Piim'es Naturall Hirtorie* 



\ of tart rather than of fmell, in fuch odoriferous perfumes and mixtures. Well, to /peale 2t a 

 word, furely that ground is beft of all other, tvhich hath an aromaticall finelland taiUvithit. 

 Now if we hft moreover to be better inftruded, whatkindbf favour and odour thatllnouldbe, 

 which we would fo gladly find in the earth ;we may oftentimes meet whh that fent^even \\=lien lliG 

 is not ftirred with the plough, butlierh ftill and quiet, namely, a little before the fun-fetiing,ef- 

 pccially where a rainbow feemeth tofetdc & pitch her tips in the Horizon : alfo,when after lomc 

 long and continuall drought, it beginneth to raine jfot then being wet and drenched therewith, 

 the earth will fend up avapourandexhalation (conceived from the funne) fo heavenly and di- 

 vine, as no perfume (how pleafantfbever it be) is comparable unto iti This Imell there miift be 

 in it when you ere it up with the plough : which if a man find once,he may be afTured it is a right 



3 good ground ; for this rule never faileth : fo as (to fay a truth) it is the very fiBell and nothing els, 

 that will judge beft of the earth : and fuch commonly arc new broken grounds, where old woods 

 were lately ftocked up: for all men by a gen er all confent, doe commend fuch for excellent* 

 Moreover, the fame ground for bearing is held to be farre better, whenfoever it hath refted be- 

 tween, and either lien ley or fallow; whereas for vineyards it is cleanc contrarie ; and therdbrs 

 the more care and diligence is to be emploied in chufing fuch ground, leaf^ wee approove and 

 verifie their opinion, whofay, That thefoile of all Itahe is alreadie out of heart and wearic with 

 bearing fruit. This is certaine, that both there and elfewhere, the conflittitionof the aire and 

 weather, both giveth and taketh away the opportunitie of good husbandrie,th3t a man cannot ' 

 otherwhiles doe what he would : for fome kind of grounds there is fo fat and readie to rclolve m- 



2 to mire and dirt, that it is impoffible to plough them and make good worke , after a tl.owre of 

 raine. Contrariwife, in Byzacium a territone of Affrickc, it is farre otlierwife : for there is not a 

 better and morefruitfull peece of ground lieth without dore than it is, yeelding ordinarily 150 

 fold 5 let the feafon be dry, the flrongeft teeme of oxen that isjcannot plough it : fiill there once 

 a good ground fhowrc,onc poorc afle, with the helpe of a fillie old woman drawing the plough - 

 lliare at another fide, will be able to goe round away with if,as I my felic iiave lecne many a time 

 andoften. i\nd whereas fome great husbands there be, that teach us to enrich and mend one 

 ground with another,to wit, by fpreading fat earth upon a leane siid hungrie foile jandhkewife 

 by carting dric, light, and thirffie mould" upon that which ismoiil: and over-fat j it isam.eere 

 follieand wailfull expence borh of time and travaik .'for what fruit can he ever looke to reape 



D from fuch a mingle mangle of ground? 



Chap. vi*. 

 Of the earth which Britaine and VrAv.nce love fo wclh 



THe Britaines and Frenchmen have deviled another meanes to manure their ground,by ai 

 kindof lime- i^one or clay, which theyeallMarga, [/.Marie.] Andverily they haveagrcac 

 opinion of the fumejthat it mightily eniicheth 11 &makcth u more plentiluU. This marie 

 is a certainc fat ofihe ground, much like unto the glandulous kernels gtowing i n the bodies of 

 beaftsj and it is thiekned in n-janner of marow or thekernell of fat about it. 



E 



Chap, vii,' 



Thedifcourfi ofihefe matters continued acctrdirigto the Creekes. 



HcGreekcsalfo have not overpaffedthisin filencerforwhatisitthat they have not med- 

 led withall ? i he white clay or earth wherewith they ufe to marie their grounds in the terri- 

 torieof Megar3,thofe onclylmeaae which are moift-and cold, they call Leucargill^» 

 Thefc marles (all the kind of them) do gieady enrich Fraunce and Britaine both, and therefore 

 it would not be ami0e to fpeake of them more exactly .Jn old time there were two fortsthereof, 

 andno more : but of late daies (as mens wits arc inventive every day of one thing or other) they 

 F have begun to find out more kinds, andtoufc the fame: for there aie now divers marles, the 

 white, the red, the columbinejthc clay foile, the ffonie, and the fandie : and all thefe are bur two 

 in nature, to wit, either hard and churlifh, or elfe gentle and far. The triaii of both,is knowne by 

 the handling, and a twofold ufe they yeeld ; either to beare corne onely,or elfe for grafle and pa- 

 ftiKs alfo . The fbnie or gravelly foilc is good oncly for to nourith corne 3 whichif it be white 



