai splay.
Oold brassic seede to rape eschaungeth fest.
And nygh this moones Idus eke is best
Sponge of Sperage or newe of seedes fourme,
Or olde as newe me may sette and refourme.

92

Me semeth this is good and profitable.
Wild asperages rootes many trie
Into erthe ytilde, or stony lande is able
Ynough for hem: for thai wol multiplie
There as all other treen and herbes deye,
And every yere in scopes hem to brenne,
And thicker, gretter, swetter wol up renne.

93

Nowe malowe is sowe, and myntes plannte or roote
In places moist, or water nygh is sowe.
Now dounged fatte lande axeth thai to roote;
So it be gladde; eke fenel wol up growe,
So it be gladde;—in stony lande ythrowe
Persnepes sede; or planntes fatte and rare
Pastyned depe ysette in this moone are.

94

Now cunula is sowe and hath culture
As onyons or garlec, and now cerfoil
After this moones Idus doo thi cure
To sowe in fatte and moist ydounged soil.
Nowe betes sowe, and synk or quaterfoil
Transplannte, and somer thorough hem me sowe,
In fatte lande moist ydounged wol thai growe.

95

The rootes wolde in dounge ydipped be,
And delve hem ofte, and make hem feeste of dounge,
And now thi leek ysowen is to se.
To make hem frough, kytte of the blades longe
Right as thai growyng beth ii monethes yonge,
And right ther in her beddes leve hem dwelle.
Yet oth'rwise enfourmeth Columelle.

96

And when ye plannte it, dounge and water doo
Therto; but heded yf thou list it have,
In veer lete sowe, in October goo too
And transplannte it; fatte londes wol it crave,
Plaine, dolven deep and dounged best it save;
And weede it ofte. Eke thicke ysowe is frough,
And rare ysowe is heded greet and tough.

97

A finger greet is rounde ynough to sette,
And in the myddes cut of every blade;
The rootes eke cutte and umbiwette
With dounge is goode her sprynging forto glade.
An hand asonder sette hem with thi spade.
And whenne thai rooteth, raise hem with thi hande,
That thai suspense a partie so may stande.

98

So wol thou finde a space under thaire roote
And heded full, eke forto make hem greet,
Doo seedes fele yfere, and thai wol roote
Yfere, and in oon body wol thai greet,
And rape seed into thaire hedes geet.
All yronles wol make hem growe faste,
And ofte ydoon, the faster wol thai haste.

99

The chibol now, ther as cannetes growe,
His eyen sowe of cutte as is the reed,
All softely in the dolven lande hem throwe,
And sowe hem by a lyne other a threed.
Three feet to stande a sonder is her speed.
The bulbes of calcases settyng sone
In landes moiste and fatte is goode this moone.

100

Thai sette nought by the ayres qualitee,
And gladde be thai to stande aboute awelle
That humour ever may thaire boteler be.
Ffrom hem yf thou defende eke coldes felle
In thaire growyng almoost they ever dwelle.
Nowe comyn and aneyse is fatte ysowe
In dounged lande and weeded wel to growe.

De diversis arboribus in pomario.

101

The peretree plannte is sette in places cold
Atte ffeveryere, and there as is a warmer ayer
In Novemb'r; and then eke goode is holde
To graffe hem thir moist erthe is her goode leire;
So shall the fruyte be greet, and floures feire.
Thai in such erthe as vynes love abounde,
Ffatte lande maketh mighty treen and right fecounde.

102

A stannry pere is saide to channge is mete
In easy lande ygraffed if he be:
Hit is but happe of plannte a tree to gete.
And if thou wilt take of a gentil tree
Not wilde atte alle withoute asperitee,
When it is two yere olde or iii, to thrive,
Goode is to sette it as men sette olyve.

103

But sette hem rooted wel in delves wyde
III foote or iiii in heght, and cropped feire,
With cley and mosse her hedes hode and hide.
Eke seedes sowen peres wol repeire.
Nature such it is not to dispiere
Late yf she be: for targyng may not be
Ffastidiose in her eternitee.

104

But longe it is a man theron to dwelle.
Thaire noblesse eke thai wol departe froo.
Therfore is better doo as I wol telle:
In Novemb'r the wilde tree to doo
Be graffed first sette and rooted to,
In delves large ynough and dolven deep,
That rootes easily may under creep.

105

Do graffe hem in hemself, and thai wol be
Tender and sweete; eke thai may not endure.
And if me graffe hem in an other tree,
The lenger wol thai last in lesse cure.
And xxxti foote asonder for lesure
Is hem to sette. Eke humour is availle
To hem, and delve hem ofte is goode travaille.

106

It is so goode that in the blossomynge
She wol not lese a floure that forth is brought.
The delver is to help her with delvynge,
And every oth'r yere she wolde be wrought
With spade, and dounge is therto to be sought.
Oxe dounge about her rootes yf that me trete,
The pomes sadde and brawny wol it gete.

107

And sum also dooth askes with this dounge.
Thai seyne therof ther wol goode taste arise.
The kynde of hem to telle it is to longe,
While thaire tillinge is not in dyvers gise.
The peretree seek is heled in this wyse.
Let make it bare, and bore it thorowe the roote,
And drive a pynne therin wol doon it boote.

108

Or elles thus: let bore it thorowe the stook,
And doo therin a pynne made of a bronde,
And if the wanteth that, take of an ooke,
And wormes wol ther noon in it be fonde,
Yf ofte uppon the rootes as thai stonde
The boles galle enfused be; and more
Ffor blossomynge to longe is herof lore.

109

Of wynes olde it is to take dregges,
The dregges must be newe, and daies three
Infounde hem on thi trees feet and legges,
So wol the blossom parte from the tree.
And lapidose if that thi peres be
Let voide all erthe and stones from the roote,
And sifte in oth'r erthe: and this is boote.

110

But wete it ofte and longe, or this is nought.
To graffe is goode in Marche and ffeveryere.
Howe forto graffe afore is must be sought
In rinde and stok for graffyng the manere.
Ther is also graffing in trees sere,
As melo, almonde, and thorn, as saith Virgile,
Foolde, ashes, quynce, and ponyk cleef his stile.

111

The peretree graffe ygraffed forto be
Er thenne the day be lengest oon yere olde
Must been, and or me sette him in the tree
The tendron and the leves of thou folde.
But when the daies gynneth shortte and colde,
Then graffe hem that the tender croppes bere,
And graffing is for every manner pere.

112

To make a savery pere and weel smellinge
In daies feire and wanyng of the moone,
From xxii dayes olde wanynge
Till dayes viii with hande it is to doone
That fruyt be puled, and of oon kynde aloone
From vii unto x, from ii til v,
Thees houres 6 outetake thi peres blyve.

113

So thai be drie, and not caduc and harde,
And hool, and sumdel greene, and then hem doo
In sum vessel pitched wel upwarde.
The bothom doo this vessel closed soo.
And where a place is with a brooke through goo,
Continully there hide hem in the grounde.
For peres yit an other crafte is founde.

114

As forto pulle hem hardde of flessh and skynne
And keep hem uppe: but when thai gynneth softe,
Let take an erthen potte, and putte hem ynne,
And pitche it fast, and cley it wel clofte,
And delve it under moolde, in with thi crofte
There as the sunne all day uppon it shyne.
And sum in wheete or chaff wol hem reclyne.

115

And other take hem tough and fast encloos
Hem in a potte ypitched or with cley
Ystopped fast, and in the sonde dispose
It in the sonne, and other men wol ley
Her peres tough in hony so that they
Ne touche not, eke peres men devide
And pike awey the greyne of every syde.

116

And piked so in sonnes hem they drie.
Oon boileth water salt and skommeth clene,
Therinto colde his peres wol he trie,
Then into a pitched potte he wol hem glene;
Or salt water oon day and nyght hem lene,
Then fresshe water two daies on hem steep,
In bragot then or wyne or meeth hem kepe.

117

Of peres wyne is made, if thai be grounde
And thorough a rare saak with fors ywronge.
Yit somer wol it soure and so confounde,
And winter wol endure and kepe it longe.
Of peres soure and wilde it is noo wronge
Aysell to bringe, all ripe yf that thai be
Ytake and kepte upheped daies three.

118

Then in a vessel se that thai be doo,
And water with of rayne or of the welle,
Then hele it feire, or se that it be soo,
And xxx daies therin lette hem dwelle.
Now aisel take unto thine use, or selle.
But se what quantitee therof thou take
With water up the summe ayenie thou make.

119

And make liquamen castimoniall
Of peres thus: take peres right mature
And with hool salt, and hem [and] fleshhe and all,
When thai been resolute, in stondes peres (pure)
Or erthen pottes pitched save and sure,
And after iii monethes do hem suspende,
And right goode licoure of hem wol descende.

120

His taste is goode, and whitisshe his coloure.
Ffor that when salt and it is doon yfere,
A blakkishe wyne commixt it dothe socoure.
And in the moones of Marche and ffeveryere
The meles graffed beth, but there as clere
Is aier, and hoote, and drie. It may be doo
In October and November also.

121

Her kyndes forto write I wol not waste.
Fatte lande thai love, and moiste in nature.
In cley, or in gravel men mosten haaste
To water hem ofte: in hilles is to cure
To set hem on the Southe if thai shall ure.
Thai growe also in places colde, if the aier
Be sumdel warme and helping to thair laier.

122

Also thai growe in places hardde and wete,
And wormy wol thai be in drie and lene;
And hem to graff as peres me may trete.
The plough or spade aboute hem be not sene,
Fforthi the bette in medes may thai bene.
And dounge, alle though thai noon or litel crave,
Yit gladly wol thai take, and gladly have.

123

And namely askes medled therwith alle
Thai loveth, eke to dwell in region
There as the heet is neith'r greet ne small,
Eke thai be apte unto putacion
Of bowes drie or foule elacion.
This tree is olde anoon, and in his age
He goothe oute of his kynde into dotage.

124

Caduce if that the fruyte be, cleef the roote,
And putte in hit a stoone, and it wol dwelle.
For rotyng of the croppe the galle is boote
To touch hem with of neutes grene, eke quelle
Her wormes thus: take swynes dounge, and melle
It with uryne of man or oxes galle,
And meles wormes this wol sleen hem alle.

125

Yf wormes feel uppon hem be withoute
A strape of braas let strape hem of therwith,
And cleme uppon the wounde oxe dounge aboute;
And ovre thicke yf that the fruytes beth,
Plucke of the feble fruyte, as reason seth,
Hem to discharge, and juce it then wol dresse
It into thayme that are of gentilnesse.

126

In peretree, thorn, in plumme, and apple tree
In serve, and peche, in plane and popule,
In wylous may this meles graffed be,
But trie hem wel that shal be kept over yere;
Let ley hem derk as wynde may not come nere.
And do feire stree uppon thaire fleyke hem under
On hepes save a litel space asonder.

127

These heepes must me nowe and nowe devide.
Yit beth ther dyvers folk sayen dyvers wyse.
And oon in pitched pottes wol hem hyde,
And other hath of cley an oth'r gyse.
Yit hath the thridde of hem a fresshe devyse.
Oonly the litel feet to cleme in cley
And on a floor with chaf bystrowed ley.

128

And theruppon thai cover hem with stre.
The meles rounde, ycalde orbiculer,
Withouten care a yere may keped be.
And other drenche hem in the water clere
Of cisterne, or of wynche yclosed nere,
In erthen pottes pitched atte the fulle,
And other meles wol with handes pulle,

129

And dippe her litel feet in pitche alle warme,
And so in order ley hem on a table,
And nuttre leves under wol not harme.
Eke populer or fir is profitable
To make and ley among hem scobes able,
And let her petifeet dounwarde be wende,
And touche hem not until thai shal be spende.

130

Aisel and wyne of meles me may make
As is above enfourmed of the pere.
To graffe a quynce is dyvers tyme ytake.
Thaire planntes I have sayen in Ytail here
The Citee nygh ysette in ffeveryere,
Or of the fronnte of Marche in dounged moolde,
So that thai rooted were, and right wel holde.

131

Holde have thai so that in the yere secounde
Ffruyt have thai hadde yf that me sette hem greet,
In thende of Octob'r thai wol abounde,
Or sone in Novemb'r yf that me trete
Hem into place of drynesse and of hete.
But ther as drie it is thay must be wette.
Thai love in colde and moist eke to be sette.

132

Thai bere anoon in places temporate,
And forth thai come in cleves and in planys.
Thai love lande devexe and inclinate.
Men graffeth of thaire toppes and thair tranys;
That werk or seelde availle, or sone yslayne is.
And wide hem so that though the wynd hem shake,
Noo droop of oon until an other take.

133

Yf thai be smale sette, helpe hem with dounge,
Yf thai be greet, askes and shalkes do to.
Atte ones serve hem thus in all yere longe.
Eterne humour wol greet hem, and also
Hit wol hem ripe sone, and yf thaire no
Reyne be, me muste hem wete and umbydelve,
That doon, let God therwith alone him selve.

134

Atte Marche or Feveryere in landes colde,
Atte Octob'r or Novemb'r in hete,
But thai be delven aboute as thai wolde,
Other me shal of hem noo fruytes gete,
Or oute of kynde; also that I you hete
Y preved have, ykette if that thai be,
Thai wol been oute of vice in libertee.

135

The tree is seek, oildregges watermynge
Yliche of either, helde it to the roote.
Or let quyk lyme with chalk resolvyng synge,
Or resyne mixt with taar that is so soote.
Ennointe aboute of this, for this doothe boothe.
Or make the rootes bare, and ley aroute
Of quynces to, to go the roote aboute.

136

Do this from yere to yere, and thai be saf
Ffor vice; eke ther ayeine thai nyl not dure.
In ffeveryere this quynces is to graffe,
The rynde as in the stok is not so sure
Hem into graffe, and graffyng to assure
In hem of everie fruyte, punyk and serve
And appletreen eke best for hem thai serve.

137

Thaire yonge treen, ther juce is, in the rynde
Is goode to graffe, and old if that thai be,
To graffe atte the roote it is her kynde
Ther as the soil as well the bark as tree
Hath benefited with humyditee.
Hem ripe ypulde men kepe in dyvers wise.
And first of tiles tweyne is oon devyse:

138

Do hem betwene, and cley it every side,
Or in defrute or passe. Sethe hem feire
The grettest wol an other out devyde,
And in figtrees leves many a peire
He wolde do folde of hem, so nyl thai peire.
An other wol in places drie enclude
Hem, and the wynde and aiers bothe exclude.

139

He wol with iver or with reed devyde
Hem uppon iiii, and take away the core,
And into a potful hony let hem slide:
He dothe hem hool in hony lesse and more.
But ripe ynongh beth best this keping fore.
And sum in mylde, and sum ychaved deep,
And sum in swete wynes wol hem kepe.

140

Oon with his muste hem closeth in the tonne;
An oth'r saithe that in a panne all newe
Doo hem with dried cley and thai be wonne.
Nowe and in Novemb'r is to renewe
The Siliqua in planntes and seedes trewe.
Hit loveth places nygh the See syde,
And places hardde and drie, eke feeldes wyde.

141

Experte am I that thai in places warme
Wol best abounde ywattered if thai be,
Thaire palmes forto sette it dooth (a)noon harme,
But delves large ynough for hem thou se.
Now graffe hem in the plumme and almond tree.
This fruyt is longe ykepte withouten drede,
In fleykes feire yf that men list hem sprede.

142

Molberytree wol growe uppe of his seede,
But bough and fruyte wol turne oute of his kynde.
The croppe or talions to graffe is speed,
But talions the better me shall finde
On eith'r half made smothe, unhurt the rynde
As in a graffe, and umbigoone with dounge.
And se that thai been ichone oo foote longe.

143

To sette hem first make redy place, and when
Me setteth hem mynge askes with the moolde,
And handbrede in the lande be hidde, and then
Saye God save all! In Marche and nowe thai wolde
Be graffed here, and ferther froo the colde
In thende of Octob'r, or in the toppe
Of Novemb'r in the lande is hem to stoppe.

144

Hit loveth places hoote and ful of sande
And nygh the see, not stony lande, ne cley.
Unneth in it thai take a foote to stande,
Much humour dooth hem woo, but glad be they
With delvyng ofte and dounging, soothe to sey.
And after yeres three the drosse and drie
Doo kitte it of, and thai wol multiplie.

145

In Octob'r or Novemb'r lette sette
The planntes bigge; and, tender yf thai be,
This Feveryere and Marche is for hem bette.
Thaire delves deep and rowme asonder the,
That shades stretche not froo tree to tree.
Eke as me saithe thai wol be faire, and bringe
Up fruite ynough by connyng of boring.

146

Let bore hem thorough the bodie here and there,
And putte in everie hole a wegge or pynne,
A birchen here, a terebynten there.
And whenne kalende of Octob'r cometh inne,
Make bare his rootes right unto the skynne.
Old wynes dregges fresshe on hem infounde,
And thai wol be the fressher and fecounde.

147

In figtree, in hemself under the rynde
Me may hem graffe, and in an elm thai take;
But in this Elm thai greteth oute of kynde.
A walnuttree thaire nuttes nowe wol make,
Two finger deep in erthe is hem to stake.
Experte am I thaire planntes best to growe,
But sette hem nowe, eke now thaire nuttes sowe.

148

Weet, colde, and lenyssh, sandy lande is best
Ffor hem, and thai been ripe atte Jules nonys.
Now curnels of myxe it is to kest
In moulde in sum vessell so feel atte onys
As wel may spire, and when thaire spir up goone is,
Warme aier, molsh lande, and humour moderate,
Let plannte hem ther, and uppe gothe thair astate.

149

He may ont graffe atte Marche in thorn and serve.
Eke tuberes nowe sowe and graffe, and nowe
The benes hardde of mastic tree wol serve
Ysowe. Eke hem to plannte and graffe is prowe.
The meddeler to graffe eke tolde is howe.
Now plummes bones and figges are
In tempre land ysette a party rare.

150

Nowe serve is sette, almonnde in lande is sowe,
Eke rathe in tempre lande, late in chillyng.
Men graffe hem nowe thaire graffes buddes ungrowe;
And now pistace hath planntyng or graffinge,
Chastene also; juglande in lande now sprynge.
Eke graffe hem nowe, now for pynappultree
The colde or weetisshe lande most sowen be.

De educatione porcorum.

151

Nowe bores gladly brymmeth. Chese a bore
Greet bodied, side, and wyde, eke rather rounde
Then long, eke hipped greet, and wombed hoor,
And huge-snouted, shorte, his necke abounde
With fattes feel, his stones greet and sounde.
And from oon yere until he come atte fyve
He wol do well ynough, and often wyve.

152

The sowes is to chese of longest syde,
In other thinges take her like a boore
So thai be wombed wel, dependannt, syde,
That likely is for greet and mighty stoore.
The hered blake in cold countree, the hoore
And every hewe to have in places warme
Is indistinctly good, and may not harme.

153

The femal shal til vii yere suffice
To bere, and oon yere olde she wol conceyve,
And, monethes iiii ydone, it is thaire gise
To pigge, and in this point thay nyl deceyve.
Thees if me spende, or mynt for them receyve,
The sonner wol they brymme ayeine and brynge
Forth pigges moo. Now herbes for hem springe.

154

A man may have hem in every lande,
But bette in myri feeldes then in dri,
And moost thaire fructifying wodes stande,
Wherof sum fruyte wol targe and sum wol hie.
Eke lande is goode ther herbes multiplie.
The rootes eke of rede and risshe thay ete.
When winter sleeth thaire fedyng, yeve hem meete.

155

Mast, chastene, yeve hem pugges of thi corne;
Hem that beth melch in veer novelles grene
Beth nought to feede; her cotes make beforne
Under sum porche, and parte hem so betwene
That every stye a moder wol sustene,
That with her wombe her pigges doth from cold;
But make it that me may on hem behold.

100

156

Thy swon may se thaire nomb'r and up save
The oppressed pigge; and viii wol Columelle
A soowe up bryng. I saie vi is to have
Ynough, and that is over spende or selle.
Ffele I have seyn thair dammes feynt or quelle.
Thi vyne swyne wol delve after vyndage,
As diligent as delvers for thaire wages.

De vino myrtite.

157

Sone in this moone eke myrtite is to make
Sex sester old wyne do to mirtes bayes
V pounde, and hem togeder alle to shake,
And shake hem daily xxii daies;
A skeppe of palme thenne after to surtray is.
This wyne v pounde of fyne hony therto
Ystamped wel let mynge, and it is doo.

De vite tiriaca.

158

Vyntariake is also nowe to make.
What goode dooth it? His wyne, aysel, or grape,
Or rynde of his scions yf that me take,
The bite of every beest me shall escape.
And such a crafte to make it is noo jape.
Three fingers deep the scions must be slitte
In thende, and pike oute alle the pith of it.

