Plinies Natural! Hiftorie, 



' A and put them to death. Wherc>by the way, I may not defraud Cn.Pom^dm dFrhc due gloric 

 fwerablctothatgreatneOeofhiSj who never in alibis lire would purchafeany ground that but* 

 ted or bordered upon his owne land. Mag& thought it no reafon jbiit a very ungentle and unkind 

 part for the buying oflandj to fell a manfionhoufe rand in his conceit, icprejudiced much the 

 wealc-publicke. And verily this was the principail point that he recommended in the entrance of 

 his treatife and rules (et downe for Husbandrie : fo as a man migh t peicei\ e very evidently, that 

 he required eontinuall refidence upon the land. Next to thefe principles abovenamed.grea t rt;-' 

 gard would be had in chufing ofgood and skilful! bayliffsofihe Hasbandrie,concerning whom 

 C'4/^hath given many rules.For mine owne partjitihallfuffice tofay thus much oneiyjThac the 

 lord ought to love his bayliffe very well^and let him next to his hean:but himlclfe fliould noc lee 

 B him know To much. Moreover, I hold it the worft thing that isjtofetilaves and condemned pcr- 

 fons in their gyves and chains/abouc tilling and husbanding ot a fermc: neither do! like of any 

 thing donebyfijchforlorncandhopelelleperfonsjforlightiy nothing dirives under rheir hand. 

 Iwould put down one faying more ofour ancient forefachcrsj but that haply it mayfcemafond 

 and lalh fpeech^yea and altogither ineredible,and that is this. Nothing is lcij<; ■profitable and expe- 

 dtentrj^han to labour aground exceeding muchyund to overtillit* Lj:'arim Rufii'S^^ man of very bafe 

 and low parentage defccnded, & yet advanced to the Confular dignitie for his pro-.vclTc in feats 

 of armesjwas othcrwifc very thriftie and fparingjafter the manner of the old tvorici : mfomuch as 

 partly by his niggardife and partly through the hberalitieof^/i;^//////^ Crf/j/', heehad gathered 

 good logidier amounting to the fum of an hundred millions ofSellcrccs: all which niailc of mo- 

 C ney,what withpurchafinglandfolandin thePicenecountrey, and what with bcHowing fuch a 

 dcaic ofhusbandrieuponitjmoreywisof avaineglorie and oitentation, than tor any profit that 

 he reaped thereby,he laid forth and fpent every whit of that ftock; infomuch as liardlv he could 

 lind any man that would take upon him tobehisexecutour., or to accept fi;nply of the inheri- 

 tance. What fhall we fay then ? or what good commeth of fuch houles or lands fo chargcable^as 

 that they arc like tocoft a man hislife, and ihacbyfamine ? I hold thsrelore, that in ail things a 

 meaneisbeftjand bringechgreatefl: profit in the end. To till and husband ground well, is ne- 

 ceilit jc *jto over-doe the fame and to exceed^turneth more to the damage than the profit of the 

 lord, unleileit were done by his owne children^or tomaintain tliecharge oi keepingfuch hinds 

 asotherwifcmuft be found if they fat ftill and did nothing: forfeiting that cauic alide, itfallcth 

 out many times, that the gathering and inning of fome harveft (ifa man count all the paines 

 employed and the money ofthe putfe) is nothing bencficiall to the matter . In like manner, O- 

 Jives would not alwaies be tended and looked unto overmuch : neither do fome grounds require 

 mnchdiiigence,but are the worie for fuch atcendance.-asmay bcfeen(byrcport)in Sicily^which 

 is the cauic diat new commers thither for to be tenants, and to occupie thofe lands, are many 

 times deceived and put befides their reckoning. 



After what manner then fhall s^c proceed in the Husbandrie of our land to moft benefit and 

 bchoofe ? Learne a rule out of this oracle orfencentious riddle,which goeih in this forme ; 

 bonis ^\t» Cheapeil,Befl.] But herein, methinkeSjgood rcafon it is, that our old great grandfa- 

 thers ihould be derendcd and excufcd for holding thefe ftraunge and obfcure paradoxes; they 

 E (Ifiy) v'yhobyfuch rulcsand precepts, tooke great care and paines to inftru61 us how to live. 

 Would you know then what they meant by this word i'i.-r/w ?fuielythcy undcrilood thole than 

 " werecheapcif and ftood them inlcaft.Thc chiefepoint of all their providence and forecaft, 

 was to gocthe neareff w^y to worke, and to bee at thefmallell: cofi:and nomarveilcjfot who 

 were they that gaVe out thefe thriftie precepts ? even thofe, who reproached a vidorious Gene- 

 rail (and one who triumphed over thcenemie) for having a cuobourd of filver plate weighing 

 but ten pound : diofe (i fay) who if their bayliffsof husbandrie chaunced to die^ whereby their 

 lauds in the countrey fiood void,would make fuit to be gone themfe Ives thirher,and to rcturne 

 to their owne fermes, leaving behind them the glory oi all theirviclories by them atchieved: 

 9nd to conclude, even thofe who whiles they were employed in the condudof armies,had theiir 

 F crounds looked unto and tilled at the chargfcs of the eommon-wealcand had no other for their 

 bayiitfs than the noble Senators of Rome.From their mouths came thefe other oracles and wife 

 fcntences following: An ill husband is he,who is forced to buy that,which his ferm might affoiird 

 him. As bad isihat houfholdcr and maimer of a family, who doth that in the day which might be 

 don by nighr,unk(fc uafeafonable weather drive him to it.A worfe than either of thefe is hejwho 



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