Plinies Naturall Hi'ftorfe. 57i> 



^ red ech other yeer^milft be in this wife followed. Now ifyoii would know what the Latins hieiane 

 by Novakjthey take it for a field that is fowcd every fecondyeere.And thus much of the Landi 

 To come now unto our draught oxen that mull labour at the plough-.tliey ought to be cou- 

 pled in yoke^ as clofe togither as ftreight as is poffiblc, co the end th at whiles they be at worke 

 and ploughingjthey may beare up their heads lor by that meanes they kaft doc gall or bruife 

 their necks. M they chaunce to goe loplough ariiong trees and vines, they muft be muzled with 

 fonie frailes or devifes made of twigSjto the end they I'hould not broufe and crop oli the^youtig 

 fprings and foft tendrils . Moreover, there ought a little hacchet to hang evermore fall to the 

 plough beamc before, therewith to cut through roots within the ground, that might brcake or 

 Hay the plough : for better is it fo to doe^than tqput the plough to itjto keep a plucking at them, 



B or to force the poore oxen to lie tugging and ««reftling with them*Alfo in plough mg, this order 



is to be keptjThat when the oxen are * gone downe with one furrow to the lands end, they turne *ycrfumptr% 

 »nd goc up againe with another 5 fo that in ploughing of a land they * rcA becweenc-whilcs as ^strigme. 

 little as may be^but evermore goe forward in their labour untill they have n)ade an end of theis 

 *halfe acrcjor halfe daies worke : and verily it is thought fufficicnt for a teeme of oxen to breakd * 

 up (atthefirft tilth) in one day of reftie or ley ground,oncacre,taking a furrow or ftitch of nine 

 inches 5 but at the fecond tilth or ftirring, anacreandahalferwhichistobe.underfloodj of an 

 eafie and mellow foile to be wrought: tor if it be tough and churlifh^ it is well if they care up at 

 the firlVialfe an acre 5 and at the next time they may go through with one whole acrcjiow haxd 

 foever the ground hti for thus poore beafts have tlieu- taske fet, and their labour limited by Na- 



C tures lore and appointment. Every field to be fown^muft be eared at firft with flreightand dire(a 

 fisrrowes ^but thofe that follow after jought to goebyas and winding. If a ground upon thepen- 

 dantor hanging of the hill bee to be broken up, thefurrowesmuft goe ctofleandoverthwarts 

 howbeit,ihe point and beake of the plough lliaremufl be fo guidedjthatonc while itbear hard 

 above of the one fide^and another while beneath on the other fide: and verily in this mountainc 

 work€,the ploughman that holdeth the plough bath toilcenoughjand labouredi at ir as hard as 

 the oxen doe. Certes, there bee fome mounraincs that have no u(c at all of this beafi, but they, 

 eare their ground with raking and fcrapinghookcs onely.Theploughirian,unkiIe he bend and 

 ftoupe forward with his bodiCjUiult needs make ilight woikCjand kavc much undoncas it ought 

 10 be ; a fault which in Latine we call Prevarication : and this tearme appropriate unto Husbun- 



^ drie,is borrowed from thence by Lawyers^ and ttanflated by them into their courts and halls of 

 pleas : if it be then a rcpiochfuli crime for Lawyers to abufe their clients by way of colIulion,wd 

 ought to take heed how wee deceive and mockc the ground, where this fault was firfttound and 

 difcovered. To proceed, theploughman ever and anonhadnccdto cleanfethe culcerandthe 

 fliare with his flaffe, tipped and pointed at the end like a tlriftlc-fpade : hecmuft beware that be- 

 rweene twofurrowesj he leave no naked balkcs raw and untilled -alfo that the clots nde not one 

 upon anothersbacke. Badly is that land ploughed jwhich after thecomisfowed,needs the great 

 harrowes and clotting, Contrariwikja man may know where there is good worke, rjamelyjil- the 

 turfe be fo clofc couched that there be no feames to be feene wliere the plough- lljare wcnr.Final- 

 ly, it is a profitable point of husbandiie and much pra(5hfed (where the ground doth both beare 



E and requireic)For to draw here and there broad gutters or furrowes,to drain away the water into 

 ditches and trenches caft for the nones between the lands, that otheiwife would ff and \=vithin and 

 drowne the corne. 



Chap. xx. ; 

 "^Of harrcmng and breakhgckdsi Of a certains kirJ of ploHghin^ 



tme,Of thejecond ttltn orfalbrv called Stirring: twd oj Cmiu^g, 



AFccr the fecond fa llow called Stirring, done with eroflfc and o verihwart furrow to the M § 

 then followeth cloddingjifnccd be^eithet with rakes or great harrowes: upon which enlu- 

 ech fowing58<: when the feed is in the ground, harrowing a fecond time with the fmall har- 

 F row.In fonie places,where the manner of the countrey doth fo reQUire,this is performed with a 

 tined or toothed harrow,or elfe with abroad planke fartened unto the plough taile, which dooth 

 hide and cover thefeed newly fbwne: and in this manner to rake or harroWjis called in Latine Li- 

 t:are,from whence came firlf the word Delicare,which is to kave bare balkes uncovercdjand by a 

 Metaphore and borrowed fpccch^to rave andfpeake idly. 



Dddij It 



