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

De carduo. ix capitulum.

The gardeyn now to tile is best bygynne. [127 Rubric] Ms. cardirco.] The tasul [carduus.] now in donged lond is sowe And resolute. In faat best vp they wynne.

The molde [talpa.] & other suche as diggeth lowe [ 130] Anoy hem not, in hard lond yf they growe. To sowe hem in the wexing of the mone, And half a foote asonder, is to done.

The tasul seed ynuerse is not to sette, Lest croked, feynt, & hard of hit ascende; [ 135] Sette hem not depe—oonly iij fyngris mette On hem, vnto the ioynt in lond descende, And hele [operias.] hem light. Ek weede hem ofte anende Vntil the plaunte vp gete, & bigly sprynge; And yeue hem in the hete a watteringe. [ 140]

Breke of the seedes toppe, and they wol be [fol. 68a.] Withoute thorn. Her seed yf me reclyne In baume, or narde, or opi [opio.] daies thre, Or Iuce of rose, other in masticyne, Or madifie hit so in oil lauryne, [ 145] Let drie hem, sowe hem, vp by oon assent They wol, and haue odour like her vnguent.

And yeerly from the codde awey let take The plauntes, lest their moder feynted be. In other place a boord [vel a bedde.] of hem let make; [ 150] But sumdel of the roote on hem thou se. And hem that shal of seedes puruey thee, Pulle euery blacke away that thou may fynde, And wrie hem with a shelle other a rynde,

For sonne or rayn the seed is wont to sle. [ 155] ffor moldywarpes [talpis.] cattes [catos.] is to kepe To ligge in wayte to touche hem with her cle [ungula.] . A wesel [mustelam.] tame han summen ther they crepe Hem forto take. Another sumdel depe Hath caues maad, and they, for ferd of sonne [ 160] On hem let in, anoon away beth ronne.

Her holes oon wel filleth vp with wilde Cucumber [cucumeris.] Iuce, and doth withal rubrike. A green [laqueum.] another hath for hem ytilde; To take hem therwithal is not vnlike. [ 165] Garlec [allium.] , cunel [cunula.] , ek oynouns [cepule.] & vlpike [ul∣picus.] , Now sette in places colde. Senuey [sinapi.] and dile [anetum.] , Ek wortes now to sowe is grettest skile.

Now holyhocke is sowe & armorace, [fol. 69.] Or arborace that wilde raues [rafani.] are, [ 170] And origon now plaunte hym in his place; Now lekes [porrum.] , betes [betas.] , letuce [lac∣tucam.] , & capare [caparum.] Sauri [saturagia.] , colcase [colcasia.] , & cresses [narstucium.;] noman spare This goldes outher raues forto sowe; And blesse hit, treste in God that al shal growe. [ 175]

Now melon [melonum.] seed too foote atwene is sette In places wel ywrought or pastynate; But daies thre this seed is good bewette In mylk or meth [mulso.] ; and after desiccate Sette hem, they wol be swete. Ek odorate [ 180] To make hem, kepe hem long in leues drie Of roses; hem they wol odorifie.

Cvcumber [cucumer.] in this mone is sowen rare, [183 Initial C such as is used for the first word of a new chapter, but embracing only one verse.] Her forgh [sulcus.] a foote of depth, iij foote of brede; And enter [inter.] forgh & forgh, viij footes spare [ 185] Of leyes [crudum.] , that theryn they forth may sprede. The weed wol help hem, therof is no drede. Their seed in owes mylke [ouillo lacte.] & meth to swelle [s. maceracione.] , Wol make hem whyte & therof taste & smelle.

They wol be long & tender yf me sette [ 190] A flatt [vel brood.] vessel with water too hond depe Vnder their seed; therof vp wol be fette By rootes, and in length awey they crepe. Withouten seed [vel core.] who liketh hem to kepe, With oil Sabyne enoynte her seed and bray [ 195] Culex, an herbe, and hem therin confray. [vel confricant.]

Cucumber flour of summen into a reed, [fol. 69a.] Ythrollid euery knotte, is softe ydo; The floures stalkes heed withal is heed Theryn, and passing long his fruyt wol go. [ 200] It is so ferd of oiles, that therfro Hit hoketh, yf me sette hit nygh thervnder: And turne hit wole for fere, yf that hit thonder.

Cucumber flour ek growing in his vyne Into sum erthen potte yf that me lede, [ 205] Maad like a man, or best fers or benygne, The fruyt wol haue benygnite or drede As man or best, as hath the potte in dede. Gorgilianus Marcial doth telle [209 Ms. Macial, B Marcial.] Al this, and this of hem seith Columelle. [ 210]

In glaad lond donged yf we ha the brere [rubos.] [211 Ms. weha.] Or ferule [ferula.] , after heruest, whan oon with [212 Left margin: fferula similis est aneto, sed minor et levissima nodosa, quam senes pro baculo ferunt.] The nyght is day, let cutte hem of right nere The grounde; and with a prick of tre the pith Pike out, and make hem holgh, ek do in sith [ 215] Donge & cucumber seed: therof wol the ffruyt that withseid [denegare.] may not in coldes be.

