CHAP. I. Of Country Affairs in General.

BEFORE I come to speak particular­ly of Matters relating to a Country Life, it will not be improper to glance a little upon this Subject as it offers it self to our General Prospect, which indeed is both [Page 2] pleasant and profitable. And First for its Pleasure, what can be more suitable to a seri­ous and well dispos'd Mind, than to contem­plate the Improvements of Nature by the va­rious Methods and Arts of Culture: The same spot of Ground, which some Time since was nothing but Heath and Desart, and under the Original Curse of Thorns and Bryers, after a little Labour and Expence, seems restor'd to its Primitive Beauty in the State of Paradise. Curious Groves and Walks, fruitful Fields of Corn and Wine, with Flowry Meadows, and sweet Pastures, well stor'd with all sorts of Cattle for Food and Use, together with all the Advantages and Delights of Water-Cur­rents and Rivolets; as also with infinite Va­riety of Fruit-bearing Trees, of beautiful Flowers, of sweet and fragrant Herbs, &c. are the familiar and easie Productions of Indu­stry and Ingenuity; all which, as they afford extream Delight to our Senses, so must it needs be a ravishing Pleasure for the Contemplative to consider. What an Infinite Variety of Ve­getables, so beautiful and grateful to all our Senses, and so sovereign and useful for Health, may be produc'd out of a little portion of Earth well cultivated, and all this from little Seeds or Grains of small worth in appearance: So that this kind of Employment may most properly be call'd a Recreation, not only from the Refreshment it gives to the Mind, but from the Restauration of Nature, which may be lookt upon as a New Creation of things; when from [Page 3] Nothing, or from something next to Nothing, we become the Instruments of producing, or of restoring them in such Perfection.

And altho the Practice of Husbandry be a Business of some Toil and Care, of some Ha­zard and Expence, yet there is this in it to make all these things easie, viz. When a Man shall consider the gradual Advancements of growing Nature, so that every Day represents Things under New Colours and Beauties. 'Tis pleasant to see a Field of Corn shooting out of the Earth, which Pleasure is soon lost in a new and succeeding pleasure of seeing the whole Surface of the Ground, upon the ap­proach, perhaps of Winter, cover'd with the Blades of Green Corn, fresh and verdant as the Virgin Spring. This Pleasure likewise, is again succeeded with others, arising still from the New Appearances of Nature, which must needs be a growing Delight, forasmuch as every Day leads us to a nearer Prospect of Harvest, which is the Crown of all our Labours.

The like Content may be reap'd from all the other Employments of the Country, whether they relate to Planting, or to the Ordering of Pasturage. The Meadow which to Day is Green, two or three Days hence appears in another Livery, even that of Flowers, one Week White, anon Yellow, as soon Purple, or perhaps, in divers Colours at once, as if Na­ture had borrow'd its Beauties from Art and Fancy. Fruit-bearing Trees, for some time, are cover'd with spotless and sweet-smell­ing [Page 4] Blossoms, such as Perfume the Air, and ra­vish our Senses with surprising Delights: These Dropping off, the Fruit it self begins to appear in its Infancy, which every day grows more Fair till it arrive to Maturity; and then serves further to gratifie our Senses in yielding us Food of Delicacy; but more eminently, by affording us those excellent Liquors, by which the heart of Man's made glad, and his Body su­stain'd and nourish'd.

Indeed, were we to take up always with any one Entertainment of Nature, we should soon surfeit with it, as we see it happens daily to us in other Cases, where the constant Fruition of one Thing ceases to affect us: But where there is such an infinite Variety of Things (such as are the Productions of the Earth) tendered to us successively, and in their several Seasons, this cannot but sweeten the Mind with won­derful Content: So that as the Toils and La­bours are still returning, in like manner are the sweet fruits of them also: And even Toil and Labour it self, has this Pleasure in it, that it quickens Appetite, and contributes to Health and Strength of Body, where 'tis not in Excess, and accompanied with Disorders. And when a Man attentively considers the Annual Pro­gress of Nature through all its Stages and Alte­rations, it cannot but mind him of his own continual Changes, still leading him forwards towards his End, which is, or ought to be a thing of more consequence to him than all the other Pleasures which he may justly hope to [Page 5] reap from the several Blessings and Seasons of the Year.

Hence it was, that the Bravest Men in the First Ages of the World, betook themselves generally to Husbandry, which (however sim­ple and rude, as it appear'd) was found very advantageous and delightful; insomuch that the Poets of Ancient and Modern Times, when they would describe the true Felicity of Man, and give their Fancies the largest Flights of Freedom and Gayety, borrow all these Descri­ptions from the Pastoral Life; and even they, who give us Characters of Great Generals and Princes in Heroick Strains, still represent 'em by Metaphors of this Nature: Hence it was that they were called, Shepherds of the People, and the Scepter or Ensign of their Office was a Rod, or Staff, not a Sword. And truly, if we consider the matter with a little Attention, we may readily observe that Men, and other Animals of the Herd, or such as associate to­gether, are to be govern'd much by the same Measures. King David, who rul'd his People certainly by good Maxims, and was the best and happiest of any of that Nation, receiv'd doubtless, much Instruction from his Pastoral Methods, of which we have many Instances through the whole Tenour of his Psalms; but to proceed.

The Great Esteem which the Ancients had for Husbandry is further legible from hence, That they ascrib'd Divine Honours to those who were the Inventers and Promoters of it, such [Page 6] as Bacchus, Ceres, Pan, Diana, &c. Invocating them as the Tutelar Deities over these Affairs: Nor was there a God or Goddess to which they did not Consecrate some Tree or Plant, thereby obliging them (as they thought) to attend more particularly to the Preservation of them. But above all, the Egyptians being the greatest Corn-Masters in the World, to re­cognize the Benefits they receiv'd from Apis or Serapis, a great Prince, who preserv'd them from Famine (which Apis is, by many, conjectur'd to have been the Patriarch Joseph) ever wor­shipp'd him as their Supreme Deity, under the Symbol or Representation of an Ox or Calf, in consideration, that 'twas to the Labour of that Creature we chiefly owe our Sustenance and Life.

And after the Gods; Those Men were ever held in greatest Honour and Veneration, who procur'd Peace and Plenty to the World, ei­ther by distributing their Liberality, or by protecting their Subjects from Foreign Ene­mies, thereby leaving them at Ease to follow their Country Employments; and such an one was Augustus, under whose Reign the Temple of Janus was shut, who likewise much delighted himself in Rural Avocati­ons, and in the Conversation of Mecoenas, the great Patron of Husbandry and Learned Men. The Figure of the World, encompassed with Olive-Branches, with the Inscription of Pax Orbis Terrarum, was justly inscrib'd by the Senate upon his Coins, for the Peace and [Page 7] Plenty under the Influence of his Govern­ment. The Forms of Plenty, the Bushels and Measures of Corn in the Ears, with the Inscriptions of Annona or Congiarium, were the fullest Demonstrations of a Prince's Greatness, and of the Peoples Gratitude: all which Testimonials, or Pompous Attributes, were still measur'd, I say, from the Fruits of the Earth; so that the Romans never thought themselves happier than under the Reigns of such Emperors, who favour'd them this way: So that the Titles which are given to Adrian (under whose Reign the Roman Em­pire seem'd to be arriv'd to its fullest Beauty and Growth) were not dawbing Flatteries, but just acknowledgments of their Obligations to him, when in their Medals they Figur'd that Emperor with his Hand raising a pensive Woman from the Ground, having a Crown on her Head, and a Globe in her Lap, with the Inscription of Restitutori Orbis Terrarum, thereby signifying, that he rais'd the World from the Earth, as I may say, with some Par­don for the Solecism. The like Benefits were acknowledg'd by several Provinces in particu­lar, as appears by his Coins; for so it was, that this prudent Prince made it his business, more than any before or after him, to visit the several Regions of the Empire, setting them in good Order, and leaving Marks of his Bounty through all the Stages of his Progress. The other many Noble Inscriptions which we meet with every where in Roman Monuments, [Page 8] such as, Ob Cives Servator; Salus Generis Hu­mani; Libertas Restituta Pacator Orbis, &c. were the Fruitful Issues of Peace and Plenty, as Plenty was ever the Offspring of the well cultivated Earth.

What Estimation the Jews had for a Coun­try Life is very clear from Sacred Writings; Most or all of the Patriarchs or Princes of the East, of whom we read, were Herdsmen and Followers of Husbandry. Job had a large Stock of Cattle under his Care, and Ab­solom, David's Son and Darling, made a Feast for his Sheep-shearers.

As for Prophane Story; At such Time as Rome was a Commonwealth, at which Time likewise it most flourished with brave and ver­tuous Men; 'Twas no rare thing for Plowmen to lead forth their Armies; Such an one was Atilius, who was Tilling his Ground with a Yoke of Oxen, and sowing it himself, when the Senate sent for him to be their General; those Hands of his holding the Reins of a Triumphant Carr, which but a little before, held the Plough, to which he gladly return'd again, having prosperously finish'd what he un­dertook. No less Famous was Quintius Cin­cinnatus, who had the Dictatorship Conferr'd upon him as he was Plowing his Four Acres of Land near the Vatican, bare-headed, or cover'd rather with Swett and Dust: Four Acres of Glebe, one would think but a small Pittance for a Roman General or Emperour; [Page 9] so consistent then was Greatness of Vertue with the narrow Limits of Fortune.

And even at such Time as Rome seem'd to be en bon point, at the highest pitch of Luxury, we read of Terentius Varro, a Senator, who was the most Learned Man amongst all the Romans, and a Great Commander in the Civil Wars be­twixt Caesar and Pompey, and of some Figure likewise during the Triumvirate, that he va­lu'd himself much from his Breed of Mares, and from his Flock of Sheep, which was Se­ven Hundred, as he himself tells us in the Book he has Published de Re Rustica, wherein he condescends to many Particulars relating to Husbandry and Good Houswisry, as also to the breeding and ordering of Fowl and Cattle. In the Second of which Books, being Dedicat­ed to his Friend Niger Turranus, a Roman No­bleman, he tells us, how this Friend of his was wont to Trudge it a Foot, from Market to Market, to buy Beasts.

To be short, There cannot be a greater Te­stimony for the Honour of the Plough, than the Behaviour of Romulus, the First Founder of Rome, and, as I may say, of that Vast Em­pire, as laying its Foundation in those solid Maxims by which it grew to such a prodigi­ous Greatness in after Ages: Amongst which Fundamental Institutions, this was one (if not the greatest) viz. to Erect a College of Priests, under the Title of Sacerdotes Arrorum: Their Number was Twelve, of which he him­self was one, condescending to be called the [Page 10] Twelfth Brother of that Fraternity, being so­lemnly Installed thereunto by Laurentia Acca, his Foster-Mother, who platting a Garland of the Ears of Corn, bound it on his Head with her White Fillet, which was lookt upon at that time to be the most Sacred Badge of Priesthood, and was the First Crown that we read of amongst the Romans: And in so great Honour was it held in after Ages, that nothing but Death could put a Period to it, and was ever enjoyed, even in Times of Exile and Captivity.

No Wonder then, if even Kings themselves delighted to write of Husbandry, such as Hiero, Philometor, Archelaus and Attalus. A­mongst Militant Persons, Xenophon was emi­nent this way; but much more famous was Mago, the Carthaginian, and Brother of Hani­bal; which Works of his were held in that Esteem, as to be Translated into divers Lan­guages, an Epitome whereof, made Greek, was sent to Dejotarus, as a Jewel of Inestima­ble Value; and particularly, it was lookt up­on by the Romans, to be so precious, that a­mongst all the African Monuments of Learn­ing, this alone was thought worthy of the Romans Care, and to be preserv'd, upon the Subversion of Carthage, being Translated like­wise into the Roman Language, by the Care and Directions of M. Cato. Amongst Philo­sophers, whose Works are Extant, Aristotle, Pliny and Terentius Varro signaliz'd themselves upon this Subject, as did also Theocritus, He­siod [Page 11] and Virgil, amongst the Ancient Poets, with infinite other Writers of modern Date.

And such an Influence truly had the Art and Practise of Husbandry upon the Minds of Men, that the most eminent of them in all Ages, whether for Military or Civil Employments, did ever betake themselves, in some degree or other, to this Course of Life. Hence it was that every Roman of old had his Villa where to bestow himself in time of Vacancy from Business, as they have at this Day in Italy, and elsewhere, belike thinking themselves then most happy, when they take up with the En­tertainments of their Vineyards.

As to the Profits arising from a Country Life, it is superfluous to enlarge on that which is so obvious to all the World: And first, in respect of the General or Commonwealth. This is that great Vein by which the Blood is distri­buted through all Parts of the Body, or ra­ther the very Blood it self, since it is disfus'd over the Whole, nor can any Part or Mem­ber subsist without it: It is the Foundation of Traffick and Commerce, forasmuch as all the Manufactures and Commodities which we export or receive from Foreign Parts, are but the Productions of the Earth at the first or se­cond hand. Corn, Wine, Oil, Fruits, Cloth, Linen or Woollen, Silks, &c. are all of them the Off-spring of the Earth, cultivated by Art and Industry.

And as the Husbandman is most necessary to the Publick in Times of Peace, so is he as [Page 12] useful in Times of War, since all the Stores and Magazines, by which Garrisons and Ar­mies in the Field are sustain'd, are deriv'd from his Labour and Providence. The De­scription therefore which the Poet gave of old Italy, that it was Potens Armis atque Ʋbere Gleba, was well concerted; for Italy, as it was one of the most fruitful, so it was the most martial and victorious Country under Hea­ven, giving Laws to all other Nations; so that were it under the Command of one Prince, it might possibly pretend to be once more the Mistress of the World, as it was heretofore, when the Boundaries of its Empire were the Ocean, which it exceeded to in Greatness of Extent: Nor could it be possible for Flanders, with the other neighbouring Countries, to sustain such vast Armies, and to have been the Seat of War and Desolation for so many Ages together, with such immense Losses and Cala­mities, were they not enabled thereunto by the invincible Industry of its Inhabitants, and by the Fertility of the Soil.

In the next place, if we regard the parti­cular Interest of private Persons, no less ob­vious is it, that nothing can more advance it than Husbandry: The great Estates and For­tunes which many Men arrive to this way, be­ing a certain Proof of this Truth. If some miscarry, 'tis no wonder, whether it be through their own ill course of Life, Ignorance or Negligence, or perhaps from some sinister Ac­cidents, from which no State or Condition can [Page 13] be exempted: But in the General, 'tis certain, that, considering the vast Numbers of Men who make Profession of Husbandry, none make a surer Fortune than those who follow it; there being ten Bankrupt Tradesmen or Merchants for one Husbandman, Considera­tion being had, I say, to the Farms, which far exceed the Shops in Number.

And as to our native Country in particular, it enjoys certainly many Advantages above any Country whatsoever: For in foreign King­doms so it happens, that one Province a­bounds only with Corn, another is in Reputa­tion for Wine, a third is eminent for Herbage, a fourth for Boscage; in which Case Men must be beholden to remoter Parts for Necessaries, which is a Business of great Expence, Trouble, and Delay; for Instance, Picardy and Nor­mandy are great Corn-Countries, but have lit­tle Wood, Wine, or Pasturage, all which Ne­cessaries, being from far, are very chargeable. Holland is famous for Butter and Cheese, but it must be oblig'd to foreign Countries for al­most all its other Commodities; whereas with us in England, there is rarely a Farm of Fifty Pounds per Annum, but has Meadow and Pa­sture-Ground belonging to it, together with some Wood or Coppice, as likewise with A­rable Land for Corn, with Sheep-Pasture, as also with Trees for building for the Occasions of Husbandry, for Fire, and in many Places for Fruit and rich Liquor, being yet farther bless'd with fresh and wholsome Water almost [Page 14] in every Ground, or with some little Rivolet or Brook running near it; so that a Man en­joys all things almost within himself, of which he can stand in need, without any De­pendence upon others, or of being in dan­ger of want by any Difficulties in the Convey­ance; tho' I must confess, that in some re­spects foreign Countries have an Advantage over us, not only from the Sun and Temper of the Soil, (which generally requires less Manurement than with us,) but also from the Woods, which in hotter Countries are much more easie, being generally dry, smooth, and fit for Teams or Carriages at all Seasons; or else they have artificial Canals, as in the Low-Countries, which indeed is a thing very consi­derable to a Farmer who keeps the Market; so that little Profit may be expected from a Farm, be the Ground never so good, which lies not near to a good Market-Town, or which wants the Conveniencies of good Roads, or of a Navigable River.

The Italian Saying, of Buona Terra, Cati­va Gente, hath been by some applied to our Country, with respect, doubtless, to the Pea­santry of this Nation; for as for the ancient Gentry, probably there is not a more frank, a more generous, and a more open-hearted sort of Men any where to be found, those es­pecially who have not been infected with the Principles of Calvin, who (to give them some part of their due) are generally a [Page 15] Brood of formal, censorious, and superce­lious Hypocrites! Some of our true English Gentry may want that flattering and comple­mental Gayety, so natural to our Neighbours, following the true English Genius, which is plain, hospitable, and debonair, without much Ceremony and Dissimulation; tho withal they are presumptuous many times, and resentive of Injuries, which really is much more commendable than modish Hypocrisie accompanied with Cringes and Grimace.

But as for our Common People, many of them must be confess'd to be very rough and savage in their Dispositions, being of level­ling Principles, and refractory to Govern­ment, insolent and tumultuous: What Gen­tleman soever then shall have the Misfortune to fall into the Neighbourhood of such Boors, let him never think to win them by Civilities; it will be much more easie for him to teach a Hog to play upon the Bagpipes, than to soften such Brutes by Courtesie; for they will presently interpret a Man's Gentleness to be the Effect of a timorous and easie Nature, which will pre­sently make them bold and saucy. The best way therefore will be to bridle them, and to make them feel the Spur too, when they be­gin to play their Tricks, and kick. The Say­ing of an English Gentleman was much to the purpose, That Three things ought always to be kept under, our Mastiff-Dog, a Stone-Horse, and a Clown: And really I think a [Page 16] snarling, cross-grain'd Clown to be the most unlucky Beast of the three. Such Men then are to be look'd upon as trashy Weeds or Net­tles, growing usually upon Dunghills, which if touch'd gently will sting, but being squeez'd hard will never hurt us.

There is this Thing more to be recommen­ded to every Gentleman who affects a Country Life, viz. Not to embarras himself with too much Business; for the Affairs of the Country consist much in Labour and Drudgery; so that he who has a great deal to manage, if he trust to Servants will certainly be cheated or neglected by them; or if he hurries about it himself, he will be in a perpetual Toil, tho' of never so great Strength of Body; and to lose all the Pleasure of his Life in endless Pains and Vex­ations, and having many hot Irons in the Fire to be work'd upon at once, some of them will cool and miscarry upon his hands. 'Twas very well observ'd by the ingenious Bocalin, when all the Kingdoms and States presented themselves before Lorenzo Medici, to be weigh'd by his Balance, and when it came to the turn of the Spanish Monarchy to be put into the Scale, it still prov'd lighter and lighter by the Addition of new Provinces; so that Spain, under Philip the Second, being infinitely aug­mented by the Access of Sicily, Naples, Milan, the Low-Countrys, Burgundy, &c. was less weigh­ty, and considerable than before. The Rea­son was, because all the Spanish Treasure was exhausted to maintain such remote and foreign [Page 17] Dependencies, and serv'd but to feed the Ava­rice of Viceroys and Governours; so that the main Body grew consumptive and feeble by having its Nourishment diverted for the use of such disproportionable and foreign Members, with their excrementitious Superfluities. The same thing happens then inevitably in a private Gentleman's Estate, when it is too great for a single Person to manage; so that there is no way for him, having sufficient to employ him­self about, but to farm out the Overplus to others. A numerous Herd of Servants, (tho' they are necessary Helps to one who has a great deal under hand, and serve to fill up the Measures and Figure of a Family, yet) do in reality impoverish the House they belong to, being like Wenns, and the like Excrescencies, which, tho' they seem to be a Part of the Bo­dy, and to add to the Bulk, do in Truth suck the best Juice to themselves, whilst the genu­ine Parts languish and decay.

He likewise who affects a Country Life ought to be a Person of subdu'd Passions; for where there is a continual Hope, there will be the same, or possibly a greater degree of Fear likewise; and the various Accidents to which our Labours and the Fruits of the Earth are hourly expos'd, cannot but leave a Man frequently under the Impression of these Pas­sions. The Seed which the Husbandman in­tends to cast into the Earth may be good, and the Soil duly prepar'd, and yet the unseason­ableness of the Weather, at the time of sow­ing, [Page 18] may fill him with Distrust, and frustrate his Hope. The like Frustration also may hap­pen afterwards from extreme Frosts and Winds, from immoderate Rains and excessive Drouth: And when he is upon the Point of reaping the Fruit of his Labour, all may be lost by the In­temperance of the Weather. Or suppose we farther, that he hath converted all the Fruits of his Labour into Money, this likewise is subject to many Dangers; or if he be so for­tunate to lay it out for the Procurement of other Blessings, these may become a Snare to him, and he may surfeit himself by Plenty, and be cut off in the midst of his Enjoyments. How many Mischiefs are there to which Fruit-bearing Trees are obnoxious! And when all thereunto relating shall fall out according to our Desires, how easie is it for a Man to be ru­in'd by too much delight in drinking of the juicy Blessing, falling either into a Disease, or into Habits of Intemperance, to the final Consumption of his Estate, Parts and Cre­dit: So that the true way for a Man to be happy amidst his Travels and Labours, is not to be over-anxious about such Comforts, but to be moderate in the Fruition of them; and by this means he will secure himself from Disappointments, and have his Appetite al­was quick to relish what is grateful, by be­ing temperate and abstemious. And thus may a Man rejoice innocently in all his La­bours, and be prepar'd for a more perfect Fru­ition of what is solid and unalterable, by his [Page 19] constant dependance upon Providence, and by making God's Blessings to be the daily sub­ject of his Thoughts.

If there were a Kalendar, or Diary, kept of Weather, viz. what Rains or Winds, what severities of Heat and Cold; what Plenty or Dearth, what Vicissitudes or Accidents hap­pen every Year, it would be a most profita­ble Work doubtless; and of far more use than all the Prognostications of cautious A­strologers; for it happens very frequently, that upon the same Concurrence of Causes and Circumstances, we meet with the same Effects. This Method was observ'd ever by the best Artists in Husbandry. And amongst the An­cients, as we may read in Virgil, they had a constant regard to the Heavens, as to all the Seasons and Productions of Nature.

And as there ought to be a Diary or Regi­ster for Seasons, so likewise for the Producti­ons which come from Foreign Parts; and to this End and Purpose, 'twould be a Diversion well worthy the Ingenuity of many Young Gentlemen who travel, to be curious in ob­serving what Fruits every Soil does yield, as also the Nature and Complexion of the Soil, the Temper of the Climate, the Rules of their Husbandry, the Tackle and Instruments they make use of, as also their Methods of Manure­ment, with what Returns they make of their Labours. As for Curiosities of Plants, Fruit-Trees, Flowers, and other Rarities of the Gar­dens, brought over from Foreign Countries, [Page 20] we have certainly as great a Collection as any Nation under Heaven, there being none to be found which is so universally stor'd with all Provisions of this kind as is England, and pos­sibly some parts of the Low Countries; which Benefit we have from the great Trade we drive in all Parts of the World; so that, whatsoe­ver is rare, is brought over, and naturaliz'd amongst us, being made free of our Soil.

The like Improvements might be made, cer­tainly, in matters relating to Husbandry and Planting, which would be of equal Pleasure with the Entertainments of a Garden, and of infinite more Profit, beyond all Dispute; especi­ally if we make choice of such Experiments and Observations as are already made by many ex­cellent Persons of this latter Age, in which, this sort of Natural History seems to have ob­tain'd its utmost Perfection; Out of all which Writings of our Modern Times, a most ex­cellent System or Body of Husbandry might be compiled, than which nothing could be more reputable to the Undertaker, nor more beneficial to the whole Kingdom: Not that I think it Expedient that all Foreign Growths should be encourag'd, for this in many cases, may be detrimental, as I shall shew hereafter, especially when the Introduction of some things, shall discredit and discourage the Growth of others: only then 'twill be bene­ficial to the Publick, when 'tis of such Produ­ctions as are imported on us from abroad; for by this means we shall never be at any straits in time of War, for what we want, and our Dis­bursements [Page 21] will be less in the course and me­thods of Traffick. I shall instance only in Three Things, of which

The First is, The Planting of Hemp and Flax. 'Tis known to all, what Profit is made of the latter in Lombardy and some Parts of France; the Growth of Flax being esteem'd equal to that of the richest Wines in Italy, as being cultivated in the same rich Soil, such as that in the State of Milan, Parma, Modena, &c. than which there cannot be a better upon Earth: And when I consider, that the Flax Trade, and the Thread and Cloth made of it being a sedentary kind of Employment, clean and fit for Ladies, no doubt many nice Fingers which refuse to handle greasie Wooll, might easily be invited hereunto: And that this was the most honourable Vocation in which the Noblest Matrons and Virgins of Ancient Times were employed, is abundantly evident from Ancient Records, the Invention thereof being of Divine Extraction, and ascrib'd to Minerva; the like Esteem it has ever preserv'd to its self through all after Ages, insomuch that all Vir­gins, even of Royal Degree and Birth, were, and are still, stiled Spinsters; because this was the Business they were to profess and practice: No wonder then if amongst the Familiars of the Nuptial Waggon amongst the Romans, the Wheel and Distaff was ever the chiefest, and most conspicuous: And truly, could the Profession of Spinning be separated from the Maiden State of the greatest Princesses, the Sa­lique [Page 22] Law would meet with an unlucky Rub, or perhaps a Baffle, when it bars the Distaff from Succession to the Crown, by telling us that it cannot fall en quenouille.

The Advantage to the Kingdom arising from the Linnen Manufactures, would be ve­ry great, especially if young Children were inur'd hereunto from their Childhood, for by that means their Fingers being then young and pliable, would get such an Habit of working, as Age it self could hardly wear away. A Scheme of this Nature I have met with in a Book published by Captain Yarrington of Wor­cestershire, a very knowing Projector, from the Observations he made of the vast Advantages they found in Holland by these and such like Arts well worthy our Imitation; such Chil­dren being there bred up in Working-Houses or Colledges, under the Guard of honest, vi­gilant and experienced Mistresses or Over­seers.

Another thing of which it might be wish'd there were a Tryal made, is that of the Silk Manufacture, by planting of Mulberries, which doubtless might be made to prosper in this our Island. This likewise would be a very suita­ble Employment or Recreation rather, for the more delicate of the other Sex, who are so much taken with the Gawderies of Butterflies: From whence also they may learn this Moral Lecture, That as the greatest Ornaments and Lustre of their Bodies are the Spoils of Worms, [Page 23] so the greatest Food for Worms will be upon the Spoils of their Bodies.

The Third Thing which I would recom­mend to be encourag'd, is the Planting of Wallnut-Trees, not for the Benefit of the Fruit to eat, which is inconsiderable; but for the Profit which might be made of the Oil, which tho of little Use with us, would be very well worth the Exportation; it being amongst the poorer sort beyond-Sea, some part of their Food, and most serviceable to the Great Ones too, in the Use they make of it, to be Fuel for their Lamps, especially in their Churches, and almost in all Private Houses. There is no Tree whatsoever growing in our English Soil, whose Timber is so useful for Curious Fur­niture; so that every Limb or Branch of a Wall­nut-Tree which will but carry Three Inches Square, is serviceable and of value: Nor do I find that these Trees are of any Difficulty to be rais'd as to the choice of Ground, nor sub­ject to so much hazard as Oaks, and other Trees, upon Extremities of Weather. All that can discourage the Tryal of them is, the long Time we must wait for the Maturity of them, which exceeds the common limits of an Age; but since there is no more Care about them when they once begin to grow, than about o­ther common Trees which grow wild and na­tural, it seems too great an Argument of a mean Spirit in a Man, to measure all his Undertak­ings by the returns of Profit which he may expect in his own Life-time, without regard to [Page 24] the future Advantages which his Heirs and After-Ages may reap from his Industry. Tho in what I am now speaking of, there is a great Pleasure and Satisfaction in seeing the gradual Advances of Nature, and consi­derable Profit to be expected too, by the Fruits they yield, which will be still greater the lon­ger they grow.

'Tis much to be wish'd likewise, That the State would afford some Encouragement to Husbandry, more than what we find at present, by exempting it, or at least by easing it, as to the Publick Burthens, especially for some Years, upon any New Undertaking, which shall be judg'd profitable to the Pub­lick: For by this Means Men would venture upon Projection. 'Tis very well observ'd by a most Ingenious and Learned Gentle­man, in his Remarks upon one of the great­est, most Ancient, and most polish'd Govern­ments upon Earth, when he tells us, ‘[That Agriculture is encouraged by so many spe­cial Priviledges from the Crown, and the Common Laws and Customs of the Coun­try, that whatever Wars happen, the Til­lers of the Ground are untouch'd, as if they were Sacred, like the Priests in other Places, so as no Country in the World was ever known to be so well cultivated, as the whole Kingdom of China.]’ Whereas with us, and other neighbouring Countries, 'tis the poor Husbandman who must support in a manner, the whole Expence of a War, and [Page 25] undergo greater Burthens and Drudgery than the Beasts which Till the Ground.

In fine, What I have written upon this Sub­ject, is not grounded upon the Reports and Methods of other Authors, but upon my own Observations, towards which I have had some small Advantage by my long continu­ance in a Private and Country Life, which Observations I shall adventure to deliver more particularly in the following Chapters.

CHAP. II. Of Tillage.

THE Art and Practice then of Husban­dry is reducible to these Three Gene­ral Heads, viz. Tillage, Pasturage, and Plan­tation: On each of which I shall be brief, in regard many write daily upon this Subject, more copiously sometimes than solidly; their Volumes generally swelling with trivial Obser­vations, and large Digressions; whereas the Reason of things is more easily comprehended when contracted into a lesser Room, and freed from tedious Repetitions and Exemplificati­ons.

I shall begin first with Tillage, which is ei­ther in the open and common Fields, or a­midst Inclosures; and altho' Inclosures, where every Man's Property is secur'd by Fences, may seem much more eligible, yet so it is that com­mon Fields are held generally in greater Esteem and Value, and that for these Reasons, as, 1st. In common Fields Men are delivered from the continual Vexation and Expence ef ma­king and repairing of Hedges, and consequent­ly from the Injuries of Cattle breaking in up­on one anothers Ground: For such common Fields bordering upon Pasturage, or other In­closures, [Page 27] it lies upon others to secure the Mounds. Besides, there are Haywards appoin­ted on purpose to make their Rounds, and to see all things safe. 2dly, Common Fields have a great Advantage above Inclosures, from Sheep; for when they lie fallow, by being wide, the Sheep are forc'd to nip the young Weeds as fast as they peep out of the Ground, and there leave their Dung; by which means they con­vert what is most hurtful to what is most profi­table for Corn; whereas in little Inclosures they will be still brousing upon the Hedges, where likewise they will be continually nu­sling to avoid the Sun and Cold, so that they destroy the Fences, and leave their Dung in Places which make no return, whilst the Fal­low is poison'd with over-grown Weeds and Trash; and here indeed lies the true Profit of Sheep, for where they are kept in lesser Closes, the Owner will be in perpetual danger of lo­sing by them, and the Sheep themselves will be in danger of tearing their Fleeces, and of leaving their Wool amongst the Thorns and Bushes. 3dly, Common Fields are more open to the Sun, and more free from Birds likewise, which lying in the Trees and Hedges, will be continually preying upon the Corn; where­as in little Inclosures, Corn never ripens so kindly, being under the Shade and Drop­pings of Trees; the Roots likewise of the Trees spreading to some distance from the Hedges, do rob the Earth of what should nou­rish the Grain, as the Birds likewise will not [Page 28] be wanting to play their part from the neigh­bouring Hedges, as soon as the Corn begins to ripen in the Ear.

Inclosures nevertheless have this Advantage, (which perhaps is peculiar to Hereford, Worce­ster, and some Parts of Glocestershire,) that in the Hedges Fruit-Trees may be planted, the Profit whereof in some Years equals half the Rent of the Ground: But this, I say, is local, or a Profit only in such Countries where Fruit-Trees are thrifty and flourishing. And as for other Trees, as Oaks, Elms, Ash, and the like, which grow commonly in Hedges, 'tis well if the Lop and Crop of them will serve for Fewel, and the old Trees, and other Wood arising from thence, defray the Charge of Ditching, and of repairing the Mounds and Hedges from time to time. This Advantage notwithstanding is hardly worth taking notice of, it being much more profitable to have such Hedges as shall never need repair, than to have Trees growing in them which from time to time may supply the Husbandman with Few­el: For 'tis certain that great Trees rob the Quick of its Nourishment, and the Trespass which the Husbandman receives by the conti­nual decay of such Hedges near such Trees, and the Expence he must be contiually at in making them good, makes such Fences very chargeable and expensive, whereas a clean quick-set Hedge will never need repair.

There is farther Advantage likewise from In­closures, in that a Man receives no Trespass or [Page 29] Damage from a Neighbour's turning upon his Grounds; for so it is, that in Common-Fields the first Plower always receives a considerable Da­mage, especially upon his head Lands, which abutt upon another's Lands; for he that sows last turns his Cattle backward and forward on it, to the great Damage and Destruction of what was first sown. Besides, the continual Trespass of going over one anothers Grounds and Corn, both at Sowing and at Harvest-time, is very prejudicial to the Crop. Ne­vertheless, Common Fields are much to be preferr'd before Inclosures, for the Reasons before-mention'd.

Fallowing of Ground every third or every fourth Year, is excellent good Husbandry: For they who plow upon the Brush, (as they call it in Glocestershire,) that is to say, every Year tilling and sowing the Ground, without Intermission, will certainly be plagu'd with Weeds enough; for 'tis the Fallow, or turn­ing up the Earth to the Sun, which kills the Weeds at the Root, and makes the Earth more freeable and fine, and gives the Dung or Compost time to mix and incorporate with the Soil; whereas the other Method, besides the Damage of Weeds, robs the Ground of all its Virtue by continual Crops, nor can the Dung have time to digest and mix with the Earth before the Grain be sown. This piece of Husbandry was much in use amongst the Ancient Romans, as appears by Virgil, Georg. I.

In the Interpretation of which Place Authors are at some Contest. The Explication of Salma­sius seems most rational, which is this, viz. That Ground is fittest for a Crop of Bread-Corn which has been four times plowed; of which the first plowing must be in the Winter, the se­cond in the Spring, the third in the Summer, and the last in Autumn, or immediately before the Season of sowing; so that the first and last Plowings, according to his Interpretation, must have allusion to bis frigora; the other two Plowings are poetically recommended by the Vernal and Aestival Suns. The Reason of the Summer-Fallow is taught us by the same Poet a little after.

Because the parching Sun burns the fibrous and stringy Roots of the Herbs or Weeds, which otherwise would choak the Grain.

Lime and burning of Ground is kinder for Corn than Dung; for Dung, besides that it requires some Digestion or Maturation, is subject to breed Weeds, by reason of the Weeds and their Seeds which lie in the Lit­ter. But the Shovelings of Folds is the worst thing imaginable that can be thrown upon [Page 31] Tillage; for it consists chiefly of the win­nowings of Corn, with all manner of Trash whatsoever; and tho' the Chaff or Litter be perfectly rotted and turn'd to Earth, yet it shall still flourish with Weeds beyond any o­ther Soil or Compost whatsoever; but for Pasturage such sort of Management is very kind.

Pigeons-Dung is the hottest of any; one Load and a half of it being thinly strew'd or sown, is sufficient for an Acre. Next, Sheeps-Dung is an excellent Manurement, and of this about four Load to an Acre; of Horse-Dung, eight Load upon an Acre is good dres­sing; and of Beasts or Cow-Dung, ten or twelve Load; and of good mellow Earth, as the Mud, or cleansing of Pools, Ditches, and the like, after two or three Years sweetening, we ought to bestow twenty Load at least up­on an Acre. We are to note likewise, that the fresher the Dung, the better 'tis for Ster­coration; so that one Load of Dung, a little ripened or settled in a heap, is as good as two Load of that which has lain two or three Years mellowing; forasmuch as two Load of fresh Dung, after it has lain for some time rotting, will not make one Load. Besides, the saline or sulphureous parts of the Dung (in which its vegetative Virtue does principally consist) by lying long in the heap, are wasted by continual heat and rottening, and after some time will prove no better than rank Mould, or Earth; whereas that which is [Page 32] new is fat and unctious, and full of heat and spirit.

This which I have said holds true in the Manurement of Ground for Corn; but for Garden-Ground, that Dung which is oldest and most rotten is the best, because it may be made fine and sifted, and by this means be fit for all Seed-Plots, Boxes, Flowers, and the like. But in all these Cases no difinitive Rule can be given; forasmuch as the Natu­ral Temper or Disposition of the Earth be­ing in several Places very different, more or less help must be us'd, and generally speaking, an Acre of Arable dress'd as before-mention'd, will yield three Crops. But of all Manure­ments I hold Lime to be the best: Four Load to a moderate Acre is a good dressing; it kills the Weeds, corrects the Coldness of the Soil, and cherishes the Grain; so that the Ground which is dress'd with it will be the better for Several Years after. 'Tis likewise wonderful good for cold weeping Pasture.

In former Ages they manur'd their Land much with Marle, which is a hot kind of Earth, and slakes something like Lime: And 'tis certain that they us'd vast Quantities of it, as appears by the great Pits we find in all Places where such Husbandry was in use, some of which Pits will contain ten or twelve thou­sand Loads; but this sort of Husbandry, since the use of Lime has been in credit, is much neglected.

[Page 33] Burning of Land is excellent good for Corn, for by this means the Weeds are kill'd, and the Strings or Fibres of the Weeds or Grass being turn'd into Ashes enrich the Ground mightily, by reason of the saline or nitrous Particles with which the Ashes do abound. Upon which account it is, that such Marshes as lie near the Sea-Coast, and are wash'd with the briny Element, are extraordinary luxuri­ant, and feed Cattle beyond any other. Shells and trashy Weeds, of which we find great quantities on the Sea-shore, are wonderful Helps to Tillage; so that a barren piece of Ground, not worth Four Shillings per Acre, will yield eight or nine Crops successively, as I have been credibly inform'd; the Reason is from the great quantities of Salt which such Trash does abound with; and for this Rea­son 'tis, I say, that Rumny Marsh and the Marshes of Holland feed the best of any Ground in the World. Hence it is that the Low-Countries have such a large Breed of Men, Horses, and other Beasts, as are not elsewhere to be found: And for the same Reason like­wise 'tis that the Animals which are ingender'd in the Sea are far more numerous and greater in bulk than those of the Earth; and the young Fry or Spawn of Fish belonging to the River, such I mean as relish the Salt-Water, as Salmon, Lamprys, and the like, tho' small and little when they leave the fresh Streams, will, upon their Return from the Salt-Water, in a very short time acquire an extraordinary [Page 34] Growth. Fish which are so testacious, as Crabs, Lobsters, Oisters, and the like, are much more nourishing than other Fish, by reason of that volatile Salt with which they do abound

What we read of old, of sowing Cities with Salt, when they were to be eras'd and condemn'd to utter Desolation, seems much to confirm this Opinion; for by that means the Soil was made fit for Pasturage, and for the Service of Beasts, which was de­sign'd to be unfurnish'd with Men; tho' I much doubt whether our common Salt, if sown upon the Earth, would produce any great effect, having receiv'd possibly some Al­teration from the Fire. I am more inclina­ble therefore to believe, that by sowing such Places with Salt was no more but to sow or scatter the Ashes on them, arising from the Ruines, which generally was by burning; which Ashes, by reason of the copious Salts with which they did abound, were them­selves, by a kind of Figure, called Salts, and such as serv'd to render the Soil useful only for the Nourishment of Beasts, as I have al­ready observ'd. Why such Salts should be so fruitful seems to proceed from their penetra­ting Nature, by which they seem to open first, and then to purge the Bodies which do imbibe them from their cold, crude Humours, heal­ing them likewise, and afterwards rendering them more uniform and compact.

