urches and market towns throughout all
England and Wales; but, sith I cannot perform the same as I would, I am
forced to give over my purpose; yet by these few that ensue you shall
easily see what order I would have used according to the shires, if I
might have brought it to pass.

Shires. Market Towns. Parishes.

Middlesex 3 73
London within the walls and without 120
Surrey 6 140
Sussex 18 312
Kent 17 398
Cambridge 4 163
Bedford 9 13
Huntingdon 5 78
Rutland 2 47
Berkshire 11 150
Northampton 10 326
Buckingham 11 196
Oxford 10 216
Southampton 18 248
Dorset 19 279
Norfolk 26 625
Suffolk 25 575
Essex 18 415

And these I had of a friend of mine, by whose travel and his master's
excessive charges I doubt not but my countrymen ere long shall see all
England set forth in several shires after the same manner that Ortelius
hath dealt with other countries of the main, to the great benefit of our
nation and everlasting fame of the aforesaid parties.[80]

CHAPTER III.

OF GARDENS AND ORCHARDS.

[1587, Book II., Chapter 20.[81]]

After such time as Calais was won from the French, and that our countrymen
had learned to trade into divers countries (whereby they grew rich), they
began to wax idle also, and thereupon not only left off their former
painfulness and frugality, but in like sort gave themselves to live in
excess and vanity, whereby many goodly commodities failed, and in short
time were not to be had amongst us. Such strangers also as dwelled here
with us, perceiving our sluggishness, and espying that this idleness of
ours might redound to their great profit, forthwith employed their
endeavours to bring in the supply of such things as we lacked continually
from foreign countries, which yet more augmented our idleness. For, having
all things at reasonable prices (as we supposed) by such means from them,
we thought it mere madness to spend either time or cost about the same
here at home. And thus we became enemies to our