Agriculture -- England; Conduct of life; Home economics, Rural
or shorne or his cattell shifted out of one pasture into
an other, and to loke what dychyng, quicsettyng, or plashing, 44
is necessary to be had, and to ouer-se his shepeherd,
how he handleth and ordreth his shepe, and his seruantes
[Sidenote: Look to the gates.]
howe they plowe and do theyr warkes, or if any gate
be broken down, or want any staues, and go not lyghtly 48
to open and tyne, and that it do not traile, and that the
windes blowe it not open, with many mo necessary
[Sidenote: [Fol. 58_b_.]]
thynges that are to be loked vpon. For a man alwaye
wanderynge or goinge aboute somewhat, fyndeth or seeth 52
that is a-mysse, and wolde be amended. And as soone
as he seeth any suche defautes, than let hym take oute his
tables, and wryte the defautes. And whan he commeth
home to diner, supper, or at nyght, than let hym call his 56
[Sidenote: Tell your bailiff of all that needs to be done.]
bayly, or his heed-seruaunte, and soo shewe hym the
defautes, that they may be shortly amended. And whan
it is amended, than let him put it out of his tables. For
this vsed I to doo .x. or .xii. yeres and more. And thus 60
let hym vse dayely, and in shorte space he shall sette
moche thynges in good order, but dayely it wyll haue
[Sidenote: If you cannot write, make nicks on a stick.]
mendynge. And yf he canne not wryte, let hym nycke
the defautes vppon a stycke, and to shewe his bayely, as 64
I sayde before. Also take hede bothe erly and late, at
all tymes, what maner of people resorte and comme to thy
house, and the cause of theyr commynge, and specially
if they brynge with them pytchers, cannes, tancardes, 68
[Sidenote: Keep an eye on the servants, and on all who
come to your house.]
bottelles, bagges, wallettes, or busshell-pokes. For if thy
seruauntes be not true, they maye doo the great hurte,
and them-selfe lyttel auauntage. Wherfore they wolde be
well loked vppon. And he that hath .ii. true seruauntes, 72
a man-seruaunte, and an-other a woman-seruaunt, he hath
[Sidenote: [Fol. 59.]]
a great treasure, for a trewe seruaunte wyl do iustly hym-selfe,
and if he se his felowes do amysse, he wyl byd them
do no more so, for if they do, he wyll shewe his master 76
therof: and if he do not this, he is not a trewe seruaunt.
142. ¶ A lesson made in Englisshe verses, to teache a gentylmans
seruaunt, to saye at euery tyme whan he
taketh his horse, for his remembraunce, that he shall
not forget his gere in his inne behynde hym.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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