58B The eighteenth Booke of 



, of the yeare^calkdin LatincBnima, falleth outin the eight degree of Capncorn^wl^ich light- Q 

 * ivofDe- lyisiiponthe^iS day before the Calends of lanuarie. The Sp ring ^Equ^nox, when nights and 

 fceojbcr. ^^j^g ^„ ^ length in the eight degree of Aries.SembIab]y,the Summer Sunneftead or longcft 

 day of the yearejis alwaies when the Sunne is entred cighc degrees into Cancer . Laft of all, ch e 

 other iEqninox in Auiumnjwhen day and night is equall,lightetii upon the eight degree of Li- 

 bra; And certeSj fcldome or never fliall you fee any of thefe foure daies without evident fhew of 

 feme notable change in the weather^ Againe^thefe cardinall feafons or quarters of theyear^ad- 

 7/S?!lflfward ^^^^ ^^^^^ liib-divifions ftill into fome notable and fpeciall times^ oblerved in *the very mid- 

 in this chapter: fpace from the one and die other.For betweene the Summer Sunneftcad and the ^Equinox 

 andcoiuame in Autumnejuft Upon thcfivc and fottie day aftcr the fameSunneftead, the retrait or feiting of 

 jT\vcek«r called in Latine Fidicula^uheHarpe^beginneth the Autunine. Likcwife, betweene that p| 



Equinox and the Winter Sunnefteed or iTiortell day of the yeare, the Matuiine or morning 

 fall of the ftar Vergilia^, upon the three and fortieth day after the faid ^quinoXj fecteth the be- 

 ginning of the Winter, So likewife upon the five and fortieth day betweene mid- winter or the 

 ihortefEday of theyeareand the Spring Equinox, the blowing of the Wefternc windFavoni- 

 us beginneth the Spring. And laft of all, upon the three and fortieth day from the faid ^Equinox 

 towardthe Summer Sunneftecd^at whattime as the ftairyergilijs doth rifeMatuiinejbegins the 

 Summer. 



But to returne againc to our Agriciilture^begin I will at the Seednes of Frument cornc^thac 

 is to fay^at the rifing or apparition of the ftar Vcrgilise in the morning, without making any men- 

 tion at all of other petie ftars/or to interrupt the traine and courfe of our Treatifejand to heape 

 difficulties one upon another; confidering that the fierce and vehement ftar Orion is departed a I 

 ^ f 'at way off from us by that time. lam not ignorant,that many fail rofowingcorne long bc- 

 jcrej^ prevent this time,beginning their Seednes within eleven daies after the ^Equinox in Au- 

 tumne, namely, at the approch and rifing of the ftar Corona, /.the Crownc : promifing them- 

 felVes alTuredly to have raine upon it for certaine daies togcihct.Xe}Jophfi would not have ush^- 

 gin to fow before that God give us fome good fignc and token fo to doe. And Cicero our coun- 

 "Cnlid by our tieymanexpoundingthis faying of Xefjopfjofj^takcththc raines in ^November to bee that fignc 

 <^o£x^"foote. ^"vh ich God giveth : whereas in very deed the true and undoubted rule to goeby^ is to make no 

 great halHnto the field for to fow, before the leaves begin to fall, and this every man holdcrh to 

 be a: the very occultation or retrait of the ftar Vcrgiliae. Some as we have beforefaid^have obfcr- 

 vcd it about three daies before the Ides of November ; and for that the faid ftar is fo evident in K 

 the heaven^and eafieft to be knownc of all othcrsjcalled it is by the name of a garment hanging 

 out at a Brokers fhop . And therefore by thefall or retrait thereof, as many men as have a care 

 and fore-caft to prevent the covetousdealingofthemerchantTaylor(ascommonlyfuch occu- 

 piers lie in the wind for gaine) guefleaforehand what Winter wilifollow: forif itbeeacloudie 

 feafon when this ftar doth retire, it threateneth a rainie Winter, and then thefe merchants pre- 

 fently raife the price of the clokes which they fell : but if the weather be faire and cleare at the let- 

 ting or occultation thereof,it flieweth a pinching and hard Winter toward : and then they hold / 

 other garments alfb very deere.But this Husbandman of ourSjwho cannot skill at all to look up 

 andtoicarne the order and pofition of theheavens, muftfpie this figne of Winter among his ^ 

 briers and brambles,hee muft find(I ray)the time of Seednes as hee lookes downeward upon the 

 ground, namely ,when hee fees theleaves fallen and lying under his feet. Thus may a man know 

 the temperature of the climate, and the yeare, according as heeperceiveth the leaves bee fallen 

 more at one time than another /ooner alfo in (bme places,and later elfcwherc. For as the feafon 

 is forward or latCjas the dimate alio is affeded, fo are the trees knowne to fliead their leaves ac- 

 cordingly. Andjn very truths this is the trucft figne of all others. And the beft thing therein is 

 this,thatbeing gcnerall throughout the whole world^and yet peculiar to each placCjU neverfai- 

 lethrAman might make a wonder hereat,if hee did not fee and remember, that upon the very 

 fhorteft day in the year,even in midwinter when the Sun is entred CapricorUjthe hearb Peniroy- 

 all ufeth of it felfe to floure,either fet in chapIets,or ocherwife hanging and flicking in the fham- j^^ 

 bles • ib willing is Nature to fliew us all her lecrets,and to keepe nothing hidden from us.For loe 

 what fignes,£nd markes ilie hath given uSjwhereby we might know the time of fowing corn : and 

 vercly,this Is the oneiy.true and infallible diredionjgrounded upon approoved experience^ and 

 EhefameilievvedfimbfdameNatureiforbythisdroppingandfaliofkaves^whatdothft^ 



teach 



