plentifullie and of these it will come to passe that their bacon Hogges shall be fed fat with their whey of their Kine and with the corne that the working cattell were wont to eate vp and then shall those householders haue lesse neede of the Markets for their household prouision which will be a meanes to bring downe the price of all flesh fit to be eaten and of white meate that the poore Artificers and labourers may eate their victuals better cheape Ninthly it wil be a notable meanes to ouerthrow the wicked depopulation of the Lordes people her Maiesties louing subiects who haue bin most lamentably driuen out of their habitations and diuers townes and villages ouerthrowne by inclosures which yet continue and rather will increase notwithstanding the great care and order taken by her Maiestie and the great officers of her Kingdomes in the high Court of Parliament as appeareth by an act made of purpose against Setting of Corne good for Seafaring men let them praise God also the same Tenthly it will breede and saue such plentie of corne in England by Gods helpe that we may spare great quantities to be transported without any preiudice but rather great good to all our English nation of all sorts as well poore as rich to the great increase of the treasurie of this Realme the maintenance of our English Nauie Shipping and Marriners with prouision of victuals for her Maiesties souldiers and Armies by Sea and by Land to the feare and terror of all forreine enemies These and many other excellent benefits no doubt would follow this good kinde of Husbandrie which deserueth a more learned handling then I can say or doe professe to be in me If any man doe thinke this worke to be needlesse for that there is alreadie sufficiently written in former bookes I answere that to my knowledge there is none that hath hitherto written of the plowing and setting of Corne neither doe I perceiue the people so instructed but rather most ignorant and great numbers doe vtterly protest against the practise as an idle noueltie being lately discouraged by this Pamphlet called God speede the Plough Now the Almightie blesse all good husbands in Husbandrie and graunt a blessing to this mine endeuour to his glorie the honour of our Prince the comfort of the poore and the generall good of all the Land A COMPARISON BETWEENE PLOWING AND SOWING OF THREE ACRES of land after the old fashion and plowing and setting of one Acre after the manner declared in this Booke And first for the Charge A Computation for poore Farmers that pay great rents THE rent of three Acres in most places is worth some fiue shillings an Acre The land according to the vse of the common fields doth lie sommer fallow the first yeere and beareth Corne the other and so the Farmer payeth two yeeres rent before hee hath his crop which rent commeth to thirtie shillings The plowing of these if it bee well done and as most grounds require euery Acre foure times which is twelue plowings at two shillings euery time commeth to foure and twentie shillings The dunging of these three Acres with some twelue or fourteene loade vpon euery Acre and is for three Acres some fortie loade at sixe pence a loade spread vpon the land amounteth to twentie shillings The seede that will sow it is vsually two bushels and a halfe of Wheate or Rye for euery Acre which is seuen bushels and a halfe at foure shillings the bushel commeth to thirtie shillings The weeding reaping and other charges in two yeers though vncertaine yet for example ten shillings Thus two yeeres rent and charges commeth to fiue pound fourteene shillings The vsuall increase in the common fields barren land hauing so little help with dung is but two quarters vpon an Acre but allow twentie bushels to stop a wranglers mouth which is for three Acres seuen quarters and a halfe rated at foure shillings a bushell thirtie two shillings the quarter commeth to twelue poundes Out of which if you take the charge aforesaid there remaineth to the Farmer for his stock sixe pound sixe shillings And so for euery one of those Acres allowing so good increase and so great a price the profit is two and fortie shillings Then let vs see what profit one Acre being well plowed well dunged and orderly set will yeeld and so for the charge of one Acre The rent of one Acre at the price aforesaid which was fiue shillings an Acre for two yeeres ten shillings The plowing fiue times for this one Acre if neede be ten shillings The dunging with fortie loade vpon this Acre at sixe pence a loade twentie shillings The seede to set this one Acre halfe a bushell two shillings The setting of this Acre one man at eight pence a day and some foure poore people at foure pence a day will set this Acre in some sixe daies and all their wages is twelue shillings The weeding reaping and other charges three shillings foure pence The summe of the charges commeth to seuen and fiftie shillings foure pence This Acre so wel tilled with three times as much dung as any one of the other with excellent seede and orderly set although we cannot promise thirtie or twentie quarters yet we may haue seuen or eight quarters vpon an Acre which is vsuall vpon very good land which being rated at foure shillings as the other commeth to twelue pound sixteene shillings Out of which also if you take the charge which is fiftie seuen shillings foure pence there will remaine nine pound eighteene shillings eight pence And so this one Acre exceedeth the other three in profits with halfe the stock the summe of three pound twelue shillings eight pence But suppose the foresaid wrangler will not allow eight quarters vpon an Acre yet set downe some fiue quarters which commeth to fiue pound two shillings eight pence the charges deducted yet doth it exceede any one of the other by some three pound and eight pence Some part of this great profits I would haue bestowed vpon the poore to weede this one Acre in March or Aprill or sometime before the Corne be too high to pull vp the weedes by the rootes and then you shall see the Corne flourish keepe downe the weedes and haue no more neede of weeding in this season Worke and prouision for olde poore weake men their wiues and children Now a word or two to incourage a poore man that hath a wife and three or foure children that often wanteth worke in some countries yea though he be weake sickly or lame yet he may set Corne with his familie and haue sufficient to serue his house therefore let them fall to work cheerefully this next season and praise the Lord for his mercie endureth for euer FINIS
