326 1 



the ignorance and gfofs fuperftition of the agea 

 which fuccceded, feems to have rendered Agri- 

 culture an almoft negle&ed fcience. We find 

 no veftiges of any thing tolerably written on the 

 fubjecl:. No new attempts were made to revive 

 it, or to improve it, till the year 1478, when 

 Crescenzio publifhed an excellent performance 

 on the fubjecl: at Florence. This roufed the 

 (lumbering attention of his countrymen, feveral 

 of whom foon followed his example. Among 

 thefe, Tatti, Steffano Augustina Gallo, 

 Sansovino, Lauro, and Tarello, deferve par- 

 ticular notice. 



But to return to our own country. 



We are very much in the dark with refpect to the 

 Hate and progrefs of Agriculture in Great-Britain 

 previous to the fourteenth century. That it was 

 pretty generally practifed, efpecially in the eaftern, 

 fouth, and midland parts of England, is certain; 

 but of the mode, and the fuccefs, we are left almoft 

 totally ignorant. In the latter end of the fifteenth 

 century, however, it feems to have been cultivated 

 as a fcience, and received very great improvement. 



At this time our countryman Fitzherbert, 

 Judge of the Common-Picas, fhone forth with 



diftinguifhed 