159

In stede of that fille it with fyne tiriake;
To bynde it faire ayein be diligent
And sette it. God save alle! yet oth'r take
Her scions fild with this medicament,
And hem to sette as for this same entent,
Iche of hem doo thay in a bulbe of squyle,
And sette in this maner thay doth not ille.

101

160

Tyriake is hald of sum on vynes rootes
And dooth ful wel. A scion of hem take
And sette hath not that myght, therin noo boote is
As in the moder was, until me make
Hit right as she was made. Also Tyriake
Ys goode to take, and when this wynes olde
Helde on thaire rootes ofte, and thai wol holde.

De uva sine granis.

161

Ungreyned grape in high jocunditee
Me may suppe of as saunez impediment
And all oon wyne: this Greek auctoritee
So maketh to crafte nature a succedent.
That shall be sette is taken the sarment,
As moche as shalle stande in the lande they cleve,
And clene awey the pithe of it they streve.

162

And diligent thai shave hem every side,
And joine ayein the legges so departed,
And bynde hem so that thay may not devyde.
With paper best and leest are thai coarted.
Nowe softe in lande wel moist thai must be darted,
Sum eke hem sette inwith a bulbe of squylle
That maketh iche sette, thai sayen, to take atte wille.

163

And other, in the vynes kitting seson,
Wol trie oute high sarmentes fertilest
And cleve hem not, but use anoth'r reson:
Until a reed for turnyng bounden fest
Thai bore oute the pithe, and in is kest
This opium Quyrynaike: the Greek
So nameth it; so doth myne auctor eke.

102

164

In water first this opium relent
Of sape until it have similitude,
Until the budde oute springe of this sarment
Iche viii day this thing thai efte include.
The pomgarnad wol not this crafte exclude,
As Grekes seyen, the same in Chiritree,
Yf it wol serve, assayed may it be.

De vite nimis lacrimosa.

165

As vynes that forwepe and turne away
Ffrom fruyte the Grekes wol the stok to tere
And make a wound, and yit if thai withnay
Her fruyt, the fattest roote away thai tere,
Oildregges salt til half decocte on there
Thourgh colde is doon and alle aboute this wounde,
And aisel kene is underkest in grounde.

De Mirtite confecto.

166

Mirtite a Greek comaundeth thus to make:
The mirtes baies ripe, and shadowe drie,
And stamped, unces viii it is to take
And honge hem in the wyne vessell and wrie
Alle cloos, and longe in it lette hem defie.
Then take hem oute and spende of it. Also
With baies ripe ypuld thus other do:

167

Thai plucke of driest place in daies drie,
And trede, or press hem faire. Of that thei doo
VIII cotuls in a steine of wynes trie.
This wyne alle medycyne is take unto
Ther stiptik stont ejectyng bloode, and wo
Of wombe or of stomak this wol declyne.
Dissenterik hath eke this medicyne.

103

De condito vel absinthio vel rosato vel violatio.

168

Absinthiate, rosate, or violate,
To make a vyne is crafte doon to nature.
Sarmentes (scions) of some gentil vyne ytake
And pocion forsayne in sum mesure
Half full be doon, quyk erthe among undure
As lie is made, and when thai gynneth sprynge
Sette hem as other vynes and uppe brynge.

104

BOOK THE FOURTH. MARTIUS.

De putandis vineis, inserendis et pangendis.

1

At Marche's moone in countree that is colde
Putacion hath his solempnitee.
At large of it in fferyere is tolde,
Suspecte until thaire gemmes gynne be.
Nowe is it tyme hem graffed forto se;
Ffor nowe this vynes, whoso taketh kepe,
Not wattery but thicke humours wepe.

2

The trunkes sadde in humour that abounde
Unolde, unrende, ygraffed let hem be
With graffes sadde y-gemmed thicke and rounde.
Three eyen is ynough for oon to see.
Two fynger longe let sloute away the tree;
But save uppon that other half the rynde.
Men saithe the pith to bare is not thaire kynde.

3

But flessh to flessh and skyn to skyn is doo,
Right to the trunke is sette his lowest eye;
But sette him that he loke awaie therfroo,
And softe a saly twygge aboute him plie.
Then uppon that with chaved cley it wrie,
Ffor sonne and wynde hem make a tegument,
Lest thai in this be shake, in that tobrent.

105

4

Whenne tyme is hoote, putte on hem softe at eve
Goode water ofte, that thai may ete and drynke,
And bolde hem uppon hoote that myght hem greve.
When that thaire een gynneth forto unwynk
And thai to brannche, into the lande let synk
A reede right by, and bynde in mariage
Hem to, lest wynde offende her tender age.

5

Yit must it be dissolved ever amonge
Oute of this bonde, lest it adolent
Be letted to encrece and wex stronge.
And he to delve aboute is diligent,
And nygh the roote ingraffeth his sarment,
And moolde anoon on every syde it hepeth,
This roote and moolde as nors and moder keepeth.

6

An other saithe thaire graffyng nygh the grounde
Is best, ther esily thai comprehende;
And preve eke alle the crafte it wol confounde
To graffe in hem that over hie ascende.
Til equinox thaire settyng is not spende
In forowe, in delf, in pastyne, as before,
Is in this booke of vynes taught the lore.

De pratis purgandis.

7

Nowe is it tyme in places that beth colde
The medes forto clense, and hem to kepe.
In places warme eke nowe is holsom holde
The landes fatte and hilles under crepe
As with the plough; but eree hem not to depe.
Bernetes that beth made in Janyveer
Goode tyme it is forto repete hem heer.

106

De panico et milio serendo.

8

Panyk and mylde in hoote and drie is sowe
As nowe. Light, resolute lande thai desire.
Sone thai forsake a gravell wol thai growe;
But moist bothe erthe and ayer thai ther require,
Land argillose or drie hem sleth for yre,
And weede hem wel, let noo weede in hem stande:
V sexter shall suffice an acre lande.

De cicere serendo.

9

Her either chiohe is sowen in this moone,
Ther aier is moist, and lande is ronke and stepe;
But daies tweyne, and uppe it crepeth sone.
Three busshel for an acre lande let kepe.
The Greek saithe, yf lukewarm hem bywepe,
Thai wol be greet; and nygh the see to growe
Thai love, and first is ripe in hervest sowe.

De canabo; de cicera.

10

Til equinoxe is hemp ysowe as nowe.
What lande is beste for it and seedes geson
To sowe in ffeveryere is reson howe.
Nowe cicera the blake is sowe in season
On erthes tweyne or oon sowe hem as peson,
With iiii or iii busshel, other with tweyne
Of hem an acre lande me may byspreyne.

De novellis pulverandis vitibus fodiendis.

11

Now pulverised beth this vynes yonge,
And so forth til Calendes evermore
Of October, to sley the weedes spronge,
And lest the land the vynes over sore
Constreyne; eke weedes rootes uppe be tore.
Nowe vynes is to delve in places colde,
And stakes make, and bynde hem uppe to holde.

107

12

And swathe a tender vyne in bondes softe;
Ffor bonde to hardde wol holde it in distresse;
A sadder vyne a bigger stake olofte
Mot holde; a lighter vyne is with a lesse
Stakyng upholde. And whi? For hevynesse
Of shade eke sette hem of tort Aquilone.
An hande or half a foote is goode to done.

13

Eke sum her aged vynes wol repare
And trunke hem of alle hie above grounde.
Unconnyngly thai do, right as thai are.
The Sonne and dewe goothe doune into thaire wounde
That is so wyde, and rotyng it confounde.
A better way for hem I wol declare:
Ablaquiate hem deep, or make hem bare.

14

A lite over the knotte inwith the lande
Hem kitte and wrie, and save hem so for drede
Of colde or hoote; but deep yf that it stande
And gentil be, doo this. Or thus I rede
You doo: with gentil graffes hem to sede.
Alle this in places hoote first in this moone,
In places colde is after Idus doone.

15

And umbydelve a drie or seekle vyne,
Putte aske of ooke or vyne aysel amonge,
And poure upon the roote, and olde bryne.
Or graffe hem lowe, and dounging make hem stronge.
On vynes hurte doo goote or shepes dounge,
And plaister it with moolde, eke in the roote
Relented dounge yputte on dothe it boote.

108

De oleis amurca sanandis, seminariis et rosariis.

16

Olyves nowe that oute of helthes dwelle
Oyldregges salt effunde uppon the roote.
Ffor grettest treen, as telleth Columelle,
VI Congeus or iv of it ymmote.
Two basketfull of bene chaf doth boote,
As other seyne, to grettest treen, and olde
Bryne on hem to kest is weel with holde.

17

A morter fast is made aboute the tree,
The rootes hidde, and moste in places drie;
And bareyne yf thyne oliaster be,
Take bowes tweyne of treen that fructifie,
But southwarde of the tree theese bowes trie,
And streyne hem throwe the tree by bores two,
And kytte hem by; do chaved cley therto.

18

Or dryve inne elm, or ook, or elles stonys
And plaster hem. To fatte yf that thai be,
A stake anoon into her rootes doone is.
Nowe cornes weded efte is goode to se
Yf it be the use, and frigiditee.
Of seede and baies make the seminary;
Sone in this moone eke make uppe the rosary.

De Carduo.

19

The garden nowe to tille is best begynne.
The tasul nowe in dogged lande is sowe
And resolute. In fatte beste uppe thai wynne.
The molde, and other suche as diggeth lowe,
Anoie hem not, in harde lande yf thai growe;
To sowe hem in the wexing of the moone,
And half a foote asonder is to doon.

109

20

The tasul seede ynverse is not to sette,
Lest crooked, feint, and hardde of it ascende.
Sette hem not deep; oonly three fyngers mette
On hem; unto the yoint in lande descende,
And hele hem light; eke weede hem ofte anende.
Until the plannte uppe gete and bygly sprynge;
And yeve hem in the heete a waterynge.

21

Breke of the seedes toppe, and thai wol be
Withoute thorn; her seede yf me reclyne
In baume, or nard, or opi, daies thre,
Or juce of roose, eith'r in mastycyne,
Or madefie it so in oil lauryne,
Let drie hem sowe, hem up by oon assent
Thai wol and have odoure like her unguent.

22

And yerely from the codde awey let take
The planntes, lest thaire moder fainted be.
In other place a borde of hem let make,
But sumdel of the roote on hem thou see,
And hem that shall of seede purvey the
Pulle every blake awaie that thou may finde,
And wrie hem with a shelle other a rynde.

23

Ffor sonne or rayne the seede is wont to sle.
Ffor moldewarpes cattes is to kepe,
To ligge in waite to touche with her cle.
A wesel tame have sum men ther thai crepe,
Hem forto take. An oth'r sumdel deep
Have caves made, and thay, for ferde of sonne
On hem let inne, anoon away beth ronne.

110

24

Her holes oon wel filleth uppe with wilde
Cucumb'r juce, and dothe with alle rubrike.
A green an oth'r hath for hem ytilde;
To take hem therwithal is not unlike.
Garlic, cunel, eke onyons and ulpike
Nowe sette in places colde, senvey and dyle,
Eke wortes nowe to sowe is grettest skyle.

25

Now holyhocke is sowe and armorace,
Or arborace that wilde raves are,
And origon nowe plannte him in his place;
Now lekes, betes, letuce, and capare,
Savery, colcase, and cresses; noo man spare
This goldes outher rabes forto sowe;
And bless it; trust in God that alle shal growe.

26

Nowe melon seede two foote atwene is sette
In places well ywrought or pastynate.
But daies thre this seede is goode bewette
In mylk or meth, and after desiccate
Sette hem; thai wol be swete. Eke adorate
To make hem, kepe hem long in leves drie
Of roses, hem thai wol adorifie.

27

Cucumber in this moone is sowen rare;
Her forowe a foot of depth, three foote of brede,
And enter forough and forough viii foote spare
Of leyes, that therin thai forth may sprede.
The weede wol help hem; therof is noo drede.
Thaire seede in ewes mylk and meth to swelle
Wol make hem white, and therof tast and smelle.

111

28

Thai wol be longe and tendre yf me sette
A broode flatte vessel with water two hande deep
Under; thaire seede therof uppe wol be fette
By rootes, and in lenght away thai creep.
Withouten seede who liketh hem to kepe,
With oil Sabyne enoynte her seede and bray,
Culex an herb and hem therin confray.

29

Cocumber floure of sum men into a reede,
Ythorled every knotte, is softe ydoo.
The floures stalkes heede with alle his heede
Therin, and passyng longe his fruyte wol goo.
Hit is so ferd of oiles, that therfroo
Hit hoketh yf me sette it nygh ther under,
And turne it wol for fere, yf that it thonder.

30

Cucumber flour eke growing in his vyne
Into sum erthen poote yf that me lede
Made like a man or beest fers or benynge,
The fruite wol have benyngnitee or drede,
As man or beest as hath the potte in dede.
Gorgilianus Marcial doth telle
Alle this; and this of hem saith Columelle.

31

In glade lande dounged yf we have the brere
Or ferule, after hervest whenne oon with
The nyght is day, lette cutte hem of right nere
The grounde, and with a pryk of tree the pith
Pyke oute, and make hem holgh: eke doo in sith
Donnge and cucumber seede; therof wol the
Ffruyte that withsaide may not in coldes be.

112

32

Sperage is sowe aboute Aprill kalende
In redes smale ymade by lyne in wete
And fatte lande, so that seedes who descende
In half a foote or three therin thai lete,
And sprede on it above of dounge a shete,
And weede hem wel, or kest upon hem stre
Til prime veer; ther may it take of be.

33

Therof Sperage after thre yere wol sprynge.
This tyme is longe. A shorter way ther is
Thees herbes of ther sponges uppe to brynge,
Ffor thai wol fructifie anoon; and this
Ys crafte of makyng sponges and not mys.
Doo seede as moche as three fyngers wol holde
In everie hoole of fatte and dounged moolde.

34

This seedes wol connecte until oon roote.
This calle a sponge. Eke this hath taryinge.
The semynaire in two yere must it roote,
Ynourisshed with dounge and ofte wedynge,
From hervest equinoxe in his planntynge,
And eke in veer: but it is lesse vice
To beye hem then so longe in lande cherice.

35

In solghes sette hem myddel deepe in drie
Lande, and in wete land in the summitee.
Above humour wol make hem multiplie,
So that it passe and not abydinge be.
The first Sperage of broken is to se.
Thaire sponge, yf that me pulde hem, myght remewe:
But after hem to pulle is not to eschewe.

113

36

The eyen of thaire germynacion
With pulling wol disclose after the ferme
Yere, and to breke hem occupacion
That tyme is nought: for thi sette it to ferme,
Places feconnde hemselven closeth ferme
By brekyng so. In veer is thaire servynge.
Reserve in hervest hem that seede shall brynge.

37

Nowe rue is sowe in lande that is plesaunt.
Sprynge aske on hem, and contente thai abide;
And places hie is thaire desire to haunt,
Ther humour may awaywarde from hem slide.
Seede yf me sette eke that thaire leves hide
Enclosed, frote hem by and by with hande;
And smale yf seedes be, springe hem in lande,

38

And overwrie hem after with a rake.
The caules that of seede encluse uppe wynde
Wol bygger be, but latter thai awake.
Their bowes puld with parcel of the rynde
In veer better then planntes shall thou fynde.
Transplannte alle hoole the plannte, and it is slaye.
And other benes bowes all to braye.

39

And therin, or in stalons forth thei sette
Her seede, and best for hem is solute lande.
Thay sayen eke stolon seede is but the bette.
In figtree shadowe gladdest wol it stande.
Ne delve awaye the weede, but pull with hande.
Fful ferd it is for touching of unclene
Wymmen; and sluttes I suppose it mene.

114

40

Til Octob'r from the ingresse of this moone
Ys Coriander (sette) is fatty londe,
And thelder seed, the better wol it doone.
In lene soil also thay wol up stonde.
They were eke glade good humor when thay fonde
With every kind of wortes wol thay growe.
This gourdes in this moone also beth sowe.

41

Ffatte soil thai love ydounged, molsh, humyde.
In gourdes this is goodly, that the longe
Gourdes growe of the necke seede, and wyde
Gourdes up of the botteme seed beth spronge:
And greet oute of the wombe seedes honge;
Inverse her seede to this entente let sowe,
And helppe hem up with rayles, as thay growe.

42

Gourdes for seede til Wynter honge stille;
Hem then in sonne or smoke it is to drie.
And elles wol thai rote, and that were ille.
Iche erthe ywrought nowe blite wol multiplie.
And weede it not; hit self wol seedes strie;
That though the list, yf it be oons spronge,
Thou shalt it not destroie in wordes longe.

43

Nowe pelitur to plannte is and to sowe,
But in his age it wol be bowed feire,
By ponde, or laake, or wynche if that it growe
So by the brynke. Anyes in gladsom ayer
And comyn sowe hem now ther is theire leire.
And helppe hem wel with humour and dounging.
Nowe cometh the crafte pomgarnat up to brynge.

115

De malo Punico.

44

In Aprille and in Marche in tempur lande
Pomgarnattree is sette, in hoote and drie
In Novemb'r this tree loveth to stande
In chalky, lenysshe lande to multiplie.
To stande in fatte lande wol it not denye.
Good eke for it beth regions hoote.
Ffor settyng plannte is best pulde from the roote.

45

In dyvers wyse alle though it may be sette,
To sette is beste abough a cubit longe,
Clenliche ycutte iche ende an hafte greett,
And sette it in the delf so lenyng wronge.
But first her either ende in swynes dounge
Ywonden be, or with a mal in hande
That softe is smyte hem ynne, and let hem stande.

46

The bough to sette is best in germynyng,
To putte eke in the roote of hem iii stonys
Ys crafte to kepe her fruytes from clevyng.
But hem to sette enversed nought to doone is.
To wattir hem eke nowe and nowe eftsones
Wol make hem soure: in landes that beth drie
Thai wol be swete enough and multiplie.

47

Yit watter hem yf over drie it be.
In hervest and in veer hem umbidelve.
Yf thai be soure, eke stamppe a quantitee
Of laseris with wyne, hem two hemselve,
And helde it in the croppe, or umbidelve
The rootes, and dryve ynne a firbronde pynne.
Other so dolven kesteth seefroth ynne.

116

48

Summen therwith doth asse and swynes dounge;
And yf the floure holde not upon the tree,
With water mynge uryne observed longe.
Thaire roote on this oon yere doo tymes three.
Oon stene atte oon tyme is goode quantitee.
Oildregges eke is goode, outhir seefroth,
And twye a moneth kest on hem this broth.

49

Or thus: the flouring tree trunk in leed
Enclude, or in an edder skynne it wynde;
And yf thai chappe, a stoone under the heed
Roote is to doo, to sowe eke sqille is kynde
On every syde: eke hem doo writhe or wynde
In togh upon thaire tree right as thai honge;
And incorrupt thai wol been alle yere longe.

50

For wormes bathe her roote in oxe galle;
And doute it not anoon thai wol be dede.
Or with a brason pynne of scrape hem alle.
And hardde it is yf thai therafter brede.
Or ass uryne and swynes thost let fede
Hem therwithall; and thai wol die or flee.
Now se thaire craft for hem mervel to see.

51

Kest lye and aske ofte (up)on the trunke aboute,
And thai wol be right gladde and fructifie.
Eke Marcial affermeth oute of doute
That greynes white in hem this crafte will die:
To cley and chalk the firth part intrie
Of gipse, and doo the rootes to iii yere,
And this wol make hir greynes white and clere.

117

52

To make hem of a myrous magnitude,
Ley doune an erthen potte beside her tree
Oon bough therin with oon floure let enclude,
But to a stake ybounden must it be
Ffor lepyng out: this potte ycovered se.
By hervest wol thi potte this apple fille.
If this be soothe, the craft is not full ille.

53

With juce of portulake and tytymalle
Evenly myxt, or thenne the budde oute sprynge,
Enointe the trunkes of this trees alle,
And manyfold of fruyte uppe wol thai brynge,
In bowes of it self is his graffynge.
Devyde hem that pith be fro pith serjointe.
In thende of March thaire graffyng is in pointe.

54

The fresshest graffe is in the stook to doo
In hast, lest tarying his humour drie
That nys but smal; to kepe hem longe also,
Let pitche her pedifeet, and honge hem hie.
Or plucke hool into see water trie
Hem feire, or into oildregges hoote hem deep.
Or this or that iii dayes let hem steep.

55

And after drie hem in the sonne, a nyghtes
Leve hem not throute, and then in places colde
Lette honge hem uppe. To use hem thus to dight is:
In water fresshe ii daies be thay wolde,
Thai wol be fresshe and fyne her on be bolde.
Or ley hem feire in chaf that never oon other
Touche, and ther thai beeth save ynough, my Brother.

