sowing as much corn of different sorts as will serve themselves; and
being too proud and too idle to work for hire, every family gets in
its own harvest, which prevents all that jovial spirit which we find
when the reapers work together in large parties.

Idleness is the reigning passion here, from the peasant to his lord;
the gentlemen never either ride on horseback or walk, but are driven
about like women, for they never drive themselves, lolling at their
ease in a calache: the peasants, I mean the masters of families, are
pretty near as useless as their lords.

You will scarce believe me, when I tell you, that I have seen, at
the farm next us, two children, a very beautiful boy and girl, of about
eleven years old, assisted by their grandmother, reaping a field of
oats, whilst the lazy father, a strong fellow of thirty two, lay on the
grass, smoaking his pipe, about twenty yards from them: the old people
and children work here; those in the age of strength and health only
take their pleasure.

_A propos_ to smoaking, 'tis common to see here boys of three
years old, sitting at their doors, smoaking their pipes, as grave and
composed as little old Chinese men on a chimney.

You ask me after our fruits: we have, as I am told, an immensity of
cranberries all the year; when the snow melts away in spring, they are
said to be found under it as fresh and as good as in autumn:
strawberries and rasberries grow wild in profusion; you cannot walk a
step in the fields without treading on the former: great plenty of
currants, plumbs, apples, and pears; a few cherries and grapes, but not
in much perfection: excellent musk melons, and water melons in