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it has the appearance of afparagus: it is a kind of broom-rape, (orabanche) and is carefully extirpated as foon as it appears: it is more frequently found in rich, well-manured lands, than in others. It is unneceffary to obferve, that the teafil which is fown with wheat or rye cannot receive the proper tillage while they are on the land. As to that which is fown with weld or dyer's weed, they may, without inconvenience, receive equal tillage. If a hard winter is expected, as the teafil is tender, it must be covered with long ftraw.

certain crop.

6. Teafil must be cut according to the fowing of it, and the ftrength of the plant. Teafil fown with wheat or rye, in September or October, runs up to a head in the second fpring, and being cut in the fine weather, is much the best and most If the ftalks do not all rife in fpring, the reft are left till autumn: when the stalks begin to rife in this last season, and that is the cafe when it is fown in July or Auguft, only a part rifes; the reit remain till fpring. If the latter plans are but few, the land is turned up for another crop; but when enough remains to cover the land, they are carefully preferved for the winter, being covered with long dung; and the expence is amply defrayed in Spring, by a crop excellent both in quantity and quality.

with about a foot of the ftalk to tie them in bunches. When the teafil heads are dry, the feeds are ripe.

7. The teafil is known to be ripe when the bloffoms are all fallen off the heads, and they begin to look white and dry; but they do not ripen all together. The heads must be carefully gathered every day as they ripen, and this takes up near three months. In cutting teafil, they do not pull up the whole plant, the ripe heads alone are cut,

8. To preferve the teafil-heads, nothing more is neceffary than to house them when they are dry. Were they left in the rain, they would take damage: teafil requires no rain after it begins to bloom; for, if it proves rainy when it bloffoms, or ripens, the crop fuffers, and is fometimes entirely loft, the wet injuring the fpines. Teafil, to be very fine, fhould have the head elongated and cylindrical, with ftiff fender fpines. Such as grow in the low-land are generally fhorter, more conical, with thicker fpines than what are produced by the hills.

9. To procure teafil feed, it is only neceffary gently to shake the heads when they are dry. The good feed easily falls from its cellilles: it is even found in the barns, under the parcels of teafil, in fufficient quantity for fowing. This feed keeps long; it is however feldom fown above two years old.

Sheeps dung is moft proper for teafil; yet thofe that cultivate it are indifferent in their choice of dung, ufing that which is easiest procured. But we may reafonably conclude, according to the general principles of agriculture, that warm manures are more particularly adapted to moift cold lands, and cold manures to fuch as are high, and have a warm foil. To this we may add, that all hot dungs are to be preferred for lands that are plowed before the winter, as they will be buried before spring seed-time; and the cold dungs fhould be reserved for fuch land as is fown in July and Auguft.

We may conclude from what has been faid, that by preparing the

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land in autumn to fow the following spring, the stalks of the teafil will rife in June; and fuch as do not rife then, may the following September. I have cultivated teafil from feed fent me by M. d'Angerville from the academy at Rouen, following the directions he gave me, and which are mentioned above: it was attended with fuccefs.

As teafil is foon damaged by hard frofts, and as covering the field with long dung is very expenfive, to fave trouble, it may be fowed in July, and afterwards tranfplanted; for it

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takes root very well. In this case the feed muft be fown pretty thick in a well fheltered place, which must be covered in frofty-weather with long dung; and early in the spring it must be planted out at eight or nine inches distance in the rows: by ftirring the intervals with a plow, the trouble of hand-hoeing will be reduced almost to nothing.

The manufacturers who use teafil for their woollen goods, chufe it for the ftiffness of the fpines, which fhould be greater or lefs according to the nature of the work.

An exceeding fine Cement to mend broken China or Glaffes.

ARLICK ftamped in a stone mortar, the juice whereof, when applied to the pieces to be joined together, is the fineft and

ftrongest cement for that purpose, and will leave little or no mark, if done with care.

An excellent Water for taking out Spots in Cloths, Stuffs, &c.

AKE two pounds of spring

alhes, about the quantity of a walnut, and a lemon cut in small flices; mix this well together, and let it ftand for twenty-four hours in the fun, then strain it through a cloth, and put the clear liquid up for ufe ;

this water takes out all spots, whe

parch, greafe or oil, well in

hats, as cloth, ftuffs, filk, cotton and linen, immediately; but as foon as the spot is taken off, wash the place with water, and when dry you will fee nothing.