118

56

Or make a diche in longe, and take a rynde
As long as it; in that the stortes doo
Of pomgarnat before and not behinde.
Then turne it on this diche enversed soo
That thay may honge and noo lande come hem too.
This rynde hem wol from alle humor defende.
Other hem drye in cley, and so suspende.

57

Eke whelve a seriol ther-oute that have
Gravel upp to the myddes, pomes take
The tenes with to stande in cannes save,
Or holgh ellerstickes is goode to make
And fyngers iiii up from the gravel stake
Hem so. Eke good it is to kepe hem longe,
That stalkes be not left on hem to longe.

58

Or in a seriol half water fild
So licoure touche hem not let hem suspende,
And cloos it faste in wynde lest thai be spild.
Or lette a tonne of barly hem comprende
Uchoon from other, close it til thou spende.
Thus kepeth men this fruyte in dyvers wyse.
And wyne to make of hem this is the gyse:

59

The greynes ripe ypurged fresshe and clene
Putte in a poche of palme and with the wrynge
Let presse hem, boile hem half awaie bydene.
Whenne thai beth colde in pitched vessellinge
And cleyed close hem up. But that boilynge
Of sum is leeft. Six sexter with a pounde
Of honey meddel thai, and save it sounde.

119

60

In March orenge is sette in sondry wyse:
In sede, in bough, in branches, and in clave,
Thai loveth lande that rare is and divise.
Eke after heete and rayne thai ever crave.
But greynes sowe, and thus thou shalt hem have:
Lande dolven two feet deep with askes mynge,
And bedde it smal for wedyng and wattrynge.

61

And make a delf with hande an handfull longe,
And doune the pointe thre greynes therin doo;
Weete hem daily; sone upp thai wol spronge;
Soonest yf luke water be kest therto;
And herbes next the brannches weede hem froo.
Her tyme of transplanntyng is iii yere age.
A bough yf that thou sette a foote him gage;

62

No lenger, lest hit rote: and of the clave
Is best an handful greet in crassitude,
Her eith'r ende ysmoothed is to have,
And cubital let make her longitude.
The prickes kitte awaie and thinges rude,
But save the gemmes in the summyte,
That hope of future germynyng may be.

63

And diligenter folk in oxen dounge
Encludeth her either extremitee.
With seefroth other have hem umbiyonge.
An other list ycleyed hem to se.
The brannches smaller shorter must thai be;
In like maner eke drench it as a clave,
But landes tweyne is longe ynough to have.

120

64

The clave ysette axeth noo spaces large
Hoote, ronke, and weete he loveth nygh the see.
Though treen upholde him not, he geveth no charge:
In countree cold and tild yf thai shall be
Men must hie enclyse as forto thee,
Or sette southe. Eke in the wynter season
Covert of stre thaire coldes must appeson.

65

Whenne Somer cometh, unclose hem, thai beth sure.
Eke braunche and clave in landes ferventest
Atte hervest forto sette, as doo thi cure.
At Juill and Aust in landes chillingest,
And daily make hem dronken hardiest.
I am expert so that thai forto greet
In magnitude, and brynge in pomes greet.

66

The gourde is goode nygh this orenge ysowe,
Whoos vynes brent maath askes for hem sete.
And delvynge ofte enyoieth hem to growe,
And to provyde of pomes goode and greet.
But here and there the drie awaye surtreet.
Hoot lande Aprill, and cold in May is kynde
To graffe hem lowe in trunke and not in rynde.

67

In per tree graffe hem, and molbury tree.
Oon in an erthen potte the graffes deeth.
Eke Marcial affermeth that ther be
Of hem in Assiry that never beeth
Withouten fruyte. Best witteness is that seeth.
“I saugh,” he saith, “inwith my territory
In Sardyne oothinge wel worthi memorie”:

121

68

There humour is, eke erthe and aier wel warme,
That fruite to fruite fro gree to gree succedeth,
That children yonge her eldron after harme,
The grene after the riper fruyte proceedeth.
The floures sewe as fruites grene hem ledeth.
Thus maketh thai of thaire fertilitee
In helping nature a feire eternytee.

69

Thai sayen thaire bitter margh wol channge sweete
Her seede in meth iii daies yf me steep,
Other in ewes mylk as longe hem wete.
In ffeveryere sum men eke bore hem deep;
Into the trunke upwarde humoure to weep
Out suffre thai until the fruyte be fourmed;
The myddel to sweetnesse is thus confourmed.

70

Nigh alle the yere men keep it on the tree.
Thai keep it bette in cloos vessel ydoone.
With levy bowes puld eke let hem be
By nyght, and under cloude yhed the moone,
And privily disposed up ichoone.
Sum eke clere iche of hem in his vessell,
And in a place of derknesse keep hem well.

71

Hem sum in cedur scobe, and sum in stre
Mynute, and sum in smal chaf wol witholde.
Nowe meddellers in hoote lande gladdest be,
So it be moist; thai come also in cold
Lande sondy fatnesse rathest yf it holde,
With stones myxt it stont in argillous
Lande, and with gravell myxt in glareous.

122

72

In Novemb'r and Marche her brannches sette
In dounged lande subact, her eith'r ende
In dounge ydoone. Thaire increment to fette
Is ferre, and unbydelvyng wol hem mende.
Kittyng thai love and lite humour to spende
Ofte in the drought. The seede also is sowe,
But hope is longe on it her fruytes growe.

73

A pynne of brasse the wormes of dryve,
Or oildregges, or mannes olde uryne,
Or quyk lime, lite of that, lest it unthryve.
Or kest on water of decoct lupyne.
For bareynnesse yet men from that declyne.
Mynge askes of vyne and dounge, and hem infounde
Into the roote, and thai wol be fecounde.

74

Aisel and askes tempred with rubrike
Ykest on hem sleeth doune this Anntes alle.
Oute of the roote a pece it is to pike
Yf that the fruyte myslike and from hem falle.
This pece a mydde his trunke it is to malle.
And in himself graffe hem in ffeberyere,
In mele also, eke graffe hem in the pere.

75

The graffe is to be take amydde his tree.
The toppes vicious are often sene.
In trunkes cloven guaffed must thai be
Not in the ryndes; thai beth fastyng lene.
To keep, ypuldde not mellowy but grene
Wolde be; longe on the tree thai wol endure.
Eke thai in pitched pottes kept are sure.

123

76

Suspence in rule hem keep with pusk condite
Ypuldde in myddes of a day serene.
Or in smal chaf asonder hem alite.
Semymature also me may hem glene,
And daies v in salt water hem lene.
In-founde hem then until thai swymme, and depe
In hony this fruyte ripe ynough thou kepe.

77

The fige to plannte in hoote lande best is holde
In Novemb'r; and there is tempre lande
In Feberyere; and there as lande is colde
In Marche, or in Aprill it doo to stande.
A toppe of it to sette other a wonde
Ys holdon best right in Apriles ende,
When grene, and juce upon hem dothe ascende.

78

The planntes sette is stones to sustene;
And dounged lande upon the rootes spende;
And cannys knottes pike oute hem bydene.
The tender cropp for colde herwith defende.
In places colde a topp, iii branched thende
Of ii yere age or iii towarde the sonne,
I cutte and sette as here is taught, is wonne.

79

The greyn inwith the grounde is so to stonde
That graffes iii on erthe aboven goon;
But cleve it softe yf that thou sette awonde,
And in this clifte do feire a litel stoone.
In fferyere and Marche myself aloone
In Italie haue sette fige planntes greete,
And right that yere eke of thaire fruite eete.

124

80

But hem I sette in wel pastyned lande,
And thai tributed with felicitee.
The knotty plannte is best; for thai that stande
Yknotted scars lacketh fertilitee.
And thai that in the semynary be
Matured wel and plannted so wol sprynge
Upp feire, and pomys gentilest forth brynge.

81

A bulbe of sqylle eke summen wol devyde,
And ther into this plannte of fig-tree trie,
And bynde it so therto that it abyde.
Thai love spaces large and delves hie,
And landes that beth hardde, and smal and drie.
To savoure wel in sharpe and stony lande,
And almoost every where eke may thai stande.

82

Thoo that in hilles growe or places colde
Have litel mylk; for thi thai may not dure
Til it be hoote; and best her use to holde
As thai beth grene and greet, of savor pure
Argute ynough; but fatter fige and sure
To kepe in hoot lande and in feld is spronge.
Thaire kyndes to reherce it is to longe.

83

Sufficeth this, that all have oon culture.
And as the carike hath, yeve hem distannce.
In places passyng colde it is moost sure
Precox to plannte, her fruyte thai soone enhance
Er shoures come; eke it wol moost avannce
In landes that beth estyvous for heete
The figtree latly riping forto gete.

125

84

Hit joyeth dolven ofte, and it to dounge
In hervest is availle; dounge of the mewe
Is best for hem. The roted and mys spronge
Let kitte hem of, and so that thai may sewe
A broode by grounde. Her taste is eke eschewe
In places weet, and hem therof to boote
Kest askes on thaire circumcised roote.

85

Sum men sette amonge hem caprifige
Tree, that it nede not for remedie
To honge on every tree that trees fige.
In Juyn, as sonne is hiest, to caprifie
The fig-tree is, that is to signifie
The figges grene of caprifigtree rende
With tree made like a sawe on hem suspende.

86

Ffor lacke of that, a yerde of southernwoode
Let honge upp that; or this: take rammes hornys,
Kest hem aboute her rootes, thai beth goode,
Or callum that in Elmes leves borne is;
Thaire abundance as goode as rammes horne is.
Or thus: the turgent trunke let scarifie,
That humour effluent oute of it hie.

87

To make hem save from wormes sette a bough
Of terebynt, other a birche stalk.
Do that with figtree planntes in the slough
Enverse, and wormes in hem wol not walke.
Or brason scrapes oute of everie dalke
Hem scrape; oildregges oon, and olde wyne
Another to thaire rootes wol reclyne.

126

88

Oon useth cley, an other oil, and he
With quyk lym wol her dennes have for doo,
Yf anntes unto thayme ennoyes be,
Rubrike with pitche and butter must be doo
The trunke aboute, and utter wol thai goo.
Pitche coratyne upp hanged in the tree
Ffor anntes, saithe an other, wol see.

89

Yf figtree cast his fruite, oildregges oon,
Rubrike an other watermyxt wol doo
Upon the tree, the thridde is forth ygoon,
The floode-crabbe and a braunche of rue also
Upp hongeth he. Seefroth the firthe is goo
To honge upp, and the vth he saithe a sithe
Made for lupyne is upp to honge aswithe.

90

An other saieth the rootes shal be bored,
A wegge in every boore eke shal be steke
The rynde an other hath with axes scored.
But when the leves gynneth oute to breke,
Of figes fatte and fele it is to speek.
Right as thai first begynne in germynynge,
Thaire highest topp choppe of for any thinge,

91

Or choppe of that amydwarde in the tree.
And premature yf that the list elonge,
Thaire grosses, whenne as greet as benes be,
So take hem of. Eke yf the thinke hem longe
Unripe, in oil and juce of stalons longe
With pepir myxt ennoynt her pomes, whenne
Thaire grosses rody wexing me may kenne.

127

92

And in Aprill a figtree graffed is
Under the rynde, and if the tree be yonge.
The cloven stok to graffe is not amys,
And wrie hem fest, ther into yonge.
Eke next the grounde ykitte wol sonnest fonge.
Men graffe in Juyn, oon yere olde graffe is take
And more or lesse, as nought is to forsake.

93

And in Aprill figtreen inoculate
May best be there as drie landes be,
And eke in Juyll thaire lande is mediate.
Atte October in luke lande pletcheth he.
In caprifige and in mulberry tree
Figtree men graffeth forto multiplie,
And oon wol use a graffe, an oth'r the eye.

94

Eke figges grene in hony may me keep
So thai ne touche, Outher in gourdes grene
Make everie fige a dover into creep,
And that was cut of close it after clene,
And honge hem ther no fir ne smoke is sene.
A fressh potte on hem sevred pitcheth ynne,
And dothe this potte swymme in a tonne of wyne.

95

And Marcial saith men in dyvers wyse
Her figges keep, and oon for everichoone,
As campaine hem kepeth, shall suffice.
On fleykes brede and drie hem is to doone
And yet al softe in baskettes repone.
And in an oven hoote upon iii stonys
For brynnyg it this figgy basket doon is.

128

96

Whenne thai beth bake, alle hoote into a stene
Lette hem be pressed pitched and ywrie,
Thaire leves doon the potte and hem betwene.
For rayne in sonne yf thou ne maist hem drie
Hoote askes may this fleykes under strie
In house in stede of sonne, and dried so
In chistes smale or coffyns hem doo.

97

Of figtree toppes planntes nowe thay make,
And dyvers fruite oon figtree forth to brynge,
Two bowes, oon blaak and oon white, thai take
And bynde and wethe hem so that germynyng
Comyxt upp goo: thus sette hem forto spryng
In moist ydounged lande annexed so
That the een germinannt togeder go.

98

Thay uned thus fruite of dyvers coloure
Upbryng in this dyvysed unytee.
This peres graffe and pomes sweet or soure,
As serve or quyns, plumme and mulbyry tree.
The ixth Calende of Aprille doon this be.
Pistacia is graffed nowe to growe
In colde lande, and pynapul seede is sowe.

De comparandis bobus, tauris et vaccis.

99

And tyme is nowe thyne oxen to be bought.
And be thai bought or of thi propretee,
Hem nowe to greithe is goode for ought or nought.
Now be thai lene, and sheweth as thai be,
And light to tame her contumacitee.
Ther are in hem certayne signes spectable
Which is to eschewe, and which is profitable.

129

100

Take oxen yonge, ylymmed greet and square,
Ychested sadde, in brawnes rysing greet,
Whoos fronnte is crispe and glaade, large eres are,
Thaire lippes and thair een blacke as geet,
With hornes stronge and streght is goode to gete,
Compact a runcle necke, dewlapped syde
Unto the kne, and nosed upwarde wyde.

101

Yshuldred wyde is goode, an huge brest,
No litel wombe, and wel oute raught the side,
The leendes broode, playne bak and streght,
The thies sadde and senowy, not to syde,
With greet cleen, and tailes longe and wide,
The body thourgh yheered, thicke and breef.
The rede coloure is best, and broune is leef.

102

Bette is to take of contree then of straunge,
Ther as with soil or aires qualitee
Thai be not tempted as to fynde a chaunge.
Or thus: take hem that of lyke countree be.
And of alle other this is forto see,
That even strengthed thou togedir dresse,
The feebeller lest that the stronge oppresse.

103

Thaire thewes is to see that thai be meek,
Quyk, and aferdde of clamoure and of gode,
And ever appetent metes to seek.
The fodder grene is best as for thaire foode.
For faute of that gete other thinges goode,
And fooder hem as thai beth sette on werk.
For boles eke now tyme is forto kark.

130

104

Take bulles that beth high, ylymmed huge,
Of myddel age, and rather yonge then olde,
A ferdfull face, his neck in many a ruge
Yfretted greet, and litel hornes wolde
He have, ywombed strerte is likely holde.
The kyen also the tyme it is to trie.
Doo cheese hem that be chested huge and hie.

105

For heded hie and wombed longe and wyde
Black horned feire, and een greet and blake
Wel hered eres, and dewlappes syde,
With tailles greet, and litel cleen thou take
Blake hered theyes short, I undertake
That goode are thai calvyng from iii yere olde
Til x is best, and other with noo holde.

106

Thyne olde away to doo be diligent,
To werk or what thou wilt, and take in yonge.
The Greekes sayen that the lift instrument,
The lift stoone of this bulles bestes stronge,
Knytte him fast in his purce and let him honge
In coitu, and he shall gender males,
And his right stoones up knytte genderes females.

107

But in this caas thai mosten been abstened
From generacions libertee
Til thai therto be verray hoote for tened.
And have thi drove in wynter nygh the see
In places glade; in hilles may it be
In Somer, namely thaire as bosshes growe
And herbes for thaire fosteryng ynowe.

131

108

Though thai be better fedde aboute floode,
Yet luke water best helpeth thaire feture.
Rayne water luke in lakes that is goode
For hem: floode water colde is in nature.
This droves may the Winter cold endure
Theroute all Winter thourgh, yf it be nede.
But for thi kyen incalf it is to drede.

109

Lest thai have wronge, let make hem closes wyde,
Thaire stalles eke beth of utilitee
With stones paved well from syde to syde,
Or gravelled, eke flored may thay be
With cley, and lenyng sumdel so that the
Humour may passe. Eke southwarde stande it, colde
Blastes sumthyng object eke from hem holde.

110

Exon may nowe be tamed three yeer olde;
That atte v yeres age is harde to doo.
Thaire tamyng is by the heed hem to holde
While thai beth yonge, and stroke hem to and to
With hande, and make afore her stalles so
Enlarged rowme outewarde when thai beth wende,
That noothing hem afere, or ought offende.

111

And footes vii longe thaire stakes stonde
To teye hem to: but fully hem to tame
Chese out the feirest day that may be fonde
There noo tempest or thing is worthi blame.
Now bringe hem oon and oon to yoke by name,
And yf thai be rebel, so let him stonde
Fastyng oon day and nyght in yokes bonde.

132

112

Now glose hem feire, and bryng hem not behinde,
But right afore of metes sum likyng,
And strook hem nose and bake, eke then is kynde
Cleer wyne on hem alle esily to sprynge.
But warre the horne and heles lest thai flynge
A slappe to the. Atte this if thai begynne
And take effecte therfro thai wol not twynne.

113

Thus tamed, her palate and mouthes frote
With saltes, and salt grees pounde peces take,
And three of hem putte in thyne exon throte.
A sexter wyne inwith an horne let shake
In daies three thaire raginge wol aslake.
And other tempte hem frist on werkes smale,
In ereed lande the plough as forto hale.

114

A shorter waie—the wilde oxe with the tame
Yyoked be, to teche hem howe to doo.
And in the forgh downe yf he sitte as lame,
Noo fier, noo strook, noo prikyng come him too;
But bynde his feete that he neither stonde nor goo.
This doon, he wol for hungre and for drie
Go from this vice, and use it not past twye.

115

Feed stalons fatte goth nowe to gentil marys,
And, thay replete, ayein thai goothe to stable.
Oon horses wit for over fele eke bare is.
Let every stalon have as he is able;
So may thai longe endure and profitable.
A yonge and a lusty hors, if it shall thryve,
May have but twyes vi or thries v.

133

116

Yeve others like her strengthes qualitee.
But thinges iv in hem is to be holde,
Fourme, and coloure, merite, and beautee.
First fourme hem thus: greet rowme his body holde,
And sadde for lacke of strengthe unlike to folde,
Her sydes longe, her altitude abounde,
And buttocks have thay right greet and rounde.

117

Ybrested broode, and alle the bodie lifte
In brawnes greet and knotty densitee,
With holgh horne, high yshood, sadde foote and swifte;
Nowe have an eye aboute on thaire beautee.
The parties bethe thees in that to see:
A litel dried hede, uppon the bonys
Is best yf that the skynne wel streite ydoon is.

118

Thaire eres shorte and sharppe, thaire een steep,
Thaire noses thorled wyde and patent be,
Thaire tail and mayne enlarged, wide and deep,
Thaire hoof alle sadde fixe in rotunditee.
Colours nowe to knowe attendeth ye:
The baye is goode coloure, and broune purpure,
The lyarde, and the white and browne is sure.

119

The walnyed is goode, also the blake
Is fyne coloure, the falowe, and hert hued,
The pomly gray for him I undertake,
The gray, the goldenhered and the skued.
And next hem in merite is dyvers hued
Blacke, bay, and permyxt gray, mousdon also,
The fomy, spotty hue, and many moo.

134

120

But stalons best beth cleer in oon coloured,
Alle other lefte, but yf the magnitude
Of thaire merite hem that been discloured
Excuse, and in a maner so exclude.
Thi mares take of like similitude,
But rathest be thaire bolk and wombes large.
This crafte in gentil haras is to charge.

121

Alle other mares may be with thaire malys
Alle yere atte large; and this is thaire nature:
That moneths xii in fole everie female is.
Another thing in stalons is to cure,—
That thai be sette asonder for lesure
Whenne thai beth wode; and do this maner drove
In Somer there is colde and thicke of groves.

122

In winter ther is fattest and plesaunte,
And sumdel hardde to sette atte firmitee
Thaire hornes on thaire feet, this let hem haunte.
Impacient yf that females be
And wol noo male, her naturalitee
With stamped squylle embawme other ennointe,
And thai wol soone enable in that jointe.

