heart with their poore cattell and themselues I shall not onely thinke my labour happely bestowed in writing but all the poore people may thank God as much for the printing of it as for any booke set foorth in our time for a matter of this qualitie and which is of no small importance for the common-wealth of this land But yet I must not yeeld that plowing and sowing will be of like profit for the common-wealth as plowing and setting seeing the same will be done yet with much lesse charge comparing tenne acres of the best land set with other tenne as good sowed which I will prooue by example and tried experience and first it is wel knowne by often triall that lesse then halfe a bushel of very choise seede wheate will set as much land as three bushels will sowe So that whereas ten or twelue great Acres of land will require some three or foure quarters to sowe them the same land may be set with sixe or seuen bushels at the most for there will be faued some three quarters of the best seede Corne euery yeere which is now worth fortie shillings a quarter and commeth to sixe poundes and exceedeth the extraordinarie charge of setting aforesaid by much Fiue or sixe thousand quarters of Graine saued euery yeare by Corne setting all obiections answered and will amount to the sauing of some three hundred thousand quarters of the best Wheate and Rie growing in this Land and much more in Barlie Pease and Beanes and so of all sorts of graine I thinke it would saue aboue fiue or sixe hundred thousand quarters euery yeere in her Maiesties Dominions And yet giue mee leaue to tell you Gentleman that I dare confidently auow seeing both reason doth teach and experience doth proue that an Acre orderly set will yeeld more increase by some three quarters than an Acre sowne which increase at Haruest being added to the other three quarters saued at seede time commeth to some sixe quarters of Corne at fortie shillings a quarter twelue pound as it is now worth in many Countries which will defray the charges of setting double though your Plowmen follow their Teemes giue vs no help And yet this I must confesse that in time of great plentie when Corne is at a low price and where chargeable seruants or labourers dwell Chargeable seruants and ill workemen a great hinderance to all good Husbandire that will not serue or worke vnder fiue pound and a fustian doublet or in such places where their land and themselues are so rich with such times places and persons this poore booke or rather booke for the poore hath yet little to say vntil such time as they be brought to consider that after great plentie may follow as great scarsitie the wealthiest Corne-master and stoutest labourer or seruant may in time become like one of their poorest neighbours Great men in this and all ages haue been subiect to their fall Lasie vsurie a capitall enemie to all industrious husbandrie lewes onely did vse it in England about the raigne of King Richard the first anno 1189. Iob. 1.1 1. Pet. 4.7 Iob was accounted as rich in his time as the greatest Corne-master or the wealthiest Vsurer that liues in our time yet the Lord made an example of his seruant Iob to all posteritie albeit hee was an vpright and iust man one that feared God and eschued euil If vengeance begin at the house of God where shall the wicked and vngodly appeare I write not this against good minded men whom it hath pleased God to blesse with plentie of Corne and yet loue their brethren and poore neighbours some such good men no doubt haue been and yet are in England who may be accounted patterns for others to followe or patrons that is fathers to their Countrie by storing vp Corne in the time of plentie with purpose to bring it forth in scarcitie to sell it at a lower rate for the good of the poore Such good men no doubt are to be praised with gracious Ioseph The murmuring of the people prouoketh Gods wrath who by laying vp of Corne in the time of plenty preserued not only the whole kingdome of Aegypt but also the whole Church of God then visible on earth for which cause his industrie is recorded and commended for the instruction of all posteritie And by the way I wish all murmuring people to consider what it is to grudge and repine against Gods works and to be more aduised how they speake against good Magistrates and such good men as carefullie respect the publike weale of the Land Exod. 16.2 Numb 11.13 Furthermore that it may yet appeare more manifestly that plowing and setting of Corne is euery way much more profitable and lesse chargeable than plowing and sowing and that euerie Farmer may easilie set the third part of his land with his owne familie and two or three of the poorest people only at setting time whereby he may yet haue more leasure to practise and performe euerie complement that shall be likelie to further his increase let him Tyll but the third part of his land as of thirtie Acres ten and so whereas he was wont to giue his thirtie Acres vpon a sommer fallow some foure or fiue plowings as some