A NEW INSTVCTION OF PLOWING AND SETTING OF CORNE HANDLED IN MANNER OF A DIALOGVE betweene a Ploughman and a Scholler Wherein is proued plainely that Plowing and Setting is much more profitable and lesse chargeable than Plowing and Sowing By EDVVARD MAXEY Gent. He that withdraweth the Corne the people will curse him but blessing shall be vpon the head of him that selleth Corne. Prou. 11.26 Imprinted at London by Felix Kyngston dwelling in Pater noster Rowe ouer against the signe of the Checker 1601. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL SIR RICHARD MARTEN KNIGHT MASTER OF HER MAIESTIES MYNT ALDERMAN and twise Lord Maior of the Citie of London IT is well knowne right Worshipfull how great a benefactor and furtherer you haue been to many good workes and profitable to the Common-wealth for by your imployments the inhabitants of sundrie parts of England and Wales haue gained for many yeeres many thousand pounds yeerely How much then those poore are bound to praise God for you and such as further the like good works all wise men acquainted with your great charge and trauell can testifie which I thought worthy to be published and left in memorie for other ages yet to come to your great commendation and incouragement of others to follow your good example And now right Worshipfull calling to minde my former time spent in Husbandrie the most sweete and comfortable kind of life to all vertuous minds that Adams posteritie can enioy if it were not for the wickednes of seruants who discourage many industrious minds and seeing an vnskilfull Pamphlet called God speede the Plough to be so long vnanswered set foorth by some Nouice in Husbandrie as should appeare as well by his writing as that he saith in the same it is none of his profession which hath and may doe much hurt by disswading men from so profitable an imployment as the setting of Corne which when I considered and remembring that I had spent the most part of thirtie yeeres in Husbandrie I aduentured to publish this little Treatise for the instruction of those that will be perswaded to practise this kind of excellent and profitable worke which with my selfe I desire to be protected by your accustomed louing fauour towards me Yours to be commaunded EDVV. MAXEY TO THE CHRISTIAN READER WHereas there are two bookes written concerning the setting of Corne the first commending it the second disgracing it both of them discoursing so Schollerlike that the plaine Countrie Husband man cannot iudge which of them hath most skill for instruction in this kinde of Husbandrie and perceiuing that the second treatise called God speede the Plough hath disswaded great numbers from the practise of setting of Corne I was aduised and resolued to aduenture the publike censuring of this Instruction Wherein I desire to proue how much more casie and profitable Plowing and Setting will be in all places and that with lesse charge then either Plowing and Sowing or digging and Setting desiring to be freed from all suspition to contend for art or learning with any of the former writers And like a plaine Ploughman to shew my opinion what I thinke of the former contention betweene the Plowe and the spade in a word I iudge both these profitable instruments may right well be vsed in their proper places that the Plowe may keepe his place in the fields A little good counsel would haue saued all your labour in writing and mine in answering but I hope it will doe good to the great increase of Corne and the Spade in the Gardens for rootes hearbs and flowers necessarie for household prouision And I could haue wished you the Gentleman and author of the booke called God speede the Plowe had taken better counsell of some skilfull Husbandman before you had published a booke wherein you indeuour to correct and teach an Arte which you acknowledge is none of your profession to haue considered how easelie for the most part our English Nation are disswaded from good causes neither for the glorie of God or the honour and profit of their Prince and Countrie for though it be true that very fewe innouations in the Church or nouelties in a state are not alwaies and generallie good and profitable for all places and for all people yet these profitable inuentions speciallie in Husbandrie should rather be commended then disgraced vntill a manifest error in them be discouered and that by experience and proofe Againe you ought rather to haue remembred and well considered the lamentable case of the poore that liued in distresse in the late yeeres of dearth who notwithstanding the charitable orders taken by her Maiestie her honorable Counsell and other officers of the kingdome to the glorie of God and their high commendation yet was it well seene with the eyes of the trulie charitable that except the King of heauen and earth had relieued the poore people of this Land with Corne out of his storehouses in other Countries the poore and the rich also had been in hazard to haue perished by famine that might haue fallen vpon this sinfull people or