The Theatre of Agriculture and Field Husbandry

...property of the King, of a Church, property subject to substitution or restitution; that of a married woman; of a minor; of one indebted and mortgaged; of a madman; of a spendthrift; so that the more cheerfully you may repair and arrange it, the less you will have to fear either the envy of the future or that such property could ever be evicted meaning legally reclaimed or seized by anyone. Remind yourself also that he who acquires well, enjoys well, and that if there are foolish sellers, there are also foolish buyers. Therefore, weighing these circumstances, without heating or cooling yourself beyond reason, making haste slowly original: "hastant lentement," a translation of the Latin "festina lente," a motto emphasizing the balance of speed and caution., you will negotiate in this matter with restrained diligence, so that once the opportunity has passed, you have no cause for regret for having exceeded in one direction or the other.

CHAP. III.

A decorative drop cap 'A' at the beginning of Chapter III, featuring intricate foliage and floral patterns within a square frame.
After the knowledge of the Soils follows their measurement, of which our householder Mesnager: the master of the estate or head of the household must not be ignorant. For although this is a profession of public administration referring to official surveying, with which we do not wish him to meddle, it is nonetheless necessary that he understands what he buys, and knows what he has, in order to sow his lands every year with judgment: giving them more or less seed depending on whether they are strong or weak, so as not to be forced to rely on the word of his servants. Leaving, therefore, to the surveyors the most exquisite skill of measuring well, we will treat it in passing, as much as will suffice for the use of the good householder.

Various portions for the measurement of lands.

LAND IS MEASURED by portions: these portions have various names according to the region, having become diversified over time. The most common among us today are Arpents, Saumées, Asnées, Journals, Sesterces, Acres, and Yokes-of-oxen original: "Couples-de-boeufs," a unit based on what a team of oxen could plow in a day., which nevertheless have different measurements according to different countries. It is not necessary to speak more subtly of these, nor of the different ways of proceeding with Surveying original: "Arpentage" representing the customs of the provinces. Only for our purpose, serving as an example, shall we employ here the Arpent of the Isle de France and the Saumée of certain parts of Languedoc, to take counsel upon those measures; so as to make use of all others, in whatever country one may be, a thing easy for any man of spirit.

The Muid of grain, Paris measure.

The Saumée of Languedoc, for grain.

Now, just as there is a difference in the measures of land, differing from province to province, so too are those for grain original: "bled," usually referring to wheat or the primary cereal crop of the region.. The Muid of grain, Paris measure, contains twelve setiers; the setier, two mines; the mine, two minots; the minot, three bushels original: "boisseaux"; the bushel, four quarters; the quarter, four litrons; the litron, two half-litrons; the half-litron, eighteen poulceons small volumetric units, likely related to the width of a thumb. The Saumée of certain parts of Languedoc—which is the one we intend to use here, being common both for the grain and for the land that produces it—is four setiers; the setier, two emines; the emine, two quarterons; the quarteron, four civadiers (also called bushels), divided by halves. Elsewhere in Languedoc, the Saumée is only three setiers and one quarteron; in others, two setiers suffice: but throughout that region...