RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 137 



R signifieth as much as recipe, or (in English) receive, and is 

 sette downe allwayes afore the medicine with this marke or 

 dash thorowe it B:. Semis beinge sette beyond drachma, thus ; 

 5 B, signifieth halfe a drachme ; for if it bee a whole drachme 

 or ownce, they sette figures after, as § iij. signifieth three 

 ownces. 



For Keepinge of Waines and Coupes from Wette. 



Soe soone as harvest is in, our stubble led and stackes thatched, 

 the first lette weather or vacant time that commeth, wee fetch 

 up a payre of oxen, and sette our servants to runne the waines 

 under the hehnes : and first of aU they knocke off the shelv- 

 inges, and putte the shelvinges, and loade-pinnes, and pike- 

 stowers, of everie waine into her body ; then doe they shoole 

 and carry away the dirte cleane from under the helmes ; then 

 doe they putte on the oxen, and bringe the waines close to the 

 ende of the helme, and there doe they dresse and make cleane 

 the wheeles with a spade, before they runne them in, then doe 

 they runne the first three waines in backewards with their 

 arses first, soe that the hoppinge tree of the first standeth under 

 the body of the seconde, and the hoppinge-tree of the seconde 

 under the body of the third, then the fowerth and last waine 

 wee runne her in with her nose first, bearinge her up and run- 

 ninge her hoppinge tree into the body of the waine that stand- 

 eth next her ; then doe wee lift up the wheeles, and underpropp 

 each wheeie befoi"e and behinde with good bigge stones, to 

 keepe them from the moysture and dampnesse of the earth ; 

 then doe wee take of the wheeles of our two carts, and sette 

 them close up by the bodyes of the waines, and the carts them- 

 selfes wee sette them with theire bodyes sidewayes, and lette 

 them stande upon the axletree, and leane against the side of 

 the waines ; then doe wee fetch all our longe ladders, and putte 

 them within the braces on the inside of the helme : wee runne 

 our wheeie barrowes allsoe under the bodyes of the waines. 

 The longe helme in the stack-garth will just serve for fower 

 waines, and under this helme doe wee lye the bodyes or 

 wheeles of our two carts ; our longe styes lye allsoe under this 

 helme all winter, and likewise our wheeie barrowes. The 

 helme in the foregarth will doe somethinge more then shelter 

 three waines, and under this doe wee usually thrust in om' three 

 coupes. Our folkes weare (this yeare) imployed aboute this 

 businesse on Powder treason day. 



Shorte Remembrances for Thatchinge. 



It is a greate oversight in many thatchers, that when they 

 are to lye on a whole thatch, they make it tliicke att the very 



