OR 
 
 ADire&ion to the Husband-man* for 
 the true Ordering,Manuring, and inrichin^of 
 all the Grounds within the Wealds of Kent, and' 
 S/tjfex and may generally ferve for all the Ground* 
 
 in Englaad of that nature : As, ) 
 
 1. Shewing the nature ofifVealdijh Grounds,comparing it with the 
 fiyl of the S hires at lar %e. 
 
 2. Declaring what the Marl is 9 and the fever allforts thereof and 
 where it is ufuallyfound- 
 
 The profitable ufe of Marl^and other rich manuring} as well in 
 each fort of Arable Land>as alfiofor the increafie of Corn and Paflare 
 through the Kingdome, 
 
 Painefully gathered for the good of this Hand, by a man 
 of great Eminence and Worth,butrevifed,inlargcd,and 
 correfted with the content,and by. conference 
 with the firft Author. 
 
 ByG. M. 
 
 L 0 NT) ON , 
 
 Printed by W. Wilfon , for E.Brewfter ,and George 
 
 Sawhridge , at the Bible on Ludgate-hillj 
 neere Fleet-bridge, x 6^6. 
 
TO THE 
 
 HONOURABLE 
 
 KnightjSir GEORGE RIVERS 
 
 otCbajford, in the Countie of 
 
 KENT. 
 
 Jd I no Sca'e Qmore than this bare 
 and plaine moulded Ep file, ) by which 
 to come to your worthy cares , yet in 
 ref pell of the honefi livery which it 
 carries,(being mceffary and. husbandly 
 Colled:ions , Jfpeaally gathered for the 
 ■Country and Soyl wherin you lively I 
 kiiow it cannot chufe but find both fa¬ 
 vour and mercy in yo ter accept at'on ; but 
 when I call into my confidera.ion the 
 great'worthineffe of your expence in this and all other the like 
 affairs, which tend to the generall benefit of the Common-wealthy 
 eudweigh the Excellency of your Wifedomej Judgment 3 Bounty } 
 and dffetlion unto Hofpita’.ityfwhich giveth bothJlrength and ad¬ 
 vancement to projeds of this nature') I could not but take unto 
 my felfe a double Encouragement, and boldly fay unto this FCorks 
 which I offer unto your goodneffe, Goe and approach with allthy 
 fveetneffe before him , he that fop erf eft ly knowes all which thou 
 canfl or wouldefl difcover ; he that is able both to correct and a- 
 A 2 mend 
 
 SIR, 
 
Epifllebedica tory, ■ 
 
 mend any thing that is imperfect m thee, hee, for verities Jake, 
 -milneverforf*k* thee. Beleeve mt{wonhy Sif)fhouldfhis Sul. 
 f«? wijhitfelfd Patron, I doe not thlnhjt could ,wi[h beydndyou- 
 for you are a volume full of all that of which' it intreateth :w«- 
 nefsyour yeans,yov.r fuppdrtadon of the poor, and your cominuall 
 imployments ; with any of which there is not(of your ranke)afe. 
 cond living in your Country,to walkjsandin hand withy ott .. Beeiiig 
 then (dear Sirfhe eldeft and beffriendto your C.o;wrcy,forf4> 
 neither, nor this which comes toferve it- and -though in this Ghijft 
 forne lineament; may appear imperfect,yet by the help ofyourfavom 
 (though little be exactor mo(l excellent ) nothing fhallbe grofur 
 unworthy the furvey of your worthier patience■ And fo I reft,. 
 
 Yours to be commanded, 
 
 Gervafe Marfyami 
 
A Difcourfe of the Weald of Kent', and a comparifm of Arable lands 
 therein,with t heather parts'bfthe Shires, Together with fimene- 
 cejpiry c oi-.nfels for the ordering and wricking of the marie able 
 Lands in the Weald, asgenerally in any part of this Kingdome. 
 
 ■ He Weald of Kent is the lower part of that Shire, Fuf ther Ai ~ 
 lying on the South fide thereof,and adjoyneth to dltl0ns * 
 the Weald of Suffix, to the Weft. 
 
 This Weald, both in Kent & Suffix, was fomc- 
 timesall(orthe moftpart)w90dy,Wild, and(in 
 the firft timesjun-inhabited, and from thence took the name of 
 Weald from the Saxon word, We ale, o rTeale, or Weald, which 
 fignifieth a Woody Countrey,or Forreft-like ground. The Brit- 
 tews called it Andred, which fignifieth Greatnefle or Wonder-* 
 full :and in Latinc it was called Sahas Andred, (that is to fay) 
 the Chafe or Forreft of Andred , by rcafon of the great circuit,or 
 large bounds thereof. 
 
 Touching the true boundary or limits of this Weald, there 
 have been divers opinions ,andmoft of them various, and much 
 differing both in place and quantity,but that which is the necreft' 
 
 8t beft allied unto truth,both according to the opinions oiAjferi- 
 w Menevenfts, Henry of Hmtingdon,inA others of moft credible 
 report, is, that it extendethfrom the city of Wlhchelfey in Sujfex 
 an hundredand twenty miles in length towards the Weft ; and 
 thirty miles in breadth towards thcNorth. Now although this 
 report be moft agreeing urito veritie, yet who knowes not that 
 curiofity may raife up many objeftions to withftand it ; and 
 therefore M. Lambert in his Perambulation of ICm, hath pre¬ 
 ferred the bill and moft infallible way to find out the true and 
 A3:: - certain 5 
 
i Book 
 
 t The Inricbment of 
 
 certain bounds of this Weald, to be only by Jury, or the Ver- 
 dift of twelve men impannelled for that purpofe, either in cafe 
 ofcontroverfie,or other particularfearch ;and tbit hath been in 
 thefe latter times brought forth moft plentifully : for it hath 
 beenfoundby divejfe late Verdicts, upon fpcciall and nioft ne- 
 ceflary occafions, than the Weald of AW is truly M. Lambent 
 fecondftepin bis Perambulation of AW, reaching from W'n- 
 cheffsj in S;;fex,and that hill there, unto the top of Riven hill 
 in AW;and neither farther towards London, nor Ihortcr to wards 
 Tunbridge 5 which agreethfo perfc&ly with the former limita¬ 
 tions, that both may be received as nioft true and fufficient. 
 
