Early English Meals and Manners Part 34

[Sidenote: II. Bishop, &c.]

+Thestate of a+

+The pope+ hath no peere; { Emperowr{e} is nex hym eu{er}y wher{e}; { Kyng{e} corespondent; us nurtur{e} shall{e} yow lere.

{ high{e} Cardynell{e}, e dignyte doth{e} requer{e}; 1008 { Kyngis sone, prynce ye hym Call{e}; { Archebischopp{e} is to hym p{er}egall{e}.

{ Duke of e blod{e} royall{e}, { bishopp{e} / Marques / & erle / coequall{e}. 1012

[Sidenote: III. 1. Viscount. 2. Mitred abbot. 3. Three Chief Justices. 4. Mayor of London.]

[Sidenote: IV. (The Knight's rank.) 1. Cathedral Prior, Knight Bachelor. 2. Dean, Archdeacon. 3. Master of the Rolls. 4. Puisne Judge. 5. Clerk of the Crown. 6. Mayor of Calais. 7. Doctor of Divinity. 8. Prothonotary. 9. Pope's Legate.]

{ ++Vycount / legate / baroune / suffrigan / abbot w{i}t{h} myt{ur} feyr{e}, { barovn of escheker{e} / iij. e cheff Iustice? / of london e meyr{e}; { Pryour{e} Cathedrall{e}, myt{ur} abbot w{i}t{h}out / a knyght bachiller{e} { P{ri}oure / deane / archedekon / a knyght / e body Esquyer{e}, 1016

{ Mastir of the rolles / ri?t us ryken y, { Vndir Iustice may sitte hym by: { Clerke of the crowne / & thescheker{e} Co{n}venyently { Meyr{e} of Calice ye may p{re}ferr{e} plesauntly. 1020 { Provynciall{e}, & doctur diuyne, [Fol. 186b.]

{ P{ro}thonot{ur}, ap{er}tli to-gedur ey may dyne.

[Sidenote: V. (The Squire's rank.) 1. Doctor of Laws. 2. Ex-Mayor of London. 3. Serjeant of Law. 4. Masters of Chancery.

5. Preacher. 6. Masters of Arts. 7. Other Religious. 8. Parsons and Vicars. 9. Parish Priests. 10. City Bailiffs. 11. Serjeant at Arms. 12. Heralds (the chief Herald has first place), 13. Merchants, 14. Gentlemen, 15. Gentlewomen may all eat with squires.]

{ ++e popes legate or collectour{e}, to-ged{ur} ye a.s.signe, { Doctur of bothe lawes, beyng{e} in science digne. 1024

{ ++Hym at hath byn meyr{e} / & a londyner{e}, { Sargeaunt of lawe / he may w{i}t{h} hym comper{e}; { The mastirs of the Chauncery w{i}t{h} comford & cher{e}, { e worshipfull{e} p{re}chour{e} of p{ar}dou{n} in {a}t place to apper{e}. 1028

The clerk{es} of connyng{e} that han taken degre, And all{e} othur ordurs of chast.i.te chosyn, & also of pou{er}te, all{e} p{ar}sons & vicaries at ar of dignyte, parisch{e} prest{es} kepynge cur{e}, vn-to em loke ye se. 1032 For e baliff{es} of a Cite purvey ye must a s.p.a.ce, A yeman of e crowne / Sargeaunt of armes w{i}t{h} mace, A herrowd of Armes as gret a dygnyte has, Specially kyng{e} harrawd / must haue e p{ri}nc.i.p.all{e} place; 1036

Worshipfull{e} m{er}chaund{es} and riche artyficeris, Gentilmen well{e} nurtured & of good maneris, W{i}t{h} gentilwo{m}men / and namely lord{es} nurrieris, all{e} these may sit at a table of good squyeris. 1040

[Headnote: USHER & MARSHAL: WHAT PEOPLE RANK AND DINE TOGETHER.]

[Sidenote: I have now told you the rank of every cla.s.s, and now I'll tell you how they may be grouped at table.]

++Lo, son, y haue shewid the aft{ur} my symple wytte euery state aftir eir{e} degre, to y knowleche y shall{e} co{m}mytte, and how ey shall{e} be s{er}ued, y shall{e} shew the ?ett, in what place aft{ur} eir{e} dignyte how ey owght to sytte: 1044

[Sidenote: I. Pope, King, Prince, Archbishop and Duke.]

