two shepherds 
¶ Prognostycation, and Almanac of two shepherds: necessary for all Householders,   

¶ For expenses.  
AS for expenses, here and take right good heed, that if in thy house thine expenses, & thine receipts be equal, than a sudden chance of loss by infortune, may soon destroy the state of it.   

¶ negligence.  
¶ The state of a negligent man mareth a ruinous house. For negligence of a man governing a house, is as a great fire, kindled in the same search therefore wisely & diligently, & the purpose of them, that minister thy goods, for a man ready to fall, and not yet fallen may soon be helped, for it is less shame to abstain than to fall, often to over see thy goods, in what manner they stand is great prudence.   

¶ Thy beasts.  
¶ Than remember the meat and the drink of thy beastis, for though they hunger and thirst, they cannot ask what they lack or need.   

¶ The costs.  
¶ To over sumptuous weddings yieldeth hurt without worship, cost done to resist malice is worshipful. Cost done to refresh thy friends is reasonable, cost done to sustain wasteful spenders is always but lost.   

¶ Meat and drink.  
¶ To nourish thy main in a measure honestly, not delycatly, he that is a glutton unieth otherwise, than by death shall change his manners, gluttony of a vile & negligent person, is but corruption. The welfare of a diligent person is but a solace, if there be a strife between gluttony and thy purse, be thou thyself advocate between them, and let the sentence or the most part be with thy purse, for when he bringeth in his two witnesses with him, that is to say, the chest & the selier void, or else nigh void, I trow thou wilt hold with the purse, & if the purse be bound with Covetousness than the sentence goth against gluttony, Be not desirous of costly dainties, for than thou wilt give sentence wi●h gluttony against the purse to his hurt.   

¶ The covetise.  
covetise doth nothing rightful but when he lieth, what is a covetous man, he that hath sufficient richesse, and ever dreadeth poverty, & yet he besyeth himself a way to live in poverty. A●l that is kept for other men he thinketh it well, & that thing that is spended upon himself, be thinketh it but loss.   

¶ The seller of corn:  
If thou be a corn seller, lone thou no dearth, if thou do, thou sleest the poor men, sell thy corn when it is at a reasonable price, and not when the poor men may not buy it, not only to thy neighbour, but also to thy enemies sell at an easy price, for not alway with sword, but oft times by meat and drink thy enemy is overcome.   

¶ The enemies.  
And if thou have an enemy be not to conversant with unknown men but always against him, and all against unknown persons, lett● thine eyen be thy guide, for a subtyl●… enemy intendeth at sometime to be avenged. The febl●nes of thine enemy is not a perpetual peace, but truce for a time, if thou ween that thou be sure of thine enemy, thou puttest thyself in peril.   

¶ The gifts.  
receive gladly the small gifts of thy poor neighbour or friend, for oft times he is more trusty friend that giveth with his heart, than he that offeryth himself only, for in words there is great plenty of friends, call not him thy friend that oft praiseth the in thy presence, if thou council thy friend, desire not to please him, but to please reason, Say t● thy friend in counceyllinge, thus seemeth me, not precisely, thus is to be done, for if thy council come to evil proof, there followeth some re●rese, than if it come to good effect, ●han it is praising.   

¶ The women.  
Of thy women suspect what they do rather pretend ignorance than knowledge, for when thou knowest the crime of thine evil wife, of no Phesycian thou shalt be cured. The ●●rowe taken of thine evil wife, ●hou may abate when thou heareth like things of other menens wives 〈◊〉 noble and a gentle heart serchyth not the work of a woman, thou shalt sooner chastise thine evil wife with smiling, than with a staff a young woman a strumpet shall consume away riches an old woman a strumpet if the law would suffer i● she were worthy to be brent quick.   

¶ The clothing.  
Sumptuous Clothing outrageously a preyfe of little wit, over shining colours in thy clothing gendereth disdain to thy neighbours, study to please with virtue, and not with clothing. The petition of a woman asking clothes, and is sufficiently clothed, she with her unsteadfastness, stirreth disdain.   

