Early English Meals and Manners Part 22

[Sidenote: and each with a basin under it. The Ypocras is made.

Use the dregs in the kitchen.]

And vndur eu{er}y bagge, good son, a basou{n} cler{e} & bryght; and now is e ypocras made / for to plese many a wight.

e draff of e spicery / is good for Sewes in kychyn di?t; and ?iff ow cast hit awey, ow dost y mastir no ri?t. 172

[Sidenote: Put the Ypocras in a tight clean vessel, and serve it with wafers.]

++Now, good son, yne ypocras is made p{ar}fite & well{e}; y wold an ye put it in staunche & a clene vessell{e}, and e mouth{e} {er}-off y-stopped eu{er} more wisely & fell{e}, and s{er}ue hit forth w{i}t{h} wafurs boe in chambur & Cell{e}. 176

[Headnote: THE BOTERY.]

[Sidenote: _The b.u.t.tery._]

++The botery.

[Sidenote: Keep all cups, &c., clean. Don't serve ale till it's five days old.]

++Thy cuppes / y pott{es}, {o}u se be clene boe w{i}t{h}-in & owt; [T]hyne ale .v. dayes old er ow s{er}ue it abowt, for ale at is newe is wastable w{i}t{h}-owten dowt: And looke at all{e} yng{e} be pure & clene at ye go abowt. 180

[Sidenote: Be civil and obliging, and give no one stale drink.]

Be fayr{e} of answer{e} / redy to s{er}ue / and also gentell{e} of cher{e}, and an men will{e} sey 'er{e} goth{e} a gentill{e} officer{e}.'

be war{e} at ye geue no p{er}sone palled[42] drynke, for feer{e} hit my?t bryng{e} many a man in dissese / duryng{e} many a ?er{e}. 184

[Headnote: HOW TO LAY THE CLOTH AND WRAP UP BREAD.]

[Sidenote: _To lay the cloth_, &c. Wipe the table. Put a cloth on it (a cowche); you take one end, your mate the other;]

++Son, hit is tyme of e day / e table wold be layde. [Fol. 173b.]

Furst wipe e table w{i}t{h} a cloth{e} or {a}t hit be splayd, an lay a cloth{e} on e table / a cowche[43] it is called & said: take y felow oon ende {er}of / & {o}u at other{e} that brayde, 188

[Sidenote: lay the fold of the second cloth(?) on the outer edge of the table, that of the third cloth(?) on the inner.]

Than draw streight y cloth{e}, & ley e bou?t[44]

on e vtt{ur} egge of e table, take e vpper part / & let hyt hang{e} evyn able: ann take e .iij. cloth{e}, & ley the bou?t on e Inner side plesable, and ley estate w{i}t{h} the vpper part, e brede of half fote is greable. 192

[Sidenote: Cover your cupboard with a diaper towel, put one round your neck, one side on your left arm with your sovereign's napkin;]

Cover y cuppeborde of thy ewery w{i}t{h} the towell{e} of diapery; take a towell{e} abowt thy nekke / for at is curtesy, lay {a}t oon side of e towaile on y lift arme manerly, an on e same arme ley y sou{er}aignes napkyn honestly; 196

[Sidenote: on that, eight loaves to eat, and three or four trencher loaves: in your left the salt-cellar. In your right hand, spoons and knives.]

an lay on at arme viij. louys bred / w{i}t{h} iij. or iiij. trencher{e} lovis; Take at oo ende of y towaile / in y lift hand, as e man{er} is, and e salt Seller{e} in e same hand, looke {a}t ye do this; at o{er} ende of e towaile / in ri?t hand w{i}t{h} spones & knyffes y-wis; 200

[Sidenote: Put the Salt on the right of your lord; on its left, a trencher or two; on their left, a knife, then white rolls,]

Set your{e} salt on e right side / wher{e} sitt{es} your{e} soverayne, on e lyfft Side of your{e} salt / sett your{e} trencher oon & twayne, on e lifft side of yo{ur} tr{e}nchour{e} lay your{e} knyffe syng{u}l{e}r & playn;