by some wofull calamities inseparable companions of penurie and want And let euery indifferent man consider what huge quantities of Corne may yeerely be saued that now is cast away by Plowing and Sowing yet giue me leaue plainelie to giue you a proiect what this would come vnto Some writers of our time account but nine thousand sixe hundred and two and fiftie Parishes or thereabouts in England and suppose sixe hundred and two and fiftie of them to be in Cities and Townes vsing no Tyllage and so account but nine thousand Countrie Parishes and because the author of the booke called God speede the Plough writeth that if a Parish haue three thousand Acres of erable land which is about thirtie or fortie Ploughlands in a Parish therefore mistrusting his iudgement we will admit but ten Plowelands one Parish with another so nine thousand Parishes hath foure score and ten thousand Plow-lands and that if in euery Ploweland there may easely be saued yeerely ten or twelue quarters of Seede Corne that now is cast away which shall be directly proued it will amount to some nine or ten hundred thousand quarters of Graine that might euery yeere be saued in her Maiesties dominions I dare affirme so much be it more or lesse as would fetch hither the Indies Treasure out of Spaine and other Countries farre distant to the great honour and riches of our Prince and Countrie and especiallie the maintenance of our English Nauie with plentifull prouision also of victuals for Souldiers both by Sea and Land to their exceeding comfort and the terror of all forraine enemies And to conclude I wish that they whose hearts the Lord hath endewed with true wisedome and charitie to remember and consider well of this danger from which the Lord hath so lately deliuered vs and let vs all serue that God in the moderate vse of his creatures and not consume in riotous gluttonie
and drunkennes such great quantities of his blessings to the hurt of our bodies and soules the poore being readie to famish before our eyes So I commend thee good Christian Reader to Gods protection and this worke to the blessing of the Almightie The particular proofes of this good Husbandrie shall be seene in a dialogue betweene a Ploughman and a Scholler for the better instruction of plaine Countrie people E. M. A NEW INSTRVCTION OF PLOWING AND SETTING OF CORNE HANDLED IN manner of a Dialogue betweene a Ploughman and a Scholler Ploughman SEeing I am appoynted to defend the profitable arte of setting of Corne though in respect of learning very vnfit yet because I haue professed and practized Husbandrie for the most part of thirtie yeeres and that you the author of the booke called God speede the Plough say that husbandrie is no part of your profession I may hope to maintaine against you by way of argument in plaine Husbandrie that Plowing and Setting is much better and more profitable than either Plowing and Sowing or Digging and Setting Scholler I maruell that my booke doth so much offend you I thought to haue pleased you and all Ploughmen for so commending the olde fashion of Plowing and Sowing Ploughman Surely sir you haue no otherwise offended me than all other men that desire the good of their Countrie and be sorie to see the simple abused and discouraged by your meanes and how you please an other sort of wilfull men that will neither know what may be profitable for themselues nor haue any such heartie loue to their Countrie and poore neighbours as they ought to haue As for your booke howsoeuer you meant it serues to so little good purpose in my conceite that it was the chiefe cause that moued me to take this worke in hand to correct if it were possible the euill humors and preiudicate opinions against Corne-Setting that it hath planted in mens heads and hearts Scholler I am sorie that my booke should breede any euill humors in mens heads or hearts and I pray you what faults doe you finde in my booke Ploughman Sir there be faults too many which being the fruites of your idle houres as you say be not much to be marueiled at for seldome doth idlenes bring forth any profite in husbandrie And it is not my purpose to expostulate with you vpon all particular faults they are too many to trouble the reader with but you shall heare mine opinion like a man of my plaine profession I will tell you my minde what I doe thinke in this argument as well as I can To passe ouer other matters I will begin to defend our old fashion of Ploughes against your strange Plough that you say might be so made and handled that it may goe deeper by a foote more than ordinarie proportioning the strength of the Teeme and Plough together Note that the question betweene the olde fashion Ploughes and this strange Plough is but to proue the Plough apt to set Corne. Sir if you can deuise a Plough that will goe deeper in all grounds for you make no difference a foote more than ordinarie it were good you brought it forth for surely it is likely to proue an implement of great force to our English Husbandrie for with it you must be compelled to plowe land twentie inches deepe or thereabouts and yet I must confesse to my remembrance I neuer saw any Plough though drawne with ten oxen to goe aboue eight or ten inches ordinarilie and that with much a doe and I pray you how many Oxen or Horse will your Plough require to be drawne with for in some places if you make it goe we plaine countrie men will suspect you will Coniure and in many places the qualitie of the mould will not permit our ten inches much lesse your two and twentie Againe what vse I pray you shall the Common-wealth haue of such an implement where either it cannot goe vnles the diūell draw it or may not goe for the euill mould it will turne vp and so your Plough in that place doth more harme than your booke can doe good any