¶ The jogelars.  
A man cherishing jogelars shall soon have a wife, whose name i● poverty, but who shall be her sone● forsooth derision, if if happen the to here the words of a iogelar, fain thyself not to hear them, but to thick on other things. jogelars that hurt any man either in his goods or in his body, be worthy to be hanged, what is a iogelar? but a destroyer, or else death of a man's soul, the instrumentis of a jogelar please not our lord God.   

¶ The servants.  
A servant of high heart put a way from thee, as after to be thine enemy. A servant glozing in his manners and conditions remove fro th●, a servant nigh unto thee, and ●ft times praising the withstand, a servant lightly shamefast love as thine own son. Also and thou have a servant that is a liar or a swearer, put him or her away, for they shall do the never profit.   

¶ Of building.  
And if thou wilt build, let need move thee, and not thine own voluptuousness, for the appetite of a builder is never in building satyate. inordinate and over moche desire of building causeth and abideth the selling of things builded, tour builded, and the chest evacuat maketh a man after wise.   

¶ The selling of heritage.  
And if thou wilt sell, beware that thou sell not a part of thine heritage to them that been greater than thyself, but rather for less price, sell all to him that offereth most it is better to suffer great hungr● than the selling of thy patrimony, but it is better to sell than to do usury and worse.   

¶ Of fellowship.  
And if thou wilt have a fellow, rather fellowship the with him that accordeth to the in manners than in goods, and suffer him pacyeutly all in lawful things, let not here of wrath be felawshypped unto the.   

¶ Drunkenness.  
He that in diver site and aboundaunce of wine is sober is an earthly God, droukennesse doth nothing right but when she falleth into the mire, when thou art dystempred with wine i'll conversation & seek sleep. The drunken excusing himself openly accuseth his drunkenness, it seemeth not well a young man or a young woman to know wines, i'll a drunken phesycian i'll also a phesycyan willing to prove in the how from a like sickness he shall cure other folks.   

¶ Of dogs.  
little dogs leave them to clarkꝭ and ladies, dogs that can keep thy house be profitable, hounds for to hunt spend more than they shall get the.   

¶ Of fortune.  
If fortune be to the contrary see that the rule of honest living be sufficient to thee, what profits it thee, the rule of living? take heed thou seest fools not doing their devoir toget their living, and yet they excuse them by fortune. It is seldom seen dew diligence with infortune, but it is seldomer seen infortune parted from Sloth. The slothful man abideth to be helped of god, which in the world despiseth to labour, watch therefore besylye and let the lightness of spending be recompensed with scarceness of getting.   

¶ Of thy testament.  
Aege cometh I council the rather commit the to God than to thy son, when thou shalt dispose thy goods I council theto command first that thydettes and servants be paid, that done look thou be take not thy soul to them that be covetous, neither to players of dice & cards, neither to them that loveth thy person, but to them that loveth their own souls, dispose thyself before sickness, for oftimes by sickness a man is made the servant of sickness, and a servant may not make a testament. Therefore in thy liberty make thy testament or thou come to bondage, if thou have an heir make him not thy executor.   

¶ Of thy sons.  
Now here of thy sons: when the ●ather is deed, the sons seek division, if they be noble better is the spreading abroad of them in the world ●●an the division of thy heritage, ●r oft-times the division of the he●ytage is the destruction of the kindred, if they be labourers let them do what they will, if they merchants their division is better than to ●e together lest the infortune of one ●e imputed to other.   

¶ Of thy mother.  
Here now of thy mother, if thy mother seek to be married she doth unwisely, but that she weep her sins I would that she being old might take a young man, for he shall not only cast away h●●●ut also her goods which done she shall drink with the cup of sorrow, which she deserved by her dotage.   

Si vis ad vitam ingredi serva mandata.  

