After this section I. R. inserts a quantity of additional matter, which he tells us (at p. 174) is drawn from his ‘owne experience in byrds and foules.’ The additional chapters treat of choice of cocks, hens for brood, number of eggs to each hen, chickens, diseases of poultry (especially of the pip), choice of poultry, how to fat poultry, how to make capons, where to keep poultry, how to choose, keep, and fatten geese, how to keep ducks, peacocks, ‘ginny or turkie-cocks,’ pigeons, pheasants, turtles, partridges, and swans; after which digression he returns to his text. I may remark that he considers it essential that a hen should sit upon an odd number of eggs, say 19, and that matters should be so arranged as to provide for the hatching of chickens ‘in the increase of the Moone.’ The leaves of a bay-tree, ‘or els some Bents or Grasse,’ will preserve eggs ‘from the hurt of thunder.’ Chickens ought not ‘to be breathed vpon by any Snake, Toade, or other venomous thing’; if they are, you must quickly burn amongst them some ‘Galbanum, or womans hayre.’ Those that have the pip should be dieted on Hearbgrace [rue] or garlic. Geese ‘are more watchfull then Doggs.’ ‘You must vse in the time of brooding, to lay vnder your egges [of geese] the rootes of Nettles, to the end the Gosling may escape stinging of Nettles, which otherwise many times killeth them.’ If geese are to have fat livers, feed them on dry figs mingled with water. Ducks chiefly delight in acorns. If you praise a peacock, ‘he will presently sette vp his taile.’ A turkey-cock ‘is very highly esteemed of, both for his rarenesse and greatnes of body;’ and we are told that he changes the colour of the wrinkled skin about his head at pleasure, either to white, red, blue, yellow, ‘or what other colour els hee list; which thing maketh him seeme wonderfull st[r]ange to them that behold it.’ ... ‘Their greatest diseases is the Pip and the Squecke.’ As to pigeons, ‘I haue knowne some that haue builded their Doue-houses vpon high pillars ouer the midst of some Pond or great water, both because they delight much in water, and also to keepe them the safer from vermine.’ Swans ‘will, when they waxe olde, declare the time of their own death to be neere approching, by a sweete and lamentable note which they then sing.’
145. 15. I. R. has—‘Wherefore it is conuenient (I say) that they loue each other as effectually as loue can in the best sence comprehend: and this worke especiallie, a woman is bound both by law and nature to performe.’ Why so?
146. I. R. omits ll. 2–7; he was certainly a Protestant.
8. redy. This is the old word for dressed, as might be shewn by many examples. It may suffice to say that I. R. explains araye theym in l. 11 by make them ready.
10. socle] suckle. I. R. omits sye vp thy mylke, which he probably did not understand.
13. I. R. omits and take thy parte with theym; and, for serue thy swyne (l. 20) he puts looke to the seruing of thy Swine. Customs were probably changing.
31. the gleyd] Kites. And fullymartes is omitted.
35. After eate, I. R. adds—in Sallets, or otherwise.