Agriculture -- England; Conduct of life; Home economics, Rural
Thou husbande and huswife, that intend to folowe
the sayinge of the philosopher, that is to saye, kepe
[Sidenote: Spare at the brink, not at the bottom.]
measure, you muste spare at the brynke, and not at the
[Sidenote: [Fol. 64_b_.]]
bottom, that is to vnderstande, in the begynnynge of 4
the yere, sellynge of thy cornes, or spendynge in thy
house, vnto the tyme that thou haue sowen agayne thy
wynter-corne, and thy lente-corne, and than se what
remayneth to serue thy house, and of the ouerplus thou 8
mayste sell and bye suche other necessaryes, as thou must
[Sidenote: Do not spend much at the beginning of the year.]
nedes occupie. And if thou spende it in the begynnynge
of the yere, and shall want in the hynder ende, than
thou doste not eate within thy tedure, and at the laste 12
thou shalte be punyshed, as I shal proue the by ensample.
Take thy horse, and go tedure him vpon thyne owne
lees, flytte hym as ofte as thou wylte, no manne wyll
saye ‘wronge thou doste’; but make thy horse to longe 16
[Sidenote: Give not your horse too long a tether.]
a tedure, than whan thou haste tyed hym vppon thyne
owne lees, his tedure is so longe, that it recheth to the
middes of an-other mans lees or corne: Nowe haste
thou gyuen hym to moche lybertye, and that man, whose 20
corne or grasse thy horse hath eaten, wyll be greued at
the, and wyll cause the to be amerced in the court, or
elles to make hym amendes, or bothe. And if thy
[Sidenote: If the horse break his tether,]
horse breake his tedure, and go at large in euery mans 24
corne and grasse, than commeth the pynder, and taketh
hym, and putteth hym in the pynfolde, and there shall
[Sidenote: [Fol. 65.]]
he stande in prison, without any meate, vnto the tyme
thou hast payde his raunsome to the pynder, and also 28
[Sidenote: he will be impounded.]
make amendes to thy neyghbours, for distroyenge of
theyr corne. Ryght so, as long as thou eatest within
[Sidenote: Wherefore, ‘eat within thy tether.’]
thy tedure, that thou nedest not to begge nor borowe of
noo man, soo longe shalte thou encrease and growe in 32
rychesse, and euery man wyll be content with the. And
if thou make thy tedure to longe, that thyne owne
porcyon wyll not serue the, but that thou shalte begge,
borowe, or bye of other: that wyll not longe endure, 36
but thou shalte fall in-to pouertye. And if thou breake
[Sidenote: Do not break your tether.]
thy tedure, and ren ryot at large, and knowe not other
mennes goodes frome thyne owne, than shall the pynder,
that is to saye, the sheryffe and the bayly, areste the, 40
and putte the in the pynfolde, that is to say, in prison,
there to abyde tyll the truth be knowen: and it is
meruayle, if thou scape with thy lyfe, and therfore eate
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