Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry
1597
Five hundreth pointes of
good husbandrie as well for the
champion, or open countrie, as
also for the woodland, or severall,
mixed in everie month with huswiferie,
over and besides the booke of
huswifery.
: Corrected, better ordered, and newlie augmented
to a fourth part more, with divers other lessons, as
a diet for the farmer, of the properties of winds,
planets, hops, hearbs, bees, and approoved
remedies for sheepe and cattell, with
manie other matters both pro
fitable and not unpleasant
for the reader.
Also a table of husbandrie at the beginning
of this booke: and another of huswiferie
at the end, for the better and easier
finding of any matter con
teined in the same.
Newlie set foorth by Thomas
Tusser gentleman.
Imprinted at London by Peter Short
dwelling on Bredstreet hill at the
signe of the Starre.
PUBLISHED BY Peter Short
1599
A lesson how to confer everie abstract with his month, and how to find out Huswiferie verses by the Pilcrow, and Champion from Woodland.
In everie month, yer in aught he begun,
Read over that month, what avails to be dun:
So neither this travell that seeme to be lost.
Nor thou to repent, of this trifling cost.
The figure of abstract, and month do agree,
Which one to another, relations bee:
These verses so short, without figure that stand,
Be points of themselves to be taken in hand.
In husbandry matters, where pilcrow ye find
That verse appertaineth to huswifery kind:
So have ye mo lessons(if there ye looke well)
Than huswifery booke doth utter or tell.
Of Champion husbandry, now do I write,
Which heretofore never this booke did recite:
With lessons approved, by practise and skll,
To profit the ignorant, buie it that will.
The Champion differs from Severall much,
For want of partition, closure and such:
One name to them both, do I give now and than,
For Champion country, and Champion man.
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The authors Epistle to the late Lorde William Paget, wherein he doth discourse of his bringing up, and of the good nes of the said Lord his maister unto him, and the occasion of this his booke thus set forth of his owne long practise.
Time tries the troth in everything,
Herewith let men content their minde,
Of works which best may profit bring,
Most rash to judge most often blinde,
As therefore troth in time shall crave,
So let this booke just favor have.
Take you my Lord and maister than,
Unlesse mischanse mischanceth me,
Such homely gift of me your man,
Since more in court I may not be,
And let your praise woon heretofore,
Remaine abroad for evermore.
My serving you (this understand)
And God his helpe and yours withall,
Did cause good lucke to take mine hand,
Erecting one most like to fall.
My serving you I know it was,
Enforced this to come to passe.
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Since being once at Cambridge taught,
of court ten years i made affaie,
No musick then was left unfought,
Such care I had to serve that waie:
When joy gan slake, then made I change,
Expelled mirth for musicke strange.
My musicke since hath beene the plough,
Entangled with some care among,
The gaime not great, the paine inough,
Hath made me sing an other song:
Which song if well I may avow,
I crave it judged be by you.
Your Servant Thomas Tusser.
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1. An introduction to the booke of Husbandrie.
Chap.4
Good husbandmen, must moile and toile,
to laie to live, by labored feeld:
Their wives at home must keep such coile,
as their like acts, may profit yeeld.
For well they know,
as shaft from bow,
or chalke from snow,
A good round rent, their lords they give,
and must keepe tutch, in all their paie:
With credit crackt, else for to live,
or trust to legs, and run away.
Though fense wel kept, is one good point,
and tilth wel done, inseason due:
Yet needing salve, in time t'annoint,
is all in all, and needfull true,
As for the rest,
thus thinke I best,
as friend doth ghest,
With hand in hand, to lead thee forth,
to Ceres campe, there to behold,
A thousand things as richly worth,
as anie pearle, is worthy gold.
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2. A preface to the buier of this Booke.
Chap. 5.
What lookest thou herein to have?
Fine verses thy fansie to please?
Of many my betters that crave,
Looke nothing but rudeness in thease.
What other thing lookest thou then?
Grave sentences many to find?
Such Poets have twenty and ten,
Yea thousands contenting the mind.
What looke ye, I pray you shew what?
Termes painted with Rhetorike fine?
Good husbandry seeketh not that,
Nor ist any meaning of mine.
What lookest thou, speake at the last?
Good lessons for thee and thy wife?
Then keepe them in memory fast,
To helpe as a comfort to life.
What looke ye for more in my booke?
Points needful and meet to be knowne?
Then daily be suer to looke,
To save to be suer thine owne.
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3. The commodities of Husbandry.
Chap. 6
Let house have to fill her,
Let Land have to till her.
No Dwellers, what profiteth house for to stand?