 This Weald was for nianyyeares held to be a wild Defert, 
 or tnoft unfruitful! Wildernefle (as write the author* before 
 mentioned )and indeed fuchisthc nature and difpofirion of 
 thefoyl thereof to this very day : for it will grow to frith or 
 wood, ii it be not continually manured and laboured with the 
 plough and kept underby tillage; fo as it may truly be faid ofit, 
 Irice.'tz reparamur vomer e Syhjs\ t is throughou [(except in very 
 few places adjoining to brooks or rivers)of a very barren na¬ 
 ture, and unapt either forpafturage or tillage, uritillthatitbc 
 bolpenby fomcmannerofcomforr,asdung, marie, frelh earth, 
 fodder, alhes, orfuch other refi\ firings ; and that feemethto 
 have been tbecaufe for which in old time it was ufed asawil- 
 derntfs, andkeprfor the mod part with herds of Deer, and 
 droves of H. gs,as is S pecified in divershiftoricall relations. 
 
 And as there beyct remaining in Snffex divers great forrefts 
 and fundry commons or wafts, having five or fix miles in 
 length, tthich for the mod part are not fit to be manured for 
 com, and yield but little profit in pafture: fohave there been 
 alfo in AW ( within our memory ) a great number of woody 
 and over-grown grounds, converted of late, even after fuch 
 a manner as in the laid Perambulation is teftified : where it 
 is faid ; Thatalthough the Weald of AW belonged to fundry 
 known owners long finer, yet was it not then allotted into 
 particular Tenancies, as the other parts of the fliire were, but 
 it was, in proceffe of time, bylittleandlittlegained, as men 
 were contented to inhabit there, and to rid it of die wood. 
 And hereof it is alfo, thatfcefidesfuadry whole parifbss which 
 
2 Book. the Weald of Kent. 3 
 
 be nam<ddens.or low places, as Tenderden^ Malden, Beneden, 
 and fundry other, there be moreover many fmaller portions 
 almoftin every part of the Weald of Kent) which he likewife 
 called dens ; as the den of 1 Crmebrookjn Cranebroo^thc den of 
 Ihnvkhurft in Hawkhurft^A. filch others; the which(as it fee- 
 meth) were at the firft undertaken to be manured by fundry 
 particular perfons,whofe names were then taken for thofe very 
 aennesandcontinuednunyyeares together, as by antient evi¬ 
 dences it doth yet appear, howfoevertheage of long time hath 
 nowalmoft worn & confirmed them all out of knowledge. Nei¬ 
 ther doth the Weald of AW contain lo many great manners 
 or courts( for the proportion of the largeneffe)as the reft of the 
 Shire doth, but was appertaining, fora great part thereof, to 
 fundry of thofe mannors which do lye at large difperfed thorow 
 the Shire,whereof each one had a great portion in : the Weald, 
 which bothin thebookofDooms-day, and in fundry thecourt- 
 Rolls,and Rentals, palfeth by the name of Weald, and Silva Por- 
 corim, or fwine gats, which were granted to divers ofthe farm¬ 
 er! and owners of fundry tenancies which did belong unto 
 thofe dens and other lands within the Weald. 
 
 And albeit thefe dennes be for the moft part good large por¬ 
 tions of lands, that be now broken into many feveral) poffef- 
 fo as the fame one Dcnnc fuffieeth twenty houlholders at 
 this day, yet it is very likely that each man at the firft had his 
 fevcrall dcnnc wholly and unbroken,whereof he and his poftcrity 
 bearcth name,untill that the fame was by the cuftome of Gavel- 
 kind, byfale or by exchange divided anddiftributedamongft 
 others into parts, as we doe now fee them. But howfoever this 
 Weald be of it fclf unfruitful! (as I faid ) and of a barren nature* 
 yetfoit hath pleafed the providence of the Almighty to tem¬ 
 per the fame, that by the benefit of Margie or Marle(as it is 
 commonly called)it maybemade not onely eqaall infertili¬ 
 ty with the other grounds of the (hire, as well for Corn as 
 Grafle, but alfo fuperiour to the more and greater part of the jj, e uJ r e 0 f 
 fame. The which manner of bettering the ground i* not now Marie is an- 
 newly difeovered, but was the ancient praftife of our forefa- cienc. 
 thers many yearcs agoe, as by the innumerable Marfe-pits dig¬ 
 ged and* fpsntfomany ycares paft, the tree* of 200 , or 30b 
 
 yearcs 
 
4 
 
 The Inricbnent of 3 Book 
 
 years old,doe now grow upon them, ic may moft evidently ap. 
 pear ;befidcs the which we have mention of Marie in books of 
 gainage or husbandry, that were written in the day cs ofK. Ed- 
 Marling was r '' Ar <i the 2 or before, howbeit the fame manner of tillage, by 
 difeontinued meanss of the civiil warn, maintained many ycares as well in 
 and is now re« the time of the Barons warrs, as of the warrs between the houfe 
 vived. of Tcrk^i and the family of Lavcafter, was fo given over, and 
 
 gone out cf ufc, untill thefe thirty or forty yearcs, that it may 
 be faid to have been then newly born and revived, rather than 
 reftored, becaufe the very true art/of inriching the ground by 
 Marie, feemeth to lye hidden in part, asyctnottobedifcovered 
 to the full : for in this (hort time we have fecn many arable 
 grounds, whichfor fundry yeares after the marling of them, 
 have plentifully born Wheat and other grain, to be now be¬ 
 come unfruitfull, and fo will they continue, albeit they 
 fhould be now marled again. And this commeth to paffe by the 
 ignorance of the right manner of ordering the Marie, which is 
 as flrong andchecrfull as ever it was before, howfoever it wor- 
 kethnot this naturall tffcft, through the unskilfulneffe of the 
 Husbandman, that both wafteth the Marie, and lofeth withall 
 histimc,hislabourjh ; scoft,and the profit of his ground. I can¬ 
 not deny butaman (hall fee fomc grounds of nature fit to 
 take Marie, and of fituation fo neere to Marl-pits longgjslhe 
 opened,that they might be marled plentifully with little charge., 
 and have been heretofore marled indeed, and yet the fame to 
 lye now unplowcd, and not only barren of themfelves, but alfo 
 unapt for marie, and uncapablc of amendment by Tillage : but 
 - 1 muff fay withall, that albeit the men in thofe former ages had 
 
 the right ordering of marie, yet were they not allgood Hus¬ 
 bands alike, neither doth the Field joy alike under the Farmer, 
 and under the very Owner of the fame, theone fecking the ve¬ 
 ry uttermoft gaine that may be made during his (hort interefi, 
 and the ether indeavouringto perpetuate hiscemmodity, even 
 to the end of his effate. which hath no end at alhfo that through 
 unskilfulneffe of theone, and greedineffe in others, the ground 
 may fooner be crammed to death with Marie, then it fhall be 
 made the better or fatter by it.Thc rcafon whereof I will referve 
 untill that I have caufe to teach in particular after what man- 
 