123

Fro colde and hungre holde hem that beth greet
In fole, and yeve hem place atte thaire pleasaunce,
And gentil females that males gete
Iche other yere be kept fro fecundaunce;
[OMITTED]
So shall thai be the bigger huge and pure.
Alle other take as cometh of hem noo cure.

135

124

A stalon may begynne atte yeres v,
And his females at yeres ii conceyveth.
But after yeres x thaire coltes blyve
Shall never goo, the pukker thai deceiveth.
Foles with hande to touche a corser weyveth;
Hit hurteth hem to handel or to holde.
Defende hem eke, as reson wol, from colde.

125

In foles, as thai are adolescentes,
Yf thai be goode, asmoche is forto see
As is aforne wel saide of thaire parentes,
Quyk, swifte, and steryng with hillaritee.
Now foles two yere olde may tamed be:
Take brawny-bodied, huge, argute, and longe
Smal ballockynge, and ever shortte uphonge.

126

In other thing take hem her fader like,
So thewed that from high quiete and rest
Anoon thai may be stered forto prike,
And fastest pricked turning at the best,
Ner harde be it not eft to make him rest.
Thaire myddel teeth aboue at two yere age
Thai cause, at yeres iiii an other gage.

127

Er yeres six oute gothe the gomes stronge,
The caused first at yeres vi are even.
At vii yere are all illiche longe,
The markes of thaire age are lost at sevon.
Thaire browes hoore, her tempils holgh unevon,
The teethe oute seeth. Now alle iiii footed bestes,
And namely hors, to geldde yholdyn best is.

136

De Mulino genere & Asinis.

128

This mules forto make who so delite,
A mare yboned sadde, ybulked greet,
Yformed nobully most been elite;
And though she be not swyfte, a strong one gete
Of yeres iiii unto this werk to trete.
Till yeres x she for this admyssure
Is goode, but this mot have a besy cure.

129

The mare yf the asse eschewe, on his female
As tempte him first; and when he gynneth ride,
Hys wyf is oute, this mare is into hale.
While he dothe on, that other holde aside.
For furious in lust he wol abide
And doo: but yf he bite hir in his rage,
Let labouryng his melincoly swage.

130

A mule eke of an hors and of an asse
Is hadde, and of a wilde asse and a mare,
But gentiler in kynde never nasse
Then of the mare and asse yformed are.
Of asses wilde and mares better nare,
Ther noo stalons of whome the geniture
For to be stronge and swyft me may assure.

131

A stalon asse ybolked, brawny, sadde,
And large ylymmed, strong, and steyth, alle blaak
Or mou(s)hered or reede is to been hadde.
But chois yf that ther be, moushered taak.
And discolour in browes hath a laak
And eres eke, but what that thaire of [s]prynge
Of variannt colour forth thai brynge.

137

132

Three yeres age is leest and x is meste,
And from her damme a she asse oon yere olde
Doo putte in share pastures that the beeste
In tender age on labour gynne holde;
The male aselle in feeldes forto holde
Hit needefull is, for he to diligent
Laboure wol take, and ek be negligent.

De apium infirmitatibus & curacione.

133

The bee that Marche is wonte to be ful seke,
That after Winter colde and abstinent
On titimalle and elmes gynneth pike
That bittir be, wherof anoon relent
Thaire wombes are, and sone be thay shent
But yf me helpe anoon with medicyne.
Nowe rewe on hem and helpp hem oute of pyne.

134

Wyne Amynee with pomgarnates grayne,
Or reyson graynes with dewe Siriake
And mighty wyne, alle this ygrounden playne
And boiled in sharppe wyne is forto take
And into litel treen trowes shake.
Or roosmaryn in meth decoct congele,
And yeve it hem in gutters, hem to hele.

135

And clorded yf thaire backes be, silent,
And slough, a thing horrible to beholde,
And corses dede oute beryng diligent,
Chaneles is to make of cannes olde
That iche of hem a quantitee may holde.
Putte hony into hem and powder galle,
Or pouder rose, and it wol hele hem alle.

138

136

Moost spedy is the roten combes kerve
Awaye, and yf the swarme is but of fewe,
Thaire empty combes of the same serve.
But take the kennest knyf of alle the rewe,
To doe this softely with, lest alle remewe,
And thai seyng thaire dwellyng so forfare
So fly awaye with greet compleynt and care.

137

Ek ofte ennoieth hem felicitee,
As floures over fele of whom thai trie
So faste hony that on fecundite
Thai thinketh not, nor horde to multipli,
But dothe hemself travaille until thai die.
Forthi yf combes ronke of hony weep,
Three dayes stopped up atte home hem keep.

138

Thus stopped uppe, in generacion
And brynging babes forth thai wol attende.
Thaire dwellyng places expu(r)gacion
Of every filthe aboute Aprill Calende
Wol have of right ther Wynter hath it shende.
Nowe pike oute mougthes, attercoppes, wormys,
And butterflie whoos thoste engendryng worme is.

139

Smooke of encense effuse in drie oxe dounge
Doo under hem, to hele hem and socoure.
Til hervest doo this ofte, yf it be longe.
Alle sobre, chaste, uneten metes soure,
From bathes aliene, unclene odoure,
And sauces alle and metes salt avyse
The wel to been, in doyng been servyce.

139

140

With October Marche houres feet beth even
The first hath xxv. feet, xv
Feet hath the secounde houre, the thirdde xi,
The fourthe hath viii, and v up six sustene,
And six hath v. In vi, vii demene,
And so goo forth. x hath feet thries v.
xi goth with xxv blyve.

Deo Gracias.

Nowe Marche is doon and to correctioun
His book is goon, as other did afore,
Of him that said I thi protectioun
From all thy foon adversannt lesse & more;
And his beheste stedfast is evermore.
Honoure, empire, and jubilacioun
To Ihesu Crist in special therfore,
My lyf, my light, my right salvacioun.

140

BOOK THE FIFTH. APRILIS.

Prefacio in quintum librum.

Ayenie to werk am I sette, and I haste.
Come of, let see who be the sharppe penne.
The tyme is riche, and synne is hit to waste,
Every moment saith “Rys! I goo. Come, thenn,
To jugement.” O what may I saye thenne
That many an hour have spende & not alle well.
But Mercy, God! Now husht of that: for renne
I must, and here begynne atte Averell.

De Medica seretica & disciplina ejus.

1

At Auerel Medike is forto sowe
In beddes fourmed, as is taught beforne,
That ones sowen yeres x wol growe,
And yerely iiii or tymes sexe yshorne.
Hit doungeth landes lene, and beestes lorne
For lene it fedeth uppe, and seek aviseth.
Thre hors ayere an acre wel sufficeth.

2

A cruse is for a bedde ynough to take
Of footes v in brede, & double longe,
And wrie hem quycly with a treen rake,
Lest that the sonne up brenne, or do hem wronge.
From thennes doo noon yren hem amonge,
But oonly tree, and goode is weede hem ofte,
Lest weedes ille oppresse hem yonge and softe.

141

3

First repe it late, that sedes sumdel shake,
And after repe it as the thinkest goode,
And fodder for the beestes therof make,
First scant; it swelleth and encreaseth bloode;
And watter wele the londe ther as it stoode.
Sixe sithe ayere repe it; as ofte it weede
And yeres x ther is of it noo drede.

De serenda olea: de vineis, &c.

4

Olyve is graffed now in tempre lond,
As is beforne ytaught, under the rynde
In wilde olyve, olyves forto stond
So that, though thai be brende, oute of thaire kynde
Thai chaunge not. This crafte be not behinde.
Maak delves, sette in hem thi wilde olyve,
And fille hem uppe half fulle until thay thryve.

5

This wilde olyve ytaken, graffe hem lowe,
And as the graff upp springing gynneth renne,
The molde aboute his stock and him up growe
Wel upp over the grafyng stede; and thenne
Though fire be sette on it it shal not brenne,
His comyssure in erthe it stont so depe,
And oute of it olyve ayein wol crepe.

6

Olyves sum in rootes graffe, and rende
Hem after out with parcells of the roote;
But first this craffes wel must comprehende.
And set hem forth as planntes forto roote.
From the viii kalend of Aprill it is boote,
As Grekes sayen, til Jules thridde none
To graff in hoote lande late, in colde land sone.

142

7

Er thenne this moones Ide in places cold
Beth vynes dolve, and hem that Marche hath lefte
Unsette, lette sette hem nowe. Nowe weeded wold
Thi semynaires be, and dolven efte.
Panyke and mylde in comyn drie is lefte.
To sowe and eree upp feeldes fatte and weet,
And weedes tender yette oute of hem geet.

De diversis herbis in orto.

8

Last in this moone as veer is nygh atte ende,
Brasike that wortes serveth is to sowe,
For tyme is past a croppe on it to ascende.
Eke Ache in every manner lande is throwe
So it be weet. In drie eke wol it growe
Yf nede be, and nygh in all the moonys
Fro pryme veer til hervest last, this doon is.

9

As of this Aches there be kyndees three:
The soure and stordy yposelinon,
This is the first; the softe yfoiled be
Seconde, yclept Elioselinon,
In lakes spronge; and Petroselinon
In places hardde uppe sprynging: diligent
Men tille, and have alle three to theire entent.

10

The gretter ache is made thus: fingres tre
Ful of that seede doo in a lynnen thynne
Clothe in a litel delf so sette it be.
The growyng of hem into oon heed wol wynne,
And so be greet asonder not to twynne.
Thai wol be crispe her seede yf that me crese,
Or with a rolle or feet hem sprongen brese.

143

11

Ek the older seede the sonner it is spronge,
The yonger dwelleth longer. Nowe Avage
Is sowe, and so forthe alle the somer longe
Til hervest come in with his gretter wage.
But yeve him drinke ynough in youth and age.
For humour dronken, rathest upp gothe he,
And sowen hidde anoon he praieth be.

12

From him the weedes plucke: unnecessarie
Is him to plaunte yf he be wel ysowe.
Yit better wol he spryng and higher caire
Wel rare yf he be plannted forto growe,
Eke juce of dounge and humoure on hem throwe.
With yren him to croppe is his encrese,
So cropped forto sprynge he wol not ceese.

13

Basilicon is sowen in this moone,
And theruppon ysowen yf me shall
Hoote water sprynge, upp gothe it wonder sone.
Eke mervaille thinge affermeth Marcial:
Therof that purpure nowe the floure is alle.
Nowe it is white, now rosy. This is straunge.
It ofte ysowe eke maketh wounder chaunge.

14

To pelletur, and to horsmyntes eek
Hit chaungeth ofte. Cucumber nowe is sowe,
Melones, pelletur, cappare, and leek.
Colcases planntes now beth sette to growe,
Nowe coriander, letuce, betes throwe
In molde; onyons, myntes, gourdes, goldes,
Nowe secondly to sowe or kest in molde is.

144

De zizipho & ejus pomis.

15

Nowe ziziphus in infervent lande;
Atte May or Juyn in londe that beth colde.
Ther gladde and warme is loveth he to stande.
To sette or stook or plannte or boon is holde
Right goode; softe erthe in Marche the planntes wolde
Stonde ynne: thre bones in thyne hondes brede
Inverse into the delf is doune to lede.

16

Doo aske and dounge on hem above and under,
And breek away the weedes with thyne hande.
And thombe greet in pastyn hem asonder
Or (in) to delf: thai axe not to fatte lande,
So that by fatte and not by lene it stande.
In Wynter to his codde an heep of stonys
Is goode, that in the Somer utter doone is.

17

Yf this tree loure, an horscombe wol him chere.
Or lite and ofte embaume his roote oxe donge.
In places drie her fruites ripe alle yere
Is kept in cleyed erthen pottes longe.
Nowe ruge on hem puldde newe olde wyne yspronge
Wol suffre be: eke honged with thaire bough,
Or in thaire leves fold, is goode ynough.

18

This moone also, by rather lerned reason,
To sette and graffe in places temperate
Pomgarnat is, and peches have thaire season.
Atte May Kalendes hem to enoculate
Right as we saide of figges emplastrate.
Eke Citurtree this moone in places colde
Is forto graffe, as is beforne ytolde.

145

19

In colde lande nowe the figtree plant is sette,
And graffed in the stock or in the rynde,
As disciplyne of hem beforne is sette.
And hem to enoculer eke have in mynde.
Nowe Cefalon the palmes plannte is kynde
In glaade to sette and hoote; now graffyng serve
In quynce, in white thorne, in himself wol serve.

De oleo violacio & vino.

20

Oilviolet to make attende: of oil
As many pounde, asmany unces take
Of violette, not but oonly the foil.
And xl daies standyng theroute it make.
To x sester olde wyne v pounde in slake
Of violet undewy, and x pounde
Hony the xxxthe day is forto enfounde.

De vitulis nutriendis, tonsuris et signaturis.

21

Now calves to be calued is the gyse.
But yeve hem meete ynough that were with childe,
That thai to mylk and laboure may suffice.
And yeve thaire children tosted grounden mylde
Commyst with mylk. Now shepe shere in ayer mylde;
Late lamber marke hem nowe, nowe frist tuppyng
Be made, lambron to ripe er Winter sprynge.

De apibus investigandis et alvearibus purgandis.

22

This moone in places apte is been to seche:
Place apte is there swete herbes multiplie,
And bees the welles haunte and water cleche:
Utilitee is ther to mellifie.
But where the swarmes dwell is crafte to aspie.
And first yf thai be dwellyng ferre or nygh,
See here the crafte; and truly it is slygh.

146

23

Take rubrik poured in sum litel shelle,
And therwithall the bak of every bee
A pensel touche as thai drynk atte the welle,
And note hem after widerwarde thai flee.
Then by thaire ayein turnyng a man may se
Howe ferre or nygh thai be: and to the nygh
To come is light; but to the ferre be sligh.

24

Kitte out ayointe of reede, and in the side
Therof let make an hoole, and therin doo
Hony or sweete wyne sumdel beside
The welle or water that the been goth too.
Lette hem goon in as fele as wol in goo;
And after hem the hoole yclosed be,
And first let oon of hem oute of it flee,

25

And folowe fast, for thiderwarde thai dwelle.
Streght wol she flee; and when thou may not see
No lenger hir, an other forth to telle
Let goo; for thiderwarde eke wol she flee.
But sew uppon. Do thus froo be to be.
Thus wol thai lede oon to thaire dwellyng place.
But in the mornyng gynne hem thus to trace;

26

That alle the day unto thi sewe suffice;
For, towarde nyght in restyng thai assure.
Or thus: a thing with hony thou devyse
To sette as by the welle of thaire pasture.
When oon hath tasted it, anoon his cure
Dothe he to bryng his bretheren to that feest;
And that thay haunte anoon, the moost and leest.

147

27

Now see the cours howe thai goo to and froo,
And fire hem home yf thai be in a cave,
Besmooke hem, oute of it anoon thai goo.
Thenne make a sowne on brasse, and thou shalt have
Hem lightyng on sum boshe or tree; nowe shave
Hem into an hyve. Yf thai be in a tree
Thaire hous over and under sawed be.

28

Uppe wrappe hem clene, and sette hem with thyne hyves;
To frote her houses wel with citriage
And herbes sweete is plesaunt to thaire lyves.
Yf this be doon while veer is yonge of age
The welles nygh, of unfeyned courage
Of been therto wol come a multitude.
Now ware that theves naught thi crafte delude.

29

Now purge her hyves; flee the butterflie
That in the malves flouring wol abounde;
A brason vessel streit with brynkes hie
A light atte nyght make standyng in the grounde;
The butterflies wol this light enrounde,
And brenne hemself. Thus may me hem destroye
Uchone anoon that thinges fele ennoye.

30

Abrel with September in houres oon is
Ooon twyes xii, and tweyne hath twyes vii.
Thre twyes v; and foure hath seven ons.
And fyve hath v; and sixe hath three foote even.
Nowe vii, viii and ix, and x, xi
With v and iiii, and iii and ii, and i
Beth houre for houre, and foote for foote to goon.

148

Deo Gracias.

Finis quinti libri, et præfacio in sextum librum.

And here an ende, er thenne I wende, I fynde
Eke doon is in this moone are taught aforne.
O Salvatour! O Jesse floure so kynde,
Of oon for everichon that list be borne,
And for us hinge, a crowne usyng of thorne!
Honoure be to the, Floure(s) of floures ay!
Thi werke awey from derk upborn
So make, as here I take ayaine atte May.

149

BOOK THE SIXTH. MAY.

De panico & milio, & feno recidendo.

1

Atte May in places that beth colde and wete,
Panyk and mylde in thaire maner is sowe.
Now every grayne almest hath floures swete,
Untouched now the Tilman lete hem growe.
Barly and whete & sengul seedes are
VIII daies floure, and xl dayes grete
Withouten floure, ripeness until the gete.

2

All double seede, as benes, peses be,
And other pulse, a xl dayes floure,
And greteth with in places nygh the see.
In places drie & colde nowe tyme & houre
Is hay to mowe, and yf the rayne beshoure,
Winde it not til hit be parfit drie.
Nowe to the vyne is efte to have an eye.

De novelle sarmentis relinquendis.

3

Consider now sarmentes tender, yonge,
And leve a few of hem that saddest be,
And holde her armes up til thai be stronge.
A yonge vyne hath ynowe oon, ii, or iii,
Armes, and sweethed hem togeder see,
Lest wyndes rude hem breek and overthrowe
And no maner be lefte on hem to growe.

150

4

This moone is eke for pampinacion
Convenient; voide leves puld to be.
But sette upon this occupacion
While that me may with no difficultee
With fyngers lightly twyk hem from the tree.
This crafte wol fede up grapes fatte and greet,
And Phebus wol goo Ripe hem with his heet.

De proscindendis & aperiendis novis agris.

5

Nowe feeldes fatte in herbes overgrowe
Ys goode to plowe, and leyes up to breke.
Se whether drie or wete, or playne or rowe
It be, or full of boshe, or stones steke.
Lette diche it deep that humoure oute may leke.
Yf it be weet, a comyn diche in kynde
To make is lighter thenne the diches blynde.

6

A forgh (iii?) footes deep thi landes thorgh
With gravel, or with litel pibble stonys,
Unto the mydwarde fild ayeme this forgh;
And even the erthe above ascaunce her noon is.
And thus doo efte as ofte as goode to doon is.
But hede it that the hedes of hem alle
Into sum greet diche pitchelonges falle.

7

The humour shall passe, and thus thi lande be saved.
And stones yf the lacketh, this is boote;
Sarment, or stree, or lappe in it be graved.
Yf thaire be treen, up storke hem by the roote,
Here oon, there oon to leve a fer remote
I holde is goode. Yf it be full of stonys,
For closure of the feld better stuff noon is.

151

8

Have up this stones scorne unto the Wallis,
Thay may thi feelde uncomber and defende.
Yf rishes, gresse, or fern in with this walle is
With ereyng ofte her lyves wol be spende.
Lypyne or benes sowen ofte anende
On hem wol make, yf ever as thai sprynge
Her hedes with a sicle of thou flynge.

De ablaqueandis arboribus, occandis, etc.

9

Nowe wyne and tree that were ablaqueat
To cover hem it is convenient.
Nowe as the treen beth gladde in thaire astate
For gutteryng to howe it and to hent,
A comune busshell greet circumferent,
Or litel lesse, oon of thi worchers falle,
That konnyngest is of his felawes alle.

10

The semynair is dolven in this moone,
Alle besily: in places over colde
And pluvyous, olyves is to doone,
To kytte, and mosse awaye be rased wolde.
The feeld eke nowe ther as me sowe sholde,
Lypyne for donngyng lande to plowe it need is.
Nowe turne ayein to gardeyne sowyng seedys.

De spatiis ortorum pastinandis et seminibus serendis.

11

The spaces that in hervest sowe or sede
Me wol, may best have nowe thaire pastynyng.
Nowe ache is sowe, and howe beforne take heede,
Melonns and coriander sowen sprynge.
Of gourdes, tasil, radishe nowe sowynge
Is goode. Nowe rue is sette, and nowe transplannte
A leek so drynke up bolde him forto avannte.

152

12

In places hoote nowe pomgarnates floure,
That Marcial a mervaille dooth of telle;
In til a potte of erthe enduce a floure
Uppon his bough downe bounden ther to dwelle.
To fillyng of this potte the fruyte wol swelle
By hervest tyme; and then his magnitude
By breking of this potte me may disclude.

13

In landes hoote the pechys in this moone
Emplastred are, and nowe in landes colde,
The citur tree to tille is goode to doone
In divers wyse, as is to fore ytolde.
Now ziziphus and figtree forto holde
Men sette or graff in cold or chillyng lande.
The palme eke nowe men setteth forth to stande.