grounds will require and as most good Husbands doe for thereby they doe kill the weedes which of all things I would all men should most speciallie regard So then thirtie Acres hauing at least foure plowings amounteth to an hundred and twentie daies worke at the least and ten Acres hauing fiue plowings euerie Acre which is but fiftie daies worke at the most so here is threescore and ten daies worke spared in your winter season for Wheate or Rie and as much for Barlie which being in all one hundred and twentie daies worke or there about is very neere the third part of the whole yeere spared for your Plowes and Teemes The third part of the yeere spared from plowing by setting of corne therefore forget not therein to forue God which I wish should be otherwise imployed to some good worke as no doubt but euerie good Husband will finde worke enough for them to do But yet let them bestowe some part of this time so well gained a little to serue God in prayer morning and euening either in their priuat families or with a diligent Minister they that dwel neere the Church one halfe houre in a morning or euening or both if they haue any thing to doe at Church with God or with their neighbours it will be a good meeting place if it be done to good purposes It is a small portion of so many daies spared and no doubt but God will the rather blesse the increase of such as will serue him according as he hath promised and as the Scripture saith Paul planteth Apollo watereth but it is the Lord no doubt that giueth the increase as well in temporall as in spirituall blessings Beware
A NEW INSTVCTION OF PLOWING AND SETTING OF CORNE HANDLED IN MANNER OF A DIALOGVE betweene a Ploughman and a Scholler Wherein is proued plainely that Plowing and Setting is much more profitable and lesse chargeable than Plowing and Sowing By EDVVARD MAXEY Gent. He that withdraweth the Corne the people will curse him but blessing shall be vpon the head of him that selleth Corne. Prou. 11.26 Imprinted at London by Felix Kyngston dwelling in Pater noster Rowe ouer against the signe of the Checker 1601. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL SIR RICHARD MARTEN KNIGHT MASTER OF HER MAIESTIES MYNT ALDERMAN and twise Lord Maior of the Citie of London IT is well knowne right Worshipfull how great a benefactor and furtherer you haue been to many good workes and profitable to the Common-wealth for by your imployments the inhabitants of sundrie parts of England and Wales haue gained for many yeeres many thousand pounds yeerely How much then those poore are bound to praise God for you and such as further the like good works all wise men acquainted with your great charge and trauell can testifie which I thought worthy to be published and left in memorie for other ages yet to come to your great commendation and incouragement of others to follow your good example And now right Worshipfull calling to minde my former time spent in Husbandrie the most sweete and comfortable kind of life to all vertuous minds that Adams posteritie can enioy if it were not for the wickednes of seruants who discourage many industrious minds and seeing an vnskilfull Pamphlet called God speede the Plough to be so long vnanswered set foorth by some Nouice in Husbandrie as should appeare as well by his writing as that he saith in the same it is none of his profession which hath and may doe much hurt by disswading men from so profitable an imployment as the setting of Corne which when I considered and remembring that I had spent the most part of thirtie yeeres in Husbandrie I aduentured to publish this little Treatise for the instruction of those that will be perswaded to practise this kind of excellent and profitable worke which with my selfe I desire to be protected by your accustomed louing fauour towards me Yours to be commaunded EDVV. MAXEY TO THE CHRISTIAN READER WHereas there are two bookes written concerning the setting of Corne the first commending it the second disgracing it both of them discoursing so Schollerlike that the plaine Countrie Husband man cannot iudge which of them hath most skill for instruction in this kinde of Husbandrie and perceiuing that the second treatise called God speede the Plough hath disswaded great numbers from the practise of setting of Corne I was aduised and resolued to aduenture the publike censuring of this Instruction Wherein I desire to proue how much more casie and profitable Plowing and Setting will be in all places and that with lesse charge then either Plowing and Sowing or digging and Setting desiring to be freed from all suspition to contend for art or learning with any of the former writers And like a plaine Ploughman to shew my opinion what I thinke of the former contention betweene the Plowe and the spade in a word I iudge both these profitable instruments may right well be vsed in their proper places that the Plowe may keepe his place in the fields A little good counsel would haue saued all your labour in writing and mine in answering