PREFACE.

...quility in Heaven. These things having been briefly represented, it remains only, in closing, to sketch the general plan of this whole great Discourse, in order to treat each matter in its proper Place, following this order:

IN THE FIRST PLACE, I wish to instruct our Head of the Household original: "Pere-de-famille." In early modern French thought, this refers to the master of an estate, responsible for its economic success and the moral guidance of those living upon it. on how to properly understand the soil he desires to cultivate; how to house himself well, and how to lead his family. This is the goal of all of Man’s labor in this life.

IN THE SECOND, since Bread is the principal food for the nourishment of Man, I will show him the means to cultivate the earth well, in order to have all types of Grains original: "Bleds." A general term for cereal crops, primarily wheat, but encompassing all grains used for bread. suitable for this use, as well as Legumes which serve greatly for the maintenance of the Rural Household.

IN THE THIRD, seeing as eating alone does not nourish Man, but that one must also drink to live, and as Wine is the most common and most healthy beverage, I will teach him the manner of properly planting and cultivating his Vineyard, to obtain Wine, to make and keep it; and to draw other benefits from Grapes; also regarding other Drinks, for those who live under a climate original: "aer," literally "air," but referring to the local environment or atmospheric conditions. unsuitable for the Vine.

IN THE FOURTH, because Livestock original: "Bestail." brings a very great profit to the Husbandman, to feed him, clothe him, serve him, and make him wealthy; I will arrange his Meadows and other Pastures for him, so as to maintain plenty of Livestock there, and I will show the manner of raising and managing every sort of four-footed Beast, with advantageous and praiseworthy profit.

IN THE FIFTH, to further provide Meat to the Husbandman, I will arrange for him the Poultry-yard, the Dovecote, the Warren, the Park, the Pond, and the Bee-yard or Apiary. And to make him experience the liberality of Nature all the more, I will clothe and furnish him pompously, by giving him the skill to have an abundance of Silk, from which he will also draw great sums of money, and this through the admirable artifice of the worms that vomit it all spun, being nourished by the leaf of the Mulberry tree. Moving further, in order to leave nothing behind that belongs to the capacity of such a tree, I will show him the means of drawing profit from its Bark, converting it into material for making ropes and cloths of all kinds, the invention of which will bring great convenience to the family.

IN THE SIXTH, in order to give him, alongside necessary convenience, honest pleasure, I will lay out Gardens for him, from which he will draw, as from a living spring, Herbs, Flowers, Fruits, and Simples original: "Simples." Medicinal plants or herbs used for healing, so named because they were used "simply" on their own rather than in complex mixtures. or medicinal herbs. Following this, I will build an Orchard for him, and plant and graft his Trees, to make them capable of bearing an abundance of good and precious fruits. Also of the places...