Agriculture -- England; Conduct of life; Home economics, Rural
It may here be noticed that Berthelet’s first edition (here
reprinted) has nothing on the title-page but the words “THE BOKE OF
HVSBANDRY,” with the date 1534 below. Later reprints which follow
Berthelet have accordingly no statement as to the book being “newly
corrected and amended by the auctour,” etc.; whilst those which
follow Treuerys naturally copy it. This accounts for the fact that
the later editions are, to the best of my belief, all very much the
same, and that the claim to possess “corrections and amendments”
means practically nothing, except with reference to the _first_
edition only.
Of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, one of the best accounts seems to
be that given in the Biographia Britannica, 1750, vol. iii. p.
1935, where Camden’s statement as to his being “Chief Justice” is
refuted. Briefly recapitulated, this account tells us that he was
born in 1470, and was the younger son of Ralph Fitzherbert, Esq.,
of Norbury in Derbyshire; that he went to Oxford, and thence to
the Inns of Court; was made a serjeant-at-law, Nov. 18, 1511; was
knighted in 1516; was made one of his majesty’s serjeants-at-law,
and finally one of the Justices of the Court of Common Pleas in
1523. He died May 27, 1538, and was buried at Norbury. “Two things
are mentioned in reference to his conduct; first, that, without
fear of his power, he openly opposed Cardinal Wolsey in the
heighth of his favour; the other, that, when he came to lie upon
his death-bed, foreseeing the changes that were like to happen
in the Church as well as State, he pressed his children in very
strong terms to promise him solemnly, neither to accept grants,
nor to make purchases of abbey-lands; which it is said they did,
and adhered constantly to that promise, though much to their
own loss.” The authorities referred to are Pits, De Illustribus
Angliæ Scriptoribus, p. 707; Wood, Athenæ Oxonienses, i. col.
50; Fuller, Worthies, Derbyshire, p. 233; Tanner, Bibliotheca
Britannico-Hibernica, p. 283; Chronica Juridicialia, pp. 153, 155.,
etc.
The number of editions of the Book of Husbandry is so large, and
many of these are nevertheless so scarce, that I do not suppose
the list here subjoined is exhaustive; nor have I much information
about some of them. I merely mention what I have found, with some
authorities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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