[Page 35] The way of burning Land, is by gathering the Turfs into little Heaps, in the hollow whereof a little Bush or Faggot of dry Wood being laid; after the Turf has been well dry'd and parch'd by the Sun, they set the Hillock on Fire, and afterwards scatter the parch'd Turf and Ashes upon the Surface. This Me­thod of improving the Ground by burning, was much in practice amongst the Ancient Ro­mans: Their way was to burn the Stubble which remain'd after Harvest, as it was left standing on the Ground, and this serv'd to prepare it for another Crop, as we many Col­lect from Virgil, Geor 1.

The Benefit whereof our Poet makes to con­sist in the Power and Vertue which the Fire has to purge out the crude Humors of the Earth, when he tells us

The same Method likewise of burning the Stubble upon the Ground, is much us'd at this day in the Campaine of Rome, at which time the Air is very scorching and unhealthy, the Heat of the Climate being very much increas'd by such general Burnings, attended with so much Smoak. In a word, this way of Burn­ing, [Page 36] is all the help they have in a manner, in the hotter Countries; where the paucity of Cattle would not afford Soil to dress the Tenth Part of their Tillage; so that the heat of the Climate, with a little help from their stubble Trees, does do that which we of the colder Regions are forced to purchase with four times more Charge and Trouble.

Raggs cut or chopt to pieces, are us'd in ma­ny places as a great help to Tillage; and 'tis strange to see what a Crop of Corn some barren flinty Ground shall yield after such a Manure­ment. In dressing of Ground with Dung, 'tis good to let it lie a little in the Heaps, and digest the rawness of it in the Sun: For turn'd in fresh, 'tis not so good, and to let it ly too long, the fat and oily parts will be too much exhal'd.

Many Husbandmen, especially in open com­mon Fields, where they cannot fallow their Land, unless all agree together, sow Vetches, which serve their Horses all the Summer, by hitching them on the Land, where they will be sure to eat it bear, and leave good store of Dung in the place: This Method is lookt up­on to be as good almost as a Fallow with dung­ing, and is perform'd with no Charge nor Trouble.

Many likewise, before they sow their Grain, especially Wheat, steep it in Urine or Brine, that it may imbibe the Salt, and then they flow­er it with Lime: This they do, not only to strengthen and cherish the Corn against the cold and moistness of the Winter Season, but [Page 37] also to prevent Birds, Swine, Worms, and the like, from feeding on it. Husbandmen likewise observe to buy such Seed as grew upon a poorer Ground than that on which they intend to sow it: If the Seed be fair and full, it may do very well, but not otherwise; for 'tis with Grain as 'tis with Plants or Trees, the fuller and more thriving the better.

The Season for sowing every sort of Grain after its kind, must be left to the discretion of the prudent Husbandman, who must have re­gard to the temper of his Land: If it be sub­ject to Weeds, and in good heart and strength, the later the Ground is sown, the better will be the Crop for the purpose; Barley may be sown in the beginning of May, for being a quick grower, the very Dews will in a Weeks time bring it forth of the Earth, and by this means 'twill get a head over the Weeds, which require a longer time to shew themselves, and will not be so apt to thrive in Hot Weather. But if the Ground be dry and sandy, the soon­er any sort of Corn is sown in it, 'tis the better, for the heat of the Sun, join'd to that of the Earth, or Soil, will endanger the Crop, and make it turn yellow and wither; but if in case it prove a cool and wet Summer, it may do very well; so that maugre all the care and foresight of the honest Husbandman, he must depend much upon the Dispensations of Hea­ven, which nei [...]her himself nor the wisest man upon Earth can foresee; and therefore both he and every man else, (how great and provi­dent [Page 38] soever) after he has cast his business in­to the best Method his Reason can propose, must still depend upon Providence, as to the event, there being so many Accidents which may traverse his Designs, and such as can ne­ver be provided against, nor foreseen.

The same Discretion is to be used in the sowing of Winter-Grain: For light, Sandy Ground, sown late, will rarely bring forth a Crop, unless well stercorated; but being ear­ly sown, the Season of the Year will cherish the Seeds without danger of Weeds; whereas the Ground which is more fat and rich, being na­turally subject to breed Weeds and Grass, will quickly push them forth, and choak the good Grain in the coming forth; but when such rich Ground is late sown upon, there is no danger; for the Weeds will not stir towards Winter, and the Grain being lodg'd in the Earth, will weather out the Cold Season well enough, and Spring too, when Grass and Weeds are pincht by the Cold Weather.

I doubt not of Winter Grain, as Wheat and Rye sown in February, if the Season be dry, and the Earth crumbling or mellow, but that it will be as forward as that which is sown at Michaelmas or All-Hallon-tide, especially if the Ground be well tempered, and clean from Weeds and Covet-Grass, which Two Plowings will do; one, viz. as soon as the Crop is off the Ground, the other about Christmas, if the Season will permit: But the uncer­tainty of the Weather will discourage the wa­ry [Page 39] Husbandman; but in case, I say, the Wea­ther should prove favourable, and a Man were otherways hindered from sowing his Land at the usual Season, and that the Ground be du­ly turn'd and in good heart, I see no Reason for despairing of a Crop. But Husbandmen, especially Farmers, like their Horses and Teams, love still to travel in a beaten Road; for should they once miscarry in a Project, besides the Loss of a Crop, they'd think they should be laugh'd at by their Neighbours, and be pointed at in the Market: And hence it is that we rarely meet with any New Discove­ries or Improvements of Husbandry from a laborious Farmer, the Streightness of whose Circumstances will not suffer them to venture a certain Expence upon an uncertain Return, when the Method is new and unusual, tho' he risque the same thing daily, as to the Fruits of his Labour, which depend, as I have said, upon many Contingences which lie beyond his Care and Foresight.

Snow does much preserve Corn from the In­juries of Frosts and Winds, but above all, the Husbandman ought to have regard to keep his Furrows clean, and to make Furrows also sloping cross his Lands to drein the Gauls and carry off the Winter-Water, than which no­thing can be more injurious. Besides, the killing of Wants or Moles, which every Hus­bandman will be sufficiently advertised of from his own daily Damage, more than or­dinary Care ought to be had to his Furrows, [Page 40] especially at the bottoms of Lands: For tho' these pernicious Animals do a vast deal of Spoil by their Hillocks, 'tis much greater Mis­chief which they do by stopping up the Ends of the Furrows; for in such Places 'tis that the Worms most resort, and by consequence the Wants, who feed upon them; so that I have known the same Place choak'd up three or four times afresh during the Winter-Sea­son.

Ground newly broke up may be sown with some sorts of Pease or Oats. Pease are better, and must be harrowed in after the Plow­ing; but generally the Crop is not so good as upon temper'd Land, forasmuch as it will be subject to Grass and Weeds. After Pease, the Year following we may sow Barley, for there will be time enough betwixt Harvest and Barley-sowing to give the Ground its due plowings. After the second Crop it must be fallow'd and dress'd before 'twill yield ano­ther, unless it be sow'd with Oats, which will much impoverish the Ground. 'Tis the best Method therefore to let old Land, after it has been broken up, to lie fallow the first Year, and if in good proof, 'twill, with a little help, yield three Crops successively.

In lesser Inclosures, which are converted to Tillage, I hold it the best Husbandry in the World, instead of head-Lands on which the Cattle turn, not to sow them, but to let them lie plain for Grass, as also a large Meer to be left, of ten or fourteen Yards breadth, under [Page 41] all the Hedges which inclose the Tillage; for these Borders will never bear good Corn, e­specially if the Hedges be quick, and high, and stor'd with Trees; for the Shade of the Trees and Hedges, as also the Droppings from the Boughs, will destroy the Crop, as will also the Birds which lie continually in the Hedges. The Roots likewise of the Trees and Quick will rob the Corn of its due Nou­rishment. Let the Borders round about there­fore be kept for Grass, which as it is most de­lightful to the Eye, and most commodious for walking, so is it most profitable: For the Washings or Land-Floods running off the Furrows, will fatten the bordering Meer in an extraordinary manner, and make it as rich as any Meadow-Ground; as the Shade like­wise of the Trees and Hedges will as well help forward Grass, how injurious soever they may be to Corn.

After the Crop is in the Barn, being hous'd dry, the next thing the honest Labourer or Husbandman is to consider of, is, to turn it into Money. Peradventure the safest way will be to thrash it out, as soon as the Season does require, and to send it to the Market; for by long lying in the Barn, Rats and Mice will quickly draw their Mines, and make large Inroads; nor will the Thief be want­ing, as Occasion shall serve, to give a Cast of his Skill; to which we may add the Incum­brance of the Barn for the Crop of a follow­ing Year. To keep it thrash'd in the Granary [Page 42] is altogether as bad; for 'twill be subject to the Assaults of Vermine, and unless often turn'd 'twill grow musty: Besides, 'twill con­tract a great deal of Dust and Filth, and the Grains of Corn will shrink or shrivle, and lose their bright Colour: All which will be of much more Detriment than what may be recompenc'd from the Advance of the Market, which commonly does lurch us by sinking lower, but rarely rising to that de­gree as to make amends for the Inconveni­ences we meet with by keeping in our Corn.

But if it be judg'd expedient to keep Grain, the best way is in the Straw, by putting it in­to a Rick, not rais'd upon Posts or Pillars of Wood, or of much Stone (as is usual with ordinary Husbandmen) but let the Frame of Wood which is to bear up the Rick, be laid upon five or nine Pillars, a full Yard from the Ground. The Pillars must be propor­tionable to the Burthen, being made round and strong, and finely plaister'd over, and cover'd with flat square Stones, four Foot in breadth each, to prevent Vermine from run­ning up: For if the Pillars be square, tho' never so polish'd, Rats and Mice will run up the Corners; but on a round one they have not the least Hold for their Claws. The Rick also must be well thatch'd, to pre­vent Damage from foul Weather; and by this means Grain may be preserv'd sweet and entire for many Years.

[Page 43] There is this Thing farther which I would recommend to the Consideration of every Husbandman, (especially if he be a Gentleman,) viz. to avoid as much as possi­ble the Covering of his Barns and Out-Houses with Straw: For besides that such Thatch'd Coverings looks mean and begger­ly, 'tis certain that they will prove far more expensive than Tyling in a little Process of Time. People are easily drawn to follow the Examples of the Country, to avoid a little greater Charge for the present, not con­sidering that such Thatch'd Houses will be a continual Reparation and Expence: Every violent Gust or Puff of Wind tears them to pieces, and makes vast Breaches: Unluckey Birds are still pulling them, and the Rain, Snow; and Weather, will in a very short time rot such Coverings, and considerable Damage be sustain'd before Stuff and Thatcher can be brought in place. Whereas the Tiled Roofs, tho' a little more chargeable at first, will last a long while without Repair; and when re­pair'd, it will be done at a quarter the Charge of Straw Roofs. 'Tis true, Thatch'd Hou­ses are a better Security for Corn against Rain and Snow; but then 'tis known too, that they harbour Birds, Rats, Mice, with other Vermine, and above all are most dan­gerous, so that many Houses have been burnt to the Ground, and whole Families undone [Page 44] by Fire catching in the Thatch. But in this and many other Methods, Country Fellows will never quit the old Road, how Ridicu­lous and Inconvenient soever it be, no more than the Irish can be wean'd from their old barbarous Custom of Tailing their Horses to one another, and to draw with them in their Teams.

CHAP. III. Of Pasturage.

PAsturage is of several sorts: That wherein Sheep thrive best is the Lawnes, as also the wide and open Downs, such as those in Cotswold and in Wiltshire; for what is richer or ranker, by reason of the great Dews that lie upon them, is apt to beget the Rot; also hilly Ground, in which are many Springs and little Lakes, is very unwholsome: For where Sheep bite closest they thrive best, unless they be design'd for the Butcher, and then they must have a fuller Diet. There is no small Care to be taken in ordering the Pasture of such as are design'd for Breed or Store: Let them be kept in the Summer as bare as possible; for if they once come to abate their Flesh, as certainly they will towards Winter, they will be a long time before they will come about; but being hard kept in the Summer, and dispos'd into thriving Pasture towards Winter, they will keep their Fleeces whole upon their Backs, and be able to weather out the sharpest of that Season. Of the Useful­ness of Fallow-Fields we have spoken before. Woods and rough Grounds are very hazard­ous for Sheep, for besides the Danger they [Page 46] are in of tearing their Fleeces, and sometimes of being hang'd in the Briars, they are sub­ject to a Disease called the Wood-Evil, which is a Bladder of Water gathering in the Head, which makes them turn round, and so they will continue in the same place, and in that giddy turning Condition, till they die. When a Sheep therefore is taken with this Distem­per the Butcher must cure him.

Nevertheless, young Cattle thrive best in rough woody Grounds, by reason of the Co­vert and the large Walks such Places yield; and by this means they are defended from the Fly and the Breeze. The Grass likewise of such Places, tho' course and soure, agrees well enough with young Cattle, which would not pay for their Keeping were they to feed in richer Pasture. Horses, especially where we would have a good Breed, require likewise a large Walk, and woody, such as those in Parks, which are dry and hard at the bottom, and withal stony, yet cover'd with a sweet Turf, and abounding with fresh Springs, Thickets, and some Lawnes or Pasturage dis­pers'd in Valleys, and fatned with little Ri­volets. And upon this Score it is, that the Northern Parts afford the best Horses; for the Ground being poor they can afford them a larger Range, which helps their Wind, and teaches them to use their Legs, and the sto­ny Ground makes their Heels tough and hard.

[Page 47] As for the Dayry, as also for the Work­ing-Cattle, and the like, the better the Pastu­rage the better the Return. If the Ground be over-grown with Couch or Foggy Grass, the best way will be to eat it down in Win­ter, with hungry, hardy Cattle; and in the Spring, when the young Grass begins to peep out of the Ground, as certainly it will, and sooner than in other Pasturage, by reason of the thick dead Couch or Grass which keeps it warm, and defends it from the Winds and Frosts, then is the time to turn in Cattle, and especially Horses, which tasting of the young springing Grass, will pluck up the dead and wither'd together with it; afterwhich, let it be eaten bare with Sheep, which as they feed will fatten the Ground with their Dung, and by this means will the Ground be brought to a fine sweet Turf.

Pasture-Grounds are improv'd several ways at first; by sowing of Foreign Seeds, such as Clover, St. Foin, and the like; all which Seeds must be sown along with the Grain, or a lit­tle after, the Ground being prepar'd or made very fine: And by this means, when the Grain, which ought to be Barley, is above Ground, and grown to some strength, the Seed, whether of Clover, or of St. Foin, for the purpose will be springing up, without Prejudice to the Crop, and keep back and sup­press Weeds, which otherways would endan­ger the Corn, and poison the Ground for some time after.

[Page 48] Clover thrives almost in all sorts of Ground, unless very stony or very wet Land; but 'tis most proper for a mix'd Land, such as par­takes of a Sand, and something a fatter Glebe. The same Manurement or Dressing which serves for Barley will serve likewise for Clo­ver, which will last good in the Ground for three Years; by which means that Land which was not worth a Noble an Acre, will be worth 30 s. an Acre. This sort of Grass may be mow'd twice a Year; the first Crop serves for Hay, the second they cut for Seed about the middle of September, when the Blossoms are fully wither'd for it must lie withering on the Ground for some time, and be hous'd very dry, which is something difficult, by reason of the long Dews and the declining Sun at this Season of the Year. This sort of Grass is very good for Hor­ses, and to feed Pigs, and fatten Sheep. But for Cattle, as Cows or Oxen, if they be turn'd in hungry they will be in danger of over-filling themselves, and by this means to swell and burst; for this sort of Food is exceeding sweet and luscious. The way then is to turn in Cat­tle when they are full, tho' at the best this sort of Food is not so kind for them as Grass. When the Clover is worn out of the Ground, as generally it lasts not above three or four Years at most, the Ground will quickly come to a grassy Turf; so that I hold it absolutely necessary for every one who lays down his Ground sor Pasturage, to leave it with Clover. This sort of Improvement is much practis'd in [Page 49] Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and some Parts of Glocestershire; and after some little Interval of Time, it may be renew'd again upon the same Ground, and so on; the Soil being first duly dress'd and prepar'd for Corn.

St. Foin, where it likes the Ground, is much more profitable than Clover, because of longer Continuance: It requires a quite diffe­rent Soil from Clover, for it thrives best in a hilly, stony, cold, and barren Ground, but dry, such as that in the higher Parts of Glo­cestershire, Oxfordshire, and other Places of the Kingdom. This sort of Grass may be mow'd from Year to Year, for divers Years together; and when it dies, after a few Years Intermis­sion, the sowing of it may be renew'd again upon the same Ground, &c. The Fodder is exceeding good for Horses, and not unkind for Cattle; so that by means hereof, the Ground which before was not worth Two Shillings an Acre, shall be worth Twenty Shillings an Acre, and better. The Reason why St. Foin thrives so well in dry, stony, barren Ground, is this: It is a Plant which shoots its small fibrous Roots a great depth in the Ground, deeper far than Grain or Com­mon Herbs, which, by reason of the stony Surface, cannot run low; whereas St. Foin creeps deep by its Roots betwixt the Joints of the Stones, where the Vegitative Nutriment cannot be suck'd by such Plants as feed upon the Surface, which generally lies no deeper than the Plow. And because St. Foin requires [Page 50] a dry Soil, such barren, dry Ground is most sit for it; the stony Surface and the declining Situation utterly forbidding any Moisture to sink far into it.

Clover likewise shoots down a good depth, but not so deep as St. Foin, and is in a short time supplanted by other Herbs, forasmuch as it prospers best in a thriving and loose Soil, and generally we may observe, that such Herbs as are perennial, shoot deep, roots downwards, as Hops, Docks, Ferne, Broom, Nettles, and the like, whereas they which are annual, ly shallow on the Surface.

Ray or Rye Grain is a spiry benty sort of Grass, and is another kind of improvement, much of the same continuance with Clover, and thrives best in Cold, Wet and Gauly Ground; it is not so much in Vogue as Clo­ver, or St. Foin.

Another way of improving Pasturage is by Soil, or dressing of the Ground, such as Dung which has been rotting some Years; as likewise Shovelings of Folds, and the Mud of Pools and Ditches after two or three Years mellowing. But I know not any thing which improves Pasturage more than Mault-Dust; so that every one who Trades in selling of Mault, may securely promise himself, that the Dust and Winnowings of his Mault, after it has lain some time, will prove a very conside­rable part of his Gain.

The Improvement of Pasturage by water­ing is next to be consider'd: For if it be by a [Page 51] Land-Flood, and conveniently distributed by Furrows, it is of great advantage; but if the Water ly long upon it, it chills the Ground, and makes it bring forth Rushes, and such like Trash, or a sort of thin, withern, starv'd Grass, but above all, where a Ground is well dress'd with rotten Dung or Earth, and a Land-Flood, or other Water can conveniently be brought over it, without much washing or stay, it must needs make the Ground very fruitful. The Season of dressing Pasture is in the Frost: For then the Wheels will not cut into the Earth, and after the Frost is over the Compost or Earth which is laid on, will be crumbly and moulder. For certain it is, that the finer the Earth or Compost which is thrown upon it is, the more Grass it will yield: Upon which ac­count it is, that Pasture Grounds bordering upon great Roads, are more fruitful in Grass than others; for the Dust which is raised in them, being carried by the Wind, and falling upon the tender Herbs, the next Shower car­ries it easily to the Roots, so that all parts of the Ground is alike Powdered with this sort of Dust, which is generally fatter than com­mon Earth by reason of the Dungings of Cat­tle, and Trash which is commonly cast into the High-ways.

Any Ground which lies upon the Hangings of a Hill and has a Pool or Currant above it, is highly to be valued: For such Ground may be watered at any time, and the Water will be sure not to stand upon it, which is a thing [Page 52] most pernicious to Pasture; and if such hanging Ground as I am speaking of be lightly dress'd with Earth before the Water is turn'd over it, 'twill bring forth Grass in abundance. I have known some, who having the advantage of a Pool at the Head of a declining Ground, have thrown into the Water a great deal of Soil or Dung, and all the time of watering their Ground, have ordered a Horse or two to be rid or walk'd up and down the Pool during the running of the Water; so that four or five Loads of Dung thus cast into it, will help the Ground better than five times as much clean Dung cast or spread upon the Ground; for the muddy fat Water will be sure to find the Root of every Herb, whereas Dung laid upon the Ground, tho' never so well spread, will lie in little heaps, and a good part of it will dry or burn away without any Benefit.

Lime thrown upon Pasture, if chill and cold, will bring it to a fine thick Mat of Grass; but whether the Benefit will answer the Cost and Charge, unless it be where Lime is very cheap, I leave to the Husbandman's Pocket to consider. To mix Lime with Earth first, and so let them lie together in a heap, bakeing, is no good way; for the Lime, when slack'd, will make the Earth as hard almost as a Rock, so that being to be spread upon the Ground, 'twill lie in great Cakes or Flakes, and will not be turn'd to a Powder till the Strength and Virtue of the Lime is spent. The best way therefore is to lay the Lime in little heaps, (as [Page 53] we do upon Tillage,) and after it is slack'd, and cast into the Air, the Wind will scatter the Powder of it finely upon the Ground, which the next Shower of Rain, or the very Dews of the Night, will convey gradually to the Roots of the Grass.

The last way of Improving Pasture-Grounds is by freeing them from such things as do annoy and hurt them, such as Ants, Broom, Fern, Wood-wax, or Dyers-weed, Docks, Thistles, Nettles, and the like. As for Ants, the time of destroying them is in the beginning of Winter, by digging up their Hillocks, and sinking their Holes lower than the Level of the Ground, throwing the Core or Earth, which is dug out of the Hole, into an empty Cart, and casting it into a Pool of Water, for by throwing it upon the Ground, they will revive again in the Spring, and raise new Heaps, after they have endu [...]'d all the Severities of the Winter-Season, whe­ther of Rain or Frost; so that, after two or three Years, for one Hillock you shall have a dozen: For I have found by Experience, that Ants which have been frozen up in Clods of Earth as hard as the Stone, will crawl about and work again in the Spring. They then who would practise this Method of Husbandry, by digging out the Core, must quar [...]er the Turf of the Hillocks first, and af­ter the Core is taken out, turn the Turf in outerly, and so cover the hole, leaving it sunk a little lower than the ordinary Surface of the [Page 54] Ground, as I said before, that so the Water may sink in and kill them; for there is no destroying them but by Water. This Me­thod likewise must be practis'd at the begin­ning of Winter, that there may be time e­nough for the Water to soak them; tho' af­ter all, the surest way to destroy these mis­chievous Vermine, is to plow up the Ground and Till it with Corn; for this will do the Business effectually, and for many Years: And truly all Pasture-Grounds whatsoever, will call for this Method of Husbandry once in twenty Years, by which means the Grass will come up the sweeter and better, if the Ground be laid down in good heart. But if this Method shall not prove successful, the last and surest Remedy the Husbandman can have re­course to, is to graze the Ground so turn'd, as I have before describ'd, with Sheep, for the following Year; for these Cattle, by nipping the Grass close to the Ground, and by often walking over it, keep down the Ants; for 'tis by the Spring-Grass they climb up, and make their Hillocks in the Summer, where you may see them climb up a foot high, up to the tops of Grass, carrying up Earth and fasten­ing it to the sides; therefore all which is fi­nally avoided, I say, by keeping the Grass down by the Teeth and Feet of such Sheep.

Broom is another Enemy to Pasturage, and to destroy it the most effectual way is, to let it grow for three or four Years, and when it is in Blossom, (as it will be in May) to cut it [Page 55] with a Hook pretty close to the Ground; for then it is that all the Sap and Strength of the Plant is up, and being cut off, I say, the scorching Heat of the Summer will make the remaining Stub to wither and die, and consequently the Root, there being nothing to draw it: But they who practise this sort of Husbandry must be sure to leave no young under-shoots of Broom; for such, tho' they seem never so inconsiderable, will quickly draw the Root and get to a head. They who endeavour to kill Broom by plowing, or stocking of it up, do throw away their Money and Time, for it will come up ten times thicker than before. Sowing the Ground with Clover will go a great way in destroying of Broom, and some­times it will utterly kill it, by reason it draws a stronger Juice; but, above all, the sowing of St. Foin, without all dispute, will utterly kill it, forasmuch as it goes much deeper into the Ground than the Roots of Broom, and engrosses or draws all the vegetative Virtue of the Earth unto it self.

The way to destroy Fern is to whip off the young Heads of it with a Switch as soon as it peeps out of the Ground; for then 'tis very tender, and will weep or bleed exceedingly: This being done five or six times in a Year, (for so often will it get head again,) and con­tinu'd under this Method for two Years, it will utterly destroy it. A Boy in an Hour's time may whip off the heads of so much Fern as will poison an Acre of Ground; so that ten [Page 56] or twelve Hours Labour bestow'd upon a piece of Ground, viz. an Hour at a time, will purge a Field from this devouring Weed: For by often whipping of it, it bleeds and is bruis'd, and the scorching Sun withers it in the same way as I have before describ'd in Broom.

Dyers-weed, or Wood-wax, where it grows, is a most pernicious Weed; it robs the Ground exceedingly, and its Bitterness will not suffer any Cattle to eat it, nor will it be destroy'd by mowing. The only way I could ever find, is to graze the Ground which is pester'd with it, by Sheep, and eat it bare; for Sheep bite close, and love this sort of Herb very well, and it is said moreover to preserve them from the Rot; and the Hay or Fother made there­of is good for them in the Winter.

As for Thistles, they are not to be destroy'd as Fern, by cutting: Breaking-up and sowing the Ground with Clover is the best way to kill them, and sometimes they will die of them­selves: The like also may be said of Docks, Nettles, and such-like Trash, which proceed commonly from the indigested Rankness of the Soil. Liming of the Ground, whether Tillage or Pasture, does very much contri­bute to the Suppression of these Weeds.

Moss is a great Impoverisher of Ground, and is the pure Effect of old Age, or of worn out Nature; so that growing in a kind of thick Mat or Scurf upon the Surface of the Earth, it robs the Herbs of their due Nourishment; [Page 57] or more probably, I say, the Earth being worn out of heart, is able to put forth no­thing but this dry kind of Trash: And al­tho' dressing the Ground with rich Earth or Dung may encourage the Earth to put forth anew, yet 'twill never answer the Charge and soon return to Moss again; like an old over­worn Man, who, tho' he may get a little Strength and Warmth, by means of a plen­tiful and nourishing Diet, yet as soon as that's withdrawn, Nature relapses to its former State of Languor and Imbecility. There is no other way then to destroy Moss, but by breaking-up such Pasture and tilling it with Corn; for this brings up the Mould which for a long time lay under the Turf, which being expos'd to the Sun and Dews, quickly acquires a prolifick or vegetative Virtue.

The dividing of Pasture-Grounds into lit­tle Closes is not the most profitable; for be­sides the Vexation and Expence one will be at perpetually in making and repairing such Fen­ces, as also the Loss of Ground by Hedges and Ditches, certain 'tis that Cattle thrive far better in a large Walk; for the Grass which grows under the Droppings of Trees is soure and trashy, and in the Summer-Season, when Cattle are subject to the Breeze, they will not be so apt to break out where they have the Li­berty to range. Likewise 'tis much more easie to have Water in a large Field of forty Acres, than to furnish the same with Water when di­vided into six or seven little Grounds; sor in so [Page 58] great a Space as a Field of forty Acres, 'tis ten to one but we may find some one place which may serve the Necessities of Cattle: But to find the like Convenience in divers Parts or Quar­ters of the same Ground, is very rare and dif­ficult; so that I dare boldly affirm, that a piece of Ground of ten Acres will keep a Stock of Cattle longer than sour Closes of three Acres each, tho' of the same Nature and Goodness: For in lesser Grounds Cattle quickly walk o­ver them, and being sullied and stained with their Feet, they will not care to feed thereon; whereas in larger Fields they have room to range and feed till the stained Places be re­fresh'd with Rain or with the Dews.

CHAP. IV. Of Fences.

MOunds and Fences are Matters of great Moment in Husbandry, and they are of two sorts, being either Dead or Quick. Dead Fences are Banks or Bulwarks of Earth, Stone Walls, Pales, Ditches, or Current of Water, and the like: For unless these things be put in good order, all our Industry about our Pasturage and Tillage will signifie but lit­tle whilst they lie expos'd to Trespassings and Wast.

As for Banks of Earth they are most us'd near Cities, where 'tis impossible almost to raise a Quick-Hedge, by reason of the great Numbers of Poor who inhabite the Out-skirts, who upon all Occasions, and especially in cold Weather, will make Plunder of whatsoever is combustible. The great Multitude likewise of Citizens and of idle Persons, walking for their Pleasure, as also of Gentlemen and Coun­try People resorting continually to Cities, up­on the score of Marketing, and other Business, all Inclosures of this kind will unavoidably be laid wast, especially in the Winter-Season, and 'twill require some Years for the Repair of a Quickset-Hedge; whereas Banks of Earth [Page 60] are easily mended, and not easily assaulted by Horsemen, nor liable to be spoil'd upon the account of Fewel: Such kind of Fences are very proper for Corn, there being no Harbour for Birds, nor Shade; but for Pasturage they are not so convenient, as affording neither Shelter against the Sun or Weather.

Fences of Pales are us'd generally about Parks, the ruggedness of the Clefts being ve­ry proper to hinder Deer from breaking out. It is easie also to open or shut a Breach, by removing or pinning two or three Poles, a thing very convenient for an Inclosure of Chace.

Stone Walls are too chargeable, unless in such Places where the Ground is naturally dry and stony, as on Cotswold Hills; for there the Stones lie in all Places ready to hand, there being no more to be done but to lay them orderly upon one another: And this kind of Stone-work, laid dry, and without Mortar, will continue for Ages. As for Ca­nals, or Streams of Running-Water, they are the best Boundaries of all: For besides the Advantage derivable to the Ground by wa­tering, they afford infinite Pleasure and Profit by Fish, and serving the Occasions of Cattle, and sometimes also by Traffick, as in the Low-Countreys, and likewise in Lombardy, where those rich Meadows are at the same time wa­ter'd by an infinite Number of Trenches or Channels all cut by hand, and replenish'd with great Variety of Fish. As for Ditches [Page 61] fill'd with dead or standing Water, they are industriously to be avoided, as affording in the Summer-Season most noisome Smells and Vapours, breeding great quantities of Flies and Insects, as their Water is most unwhol­some and dangerous for Cattle.

Quickset-Hedges consist generally of Hol­ly, Hazle, Hip-briar, Brambles, the Black and White Thorn, &c. Holly is better rais'd by Berries than by Sets, tho' there be but few who designedly plant them, but in the Walks of Gardens, and then, I say, they are rais'd by Berries, and are esteem'd for being ever Green, and for their Red Fruit or Berries. The Holly which is edg'd or fring'd with a silver kind of Thread is accounted very or­namental in the choicest Gardens. Holly has this Advantage above all other Quicks, for it will thrive best among great Trees, as Oaks' and Elms, especially Elms; when other Quicks will not grow, by reason of the strong Nourishment which such greater Trees draw, to the Consumption of what is planted near them.

Hazle, tho' a quick grower where it likes the Ground, ought not designedly to be plan­ted; for the Leaves and Skirts being extraor­dinary sweet and tender, all sorts of Cattle prey most eagerly upon it, to the ruine of a Hedge. Hip and Haws, as well as Hazle, are best planted by Birds and Vermine: For such Cr [...]atures making Nuts and Berries to be their ordinary Food, fly with them, or carry [Page 62] them from Place to Place, and so dropping them up and down the Hedges, or else hiding them under Ground, at Spring some will be sure to sprout. Brambles grow naturally e­nough we may suppose; tho' 'tis true too, that the Seeds of Black-berries, scatter'd by Birds, or otherwise, up and down the Hedges, beget a large Encrease; and the Shoots or Strings of them running along the Ground, quickly take root, (as we see in Straw-berries) and will over-run the Ground, if not timely subdued.

But the two common Quicksets, by which Husbandmen raise their Hedges, are the Black and White Thorn, call'd the Haw-Thorn. As for the Black Thorn, the Quicks or Sets are not very apt to grow, but where they once take root they are never to be destroy'd, and they make the best Fence of any; for it is hardy and stubborn, and by being a prickly Shrub, Cattle are not apt to bruise it: One Inconveniency it has, that it is apt to spread wider than it should do, by sending forth new Shoots from the Root at some distance from the Hedge, and, if not carefully look'd after, will quickly over-run a Ground. The White or Haw-Thorn is the most usual Quick which the Husbandman makes use of for the raising of Hedges; for the Sets are good Greens, and withal thorny and prickly; but the Leaves or tender Buds being sweet, Cattle, and especial­ly Sheep, will endanger them very much, if not carefully prevented, either by washing [Page 63] them with Lime, or by making Dead Fences before them till they be grown out of Dan­ger.

The Season for planting of Quick, holds good from the beginning of December to the middle of February, and sometimes later, if the Spring be backward. 'Tis infinitely bet­ter to plant Quick on the Ditch-side than on the Field-side; for on the Field-side they will be sure to be nipp'd with Cattle, but on the Ditch-side the Sets are safe from the drying Sun, as also from Cattle which graize on the Field-side, especially if some Shrubs, Bushes of Black Thorn, be prick'd in over them with the Stakes which make the Dead Hedges.

Some in planting of Hedges will set Acorns, Ash-keys, Crab-quicks, and the like: But I look not upon this Method to be so profitable to the Hedge; for such Trees, when grown up to any bigness, will rob the Hedge Wood of its due Nourishment, and leave Gaps near the Bodies of such Trees, and will stand in need of continual Repair; and altho' the Crop of such over-grown Trees may serve for Fuel, yet I look upon it to be a much better Hedge which shall never stand in need of Repair, as I have said before. However it be, every Man may follow that which he finds most profita­ble.

Cutting or Plashing of Hedges is another thing which we are to have regard to, which besides that it must be done in due Season, that is, in the Winter, or very early in the [Page 64] Spring, great care is to be had furthermore to the manner of cutting: A felling or down-right Blow is too apt to make a Cleft in the Stub, which will rot and deaden; it is better therefore to cut upwards, if one can conve­niently come at it. Likewise we must be sure to leave good store of bushy Thorns or Broom on the sides of the Quick-Hedges; for these serve for a Defence to keep off Cattle from brouzing upon the tender Shoots of a new­plash'd Hedge; and after two Years time, such Shoots will grow strong and be out of the reach of Cattle, and then we may safely cut away or trim off the Under-growings or bushy Fuel for our Occasions: Whereas he who cuts the top of a Hedge, and the under-wood or side Spriggs all at once, endangers the kil­ling of his Fence, the Cattle having free scope and liberty to nip off the tender Buds in all Places as fast as they shoot out.

For the same Reason likewise I hold it not good Husbandry to be over-curious in grub­bing up of Thorns or Bushes which grow near a Quick-Hedge; for these are, as it were, the Out-works which preserve the main Fence safe, which being once cut away, the princi­pal Fence lies open to the Injuries of Cattle. When a Hedge is grown very old, and stubby, 'tis best to cut it up at the Butt, leaving only here and there a Layer or Pleacher, the Mould being first cast up carefully to the Bank, to cherish the Roots of such Thorns or Hedge­wood from whence the dead Stuff was cut: [Page 81] For the Safety and Defence whereof a dead Hedge must be made at two Yards distance, the Brush lying on the Field-side to keep off Cattle from doing Mischief, whilst the new­laid Hedge is a recovering. This Art of Hus­bandry, or double Hedging, is not to be pra­ctis'd but where there is plenty of Tynnel, and there the Charge or Expence is no other but the Hire of Tyning, which is inconsiderable, and after three Years time it may be taken away ready cut and dried for the Fire. In all dead Gaps of Hedges 'tis very expedient to make the Stakes of Sally or Withy, for they will prove quick, and grow, and afford plentiful Matter for the Repair of Hedges from time to time.

There is a sort of dead Hedging which is commonly practis'd with good Advantage, especially near Lanes, and that is by pricking or sticking Thorns slant or slope-ways upon the Bank, and covering the bottoms of them with Turf. This sort of Fence will hold good for a Year or two, and has this Advantage, that as Cattle will not destroy it by brouzing, so neither will it be in danger of being dimi­nish'd by Hedge-breakers, there being nothing which may tempt them thereunto, as in Stake-Hedges, where the Tynnel is of much greater Substance. This sort of Hedging is of very little Charge, and where a Breach is made it is easily repair'd; only Care must be took from time to time, as the Bank shall wash away into the hollow Road and Ditch on the other side, [Page 82] not to repair it by digging new Earth on the Fields-side to cover the Thorns; for by this means the Ground will in time be wasted a­way, leaving a deep Ditch or Trench behind. The way then must be to cast up the Earth which is mouldred down into the hollow way, and so repair the Bank or Bulwark; which, tho' it be a little more troublesome, will pre­serve the Ground from being wasted by fre­quent digging.

CHAP. V. Of Grass rais'd from Foreign Seeds.

EVery Man that is a Member of a Common­wealth may be consider'd in a double Capacity: First, as he stands alone, and in his Private and Domestick Capacity; Next, as he is a Member of a Body, and in his Re­lative and Civil Capacity. If we consider him under the first Circumstance, we must look upon him as a Creature acting upon Self-Interest, whether it be in getting and augmen­ting his Fortune by Industry and Labour; by Traffick, by Cunning, by Study, Imploy­ments, Preferments, &c. or by securing him­self from Wrong, or by providing for and advancing his Family; and, in a word, by gratifying his Desires in all true or imaginary Enjoyments, and Contents, whether they concern his own Person or those who are nearly related to and dependent on him.

But then, as he is a Member of a Com­monwealth, his Duty extends it self much farther; for 'tis with the Body-Politick as with the Body-Natural: If any one Member shall refuse to be beneficial to its Fellows, it must not expect the like Relief from them; by which means there will follow such a kind of [Page 84] Jarring or Discord amongst the Parts of the Body, as will draw on a Distemper and per­haps a Dissolution, which cannot but be fa­tal to the disagreeing Members themselves. 'Tis true, it concerns every Man to provide for his own private Affairs in the first place, for if he leaves it for others to do it for him, he will quickly find himself in a very naked Condition, so prevalent is Self-Interest, which will first begin and many times end at home. And yet all this while, a Man, whilst he is thus busie about his private Interest, differs very little from Brutes: For these know very well what is for their own good, and will labour always to procure the same; many of which are as sagacious and provident for their future Benefit, as the most subtle and indu­strious of Humane Race. Duties therefore of this kind may be called Animal or Sensitive, as being common with Men and Beasts as they are living Creatures. But Duties which con­cern the Publick are of a higher and more distinguishing Nature, as being of a larger Ex­tent, and carry some Marks of Divinity on them, forasmuch as they level at the General Good, by promoting Peace and Justice, and serve consequently to render Kingdoms and future Ages stable and flourishing, and must be esteem'd therefore to be much more noble than the former, as being founded in Reason and Prudence, and diffusing their Influence over all the World.