where else Scholler Not so sir I will haue my Teeme and my Plough so made that it shall goe well of that depth in such grounds as I will chuse to set my Corne in Ploughman It may be possible if it please God to worke such wonders by your inuention but we the poorer sort of Husbandmen cannot make Ploughs and prouide Teemes of that value and qualitie neither haue we such change of Land as to make choyse of apt grounds to beare the weight of such Plowes Teemes but I doubt not by Gods helpe to plowe and dresse ten Acres of Land as well as you shall doe with your strange Plough or any man shal do with a spade except he digge it two spit deepe so burie the first spit with the second which wil be both extreme chargeable and impossible in most grounds and yet where he may digge but one spit there will remaine needes vnburied specially the Cooch which I neuer saw destroyed but with a sommer fallow or burning the land as the Deuonshire men doe the which killing of weedes howsoeuer it can be done is the chiefe cause that vpon extreame barren Land those countrie people haue good Corne which otherwise The destroying of weedes a chiefe poynt in Husbandry should haue little or none and I desire all good Husbands to consider how necessarie it is for them to destroy the weedes before they sowe or set their Corne that if possiblie they can they suffer not the weeds to sucke out the sappe of their grounds in the spring time and all sommer before they commit their seede to the ground indangering it with such enemies which they may doe in my opinion by one or two plowings more in their sommer fallow aboue ordinarie if the weedie condition of the Land or the season of the yeere doe require it Scholler Well sir admit you doe plowe your Land as well as the Spade can doe it as deepe as your Plough will goe yet as I say you cannot plowe it deepe enough nor lay it leuell and plaine for the setters to worke vpon Ploughman The Corne sowed aboue furrow often lieth not one inch deepe To this I answere first that I will plow it deepe enough for what should set my Corne to grow as well and much better being set in due proportion order when it hath as much hollow loose ground vnder him to spread roote and lie pleasantly in as your booke or the former appoynts or as our sowne Corne euer had since sowing was first vsed and that is but three or foure inches deepe and as farre as I know our english Corne rooteth not past two or three inches directly downwards So then if it roote downewards and spring vpwards but fiue or sixe inches at the most meruaile why you should thinke I should not plowe it
faithfull and good seruants And such masters whom it pleaseth God to blesse with a good seruant let him be accompted as a precious iewell and vsed with due respect pay him his wages trulie and leaue him not a poore man It is the Lord the great Master his commaundement by the wise Salomon as you may reade in his Prouerbes As touching the Instruments to bee employed about setting of Corne although I might leaue euerie man to his owne inuention or referre them to Master Plats booke whose instructions in many things I doe commend yet because it may be that all men haue not that booke and desire some instruction therefore I will recite an example of his which he best commendeth which is a boord of three foote in length or thereabouts and twelue or tenne inches in breadth hauing diuers holes bored therein according to such distance as euerie particular man dooth best fansie through each of which holes a woodden dipper or pin to be thrust into the ground being of the bignes of ones finger and of three or foure inches in length hauing a shoulder or crosse-pin to keepe one selfe same certaintie in the depth of each hole Now my inuention is to haue two boords of some two foote broad euerie where and in the middle a staffe or handle set fast to remoue them or if any doe like better to haue them one foote broad and two or three foot long and in euerie of those boords one or two staues or handles of some two foote high set fast to remooue them and also to leaue vpon for their worships ease but for this matter of making of holes I must say with you master Scholler I professe to presse this argument no further being no part of my profession but leaue it to them that shall vse and practise this inuention Only this I doe aduise that euerie man doe well consider the qualitie of his owne ground if it bee exceeding ranke foure or fiue inches distance but most commonly three or foure inches is likely to be most fit and two or three inches deepe as the ground is heauie or light And peraduenture the clods may sometime hinder for which purpose this boorde and this handle or two be verie fit to thrust downe the clods These boords are to be directed by a line to keepe a streight course in setting hauing alwaies a Rake with thicke teeth and a broad head which at one pull will sufficiently fill all the holes And for example to such as are verie simple it is thought good to set downe the order of making of the holes in euerie boord as the same holes shall be of distance more or lesse as if your boord be tenne inches broad and three foote long and your holes fiue inches distance there must bee two rowes of holes and feuen holes in a row and at euery end and fide there must be two inches and more left and for euery scantling or distance whether it be three foure or fiue inches leaue alwaies the outside and the ends halfe the distance or lesse in euerie boord and so it will make a true continuance of one scantling throughout all the worke But if this labour by writing and printing be lost in the behalfe of plowing and setting and that men shuld continue so wilfullie blind to despise Gods blessings vpon themselues their poore neighbours and the whole Common-wealth