[Textnote: [* a s.p.a.ce in the MS.]]

and on e ....[*] side of your{e} knyff{es} / oon by on e white payne; 204

[Sidenote: and beside them a spoon folded in a napkin. Cover all up. At the other end set a Salt and two trenchers.]

your{e} spone vppon a napkyn fayr{e} / ?et folden wold he be, besides e bred it wold be laid, son, y telle the: Cover your spone / napkyn, trencher, & knyff, {a}t no man hem se.

at e o{er} ende of e table / a salt w{i}t{h} ij. trenchers sett ye. 208

[Sidenote: _How to wrap up your lord's bread in a stately way._ Cut your loaves all equal.]

[Textnote: [ ? MS.]]

+S+{ir},[] ?eff ow wilt wrappe y sou{er}aynes bred stately, Thow must square & p{ro}porciou{n} y bred clene & evenly, and at no loof ne bunne be mor{e} an o{er} p{ro}porcionly, and so shaltow make y wrappe for y mast{er} man{er}ly; 212

[Sidenote: Take a towel two and a half yards long by the ends, fold up a handful from each end,]

an take a towaile of Raynes,[45] of ij. yard{es} and half wold it be, take y towaile by the end{es} dowble / and fair{e} on a table lay ye, an take e end of {a}t bought / an handfull{e} in hande, now her{e} ye me: wrap ye hard at handfull{e} or mor{e} it is e styffer, y telle e 216

[Sidenote: and in the middle of the folds lay eight loaves or buns, bottom to bottom;]

an ley betwene e endes so wrapped, in myddes of at towell{e}, viij loves or bonnes, botom to botom, forsothe it will{e} do well{e}, and when e looff{es} ar betwen, an wrappe hit wisely & fell{e}; and for your{e} enformaciou{n} mor{e} playnly y will{e} yow tell{e}, 220

[Sidenote: put a wrapper on the top, twist the ends of the towel together, smooth your wrapper,]

ley it on e vpper part of e bred, y telle yow honestly; [Fol. 174.]

take boe endis of e towell{e}, & draw em straytly, and wrythe an handfull{e} of e towell{e} next e bred myghtily, and se at thy wrapper{e} be made strayt & evyn styffely. 224

[Sidenote: and quickly open the end of it before your lord.]

when he is so y-graithed,[46] as ri?t befor{e} y haue saide, en shall{e} ye open hym thus / & do hit at a brayd, open e last end of y wrapper{e} befor{e} i sou{er}ayne laid, and your{e} bred sett in man{er} & forme: en it is honestly arayd. 228

[Sidenote: After your lord's lay the other tables. Deck your cupboard with plate, your washing-table with basins, &c.]

++Son, when y sou{er}eignes table is drest in us array, kou{er} all{e} o{er} bord{es} w{i}t{h} Salt{es}; trenchers & cuppes {er}on ye lay; an emp{er}iall{e} y Cuppeborde / w{i}t{h} Silu{er} & gild full{e} gay, y Ewry borde w{i}t{h} basons & lauo{ur}, wat{ur} hoot & cold, eche o{er} to alay. 232

[Sidenote: Have plenty of napkins, &c., and your pots clean.]

loke p{a}t ye haue napkyns, spones, & cuppis eu{er} y-nowe to your sou{er}aynes table, your{e} honeste for to allowe, also at pott{es} for wyne & ale be as clene as ey mowe; be eu{er}more war{e} of flies & mot{es}, y telle e, for y prowe. 236

[Headnote: HOW TO LAY THE SURNAPE AND TABLE.]

[Sidenote: Make the _Surnape_ with a cloth under a double napkin.]

++The surnape[47] ye shull{e} make w{i}t{h} lowly curtesye with a cloth{e} vndir a dowble of ri?t feir{e} napry; take thy towailes end{es} next yow w{i}t{h}-out vilanye, and e ende of e cloth{e} on e vttur side of e towell{e} bye; 240