The English Husbandman


The English Husbandman, by Gervase Markham

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The English Husbandman, by Gervase Markham This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The English Husbandman The First Part: Contayning the Knowledge of the true Nature of euery Soyle within this Kingdome: how to Plow it; and the manner of the Plough, and other Instruments
Author: Gervase Markham
Release Date: October 12, 2007 [EBook #22973]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ENGLISH HUSBANDMAN ***

Produced by Louise Pryor, Jonathan Ingram and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Transcriber's note
Spellings are inconsistent, especially the use of ée and ee. Notes of changes that have been made for obvious misprints, and of other anomalies, are at the end of this etext.
There are many sidenotes in the original. They are indicated thus: {SN: }, and have been grouped together at the start of the paragraph in which they appear.]

THE ENGLISH HVSBANDMAN.
* * * * *
The first Part: CONTAYNING the Knowledge of the true Nature of euery Soyle within this Kingdome: how to Plow it; and the manner of the Plough, and other Instruments belonging thereto.
TOGETHER WITH THE Art of Planting, Grafting, and Gardening after our latest and rarest fashion.
A worke neuer written before by any Author: and now newly compiled for the benefit of this KINGDOME.
By G. M.
Bramo assai, poco, spero nulla chieggio.
LONDON: Printed by T. S. for Iohn Browne, and are to be sould at his shop in Saint Dunstanes Church-yard.
1613.

TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, and his singular good Lord, the Lord Clifton, Baron of Layton.
It was a custome (right Honorable, and my most singular good Lord) both amongst the auntient Romans, and also amongst the wise Lacedemonians, that euery idle person should giue an account of the expence of his howers: Now I that am most idle, and least imployed in your Familie, present here vnto your Lordships hands an account of the expence of my idle time, which how well, or ill, it is, your Noble wisedome must both iudge and correct; onely this I am acertain'd, that for the generall rules and Maximes of the whole worke, they are most infallibly true, and perfectly agreeing with our English climate. Now if your Lordship shall doubt of the true tast of the liquor because it proceedeth from such a vessell as my selfe, whom you may imagine vtterly vnseasoned vvith any of these knowledges, beleeue it (my most best Lord) that for diuers yeeres, wherein I liued most happily, I liued a Husbandman, amongst Husbandmen of most excellent knowledge; during all which time I let no obseruation ouer-slip me: for I haue euer from my Cradle beene naturally giuen to obserue, and albe I haue not that oylie tongue of ostentation which loueth euer to be babling all, and somewhat more then it knoweth, drawing from ignorance admiration, and from wisedome laughter, filling meale-times with much vnprofitable noyse; yet I thanke my maker I haue a breast which containeth contentment inough for my selfe, and I hope much benefit for the whole Kingdome; how euer or whatsoeuer it is, it is all your Lordships, vnder the couert of whose fauourable protection if it may finde grace it is the vttermost aime whereunto my wishes aspire, nor shall I feare the malignitie of the curious, for it is not to them but the honest plaine English Husbandman, I intend my labours, vvhose defender you haue euer beene, and for whose Honorable prosperitie both they and I will continually pray.
Your honours in all seruiceable humblenesse,
G. M.

The Epistle to the generall and gentle Reader.
Although (generall reader) the nature of this worst part of this last age hath conuerted all things to such vildnesse that whatsoeuer is truely good is now esteemed most vitious, learning being derided, fortitude drawne into so many definitions that it consisteth in meere words onely, and although nothing is happy or prosperous, but meere fashion & ostentation, a tedious fustian-tale at a great mans table, stuft with bigge words, with out sence, or a mimicke Iester, that can play three parts in one; the Foole, the Pandar and the Parasit, yet notwithstanding in this apostate age I haue aduentured to thrust into the world this booke, which nothing at all belongeth to the silken scorner, but to the plaine russet honest Husbandman, for whose particular benefit, and the kingdomes generall profit, I haue with much paine, care, and industry, passed through the same. Now for the motiues which first drew me to vndertake the worke, they were diuers: as first, when I saw one man translate and paraphrase most excellently vpon