2 Book. the Weald of Kent. 5 
 
 ner fe meafure the ground istobomarlcd In the meanwhile Iwil 
 open the nature and conditions of this Wcaldiih gL'ouhd,compa> 
 ling it with the Soyl ofthe (hireatlarge, arid alter ward'declare 
 unto you what the Marl island; what forts thereof there be u-' 
 f ua lly found in the Weald of/("e«/, and laftly.enter into the true 
 i and profitable ufc thereof, as well-in each fort ofarableLandy as; 
 
 ! alfo for the increafe of - Corne and Pafturfe.thrdugh 1 thfcKirig 
 dome., i ■- •> : ' :i - 
 
 The arable ground of this Weald hath commonly a fleet and 
 [hallow, mould to be turned up by the Plough* fpas ill-many 
 places the dead earth or mould is within three inches: :of the 
 face ofthe ground*, and in the beft places, the good.Mould ex¬ 
 ceeded! not ; fixyirhes in-depth at the moft ; and therefore it 
 wanteth. convenient fubftance to nourilh Gorne any long time, 
 but will faint and give over after a crop or two ;for the which 
 reafori alfo,it cannot yield any fweet or deep grafs. Befides this, 
 the Weald hath many copped or hillilh grounds, out ofwhich 
 there doe many guits or Springs of water iflue, that make it 
 cold and barren; and fropi tnefe hillocks, the beft part of tlie ; 
 good Mould is wafhed downe into the Water - courfes arid 
 Dykes thacbe made to divide and drain the Land.. Furthermore 
 the Weald is divided into many fmall inclofurcs,; the biggeft 
 j fortffor the moft.part)of which, arc between fixteenc Acres and 
 j twelve in quantity,and thereby hath it many Hedges and Trees, 
 
 ! whichinunfeafonable weather doe : ,keep both the Sunnearid 1 
 wind from the Corne, fo as for wan; of that fuccour and com¬ 
 fort, itgroweth,and many timesrottethin,{he..earth, fothat it 
 
 carnc.th not, nor eareth, nor profpercth not kindly, many times. 
 And thefe final! Clofes are caufed by this, that, men are not; 
 able to Marie any great part or quantity of ground at once; 
 and having marled a little, they are defirous tofowitwich 
 durnetfor the prefervation whereof,as alfo for draining it, they 
 are inforced to make fo many and fmall feveralls: for all which 
 reafons itisplaine, that there is little good arable Land there, 
 and rarely any good Pafture,thofe onely places excepted, which 
 are amended by irrigations of floods, which there is called 
 
 flowing and overflowing. ~Contrarywife,the arable land of the 
 Shire at large, hath a deep and fat Mould of good earth, that is 
 ' B „able 
 
7 bs Inrichment of _ 2 Book, 
 
 able to bear: five or fix good Crops together without inrtef- 
 miffion;andafter 3. or4. years reft,will do the like againe, and 
 may fo interchangeably keep that courfefor ever: yea, there be 
 many grounds that are fowed without ceafing, becaufe the 
 Mould is fo deep, that when the upper part thereof beginneth 
 to faint and be weary, men canaddc fome ftrength of Cattell, 
 and with the Plough go deeper, and fetch dp a frcfhMoald 
 that will continue for a long feafon. Furthermore this arable 
 ground is a hollow dry ground, for the moft part, oh a deed 
 Clay, that by tillage, and the weather, will becom'e dry 
 and fpongy, fo as the Rain there wafheth in the fat of the earth, 
 the rather becaufe it is notfo hillith and Aiding as the Weald, 
 but more level], eaven, and champion alfo, by which the Sunrie 
 and Wind doe dry the corn, ana doe make it earn or care well, 
 and yeeld a purer flowre then that which is fobbed in wet, and 
 hath long time Iyen before it be dryed againe. But for as much 
 as the great odds betweene thdetwoforcs of grounds, maybt 
 madeeeven by the help of71/;; /, if it be rightly ordered, as 1 
 faid,I will notfhew you what it is, and how many forts there¬ 
 of be found in this Weald of ourCountry. Marl is indeed, as, 
 icisin name, the fat or(marrow)of the earth : for fo did the 
 Gtrm.ws 3 and fo did our ciders the Saxons terme it, of the word 
 Marine which we found Marrow thereof we call it marling 
 when we bellow that fat earth upon our lean ground. ’ Plk] 
 faith, that the Brittain, (meaning* us)did ufe to amend their 
 Land with a certaine invention which they called marga^ that 
 i?,the fat ofthe earth, and it is to be feen in Conradus Heresba- 
 cbis, that the Germans doe ufe it to the fame end, and doe call 
 it by the fame name till this very day: it is therefore a fat, oyly 
 and unftuous ground, lying in the belly ofthe earth, which is 
 ofa warm and moyft temperature, and fo moft fertill; feeing 
 that heat and moifture be the father and mother of generation 
 and growth ; howbeitthisisnotapureandfimplemarrow(as 
 that is which lycth in our bones}but a juyee, or fat liquor min • 
 gled with the earth ; as is the fat which lyethmixed, and dif- 
 perfed in our fie ft, fo as the one may be drawn away,and the 0- 
 
 Foa- forts of remain as it ftall anon appear unto you. 
 