14

Now Mago saith is goode castracion
Of litel boles, whil thaire age is tender.
Ferul to cleve an occupacion
Be first, and presse in it thaire stones slender.
So wol thai dwyne awaye that sholde engender.
In veer, and hervest, eke sprynging the moone
Is best, as saithe this Mago, this to doone.

15

Other with tynnen tonges take her strynges,
First bounden lest thay nolde not graunt hem leve,
And faire of with a knyf thai cutte her thinges,
But sumdel on the strynges hede thai leve,
Tais stauncheth bloode, and alle wol not bereve
Her stordy myght: her woundes let entyne
With aske of vyne, and with spume argentine.

153

16

With abstynence of drynk and litel mete
After this feste as fede hem daies three,
Grene herbes croppes, swettest let hem ete,
And bowes softe and toppe of tender tree
Bydewed or bywet whether it be.
Tar mixt with aske and oil after iii dayis
Ennoynte his wounde, and save thi beest for ay is.

17

Castracion in better wyse is founde
In daies late: as first a beest to bynde,
And bounden so to holde him fast to grounde,
And streyne in tre the wytnes of his kynde,
And with a brennyng axe away behinde
To hewe hem bothe; or have a thing therfore
Made like a swerde this folk away to seore.

18

This yren maade, thi rule of tree ley to
This thinges straite, and with the brennyng yre
So smyte hem of quykly that it be doo,
So wol the woo be shortte, of litel yre,
Eke skynne and stringes seryng so to enfire
Upstauncheth bloode, and closeth so the wounde
That save a cicatrice is nought yfounde.

De tonsuris ovium.

19

Nowe sheepe bethe shorne in places temporate.
For sheep ishorne make uncture of lupyne,
The juce of it decoct first ther ate
With dregges both of oiles and aged wynys,
Of iche yliche: a thing for sheep this fyne is.
Herewith ennointe hem alle; and after three
Dayes let over wesshe hem in the see.

154

20

And yf the see be ferre, licoure of heven
With litel salt decocte this beest ennointe.
Oute wesshe of it, but doo this longe er even:
And over yere thai wol been in goode pointe
Withouten scorf or scalle in cors or jointe,
Also thai shall have softe encrisped wolle
And wonderly prolonged atte the fulle.

De casio faciendo.

21

Alle fresshe the mylk is crodded now to chese
With crudde of kidde, or lambe, other of calf,
Or floure of tasil wilde. Oon of hem chese,
Or that pellet that closeth, every half,
The chicke or pyjon crawe, hool either half.
With figtree mylk, fresshe mylk also wol turne.
Thenne wrynge it, presse it under poundes scorne.

22

And sumdel sadde up doo it in a colde
Place, outher derk, and after under presse
Constreyne it efte, and salt about it folde,
So sadder yet saddest it compresse.
Whenne it is wel confourmed to sadnesse
On fleykes legge hem ichoone so from other,
That nere a suster touche nere a brother.

23

But ther the place is cloos is hem to enclude,
And holde oute wynde although he rowne or crie,
So wol thaire fattenesse and teneritude
With hem be stille; and yf a chees is drie,
Hit is a vyce, and so is many an eye
Yf it see with, that cometh yf sonnyng brendde,
Or moche of salt, or lite of presse, it shende.

155

24

An other in fresshe mylk to make of chese
Pynuttes grene ystamped wol he doo;
An other wol have tyme a man to brese
And clensed often juce of it doo to
To tourne it with; to savor so or soo;
It may be made with puttyng to pigment,
Or piper, or sum other condyment.

De examinibus apium augmentatis.

25

Of been the swarmes nowe begynne encrese,
Nowe in the hony combe is bredde the bee.
The greet birdde and kynges doutelees
Men sayen thai been, but Greekes sayne thai be
Clept œstros, and goode is hem to slee,
For thai the swarme unresteth, so thai crie.
Nowe as is taught yit slee the butterflie.

De pavimentis in solariis faciendis.

26

Atte Mayés ende a solar is to pave,
And rather not, lest frostes it enfecte.
A double cours of boording first it have,
Oon transversal, another cours directe.
With chaf or ferne this bordes do be tecte,
And therupon doo stones handfull grete,
And wel foote-tempred morter theron trete.

27

Thenne with a barre inbete it, batte it ofte,
And playne it rough, but are it fully drie,
Brik bipedal chaneled bryng on lofte,
This floore that be suffisyng forto wrie.
The chanels fynger grete thou most espie.
On evry half this bryk twoo feet of brede,
That lyme and oil the joint togeder lede.

156

28

This scyment, bryk, stoon, cley togeder drie,
And knytte into oon til noon humoure be therin,
Nowe yote on that scyment clept testacye
Sex fynger thicke, and yerdes is noo synne
To all to flappe it with; now brode and thynne
Tilette or tabulette of marble stoon,
Empresse, and never shal this werk agoon.

De lateribus faciendis.

29

Now brik is maade of white erthe, or rubrike,
Or cley, for that is made in somer heete
To sone is drie, an forto chyne is like.
Thus make hem: sifted erthe and chaf to trete
And tempre longe, and fourmed sonne oute swete
The humour, tourne hem; two feet [longe] every brik
Be, and oon foote brode iii ynches thicke.

De Rosato xiii cam. de oleo liliacio xiiii cam.

30

In sestres sex of olde wyne purged rose
Three daies first v pounde is to doo,
The xxxth day x pounde hony dispose
In it wel scommed first, and use it soo.
Take x pounde oil, x lilies therto
Be doo, and xl dayes sette it ther oute
In glasse, and made it is noo longer doute.

De oleo roseo xv cam, de rodomelle xvi cam.

31

In every pounde of oil an unce of rose
Ypurged putte, and hange it dayes seven
In sonne and moone, and after oilderose
We may baptize and name it, cordyng even.
And xl dayes to beholde on heven
In juce of rose a sester that weel smelle
A pounde hony and name it rodomelle.

157

De rosis viridibus servandis

32

That roses that begynneth forto unclose
And cleve a reede that stont & groweth grene,
Doo thayme therin and let it on hem close
Thus til the list: hem wol this reede sustene.
Other condite hem kepe in pottes clene
With pik munyte and couchyng theroute alway.
August in houres cordyng is with May.

De horis Maii and Augusti.

33

Half prime hath xxiii feet, and pryme
Hath xiiii, and half undron hath but ix,
High undron vi, and iiii hath mydday tyme,
And noon hath iii. Nowe Phebus wol declyne
Tort occident, and lenger lemes shyne.
Thyne afternoone to thi fornoone confourme
In feet from houre til hour, as is the fourme.

Finis viti. libri, et prefacio ad septimum.

34

So May is ronne away in litel space.
The tonge is shortte, and longe is his sentence.
Forth ride I see my gide, and him I trace
As he as swyfte to be yit I dispence.
O sone of God allonne, O sapience,
O hope, of synnes drop or gile immuyn,
Lovyng I to The syng as my science
Can doo; and forth I goo to werk atte Juyn.

158

BOOK THE SEVENTH. JUYN.

De area ad trituram paranda.

1

At Juyn a floore for thresshing thus thai make:
Thai pare it first, and lightly after gete
Hit dolven smal, and chaf therto thay take,
Oildregges fresshe thai tempre with, and trete
It even playne abroode. This helpeth whete
From Auntes and fro myse. Nowe pibble stonys
Thay bete in, and other that cordyng stoone is.

2

And after suffer thay the sonne it drie.
And this is oone. Another way is fonde,
As first the floor to clensse, and after strie
Hit all with weete, and so wel weet the londe,
Doo beestes smale in hit to stere and stonde,
And make hem route aboute, and trede, and strayne
It wel, and so to drie it they complayne.

De messibus.

3

Now gynneth barly ripe, and is to anende,
Er the eere to breke and shede it; for as whete
It is not cladde nor cloked syde & ende.
Oon daywerk of a goode repman may gete
V strik, a febbler for iii may swete.
And that the corn may grete upon the grounde
Thay sayen is goode to let it lye unbounde.

159

4

This moones ende in places nygh the see
And hot & drie is gonnen repyng whete.
But first, yf it be ripe, is forto see
Yf alle the lande atte ones rody grete
Enclyne & thonke unlaced so for hete.
The playner parte of ffraunce a crafte hath fonde
To repe in litel space a worlde of londe.

5

Oon oxes werk alle hervest up shall take
With litel mannes help, and in this wyse:
A squared carre on wheles two thay make,
And borde it bredyng up of certayne sise,
That tort the brynk it brede alway & rise.
His chaule aforne that shal ete up the whete
Ys not right high, but so of even mete.

6

That towe is toothed thicke as the mesure
Of erees wol not passe hem, upwarde bende.
And bakward beth twey thilles made full sure,
As forwarde hath a drey, and in chat ende
An meke oxe that wol drawe & stonde & wende
Wel yoked be, and forwarde make it fare.
And every corne wol start into this chare.

7

This teeth wol bite hem so that beth bifornys
And fere hem in, the drover aye in kynde
Doo list & lethe as lowe & high the corne is,
That shall trippe in, the chaf fletyng behynde.
Thus shall an oxe in dayes few upwynde
An hervest alle; this carre is thus to carie
In feeld lande playne, ther chaf nys necessarie.

160

De agris proscindendis, vineis occandis, &c.

8

In coldest lande thing lefte undoon in May
May now be doon, as feeldes me may plowe.
In grassy cold lande vynes rootes may
Eke nowe be wrie, eke now the fittches rowe
Collect may be, and fayngreek downe to rowe
For fodder now is tyme; and every puls,
There lande is cold, is hervest nowe to huls.

9

Nowe potageware in askes mynge & kepe
In oilbarelles or salt tubbes doone,
Sadde cleyed well thai save beth leide to slepe.
Nowe benes, in decresyng of the moone,
Er day and er she ryse, upplucked soone,
Made clene, and sette up wel refrigerate,
From grobbes save wol kepe up thaire estate.

10

Lupine also collecte is in this moone,
And yf me wolle, anoon it may be sowe,
Right from the floor as fast as it is doone.
But ferre away from humour it bestowe,
In that garnar that stont not over lowe,
To keep hem longe, and rathest yf the smeke
Perpetual uppon thaire dwellyng reke.

De diversis herbis serendis.

11

Brasik is sowe atte stondying of the Sonne,
And atte the hede of Aust it is to plaunte
In landes weet, or elles rayne beronne.
And ache also is sowen come denaunt,
Bete and radisshe excerciseth thair haunt;
Letuce and coriander, yf me wete
Her lande, up groweth nowe this herbes sete (=sweete).

161

De pomis et flore punici, &c.

12

Yit may the pomgarnates floure enclude
An erthen potte, as twye is taught beforne,
To make a pome of mighty magnitude.
Nowe peres and meles over thicke ar torne
Away the vicious, lest juce ylorne
On hem sholde be that gentil fruyt myght spende.
Nowe ziziphus in colde lande wol ascende.

13

The figtree, as forsaith his discyplyne,
This moone in season is to caprifie.
Nowe have I wist men graffe hem viii or ixne.
Now peche in places colde is putte in theye.
The plannte of palm men umbydelvyng hie.
In Juyl and nowe solempne insicion
Hath treen, that men calle emplastracioun.

14

Emplasturyng accordeth with the tree
That hath a juce of fattenesse in the rynde,
As figge, olyve, and other suche be.
Eke Marcial saith peche is of that kynde.
Thus it is doon, as we in bookes fynde:
Of fairest treen loke uppe the brannches clere
That fertilest and fresshest yonge appere.

15

Under the fresshest gemme alle subtily,
That gemme unhurt, with yron reyse a rynde.
The tree that shall emplastred be therby
Take of the gemme, and bark, and therto bynde
This gemme unhurt, and so in bondes wynde
Hit softe his gemme above alle that excede,
Oon gemme as for another so succede.

162

16

Doo donnge upon and umbe on evry syde
And bynde it to; the bowes of that tree
That higher beth, let hewe of or devyde
Away, and dayes xxti let it be.
Unbynde it thenne, and there expertly se
How oon tree is in til an other ronne.
Thus better fruyte of bitter fruyte is wonne.

De vitulis castrandis: de casio; & omni tonsura.

17

Eke in this moone is made castracioun
Of calves, as is taught a lite aforn.
Therynne is subtil operacioun
In memory wel worthi to be born,
And crafte to make cheses be not lorn,
But used nowe; and nowe in places colde
Solempnitee of sheryng sheepes is holde.

De Apibus, cera, melle, &c.

18

And in this moone is eke castracion
Of hyves ronke of hony fild, the some
Wherof is this significacion:
All subtilly & smale if that thai summe,
All hugely & harke yf that thai humme,
As houses holgh thaire voices multiplice,—(sic!)
A signe is that her combes beth full done.

[_]

[Here several pages are lost.]

[OMITTED]

163

19

Thus siste it that the graynes stille abide
Inwithe the syve, and floures downe to shake;
This floures smale into hony swetest slide
And therof xxxti dayes let hem take
Ynough, and thenne uptemperyng forsake
No man for hem to make into thaire kynde;
As of rosate is taught, yf ye have mynde.

De Alsica.

20

Alsike is made with barly, half mature
A party grene and uppon repes bounde
And in an oven ybake and made to endure
That lightly on a querne it may be grounde.
Nowe til a strike a litel salt infounde
As it is grounde, and kepe it therin boote is.
This Juyn and Juyl accorde in houres footes.

De horis.

21

Half pryme on xxti feet; hole pryme
On xii; half undern viii; hool undern v;
Mydday on iiii; and noon on ii feet by me
Stont fast ynough. Now Phebus chaise upthrive
No lenger may til the occident asblyve
Enclyneth it and erst from the Est it wried.
Forthy beth feet with houres multiplied.

Deo gracias.

22

Nowe Juyn is doo. Salus, blisse, umne, honoure,
Joy, jubile, power, and diademe,
Jesu, be to the, Jesse, the roote's floure,
In mageste that is to sit and deme,
He to us se that in that houre extreme
That prison, helle, all cloose from us be loken,
And with Him we dwellyng. Yet must I yeme
This book, and telle at Juyl of lande up broken.

164

BOOK THE EIGHTH. JUYLL.

De iterandis agris, de messibus triticea, &c.

1

Atte Juyl the lande up broken in Aprile
Is efte to plowe, and sone is best his season.
Whete hervest nowe in tempre lande is while
Forto conclude; and by the forsaide reason
Nowe make the feldes wide of busshes geson.
Nowe stocke upp grobbe and tree in wanyng moone,
Thaire rootes eke to brenne is now to done.

2

Nowe treen that have amongst the cornes growe,
The corne awaye, adowne it is to caste.
Oon daies werk may xxti overthrowe:
Nowe vynes yonge ydolven first and laste
Wolde be; but not in hete, and pouder caste.
Er the caniculere the hounde ascende
Have uppe the fern and segges to be brenned.

De orti seminibus serendis.

3

Smale onyons nowe beth sowe in places colde
And wete, eke radisshe & orage, yf ye
May watter it, basilicon wol holde,
Letuce & malves, betes, lekes be
To watter nowe; the neep in weet lande we
Nowe sowe and rape, in roten lande rare
In weet lande and in feldes gladde thai are.

165

4

But nepes loveth heldes sondy drie
And thynne, eke of the landes propurtee
Er either seede of other multiplie
A wonder thing a man may often see:
Two yere if neep in some lande sowen be
It wol be rape, and rape in sum land sowe
Wol ther ayenne uppe into neepes growe.

5

Depe donnged lande yturned wel thai love:
That pleseth hem & cornes that ther growe.
An acre lande iiii sester rape above
And v of neep is suffisant to sowe.
For over thicke it is not hem to strowe.
And yf thai be to thicke away thou trete
A part, and so that other wol be grete.

6

And forto have the rapes seedes greet
Let pulle first the rape oute of the grounde.
The foiles are of it awaie to geet,
A mydde his caule at half a fynger rounde
Let smyte him of, and plante hem forto abounde
VIII fynger fro: thus wol thai growe in longe
And, as I wene, her seedes sholde be stronge.

De implastracione.

7

Solempnyte hath emplastracion,
Wherof beforne is taught the diligence.
Nowe have I made inoculacion
Of pere and appultree: the experience
Hath preved wel. Of wynter fruite science
Yet leseth oute the smale unto the greet
So that the tree may sende her drinke & meet.

166

8

Now plannted I scions of citurtree
In colde and weete, and wattre it so longe
That forth thai come in greet felicitee.
The figtree nowe to encye it is noo wronge.
In weet lande citur graffed wol be spronge,
And palmes delve aboute amydde this moone.
Almondes ripeth nowe: go gete hem sone.

De armentis & gregibus admittendis.

9

Nowe shal the bulle his Wyfes to him take,
And fille her wombe, in monethes x to anende
Thaire tyme of birth at veer; for now thai wake
All fresshe, for veer thair Venus bronde hath tende.
XV of hem oon male is forto ascende,
As telleth Columelle, and wol contente.
Yit yf thai be to fatte here werth is shente.

10

In places ther is fodder abondannce,
The ky may otherwhiles be withdrawe.
Mete in mesure her calvyng wol advannce.
Eke in the plough perchaunce yf thai shal drawe
Itche other yere thai may go to by lawe.
And so shal thai for either werk endure,
That is to saye, in laboure & feture.

11

Nowe putte amonge the shepe thaire tuppes white
Not oonly woolled, but also thair tonge;
Yf it be spotty that a man may wite
If he begets him spotty lambes yonge.
Yit sumtyme of the white are other spronge.
But Columelle, he saithe, of tuppes blake
White sheep Nature is never wonte to make.

167

12

The tuppe is chosen faire of altitude,
Ywombed side, and tecte in whittest woolle,
A besom tail holdyng his longitude,
Yfronnted large, and stoned atte the fulle.
From youthe until viii yeres olde thei wole
Wel do this crafte, and she from yeres tweyne
V yere is goode, and then is she bareyne.

13

Yboned large, eke long & softest flesys.
And thai that wide wooly wombed be;
Such ewes to the tuppes oute to chese is.
Of pasturing thai must have ubertee
Fro breres ferre; for thaire iniquitee
This seely innocentes wol unclothe,
And wellesay to tere her skynnes bothe.

14

Nowe let hem doo, by wynter to be stronge.
Males to make, as saithe the Philosopher,
Septemtrion pastures let hem fonge,
And towarde that wynde if the tuppes ofre
With litel males filleth thai the coffre;
And towarde Southwynde geteth thay femalys.
Yf it be sooth, right notable this tale is.

15

In hervest putte a way thi feble shepe
As thus thai may be solde, or elles spende.
A coitu twey monethes summen keepe
Her raam until Cupido be wele to ende.
And sumen lette hem alle the yere ascende.
And instinct so dayes shortte & longe,
Ther shal not lacke hem tender lambes yonge.

168

De extirpando gramine.

16

Nowe with the Crabbe inhabityng the Sonne,
The moone of vi in Capricorn ysette,
Yf gresse ypuled uppe be the lande is wonne.
Eke cipur tonges with gootes bloode wette
And toles from the furneys if me sette
By sprent with gootes bloode, the grasses rowe
With thees if me fordoo, thai shall not growe.

De Vino scillite.

17

And vyne squyllitee is thus made in this moone:
The montayne squylle, other of nygh the See
As riseth the Canyculers as sone
Wol ferre away fro sonne ydried be.
A stene of wyne a poundes quantitee
Of hem receyve, alle leves superflu
Ikiste away, and thai that paled greu.

18

And other garlande hem, and so depende,
Into the wyne so thai go not to depe,
And take hem oute atte xl dayes ende.
This wyne is goode the cough away to kepe;
Alle ille oute of the wombe it maketh krepe;
It solveth flevme, and helpeth splenetyk;
Digestion it maketh, and een quyk.

De Idromelle.

19

For meth in risyng of Caniculer
A sester of unscomed hony doo
In sesters vi of well water cler
In carenayres naked children goo
And glocke it oures v to & froo
Vessel and all, and after in the Sonne
With xxxx daies standyng it is wonne.

169

De aceto squillino.

20

And in this moone is made Aisel squillyne:
Of squylles white alle rawe take of the hardes,
And al the rynde is for this nothing fyne,
Then oonly take the tender myddelwardes
In sesters xii of aisel that soure harde is.
A pounde & unces vi yshrad be doo
And xl dayes sonnyng stonde it soo.

21

After this xl daies cloos in sonne
Cast oute squylle, and clense it feetly wel,
And into vessel pitched be it ronne.
An other xxxti galons of aisel
With dragmes viii of squylle in oon vessel,
Pepur an unce, of case and mynte a smal
Wol do, and use in tyme as medicinal.

De sinapi.

