Plinies Naturall Hiftone* 



Chap. IX. 



^ The ufe of ajhes u^on Unds : of Dung : rvkit gram or fulfefiwne^ doth 

 mdetheground more^lmifdlymdtvhathirmthit, 



T 'He people dwellingbcyond chePo^makcfuch account of arties for to enrich their grounds 

 \vithall5that they prefer it before horfe-muekjand fuch like : which dung (becaufe they take 

 it to be vcrie light)they burne alfo into afhes for that purpole^ Howbeit (as we have faid be- 

 fore) inoncandthe fame corne-land, they ufe not afhes and mucke both at once; no more doc 

 theycaft a(bcsin hortyardsforto nourifh young trees ^ nor in fields^ for foine kind of cornc. 

 B Some arc of judgcment^that grapes are fed with duft : who alfo doe caft duft upon them when 

 they begin to bloome^ycaaod beftrew duft upon the roots as wcllof vineS as other trees . Get- 

 tainc it is, that in the province of Narbon they ufefo to docj and they are affuredly perfuadcd^ 

 that grapes ripen better and the vintage corameth the fooner thereby: becaufe inthofe parts 

 duft doth more good than the Sunne. 



As for muckcj there be divers forts thereof, and irl old time much ufe there was of it : for in! 

 Homer we rcadjthat long ago the gpod old king [Laerscs'] was found laying foile and dungupori 

 his land with his ownc hands. The firft that deviied mucking of groundsjwas (by vcp on) yi^igeas^ 

 a king in Greece : but Hercules divulged the pradile thereof among the Italians ^ who in regard 

 of that invention immortalized their king StercutitisihQ fonne of fmrm. M.Varro efteemctb 

 the dung of Blackbirds (gathered out of their bartons where they bee kept in mew) above all 

 others. He highly maguifieth and extolleth it alfo, for that it bringeth forth fo good forage to 

 feed kincj oxen, and fwinc withall : avouching for certainc , that they will become fat beefe and 

 porke with no meat fooncr. Wee muft thinkc well therefore and hops the beft of the world now 

 adaiesjiincc that our aunceftors and forefathers fo long ago had fo great bartons and pens, thac 

 the dung of fogies there kept^ was fufficient to heipe their hard and hungrie grounds. \\\ the fe- 

 conddegceeof goodne{IejC(?/«/»f//4 raimgeth Pjgeonsdung gathered out of dovecotes: the 

 third place hcc givethtothatof Hens^ and other land pullen, rcjeding altogither the dung of 

 water foule. Howbeital!oihcrauthours(fetting thefe two afide) attribute with one voice and 

 confent unto the excrements of mans bodie^ the greaieft praifefor diis purpofe.Somc of them 

 D prefer mans urine, and namely when the haircsot beaft-hides have been lokcd therewith and 

 quicke-lime toguher in the Tanners pits. Others ufe urine alone by it felfe j only they mingle wa- 

 ter with it againc, but in greater quantitie a good dealcj than they (whofc urine it was)didpuc 

 to tlic wine when they dranke it : and good reafon too j for more need there is now to corre<^i and 

 rcprcfle the malice thereofjconfidciing that befidcs the native malignitic of the wine it felfe, 

 mans bodic hath given and imprinted into it, aftrong and unfavonc qualitie, Thus you may fee 

 how men labour^ ftrive, and trie conclufions^to feed and enrich the very ground,the beft way 

 they can devife.Ncxt unto the ordure and urine of mans bodiejthc filthic dung of fwine is moft 

 commended : only Cslume'.la condcmncth it. Some praife the muckc of any four-footed beaftrs 

 whatlbcver jfo they were fed with Tree-trifolie^callcdCytifus. Ochcrs preferre the dungof Pi- 

 E gconsbefoicany othctjin the fccond place that of Goats, thirdly of fheepc; then of kineand 

 oxenjandlaftlyof cart jadesjmulcsjaflesjandfuchlike. Thus youfee as well what difference 

 there was in times paft, beiweene this dung and that, as alfo what were the rules (fofarreas I can 

 gucfle and Icarne) whereby they went^in tiie ufe and ordering thereof : for, tofay a truth,theold 

 way.is beft, even herein as well as in other matters. Over and befides, the prad^ifc hath been al- 

 rcadie fccne in fome of our provinces (where there is fo great ftore of cattailc bred) to riddle^ 

 and lift their dung over their ground through fievesjin manner of mealejand foinproceflc of 

 time it iooieth not only the ftinking fcnt and ill-favoured fight that it had, but alfo turncth into 

 a plcafint fmell^and lookeih lovely withall. Of late/ound it hath been by expericncc^that Olive 

 trees doc like andprofper very well, if the afhes of lime-kills efpecially bee laid to their roots, 

 p F^rroy among many other precepts, addeth andfaith^ That corne grounds would bcC manured 

 with horfedung, becaufe it is the lighieft ;but medowes require compoft that is heavier^and 

 namely jmade by beafts that have barley for their provender ; for that fuch foile bringeth plen- 

 tie of grade. Some there be alfo, that prefer the dung made by horfeSjbeforc the muckc of kine- 

 and oxen 5 likewifc ("hcsps treddies, before goats dung 5 but affes muckc before all othcr^ccaufe 



Xx ij «hcy 