[Page 85] Now to apply these Notions to the Point in question; and first, It is, questionless, the Inclination of every Man to improve his E­state as much as he can by the Arts of Hus­bandry, as we may suppose in our present Case, by sowing his Ground with Foreign Seeds, such as St. Foin, Clover, &c. But whether it be for the Interest of the Commonwealth to countenance and permit such Improvements may be a Question: For if it shall appear that such Plantations are Injurious to the Pub­lick, according to what's already premis'd, the Government has Power to restrain Men from pursuing their Domestick and Private, Advan­tage, when it shall be to the Detriment of the same Persons, as they stand engag'd in a Pub­lick Body or Society.

The Considerations tempting us to believe that such Innovations in Husbandry ought to be permitted, are these, viz. Besides the Be­nefit which a vast Number of Persons reap from Improvements of this nature, certain it is, that great Numbers of Cattle are rais'd this way, and consequently more Corn, because more Dung: Nor can Clover, for the purpose, be continu'd but for a little time without Til­lage. Now the more Corn and Cattle are rais'd, the cheaper must all Provisions be, which is generally look'd upon to be a Benefit to the Publick.

This Reason, how specious and popular soever it may seem upon the first Appearance, will, upon a nearer View, be found to be very [Page 86] thin and fallacious: And first, If we consi­der the Interest of Private Persons, what Rea­son is there that some Private Persons should be suffer'd to grow rich and get Estates by the Loss of a far greater Number of Private Per­sons, no less Industrious and Honest than their Neighbours? 'Tis true, where Men riotou­sly or sottishly wast their Estates, their Neigh­bours may gather Sticks, and into the Bargain make themselves warm by the Fire of them: But for the Primitive, Ancient, and Native ways of Pasturage, so useful and necessary to the Nation, as those of Graizing and of the Dairy, to be supplanted, with all the Fa­milies thereon depending, by the Invasion of Foreigners, may be as mischievous to the good old Husbandman as any other Invasion, whe­ther of such as assault us by open force, or of those more dangerous ones who endeavour to trapan us by fraudulent Cajolery.

The Plantation of Tobacco in England is a Production certainly which would be bene­ficial to a world of People both Planters and Smoakers; and yet we find that it hath been destroy'd by Publick Order, from time to time, as fast as ever it grew up; and this be­cause it ruin'd others who before were settled in a Trade: Why then there should not be the same Reason against Clover, St. Foin, Rye-Grass, and other Foreign Weeds, we are yet to learn, especially when we consider the Duties or Payments, whether Parochial or Publick, with which Ancient Estates are bur­then'd. [Page 87] For tho' it be certainly true, that Meadow and Feeding Grounds are fallen at least Fifteen per Cent. since the Importation of these Foreign sorts of Grass, yet are they liable to the same Rates or Payments with which they were charg'd before they were impoverish'd by these Outlandish Usurpers; whereas Lands, which the last Year, per­haps, were not worth above Five Shillings an Acre, after they are sown with Clover or St. Foin, are worth, yearly, Twenty five or Thirty Shillings per Acre, and notwithstand­ing such Advance of Profit, are in a manner scot-free, paying only after the Proportion of their old Rents, upon Pretence, forsooth, that no Man ought to pay for his Improve­ments; which thing is false both in Reason and Practice. But that Lands, on the other hand, which sink in their Value by the In­croachments of others, should be still stretch'd upon the Rack, whilst the Productions which undermine them return triple Profit to the Pro­prietor, without Augmentation of Duty, are Maxims very unpolitick, irrational, and un­just. The Ancient Fundamental Course which has been found profitable and useful for so many Ages, ought not to be expel'd by Fo­reign Upstarts, which, tho' upon the Account of their Novelty, they may get some Admi­rers and Followers, will be found in the Close to be of mischievous Consequence to the Pub­lick, as will appear farther, if we consider the second General Argument offer'd on their Be­half, [Page 88] viz. the Plenty and Encrease of Corn and Cattle.

'Tis very true, by means of these foreign Growths more Corn and Cattle are rais'd than would be otherwise; but this still is no Be­fit to the Publick, when the Abundance and Plenty shall lower the Price: For every one knows that 'tis more Profit to have one Bushel of Corn which shall bring him Five Shillings than to sell two Bushels of the same Grain for Six; because, when things are dear, the Re­turn is made at less than half the Expence; and when Commodities are cheap, then is Money dear or scarce, because there must be a great deal of Goods in Exchange for a lit­tle Money; as on the contrary, when Com­modities are dear then is Money cheap, be­cause a little Ware will purchase a great deal of Money: And certain it is, that it is infi­nitely better for a Commonwealth, when Mo­ney (which is the Blood of the Body-Poli­tick) circulates quickly, and is distributed through all the Parts, than when it stagnates or lies dead in a few Mens Hands, whilst Commerce, and all the Business of the Mar­ket, shall be at a Stand by too much Reple­tion, which must needs occasion a Stoppage of Money: For, to speak truly, none reap the Benefit of Plenty but the poorer sort of People, nor do they truly; for so it is, that in the Years of Plenty, Workmen are hardest to be procur'd, and those most exacting too, because a few Days Labour will maintain them [Page 89] a great while. The Plenty does but tempt them to Laziness and Riot, which in the end leads them into Misery, and becomes expen­sive and burthensome to the Publick; so that 'twill be still better that the Market should be quick, (and quick it will be when Provisions are scarce,) than to have it over-glutted, which cannot but discourage Labour and In­dustry, as it will certainly encourage Sloth and Beggery.

What I speak as to Scarcity, is to be un­derstood in a moderate measure; for if it tend to Dearth, it cannot but be very preju­dicial and grievous to all sorts of People: So that how great a Blessing soever Plenty may be thought, certain 'tis that it does dis­pose Men to Intemperance and Excess, and is then only to be look'd upon as a Blessing, when what is superfluous may be exported abroad, and bring us home such things as we stand in need of. And as to the Productions of what we are now discoursing, 'tis no less certain that they endamage the Publick in many other respects, it being known to every one, that the Flesh of Sheep or Cattle, fatted by such sorts of Grass, is fady, worse colour'd and worse tasted than what is Grass-fed; so like­wise is the white Meat, or the Cheese and Butter made of such Pasturage.

Upon these and such-like Considerations we may affirm, securely, that as it is the In­terest, so is it in the Power of the Civil Ma­gistrate to banish these Foreign Productions, [Page 90] because detrimental to the greater part of the Nation; or, if continu'd, 'twould be much for its Interest to impose a Duty, as a Crown for the purpose, yearly, upon every Acre so planted; which would be some Help towards defraying the Publick Charge, and leave the Planters or Husbandmen sufficient Gainers by the Bargain. 'Tis the Duty of the Magi­strate not to debar any from their Rights and Liberty, but by all due Provisions to support them in the same. But when the Interest of Particular Persons shall stand in Competition with that of a greater Body, (as it is sufficient­ly demonstrated that it does in the present Case,) 'tis certainly in his Power to reduce them into their former Methods of living, and not suffer them to injure a greater Body by new Projects tending to their Private Interest. Nor is this to abridge Men of their Rights, but to confine them to their present State and Condition of Life, upon Considerations of a more General Good.

Nor does this, which is now deliver'd, any way prejudice or contradict the Design of an after-Essay, as to the Business of excluding Sea-coal from the City of London; because, in that case, the Change is suppos'd to be of infinite more Advantage to the City, (and in a manner to the whole Kingdom,) than the Continuance; and tho' some Persons may be prejadic'd in their Interests, yet is their Num­ber very inconsiderable, compar'd with those who shall be better'd by the Change: Nor [Page 91] can they be so great Losers by the Bargain as the Grasiers and the Pasture-Men of this Na­tion, especially in those Parts where such Fo­reign Productions are found to grow.

To conclude this little Dispute: There can­not be a more competent Judge in the present Question than the English Nation it self, re­presented in its Parliaments, particularly in that Provision which they have made former­ly against the Importation of Irish Cattle. 'Tis very well known, that after the Desola­tion made in that Kingdom, Thousands of English Families were encourag'd by the Go­vernment then in being, to remove Themselves and Substance, and to settle there, as it were in form of a Colony, in order to Re-people that almost ruin'd and abandon'd Island: And because the Country was most proper for the breeding of Cattle, they began soon to take root, sending over vast Droves into England, and driving a very considerable Trade amongst their Friends and Correspondents, the Effect of which being found very prejudicial to this Nation, and to such especially whose chiefest Revenue depended likewise upon the breed­ing of Cattle. The Parliament, I say, find­ing the Markets every where to sink, and the Farmers likewise to be unable to pay their Rent, as being depriv'd of the Means of rai­sing Money, and consequently that Land-Taxes (the common Expedient to which the Nation has recourse) would become very uneasie and heavy upon the Subject: They, [Page 92] in their great Foresight of the ill Consequen­ces of this Irish Liberty, thought fit to pro­hibite all farther Importations; and by this means enabled the English to hold up their Heads again, and bear their Burthens, pro­ceeding in their former Road of breeding Cattle, as in Ancient Times. Now if the Par­liament dealt thus with Ireland, who were their Fellow-Subjects under the English Crown, nay, English Men, and their Neighbours; for they were for the most part the English who carried on the Irish Cattle-Trade, and such English too as had been drawn over into Ireland upon large Promises of Favour and Assistance; I cannot see but that there is infinite greater Reason to reduce our Traders in Foreign Grass, so much prejudicial to the Pasturage of this Kingdom; which Pasturage, I say, so much impoverish'd as it is, is still forc'd to lie under the heavy Weight of Taxes, whilst the new Planters, or Supplanters rather, who cause this so great a Decay of Pasturage, are at full Ease, and in the very Letter of the Country Proverb, lie fattening in Clover.

CHAP. VII. Of Commonage and Inclosures.

ANother Question issuing from the former Discourse, is about the Rights of Com­monage and Inclosures; where, in the first place, we are to understand, that the Questi­on is not, Whether the Supreme Authority hath a Power to uncommon wast Grounds, when 'tis attended with Remarkable Benefit, (as in the Case of the wast Grounds near Lon­don, shall be hereafter discours'd of?) for that I take to be indisputable. The Question then will be, first in General, Whether the Commoners, or the Proprietors, have the more Ancient Title? Secondly, Whether it would be more for the Interest of a Nation, that there should be many wide Heaths and Commons, as now they are? or that all were inclos'd and improv'd to the utmost Advan­tage.

I begin with the First, concerning which the Dfficulty will not be great, it being ob­vious to every one that in the first Ages of the World we rarely read of Inclosures. Pro­perties indeed they had of Servants and Cat­le, and in the Number of these consisted their Wealth, but for Propriety of Land we meet [Page 94] with nothing saving those Common Bounda­ries or Land-Marks, (which were Rivers gene­rally, or Mountains) by which the Possessions of Nations, or greater Families were discrimi­nated; which Families were not like those of our Age, consisting of a Master, with his Wife, Children or Domesticks; but the Fa­milies of those days were a kind of little Prin­cipalities, where one presided in Chief over the several Branches or Members depending on him, whether they descended from his Bo­dy, or whether they were of a younger House, comprehending in the account all Servants, with their Offspring; all Captives, and such as were purchas'd with Money: So that a Fa­mily then might consist of Several Hundreds of individual P [...]rsons, and might be made up of divers subordinate and inferiour Families, all depending upon one common Head. This, as it is most obvious from all Profane Story, and more especially from the Sacred Writings; so is it as plain too from the same Sacred Writ­ings, that the Jewish Patriarchs liv'd for a long time, in Tents, wandring from place to place, as they found Conveniencies for feeding of their Cattle.

We find indeed, that the Babylonians, as also the Egyptians, the Two most ancient and flou­rishing Monarchs of which we read; That they built them Cities with stately Walls, and other prodigious Piles which they left as Monuments of their Greatness to future Ages. 'Tis certain likewise, That there were many other inferi­our [Page 95] Cities, of which we read often in Scrip­ture, such as Sodom and Gomorroh. The Ca­naanites also had Cities with Walls looking high towards Heaven; but all this while, there is no Proof of Enclosures of Pasturage, nor yet probably of Corn-Fields; for then there must have been diversities of Farms or single Houses, as now there are: But of this we read nothing, only that Men liv'd still to­gether in some kind of a Body, which is no o­ther but a City.

As for Pasturage 'twas all in Common; but in regard that Corn not being rais'd but with Labour and Charge, 'tis probable that the Prince or Head of the Family or People un­dertook the Burthen, appointing afterwards to every one of his Servants or Dependants his due Portion. But in after Ages, as Men be­gan to thirst after Conquest, and many Con­tentions arising daily about the Divisions of the Fruits of the Earth, 'twas thought Expe­dient that every Man's Propriety should be se­cur'd by particular Limits or Enclosures; which hapned frequently upon a Conquest, where the Services of private Persons were rewarded by the Conquerors assigning out of the Lands of the Vanquished Country, a cer­tain portion of Ground to every man, as his Service might deserve.

This was the Case of the Jews upon their Entrance into Canaan; and ours likewise in England, upon the Norman Invasion, as also of the Romans sometimes, unless those whom [Page 96] they subdu'd became Tributaries; tho gene­rally, the Romans dealing bountifully with the conquer'd Nations, did naturalize or in­corporate them amongst their Citizens, which Clemency of theirs rais'd that Empire to its Greatness, few caring to resist such Generous and Potent Enemies, who were so easie to be entreated, so faithful to their Allies, and so able and resolute to protect those who submit­ted to them.

But to return to my Argument, From what has been hinted 'tis unquestionable, That the Rights and Title of Commonage are much an­cienter than those of Enclosures; I mean, in the general; and with us here in England, the Rights of our present Commoners seem to have begun upon the Conquest, when King William and his Successors, reserving to them­selves certain Lands for Forests and Chaces, and for the Preservation of Game, the Inhabitants bordering upon such Places, under some Fines of acknowledgment or Vassalage were allow'd the Priviledge of keeping Cattle on them, with some other Advantages, the Kings still retaining to themselves the Royalty or Bene­fit of such Places for the Preservation of Deer, and for their own Sport and Recreation. The like Constitution hereunto we may observe in other Manors or Lordships, deriv'd at first from the Crown; so that the Commoners Title, in this respect, precedes that of any Proprietor; Forasmuch as the whole Kingdom then, tho' beautified with Cities, and divided into Farms, [Page 97] as at this present day, was to be reputed but as One Great Common, out of which many private Persons were permitted to buy; or of the Royal Bounty and Grant, to appropriate some Parts or Parcels of it, under the Obli­gation of certain Duties or Acts of Homage, all which Priviledges being confirmed by after Acts of Parliament, do invest the Commoners with such a Right or Title as nothing but a Parliamentary Power can reverse.

The next Quaere then is this, Whether it would be more for the Interest of a Nation that there should be many wide Heaths and Commons as now there are; Or that all should be inclos'd and improv'd to the utmost Value? Here I must confess a Field lies open for a large Dis­course; all that I shall adventure in it, shall be to propose such Reasons as may occur on one hand, and on the other, leaving the Deci­sion of the Controversie to the Reader's Judg­ment.

First then, it may be urg'd in favour of En­closures; That by this means many Families would live creditably and in good Fashion from the Profits to be made hereby; and that such Profits would be a very great Encourage­ment and Spur to Industry, as the Fruits and Productions reapt from such Enclosures would be of great Advantage to the Publick, by fur­nishing the Markets with more plentiful Pro­visions, whether of Corn or Cattle; which New-Enclosed Farms likewise being improv'd; upon a Survey and Estimate made of them, [Page 98] would be a great Ease to the Nation in time of War, by being made to partake and share of the Common Burthen in the Supplies usu­ally required on such Occasions; whereas in the State and Condition wherein Commons lie at present, the Publick is damnified, such Places being generally Seminaries of a lazy, Thieving sort of People: For what Invitati­on can there be for Industry and Labour, when those who take no Pains shall share in the Profit? such People likewise being remote from Neighbours of Reputation and Fortune, may be accounted for Heathens and Savages, living in a manner without all Knowledge of God; there being little Encouragement for able Ministers from a lean and hungry Soil, so that living remote from Churches, and no Officers or Magistrates being near them, they seem to be a Brood of Terrae-Filii, or law less Rogues, engendring upon one another as from the beginning, so on to the end of the World, and preserving themselves frequently from starving, by stealing of Wood, Sheep, and Cattle, and by breaking of Houses, to the great Annoyance of all honest Husbandmen who have the misfortune to live near them.

And as the Men, so are the Cattle, which are bred upon such Commons, being a starv'd, scabby and rascally Race. Their Sheep are poor, tatter'd and poyson'd with the Rot. Their Cattle and Colts dwarft and ragged: For little, beggarly Stone-Colts, running pro­miscuously amongst the Herd, beget a misera­ble, [Page 99] shotten and Bastardly Breed; and gene­rally 'tis that Horses nabb upon such wild and desert Places, half famished; by which means the Race of our Horses becomes taint­ed and base; whereas the English Horse when he comes of a good Kind, and being careful­ly lookt to when a Colt, may be esteem'd the best, perhaps, in the World; I mean, for all the uses of a Horse, whether for drudging and fatigue, or for the Pad: Our better sort of Horses being generally swift and easie Goers, and fit for the Chace, and for Running, as well as for the Road. Foreign Countries indeed, yield better Horses for some particular uses, as the Low Countries or Flanders, for the Draught and Coach; Naples for the Great Saddle; Barbary and Arabia for Shape and Fleetness: But the true English Horse is ser­viceable in more respects than one, where the Breed, I say, is not poyson'd by Commons. Upon which account it is that our Hackneys are so much esteemed Beyond-Sea. Nor are Commons only injurious to the Race of Hor­ses, but also of Cattle, The increase of such Places being nothing but a sort of starv'd, Tod-bellied Runts, neither fit for the Dairy nor the Yoke; so that a Common, upon the matter, is nothing but a Naked Theater of Poverty, both as to Men and Beasts, where all things appear horrid and uncultivated, and may be term'd, not improperly, the very ab­stract of Degenerated Nature.

[Page 100] But notwithstanding all this, much may be said on the behalf of Commons; as first, that they are more productive of People: For a Common, or Waste of six hundred Acres will maintain thirty Cottages of Four to a Family, which if inclos'd would not amount to above Eight Farms, each Farm containing about seven Persons one with another. Now, 'tis for the Interest of a Nation, that it should abound rather with Men than Cattle; and that such Men are poor, matters not, so they be not indigent, or such as stand in need of Relief from the Parish. For were it not for these poor Labourers, the Rich themselves would soon become poor; for either they must la­bour and Till the Ground themselves, or suffer it to ly waste, and in the end Common. Now such poor Cottages being inur'd to all manner of Hardships, prove excellent good Labour­ers, where they are kept in order; and as they are exceeding serviceable for the Country Af­fairs in Times of Peace, so are they most use­ful in Time of War, for the same reason of being bred hardy, and when reform'd by Di­scipline will make good rough, cross-grain'd Soldiers enough, fit to kill or be kill'd. This we see exemplified in Switzerland, Sweden and Scotland, which as they are the poorest Coun­tries, so do they yield the bravest Soldiers in the World. Whereas the Commonwealths which are rich and Traffick are no way conside­rable upon this score, their Men generally being foggy and resty. Spain, 'tis true, is in the [Page 101] main a poor Country, and yet in no such Re­putation for Martial Men, as heretofore, their Great Ones, which should make Officers, be­ing men too much abandon'd to Pleasures, and if the meaner sort of them make not their Fortunes this way, 'tis to be imputed to the Genius of the People, who being naturally proud and haughty, will rather starve like Dons, than take pains like Men.

But this Consideration possibly, might be of greater Moment under a Government which thirsts after the Enlargement of Em­pire, than in a Monarchy, such as the British is, whose Empire being Insular, it can never be its Interest, unless by way of Diversion, to make a War upon the Continent, where sud­den Invasions cannot be made, in which prin­cipally consists the Success of such Wars; and for Invasions or Transportations of Armies, they are things of vast Expence, Embarrass and Noise, and subject to many fatal Disa­sters from the Winds and Weather, or the Resistance which may be made by the Enemy, and other Difficulties in Landing. But let us suppose the Aggressors be so fortunate as to set footing upon the Continent, they could not expect long to keep Possession, unless they were certain to have their Allies, the Seas, the Winds, and a vast Treasure always at Com­mand, and to be able to send Recruits as quick as we can Letters by the next Return of the Pacquet-Boat. Nevertheless, in a Defensive or Civil War, such hardy Rogues as are bred [Page 102] usually upon Commons, may prove excellent good Food for Powder.

It must be confess'd, 'tis true that such Com­moners or Cottagers are generally Savage and Paganish: If honest Ministers were appoin­ted to over-see these Goats, some small good possibly might be done; but much more might be expected from a vigilant and severe Justice of the Peace, taking in to his Assistance some Constables of the like Mettle: For we are not now to expect Miracles in the Conversion of such Heathens by Preaching; a good strong pair of Stocks, and a Whipping-post, will work a greater Reformation than Forty Do­ctrines and Uses. Nor truly will the Pastors themselves much care to be troubled with such an unregenerate and barren Flock, which will yield neither Milk nor Cloathing. However the Matter stands, the Fault is not so much in the Men, but something also in the Govern­ment, and more in the Circumstances of these uncultivated Places, which naturally incline Men to Barbarity and Ignorance.

As for the Sterility of Commons, something might be said against it, were we sure to have a good Utterance for the Fruits of such new Improvements: But, as the Case now stands, we want rather Men to be fed, than Meat to feed them; and where there is Plenty of Pro­visions, if there be not Wealth proportion­able, 'twill quickly cloy, or turn to Surfeit. For Men may be poor, that is, without a Pen­ny in their Purses, in the midst of full Crops [Page 103] and Herds of Cattle; since we are not in the Primitive Golden Age of the World, when that Metal was least in Request, and when all things were procur'd by Barter or Trucking; but rather in the Silver one, where whatsoever we stand in need of can no otherways be ob­tain'd but by the Divinity of Money.

The Horses which are bred upon such Commons must be confess'd likewise to be shriveling and grubbish, but withal, being hardy, they are fit for all sorts of meaner Drudgery, to which better Flesh might not willingly be expos'd: So that if two of these little Garrans go to the making up of one tolerable Horse, there is no greater Loss than for a Man to have two Six Pences instead of one Shilling, which, as they are of equal Va­lue, so are the lesser Pieces more useful for Change and Barter: And he who gains his Livelihood by the Labour of such cheap Car­rions, if one of them come to a Mischance, the Loss is not great; whereas the Death of one good Horse would be the utter Ruine perhaps of a poor Man's Family.

And although our Cottagers are found ge­nerally to be too lazy, and void of Morality, yet we may observe, that there is rarely any one of these Huts or Cabins, but has its little Inclosures lying round about it: As for Exam­ple, a pretty Plot of Ground like a Mea­dow, from whence he mows a Modicum of Hay, to keep his Cow, or a few Sheep, a­gainst the Injuries of the Winter; as likewise [Page 104] a little Rib of Tillage for Bread-Corn, or perhaps a slender Orchard, or some other Plantation of Trees, to shelter him from the Extremities of the Weather; so that every such Cottage seems to be an Epitome of a more Voluminous Farm, which is so much the more pleasant to the Eye, not of the Own­er, I mean, but of the Spectators, by how much the Variety of the Landskip is contra­cted into a lesser compass. And I have often­times stood and paus'd a while in viewing these Rural Mansions, considering with my self, within how small a Circle the familiar Enjoy­ments and the most innocent Delights of the Earth may be confin'd, and how little may suffice to relieve the Necessities of Nature.

As for the Suppressing of Cottages, as it would be unpolitick, so would it be most un­just, without a due Regard first had for the Maintenance of the Inhabitants, (which would be no Injury, but a Benefit to such Peo­ple,) who having liv'd Time immemorial in such Places, they have as good a Title to their Habitations, as if they had continu'd there from the Beginning of the World. I know, in Cases of a General Necessity, the Rights of Particular Persons may be impeach'd, for the Preventing of a greater Evil, as it is law­ful to blow up a House (without the Owners Leave) to prevent a Conflagration; or in case a Ship be ready to sink, 'tis lawful likewise to cast a Private Person's Goods into the Sea, to lighten the Burthen: But this only holds good [Page 105] then when a particular Man's Concerns is so twisted with that of others, that all must ei­ther sink or swim together. But to invade any Man's Private Interest without his Leave, or due Compensation had for his Loss, and for the Benefit purely of others, wherein the Loser himself is not concern'd, this is against Reason; so that we are carefully to distin­guish between a Necessity and a Convenience. In Cases, I say, of Common Necessity, 'tis better a Part than a Whole should suffer; but in Cases of Convenience 'tis not so: For no Man ought to suffer for the Advantage of O­thers, when the Person suffering partakes not of that Advantage.

Where, by the way, we may take leave to glance a little at the Behaviour of some Lords of Mannors, whose Bailiffs many times whee­dle in the Cottages, (as depending perhaps upon his Lordship for their Imployments,) allowing them Liberty to build upon the Wast, and to inclose Ground, perhaps; gi­ving them a Tree or two to carry on the De­sign, upon Condition they will take a Lease of such Cottages for Three Lives, paying only some Six Penny chief Rent: Upon the Ex­piration of which Term, his hungery Lord­ship swallows the poor Cottage, with all its Members and Dependencies, at a bit, which by the Sweat and Labour of the poor Defunct and his Predecesso [...]s, was improv'd to a kind of Competency out of Nothing, whilst the Remains of the poor Family are expos'd to [Page 106] the naked World, or else forc'd to pay a good round Fine for the Renewal of that which was so dearly purchas'd by their own Pains and Industry. By which sly Methods the Commonage will be engross'd in Time, and many whole Families be devour'd, to serve the Appetite of an unsatiable Patron: A Thing to which the Parliament of this Na­tion ought to have a special Regard, the Mem­bers whereof, many of them, tho Lords of Man­nors, yet is it to be hop'd that they will act like Men of Trust and Honour, and not suf­fer Frauds, attended with so much Inhumani­ty, how conducible soever they may seem to their private Interests, to go without Corre­ction. Concerning which, as also many o­ther Points touch'd upon in this Discourse, tho' the Definitive Judgment belong to them, yet every Man endu'd with Understanding has a Judgment of Discretion to know what is agreeable to Reason; which Reason will still carry a Sway over the Minds of Men by a kind of Influence not inferiour to that of Authority.

CHAP. VII. Of Coppice-Wood.

THE Third General Thing about which the good Husbandman must be conver­sant, is Planting: To which I shall speak un­der these Particulars. First, of Woods or Coppices; next, of Trees useful for Husbandry; and lastly, of Fruit-Trees.

In planting of a Coppice great Care ought to be had to the Situation of the Ground: The Ground then ought to be a little rising to the East, for that is held the best for Timber; and all Under-wood likewise thrives best the more 'tis expos'd to the Rising-Sun. It is no way profitable to suffer Timber-Trees to grow in Coppice-Woods, unless on the skirts or out-sides, where they may spread their Branch­es without Injury to the Coppice, and receive the Benefit of the Sun; but where they grow amidst the Coppice they hurt one another: For if Timber-Trees be lopp'd, they grow knotty and bare; and if unlopp'd, the Drop­pings of the Boughs will spoil the Growth of the Coppice after a Fellet, and the Under­wood likewise will rob the Timber-Trees of its Nourishment, and by this means they will extreamly injure one another.

[Page 108] In cutting of a Coppice, if the Shoots be old, 'tis best to pare em close to the Ground, for the young Shoots will come up more thick and strong. The Poles, after they be stript, if they be left standing a Year, will grow tough and hard at the Heart, and be never sub­ject to the Worm. The same Benefit may be procur'd by cutting them down as soon as they be stript, and casting them into the Wa­ter, where they may ly for some time, and then taken out for use, as occasion shall re­quire. It is very ill Husbandry to suffer Cat­tle to go into Coppice-Woods: Nevertheless, after they be of Seven or Eight Years growth, Colts may feed upon the Lawnes or Walks of such Woods, without any great Dammage.

I hold Ash to be very profitable in Coppi­ces; for they will shoot up in heighth, and grow very streight, and make excellent Hoops, besides, it is a quick Grower. I hold it very profitable likewise, where a Coppice is to be raised by setting of Acorns, to sow Crab-Ker­nels amongst them; for they will be rais'd much safer this way than in a Nursery, and may be remov'd without any injury to the Coppice, as occasion shall require: What is pretended, that such Stocks when they are re­moved or re-planted in an open place will not thrive, as being remov'd out of a warm Bed into the open Air, is a meer Fancy: For I have known such Stocks as forward as any, and altho the Coppice-wood might shelter them from the cold Winds, yet 'tis certain, that they suf­fer [Page 109] much more in the Root, which is not ca­pable to spread it self far, being choakt up by the crowd of other Roots about them, which also rob them of their due Nourishment, so that when they are translated from their hungry Soil, and their devouring Neighbours and Thickets, they will quickly flourish, and be more hardy than those which are raised in the Nursery.

Discoursing once with a Gentleman, (Mr. Seale of Cotton Ʋnderidge in the County of Gloster) who was very Curious and Intelligent in these Matters, and of whatsoever related to Husbandry, he made it out, That an Acre of Coppice-Wood on a Plain, might contain as much Wood as two Acres on the side of a Hill, tho that on the Plain, as likewise the Ground on the side of the Hill, might seem both alike planted, or equally thick in appearance; which Assertion, tho it looks at first like a Paradox, contains a real Truth, as he made appear from this Pyramidal or Triangular Figure.

A the Basis, represents the Plain. B B the two sides of the Triangular, represent the sides [Page 110] of the Hill or Mountain. C C C C Shew the Trees shooting from the Plain, and from the sides: For if we consider the matter a little, and the Order wherein Trees grow upon a Plain, and upon a hanging Surface, we shall find them perfectly stretching themselves in such Order as the Figure represents: So that if the Hill or Mountain be very high and steep, one Acre at the bottom may contain four times the quantity of Wood, as an Acre on the side of a Hill, a thing which all who deal in Woods, ought to have regard to.

A Plantation of Coppice-wood is a thing of great Profit; for by this means, Ground which is not worth five Shillings an Acre, will be worth Twenty, and better. 'Tis true, it will be 18 or 20 Years before we come to reap the fruit of our labour, which may discourage those perhaps, who are advanc'd in Years, from entring upon a Project, of which peradven­ture, they may never see the effect. But Men are not born only for themselves, but must be mindful also of Posterity whether descending from themselves, or such as shall rise up in suc­ceeding Ages. And certain it is, that the Pro­fit which shall accrue this way, as it is great­er, so it is more laudable than what may arise from the Returns of a long sleeping Mortgage. And there is further advantage in Copoices or Woods, above other Lands, that they are not subject to sink in their Value or encumber us, as Tillage and Pasture, which sometimes for want of Tenants, sometimes by the Fall of [Page 111] Cattle, or Corn, or some Accident or other, become very hazardous and troublesome, and require continual Expence to maintain them: Whereas Coppice-Woods being a little lookt to, and preserv'd from Cattle for some time after they be cut, there is no more trouble with them; and we reap the Profit of them in a good round Sum, or in Gross; whereas other Lands make their Returns by little and little, and as it were by Retail, so that Money melts away insensibly, or in trifling services, per­haps.

Further yet, A Plantation of Coppice-Wood, as it is most profitable to a private Undertaker, so is it most pleasant and ornamental, if near a Gentleman's House. If it be seated therefore on the side of a Hill, I hold it very beautiful and graceful to Plant a Coppice on the declin­ing Ground leading to it, and so to cut Glades or Avenues which may give a View and Pro­spect of the Seat; which Roads or Walks, if well kept, and regularly cut, are far more grace­ful than Rows of Trees, where the failing of some here and there, make a great Gap in the Walk, of which there is no danger in thick Tufts of Wood; and besides the Pleasure of the Shades, such places are more delightful from the Birds and Game with which they may be stor'd. Such Gentlemen therefore who build for Pleasure, ought to have regard to this particular; as also, to have Springs or little Currents lying about their Houses, which may serve for Use and Ornament: Of which more hereafter.

[Page 112] Hitherto I have spoken a little of planting Wood, with regard only to the private Interests and the Profit of the Planter; but in respect of the Publick, the Advantage cer­tainly is much more considerable which hence arises: For it is by such Plantations that our Arsenals are, from Age to Age, stor'd with Ship-Timber, and consequently the best Safe­ty and Defence of the Nation depends up­on them: So that the Decay of Timber in an Age where there is twice the Occasion for it as formerly, cannot but portend una­voidable Danger for the future, if due regard be not had hereunto. And truly, upon the Dreadful Fire of London, had not Norway, Denmark and Sweden furnish'd us with plen­ty of Materials for its Repair, there would hardly have been any good Timber-Building left in the Kingdom.

Another thing which seems very much to render good Timber scarce, especially Oak, was the severe Frost in 83, which made Gaps in infinite Numbers of them, by which they are become seedy or shatter'd, and unfit for Plank, and all better Uses; whilst others re­ceiv'd such a cheque or stop as they will not recover for some Years; nor indeed, be ever so thrifty as before; so that from that time to this, we find all sorts of Timber growing scarcer and dearer, and so 'tis likely still to continue. 'Tis well we are in good Terms with the Northern Crowns; but should we once have a Difference with them, we might [Page 113] soon expect to be brought to the utmost Ex­tremity; especially when the Iron-works (those great Devourers of Fewel) should mul­tiply upon us, to furnish the Kingdom with such Iron-Provisions and Stores as are now brought from thence, and all but little e­nough to serve our Occasions: So that up­on such a general Slaughter, or rather Massa­cre of Wood, as would be made in such a Conjuncture, we could not but become an easie Prey to a Foreign Invasion. It be­hoves therefore our Parliaments, more than ever, to put a stop to such Practices as shall unduly diminish the Growth of such a ne­cessary Commodity, as also to encourage the planting of it by some Priviledges and Exemp­tions; and particularly, to encourage the planting of Wood in such Heaths and barren Grounds as lie commodious to any Navigable River, or near such Ports and Harbours to which our Shipping does most resort.

But of things relating to this Subject, more at large, when I shall hereafter discourse of the Fuel of London.

CHAP. VIII. Of Trees as they are Ʋseful in Husbandry.

EVERY Husbandman or Farmer, tho he be not Master of a Park, or of Fair Woods, ought to have his. Ground well stord with such Trees as may promote his Husban­dry, such as Elms, Oak and Ash; as likewise, to be commodiously furnish'd with Aqualicks, or such as grow near the Brooks and Waters, as Sally, Withy and Orles: For these Trees, tho of less bulk, are very serviceable. And,

First, I begin with Elms: Elms then, as also Poplar, being cut at the Butt, do Cop­pice or cast forth New Shoots in great abun­dance; so that so far as their Roots spread under Ground, they will sprout out of the Earth like a little Forrest; For there being no Branches to draw the Sap, the Roots cast forth (or discharge themselves of) what may be spared from the main Tree towards the raising a new Offspring: These young Plants, if preserv'd from the injury of Cattle, will grow considerably, but not to substance, by reason of their great Multitude: The more therefore of these young Sprouts are wed [Page 115] away, the fairer will be the remainder: They are better therefore propagated this way than by Transplantation; tho if transplanted, the best way is to mow Grass or Weeds, and lay them about the Roots, which will keep the Ground moist, sweating, and defend the Roots from the Extremities of Heat and Cold; if some Stones be mixt with the Grass it is not amiss; for they will keep the Grass hollow, and preserve it from withering and baking together. The like helps may be us'd to preserve Fruit-Trees, or any other Trees whatsoever.

Elms in Husbandry are useful for Stocks and Valleys for Wheels; For Ox-Bows, as also for Harrows: This Wood likewise is good in Railes and Gates, if sawn thin, not being apt to rove like Oak, and being light, will shut and open with more ease. Boards of Elm are good likewise for Floors and Doors of Rooms, but not so good as Oak, because subject to swell and shrink upon alteration of Weather. The Season of cutting them, is from Allhallon-tide to Candlemas; but if cut in the Summer, let them be cast into the Wa­ter for a quarter of a Year, and that will fetch out the Sap, and preserve them from the Worms.

An old Barr-Oak being cut at the Butt will never Coppice more; but Saplings or young Timber will shoot from the Butt, but not sprout forth of the Ground, round about, like Elm and Poplar. Oaks therefore, are best [Page 116] rais'd of Acorns, especially in large Fields: For if Acorns be set in a small quantity, they will be in danger of being destroy'd by Moles, or Field-Mice, who are of a strange quick Scent, and will get them out of the Ground, tho never so well cover'd, and carry them to their little Holds or Store-Houses.

Oaks, tho they be accounted the longest Livers amongst the Trees of this Island, per­ish soonest by Cold and Drought of any, ex­cepting Poplar and Asp, as was observable in 84, being the Year following that severe Frost. A vast number of Oaks, especially the old ones, wither'd away the following Summer, which prov'd exceeding dry. And of sound Tim­ber-Trees many were split and cleft to the ve­ry heart, so that a Man might put his Finger in the Cleft or Rent, which clos'd up again when the Frost was over; and altho they seem'd to the Eye to have receiv'd no Dam­mage, yet 'tis certain that they were seely, or weeping or shatter'd, and in a manner un­serviceable being sawn. For tho the Gaps and Clefts which were made by the Frost heal'd up again, leaving sometimes no Seam nor Scar in outward appearance; nevertheless, when such Trees are cut, the Wounds will soon appear; so that the Dammage done that Win­ter, as I have said before, will not be repair'd in many Ages; and I look upon good Tim­ber to be a Commodity which will every day grow more scarce than other. And such tru­ly was the violence of that Frost, that as [Page 117] I very well remember, it rent a Stone-Wall from the top to the bottom so wide, that I could lay my Finger in the Cleft, the Crack running and turning with the joints of the Stones, which Breach at Spring clos'd up again, lea­ving no mark of Rupture behind. The Wall was built upon a Rocky Foundation in the Water. Of all Trees Elms resist Cold the best, for I observ'd not one to perish by that rigid Season.

Oak serves for several Uses in Husbandry, as for Planks and Beds for Waines, for Spokes in Wheels, for Vessel-Staves, and for all the Occasions of Building; 'tis the Wood which is most durable and beautiful. If you cast Beeches or Quarter-Wood into the Water, be­ing sawn Green, and letting them lie therein a quarter of a Year, and better, 'twill fetch out the Sap, and make them fit for Use quickly. Likewise Saplings being cast green into the Water, after they have lain there for some time, become tough and hard, and will not be subject to Worms, as appears by Axle-Trees; so that a Gate or Rails made of young Poles thus season'd, shall last many Years, and ne­ver be subject to the Worm, nor to [...]ove or warp by the Sun. In a word, I hold it best to cast all sorts of sawn or cleft Oak, as Boards, Window-stuff, Spokes, Pipe-wood, or Stairs, Pin-wood, Waine-Beds, &c. into the Water, there to season; for being dri [...]d in the Sun, they will be apt to warp or cast.

[Page 118] Oaks, Elms, and generally all Trees what­soever, being cropp'd, or having the Heads cut off, so that they cannot stretch themselves higher, grow more bulky and burry; so that 'tis usual for an Oak, thus dwarf'd, to contain six Yards in compass: For such Trees rotting and perishing at the Heart, by reason of the Wet which soaks in perpetually at the Head, Nature enlarges them, and endeavours to mea­sure out their just Period of Duration by wi­dening their sides; so that what would have been spent otherwise in the Nourishment of great Limbs and Branches, is expended whol­ly upon the Trunk: And so desirous are Trees of living, (I mean in respect of their Natural Inclinations,) that they will still preserve themselves in their vegetative Station, till all the Heart and Timber within be rotted, there remaining perhaps nothing of them almost, but the very Shell or outward Bark.

