Early English Meals and Manners Part 20

[Headnote: IOHN RUSSELL MEETS WITH HIS PUPIL.]

[Sidenote: One May I went to a forest, and by the Forester's leave walked in the woodland,]

++As y rose owt of my bed, in a mery sesou{n} of may, to sporte me in a forest / wher{e} sightes wer{e} fresch{e} & gay, y met w{i}t{h} e forst{er} / y prayed hym to say me not nay, at y mygh[t] walke in to his lawnde[3] where e deer{e} lay. 16

[Sidenote: where I saw three herds of deer in the sunshine.]

as y wandered weldsomly[4] / in-to e lawnd at was so grene, er lay iij. herdis of deer{e} / a semely syght for to sene; y behild on my right hand / e son at shon so shene; y saw wher{e} walked / a semely yong{e} man, at sklendur was & leene; 20

[Sidenote: A young man with a bow was going to stalk them, but I asked him to walk with me, and inquired whom he served.]

his bowe he toke in hand toward e deer{e} to stalke; y prayed hym his shote to leue / & softely w{i}t{h} me to walke.

is yong{e} man was glad / & louyd w{i}t{h} me to talke, he prayed at he my?t with{e} me goo / in to som herne[5] or halke[6]; 24

[Sidenote: 'No one but myself, and I wish I was out of this world.']

is yong{e} man frayned[7] / w{i}t{h} hoom {a}t he wo{n}ned an, "So G.o.d me socour{e}," he said / "Sir, y serue myself / & els noon o{er} man."

"is y gou{er}naunce good?" y said, / "son, say me ?iff ow can."

"y wold y wer{e} owt of is world" / seid he / "y ne rou?t how sone whan." 28

[Sidenote: 'Good son, despair is sin; tell me what the matter is.

When the pain is greatest the cure is nearest!']

"Sey nought so, good son, bewar{e} / me thynketh{e} ow menyst amysse; for G.o.d forbedith{e} wanhope, for at a horrible synne ys, erfor{e} Son, open thyn hert / for p{er}aventur{e} y cowd the lis[8]; "when bale is hext / an bote is next" / good sone, lerne well{e} is." 32

[Sidenote: 'Sir, I've tried everywhere for a master; but because I know nothing, no one will take me.']

"In certeyn, sir / y haue y-sought / Ferr{e} & ner{e} many a wilsom way to gete mete[9] a mastir; & for y cowd nou?t / eu{er}y man seid me nay, y cowd no good, ne noon y shewd{e} / wher{e} eu{er} y ede day by day but wantoun & nyce, recheles & lewd{e} / as Iangelyng{e} as a Iay." 36

[Sidenote: 'Will you learn if I'll teach you? What do you want to be?']

++"Now, son, ?iff y the teche, wiltow any thyng{e} ler{e}? [Fol. 171b.]

wiltow be a s{er}uaunde, plow?man, or a laborer{e}, Courtyour or a clark / Marchaund / or masou{n}, or an artificer{e}, Chamburlayn, or b.u.t.tiller{e} / panter{e} or karver{e}?" 40

[Sidenote: 'A Butler, Sir, Panter, Chamberlain, and Carver. Teach me the duties of these.']

++"The office of b.u.t.tiler, sir, trewly / panter{e} or chamburlayne, The connyng{e} of a kerver{e}, specially / of at y wold lerne fayne all{e} ese co{n}nyng{es} to haue / y say yow in certayn, y shuld pray for your{e} sowle nevyr to come in payne." 44

[Headnote: THE DUTIES OF THE PANTER OR BUTLER.]

[Sidenote: 'I will, if you'll love G.o.d and be true to your master.']

++"Son, y shall{e} teche e with{e} ryght a good will{e}, So at ow loue G.o.d & drede / for at is ryght and skyll{e}, and to y mastir be trew / his good{es} at ow not spill{e}, but hym loue & drede / and hys co{m}maundement? dew / fulfylle. 48

[Sidenote: A Panter or Butler must have three knives: 1 to chop loaves, 1 to pare them, 1 to smooth the trenchers.]

