The horse-hoing husbandry: or, an essay on the principles of tillage and vegetation ... Wherein is shewn a method of introducing a sort of vineyard-culture into the corn-fields, in order to increase their product, and diminish the common expence; by the use of instruments described in cuts / By I.T. [J. Tull].

  • Jethro Tull
Date:
1733
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The horse-hoing husbandry: or, an essay on the principles of tillage and vegetation ... Wherein is shewn a method of introducing a sort of vineyard-culture into the corn-fields, in order to increase their product, and diminish the common expence; by the use of instruments described in cuts / By I.T. [J. Tull]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    279/318 (page 247)
    on the • P R E F A C E. “ left for Pradiee ; befides the Works of Mr. Evelyn how much foever we revere thtim, are fomewhat im- “ methodical and confufed, 3cf In EJfdy for July, p. zo. The Antients were whimiically extravagant.’4 ■ And in p. zz. Lord Bacon copy’d after them.” In EJfay for Aug. p. 14. Dr. Lifter (peaks in fuch dubious “ unintelligible Terms, that ’tis difficult to colled any Thing from him, 3tft In EJfay for September, p. gi. “ Modern conceited Coxcombs; p. 92. empty conceited Noddles, 13c All this ill Treatment of Authors is little in Comparifon to what may be found in thofe Pages wherein the Books of all Authors (I think none excepted) are affirmed to be worfe than thofe of that Society ; Or, which is the fame Thing, that the Society’s Books are better than theirs; this being a greater Slander than any of the former, and fully proves by the Judgment of the Equivocal Society, that the Sentence of the No¬ bleman was juft, which he caufed to be executed on thofe Books, with the Hand-Barrow and Fite. Thefe Syftem-Writers do not only vilify Authors, but Countries too ; as in their Preface to July, p. xv. viz. They fay, “ For as they [the french Nation] are a People of no folid Attention to Things, but ** run away with every plaufible Notion, ’tis no Wonder they err fo often as they do.” In EJfay for June t 78. ** Fit only for Iri/hmen and Clowns.” In EJfay for Aug. p. 27. “ Only a Detail of IriJh Jargon ft In Advertifcment to Vol. 2. Sots and Ignoramus's are Terms applied to the Britijh Nation by this Equivocal Society, who pretend to fo much Politenefs. ' , Thefe Pretenders to Agriculture in Introduction to Apr. p. xlviii. and xlix. prefumptuoufly take upon them «o dired the Education of Noblemen and Gentlemen : They cenfure the Univerjtties, condemn their Learning, and opprobrioufly call their Volumes of Logick, Ethicks, Phyfich, Metafhyftcks, See. Learned Lumber, in which they fay, “ Time is fpent to little or no Purpofe, and how well many young Noblemen and Gentlemen mend the “ Matter by their Travels Abroad is but too obvious to moft People who converfe with them after their “ Return ; from whence, inftead of fine well-turned Englifhmen, they appear like Dancing-Mafters, and for1 ** med only as if they Were defigned for Theatrical Performances.” But the greateft Slander (except affirming themfelves to be Gentlemen) is the criminal Charge of being my Abettors, which Crime they impute to Noblemen and Gentlemen of the fifft Rank, who they fay were my Encouragers: Their Lawyer lure might have told his Brethren of the Society, that an Abettor is a heinous Criminal, that formerly ufed to be puniftied with Death. Thefe Authors have alfo had the Prefumption to prefix the Names and Titles of Noblemen as Patrons of their Infamous Libel, to which they are either aftiamed^ or affraid to fubferibe their own Names ; as if De¬ famation, Scurrility* and notorious Falfhoods would be defended by Perfons of the niceft Honour* Politenefs* and Veracity. The ill Manners of thefe latent Authors make it improbable that they are acquainted with the Conventi¬ on of Noblemen or Gentlemen any more than with Univerfity Learning, which they term Learned Lumber, and fo much defpife it, that they feldom make ufe of any other Logick, than that of Billing/gate in their Syftem j inftead of arguing againft me like Men, they fall to calling me Names, Atheift, Infidel, Fool, Meyte captus, Madman, Afs, OvjI, Viper, Carping InfeCi, Sec. Thefe are the Feminine Arguments of Scurrility with which my Antagonifts endeavour to confute me. They fcold like Oylter-women, but never argue like Phi- lofophers, fo great is their Contempt of Learning and the Manner of all learned Writers. P. ii. L. 48. His Partiality t hdve tio Reafon to apprehend; becaufe, i3c.] I did not then apprehend that any one Man* much lefs a Society could hare had an Interelt fufficient to byafs them in this De- cifion. Here it may not be amifs to enquire, what Sort of Men the Equivocal Society conflfts of ? And the Rea¬ der will eafily difcern them to be fuch who for want of (or perhaps being unfit for) more honeft Employ¬ ments, haveenlifted themfelves in the Service of certain Tradefrtien ; and are, as Mr. Miller (in his Propofals for Printing his Dictionary) fays, “ Set to work by fuch whofe Bufinefs it is to watch and pleafe the various 44 Taftes of their Cuftomers* and who never fail to oblige the World withTreatifes enough, upon whatever Sub- “ jed they find moft in Vogue, and feem to think they have nothing more to do, than after having formed a 44 Title-Page that may ftrike the Readers Attention, to procure an Author to write to it, however qualified he 44 may be for that particular Subjeft, and who, on that Oceafion, generally takes his Helps from what «* has been Written before* being intirely unaquainted with the Pradiee either of the pail or prefent “ Times.” They hate it feems a numerous Retinue of thefe Hirelings, which they mufter together in a Band and call them a Society, when any confiderable Mifchief is to be attemped by them i and fuch their Mafters allowed their Undertaking to be, when they declared the Purpofe for which their Army of Penmen was raifed, viz. To Damn the EJfay on Horfe hoing, which they afterwards faid, they did not fear but would be effeded ; for that the beft Pens were at work in writing an Anfwer to it; and this they foon publilhed under the Title of The practical Husbandman and Planter. The Caufe the Shopmen pretended for menacing War, was in Effed this ; That they thought they had a Sort of Right to the Publifhing of all Books in their Names ; and to have the Profit of Selling them (if any be) which they feldom own, but generally complain of Lofs by them. But theReafon of this extraordinary Indignation is given in the Beginning of the Pref. to Aug. in the following Words: “ Amongft all the Eflays which have for thefe many Years laft paft been wrote on Husbandry, there “ is none that has raifed the Expedations of the Curious to that great Height before it came out* as that of 44 the HorJt-hoing Husbandry, faid to be wrote by Jethro Tull, Ejqi of* 3c. They feem to take great Liberties, becaufe there is no Dedication of my EJfdy; the Reafon of which Omiffion was* The Queen having done me the Honour to fubferibe to my Book, I could not Dedicate it to any other Perfon 5 and her Majefty’s Royal Virtues being too far above any Panegyrick I was able tar write, I chofe rather to leave it to the Protedion of the Royal Licence and the Laws. If you would have the true Charader of thefe boafted able Penmen; fee in the laft Page of their Pref. to Ju¬ ly, their dubious Description of themfelves in the following Words: “ Nor can we guels whether of the two, 41 thofe who pick a Pocket, or pirate another Man’s Works (without acknowledging from whence they ex- “ trad it) are the moft notorious Criminals.” It would not be difficult to prove the fecret Society guilty of pirating other Mens Work*, without acknowledging from whence they ex trad it* and in particular tone of Dr, Ifadveard't, and fome of mine. T key.