 Marie. * Four forts of Mark be found in this Weald, knowft afun- 
 
 der 
 
i Bopk. the Weal^offit nt. %J. 
 
 dcr by the difference of colours, and thereby alfo differing 
 in degrees of goodneffs one from the other •• for there is a 
 gray, a blew, a yellow, and red Marie, all which be profita- »• *• 
 ble, if they be earthy and fat, or flippery. as foape s and moft *' * 
 times little worth, if they be niixed with fand J graVe!l,' t* 
 
 Hone. So the blew is reputed the belt, the yellow the iyrxt, 
 the gray the next, and the red leffc durable then the other 
 three ; and yet it is thought the red to be the better, if it be 
 found upon the blew, or others. Thefc Maries doe lye in 
 vcincs orflowres, amongft thofe hillocks or copped grounds 
 nioft commonly whereof 1 have fpoken, and doe oftentimes (hew 
 themfelyes at the foot of the hill,or about the mid way,between 
 the foot and the top thereof: fome of them have over them a 
 cover of ground, which we call Cope, not exceeding feven or 
 eight foot in depth,fome lye deeper, and other fome doe arife, as 
 namely, where thcgroundlycth nothigh, and that Marie com¬ 
 monly is very good ; and there is in diverfe lcvell grounds good 
 Marie. ' . 
 
 And as Marie is for the moft part of thefc fourc colours, Four f ort8 0 f 
 fo is arable ground for the moft part of thefc fourc fortfol-Grounds, 
 lowing ; that is to fay, either a cold, ftiffe and wet clay '• 
 ivhioh is either the Cope of the Marie, or Iyeth neere untbit 
 and is therefore ‘commonly called, The Mark Cope ground 
 or a tdazcll Mould, which 1 count to be oni ofthe beft weal- 
 difh Moujds, being a compound Mould, and very good for 2 ; 
 Marie, and will quit the coft very well. Then there are two 
 forts offandy Mould, the one being a reafonable good kind, 3>4 
 but not equall to the] hazel Mould, for you (hall have in di¬ 
 vers places of the weald this hazel mould, to bear two or 
 three good crops of Wheat, being Suhimcr fallowed, toge¬ 
 ther, which you (hall hardly have ofany Tandy ground with¬ 
 out mending : but as I faid of the better fort of thefe tWo 
 kinds of fandy moulds, you have commonly very rich 
 Wheat, being well,Marled, which is. not fo barren as thco- 
 thcr ; but this laft kind of fandy Mould isa very barren kind 
 of ground, and V, a ^h a very fleet Mould, and you (hallhave 
 very heath,grow upon ic in’divers places, and yet being or¬ 
 dered, as followed, with Marie, willbearboth good Com 
 B 2 and 
 
8 
 
 ' the tnnchmsni of _aBook' 
 
 and Pafture. And now that wee may the better underhand 
 how to Marl and Manure every of thefc forts by itfelf., you 
 muft know, that the hazcll ground being dry,'. and:notfub. 
 Jeer to Winter-fpringSi, or tears'of.waterffor whifch, 'forhe call 
 fnch, A whining or weeping ground)is tp.be handled thus.''”''' 
 Ei'rfi, Plough it as deep as you can, with the' ftrength of 
 The o-derk beafls at chc Ie a ft ; and be not afraid to Plough up feme 
 of thsHazelJh P art c ^ £ dead earth that lyeth under the upper good Mould : 
 Mould. for the Sun, the Raine, the Wind, and the Froft, will in 
 time mellow and amend it ; and befides that, the Mould will 
 bee the deeper for a long time after, and thereby kcepc it fclfc 
 jhe longer from being ftiffened with the Marie- Then you 
 "may beftow 500. Carc-loadsfas wc call them ) of Marie up. 
 on each acre thereof, every load containing 10. or 12. bufh- 
 els of eight gallon?, and each acre containing 160. rods of 
 1 6. foot and a half to a rod. Then alfo ypu may chufe whe¬ 
 ther at the firft breaking up you will fow it- With Oates, to 
 kill the grafle, or elfc firft Marie it, and fow it with Wheat, 
 or otherwife Summer-fallow it in the Maj aftet the Oates, 
 and then Marie it, and fow it with ‘Wheat; Upon that fellow 
 or grattenfas wc call it)you fhall doe well to fow ic 
 with Pcafe,. and at Michzelnids following, to fow that'Peafe- 
 ftubble or gratten with Wheat againe, which alfd^ will' be -the 
 better, if the Summer wherein it carried Peaftf were moyft ; 
 becaufe the Pcafe being rich and thick, doe deftroy the Graffe, 
 that together with the wafting of chefellowes by raine, doth 
 greatly confume the heart and venue ,; dr, as wc call it, the 
 . Bate of. the ground'. But ifthat^umpier were dfy, tffenisa 
 .’fellow beftjhbecaiife .the Sunnfivitffhiii heat doth much' good 
 to the ground, ancf inableth'it the' better to beare out the 
 weather in thf. Wheatfeafonenfuing. Ifyou like to fow it,- as 
 I Paid, with Peafr,. foW them as eafely and timely as you may, 
 for they will be fo much the fooner harvefted, and then alfo 
 you may Plough or fti ne yohr gratten; the fooner, whereby 
 it.wiif be ‘the b'ctteV hardhed to bear out 1 the' Weather in'the 
 time'of fowing of'your, wheat' V butT dotibe/Peafe doth 
 fomewhat ftiffc'n it. Two bufhels’ of Wheat doe fdlfice for the 
 . fowing of an acre hereof, except it be for the firft crop, after 
 
<? 
 
