An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

The fyrst Chapiter. ¶The inuencion of husbandry with other thinges concernyng the same.

HVSBANDRY or tyllynge the ground Diodo∣rus sayeth,* 1.1 was excogitat by Di¦onisius amonge the Egyptians,* 1.2 In Grece & A∣sia by Triptole∣mus: as Iustine writeth,* 1.3 in Italy Sa∣turnus: but Virgil wytnesseth, that Ceres was fyrst inuentrice of it. Ne∣uertheles Iosephus declareth that it was perceiued and founde by Cain Adams eldest sōne.* 1.4 In the beginnyng men liued by Acornes,* 1.5 and other fru∣tes of the yearth tyl Ceres, as Plinie telleth, taught thē of Athens, Italy, & Sicilie to sowe corne, whiche afore grewe among other herbes. Diodo∣rus referreth the inuencion of it to Isis. Albeit, Iustine affyrmeth that Triptolemus found it in the tyme of Herichtheus kyng of Athens, but Di¦odorus

saieth he lerned of Ceres, and had commaundemente to teache it a∣broade. In Italy Saturne instituted sowyng as Macrobie testifyeth, Pi∣tumnus taught men fyrst to mucke & compasse their land, and his brother Pilumnus taught menne to bake and grynde,* 1.6 but Plinie saieth that Arge∣us a kyng in Grece taught menne to dunge their lādes in the tyme of Ho∣mere.* 1.7 And Hercules afterwarde pu∣blished it in Italy. Diodorus witne∣seth that Dionisius the seconde yo∣ked oxen to the plough fyrst, wheras afore it was laboured by hande,* 1.8 Bri∣ges an Athenien, or as some reporte Triptolemus, & some say one Osiris found the plough: Trogus dyd saye that it was Habis kyng of Spayne that taught fyrst to plowe and sowe.* 1.9 Instrumentes of husbandry, as Vir∣gyl supposeth Ceres founde out,* 1.10 but we must take it that these men afore rehersed dyd teache it fyrst in sundry places, for it is manyfest that afore their tyme the Hebrues and Egypti∣ans had knowledge of this science, As Iacob, when there was a greate derth of corne in Canaā, sent his son∣nes

into Egipt to bie grain. And ther¦fore without doubt the Hebrues dyd fyrste fynde out the waye of tyllyng corne, grindyng with other rustical instrumentes: Syues & sarces of here we••e found in Fraunce,* 1.11 as Plinie tel∣leth, and bultres of linnen in Spaine In Egipt they were made of fenne ri¦shes, and bulrishes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Husbandry.
• * 1.2

  Dionisius.
• * 1.3

  Triptolemus
• * 1.4

  Cain.
• * 1.5

  Men liued by acornes.

  Ceres.

  Corne sow∣yng.
• * 1.6

  Bakyng and grindyng.
• * 1.7

  Dungyng land.
• * 1.8

  Yokyng oxen
• * 1.9

  Plough.
• * 1.10

  Instrumētes of husbandry
• * 1.11

  Siues and sarces.