+Thestate of a+

{ Pope, Emp{er}owr{e} / kyng{e} or cardynall{e}, { Prynce w{i}t{h} goldyn rodde Royall{e}, { Archebischopp{e} / vsyng to wer{e} e palle, { Duke / all{e} ese of dygnyte ow?t not kepe e hall{e}. 1048

[Sidenote: II. Bishop, Marquis, Viscount, Earl. III. The Mayor of London, Baron, Mitred Abbot, three Chief Justices, Speaker,]

Bisshoppes, M{er}ques, vicount, Erle goodly, May sytte at .ij. messe? yf ey be lovyng{e}ly.

e meyr{e} of london, & a baron, an abbot myterly, the iij. chef Iustice?, e speker{e} of e p{ar}lement, p{ro}purly 1052

[Sidenote: may sit together, two or three at a mess.]

all{e} these Estat{es} ar gret and honorable, ey may sitte in Chambur or hall{e} at a table, .ij. or els iij. at a messe / ?eff ey be greable: us may ye in your{e} office to eu{er}y man be plesable. 1056

[Sidenote: IV. The other ranks (three or four to a mess) equal to a Knight, unmitred Abbot, Dean, Master of the Rolls,]

Of all{e} o{er} estat{es} to a messe / iij. or iiij. us may ye sur{e}, And of all{e} estatis at ar egall{e} w{i}t{h} a knyght / digne & demur{e}, Off abbot & p{ri}our{e} saunc? myt{ur}, of co{n}vent ey han cur{e}; Deane / Archedecon, mast{ur} of e rolles, aft{ur} your{e} plesur{e}, 1060

[Sidenote: under Judges, Doctor of Divinity, Prothonotary, Mayor of Calais.]

Alle the vndirIustice? and barou{n}es of e kyng{es} Eschekier{e}, [Fol. 187.]

a p{ro}vinciall{e} / a doctour{e} devine / or boe lawes, us yow ler{e}, A p{ro}thonot{ur} ap{ert}li, or e popis collectour{e}, if he be ther{e}, Also e meyr{e} of e stapull{e} / In like purpose {er} may apper{e}. 1064

[Sidenote: V. Other ranks equal to a Squire, four to a mess.

Serjeants of Law, ex-Mayor of London, Masters of Chancery,]

Of all{e} o{ur} estat{es} to a messe ye may sette four{e} / & four{e}, as suche p{er}sones as ar p{er}egall{e} to a squyer{e} of honour{e}: Sargeaund{es} of lawe / & hym at hath byn meyr{e} of london aforne, and e mastyrs of e chauncery, ey may not be forborne. 1068

[Sidenote: Preachers and Parsons, Apprentices of Law, Merchants and Franklins.]

All{e} p{re}chers / residencers / and p{er}sones at ar greable, Apprentise of lawe In courtis pletable, Marchaund{es} & Franklon?, worshipfull{e} & honorable, ey may be set semely at a squyers table. 1072

[Sidenote: Each estate or rank shall sit at meat by itself, not seeing another.]

These worthy[A] Estat{es} a-foreseid / high of renowne, Vche Estate syngulerly in hall{e} shall{e} sit a-downe, that none of hem se othur{e} / at mete tyme in feld nor in towne, but vche of em self in Chambur or in pavilowne. 1076

[Text note: royall{e} _is written over_ worthy.]

[Sidenote: The Bishop of Canterbury shall be served apart from the Archbishop of York, and the Metropolitan alone.]

++Yeff e bischopp{e} of e p{ro}vynce of Caunturbury be in e p{re}sence of the archebischopp{e} of yorke reu{er}ently, eir{e} s{er}uice shall{e} be kou{er}ed / vche bisshopp{e} syngulerly, and in e p{re}sence of e metropolytan{e} none o{er} sicurly. 1080

[Sidenote: The Bishop of York must not eat before the Primate of England.]

yeff bischopps of yorke p{ro}vynce be fortune be syttyng{e} In e p{re}sence of e p{ri}mate of Englond an beyng{e}, ey must be cou{er}ed in all{e} eyr{e} s{er}uyng{e}, and not in p{re}sence of e bischopp{e} of yorke er{e} apperyng{e}. 1084

[Headnote: USHER AND MARSHAL: OF BLOOD ROYAL AND PROPERTY.]

[Sidenote: Sometimes a Marshal is puzzled by Lords of royal blood being poor, and others not royal being rich;]

++Now, son, y p{er}ceue at for dyu{er}se cawses / as well{e} as for ignorau{n}ce, a m{er}chall{e} is put oft tymes in gret comberaunce For som lord{es} at ar of blod royall{e} / & litell{e} of lyvelode p{er} chaunce, and some of gret lyvelode / & no blode royall{e} to avaunce; 1088

[Sidenote: also by a Lady of royal blood marrying a knight, and _vice versa_. The Lady of royal blood shall keep her rank; the Lady of low blood shall take her husband's rank.]

And som knyght is weddid / to a lady of royall{e} blode, and a poor{e} lady to blod ryall{e}, manfull{e} & myghty of mode: e lady of blod royall{e} shall{e} kepe e state / at she afor{e} in stode, the lady of low blode & degre / kepe her lordis estate, y make h{i}t good. 1092

[Sidenote: Property is not so worthy as royal blood, so the latter prevails over the former, for royal blood may become King.]

The substau{n}ce of lyvelode is not so digne / as is blode royall{e}, {er}for{e} blode royall{e} opteyneth e sou{er}eynte in chambur & in hall{e}, For blode royall{e} somtyme ti?t to be kyng{e} in pall{e}; of e which{e} mater{e} y meve no more: let G.o.d gou{er}ne all{e}! 1096