52 



56. How to buy lean cattle. 



Rotten 

 sheep 

 have loose 

 wool. 



drye, than is he sounde ; and if it be pale-coloured, and 



8 watrye, thanne is he rotten. Also whanne ye haue 



opened the woll on the syde, take a lyttell of the woll 



bytwene thy fynger and thy thombe, and pull it a lyttell, 



and if it sticke faste, he is sounde, and if it comme 



12 lyghtely of, he is rotten. Also whan thou haste kylde a 



shepe, his belly wyll be full of water, if he be sore 



rotten, and also the fatte of the fleshe wyll be yelowe, 



if he be rotten. And also if thou cut the lyuer, therin 



Rotten 1 6 wyll be lyttell quikens lyke flokes, and also the lyuer 



sheep have 



flukes in the wyll be full of knottes and whyte blysters, yf he be 

 [Foi. 34^.] rotten ; and also sethe the lyuer, if he be rotten it wyll 



breke in peces, and if he be sounde, it wyll holde 

 2 together. 



How to buy 

 cows. 



56. \ To bye leane cattell. 



These housbandes, if they shall well thryue, they 

 muste haue bothe kye, oxen, horses, mares, and yonge 

 cattell, and to rere and brede euery yere some calues. 

 How to buy 4 and fools, or els shall he be a byer. And yf thou shalte 

 by oxen for the ploughe, se that they be yonge, and 

 not gowty, nor broken of heare, neyther of tayle, nor 

 of pysell. And yf thou bye kye to the payle, se that 

 8 they be yonge and good to mylke, and fede her calues 

 wel. And if thou bye kye or oxen to feede, the yonger 

 they be, the rather they wyll fede ; but loke well, that 

 the heare stare not, and that he lycke hym-selfe, and 

 12 be hoole-mouthed, and want no tethe. And thoughe he 

 haue the goute and be broken, bothe of tayle and 

 pysell, yet wyll he fede. But the gouty oxe wyll not 

 be dryuen ferre ; and se that he haue a brode ryb, and 

 1 6 a thycke hyde, and to be lose-skinned, that it stycke not 

 harde nor streyte to his rybbes, for than he wyll not fede. 



How to 



choose an 



