The English Husbandman (The Second Booke) / - Gervase Markham

The choyce of the Cocke for battell.
The breeding of the battell Cocke.
The dyeting of Cockes for battell.
Of taking vp Cockes.
Of the Cocke-penne.
Of his dyet.
Of sparring of Cockes.
The stouing of Cockes.
Of the best dyet-bread.
Of the best scowring.
The matching of Cockes.
The preparing Cockes to the fight.
The ordering of Cockes after the battell, and the curing them.

FINIS.

THE FIRST PART of the second Booke of the English Husbandman: Contayning the Ordering of the Kitchin-garden, and the planting of strange Flovvers.

Chap. I.

How the Husbandman shall iudge and fore-know all kinde of Weathers, and other seasons of the yeere.

Although GOD out of his infinite prouidence, is the onely directer and ruler of all things, gouerning the yéeres, dayes, minutes and seasons of the yeere according to the power of his Will: yet for as much as hee hath giuen vs his Creatures, and placed the Celestiall bodies to holde their influences in vs, and all things else which haue increasement, reuealing vnto vs from their motions, the alteration and qualities of euery season, it shall be very behouefull for euery Husbandman to know the signes and tokens of euery particular season, as when it is likely to Raine, when Snow, when Thunder, when the Winds will rise, when the Winter will rage, & when the Frosts will haue the longest continuance, that fashioning his labours, according to the temperature or distemperature of the weather, hee may with good iudgement and aduise, eschew many euils which succéede rash and vnfore-looking actions.

Of Rayne.

To speake then first of the generall signes of Raine, you shall vnderstand that the olde Husbandmen did obserue rules generall, and rules speciall: the generall rules were such as concerned eyther all, most, or a great part of the whole yéere: the rules speciall, those which concerned dayes, houres, and times present: of which I will first speake in this place.