 2 Book. the Weald of Kent. 
 
 the new breaking up of the ground ; during which time, there 
 j.< found a vvorme, called an Emble-, which in French iignifi- 
 eth Corn in the ground, being of colour yellow, aud of an 
 inch in length, antf will eat fome part of the Corn ; but if 
 you low ic thick, it will be both fmall cared, and thick, 
 3 nd (lender of draw, which the rain and wind will beate and, 
 huiledowne, and then it willfcarccly rifeagaine ; orifiedoe, 
 yet through the neernefle of the (hadow of the trees and 
 hedges, that info fmall elofes be many, it will rather rot for 
 want ot drying, then come to maturity, that is, to perfeft 
 hard, and full grown Corn. After your firft Marling, you 
 mud carefully forc-fee, that you plough not the ground 
 either with deep or broad Furrowes, but fleet and narrow, 
 leftyoucaft your Marl into the dead Mould, for Marl differcth 
 much from Dung in this bchalfe ; Dung fpendeth it fclfe up¬ 
 ward, and howfoever deep it lye, the vercue thereof will 
 afeend but Mark (as faith Sir Walter Hcnly, in his Hus- 
 bandry)fendeth his vertuc downeward, and muft therefore 
 bekeptaloft, and may not be buried in any wife. Further¬ 
 more, if your ground be hillifh or coppied, it (hall be fit 
 that you make your Pudges 7. or 8. foot broad attheleaft • 
 for in fuch falling lands, the more broad Furrowes you mak 
 as you muft make many, where you make Ridges, the me 
 of your Marie {hall be wafhed and carried into the bottom 
 Itisgoodalfo todrawacroflc or quarter-Furrow, and 
 ning the ends of your land Furrowes flopped, into: 
 leave the other ends of yopr Furrowes that the 
 {hoot ninnc not all the length of the field. Age 
 ground will alwaics be Town under furrow, ano 
 fo before Afichaelmm, ifthefeafon will to permit : 
 cround(ifit be well husbandedJwill be mellow and 
 low, or loofc, whereby through Raine and Froft- 
 finkedownc from the root of the Wheat, if i' 
 fewn above Furrow, the which being.uncovered, 
 be bitten and killed with the cold. It is alfo verv 
 harrow not this fort of ground too fmall, but th 
 the clod? as big as a bowI,the which being tnoul 
 and the froft, will both cover and keep warnie 
 
io Toslnricbmentof 2 Book, 
 
 “ neath- Moreover,- it (hall be good, that upon fom.e fair and dry 
 day,in the beginning of Marcb i you put your flock of Sheep 
 into your Wheat, that with their trampling upon it, the Corn 
 may be well, andfaftclofed with the earth, yea, andprefently 
 after(ifit will bear foot)you may roll it as you doe Barley, 
 whereby both the Clods fhall b: broken, and the Gratten or 
 ftabbfe (ball be more even and ready for the Mower. Ge¬ 
 nerally you muft undcrftand, that after you have beftow- 
 ed your Marie in the field, you ought to let it lye un- 
 fpread abroad, untill you be ready to plough, .and then 
 immediately after the fpreading of it, turneitinto the ground 
 with the Plough ; for otherwife, if it (hould lye long fprcad 
 in the field, the Sunne will fpend no fmall part of the fatneffe 
 thereof, although I know many defire it, becaufe it wifi 
 be the (mailer being burned with the Sunne ; which I like not. 
 And therefore alfo no good Husband will carry and fpend 
 his dung in the time of Summer, except he doe prcfently With- 
 all plough it into the ground ; for although the Mould ofthe 
 arable Land it felfwiU take good, if itbe turned to the Sunne, 
 which will both dry and fatten it, yet the matter fareth far o- 
 therwife with the Marie, from which if the Sunne (hall draw and 
 fuck the fat moifture that maketh the Land fertile, then be- 
 commeth it (as Columella fpeaketh ofthe worft fort of ground) 
 Solumf ccu.m^arherc? denju.m & macrifm, ejHod Jive execeatur , 
 five cefpit coloiio refu.giendu.m ejl- It becometh ( faith he ) a dry, 
 thick,and lean Clod, which whether it be tilled or laid to reft, 
 muft be rotfaken of the Husbandman as unprofitable. And now 
 your Haztll mould being thus marled, plowed, fown, and ma¬ 
 nured,you may not charge with Wheat above twice, and • then 
 it muft reft five or fix ycares togethcr;all which timerit will bear 
 a very good and fweet Paftare, well fet with a white Clover, or 
 three leaved grafie, mod batning and profitable, both for Sheep 
 and Bullocks. 
 
 After thofe years ended, it will grow to fome MofTe, or 
 will peradventure caft up Broom ; and then it is time to 
 breake it up, and fow and handle it as before for two 
 other Wheat-fcafonj or crops, leaving it a Wheat-gratten 
 orftubble, rather than with an Oat gratten or ftubble, which 
 
a Book. the Weald of Mont. 11 
 
 burneth the Land being marled. Being thus interchangeably 
 fowtd and reftcd, your Hazel! mould will continue good arable 
 and pafturf, by the,fpace. of thirty years fbgcther, whereas if 
 ii fhould be continually fowedj fix, or feven, ornioreyiafjto- 
 gethcr without reft, it will become utterly unfruttlull 3 both for 
 Corn arid Cattell alfo. Neither Will it any thing avail io maile 
 it over again when it is fo decayed, becaule the former marie i 
 having his juice exhaufted by continual! Tillage, whereof the 
 Corn fucketh 1 one part, and the Sunnc, Wind, and Weather 
 dry and wafteth the reft, is but a dead Clod (as I laid) that is 
 not capable of new Marie to ariiend it, norcafteth any profi¬ 
 table grafs at.all. For proof hereof^ I my fglf have feed, tfi^t 
 the common earth of High-wayes, by treading of Cattell, 
 wafhing of Raine and the drying of the Stinne and weather, 
 lay leperated from the. naturall juice which it had in the pit', 
 and fpreadingitupon the ground, I faw that the land was not 
 only not amended; but much the worfe by it., Apd.nOwjfbr & 
 end of handling this fort of Hazell ground ; if it flid 11 4jp^|a r 
 
 unto you that five hundred loads of Marie upon the Acre, Kaye 
 clanged, ftiffened,and coofaft bound your land(as indeed the 
 nature of Martin to bind and to (lifFen)then take you forue of 
 thefe Waies to help it :either rtft it four or five years, of fodder 
 uponitbefore you bring it up with fo many Gattell as you 
 . may;or take the up’pefmoft part of your Ditches or Fore-lands, 
 orwaftplaces ofyour fields which you may mingle with Dung, ; 
 and which, before you'fow your Wheat, you may lay. upon 
 your fallow.and fiirr itinwithyour plough, arid by this you ... 
 ftiall both loofen your Marle } and refrefh your ground : fo that 
 within forty years the mould ofyour ground will clean eat 
 up and fwallow the Marie that you lay upon it ; and then, be¬ 
 come hungry, and is capable of Marie againe as it was before at 
 thefirft. ' 
 
