xij hundreth and fiftie Crounes commyng to L. Sesternes Romaine Or that of Pomponius Atticus Againe on the other parte I meane not that your liuyng shal be so streight in frugalitie or sparyng as was that of Curius Dentatus who liued with Radishe rootes Or of Pertinax who would be serued tenne times with one salet Neither so vile or sparyng as was Epaminondas a greate Lorde of Thebes who kepte his chamber while his apparell was amendyng because he would haue no chaunge But temperate and modeste as that of the kynges of Egipte who before thei fell to their meate disputed of modestie and sobrietie takyng pleasure in bankettes more ioyefull then sumptuous or exquisite And so shall you not faule into the penaltie of the Lawe Numerall of Iulius who prefined a Taxe to be paied of the charges made in greate feastes and bankettes And for as muche as it maie seme a thyng vndecent that a man should make profession of an Art or trafique of marchaundize whereof he hath no knowledge beyng ignorant of the natures and temperatures of the thynges whiche he hath in hande I will not faile to aduertise you of the diseases whiche come to Hēnes and Cockes and of their remedies and when it shalbée néedefull to chaunge them and put others in their places to th' ende that your number doe not diminishe as you knowe that by surrogation the kyndes of all thynges are preserued in their beyng and so remaine perpetually as Diuine Diotimus taught Socrates in the seconde booke of the feast of Plato Their common disease is the Pippe whiche is a disease of the tongue the ende whereof is thereby hardened in maner of a gristle And thereby also the Henne loseth her taste bothe in eatyng and drinkyng and infecteth the other Hennes specially within the house and place of their feding This disease proceedeth either of beeyng long without drinkyng of cleane and freashe water or by drinkyng of foule and stinkyng water And to heale it you muste take the Henne and take awaie the superfluitie which groweth on the tongue hardened at the ende And then washe the tongue and beake with Oile in the whiche shall bée tempered a hedde of Garlike And putte emong their meate Staphisacre and to rubbe the tongue wel with spettle or Vineger first tempered in the mouthe of the seruaunt An other disease is the Catarre or Rheume whiche is a fluxion of colde Humours in the hedde of the Hennes makyng them to hang their winges and their crestes or combes The remedie is to trauerse or ouerthwart ther nosethrilles with a Feather put through them to open the Fluxiō or Rheume that is stopped and maketh them blinde It shall also bée good to warme their drinke in Winter Because suche diseases procéede of cold or drinkyng of Frosen water or liyng vnder that Moone the mother of al moistnesse Against the Lice and vermine whiche make them leane féeble and vnfruitfull I haue shewed you the remedie But when the disease is now come the remedie is to bathe them with a little Wine or drinke in the whiche shall bée sodden some Comin or Staphisacre commonly called the death of Lice appliyng it to the heddes of little children with oyntmentes If you doubt how I knowe this not alledgyng any Authour for the proofe you shall vnderstande that I haue learned it by practize of the common people in like maner as the wise men emong the Hebrues named Cabalistae and the like emong the Gaules named Druydes learned their Seiences by tradition from mouthe to mouthe and from hand to hande without Letters Whereby is come to passe that in our Feaunce the gouernmente is more by customes not written then by written lawes As Iulius Caesar hath written in his Commeutaries of the conquest of the Gaules or Frenchemen in his sixte Booke The auncientes haue written certain remedies to kepe the Hennes from the Foxe as Palladius in his Booke of Housebandrie teacheth how to rubbe the walles of the Hen house with the gaule of a Foxe and to cutte in little peeces the fleshe of a Foxe and to mingle it with the Hennes meat to cause the Foxe to abhorre to come neare it by feelyng the death of his proper kynde whiche nature can not abide as writeth Plinie in the xxix booke of his Naturall Historie But the moste soueraigne remedie is to kéepe faste and close the doores and windowes in the Night And that in the Daie you seruauntes often tymes come and goe in all places and corners of your close And that neare vnto it or the Henne house bée no heapes of woodde bushes or stones where suche beastes maie bée hidde or harboured For the beastes whiche liue by rapte haue euer a certaine