The Hartlib Papers

Sir,

Insteed of going on, for to make an end of mÿ annotations upon your Legacie, to the end whereoff I am welneer come, I shall at this time step back, for to tell you, that one of Purchas his Pilgrims hauing giuen us most amplie and distinctlie the whole manner of making the cavearr, as maÿ be seen in his 2d tome, pag: [1420.?], your friend will doe well [deleted word] <to> leave that out of the catalogue of those things, which <pag. 81.> he desireth to be informed off by the travels of anie merchant or gentleman: as likewise giue you at large a relation made to me within these few daÿes by a brave English ladie, and an excellent huswife, greatlie confirming and illustrating the practise of feeding cowes with turneps, of which pag. 103. She told me, that at Rouen (where she hath liued a good while) and in all the countrie round about it, they feed their cattel usuallie in this manner. Of turneps (not of the best, but refuse ones, such as veiny worm eaten, or otherwise faultie, are not good for mans meat) they boile a great manie in a greate kettle, whole as theÿ are, with their leaves on their tops, till theÿ be tender, adding thento [great?] good store of bran (of wheat onelie, because that that of Rÿe is scowring, and so not proper for them) and afterwards of the cakes of Rapeseed or Linseed: which cakes hauing a singular facultie of fatning cattel, theÿ put much lesse of them into the mesh for milch cowes (for feare of spoiling their milk) than for other kind. of this theÿ giue them twice adaÿ, so as it maketh the greatest part of their feeding, much more than the haÿ, which theÿ giue them betwixt whiles. and thus theÿ feed them onelie in Wintertime; because that all the summer long theÿ keep them abroad at grasse.    Whether this be used in holland, as your friend saÿeth, I cannot tell of mine own knowledge, hauing neuer there seen it, nor heard of it. but in Fraunce it is of verie old standing, as appeareth bÿ these words of Columella, lib. 2.cap. 10. Rapa non homines solum, verum etiam boves pascunt, præcipue in Gallia, ubi hÿberna cibaria prædictis pecudibus id olus præbet. [De-serres?] doth also speak of it, but verie shortlie, and onelie mentioning it in a word or two: Diverses viandes pour engraisser les boeufs sont adjoustees au foin - - d'autres leur donnent quantitè de raves, crues ou cuites: lib. 4. cap. 9. [mark here and right margin: later addition?] I haue got neuer a letter of you this week, whether it be, that you have not written to me, or that the letter-carrier, who sometimes is somewhat slow, is not come into these quarters yet; the letters, that should haue arrived on tuesdaÿ, not being come till yesterdaÿ.

                             yours at command

                                       M.M.

Paris, saturdaÿ, 6/16 Dec.. 1651.

If you see mÿ sister, you wilbe pleased to tell her, that I wrote unto her bÿ last Wednesdaÿes post, hauing addressed mÿ letters directlie unto herselfe.

For Mr Samuel

Hartlib at his

house at charing

crosse               [another hand:] [1 lbd?]

          London

port