 And by this alfo you may fee the very caufe.fbr which it is 
 good not to fow your marled land continually, but to fa¬ 
 ilure it by turns, and fo give it reft.; namely becaufe the edqti- 
 nuall plowing doth exhauft and.lpend the fat of.the ftftarl, lea-, 
 ving the drpffie,dry, and fruitlcfs parts thereof, to lye arid cover 
 the face of your ground:whereas pafturage, through the dunging. 
 
n Thelnricbment of 2 Book 
 
 -trcading,and foddering j^Cattell, doth increafc a new Mould, 
 which mingling it felf wim the dead Mould, doth in the end 
 give fome life and heart unto it. And therefore thefe Farmers & ■ 
 Owners that have becne at the coft to Marie their ground, and 
 will not forbear to till it,but battening to raife their eharge, 
 doe thereby utterly ftrike it with barrenneffe, are like to Mlfop 
 man, who having a Hen that layed him everyday a golden 
 Egge, and being greedy to have all the gold at once, did there¬ 
 fore kill the Hen, thinking to have found her belly full of 
 goId,and fo was both defrauded of that he looked for, and loll 
 alfo what he had before. Hitherto of the nature, ordering and 
 marling of this hazel ground. Generally now for the continual * 
 fallowing and (lining thereof, you mutt underftand, it may 
 neither be fallowed wet,left it anfwer more Grade than Corne; 
 nor yet fo dry.that the dead bottom fwell up, as in great drowth 
 it will, and fwallow the good Mould that lyeth above: and 
 therefore bind not your felfc to any preeife time of any month, 
 but the opportunity cither in May or Jtineas you (hall find the 
 weather to have prepared it for your defire. In the like tem¬ 
 per you ought to ftir it after a fhowr, after Saint James his day, 
 or in the end of Ja/r, for fo will it be dry and hard before the 
 timeoffowing.whereasifit be flirred later, every fmall Raine 
 will diftemper it into Dirt or Mire, by reafon of the tendernefs 
 thereof, and then can you not fitly beftow your feed upon 
 it. 
 
 ^ The Marie Cope ground followeth, which is mod cora- 
 
 Co^"round, monly(as I faid] aftiffe, wet, cold Clay and not fo fit as 
 51 ' the former to be marled for Corne, except in foine few fleete 
 
 places thereof, but yet it may ferve for Pafture or for Oates; j 
 fuchofthemasbemarledj mull be fallowed fleete or lhallow, 
 Jell the marie become drowned in the wet : then being marled, 
 they may in dry Summers (and not over-moyll Countryes) 
 beare Wheate in fome mediocritic. Three hundred loads at the 
 moft of Marie are fufficient fur an acre of this kind and two 
 bulhells. andahalfeofWheate will fow the fame, which muft 
 be caft above furrow, fourteen or twenty dayes before Michael¬ 
 mas. It requirith round, high and narrow Pudges, and that 
 
2 Cook. the Weald of Kent. 13 
 
 the water furrowesbe;ftricken fomewhac deep, the better to 
 conveigh moifture'frotn the Corne, and that it be left cloddy as 
 much as may be: and yet to fay the truth, fuch as will convert 
 this Tort of ground to Tillage, nuift provide a greater quantity 
 of rich ground or Greet (as we terme it) and Dung, than of 
 Marie it felf, to amend this Land withall. But if there be any 
 ground that is light and whining, or weeping, becaufe of 
 Springs that are therein, and therewith doth call up Rufhes, Rufliew 
 let that be marled upon the greeile land with four hundred or. 
 five hundred loads upon the acre, about the latter end of Sum¬ 
 mer; for fo will the Marie finke.into it, and call up afweec 
 grade for eight or ten years together, anduritill that the Marie , 
 be funke fo low, that another fward or cruft of earth be grown 
 over it, and then it is fit time to plow it, but yet very flcetc 
 and narrow, for To will it bear good Oats; but if it be fowet 
 that you cannot adventure to fow your Wheat upon it, becaufe 
 thc.Riilhes.be not killed with this firft plowing^ then may you 
 fowit againe with Oates, drawing good water-furrowes to 
 draine it, becaufe it will be the wetter for plowing, and there¬ 
 by the Marie alfo will the fooner lofc’hisforce; thus doing,let 
 itlicto pafturc agajn. 
 
 There be fomrothcr grounds of the Marie-Cope, which car- Dyers weC(Ji 
 ry a lowre Graffe, and the Dyers-weed, ( commonly called 
 Greening-weed) and having a great tore thereof, the which 
 alfo may be amended by three hundred or four hundred load 
 of Mar e upon the acre of the green landiforthe MarlemW both 
 rot the tore or vefture thereof, and alfo inrich the Mould very 
 nmch;fo as it will anfwer good Pafture twelve years after and 
 when you (hall perceive that the Marl is well (unk, then may 
 it be Ploughed fleet and narrow, fowed with Oats and fallow- 
 ed;fo may it both bear good Wheat,if it find a good feafon, and 
 be the richer a long time after partly by the benefit of the Marl-, 
 partly by the rotting of the tore and fward, and partly 
 by the dung and water of the Cattell that pafture upon 
 it •’for the fweeter the Pafture is, the more Beads itfeedech, 
 and the more beafts itbeareth, the more it felfis amended by 
 it. , 
 
 C 
 
 Touch- 
 
Ihlmcjmmt of 2 Book, 
 
 Touching the fallowing of this ground, great heed is requi¬ 
 red: for as ic iwelleth more then the Hafell-ground,ifit be taken 
 hard and dry, fo it is more graflie then that, or the Sandy Soyl 
 if you fallow it wet: The (cafon therefore followeth common¬ 
 ly in AsrU )or in the beginning of May, for to fallow it, and to ■ 
 fiirr it about AL-dfummer, or fo foon after as the rain (hall have 
 prepared it meet for your unihod Oxen to. labour upon it. 
 Many men fearing to hit the right feafon for this ground in the 
 .Spring of the year, do make it ready byawinter fallow-before 
 ’ Ckrijimasfr by (faring it before MiAfxmmer, if they may; which 
 
 manner is not to be mifliked: 
 
