76 RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 



was to make both his bottles afore hee served eyth;.rr company, 

 and then to fother the sheepe fii"st that weare in the hither 

 close, or otherwise they woulde followe him and bee trouble- 

 some to him as hee wente tlu'ough the close to fother the hogges. 

 Shepheards are to bee warned that they have an eye to theire 

 sheepe that they waste not theire fother ; for if the fother bee 

 sweete and good, the snowe deepe, and the weather frosty, then 

 the shepheard is nmch to blame that giveth them soe much till 

 they leave and wast it ; for if the weather bee harde and sharpe, 

 and the hey shorte and good, they will not leave soe much as a 

 pile of grasse or a windle-strawe. Hee fothered them usually 

 towards the farre-ende and farre-side of the close, because as 

 soone as they had done they came streiglit on to the gate, and 

 there eyther stoode or layd them downe till such time as hee 

 gave them another bottle. Hee gave them as much att a time 

 as they coulde eate in halfe an houres space ; and then if hee 

 sawe that they made waste of it, hee gave them less the next 

 time ; if hee sawe that they eate it cleane and had soone done, 

 then hee made the next bottle bigger. The shepheard had 

 allwayes by him in the hey-howse an hey-crooke and an 

 hey-rake ; with the hey-crooke did hee pull hey out of the 

 mo we, and with the rake gather it togeather, and lye it streight 

 and eaven into the bande by girlinges. The best time for frost 

 and snowe is aboute a weeke afore St. Andrewmasse, for then 

 men have done plowinge ; whereas if it come in pease or haver- 

 seede time, or immediately after Christmasse, when men shoulde 

 beginne to fallowe and ary, it kee]>eth them backe, and setteth 

 men behinde with the yeare : but if it fall aboute St. Andrew- 

 masse, it then doeth much good, for it ])urifyes the a>Te, sweet- 

 neth sparry and .sower tuftes of gi-asse, keepeth winter corne 

 wanne, maketh goodes fall sharpely to their hard meate and 

 es[>ecially hogges ; and lastly, cominge thus soone, it maketh 

 men husbandly with theire fother, for feare of a longe winter ; 

 and oftentimes when snowe falleth thus soone. it maketh kyne 

 and other beasts veiy cheape, especially in such places as wante 

 fother. Wee account two beasts equall to one hoi-se, and five 

 sheepe to a beast ; wee can have His. and sometimes I8cs. for 

 summeringe of a large beast in our closes ; wheaivfore wee 

 make account that sheepe that are fedde all the sinnmer longe 

 in our closes sttmde us to three shillings, or tenne groates a 

 peece. 



On Tlim-sday-night the 9th of Deceml)er fell tliere a greate 

 deale of raiiie, aiul with it a blustfringe south winde, which 

 wasted and tooke away all the .snowe in one night ; but this 

 8|)eedy thowe causeil a wonderfull slush ; wheai-efore on Fryday- 