The furst yer{e}, my son, ow shall{e} be panter{e} or b.u.t.tilar{e}, ow must haue iij. knyffes kene / in pantry, y sey the, eu{er}mar{e}: On knyfe e loves to choppe, another{e} them for to pare, the iij. sharpe & kene to smothe e trenchurs and squar{e}.[10] 52

[Sidenote: Give your Sovereign new bread, others one-day-old bread; for the house, three-day bread; for trenchers four-day bread;]

alwey thy sou{er}aynes bred thow choppe, & at it be newe & able; se all{e} o{er} bred a day old or {o}u choppe to e table; all{e} howsold bred iij. dayes old / so it is p{ro}fitable; and trencher bred iiij. dayes is co{n}venyent & agreable. 56

[Sidenote: Have your salt white, and your salt-planer of ivory, two inches broad, three long.]

loke y salte be sutill{e}, whyte, fayre and drye, and y planer{e} for thy salte / shall{e} be made of yverye / e brede {er}of ynches two / en e length, ynche told thrye; and y salt seller{e} lydde / towche not thy salt bye. 60

[Sidenote: Have your table linen sweet and clean, your knives bright, spoons well washed, two wine-augers some box taps, a broaching gimlet, a pipe and bung.]

Good son, loke at y napery be soote / & also feyr{e} & clene, bordcloth{e}, towell{e} & napkyn, foldyn all{e} bydene.

bryght y-pullished your{e} table knyve, semely in sy?t to sene; and y spones fayr{e} y-wasch{e} / ye wote well{e} what y meene. 64 looke ow haue tarrers[11] two / a mor{e} & la.s.se for wyne; wyne canels[12] accordyng{e} to e tarrers, of box fetice & fyne; also a gymlet sharpe / to broche & perce / sone to turne & twyne, w{i}t{h} fawcet[13] & tampyne[14] redy / to stoppe whe{n} ye se tyme. 68

[Sidenote: To broach a pipe, pierce it with an auger or gimlet, four fingers- breadth over the lower rim, so that the dregs may not rise.]

So when ow settyst a pipe abroche / good [sone,] do aft{ur} my lor{e}: iiij fyngur ou{er} / e ner{e} chyne[15] ow may percer or bor{e}; with tarrer{e} or gymlet perce ye vpward e pipe ashor{e},[16]

and so shall{e} ye not cawse e lies vp to ryse, y warne yow eu{er} mor{e}. 72

[Headnote: OF FRUITS BEFORE DINNER AND AFTER SUPPER.]

[Sidenote: Serve Fruit according to the season, figs, dates, quince-marmalade, ginger, &c.]

Good sone, all{e} man{er} frute / at longeth{e} for seson of e yer{e}, Fygg{es} / reysons / almand{es}, dat{es} / b.u.t.t{ur}, chese[17] / nottus, apples, & per{e}, Compost{es}[18] & confit{es}, char{e} de quync{es} / white & grene gynger{e}; and ffor aft{ur} questyons, or y lord sytte / of hym ow know & enquer{e}. 76

[Sidenote: Before dinner, plums and grapes after, pears, nuts, and hard cheese. After supper, roast apples, &c.]

Serve fastyng{e} / plommys / damsons / cheries / and grapis to plese; [Fol. 172.]

aft{ur} mete / peer{es}, nottys / strawberies, w?neberies,[19] and hardchese, also blawnderell{es},[20] pepyns / careawey in comfyte / Compost{es}[21] ar like to ese.

aftur sopper, rosted apples, per{es}, blaunche powd{er},[22] yo{ur} stomak for to ese. 80

[Sidenote: In the evening don't take cream, strawberries, or junket, unless you eat hard cheese with them.]

[Footnote *: 'at eve' has a red mark through as if to cut it out]

Bewar at eve[*] / of crayme of cowe & also of the goote, au? it be late, of Strawberies & hurtilberyes / w{i}t{h} the cold Ioncate,[23]

For ese may marr{e} many a man changyng{e} his astate, but ?iff he haue aft{u}r, hard chese / wafurs, w{i}t{h} wyne ypocrate.[24] 84

[Sidenote: Hard cheese keeps your bowels open.]

hard chese hath{e} is condiciou{n} in his operaciou{n}: Furst he will{e} a stomak kepe in the botom open,[25]

the helth{e} of eu{er}y creatur{e} ys in his condiciou{n}; yf he diete hym thus dayly / he is a good co{n}clusiou{n}. 88

[Sidenote: b.u.t.ter is wholesome in youth and old age, anti-poisonous, and aperient.]

b.u.t.tir is an holsom mete / furst and eke last,[26]

For he will{e} a stomak kepe / & helpe poyson a-wey to cast, also he norisheth{e} a man to be laske / and evy humer{us} to wast, and w{i}t{h} white bred / he will{e} kepe y mouthe in tast. 92

[Sidenote: Milk, Junket, Posset, &c., are binding. Eat hard cheese after them.]