MANUSCRIPT AND PRINTED HERBALS 53 



alwaye ben generally more and hygher thane y* wyth fruyte, 

 fewe out taken as Oke and Beche. In thyse wodes ben ofte 

 wylde beestes and foulis. Therein growyth herbes, grasse, 

 lees and pasture, and namely medycynall herbes in wodes foude. 

 In somer wodes ben bewtyed [beautied] wyth bowes and 

 braunches, w l herbes and grasse. In wode is place of disceyte 

 [deceit] and of huntynge. For therin wylde beest ben hunted : 

 and watches and disceytes [deceits] ben ordenyd and lette of 

 houndes and of hunters. There is place of hidynge and of 

 lurkyng. For ofte in wodes theuys ben hyd, and oft in their 

 awaytes and disceytes passyng men cometh and ben spoylled 

 and robbed and ofte slayne. And soo for many and dyuerse 

 wayes and uncerten strange men ofte erre and goo out of the 

 waye. And take uncerten waye and the waye that is unknowen 

 before the waye that is knowen and come oft to the place these 

 theues lye in awayte and not wythout peryll. Therefore ben 

 ofte knottes made on trees and in busshes in bowes and in 

 braunches of trees ; in token and marke of ye highe waye ; to 

 shewe the certen and sure waye to wayefareynge men. But 

 oft theuys in tornynge and metyng of wayes chaunge suche 

 knottes and signes and begyle many men and brynge them out 

 of the ryght waye by false tokens and sygnes. Byrdes, foules 

 and bein [bees] fleeth to wode, byrdes to make nestes and bein 

 [bees] to gadre hony. Byrdes to kepe themself from foulers 

 and bein [bees] to hyde themself to make honycombes preuely 

 in holowe trees and stockes. Also wodes for thyknesse of trees 

 ben colde with shadowe. And in hete of the sonne wery way- 

 f arynge and trauelynge men haue lykynge to have reste and to 

 hele themself in the shadow. Many wodes ben betwyne dyuers 

 coutrees and londes : and departyth theym asondre. And by 

 weuynge and castyng togyder of trees often men kepeth and 

 defendyth themself from enymies." l 



1 Under " Birch " there is another touch of life in the woods in the Middle 

 Ages. " Wylde men of wodes and forestes useth that sede instede of breede 

 [bread]. And this tree hath moche soure juys and somwhat bytynge. And 

 men useth therfore in spryngynge tyme and in haruest to slyt the ryndes and 



