erstand, that generally
there are but two soyles for him to regard, for in them consisteth the
whole Arte of Husbandry: as namely, the open and loose earth, and the
close and fast binding earth, and these two soyles being meare opposites
and contraries, most necessarily require in the Husbandman a double
vnderstanding, for there is no soyle, of what simplicitie or mixture
soeuer it be, but it is either loose or fast.

Now to giue you my meaning of these two words, _loose_ and _fast_, it
is, that euery soyle which vpon parching and dry weather, euen when the
Sunne beames scorcheth, and as it were baketh the earth, if then the
ground vpon such exceeding drought doe moulder and fall to dust, so that
whereas before when it did retaine moisture it was heauie, tough, and
not to be seperated, now hauing lost that glewinesse it is light, loose,
and euen with a mans foote to be spurnd to ashes, all such grounds are
tearmed loose and open grounds, because at no time they doe binde in or
imprison the seede (the frost time onely excepted, which is by
accidence, and not from the nature of the soyle:) and all such grounds
as in their moisture or after the fall of any sodaine raine are soft,
plyable, light, and easie to be wrought, but after when they come to
loose that moistnesse and that the powerfulnesse of the Sunne hath as it
were drid vp their veynes, if then such earths become hard, firme, and
not to be seperated, then are those soyles tearmed fast and binding
soyles, for if there ardors be not taken in their due times, and their
seede cast into them in perfect and due seasons, neither is it possible
for the Plowman to plow them, nor for the seede to sprout through, the
earth being so fastned and as it were stone-like fixt together. Now
sithence that all soyles are drawne into these two heads, fastnes, and
loosenesse, and to them is annexed the diuersitie of all tillage, I will
now show the simple Husbandman which earths be loose, and which fast,
and how without curiositie to know and to distinguish them.

Breifely, all soyles that are simple and of themselues vncompounded, as
namely, all claies, as blacke, white, gray, or blew, and all sands, as
either red, white, or blacke, are open and loose soyles: the claies
because the body and substance of them being held together by moistnes,
that moisture being dryed vp, their strength and stifnesse decayeth, and
sands by reason of their naturall lightnesse, which wanting a more moist