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

De ponendis vitibus, pastino, vel scrobibus, vel sulcis, et omni que illuc pertinent disciplina, ix capitulum.

This mone ek al thy soyles pastynate [ 50] With wynes wold be filde, whose gode nature [51 filde] first written felde then e deleted and i written above.] No lond ner air forsacth, so that their state Be shaped in conuenient mesure. The vyne in pleyn is sette that may endure Ek myst & frost, bot sette in hilles hie [ 55] That wyndes mey endure & dayes drie.

Set in the fertil feeld smale and fecounde, [57 feeld] Ms. fel. B feeld.] [fol. 45.] The sadde & beryng wynes in the lene; The bowy bigge in densid erthe abounde: And sonnest ripe in cloudy cold demene, [ 60] Or hard[e] grapid stormes to sustene. [61 Ms. hard, B hardde ‖ Ms. susteine, B sustene.] The moyst in hoot, the tough in wyndy lond; And wyne drie in rayn hit may not stond. [63 Ms. wyne (with peculiar curl over e) hit, B vyne it.]

And, short to sey, se the profession Of euery wyne & wherein they myscheue; [ 65] As counter hit be good discresion. In lond plesaunt & serenous they cheue In euery kynde, as esy is to preue. The vynes kyndes is not for to telle, To number hem therfore y nyl not dwelle. [ 70]

But knowe is this that grapis feire & greete, Pypened hard & drie, hit is to take Vnto the bord; and tender grapes, wete [1 frondose.]

That sauour best & sunnest wold asslake And dwyne awey, of hem thi wynes make. [ 75] The places chaungeth kynde of summe vynes. Vyne Amynee hath euer feirest vines; [77 Ms. Amynes, B Amynee.]

They changeth not, but better hoot then cold They may abide; and after faat in lene, But dongyng help hem, wel they wil not holde. [ 80] Too kyndes are of hem, a more & mene [minor.] . This mene effloureth sone & knotteth clene And smale, ek greyneth lite. In mene londe Allone. & with a tre faat most hit stonde.

This smaler vine ek ha[te]th wynd & rayn. [ 85] [fol. 45a.] [85 Ms. hath, B hateth.] The gretter of this vines Amynee In blossomyng or flouryng ofte is slayn. Vine Apianes prophitabul be. Suffice hit for to name vp these thre. A witty man tacth preued thyng, & change [ 90] He macth, that lond from lond be not to strange.

Suche erthe as they come out of sette hem to And in theire merites they wol abyde. And vine or tre to change yf thow wolt do, ffrom lene lond to faat thow most hem gyde; [ 95] ffrom faat to lene is nought, lat that craft slide. Scions to sette owte of the middel trie, [97 Ms. tre, B trie.] And neither of to lough ner [of] to hie. [98 Ms. ner to hie, B nor of to hie.]

Take hem that gemmes [vel knottes.] v or sixe ascende ffro thelder branche, & if thow take hem so, [ 100] Withouten change hemself they wol extende; A vine abundaunt ek thow take hem fro, And not hem take that ber a grape or too,

But hem that kneleth doun for vberte— On bough may better then another be. [ 105]

And this a signe is of fertilite: In places hard yf frutis multiplie, Vch bough ek from the rote vp trailid be With fruit; & thoo let marke & signifie, The same at settyng time owt for to trie. [ 110] But see ther be noon old vpon the ende, ffor hit wol rote & al corrupte & shende.

The squorges [flagilla (sic).] hie & graffes from the folde, [fol. 46.] Though they wol growe, & scions pampinari Wit fruit for fruitful let hem not be tolde; [ 115] [115 Ms. or, B for.] ffor they from fruit to bareynesse wol vary When they be sette, & then hem wolt thow wary. But writhe not the hed of thy sarment [118 sarment] first written serment.] When hit is sette, ner do hit no torment. [119 Ms. ner to do hit. B ner do hit.]

And vines wold be sette in plesaunt dayes [ 120] And warm, vnbrende in sonnes or in wynde. As cutte & sette, or yf they han delayes, So saf hem moist that thay may kepe her kynde. Whil spryngyng tyme endureth, haue in mynde In placis cold, & moist, & faat, bywette [ 125] With schoures often, vines for to sette.

The syons schal be sette a cubit long; And ther as lond is faat do sette hem wide, And thikke in lene lond, so that among Hem in thi pastinated lond diuyde [ 130] Thre foot of opon lond on euery side: So shal thow in an acre tabul mette MMM & DC scions sette.

Too fote & half yf they be sette atwynne, V^MD saue twyes twelue [ 135] [135 Ms. thelue, B twelue.] Sarmentes wol fille up the lond withynne An aker tabul tiled by hit selue. And whether thow thi londis ere or delue, Orthward & afterlong extende a lyne, And put a stike in place of euery vine. [ 140]

Then kest adoun thi scions here & there, [fol. 46a.] And ympe in oon in euery stikis place. Oon maner vyn yf all thi londys bere. A wickid yer myght cum & all difface. Do diuers vynes sette in diuerce space [ 145] And wynes goode of iiij or v ha mynde, And seuered by hem self sette euery kynd.

Thy vines old ek graffe hem tabul mele; Hit wol be feyre, hit wol be profitabul; Thus esily their fruites may me dele, [ 150] The rathest rypyng grapes in theyr tabul, That other may cum after as they abul. Thus better wyn & smeller bisinesse Shal be, as knoweth tiliers expresse.

But this in pasty[ny]ng & ered lond [ 155] [155 Ms. pastyng, B pastynyng.] Is rewle, & not ther as be deluis made; Sarmentes there in angles iiij stonde And, as seyth Columelle, hit is to glade Hem, yf the lond be lene in euery slade, With faat erth, yf [pro quamuis.] me fecche hit elliswhere [ 160] ffro places fer or nygh & bryng hit there.

Wyndraf [vinacia.] is good also commyxt with donge; But yf thow sette a plaunte or a sleuyng [plantam vel malliolum.] , Putte in a lytel moysty molde amonge, But do no cley therto for eny thynge. [ 165] Too gemmes vppon erthe eke for to sprynge

To leue is good, the sonner wol they take. Now comth a craft arbustes [arbusta.] for to make.