yet it is to be wished that where men are so obstinatelie addicted to old custome they would yet follow the olde prouerbe which saith A little land well tild a little house well fild and a little wife well wild no doubt but his little land would be as profitable for his purse as his little good wife comfortable to his minde Thus I draw to an end desiring the reader to take some view of such great benefits as this action of plowing and setting may by Gods mercie bring to this our Countrie And I leaue the successe to Gods good blessing And first here I say the plowing taketh away the laborious and chargeable worke of the Spade which made setting of corne seeme vnprofitable and vnpossible to haue laborers and people sufficient to dresse and set fiftie Acres of three thousand in a Parish as the aduerse booke supposeth This now by plowing and setting is prooued that euerie third Acre may be set in all places throughout her Maiesties Dominions Secondly it prooueth plowing and setting to be lesse chargeable then plowing and sowing Prouision for lame souldiers and poore children This benefit is not lightly to be respected Thirdly wee haue prooued that this may be done by the ordinarie familie of most men with some helpe of two or three of his poorest neighbours old men and women poore children lame and distressed souldiers that now can haue no worke for their liuing Fourthly I say this these poore people that indeede ought to bee kept from a staruing kinde of life in so plentifull a Countrie as England is by the wealthie inhabitants of euerie Parish to whom now they are both chargeable and grieuous by this good meanes they may be kept from hunger cold nakednes and idlenes breeding monstrous vices against God her Maiestie and this present happie State deseruing whipping and hanging to the spoile of their bodies perill of their soules Fiftly it saueth great abundance of the best corne growing within her Maiesties Dominions which now is yeerly cast away and lost by sowing or rather burying it too deepe vnder furrow or lying too shallow aboue furrow for Crowes and Mice and other vermine to deuoure from the poore people Sixtly it spareth two parts of the land that is of thirtie Acres twentie may be spared to lie and rest to gather hart for a while and after when it is plowed againe it will bring forth increase of corne abundantly as all m̄e know Seuenthly it will increase great store of pasture in the common fields to the reliefe of all cattell and whereby Two hundred pasture sheepe well fed will dung a fould better then three hundred poore sheepe hungerly kept there may be kept both greater number and better sheep both for growth wooll and soundnes that by these meanes being plentifullie fed will inlarge the poore mans fould and also they wil dung his land much better to the like increase of corne in greater abundance Eightly it will saue great quantities of Hey and Corne for horsemeate which now is spent vpon poore working cattell tired to death with great store of worke vpon much tillage of barren land so that when by this meanes great quantities of grasse and hey is saued from working cattell then greater store maybe reserued to the fatting of cattell so that Gentlemen Farmers and other householders may feede many of their owne Oxen Cowes and Sheepe fat and need not go so often to the Butchers and then their Kine will giue much more milke to make Butter and Cheese when they are much better fed with grasse and hey
such as you would be Ploughman Sir I wonder what you meane to talke still so idlie as though it were fit for me or any man to set our whole seasons when we haue laide all our soile and bestowed all our labour tillage and cost vpon the third part onely to the intent to make that so hartie and rich that by all reason common experience and Gods blessing it may yeeld as much and more increase than the whole would haue done Neither am I tied by any necessitie that I know of to set all my third part vnsesse I may doe it conuenientlie in all respects Note well for when I haue thus plowed my land and made it readie to set I may sowe thereof what I will if I lacke setters and it is likelie to beare three times as much being thus well handled as other poore barren land so misused for lacke of such good Husbandrie But now for setting of ten Acres of Wheate or Rie or other graine being the third part of most mens Season why should I not finde people enow to set them seeing you confesse that threescore laborers and twentie women and children will digge and set thirtie Acres in seuen weekes Why good sir if I be at the charge and can dresse my land with my Plough my selfe what haue I to doe with your threescore labourers that should haue been imployed in your digging I will spare them all for you seeing you will needes haue so many Acres digged for you might as well haue vnderstoode Master Plat the author of the first booke that he meant not to haue the whole number of euery mans season to be digged when he proposed that three Acres might beare as much as thirtie And although I am of your opinion this will seldome proue true in action yet cannot you nor the best Scholler in England disproue the principles that he grounds his proportion vpon for he addes diuers approued examples in practise to proue his arguments And for your twentie women and children poore people I am sorrie for the most of them may still want worke and liue a staruing kinde of miserable life for by your perswasions they should earne iust nothing and so none of the poore by this meanes set to worke in your Husbandrie Well yet I will propose lesse worke by the third part in my Husbandrie and so will haue but the third part of your women and children Note which being but seuen will set my ten Acres in seuen weekes whilest