¶ He that will to heaven surely  
keep the hests of God almighty  
Thou shalt have no God but one  
Idle oaths swear thou none  
Thy sabbath days thou must k●●●  
Father and mother worship eke  
slay no man in any wise  
Lechery thou shalt despise  
False witness thou shalt none ber●  
Steel thou nothing in no maner●  
Desire thou not thy neighbours wy●●  
Servant ne goods in thy life.   

¶ Now followeth vij werkis ghost●●  
that men ought keep souerayn●●  
teach the unlearned, and give good counsel  
Comfort the sorry & chastise the rebel  
●orgyue unkindness, & suffer wrong  
And for thine enemies pray among   

¶ Thou shalt never be sure of heaven  
But thou i'll the deadly sins seven.  
Pride, wrath, envy, and gluttony.  
covetise, Sloth, and Lechery.  
Christ shall the axe when thou shalt die  
Seven bodily works of mercy.   

¶ Of feeding the hungry with the thirsty.  
●●othyng the naked, lodging the needy  
comfort the sick & prisoners both.  
〈◊〉 bury the deed, be thou not loath.   

¶ wits five of thy body,  
Must well be used or thou die.  
●n hearing, and saying,  
〈◊〉 tastying, smelling, & touching:   

¶ But wits five specially,  
Moveth men graciously.  
●yll, mind, imagination.  
●ith understanding and reason.  
●yse man if thou art  
●f thy goods take thy part  
●r thou hens wend.  
If thou leave thy p …  
For executors to depart.  
Thy part shall be no part.  
at the last end.  
Do some good man by thy live,  
Whiles thou hast thy mind.  
Thy children will the soon forg●●  
Thy wife will be unkind.  
executors be covetous,  
And take what they find.  
If thou wilt not when thou 〈◊〉  
They will bring the behind.    
¶ Thus endeth the wise Prognostycation.   

¶ Imprynte▪ by me Robert wire: Dweling in saint Martyns parish, in the Duke of Suffofkes rentges, Beside Charing Cross.   


Almanac, for a. M. D. lvi.   Days. Hours. Minu. Degree. ●anua. new. xii. two. seven two. Aquario. full xxvii. nineteen lii. xx. Leo. ●●bru. new. x. xiiii xx. i Visets. full. xxiiii. nineteen. xxxiiii. xvi. Virgo. ●arc. new. xi. o. xxiiii. i. Aries full. xxv. xii. l. xv. Libra. ●●●yll. new. ix. viii. liii. xxix. Aries. full. xxiiii. v. xi. xiiii. Scor. ●●y. new. viii. xvi. thirty. xxviii. Tau. full. xxiii. nineteen. xlix. xiii. Sagit. ●●ne. new. vi. xxiii. l. xxvi. Gemi. full. xxii. ix. o. x. Capricor. 〈◊〉 new. vi. viii. xxiiii. xxiii. Cancer full. xxi. xx. iii. viii. Aquari. 〈◊〉. new. v. nineteen. xii. xxii. Leo. full. xx. seven. xxxiii. vi. Pisis. ●●●●ē. new. iii. viii. xlii. nineteen. Virgo. full. ●viii, xvii, xliiii iiii, Aries. 〈◊〉. new, iii, i, v, thirty, Libra, full xviii, iii, xxxix, iiii, Taurus, ●●ven. new, i. nineteen, xxviii, nineteen. Scorpi. full. xvi, xiii, xxvii, iiii, Gemini, ●●●ēb. new, i. xiiii, thirty, nineteen, Sagit, full, xv, xxiii. xiviii. iiii, Cancer. new, xxxi, viii, xxxvii, xx, Capricor.  

¶ The Golden number. xviii.  
¶ The Cycle of the Son, xxv,  
¶ The sunday letter, E. D,  
¶ Between Chri●tmas and Sroftyde, ●i, weeks and, iiii, Days,  
¶ ash wensdaye thee, x, day of February,  
¶ Easter days the, v, day of Apryll,  
¶ The Ascension day thee, xiiii, day of may,  
¶ whitsunday thee, xxiiii, day of may,  
¶ Good to take medicines all the day in this Sign,