Early English Meals and Manners Part 74

[Sidenotes: viii. Order your Alms to be given to the poor and sick. ix. Make all the household dine together in the Hall.]

-- The x.: Streytly for-bede ?e that no wyfe[A] be at ?oure mete. [a] And sytte ?e eu{er} in the myddul of the hye borde, that youre fysegge and chere be schewyd to all{e} men of bothe p{ar}tyes, and that ?e may see ly?htly the s{er}uic{is} and defawt{is}: and diligently see ?e that eu{er}y day in ?oure mete seson be two men ordeyned to ou{er}-se youre mayny, and of that they shall{e} drede ?ou

-- The xi: co{m}maunde ?e, and yeue licence as lytul tyme as ye may w{i}t{h} honeste to them that be in ?oure howseholde, to go home. And whenne ?e yeue licence to the{m}, a.s.signe ?e to them a short day of comyng a yeyne vnd{ur} peyne of lesyng ther{e} s{er}uice. [b] And yf ony man speke ayen or be worth{e},[B] say to hym, "what! wille ye be lorde?

ye wylle {a}t y s{er}ue you after ?oure wylle." and they that wylle not here that ?e say, effectually be they ywarnyd, and ye shall{e} p{ro}uide other s{er}uant{is} the which{e} shall{e} s{er}ue you to your{e} wylle or plesyng.

[Sidenotes: x. Let no woman dine with you. [a] Let the Master show himself to all. [b] Don't allow grumbling. xi. Let your servants go to their homes.

-- The xij is: {comman}d the panyt{r}ere w{i}t{h} youre brede, & the botelare w{i}t{h} wyne and ale, come to-gedur afore ?ou at the tabull{e} afore gracys, [a] And let be there thre yome{n} a.s.signed to s{er}ue the hye tabull{e} and the two syde tabullis in solenne dayes;

-- And ley they not the vessels deseruyng for ale and wyne vppon the tabull{e},[p. 196] but afore you, But be thay layid vnder e tabull{e}.

-- The 13: co{m}maunde ye the stywarde {a}t he be besy and diligent to kepe the maynye i{n} hys owne p{er}sone i{n}warde and vtwarde, and namely in the hall{e} and at mete, that they be-haue them selfe honestly, w{i}t{h}-out stryffe, fowlespekyng, and noyse; And that they that be ordeynyd to sette messys, [b] bryng them be ordre and c{on}tinuelly tyl all{e} be s{er}ued, and not inordinatly, And thorow affeccion [C] to p{er}sonys or by specialte; And take ?e hede to this tyl messys be fully sett in the hall{e}, and aft{er} tende ye to ?oure mette.

[Sidenotes: xii. Tell your Panter and Butler to come to the table before grace. [a] Tell off three yeomen to wait at table. xiii. Tell the Steward to keep good order in the Hall, [b] and serve every one fairly.]

-- The xiiij: c{om}maunde ?e {a}t youre dysshe be well{e} fyllyd and hepid, and namely of ent{er}mes, and of pitance w{i}t{h}-oute fat, carkyng that ?e may p{ar}te coureteysly to thoo that sitte beside, bothe of the ryght hande and the left, thorow all{e} the hie tabulle, and to other as plesyth{e} you, thow?ght they haue of the same that ye haue. At the sop{er} be s{er}uant{is} s{er}uid of oon messe, & by?th met{is}, & aft{er} of chese. -- And yf the[r] come gest{is}, s{er}uice schall{e} be haued as nedyth{e}. -- The xv: co{m}maunde ye the officers that they admitte youre knowlechyd men, familiers frendys, and strangers, w{i}t{h} mery chere, the wh[i]che they knowen you to wille for to admitte and receyue, and to them the whiche wylle you worschipe, and [p. 197] they wyllen to do that ye wylle to do, that they may know them selfe to haue be welcome to ?ou, and to be welle plesyd that they be come. -- And al so much{e} as ?e may w{i}t{h}-oute p{er}il of sykenes & werynys ete ?e in the halle afore ?oure meyny,

-- For that schall{e} be to ?ou p{ro}fyte and worshippe.

[Sidenotes: xiv. Have your dish well filled that you may help others to it.

xv. Always admit your special friends, and show them you are glad to see them.]