feare ioyned with their craftinesse and desire of rauenyng Aboute the tyme of Autumne you shall euery yere draw a hundred or twoo hundred of the eldest of your Hēnes and suche as haue their clawes longest and grossest In place of the whiche you shall put yonger of suche sorte or qualitie as I haue before described If peraduenture you be of opinion to kepe your Egges of one season for an other you must laye them in order vpon sheaues or strawe verie freshe with the sharpe ende vpward or to laye them in Paniers in like maner And that thei bée well couered with strawe that thei bee not tourned by too muche heate or cold And if you wil chose the beste for your fréendes take Candida Longa Noua that is White Long and New folowyng the opinion of the Schoole of Salerne The other twoo Acres whiche remaine aboute youre yarde courte or place inclosed shall be commodious to sow Barly whiche is a graine verie proper for the noriture of Hēnes And if you can recouer Barly of the sede of AEthiope whereas dwell the Iewes of the ligue of Dan Nephthalin Gad Asser neare to the riuer of Sabbatique whiche Moises affirmeth to bee the Riuer in the holie scripture called Gozan it shall bee singuler good because one graine thereof bryngeth forthe an hundred as Eldad Damus the Hebrewe hath written in his brief Historie of the Empire of the Iewes inclosed in AEthiope I will write vnto you more amplie of the other profites whiche concerne the noriture of Hennes and of what properties thei are and what one maie drawe of their substances But my ende hath been none other then to giue aduise how for a little summe of money little trauaile you maie gette greate profite to the ende that you maie the more easely forgette your losses and accustome your self to the noise and cluckyng of your Hennes and not to seeme more delicate then was the good Philosopher Socrates who bore it easely because thei laied hym Egges as he bore paciently the murmuryng and scoldyng of his wife Xantippe because she bore hym children You maie euery daie see your menage or Housebandrie And as did the Peripatetici walke aboute the closes and other places and consider the endeuour of your seruauntes Whom also by
granieres of Dtes but common Hennes of our Countrie and Housebande or employe them in suche sort as I will shewe hereafter And bee not impacient to attende the conclusion Firste of all it is necessarie to haue them neare vnto the Citée of Paris famous and of greate renoume throughout all the worlde to bee the marte and seate of all good Artes and Sciences and populous of all sortes of menne if there bee any other vnder the Sunne There consider the situation of some commodious place well builded hauyng good roomes and Stables with a Courte or yarde inclosed of twoo Acres of grounde more or lesse and walled of sufficiente height With also twoo other Acres inclosed for an other purpose whereof wee will speake hereafter Of these are enowe to bee founde in the olde rurall buildynges about the Citie of Paris So then can you not saie that you are staightly lodged For Quintus Cincinnatus Citezine of Roome so named for wearyng his haire combed and breaded possessed no more when he was called to the dignitie of Dictator as writeth Valerius Maximus in his fowerth booke The aforesaied Mannour place or Ferme with Yarde or Courte inclosed you shall take by Lease for certaine yeres paiyng yerely rent for the dwellyng of you and your famelie You shall dispose your stables commodiouslie for your Hennes and Chickins with the viewe or prospecte towarde the Winter Drient that the Sunne maie giue the good morrowe to your Hennes whiche greately delite at the Mornyng Sunne as noteth Columella in his ix booke of Housebandrie also â—arre in his third booke The Henne houses shall bée commodious and profitable if thei bee alone or solitarie and the Plankes well couered with claye because the Hennes delite to pruine and toumble them selues in duste and to bee kept warme And therefore boordes or plaister are not conuenient to this purpose The Lathers or Perches muste bee from the grounde twoo foote high Also flatte and not rounde because the Hennes doe not bende or crooke their clawes or Talantes as doe other graspelyng foules The saied Henne houses also in the daie tyme muste bee open that thei maie be euented with Winde and Aire And that the Night aire maie more easely transpire and breath out that it maie cause no disease by close ayre whiche in shorte tyme causeth putrefaction and diseases thereof proceadyng Vnder the Henne houses and all