The Puffyn hatcheth in holes of the Cliffe, whose young ones are thence ferretted out, being exceeding fat, kept salted, and reputed for fish, as comming neerest thereto in their taste. The Burranet hath like breeding, and, after her young ones are hatched, shee leadeth them sometimes ouer-land, the space of a mile or better, into the hauen, where such as haue leasure to take their pastime, chace them one by one with a boate, and stones, to often diuing, vntill, through wearinesse, they are taken vp at the boates side by hand, carried home, and kept tame with the Ducks: the Egges of diuers of these Fowles are good to bee eaten.
Sea-fowle not eatable, are Ganets, Ospray (Plynyes Haliaeetos.) Amongst which, Iacke-Daw (the second slaunder of our Countrie) shall passe for companie, as frequenting their haunt, though not their diet: I meane not the common Daw, but one peculiar to Cornwall, and therethrough termed a Cornish Chough: his bil is sharpe, long, and red, his legs of the same colour, his feathers blacke, his conditions, when he is kept tame, vngratious, in filching, and hiding of money, and such short ends, and somewhat dangerous in carrying stickes of fire.
After hauing marched ouer the land, and waded thorow the Sea, to discouer all the creatures therein insensible, & sensible, the course of method summoneth me to discourse of the reasonable, to wit, the Inhabitants, and to plot downe whatsoeuer, noteworthily, belongeth to their estate, reall, and personall, and to their gouernment, spirituall, and temporall. Vnder their reall state, I comprise all that their industrie hath procured, either for priuate vse, or entercourse, and traffike.
In priuate life, there commeth into consideration, their Tenements, which yeeld them sustinance, and their houses, which afford them a place of abode. Euerie tenement is parcell of the demaynes, or seruices of some Manner. Commonly thirtie Acres make a farthing land, nine farthings a Cornish Acre, and foure Cornish Acres, a Knights fee. But this rule is ouerruled to a greater or lesser quantitie, according to the fruitfulnesse, or barrennesse of the soyle. That part of the demaines, which appertaineth to the Lords dwelling house, they call his Barten, or Berton. The tenants to the rest hold the same either by sufferance, Wil, or custome, or by conuention. The customary tenant holdeth at Wil, either for yeeres, [37] or for liues, or to them and their heires, in diuers manners according to the custome of the Mannour. Customarie Tenants for life, take for one, two, three, or more liues, in possession, or reuersion, as their custome will beare. Somewhere the wiues hold by widdowes estate, and in many places, when the estate is determined by the Tenants death, and either to descend to the next in reuersion, or to returne to the Lord, yet will his Executor, or Administrator detaine the land, by the custome, vntill the next Michaelmas after, which is not altogether destitute of a reasonable pretence.
Amongst other of this customarie Land, there are seuenteene Mannours, appertaining to the Duchie of Cornwall, who doe euerie seuenth yere, take their Holdings (so they terme them) of certaine Commissioners sent for the purpose, & haue continued this vse, for the best part of three hundred yeeres, through which, they reckon, a kind of inheritable estate accrued vnto them. But, this long prescription notwithstanding, a more busie then well occupied person, not long sithence, by getting a Checquer lease of one or two such tenements, called the whole right in question: and albeit God denyed his bad minde any good successe, yet another taking vp this broken title, to salue himselfe of a desperate debt, prosecuted the same so far forth, as he brought it to the iutty of a Nisi prius. Hereon certayne Gentlemen were chosen and requested by the Tenants, to become suiters for stopping this gap, before it had made an irremediable breach. They repayred to London accordingly, and preferred a petition to the then L. Treasurer Burleigh. His L.