seuerall parts and members of an ordinarie Plough, and of the
ioyning of them together._

If a workeman of any trade, or mistery, cannot giue directions how, and
in what manner, the tooles where with he worketh should be made or
fashioned, doubtlesse hee shall neuer worke well with them, nor know
when they are in temper and when out. And so it fareth with the
Husbandman, for if hee know not how his Plough should be made, nor the
seuerall members of which it consisteth, with the vertue and vse of
euery member, it is impossible that euer hee should make a good furrow,
or turne ouer his ground in Husbandly manner: Therefore that euery
Husbandman may know how a well shaped Plough is made, he shall
vnderstand that the first member thereof, as being the strongest and
most principallest peece of timber belonging to the same, is called the
Plough-beame, being a large long peece of timber much bending, according
to the forme of this figure.

{Illustration}

This beame hath no certaine length nor thicknesse, but is proportioned
according to the ground, for if it be for a clay ground the length is
almost seauen foote, if for any other mixt or lighter earth, then fiue
or sixe foote is long inough.

The second member or part of the Plough, is called the skeath, and is a
peece of woode of two foote and a halfe in length, and of eight inches
in breadth, and two inches in thicknesse: it is driuen extreamly hard
into the Plough-beame, slopewise, so that ioyned they present this
figure.

{Illustration}

The third part is called the Ploughes principall hale, and doth belong
to the left hand being a long bent peece of woode, some what strong in
the midst, and so slender at the vpper end that a man may easily gripe
it, which being fixed with the rest presenteth this figure.

{Illustration}

The fourth part is the Plough head, which must be fixed with the sheath
& the head all at one instant in two seuerall mortisse holes: it is a
flat peece of timber, almost three foote in length if it be for clay
ground, otherwise shorter, of breadth seauen inches, and of thicknesse
too inches and a halfe, which being ioyned to the rest presenteth this
figure.

{Illustration}

The fift part is the Plough spindels, which are two small round pieces
of woode, which coupleth together the hales, as in this figure.

{Illustration}

The sixt part is the right hand hale, through which the other end of the
spindels runne, and is much slenderer th