What goodness, unoccupied bringeth the land?
No labour no bread,
No host we be dead.
No husbandry used, how soone shall we serve?
Housekeeping neglected, what comfort to serve?
Ill father no gift,
No knowledge no thrift.
The father an unthrift, what hope to the sonne?
The ruler unskilful, how quicklie undonne?
4. Chap. 7.
As true as thy faith,
This riddle thus faith.
Iseeme but a drudge, yet I passe anie King,
To such as can use me, great wealth I do bring.
Since Adam first isued, I never did die,
When [...]was a shipman, there also was I.
The earth to sustaine me, the sea for my fish,
[...] ready to pleasure me as I would wish.
That hath any life, but I helpe to preserve,
That might without me, but is ready to sterve?
[...] woodland, in champion, citie or towne,
Long I be absent, what falleth not down?
Long I be present, what goodness can want?
Though things at my comming were never so seant.
So many as love me, and use me aright,
With treasure and pleasure, I richly acquight.
Great kings I do succor, else wrong it would go.
The king of all Kinges hath appointed it so.
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5. The description of Husbandry.
Chap. 8.
Of Husband, doth husbandry chalenge that name,
of Husbandry, [...] and doth likewise the same:
Where huswife and huswifery, joineth with thease,
there wealth in abundance, is gotten with ease.
Thy name of a husband what is it to say?
of wife and the houshold, the band and the staie?
Some husbandry thriveth, that never had wife,
yet scarse a good husband, in goodnes of life.
The husband is he, that to labour doth fall,
the labour of him, I do husbandry call:
If thrift by that labour, be any way caught,
then is it good husbandry, else is it naught.
So houshold and housholdry, I do define,
For folke and the goods, that in house be of thine:
House keeping to them, as a refuge is set,
which like as it is, so report it doth get.
Be house or the furniture, never so rude,
of husband and husbandry, (thus i conclude:)
That huswife and huswifery, if it be good,
must pleasure togither, as cousins in blood.
6. The Ladder to thrift.
Chap. 9.
1. I'd fake thy calling thankfullie,
and shun the path to beggerie.
2. To grudge in youth no drudgerie,
to come by knowledge perfectlie.
3. To count no travell slaverie,
that brings in peny saverlie.
4. To follow profit earnestie,
but meddle not with pilserie.
5. To get by honest pradisie,
and keepe thy gettings covertlie.
6. To [...]
for feare of pinching penurte.
7. To get good plot to occupie,
and store and use it husbandrie.
8. To shew to landlord curtesie,
and keepe thy covenants orderlie.
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9. To hole that tyme is lawfullie,
for stoutnes or for flatterie.
10 To wed good wife for company
and live in wedlocke honestie
11 to furnish house with houshouldry
and make provision skilfullie.
12 to same to wife good familie,
and none to keepe for braverie.
13 to suffer none live idelie,
for feare of idle knaverie.
14 to courage wife in huswiferie,
and use well owers gentlie
15 to keepe no more but needfullie,
and count excesse onsaverie.
16 to raise betimes the lubberlie,
both snorting Hob anf Margery
17 to walk thy pastures of vallie,
to spie till neighbours subtillie.
18 to hate revengement hastilie,
for losing love and amitie.
19 to love they neighbour neighborlie
and shew him no discourtesie.
20 to anwer strangers civilie,
but shew him not they secresie.
21 to use no friend deceitfullie,
to offer no man villanie.
22 to learne how foe to pacifie,
but trust him not to trustilie.
23 to keepe thy touch substantiallie
and in thy word use constancie,
24 to make thy bonds abuisedlie,
& come not thrugh suertie,
25 to meddle not with usurie,
nor lend thy mony swlishlie.
26 to hate to live in infamie,
through craft & living shiftinglie.
27 to shum allkind of trecherie,
for treason endeth horrible.
28 to learne to eschew till company,
and such as live dishonestlie.
29 to banish house of blaphemie,
least crosses crosse unluckilie.
30 to stop mischance thrugh policy
for chancing to unhappilie.
31 to beare thy crosses patientlie,
for worldlie things are slipperie.
32 to late to keepe from miserie
age comming on so creepinglie.
33 to pray to God continuallie,
for aide against thine enemie.
34 to spend the sabboth holilie,
and helpe the needie povetie.
35 to live in conscience quietlie,
and keep thy selfe from maladie.
36. to ease thy sickness speedily,
yer helpe be past recoverie.
37 to seeke to God for remedie,
for witches prove unluckily.
These be the steps unsainedlie:
to clime to thrift by husbandry.