Don't drink between meals,

and avoid over salt meat.

Don't get surfeit

ed, eat late suppers, or sit up nodding by candle

light.

[Page 184.]

Have nothing to do with drunkards, liars, lechers, and dice-players.

Give no heed to evil tales; don't be too hasty, or violent to the

poor,

but gentle in talk.

Long sleep after

meals is bad.

20

Drinke not bitwene melis for no froward delite
But if þurst or traueile zeue pee occasioun.
And ouer salt mete doop greet oppressioun
To feble stomakis pat wole not hem refreyne
From pingis pat ben contrarie to her complex-
ioun,

24 pei docn to her stomakis ofte myche peine.

28

32

36

Have a fire morn and eve.

Rise early and say your prayers.

Visit the poor,

pity the needy,

(IV. LATIN VII.)

Vse no surfetis neipir day ne nyght,

Neiper ony rere soupers, which is but excesse;
And be waar of nodding heedis & of candil lizt,
And also of long sleep and of ydilnesse
¶ The which of alle vicis sche is porteresse.
And voide alle drunkelew folk, liers, & letchouris,
And alle hem pat vsen suche vnþriftynesse,
And also dijs pleiers and hacerdouris.

(V. LATIN III.)

¶To yuel talis zeeue noo credence;

Be not to hasti, ne to sodeyn veniable;
To
poore folk do pou no violence;
Be gentil of langage, in fedinge mesurable;
On sundri metis be not gredi at pe table;
Long sleep aftir mete doop myche greuaunce.
Blame no condicioun which is commendable;
But to seie pe beste, sette alle pi plesaunce.

(VI. LATIN VI.)

Use fier bi þe morewe, & to bedward at eue
Azens blake mystis and eir of pestilence;
And arise pou eerli if pou be in heele,
44 And first bi þe morewe do god reuerence.
To visite pe poore do pi diligence,
And on þe needi haue compassioun,

(IV.)

Os duplex odias; ad mensam non paciaris
Detractus; populos iurgantes despice semper
Non sustine falsos, blandos, nec adulatores
24 Tecum; scismaticos pro[s]pera impedientes;
Rixam monentes non tecum sint permanentes :
Sed cum vicinis pace viuendo frueris.

(V. ENGLISH VII.)

Munde vestitus tuus ut status exigit esto;

28 Limina ne cellas, & tua pacta tene.

Cum tribus hominibus litem tu suscitare nolito,
Cum te meliore iurgia nulla move,

Contra consortem nullam mouebis querelam,
32 Contra subiectum pudor esset pandere luctum.
Consulo propterea dum vixeris assequi velis
Pacem, & tibi adquire nomen bonum.

36

(VI. ENGLISH VI.)

Ignis in aurora, & contra nebula cero,
Aere pestifero, nesciat esse foris.

Audi mane missam, melius nam sic prosperis.
Primo dum eleuas, deum laudare iuberis,

Pauperes post visita; interna dileccione

40 Si super egertos pie compaciaris,

Dabit affluenciam dominus, & accumulabit
Cum incremento, tua possessio stabit.

(VII. ENGLISH IV.)

Crapulam nullam domo cero paciaris in tua,
44 Cenas repetentes, excessu magno edentes,
Et capud quod innuit, candela accensa que igne.
Pigricies mane sompnolenta ociositas que
Mater viciorum omnium est janitrix dicta.

48 Sic que ebriosi, mendaces, luxuriosi,

Hate double-faced
people.

Keep no flatterers
with you.
Help those who
annoy schis-
matics.

Live at peace
with your

neighbours.

and get posses

sions in heaven.

[Page 185.]

Don't dress too finely,

strive with your better,

your equal, or your inferior,

but live in peace and win a good

name.

Man is only body and soul.

Moderate feeding for the one: Charity for the other.

This diet is good, though it's bought of no apothecary.

so, keep to it.

Serve God,

eat your meals

merrily, and live

in rest.

Thank God highly; he will

improve your condition when He sees fit.

For good deedis causip mirpe in conscience,
48 And in heuene to haue greet possessioun.
(VII. LATIN V.)

Be not nyce in clopinge passing þin astate;
Be rewlid bi temperaunce while pou art a-lyue;
And with .iij. maner of folk be not at debate:
52 First with pi bettir be waar for to stryue,
Azens pi felaw noo quarel pou contryue,
With pi suget to stryue, it is but schame;
perfore y councelle pee, while pou art a-liue,
56 To liue in pees, and gete pee a good name.
(VIII. LATIN X.)

¶ In two pingis stondip a mannis welpe,

In soule & bodi, who-so wole hem sewe, Mesurable fedinge kepip a man in helpe, 60 And rizt so is charite to pe soule dewe. Forzete not pis diete, for it is good & trewe; houz it be bou3t of no potecarie

Ne of noon oper maister þat greet cunnynge can

schewe,

64 3it y councelle pee, be dietid bi pis diatorie.