Sperage is sowe aboute April Kalende In redes [fossulis.] smale, ymaad by lyne, in wete

And fat lond, so that seedes too descende [ 220] In half a foote, or thre theryn thou lete; And sprede on hit aboue of donge a shete. And weede hem wel, or keste vppon hem stre Til prime ver; ther may hit take [of] be. [224 Ms. take be, B take of be.]

Therof sperage after iij yeer wole sprynge. [ 225] [fol. 70.] This tyme is longe—a shorter wey ther is These herbes of her sponges vp to bringe, ffor thei wol fructifie anoon. And this Is crafte of making sponges & not mys: Do seed as moche as iij fyngres wol holde [ 230] In euery hole of fatte & donged molde [terre.] .

This seedis wol connect intil oon roote [vel radicem.] , [232 Ms. wel, B wol.] This calle [vel clepe.] a sponge. Ek this hath tariynge; The semynair in, too yeer most hit roote [radicare.] Ynorished with donge & oft wedynge. [ 235] ffrom heruest equynoxe is his plauntynge And ek in ver. But it is lesse vice To beye hem, than so longe in lond cherice.

In solghes [sulcis.] sette hem, myddel depe in drie [239 Ms. solughes, B solghes.] Lond and in weet lond in the summyte [summitate.] [ 240] [240 lond] begins with minuscule after space left for majuscule.] Aboue. Humour wol make hem multiplie, So that hit passe & not abydyng be. The first sperage of brokon is to se; Their sponge, yf that me pulde hem, myght remewe; But after, hem to pulle, is not teschewe. [ 245]

The eyen [oculos.] of their germynacioun With pullyng wol disclose after the ferme [primum.] Yer, and to breke hem occupacioun That tyme is nought; for thy sette hit to ferme [ad firmam.] ,

Places fecounde hem seluen closeth ferme [firme.] [ 250] By brekyng so. In ver is their seruynge. Reserue in heruest hem that seed shal brynge.

Now rue is sowe in lond that is plesaunt [aprico.] [fol. 70a.] Sprynge aske on hem & content they abide; And places hie is their desir to haunt, [ 255] Ther humour may aweyward from hem slide. Seed yf me sette ek that their leues hide Enclosed, frote hem by & by with hond; And smale yf seedis be, sprynge hem in lond,

And ouerwrie hem after with a rake. [ 260] The caules that of seed encluse vp wynde Wol bigger be, but latter they awake. Their bowes puld with parcell of the rynde In ver, better than plauntes shaltow fynde. Transplaunte al hool the plaunte, & it is slaye [occiditur.] . [ 265] And other [s. quidam.] benes bowes al to braye [contundunt.] ,

And theryn or in scalons [vel bulles (B bulbes).] forth they sette Her seed. And best for hem is solute londe. They seyn ek stolon seed is but the bette. In figtre shadow gladdest wol hit stonde. [ 270] Ne delue [neffodias.] awey the weed, but pull with honde. [271 Ms. Nedelue, B Ne delue.] fful ferd is hit for touching of vnclene Wymmen—and slottes y suppose hit mene.

Til October from thyngresse [ingressu.] of this mone, Is coriaunder sowe in fatty lond; [ 275] And thelder seed the better wol hit done. In lene soil also they wol vp stonde. They were ek glaad good humour whan thei fonde. With euyri kynde of wortes wol they growe. This gourdes [cucurbita.] in this mone also beth sowe; [ 280]

Faat soil they loue, ydonged, molsh, [solutam.] humyde. [fol. 71.] In gourdes [cucurbitas.] this is goodly: that the longe Gourdes growe of the necke seed, and wide Gourdes vp of the botteme [fundi.] seed beth spronge, And grete out of the wombe seedes, honge [ 285] Inverse her seed. To this entent let sowe, And helpe hem vp with rayles, as they growe.

Gourdes for seed til wynter honge stille; Hem thanne in sonne or smoke hit is to drie, And ellis wol they rote, and that were ille. [ 290] Ech erthe ywrought, now blite wol multiplie, And weede hit not, hit self wol weedes strie; That though thee liste, yf hit be ones spronge, Thou shalt hit not destroye in worldes longe.

Now peletur [sappillum (sic).] to plaunte is and to sowe; [ 295] But in his age hit wol be bowed fayer, By ponde [pissinam.] or lake or wynche yf that hit growe So by the brynke. Anyes [aniscum (sic).] in gladsum ayer, And comyn [cummin (? ciminun for ciminum).] sowe hem now, ther is their leyer, And helpe hem wel with humour & dongynge. [ 300] Now comth the craft pomgarnat vp to brynge.