MANUSCRIPT AND PRINTED HERBALS 53 



alwaye ben generally more and hygher thane y' wyth fruyte, 



fewe out taken as Oke and Beche. In thyse wodes ben ofte 



wylde beestes and foulis. Therein growyth herbes, grasse, 



lees and pasture, and namely medycynall herbes in wodes foude. 



In somer wodes ben bewtyed [beautied] wyth bowes and 



braunches, w' herbes and grasse. In wode is place of disceyte 



[deceit] and of huntynge. For therin wylde beest ben hunted : 



and watches and disceytes [deceits] ben ordenyd and lette of 



houndes and of hunters. There is place of hidynge and of 



lurkyng. For ofte in wodes theuys ben hyd, and oft in their 



awaytes and disceytes passyng men cometh and ben spoylled 



and robbed and ofte slayne. And soo for many and dyuerse 



wayes and uncerten strange men ofte erre and goo out of the 



waye. And take uncerten waye and the waye that is unknowen 



before the waye that is knowen and come oft to the place these 



theues lye in awayte and not wythout peryll. Therefore ben 



ofte knottes made on trees and in busshes in bowes and in 



braunches of trees; in token and marke of ye highe waye; to 



shewe the certen and sure waye to wayefareynge men. But 



oft theuys in tornynge and metyng of wayes chaunge suche 



knottes and signes and begyle many men and brynge them out 



of the ryght waye by false tokens and sygnes. Byrdes, foules 



and bein [bees] fleeth to wode, byrdes to make nestes and bein 



[bees] to gadre hony. Byrdes to kepe themself from foulers 



and bein [bees] to hyde themself to make honycombes preuely 



in holowe trees and stockes. Also wodes for thyknesse of trees 



ben colde with shadowe. And in hete of the sonne wery way- 



f arynge and trauelynge men haue lykynge to have reste and to 



hele themself in the shadow. Many wodes ben betwyne dyuers 



coutrees and londes : and departyth theym asondre. And by 



weuynge and castyng togyder of trees often men kepeth and 



defendyth themself from enymies." ^ 



1 Under " Birch " there is another touch of hfe in the woods in the Middle 

 Ages. " Wylde men of wodes and forestes useth that sede instede of breede 

 [bread]. And this tree hath moche soiire juys and somwhat bytynge. And 

 men useth therfore in spryngynge tyme and in haruest to slyt the ryndes and 