22

A sester and a semycicle take
Of senvey seede, and grynde it pouder small,
V pounde of hony theruppon thou slake,
Of Spannysh oile a pounde do therwithall.
A sester of fyne aisel tempur shall
This thinges; groundon well thus use it longe.
This Juyl and Juyn have houres even longe.

De horis.

23

Oon gooth of xxii with xi,
And ii with x on xii feet goth blyve.
Eke iii with ix on viii extendeth even,
And iii as viii abregged is to v.
To v & vii leveth iii alyve.
And manly vi in myddes of the day
Stonde forth an houre, and uppon feet but tway.

170

Finis viii libri. Præfacio in novem librum.

This Juyl is doon. August I must begynne
O tryne and oon, God Lorde, recorde I the
That sensis spille or pointe disjoynt be therynne
Is not my wille; and yet in it is she
Myne ignoraunce. And whi not I but he
That she myschaunce he pricke or nycke it ther
Thi p'uce, mene as mene or nought it be
He rynce if Aust be faust nygh September.

171

BOOK THE NINTH. AUGUST.

1

Nygh September kalende atte Austes ende,
Ther feeldes playne, humyde, and lene be,
To gynne plowe is goode to condescende.
And also nowe in coostes of the See
Vyndage araied [arayed] fore is forto se.
In places eke ther it is passyng colde
The vynes unwried be fayne wolde.

De exili & misera vinea.

2

In Aust eke if the vyne yerde be lene,
And she, thi vyne, a ruthful thing to se,
Thre strik or iiii of lupynes demene
On iche acre. So let it wrion be.
Whenne it is uppe and hath fertilitee,
Turne it efte in, it doungeth best the vynes.
All other dounge is infectif of wynes.

De pampinandis & obumbrandis vitibus.

3

Nowe ther is colde is pampinacion
To overtake a thicke yleved vyne;
And ther is hoote is occupacion
The fervent yre of Phebus to declyne
With obumbracion, if so benygne
And longly be the vyne, is not to werne.
Eke nowe is goode to pulle up segge & ferne.

172

De urendis pascuis.

4

Pastures eke in this moone is to brenne
That busshes, ther thai groweth over hie,
And besy beth the lande to over renne,
This brennyng may thaire stocke & hem destrie.
Eke if the lande be wriehed in herbes drie,
Nowe brenne hem uppe, and efte they wol arise
All glaad arayed newe in fresshest gise.

De herbis in orto.

5

Nowe rape and neep in places drie is sowe,
As taught is erst, and radissh last this moone
Atte drie is sowe in Wynter forto growe,
In lande solute & fatte it groweth sone,
With ragston or with cley it naath to done,
But gladde is it to loke on dronkyn ayer,
In beddes brode & deepe it wol be faire.

6

In gravel best after a nobel rayne
Thai growe, and weete hem if thine ayer be drie,
Anoon as it is sowen, wrie it playne.
Two sester in oon acre is to strie;
And iiii, as other sayen, wol multiplie,
And chaf is better for hem thenne is donnge,
For thai therof wol be right fungous stronge.

7

Saltwater hem: therof thai wol be swete.
Radissh female hath litel bitternesse,
With leves brode, & playne, glad, grene, & meete.
Thaire seede to have as do thi bisinesse.
And forto make hem wexon in greetnesse
Unneth on it a litel croppe me leve,
And sette it so to growe & gret to preve.

173

8

The swete of that is bitter forto make
Oon day & nyght the seede in hony stonde,
Outher in meth as longe tyme it take.
Rave, as brassik for vyne as ille is fonde.
Thai so discordeth that in oon poort londe
Wel may thai not; forthi oon utter kepe.
Also this moone is sowing of pasnepe.

De pomis vi cam. de apibus vii cam.

9

Emplasturing eke in this moone is doo.
And sumen nowe wol graffe a perytree
And citurtree in places moist also.
Nowe sharnebodde encombreth the bee.
Pursue on him that slayne anoon he be.
The werkes that in Juyl be lefte undoone
Nowe may thay take an ende in this Aust moone.

De puteis faciendis.

10

Now seche and fynde up water in this wyse
Doune lene and lay thi chyn righte to the grounde
Estwarde, and rather thenne the Sonne arise,
And where a subtil myst gynneth to abounde
In dewe upon, ther water may be founde
Ther pitche a mark, and on the lande take yeme
Thayme goode or badde, faire or foule to deme.

11

The marl hath veynes thynne unsmellyng best;
Sclak sonde lymous & lene, unswete & depe;
Blake erthe humour not moche hath in his chest
Of wynter shoures leide up forto kepe,
For swetly smylleth that lande: clayes wepe
Uncertainly, whoos teres beth right swete.
A man may be right gladde that hem may gete.

174

12

Sadde sonde gravel, and there eke as beth stonys,
Certain humoure is and in ubertee.
Goode abundance is ther as rody stoon is.
But war: for thai thorough chenes lightly flee.
Amonge flynt stoon atte hilles rootes be
Veynes ynowe, and chillyng colde & seete.
Ther felde hath salte and saad, luke & unsweete.

13

And if thai savoure wel, thenne thay begynne
Under the mount, eke ere amonge ther be
Welles wel colde in playne ther shades twynne
The Sonne away. Yit signes moo men see
Ther water is, as the fertilitee
Of withi, reede, aller, yvy, or vyne
That ther is water nygh is verrey signe.

14

Ther as thai growe, updelve in latitude
Thre foote, and deep v foote into the grounde,
And whenne the Sonne adowne gothe, ther enclude
Of leede or brasse a vessel clene ygrounde
Downwarde the mouthe, upwarde the bottom rounde,
This pitte ywrien with a fleyke and molde
Uppon so dwelle until the morowe sholde.

15

The next day the fleyke away thou plie,
And se yf this vessel withynne swete,
Or if the dropes therin multiplie,
Withoute doute ther wol be water gete.
A potters potte uneled wol alete
And yf it be leyde therynne the same wyse,
Yf any springe of water ther wol rise.

175

16

Ley ther a flees of woole in like maner,
Yf it conceyve of humoure in oon nyght
That we may wrynge oute of it water clere,
It is recorde of water: eke a light.
In oil by like maner therynne ydight,
Yf it be fonde yqueynte, ther is a veyne
Of water nygh; the nedeth not complayne.

17

Eke of a fier ther made if smooke ascende
Alle fatty, weet, & cloudy nebulose,
To make a winche al sikour ther descende,
Forto thyne honde wol sprynge or springes ose.
And springes feel into oon may be complose.
In hilles feet towarde Septentrion
Good humour hath multiplicacion.

De puteis faciendis.

18

Goode is bewarre the wynches whenne to delve,
For cley, alum, and brymstoon, otherwhile
Though brynkes stonde and wol not over whelve,
Enfecteth the ayer, and delvers so begile,
That dede thay are inwith a litel while,
But if thay flee: for thi, or thai descende,
A light into the wynche may downe be sende.

19

Yf it ne quenche, of perill is ther noon.
Hit quyncheth,—lo! the place is pestilente.
An other way to this is to goone:
On either side a pitte must have descent
Until thi sought licoures librament.
And ever amonge into the wynche hem thorle,
That wynde away the wicked ayer may hurle.

176

20

This doon, the sydes make up with structure,
And footes viii it hold in latitude.
With barres bigge is goode to make it sure;
Or wall it well with ragge or flyntes rude.
In square or round this werk thai may conclude.
If water ther be lymous or enfecte
Admyxtion of salt wol it correcte.

21

And yf thi wynche in digging wol not stande,
But nowe and nowe be fallyng in the brynke,
Peraventure it is so slippyng lande.
Thenne an other crafte thou must be thinke:
Yf bordes holde it oute, it may not synke.
But thai must oute be borne with barres rude,
For doubte if it thi worching men conclude.

De aqua probanda.

22

His water newe is goode a man to preve:
Let springe it on a brason vessel clene,
And yf noo signe of it on the brasse leve,
The droppes here & there appering sene,
That veyne is good prudently to sustene.
Decoct in brasse, yf gravel in the grount
Noone leve is preef that that licour is sount.

23

Yf mete in hit wol boile in litel while,
Yf it be cleer appering like the skye,
Withouten wem or signe of thinges vile.
The wynches eke that stonde in hilles hie
To lower stede as welles we may trie.
This must be doon by persyng the mountayne
The water so to lede into the playne.

177

De aque ductibus.

24

The water may be ledde by weies three.
In channels, or (in) condites of leede,
Or elles in trowes ymade of tree.
And first in a channel if it be led
In evry hundreth feet downe from the heed
A lite and lite a foote it must avale,
That it have myght so downe the clyf to hale.

25

And if it happe an hille the water mete,
Let make a lone and through thi licour hale.
Or elles by the side aboute him trete.
And if it sholde affalle into the dale
With piles over that it must avale.
Or make an arche it over on to lede
Or pipes it to conduyt me may lede.

26

In condites descende into the slade
It may, and on that other side aryse.
But hoolsumest and best is to have made
Trumpes of cley by potters in thaire gise,
And iche of hem ii finger thicke assise.
Oon ende ymade so streyne an other sprede,
That iche into other may an hondes brede.

27

Oil-tempred lyme this joyntes shal scyment,
Thenne ysels myxt with litel water renne
Thorough, deching alle this hoolsom instrument.
The water that goth thorough the leden penne
Is rust-corrupte, unhoolsom; leve it thenne.
And if thi veyne of water be but poore,
The dwellyng-place of it be made the moore.

178

De mensuris & ponderibus fistularum.

28

The leed condite conteyneth this mesure:
XII C pounde of metal shal suffise
A thousand feet in lengthe of pipes sure.
And so whether the lengthe avale or ryse
The lesse or more of weght for it devise:
As poundes few and footes fewe applie,
So poundes moo to moo feet multiplie.

De onfaco melle.

29

For comfit that is clept hony-onfake,
Sex sester take of grapes juce half soure,
Two sester hony mightily let brake,
Or stampe, and putte it into this licoure.
Thenne xlti dayes stonde it every houre
To boile under the bemes of the sonne,
And after kepe it cloose, and it is wonne.

De Horis.

30

This Aust and May in houres lengthe are oon.
To xxiii feet next either ende,
And two next hem in feet xiii goon,
And other two to footes ix extende,
And after two the next on vi ascende.
Next after noone, and erst stondyng on iiii is,
And none on iii stont up and myddel houre is.

Finis noni libri, et prefacio in decimum librum.

Thus Aust is spende, O Lorde, alpha and ω,
O endlesse ende, O gynnyngles gynnyng,
To make aright until this booke be do
So graunte myght and therwithall connyng,
As myne entente is thyne honoure to spryng,
And jugement; thi pryncis floure on clere
Or cloudy derk or light he must uphinge.
And I to werk am sette atte September.

179

BOOK THE TENTH SEPTEMBER.

De agris pinguibus tertiandis.

1

Atte September the fatte lande using longe,
Homoure to keep is plowed, and so thrie
It plowed is; the same eke is noo wronge
Rather to doo yf season be not drie.
The playne, humyde, & lene lande espie,
In Aust saide of, nowe plowe it newe ayeine,
And plowed, hoote let kest on it his greyne.

2

The clyves thynne are ereed nowe & sowe
And nowe nygh equinox. Thi landes dounge,
In hilles thicke, in feldes thynne it throwe.
In wanyng of phebus be thai to flonge;
So may it moost availe and do lest wronge.
And for an acre lande, saithe Columelle,
Carpentes xxiiii is to telle,

3

For hilles so; for feldes take xviii.
And every day as many is to sprede.
And thou that day to plowe up may sustene,
For drede lest the dounge uppe drie and dede.
Alle winter me may dounge also for nede.
Yf dounge in time on lande may not be throwe,
Eke sowe it smal as seede whenne thou wilt sowe.

180

4

At ones lite & ofte is goode to dounge,
Weet lande wol more of it than wol the drie;
For lacke of dounge in sondy lande be spronge
Goode marl, and it wol make it multiplie;
And uppon cley the sonde is goode to strie;
That helpeth corne, and maketh vynes feire;
For dounge in vynes wol the vynes peire.

De serendo tritico & adoreo.

5

This moone in lande uliginose or lene,
And in the landes also that beth colde,
In thicked lande also is to demene,
Whenne day & nyght yliche longe is holde,
Bothe odor (sic) and thi whete in lande to folde.
Whenne ayer is faire, that thay may uppe be spronge,
Er wynter come and wexe a partie stronge.

De remedio humoris & de mensuris.

6

Sum lande is wont salt humoure up to throwe
That sleeth the corne. There douves dounge instrie,
And leves of cupresse eke on it sowe,
And eree it ynne. Or thus it remedie:
This fals humour let goode water oute trie.
In mene lande of ador or of whete,
An acre lande to strikes iiii is mete.

7

Thyne hopre cloth hienes skynne, and throwe
Thi seede therin, and stonde it there a stounde,
And, as thai sayen, the better wol it growe.
Yf bestes harme it that beth in the grounde,
Let mynge juce of cedum smal ygrounde
With water, and oon nyght thi seede ther stepe,
And beestes wicke away thus may me kepe.

181

8

An other juce of wild cucumber useth,
And hath the roote ystamped of the same
With water mixt, and so his seede enfuseth.
Oil dregges fressh of sum men have the name
Of helping from thees beestes worthi blame,
Wherwith thaire landes liketh thai to enoynte
And bathe her plowes therin every joynt.

De hordeo canterino.

9

Nowe sowe in smal lande barly canteryne.
V strik an acre hath. Eke nowe or lite
Afore in every lande is kest lupyne.
But sowe it er the coldes angry bite.
It hateth slymy lande and marles white,
And aswel lene it loveth and rubrike.
To sowe oon acre sufficeth x strike.

De piso serendo & sisamo.

10

Late in this moone is pese ysowe in light
Lande and solute; in weet it liketh growe.
With strikes iiii an acre lande in dight.
Sysame in fatte soil and gravel is sowe,
Sex sester in oon acre lande is throwe.
Late in this moone is eke to breke uppe lande
Ther medica shall sowen be to stande.

De vicia & Græco fæno & farragine serendis.

11

Nowe first the fittche is sowen and feyne greek.
Oon acre served is with strikes vii;
Farrage in restyf lande ydounged eek
Is doone, x strike is for oon acre even,
And oute of moolde are colde eke must it heven.
Til May it wol suffice uppon to fede.
But lenger not thenne Marche if it shal sede.

182

De lupino serendo & evertendo.

12

Also take hede in this September moone,
Where erthes are out of fecunditee
And lene, and nygh this moones Idus sone,
Lupyne into the landes sowen be.
And whenne thay shewe uppe thaire fertilitee,
So turne hem with the plough to putrifie;
And after that thi lande shal multiplie.

De pratis novellis formandis.

13

Nowe meedes newe enfourme, if that the like.
Lande dewy fatte so lenyng sumdel playne
In places like a valey, hem thou prike
Where humour nys not longe nor to shor slayne.
Alle other lande of meedes hath disdayne.
Yit lande solute & lene, if it be softe,
Wol bere gresse yf It be watered ofte.

14

This tyme is to be stocked every tree
Away with herbes brode, eke root and bough,
And iche impediment oute taken be.
Eke exercise it after with the plough
Whenne it of erthe is resolute ynough,
The cloddes broke and piked oute the stonys,
Freshe dounging tyme in wanyng of the moone is.

15

For any thing noo beest upon it trede,
Uneven it that wolde, it is to drede.
And if olde moos thi medes over lede,
Let shave it clene away in lengthe & brede;
The shaven grounde with sede of hay lete seede.
Eke forto sle this moos is doone noo wronge
Yf askes ofte aboute on it be spronge.

183

16

And if thi mede is drossy, barayne, olde,
Let plowe it efte and playne it efte doune lowe.
Eryng is goode for aged meedes holde.
The rape is sowe in hem, eke fitches throwe
Beth ther with hay seede, better forto growe.
Til it be harde unwattred must it be,
Lest alle the werk corrupte humyditee.

De vindemia celebranda.

17

This moone in places warme & nygh the see
Vyndage is hugely to solempnyse;
In places colde arayed fore is he.
The tonnes forto pitche is to devyse:
A tonne of two hundred congys suffise
With poundes xii of pitche, and more or lesse,
After the quantitee therof then gesse.

18

Sumen to xxti pounde of pitche a pounde
Of wex wol doo, to ese it lest it lepe
In colde; eke wyne to taste and smylle sounde
Fro bitter pitche also thi vynes kepe.
Yf thay be browne and sum eke blake be.
That is a token of maturite.
Upon the grayne in grapes eke take kepe.

De panico & milio metendis ac faselo serendo.

19

Now in sum stede is panyk rope and mylde,
Fasele also is sowen nowe for mete.
Nowe gynnes forto take foules wilde
And other beestes, be thai smale or greet,
By nyght is wrought, and alle to hand ygete,
To exercise atte October kalende,
That joyneth right upon the Idus ende.

184

De papavere, brasica, timo, origano, &c.

20

Chesbolles nowe beth sowe in hoote & drie
Allone or other seede with; and it sowe
Ther as thing hath be brent, wol multiplie
Best, as thay sayen; and nowe brasik to growe
For November plauntyng in lande is throwe,
Wherof in Wynter wortes me may have.
And in Veer of the same croppes crave.

21

Thi garth, in springing tyme to be sowe,
Thre footes depe may nowe pastyned be;
Atte wanyng moone is dounge in it to throwe.
Nowe tyme, of plaunte or seede, utilitee
Wol do, that loveth lene & nygh the see.
Sowe origon whenne day and nyght is longe
Yliche, and water it till it be spronge.

22

Hit loveth dounge and sharped stony londe.
Nowe cappares ysowen is also,
That by it self is best to make stonde.
Forwhi? hir juce is other herbes foo.
So ditche him in that ferre he may not goo.
In Somer tyme him liketh wel to glade;
That when Virgiles downe gooth gynneth fade.

23

And gith is laste eke in this moone ysowe,
Cresses and dele also in tempre lande,
Or hoote radisshe in drie also wol growe,
Parsnepe and cerfoile also forth may stande
Atte October kalendes kest with hande,
Letuce, and bete, eke coriander seedys,
Nowe rape and neep ysowen goode in dede is.

185

De pomis scilicet de tuberibus.

24

Nowe tuberes atte Octobre kalendes,
Or Feberyere, by cornels or slevyng,
The besinesse of settyng ful wel spende is.
Whoos tender youthe applaudeth cherisshinge.
With roote a plaunte up puld and sette wol sprynge,
Oxdounge ennoynte and cleyed in fatte londe
With seefroth upon shelles uppe wol fonde.

25

Thre greynes sume oute of an appul take,
And sonne ydried sette him iii and iii,
Oon springe nature of greynes iii wol make,
That wette and dolven besily must be,
And oon yere olde hem plaunted is to se.
So wol thaire fruite be swete, in Janyveer
Graffe him in quynce, and eke in Feveryeer.

26

And graffe it best in plumme and peretree
In Meles Calabrike, and with a rynde,
Or skeppe, or potte, ydounged moolde be
Upholden to the graffe until it finde
Almoost the toppe. The same crafte is kynde
For meles eke. This tubre fruyte men kepe
In mylde or pitched pottes leide to slepe.

De pavimentis & lateribus & de diamo.

27

Nowe floores me may pave, and brikes make,
As is the crafte described erst in May.
Sycomore wilde a certayne is to take
And boile it so, not with to greet affray.
Two parties of this juce is forto allay
With oon part of hony. Up boile it thenne,
And stere it until hony thicke it renne.

186

De servandis uvis.

28

Trie oute the grape unhurt, neither to ripe
Neither to soure, as gemmes luculent,
Of softe and hardde as goodly is to gripe,
Tho puld of that corrupcion hath shent,
The closter tenes in hoote picke be blent.
Suspende hem so in colde hous, drie, obscure,
Ther noo light in may breke, and thai beth sure.

Ce vite cujus fructus humore putrescit.

29

A vyne whoos fruite humoure wol putrifie.
Pampyned is to be by every side,
Relicte on hit oonly the croppes hie
Fro Sonnes heete her gemmes oonly to hide.
And thenne rooted wol the grape abyde.
September is with Aprill houres even,
For Phebus like in either gireth heven.

De horis.

30

Er either ende is xiii and xi
And next her either ende is vii twye,
And thridde is x, and fourthe is fully vii,
And fifte is v, and none is iii stonte hie.
Surtrete hem first, and after multiplie.
As in Aprille in sense is saide the same
In other speche, yf I be not to blame.

Finis Septembris; prefacio in Octobrem.