To make Balls for taking out Spots of Oil or Greafe.

AKE foft foap, incorporate it

incorporate all together and form

TAKE off of vines, finely thereof little round balls, and lay

fifted, of both an equal quantity: then add to it roach allum burnt, and tartar, well beat into powder,

them by for ufe when occafion requires to make use of them.

COMPENDIOUS

COMPENDIOUS HISTORY OF FRANCE. [Continued.]

I

was not till he had reduced most of these malecontents, of whom he left very few in a capacity to give him farther trouble, that he began to take notice of his capital enemy, without whofe encouragement thofe lords durft not have ftirred, and but for whofe affiftance they must have been quickly fubdued this was Henry king of England, one of the ablett, and at the fame time one of the most ambitious, princes of that age; who, while he held a fair correfpondence, and profeffed the utmoft kindness and friendship for the two kings Philip and Lewis, held nevertheless a close correspondence with the malecontents, and encouraged them to remain in arms to the very laft, that he might have nothing to fear for his duchy of Normandy; and that, by waiting and harraffing each other, their ftrength might be fo far reduced, as to afford him an opportunity of making certain acquifitions, upon which he had fet his eyes, to these his favouThe point upon which Lewis demanded fatisfaction, was the demolition of Gifors on the Epte, which had been ftipulated by treaty; but which, by various pretences, Henry had hitherto eluded. When their armies were on the point of coming to a battle, Lewis propofed an accommodation; and, when this failed, offered to decide the difpute by a fingle combat; at which Henry fmiled, and faid, that he could but keep the place if he was victori Ous, which was already in his hands without fighting; fo that the king of France ftaked his life against place of importance, whereas he was to take his life and that too against

rite dominions.

a

nothing. A battle enfued, in which the Normans were beat, and not long after a peace was concluded, and William the only fon of Henry did homage to king Lewis for the duchy of Normandy; which the king his father constantly refused to do, as thinking it inconfiftent with the dignity of a crowned head, or rather of fo potent a prince.

This war was fcarce ended, before the king found himself again involved in fresh broils with his vaffals, against whom he was continually fighting battles, with various fuccefs, and very frequently at the great hazard of his life. It may feem strange that a king of France, able to lead numerous armies into the field, and maintain them against the English monarch in Normandy, fhould not be able to crufh the little lords in his own dominions, whofe own infolence was the fole ground of their quarrel, and the fingle object they had in view plundering the poor people. But this difficulty will be folved, by obferving, that, in his wars with. Henry, Lewis was affifted by the great vaffals of the crown, particularly by Robert count of Flanders; who with their forces ferved at their own expence, not only because it was their duty, but because they were as jealous of the power of Henry as Lewis himself: but, in the wars against his own vaffals, they took no fhare at all, or, if they did, it was by way of confederacy with the king, and then the oppofing party had their confederates likewife. This allo accounts for the encouragement given by kings to those repeated expeditions into the Holy Land, which depopulated their dominions,

1

I!IO.

and deprived them of their subjects, but delivered them at the fame time from thofe mutinous noblemen, who, if they had not been thus fighting abroad, would have been continually embarked in rebellions at home.

The count de Blois, likewife ftiled count of Champagne, who was nephew to the king of England, quickly revived the war between the two kings, though it was carried on in his name and Lewis, to fhew that he could negociate as well as fight, drew in Foulques count of Anjou, the fon of Foulques le Rechin and Bertrade, to refufe homage to Henry for the county of Maine, which he had acquired by marriage; but this war did not turn at all to his ad vantage, fince his army was not only totally defeated by that of the count of Blois, but alfo the gallant earl of Flanders trampled to death. Soon after the king of England arrived in Normandy," and having got Robert de Belefme, one of the lords who revolted from him, into his hands, fent him to prifon, from whence he was difcharged only by death, and fo frighted the reft of the malecontents, that they speedily fubmitted; and, the two kings meeting at Gifors, a peace was concluded, entirely to the king of England's honour and intereft, to whom not only the count of Anjou did homage for the county of Maine, but alfo Alain the third for his duchy of Bretagne; and, what ftrengthened him ftill more, he married one of his daughters to Conan, the fon of that duke, the other being already married to the emperor Henry the fifth, and at the fame time his fon William efpoufed the daughter and heiress of the count of Anjou. The king, after this peace, thinking it

high time to fettle himself, and to fecure the fucceffion, efpouffed. Alix or Adelaide, the 1113. daughter of Humbert, count of Maurienne, or of Savoy, for whom he had a ftrong and lasting affection during his whole life. This marriage did not, indeed, add any immediate ftrength to the king; but the new queen rendered herself fo acceptable to the nobility, and afted on all occafions with fo much wifdom and difcretion, as proved of great ufe to Lewis during the remaining part of his reign.