 T he ordering Laftly, commcth the two forts of Sandy-ground, and gra^ 
 of the Sandy velly-mould the one being to be ordered much after the hazell 
 eoulds. mould, faving hewould have fomewhatmore marie, and alio 
 would be favoured more in the often tillage, than it : for the ha- 
 fell mould will bear or endure more than the Sand But this laS 
 fort of fandy-ground, being a very flaring Sand ( as wee ufe to 
 call it)for much of it will bear Heath, being of it felf very bar¬ 
 ren and very fleet or (hallow Mould, and over-hot and dry, 
 aod by reafon of that extremity, is unfertill except it be 
 marled very plentifully. And therefore when you break 
 up this ground,Plough it as deep as you may, not fearing to call 
 down the bell Mould thereof, becaufe the Marie will pierce 
 thorow,and fink down into it. An acre of this ground requi- 
 rethfive hundred or fix hundred loads of your yJ'ftzr/e at the 
 leaf!. Sow alwaies under furrow about Michaelmas with two 
 bufhels and a half upon the acre, which it will better carry 
 than the Hazell grou n d:for akhough the draw be final),yet will 
 it be harder, and Hand better than that of the other. The 
 ■wormc whereofIfpake, will be bufie with that,that growethoji 
 this fort of ground,unr ill that the heat thereof be fomewhat al- 
 1 waged by the Marl. Ifyour ground be hilly, make your Wa* 
 ter furrowes in luch fort, as I have faid before, for the faving 
 bothofyour Marie and Mould, harrow ic very little, leave it as 
 cloddy as you may. After that you have taken a Crop from itj 
 fallow that Wheat Gia-tcn or Stubble in May, after that 1 H« 
 ic alfo and then about M.chadnms fow it with Wheat again: tot 
 
2 B6ok. the Weald ofKent. 15 
 
 dt isiib.tyet rich enough' to bear .you goo^;Peafe. : This , dpne, 
 letitrfeftfour or five yepfes, and if it. fend up any plenty of 
 broom cut or pul th&n when they be of fome mean bignefs,but 
 plough not the ground uritill ichave taken fuch reftand at- 
 , ter it, you may wefT Break h up of new,-and,fpw'it: with, 'i 
 
 which- Oit^grattcn or jSmbbldjypu, muft Suminerriaji[bwi'v when 
 it it at the, Harycftand then if you. /deiird to have it in gpioji 
 heart, you rnuft Marie it with three hundred or four hundred 
 loads upon the Acre again. After this Crop thus taken, refit 
 five or fix years, and then take one Crop more of Oats from it# 
 and after a Summer-fallow, fow it with' Wheatland /differ it *to. 
 lye a Wheat Gratten or Stubble, till, it (hall i haW .rcfted,a^ be¬ 
 fore is appointed for the hazel! grou nd;; 'and fo -it * wilfbc the, 
 better thirty or forty yeares after the marling. Wee havdin tHis 
 Weald a fandy and gravelly ground that is wet and Weeping, 
 the which is fcarcely worth the Marling, except the nearhefs of 
 the Marl , and thereby the fmall coft and charge thereof, may 
 intice a man to beftow the coft upon it with Mark^ and then the 
 beft way i* to Marl upon the green Land, or upon a fallow, 
 with 500. loads or more upon the Acre, or rather to take 
 the profit thereof by Pafture then by Tillage: for it will hardly 
 bearc good Corn,which hToon killed with wet vapour that is 
 continually fent up from the wet fprings that lye under it. 
 
 This fort of wet ground is to be fallowed, when it is both 
 bardand dry,becaufeit fwelleth not as doth the Hafcll Mould, 
 and may therefore be taken in 'jane, if former fair weather bring 
 itnottoadryfeafon; and it is to be ftirred alfo after a fhowr, 
 in the like plight as the hazell-Mould before. Your marleablc 
 grounds being ordered in this wife, feverally fet down for each 
 kind of them, will continually ftand fruitful! either for corn 
 or pafture, and allbeit the high prices which Corn hath of late 
 yeares carried, may allure fomc men to fow corn inceffantly, 
 and thereby to fpena their Marle^ and to choke their arable in 
 the end; yet I doubt riot but the wifer fort can fee that it is much 
 better’eo ipaintain their grounds hearty and in good plight 
 forever,thencoraifea fhort gain, that will bring a long and 
 perpetual! lofs upon them: the rather alfo, becaufe that Butter, 
 
 C 2 Cheefe 
 
IbeTmcbmentof 2 Book. 
 
 Checfc, and the flefh of beef and mutton be advanced in price 
 equally, 'if not beyond Wheat, Rye,barley, and the other grains. 
 Rowbeit a good Husbandman wil make his profit of them both: 
 for if he have one hundred, or one hundred and twenty acres' 
 of this Wealdilh arable, he willfo Marlie and manure them, that 
 dividing his land into five or fix cquall parts, he may continu. 
 ally plough twenty, or five andtwenty acres for corn and yet 
 lay to PaSurethe reft by turnes,fo that by the help of his Mark 
 his land (hall be continually rich and profitable,both in the one 
 and other of them. And thus I have fpoken of the Weald, deferi- 
 bing the nature and property thereof: fo may every man of dip 
 cretion and judgement, which (hall meet with earth of the fame 
 qualityandcondidon(inwhat part of this Kingdomefoevcr) 
 make application ofthefe Rules before rehearfed,and no doubt 
 but the profit willmake both the labour and coil profitable and 
 pleafant. 
 
 T HE 
 
2 Book. the Weald of Kent. 
 
 '7 
 
 The fever all waies, according to the opinions of 
 Writers, and the certaine warn, according to the 
 
 experience of Husbandmen, for the deftruBion of Moles, 
 or Moales which digge and root up the earth, , and how to 
 reduce and bring the ground to the firfi goodneffe. 
 having been fpoyjed by them, 
 
 J T is needlefs either to defcribc the nature and quality of this 
 Vermine, or the injury and hurt which they doe to the Hus- 
 bandman> Gardiner, and Planter, fince no Country is exempt 
 from their annoyance; but touching the remedies, they are of 
 greater fecrefie, and therefore I thought good in this place to 
 
 infertthem 
 
 The antient writers are of divere opinions touching the 
 manner of deftroying this creature, and therefore have left unto 
 os fundry Medicines how to work the fame ramongft the which, 
 one writeth.as an approved experiment, that if you take Wal¬ 
 nut ftiels, and fill them with brimftone, chaff,and Petrofin and 
 then fetting them on fire, put them into holes or trenches, 
 through which the Moal pafleth, the very find or ftink therofwil 
 poyfon them;fo that if you dig, you (hall find them dead in’ 
 their holes. 
 