September is anende. Honoure, empire,
Laude, Ympne, and Bliss ascende (un)to oure Eterne
Almighty Lorde, that wolde us alle enspire
In werk his worde to holde, if galle interne,
Yf synne in oure entente hem nolde externe.
O Jesse floure, so hent and bold us heer
To fle fro synne and derk fire sempiterne,
As me to gynne a werk atte Octobeer.

187

BOOK THE ELEVENTH. OCTOBER.

De adoreo, & tritico, & hordeo canterino.

1

Atte October is whete & ador sowe.
Just sowyng of hem is fro x kalende
Of November until vi Idus blowe
Of December, and thenne is it atte ende.
This moone is dounge (is) caried oute on ende.
This moone is sowe eke barly canteryne;
Lande lene, or fatte, or drie, is for it digne.

2

Hit holdeth ther as seedes seldom growe,
And gretly hateth it al dounged londe.
Now fitches, pese and lupynes beth sowe,
Sysame also right, as beforne is fonde,
Sowe at this moones Ide; eke after honde
Fasele in fatte or bareyne lande wol rise,
And strikes iiii oon acre shal suffice.

De lini semine serendo.

3

Nowe lynneseede, if the likest, may be sowe;
But sowe it not; it souketh oute the swete
Of every lande; and, if thou wilt it growe,
Sowe it in fattest landes sumdel wete;
VIII strik of it is for oon acre mete.
Eke summen sowe it thicke in lene lande,
And subtile flax ynough theron wol stande.

188

De notanda vitium fertilitate.

4

Nowe nede is sette a signe on every vyne
That fertile is, scions of it to take
For setting. Columelle oon yeres signe
Reputeth not ynough preef forto make
Of fertillesse; but if it never slake
In yeres foure of bering forth expresse,
This is a preef of craftes gentillesse.

De ponendis vineis vel propagandis.

5

Nowe late in lande ther ayer is hoot & drie,
And erthe exile or hilly drie or lene,
Vynes beth best ysette to multiplie.
Settyng, kytting, and pastynyng demene,
Trailing, repairyng, bosshing vyne clene,
As taught is erst, yf lande be drie, exile,
Hoot, gravelly, and gladsom other while.

6

So holpen is the vyne of winter rayne
Ayaine the landes lene povertee,
So drinketh it that is of drynkes fayne,
That is not wont of frostes vexed be,
For ther as lande is of that qualitee
The frostes na noo dominacion.
Nowe cometh este ablaqucacion.

De ablaqueandis vitibus.

7

After this moones Ide of Vynes yonge
The rootes voide away be kitte, lest they
Be cause of deth unto the rootes stronge;
And so right on the tiptoo let hem gey
So shal she not for hoote nor colde obey.
But kitte hem not to nygh, lest thei abounde
Three toon for oon, or feestern into a wounde.

189

8

Kitte hem a finger froo, and if ther be
Wynter plesaunt, apert is hem to leve;
And violent yf thou the wynter se
December Idus wrie hem, lest it greve.
For over colde doo douves dounge at eve
Aboute her roote, algour away to dryve.
Eke Columelle hath this yeres fyve.

De utilitate propagationis, de inserendis arboribus.

9

In September the propagacion,
In landes suche as tolde is of before,
Is best to sette in occupacion:
For nowe thai maketh rootes lesse and more.
And whi? for branches nowe may thai noo more.
Summen also nowe graffeth vyne and tree;
But that in hattest lande is wont to be.

De olivetis instituendis & purgandis.

10

In places nowe that hattest beth and faire,
As erst is saide, make uppe thyne olivete,
And alle that longeth to thaire semynaire.
Of olyvetes tyme is on to swete.
Olives white eke nowe confite hem swete,
As shal be taught; eke there is warme and drie,
Ablaqueate hem that thai may undrie.

11

Pulle of ich plaunte, as chargeth Columelle;
Yet thinketh me the saddest ever amonge
Were husbondrie a parcel forto dwelle,
That whenne the damme is feint, the childe be stronge.
In stede of semynary werk, to fonge
On foote and goo: eke atte iii yeres holde
Hem goode to dounge; and namely ther is colde.

190

12

Six pounde of gootes dounge is for oon tree,
Or evry tree a strike of askes gage,
The mosse alway yrased from hem be.
Eke Columelle hem kitteth viii yere age.
But I saye bareyne, feynt, or in dotage,
Yf bowes be, hem yerly utter trie.
And help hem thus if thay nyl fruetifie:

13

Unto the pith a ffrenssh wymble in bore,
Threste in a braunche of roggy wilde olyve,
Threste ynne it faste, and to thaire rootes store
Alle naked made oildregges kest as blyve
Or old uryne. In this maner do thrive
A barayne tree to childe; in this courage
Hem forto graffe is goode, as sayen the sage.

Remedium si uva compluta est.

14

Nowe purge upp broke and diche; eke if greet rayne
The grape hath weete, after the formest hete
Of must of hem comyng, as Grekes sayne,
Is best alle into other vessel gete.
The water wol behinde alle heirylete.
This wyne translated thus is save & pure
And waterles. For whi? It hath his cure.

De oles viridi & laurino faciendo.

15

Fresshest olyve is taken, so dyvers
As his colur is, and, to dwelle ore eve,
Let brede hem, lest thai hete & be the wers.
Eke everie drie or roton cors remeve,
And rather hool thenne groundon salt let streve
On hem iii strike on x strike of olyve,
And into skeppes newe hem haste as blyve.

191

16

This savery salt alle nyght so let hem drinke,
And erly sette on werkyng hem the wrynge;
A savery oil ther wol oute of it synk;
But first with water warme is to bespringe
The chanels of this oile and vessellyng.
Lest rancoure oil enfecte, do fier away.
Nowe eke is oil to make of laury bay.

De herbis in orto serendis & plantandis.

17

The winter goolde is sowen in this moone,
That loveth weet solute and gravel londe.
In salt lande nygh the see thay springeth sone,
But make hem playne upon to stonde,
Lest rootes bare, if molde fle, be fonde.
And katrefoil, whenne thai beth up yspronge,
Transplaunte hem into lande ydight with dounge.

18

The tasul plaunte is also nowe to sette,
Thre foote ich oon of hem from other stonde.
The rootes cropped first and dounge ywette,
The increment in hem is to be fonde.
In wynter dayes drie uppon thaire londe
Let dounge and askes kest: eke now is sowe
Senvey that wolde in hardest lande be throwe.

19

Yit every where it maketh plaunte & flour;
And fedd it is to dust; is ofte and weete.
But litel joy hath it of moche humour.
And as for seed in natal soil it fede
Transplauntyng as for meet is better dede
To make hem stronge; if it withinne is grene
For sauce or seede that grayne is to sustene.

192

20

This moone is malowe ysowe, and to be longe
The winter latteth it, or greet to thryve.
And gladde is it of fatte lande weet and dounge.
Eke hem transplaunte atte leves iiii or v.
The tender plaunte is take anoon, and blyve
Upgoth, and sekkul beth the greet ysette,
And thay that stille stondeth savereth bette.

21

But to fast into croppes lest thai rise
Ley softe a litel clodde on, or a stoon;
Ofte weded rare ysette eke is thaire gise;
But to pulle uppe the weedes oon and oon
That roote of it be meved therby noon.
And yf me make a knotte on everie roote
Thay wol be frogh ynough and tender soote.

22

Nowe dile is sowe in places temporate,
Also the mynte is in this moone ysowe,
And onyons forto sowe eke tyme is atte,
Pasneep, and origon, and Tyme is throwe
In moolde, as nowe Armarik wol growe
Nowe sowe or sette; and bete in landes drie
Is in this moone ysette to multiplie.

23

Nowe leek ysowe in Veer transplaunted be
That it may hede, and ofte aboute it weede
And lifte her plaunte a litel quantitee
So holgh to stande and in the heed to sprede.
Basilicon eke nowe to sowe I rede
That springeth sone if aisel on hem reyne
I mene on hem al light if it me spreyne.

193

De pomis colendis & pomis condiendis.

24

Who wol do perveaunce in worldes longe
The palmes forto sette he must have mynde.
Nowe dates bones trie out fatte & yonge
And hem that fresshest newe are in thaire kynde
Hem under erthe in moolde and askes wynde.
Aprille or May the plaunte is in to sette.
Hoote land thay love, and often to be wette.

25

Solute or sondy landes thai require,
So that aboute or under hem be do
A certayne of fatte lande as thai desire.
And hem transplaunte oon yere of age or two;
But do this first in Juyn and Juyl also;
Eke delve it ofte, and forto kepe of hete
Ay with and with licoure on hit to trete.

26

Salt water helpeth palme, or of nature
Or made: and yf the tree begynne seke
The dregges olde of wynes wol it cure,
So it unto the bared rootes seke.
The heer do barke away from either cheke
Of everie roote, or make a saly pynne
And in the rootes clifte let drive it ynne.

27

The lande is nought for fruite that palmes growe
Untilled ynne. Pistace is in this moone
Of plauntes sette outher of nuttes sowe.
But men & women sette together sowe
Wol fructifie, and so it is to done.
The man is he that hath under his rynde
Like bones longe stones as mankynde.

194

28

And other use an other diligence;—
Thay smyteth oute the hede of skeppes smale,
And dounged moolde in it they wol dispense,
And therin doo pistaces iii by tale;
And of hem alle up wol ther a stale.
In Feveryere when it is waxen stronge,
If me transplaunte hit not me doth his wronge.

29

He loveth moiste & hoote & often drinke;
In terebynt in Feveryer is he
Ygraffed, and in Marche as other thinke
He may be graffed in an Almauntree.
Colde ayer and weete lande hath the chiritree.
Thaire fruites wol be smale in places warme,
And hetes that be greet wol eke hem harme,

30

In hilles sette upgooth with merie chere,
And nowe transplaunted beth thaire plauntes wilde,
In November also; but Janyvere,
Whenne thai beth take & gynneth go with childe,
Hem is it goode to graffe in dayes mylde,
Or in this moones thre thaire pomes springe
In moolde, and plauntes faste of it wol springe.

31

I preved have encrece of Chiritree.
The yerdes that my vyne I sette unto
Anoon hath growen up an huge tree.
In Janyveer and November also,
And other sayen in October therto,
Ys hem to graffe in trunncke, as Marcial
Saith, I in rynde have founde it goode atte al.

195

32

And, as he saith, in truncke who wol hem doo
Must pike away the downe of alle the tree,
For many a graff, he saithe, it hath fordoo.
This observaunce is to be kept, saithe he,
In chiritreen, and alle that gummy be:
To graffe hem whenne noo gume upon hem growe,
Or elles whenne it stynteth oute to flowe,

33

In plane, & in himself, in populeer
He graffed is, and in the plowme-tree.
In delves deep he is of mery cheer.
Greet rowme and delvyng often loveth he.
Kitte hem that dote or drie or densed be.
Thay hateth dounge; it dooth hem oute of kynde.
Nowe crafte to have hem stoonles kepe in mynde.

34

Withouten stoon wel wol thai growe & cheve,
As Marcial saithe, if a tender tree
Me kitte atte footes tweyne, and thenne it cleve
Unto the roote, and with an yron se
The mary raised oute, and closed be
Hit sone ayenie; and binde it, wrappe in dounge
His heede and either half the slitte in longe.

35

And in oon yere uppe heleth it atte ones.
Thenne in it doo graffes that never bere,
Therof wol be chires withouten stoones.
And that the trunkes roteth if thou here
Humoure ytake out of hem it to pere,
By grounde into the stocke it is to bore.
Of auntes harme a crafte is eke therfore.

196

36

Held on the tree the juce of Portulake
Half aisel mixt, and forth thai goth yfere.
Or wyne dregges wol make hem thens slake
As floures gynne; and if Canyculere
So make hem faynt, hoote, & of drury chere,
A sester take atte iche of welles three,
And on thaire rootes atte eve it poured se.

37

But let not Echate this crafte espie.
Outher an herbe is, clept symphoriake,
Ylike a crowne aboute her bodie plie;
Or nygh the roote a couche of it thou make.
And chiries in the sonne ydried take
And kepe as thay begynne in ryvullyng.
This moone also the male is sette to sprynge.

38

The male is sette in landes hoote & drie.
At November kalendes quynce ane serve
In semynaire is sette to multiplie.
And of the same an almandtree thay serve.
Nowe pyne is sowe, and pomes forto observe
In condiment is nowe to make afore,
Of iche of hem as erst is taught the lore.

De apibus castrandis.

39

Castracion the been have efte this moone,
As said is erst, if thai be riche, and elles
To leve hem halfe thaire goodes is to doone,
And if povert appere in thaire celles,
That robbeth hem wel worthi go to hell is.
Hony and wex as erst is nowe to make.
What shal be saide of wyne is tente to take.

197

De vinis pomorum.

40

That I have redde, and Greekes in thaire faith
Afferme I thinke it here to you declare.
This difference in wine thaire writyng saith
Ther is, that swettest wynes hevy are,
The white a partie salt is not to spare,
The bledder helpeth it, the yolgh coloured
Digestion is greetly by socured.

41

The stiptik white a stomake that is laxe
Wol helppe enducing coloure that is pale
And lesse of bloode in man therof wol waxe;
From grapes blake a mighty wyne wol hale;
And swete of rede; and swettest from the smale;
And fro the white is drawe a commune wyne,
But condyment is thus to make it fyne.

42

The must decocte to his medietee
Or thridde parte thay caste to thaire wyne.
But Grekes have an other subtiltee:
Of see quyete up taketh thai maryne
Water purest, oon yere thai lete it fyne,
Wherof thai sayen so maade is the nature,
Of bitternesse or salt that it is sure.

43

This age alle ille odoure eschaungeth sweete.
The viiith part therof in must thay doo;
The vth part of gipse is therto meete.
And after dayes three thai gothe therto,
And mightily thai route it to and fro.
Thus dight, thay sayen that longe thai wol endure,
And in coloure be resplendent & pure.

198

44

Iche daies IX a wyne is to be moeved,
And namely when ther is a latte vyndage.
By seyng ofte is what to hold ypreved
And what is goode to send on pilgramage.
Of resyne drie and stamped sumen gage
Three unces into a tonne, and alto meve
It, and it shal endure, as thay byleve.

45

The must that is byrayned thus thai cure:
By taste thay wite yf it berayned be,
The xx part away to boile, her cure
Is first of gipse an hundreth quantitee
Doon with; and other wol it boiled se
Until the vthe parte of it consume,
And after yeres iiii in use assume.

46

Of wynes soure is taught to make sweet
With barly floure, and not but cruses two,
As for a smalle vessel so moche is meete,
An houre into the wyne let it be doo.
And oon doth dregge of swete wyne therto.
Of glizicide a parte he hath infuse
All drie, and longe yshogged it wol use.

47

And best odour hath wyne in dayes lite,
The bay of myrte agrest mountaine and drie
Yf that me grynde, or braying al to smyte,
And into a wyne barel downe let hem sie,
And after dayes x theroute of trie.
Or floures sweete of vyne or other tree
In umber dried may reserved be.

199

48

But bray hem smal, & presse hem in a newe
Vessel, and whenne thou wilt, on kades thre
Of wyne a certayne of this floures snewe,
And closed fast uppon the vessel se;
At dayes vi ydroken may it be.
And forto make a wyne to drynke swete
Of saturege or fenel putte in meete.

49

Other the fruyte of pynes nuttes two
Wol bake, and in a cloothe into the wyne
Vessel let honge, and cleme it wol therto.
Atte dayes v yserved this wyne is.
To other crafte an ere eke to enclyne is:
Howe vynes yonge as olde shal appere:
Who liketh have that crafte may lerne it here,—

50

The soure Almaunde, & wermode, & feyn greeke,
Frote hem yfere asmoche as wol suffice,
The gumme of fructifying pynes eke,
And bray alle aswel as thou canst devyse.
A cruce into a stene of wyne devise:
Confected thus ther wol be wynes greet.
Lest thay enfecte is forther nowe to trete:

51

Tak aloen & murre & magma with
Saffron, of iche iliche, and thus demene
With brayyng whenne thay made to pouder beth
Let mynge hem with an hony that is clene,
A cruse of this nowe putte in a wyne stene;
And save thay are; and wynes of oon yere
Atte passing age is thus to make appere.

200

52

An unce of melion, of gliciride
Thre unce, and take asmoche of narde Celtike:
Let stampe hem also smal as may betyde,
With aloes tweyne unces epatike;
Let vessel it, and set it uppe in smyke.
Sex spoonful putte in v sester wyne
Wol make it auntceaunt appere and fyne.

53

The wynes browne eschaungeth into white
Yf that me putte in it lomente of bene.
To putte also in oon galon the white
Of eyron iii, and shake it in his stene,
The next day al white it wol be clene.
Of Afre pese if thou do to loment,
The same day it serveth thyne entent.

54

The vyne also thai sayen hath that nature,
That vynes yf me brenne, or white or blake,
And kest hem into wyne, me may be sure
The wyne coloure after the vynes take,
For white of white, and broune of browne, shal wake.
But therof into a tonne a strike donne be,
That is x stene, and there be dayes three,

55

So close it, xl dayes let it rest.
An esy wyne a man to make stronge,
Take leef, or roote, or caule of malowe agrest,
And boyle it, kest it so thyne wyne amonge.
Or gipse, or askes twey cotuls no wronge
Thi wynes doth, iii piluls of cupresse
Or leef of boxe an handful thereto gesse.

201

56

Or ache seede, & askes of sarment
Wherof the flaume hath lefte a core exile,
The body so, not alle the bones, brent;—
Also a man may in oon dayes while
So trete a stordy wyne that it shal smyle,
And of a rough drinker be clere and best.
Now se the crafte is easy and honest.

57

Take pepur cornes x and twye as fele
Pistacies, hem with a quantitee
Of wyne to stampe as smal as thou may dele,
And to vi sester wyne comyxt it be,
And route of so that thay togeder fle.
Nowe let hem rest, and clense hem, and to use
Hem right anoone ther wol noo man refuse.

58

A trouble wyne anoon a man may pure:
Seven curnels of a pyne appul do
In oon sester of wyne that is ympure,
And travaile it a tyme to and fro,
And after suffre it to rest (to) go,
Anoon it wol receyve a puritee:
So clensed thenne & used may it be.

59

Cretenses were ytaught of Apollo,
As it is saide, of aloes epatik
Foure unces, and of squinuant therto
Asmoche, and oon unce of fynest mastic,
Fyne mirre an unce, and of the piste Indik
But half an unce, an unce of mascul thure
Wel smellyng, and an unce of pepur dure,—

202

60

Bete all this smal, and sarce it smothe atte alle.
And whenne the must boileth scome of the grape
That wol rise and be superficialle,
So take hem that nought oon of hem escape.
Take gipse and it with stamping al to frape
Sarce it, thre sexster Ytalike be do
To stenes x of wyne yscommed so.

61

But first this wyne forsaide the fourthe part
Into sum other vessel is to brynge,
Therto this gipse is after to departe,
And with a reede all greene of fressh growinge
Two dayes in his turne it alto flynge,
The thridde day of this wyne in x stene
Let spoones foure of this powder demene;

62

Thenne unto it the fourthe parte be doo
That fro was take, and so fille up the tonne,
And move it long tyme to and froo
Til alle this spice amonge this must be ronne.
So stoppe it uppe all save from wynde or sonne,
Yit leve a litel hool oute atte to brethe
Thaire heetes estuant forto alethe

63

And after xl dayes this spiracle
Is uppe to close, and whenne the list, it drinke.
The taste therof wol fare as a miracle.
But whenne wyne is to move, uppon this thinke,
A naked childe may best uppon it swynke,
Or oon as pure as he. In lynyment
For tonnes best dothe askes of sarment.

203

64

Goode stomak wyne and counter pestilence
Thus make: of fynest must in oon me trete,
Or it be atte the state of his fervence,
VIII unce of grounden wermode in a shete
Dependaunt honge, and xlti dayes swete;
Thenne oute it take; in lomes smaller hent
This must, and use it as wyne pestilent.

65

Nowe thai condite her must egestion
That wol with gipse her wynes medicyne.
In light smal wyne withouten question
Two sester gipse ynough is to reclyne,
An hundreth conge wyne to that assigne.
And yf the wyne be sadde and mighty rounde,
Therto shal oon sester of gipse abounde.

De rosato sine rosa faciendo.

66

Nowe is rosate ymade withouten rose:
Take leves green ynough of Citur tree
And in a palmy basket hem dispose,
And into must that yit not fervent be
Depose, and close or faste it closed se.
This taken oute atte xl dayes ende
Kest hony to, and as Rosate it spende.

De vinis pomorum; de ynomelle.

67

Now everie wyne of pomes is to make
As crafte is taught before, iche in his moone.
Of greet and noble vynes nowe let take
Of must asmoche as semeth the to doone.
Atte xxti dayes ende it (is?) not to soone.
Oute of the pitte after that it is do,
The vthe part of hony rough putte to.

