"This means that they are bound by law and custom to plough the fields of their masters, harvest the corn, gather it into barns, and thresh and winnow the grain; they must also mow and carry home the hay, cut and collect wood, and perform all manner of tasks of this kind"

This quote by Jean Froissart is describing the yoke of peasants in the Middle Ages. It indicates that peasants were lawfully and culturally obligated to work the land of their masters, which included tilling the fields, harvesting the corn, gathering it into barns, threshing and winnowing the grain, trimming and bring house the hay, cutting and gathering wood, and performing any other jobs that their masters required of them. This was a typical practice in the Middle Ages, as peasants were viewed as a source of labor and were expected to work the land of their masters in exchange for protection and other advantages. This quote functions as a suggestion of the extreme realities of life for peasants in the Middle Ages, and the absence of freedom and autonomy that they had.