English Faraiing. 347 



chose a fertile soil and genial climate, but as their 

 descendants multiplied they were obliged to seek new coun- 

 tries, and, leaving the warmer regions of the South, grad- 

 ually made theii- way into the colder and less fertile coun- 

 ti'ies of Northern Em-ope, which were, therefore, hxte in 

 receiving any knowledge of agriculture. 



Husbandry came from Egypt to Greece, and from 

 Greece to Italy, and thence it made its way into the British 

 Islands, in some parts of which it has been brought to far 

 greater perfection than it had ever reached in the more 

 favored lauds of the South. 



When the Romans conquered England the inhabitants 

 in the interior, who were savage and clothed in skins, lived 

 in the woods with which the country was covered. In fact, 

 husbandry was unknown in the inner parts of the island, 

 though grain was grown toward the coast. The most civ- 

 ilized were the inhabitants of Kent. 



After the departure of the Romans from the island, and 

 the establishment of Christianity, about the year 595, agri- 

 culture made considerable progress, as the monks, who un- 

 derstood the Latin language, read the Roman authorities 

 and taught their servants and tenants husbandry as far 

 as it was then known. At this time the rude plow and 

 harrow, when used, were always fastened to the tails of 

 either oxen or horses, the driver walking backwards, facing 

 the team and flourishing a cudgel — a very odd way of 

 encouraging the team to follow him ! 



The Normans, after the conquest of England in 1066, 

 introduced the wheel plow ; but, being more given to hunt- 

 ing than to husbandry, they very greatly prevented the cul- 



