36 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 



For we shall rue it, if 't be true, the Fens are undertaken, 

 And where we feed in fen and reed, they'll feed both beef and 

 mutton. 



The feathered fowls have wings to fly to other nations, 

 But we have no such things to help our transportations ; 

 We must give place (oh grievous case !) to horned beasts and 



cattle, 

 Except that we can all agree to drive them out by battle. 



AVherefore let us entreat our ancient water nurses 

 To show their power so great as t' help us drain their purses, 

 And send us good old Captain Flood to lead us out to battle, 

 Then Twopenny Jack with scales on 's back will drive out all 

 their cattle. 



Owing to the inadequacy of the original works, and 

 tlie ' riotous letts and disturbances of lewd people,' the 

 east fen became once more a shaking bog or a chain of 

 lakes fringed with reeds. The Wildmore and west fens 

 were in 1793 so wet, that '40,000 sheep, or one per 

 acre, rotted every year.' On Lindsey fen, in 1750, ' cows 

 foraged midrib deep in water, swimming to their pasture 

 from their hovels, and returning in the same way, and 

 sheep were conveyed to pasture and clipped in flat-bottom 

 boats.' 



It is somewhat curious that foreigners should have 

 taught the English the treatment of water. The Dutch 

 drained our fens ; paring and burning, irrigation, warp- 

 ping, canals, are all foreign importations. A colony of 

 French emigrants, settled near Thorney, introduced par- 

 ing and burning, and the paring plough was long known 

 as the French plough. The irrigation of meadows is said 

 to have been first practised in modern times by the 



notorious ' Horatio Pallavazene, . . . who robbed the 



• 



Pope to pay the Queen.' Warping was brought from Italy 