 Another affirmeth,that if you take brimftone, and dank (lin¬ 
 king litter ofhorfes, and burn it in the holes or haunts of the 
 Moals, it alfo will impoyfon them,fo as you (hall find they will 
 come out of their Caves,and lye dead upon the green grafs 
 A third affirms, That ifyou take green Leeks, Garlick, or 
 Onions,and chapping them groffely, thruft it into the holes, 
 the very fume or favour thereof will fo aftonifh and amaze 
 the Moales, that they will presently, forfake the earth 
 and falling into a trance, you may take them up with you* 
 hands. Now there is not any pf thefe medicines which,'can 
 G 3„ be 
 
18 lUlnnchmni of a Book, 
 
 be dif-allowed; for there is no doubt but that they will 
 work the effefis fpokenof, if the Moaie can be brought to 
 takcafall fent thereof but it is a Verraine curious of fent, 
 and paflbg quick of hearing,and being in a fpacious ground, 
 will prevent thefe baits: and therefore they are rather to be 
 applyed for gardens or little^grounds, where there is hut a- 
 Moalortwo, then in large fields, where there be many hun¬ 
 dreds. 
 
 Toconcludefor this matter of medicines, or for the hel¬ 
 ping ofgardens, hop-yards, or any fmallfpot ofground, there 
 is not any thing held more available, than to fow in that place 
 the hearb called P.tm.i Chr'.fri ; for it is found by certaine 
 experience,that wherefoever that herb groweth nacurally of 
 it felf, or otherwife is either purpofely fown or planted, 
 there in no wife will any Moal abide. 
 
 Thus much I thought good to ftew you for the ufe of 
 medidnc,and for clearing of fmall grounds .'now for the an¬ 
 noyances which happen ta great, large, and fpacious fields, 
 through the multitude of Moals, there is only three abfolute 
 wayes for the curing of the fame. 
 
 The firft is, in the moneths of March and -^prl\ to view 
 where they caff, and go about to make an extraordinary great 
 hill,in which they build them nefts, which is known by the 
 newnels ofthe Mould; then look for the new trench which 
 leadethto the famefor as (he goeth (he rcturneth: then w.iih 
 your Moal-fpade open the trench in divers places, and then 
 very ftill & filently,and obferving to take the wind, to prevent 
 both hearing and fm el ling, watch the Moal as (he goeth or 
 retumeth, which is,Morning,Noon, and Evening, and as foon 
 as you fee her caff, ftrike her with your' Moaie-fpcare, made 
 of many (harp pikes, and Co call Her ,up, and kill her. 
 Thus have Ifeen by one man an hundred deftroyed in one 
 
 da 7- 
 
 The next infallible way for the deftruftion of Moales is, 
 If you can by anypoffible means bringin. water ta over-flow 
 and walhyour.ground , and asfoorias the earthis, wet over, 
 theMoaics will come forth of themfclves, and you may ga¬ 
 ther 
 
iBook. theWeald of Kent. jp 
 
 thertfyem up with your hands at plcafure. 
 
 The laft (indeed as much approvtd as any) is to take a live ' 
 Mo-.1 in the month of March, which is their bucking- or in- 
 gen'dring time, and put it into a deep brafs Bafon, or other 
 deep fmooib Veffell, out of which the Moal cannot creep, and 
 then at evening bury it in the earth up to the brimme, and 
 fo leave it,and the imprifoned Moal will prefently begin to 
 (hrike, complain,or call,fo that all the Moales in the ground 
 will come to it, and tumbling into the Veffell,they are prifo- 
 ncrsalfo,and the more prifoners, the greater will be the noife ■' 
 and the more noife, the more Moaleg will come to the refute; 
 fo that I have feen$o. or 60. taken in one night, and in one 
 Veffell,or brafs Kettle. 
 
 Now having thus learned how to deftroy the Moales, it 
 if meet you alfo know how to prevent the comming in of . 
 forraign Moales; becaufc though you keep your ground ne¬ 
 ver fo clean, yet ifyour next neighbour be an ill husband , his 
 field may foon impoyfon yours again: therefore to prevent the 
 comming in of any forreigne Moal, make but little Furrow* 
 or Trenches about your ground, and fcatter in them fmall 
 round balls made oi Hempfeed, or Hemp feed and Palma 
 Chrfti beaten together, and you (hall not need to fear the 
 comming in ofany neighbour Moals, how many foever there 
 be about you; 
 
 Laftly,for the reducing or bringing the ground to the firft 
 perfeftion again ( for howfoever fome Husbandmen fay, Moe 
 Moal-hills, moc ground; yet ’cis certain, that moe Moale- 
 hills, lefs good ground) for never was yet fweet gr*ffe feen 
 on a Moal e-hill; therefore to bring it to perfeftion, which I 
 mean to be meadow ground, or ground to be mowne, which 
 Moale-hills cannot be you {hall firft,. withafharp paring-fho- 
 veil, pare off the fwarth about three fingers deep, For fear of 
 hurting the roots of the grafsand then the fwarth taken off, • 
 digge a way the reft of the Mould, and fcatter it as fmall as 
 you can round about the hill, then take the green fwarth, • 
 and cutting it artificially, lay it clofe and faff, and level], 
 where you took away the Mould, as if there had never been 
 Hill there: and thus do to all your hills, though they be never 
 
ao Fbelmchmnt of 2 Book, 
 
 fo innumerable: and after all your ground is levelled*aTfoon 
 asthe.fiilf Ihoure falleth, run all your ground over with a , 
 pair of back Harrowes,or an'Harrow made of a Thorn-bulb, 
 and it will break the mould as fmall asalhes, which will f 0 
 comfort and refrelhthe root of thegrafs, that it will grow in 
 infinite abundance; and fowrenefs which was caufedby reafon 
 of the Hills, will come again to a perfeft fweetnefs, and the 
 meadow will more fruitfull then before by many.degrees. 
 And thus much for the deftruftion of Moalcf,and the reducing 
 
 of the earth to his firft goodnefe. 
 
 FINIS,