RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 77 



mominge our shepheard fothered the sheepe soe soone as hee 

 came, yett hee gave them but a httle, because of the wettnesse 

 and softnesse of the weathei' ; and that which hee gave them, 

 hee gave it them in the dryest parte of the close, because they 

 shoidde not tread it into the mire and wast it ; then lette hee 

 them alone till night afore hee gave them any more, and att 

 night hee caiTyed them a little bottle, as much as hee thought 

 they woulde eate readily and cleane without wastinge : the 

 reason why hee fothered then was, because there was little or 

 nothinge to gette in the West-hall East-close ; the reason why 

 hee left them in the close all the day was, because that hee 

 woulde have the water sattle away, and the grownde somewhat 

 saddened before hee woulde goe to field with them ; if there bee 

 any winds aloft without raine, the grownd will sadden and the 

 fields waxe diy and cleane in two dayes : it is an usuall course 

 (amongst shepheards) att the way-gate of a snowe, or after the 

 fallinge of much raine, to keepe theire sheepe (if it bee possible) 

 on some swarth-grownd, till the field gette one dayes sadden- 

 inge ; for (of all goods) sheepe delight especially to bee wheare 

 they may goe dry and cleane* ; for wheare the landes are clean- 

 est, there the sheepe will labom- the best, and goe neerest to 

 grownd. On Satterday-mominge the 11th of December, om- 

 shepheard came before sun-rise, and canyed his gelt sheepe to 

 field soe soone as hee came, without givinge them any fother ; 

 the yeere was (as yett) but yomige, and the field indifi'erent 

 good, and not much snubbed ; whearefore hee kept them alto- 

 geather in the field, and without fotheringe, (it beinge open 

 weather), till after Christmasse, which was for the space of a 

 moneth, and by this meanes saved wee much fother which 

 others vainely spent ; for the shepheards will say that it is 

 good savinge of fother ivhiles one may, because they kno we not 

 howe the yeere will fall out ; besides they say truely, that goods 

 will stande more neede of it afterwards, when the gi'ownd 

 waxeth shorte and snodde, then they doe when the gi'ownd is 

 rough. Dminge the time that they Weare in the field without 

 fotheringe, hee putte them (on nights) downe to the dales, and 

 layd them aboute Hugill-hill, or some of the bottomes, for feare 

 that they shoulde drawe towards the towue, and gette haunte of 

 the'wheate and rye ; if hee sawe that the night was Hkely to 

 bee boysterous and stormy, then hee layd them in the Spellowe ; 

 if there came any white rymes or frosty-morninges, that hee 

 thought they stoode neede of any fother, then hee brought 



a All -miters on agriciiltuTe agree that the sheep must he kept clean and dry ; 

 and yet, in spite of the care of the shepherd, it has been estimated that half a mil- 

 lion are annually lost from accident and disease. 



