g6 146. General duties of a wife. 



and whan tyme of the yere cometh, thou must take hede 

 Gather the howe thy henncs, duckes, and geese do ley, and to gather 



eggs. 



24 vp theyr egges, and whan they waxe brodye, to sette 

 them there as noo beastes, swyne, nor other vermyn 

 hurte them. And thou muste knowe, that all hole-footed 

 fowles wyll sytte a moneth, and all clouen-footed fowles 



[Foi.6i3.] 28 wyll sytte but three wekes, excepte a peyhenne, and greatte 

 fowles, as cranes, bustardes, and suche other. And whan 

 they haue broughte forthe theyr byrdes, to see that they 

 be well kepte from the gleyd, crowes, fullymartes, and 



Put in order 32 Other vermynne. And in the begynnynge of Marche, or 

 a lyttell afore, is tyme for a wyfe to make her garden, and 

 to gette as many good sedes and herbes as she canne, 

 and specially suche as be good for the potte, and to eate : 

 36 and as ofte as nede shall requyre, it muste be weded, fot 

 els the wedes wyl ouergrowe the herbes. And also in 

 Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe and hempe, for I haue 



Better are harde oldc houswyues saye, that better is Marche hurdes 



March hards 



than April 40 than Apryll flaxe, the reason appereth : but howe it 



flax. 



shulde be sowen, weded, pulled, repeyled, watred, 



wasshen, dryed, beaten, braked, tawed, hecheled, spon, 



wounden, wrapped, and wouen, it nedeth not for me to 



44 shewe, for they be wise ynough ; and therof may they 



Make make shetes, bordclothes, towels, shertes, smockes, and 



towels', and suche Other necessaryes, and therfore let thy dystafFe 



shirts. 



be alwaye redye for a pastyme, that thou be not 



48 ydle. And vndouted a woman can-not gette her lyuynge 



honestely with spynnynge on the distaffe, but it stoppeth 



[F0I.62.] a gap, and muste nedes be had. The holies of flaxe, 



whan they be ripeled of, must be rideled from the wedes. 



Dry the flax. $2 and made drye with the son, to get out the sedes. Howe 



be it one maner of linsede, called loken sede, wyll not 



open by the son : and therfore, whan they be drye, they 



muste be sore brused and broken, the wiues knowe howe, 



56 and than winowed and kepte drye, tyll yere- tyme come 