aboute the Stables shall bee hanged many Panyers of conueniente bignesse stufte with Haye to receiue the Hennes when thei laye For Haye in this case is muche better then Strawe because it is softer and warmer and is not so apte to engeÌ„der Lice or Woormes I dooe not meane that it should bee so deare as was that whiche was solde for fower Attiques the handfull for menne to eate at the tyme of the greate Famin in Ierusalem as writeth Iosephus in his seuenth booke of the warre of the Iewes the fower Attiques amountyng to fowertene Frenche Soules after three Souses and sixe Frenche Pence for a Souse as muche as the Romaine peuie as writeth learned Budaeus in his booke De Asse When you haue thus disposed your Henne houses and made theim sure and saufe against all hurtfull beastes and Vermine that maie enter by Daie or Night and haue well placed the Paniers to receiue and harbour theim you shall bestowe the summe of three hundreth Frankes in buiyng of good Hennes whiche maie cost you after the rate of fiue Souses whiche is vj. d. and twoo-thirdes the peece by reason of the dearthe whiche is now by occasion of Warres Whiche shall bee twelue hundreth Hennes after xxv Frankes the hundred The Countries of Angeou Touraine and Lodunois haue been the Countries with Britaigne lesse troubled with the saied Ciuile warres And therefore Hennes are there better cheape Also verie good strong well membered and of the beste race to make your emploite You shall choose the youngeste whiche are apter to laye then the olde and the common more then thei of kynde or the Blacke Redde and Taunie whiche are more fruitefull then the Graie or White as Aristotle affirmeth in his Historie of Beastes in the firste booke the firste Chapiter And also thei whiche haue their creste or combe double and vpright as witnesseth Plinie in his naturall Historie Also Palladius and Petrus Crescensis in his Booke of Housebandrie Likewise Carolus Stephanus a man of our tyme a diligent gatherer of thinges Economike parteinyng to Housholde and Housebandrie Thei of meane bignesse are the beste hauyng their brest large their bodie well fleshed not with long Spurres like vnto Cockes for thei commoÌ„ly breake their Egges Take héede also that thei bee not to fatte Witnesse the good wife whiche beyng in loue with her Henne fedde her so well and made her so fatte that she lefte laiyng as rehearseth Esope in his Fables You ought to thinke that the good Woman loued her Henne no lesse then the Emperour Honorius sonne of Theo dosius loued his named Rome Who vnderstanding that Alaricus Kyng of the Gothes had taken Rome whiche was the aunciente Citee of Rome was verie sadde supposyng that Alaricus had takeÌ„ his Henne whiche he so muche loued as Zonar the Greke Historiographer hath written in the life of Honorius I saie the aunciente Rome because the Emperours of the East partes called Constantinople newe Rome In like maner you shall buye Cockes to sorte or matche them Sixe score Cockes shall suffice for the twelue hundreth Hennes For one Cocke maie suffice for tenne Hennes Thei maie coste you tenne Souses the peece ouer and aboue the price of the Hennes which amounteth to fourtie and eight Frankes Thei of the age from a yere and a halfe vnto twoo yeres are the beste To knowe them well you shall consider the Plumage or Feathers The Blacke Redde and Taunie are the beste Also thei that haue their Combe or Crest vpright and double or diuided Their eyes Redde and glisteryng Their becke shorte and hooked well suprred their goyng hautie and proude Their voice strong and soundyng And suche as crowe muche representyng suche a maiestie as did the Cocke of the Persians whiche emong them was reuerenred and honoured for a Kyng as reciteth Aristophanes At the least that thei shewe a certain hardinesse as thei whiche the Carians people of the lesse Asia bore vpon their Morion or Helmet goyng to battaile As Alexander de Alexandro hath written in the xx Chapiter of his firste booke And if you will take pleasure in Diuination of thynges to come by Cockes whiche Dinination is named Alectoromantia as did Iamblicus maister of Proclus as Libanius his compaignion greate and learned Philosophers in the tyme of the Emperour Valens you maie make experiment of suche predictions and therewith dooe pleasure to your freendes And to the ende that you shall not bee ignoraunte in the Theorike or speculation of the saied Diuination I will shewe you a certaine practise and Prognostication thereof Certaine greate lordes were curious