your threescore diggers and twentie women and children be digging and setting your thirtie Acres in the same time by your owne account and by Gods helpe if this third part of the land be imployed we shall haue worke sufficient for all our poore people and poore people enow for all our worke I will therefore spare you foure or fiue of those seuen poore people for a supplie to your companie least any should happen to faile in some hot skirmish and then I shall onely be troubled with some two or three of your poore people or some lame Souldier Prouision for lame and maimed Souldiers he will serue my turne though he want a legge or an arme and so let vs recken the charge of three poore women and children which will be hired for eighteene pence a day at most which is but nine shillings Charges of setting a weeke and for seuen weekes is three poundes three shillings for the wages of those poore people vnto whom I will ioyne our two plow-folkes for away goe our Teemes to rest and gather flesh against winter our Wiues will spare one of their maides and many of vs haue two or three children and our selues for ouer-seers of the worke all these are aboue nine persons for your seuen and all their charges is but three poundes three shillings more than ordinarie Ten Acres as soone plowed and set with seuen people as thirtie digged and set with soure score and so you see that two or three poore people at most with our owne familie shall be as well able to set our ten Acres in seuen weekes as your fourescore men women and children shall digge and set thirtie Acres in the very same time But if you thinke that Wheate or Rie will be set in the beginning of March in rich land as you say in your booke and truly I am of your opinion and the rather because you affirme that the best croppe of Corne that euer you saw was a sommer croppe of Wheate vpon a rich ground now it will be a great commoditie if we may stay to set our richest land vntill after Christide for by some meanes or other we may by that time make some of our land better than other and the nature of some land of it selfe is much better than other then will we set our poorest land first and begin about the middle of September or neere thereupon euery Countrie and place as the condition of the land requireth and so continue setting in the fairest weather vntill the middle of December or there abouts so then we shall haue some thirteene weeks at least before Christide and some seuen weekes after before March It is most certaine that this late setting or sowing being in very good ground is the best to auoide the Mildew and the smut Thus a poore Farmer may well set ten Acres in twentie weekes with his owne familie hauing wife and children as most haue and doe it all by leasure Scholler I must needes confesse that your experience Your mislike or writing will not hinder if it proue profitable hath taught you to say more in this matter than I conceiued of it before But yet seeing you looke for no more increase than sixe or eight quarters vpon an Acre it is not the admirable arte the first booke speakes of which made me mislike and write as I did for many men in diuers places haue had the like increase neither doe I yet perceiue how the charges of setting will be answered nor any matter worthie so great account as you make of it Ploughman What you see I know not or what the cause should be I cannot tell that so many men should be so blinde or so vnwilling to see how to doe themselues and their neighbours so much good but I feare me it is the iust punishment of God vpon vs the sinfull people of this good Land that we hauing so great plentie of all good things do consume with gluttonie and with drunkennesse so great blessings of God alreadie bestowed vpon vs A caueat for gluttons and drunkards and if we should by this meanes or any other expect a greater aboundance than yet we haue receiued it is to be feared that the Lord that seeth how wickedlie we would consume it will not permit such an vnthankfull people to receiue so exceeding great a benefit but euen by our owne frowardnes will quite ouerthrow it Take heede of murmuring and
vnthankfulnes ioyned with frowardnes But yet let vs see if we can possiblie be brought to discerne any thing worthie account in this noueltie as you tearme it And for example say that thirtie Acres by Rodde will require three bushels of seede Winchester measure to euerie Acre In some part of Essex their land requireth lesse seede well obserued by some good Husbands for so you say it will and so in most land it doth which is eleuen quarters and two bushels of seede to thirtie Acres What is the vsuall increase vpon an Acre in the common fields barren land Scholler The increase of an Acre of such barren land commonly is not aboue two quarters one yeere with another and one Acre with another and when they so doe there neede be no dearth in England for where one hath aboue three hath not so much and therefore you will hardlie approue that your setting will be to any great purpose in those common fields barren Land Ploughman The best setting of Corne is in the common fields barren land when by these instructions it is so amended Verie well sir I am glad you haue declared your conceite in this poynt and euen for those barren Countries and barren common fields doe I auowe this Husbandrie to be most profitable and for their sakes onlie and altogether doe I take all this paines and vse so manie perswasions against so many fond obiections as you and most men vse against this good Husbandrie of Corne setting and not for those that are occupiers of rich land either by nature or so made by soile Their increase is plentifull alreadie and therefore I thinke it no great worke of charitie to bestow much labour vpon such rich men as commonlie