52 THE OLD ENGLISH HERBALS 



sackes, and bagges, and purses (" to put and to kepe thynges 

 in "). Of the making of tow " uneven and full of knobs," used 

 for stuffing into the cracks in ships, and " for bonds and 

 byndynges and matches for candelles, for it is full drye and 

 takyth sone fyre and brenneth." " And so," he concludes 

 somewhat breathlessly, " none herbe is so nedefull to so many 

 dyurrse uses to mankynde as is the flexe." Of the vineyard 

 " closyd about wyth walles and wyth hegges, with a wayte 

 [watch] set in an hyghe place to kepe the vynyerde that the 

 fruyte be not dystroyed." Of the desolation of the vineyard 

 in winter, " but in harueste tyme many corny th and haunteth 

 the vynyerde." Of the delicious smell of a vineyard. Of the 

 damage done by foxes and swine and " tame hounds." " A 

 few hounds," Bartholomew tells us, " wasten and dystroye moo 

 grapes that cometh and eteth therof theuylly [thievishly]." 

 " A vineyard," he concludes, " maye not be kepte nother 

 sauyd but by his socour and helpe that all thynge hath and 

 possesseth in his power and myghte. And kepyth and sauyth 

 all lordly and myghtily." And is there any other writer who in 

 so few words tells us of the woods in those days? Of the 

 " beestis and foulis " therein as well as the herbs, of the woods 

 in summer-time, of the hunting therein, of the robbers and 

 the difficulty of finding one's way? Of the birds and the bees 

 and the wild honey and the delicious coolness of the deep shade 

 in summer, and the " wery wayfarynge trauelynge men " ? 

 And the final brief suggestion of the time when forests were 

 veritable boundaries ? I believe also that this is the only book 

 in which we are told of the interesting old custom of tying knots 

 to the trees " in token and marke of ye highe waye," and of 

 robbers deliberately removing them. The picture is so perfect 

 that I give it in full : 



" Woods ben wide places wast and desolate y* many trees 

 growe in w'oute fruyte and also few hauyinge fruyte. And those 

 trees whyche ben bareyne and beereth noo manere fruyte 



