Early English Meals and Manners Part 73

[Sidenote: [p. 13.]]

Thy head let that be kembd and trimd, let not thy haire be long, It is unseemely to the eye, rebuked by the tongue. 128

[Sidenote: Hanging down the head]

And be not like a slothfull wight, delighted to hang downe The head, and lift the shoulders up, nor with thy browes to frowne. 132

[Sidenote: Carriage of the body.]

To carry up the body faire, is decent, and doth shew A comely grace in any one, Where ever he doth goe. 136

[Sidenote: Hanging the head aside.]

To hang the head on any side, doth shew hypocrisie: And who shall use it trust him not, he deales with policie. 140

[Sidenote: [p. 14.]]

[Sidenote: Privy members.]

Let not thy privy members be layd open to be view'd, It is most shamefull and abhord, detestable and rude. 144

[Sidenote: Urine or winde.]

Retaine not urine nor the winde, which doth thy body vex, So it be done with secresie, let that not thee perplex. 148

[Sidenote: Sitting.]

And in thy sitting use a meane, as may become thee well, Not straddling, no nor tottering, and dangling like a bell. 152

[Sidenote: Curtesie.]

Observe in Curtesie to take a rule of decent kinde, Bend not thy body too far foorth, nor backe thy leg behind. 156

[Sidenote: The gate in going.]

[Sidenote: [p. 15.]]

In going keep a decent gate, not faining lame or broken, For that doth seeme but wantonnesse, and foolishnesse betoken. 160

[Sidenote: Apparrell.]

Let thy apparrell not exceede, to pa.s.se for sumptuous cost, Nor altogether be too base, for so thy credit's lost. 164

Be modest in thy wearing it, and keep it neat and cleane, For spotted, dirty, or the like, is lothsome to be seene. 168

This for thy body may suffice, how that must ordred be: Now at the Church thou shalt observe to G.o.d how all must be. 172

[_No doubt incomplete, or to be inserted before _Cap. v._ of _Weste's Schoole of Vertue_, at the end of this Part._ F. J. F.]

+Bp. Grossetest's Household Statutes.+

[_Sloane MS._ 1986, _p._ 193, _ab._ 1450-60.

_The last page mentions the 19th year of Henry VI.,_ A.D. 1440-1.]

[Transcriber's Note:

The _Statutes_ were printed as a single paragraph. The text has been broken up for readability, using the original paragraph marks --.

Sidenotes that do not correspond to numbered items are marked with lower-case letters. The first three sidenotes, from the original MS, were printed in larger type.]

Incipiunt statuta familie bone Memorie do{m}pni Rob{er}ti Grossetest, lincoln{i}e ep{iscop}i.

[a] Let alle men be warned {a}t s{er}uen ?ou, and warnyng be ?eue to all{e} me{n} that be of howseholde, to {ser}ue G.o.d and ?ou trewly & diligently and to p{er}formyng, or the wyllyng of G.o.d to be p{er}formed and fulfyllydde.

[Sidenote: +p{ri}m{us} u{e}r{sicu}l{us}+]

[b] Fyrst let s{er}uaunt{is} doo p{er}fytely in all{e} thyng{is} youre wylle, and kepe they ?oure {com}maundement{is} after G.o.d and ry?thwysnesse, and w{i}t{h}-oute co{n}dicion and also w{i}t{h}-oute gref or offense. And sey ?e, that be p{ri}nc.i.p.all{e} heuede or prelate to all{e} ?oure s{er}uaunt{is} both{e} lesse and mor{e}, that they doo fully, reedyly, and treuly, w{i}t{h}-oute offense or ayenseyng, all{e} youre wille & co{m}maundement that is not ayeynys G.o.d.

[Sidenote: +2^us+]

[Sidenotes: [a] All servants should serve truly G.o.d and their Master; [b] doing fully all that their Master orders, without answering.]

T the secunde ys, that [a] ?e co{m}maunde them that kepe and haue kepyng of ?oure howseholde, a-fore ?oure meynye, that bothe w{i}t{h}-in and w{i}t{h}-oute the meynye be trewe, honest, diligent, both{e} chast and p{ro}fitabulle.

[Sidenote: +3^us+]

-- the thrydde: co{m}maunde ye that [b] noman be admittyd in ?oure howseholde, nother inwarde nother vtwarde, but hit be trustyd and leuyd that ?e be trewe and diligent, and namely to that office to the whiche he is admyttyd; Also {a}t he be of goode man{er}s

[Sidenotes: [a] The upper servants must be honest and diligent, [b] and engage no untrusty or unfit man.]

-- The fowreth{e}: be hit sow?ht and examined ofte tymys yf ther be ony [a] vntrewman, vnkunnyng, vnhonest, lecherous, stryffull{e}, drunke[p. 194]lewe, vnp{ro}fitabull{e}, yf there be ony suche yfunde or diffamydde vppon these thyng{is}, that they be caste oute or put fro the howseholde.

[Sidenotes: iv. [a] Dishonest, quarrelsome, and drunken servants must be turned out.]

-- The fyft: co{m}maunde ?e that in no wyse be in the howseholde men debatefull{e} or stryffull{e}, but that all{e} be of oon a-corde, of oon wylle, euen lyke as in them ys oon mynde and oon sowle.

-- The sixte: co{m}maunde ?e that all{e} tho that s{er}uen in ony offyce be obedient, and redy, to the{m} that be a-bofe them in thyng{is} that p{er}teynyn to there office.

-- The seuenth{e}: co{m}maunde ?e that ?oure gentilmen yome{n} and other, dayly bere and were there robis in ?oure p{re}sence, and namely at the mete, for ?oure worshyppe, and not oolde robis and not cordyng to the lyu{er}ey, nother were they oolde schoon ne fylyd.

[Sidenotes: v. All must be of one accord, vi. obedient to those above them, vii. dress in livery, and not wear old shoes.]

-- The viij: Commaunde ?e that ?oure almys be kepyd, & not sende not to boys and knafis, nother in the hall{e} nothe out{e} of e hall{e}, ne be wasted in soperys ne dyners of gromys, but wysely, temp{er}atly, w{i}t{h}-oute bate or betyng, be hit distribute and the[n] dep{ar}tyd to powre men, beggers, syke folke and febull{e}.

-- The ix.: Make ?e ?oure owne howseholde to sytte in the all{e}, as muche as ye mow or may, at the bordis of oon p{ar}te and of the other p{ar}te, and lette them sitte to-gedur as mony as may, not here fowre and thre there: and when youre chef maynye be sett, then all{e} gromys may [p. 195] entre, sitte, And ryse