Phisicke against fortune, aswell prosperous, as aduerse conteyned in two bookes. Whereby men are instructed, with lyke indifferencie to remedie theyr affections, aswell in tyme of the bryght shynyng sunne of prosperitie, as also of the foule lowryng stormes of aduersitie. Expedient for all men, but most necessary for such as be subiect to any notable insult of eyther extremitie. Written in Latine by Frauncis Petrarch, a most famous poet, and oratour. And now first Englished by Thomas Twyne.

Of fruitefull, and well tylled lande. The lvii. Dialogue.

IOY.

I Haue fruitefull lande.

Reason.

Vnderstande thereby then the power of hym that maketh fruitful, and so vse the hea∣uenly gyftes, that thou displease not the geuer of them: which thou shalt doo, yf the fruitfulnesse of thy lande, dryue not away the sobrietie and modestie of thy mynde, and thy plentie, be be∣stowed vpon thy freindes and the poore: there is nothing plea∣saunt or sauorie to one that is alone.

Ioy.

I husband most ex∣quisitely fruitful lande.

Reason.

Man ought not to be ser∣uant to the lande, but the lande to man: by meanes of mans transgression, it is come to passe that the earth yeeldeth nothyng to the owner without trauayle: yf it be not husbanded, it bring∣eth foorth but a rough croppe, Burres, Thistles, Bryers, and Thornes: the same to labour with the plough, and by strange manuryng, to make it soft and pliant, mans neede hath enforced. Hereof began husbandrie, which in tymes past was the most ho∣ly and innocent lyfe, but now subiect both to the auncient toyle, and newe vices, synce nothyng hath been left vnsearched by en∣uie and auarice: Townysh vyllanies haue crept into Countrey cottages. Truely it is lykely that husbandmen were the last that waxed wycked: whereof it commeth that the Poet sayth, When Iustice forsooke the earth, she left her last footesteps among them: But it is to be feared, least they that were last euyl, be nowe chiefe: so that yf haply men shoulde one day generally returne to vertue, and the auncient manners of olde tyme, these men woulde then also be last. But nowe I come to the Art of husbandrie, whiche was sometyme had in great pryce, and vsed by men of great callyng and wysedome: wherein, as in many other thyngs, Cato, surnamed Censorius, possesseth an hygh roomth, of whom when it was written, and that most true∣ly, that he was an excellent Senatour, an excellent Oratour, an excellent Captayne, and at length, to the fyllyng vp of his commendacion, it is added, that without comparison or ex∣ample, he was the most excellent Husbandman of his tyme.

Who wyl then be ashamed to tyll the grounde with Cato? who wyl thynke that there is any thyng vnfytting for hym selfe, whi∣che he thought seemely yenough for his person? who besydes the gyftes of his body and mynde, and the glory of his woorthy deedes, had triumphed for conqueryng of Spaine? Who would be ashamed to dryue foorth and cal to his Oxen, whom that voyce draue along in the furrow, whiche had sometyme hartened so many great armies to battayle, and most eloquently defended so many doubtful causes? Who woulde disdayne the plough and the harrowe, whiche that triumphant and Philoso∣phical hande touched, whiche had purchased so many notable victories ouer so many enimies, had wrytten so many excellent woorkes of worthie matter, apparteynyng both to Philosophie, Historie, or common vse of lyfe, as are those bookes which he wrote concernyng this matter whereof we nowe entreate? He was the fyrst amongst you that geathered the preceptes of Husbandrie, and brought them into the fourme of an Art, and set them downe in wrytyng: after whom there folowed many other, whereof some haue aduaunced that poore and symple skyl, in woorthy and excellent verses, whiche nowe callyng to my mynde, and not forgetful of mans necessitie, truely I doo not nowe discommende of Husbandrie. Notwithstandyng, neyther the excellencie of wryters, neyther the feare of pouertie, shal euer constrayne me to iudge it meete to be preferred or matched with the liberal and commendable artes? although the first age of the empire had those that were both valiant captaynes, and good husbandmen, but now by continuance of tyme the case is altered. Howbeit, it happeneth not now through the frailtie of nature, that your wittes are not sufficient to atteyne vnto thynges of so diuers nature: And therefore in this age, I wyll permit that excellent personages geue theyr myndes sometyme to Husban∣drie, not to make it a toyle, or theyr trade of lyuyng, but rather for theyr recreations, & to put greater cares out of theyr heades, as namely, sometyme to graffe the tender twygge vppon the buddyng stocke, or to correct the ranke leaues with the cro∣ked hooke, or to lay quycksettes into the Dyke in hope of increase, or to bryng the syluer streames by newe dygged

