44 RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 16il. 



linge, to worke ; and as for traylinge of the sweathrake, wee 

 allwayes appointe those that wee finde most unfitte for other 

 labor. In shearinge wee usually sette 5, 6, or 7 shearers to a 

 lande, but most commonly G on a lande ; yett I have knowne 4 

 men-shearers on a lande whoe have shome as much as one man 

 could possibly binde and stooke ; sometimes 8 on a lande. 

 Amongst shearers the one of the furres is called the fore-furre, 

 and the other the hinder-furre ; sometimes they make the one 

 the fore-furre, and sometimes the other, but the furre on your 

 lefte hande is the best for the fore-furre ; for then the come fall- 

 eth tlie fittest for the hande, and the best for cutting, and Uke- 

 wise the best for those that are rowhnge : yow shoulde aUwayes 

 putte the weaker and worst shearers into the fore-fun-e, because 

 there they take the least breadth ; and the strongest and ablest 

 of yoiu- shearers yow shoulde allwayes putte to the ridge, be- 

 cause there the corne is rankest and strongest ; and then those 

 that are of the middle sorte will bee the best in the hinder 

 fuiTC. In shearinge yow are aUwayes to observe what way the 

 come hanges and yeeldes with the heade, and yow are to sheare 

 that way, and this is called followinge of the come ; but on the 

 contrary yow are neaver to sheare against the corne, that is, 

 when the lieades of the come bende towardes yow ; the hke is 

 to bee observed in mowinge. It is allwayes best shearinge upp 

 the hiU, for to sheare downe the hiU is very troublesome, and ill 

 for the backe. Shearers ought allwayes to make bandes, and it 

 is an use with some of them to pull theire bandes, but it is 

 the better for the binder to have his bandes made of come that 

 is cutte ; when they are aboute makinge of bandes they hange 

 theire sides on theire left shoulder. The best shearere are 

 those that can rowle, for they take thrice as much as 

 those that take onely what they can gripe in theire handes 

 and noe more ; the next good shearer is hee that taketh a good 

 handfuU att every cutte, for some theire are that will tjike as 

 much att one dinte as others will doe at three ; othei-s there are 

 againe that will take but a little att once, for feare of over- 

 gripinge and straininge theire hande ; some men they have a 

 tricke to treade upon it, and women to laye theire legge over 

 it, and keepe it downe with theire coates ; for the more it 

 yeeldeth from tliem the better it is to slieare ; yett for men to 

 treade upon eveiy peece they cutte is an hindoranoe to theire 

 labour. If the morninge V>ee faire, yow are to call the shearera 

 togeather, and to goe with them to field, by seaven of tlie clocks ; 

 sind they are not to leave worke till after sunne-sette, unlesse 

 the unseasonablenesse of tlie weather drive them lioame. If 

 the morninge hce wette and mishnge, your best way will bee to 