-- The xvj: when your{e} ballyfs comyn a-fore ?oure, speke to the{m} fayr{e} and gentilly in opyn place, and not in p{ri}uey,

-- And shew them mery cher{e}, & serche and axe of them "how fare owr{e} men & tenaunt{is}, & how cornys doon, & cart{is}, and of owr{e} stor{e} how hit ys m{u}ltiplyed," Axe suche thyng{is} ope{n}ly, and knowe ?e certeynly that they wille the more drede ?ou.

-- The xvij: co{m}maunde ?e that din{er}is and sopers p{ri}uely i{n} hid plase be not had, & be thay forbeden that there be no suche dyn{er}s nother sopers oute of the hall{e}, For of such{e} cometh{e} grete destr[u]ccion, and no worshippe therby growyth{e} to the lorde.

-- Expliciu{n}t Statuta Familie bone Memorie.

[Sidenotes: xvi. Talk familiarly to your Bailiffs, ask how your tenants and store do. xvii. Allow no private meals; only those in Hall.]

[Textnotes: A MS. wyse B t.i. wroth C MS. affecciori]

Prof. Brewer has, I find, printed these _Statuta_ in his most interesting and valuable _Monumenta Franciscana_, 1858, p. 582-6. He differs from Mr Brock and me in reading _drunkelewe_ (drunken, in Chaucer, &c.) as 'drunke, lewe,' and _vessels_ as 'bossels,' and in adding _e_'s[1] to some final _g_'s. He says, by way of Introduction, that, "Though ent.i.tled Ordinances for the Household of Bishop Grostete, this is evidently a Letter addressed to the Bishop on the management of his Household by some very intimate friend. From the terms used in the Letter, it is clear that the writer must have been on confidential terms with the Prelate. I cannot affirm positively that the writer was Adam de Marisco, although to no other would this doc.u.ment be attributed with greater probability. No one else enjoyed such a degree of Grostete's affection; none would have ventured to address him with so much familiarity. Besides, the references made more than once by Adam de Marisco in his letters to the management of the Bishop's household, greatly strengthen this supposition. See pp. 160, 170 (_Mon.

Francisc._). The MS. is a small quarto on vellum, in the writing of the 15th century. It is in all probability a translation from a Latin original."

[Footnote 1: In this he is probably right. The general custom of editors justifies it. Our printers want a pig-tailed or curly _g_ to correspond with the MS. one.]

Stanzas and Couplets of Counsel.

[_From the Rawlinson MS., C. 86, fol. 31, in the Bodleian Library._]

Vtter thy langage wyth good avis.e.m.e.nt; Reule the by Reasou{n} in thy termo? all{e};

[Sidenote: Never mistrust or fail your friend.]

Mystruste not thy frende for non{e} accus.e.m.e.nt, Fayle him neu{er} at nede, what so eu{er} befall{e}; 4 Solace i selfe when men{n} to sporte ee call{e};

[Sidenote: Don't talk too much.]

Largely to speke be wele ware for {a}t cause; Roll{e} faste this reasou{n} & thynke wele on {i}s clause.

[Sidenote: Spare your master's goods as your own.]

What man{n} {o}u s{er}uyst, all{e} wey him drede; 8 His good as yn owne, eu{er} {o}u spare.

Lette neu{er} y wyll{e} y witt ou{er} lede, But be glad of eu{er}y mannys welfare.

Folus lade polys; wis.e.m.e.n{n} ete e fysshe; 12 Wis.e.m.e.n{n} hath in {er} hondis ofte {a}t folys aft{er} wyssh{e}.

[Sidenote: A lawless youth, a despised old age.]

Who so in youthe no vertu vsith, In age all{e} hono{ur} him refusith.

Deame {e}e best in eu{er}y doute 16 Tyl e trouthe be tryed oute.

[Sidenote: A Gentleman says the best he can of every one.]

It is e properte of A gentilman{n} To say the beste {a}t he can{n}.

Si vie? doler{e} tua crimina die miserer{e} 20 Permiserere mei frangitur ira dei

[Follows:--Policronica.

Josephus of Iewes {a}t n.o.byl was, the firste Aucto{ur} of the booke of Policronica, &c.]

The schoole

of Vertue, and booke of

good Nourture for chyldren, and youth to learne theyr dutie by, Newely perused, corrected, and augmented by the fyrst Auctour F. S.[eager]