1 6 7. Necessity of diligence, 



2 And horses wyl goo faster than oxen on euen grounde 

 or lyght grounde, & be quicker for cariage : but they be 

 ferre more costly to kepe in winter, for they must haue both 

 hey and come to eate, and strawe for lytter ; they must 



24 be well shodde on all foure fete, and the gere that they 



shal drawe with is more costely than for the oxen, and 



Oxen are shorter whylc it wyll last. And oxen wyll eate but straw, 



cheap, 



and a lyttell hey, the whiche is not halfe the coste that 



28 horsis must haue, and they haue no shoes, as horses haue. 



And if any sorance come to the horse, or [he] waxe olde, 



broysed, or blynde, than he is lyttell worthe. And if any 



sorance come to an oxe, [and he] waxe olde, broysed, or 



[Foi.6J.] 32 blinde, for n.s. he maye be fedde, and thanne he is mannes 



and they can mcate, and as good or better than euer he was. And the 



be eaten. 



horse, whan he dyethe, is but caryen. And therfore mp 

 semeth, all thynges consydered, the ploughe of oxen is 

 36 moche more profytable than the ploughe of horses. 



7. \ The dylygence and attendaunce that a husbande shulde 

 gyue to Ms warke, in maner of an other prologue, and 

 the speciall grounde of all this treatyse. 



Take pains, Thou husbandc, that intendeste to gette thy lyuynge 



keep mea- 

 sure, and be by husbandry, take hede to the sayenge of the wyse 



rich. 



phylosopher, the which sayth, Adhibe curam, tene mensurani, 



4 et eris diues. That is to saye. Take hede to thy charge, 



kepe measure, and thou shalt be ryche. And nowe to 



speke of the fyrste artycle of these .iii. s[cilicet] Adhibe 



curam. He that wyll take vpon hym to do any thinge, 



8 and be slouthefull, recheles, and not diligent to execute 



and to performe that thynge that he taketh vpon hym, 



he shall neuer thryue by his occupation. And to the 



same entente saythe our lorde in his gospell, by a parable. 



[Foi. 7.] 1 2 Nemo mittens manum suam ad aratrum respiciens retro, aptus 