but I hope it will doe good to the great increase of Corne and the Spade in the Gardens for rootes hearbs and flowers necessarie for household prouision And I could haue wished you the Gentleman and author of the booke called God speede the Plowe had taken better counsell of some skilfull Husbandman before you had published a booke wherein you indeuour to correct and teach an Arte which you acknowledge is none of your profession to haue considered how easelie for the most part our English Nation are disswaded from good causes neither for the glorie of God or the honour and profit of their Prince and Countrie for though it be true that very fewe innouations in the Church or nouelties in a state are not alwaies and generallie good and profitable for all places and for all people yet these profitable inuentions speciallie in Husbandrie should rather be commended then disgraced vntill a manifest error in them be discouered and that by experience and proofe Againe you ought rather to haue remembred and well considered the lamentable case of the poore that liued in distresse in the late yeeres of dearth who notwithstanding the charitable orders taken by her Maiestie her honorable Counsell and other officers of the kingdome to the glorie of God and their high commendation yet was it well seene with the eyes of the trulie charitable that except the King of heauen and earth had relieued the poore people of this Land with Corne out of his storehouses in other Countries the poore and the rich also had been in hazard to haue perished by famine that might haue fallen vpon this sinfull people or by some wofull calamities inseparable companions of penurie and want And let euery indifferent man consider what huge quantities of Corne may yeerely be saued that now is cast away by Plowing and Sowing yet giue me leaue plainelie to giue you a proiect what this would come vnto Some writers of our time account but nine thousand sixe hundred and two and fiftie Parishes or thereabouts in England and suppose sixe hundred and two and fiftie of them to be in Cities and Townes vsing no Tyllage and so account but nine thousand Countrie Parishes and because the author of the booke called God speede the Plough writeth that if a Parish haue three thousand Acres of erable land which is about thirtie or fortie Ploughlands in a Parish therefore mistrusting his iudgement we will admit but ten Plowelands one Parish with another so nine thousand Parishes hath foure score and ten thousand Plow-lands and that if in euery Ploweland there may easely be saued yeerely ten or twelue quarters of Seede Corne that now is cast away which shall be directly proued it will amount to some nine or ten hundred thousand quarters of Graine that might euery yeere be saued in her Maiesties dominions I dare affirme so much be it more or lesse as would fetch hither the Indies Treasure out of Spaine and other Countries farre distant to the great honour and riches of our Prince and Countrie and especiallie the maintenance of our English Nauie with plentifull prouision also of victuals for Souldiers both by Sea and Land to their exceeding comfort and the terror of all forraine enemies And to conclude I wish that they whose hearts the Lord hath endewed with true wisedome and charitie to remember and consider well of this danger from which the Lord hath so lately deliuered vs and let vs all serue that God in the moderate vse of his creatures and not consume in riotous gluttonie
plentifullie and of these it will come to passe that their bacon Hogges shall be fed fat with their whey of their Kine and with the corne that the working cattell were wont to eate vp and then shall those householders haue lesse neede of the Markets for their household prouision which will be a meanes to bring downe the price of all flesh fit to be eaten and of white meate that the poore Artificers and labourers may eate their victuals better cheape Ninthly it wil be a notable meanes to ouerthrow the wicked depopulation of the Lordes people her Maiesties louing subiects who haue bin most lamentably driuen out of their habitations and diuers townes and villages ouerthrowne by inclosures which yet continue and rather will increase notwithstanding the great care and order taken by her Maiestie and the great officers of her Kingdomes in the high Court of Parliament as appeareth by an act made of purpose against Setting of Corne good for Seafaring men let them praise God also the same Tenthly it will breede and saue such plentie of corne in England by Gods helpe that we may spare great quantities to be transported without any preiudice but rather great good to all our English nation of all sorts as well poore as rich to the great increase of the treasurie of this Realme the maintenance of our English Nauie Shipping and Marriners with prouision of victuals for her Maiesties souldiers and Armies by Sea and by Land to the feare and terror of all forreine enemies These and many other excellent benefits no doubt would