Although Oaks be esteem'd with us as Trees of great bulk, yet are they far short of the Ce­dar, or of the Firr, of which I remember to have seen on the Wharf, where the Rhosne and the Soan meet, at Lyons, Firr-Trees squar'd full thirty Yards or Paces in length, being at the Butt near upon three Foot square, and a Foot and a half near the small End. Never­theless, Oaks has the Preheminence of these and all other Trees whatsoever, as being more durable after cutting, and more serviceable in all Respects; and even for Shipping, Masts only excepted, they are known by daily Expe­rience [Page 119] to withstand the Batteries of Great Guns much better than any other Wood whatsoever, being not subject to splintering, like Firr; tho' perhaps the Firr, as being a lighter Wood, may be better for sailing; but this must be understood then of Ketches, or lesser Frigates, such as Corsairs use, and not of great Ships fit for fighting and more eminent Service.

Ashes are best rais'd from Keys sown or planted in a Nursery: They are not liable to the Danger of Field-Mice; and one Ash trans­planted from a Nursery, shall grow more in two Years, than another of the same bigness taken from a Hedge or Coppice shall in ten; because those in Nurseries are better rooted. These Keys of Ashes will be in the Ground full two Springs before they will peep forth, and must be wed a little the first Year, and dug a little too, if it may be done without In­jury, tho' it be with a How or the point of a Trovel.

Ash in Husbandry serves for Spittle or Spade-Trees, for Drocks and Spindles for Plows, for Hoops, for Helves, and Staves, for all Tools of Husbandry, as being tough, smooth, and light. Ash growing in Hedges, ought often to be cropp'd; for it grows to a head sooner than any Tree, and is the sweet­est Fir-wood of any, being fit to burn as soon as cleft or cut. Besides, tall Ashes being sha­ken by the Wind, cast the Rain or Dew which fall upon them, a great way upon the Ground; nor is there any thing so mischievous to [Page 120] Grass or Corn as the Dropping of an Ash.

Beech, by reason of the straitness and smooth­ness of the Wood, is serviceable in many re­spects, particularly to Wheel-wrights, Tur­ners and Joiners, and is useful enough for building, in several respects; but that which gives it the greater Reputation, is, that it grows in the poorest and most barren Ground, if it be stony and mountainous; so that the Ground, commonly, where they thrive best, is on the side of a stony, rocky Hill, which otherwise would not be worth half a Crown an Acre. Of all Trees almost 'tis held the most beautiful, for the Freshness of its Green, for the Straitness of its Trunk; and where they grow, they kill all tender Shrubs and Brambles, by drawing all the Nourishment of the Earth to themselves, and yield therefore a most delightful Shade, and most fit for Walks. Hence it is that almost all Monaste­ries and Private Houses in France plant little Walks of them in their Gardens.

In lopping of Trees, 'tis very ill Husban­dry to do like some lazy Workmen, who, when they are to repair a Hedge, cut one Stake here and another there, from a Tree, as it lies convenient for their Work; for by this means the Shot or Stub is kill'd by the drop­ping of the over-hanging Boughs, and the Tree decays, and will in a short time die, as we see in Trees which are half lopp'd, which at the best, send sorth but poor starv'd Shoots. Let the Tree therefore be cropp'd in the Winter-Season, [Page 121] and all together, and it will shoot with a very lusty Head, and in a short time yield a large Crop. The Over-hangings like­wise of a Hedge, or of any other Tree, is very fatal to one newly cropp'd, by casting always stained Water upon it, which in a short time will poison the tender Shoots, and kill the Trunk.

Some, in cropping or lopping of Trees, leave the Stub long, to preserve the Timber from Knots; but 'tis observ'd, that such Stubs, after two or three Years, will wither and de­cay; or, if not, they will hardly grow forth to yield a second Crop: But in this Point let every Man follow his own Observation. Asp ought to be lopp'd with great Care and Di­scretion; for if the top be cut off, 'twill die infallibly. There must some Branches be left, and that too in a considerable quantity, to pre­serve the Trunk; but in case it die, we may be sure, I say, of a whole Forrest round a­bout the wither'd Trunk, which in due Sea­son may be transplanted; tho' such young Trees are something hazardous.

Amongst Aqualicks, or Trees which de­light to grow near the Water, Sally is as pro­fitable as any can be planted, and it is rais'd of Stakes or Settings. It thrives almost in all Soils, and is a very quick grower, and is most useful to make Buckles for Thatch, as also for Edderings or Lays, to bind the heads of Stakes in Hedges. They may be cropp'd eve­ry third Year, and an indifferent Tree every [Page 122] Lopping will yield half a Dray full of Wood of Tynnel; so that once in three Years every such Tree shall yield so much Crop as shall be worth half a Crown in such Places where Wood bears any tolerable Price. We may plant a hundred such Trees upon an Acre, without any great Injury to the Ground; so that in Places unfurnish'd with Wood, a spot of Ground thus planted will quickly come to Perfection, and serve all the Occasions of a Considerable Farm. Upon which Account, I have always thought a Plantation of Sally to be far more profitable than that of any Fruit-Trees whatsoever; considering the quicker and certain Growth of the one, and the long and hazardous Progress of the other, before it come to Profit.

Withy is much more difficult to raise than Sally, and grows best near the Water, and in a fat Soil, and especially in Meadows, and on the Banks of a Brook. It serves for the same Uses as Sally. The young Twiggs also are very serviceable to Basket-makers, and for binding of Tuggs in Thatch. I have observ'd the Settlings of Withy to thrive for a Year or two, and then commonly they die, that side withering which is towards the South Sun; the Reason whereof I am yet to learn, unless it be from hence, viz. That the Hole in which we plant a Setting being made by a sharp, strong Stake, it may so happen that the Setting not reaching the bottom of the Hole, may wi­ther away for want of Earth to give it Root [Page 123] and Nourishment, by reason of that hollow Space which lies betwixt the Butt-end of the Setting and the bottom of the Hole, as the same Hollowness containing Water all the Winter, helps likewise to starve the Root, being void of Earth to cherish it.

Orles are great Growers where they like their Soil, which commonly is a boggy and marshy Ground. They are raised by Seeds they say, by cutting young Poles, and laying or burying them in the Ground at length, and being well cover'd with Earth, they will shoot out in very great Abundance; and if they are stripp'd or bark'd, and let stand a Year af­ter, they will never be subject to the Worm, and are very useful for Rafting of Barns, as being strait and light. They will make like­wise very handsome light Ladders, and where the Wood is grown to any Substance, 'tis ve­ry useful for Turners, in making all sorts of little Wooden Ware; moreover, being a quick Grower, as all Aqualicks are, they are profitable enough for the Fire; and whoso­ever will affect the Propagation of these Trees, besides the way before-mentioned, by bury­ing of Poles length-ways, (of which, I must confess, I never made Experience,) may raise whole Forrests of them, by sowing their Keys or Seeds upon any boggy Ground, light­ly cover'd over or dress'd with Fa [...]th, and kept for a time from the Spoil of Cattle.

CHAP. IX. Of Fruit-Trees.

HAving already spoken of Coppice-Woods, as also of Trees, as they stand useful for Husbandry, we are now to consider Plant­ing, as it extends to Fruit-Trees, which is justly esteemed to be one of the most pleasant as likewise the most Profitable Improvements which a Country Gentleman or a good Hus­bandman can make of his Estate. This I shall discourse of under these Particulars, viz. of Seeds, Nurseries, Grafting, Soil, Culti­vation, the several Kinds or Species of Fruit-Trees, with some Cursory Remarks upon Cy­der. And,

First, For Seeds, I hold Crab-Kernels to be absolutely the best of any for a Seed-Plot, forasmuch as the Crab-stock seems to have these Advantages above any other; for, first, it is more hardy against the Intemperance of Weather; in the next place, 'tis less capable of Injuries from gaulings, or bruises, and bi­tings of Cattle, for the Wounds they receive this way will soon heal; likewise 'tis less sub­ject to the Canker, and of longer Continu­ance than any Kernel-stock or Wilding what­soever; and altho' the Grass should die, the [Page 125] Stock will weather it out, and after a little time be fit to be re-grafted; whereas Wildings or Stocks of the Seed of grafted Fruit, will rare­ly resist and survive such Disasters.

But the way of ordering such Seeds is a Mat­ter of further Care, for to throw them upon the Ground, after Cyder-making Time, (as commonly Men do,) unless they be in a very great quantity, is very uncertain and hazard­ous: For besides Poultry, Birds, Pigs, and the like, which at all times will be feeding and musling on them, there is a far worse E­nemy, and that is the Mole or Field-Mouse, a Species of Vermine betwixt a Want and a House-Mouse. These Moles or Field-Mice, I say, will feed upon the Kernels all the Winter-Season; and I have found by Experience, that of a thousand Kernels Hand-set in my Garden, and well cover'd with Earth, with the greatest Care imaginable, they have been all stolen away by these Vermine in a Month's time, and less, so quick-scented and sagacious are they, digging up the Seeds with as much neatness as if they had been drawn out of the Earth with a Finger. The like Damage I have found in Acorns, Filbirds, Walnuts, and the like, tho cover'd with Lime and Soot; all which have been dug-up and hoarded by these mischievous Vermine in holes of Walls, and in the bot­tom of hollow Trees, to serve them all the Winter.

The best way then to destroy these Vermine is by good Cats, or before we sow or set our [Page 126] Kernels, to wet some Kernels and flower them with Arsenick: For this will do their work effectually, as I have found by Experience; but there is a danger herein, lest Dogs, Cats or Swine, or Poultrey, should meet either with the Baits or the Vermine. As for those silly Scribblers who write of Husbandry, and talk of placing Butter-Pots, or Traps Under-Ground to catch 'em in, they catch nothing but such Fools as rely upon their Whimsies; for I am confident, they never made any Ex­periment of this Nature, with Success, seek­ing only to entertain their Readers with curi­ous Gimcracks. If a Garden therefore, o [...] Seed-Plot be subject to these Vermin (as there are few but are) there is no other way but to throw many Loads of Muck or Must upon the Ground, and so some will be sure to escape and sprout; or else to keep the Must thinly spread in a dry Room till Spring, and then sowing it on the Ground lightly, haw'd up, and powder'd over with fine black Earth through a Sieve, together with some short Straw, or Mullock, thrown over to preserve them from Birds, together with Thorns to de­fend them from Poultry, they will quickly sprout out in that Season, and prevent the Spoil from Mice, who likewise in warm Wea­ther, and upon the approach of Spring, will not be so solicitous to make their Magazines. I say, then the Mulk, or Must, ought to be laid upon a dry Floor, and thinly spread, and oftentimes turn'd, being sinely rubb'd and [Page 127] crumbl'd; for lying in great Clods, much more in great Heaps, 'twill heat and rot the Kernels: Or if the Kernels were hand-pick'd out of the Pulse of the Crabbs after Grinding, and preserv'd in a Box till the beginning of Spring, it would be the surest way of succeed­ing, tho with a little more trouble. And thus having sow'd the Kernels, and prepar'd the Ground, you will see them springing up in a very short time, in a great Plat or Forest, where growing for two or three Years, the next care must be to form a Nursery by removing them out of the Seed-Plot.

There are some sort of Fruit-Trees which send Shoots from the Root, as Pears, Plums and Cherries; and if an old Tree be cut down at the Butt there will shout up a great number of young wildings, which may be removed to serve Occasions, or be budded with choicer Fruits; but these Curiosities concern the Gar­den rather than the Orchard, which is the Subject I am now speaking to.

When young Quicks therefore are ready to be remov'd out of the Seed-Plot, our next Con­sideration is of the Ground design'd for a Nursery, which ought not to be over-rank, for 'twill be subject to Cowch Grass, but being well dug and prepar'd trim your Quicks, and set them in Lines, each Row, as also cach Quick, at a Yard distance from each other, casting into the Trench good fine Earth, with some well-rotted Horse-Dung mixt together, and then cover them with the Mould thrown [Page 128] out of the next Trench, and so continue set­ting and trenching till you have finished your Plantation; but be sure above all to tread the Earth well down to the Roots, being first care­fully spread abroad by hand upon the prepar'd Mould. I allow a Yard distance betwixt the Stocks or Quicks that they may spread their Roots with more Freedom, and be dug up without danger to their Neighbours; for up­on the good Root of a Stock all depends. Some Garden-Stuff likewise ought to be Plant­ed betwixt the Ranks of the Quick to kill the long Couch-Grass; as likewise, because the frequent diggings after they have taken Root, accelerate their Growth by turning in fresh Mould to the Roots, which will preserve them also from Men.

After four or five Years growth in the Nur­sery, you may think of removing them; but whether you ought to graft the Stocks in the Nursery, or remove them first into the Ground you design for an Orchard, and there Graft them after three or four Years setting, is a Point I must a little enlarge upon; and so much the rather, because my Opinion in this Particular, leads me contrary to the Practice of all the rest of my Countrymen, who for a long time seem to have quitted the Old Way of grafting in Nurseries, upon some appear­ance of Reason doubtless, which yet I am to learn.

'Tis the general Practice then of our Plant­ers, to remove the Stocks first out of the Nur­sery [Page 129] into the Field or Orchard; and there sta­king and husting them up with Thorns, after three or four Years settlement, to graft upon them, upon pretence belike, that a Crab-stock will not be so apt to miscarry as a grafted Tree, and that grafted Trees, after they are remov'd, will stand for some Years in a languishing con­dition. But notwithstanding this, the Rea­sons for grafting in a Nursery, are much more prevailing; for, in a Nursery they are not on­ly secur'd from the Injuries of Cattle, as like­wise of Weather, being grafted low or near the Ground; but they are secur'd also from the Perchings of Crows, and such like unlucky Birds, which in open Fields or Orchards will be ever and anon alighting upon the tender Cyons or Branches, and break them off, and loosen the Grafts. The pricking in of sharp Sticks in the dawbing; as also the hanging of Feathers in Strings to move with the Wind, may scare them at first; but when the Cyons reach higher than the Sticks (as certainly they will do upon the first shoot) 'tis on them that these mischievous Birds will be sure to Perch, to the great dammage of the Tree: To which I may add the violence of the Winds and Weather, as also the danger of Cattle break­ing into a new-planted Field or Orchard; as also, the danger from the Plow it self, which oftentimes destroys our labour: I say, by these and such like Accidents, which are almost unavoidable, all our Expectation, af­ter Ten Years Care and Attendance, is ver [Page 130] much blasted, and perhaps ruin'd. None of which Inconveniencies or Dangers can hap­pen in a Nursery where a good Fence may be preserv'd with little labour, and all the o­ther Inconveniencies be avoided.

And as for the thriving state of a Crab-stock above a Grafted one, 'tis a thing of little Mo­ment in the present Case: For our Nursery-Stocks once grafted, and after three or four Years Growth being remov'd, are much more hardy than any Stock newly grafted in the open Field or Orchard, and are less subject to decay from the Wounds they shall receive from Thorns, Plows and Harrows; whereas young grafted Trees once gall'd or bruis'd, if not timely cur'd, will be in danger of the Canker, if not of dying. There is nothing more mischievous to a new-grafted Stock than Thorns, which tho they may serve to keep off Cattle, wound the tender Shoots, those espe­cially of the first Year (which indeed are prin­cipally to be taken care of) and by this Means the Branches become canker'd, and perhaps, after some little time, the Tree it self does lan­guish and die.

As touching the Soil of an Orchard, a mix­ture of Earth, a little inclining to Sand is the best, and Gravelly Ground the worst. For the Gravel lying generally towards the Surface of the Earth, the Roots can draw no Nourish­ment from it, nor penetrate betwixt such a compacted matter of little Stones: Tho Elms we find thrive best in such a Soil, because they [Page 131] naturally spread their Roots wide, and upon the Surface, where they are sure to meet with a fat Earth; the superfice of the Ground be­ing ever better then the Earth which lies deeper, whilst the gravelly and impenetrable Ground which lies commonly a Foot or something deeper then the Turf, forces them to spread their Roots in such a way or man­ner as is most suitable to their Nature. Whereas on the other hand, the tender Fi­bres or Strings of the Roots of Fruit-Trees, especially of Apples, once touching the cold Gravel, there stop their progress, and for want of suitable Nourishment from below, the Tree ceases to grow, and in a short Time after decayes.

Likewise an unequal Surface or Countrey, which consists of little Hills and Valleys, is much more proper for Fruit, then the level and open Campaigne: For in a wide and o­pen Field, there is no shelter to keep off the scorching Blasts, the cold Winds and Storms; whereas an Orchard which lies upon a hang­ing Ground, and is environ'd with other Ri­sings and Bottoms lies warm and cover'd from Blasts, and shaded too from the immoderate heats of the Sun, which easily scorch the ten­der Blossom. Besides; a declining Surface will not be apt to retain the Water too long upon the Ground, which will chill and starve the Root in Winter, but the Water after it has refresh'd the Earth gently soaks away.

[Page 132] I would have a Plantation to Face the Morning Sun, if possible: For 'tis the Early Sun which revives all Vegetables; whereas the Western or Afternoon Sun is commonly hot­ter, from whence also proceed these gleams or hot Winds which are so fatal to Trees, when they are in the tender Blossom. And from these Blasts it is; that not only the Blossom, but even the Leaves, and sometimes the very Fruit, after it's advanc'd to some Perfection be­came scorch'd and sing'd, and even the Tree it self many times dies, or at least will not reco­ver it self for Two or Three Years after. When the Blossoms fall off suddenly or disap­pear, it is a certain sign the Tree is blasted; and the Leaves of the Blossoms which hang on will look Red and Burnt, which being pluckt off we shall find a grub at the Bottom engen­dred by the Wind, which grub kills the tender Fruit upon the Stalk: Or if the Fruit hang on for a little Time, the next Puff of Wind blows them down under the Tree, and such as seem to escape will never be but little shri­vell'd starv'd Apples, such as we call Crickets.

In Normandy 'tis true; they plant their Fruit-Trees in Walks, and in the wide and o­pen Fields, so that we may ride every where through plains of Corn a Mile or Two, eve­ry way planted in Cross-walks, and in double Ranks bordering upon the Corn on each side, with a fine Carpet of Grass like an Alley of Twenty Yards breadth betwixt the Ranks, such walks running many Times in a straight [Page 133] Line for a Mile or more together; which is wonderful delightful. The Reason why they are not in such danger of Blasts as we are here in England, is from the clearness of the Air, the Country being generally Sandy, and the Winds more cooling as coming from the Con­tinent, or the Britannick Sea which lies North of them; whereas with us, the Island we live in is more subject to inequality of Weather, and our Western Winds which reign almost half the Year by Intervals, are always hot as coming from the main Ocean, in those Parts of England I mean which are in Reputation for Cyder: For the River Severne running South-West, and widening it self in a very great Measure the nearer it draws to the Sea; the Winds come up the River as it were convey'd by a Channel, being restrain'd or pent betwixt the Forrest, and Cotswold-Hills: For which Reason 'tis, that Gloucester, Worcester, and Hereford-Shires, the Three most celebrated Counties of England for Fruit, lye in a manner expos'd to the full stroak of these South-West Winds; which indeed are more furious and boisterous than any other Winds with us, as (blowing from the Main Ocean) as it were by a Tunnell without any Eminence or Tract of Land to break its Violence; which being hot­ter likewise by reason of the Southern Coast from whence they come, than those of any o­ther Quarter, and at such Time as the Air is thick and foggy (as generally it is in our Nor­thern Islands) the heat meeting with such an [Page 134] impure Air, begets an Adust gloomy kind of Vapour like to Smoak, which the Peasants call a Red Wind, and this is that which blasts and destroys the tender Fruit and Blossoms.

In a Plantation or Orchard likewise, great reguard is to be had to the distance of the Trees: In a large Plantation for the purpose, I would not have them to be set nearer then twenty Paces to one another, nor wider then thirty, that so there may be space for the Trees to spread, and for the Corn to grow. Likewise I would have the Ground laid down plain, and not in Furrows or Ridges, because of set­ting the Ranks streight, and at an equal di­stance, which those who plant upon the Tops of plow'd Lands cannot do, being oblig'd to follow the turnings and windings of the Ridge. And after the Stocks are well root­ed (as in Two or Three Years Time they will be) then plowing up the Ground for Tillage is the best Method imaginable to bring on an Orchard: For Trees will thrive more in Two Years on plow'd Ground than in five Years on Pasture.

Moreover in planting these Rules are to be observ'd. 1st, To put a good quantity of old black Mould to the Root of the Stock and to work it in well with the hand betwixt the Joints and Strings of the Root, whose Branches must be cut slanting underneath, so that the Bark may cover them; otherwise they will rot. 2dly, The Earth must be trod down very close: For if it lie hollow, the Root in Sum­mer [Page 135] will be dried up, and in Winter 'twill retain Water, which, when frozen, will kill the Root. 3dly, Let all Stocks be planted lean­ing towards the South-West, the Winds of which Quarter are longer and more violent than any other Winds whatsoever, and will make a Stock set upright to grow irregular and crooked; whereas by this Method the Force of the Wind will bring what is leaning against it more and more towards an upright, and en­able the Tree to stand firm against the Fury of these Western Shocks. 4thly, In staking them great Care must be taken, that the Stakes do not gall or bruise the Trees: As for Briering or Thorning them, it is superfluous, except in such Places where Cattle go; and for such Orchards they will come to little, for do what we can the Cattle will some time or other brouze them, and in Ground not plow'd, the Stocks will come on very poorly. They there­fore who love good Orchards, must keep their Ground in Tillage always, and by this means turn in fresh Mould to the Roots; so that here is no need of Thorns, where Cattle are not suppos'd to go.

'Tis not good, for the first or second Year, after a Stock is grafted, to prune off the Suck­ers; for the tender Grafts not being strong enough of themselves to draw up the Sap, the Tree of necessity must wither and die. This I have found by often Experience; so that many times the Grafter is condemn'd, when the Fault lies in the superfluous Curiosity [Page 136] of the Husbandman: But where the Cyons or Grafts are grown big enough to draw up the Sap in such a Proportion as may keep the Trunk of the Stock green and flourishing, then off with the Suckers. Likewise 'tis a very excel­lent way to nip the Shoots of the first Year; for besides that, Crows will be apt to perch upon such tender Shoots and break them, 'tis certain that such high weak Shoots are very lia­ble to be shaken by the Wind, and in the Win­ter-Season to be pinch'd by the Cold and Frost, which will much endanger the Grafts, especi­ally if the Winds in March be any thing se­vere; for such Branches will either wither, or be canker'd, as I have observ'd from the cold Winds and Frosts in March 93, 94, and espe­cially 96, which was the most unkind Season for Fruit-Trees which hath happen'd in any Age. The Midsummer-Shoot, for the same Reason, is much to be preferr'd before that of the Spring; for they come forth short and bushy, and by the next Year will be strong enough to resist any ordinary Shocks of Wind and Weather, and are out of all danger from the perching of Crows.

Good daubing likewise is of great Moment to a Tree; for if the Cleft be not well secur'd from wet, the Tree will be in danger, so that as often as the Clay or Mortar is wash'd or worn off, it should be renew'd again, till the Bark covers it. Likewise, if a Tree be grafted with two Cyons, 'tis best to pare off one of them close to the Head of the Stock as soon as [Page 137] the Grafts come to any bigness; for they will be apt to grow one within another, and so be canker'd. The Reason therefore of putting two Grafts into the Incision, is for the better Security, in case one should fail, as also to draw up the Sap in greater Plenty; tho' I hold it absolutely safer to graft in the Nursery with a single Graft upon a young slender Stock, for such rarely miscarry, and the Cleft is soon skinn'd over; the Sap likewise is more easily drawn up, and the Branches will shoot far enough asunder, without danger of twisting one within another.

The Maladies to which Fruit-Trees are sub­ject, are, first, Moss; and this proceeds either from Old Age, and then it is incurable, or from the bending of the Bark; the Remedy whereof is lancing, or else digging about the Roots in Winter: But if Moss proceed from the Wetness of the Soil, I hold it likewise to be incurable. Scraping or burning of the Moss with Straw, may serve for a time, but 'twill return again as long as the Cause re­mains. The Canker is another Disease inci­dent to Trees; if it be in the Branches, I look upon it as incurable; for the canker'd Branch being cut off, the after-Shoots will likewise be canker'd, till you pare away all the Branches: Esteem therefore such a Tree to be fit for no­thing but the Fire. This Disease many times proceeds from the Wounds which the tender Shoots of a new-grafted Tree receive from Thorns growing or stuck near about it; but [Page 138] it is not so always, for some Trees will be canker'd, do we what we can. Many tell us that the Canker proceeds from the Rankness of the Ground, or from the Nature of the Fruit, so that Grafts cut from a canker'd Tree will prove canker'd likewise. This I cannot speak to by Experience; only, that where a Canker is in the Body of a Stock (as it happens fre­quently) by reason of some bruises or ra­sure from the Plow, Harrows, Traces, and the like, the best way is with a sharp-pointed Knife to cut round about it to the quick, and it will stop from going farther, and yield a new Rind or tender Bark; otherwise, if the Sap be stirring, the Bark will peel, and loosen much farther than the Bruise, and wither away, to the great Danger of the Stock: Therefore, after the Incision round about the Bruise, let the naked Place be cover'd with Earth and Cow-Dung mix'd and bound about with a twist of Hay daub'd with Cow-dung likewise, and after a Year or two the Breach will be cur'd, and sometimes be intirely skinn'd over with a new Rind. I have observ'd the Can­ker likewise to proceed from the Extremity of Weather, or bitter Winds, about the latter end of March, at such time as the Trees, by the precedent Season, which has been very mild, were in the fairest way to make us hope for a Blessing; so that the Sap being then stirring upwards, and thus arrested by the unusual Se­verities of the Spring, the Trees themselves have been much mortified, and especially such [Page 139] young ones as have not been grafted above three or four Years. All which I have found by woful Experience in the Year 1694, when of above a hundred young Trees grafted in my Nursery and Orchards, I give above one half of them for irrecoverably lost; which Damage of being Canker-eaten they receiv'd the two precedent Springs, which were the most rigorous for cold Winds that ever were known. We may observe in Trees that are canker'd in the Branch, that tho' you cut it off to the quick, there will be a lit­tle Eye or Speck in the remaining Branch, like the Speck in the Corn upon the Ear, which runs deeper and deeper, till it comes to the Body, and then hold such a Tree to be good for nothing but the Fire; but in case it has not enter'd too far, possibly the Tree or Stock may be saved, by regrafting it with a Winter Quinnin, a Bodenam-Crab, or the Apple we call a Boon-apple, as likewise the Golden-pippin, for these I observe never to canker: I have thus regrafted divers, but I have not yet had time to see the Effects, having made the Expe­riment but this Year 97. The Apple we call a Woodcock is no way apt to canker, as I have found by Experience, and for this Rea­son ought to be highly esteem'd, as well as for its excellent Liquor, being likewise a great and constant Bearer, and not subject to be blasted. These sorts of Fruits are very apt to canker, viz. the Bromstraw-Crab, the White, Red, and Red-sided Muss, the Sweet-Pipin; so [Page 140] that where any of these Trees are infected with this Disease, let them be new Grafted, if not too far gone, in which Case let them be dug up.

The Winds in Winter are generally look'd upon to be very helpful to Trees, in order to make them fruitful by loosning the Earth a­bout their Roots.

If Trees be unthrifty, as in Orchards un­plow'd it often happens, their Roots must be uncovered about Christmass, till the latter end of February, or the beginning of March, put­ting in some old rotten Dung well temper'd with the Earth, and close-trod down, or Ashes mixt with Earth, and the like. Ants are ve­ry pernicious to Trees, and are destroy'd by digging and putting Soot to the Roots.

Lime is found to be a very great Enemy to Orchards, there not being half the Fruit as formerly, since this way of helping Ground for Corn has been practic'd; so that even the Trees themselves dwindle and decay; nay I may confidently affirm, notwithstanding the Humour of planting in this present Age that there is not half the Cyder made as was about Thirty Years ago; the foresaid liming of Land, and the many severe Springs we have had of late Years, being the True and Natural Causes of such decaies.

I would advise all Lovers of Fruit-Trees to have a little Plantation near there House, and this to be close set with Trees not above Ten Yards asunder; so that in an Acre of Ground thus planted, there will grow a hundred Trees: [Page 141] The Reason of such a Plantation is this, that when the lower Plantations or Orchards are blasted, this may supply that loss: For Trees growing close together are apt to save one ano­ther, and to shelter themselves from the Frost, Cold Winds, and Blasts. Besides, the Neigh­bourhood of the Dwelling-House, Barns and other Out-houses will afford Security likewise. 'Tis true; such little Orchards cannot be plow'd where the Trees stand so Thick; in this Case therefore the Ground must be dug, which Method though it be more Expensive will turn to the greater Advantage of the Trees, and return a plentiful Crop of Beans, or other Garden-Stuff. And upon this Ac­count it is, that Trees growing in Gardens or near a House in such Order as I have describ'd, prosper very well when others are smitten. 'Tis good likewise to have Trees growing in Hedges for the same Reason: For such Hedges will shelter them from the Blustering Winds and from the nipping Frosts. And although such Hedge-Rowes do not yield so large a Crop, and are troublesome to be glean'd, yet 'tis good to have some, tho in a lesser quantity, when the larger Plantations shall miscarry.

I must Confess, that Trees planted in Hedge Rows are not very prosperous, unless on a light Sandy a [...]d declining Bank, where the Water may run off quickly out of the Ditches; or rather, where there are no Ditches at all: For where there are Ditches, and on a level, the Water is apt to lye long in the Winter [Page 142] Time and stain the Root: For Remedy whereof some cut up their Hedges at the Butt, and plain the Ditches, planting a New Hedge at some distance: By this Method the Trees will recover themselves incredibly; but whe­ther the profit arising thereby be worth the Charge and Trouble of raising a New-Hedge, I leave to the good Husbandmans Considera­tion, Tho' I think such Hedge Rowes where there are Ditches on the other side, which hold Water most the Winter, are little to be reguarded.

I like also very well to suffer some Kernel Fruit or Wildings to grow in the Orchard, for such Trees will never Canker, they resist the Violence of nipping Winds, Frosts and Blasts, so that we may be sure of having a fair Account of them, which is a Thing of some Benefit, for though the Fruit be harsh, yet 'twill serve for the Ordinary Occasions of a Family, and 'tis better to have harsh Cyder than none at all.

CHAP. X. Of the several Kinds of Apple-Trees, and of Cyder.

COme we now to consider the several Spe­cies or Kinds of Fruit-Trees, with which a good Orchard ought to be Planted, where I shall first begin with Apples, of which the chiefest sorts are these; the Red-streak, the Sweet Pipin, the Bromstraw-Crab, the Winter-Quinnin, the Pear-Main, the Boddi­nam Crab, the John-Apple or Oaken-Pin, the Moile, the Wood-Cock, with the White, Red, and Red-sided Muss, the Bon-Apple, the Brasling.

I begin with the Red-Streak, which I place in the Front, or first Rank, not that I do esteem it does deserve that Place, but out of Complaisance with the Humours and Opini­ons of Men. This kind of Apple thrives no where so well as in Hereford-Shire, where the Trees grow to a very great bigness; whereas in Gloucester-Shire at the distance of some few Miles, though they thrive well at first, yet they never arrive to any bulk, but run out into small slender Branches and dwindle away, the Natural Cause whereof I am to learn, since there is no visible difference in the Soile and [Page 144] manner of Ordering them; hence it is, that Men are forc'd many Times to behead such Trees, and regraft them with some other Fruit. A knotty Nut-grain Stock is commonly the fit­test to be grafted with a Red-Streak.

As for the Liquour which it yields, it is highly esteem'd for its noble Colour, and Smell; 'tis likewise Fat and Oily in the Taste, but withal very Windy, Luscious and Ful­some, and will sooner Cloy the Stomach then any other Cyder whatsoever, leaving a wate­rish raw Humour upon it; so that with Meals 'tis no way helpful, and they who drink it, if I may judge of them by my own Palate, will find their Stomachs pall'd sooner by it, than warm'd and enliven'd: Nevertheless the Price it carries makes it worthy to be esteem'd by the Drinker, but more by the Seller; and when it's Vertues are duly examin'd, I doubt not but it will loose Credit with both. There are two sorts of Red-Streak, the large Red Red-Streak (as they call it) and the lesser, which is streak'd with Veins of Green and Red: The former is the fairer to the Eye, the latter is the better for Cyder. The common Price of Red-Streak Cyder is Three Pounds at the Mill, sometimes it has doubled that Price, but of late Years it sinks in its Credit.

The next kind of Apple for Cyder is the Sweet Winter Pippin, which must be well hoarded, as must also the Red-Streak, before we grind it. They will not Sweat in the hoard under a Fortnight, and to grind any [Page 145] Fruit sooner, tho' the Liquor may be more in quantity, 'twill be less in goodness, and in the mellowness of the Taste. This sort of Ap­ple of it self makes no very good Cyder, as being ill-colour'd, pale, and greenish, thick also and sweetish, and with a little Age turn­ing dreggish or ropy. The way then is to grind with them an equal quantity of Broms-brough Crabs, after they have been well hoard­ed and sweat, together.

The Bromsbrough-Crab is an Apple pecu­liar to those Parts of Gloucester-shire, which lie betwixt the Severn and Wye. It is a large greenish Apple, hard, and ill tasted, and therefore it may be planted in the Fields se­curely, there being nothing in the Fruit which may invite the Eater. Likewise 'tis a good Bearer, but 'tis a little too apt to drop, and does not ripen all together; as it happens also with many other Fruits, of which I shall speak anon. They must be under-shook therefore, and so be gather'd as they ripen. They are a Winter-Fruit, and of the same Duration with the Sweet-Pippin, and of it self makes a strong, rough, masculine Cyder, of a most noble Amber Colour, a little inclining to Red; it is not very pleasant, but withal very full of Spirit, and warms the Stomach, and in quality much resembles those Wines which the Italians call Asciutto, being rough and drying, being such as will keep good in the Vessel for two Years, and in Bottles for divers. The true way then of using this excellent Fruit, is to [Page 146] let it hoard till about the middle of Novem­ber, and then to grind it with the Sweet-Pipin, where the roughness of the one will be allay'd and qualify'd with the sweetness of the other, and these two Fruits in conjunction make ab­solutely the best and richest Liquor our Coun­try does afford, whether we consider the Co­lour, which is equal to that of Red-streak, o [...] the Goodness of the Liquor it self; which, tho' not so sweet and luscious as Red-streak, is really of a true Vinous Nature and Flavour, or of an excellent Smell, and heady, and warm upon the Stomach, in which latter Vertue or Property it far surpasses the Red-streak: And when Goodfellows (as we call them) drink for Drinking's sake, or upon a Debauch, it works it self off the best of any Liquor. But whether this be to its Commendation, or no, I know not; yet if Men will be intemperate, the Fault is not in the Liquor but in the Per­son; the former being no more blameable than a Razor, the goodness of whose Edge may be us'd by some not to shave, but to cut their own Throats. One Fault there is, to which Trees grafted with Bromsbrow are sub­ject, which is the Canker, which if they do escape, (as sometimes they may, from some peculiar Goodness and Quality of the Ground,) I hold my Planter to have made as good a Choice of Fruit as 'tis possible.

The Winter-Quinin, as also a Pearemain, make a rich, pleasant Cyder, very hearty and mellow; and when rack'd off, and Bottled, [Page 147] is very delicious and grateful. But these sorts of Trees are no very great Bearers, nor do they grow to any considerable bulk, and therefore may be more serviceable at the Ta­ble in Dishes than in Glasses.

The Bodnam-Crab is a little, small Apple, something vein'd and colour'd like a Red­streak, or a Lady-Apple. It is a good Bearer, but very subject to drop or ripen by little and little. You must plant them therefore near the House, in some inclosed Spot of Ground, which is well secur'd from Cattle, Pigs, and Poultry; which last they cannot well be de­fended from, unless we totally banish them from our Habitation, which I am confident every Gentleman, or Gentlewoman rather, who have any Esteem for their Fruit, and a good Garden, will readily approve of; for I ac­count them the most unprofitable and mischie­vous Creatures that can vex a House, and fit only for Farmers, and poor People, who make little difference betwixt themselves and their Beasts. But to return to our Bodnams, which being a Fruit which is ever dropping, may lie and m [...]llow on the Ground; or else we may gather them as they fall, and put them in a heap by themselves in the Apple-Loft; or we may under-shake them, as I spake before of Bromsbroughs. They may be ground a­bout the same time with other Winter-Fruit, viz. from the beginning to the middle of November. It is no very juicy Apple, but it makes amends for that in the Redness of it, I [Page 148] holding good Bodnam Cyder among other Li­quors of the first Rate. This Apple has its Denomination from an Ancient Family in He­refordshire, where I suppose it was first in Re­putation. One Prerogative this Fruit has, viz. that it is not subject to Canker; so that if there be an Occasion of regrasting a Tree over-grown with this Disease, there cannot be a better Remedy than the Bodnam.

The Woodcock is a fair large Apple, and produces an excellent Cyder, comparable with the best. The Fruit is not unacceptable at the Table, and the Stocks grafted with this Fruit are not liable to so many Diseases and Accidents as other Trees, and it is likewise a good Bearer.

The John-apple, or Oaken-pin, of all Fruits is the worst for Taste, being most harsh and hard: They will hang on the Tree till Christmas, and keep till Apples come again, and yet worth little to eat, being dry and mealy; notwithstanding it may serve well enough for the Pastry, in regard they may be had when all other Apples are gone. However, being ground in the Mill, it makes an admi­rable sort of Cyder: The Time of Grinding it, is after Christmas, if the Frosts be not o­ver-violent; for they hang upon the Tree the longest of any Fruit, and I take it for a Gene­ral Rule, that the Fruit which is longest a ri­pening makes the best Cyder. 'Tis true, this sort of Apple yields but little Juice, yet with­al 'tis a very great Bearer, and constant, and [Page 149] fears neither Thief nor Weather: For which Reason it ought to have a Place allow'd it in a Gentleman's Orchard, even amongst his choicest Fruits, how little soever this kind of Apple is valued by the Vulgar.

The Apple call'd a Bon-apple is not com­monly known, and yet I esteem it, when I consider all its Properties, to be absolutely the best and most profitable of any that grows: For, first, 'tis a constant and fruitful Bearer, the Apple large and firm, like a Sweet Pipin, but o [...] a longer shape; secondly, 'tis never subject to the Canker, nor to be blasted, and the Fruit as well tasted and lasting as the Pipin, and fairer to the Eye. In the last place, it af­fords an excellent Cyder, hearty, mellow, and lasting as any. They seldom or never sail of Bearing, and therefore they ought to be pre­ferr'd before all others, as they will be, doubt­less, by all who shall have Experience of them.

The Bradling is another sort of Apple, near of kin to the Bon-apple, for its Hardiness, and its Resistance of the Canker, that Fatal Malady to which almost all other Trees are ob­noxious The Cyder which this Apple yields is likewise good and hearty.

The Moyle is a s [...]rt of Summer-Fruit; they are rais'd of Suckers, or little Setlings, like Codlings; it makes an incomparable pleasant Liquor, but a little weakish, and fit only to be drunk by Ladies in the Summer, and will not keep so long as the more masculine Cy­ders, [Page 150] to which it bears the same Resemblance as the Verdea does to the stronger Wines of Florence.

Having spoken of Winter-Cyder-Fruits, we come in the next place to discourse of such as we call Summer-Fruits, amongst which there are several sorts of Muss, which deserve to be taken notice of; as, first, the White Muss or Summer-apple, commonly so call'd, it is plea­sant to eat, and has a grateful Tartness with it; it is also a great Bearer, and a quick Grow­er, and makes an early Cyder pert and sharp­ish, and fit for the Table. 'Twill hardly keep pleasant a Year about, and is very good for the common Occasions of a Family. The Red Muss is a pleasant, fair Apple to the Eye, and is fit likewise for the Table, and makes a sort of Cyder much the same for Strength and Taste with the White or Summer-apple. The great Objection against this Fruit, is, that it drops very much, and is subject to be very Worm eaten, which will be apt to make the Cyder bitterish.

