University of Virginia Library

MS. IN THE LIBRARY OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.

The Feate of Gardeninge.

Ho so wyl a gardener be
Here he may both hyre & se
Euery tyme of the ȝere & of the mone
And how the crafte schall be done
Yn what maner he schall delue & sette
Bothe yn drowthe and yn wette
How he schall hys sedys sowe
Of euery moneth he most knowe
Bothe of wortys and of leke
Ownyns and of garleke
Percely clarey and eke sage
And all other herbage.

Off Settyng' and Reryng' of Treys.

Yn the calenders of Ianuar'
Thu sclatt treys both set & rere
To graffy ther yn appyl & pere
And what treys ys kynd hem to bere
Appul and A appul-tre
For ther ys kynd ys most to be
Of pere y mynde ȝorne
To graffe hym a-poñ a haw-thorne.

Of Graffyng' of Treys.

Thu myȝt graffe appul & pere
Fro the moneth of septembr' to auerer
Wyth a saw thou schalt the tre kytte
And wt a knyfe smowth make hytte
Klene A-tweyne the stok of the tre
Where-yn that thy graffe schall be
Make thy Kyttyng' of thy graffe
By-twyne the newe & the olde staffe
So that hit be made to lyfe
As the bake & the egge of a knyfe
A wegge thu sette yn myddys the tre
That euery syde fro other fle
Tyl hit be openyd wyde
Where yn the graffe schal be leyde
The rynde of þe graffe & þe tre
Most a-corde how that his ever be
Al-so sone þe graffe a-cordyth wt the stok
Take the wegge A-none vp
Upon the stok all A-bowte
Clay mote be leyde to kepe þe rayne owte
For the schowrys of the rayne
Upon þe clay thu schalt mese layne
Wyth a wyth of haseltre rynde
The stoke fast thu bynde
But thu do thys y vnderstonde
Al thy graffe wul turne apon thy honde
Yf he be graffyd at raysowne
He wul bere þe next saysowne.

Of Cuttyng' and Settyng' of Vynys.

Of settyng' of vynys we most have yn mynde
How thay schal be sette al yn here kynde
Whyle hit ys esterne wynde
Thu schalt kytte noþer sette no bynde
When the wynde ys yn the west
To kutte & to sette ys al-ther best
Yn thys maner þu schalt kytte þe vyne-tre
To be sette hit schal have knottys þre
Too schal be sette yn the grownde
And one A-boue for growynde
Yn þe lond where ht schal growen ynne
Hit wold aske to be dyȝte wt dynge
Every ȝere wt ouȝt-drede
Þey wold aske dyng' A-bouȝt ham sprede
Grow they wul sone and long' be
Than put vnder ham forkys of tre
Of thys tale lete us now stone
And to A-nother we wul gone.

Of Settyng' and Sowyng' of Sedys.

Yn the day of Seynt Valentyne
Thu schalt sowe this sedys yn tyme
For they beþ herbys vn-meke
Þu schalt ham set & sow eke
They þt beþ stronge and nouȝt meke
The names of hem ys garlek & leke
Oynet þu schalt sow then
Other þer after sone A-pon
To set oynyns to make the sede
Y wul the tel for my mede
Yn auerell oþer yn mars as y haue y-fownde
To set other to sowe hem yn the grownde
When they bygynnyth to grow hye
Lete none of ham towche other' nye
Vnder hem than put þu schall
That none of hem downe nouȝt fall
Yf þu wyl that hy the
Forkys y made of asche-tre
To haue ham saue & kepe hare prow
They wolde aske askys a-bowt ham y-strow
When they rype they wyl schow
And by the bollys þu schalt hem know
The sede wt-yn wul schewe blake
Then þu schalt hem vp take
They wul be rype at the full
At lammasse of peter Apostull
On thys maner þu schalt þe sedys drye
Vppon a clothe þu the sedys lye
A-ȝen the sonne his kynd ys
For to ly to dry y-wys
Here of y can no more say
But now y wul bygynne a new lay.

Of Sowyng' and Settyng' of Wurtys.