follow this good kinde of Husbandrie which deserueth a more learned handling then I can say or doe professe to be in me If any man doe thinke this worke to be needlesse for that there is alreadie sufficiently written in former bookes I answere that to my knowledge there is none that hath hitherto written of the plowing and setting of Corne neither doe I perceiue the people so instructed but rather most ignorant and great numbers doe vtterly protest against the practise as an idle noueltie being lately discouraged by this Pamphlet called God speede the Plough Now the Almightie blesse all good husbands in Husbandrie and graunt a blessing to this mine endeuour to his glorie the honour of our Prince the comfort of the poore and the generall good of all the Land A COMPARISON BETWEENE PLOWING AND SOWING OF THREE ACRES of land after the old fashion and plowing and setting of one Acre after the manner declared in this Booke And first for the Charge A Computation for poore Farmers that pay great rents THE rent of three Acres in most places is worth some fiue shillings an Acre The land according to the vse of the common fields doth lie sommer fallow the first yeere and beareth Corne the other and so the Farmer payeth two yeeres rent before hee hath his crop which rent commeth to thirtie shillings The plowing of these if it bee well done and as most grounds require euery Acre foure times which is twelue plowings at two shillings euery time commeth to foure and twentie shillings The dunging of these three Acres with some twelue or fourteene loade vpon euery Acre and is for three Acres some fortie loade at sixe pence a loade spread vpon the land amounteth to twentie shillings The seede that will sow it is vsually two bushels and a halfe of Wheate or Rye for euery Acre which is seuen bushels and a halfe at foure shillings the bushel commeth to thirtie shillings The weeding reaping and other charges in two yeers though vncertaine yet for example ten shillings Thus two yeeres rent and charges commeth to fiue pound fourteene shillings The vsuall increase in the common fields barren land hauing so little help with dung is but two quarters vpon an Acre but allow twentie bushels to stop a wranglers mouth which is for three Acres seuen quarters and a halfe rated at foure shillings a bushell thirtie two shillings the quarter commeth to twelue poundes Out of which if you take the charge aforesaid there remaineth to the Farmer for his stock sixe pound sixe shillings And so for euery one of those Acres allowing so good increase and so great a price the profit is two and fortie shillings Then let vs see what profit one Acre being well plowed well dunged and orderly set will yeeld and so for the charge of one Acre The rent of one Acre at the price aforesaid which was fiue shillings an Acre for two yeeres ten shillings The plowing fiue times for this one Acre if neede be ten shillings The dunging with fortie loade vpon this Acre at sixe pence a loade twentie shillings The seede to set this one Acre halfe a bushell two shillings The setting of this Acre one man at eight pence a day and some foure poore people at foure pence a day will set this Acre in some sixe daies and all their wages is twelue shillings The weeding reaping and other charges three shillings foure pence The summe of the charges commeth to seuen and fiftie shillings foure pence This Acre so wel tilled with three times as much dung as any one of the other with excellent seede and orderly set although we cannot promise thirtie or twentie quarters yet we may haue seuen or eight quarters vpon an Acre which is vsuall vpon very good land which being rated at foure shillings as the other commeth to twelue pound sixteene shillings Out of which also if you take the charge which is fiftie seuen shillings foure pence there will remaine nine pound eighteene shillings eight pence And so this one Acre exceedeth the other three in profits with halfe the stock the summe of three pound twelue shillings eight pence But suppose the foresaid wrangler will not allow eight quarters vpon an Acre yet set downe some fiue quarters which commeth to fiue pound two shillings eight pence the charges deducted yet doth it exceede any one of the other by some three pound and eight pence Some part of this great profits I would haue bestowed vpon the poore to weede this one Acre in March or Aprill or sometime before the Corne be too high to pull vp the weedes by the rootes and then you shall see the Corne flourish keepe downe the weedes and haue no more neede of weeding in this season Worke and prouision for olde poore weake men their wiues and children Now a word or two to incourage a poore man that hath a wife and three or foure children that often wanteth worke in some countries yea though he be weake sickly or lame yet he may set Corne with his familie and haue sufficient to serue his house therefore let them fall to work cheerefully this next season and praise the Lord for his mercie endureth for euer FINIS