22 — ¶ Decembers Abstract
Chap. 20
1
No season to hedge,
get béetle and wedge.
Cleaue logs now all,
for kitchen and hall.
2
Dull working tooles
soone courage cooles.
3
Leaue off tittle tattle,
and looke to thy cattle.
Serue yoong poore elues
alone by themselues.
4
Warme barth for neate,
woorth halfe their meate.
The elder that nurteth
the yonger soone hurteth.
5
Howse cow that is old,
while winter doth hold.
6
Out once in a day,
to drinke and to play.
7
Get trustie to serue,
least cattle doo sterue.
And such as in déede
may helpe at a néede.
8
Obserue this law,
in seruing out straw.
9
In walking about,
good forke spie out.
10
At full and at change,
spring tides are strange.
If doubt ye fray,
driue cattle away.
11
Dank ling forgot
will quickly rot.
12
Here learne and trie
to turne it and drie.
13
Now stocks remooue,
that Orchards looue.
14
Set stock to growe
too thick nor too lowe.
Set now, as they com,
both cherie1 and plom.
15
Shéepe, hog, and ill beast,
bids stock to ill feast.2
16
At Christmas is good
to let thy horse blood.
17
Mark here what rable
of euils in stable.
18
Mixe well (old gaffe)
horse corne with chaffe.
Let Jack nor Gill
fetch corne at will.
193
Some countries gift
to make hard shift.
Some cattle well fare
with fitches and tare.
Fitches and tares
be Norfolke wares.
20
Tares threshed with skill
bestowe as yée will.
21
Hide strawberies, wife,
to saue their life.
22
Knot, border, and all,
now couer ye shall.
23
Helpe bées, sweet conie,
with licour and honie.
24
Get campers a ball,
to campe therewithall.
Thus Endeth Decembers Abstract, Agréeing With Decembers Husbandrie
¶ Other Short Remembrances
[25]
Let Christmas spie
yard cleane to lie.
No labour, no sweate,
go labour for heate.
Féede dooues, but kill not,
if stroy them ye will not.
Fat hog or ye kill it,
or else ye doo spill it.
[26]
Put oxe in stall,
er oxe doo fall.
Who séetheth hir graines,
hath profit for paines.
Rid garden of mallow,
plant willow and sallow.
[27]
Let bore life render,
sée brawne sod tender,
For wife, fruit bie,
for Christmas pie.
Ill bread and ill drinke,
makes many ill thinke.
Both meate and cost
ill dressed halfe lost.
[28]
Who hath wherewithall,
may chéere when he shall:
But charged man,
must chéere as he can.
Here Ends Decembers Short Remembrances
Notes
1 chearrey. 1577.
2 St. 15.
Wind north, north east
bids stock to il feast. 1577.
3 Sts. 19 and 20 are not in 1573 (M.); sts. 19, 20, and 24 are not in 1577.