[A different and later version of this Poem was printed by Mr Halliwell from MS. Harl. 2251, fol. 4-5, in his Selection from the Minor Poems of Dan John Lydgate for the Percy Society, 1840, pp. 66-69. He remarks that the "poem is very common in manuscript, but several of the copies vary considerably from each other. It may be sufficient to refer to MS. Harl. 116, fol. 116; MS. Oxon. Bernard. 1479; MS. Rawl. Oxon. C. 86; MS. Arund. 168; MS. Sloan. 775; and MS. Sloan. 3554, which contains a Latin version. Ritson has inserted this in his list of Lydgate's works in two places, under Nos. 55 and 61." Harl. 5401 contains a late copy.]

(VIII.)

Post epulas sumptas sompnum longum non tibi Don't sleep long

sumas;

Capud, pes, stomachus frigora non paciantur;

Non contristeris corde, molestiam tolle.

after meals.
The head, feet,
and stomach will

not bear cold.

52 Vt poscunt redditus, tuam decet regere domum. Manage your

home according
to your income.
Don't swear so as
to deceive any.

one.

Tempore tu patere iusticiam semper tuere, Nec iurare velis, quo quisquam decipiatur. Du[m] iuuenis fueris, monstra te elegantem; 56 Cum cedit senectus, ut sapiens cohibe mentem. Non semper stabunt mundi gaudia, sed variabunt. self-restraint.

(IX. ENGLISH III.)

Non comedas mane donec tuus appetit vsus;
Digestant bene limpidus aer & corporis motus.
60 Inter prandendum tibi potus est denegandus,
Ni sitis aut labor tibi prestent occasionem.
Salsa nimis nocent stomachis debilitatis,
Dum nequeant a se contraria pellere quoque ;
Namque pena stomacho interdum maxime crescit
Ex manu veloci, dum se reprimere nescit.

64

(X. ENGLISH VIII.)

Sic in duobus consistit sanitas tota,Corporis ac anime; qui ea sequi velit, 68 Conuenit saluti cibi sumpcio moderata, Excessuque salus ab homine est reuocata. Caritas est anime omnino debita valde, Ex apothecario sumpsio prorsus emitur nullo. 72 Nec1 ab Antonio, nec ab hugone magone,

Sed cunctis ditissimum vtentibus est dietarium.

When young,

dress elegantly; when old, show

This world's joys will change.

[1 MS. Hec.]

Recipes.

[From Harl. MS. 279, ab. 1430-40 a.d.

.lxiij.

(fol. 15 a.)

ought to be printed.]

A pretty MS. that

Potage dyuers Harys in cyueye. Take Harys, & Fle hem, & make hem clene, an hacke hem in gobettys, & sethe hem in Watere & Salt a lytylle; pan take Pepyr, an Safroun, an Brede, y-grounde y-fere, & temper it wyth Ale. pan take Oynonys & Percely y-mynced smal to-gederys, & sethe hem be hem self, & afterward take & do per-to a porcyon of vynegre, & dresse in. (See also the recipe for "Harus in Cyue" in Liber Cure Cocorum, p. 21, & that for "Conyngus in cyue" p. 20. Chive is a kind of small onion.)

lxxii. Conyngys in cyveye. Take Conyngys, an fle hem & sepe (fol. 16 a.) hem, & make lyke pou woldyst make a sewe, saue alle to-choppe hem, & caste Safroun & lyer per-to, & Wyne. (See also "Conyngus in cyue" in L. C. C., p. 20; and "Conynges in Cyue" in Household Ordinances, p. 434.)

XV.

Doucettes. Take Creme a gode cupfulle, & put it on a stray(fol. 39 b.) noure, panne take 30lkys of Eyroun, & put per-to, & a lytel mylke; þen strayne it prow a straynoure in-to a bolle; pen take Sugre [1 fol. 40.] y-now, & put per-to, or ellys hony for defaute1 of Sugre; þan coloure it with Safroun; þan take pin cofyns, & put it in pe ovynne lere, & lat hem ben hardyd; pan take a dyssshe y-fastenyd on pe pelys ende, & pore pin comade in-to pe dyssche, & fro pe dyssche in-to pe cofyns; & whan þey don a-ryse Wel, teke hem out, & serue hem forth.

xxxvij. Doucettes. Take Porke & hakke it smal, & Eyroun y-mellyd (fol. 43 b.) to-gederys, & a lytel Milke, & melle hem to-gederys with Hony & Pepir, & bake hem in a cofyn, & serue forth.

xxxviij. Doucettes a-forcyd. Take Almaunde Milke & 30lkys of Eyroun y-mellid to-gederys, Safroun, Salt, & Hony: dry pin cofyn, & ley pin Maribonys per-on, & serue forth.