Wurtys we most haue
Both to mayster & to knaue
Ye schul haue mynde here
To have wurtys yong' al tyme of þe yere
Euery moneth hath his name
To set & sow wt-ouȝt eny blame
May for somer ys al the best
July for eruyst ys the nexst
Novembr' for wynter mote the thyrde be
Mars for lent so mote y the
The lond mote wel y dygnyd be
Y-dolue y-sturyd syre parde
Whan þu hast y-sow thi sede on long'
Foore wykys ther' aftur þu let hem stonde
Whan þe iiij wykes beth al ouer gone
Take thy plontys euery-chone
And set ham yn kynd fat lond
And thay wul fayre wurtys be & long
Wtyn too wykes þt thay beth y-sett
Thu may pul hem to thy mete
And so fro moneth to monethe
Þu schalt bryng' thy wurtys forthe
They þt schal bere sede lasse & more
Let ham grow to make the store
Of wurtys can y no more telle
Of other herbys her'after y schelle.

Of the Kynde of Perselye.

Further ouerpasse y nell
Tyl y haue tolde þe kynde of percell
Percell kynde ys for to be
To be sow yn þe monthe of mars so mote y the
He wul grow long' and thykke
And euer as he growyth þu schalt hym kytte
Þu may hym kytte by reson'
Þryes yn one seson'
Wurtys to make & sewes also
Let hym neuer to hye go
To lete hym grow to hye hit ys grete foly
For he wul then blest and wanchy
Hys kynde ys nouȝt to be sette
To be sow ys al-ther' best
Thay þt the sede schal bere the
Kytte hym nouȝt but lete hym be
Fro mydwynter to the natyuyte
And he schal fayre sede be
Of percell ys lyȝt to know
Take hede he wul nouȝt be set but sow
For yf he be set be wul wax thynne
And than he wul nouȝt be gode to rypyne
Now here-of lete we be
And to a-nother' we wul [OMITTED] te

Of other maner Herbys.

Of other' herbys y schall telle
Þerfor' y mote A stownd dwell
Yn what moneth ys hervest ham sette & sow
Sone here-after þu schalt knowe
Yn the moneth of Auerell
Set & sow ham euerydell
Herbys to make bothe sawce & sewe
Þu schalt haue ham here A rewe
Of al the herbys of yrlonde
Here þu schalt knowe meny onde
Pelyter dytawnder rewe & sage
Clarey tyme ysope and orage
Myntys sauerey tuncarse & spynage
Letows calamynte auans & borage
Fynel sowthrynwode warmot & rybwort
Herbe Ion herbe Robert herbe Water & walwort
Hertystonge polypody parrow & comfery
Gromel woderofe hyndesall & betony
Gladyn valeryan scabyas & sperewort
Verueyn wodesour' waterlyly & lyuerworte
Mouseer' egri moyne honysoke & bugull
Centory horsel adderstong' & bygull
Henbane camemyl wyldtesyl & stychewort
Weybrede growdyswyly elysauwder & brysewort
Merege lauyndull radysche sanycle & seueny
Peruynke violet cowslyppe and lyly
Carsyndyllys strowberys and moderwort
Langebefe totesayne tansay & feldewort
Orpy nepte horehownd & flos campi
Affodyll redeuay primrole & oculus Christi
Rose ryde rose whyȝte foxgloue & pympernold
Holyhocke coryawnder pyony & þe wold
All this herbys by seynt Mychaell
Wold be sette yn the moneth of Auerell
Further'-more wul y noȝt go
But here of herbys wul y ho.

Of the Kynde of Saferowne.

Of saferowne we mote telle
He schal be kepte fayre & welle
Saferowne wul haue wtouȝt lesyng'
Beddys y-made wel wyth dyng'
For sothe yf thay schal bere
Þay wold be sette yn þe moneth of September
Three days by-fore seynt mary day natyuyte
Other the next woke þerafter so mote y the
Wt a dybbyl þu schalt ham sette
That þe dybbyl by-fore be blunt & grete
Three ynchys depe they most sette be
And thus seyde mayster Ion Gardener to me.