The feventeentli Booke of 



med openly jthat tlic plaincs of Rofca were the very fat of Italic, and refemblcd the kcll or kafe G 

 of a fed and franked Twine : wherein(quoth hee)if a man left forkes or props to dayjthey will bee 

 overgtowne and covered with grafle by to morrow. But ftircly^ this ground is gOod for nothing 

 but pallure. Yet notwiihflanding, Nature would have usflill to learne and grow skilful! every 

 day more than Other .-and for that intent fheehath laid open the defeds and impcrfcdions of 

 the groundjeven there^whercas the commodities iherof be neither rocertain,nor fo well known. 

 And therefore let us in the firft place Ipcake of thofe faults for which the earth is blamed. 



Chap. Vi 



Suttdrie forts 0f catih 



^ H 



IFamantlouIdknow whichisaleanCjhungriCjjjitter ground, there is no better experiment 

 and proofc thereof^than by the blackifh, mifliking, and unkind hearbes growing thereupon : 

 like as, when they come up fcorched and burnt,they (hew a cold fbile: alfo^ when they feeme 

 illfavouredand unpleafant tothceic, the earth no doubt is foakcd and drowned in wet. As for 

 red fandie ground and cley^you need goe no farther than to your ownc eiefight. And fuch foiles 

 as thefe be,is of all othetjhardefl to bee wrought and tilled ; they fo clog and load both the har- 

 row teeth and the plow-fliaresawith huge & heavieclods.Howbeitjthe ground that is thus chur- 

 lilli to be eared and husbandedjis not alwaies bad and naught for encreafe. But it fareth cleane 

 contrarie with the pale and wan afhie earth, as alio with the white fandie foile : for the barraine 

 ground is foone found by a thicke and callous crufl that it hath, cvenatthe firfidentof culter, I 

 or ftroke of mattocke. 



C<«/tf fetteth downe breefely,as his manner is^all the defers & faults of ground in thefe words; 

 T <ike heed{ci{xo\h hz)ofa rotten grotwd^ and fee thdtyou fitrre it netther mth cart^mr touch it with 

 heasii What fhould wee ihinke was his meaning by this tearme of his, that he fhould feare rot- 

 ten ground fo mucb,as to forbid in a manner to tread and goe the reupon > Let us call to mind 

 therottennefife thatis in wood i and thereby fhail we find thofe faults that he abhorreth and de- 

 teff eth fo much in earth.In good faithjby rotten earth hce underftandeth drie, fpungeous, and 

 full of holes jrugged^hoarie^eatenjold^and holIow.Soasin that onefignificantword(C4r/^<7)hc 

 faid more than could be exprefled poffibly by any multiplicitie of language whatfoever. For if a 

 man would rip up to the quicke the imperfe<^ions that are in grounds,he fhould find ^that fome K 

 peecesthercbeof itthatmaybetearmed trulyoldandoverworne^notforanyage (forwhocan 

 fayproperlyjthatearthisfubje<5ltooIdage) butby reafon of their naturall defeats : in regard 

 whercofja ground may be weakejfeeblejbarren,and no longer good for to bring forth any thing. 

 The fame Cato judgeih,That ground to be principall which lieth at the foot of an hill, and run- 

 neth forthin manner of aplainCjintotheSouthjwhichisthevery fituation of allltalierandby 

 a blackilh and fwart earth,which he callcth iPulW] he meaneih a gentlejtender3& mellow foile. 

 And this we will determine to be the befl fimply both for work€ortillage,and alfoforgaineand 

 cncreafeaNow let us(ifyee pleafe)ftand a litde upon this word T ?n$ra^ [/."Tenderjwhich he ufeth 

 in this fence : you fhall find a marvellous fignification thereof: and that hce implicth thereby, 

 as much as your heart can wifh to be in a ground. Thatis it, which is fo temperate in fertilitie, L 

 thatis it which to bee wrought is fo gentle, fofr, pliablCj and mellow 5 neither wet, nor yet dric 

 and thirflie. Now doth this ground fliineagaine after the plough- fhare^refembling that veine 

 of earth,which Homer ^x\\q veryfountaineandfpringof all good wits, reported to have beene 

 engraven by a * godjin the armour [of i^chilles\] adding moreover, that the faid earth looked 

 blacke withall: wherein heobfervedawonderfuUpeeceof workmanfhip,notwithffandingit was ' 

 wrought in gold . This is that ground, I fay, which being new broken and turned up with the 

 plough, thelTirewd and bufiebirdsfeekeafterjand goe under theplough-fharefor it !this is it, 

 that the verie Ravens follow the ploughman hard at heelesfor, yea, and arereadie for grce- 

 dinefle to pecke and job under his verie feet. And here, in this place I cannot chufc but re- 

 late the opinion that is currant among our roiotous and delicate gallants ; with fome other M 

 thing alfo making for our purpofe, in thcdifcourfeof this argument which wee have in hand, 

 CertesC/Vtfr^>, a man reputed (as hee was no leffe indeed) forafecond light of all good learning 

 and literature, Better are efteemed (quoth hee) the fwectcompofitions and ointments which 

 i afl of earth, than of faf&on ; where note by the way, that this great clerke chofe to ufe the word 



of 