with good Husbandrie vse such rich land but I speake and write for poore men and desire to make their poore land and them the richer by this good Husbandrie which I will maintaine vpon equall tearmes or by practise with any Husbandman in England of what countrie or shire so euer he be or dwell in Note well And now to our purpose again and I pray you marke well what I say you confesse as the truth is that an Acre by the Rodde will beare but two quarters commonlie one yeere with another which is but threescore quarters for thirtie Acres and that such an Acre will require three bushels to sowe it which is for thirtie Acres eleuen quarters and two bushels of seede as aforesaide so then take your eleuen quarters two bushels of seede sowed at seede time out of threescore quarters reaped at haruest there will remaine fortie eight quarters and sixe bushels increase by this computation then come to our ten Acres of like measure which will be set with fiue bushels what may we looke for euerie yeere vpon an Acre set with halfe a bushell by Gods blessing we are as likelie to haue sixe or seuen quarters vpon an Acre that is well dunged tilled the seede choiselie picked and the land orderlie set as other haue had vpon an Acre sowne which is vpon ten Acres threescore and ten quarters And what is then our increase of these ten Acres if you take fiue bushels of seede set at seede time out of threescore and ten quarters reaped at haruest there will remaine some threescore and nine quarters and three bushels increase so it is manifest that our increase by setting of ten Acres with fiue bushels is more then by sowing of thirtie Acres with eleuen quarters and two bushels by some twenty quarters and fiue bushels Scholler Say that all this doe follow as you would haue it and truly I cannot deny but it may yet the charge of setting and the trouble will be so great that it will not be worth the practise Ploughman Well it is manifestlie proued that two or three poore people with the ordinarie familie of all men that sowe thirtie Acres to a season may set ten Acres and that the wages of those poore people for setting time was but three poundes three shillings at sixe pence a day and for that charge you do saue twentie Acres of land at fiue shillings an Acre fiue poundes and the Plowing of that land three plowings to euery Acre before you sowe it which is threescore plowings at two shillings euerie time is sixe poundes then you saue some twentie quarters and fiue bushels of Corne as aforesaid worth in most yeeres twenty shillings a quarter comes to twentie poundes twelue shillings sixe pence So by this reckening which in truth and substance cannot be denied you will saue some one and thirtie poundes twelue shillings sixe pence And although I doe prise the twentie Acres so spared as aforesaid at fiue shillings an Acre as it were to be let out for rent yet I rather thinke that any good Husband that so spareth twentie Acres to rest from his principall seasons or Wheate Rie or Barlie will sowe after the olde fashion if it please him some sixe eight or ten Acres with Pease Beanes Bucke otherwise called french Wheate or with Oates vpon one earth or Plowing whereby he may haue great store of strawe for his Cattell meate for his wiues Hens and prouender for his Horse ouer and besides so much increase and profite of those sixe eight or ten Acres as shall defraie all the extraordinarie charge of setting with aduantage And because I haue heard this kinde of complaint often and many men doubt their neighbours and their own seruants will not meddle with such a pidling troublesome worke whose frowardnes no doubt will doe much hurt I wish any such that dwell amongst such neighbours or haue such seruants as indeed I thinke many haue to sell some three or foure quarters of their seede corne that before was spared and allow double their wages to straungers and I will assure them workmen plentie to doe so easie and cleane a worke And yet then the charge will be but sixe pound sixe shillings which taken out of the former profits there will remaine some twentie fiue pound sixe shillings sixe pence which will helpe a poore Farmer towards the payment of his rent Scholler This obiection is none of your owne Master Scholler you had helpe of a Lawyer Your comparison betweene tenne acres passing well husbanded and made rich and then set and thirtie acres of barren land sowed no doubt will bee a matter of great difference and therefore I wish to be followed of all men But what say you to good land either by nature or helpe of soyle that will vsually beare fiue or sixe quarters vpon an acre and if your setting will amount to no more increase then after a man hath laid all his cost vpon so small quantitie of land and made it so good he will sow it and saue the charge of setting Ploughman If this booke do but perswade our countrimen that occupie much barren land to sow but the third part or halfe their land which they were wont to worke out of
