Plinies Naturall Hiftorie, ^ 39^ 



A riabk and ihconftant vjeatherj to witjfeventeen daies before the Calends of Marchjwhic'h is the 

 thirteenth of Fcbruaric. Alfo eight daies before the faid Calends, which is the 2 2 of Februa- 

 rie, upon the fight of the ^ firft Swallow ; and the morrow after^ upon which day the ftar Aic^u- * whcrpupoa 

 rijs rifethVerpertine^/.appcarcthin the evening. In like manner^ Ca?/dr hath obferved, that yiLtkr!! 

 the faid wind hath begun ro blow three daies before the Nones ofMarchj to\m^ the fifth of GaikdtMo- 

 March, juft with the riling or apparition of the Grab- ftar Cancer. Howbeinnon: writers of A- "J^J^'^ 

 ftrologie do alfignc the firftentric of the Spring and the comming of this witidjto the eigth day 

 before the Ides of March, which is the eigth of that moncth, when as the ftar Vindemiator,?^ 

 efl, the Grape-gatherer, beginneth to appeare : at what time alfo the Northerly ibrrc called the 

 Fifhjdoth arife : upon the morrow whereof, to wit, the ninth day, the great ftarre Odon fheweth 



B himfelfe in his likenefle. In the region Attica where Athens ftandeth, it is obferved, that the ftar 

 MilvuSj/.the Kite or Glede, appeareth then in thatclimat. Cafar moreover noted, that the ftar 

 Scorpio rifcth upon the* Ides of March J thofe fatall Ides (1 fay) that were fo unfortunate unto *i3ofMarcii; 

 himfelfe : alfo, that upon the 1 5 Calends of A prill, which is the 18 of March, the forefaid Mil- '^^"jj"^^ 

 vus, the Kite-ftar, appeareth to them in Italie : and three daies after, the Horfc-llar is hidden niurdred^* 

 toward themorning.Thisisthefrclheft,themoftbufieandOirring Intervallor timebetweene, 

 that husbandmen have 3 and yet therein be they ofteneft deceived, for commonly called they 

 are not to their worke the very fame day that the wind Favonius lliould by courfe blow,buc when 

 it begins to be aloft ; which is a point to be confidered and obferved with right great regard: for 

 if a man would take heed and marke well, this is that moneth wherein God givethusthat fure 



Q and infallible figne which never faileth. Now from what quarter orcoafl this wind doth blow, 

 and which way it commeth, albeit 1 have fliewed alreadic in the fecond booke of this florie,yec 

 will I fpeake thereof more diriin(^ly and exadly anon j meanc while, from that day (whcnfbever 

 it hapneth)on which that wind beginneth to blow, come it fooner(as namely, when it is a time- 

 ly and forward Spring) or come it later, if it be alongwinter (foritisnocalwaiesthc^fixthday *z.inc fcvsntk 

 jufi: before the Ides ot Februarie) from that time, I fay, muft the ruflicall paifants fettle to their cfFebruaut:. 

 worke, then are they to goe about a world of toilefbme labour, then muft they plie their bufi- 

 nefle and make fpeed to difpatch tiiofc things firft that may not be deferred and put off: then or 

 never would their fummer three-month come be fown, their vines be pruned in manner above- 

 laid,theit Olive trees dreffed and trimmed accordingly: Apple- tree ftockes and fuch like fruits, 



D are then to be fet and graffed ; then is the time to be digging & delving in vineyards^ to remove 

 fome young plants out of their fejninariesjand digeft them in order as they muff grow, and to 

 fupply their plots with new feeds and imps:Cane^ and Reeds, Willows and Ofiers, Broome 

 alfo would then fbme befet, and otherscut downe: Elmes,Poplars,and Plane trecs,oughtthen 

 to be planted, as hath been faid before: then is the meeteiifeafon to cleanfe the corne fields ,to 

 farcle and rid the winter-come from weedsjand eipecially the bearded red wheat Far : in doing 

 whereof, this m.ufl be the cerccin rule to direct the husbandman, namely^ when the root of the 

 faid Fat begins to have four firings or threeds to it. As for Beans^they iddCi not be medled with* 

 all in that order,before they have put out three leaves^ and then verily they muil be lightly gone 

 over, and cleanfed rather v^ith a light hooke, than otherwife. When Bcanes be blown)ed,for fif 



E leen daies togither they ought not to be touched. As touchingBarley,it would not be '^farcied *sarm9- 

 or rakedjbut m a dric ground, and when the weather holds up. Order the matter fb, that by the 

 iEquinox in Marchjall your pruning and binding of vines be done and finifiied. If it be a vine- 

 yard, foure men are enough to cut and tie an acre of vines : and if they grow to trees, one good 

 workeman will be able to overcome fitteene trees in one day. This is the very time moreover of 

 gardening and dreffing rofe- plots or rofiers [whereof I meane to treat apart and feverally in the 

 booke next following] of drawing vinetsallbsknots^and fine ftorie workes in gardens :this is the 

 only feafon to make trenches and ditches :the ground alfo would now be broken up for a fallow 

 againfi the next yeare,according to the mind and counfellof ^^r^// eipecially, to the end that 

 the Sunne might throughly parch and concod the clots, and thereby make it more mellow for 



r the Seednes .Howbcit 1 doe like better of their opinion (as the more thriftie and profitable of 

 the twaine) who advilc to plough no ground in the mids of Spring, but that which is of a mean 

 temperature ;for ifit be rich and fat,ptefently the weeds will over-grow & takeup the feams and 

 furrowes: againc,fay it be poore and leane,ihe hot weather comiriing fb fbone upon the fallow, 

 will dry ic too faft/pend all the moifturCjandkill the heart thereof, which ihouid maintainethc 

 V , " Eceij ic^l 