204

68

Not scomed fyne, wel stamped must it be
Until it white, and moeve it mightily
With reede algrene, and xl dayes se,
Or better l, doon contynuelly;
Aye with a shete, ycoverted clenly;
After this tyme in handes clene uphent
Alle that wol swymme and be superfluent.

69

So gipse it uppe, and kepe it for thyne age;
But bette is kepte in pitched loomes smale,
And next atte veer let gipse hem, and forth gage,
And in a celle or colde erthe hem avale,
In floode gravel, or ther thay stonde a dale
Do make, and drenche hem therin: til worldes longe
This drinkes wol abyde, and aye be stronge.

(De) defructo, careno, & sapa.

70

Defrut, carene, & sape in oon manere
Of must is made. Defrut of defervyng
Til thicke; carene is boyled nere
From three til two; but sape unto oon lette brynge
Fro three; and alle this crafte mys but boylinge.
But sape is best if quynces therwith be
Decocte, and alle the fier made of figtree.

De passo.

71

Now passe is made, that Affrike useth make,
Afore vyndage; and thus this crafte thai trete.
A multitude of reysons puld thay take
And into risshy frayels rare hem gete,
And mightely with yerdes first hem bete
Until this with the grapes so desolve,
And thenne hem to the presses thay devolve.

205

72

Ther pressed oute is all that oute wol passe,
And under kept into sum vessel clene,
And this licoure Affrikes calleth passe.
As hony me may kepe it in a stene,
In stede of whome in metes it demene.
This condyment is esy and jocounde,
Wherof inflacioun shal noon redounde.

De cidonite.

73

Take quynces ripe, and pare hem, hewe hem smal
And al for smal; but kest away the core,
For it is nought to this effect atte al.
In hony thenne up boile hem lesse & more
Til it be halvendel that was before.
Do pepur with in boilyng smallest grounde,
This is the first maner;—and this seconde:

74

Another wise is this: take sestres two
Of quince, and oon sester (of) aisel
And half, eke two sester hony therto;
This mynge, and boile it alle togeder wel
Til it be hony fatte & thicke iche dele;
Of pepur and ginger tweyne unces grounde
To pouder smal is therto forto infounde.

De fermento mustorum servando.

75

A galon muste from under feet do to
A strike floure of newe wheete, and it let drie
In sonne, and weete it oft & drie it do
Yit efte; the same in smallest loues plie
And drie it harde in sonne; in pottes trie
Now gipse it fast; and use this ferment
For musty brede, whom this wol condyment.

206

De uvâ passâ Græcâ condiendâ.

76

The reison greek in this maner thai make:
Thai se where hongeth grapes goode & swete
The stortes softe in handes wol thai take
And writhe hem, and so writhen wol thai lete
Hem honge and drie awhile in sonnes hete,
And after hem in shadowe thai suspende
Her vessel while in dightyng thai contende.

77

The leaf of vyne all drie and chillyng colde
Under thai do, and therin grapes presse,
And with thaire handes fast adoon hem folde,
So fille it uppe, and therto leves dresse,
In drie and colde, ther smoke is noon expresse,
Hem kepeth thai. This October upborn
With feet is as in Marche is saide beforne.

De Horis Octobris

78

The first and last houre xxv even,
And next the first & last houre is xv,
The thridde houre from the first and last xi
Hath, and the fourthe houre viii is to sustene.
Next noone on either side on vi demene,
And noone himself stont short on footes v.
And whi? For Phœbus so short made him thrive.

Laus Deo, & continuacio librorum.

October spende, O sonne, O light superne
O tryne and oon, lovyng, honoure, empire,
Withouten ende unto thi might eterne,
That shyne and goon aspire
Magre thi foon so list iche houre and gire
His spere aright, that savyng
Sterre is ther noone in alle oure emyspire:
Under whoos sight I gynne on November.

207

BOOK THE TWELFTH. NOVEMBER.

De satione tritici, farris, ordei, fabæ et lenticulæ.

1

Novembre wol with whete & far be sowe
In lawful wise and with solempnitee.
V strike upon oon acre is to strowe.
With barly wol this moone eke sowen be,
And benes unto greet felicitee.
Right fatte or dounged lande thai loveth best,
Or valey ther hilles fattenesse hath rest.

2

And clodde hem large, as wel thai may be wrie.
Eke sumen sayen the benes sation
In places colde is best to fructifie,
On hem if me doo noon occacion:
For cloddes wol thaire germinacion
Obumbre from the colde and wol defende.
Thei peireth lande, but lite & nought amende.

3

For Columelle affermeth that a felde
For whete is rather proved profitable
That bare is, thenne the felde ther benes yeld
Hath been; and for an a(n)cre fatte is hable
Sex strike to sowe, and lesse is aboundable
In mene lande; but sadde lande wol the bene
In dwelle, and hateth nebulose and lene.

208

4

And whenne the moone is dayes olde xv
And so not repercusse as of the sonne
Sowe hem; but other sayen bette is xiii.
From wedes thai with capon bloode beronne
Beth save, as Grekes sayen, that thei on konne,
Two dayes stept anoon thai wol aryse.
Nowe lyne and puls is sowe as is the gise.

De pratis & de vitibus.

5

Nowe mede is first to make, as saide is erst;
Nowe vynes sette in places hoote and drie;
Nowe also to provyne is not the werst.
Younge vyne and plauntes umbydelvyng hie,
And also hem that naked beth let wrie.
Eke er then Ide. Iche merges curvature
Of iii yere old kitte from the roote is sure.

De vineâ vetere in jugo vel pergulâ reparandâ.

6

From hensforth the vynes that ferre traile
On perches or forkes and over longe
An encombraunce are and of nought availe.
Beholde hem if thaire trunnke be hool & stronge,
Ablaqueate hem, feede hem fatte with donnge,
And kitte hem shortte over the londe not v
Feet longe allyng, and thus make hem to thryve.

7

There as the grenest place is of the rynde
The sharppest yren take, and with the pointe
On either side, afore also behinde
So goodly by and by, it is to pointe.
For Columelle affermeth in that jointe
To germyne, and in veer theroute to stare
Mater thi vyne alle newely to repare.

209

De putandis vitibus & arboribus, ac oleo faciendo.

8

Putacioun autumnal celebrate
Is nowe in vyne & tree ther nys noo colde.
Olyve is pulde of coloure variate.
Make oil of hem al blake on to beholde.
Olyve and other treen thus best is holde
The croppe to kytte, and save on every side
The bowes profluent for fruyte to abyde.

9

But where is lande unkept & insolent,
Take from the trunncke al clene until so hie
As beestes may by noon experiment
Attayne, and there let bowes multiplie,
And afterlonge on every side hem plie
Salutyng est & west, & north & south;
Yit alway warre the touche of beestes mouth.

De olivetis ponendis & curandis.

10

The olyve is nowe there lande is hoote & drie
Ysette, as erst is saide. Wel wot this tree
Encre in litel moiste and places hie.
Wel froted wolde he fatte ydonnged be,
And wagged with wynde of feracitee.
And cure hem as beforne. Nowe baskettes (corbes) fyne
Beth made; in tempre lande eke oil lauryne.

De Allio, Ulpico Cep(ul)lis, & plantis carduorum.

11

This Moone Ulpike & Garlic is to sowe.
White erthe it wol dolvon withouten donnge.
Make reedes in the borde, and ther bestowe
Hem in the toppe atwene in brede & longe
Fyngers but iiii; eke deepe sette is their wronge;
And weede hem wel, so wol thai wex(en) fele.
But forto hede hem greet trede downe the stele.

210

12

So shal the juce into thaire hedes goo.
And whenne the moone is downe also thai telle
Hem if me sowe, and pulle hem uppe also,
Of crueltee noo thing wol in hem smelle.
In chaf or smoke ykept wel wol thai dwelle.
Nowe onyons sowe, and tasul in his place
Lette plaunte; and cunel sowe, eke Armarace.

De persico, pinu, prunis, castaneis, et aliis pomis.

13

Nowe ther is hoote, and elles in Janyveer,
The peches boon in pastyn is to sette.
To sounder hem two footes best it weer.
The plauntes spronge into other places fette;
And sette hem deepe iii or ii handes mette;
But pitche adowne the pointe intort the grounde.
An other crafte yit other folk have founde.

14

The boones to be sette first wol thai drie
A dayes fewe, and thenne in askes moolde
Thay mynge, and it thai into skeppes trie;
In this thaire dried boones wol thai holde.
I say that men myght kepe hem as thai wolde,
And everywhere also saye I thai sprynge.
Yit sum place hath best & lengest durynge,

15

Ther warme ayer is & gravel landes weete;
For ther is colde and wyndy thai wol die
Yf noo defense awai the coldes bete.
And delve hem ofte, eke herbes bitter trie.
Transplaunte hem two yere olde to multiplie
In delves shortte, and nygh ichoon til other,
That from the strom of hete iche help his brother.

211

16

Ablaquiatyng hem in h(ar)vest hie,
Here oon foiles yeve hem as for donnge;
And kytte of every roton thinge or drie.
For grene yf that me kytte of, that is wronge,
That sleeth hem uppe; eke seek if thai be longe
Wynedregges olde in water let infounde;
Yeve hem this drinke, anoon thai wol be sounde.

17

The Greekes sayen that Peches me may make
Ywriten growe, yf that me first hem sette
And after dayes vii up hem take.
By thenne oute wol a spronke of hem be lette
Upon the shelle, and oute the curnel fette,
And write oute whate the list with cynabare.
To close anoon the boon thereon do care.

18

Thaire kyndes beth, oon is peche Armenye,
Precox is next, the thridde is duracyne.
But if this tree to sore in sonne drie
Hepe erthe aboute and humoure vespertyne,
Eke thing object the fervoure of declyne.
A serpent skynne doon on this tree men lete
Avaylant be to save it in greet hete.

19

For frostes nowe do donnge aboute a peche,
Or water, mixt wynedregges, or the best
Of benes boyled water may be leche
To sle the frost; and if wormes unrest
Hem, aske, oildregges mixt, on hem be kest,
Or oxe talgh with the thridde parte aisel,
Her either cast on hem wol slee hem wel.

212

20

The fruite caduke is goodly thus to cure:
Of terebynte or briche into the roote
Or truncke indryve a pynne, and it is sure
For fallyng fruyte; or holdyng forth to rote
The myddel into bore also is boote,
And putte a saly stake in it with crafte;
Fro rotyng and ryving thay be berafte.

21

Lowe on the truncke as wounde him in the rynde,
A lite humoure whenne oute of it is ronne,
With chaved cley the wounde ayein to bynde.
And whenne thaire flouring time is so begonne,
While thrie aboute his course gireth the sonne,
With sestres thre of gootes mylke hem wete,
And ther wol be the peches swete & greete.

22

Upon thaire bowes Spartea to honge
Is goode for hem, or sparte until hem bynde.
In Janyveer or Feveryere no wronge
Is graffyng hem, but cordyng to thaire kynde
If land be colde; and hoote land if thai fynde
In November: but take thaire graffes lowe
And nygh the storcke, for gladdest wol thai growe.

23

The toppes taketh not, or nought endure.
Graffe in him self, or plumme, or Almandtree,
But Armenye and Precoqua beth sure
In plumme, in Almaunt Duricynes be
Lengest to growe in moost fertilitee,
Aprille and May hem wol enoculaire
Ther as the lande is hoote in places faire.

213

24

Italiene enoculacion
In thende of May or nygh ther Juyn begynne
In peches saien goode occupacion.
Emplasturing (and) of hem eke is no synne,
And rede oute of the plane ygraffed wynne.
The Duracyne is kept in oxymelle
With dregges myxt wel for to taste and smelle.

25

The bones oute, as figges summen drie
Hem and suspende; eke I have seen, the bonys
Detracte of Duracyne, in hony trie
So kept that gladder tasting never noon is,
Hoote pitche a droppe if into iche (n)avel goone is;
That so thai be coart (coact?) to swymme in sape,
Enclude hem, and alle harme thai shal escape.

26

Thai sayen the pyne unto all thing under sowe
Is commodious, and his sowing is thus:
His kurnels wol in hoote & drier growe
In October, or November not mys,
In Feveryere or Marche ther colde weet is.
In smal lande nygh the see, amonge the hillys
And stones, wide and fresshe this tree at wille is.

27

In wyndy moiste encreseth thai right greet.
But with this tree what grounde ever shal growe,
As is for other treen is not to trete.
But plowe it, whete on it as me wolde sowe,
And right as wheet in it the seedes strowe;
And wrie it light, an handbrede it descende,
And let noo beste his tender youthe offende.

214

28

Three daies wattering up helpeth eke
To greet encrece, and his translacion
The pynes fruyte wol easy make & make.
Eke plauntes have this procuracion
Unto thaire greet multiplicacion:
That first is doone the seede with moolde & dounge
In skeppes under lande to rere up yonge.

29

Whenne thai come up the smallest fro thai do
So that the saddest faster may ascende:
Atte iii yere olde, this skeppes broken fro,
In delves large adowne shal thai descende.
And dounge asmoche as moolde aboute hem spende;
A flake of this, a flake of that thai make,
So hath a kake of moolde of dounge a kake.

30

But see wel that the chief roote oon directe
Be hool translate unto his summyte
Withouten hurte and in no wise enfecte.
Putacion so helpeth hem to thee
That two so high ascende hem shal me se
As me wol wene; and thaire nuttes abide
Wol on the tree, and ripe until this tide.

31

But pulle hem rather then thai flete atwynne.
Thaire nuttes must be clensed forto kepe.
Newe erthen pottes summen kepe hem ynne,
So thai in erthe & with thaire shelles slepe.
Nowe plommes boon to sowe is two hande depe
In lande subact; the same in Feveryere.
First stept in lye up goth with gladder chere.

215

32

His plaunte is sette uptake in Janyveer
As from the codde, and nygh the moones ende.
Or plaunte hem nygh the Ide of Feveryeer.
The rootes wel in donnging umbywende.
In fatte lande moist thay joyfulliche ascende.
And ther is warme eke hugely thai bold,
Yit not for thi thay may endure in colde.

33

Ther cleyi landes are & lapidose,
With dounge is goode to help hem & excuse
Lest thaire fruite falle and be vermyculose.
The plauntes from the rootes eke refuse
Not up to pulle; eke plauntes faire excuse
To stande unpuld, that thai be not to seke.
And hele in this maner thi prunes seek:

34

Oildregges water tempered evenly
Let kest on hem, or oxe urgne alone,
Or olde bryne admixt unevenly
With water parties two, or of an oone
Askes, and rathest of sarment be doone
On hem, and if caduk thaire fruites be
Dryve in the roote of Oliastre tree.

35

Rubrik and taar wormes & anntes sleth;
Doon esy on for harmyng of the tree,
Lest medicyne eschaunge into the deth.
Ydolven ofte and wet holpen thai be.
Thai graffed are in Marche extremyte
In truncke or rynde; hem graffeth also summe
In Janyveer er thenne thay wepe gumme.

216

36

In Almaunt, in himself, in male, in peche,
Ys graffed plumme; and plommes summen drie,
And hem on fleykes kepe; and other teche
Whenne see water or dregges boiling frie
The plommes fresshe collect ther into trie.
Hem taken uppe so drieth thai in sonne,
Or in an oven luke, and thai beth wonne

37

Chasten wol uppe of plauntes that alone
Upgrowe, or of his seedes multiplie.
The plaunte in yeres two wol gynne grone
For seke, and peraventure he wol die.
Freshe, ripe, and grete of hem to sette oute trie.
In November hem sette, and up thai crepe.
And thus to sowe in Feveryere hem kepe.

38

Drie hem in shade, and hem togeder hepe,
With floode gravel let diligence hem wrie,
And xxx dayes under that hem kepe:
Thenne, doone of that, hem into water trie.
Ther swymmeth seeke; and hool adowne wol hie.
Ayaine the goode under gravel be do,
And tried efte and thries preve hem so.

39

Hem that remain al sekur maist thou sowe.
Sumen in gravel hem closeth, and so kepe.
In lande solute and softe uppe wol thai growe
But as of gravel lande no thing thai kepe.
In sandy lande thai stande if that it wepe
Black erthe is apte, and londe carbunculyne,
And ragstoon all to rapte is for hem digne.

217

40

Thai growe unneth in sadde lande or rubrike,
And for noothing the cley thai may not use,
The colde estate of heven wele thai like.
Aparty warme also thai not refuse,
Nor clyves ther humoure is not excluse.
Thai loveth derk septentrion beholde,
And best in pastynated lande thai holde.

41

Pastyne it deep a foote and half, or plowe
It by and by, and wel with dounge it fede,
And therin do thi chastens forto growe
A foote depe the crafte is hem to seede.
Sette uppe a stick upon hem the to lede.
And sette in everie stede or iii or v;
But footes iv asonder hem to thryve.

42

Transplantyng hem is best atte yeres two.
So gutteryng the water from hem shelve;
If water stande on hem thai beth fordo.
Also this tree may pleched be him selve.
Eke besily the yonge it is to delve.
In Marche and September putacion
To chastens is incrementacion.

43

Thai graffed beth in rynde, as I have preved,
In Marche and in Aprille, and right wel do.
Inoculing also in hem hath cheved.
In saly if me graffe hem forth thai go.
And ripeth late and tasteth not but so.
Chasteynes kest in flakes me may kepe,
Or under sande asonder leyde to slepe.

218

44

And other hem in erthen pottes doo,
And delveth hem in places that beth drie.
In beechen baskettes men save also
This fruite, so thai with cley be stanche ywrie.
Or smallest barly chaf aboute hem plie,
Or baskettes of segges me may use,
So thai be thicke, and save hem ther recluse.

45

This moone in places (drie) and regions colde
The piry wilde is sette ygraffed to be,
Citur, (and) Olyve, eke Pomgarnat to holde
The Serve, and Meddleler, and Silique tree,
The Molbury, the Chery, and Fig-tree,
Almandes, and Juglande in semynaire,
As crafte is taught beforne, is to repaire.

De mundandis & muniendis apium castris.

46

Atte gynnyng of this moone of thamarike
And other floures wilde useth the bee
Hony, though it be smal, sumdel to pike;
Thaire winter stoor is reson that it be.
Now clensed alle thaire houses is to se;
For wynter moeving like is hem to harme.
But do this in a faire day and a warme.

47

Let sweepe hem with a wynge and with a penne,
Or fether of a foul there as an honde
May not come to; pike all the filthes thenne;
Stoppe every cheve aboute her houses fonde
With cleyed dounge; and over ther thai stonde
A tegument of brom or such extende
Hem fro tempest and coldes to defende.

219

Remedium vitibus quæ sine fruge luxuriant.

48

In places glade and warme if vyne abounde
In leef, and have of fruite but povertee,
Now kitte hem short and thai wol be feconde.
In colde lande this in Feryere doone be;
And if thai amende not, yheped se
Askes or floode gravel aboute her roote,
That summen stoones dryve into for boote.

Remedium sterili viti.

49

The same place and tyme a bareyne vyne
Is thus to cure: his storke is first to cleve,
And ther enclude a stoone; eke olde uryne
Let cotuls iiii aboute it helde at eve,
And alle the moulde aboute it to remeve,
That this licoure the rootes to descende,
Eke ley to lande and dounge, and thai wol mende.

[OMITTED]

[_]

—Here several Stanzas have been torn out, and the following cannot be numbered.

For browsty oil white wex is to resolve
In fynest oil, and therin throwe it so:
Hoot salt ygrounde is on it to dissolve
And in a vessel wried alle be do.
So wol it mende odoure and taste also.
In erthe ich oil to kepe is his nature,
Whom salt, or fire, or water hoote may pure.

220

De condiensis olivis.

This moone is made olyve in condyment;
That is dyvers: Oon olyve columbare
Ther flaketh first olyve as fundament;
And after that the pulioles are;
A flake on that hony and saltes rare,
Or flake olyve and fenel graffes be
Theron or birche, or dile, or olif tree.

[OMITTED]

So beth thai oonly daies viii endured.
Olyve unhurt in barme of oil is do,
That after xl dayes up is pured.
And swetter for to have it, do therto
Two parties sape and aisel oon also.
To have it sharpe, of aysel tweyne infounde
And oon of sape, as may the sharpe abounde.

A sester passe, a yespon alto grounde
Of cyner, of olde vyne a quantitee
Foil of cupresse a parte in it contounde.
Let mynge all this; olyves nowe let se,
Suche as unhurt beth taken from the tree,
Doon in and dreynt, a cruste upon it make,
And fille it to the brinke until it take.