The Red-sided Muss is an Apple likewise of the same bigness with the two former, and has a Tincture of Red upon one side. It is longer a ripening than the two former kinds, and will require to be well hoarded, so that this Species of Fruit may be reckon'd for such as is betwixt a Summer and a Winter-Apple. The Cyder it makes is much more masculine than that of the White and Red Muss, and comes nearest to the Bromsbrow for strength. It has al­so [Page 151] a deeper Colour than either of the other, and being rack'd off, and bottled, it may serve well at the Treat, and is very good in Winter, and the older 'tis, the better is its Comple­xion, which the fair Sex amongst us would be glad to find in themselves.

There is likewise an Apple call'd the Win­ter-Muss, which hangs as long on the Tree as Pippins, Brombrows, or any other hoarding Fruit. It makes likewise good hearty Cyder, and it is good to have Variety.

As for Hemmings, Tankard-apples, Lady-apples, and the like, they serve also for the same Variety, and tho' their Liquor be not in any great Reputation, yet their Fruitfulness makes amends: For I look upon the Lady-apple, which in Colour most resembles a Red-streak, to be the greatest Bearer that is, tho' indeed it makes the thinnest Cyder: However such Liquors serve very well the Occasions of a Family when the other Fruits are a ripen­ing.

It would be a Curiosity worthy of a Gen­tleman's Trial, to sow Kernels of all sorts of Fruits whatsoever, whether of Apples or Pears, not promiscuously, but every kind by its self, and observe what sort of Fruit every sort of Kernels would produce: By this means, doubtless, many new and curious sorts might, with great Delight and Profit, be propagated, and the Experiment might be enlarg'd farther by grafting one Wilding upon another, by which Mixture more new Species would still [Page 152] appear. The Red-streak, call'd likewise the Scadamore-Crab, the Bromsbrow-Crab, and the Bodnam-Crabs, were all of them, doubt­less, at first but Wildings or Kernel-Fruit, improv'd after by grafting; which three sorts of Crabs make really the richest Cyder that can be found amongst us, and of the noblest Tin­cture.

I would moreover advise every Gentleman who has a Love for Cyder, to store his Plan­tation with all sorts of Fruits, and planted in all sorts of Grounds, and all sorts of Ways, viz. in Open Fields or Orchards, in Hedge Rows, and near his Houses: Some Fruits like­wise blossoming at one time, and some at ano­ther, 'tis very likely whilst some Trees mis­carry and receive Damage by the Winds and Frosts, others which are not yet in Blossom, or which have blossom'd some time ago, or which are under some sort of Covert or Shel­ter, may escape from Danger.

I shall not enter into a Discourse upon the Art of making Cyder: 'Tis the duly Practise of every Family. Some Things however there are which ought daily to be look'd to by such who hope to be Masters of good Cy­der; of which the first is the hoarding of Ap­ples, and here I hold it much better to lay them in a Chamber on heaps, than to leave them sweating in Gardens or on Grass-plots; for lyi [...]g on the Ground, and in the open Air, they not only receive and such in the Rains and Dews which fall upon them, but [Page 153] draw a dead Sa [...]our from the Earth, whilst the Spirit which wo [...]ks in the Sweating is imbib'd therein; which cannot but much impoverish and flatten the Liquor: All which Mischiefs are avoided when Apples are hoarded within Doors and on a Chamber-Floor. Besides, Fruit ripens sooner within than without Doors, because in the hea [...]ing or serment, the Spirits are neither imbib'd by the Spongy Earth, nor so apt to fly away in the Open Air, which must needs help forward the Digestion by mel­lowing of the Apples, the Heat being less sub­ject to wast and Dissipation.

Another thing to which we ought to have regard, is the drawing-off or racking of Cy­der from the Lees, after it has done working, and is w [...]ll setled. This way of r [...]cking sor­tens the Cyder much, and contributes to its Vegeteness and Conservation; for by lying long upon the Grounds or Lees, it attracts an Acidity, which in a short time will make it eager and fretting. The true Season of rack­ing Summer-Cyders, that is, such as are made of Apples early ripe, is about Christmas, when it has been a little clarified by the Frosts. But for stronger Cyders, which carry a great Body, or Spirit rather, and come from the Mill as thick and sweet as Honey, they are not to be touch'd till the Winter be pass'd, and then, if not pretty clear, they must be rack'd a second or perhaps a third time; so that I have had Pippin and Bromsbrow Cyder, which has not been fine or fit for botling under a Twelve-month, [Page 154] the Fruit being extraordinary ripe and well hoarded when 'twas made. But the com­mon Season for botling of Cyder is about two Months after the Racking, which falls out about May; for then the Cyder nits or frisks in the Vessel, which is the critical Season of botling, and if it be not taken then, all the botling in the World will not make it brisk and lively: Tho' still I say, that the thicker the Cyder when it comes from the Press, the more Rackings it must undergoe till it becomes fine, sparkling, and without Dreggs.

They who have a Curiosity for Cyder, must have regard likewise to many other Circum­stances; as first for the Mill; that of Stone is found by experience, to be much better than the Steel-Engine, so much talkt of alate, which is ever and anon apt to be out of Order, so that many have quitted the use of them, returning to their Stone Mills again. Next, for pressing of Cyder, there are several ways of doing it: The way of pressing by one Screw is better than by two. The Muss, or broken Pulp, being thrown into Cribbs, Boxes, Knewcloaths, Baskets, or wrapt up in Twists of clean Rye Straw, in which particulars, every man may follow his own Experience and Fancy. I shall not trouble my Reader about Ordering the Vessels, this being part of the Concerns be­longing to the good Housewise; and yet if there be any fault in this particular, (as many times there is) the Liquor, and perhaps the Vessel, is irrecoverably lost. The best way [Page 155] then as soon as the Liquor is drawn of, is to stop up the Vessel close, and never to turn out the Lees or Sedement till it comes to be us'd again: For in case any Air or Moisture get into it, 'twill soon poyson and corrupt the Grounds, which will give such a nasty, oily Smell to the Vessel, as can rarely be got out by burning, or any Method whatsoever. Some indeed there are, which after the Cyder is drawn of, wash the Vessel very well with cold Water, and when it is clean from all its Lees, they dry it well in the Sun or Wind, and so let it stand till they have occasion again to use it. This way of washing with cold Water is esteemed much better than with scalding Wa­ter, because the hot Water is more apt to pe­netrate the Wood, by which means the smell of the Cyder is soak'd out of the Pores of the Vessel, which are fill'd with a waterish Vapour, which when cold will be apt to make the Ves­sel mouldy; whereas cold water washing off on­ly the slimy filth which sticks to the sides, leaves the Wood of the Vessel well seasoned with a strong smell of the good Liquor, which will very much help the Cyder which hereafter shall be put into it. Some regard likewise must be had to the Bottles, that they be very clean wash'd and dry'd, otherwise after some little time, there will be a kind of Cream upon the Neck of the Cyder, which will very much deprave it, and fill it full of Dreggs, and make it distastful. The newer the Cyder is the more space must be left betwixt the Cork and the Liquor in [Page 156] the Bottle: For upon Change of Weather, it will be apt to work, and being windy, if too close fill'd 'twill endanger the breaking of the Bottle. Likewise, such Corks ought to be well ty'd down, for they will rise o [...] draw with the windiness of the Cyder, and some­times fly out in the Air. Cyder therefore ought to be old, and well digested of its windy Quality, before ever it be bottled, and yet if kept too long, or prickt, 'twill never recover it self, and after some time, it shall gather a flying Lee or Dreg, which is a certain sign 'tis lost. I shall not speak of the artificial Helps of Cyder, esteeming the Liquor which stands in need of them, to be worth very little, and yet so it is, that many of our Cyder-Merchants make their greatest Profit by these Adulterating, and artificial Practices. By these Marks 'tis easie to know adulterated Cyder: It frisks a little at first, but then it flattens presently, and tastes a little deadish and sweet; 'tis likewise thick and muddy, and raw upon the Stomach, and af­ter it has stood a little in the Glass, 'tis utterly insipid: Whereas that which is true and genu­ine, retaines it's sparkling Quality for a long Time, and through the whole Body of the Li­quor; it is as clear as Amber, warms the Sto­mach, and invites the Drinker to a further Tryal; it is clear to the last Drop, and has an excellent Perfume or Smell, and with its Spi­rits or Vapours it very much refreshes the Brain by Reason of its Native fragancy.

CHAP. XI. Of Perry.

THere is another sort of Liquor made of Pears, called by the French Poiree, and by us Perry: This sort of Cyder was in great­er Reputation in former Ages then Apple-Cy­der, and tho for many Years past, it gave place to it, being in a manner supplanted by it, yet now again it begins to recover it's An­cient Credit and Esteem; not only because it begins to be scarce and rare, there being no new Plantations of Pears, whilst the old Trees daily fall into decay; but it is in vogue like­wise for the Nature of the Liquor, which is found to have a strong Spirit in it, for which Reason it hath been much bought up of late by our Distillers, who extract a sort of Bran­dy out of this Liquor, as they do likewise from Apple-Cyder.

The Reason why it lost its Credit formerly was; 1st. Because it was not lasting, for in the hot Weather 'twas apt to be ropy and dreggish. 2dly, 'Twas more windy than the Juice of Apples, and thought unfit for Gen­tlemen to Drink, as being apt to engender the Stone: And Lastly, If drunk new 'tis look'd upon to be very unwholesome, as be­ing [Page 158] very Cold and Laxative. But notwith­standing this, Perry is found to be very profi­table to the Husbandman, and to have some Advantages above Apple-Cyder, and that in these Respects; for, 1st, Pears when grafted come on faster, and are not so apt to miscarry as Apple-Trees, the Grafts seldom die, much less the Stock. 2dly, They last much longer than Apple-Trees, and grow to a far greater Bulk of Timber. 3dly, They will grow and thrive best in a cold watry or clay Soil, where Apple-Trees will not live. 4thly, They are not so apt to be blasted as Apples, nor subject to Cankers; and when Old, the Timber of them if cut in season is very useful and beau­tiful for Drawers, Tables, Cabinets, and such like Curiosities. Pears likewise are constant and great Bearers, and yield a most plentiful Juice, and being mix'd and ground with Crabs, will afford a very wholesome and pa­latable Liquor and lasting enough; which tho it be rough and harsh agrees well with labou­ring Men, and gets them a good Stomack and will not wash thorough them so soon as Mault-Drink. Upon which Considerations, I hold Pear-Trees to be the most profitable Fruit for a Farmers Use: For where they grow they rarely be at charge for other Li­quors, and where Men live Temperate, by the means of this sort of Drink they are very healthy, and arrive to a great Age, as appears evidently by the Inhabitants of some parts of Worcester-Shire, where Perry still continues in great Plenty and Esteem.

[Page 159] The best sort of Pears for Perry, are the Squash-Pears; they are very fair and large, and yield a most plentiful Juice, very delici­ous and hearty, and will keep the longest of any Liquor made of Pears: It is a good Bear­er. The Horse-Pear likewise is a good Fruit for Liquor, but not so much in Credit as the Squash-Pear. There are two sorts of them, the Red and the White. Perry-Pears have this Advantage, that tho' they drop and lie under the Trees, they are not in danger of be­ing devour'd by Swine, being of a very rough and harsh Taste, much less are they in danger of being stolen by Boys and other pilfering People, whilst they hang upon the Trees. Summer-Pears, such as Gernets, Orange-Pears, Windsor-Pears, and the like, being ground with some old Cyder, and a little Vinegar, and the like, will afford a very pleasant, pert Liquor, to be spent early, as in August, before other can be had.

Now, although Fruit-Trees be one of the greatest Blessings we can receive from the Earth, next to Bread, for I esteem a good Plantation to be as profitable as a Vineyard be­yond Sea, nay more profitable, as being ma­nag'd with little or no Labour: Nevertheless, it hath been observ'd, that in such Places as most abound with Fruit, the Owners of such Plantations are not always the most thriving Men; for so it is, that Cyder being sold ma­ny times at a low Rate, Men choose rather to turn what is superfluous into their own flesh­ly [Page 160] Vessels, than play the Merchants with a Drugg of so small Pro [...]t. This Custom of Bibbing, or drinking wastfully, (which in the Country is call'd good Neighbourhood, and keeping a Good Hous [...],) makes Men of Necessity neglect their Business, both destroy­ing their Health and Understanding, and wast­ing their Fortunes. But

At present there is, or at least of late there has been, an Excellent Project a foot, which, doubtless, will much increase the Planting of Fruit, and make very considerably for the Ad­vantage of the Undertakers; I mean the new Invention of drawing-off the Spirits of Cyder by distilling. This kind of Brandy (tho' of a weaker nature) is very useful to the Nation, when we cannot be supplied from Abroad, and is very Profitable to the Husbandman, he being certain to convert what is superfluous, and would otherwise be spent wastfully, into good Money. So that the Project is equally Beneficial to the Nation, (especially in Time of War,) as also to such Persons as have any Cyder to spare; and will prevent likewise that Intemperance, or unnecessary and sottish Drink­ings, to which Goodfellows otherwise are too apt to addict themselves, upon Pretence that they may consume the Manufacture. Nor ought we to be mov'd at the Complaints and Murmurings of the Rabble or poorer sort, who by this means are forc'd many times to buy their Drink, which at other times they would have as plenty as Ditch-water, since [Page 161] 'tis found, by certain Experience, that where there is most Plenty there is most Beggery; Men ever refusing to take Pains, or at least they will be most exacting and high in their Wages, where they may have their Provisions for nothing, or at any inconsiderable rate: So that we may easily observe, that in such Parts of this Kingdom as are not so plentiful, and do not so much abound with this Liquor, we shall meet with fewest Beggars and fewest Ale­houses, which, without Offence, we may justly look upon to be Pest-houses of the Na­tion, not for the Relief they yield to the Di­seas'd, but for the Poison and Infection which they diffuse. But more of this presently.

And thus have I made some Cursory Re­marks upon this Branch of Husbandry which concerns the Planting of Fruit-Trees, or the Orchard, glancing only upon that part of which concerns Husbandry or the Farm: As for the other Branch of it which concerns the Garden, or rather the Dish, I mean such cu­rious Fruits as serve for the Desert, they lie out of my Road. Nor were I ever so much mind­ed to discourse upon this Subject, nor am I ca­pable to say any thing to purpose; all that can be said or wish'd for in this nature, being al­ready copiously, and most ingeniously deli­ver'd to us by the Excellent Pens of some Eng­lish Gentlemen, such as Mr. Evelyn, who ex professo has written most amply hereupon, and Sir William Temple, who by the Taste he has [Page 162] given us, makes his Reader long for a fuller Entertainment, which we have some Reason likewise to hope for, since he is pleas'd to tell us in the Discourse which he has publish'd of Gardens, ‘As the Country Life, and this part of it more particularly, were the Incli­nations of my Youth, so they are the Pleasure of my Age.’

To conclude this Subject: Since the Produ­ctions of the Earth, and the Labour of the poor Countryman is the very Basis of the Com­monwealth, and that Magazine to which those who are over us have recourse in time of Exigence, as we experiment sufficiently in these our Days of Taxations; there are other things in the next place which ought to be con­sider'd and discours'd upon, as being such with which the Countryman is most nearly concern'd, and to which if due Regard be not had, all the Affairs of the Country, or of Husbandry, and even of the whole Kingdom, will be found quickly at a Stand, or rather in a declining State, and they are these Four: 1st. Publick Inns and Ale-houses; 2dly, Ser­vants and Labourers; 3dly, The Poor; and lastly, Officers or Country Magistrates.

CHAP. XII. Of Inns and Ale-houses.

I Shall begin with Inns and Ale-houses: These, at first, were allow'd for the Re­lief of Travellers, for the Accommodation of such as resort to Markets, and for the Conve­niency of Country-People meeting with one another, to discourse of their Private Bargains and Business. But however 'twas in Days of Yore, certain 'tis at present that there are few of these Houses, especially the lesser Tipling-Houses, which answer these Ends; and rarely shall we meet with any which is not prostitu­ted rather to Drunkenness and Debauchery: For to such Places as these it is, that the lewd and improvident Labourer frequently resorts, upon Pretence of comforting his weary Body with a Cup of good Liquor, there spending the Profits of a Week's Labour with a nasty Quean, whilst his Wife and Children are rea­dy to perish with Famine. To prevent which Calamity, they betake themselves to begging and stealing, and at length (especially in their declining Days) they fall an Escheat to the Parish, or perhaps to the Gallows; having spent wastfully in such wicked Places what [Page 164] should have maintain'd them in Old Age, and in the Time of Sickness.

To such Places as these it is to which the sturdy, wandring Vagabonds, and pilfering Merchants, of both Sexes, resort, uttering their stol'n Wares, and discovering the State and Circumstances of Houses they begg'd at, for the farther Instruction of Highwaymen and Brurglayers. In these Places 'tis where the innocent Traveller is betray'd by the wicked Intimations of Hosts and Servants, especially in lone-Inns upon the Road, and by such means falls a Prey to Robbers who have their greatest Shelter and Security in such Country Inns: And therefore it highly concerns the Magistrates or Justices of a County, to have a watchful Eye over all such Places, and rarely to License any Inn or Ale-house, but in or near a Market-Town or Village, where the Fre­quency of Inhabitants may give Security to Travellers, beyond the Bond and Faith of a perfidious Host, or their mercenary Sureties.

Farther yet: 'Tis in these sweet Places of Refreshment and Good-fellowship, where young Men of Fortune sometimes, and Men of Years likewise, and under a declining State, sweetly solace themselves together till they are profoundly drunk; and whilst the Reckoning multiplies, like the Lights in the Drunkards Eyes, the officious Attendants watch their Mi­nutes for plundering of Pockets: But if the Gentleman hath no ready Cash, but might be drunk upon Tick, he shall not want for burn­ing [Page 165] Account when he comes to even his Scores; and then there must be a Hair of the Tails, which will at length be strong enough to draw on the Dog, and make him fasten again. And thus it fares with Sots, till by neglecting their Business, and wasting their Estates, they fall under the Snares of a griping Mortgage: And we may observe, in many of these Places, e­specially in the more celebrated Tipling-Hou­ses, that as there are a sort of sly Knaves ready to make a Prey of Good-natur'd Culleys, so there is likewise some one or more little En­gines of the Law, who, as Retainers to the House, are always at hand to hamper any Gentleman in a Statutable Instrument as soon as he shall fall within the Noose of a Drunken Wager or Bargain.

In these Places 'tis where a Congress of Sots, or (in the softer Phrase) of Good-fellows, being drain'd together, that such Persons ha­ving little Business of their own to spend their Time on, fall to debating the Concerns of o­thers; so that many times a heavy Doom is pass'd upon the Lives and Actions of honest Men at the dreadful Bar of an All-definitive Ale-house, whilst mine Host or Hostess holds (if not the Balance, at least the) Measure of Justice, I mean the Glass, which besure shall never be wanting in its due Place and Or­der, and in a plenary Distribution: And af­ter they have canvas'd the Matter a little, in­terluding the Farce with many impertinent and obscene Healths, they very lovingly fall [Page 166] together by the Ears, tho' more there are who fall together to the Ground by the more forci­ble Blows of the All-knock-down Ale: Here it is where all Respect and Friendship is re­duc'd to the Test of a never-failing Bottle; and as for those who have not the Honour to be remembred in these Offerings, they must for ever lie in Silence, as a Company of mo­rose and irreputable Reprobates.

Farther: In these Places 'tis where the Di­vans, or (as I may say) the States-Provincial of a County, are held with great Solemnity. In these petty Conventions 'tis where all Mat­ters, relating to their Office, are with great Judgment and Silence agitated and determin'd amidst the smoaking of Pipes, the cluttering of Pots, and all the noise and ordure of a narrow Room infested with Drinking and a Throng; and well it is, before the Assembly be broken up, if some one or other of them do not become a Subject of Humane Frailty, even then whilst he is upon his Duty of corre­cting such Disorders. 'Twould be much more suitable to the Gravity of a Court of Justice, were it kept in some Town-House or Market-House, since few Market-Towns are unprovi­ded with such Publick Rooms. It would add much to the Grace of the Business, if the Ma­gistrate should sit aloft, and conspicuous upon the Bench (as it's becoming in a Place of Judicature,) and not be oblig'd (as may be seen sometimes) to hold a Glass in one hand, whilst he signs a Warrant with the other; tho' [Page 167] much more Eminent was he, who to shew the stediness of his Hand, writ and sign'd a War­rant upon the heaving Belly of a boggy Hostess.

In fine: In these Places 'tis where Consul­tations are held frequently about Matters rela­ting to the Publick, as the Elections of Repre­sentatives to sit in Parliament, and the like. Here it is, that Affairs of this Nature are de­bated and concerted; here the Respective Par­ties rendezvous and strengthen their Interest by profuse Entertainments, and Extravagance of Drinking; so that 'tis not Merit, but Ale frequently which recommends the Person: That Ale, I say, which at other Times de­prives Men of their Speech, here makes Voi­ces, where 'tis not the emptiest but the fullest Vessels which make the greatest sound; and altho' Money be the chiefest Instrument in the Matter, yet are they not always the richest Men who succeed herein; insomuch that it happens sometimes, that a Gentleman, to secure him­self from a Process, or in hopes to better his Condition, per Vias & Modos, does, in stri­ving to be Burghess of a little Burrough, ex­pend more than all the Elections are worth, and is ruin'd, possibly, by it, seeking after­wards, to be shelter'd from Arrests, under the Shadow of being a Retainer to some Mem­ber of Parliament, having f [...]il'd in his Grand Design of being one himself.

Nor are there wanting Examples of such too, who, tho' they do succeed, are so For­tune-shaken [Page 168] by the vast Expence they were at to procure it, that they might be rather look'd upon as coming into that Place for Sanctuary, than into a Senate-House, there fencing against the Laws and the Proceedings of Justice, for Payment of their Debts, whilst they pretend to be Patrons of the Laws, and to prescribe Justice to others. The many Exorbitances and Scandals then attending some Elections, can proceed from no other Source but the great Liberty of a sort of indigent, ignorant, and mercenary Wretches, to give their Voices; so that let a Man but cram their Mouths with three or four popular Words, as Liberty, Pro­perty, Popery, &c. and their Bellies with Beef and Ale, these yelping Hell-hounds shall yawn and bawl, from the New to the Full of the Moon, and damn themselves into the Bargain; many times swearing themselves to be Free-holders, when they are meer Cottagers, and receive Alms from the Parish; so that this sort of Men, how light and empty soever they are of themselves, are weighty enough many times to turn the Scale of an Election. No Wonder then if Parliamentary Proceedings have not been attended with such frequent Blessings as might reasonably have been hop'd for, when such unqualified Creatures, ani­mated by such Artifices of Debauchery, have so great a Stroke in designing many times the Persons to sit in such Assemblies.

To remedy which Disorders, there cannot be a better Expedient than for the Parliament [Page 169] it self to reform it self, and particularly by depriving such lewd Miscreants of their in­croaching Liberty, in giving their Voices; reducing the Forty Shillings per Annum to the true Standard and Value it was at when such Qualifications were admitted of, Forty Shil­lings then being as much as Forty Pounds now adays; it being ever held the best way to in­terpret a Law, not by the Letter, but by the Reason and Intention of the Legislatour: For it cannot be imagin'd that a poor Fellow, of Forty or Fifty Shillings Income, or therea­bouts, who must be suppos'd to make up his Livelihood by Labour and Drudgery, should have any mighty Understanding of the Inte­rest of King and Country, or be above the Snares of Corruption, which seizes easily up­on the Ignorant and Indigent.

Were the Rabble then of such beggarly Mercenaries repress'd, the Elected Persons themselves would receive great Benefit in be­ing exempted from such unsupportable Charge as usually accompanies a popular Election; the Country likewise electing, would not be forc'd to neglect their Domestick Business, by a long Attendance: For Mens Qualifications would be better weigh'd and examin'd, and the Elections themselves being without so much Noise and Tumult, without Delay, and with­out so many daring Perjuries, Debaucheries and Scandals, we might have all the Reason in the World to hope for a Blessing upon such National Assemblies; for from a free and legal [Page 170] Parliament orderly and soberly Elected of such Persons as are in Credit, for Prudence, Temperance, Courage and Justice, and with all Men of Estates, Honour and Integrity, we might expect such mature and steady Delibera­tion, as would be the greatest Repose and Se­curity of this Kingdom.

And yet so much frequented, or rather cele­brated, as are many of the Inferiour Inns and Ale-Houses, there are few who betake them­selves, to this scandalous Course of Life, but such as are Bankrupts, or of little Fame and Honesty. The Laws of our Kingdom 'tis true, have made very good Provisions against the Abuses and Disorders of such Places; but when they who are entrusted with the Execution of them shall be remiss and partial, we shall stand in need I fear of a further Execution.

The superfluous number of such petty Inns and Ale-Houses seems to proceed from these two Causes; The first is from the application which is made frequently on the behalf of some broken, half-starv'd Merchant, or idle Fellow, who rather than beg, or steal and be hang'd, or at the best become chargeable to the Parish, hopes to get a Subsistence by the little Cheatings and degenerate Shifts of Ale-selling. The other Course is much of the same Figure, it being commonly no other than the sordid Interest of some mean-spirited, Justices, who to maintain a superfluous or indigent member of his Family, or Acquaintance, is tempted easily to licence Alehouses for the sake of Fees, [Page 171] and he himself perhaps, forc'd to patch up his Broken-Fortunes by humbly making of Mault, which will certainly be vended in such little retaling Houses, and at such Rates belike, as his Worship shall be pleased to trust it at; and then, to give Reputation to the House, as like­wise to the Ale, the good Gentleman must wink at Faults, and go himself now and then in Person, and brush it away briskly with half a Dozen good Fellows of the Neighbourhood; where to countenance this high Calling, they shall talk pleasantly, as, how that the consump­tion of the Manufacture is for the advantage of His Majesties Revenues; for the Circulati­on of Money, and for quickening the Market, and such like merry Non-sense; at which per­haps, a sly Excise-Man sitting by shall wink a Nod, and by putting in a word or two, help forwards with the Argument: And thus they pass away the time Jollily, licking the Froth of a rank, overgrown, and fulsome Hostess, till his Worship is Magistratically Drunk, which cannot but afford great Joy and Triumph to the valiant Conqueror, as well as matter of Pity and Derision to the sober Spectator.

Upon these Considerations or Inconsidera­tions rather 'tis, that the number of superflu­ous Tippling-Houses is conniv'd at. But I would gladly know of such wet Politicians, when the Chimney-Tax was on foot, if any one of them would have suffer'd himself to be gull'd, and have built more Chimneys than would have serv'd his Occasions, for the no­ble [Page 172] or royal End rather of increasing His Ma­jesties Revenues? Nay rather, Would not every prudent Man have retrench'd his super­fluous number of Chimneys, that he might have had something else to have kept him warm, besides his smoaky Tunnels, and much more smoaky Imaginations of fantastick Alle­giance? Much greater Madness would it have been then to have built more Ale-houses, only to increase such Duties; and yet such Sots are easily Piped on to destroy their Estates, and the best Houses they have, I mean their Bodies, to advance the Custom of so rich a Manufa­cture. His Majesty doubtless, must needs have a great Obligation to such Loyal Sots, when to speak seriously, in a Case so empty and ridicu­lous, the Interest of a King or Kingdom does not consist in a large Exchequer, but in the Good Management of the Publick Money, and in the Wealth, Industry and Affections of his Subjects, such as are able and willing to sup­port the Necessities of a Government, which can never certainly be found in those who are abandon'd to an idle and sottish Life. And as for those who plead the advantages which some men may make by buying the Estates of wastful Spendthrifts, they do but in other Terms tell us, that 'tis expedient for the Com­mon-wealth that some should be train'd up to be Fools, that there may be a way for Knaves to make their Fortunes; and we may as well say; that 'twould be good Policy to Counte­nance and Encourage Knaves too, that Law­yers [Page 173] might have Business to be employ'd a­bout, and to get Money.

Forreigners doubtless, those I mean, of such Countries to which our English Youth re­sort upon the score of Breeding and Improve­ment, when they see how much these Kinds of Houses are by all sorts of People celebrated and frequented, and how our Gentlemen usu­ally at their familiar Rencounters, entertain one another with an Heroick Narrative of what hapned at such or such a drunken Engagement, as Men would do were they to report the furi­est Events of some desperate and bloody Bat­tle relating with all the Punctualities of Cir­cumstance, how many withdrew; who they were who bravely stood to it, and who fell fi­nally in the fight and Combat; I say, when Gentlemen of other Nations shall hear a di­stinct Relation of such Generous and Martial Deeds, they cannot but smile, and entertain an odd Opinion and Contempt of our English Morals. Cabanels or Taverns being esteem'd in other Countries, as places of Infamy fit only for Porters and such trivial Chapmen, but never as suitable and fit Houses for Civil Gentlemen to Rendevouz in. And indeed, if there be any Cause assignable, why the Pro­cess and Martial Genius of our Nation is so degenerated from what it was in former Ages, it can be no other then that against which I am now declaring. We cannot boast of any great Generals, at least they have not the Honour to be employed as such: And, for our com­mon [Page 174] Soldiers, tho they be naturally strong and surly, yet are they not the best for Ser­vice, it being impossible for Men who are in a manner habituated to Intemperance and Dis­orders of Life, to be ever able to endure hard­ship, Thirst and Hunger, Heat and Cold, and to be subject to Discipline and Command, and yet in these Two Points, viz. Sufferance and Obedience it is, that the Perfection of a good common Soldier does consist. And as for our Courage, so much as we boast our own Valour, and decry our Enemies over a Glass of Wine or a Pot of Ale, 'tis not so when we come to Action: Our Wild-Fire or sputtring Crack being quickly spent with little Execution, and our Men wash away upon the Fatigues and hardships of a Campaigne.

From the same Cause likewise 'tis; that the Turkish Valour is so much debas'd from what it was heretofore. Their Prophet or Lawgiver Mahomet amongst other Politick Institutions, utterly forbad his Followers the use of Wine; which Command of his they rigorously ob­serv'd for divers Ages, during which Time they were very prosperous and successful to a Prodigy. But falling from their Primitive Discipline, and suffering themselves to be cor­rupted by the Examples of their Neighbours, as to this Point of Abstinence, they at this Day do like the Greeks, that live amongst them, drinking in Private to the heighth of a Debauch: By which means their Spirits being often troubled and enrag'd, they become un­capable [Page 175] of Discipline and Fatigue, and their Strength of Body and Health being likewise wasted, they soon abandon the hardships of War; and this I take to be one of the greatest Reasons, why they have been so unsuccessful in this latter Age.

And really, if we look further backward upon former Ages, we shall find that none of the Ancient Roman Hero's or Generals, ex­cept M. Antonius, were stigmatiz'd with In­temperance in Drinking, and with Debauche­ry: And amongst our later Worthies or Ge­nerals, I cannot readily call to mind any one of these Sons of Bacchus, who were any way eminent for Conduct; but that the bravest Ge­nerals, such as the Duke of Alva, Alexander, Farness, Count T [...]lly, with others were very remarkable for Abstinence and Severity of Discipline. The Office indeed of a great Sol­dier is a Thing of Vigilance; like a Lyon he must be most watchful when he seems to de­vour; he must wait upon every Critical Mi­nute, and be perpetually upon his Guard. The seasons of Rest to others, and the silence of the Night are fittest for Deliberation, and for Execution many Times: He must conceal his Thoughts by a studied reservedness, or by Suffering his Tongue to run Counter to his In­tentions, and by a thousand seign'd strategems amuse his Enemy, and delude the Vigilance of Spies, till a favourable overture shall occur, which possibly may not be above once or twice in a Campaigne, and such too as may not be [Page 176] but of a Momentary Duration. He must Sup­port the Courage of his Soldiers, and teach them to endure Watchfulness, Hunger, and all manner of hardships by his own Example, with infinite other Acts and Habits of Sinceri­ty, Temperance and Prudence: None of which can ever consist with one who Frolicks in a Debauch, and has his Brains intoxicated with Drink, which renders him Talkative, Huffish, and uncapable of Considering, and his Body also uncapable of Action and Hard­ships; and where such Intemperance be­comes habitual, it renders the Person sub­ject to it Crazy, and fitter for an Hospital than a Camp.

Ale-Houses and Taverns are not the only Places, in which Men practise this Exercise of Debauchery. In an Ale-House 'tis true; they Act as in a Theatre open to the Eyes of all; and the Circumstances of such Places being ge­nerally stinking and nasty, are alone sufficient to render the frequenting of them most abomi­nable and infamous: Whereas they who fud­dle in their own Private Houses, seeming to Act behind the Curtain, are altogether as un­excusable as the former; the very Quintescence or Poyson rather of the Sin consisting in the abuse or superfluous waste of those Blessings, which might serve for the Relief of such as are ready to perish with Cold and Hunger. As for Drunkenness, or that Giddiness of Brain which attends Excess with all the Concomitant Or­dures, they are indeed but some part of the [Page 177] Punishment due thereunto, it seeming good to the All-wise God to annex Pain to Intem­perance in all Cases almost whatsoever. When I have seen a Man of Fortune, as they call him, rouling in his Coach, and making a Vi­sit to his several Posts and Preferments, and meeting the Caresses and Complements of his Acquaintance, in all Places where he comes; when I have considered in what Ease and Lux­ury he lives, rising perhaps about Nine or Ten a Clock, and it may be is at the pains to take a little breathing-Walk to whet his Appe­tite for a Feast; when I see him stuff his Car­cass with fat Venison, and Claret, till the ve­ry Seams of it are ready to burst, and after Dinner dozing and smoaking his Pipe with great Grace and Gravity: When I have seen all this, I say, I have been upon the point of envying such a Man's Happiness; when, lo! upon a sudden, Oh! I feel a Pain in my Foot, an intolerable and unexpected Pain! Good Man! all must needs be mightily concern'd for him, and the Town and Country must ring of this great and sudden Disaster. The House is alarm'd, the Doctor, or Apothecary, with other Dependants and Retainers to the Fami­ly, are sent for in post-hast; and after a criti­cal Examination of the Matter by the whole Consult, without stirring from the Place, they give in their Verdict, that it is the Gout: And now perhaps my Grandee begins a little to re­flect upon his former Life, and would gladly change States of Body with him who lives on [Page 178] mouldy Bread and Cheese all the Week, and whose Drink perhaps is from the next Brook, or but one degree beyond Water.

The like Observations might be made upon other Extravagancies, such as Whoring, with all that Train of fatal Disasters which follow all Excess of our Passions, whether of Desire, Envy, Revenge, Anger, &c. all which are inseparably accompanied with such a Degree of Pain or Punishment, as far exceeds the ima­ginary Pleasures of any Intemperance, and is infinitely more lasting; so that Quo quis pec­cat Eodem punitur, is a Motto which ought to be engraven upon every Man's Heart, being universally true in all manner of Disorders whatsoever.

I have been told Abroad by some German Gentlemen, that it was a usual thing amongst them, in the Warmth of their Debauches, (which in those Countries are excessive) to drink their Healths out of the Barrel of a cock'd and loaded Pistol, with Finger on the Triquer, whilst they discharge the Wine into their Throats; so that upon the least Miscar­riage of an unst [...]ady Hand, the Bullet would not fail to do its Duty. This Point of Bra­very being over, they all give a Volly on fire together, and then charge afresh, and so on. If this kind of Gallantry were in vogue a­mongst us, I believe we should have fewer Drunkards than now there are, and by going out of this World by a Draught of Flame, they would be better prepar'd to drink of it for ever in the next.

[Page 179] But whilst some Countries indulge them­selves in this Infernal or Stygian Recreation, we have Examples of Sobriety in others; so that the French, so extravagant as they are in some things, in this Particular, may justly re­proach us for not following their Mode, as they do for following them in others; there being very few Gentlemen amongst them to be found who drink betwixt Meals, and even at their Meat they drink their Wine above half mix'd with Water, more or less, according to every Man's private Palate, and sometimes Wa­ter discolour'd only with a little Rosie-Tin­cture of Wine: And yet we do not find but that these Men have almost as much Mettle and Bravery in them as any Brandy-Hero whatsoever. Each Country has its National Vices as well as Vertues, whilst he who would acquire the Character of a Gallant Man, ought so to follow their Examples, as to propose what is good and commendable in them for his Imitation and Practise, declining their ill Customs as Things which bring Disesteem and Misery in the end.

Amongst the Abuses of Inns or Ale-houses, it is too well known what all Men suffer from their cheating Measures: Their Quart-Pots or Flagons, their Juggs, their Muggs, their Jacks, their Carmikins, their Beakers, their Tum [...]lers, their Glass-Bottles, their Tankards, and above all, their Silver-Tankards, tho' all of them be pretty little Curiosities, yet are they most gross Cheats, not containing above a true Pint and [Page 180] a half; so that in Four Shillings expended this way, One is pure Cousenage. Much better were it, if their Measures (after the Custom of other well polic'd Countries) were mark'd and seal'd, and reduc'd to a Standard all Eng­land over, as our Weights are over all the World: Whereas in a paltry Ale-house a small, slender-wasted Flagon, with a broad empty bottom, and with sides, back, and bel­ly crush'd almost together, and capp'd half way with Froth, goes down very glibly with my bonny Customer at two or three Gulps; and when Good-fellows are upon the Quill of Drinking, the Strength and Capacity of the Man is much esteem'd by the Number of Flagons; whereas the silly Sot, perhaps, ne­ver drank half that quantity, for which he sets so high a Value upon himself, and pays so dearly.

The like Cheats we meet with daily from the trashy Ingredients of sophisticated Liquors, which many times does advance them double or treble in the Price, when really they are much beneath the Plain Drinks for Health and Goodness; nor are we to forget the hard Names with which many Liquors are baptiz'd; which puts me in mind of what I have sometime heard of a Two-Pot Knave, who being out of Reputation for Drink, or (to speak in the Language of a Tapster) being at the lowest Stoop, and on the very Dreggs and Lees of his Profession, was advis'd to make Daucus-Ale, which he christned Blan-Carote. This [Page 181] dainty new Name, by the help of some plea­sant Waggs of his Acquaintance, was cry'd up for a curious Outlandish, Low-Country Drink; and this was sufficient to give it Credit, bring­ing such Custom to my honest Draw-Causor, that in a short time after, he became very rich, and was at the least a Squire's Fellow, and, for ought I know, something better. But such Cheats as these are rather to be wink'd at than punish'd; for I know no Law which can oblige a Magistrate to put Brains into the Heads of Fools; and to put them all into Bedlam who fall under this Character, would be very troublesome: Let them rest merry there­fore, for their own and for others Diversion, till they fall irrecoverably into the Hands of the Catch-pole.

In summ, 'Tis the Business of a Resolute and Sober Magistrate to Reform Notorious Disorders, by Punishing the Offenders, and by Suppressing such Houses as are useless; per­mitting only in greater Towns some Publick Inns to serve the Occasions of Travellers, and of the Market; and upon the Occasions like­wise of Fairs, to allow Private Houses a Li­berty to sell Drink: For by this means, Inns will become well accommodated, and not as now, being (by reason of their great Num­bers) ready to eat, or rather to drink, one another. In greater Towns and Cities, a greater Number or Proportion is to be allow'd. If Gentlemen likewise, and especially Justices of the Peace, would withdraw themselves [Page 182] from these scandalous Places, unless oblig'd thereunto by Urgent or Publick Occasions, Sobriety would by degrees get ground, and others also be invited to follow their Good Examples: And as for Inns up and down the Country Roads, 'twere well if they gave good creditable Security and Caution to the Bench, for their honest Demeanour, better than what is usually taken in these Cases; and if a more watchful Eye were kept over them, from time to time; so that by these and other Prudent Methods, the Business of the Country would thrive and prosper, whilst they who are ap­pointed to follow it are reduc'd to the Rules of Temperance and Frugality.

