78 RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IS 1641. 



them downe to the Bricke close, and there served them ; and 

 8oe soone as they had done, to field with them againe ; and fo- 

 thered them noe more till there came such another mominge. 



On the 11th of December allsoe, wee putte our hogges againe 

 into the Carre, and there lette them bee, ^vithout any fother- 

 inge, till such time as wee sawe the gi-ownd begin to decay and 

 waxe shorte and snodde, which was a just fortnight : after that, 

 because wee woulde keepe them wheare they weare, and not 

 cast them downe, wee brought them and putte them into the 

 newe Waiidill closes and there let them bee, without any fother- 

 inge, till after the Holy-dayes that the sheepe came dowTie to 

 bee fothered mominge and eveninge. About Christmass-time, 

 husbandmen are forced to fother theire sheepe twice a day in 

 open weather ; because that then the field is waxed shorte, and 

 will scarce aftbrd them halfe theire livinge ; whearefore after 

 Christmasse wee brought downe our field -sheepe and putte our 

 hogges and them togeather, and our shepheards course was 

 this ; hee came in the mominge and fothered them att or before 

 sun-rise, and soe soone as they had done theire fother, hee car- 

 ryed them forth and lette them labour in the fields all the day ; 

 then att night, a little afore sunsette, hee left them in the field, 

 and came lioame before them, and fetched out his bottle and 

 scaled the hey aboute in little heapes ; then by that time hee 

 had done, the sheepe woulde bee att the gate ; then soe soone 

 as hee had lette them into the close to theire fother, hee wente 

 and made his bottles for next mominge ; and the like did hee 

 in the mominge, viz. ; make his bottles for night whiles the 

 sheepe weare in hande with theire fother : the reason why hee 

 threwe his hey abroad a nights afore hee lette them in, was be- 

 cause then they did not rimne over it and full it soe much ; for 

 when they are in the clo.se they will foUowe him and runne 

 over it from heape to heape as fast ixa hee throweth it downe ; 

 and besides they come to the hither ende of the close, and nmne 

 aboute him, ami troubleth him as he canyeth it. In snowy 

 weather, when they cjin gette little or nothinge on the grownd, 

 then doth hee starve them fower times a day, viz. ; att sunrise, 

 att tenne of the clocke, at two of the clocke, and after sunsette. 

 If hee serve them but thrice a day, then hee serveth them afore 

 noone, aboute the time that the threshei-s goe to dinner ; in 

 open weather, but twice a day, viz. ; morninge and eveninge ; if 

 the weather bee soft hee giveth them lease ; if frosty-mominges 

 then more, and allmust as much more att night as hee doth in 

 the morninge ; an<l if hoe have any fother that bee coui-ser then 

 then the rest, hee giveth that to them a nights in frosty wea- 

 ther, for nowe the nights are allmost as longe againe as the 