pursued by the vnchaste loue of Ladislaus kyng of Naples and Hungarie Suche auncient Phisicions will easely permitte the necessities of Nature and confirme the wholesome Edicte of the Emperour Claildius who as witnesseth Suetonius permitted in banquettes and compargnies freely and without shame to lette scape the winde of the bealie knowyng that certaine shamefatte persones subiecte to the Collicke haue died for holdyng the saied ventositie As also Cicero in the xxij booke of his Epistles saith that fartyng ought to be as free as belchyng after the opinion of the Stoikes You shall giue theim to vnderstande that you can daiely furnishe their Paciētes with new laied Egges euery mornyng without faile You shall also aduertise theim of theim that haue the sellyng and distribution of them You shall also take heede that you haue not to deale with suche Phisitiōs which haue nought els to doe thē to walke their Mules as thei were whiche were obserued by Maister Francis Rables Pentagruell to departe out of their lodgyng at sixe of the clocke in the mornyng and to returne at Noone without strikyng of stroke For suche are the verie paciences of impaciēce by the vnderstandyng of Epoptiques and Acromatiques of Aristotle and Alexander his Disciple whiche thei thought onely worthie to bee read as writeth Quintus Curtius In like maner you muste bee acquainted with xv or xx Gainsellers or Regraters suche as can chatte and babble beste and walke aboute all the streates the fower corners of the citée and the moste famous places of the same as the Burse the Pallaice the greate Haules the Portes and other places of greate resorte Assuryng theim to furnishe them daiely of a number of newe laied Egges whiche thei shall sell and distribute to your profite agreyng with theim for reasonable price and wages as shal be saied hereafter Hauyng kepte this order you shall bee carefull and diligent to cause your Egges daiely to bee caried to the Gainfellers or women that shall sell them again in the mornyng of the daie followyng You maie carie thē beste vpon Asses For whiche purpose that Beaste is verie proper because of his slowe goyng that he breake not the Egges But take héede that thei eate no Figges leaste you bruste for laughyng as did the Philosopher Chrysippus as writeth Diogenes Laertius in his booke of the liues of Philosophers The like also thaunced to Philomenes as writeth Valerius Maximus in his Chapiter of rare kyndes of Death Now it resteth to make you vnderstande the profite that shall come vnto you daiely of your summe all charges and expenses deducted the rente of your house paied the wages of your seruauntes the Gainsellers contented the charges of the Asse his kéeper compted and also the graine or corne wherwith your Hennes are sedde For of the sale of Egges is taken no custome or imposition as was in the tyme of Ihon Ducas Emperour of Comstantinople and successour of Theodosius Lascaris who was so excessiue that in a fewe daies the Croune of Irene the Empresse was thereby marueilousty enriched in precious stones and iewelles as Nephorius hath left in writyng in the third booke of the Historie Bizantine in the chapiter of the famine of the Turkes You shall fell or cause to be solde euery newe laied egge easely for sixe Frenche pence the péece For I assure you that within the Citée of Paris are a thonsande yea rather twoo thousande that will gladly giue a Carolus whiche is nyne Frenche penuce for euery newe laied Egge béeyng thereof assured wherein fee you faile not How many Gentlemenne and Gentlewomen are there whiche greatly desire in the Mornyng to eate a newe laied Egge How many are there of Citezins and their wiues touched with the like desire How many old folkes wearie of Fleshe could for their Dinner bée contente with a newe laied Egge or twoo For you must knowe that an Egge is naturally of good nourishemente wholsome delicate of easie digestion and maketh good bloud as writeth Alexander Aphrodiseus in his seconde booke and xxviij question of his Problemes Likewise Albertus Magnus writeth that an Egge engendereth in manne as muche good blood as is the bignesse of the yolke whiche tourneth almoste all into bloud I haue yet made no memorie of sicke folkes whiche of necessitie haue nede of new laied Egges by the ordinaunce of the Phisitions whose freendship you shall entertaine for the same purpose The number of the whiche sicke folkes I am sure in the saied Citée will daiely surmounte a thousande persones without speakyng of them that kéepe a certain diet as well to encrease the lustes of their pleasures