stockings, hose, and jerkin of the wool of his
own sheep's backs; that never (by his pride of apparel) caused mercer,
draper, silk-man, embroiderer, or haberdasher to break and turn
bankrupt: and yet this plain home-spun fellow keeps and maintains
thirty, forty, fifty servants, or perhaps, more, every day relieving
three or fourscore poor people at his gate; and besides all this, can
give noble entertainment for four or five days together to five or six
earls and lords, besides knights, gentlemen and their followers, if they
be three or four hundred men, and horse of them, where they shall not
only feed but feast, and not feast but banquet, this is a man that
desires to know nothing so much, as his duty to God and his King, whose
greatest cares are to practise the works of piety, charity, and
hospitality: he never studies the consuming art of fashionless fashions,
he never tries his strength to bear four or five hundred acres on his
back at once, his legs are always at liberty, not being fettered with
golden garters, and manacled with artificial roses, whose weight
(sometime) is the last reliques of some decayed Lordship: Many of these
worthy housekeepers there are in _Scotland_, amongst some of them I was
entertained; from whence I did truly gather these aforesaid
observations.

So leaving _Cockburnspath_, we rode to _Berwick_, where the worthy old
Soldier and ancient Knight, Sir _William Bowyer_, made me welcome, but
contrary to his will, we lodged at an Inn, where Master _James Acmootye_
paid all charges: but at _Berwick_ there was a grievous chance happened,
which I think not fit the relation to be omitted.

In the river of _Tweed_, which runs by _Berwick_, are taken by fishermen
that dwell there, infinite numbers of fresh salmons, so that many
households and families are relieved by the profit of that fishing; but
(how long since I know not) there was an order that no man or boy
whatsoever should fish upon a Sunday: this order continued long amongst
them, till some eight or nine weeks before Michaelmas last, on a Sunday,
the salmons played in such great abundance in the river, that some of
the fishermen (contrary to God's law and their own order) took boats and
nets and fished, and caught near three hundred salmons; but from that
time until Michaelmas day that I was there, which was nine weeks, and
heard the report of it, and saw the poor people's miserable
lamentations, they had not seen one salmon in the river;