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Augustus Dayes 31

AUGUST.

NOw do the Reapers try their Backs and their Arms, and the lufty Youths pitch the sheafs into the Cart, the Fur∣menty pot welcomes home the Harvest Cart, and the Garland of Flowers crowns the Captain of the Reapers; the Battel of the Field is now stoutly fought, and the proud Rye must stoop to the Sickle; the Sun is somwhat towards his Declination, yet such is his heat, as hardneth the soft Clay, dries up the standing Ponds, withereth the sappy Leaves, and scorcheth the skin of the Naked; now begin the Gleaners to follow the Corn-Cart, and a little Bread to a great deal of Drink makes the Travellers Dinner; the Melon and the Cucumber are now in their season, and Oyl and Vinegar dance attendance to the Sallad-herbs; the Ale-house is more frequented then the Tavern, and a gently gliding River is more comfortable then a fiery Furnace; the Bath is now much visited by diseased bodies, and in the fair Ri∣vers, swimming is a sweet exercise; the Bowe, and the Bowl pick many a purse, and the Cocks with their heels kick away many a mans wealth: Zephyrus now with his sweet breath cools and perfumes the parching beams of Titan, while the ripened Fruits dangling down the Boughs, shew the wealth and the beauty of the Earth; the Pipe and the Taber are now busily set a work, and the Lad and the Lass will have no lead on their heels; the new Wheat makes the Gossips Cake, and the Bride-Cup is carryed above the heads of the whole Parish; O 'tis the merry time wherein honest Neighbours make good cheer, and God is glorified in his blessings on the Earth. In sum, for that I finde, I thus conclude, August is the worlds welfare, and the Earths warming pan; or thus, I hold it to be the Heavens boun∣ty, Earths beauty, and the Worlds benefit.

Apply your selves now to your Harvest, for if ye had as many hands as Briarius, they must all turn Corn-cutters; Shear down your Wheat and Rye, and Mowe your Barley and Oats; but have a care your early Sickle prevents not the maturation and ripening of your Corn. And as I would not you should reap too Page  38 green, so neither would I you should gather it wet, for moist or unhardned Corn when it is sheafed up close together, or stackt, or mowed up, sorthwith gathereth heat, and either setteth the Co•n on fite, Or else the moisture being in less quantity, and not apt to flame, yet it corrupteth the Grain, and Straw, and bringeth a stinking mouldiness or rottenne•s, so that the grain either becomes dung or dirt, or at best it is so stinking and un∣savoury, that it is good for no use or purpose, as is daylie to be seen, where careless Husbands gather in their Corn without re∣spect or Government, making the old Proverb true, that Haste bri•gs Waste.

The cure and prevention of this inconvenience, is the well-husbanding and managing of the Harvest, first with a careful and well-judging eye to look upon your Corn, and to know by the hanging downward of the Ear, whether it be ripe or not; for when it is so, it will look as it were back again to the ground, then to look into the cleanness of the Corn, as whether it be full of greeness, as grass, weeds, and such like; or clean of it self, without any mixture; If you finde there be any weeds mixt with it, then you may reap it so much the sooner, though the kernel be not so well hardened as you could wish; but ha∣ving shorn it so full of weeds, by no means sheaf it, but spread∣ing it thin in the Sun, let the grass wither all the day, which when you perceive to change colour, and grow dry, then binde it up in sheafs, and let it lye single a day, that the Wind and Sun may get into it, and dry the greeness more sufficiently, then lay it in shocks of six or eight sheafs a piece, and in those shocks turn the Ears so inward, that the other bigger ends may defend them from rain, wet, or dew that may fall upon them; then a day or two after lay them in shocks of twenty, or four and twenty sheafs a piece, and in those shocks let them take a Sweat; then b•eak them open in a bright Sun-shine day, and let the Ayr pass thorow them to dry them, fo•thwith lead the Grain home, and either house or stack it, and (be sure) when thus ordered and dryed, it can never take hurt.

Now ye may make the second return of your fat Sheep and Cattel; Gather all your greater Summer fruits, Plumbs, Apples, and Pears, make your Perry and Cyder; set slips of all sorts of Page  39 Gilly-flowers, and Siens of other Flowers, and transplant them that were set the Spring before; and at the end of this moneth, begin to winter-rig all fruitful soyls whatsoever; you may now also very seasonably geld your Lambs, carry Manure from your Dove-cots, and put your Swine to the early or first Mast.

They that would have good seeds for their Gardens next Year, must now gather of their own, lest in buying their expecta∣tion be frustrate, and so they lose their labour, and their layings out; and such as desire to have Lettice, or other Herbs for the Winter, they must sow their seeds in the Increase of the Moon.

In August moderate diet is good Physick, for now there is danger of surfets, and take heed of heats, and then colds, for it is the high way to a Pleurisie, and use not to sleep much, especially after Noons, for fear of oppilations, and stopping Flegme, and for the avoiding of Agues, Head-ach, and Catarhs; avoid Phy∣sick, unless necessity compells, and abstain from Wine, shun Feasts and Banquets, and only take delight in diet and drinks that are cool, and temperate.

I had a touch at your Recreations before, and that your Cock may not kick your Coyn out of your pocket, I shall give you some marks to choose a good one by; know then, that the best characters observable in a fighting Cock, are his shape, colour, courage, and sharp heel; for his shape, the middle size is ever accounted best, because they be ever most matchable strong, nimble, and ready for your pleasure in his battel; and so the exceeding little Cock is as hard to match, and is commonly weak, and tedious in his manner of fighting; He would be of a proud and upright shape, with a small head, like a Spar-Hawk, quick large eye, and a strong back crookt, and big at the setting on, and in colour sutable to the plume of his feathers, as black, yellow, or reddish; the beam of his leg would be very strong, and according to his plume, blew, gray, or yellow, his spurs long, rough, and sharp, and a little bending, and looking inward; for his colour, the gray pyle, the yellow pyle, or the red with the blanck breast, is esteemed the best, the pyde is not so good, and the white and dun are the worst; if he be red about the head like scarlet, it is a signe of lust, strength, and courage; but if he be pale it is a signe of sickness and faintness; for his Courage, Page  40 you shall observe it in his walk, by his treading, and the pride of his going, and in his Pen by his oft Crowing; for the sharp∣ness of his heel, it is only seen in his fighting, for that Cock is said to be sharp or narrow heel'd, which every time he riseth, hitteth and draws blood of his adversary, gilding his spurs in blood, and threatning at every blow an end of the Battel. I wish you such a Cock. Farewell.