Or euer thou ride with thy seruauntes compound,

to carry thy muckhilles on thy barley ground:

One aker wel compast is worth akers three,

at haruest thy barne shall declare it to thee.

This good shalt thou learne, with thy riding about,

the prises of thinges, all the yere thoroughout:

And what time is best for to sell that thou haue,

and how for to bye to be likely to saue.

For bying and selling doth wonderfull well,

to him that hath wit how to by and to sell:

But chopping and chaungeing, may make such a breck,

that gone is thy winninges for sauing thy neck.

The riche man his bargaines are neuer unsought,

the seller will fynde him he nede not take thought:

But herein consisteth a part of our text,

who byeth at first hand and who at the next.

He byeth at first hand that ventreth his golde,

he byeth at second that dare not be bolde:

He byeth at third hand that nedes borrow must,

who byeth of him than shall pay for his lust.

When euer thou bargain for better or wurse,

let alway one bargain remain in thy purse:

Good credit doth well, but good credit to kepe,

is pay and dispatche him or euer thou slepe.

Be mindeful abrode of thy Mighelmas spring,

for theron dependeth a marueilous thing:

Where gentiles use walking with hawkes on their handes.

Good husbandes with grasing doe purchase their landes.

And as thou come homeward bye xl. good crones,

and fatte me the bodies of those sely bones:

With those and thy swine, or and shrouetyde be past,

thy folke shal fare well, where as others shal fast.

Thy saffron plot pared in saint mary daies,

for pleasure and profit shal serue many waies:

With twenty foote square knowing how for to doo,

shal stede both thine own house and next neighbour too.

September

Threshe sede and goe fanne, for the plough may not lye,

September doth bid to be sowing of rye;

The redges well harrowde or euer thou strike,

is one poynt of husbandry rye land do like.

Geue winter corne leaue for to haue full his lust,

sowe wheate as thou mayst but sowe rye in the dust:

Be carefull for sede, for such sede as thou sowe,

as true as thou liuest, loke justly to mowe.

The sede being sowne waterforow thy ground,

that rain when it cummeth may runne away round:

The diches kept skowred the hedge clad with thorne,

doth well to drayne water and saueth thy corne.

When furth with thy slinges, and thine arowes & bowes,

till ridges be grene kepe the corne from the crowes.

A good boye abrode, by the day starre appere,

shall skare good man crowe that he dare not come nere.

At Mihelmas mast would be loked upon,

and lay to get some or the mast time be gon:

It saueth thy corne well, it fatteth thy swyne;

In frost it doth helpe them, where els they should pine.

October

The rye in the ground while September doth last:

October for wheate sowing, calleth as fast.

What euer it cost thee what euer thou geue,

haue done sowing wheate before halowmas eve.

The mone in the wane, gather fruit on the tree,

the riper the better for graffe and for thee.

But michers that loue not to bie nor to craue:

make some gather sooner, els fewe should they haue.

Or winter doe come while the weather is good:

for gutting thy grounde get the home with thy wood.

Set bauen alone, lay the bowghes from the blockes:

the drier the les maidens dablith their dockes.

For rooting thy grounde ring thy hogges thou hast nede:

the better thou ring them, the better they fede.

Most times with their elders the yong ones kepe best:

then yoke well the great knaues and fauour the rest.

But yoke not thy swine while thine akorne time last:

for diuers misfortunes that happen to fast.

Or if thou loue eared and vnmaimed hogges

giue eie to thy neighbour and eare to his dogges.

Томас Тассер (ок. 1524–1580)

Август

Собрал урожай! Ну, теперь всё в порядке!

Вот вяленой рыбки иметь бы в достатке.

Её покупай спозаранку, ребята —

Вернётся вам всё, что спустили когда-то.

Селёдочка — класс, не ржавела на камне!

А то, вяль и сам (где найти знатока мне?),

И дома, кладя слой за слоем её,

Соломой присыпь — не затронет гнильё.

А может, со слугами, рьяны в работе,

Навоз развозить на поля вы пойдёте.

Удобрен гектар — хоть за три продавай:

В амбаре про то говорит урожай.

Поездив повсюду, узнаешь ты сразу,

Как цены меняются в год не по разу,

Как сбыть свой товарец повыгодней с плеч

И как при покупке деньгу поберечь.

Продажа-покупка тому распрекрасна,

Кто смыслит в торговле, умён не напрасно,

А станешь вертеть ты с