CHAP. XIII. Of Servants and Labourers.

BEfore I come to speak of Servants, as they are Members of our English Com­monwealth, and of the Obligations or Du­ties under which they lie at present, it will not be improper to Discourse of them as they were in f [...]rmer Ages and Kingdoms of the World; or as they are a Part or Portion of a Commonwealth in General, and how they were treated in Ancient Times. Ser­vants then, I say, in Ancient Times, were of Five kinds.

[Page 183] The First were such as were Servi by Nature and Birth, as all those who were begotten on Bondwomen, Handmaids, or Harlots, or came of Parents of base and servile Conditi­on: Of this kind we read of some in the Fa­milies of the Patriarchs of old, as also under the Mosaical Law, Levit. 25. where the Chil­dren of the Bondmen and Bondwomen, which were not of the Stock of Israel (for they were not allow'd to have Bond-Servants of their own Tribes) were look'd upon as their proper Inheritance, and to be accounted as Bondmen and Bondwomen for ever. Amongst the Romans likewise, such as were born of Bondwomen were call'd Vernae, in opposition to such as were by Birth call'd Ingenui, or Free-born; which Custom still had a more pe­culiar Regard to the Woman, if shew were of base and servile Condition: For, by the Civil Law, if a Woman were a Serva, and the Fa­ther free, the Issue were accounted Servile, or Slaves; as on the contrary, if a Man of ser­vile Condition and Quality did beget a Child on the Body of a Free-woman, the Issue was look'd upon as Free-born: Hence came that Maxim of Partus Sequitur Ventrem, for we are more sure of the Mother than of the Father; and herein the Civil Law is directly contrary to our Norman or Ancient Customs: And 'tis not improbable, that William the Conqueror be­ing himself a Bastard, and of base Blood by the Mother's side, thought good to measure the Pre-eminence of Birth from the Father's side.

[Page 184] A Second sort of Servants and Slaves a­mongst the Ancients, were such as were Servi Jure Gentium, as being taken Prisoners in War; it being ever adjudg'd Just, by the Laws of Nations, that such Prisoners should become Servants or Slaves to those who spar'd their Lives; and hence it was that by the Romans they were call'd Servi quasi servati, forasmuch as they were sav'd, I say, when by the Law of War they might have been kill'd. Of this kind the Jews had none, for they were still requir'd to kill their Enemies, without Quar­ter; a thing indeed which to us seems very harsh, and repugnant to the Dictates of Na­ture, and Laws of Humanity, which teach us to do to others what we would that they should do to us: No less contrary was their Behaviour in this Particular to the Practice of all Nations besides. We read indeed of the Gibeonites, that by Stratagem they circumvented the Is­raelites, and that they ever liv'd amongst them as Slaves or Bondmen.

A Third sort of Servants, who, by the Civil Law likewise were accounted Servi or Slaves, were such, who, tho' born free, yet sold or hir'd themselves to others for a certain Term, either of Years or Life. This was practis'd amongst the Jews, where we read of some that were hir'd only for a Year, and some for a longer Term, and these amongst the Jews were distinguish'd from Bondmen: For of their own Tribes, by the God, none could be a Bondman, tho' [...]ght sell, bind, or hire themselves to be [Page 185] Servants for a Term of Time; and this was frequently practis'd by poor Debtors with their Creditors, which poor Debtors God comman­ded to be treated not as Bond-servants, but as hired Servants or Sojourners, with Gentleness and not with Rigour, Levit. 25. and that in [...] Year of Jubilee, when Liberty was pro­claim'd to the Captive, they were to be set free; tho' Bodin tells us, from Deut. 15. that such Servants or Debtors, were, by the Law of God, to be releas'd upon the Return of the Seventh Year, which was accounted Holy, and call'd a Sabbath of Years; at which time also all hired Servants were to be at Liberty. Up­on which Law is our Custom grounded of binding Apprentices for Seven Years.

And here by the way a Question may be started, whether such an Apprentice, by being sold, or made a Bondman, for Seven Years, tho' descended of Gentile Parentage, does not forfeit the Privileges of his Blood? For tho' he be not a Slave, such as were those amongst the Romans, yet being bound or sold into a State of Servitude, he thereby renounces actu­ally that Liberty or Freedom which is essential to a Gentleman: So that in France, Germany, Italy, and in the Northern Parts, and else­where, where the Civil Law is in force, the Low-Countries only excepted, 'tis rarely seen that Gentlemen, tho' never so low in Fortune, will bind their Children Apprentices, nor make any Affinity with Merchants, tho' never so rich, unless they first purchase Honours [Page 186] and quit their Traffick. Whereas, with us in England, we see the contrary every Day, forasmuch as we are not under the Directions of the Civil Law which entails such Privile­ges upon Blood. Nay, and what is yet more remarkable, the Nobility do not only conde­scend to make an Affinity and Relation [...] the Shops; but the Shop-keepers themselves, even Retailers, and sometimes meer Merchants, are inroll'd amongst the Nobility, or Orders of Knighthood; a thing which at the first blush looks a little Heterodox, viz. to see the Blew-Apron intitled to the Sword.

But to return to the Jews: It was a Custom or Law with them likewise, that in case a Ser­vant should preferr his Master's Service before Liberty, he was to be brought before the Judges, and to have his Ear bor'd through with an Awl by his Master at the Door-Post of his House, and so he became his Servant for ever: Never­theless, in case he liv'd to the Year of Jubilee he was to be set at Liberty, as most Interpre­ters agree, unless he should choose rather to serve a second time.

A Fourth sort of Servants or Slaves were those as were called Servi Poenae, or such as were condemn'd to the Mines and Galleys, of which kind we have many in these our Days: And of this kind likewise are those with us who are adjudg'd to Publick Work-Houses, or Bridewells.

The Fifth and last kind of Servants or Slaves, were those who were sold by Robbers [Page 187] or Pirates, and might, bona fide, be possessed by those who purchas'd them, unless they knew them to be free; tho' by the Civil Law a Pyrate or Robber cannot divest a Freeman of his Liberty, however he may confine him in his Person, and force him as his Slave. To this Head likewise we may reduce all those who were of old sold by the Tartars, and sent into Egypt, as the Mamalukes, as those likewise who at this Day are sold Yearly by the same Tar­tars to the Turks in great Droves; as those Blacks also of Guinea, in which our Merchants drive so Considerable a Trade.

The Power which Masters formerly had over their Servants or Slaves was very great: Amongst the Jews, 'tis true, this Power of Masters was restrain'd and limited by the Mo­saical Law; for they had no Bond-Servants or Slaves, as I said before: Only poor Deb­tors might pawn their Service, and these were to be t [...]ated with all Mercy and Gentleness: And as to their hired Servants, in case a Ma­ster, by his over-Severity, should smite one of them with a Rod, that he died, the Master surely was to be punish'd, but not to be put to Death for it, as I conceive; and in case of a Maim, he was to let his Servant go free; but in case a Servant continued ill for a Day or two, by means of his Master's Correction, the Master was not to be punish'd, for such a Ser­vant was his Money.

But amongst the Romans 'twas far other­wise: For there the Master or Patron had a full [Page 188] Power over the Life of his Servant, without the Cognizance of the Magistrate; insomuch that Asenius Pollio having invited Augustus up­on a time to Supper, condemn'd his Servant to be cast into a Pool or Lake, to be Food for the Lampreys, which he kept there in store, be­cause he chanc'd to break a Crystal Glass; nor would Pollio, by the Intercession of Augustus, be prevail'd upon to spare his Servant's Life. If at any time it happen'd that the Patron or Master of the Family was found murder'd in his House, all the Servants living under his Roof, tho' never so innocent, were instantly to be put to Death: Of which Cruelty we have a very Remarkable Example in Paedo­nius, Praefect of Rome; for, as Tacitus (Lib. 14.) reports, Great Intercession was made by the common People of Rome (who for the most part consisted of Libertines, or such as being sometimes Servants themselves had been made free,) on the Behalf of the guil [...]ess Ser­vants, but all to little purpose: For, after the Debate of the Senate, it was resolv'd, That the Custom of their Ancestors should be kept inviolable; whereupon, without more ado, than with a more majorum, all the Servants in his Family, being in num­ber Four Hundred, were put to Death: Nay, so little did the Romans value the Lives of their Slaves or Servants, that many times they commanded them to encounter with wild Beasts, or with one another, in the open Thea­tre, purely for Divertisement and Pastime, [Page 189] under the Shew of Bravery and Courage. 'Tis true, the Petronian Law forbad innocent Servants to be cast to wild Beasts. Nero like­wise, and after him Hadrian, as Spartian tells us, appointed Judges to hear the Complaints of Servants, who at the Will and Pleasure of their Patrons were condemn'd to die: But all these Provisions were superceded by the more Ancient Custom, which plac'd a Power of Life and Death in the Will and Pleasure of their Masters.

This Arbitrary, and Unlimited Power in the Patrons or Masters made their Servants or Slaves take Sanctuary at the Temples and Ima­ges of their Gods: But neither the Statues of Caesar, nor the Temple of Diana, which King Servius appointed as an Asylum for Servants; nor the Statue of Romulus, appointed by the Senate for this End and Purpose, could af­ford any Protection, no more than the Sepul­chre of Theseus at Athens, or the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. Tho' Tiberius (as my Au­thor Bodin observes) with great Policy caus'd his own Statue to be erected as an Asylum for fugitive Servants, withal menacing Death to any who should take such Servants from thence; and this the subtile Tyrant did, not for the Good and Safety of such Servants, but with Design that they might more easily be tempted to conspire against their Masters; and thus he kept the Masters under Awe and slavish O­bedience by the Protection he gave their Ser­vants. Upon the like Score it was that Sylla, [Page 190] having proscris'd or banish'd Sixty Thousand Citizens, the better to consummate his hellish Villany and Cruelty, animated the Servants to cut the Throats of their Masters, with the Promise of Liberty; amongst whom, one bringing the Head of his Master to Sylla, he kept his Promise; for he manumis'd him, or made him free, but withal commanded him to be thrown down headlong from the Tarpeian Rock or Precipice, the usual Punishment for condemn'd Persons, as a Reward justly due to such a Traitor.

No wonder then if Jealousies arose betwixt Masters and Servants, which broke forth af­terwards into dreadful Tumults, and were ac­companied with infinite Treacheries and Mur­ders; for at one and the same time, in all the Cities belonging to Italy, Messana in Sicily ex­cepted, the Servants conspired against their Masters: And afterwards, in the time of Cras­sus, above 60000 Servants took up Arms at once, under the Command of one Spartacus, a bold Slave and a Gladiator, and put three Armies of the Romans to flight: For so it was, that the Number of Servants or Slaves was ten times greater than that of those who were born free; insomuch that M. Crassus himself numbred no less than 500 belonging to him, besides such as attended always on his Dome­stick Concerns. And that there might be some Distinction made betwixt Servants and those who were born free, it was debated in the Ro­man Senate, That all Servants should wear [Page 191] one certain Badge or Habit; but this de­sign was laid aside by the more prudent Sug­gestion of one of the Senators, saying, that by this means the Servants would be able to know their own Numbers and Strength, and so be tempt­ed to cut their Patrons Throats. Hence it be­came Capital for any Servants to carry Arms, as it is at this day in Paris for Lacqueys, since the Tumult raised there of above Twenty Thousand armed Lacqueys, which put that City under a great Consternation, upon the Execution of a Criminal who wore a Live­ry.

But amongst the Romans, in case of any Urgent Necessity, they first made their Ser­vants free, and then arm'd them: Thus did S [...]ip [...]o Africanus after the Battle of Cannae, ma­numising three hundred Slaves fit for Service. Nor were their Slaves suffer'd to row in their Galleys before they had been manumised, as Helvius reports of Augustus, in his Naval Bat­tle at Actiam. On the contrary, Justin tells us, (lib. 41.) ‘That the Parthians were not suffer'd by their Laws to manumise their Ser­vants or Slaves, whereupon they were con­strain'd to treat them with the same Affe­ction and Courtesie as they did their own Children, breeding them up to Horseman­ship, and to the Quiver, and by this means they became very Numerous, and serviceable in their Wars.’ For in the Parthian Army, wh [...]ch put M. Antonius to Flight, there were but Five Hundred Freemen, the rest, who [Page 192] were fifty thousand Horsemen, were all Slaves. Now because the Romans never trusted their Slaves with their Arms, the better to prevent Disorders, they employ'd them in some Manual Occupation or Trade, which by the Institution of Numa Pompilius, it was not lawful for Free Citizens to profess. And yet for all this, we find that in their Civil Wars, their Slaves would still quit their Masters, and side with one Party or the other, in hopes to better their Fortunes; so that Augustus after the War fi­nished with Sextus Pompeius took no less than Thirty Thousand of them Prisoners, all which, for adhering to Pompey, were delivered over to their respective Masters, to be put to Death by them for their Desertion, and such whose Ma­sters or Patrons were already deceas'd, he forth­with commanded to be hang'd.

And such truly was the Number of these Servants or Slaves in the Christian Empire, that when Mahomet revolted in Arabia, he sent his Embassador Homarus to proclaim liberty to all Servants or Slaves who should follow his Standard: Whereupon such a vast Number of them throng'd from all Quarters, that he soon subdu'd the fairest Provinces of the Ea­stern Empire. This Success of the Asiatick Slaves soon invited the Europeans to rebel a­gainst their Patrons: For about the Year 781, the Servants in Spain took up Arms for their Liberty, as likewise in France about the time of Charles the Great, and St. Lewis, as ap­pears by their Laws against the Conjuration [Page 193] of Servants: And such verily was their Power [...]bout this Time, that Lothair, the Son of Lewis, being twice beaten by his Brethren, pro [...]laim'd Liberty to all the Slaves and Servants who should come to his Assistance, by which means he recruited his Armies. After which Time the Slave, and Servants every where grew so inso­lent and insupportable, that the Christian Prin­ces thought it the safest way to give them their Liberty by degrees, and [...]o free themselves from those dangerous Eruptions with which they were daily menaced from their Power, which could not well be restrained and limit­ed; retaining only a successory Right to the Goods and Fortunes of such Libertines or Freed Men, in case they died without Issue, which in the Stile of that and of after Ages, were called Mort-mains.

In sum, as soon as the Christian Religion began to triumph over Paganism, there was a Door opened for a greater Liberty, which was made much wider by Mahomet's Indul­gence, which forbad any of his own Religion to be Slaves. Hereupon the Christians likewise thought it just to indulge the like Liberty to those of their own Profession, which yet had not its due effect for some considerable time after. For about the Year 1200, there were some re­mains still of Servitude, as appears from the seve­ral Decretals of Alexander the Third, Ʋrban t [...]e Third, and Innocent the Third, wherein (peak­ing of the Marriages of Servants, they were not called Connubia or Matrimonia (the Canonical [Page 194] words for Marriages betwixt Free Persons) but Contubernia, which word the Lawyers always us'd to distinguish the Marriage of Servants from that of those who lived in a state of Li­berty. However, in the time of Bartolus, who livd about the Year 1300, there were no Slaves or Servants of the Ancient Stamp to be any where found; and Lewis Hutin, about the Year 1313, manumis'd all Servants through­out his Kingdom, for a certain Summ of Mo­ney, which, as the Learned Bodin interprets, must be understood of such Libertines as were called Mortmains in former Ages, who by me Prince's Indulgence were releas'd from that Bond of Servitude by which they were re­strain'd from marrying, or alienating their Goods out of their Patrons Territories.

The Right and Title which Patrons of old had to their Slaves or Servants, was as great and unquestionable as that which they had to their Lands and Houses, or any other Possessi­on whatsoever; insomuch that neither the Ma­gistrate, at the Request of the People, nor yet the Authority of the Emperor, could ali­enate or extinguish that Authority which a Master had over his Servant, or make him Free without his Consent: Nay, the Emperor had not Power to bestow a Ring of Gold, which was a sort of Military Reward, and conferrd usually as a Badge of Gratuity upon those who deserv'd well of the Prince; I say, the Em­peror had not Power to bestow such a Gift upon a Libertine, without the Consent of the [Page 195] Patron; insomuch as Commodus commanded all the Gold Rings to be taken from off the Hands of those who had been rewarded with them without their Patrons Leave. So that by the Imperial Laws, no Prejudice could hap­pen to the Patron by such Rewards, although a Prince should restore a Servant to his Birth-right, or that State in which he was born, which Prerogative was solely in the Prince.

The way of making Slaves free was by a Box on the Ear, which the Master gave the Servant as a Farewel-stroke to his Servitude. This was call'd Manumising; and then the Master bestowing on him a Tufted Cap to co­ver his shav'd Crown, he was reputed a Liber­tus, or Freed-man; so that ad Pileam vocare was us'd as a Phrase amongst the Romans, to signifie a Man's Advancement into a State of Liberty: For Slaves always were shav'd, and went bare-headed, as it is at this Day us'd by the Turks. And for this Reason likewise 'twas, that Priests heretofore, and at this Day in the Roman Church, wear their Heads shav'd, to shew, that they are wholly dedicated as Ser­vants or Slaves to the Service of God. The Pileus or Cap then was a Badge of Liberty; and for this Reason 'twas that Brutus caus'd his Medals to be stamp'd on the Reverse with a Cap betwixt two Ponyards, thereby signifying the Liberty which was procur'd to the People of Rome by the Blow which Julius Caesar re­ceiv'd from his Dagger.

[Page 196] By an Ancient Law of Justinian, all Liber­tines were for ever restor'd, or transplanted rather, into the State of those whom the Le­gists call Ingenui, without any farther receipt. But this Law is antequated; for by the Civil Law now in use, 'tis the Prince only for the Time being who can range a Libertine, co­etaneous with himself, amongst those we call Ingenui, or Free-born; no Prince being ca­pable to extend his Grace to such as shall be made Libertines in future Ages: And as the Prince has a Power now a-days to exalt a Li­bretine into the Order of the Ingenui's, without the Leave of his Patron; so the Patron too has still his Title to such Goods and Possessi­ons of his Libertine as were acquir'd before his Translation to his Freedom; and this by the Civil Law the Prince cannot alienate or extinguish, as appears from the Judgment of the Court of Paris, by the Testimony of the most Learned Bodin. Nevertheless, an Inge­nuus thus made by the Grace and Favour of his Prince, may leave his Children whatsoever he gets after his Instalment; and in case he has no Issue, he has a Right to Legacy his Goods to whom he pleases.

The Ancient Jews, tho' they were allow'd to take Bondmen from among such as we [...]e Strangers or Sojourners with them, yet such Bondmen or Strangers being once circumci [...]'d, were under the same Privileges with those who were Free-born, Exod. 12. But amongst the Turks 'tis otherwise at this present Day: For [Page 197] tho' in the Beginning of their Empire (like Ro­mulus) they incorporated all sorts of Slaves and Servants, who follow'd their Arms, their Empire nevertheless being new-settled or built, they proceed by other Policies, notwithstand­ing the Laws of Mahomet, their Prophet and Founder, to the contrary; for albeit the Ma­hometans do circumcise and instruct the Chil­dren of Christians in their own Superstition, yet they think good still to treat them and their Children like Slaves. Howbeit, the Janiza­ries, and those of the Seraglio, tho' Tribute-Children, (forasmuch as Men may hope to reap better Fruit from Youths of pregnant Parts, and of a better Education) are treated in another manner than those of ordinary Pro­mises, and are not therefore to be accounted Slaves properly, being appointed to the pecu­liar Service of the Prince, and are many times by their Merit advanc'd to the greatest Places of Trust and Power. In Imi [...]ation of the Turkish Policies, or Perfidiousness rather, the Portuguese heretofore compell'd such Slaves as they bought or brought from Africa, to ab­jure Mahometism, and to be baptiz'd; never­theless they still treated them and their Off-spring as Slaves, selling them openly in the Market like Cattle; a thing certainly very repugnant to the Laws of Christianity, as well as to the Commands of God by Moses.

The like Barbarity was practis'd by the Spa­niards in America, which Cbarles the Fifth, Anno 1540. endeavour'd to restrain: Where­upon [Page 198] Gonzala Pizarus, the then Governour in these Parts, rebell'd; but being afterwards taken Prisoner, was executed, and all Slaves mada free, being oblig'd only to labour for their Masters in the nature of hired Servants. However, long it was not before the Spaniards, following the Example of the Portuguese, fell to the Trade of selling Slaves like Cattle; in­somuch as at this present Day, throughout all the Grand-Signior's Dominions, throughout the Kingdoms and Provinces of the East, throughout all Africa and America, and throughout most Countries of Christian Prin­ces bordering on the Turks, Slaves are sold openly in the Market like Beasts; so that the World now seems as much or more replenish'd wi [...]h Slaves than in the Times of Ancient Paganism. Nay, amongst the Turks, the poor Christian Captives are stigmatiz'd in their Bo­dies with hot Irons, as we do burn our Hor­ses, thereby impressing an indelible Character upon their Bodies, that all the World may know to whom they do belong: A most infa­mous sort of Usage! and never practis'd by the Romans upon their Slaves, unless such as were most desperate and obdurate Villains.

And yet, let Men steer by what Policies they please, it is certainly true, that it can ne­ver be the Interest of a Government to be over-stock'd with Slaves: For never was Rome in greater Danger than when Spartanus headed Sixty thousand of them in the very Body of Italy; at which Time the Empire was infested [Page 199] with Fourscore thousand Pyrates, who with Nine hundred Ships ravag'd all the Cities of the Mediterranean, at their Will and Plea­sure, the Suppression of which Pyrates was one of the Glorious Atchievements of Pom­pey, and procur'd him the Title or Sir-name of Great.

Nor are our Plantations in the West-Indies free from the like Dangers, as appears from the frequent Insurrections and villainous At­tempts. Much better were it, certainly, af­ter the Project of Charles the Fifth, above-mentioned, to instruct such Wretches in the Principles of Christianity, and then baptize them, treating them in the nature of Servants for Term of Life, or upon other Terms, without the infamous Usage of Selling them: For these inhumane Restraints are the things which fill them with Resentments blacker than their Bodies. For notwithstanding the Fabu­lous Reports of some, none doubts in Reason but that they are, notwithstanding their Com­plexions, of the same Species with Whites, and have Souls to be sav'd as well as others. The Merchant, perhaps, cares not if the De­vil ensnares their Souls, so he may have the use of their Bodies. However, it would be worth a serious Consideration of the Gover­nours of our Church, if they would extend their Care a little this way, their Neglect or ill Success in converting Pagans, and spread­ing the Gospel amongst Infidels, being one of the greatest Arguments which the Papists [Page 200] bring against our Church, as their Care, Di­ligence, and Success in this Particular is one of the best Arguments they can offer in the Be­half of theirs.

And thus having given a Summary Relation or History of the State of Slaves or Servants, and of what Account they were in former Ages, and in Foreign Kingdoms and Empires of the World I now must think of return­ing home again into our English Soil, which certainly is too mild and favourable to such Mercenaries, as others heretofore were too se­vere. What I sh [...]ll write concerning them, is no [...] out of Pr [...]judice or Passion, but from a disinterested Spirit, and upon manifest Expe­rience; for I dare boldly affirm, that there is not a more insolent and proud, a more untra­ctable, persidious, and a more churlish sort of People breathing, than the Generality of our Servants; and that the great Dis [...]ourage­ment to Husbandry, and the g [...]eat Expen [...]e we lie under, together with the many Vexa­tions and Disappo [...]ntments we daily meet with, are deriv'd ch [...]efly from their great Disorders, which, if not mutually remedied, will insen­sibly, or [...]ather most sensibly, reduce the Kingdom into a more languishing State: But this must be the Work of the Subordinate Ma­gistr [...]tes.

Come we then, I say, to consider Servants as they are a Part or Portion of our English C [...]mmonwealth, at present; wh [...]re it must be [Page 201] acknowledg'd, in the first place, that they are the Instruments, or rather the Hands, by which the good Husbandman does subsist and live: So that he who has the good Fortune to meet with such as are Faithful, has found, doubt­less, one of the greatest Blessings of which this Life is capable; as on the contrary, he that shall rely on such as are Lazy, Wastful, and False, needs no other Curse to make him mise­rable; and let the Master be never so Honest, Laborious, and Prudent, he shall never pros­per in the World whilst they are in his Ser­vice.

Men of more plentiful Fortunes and Credit have an Advantage over Servants and Labou­rers, especially if such Masters be Men in Of­fice; because 'tis oftentimes in their Power to humble them, or to do them good: For such is the Temper of a base and servile Nature ge­nerally, as renders it insensible of Obligation, or Courtesie, Men of this Character caring lit [...]le for any, but upon the aforesaid Consi­derations. Hence it is that Great Men do in a manner command the Services and Labours of others, and a Right Worshipful shall ne­ver want Hands when his Occasions shall call for them. As for a Gentleman of the Fourth or Fifth Rate, or those of about a Hundred per Annum, they are, probably, in the worst Post of any to reap Advantage from such Instru­ments: So that I dare be bold to say, that a Yeoman-like Man, of about Forty or Fifty Pounds per Annum, shall keep a better House, [Page 203] and lie warmer than the former: For a Yeo­man goes himself and works with his Servants; so that there is not only the Labour of one Hireling sav'd, but the Good Man being al­ways in Company with his Workmen, he is sure to have a Pennyworth, and to see his Bu­siness go forward; and 'tis very well known too, that Servants will of themselves work much more heartily when the Master partakes with them in the Labour, than when they are left to themselves. Moreover, such a good Husbandman buying or selling all things him­self, and looking to all his Cattle and Tack of Husbandry with his own Eyes, or being con­stantly employ'd in his own Affairs, can ne­ver receive Prejudice from the Ignorance, Neg­ligence, and Falshood of Servants, which I am confident amounts to one Third of the In­come; so that he must needs suffer, and that very considerably, in his Interest, were he to trust all his Concerns with others. Whereas a Gentleman, unless he be such a one as has been bred up to the Plow, cannot labour with his own Hands, nor may he go to Market to sell his own Corn, forsooth; and if he ven­tures to buy or sell Cattle himself, 'tis five to one but he is over-reach'd; and if he lies within Doors, or follows his Recreations with­out, 'tis the same Odds, that his Servants neg­lect his Business, or attend their own, viz. to filtch and cheat him.

Servants or Labourers are of two sorts, Do­mestick, and such as live by the Year, or such [Page 203] as we commonly call Day-Labourers, whe­ther Carpenters, Masons, &c. or other poor Men which we employ about our Husbandry. I begin with Domesticks, who certainly are as much debas'd in their Duty, as they are ad­vanc'd in themselves beyond what they were at in former Times. Forty Years ago, Three Pounds Ten Shillings was the Wages of a good Bailiff, or Capital Hind; as likewise Forty or Fifty Shillings of a young Fellow: But now their Wages is risen One third, at least. The Reason hereof can be no other than the wastful manner of Living amongst many of our Gentry, who abandoning them­selves to Drinking, Feasting, fine Apparel, Furniture, and superfluous Retinue; as like­wise to the Vanity of excessive giving to Ser­vants at one anothers Houses, there is such an Emulation amongst them, who shall spend his Estate most nobly, as they call it, that even the very Servants themselves will ape their Masters in riotous Living and Excess, and are as modish in their Habits; so that in former Ages they would have been mistaken (God bless 'em!) for Gentlemen of the First Order. To maintain which Vanity, they must advance their Wages, which, instead of making them more Thankful and Diligent, does but render them commonly more Disobedient and Proud. To remedy which Disorders, nothing can be more helpful than good Sumptuary Laws, confining every Man to live in a modest Deco­rum, according to his Condition and Quality, [Page 204] and, above all, reducing Servants to their pri­mitive Frugal Habit: For a Clown, certainly, and a draggle-tail'd Kitchen-Wench, when trick'd up like my Master and Lady, cannot choose but have a mighty Opinion of their own Merit and Improvements. The Cat, when she was dress'd out of the Wardrobe of Ve­nus, sate at Table with the State and Demure­ness of a Virgin-Bride; but as soon as a Mouse cross'd the Room, Puss forgets her Majesty, and running eagerly upon the Prey, shew'd her self to be a pure ravenous Animal, and fit only to live on Vermine. A paltry Chamber­maid, which came but just now all perfum'd from emptying and cleansing the Vessels of the Chamber, shall appear at Table in her Flower'd Manteau, and her tottering Commode, for­sooth; but notwithstanding all, upon every trivial Accident and Turn, will not fail to shew her self to be a meer errant Cat, destin'd by Nature to feed on meaner Fare.

Amongst the many Knaveries of Servants there is one trickish piece which they usually put in practice, viz. When a Servant's Year draws towards an end, without giving Notice of his Intentions to his Master, he hunts about for a fresh Service, and when he had found a Place where he can advance his Wages, he hires himself by taking Earnest; and t [...]en dis [...]oursing with his Old Master, if he cannot make be [...]ter Terms with him than those with his new one, he quits him, and serves the new one; but in case he can get more from the old [Page 205] one, he leaves the latter in the lurch, sending him only his Earnest again, and continues with his former Master: So that whosoever hires such a Rogue, may be in danger of being de­ceiv'd, and may be put to his shifts, whilst my juggling Merchant lies at his Liberty of choo­sing which he will of the two, and conse­quently of leaving one of them unprovided. I know not whether the second Master may bring his Action against the first, for retain­ing him whom he had hir'd: But certainly there is all the Reason in the World, that such a false Rascal should be preferr'd to serve a third Master, I mean him of Bridewel, there to labour and earn his Bread amongst other Statutable Rogues.

'Tis very true, the Laws of our Kingdom have made a good Provision against such Cheats, forbidding all Persons to hire any Servant without a Discharge from his former Master, or at least a Certificate from the Parish he has liv'd in, of his Honesty and good Be­haviour; so that he who hires a Person with­out such a Cer [...]ificate, is obnoxious to an Acti­on. But so it is, that this good Statute seems to be antiquated by non-usage, and the con­trary Course seems to have gain'd the Force of a Law by a continual and uninter [...]upted Pra­ctice, since we rarely meet with any who in­sist upon these an [...]ient Forms. Hence it is that Men are much in the dark as to the Qualifica­tion of the [...]r Servants, taking them upon trust, o [...] perh [...]ps like Vagabonds at the Doors: [Page 206] For should a Man stand upon the Niceties of the Statute, he might sooner starve than be furnish'd with a Servant. It highly concerns therefore the Gentlemen of a County, to whom these Matters are referr'd as Judges, to see this good Law executed; which, if duly observ'd, would quickly bring Servants to that Sense of Duty as would make all Affairs of a Country Life both profitable and pleasant.

To this End and Purpose it would be expe­dient, that no Servant, I mean such as are to be imploy'd in Husbandry, should be suffer'd to hire himself in any other County than that he was born in: For by this means the Actions of his Life would easily be inspected, and the Servant himself be prevented from wandring like a Vagabond, escaping the Punishment due to the Rogueries he might commit in one County, by shifting into another.

Secondly, It would be very expedient like­wise, that of Servants, against whom there is sufficient Proof made of their ill Behaviour, there should be a Record or Memorandum of such Offences entred into a Register, and to be kept by the Church-Wardens of every Parish: For by this means they would be still bridled from playing the Rogue. And, in the last place, 'twould be expedient that it might have the Power of the Bench at their Sessions, or rather of the Judges in their respective Circuits, to limit and determine the Wages of Hinds for the Purposes, not to exceed Four Pounds per Annum, and of others proportionably, making [Page 207] all Transgressions of such an Order, whether Masters or Servants, to be obnoxious to a Pe­nalty. These Three Points duly executed, would quickly make the Servants honest and industrious, and fit consequently to be trusted: By these means likewise the Masters would be­come wealthy, and able to provide for their Families, and supply the Publick Exigence up­on occasion; and in like manner the Servants themselves, when married, would betake them­selves to their honest Labour, and thereby provide for their Wives and Children, and for themselves too in Time of Sickness and Old Age, and not leave themselves a Burden upon the Parish, nor liable to be prosecuted for ill Courses, as being bred up Strangers to them in their youthful Days: For he who has been a wastful, pilfering, or idle Servant, will never make an honest Labourer in his declining Years, but go on from Roguery to Roguery; as on the other hand, one who has been ac­quainted with Frugality, and has been found true when a Servant, will have something to help them forwards in the World, by taking of a Farm, and by his former Actions gain Trust with his Landlord, and Credit in his Dealings.

And because Rewards sometimes are found to have as great, or a greater Force upon some Natures than Punishments, it might not be improper if some Privileges or honorary Marks were conferr'd upon such Servants as should continue Seven Years in a Service, the same [Page 208] being to be entered into the Parish-Register, for the Reputation and future Advantage of such Servants; such Memorandums, Gratui­ties, and Privileges, being a good Fund of Credit upon which Servants might begin the World; it being no way to be doubted, but that one who has liv'd some Years in a Service, will use his utmost Endeavours, by a faithful and diligent Behaviour, to preserve to the End of such a Term of Years as would be so ad­vantageous to him.

Labourers, whether Artfiicers, or such as drudge in Husbandry at Day-wages, are ano­ther sort of Servants, as being hir'd at a cer­tain Price to labour for us. The Tricks and Shifts of Workmen are too many to be parti­cularly spoken to: Therefore they who deal with such, ought to be cautious and prudent. 'Tis the common Use of Workmen to under­take more than they ever intend or are able to perform; and this they do that they may have many Strings to their Bow, to serve them up­on all Occasions, which infallibly puts them upon a Necessity of breaking their Words for several times, perhaps, one after another, and of leaving what they undertake unfinish'd, frequently to the great Damage of those who are concern'd with them. In which case a Man must hold his Tongue within his Teeth; for to prosecute their Neglect, would be such an Alarm to others of the same Profession, that a Man might very well rest assur'd with himself, never to get any of this kind to come [Page 209] hear him; for usually they all combine and hang together.

There is one Notorious and Common Cheat practis'd by all Labourers, or Work­men, such as Carpenters or Masons, I mean in the Countries, who usually hire some va­gabond or indigent Boys or Fellows, which they call Journeymen or Labourers: These, the most ignorant of their Trade must have Wages, as tho they had serv'd an Apprentice­ship; so that 'tis common, and I have found, and do daily find by Experience, That a Ma­son shall take up half a Starv'd Rogues and Boys to serve them, subducting clandestinely Two Pence a day out of their Wages pre­tending for the purpose, that they pay a Boy Six Pence per diem, and receive the same of their Masters, when by under-hand Contract they pay such Boys but a Groat, and so of Men-Labourers: So that a Mason or Carpenter shall by this way of Cheating, get his Half Crown a Day, if he has many Underlings: And when such Boys or Labourers are tired with their Slavery, they pick up other lazy and Indigent Vagabonds, who being short­ned in their Maintenance, pilfer and watch all opportunities of stealing where-ever they are entertained. 'Twould be very prudently done therefore, if the Gentlemen of the Bench would have a more especial Eye to this Abuse, and 'twere to be wish'd that they were im­power'd to settle Apprentices upon such Arti­fices as are most necessary for the Country, a [Page 210] Plowrights, Carpenters, Masons, &c. that so there might be some train'd up still to serve the Country in these necessary Occasions, whereas Masons, Plowrights, and the like, rarely take Apprentices, that so they may keep the Husbandman in continual depend­ance on them, and engross all to themselves, so that a Man may hunt some Miles many times, and wait many Weeks for such sort of Engineers, and Court and Sneek, for fear of displeasing them: And when any such kna­vish Workman chance to die, there's a mortal Breach or Gap made in all Country Business; so that a Man's Husbandry may cool upon his hands before he shall have the good Fortune to be reliev'd.

There are four sorts of Labourers, who when hir'd by the Day-labour for 12 or 14 d. per diem, as the Work is, or as the Rates run commonly in the Country in which they live; and yet the same men when they under­take Work by Task, shall gain twice as much in a day; which shews plainly, that when they wrought by the day, they did not exert half their Strength and Labour; a notorious piece of knavery and deceit. I do not much approve therefore of hiring Men by Task, un­less the Work be such as depends upon many subordinate and inferiour Workmen of divers. kinds; as in Building, Projecting and the like, where the Head-Undertaker must be suppos'd to have a greater Insight into all things there­on depending than an ordinary private Per­son can pretend to, and therefore if a Man be [Page 211] diligent in computing his Charge, and wary in making his Bargain, he may ease himself pro­bably of a great Trouble and Expence, which he will not fail to meet with in chaffering eve­ry day at the Workmen of several Occupati­ons; which must needs be a Business of Ha­zard and Vexation.

But my Business at present concerns such ra­ther as we commonly call Day-Labourers; as Hedgers, Ditchers, Thrashers, Wood-cutters, with such-like servile Labourers as are more nearly concern'd with the honest Farmer or Husband­man. And here I think my Observation does not fail me, viz. that in times of greatest Plenty, Labourers are in greatest scarcity; for so it is, that lazy Fellows (and such common Labour­ers are for the most part, they especially of the baser sort) can in times of Plenty main­tain themselves for a Week, perhaps, with Three Days Labour: For generally such sort of Cattle will work only from Hand to Mouth, knowing, that in case of Old Age, Sickness, or Increase of Children, the Parish must main­tain them; and if they have at any time Six Pence in Bank, the next Ale-house lays an Embargo on it; or if we be in an absolute ne­cessity of their Labour, we must purchase it at extraordinary Rates. Now this is evident­ly the Ruine of the Husbandman, viz. To give most to hire Labourers, when the Pro­ductions of the Earth yield him the least Pro­fit; and what is yet worse, the Number of Poor encreases. For few will labour when the Earth yields them Food for nothing, [Page 212] which Observation may be yet farther im­prov'd from hence; that the most fertile and plentiful Countries are ever stock'd with Va­gabonds and Beggars, whilst the hungry and barren parts have no Entertainment for such unprofitable Vermin, and con [...]equently the Inhabitants grow rich (or at least are not poor.)

To remedy which Evil there can be no bet­ter way than for the Justices of the Peace, once every Year, to regulate the Rates and Wages of such Labourers, according as the Profits and Productions of the Earth shall ebb or flow, as also severely to punish such nuis­sant Fellows as shall neglect their daily la­bour: For the Rule of the Civil Law is most certainly true, That it is for the Welfare and Interest of the Commonwealth, that every man should make a good use of his time, and of his own propriety.

There are another sort of wandring Labou­rers, or Merchants-Errant, as Journey-men Taylors, Journey-men Shoemakers, and the like, which wandring from Country to Coun­try, are entertained in Towns and Country-Villages, where these Gentlemen stay usually no longer than till they can make an acquaint­ance with the Neighbouring Grounds, Shops or Stables, and then away march these Profes­sors of the Gentle-Craft, and renew their Trade in some other Country, and so on to the end of their Lives, unless they fall perad­venture, into the hands of the Press-Master, or of the Hang-man.

[Page 213] There is yet a further sort of Mungrel-La­bourers, or Merchants-Errant, as Common Pedlars, Fidlers, Coblers, Juglers, Fruit-Car­riers, Tinkers, Rag-men, Rat-catchers, Rope-Dancers, and the like, which wandring up and down the World, pretend to live by their Labour and their Wits, being a sort of Pilfring Rogues, fit only to receive their Wages at the Stocks or Whipping-Post. As for our Scotch Merchants, or Travelling Pedlars, they are not unwelcome to the Places they frequent: for tho they be Scots, that is, such as will ne­ver loose any thing which may be got; yet to such who know how to deal with them, they afford good Penny-worths enough, and are inoffensive in their way of Living; so that they are rather to be countenanc'd than dis­couraged; and if they under-sell the Shops, 'tis the Drapers fault: For certainly, Men will rather buy what they want when brought home to their Doors, than go abroad to pur­chase the same at a dearer rate: Perhaps the Shops cannot afford it so cheap, being oblig'd to maintain a Family, and to pay Rent, with other Duties: But this is nothing to the Buy­er, who will still lay out his Money where he meets with best Cheap; which is no other than what the Shop-keepers themselves do dai­ly practice.