in Venerie as also to restore that which somtyme by excessiue wantonnesse thei haue diminished of their strengthe and health For these also shall haue neede of your marchandize You maie therefore by this deduction bée assured of the vent and sale and deliueraunce of your Egges daie by daie as muche as your Hennes shall doe their endeuour orderly to furnishe your Customers Now lette vs retourne to our accompt You can gather no lesse euery daie of your xij hundreth Hennes then eight hundreth Egges whiche are twoo terces or thirde partes of the number Leauyng the other terce or thirde parte of your Hennes in the meane tyme to reste and repose theim selues For the season is not euery daie agreable for all Hēnes to laye Specially in the middest of Winter and other tymes neare vnto that But you shall then helpe them in giuyng them Fenegreke commōly called the dredge of Horses And also Barly halfe sodde For these thinges kéepe thē in naturall heate and cause them to laye Eight hundreth Egges by supputation Arithmeticall at sixe Frenche pence the péece will yeld L. Souses for the hundreth Whiche in number producte maketh xx Frankes or Frenche poundes a daie Whiche is for the saied eight hundreth seuen score Frankes the wéeke and seuen chousande thrée hundreth Frākes the yere of honest profite Let vs diuise the charges And that whiche then remaineth wée will call the gaines and profite For the Lawiers saie that wée call nothyng profite sauyng what remaineth after the charges deducted as the famous Lawier Papiniā hath well defined in the xxiij boke of the Pandectes vnder the title of repetitiō of dowrie after the mariage dissolued First for the pension of the woorke man and his House for euery daie xx Souses whiche by the yere commeth to thrée hundreth thrée score and fiue Frankes I here vnderstand yeres of the Sunne consisting of thrée hundreth thrée score and fiue daies For fower Seruauntes or maides xx Souses the daie which is for eche of them for wages meate and drinke fiue Souses to finde theim selues amountyng in the yere to the like summe of thrée hundreth thrée score and fiue Frankes You knowe how greately sobrietie is to bee commended in seruauntes bothe menne and women whiche kicke when thei bée fatte as doe Monkes in the mewe and murmure when thei bée full
Emong the whiche wée meane not suche as with pure conscience exercise them selues in their vowe of contemplation of Diuine thynges in whose soules contemplation taketh perfection as saieth the Diuines For in all sortes of men the beste ought to bée respected and the worst noted Neither yet do I meane that you should bée so sparyng for the meate of your seruaūtes as was the Abbot of Poson in Hungarie who was wont to saie that of all the woorkes of his Seruauntes the mouyng of their Iawes gréeued him moste he was so filthely coueteous that he disdained to sée his seruauntes eate as writeth AEneas Syluius in the xlij Chapiter of his Historie of Boheme For the charges of the twoo Asses although Thistles growe euery where aboundantly wée will allowe v. Souses daie amountyng to fower score and twelue Frankes and fiue Souses in the yere And for the Asse kéeper whom you maie also applie to other seruice after that he hath brought his Egges to the place appointed who can haue no lesse then one maide to accōpanie hym whose allowance beyng after the rate of fiue Souses the daie commeth to fower score and twelue Franks and fiue Souses the yere Whō you shall aduertise that he ouercharge not his Asses least thei murmure as doe the Monkes vnreformed The Emperour Augustus Caesar after the victorie Actiū against Antonius iniured by the loue of Cleopatra Queene of Egipte goyng to sée the Shippes captiue found sodainly an Asse keper and asked hym what was his name Who aunswered that his name was Fortunatus and the names of his Asses Victorious Thereby gratulating the victorie of the Emperor You maie féele the profite of your Asses with like congratulatiō and hope of good Fortune and victorie against thē that would haue throwē you into miserable pouertie if you folowe your businesse with requisite diligence as did the saied Emperor Augustus his warres Auoidyng suche delices pleasures as Antonius vsed with Cleopatra For meate or féedyng for the Hennes shall suffice for the daie twoo quarters of Paris measure as well in Barly as in Otes Fitches or Tares and in Winter bearde or horned Wheate whiche in Champaigne is called Sarasine Wheate after xxv Souses the Septier or quarter which by the daie amounteth to L. Souses and in the