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 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 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 . 'T is 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 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 't is 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 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 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 't was 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 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 , 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 ; 'T was 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 ; 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 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 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 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 Vbere 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 , 't is 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 be exempted : But in the General , 't is 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 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 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 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 . 'T was 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 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 , 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 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 , 't would 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 , 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 't will be beneficial to the Publick , when 't is 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 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. 'T is 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 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 , 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 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 .

'T is 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 . 'T is 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 , 't is the poor Husbandman who must support in a manner , the whole Expence of a War , and 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 of 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 , 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 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 , 't is 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 't is 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 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 't is 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.

Illa seges demum Volis respondet Avari Agricola , bis quae solem quae frigora sensit .

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 .

— Glebasque jacentes Palverulenta Coquat Maturis Solibus Aestas .

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 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 't is 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 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 . 'T is 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 't is 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 .

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 't is , 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 't is 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 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 .

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.

Saepe etiam sterilis incendere proferet Agros Atque levem stipulem crepitantibus utere flammis .

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

— Omne per ignem Excoquitur vitium atque exsudat inutilis Humor .

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 , 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 't is strange to see what a Crop of Corn some barren flinty Ground shall yield after such a Manurement . In dressing of Ground with Dung , 't is good to let it lie a little in the Heaps , and digest the rawness of it in the Sun : For turn'd in fresh , 't is 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 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 't is with Grain as 't is 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 't will 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 , 't is 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 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 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 , especially at the bottoms of Lands : For tho' these pernicious Animals do a vast deal of Spoil by their Hillocks , 't is much greater Mischief which they do by stopping up the Ends of the Furrows ; for in such Places 't is 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 't will yield another , unless it be sow'd with Oats , which will much impoverish the Ground . 'T is 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 , 't will , 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 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 is altogether as bad ; for 't will be subject to the Assaults of Vermine , and unless often turn'd 't will grow musty : Besides , 't will 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 .

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 , 't is 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 . 'T is true , Thatch'd Houses are a better Security for Corn against Rain and Snow ; but then 't is 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 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 .