heart with their poore cattell and themselues I shall not onely thinke my labour happely bestowed in writing but all the poore people may thank God as much for the printing of it as for any booke set foorth in our time for a matter of this qualitie and which is of no small importance for the common-wealth of this land But yet I must not yeeld that plowing and sowing will be of like profit for the common-wealth as plowing and setting seeing the same will be done yet with much lesse charge comparing tenne acres of the best land set with other tenne as good sowed which I will prooue by example and tried experience and first it is wel knowne by often triall that lesse then halfe a bushel of very choise seede wheate will set as much land as three bushels will sowe So that whereas ten or twelue great Acres of land will require some three or foure quarters to sowe them the same land may be set with sixe or seuen bushels at the most for there will be faued some three quarters of the best seede Corne euery yeere which is now worth fortie shillings a quarter and commeth to sixe poundes and exceedeth the extraordinarie charge of setting aforesaid by much Fiue or sixe thousand quarters of Graine saued euery yeare by Corne setting all obiections answered and will amount to the sauing of some three hundred thousand quarters of the best Wheate and Rie growing in this Land and much more in Barlie Pease and Beanes and so of all sorts of graine I thinke it would saue aboue fiue or sixe hundred thousand quarters euery yeere in her Maiesties Dominions And yet giue mee leaue to tell you Gentleman that I dare confidently auow seeing both reason doth teach and experience doth proue that an Acre orderly set will yeeld more increase by some three quarters than an Acre sowne which increase at Haruest being added to the other three quarters saued at seede time commeth to some sixe quarters of Corne at fortie shillings a quarter twelue pound as it is now worth in many Countries which will defray the charges of setting double though your Plowmen follow their Teemes giue vs no help And yet this I must confesse that in time of great plentie when Corne is at a low price and where chargeable seruants or labourers dwell Chargeable seruants and ill workemen a great hinderance to all good Husbandire that will not serue or worke vnder fiue pound and a fustian doublet or in such places where their land and themselues are so rich with such times places and persons this poore booke or rather booke for the poore hath yet little to say vntil such time as they be brought to consider that after great plentie may follow as great scarsitie the wealthiest Corne-master and stoutest labourer or seruant may in time become like one of their poorest neighbours Great men in this and all ages haue been subiect to their fall Lasie vsurie a capitall enemie to all industrious husbandrie lewes onely did vse it in England about the raigne of King Richard the first anno 1189. Iob. 1.1 1. Pet. 4.7 Iob was accounted as rich in his time as the greatest Corne-master or the wealthiest Vsurer that liues in our time yet the Lord made an example of his seruant Iob to all posteritie albeit hee was an vpright and iust man one that feared God and eschued euil If vengeance begin at the house of God where shall the wicked and vngodly appeare I write not this against good minded men whom it hath pleased God to blesse with plentie of Corne and yet loue their brethren and poore neighbours some such good men no doubt haue been and yet are in England who may be accounted patterns for others to followe or patrons that is fathers to their Countrie by storing vp Corne in the time of plentie with purpose to bring it forth in scarcitie to sell it at a lower rate for the good of the poore Such good men no doubt are to be praised with gracious Ioseph The murmuring of the people prouoketh Gods wrath who by laying vp of Corne in the time of plenty preserued not only the whole kingdome of Aegypt but also the whole Church of God then visible on earth for which cause his industrie is recorded and commended for the instruction of all posteritie And by the way I wish all murmuring people to consider what it is to grudge and repine against Gods works and to be more aduised how they speake against good Magistrates and such good men as carefullie respect the publike weale of the Land Exod. 16.2 Numb 11.13 Furthermore that it may yet appeare more manifestly that plowing and setting of Corne is euery way much more profitable and lesse chargeable than plowing and sowing and that euerie Farmer may easilie set the third part of his land with his owne familie and two or three of the poorest people only at setting time whereby he may yet haue more leasure to practise and performe euerie complement that shall be likelie to further his increase let him Tyll but the third part of his land as of thirtie Acres ten and so whereas he was wont to giue his thirtie Acres vpon a sommer fallow some foure or fiue plowings as some grounds will require and as most good Husbands doe for thereby they doe kill the weedes which of all things I would all men should most speciallie regard So then thirtie Acres hauing at least foure plowings amounteth to an hundred and twentie daies worke at the least and ten Acres hauing fiue plowings euerie Acre which is but fiftie daies worke at the most so here is threescore and ten daies worke spared in your winter season for Wheate or Rie and as much for Barlie which being in all one hundred and twentie daies worke or there about is very neere the third part of the whole yeere spared for your Plowes and Teemes The third part of the yeere spared from plowing by setting of corne therefore forget not therein to forue God which I wish should be otherwise imployed to some good worke as no doubt but euerie good Husband will finde worke enough for them to do But yet let them bestowe some part of this time so well gained a little to serue God in prayer morning and euening either in their priuat families or with a diligent Minister they that dwel neere the Church one halfe houre in a morning or euening or both if they haue any thing to doe at Church with God or with their neighbours it will be a good meeting place if it be done to good purposes It is a small portion of so many daies spared and no doubt but God will the rather blesse the increase of such as will serue him according as he hath promised and as the Scripture saith Paul planteth Apollo watereth but it is the Lord no doubt that giueth the increase as well in temporall as in spirituall blessings Beware