The misfortunes of the laft war chagrined this monarch exceedingly, and therefore he readily liftened to the interceffion of a young prince; who, after traverfing feveral other courts, tho' a perfect youth, came at last to take fhelter in his. This was William, the son of Robert duke of Normandy, and grandson of the Conqueror, who earneftly preffed him to intercede for his father's liberty, and for the reftitution of the duchy of Normandy, which he claimed as his right. The king advised him to form as ftrong a party as he could in Normandy; to engage the counts of Flanders and Anjou in his intereft; and that, whenever they were ready to act, he should not find him backward. In this, William fucceeded to his wifh; and, when all things were perfectly ripe, he fignified to Henry his defire that an end might be put to duke Robert's imprifonment. This being peremptorily refufed, the king and the earl of Flanders entered Normandy ; upon which the nobility began every where to rife, and proclaimed William their duke. In his whole reign Henry was never fo much embarraffed; a confpiracy broke out in his court, which alarmed him more

than

than all the reft. The earl of Flanders advanced to the very gates of Rouen, and burnt the fuburbs ; fome places of ftrength were taken, others revolted, and his affairs fell very low; yet he made no overtures of peace. On the contrary, he difputed every inch of ground, brought over forces from England, and kept his fortified places well garrifoned and well fupplied, till the duke of Bretagne and the earl of Champagne marched to his affistance. Lewis, with his victorious army, aded with great vigour, and marching to reduce Nojon, were surprised to find Henry in their way ready to give them battle; the action was very brifk, though not very bloody; the kings were refpeftively very near being killed or taken; but at length, through the military fkill of Henry, Lewis was totally defeated, and forced to fly on foot, and with much difficulty arrived at Andely. Soon after pope Calixtus the fecond held a great council at Rheims, at which king Lewis affifted in perfon, where he made great complaints of Henry; upon which the pontiff undertook to mediate a peace between them: for which purpose he went to Gifors, where he conferred with the king of England about his own affairs, as well as thofe of Lewis; but found him equally firm as to both. This pontiff had, in the council, excommunicated the emperor Henry the fifth, on the fubject of inveftitures, and threatened the English king with the fame treatment; but to no purpofe. Befides, Henry had bought the count of Anjou, Baldwin earl of Flanders was dead of the wounds he received in the last battle, and most of the Norman lords were either ruined or reduced; fo that Lewis

II20.

was once more obliged to make. peace with him upon his own terms. The joy of Henry, however, was quickly qualified by the lofs of his two fons, and a great number of his nobility, who were fhipwrecked in their paffage to England, through their own ill-conduct, and the drunkenness of the feamen.

The king of France; confidering that Henry had now no iffue male remaining, fupplied duke William, the fon of Robert, with large fums of money, and enabled him thereby to renew his intrigues with the nobility of Normandy; who, looking upon him as the laft heir of their ancient dukes, notwithstanding all they had fuffered, had a very ftrong affection for him. The count of Anjou, feeing his daughter a widow, and without children, by the death of prince William of England. gave his fecond daughter Sybilla to that young prince, with the county of Maine. Charles of Denmark, who had fucceeded his coufin Baldwin in the earldom of Flanders, embarked likewife in this defign, and the confederacy grew fo ftrong, that at length they made but little doubt of carrying their point; but the prudent and fortunate Henry difappointed them once more. He had efpoufed the coufin of the pope, and by that means gained him fo much to his intereft, that, upon exhibiting the pedigrees of duke William and the daughter of the count of Anjou, their marriage was declared null, and that unfortunate prince left once more without any other fupport than his merit and birth; and coming in perfon into Normandy, before things were fettied, he feized fome of the mal:

contents,

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