furrowes into the thirstie mebowes, I am content to geue these men licence after this maner earnestly to busie them selues, to dygge, and delue: but wholly to apply the minde vnto the earth, vnlesse necessitie constrayne thereunto, I count it vn∣meete and vndecent for a learned and valiaunt man, who can not lyghtly want some matter of more noble exercise. The good mother Nature, when she gaue many artes vnto men, she made a difference also between their wittes and dispositions, that euery one should followe that, where vnto he was most euclyned. Thou shalt finde some one, who beyng of an indiffe∣rent witte, can so cunnyngly eyther tyll the lande, or sayle ouer the seas, that in this behalfe no Philosophers wysedome may be compared to his industrie. It is a follie, and a bootlesse thyng, to contende with another man, not in thyne owne, but in his art: wherein, although otherwyse thou excell hym, and be hygher, as they say, then hee by the head and shoulders, yet thou shalt be founde his vnderlyng, and where thou art su∣periour in the greatest matters, thou mayest easily be ouercome in many small.

Ioy.

This Summer, my lande hath been ve∣rie fruitfull vnto mee.

Reason.

Marke the next, for pre∣sent plentie hath many tymes been a token of future scarcitie. It is a rare matter to fynde prosperitie without intermission.

Ioy.

I haue husbanded my lande diligently.

Reason.

It is well doone, yf thou haddest nothyng els to doo.

Ioy.

I haue trymmed my Vineyarde exquisitely.

Reason.

Perhaps thereby thou hast promised to thy selfe a plentifull vintage: but hast thou also made an agreement with the frost, and hayle?

Ioy.

I haue sowed my grounde thicker then I was woont.

Reason.

Thou shalt feede the moe Cranes and Wildgeese a∣broade, moe Mise and Rattes at home, thou shalt be hoste to foules and woormes, a picker foorth of Darnell, a maker of thy floore, a buylder of barnes, and a seruant to thy reapers and thresshers.

Ioy.

I haue sowed my fieldes plentifully.

Reason.

Be of good hope, thou shalt reape that which thou hast sowed, corne and care∣fulnesse: vnlesse perhaps I may say this more truely, that the come belongeth to many, and the carefulnesse to thee alone: and to speake as the trueth is, the fielde is thy minde, the tillage thyne

intent, the seede thy care, the haruest thy traueyle: these shalt thou finde most plentifull.

Ioy.

I haue well husbanded my lande.

Reason.

I wyll tell thee a thyng that thou mayest woonder at. Those auncient husbandmen, those valiant men that tooke great glorie in Husbandrie, were of opinion that it shoulde be well follo∣wed, but not too well: an incredible thyng perhaps to be hearde, but by proofe of experience founde to be most true, for the pro∣fite scarce counterueyleth the charge, and among the auncient writers, there is a comparison, not vnfit, made betweene a man and a feelde: These twayne yf they be sumptuous, although they be prifitable, the remainder wyl be lytle or nothyng at all, and therefore in that respect, neyther is to be muche regarded.

Ioy.

I till my land with great diligence.

Reason.

I had rather thou diddest till and husband thine owne selfe: but thou, being an earthly creature, louest the earth, whiche is no strange thing, since thou thy selfe shalt make fatte that earth whiche now thou tillest. Tyll and husbande as muche land, and as many trees as thou lyst, yet in the ende, thou shalt not possesse very many feete of grounde, neyther, as sayth Horace, Among those trees whiche thou husban∣dest and tyllest, shall any followe thee their short Maister, besides the hatefull Cypres trees.