Whether it be better for a House-keeper to have his Work manag'd by Day-Labourers, or by Domesticks, is a Point likewise of some Consideration in the Oeconomy of a Family. [Page 214] Domesticks probably may be a greater Charge, because we are oblig'd to pay and provide for them, even then when they do us no Service, as in case of Sickness, or of unseasonable Wea­ther, or of wanting a full Employment: In all which cases, Day-Labourers ly more ea­sie upon us, as being paid no longer than they work; but for all this, 'tis better to have Work wanting for our Servants, than Servants for our Work; and besides, as Day-Labourers are ever and anon failing us in times of great­est Occasion, so have they greater opportuni­ties of cheating their Masters, by having Hou­ses of their own where to bestow whatsoever they can cleverly make away with, and 'tis with such Retainers to Houses, likewise, whe­ther Day-Labourers, Chair-Women, Nurses and the like, that the Domestick Servants themselves ever hold a more than ordinary Correspondence in the Art and Methods of Filtching.

CHAP. XIV. Of the POOR.

THE Poor, if they be not a considerable, yet are they a Numerous Party in a Commonwealth, and in this sense therefore, worthy of our consideration. But before I [Page 215] treat of them with regard to our English Meri­dian, I shall take a little larger Compass, and make some Remarks upon them as they stood at the beginning, or in the First Ages of the World.

In the First Ages then, as I have hinted in the precedent Chapter, it was a usual thing for the poorer sort of People (who abounded with Children, as living generally a temperate and frugal life) to pawn themselves and Children to Usurers upon the Loan of Money, or other Necessaries for their Support and Livelihood. The Oppressions of these Usurers many times drew such poor People to commit Disorders, which made Plato of old to observe, That there were Two Extreams equally destructive to a Commonwealth, viz. Riches and Poverty: For where Men are very Rich and Great, espe­cially under a Commonwealth, they are apt to fall presently into Factions: This was the Case of Rome under the Triumvirates of Cae­sar, Pompey and Crastus; and soon after, of Augustus, M. Antonius, and Lepidus: And of later times we find the like in Florence, when it was a Commonwealth, till at length all sub­mitted to the Power of the Medici, who by the help of Leo the 10th, who was of that Family, got the Sovereignty over all the rest. And on the other hand, where a Republick is over-stockt with Poor, such Poor being nu­merous are always ready to be seditious, and have sometimes made the Government to shake, when they have reflected a while upon [Page 216] the unequal Distributions of Fortune, and up­on the wretched Estate they live in, compar'd with that of other Men.

Upon this Consideration 'twas, that the most celebrated Lawgivers of Greece asserted an equal Distribution of Goods, or at least of Lands, to be the best Expedient for the Con­servation of a Commonwealth in Peace and Tranquility, and amongst the Modern, Sir Thomas More likewise was of this Opinion in his Ʋtopia, being the Model he form'd of a Commonwealth. And yet notwithstanding such Projects of Wise Men, we do not find that they ever brought them to any great Ma­turity: For when the Thebans and Phocians planted a Colony, and sent their Embassadors to Plato, entreating him to prescribe them some good Laws for the Establishment of their New Commonwealth, he miscarried in his Design: For they of the Colony, refused to submit to such a levelling or equal Partition of Goods as was contriv'd by his direction. Lycurgus is said to have effected this in the alotment he made of Lands, tho with some peril of his Life. Solon likewise was of the same Judg­ment, but could never bring his Project about: For when Agis King of the Lacedemonians was attempting to make an equal Distribution of Lands, he was seiz'd by the Ephori, and put to Death in Prison.

And here I cannot but admire a little at the Mistakes of so many wise Men: For upon such a levelling of Possessions these fatal incon­veniencies [Page 217] must of necessity follow, as 1st, That no man will think of being industrious, when the fruits of his Labour must go to maintain the idle and profuse; nor can a Com­monwealth subsist without Justice; nor is there any place for Justice, where all Bargains are disannull'd and banished; nor any Faith and Credit to be given to the most solemn Obliga­tions, whether of Promises or Contracts. 2dly, such a levelling of Lands will make a horrid confusion and distraction in matters of Inhe­ritance: For 'tis reported of Lycurgus, the great Oracle of his Age, and Patron of level­ling, that in his own life-time he saw above Twenty Heirs to one Estate, and likewise as ma­ny Estates or Inheritances to fall to one from the want of Heirs in the other Branches of the Family: So that do whatever he could, an inequality of Fortune was the unavoidable consequence of a Civil Constitution.

However, it must be granted too, that in the first Planting of a Colony, such Agrarian Laws may be allowed of, by which all Men may have an equal share in the Dividend; yet so as still to allow a Prerogative to Pri­mogeniture, and the liberty of after-Contracts, without which a City or Commonwealth can­not subsist, and which will inevitably reduce Men under an equality of Fortune: Tho 'twould be still much better, and more just, upon the settling of a Colony, to proceed not by an Arithmetical Proportion, that is, by an equal division of Lands amongst the Coloni; [Page 218] but by a Geometrical Proportion, which with regard to Persons Merits and Circumstances, allows some to have a greater share than others, and this is called Distributive Justice: For to deprive the poorer sort from having a share in the Dividend, is the way to throw down a New-form'd Government before it is upon the Hinges; as it happened anciently at Thurium, where when the Great Ones had monopoliz'd to themselves all the Lands belonging to that Territory, leaving the poor Debtors under the Burthen and Exaction of their Creditors; such oppressed Debtors conspir'd and expell'd their Lordships from their Lands and City: Whereas the prudent Romans having such Tumultuous Innovations always before their Eyes, were forc'd oftentimes to shew great Indulgence towards the Common People, eas­ing the Debtors from the Rigour and Exaction of their Creditors, by a defalcation sometimes of a fourth, and sometimes of a Third Part of their Original or Principal Debts.

In the Reign of Trajan, (at which time the Roman Empire was at its fullest Growth) a poor Man was defin'd by the Laws, to be such an one whose Total Substance was under the value of Fifty Aurei, or Nobles: From whence we gather, that there was a kind of distinction with them betwixt Pauperes and Mendecos: Those of the former Denomina­tion, or the Poor, were of a large Compre­hension, as containing within their number, such as were low and decay'd in Fortune, as [Page 219] well as those who sought their Livelihood by begging in the High-Ways, and creeping from Door to Door: The latter sort were purely Beggars, and were to be lookt upon therefore as in the lowest Rank of Humane Fortune: With Analogy to this it is, that the state of a Freeman with us is accounted to be one whose Patrimony amounts to Forty Shillings of yearly Rent, and for those who have less, they are to be registred amongst the Poor, and to be exempted from Tribute and Duty, as be­ing in reality Poor, tho not all alike.

Another Question likewise there is, which I shall briefly touch upon, as having some affinity with the Subject upon which I am now dis­coursing, and it is this, viz. Whether one who is born nobly (or in the Ancient Stile, of an in­genious and Genteel Family) does forfeit the Pri­viledges of his Birth and Ancestors, and become ignoble by being poor? They who hold the Affirmative, build upon this Foundation, to wit, That in Ancient Times the Emperors and (in imitation of them) other Princes were wont to reward the Services of their Vassals or Subjects, by bestowing Lands upon them, and upon their Heirs and Successors for ever, as a peculiar Mark of their good Esteem and Grace. These Lands so distributed were called Feu­da, or Fee-Farms, as being under some small Obligation of Chief-Rent or Duty to the Prince of whose Bounty they were held, and who in all Ages and Countrys was ever esteem'd to be the Fountain of Honour: Now if such [Page 220] Priviledges of Bloud be annext to the Feudal Possession, as Testimonials of the Princes Fa­vour, the Fee once lost or sold, the Vassal has nothing to shew in evidence for his Honour which he deriv'd by his Ancestors from the Bounty of the Prince or Emperour. And up­on this account it is, that the Titles of Counts and Barons are annext so frequently in Ger­many and elsewhere, to certain Castles and Mannors: So that whosoever does purchase such a Castle, does ipso facto become a Count or Baron. Something like to those Feudal Rewards we read amongst the Turks, who farm out or lett to their Officers and Soldiers of Horse the Lands of Countrys conquer'd, distributing such Lands into Portions, much resembling our Farms, all which are held of the Grand Seignior at Pleasure, or for Life; which Timariots are oblig'd hereby to attend upon that Emperor in his Wars.

Notwithstanding this, 'Tis much more evi­dent, That the Feudal Possessions or Lands heretofore bestow'd by the Christian Empe­rors upon their Soldiers and Attendants, were not conferr'd upon them as Marks of Dignity and Honour, but by way of Stipend, thereby binding them to follow such Princes in their Expeditions, as it is at this day practis'd by the Turks, I say, in reference to their Timariot Horse: From whence it follows, That as Men were not enobled by such Fee-Farms, so nei­ther were they degraded from the Range in which they were born by the want of them: [Page 221] It being utterly repugnant to Reason, and contrary to the Opinion of all wise and learn­ed Men, That a Person should be more or less honourable and praise-worthy, from the num­ber of his Acres or Baggs, which are the scat­terings of blind and un-discerning Fortune, and which fall indifferently upon the Good and Bad, and many times are not in the pow­er of the best Men to acquire or preserve; Nay rather, such Blessings are frequently con­temn'd by them: But in case a Gentleman be reduc'd to Poverty by his own Prodigal Cour­ses, or by his infamous and idle life, there is no reason he should have a place amongst those of his own Birth and Quality; since hereby his Blood and Honour may as well be stain'd, as by his making profession of any servile Handicraft: For all Mechanick Arts have been ever accounted to be servile and base, forasmuch as the Professors of them, like Horses and Beasts of Drudgery, acquire their Livelihood by the Sweat and Labour of their Bodies.

No less base or ignoble are they accounted in the Civil Law, who follow any nasty or sordid Trade, as Butchers, Tanners, Chand­lers, Hatters, Curriers, Cordwainers, Coblers, &c. And above all, They have been ever lookt upon as vile to the utmost degree, who gain their Livelyhood by irreputable and scan­dalous Professions; such as Hangmen, Pimps, Travellers with Raree-Shews, Tumblers, Play­ers, Rope-Dancers, Common Fidlers, Vint­ners, [Page 222] Alehouse-keepers, and the like; so that if a Gentleman once makes a practice of these Arts, tho he acquire never so great Riches by them, he is utterly degraded from his Post of Honour.

And yet in this degenerate Age, if a Man can but get Wealth, tho in never so vile a way, he is without more ado, esteem'd a Gen­tleman, especially amongst the poorer sort. A petty Shop-keeper, or Retailer shall cringe, sneak, flatter humbly, protest, swear and for­swear, perhaps, to get a half-penny, and when by the studied and repeated Methods of a vile Condescention, with other Shifts and Artifices peculiar to Tradesmen, he shall get an Estate, he is reckoned amongst the Topping-Men, and may arrive possibly to the Dignity of Knight­hood. So likewise may we observe every where a great number of those whom they call shrew'd or Notable Men, that is, such as have a good long Reach in bargaining, truck­ing, and in managing other Mens Estates and Business, who at length come to be celebrated Usurers and Purchasers of Fair Estates them­selves: These, I say, are accounted Capital Gentlemen, and ought doubtless, to be ad­vanc'd to Civil Offices: So that if a Man can by a Trick of Legerdemain, Juggle an Estate out of the hands of an easie Gentleman, he deserves to be taken notice of under Charact­ers of great Respect, it being usual with the Fox (as 'tis reported) by his stinking Tricks to poyson out the Badger from his Hold, [Page 223] which with much labour he had made, and then Earth himself in the others Habitation. I have heard of a Practitioner in the Law, who tho he were not very eminent in the knowledge of it, became exceeding rich by puzzling and entangling the Titles of his Cli­ents, and then buying their Estates: And such truly is the Method of subtle, Time-serv­ing Knaves; whilst many an honest, poor Gen­tleman lies under fatal Necessities, either from the Extravagances, Number and Educa­tion of, or Provisions for his Children, or by the Incumbrances upon his Estate, or by the heavy expence of a tedious, vexatious and disastrous Suit at Law, or perhaps he suffers purely for a good Conscience in his constant adherence to the Rights of his lawful but un­fortunate Prince, as we have seen too many Examples of this Nature within our own Me­mory.

Let us come now to the Poor, who by the Laws of our Land are declared Poor, and for whom they have made so good Provision, es­pecially in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, and particularly that Act for the Relief of the Poor by a Parish Rate or Assessment, was a very charita­ble Design, preventing the indigent and needy from wandring about the World, expos'd to Misery and Famine; the many other provisi­onary Acts likewise, as of binding poor Chil­dren Apprentices, of setting up Work-houses, or Houses of Correction, of punishing Va­gabonds, and the like, were supplementally [Page 224] made to promote the General Design of re­lieving the Necessities of Human Nature: But so it is, that notwithstanding all these provisi­ons, the Necessities of the Poor are as great as ever, and the Parishes themselves, to which such Poor belong, are at a more than ordina­ry Charge for want of a true Care and pru­dent Management of a Work of this Import­ance. When any poor Persons, or pretend­ing to be Poor, shall think of seeking Relief from a Parish, away they Post him to the next Justice of the Peace, who easily mov'd with their Importunities and Complaints, or the intercession possibly of Friends, too easily and frequently grants his Order to the Overseers of the Parish, for the Relief of such a pre­tended poor Person, without enquiring into Circumstances. 'Twere much more equitable, if the Justice, at such time as the Overseers bring their Books to them to be Signed, would take their measures from the Parishioners or Officers themselves, who certainly must be best acquainted with the Necessities and Course of Life of such as pretend to be in Want, and by this Means, many idle Bodies who have wasted their Fortunes, and are still fit for labour, would be made to work, towards the support of themselves and Families.

I hold it likewise very expedient, that in Corporations and Market Towns, No Mer­cers, Victualers, Bakers, cum aliis ejusdem furfuris, be suffered to execute this Charge: It being too well known, that such Chapmen [Page 225] make their own Markets and Advantage there­by, in obliging the Poor to take their Dues for the purpose in Bread or Ale, at their pinching Measures; whereas, did they distri­bute their Alms in Money, such poor Men or Women could manage, and lay it out with more Frugality and Profit for such things as they should most stand in need of; so that 6 d. or 8 d. will procure a Peck of Mault sometimes, and be a Provision many days, which when taken out in Ale will be con­sum'd easily at a sitting. So likewise may we observe of Mercers and such petty Merchants, that they will put of their worst Commodities, whether Linnen, Woollen, or other little Ne­cessaries, and herewith furnish the Poor out of the Parish Stock, and at such Rates as they think fit: In which case the Poor People re­ceive double Dammage, not only in being forced many times to be sur-charg'd with that, which perhaps they have no great need of; but being ignorant likewise of the Quality and Value of such stale, half-rotten Ware, they dare not make their Terms with Men who have the Power of their Purse, but must sub­mit themselves to the Conscience and Hone­sty of a Shop-keeper's Word, which, upon my word too, will many times ply and en­large it self, not to the Necessity of the Buy­er, but to the Interest of the Seller. The Persons who are the greatest Objects of Cha­rity, are young Orphans, or the super-nume­rary Children of Poor People or Labourers [Page 226] as likewise expos'd Children, sick and maimd People, and such as are broken with Age, or such as are reduc'd to Want by the Accidents of Fortune, and perhaps, are asham'd to expose their Misery, as having liv'd sometimes possi­bly, in some Credit and Fashion.

There are another sort of Poor likewise, which ought truly to be provided for: I mean our lusty, sturdy, vagrant Beggars of both Sexes: These rambling from House to House are constant Retainers to all lousie Inns and Ale-houses, and are the best Informers that Highway-men and Burglares can rely up­on, and many times pick a Pocket, break a House, steal a Horse, and cut a Throat with as much dexterity as the best Professors of these Arts. They colour their Rogueries un­der the Disguise of Tinkers, Crale-Carriers, Ragmen, Inkle or Starch-Sellers, Net-weavers, Travellers, &c. For whom our Laws, 'tis true, have made some small Provision, but for want of a just distribution, such pilfring Va­gabonds are found to swarm every where. It would be much better, if an old Law of Valentinian the Emperour were reviv'd; by which, Every such Vagabond as was able to work, became Prize to the next Freeman which met him, and was enroll'd amongst his Servants or Slaves to Till his Ground during life, to the end he might not cheat others by his Impostures and pretended Beggary. Such a Law as this would be of more advantage to this Nation than any possibly now extant, [Page 227] there being no place left for Remisness, Affe­ction or Partiality; for if one should suffer such an Errant-Merchant to go free, another would not fail to apprehend him, and where a Man's own Private Interest is a Law, it can never happen that such a Law should want its due Execution.

Under this Head likewise we may reduce those whom we commonly call Egyptians, or Fortune-Tellers. They are called Egyptians, I suppose from their dark, tawny Complexion, or from their pretended knowledge of the Heavens, and their Destinies. In Foreign Parts they are called Zingars, which Name sounds as tho it were of a Tartar Extraction. These People, like the Tartars, always pro­fessing a wandring Life: Tho by the Vulgar they are called Gypsies, a Gypso, from that sooty Wash or Paint with which they stain their Hands and Faces. These impudent Va­gabonds have for a long time rambled over all parts of Christendome, and as for those of this Tribe in England, they are generally Broom-makers, Sweep-Chimneys and the like, and chiefly such as inhabite the Borough of Southwark, who in the Summer-time, for want of Employment, wander about the Coun­try, having their King over them, who com­monly is some Broken-Merchant, or well-ex­perienced Pick-Pocket: But this kind of Ver­min or Insects does not swarm so much now-a-dahs, as in former Ages.

To return therefore to such as are truly Poor, 'Tis certainly a very good work, and [Page 228] very acceptable to Almighty God, to relieve their Necessities; but 'tis without Dispute, a better Work to prevent Men from falling into Poverty; For Poverty in it self is a kind of Curse, and is attended with Misery: He who repairs a broken House deserves doubt­less a good Reward, but he deserves better from the hands of the Lord thereof, who frames such a Building as shall never fall in­to decay. The Dutch in this particular are well worthy our Imitation, for by building Publick Work-houses, whether of Correcti­on, or for the Education and Employment of Children, they make the corrupt and excre­mentitious parts of the Body Politick, as I may call them, to contribute to their own support, as well as to that of the Government. Little Children which are either poor or ex­pos'd are committed to Publick Work-houses, as to Cloisters or Colledges, and their tender Fingers are taught to work before they can well use their Tongues, and being thus inur'd from their Infancy their Hands are much more ready and nimble, whilst Labour and Indu­stry grows up and augments with their Na­ture: Even the Blind, the Lame, and the like, have Works to be employ'd about: For a blind Man may use his Arms in turning of Wheels or Grinding; and he that is lame in h [...]s Legs may follow such Work as consists with si [...]ting, as sewing, knitting, weaving, and the like; as he likewise who is maim'd in his Arms may be able to get his Living by the use of his [Page 229] Feet: And let not such impotent People lie bawling in the Open Streets, as they do conti­nually in the Capital City of this Kingdom; many of which Beggars get more Money, and fare better than others by their honest Labour and Industry.

As for lesser Criminals, as Pick-Pockets, Petty-Larceny, Pimps, Common-Whores, Sheep-Stealers, Coney-Catchers, Hedge-break­ers, and other the like Offenders, whose Crimes deserve not Death, 'twere very good they were condemn'd to Bridewel for a Year or two, or more, as the Nature and Circumstances of their Crimes do require: For by this means they would be made profitable to the Com­monwealth, whereas Whipping or Frizzing them a little in the Fist, is a Punishment of no great Pain, and of a short continuance; and such cauteriz'd or Case-hardned Rogues as soon as out of Jayl are but the more confirm'd in their former Practices. Some few indeed are secur'd to Transportation: 'Tis pity but there were more of them made to travel the same Road; tho the best wa [...], I say, would be to keep them to work in Houses of Correction, since we have not Gal­leys, as in other Countrys, wherein to bestow such useless Lumber.

And here I cannot but think our Laws a little too merciful likewise, in punishing Rob­bers on the High-way and Murderers: For what by the Intercession which is made com­monly for the pardoning such Offenders, [Page 230] (which indeed is no defect of the Law) and what by the Contempt which a more obdu­rate Felon has of hanging, so it is; that such kind of Villains are always numerous. Break­ing upon the Wheel has been found in other Countries to be the best Expedient to diminish the number of Malefactors. 'Tis true, this sort of Punishment carries the face of Cruel­ty in respect of him who suffers, where a Man's Bones are broken to pieces, and his Nerves and Sinews beaten to a Pulp, which must needs be very dolorous; and to conti­nue so for twenty four hours or more perhaps, must needs be very grievous to him who suf­fers, and fearful to the Spectators. But after all, it must be granted too, that this sort of Punishment is a kind of Mercy to others of Mankind, when by seeing such tortur'd Wretches they are reclaim'd from their wick­ed Courses by these Examples of Horrour; whereas otherwise they would be in the like danger of coming to a Fatal [...]nd. Hence it is, that since Breaking on the Wheel has been practis'd in France, there has not been the Tenth Part of the Robberies committed, as before; whereas under the gentler Dispensa­tion of Hanging, few are mov'd by the Com­plaints of the Malefactor, who ends his life in a compendious way, and probably in less pain than many who die a Natural Death. The End of Punishment is not Expiation; it may be satisfactory to the Law, there may be Confession likewise, and possibly Resti­tution; [Page 231] but 'tis the Mercy only of God through the Merits of Christ Jesus, which must assist the Guilty: The end therefore of Punish­ment is for prevention of the like Offences and Amendment, which in Capital Cases can never have place in the Offendor; it must be therefore in terrorem, in regard of others, ne & ipsi veniant in eundem locum tormentorum; that by their wicked actions they may not come into the same place of Torment; which End, if it cannot be obtain'd by one Method of Pu­nishment, Religion and Justice do advise the Magistrate (who is to have regard to the gene­rality of Men) to have recourse to one which is more severe, that others may be brought off from the like Precipice and Destruction, as we see they are most effectually by such rigorous Examples of Justice, or (to speak more truly) rather of Mercy.

The Charities of Rome make a Noise in the World, and if they be not perform'd with sound of Trumpet, certain it is, that they are Pompous and full of Ostentation. Many of their Methods are most worthy our Imitation, tho in general it must be said too, that at first sight nothing less appears than Charity; such is the number of Nasty Beggars, of maim­ed and sick People, and of Idle Vagabonds. Where they lodge a Nights God only knows, and perhaps the Pope, but certain it is, that the Streets and Piazza's are full of them all the day; whether it be that the Report of the Roman Charities does draw Beggars from eve­ry [Page 232] Quarter, or that men trusting to such Re­lief do neglect an honest and laborious course of Life; or that the Genius of the Italians in­clining them to Laziness, whilst the Gabels and Taxes they live under do reduce them to an humble State of Life; or that the Charities themselves be distributed in such a frugal and stinted manner, as shall only serve to keep Men Needy, and in a condition of craving Alms; whether, I say, upon any, or perhaps upon all these Considerations, it so happens, this is certain, that there are vast numbers of such half-starv'd Wretches ready every where to perish. The like also may be observ'd all along the Country betwixt Rome and Naples, which naturally is one of the most fertile Spots in the whole World, and yet the poorest and most beggarly in its Inhabitants. And as for Rome, I believe his Holiness would be Author of as great a Charity as any that City can pretend to, if he would convert some Religious Hou­ses into Houses of Correction, and there em­ploy some of the many idle Merchants that place is infested with, in making some profita­ble Manufacture, which, as 'twould be of great advantage to the Apostolick Comera, or Trea­sury, and bring that City into some form of Trade, so would it be found most acceptable to God, to whom nothing is more odious than Idleness, the Nurse of all Vices, and nothing can be more acceptable to him, than to see men taught to live in an honest, laborious course of life, and so to be delivered from that Train of [Page 233] Vices and Calamities of Poverty which attend always Men of base Condition and Fortune, once abandon'd to Ease; and consequently nothing could be more beneficial to Men than to be translated from such Miseries into a State of Credit and Plenty.

But leaving these Foreign Objects, and to come to the Poor of our Country Parishes, upon whose Account I now write, 'twere best worthy the Consideration of the Justices and Parish-Officers, to ease the Husbandman in Years of great Plenty; for then it is that half the Money will buy the Poor as much Bread as they spent in other Years; and then likewise 'tis that the Husbandman, perhaps, cannot make half so much of his Grain as in Years of greater Scarcity, being forc'd to give greatest Wages in Times of greatest Plenty, as hath been observ'd before. Hence likewise it is, that as in Years of Plenty, so in Countries al­so of Plenty, there are most Beggars; for few will trouble themselves to eat their Bread in the Sweat of their Brows, which they may feed on with Ease and for Nothing. In these Years and Places therefore of Plenty 'tis that more than ordinary Care should be taken to set the Wanderer to work, and to lay up in store for the Impotent and Needy, and to restrain and punish all Merchants-errant, who under shew of carrying Crales or Packs at their Backs lie pilfering and sharking every where, to the great Annoyance of all honest Housekeepers.

[Page 234] Let this Point then be the Centre of all that can be said of the Poor, or of Works of Cha­rity, viz. Publick Colleges or Work-Houses; and here let the scatter'd Currents of Chari­ties meet, were there but Publick Spirits either to contribute to, or with a little Pains and Honesty to oversee such a Pious Design, Vil­lany would soon be impracticable, the Num­ber of the Poor diminished, and such as re­main would be well provided for. The Pa­rish Taxations likewise would be eas'd, the Manufactures of the Nation would be ad­vanc'd, and Foreign Importations would be lessened. The Profits arising from the Labour of sturdy Vagabonds, of lazy, faithless Ser­vants, and of lesser Criminals, would main­tain the Orphans, and educate them in Me­thods of Industry; and if the Felons and o­ther Rogues, with which the Goals are re­plenish'd, were oblig'd to Labour, during their Confinement, it would be a great Ease to the County, and to such Felons themselves too, by preserving them from being instructed in farther Rogueries, and from being idle, and talking only with their Fellow-Prisoners of former Pranks: So that once in a Goal, and a Rogue ever after.

Out of this Bank or Stock of the Work-House might Money be lent gratis, or without Usury, to poor Tradesmen or Husbandmen, to set them up with, or to relieve the Losses and Misfortuens of others, provided they should give good Security for the Capital; or if de­tain'd [Page 235] longer than half a Year, to pay Interest for the same. Out of this Fund likewise might some Provisions be made for binding of Apprentices, for marrying poor Girls, and for the Repair of Hedges, High-ways; and the like. If there were Colleges and Hospi­tals likewise for the Reception and Breeding up of expos'd Infants, as is practis'd in Rome and elsewhere, there to be train'd up to La­bour and to Vertue, it would prevent many a Murder of such shiftless Innocents; nor should we see such a Number of little Brats carried at the Backs of Beggar-Women from Door to Door, which, when a little grown up, run begging about the World, till coming to Years of Ripeness, or rather of Rotten­ness, they ingender the like beggarly Spawn or Fry, and so on to the end of the World. Such a Provision for Bastards, as I am now speaking of, would not be an Encouragement for People to encrease their Number, since their Parents should be oblig'd to labour in such Publick Houses till the Children were able to get their own Livings. This would be a great­er Punishment than that of binding one Pa­rent only in a Pecuniary Caution to Indem­nifie the Parish, which thing as yet is rarely ex­ecuted; whereas Four or Five Years Labour in Publick Houses would be a great Ease and Security to the Parish; and the Disgrace, and Laborious Imployments of such Places would deter Men and Women more from their wick­ed Courses than any Amercement whatsoever. [Page 236] And as for our Parish-Children, as we call them, such as Orphans, Bastards, and the like, they are commonly entrusted by the O­verseers of the Poor to some idle Housewife, who does just keep them alive, and teach them perhaps a little to read, and to run a leasing and loitering in the Streets, and there learn Roguery, till the Eigth or Ninth Year of their Age; whereas, were they committed to such Publick Colleges or Houses, before spoken of, and being under the Care of honest, ex­perienc'd, and industrious Overseers, they would soon be taught to earn their Bread, and be out of all Danger of being corrupted by Idleness and Ill Example.

I know a Gentleman who once design'd to bequeath his Estate to a Corporation in trust, and to be employ'd for the Erection of a Pub­lick Work-house, and afterwards for laying in a Fund or Stock for employing Whores and Rogues, the Profits whereof (some Conside­ration being had to the Governours and Over­seers of such a Work) to be employ'd for the Uses above-mentioned, the Scheme whereof I shall not trouble my Reader. But so it was, that he was soon after inclin'd to revoke his Charitable Design, when he consider'd the Business, or rather the sacrilegious Disposition of some Bodies or Societies: There being too many deplorable Examples before our Eyes of those who within their own Doors are most sordid and Niggard-like, but do not scruple to spend such Charitable Stocks, or the Bread [Page 237] of poor Orphans, I may say truly the Blood of Jesus Christ, in making riotous Feasts and Entertainments, and in impertinent and scan­dalous drinking of Healths, or perhaps in private Purloinings. And that this is not a passionate Invective, but a serious, tho' deplo­lorable Truth, would be but too legible, were there an impartial Inspection made into some Chamber-Accounts: For the Redress whereof we do not find any due Care taken. Charities therefore of this kind, ought, upon mature Consideration, to be entrusted with such; for tho' there be some honest Men to Day who rule the Roast, to Morrow there may be those of another Kidney: So that upon all Publick Occasions and Expence, Charitable Uses gene­rally must bear the Burthen.

The Mounts or Banks of Piety, such as they have in Rome, and elsewhere, are excellent Provisions: For out of these and such-like Funds, young expos'd Children are bred up and provided for; Fortunes are given to di­spose of them in the World, Moneys lent without Interest, and many other Publick Works carried on: But, as I said before, a competent Number of Bridewells, or Work­ing-houses, would be of as great or greater Use, which yet they want. They send them indeed to the Galleys, but that is not a Method so advantageous.

And as for our selves here in England, the best Trustees for such Publick and Charitable Designs would be the Justices of Peace in a [Page 238] County, provided there were Choice of such as are of Integrity and of a Publick Spirit: For these generally being Gentlemen of some Fortune, would not so easily be tempted by sordid Ends; nor could they conveniently do it were they so dispos'd, their Concerns being independent on one another, and all things being expos'd to the View of the World in an Open Court: Were they therefore enabled by Act of Parliament to purchase Ground and build Work-houses in Corporations and Mar­ket-Towns, a Reservation being made in City-Charters for such a Liberty; and if there were Visitors or Judges appointed by the Govern­ment, every Three Years, to inspect the Mis­carriages of such Justices, and to strengthen such Pious Designs with all due Provisions, as from time to time should become expedient, I doubt not but it would be the best Work that ever was undertaken, whether we consider the Glory of God, the Good and Wealth of the Nation in general, the Prevention of infinite Disorders, and the Relief of Thousands, who otherwise would perish, Soul and Body. And that upon a due Execution of such wholsome Provisions, 'tis no way to be doubted but such vast Numbers of well-inclin'd Persons would daily be invited to bestow bountifully in their Life-time, and at their Deaths bequeath ample Legacies, to promote Works of so great Bene­fit and Piety.

But before I shall proceed farther in this Ar­gument, I shall, with my Reader's Leave, make [Page 239] some Remarks which I have ever look'd upon to have a considerable Influence in Increasing the Number of our Poor, which, if not pru­dently remedied, will make way for farther Distempers, and the Danger still is greater; forasmuch as the Things I am now to speak of are not really Vices in themselves, but on the contrary are esteem'd generally as very considerable, and such by which Men seem to purchase a kind of Esteem and Honour amongst the Generality of Men: Of which

The First is our Extravagance and Luxury in Apparel. All Ages and Nations of the World have ever had Regard to this Particu­lar, esteeming a fantastick and variable Dress to be the greatest Index of Levity in the Mind, and a very superfluous Expence. The Jews of old constantly kept to one kind of Habit, as did also the Greeks and Romans. The like also we may observe at this Day, and from Time Immemorial amongst all the vast Em­pires of the East, the Turkish Dominions, as also throughout all Africa, and the greatest Kingdoms of the North; in all which Places every Nation has kept constantly to its own Habit, being such as was most convenient for their Bodies, and most suitable to the Air and Climate in which they lived: And even in Europe, besides the Polanders and Muscovites who stick fast to their Ancient Fashions, the Spaniards, who are a very great People, are very regular in this Particular; so that their Sobriety herein must be look'd upon as a great [Page 240] Help to keep up the Gravity and Grandeur of a Nation which otherwise would fall into a lower degree of Poverty than that under which they now lie, should they indulge them­selves in the Vanity of new Modes; such Ex­pences being utterly inconsistent with Men abandon'd generally to Ease and Wanton­ness.

Nay, that Nation from whom we borrow all our foppish and fantastick Garbs, observe some sort of a Decorum in this Matter: For all their Students in the Law, their Advocates and Notaries, wear short Cloaks, with wide Breeches, and short-skirted Doublets, of black Cloth, with little Bands. Their Physicians likewise, and generally the Burghesses of bet­ter note, wear the like modest Habit. But with us in England, all from Prince Pretty­man to Tom Thimble are Messires Alamode: So that in this Sense we may be truly said to over­come the French. It is a common Saying a­mongst our Fopling Gallants, That 'tis very ridiculous for a Man or Woman to be known by their Cloaths; and so say I too, being of the Opinion, That a Person is better known by Changeable and Party-colour'd Cloaths than by a plain, modest Dress; this being the Habit of sober Persons, which few are capable to understand, but the other is that which all gaze at, being the Livery of Changelings and Fools. The various Fancies and Fashions which Men and Women so highly value, is a thing certainly most vain and ridiculous; so [Page 241] that were a Nobleman to furnish his Gallery with Pictures, I think he could not hit upon a Fancy more to his Diversion than to have some quarter of it furnish'd with Paintings representing all the Fashions of both Sexes which have been worn by us within these For­ty Years, that is to say; from the Downfal of Ruffs to the Up-rising of Commodes; all which are so various and unlike, that were a grave, sober Turk to view them, he would conclude that they were the Modes of all Nations of the Earth, both past and present; and so great a Value as we our selves had once for them, we must now laugh at them as very Antick, and more Comical than all the Scar­mouchio's and Harlequi's in the World, and by consequence we must condemn our selves as guilty of extreme Levity and Folly.

The true Use of Raiment is to cover our Nakedness, and to defend our Bodies from the Injuries of the Season: Now certain 'tis, that he who has but one or two Suits of Appa­rel, whole and clean, well fitted to his Body, is as well or better provided than he who has six or seven in his Wardrobe, where the fre­quent Change many times proves injurious to Health, and before he has half worn out one Suit, the rest must be laid aside and given to a Train of lubbarly Waiting-Men, upon the Assurance Mr. Taylor gives us, upon his honest Word, that 'tis out of Fashion; and then my Gallant must flutter abroad again, Top-and-top-Gallant, in his new Mode, with [Page 242] a dainty hard Name: By which means many Gentlemen, especially the younger Sons, or those of smaller Fortunes, who still are ambi­tious to appear abroad equipp'd like Gentle­men, forsooth, are reduc'd to the utmost Ex­tremity; till, in sine, Master-Taylor, from taking Measure of my Spark's Body, comes at last perhaps to take the Measure of his Estate, or it may be provides him with a Tenement for Term of Life, which he cannot easily run out of.

Then for the Richness or Gaudery of Ap­parel, this ought to be taken notice of as much as the Vanity of supernumerous Habits. 'Tis pleasant to observe what Difference there is many times in the Air and Deportment of the same Per [...]on dress'd in common Apparel, and at other Times when new-rigg'd out. The Peacock, when he has his Train about him, how proudly do [...]s he strut, and display his Glories in the Sun! but when he is stripp'd of his glittering Plumes, how meanly does he run, like a common Fowl, and seek to hide himself in the Hedges! 'Tis no new thing for People to pay Respect to the Man who wears the Gold Ring and Rich Apparel; and t [...]uly if they do it not, the Man will put them in mind of it himself: For he who Yesterday went trudging along the Streets like a Corn-cutter, to Day holds his Crest on high, and walks slow and slately, and with the Magist­ri [...]l Mien of a Spaniard. He scarce vouchsafes a Look towards an humble Inferior, as he thinks, [Page 243] and if saluted, he returns the Civility by an Offer only to touch the Brim of his shining Castor, or perhaps with a Nod. Now, if we consider the Matter rightly, the true Ground upon which such a Grandee expects more Re­gards than formerly, is not from any self­consciousness of his own Merit, but purely up­on the score of his Apparel; so that the ho­nour (if any) is really due to the Sheep which bore the finest Wooll out of which his Cloth was made, or to the Insect or Worm which gave the Silk to make his glossy Ribbons; so that 'tis not the Man, but the Beast, all the while, which is the Object of our Admira­tion.

The greatest and wisest Princes of the Earth, how vain and pompous soever they have been in setting out their Grandeur, ever affected a Modesty in Apparel, especially in their usual and ordinary Entertainments, leaving their Gold Laces, and glittering Colours to their Pages and Footmen.

In fine, The words of the Son of Sirach are most worthy our Remembrance, when he tells us (cap. 19. Eccles.) A mans Attire, excessive Laughter and Gate shew what he is.

Another thing which I shall take notice of as very destructive to our English Gentry, re­ducing many of them to Beggary and Misery, is their ill Education, which in truth, reflects more upon the Parents than upon the Chil­dren: For whilst the Heir sweeps away the Estate, the younger Brothers (upon the death [Page 244] of their Parents) being never setled in a Cal­ling, nor inur'd to Labour, become wretch­edly shiftless. 'Tis true, some there are who are apprentic'd out, and some few others there are who follow Divinity, or rather the Prefer­ments of the Church, especially since the Tub­preachers have been remov'd: But still there remains a vast Number of them who have no other Calling but that of haunting Taverns, Play-houses, Gaming-houses, &c. or of fol­lowing and bawling after a Pack of Dogs, or of sharking from House to House, which, af­ter the modish Word, they call visiting of Friends.

The French Gentry, 'tis true, do not much affect to place their Children to Trades, or to make any Alliance with the Shop; but then they have other ways to dispose of their superfluous Suckers: For besides their Prefer­ments of the Clergy, which far surpasses ours, and which are in a manner engross'd by the Nobility or Gentry, they have an infinite num­ber of Monasteries likewise, wherein they be­stow or barrel up the Overplus of their Fami­lies; which Monasteries are safe and reputa­ble Places also for their less useful Members to retreat in, having been disgrac'd by Fortune, or such as otherways are burthensome, and dispos'd to live a contemplative and retir'd Life. But besides these they have other Pla­ces too wherein to bestow their Members, I mean their Garrisons and Armies; and truly, were it not for such Issues of War, a Country [Page 245] so luxuriant as France is, would soon fall in­to fatal Distempers by the Redundency of its own peccant Humour: So that the present Greatness of that Kingdom is not to be ascrib'd to the Temper and Dispositions of the Peo­ple, (who generally are as light, extravagant, and unconstant as any Nation whatsoever,) but to the Maxims of their two great Cardi­nal Ministers, and above all to the vast Pro­spect and Genius of the present Monarch. And yet after all their Politick Methods of bestow­ing their Leisure-Gentlemen, there are vast Numbers of them swarming in all Towns; some of which live an easie, supine Life; o­thers by Tennis, Gaming, Rooking, and Cul­lying, which some call living by their Wits; and twere very well if they were made also to live by their Hands, by serving an Appren­ticeship in the Galleys, as many of them do effectually. However, I do not take the great Appearance these Men make in their Towns and Cities to be an Argument of their more exceeding Number: For should our English Gentry, like the French, quit the Country for the softer Life of the Town, I doubt not but that they would make as great a Shew to the full.

