Anon 489, a rich farmer with three half-acres of oats to mow, allegedly sent for his neighbor, Anon 490 to hire him for the harvest. When Anon 490, a poor mower, tried to bargain for a better price for his labor, Anon 489 took "some exceptions at, bid him much more under the usual Rate than the poor Man asked above it; So that some sharp Words had past." Offended, Anon 490 refused to discuss the matter any further.(Title page)

Anon 490, afraid of losing work and Anon 489's patronage, ran after Anon 489 and begged to be hired on at a rate lower than he had charged for any mowing in the past year. The farmer, Anon 489, allegedly replied "That the Devil himself should Mow his Oats before he should have anything to do with them." With that, the two finally parted ways.(Title page)

The night after the farmer Anon 489 declared the Devil would mow his oats before Anon 489 would be hired to, several passers by allegedly saw the Anon 489's three half-acres of oats burn for some time.(Title page)

The morning after Anon 489's three half-acres of oats were allegedly seen to burn, Anon 489 received news of the event. He traveled to the field to witness it for himself, expecting destruction, and instead "found the Crop was Cut down ready to his hands; and as if the Devil had a mind to shew his dexterity in the art of Husbandry, and scorn'd to mow them after the usual manner, he cut them in round Circles, and plac't every straw with the exactness that would have taken up above an Age, for any Man to perform what he did in that one night."(Title page)

Anon 489 is allegedly to afraid to have his oats removed from the field after finding them "so neatly Mow'd by the Devil, or some Infernal Spirit, that no Mortal Man was able to do the like."(Title page)