yere seuen hundreth fower score and seuen Frankes and tenne Souses whiche is fower score and vij li. x. s̄ As touchyng the Phisitians some of theim selues shall haue néede of your marchandice as thei that haue a Famely and many little children whom you must visite wéekely with certain quarterons of newe laied Egges brought on Thursdaie for Fridaie Saterdaie At Easter also with certaine Red Egges to present to their neighhours as the reuenue of their practike But suche as haue no familie and seke for wife and house followyng the precepte of Xenophon in his Oeconomiques you may to gratifie then shewe them the increase of your Housebandry and recite vnto them the pleasure whiche you receiue therein to hasten them to caste theim selues into the nette of happie Mishap and yet in the meane tyme honour them with some pretie Presentes And if you haue the meanes to recouer Pullettes or Chikens of the race of he Hēne whiche engendered them perfectly formed scrapyng and pepyng and followyng the Henne as sone as thei bee out of the Egge as rehearseth Apuleius in his booke of the golden Asse you maie thereby giue argument of high Philosophie of noueltées vpon the doubte whiche thei make if the round Egges bryng forthe Cockes and the long Egges Hennes Wherein Albertus Magnus the Ape of Aristotle doeth contrary his Maister in the sixth booke of Beastes But in the resolution of this question you shall finde thē no lesse trouble then in this whiche is why there are moe Shéepe then Wolues Seyng that one Shéepe commonly engendereth not but one or seldome tymes twoo whereas the Wolfe bryngeth forthe eight or nyne Againe in cōsideration that for one Wolfe that is killed a thousande or twoo thousande Shéepe goe to the slaughter For the reason whiche Herodotus bryngeth in his thirde booke of his Muse of Thalia where he saieth that Nature hath made fierce and cruell Beastes more fruitfull speakyng of the multitude of Serpentes and Vipers whiche in Arabia kéepe the Trees of Frankensence can not bée applied to Wolues whiche are fierce and rauenyng But to retourne to our charges For the entertainemente of the saied Phisitians I giue you estate of two hundred and thrée score Frankes by the yere So shall your Phisitians haue no occasion to complaine that thei haue the pension of Pulters Of other fidelitie neuerthelesse that he that is founde culpable of false reporte shall abide the Iudgement of the Senatour Papirius at the siege of Aquilon a Toune of the Samnites of the whiche Valerius Maximus maketh mētion in his vij booke To the Gainsellers you shall giue fiue Souses for a hūdred Giuing thē charge that thei sell not in your name any Egges but yours Whiche insumme shal be by the weeke seuen Frankes and by the yere three hundred three score and fiue Frankes In the whiche you shall doe nothyng cōtrarie to the opinion of Socrates who blamed theim that bought Marchaundize by grosse to sell theim againe to others by retaile as hurtfull to the common wealthe Then the supputation or compte beyng made vppon xx Frankes of the sale of your Egges by the daie amounting to seuen thousande and thrée hundred Frankes by the yere wee muste rebate the summe of twoo thousande seuen hundreth and three Frankes and fiue Souses Tournois of currante money for the expenses here before compted So remaineth vnto you the profite by the yere the summe of fower thousande fiue hundreth fower score and xvj Frankes and fiue Souses whiche is fiue hundreth and xj li. xxij s̄ x. d. and ij thirdes And when your laiyng Hennes shal be no more then sixe hundreth a daie leauyng the other sixe hundreth in reste to abide their season yet shall remaine vnto you xv Frankes by the daie and by the yere thre thousande fower hundreth fourtie and seuen Frankes three Souses and nyne pence all charges deducted whiche amounteth to three hundreth fower score and three li. v. d. Whiche séemeth to me an honest gaine and profite vpon the emploiyng of so little a summe and that without all filthie Vsurie By the meanes also whereof you maie feaste your fréendes and leade a ioyfull life I saie not prodigall as of AEsope the Tragike with his platter of small Birdes whereof Plinie maketh mention in the tenth booke of his Naturall Historie Neither so daintie or gluttonous as of Apitius that was in the tyme of the Emperour Tiberius Neither yet so sumptuous magnificent as that of Lucullus noted of Plutarche in his booke of the liues of famous men for the Bankett whiche he made vpon the sodaine for Pompeius and Cicero the expense whereof was no lesse then