'Tis true, we of this Nation are at present falling into the like Methods with France: For as long as the War lasts, we are not likely to want Utterance for our Dreggs, nor truly of running into our former Excesses by our wast­ful Profusion of Money; so that we are or [Page 246] may be out of all danger of dying by a Ple­thory. And yet let the Sword take off as ma­ny as it pleases, there are a great many more who go the back way off the Stage by the Goal, the Pox, and the Gallows. The pilfering, stinging Wasps, the buzzing Flies, and the gawdy Butterflies, are all of them a dronish and lazy kind of Insects which are ingender'd of Corruption, by the Warmth of the Sun, and fly from Place to Place, corrupting and tainting all they feed upon, but withal they are but short-liv'd; and if there are any of the Brood I am now speaking of, who survive or escape a more compendious Destiny, they live but a preminary kind of Life amongst their Friends and Acquaintance, and at the best end their Days in an Hospital.

The Dutch (following the Biass of all Com­monwealths) have little Esteem of Nobility. In this however they are most worthy our Imi­tation, in that they make little difference be­twixt Noble and Ignoble, as to their Course of Life, thinking all oblig'd to make Profession of some Calling, by which they may be ser­viceable to the Publick and to themselves too. For some Members to lie always idle, whilst others labour p [...]rpetually for the Preservation of them and of the Body too, is a thing very monstrous in Nature, and will soon fill the Parts which want Motion with Indispositions and Tumours, and draw on a Dissolution of the Whole: Whereas the Industrious Man, by augmenting his private Patrimony in some by [Page 247] sort or other of a Calling, has the means of Living in his own Hands, and knows how to begin a new in the World when Fortune shall reduce him to any Extremity.

And altho' a Gentleman does not make some Mechanick Art to be his Profession, there is no Absurdity for him to make it his Recreation, as well to divert his Spirits sometimes, and keep him out of Idleness, as also to get his Liveli­hood by it in case he fall into Misfortune and Poverty: A thing generally practis'd by the Ottoman Princes, upon Pretence that they ought to live upon their own Bread which they get by such means. Nor is it one of the least Policies of the Jesuites to encourage their Missionaries hereunto, or at least to initiate such amongst them who are of a working Genius, making them to understand and pra­ctise some Handicrafts, the better possibly to disguise their Negotiations or Missions in Pla­ces where they are not allow'd of; as also to insinuate the better into all sorts of Compa­ny, and to be able to live of themselves when­soever they are put to their shifts: And by such means chiefly 'tis that such Missionaries have made so great a Progress in the Eastern Parts of the World, and elsewhere.

As every Family consists of several Mem­bers under the Government of one Head, as Parent or Master; so every Family, wi [...]h all its dependent Members, is but one larger Mem­ber of a greater Body, the Commonwealth. When therefore a Parent shall neglect to do his [Page 248] Duty in training up his Children in a regular Course of Life and Employment, the Common­wealth, which is the grand Parent of all Inferi­or and Subordinate Parents, and of all their Off­spring, may and ought to take care of such Members of Families as are in danger of ruin­ing themselves, and of being troublesome to he Publick; and this they ought to do, by placing them in some Calling or other, as shall seem best to the Magistrate. And 'tis pity but such Laws were enacted amongst us, enabling him to execute a Charge of such Importance, and grounded upon so much Reason. And in case Persons of loose Lives, whether Gentle or Ungentle, should be found Refractory and Pernicious, 'twere not the worst Method to cultivate them, as we do those Trees which are Canker-eaten, from too much luxuriancy of the Soil, by pruning and lopping of their Superfluities, and then transplant them into a leaner Earth, and so make them capable of bearing Fruit. And truly our Western Plan­tations would very well agree with many un­fruitful Plants, with which this Kingdom is over-stock'd, we having but too many of both Sexes, who by too much fatness of the Ground are over-run with the Canker, but being re­mov'd into another Climate would encrease and fructifie.

The Countries which are poor, but not the Poor of a Country, produce the best Soldi­ers, as appears by the Switz, and Highlanders of Scotland, and generally in all the Northern [Page 249] People: For Poor, Vagabond Rogues are la­zy, dull of Apprehension, Intractable, and uncapable of Discipline, and withal, destitute of Courage and Spirit, which is the Life and Soul of a Soldier; when, on the other hand, such as are born under a hungry Climate, in a sharp and cold Air, like our Breed of Horses, are best for Service: They have sufficient to keep them from Want, and therefore are not broken in their Strength; and yet are not weakened by Surfeit, and therefore fit for La­bour, and in a Capacity of bettering their Con­dition by the Fortune of Arms: So that in an Invasive War this sort of Men are very useful; for there 'tis the Prey only which draws them to Action, whilst they that be Rich are not only debauch'd with Ease, but care not much to hazard what they have upon uncertain E­vents. And yet in a Defensive War the Rich are best: For those of scanty Fortunes have nothing to lose, and therefore they will not much concern themselves which way Matters go; whereas the Rich, having all at Stake, will push hard to defend their Interest, which if they cannot do by their own Persons, they are capable nevertheless of procuring others to fight for them, by means of their Money, as is at this Day evident in the Dutch, who are not very good at Conquest, or the Enlarge­ment of their Boundaries, but are very reso­lute and obstinate in Defence of their own; so that in the Main or Summ of the Matter, Commonwealths are better at keeping, and [Page 250] Monarchies at enlarging their Territories; and certainly that Prince or Commonwealth is in the best Post and Circumstance for War which has Subjects of both these Capacities; I mean some which are inur'd to Hardship, and others which are Wealthy; and by this means a Prince has Money wherewith to fur­nish himself with Arms and Military Provi­sions, and Men to manage them upon all E­mergencies.

And 'tis as certain too, that that People or Nation is in the best Condition of any which live under such a Prince or Government, as does not thirst after Conquest and widening of Empire, but contrives rather to preserve Subjects in Peace and Plenty: For 'tis the Peoples Purse which must bleed to carry on the Designs of an Ambitious Prince, in which if he miscarry, they who did contribute to the War, are utterly undone; and if he be successful, the People are never reimburs'd their Money, but are still miserable, by falling under one whose Appetite of Dominion is enlarg'd by Conquest, and by this means also has greater Strength to wrest future Supplies to carry on his windy Pretences, having a drawn Sword in his Hand, and being sur­rounded with Armies inur'd to Blood; so that they who first supported him in his popular Quarrels, and hugg'd themselves by claiming a Share in the good Fortunes which their own Money procur'd, will be found in the end to be in a vanquish'd and very miserable Condi­tion, [Page 251] when they thought most of being hap­py. Whether the Bird be kill'd by a sudden and unavoidable Shot, or fall leisurely and smoothly into the Snares or Net of the Fowler, by listening to the sweet Modulation of his soft and fallacious Prize, is much the same to the poor Creature which becomes a Prey. Nay, rather of the two, 'tis better for Men to fall under the Hands of a Conqueror, who may challenge a just Title to their Service, than to step insensibly into Slavery by their own Sloth and Over-Credulity.

When the Inhabitants of Himera, a City of Sicily, consulted the Poet Stesichorus about choosing Phalaris for their General, he tells them this Fable: The Horse and the Stag feed­ing in a Meadow, they could not well agree to­gether; whereupon the former, being distrustful of his own Strength, to wage War with a Crea­ture of so much Activity and Majesty, flies to the Husbandman for succour, who told him he would undertake to deliver him from his Fears were he but arm'd and mounted. The Horse, overjoy'd at the Ʋndertaking, suffers the armed Man to bridle and saddle him, and to get upon him; inso­much that by the help of the Man upon his Back, he made the Stag quit the Coast, and began to triumph as Victor. But, on the other hand, the Husbandman finding the Horse he had mounted to be a serviceable Beast, would not suffer him to return and wanton again in the rich Meadows; but inuring him to the Bridle and Saddle, con­tinually rid him as often as he pleas'd, laying [Page 252] also heavy Burthens upon the Back of the poor Creature, from time to time, and at all times; insomuch that the Carrion, now spurr'd and gall'd, and almost jaded to Death by his Deliverer, wish'd a thousand times he had liv'd Neighbour-like with the Stag of which formerly he was so fondly fearful. This Story of Stesichorus made the Citizens reject the Help which the Tyrant Phalaris offer'd.

Men being uneasie under the present Go­vernment, and of seeking Relief by chang­ing Masters, has caus'd great Revolutions in Kingdoms, and involv'd Subjects in perpetual Wars and Miseries, as is obvious from infinite Examples. I shall for the present content my self with one, and a very Remarkable one, in this our Kingdom. Richard II. was a Prince who suffer'd himself to be too much biassed by evil Councils, and thereby gave great Distast to most of his Subjects; amongst whom Henry of Bullingbrook, a subtile Prince, and near Allied to the Crown, was more emi­nently offended; insomuch that crossing the Seas with a small Force, being before-hand assur'd of the Affection and Assistance of the Nobility, Gentry, and Common People, who all flock'd to him upon his Landing, as did also the Army which was levied to oppose him, he easily surpriz'd the abandon'd King, pretending at first, and swearing solemnly up­on the Sacrament, that he came not over to seek the Crown, but to set the King and his People to rights, and to preserve his Own. [Page 253] The poor, easie, or rather uneasie King, find­ing himself forsaken by all, was forc'd to credit his Cousin's Protestations, till resigning up himself into his Hands he became his Pri­soner, and to lengthen out his unfortunate Life a little, was contented to call a Parlia­ment, and there resigning the Crown, was afterwards murdered. No sooner was Hen­ry IV. saluted King, but the People began to repent of what they had done, finding all Henry's Pretences of Reforming Abuses and Redressing of Grievances to be meer Sham: So that great Plots and Conspiracies were laid to dismount their Rider; after which ensued a most Bloody and Lasting Civil War, which never ended till the House of York, to whom the Crown of Right belong'd, was seated in the Throne. The Calamities ensu­ing upon Richard's being depos'd, are ele­gantly express'd by Mr. Daniel (who was a Po­et of more than ordinary Depth of Thought) when he brings in that unfortunate King by a Prosopopoeia, upbraiding England in this man­ner.

The Summ of the whole Matter then is this, That 'tis much safer for a Nation to bear some Burdens under the present Powers than out of Hopes of greater Liberty, or of bettering their Fortunes, to fall a Prey to new Masters, who, like fresh Leeches, will be sure to draw hard, and suck out the remaining Blood and Wealth of those they fasten on; which in the end must leave a Kingdom in a very poor and con­sumptive State, From which sort of Poverty good Lord deliver us. And so I have done with the Poor, of what Kind and Denomina­tion soever: Let us now come, in the last place, to consider such Inferior Officers or Magistrates upon whose Management the Af­fairs of the Country do much depend.

CHAP. XV. Of Justices of the Peace with other Inferiour Officers.

THE Office of a Justice of the Peace as it is Ancient, so is it very Reputable. They who bare this Office being appointed by the King to be Censores Morum, in some re­spect, and by reason of their great Number and Quality, as likewise of there Employ­ments, they be allow'd to have a very consi­derable Influence upon the Affairs of a King­dom. Disorders of whatsoever kind, as Ri­ots, Frays, Profanation of the Lords-day, Swearing, Drunkenness, Frauds in Dealing, Purloinings, Hedge-breakings, Destruction of Game, unlawful Meeting of Conventicles, all unlawful Gaming, Vagabonds, Petty Factions; as also greater Offences against the Crown, as Treason, Murderers, Thefts, Burglaries, with infinite other Enormities, fall under their Cog­nizance; but more especially are they bound by Duty to have a strict regard to the Three foregoing Particulars, viz. Ale-houses, Ma­sters, Servants, and the Poor: So that in mat­ters of smaller Moment, they have the final Decision, and of all Criminal Causes whatso­ever, [Page 256] which shall happen within these respe­ctive Limits, they have the first Examinati­on, and by them such Offences are remitted to a further Tryal.

Now Country Gentlemen are lookt upon to be the fittest Instruments for Executing this Trust, and that upon these two Accounts: First, In regard of their Estates: For being (or at least as they ought to be) Gentlemen of For­tune, they are not apt to be Corrupted as other Officers whose Fortunes and Liveli­hood depends upon the Profit of their Of­fice. In the next place, living in the Neigh­bourhood, they are more Competent Judges of Persons and Offences, and more easie to be Recours'd to for Remedies of all Disorders, then others who are strangers, and at great­er distance. But notwithstanding the good and laudable Intention of the Government there are to be found daily too too many of undue-Qualifications entrusted with the Exe­cution of this important Charge; some there are indeed very Beneficial to the Country, and an Ornament to their Office, but whilst others are defective, the Reformation of Man­ners makes but small advance: But however stands the Case, 'tis certain, that none ought to be deputed to this Trust, but such as are duly Qualified as to these Particulars: 1st, A Competency of Knowledge; 2dly, Integri­ty of Life; 3dly, Courage and Resolution, and 4thly, Prudence, or a Command over his own Passions.

[Page 257] The first Qualification necessary in a Ma­gistrate, is Competency of Understanding or Knowledge of the Laws, Statutes and Cu­stoms of the Nation in which he lives. I do not think it Necessary he should be as Learned as Tiberian, Cujac or Sir Edward Coke; that he should be able to penetrate all the difficult Cases which may arise betwixt Man and Man, whether in these Publick or private Relations, with all the Niceties which a Scrupulous and subtle Brain can start or invent; so on the other hand, it might reasonably be expected that he should be one of something a better Culture than to be able only to Spell his Name in a scrawling Character; long Coats may become some sorts of Creatures well enough, but to see them in long Robes or the Habiliments of Magistracy, tho' it may move the serious Spectators sometimes to merriment and laughter, yet it cannot choose but touch him with a secret dislike.

The next Qualification requisite in a Magi­state, is Integrity of Life and Manners: And this indeed is something more Commendable than the former: For Knaves there are, and too many of them who have a sufficient Stock of Understanding or rather of Learning; but to be a good Man, as it clears his Reputati­on from all Imputation and Craft, so it de­livers him from the opprobrious Character of a Fool. A Fool 'tis true, may sometimes com­mit an honest Act, as a good Man may a Fault, [Page 258] by Inadvertancy and Mistake; but he who is truly Honest and Conscientious proposes well in all his designs without Hypocrisie and private reserve, and seldom trips or makes a blunder, the Example of a Magistrate is cer­tainly of much more force then his Orders: For by the one he Excites and Invites, by the other he drives and Compells, which implies something of Reluctancy on his part who is Commanded: And since Men naturally are more prone to Vice, they cannot but post on­wards with a full Career, when they are assist­ed with the Wings of Authority: For who can be ever brought to have a Detestation of Drunkenness, and of mispending his Time, when he has the Authentick Examples of Ju­stices of the Peace before his Eyes, not only inviting them to Drinking, and making such Excess to be very Genteel and Orthodox, but Patronizing perhaps, the very Houses them­selves, as the Soul and Centre of their Mirth and Refreshment, and the best Support, possibly, of their Interest.

And here I cannot but make a Cursory Re­mark upon what occur'd at the Time I was making these Reflections in the Neighbour­hood where I live. It is of a Justice of the Peace of some Figure and Popularity, whom it pleas'd God, in the Time of his Sickness, to touch with a deep Sense of his former Wick­edness, and of the Mischief he had done to others by his vicious Example; insomuch that h [...] sent his Circular Letters to be read pub­lickly [Page 259] on Sundays in the Neighbouring Church­es; in which Confessionary Letters he most Conscientiously owns his former Riotous Course of Living, in Swearing, Drinking, Lasciviousness, &c. as likewise the Glory he took in drawing others to Intemperance, and seeing them wallow in their own Bestiality. All which he heartily bewails, and seriously exhorts his Friends and Acquaintance to take Example by him, humbly craving their Pray­ers to Almighty God on his behalf; desiring furthermore, that in case it should please God to restore him to Life, and he should relapse into his former wicked Courses, that such his Publick Recantation or Consession should be urg'd against him, to his perpetual Reproach and Infamy. Which Pious Disposition of his, as it ought in Christian Charity to be look'd upon as proceeding from God's extraor­dinary Mercy to him, in filling him with true Sorrow and Repentance, so there is great Hopes likewise that (notwithstanding the hor­rid Corruptions of the Age) the Example of such a contrite Penitent may have a good In­fluence upon many of those whom this Gen­tleman's former Conversation had corrupted and poisoned. Nor should I have been so particular in mentioning these Passages, had not the Gentleman himself desir'd to make his Confession and Sorrow as Publick as possible, for the Good and Benefit of others, as well as for the Ease of his own Soul, which God [...] may hope in Charity had Mercy of.

[Page 260] There is another sort of Corruption to which Men in Office are often subject, viz. Partiality in the Administration of Justice; which proceeds sometimes from an irregular Affection, but more frequently from Bribery and Covetousness. This is an Epidemical Di­stemper which has reign'd in all Ages, Places, and Persons almost, and will continue to the End of the World; so that a Magistrate, ma­ny times, like the Balance, (the Symbol of his Office,) inclines to that side where most is receiv'd: So that a small quantity of Me­tal, if of the heaviest kind especially, will quickly turn the Scales. Demosthenes was a Man of great Boldness, of excellent Parts, and for a great while an uncorrupted Patriot of his Country's Liberties and Properties, no doubt; for by the Force purely of his Speeches he kept the Athenian Senate steady to their Interest, a­gainst all the Intrigues and Insinuations of a subtile and aspiring Prince, who, under shew of defending the Weaker against the Stronger, actually enslav'd most of the Grecian Repub­licks. But no soft, cankery Speeches of Philip could move Demosthenes; for he was as good or better at that Trade than the King. But Alexander his Successor took another Method: For sending Harpalus his Embassador to Athens, with a vast Treasure, and Presents of inesti­mable Value, many of the Senate were de­bauch'd by these means, the chiefest of which was Demosthenes their Orator, upon the Wheels of whose Tongue their Government seem'd [...] [Page 261] turn: For as the Embassador was putting his Retinue and Baggage ashore, Demosthenes cast his Eye upon a certain Vessel, curious for the Workmanship as well as the Matter of which 'twas made; which the Orator could not forbear to admire and commend; which Harpalus observing, and judging by his Eye the Pulse and Bent of his Heart, sends it him secretly at Night full of Gold, the Lustre whereof could not be withstood by our Ora­tor But his Treason being discovered, he was brought before the Areopogites, and condemn'd to pay Fifty Talents, and to be sent to Prison, from whence he escap'd by Flight. The same Orator at another time was brib'd by the Mele­teans, and being call'd upon to harangue pub­lickly against them, he entred the Senate with his Neck wrapp'd about with a great many Cloths of Flannel, pretending that he had a Quinsie or Soreness in his Throat; whereup­on some made this S [...]rcasm, that it was not the Angina, or Quinsie, but the Argentingina, (a Word ever after us'd for Bribery,) which took away his Speech. From whence we may observe, that in the best of Times and of Governments there were some, who, pretend­ing to be the Defenders of their Country's Li­berties, turn'd Pensioners to those who would have undermined them.

Amongst the Roman Worthies, whose Works or Monuments are at this Day extant, there is none more eminent than Seneca; fa­mous for his Excellent Books of Morality, a [Page 262] Profess'd Stoick, or one who placed Happiness in the Exercise of Vertue, and in the Subje­ction of our Passions; and famous likewise for his Death which he receiv'd by the Com­mand of Nero, whose Tutor sometimes he had been: And yet we find this Man of Morals to have been accus'd for Bribery, or perve [...]ting the Publick Money, (for he was Quaestor or Treasurer,) and that he was banished by Clau­dius for the same. And truly, if we consider the vast Treasure which he scrap'd together, and which was seiz'd upon and confiscated af­ter his Death, (which, if some Reports be true, amounted not to much less than to a Mil­lion of our Money,) I know not how we shall preserve a due Honour for the Memory of this Great Man, unless we say, That Sene­ca the Philosopher was a very good Man, but that Seneca the Courtier was a suspected Person.

To pass by Themistocles, and others of the Ancients, who were tainted with this Conta­gion; we have an Example of one in our own Kingdom, who had the Misfortune to fall under the The Lord Chan­cellor Bacon. like Suspicion; one who was great for his Place and Figure in the Govern­ment, but much more great for his Learning, and was remov'd from his Employment upon the like Charge of Corruption: So that this great Personage seems to tell us (in an Epistle-Dedicatory to Bishop Andrews) that his Case had in some measure a very near Resemblance to that of Seneca. But when we consider the [Page 263] manner of Life in this Excellent Writer, be­ing wholly immers'd in Philosophical Studies, and Publishing of Books, leaving the Manage­ment of Business, for the most part, to his Under-Officers and other Domesticks, upon whose Informations he might depend, it may reasonably be imagin'd, by any Ingenious and Impartial Considerer, that many things might be carried on under his Authority which he was not privy to. However, so it happens, oftentimes, that the Master suffers in his Re­putation for the Faults of his Servant; and yet the Master himself is not without Fault, but is guilty of great Imprudence and Breach of Trust, in leaving that to others which he ought in Duty to execute by himself; so that Bookish Men seldom make good Men of Busi­ness; the former sitting down in their Studies are taken up with the Pleasures of Reading and of a Contemplative Life, whilst the latter are in a perpetual Hurry and Noise, and (if Publick Ministers) importun'd with infinite Petitions, and intangled with Intrigues. Nor can there be any thing so irksome to a Man in his Closet, and amidst the innocent Refresh­ments of Meditation and Reading, as to have his Door still thrash'd at by multitudes of Com­plainants; a thing which might easily tempt a Man to remit the troublesome part of his Charge to Deputies, that he himself might pursue the more natural and pleasing part, without Disturbance and Distraction, and be knock'd on the Head, possibly, like Archime­des, [Page 264] in the midst of his Theorems and sandy Demonstrations.

And truly amongst those who are destin'd to the lesser Wheels of Business, 'tis not rare to find one here and there of mean Fortune, but of a meaner Spirit, who covets to be in an Office, which he manages with that Prudence, as ne­ver to want small Timber for house-keeping; some likewise there are of this Tribe, who if a Complaint be brought against an Inferior-Fellow by one of a better Degree, 'tis five to one but he shews Indulgence towards the meaner Person. This at first blush looks like Clemency and Moderation, when in reality it's his sorded Interest which tempts him to this Method: For by this means he has a Crea­ture always at his Devotion to help him possibly in Harvest, or upon some other Oc­casion: Or if an Artificer, he must be always at his Beck, and work at lower Rates: Besides, a kindness shewn to an Inferior-Fellow, makes a great Noise, and is in all Mens Mouths, so that a firm Interest is by this means Coveted in all others of the same level, which is a Thing very Advantageous to make a Man Po­pular, especially in matters which are car­ried not by Weight but by Numbers; whilst one of higher Order, when he has an a­ward, owes no Thanks, and Consequently no Service where he is oblig'd only to the Merits of his Cause, or perhaps standing near upon the same height of Ground with his Worship, he cares not much to Creep and [Page 265] sneake at his Elbow. Tis not rare to ob­serve likewise, how the tender-hearted Fe­male, the good Gentlewoman of the House, has a mighty Influence upon these Matters, inclining such a Judge of differences to Com­passionate the distressed: For what tender Bowels wil not yearn with pity at the la­mentable Cries of a whole Pannel of Inno­cent and Complaining Children, especially when their Testimony shall be strengthen'd and supported with the weighty Evidence of a very Creditable, Upright, and Uncorrupted Sugar-Loaf.

Another Qualification requisite in a Magi­strate, is Courage; and this, first, in respect of the Persons he is to judge betwixt: For as he ought not to favour a Poor Man in his Suit, in like manner ought he not to be afraid to Censure the Rich where there is just Cause of Complaint brought against him; so that whilst Justice is blind, as to the Quality of the Person, it ought to be Eagle-ey'd as to the Nature of the Cause. In the next place, E­very good Magistrate ought to shew his Cou­rage in Relation to the Times he lives in, that is, not to be meal-mouth'd in doing what is Just and Honest, for fear of being evil look'd upon by the higher Powers. But they cer­tainly are most inexcusable, who, out of a timorous Nature, or out of a sordid and sneak­ing Compliance rather with the Fortunes of the Times, in Hopes meerly to preserve themselves in their little Station, shall refuse to Redress [Page 266] the Injuries of One whom malicious Neigh­bours, and a Rabble of [...]oting Ruffians, out of Hopes of Plunder, shall think fit to dub a Disaffected Person. Should a Man, I say, come before such a one with a Complaint a­gainst a licentious Pack of Rogues, Mr. Ju­stice would presently shrug up his Shoulders, cock his Eye-brows, and with a reserv'd, so­lemn, and forlorn Countenance, becoming the Gravity of a Funeral, desire the Complain­ant to forbear importuning him, till the Times were a little settled and quiet; telling him, that then he could be his Humble Servant most effe­ctually, but that in the mean time he must have Patience. This is all one as if I were overtaken on the Road with violent, tempestuous Wea­ther, and coming to my Friend's House to be shelter'd from the Storm, he should shut his Door upon me, saying, Sir, I am very sorry to see you in this Condition, but you must pardon me; for should I open the Door, the foul Weather would beat into my House, and I might take wet and be ill by such means; but if it please you to have a little Patience till the Storm is over, I will answer your Re­quest, and you shall come into my House and welcome. And still would not the Case be worse, were it a Publick Inn I should fly unto for Relief, that is to say, a Place set apart and appointed by the Government for the Succour of the wayfaring and distressed Traveller? In­deed Officers of Justice are appointed and set apart for the Relief of such as are distressed, [Page 267] and what they do by way of Relief is not Charity, but Duty and Justice; and failing hereof, they ought to be suppress'd as well as those barbarous Inn-keepers who shall refuse to accommodate an honest Traveller because he is wounded, rifled, and perhaps tumbled in the dirt by Rogues and Robbers, upon Pre­tence, forsooth, lest his own House should be incommoded, and receive Damage by the like Insults from a Crew of desperate Villains. The Truth of it is, the way to make the Times peaceable and quiet, is, to punish Tu­multuous and Riotous Disorders, and not to suffer them to run on without Controul, till the Authors of them shall of themselves think good to be civil.

But what says my Trimmer? Why this: All things are brought about by the Will and Providence of God, and therefore ought we to comply with such Dispensations. Besides, there were very great Mismanagements under former Governments. We ought not there­fore to strive and tire our selves against the Tyde, lest we be choak'd or carried Head and Heels under Water; but let us do like our Neighbours, swim with the Current, and o­pen our Arms wide upon the Waters, and the Flood will never hurt us, but carry us safe and smoothly to our Journey's end. The Case is clear. Let us e'en turn Tenants then to our new Landlord. Thus he cants in Pub­lick, whilst he mumbles at another rate within himself, after this manner: I value neither [Page 268] this nor that Form of Goverment farther than it suits with my Private Interest; I will stick fast to this Maxim, To be True and Faithful to the present Government; so that upon ano­ther Revolution, whatsover (and whensoever) it be, when that's trump'd up, it becomes the present Government, and I will comply with it, and cry it up; I will not be overscrupu­lous to be honest, when it may endanger my Opinion with the People, by making me su­spected to disaffected; I will say as they say, and look cold upon my former Friends and Acquain­tance, who are out of doors, or ill thought of, whether deservedly or undeservedly, matters not much, since 'tis Popular Opinion which is the Measure of all things: This is the Test I will ever adhere to, and come on't what can come, there will be a Gracious Act of Pardon, and as soon as Success shall Canonize the Cause, I will Preachit up for a wonderful Turn of Provi­dence, and run in with the First, and cry, God save the King, God save the Cummonwealth, God save what's Ʋppermost, and God save me to: We read (2 Sam. 16.) of Shimei a Benjamite, or one of the same Tribe and Family with out­cast and accursed Saul, that when good King David withdrew himself from the Plots and Sword of his Treacherous Son, this wretched Miscreant ran along by his side, cursing this unfortunate Prince, palting him likewise with Stones, and casting Dust or Dirt at him, the u­sual Artillery of the Mob; withal insulting o­ver his distressed and forlorn Sovereign, with [Page 269] some strains of Divinity, crying as he ran along, that it was the Lord's doing to retaliate the evil which he did to the House of Saul, and that he himself had drawn Vengeance upon his own Head, by his own Mis-management and Tyranny: All which he yet farther Pro­claim'd, or Preach'd up, before all the Peo­ple, saying, That the Lord hath delivered the Kingdom into the hand of Absalon thy Son. But when it seem'd good to the Justice of Almigh­ty God to baffle the Prophaners or Buffooners of his Providence, by the Restauration of the Good King; behold! Shimei throngs in with the first to congratulate his Happy Return; nor doth he appear like a Mean Rascal, but was attended with a brave Retinue of his own Tribe, having no less than a Thousand Benja­mites with him (cap. 19.) crowding in the Head of the King's Friends, even the Men of Judah; for no sooner had the King cross'd the Water, but Shimei greets him at his landing: The Dog which formerly ran barking and snapping at him on the way, now came crowd­ing and fawning at the Feet of injur'd Maje­sty, and licking the Sore which his own Teeth had made; so that his Tongue was now sou­pled and anointed with soft melting and flat­tering Speeches, which before was poysoned with virulent Imprecations. And the better to procure and insure his Pardon, he lays fast hold of an Act of Oblivion, saying, or whin­ing rather, Let not my Lord impute iniquity to me, neither do thou remember that which thy ser­vant [Page 270] did perversly, the day that my Lord the King went out of Jerusalem, &c. and the bet­ter still to recommend his Address, he suggests to the King the early Submission, dissembling his Relation to the House of Saul, by telling of a Lye, and saying, Behold, I am come this first this day of all the house of Joseph, to go down, and meet my Lord the King; claiming as we see, an Affinity with that Patriarch who was the most innocent, and the most persecu­ted of all the Sons of Israel, whereas in Truth, this impudent Rebel and Imposture was a Benja­mite, a Partisan of Saul's, and a most invete­rate Enemy of the King's: Much such an one as the Loyalists of the Cromwellian Or­der; and how well they play'd their Game, and out-ran the King's Friends upon his Re­turn, is sufficiently known to all; such Syco­phants, or rather Politick and Perfidious Vil­lains there have been in all former Ages, and such too there will be unto the end of the World.

Whether there be any Man of this Character now bearing Office I know not: But since 'tis certain that there have been such, and most probable too that there may be such in after Ages, if what is here written shall ever hap­pen into the hands of such an one, let him be pleas'd to know, that notwithstanding the Office which he may bears, which peradventure may procure him some little respect, like what of Old was given to the Ass which carried the Image of Isis, he is still to be lookt upon [Page 271] as a thing of little Value. A Farthing, we know, whether of Brass, or of dull pliable Lead, by reason of the Royal Stamp, or Su­perscription it carries, may be of some small use amongst trivial Merchants, and may serve a little for a Change, but still 'tis bue a Far­thing; and when the Image and Characters are worn off (as soon they will be) or when the little Coin is cried down (as it happens frequently) this despicable bit of base Metal is good for nothing but to be thrown away, and trod under foot, or to be prostituted to the Sport of Children.

The last Qualification requisite in a good Magistrate is Prudence and Moderation of his Passions; so that if this be wanting, let a Man otherwise be never so well qualified, he is ut­terly unfit to be a Moderator of Differences. 'Twas wisely therefore said by the Heathen Poet, that Prudence comprehended all the other Deities whatsoever, notwithstanding Fortune be that Goddess which in the Opinion of Men is most or solely ador'd. Certain 'tis, that Pru­dence is a Complex of many excellent Ver­tues; 'tis circumspect and diligent, and Ja­nus-like, looks forwards and backwards: It examines things with great Attention and application of Thought, and determines con­sequently upon mature Consideration: It im­plies Patience and a subjection of Passions, and by the steddy Bent of a vigorous Mind, ac­companied with the greatest sedateness of Tem­per it reduces all its Decisions to the Test and [Page 272] Measures of Reason: Nor does it perform its Duty with a sly Squint-ey'd regard to its own private Interest, sailing by every Point of the Compass (which in the Opinion of the Worthies of the Age, is called mighty Prudence) but without collateral Respect and Byass, it is guided by Truth and Honesty, as the sole Magnet which attracts, or rather the Polar Star by which it steers its Course through the greatest Depths in times of Darkness; all which require, I say, great Vigilance and Acti­vity, and yet withal, great smoothness of Temper, of which no Man certainly can be capable who suffers himself to be hurried eve­ry way by his own violent and distracting Passions. Whilst the Body is in agitation, 'tis impossible for the Arm to hold the Ballance steddy; and whilst the Eyes sparkle with In­dignation and Rage, and the Man is trans­ported with vehemence of Choler, 'tis im­possible to discern the difference in Weight; so that in cases like these (which happen but too frequently) the Magistrate, whilst he pre­tends to judge another, is the Executioner up­on himself: The Vexation and Torment which he suffers in his own Spirit being a far greater Punishment than what he might in­flict upon an Offendor, besides the secret Con­tempt to which he is expos'd in the Eyes of all who see him, which with the Train of Absurdities thereon depending, must needs be a great aggravation to his Trouble, there be­ing nothing so sharp and pungent to a Man [Page 273] in Office as Scorn, especially from those whom we pretend to chasti [...]e: For what can be more Comical than to see such a Judge of Grievances, who should be most compos'd in his Deportment, to beat the Ground with his Feet, and the [...]able with his Fist; to corvet, fling and wheel l [...]ke a Mad-Man; to swear and huff, to foam, snuff and snort, half choakt for want of Breath, squeaking, and Roaring. 'Tis in a word, to see a Man, or Beast rather, baited with himself, as some Bait Dogs by tying Crackers to their Tails, which cannot but be a pleasant Divertisement to the unconcerned Spectator.

'Tis true, there are many stubborn, cross-grain'd Rogues which a Magistrate oftentimes has to deal with; To reform these by soft Admonitions and persuasive Methods is all one as to polish and civiliz [...] a Wolf by reading of Moral Lectures. No, such Brutes are to be tam'd by other Methods, tho the Magistrate ought still to keep himself within the Centre circumscrib'd by Reason, which should he go out of, he is in certain danger of being torn in pieces by Devils, I mean those real Furies which are ever too near us in all our Walks. He who shall grasp a pie [...]e of burning Iron, and endeavour to fashion it for Use, may him­self peradventure, suffer the Punishment due to the Malefactor, in being burnt in his hand; if therefore he would work upon the rude Lump, and make it fit for Service, he must [Page 274] hold it fast, and hammer it with Instruments of the same Mettle, Beadles, Catchpoles, Gaolers, Hangmen, with such like Engines of Huma­nity, are the fittest Tools in the World for a Magistrate to work with in the Reformation of an obdurate Rogue; all which, I say, may be so used and managed by him as not to en­danger his own Fingers, or discompose his Thoughts.

Thus briefly have I glanc'd upon some of the Qualifications which are requisite to the Constitution of a good Magistrate: To find a Man in whom all these meet in full Perfecti­on is a thing rare, if not impossible; however, in some inferiour degree they are indispensa­bly requisite, and for want of these 'tis, I say, that the Nation falls into so many Disorders, whereas were Magistrates severe and consci­entious in the execution of their Charge, and Exemplary in themselves, Sobriety would be in Credit, disorderly Rogues would be re­duc'd; Frugality and Industry would lift Men above the Necessities of Life into a Region of Plenty: Parishes would have their Pub­lick Charges lessened, the Poor would be em­ploy'd, and by consequence, Husbandry would be improv'd, Trade advanc'd, and the Com­monwealth grow great and flourishing; all which are such Temporal Blessings as cannot but make a Nation happy under the Blessing of Almighty God, which we cannot reasona­bly hope for, till Drunkenness and Profane­ness [Page 275] be severely punish'd, and his Worship duly celebrated and honoured; for when Men cease in the Performance of Religious Duties, they will soon degenerate from being Men.

Thus it was of old, during the Sta [...]e and Oe­conomy of the Jews; and thus it was likewise through all the Circles of the Christian Church in all its Periods and Revolutions, as was most deplorably and eminently conspicuous in the Eastern Churches, upon the Inundation of the Goths and Vandals, and afterwards of the Sa­racens, and lastly of the Turks, who finally subverted that Empire, all which was usher'd in by the corrupt Lives of the Christians, as appears by the History of those Times. The like Calamities happen'd likewise in the West, so that rarely any Kingdom has been subverted and ruin'd, which had not first deserted God's Worship, and poysoned themselves by De­bauchery, for they go together; it being ut­terly impossible for a Man to be truly Religi­ous and yet debauch'd in his Morals as it is almost impossible for a Man to be truly Mo­ral and Vertuous, and yet to be Irreligious. There is no Man so fit for great Undertakings, as he that is a good Christian. The Fears of Death cannot disorder him so much as others, upon the Hopes and Prospect he has of Future Rewards: Difficulties cannot dismay him who is above the Temptations of Ease and Plea­sure. His Reputation and Honour being un­spotted, he is receiv'd in all Places with res­pect, [Page 276] and whereever he goes, he carries along with him his Bills of Credit, which must needs facilitate his Enterprizes, and re­fresh his Spirits: His Dealings are without Fraud, and unsuspected, and therefore he is in a fair Post to advance his Fortunes: He has a vital Heat within himself, which gives Nature a quick and easie Circulation, and arms him with Man-like Resolutions in all Cases of Hazard and Distress, filling him with far more noble Spirits than what flow from a Bottle of Wine or Ale, which end commonly in a to­tal Consumption of Health, Reputation, For­tune, and of all Intellectual Guests whatso­ever.

Nor are the Philters of good Company, with which Men are so willingly intoxicated, of any greater Vertue: For there can be no solid Friendship in a Debauch: It does not so properly cement as bedawb mens Inclinations to one another, by a kind of Ordure or slimy Matter, which cracks or drops off upon the least shog and puff of Wind, or upon any Change of Weather, tho it may possibly keep them sticking together for a little time; and when this dirty Copulative is disbanded, some Relicks of it will still remain, by which they may be known to one another, as well as to all the World besides.

What is here written may be distastful possi­bly to some, but that's a Scandal taken, not gi­ven. A Horse may winch and kick a little, whilst the Hand gently rubs his gall'd Back; but still [Page 277] the fault is not in the Hand which designs a Cure, but in the corruption of the Beast; how­ever it be, as some dissike, others may approve of the Method: And the good word of one ver­tuous person is of more weight and value than that of a whole Jury of par-boil'd, rattle-head­ed Clod-pates (tho upon their Oaths) or of any spurious and degenerate Mercenary whatsoever. And God be thank'd, notwithstanding the cor­ruptions of the Age, there are many men in Of­fice of publick, generous and untainted Princi­ples and of laudable Lives and Customs; But whilst some are defective, their ill Conduct proves fatal to others: For Men (who are na­turally inclin'd to Vice) will easily copy after such Examples as suit with their own Disposi­tions, whilst the good, out of an innate Mode­sty, or out of fear belike, of offending their e­quals, or for being censur'd possibly, for morose, formal and puritanically affected, suffer the bad to run on in their full Career, without confront­ing them, or shewing any visible dislike of their loose behaviour. Let a Salad be compounded of never so many wholesome Herbs, one poisonous Weed, as Hemlock and the like, tho it be hardly discernable by the Eye, from what is good and healthful, shall embitter the whole Dish, and make it baneful. In the mean time, 'tis the duty of every Man to erect a Cou [...]t within his own Breast, and there examine his Life and Actions before his own Conscience, which Almighty God has put in Commission of the Peace over him to direct in his Actions, and to curb his Passi­ons and extravagant desires.