  Man is born to labour. Sit ista questio. This is the questyon, whervnto is euerye manne ordeyned? And as Job saythe, Homo nascitur ad laborem, sicut auis ad volandum: That is to saye, a man is ordeyned and borne to do labour, as 4 a bird is ordeyned to flye. And the Apostle saythe, Qui non laborat, non manducet: Debet enim in obsequio dei laborare, qui de bonis eius vult manducare: That is to saye, He that laboureth not should not eat. he that laboureth not, shulde not eate, and he ought to 8 labour and doo goddes warke, that wyll eate of his goodes or gyftes. The whiche is an harde texte after the lyterall sence. For by the letter, the kynge, the quene, nor all other lordes spirituall and temporal shuld not eate, without 12 they shuld labour, the whiche were vncomely, and not conuenyente for suche estates to labour. But who The Book of the Chess that redeth in the boke of the moralytes of the chesse, shal therby perceyue, that euerye man, from the hyest 16 is divided into six degrees, degree to the lowest, is set and ordeyned to haue labour and occupation; and that boke is deuyded in vi. degrees,viz. king, queen, bishops, knights, judges, and yeomen, knightes, the iudges, and the yomenne. In the which 20 boke is shewed theyr degrees, theyr auctorytyes, theyr warkes, and theyr occupations, and what they ought to do. And they so doynge, and executynge theyr auctorytyes, warkes, and occupatyons, haue a wonders great 24 concerning which it is too long to write. study and labour, of the whiche auctorytyes, occupations, and warkes, were at this tyme to longe to wryte. Wherfore I remytte that boke as myn auctour therof: The whiche boke were necessary to be knowen of euery 28 degree, that they myghte doo and ordre them selfe accordynge As the yeomen defend the rest, I shall speak of husbandry. to the same. And in so moche the yomen in the sayde moralytyes and game of the chesse be set before to labour, defende, and maynteyne all the other 32 hyer estates, the whiche yomen represent the common people, as husbandes and labourers, therfore I purpose to speake fyrste of husbandrye. Finis. |
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