too long; yet many
among them take such pleasure in it, that they desire leave to continue
in it many years. These husbandmen till the ground, breed cattle, hew
wood, and convey it to the towns, either by land or water, as is most
convenient. They breed an infinite multitude of chickens in a very
curious manner; for the hens do not sit and hatch them, but vast number
of eggs are laid in a gentle and equal heat, in order to be hatched, and
they are no sooner out of the shell, and able to stir about, but they
seem to consider those that feed them as their mothers, and follow them
as other chickens do the hen that hatched them. They breed very few
horses, but those they have are full of mettle, and are kept only for
exercising their youth in the art of sitting and riding them; for they
do not put them to any work, either of ploughing or carriage, in which
they employ oxen; for though their horses are stronger, yet they find
oxen can hold out longer; and as they are not subject to so many
diseases, so they are kept upon a less charge, and with less trouble;
and even when they are so worn out, that they are no more fit for
labour, they are good meat at last. They sow no corn, but that which is
to be their bread; for they drink either wine, cyder, or perry, and
often water, sometimes boiled with honey or liquorice, with which they
abound; and though they know exactly how much corn will serve every
town, and all that tract of country which belongs to it, yet they sow
much more, and breed more cattle than are necessary for their
consumption; and they give that overplus of which they make no use to
their neighbours. When they want anything in the country which it does
not produce, they fetch that from the town, without carrying anything in
exchange for it. And the magistrates of the town take care to see it
given them; for they meet generally in the town once a month, upon a
festival day. When the time of harvest comes, the magistrates in the
country send to those in the towns, and let them know how many hands
they will need for reaping the harvest; and the number they call for
being sent to them, they commonly despatch it all in one day.

OF THEIR TOWNS, PARTICULARLY OF AMAUROT.

He that knows one of their towns, knows them all, they are so like one
another, except where the situation makes some difference. I shall
therefore describe one of them; and none is so proper as Amaurot; for as
none is more eminent, all the rest yi