The Middle-English translation of Palladius De Re Rustica / ed. by Mark Liddell.

De instituendis oliuetis. xviij capitulum.

This mone in places temporate, oliue In pastine or in tables brynkes sette, Or in theire groundes, beth to growe & thriue. [ 430]

And owt of thy pastine yf they be fette, The hed & euery bough or smal or grette Kitte of a cubit; & an hondful longe They most be sette, yf they schal ha no wronge.

Showue in a staake afore, & in do keste [ 435] Sum barly seed, & kitte of euery drie, Her hedis cley & mose & bynde hem feste. [437 Ms. mosy, B mose.] The same side vppon the sowth to wrye As dede byforn, is holden husbondrie. Let sette hem fest asonder thries v [xv.] , [ 440] Or twyes x [xx.] as best is hem to thryue.

Plucke vp vche weed aboute; at euery rayn Do delue vp smal the mold of euery rote, Let mynge hit wel, & putte hit on ayein, [444. mynge] dot of blue ink over m. ‖ Ms. ayen, B ayeine.] A[nd] more a litel herre vppon hit wrote. [ 445] [445 Ms. A, B And.] But in his place yf thow wolt haue hym soote, Lond myxt with cley, or sondy cley, faat sonde, Lond thicke & quycke, is goode in hem to stonde.

The potters cley, the wlonk [uliginosa.] , or sondy lene, [fol. 52.] And nakyd cley, nys nought; for though hit take, [ 450] Hit wil not cheue. Ek ther as ooke hath bene Or crab[be] tre, tholiues hit forsake; [452 Ms. crabtre, B crabbtre (cf. II 391).] The rootes wol their oyl or slen or slake. Northward of feruent ground, southward of colde, And enter bothe, of hilly lond they wolde. [ 455]

Her bayes namys: on is pausia, Another orchas, thenne is radius, Licinia, sergi, comynia, And mony mo calde otherwey then thus Whos namys schal vnwreton be for vs. [ 460]

Oyl paucia whil hit is grene is best, But sone in age hit is corrupt & lest.

Licinia her oil is best of al. But sergia hath most in quantite. Suffice of hem to sey in general, [ 465] The grettest for the bord preseruid be. The smallest for thyn oyl ykept thow se. Ther corn is, sette hem xl foote atwene And xxv there as lond is lene:

And west southwest [in fauonium.] hem for to order best is, [ 470] In deluys drie and footes iiij depe Idolue; & if the place is saaf for beestis, Vnnethe owt of the lond thow lete hem crepe: [473 lete] written let and e added above.] And elles here, hem seluen for to kepe ffrom bestis bite. And ther as wanteth stonis [ 475] Cley myxt with dong in settyng with hem doon is. [476 Ms. dam, B doon.]

Ther raynes faile & lond is ouerdrie, [477 Ms. iaynes.] A[nd] nedeth to be wet & bere oliue, [478 Ms. A nedeth, B And n.] And plaunte is noon hem with to multiplie, Let set in to thy semynari bliue [ 480] Oliues bowis vj feet long or fiue. And v yer old, transplaunte hem in this mone To places colde, as best it is to done.

I knowe hem that han take olyues yonge, (This wey is light and more vtilite) [ 485] In wodis or desertis vp yspronge, Ikytte & set a cubit long to be, And plauntis fele han spronge of suche a tre. But in thi seminari most they roote, With donge & molde admixt vnto their roote. [ 490] [490 Ms. thi roote, B thaire r.]