[V. How to clear the Table.] 16. Fill men's cups and remove their trenchers. spoons. 18. Take up the After the seconde cours served, kerved, and spente, hit must be sene, cuppys to be fillid, trenchours to be voyded. thenne by goode avysement the tabill muste be take uppe in manner as folowith:-first, when tyme foloweth, the panter or boteler muste gader uppe the 17. Collect the sponys; after that done by leyser, the sewer or carver shall be-gynne at the loweste ende, and in order take uppe the lowest messe; after the syde-tabill be avoyded and take uppe, and thenne to procede to the Principall tabill, and ther honestly and clenly avoyde and with drawe all the servise of the high table. ther-to the kerver muste be redy, and redely have a voyder to geder in all the broke brede, trenchours, cromys lying upon the tabill; levyng none other thyng save the salteseler, hole brede (yf any be lefte), and cuppys. [VI. How to serve Dessert.] After this done by goode delyberacion and avysement, the kerver shall take the servise of the principall messe in order and rule, begynnynge at the lowest, and so procede in rule unto the laste,2 and theruppon the kerver to have redy a voyder, and to avoyde all maner trenchours [&] broke brede in a-nother clene disshe voyder, and cromys, which with the kervyng-knyf 3 shall be avoyded from the tabill, and thus procede unto the tabill be voyded. Thenne the kerver shall goo unto the cuppebord, and redresse and ordeyne wafers in to towayles of raynes or fyne napkyns which moste be cowched fayre and honestly uppon the tabill, and thenne serve the principall messe first, and so thorowe the 1?aloweth 2 firste. The directions for taking-away seem repeated here, unless these second ones apply only to the spoons, napkins, &c. The cups are wanted for dessert. 3 crumb-brushes were not then invented. lowest dishes at the side-tables, and then clear the high table. 19. Sweep all trenchers, &c., the bits of bread, into a voyder. and sweet wine. In holiday or fruit; in winter, roast apples. tabill j or ij yf hit so requere: therto moste be servid time serve cheese, swete wyne and in feriall1 tyme serve chese shraped with sugur and sauge-levis,2 or ellis that hit be faire kervid hole, or frute as the yere yeveth, strawberys, cherys, perys, appulis; and in winter, wardens,3 costardys roste, rosted on fisshe-dayes with blanche pouder, and so serve hit forth Thenne aftur wafers and frute spended, all maner thinge shalbe take uppe and avoyded, except the principall salt-seler, hole brede, and kervyngknyves, the which shalbe redressed in maner and fourme as they were first sette on the table; the which, 22. Clear away all except the chief salt cellar, whole bread, and carving-knives; pantry. take these to the principall servitours of the pantre or botery, havyng his towaile, shall take uppe, and bere hit into his office in like wyse as he first brought hit unto the Tabill. 23. Lay a fresh cloth all along the chief table. [VII. How the Diners shall wash after Dessert.] Thenne the principall servitours, as kerver and sewer, moste have redy a longe towaile applyed dowble, to be cowched uppon the principall ende of the table; and that towell must be iustely drawen thorowe the tabill unto the lower ende, and ij servitours to awayte theruppon that hit be iustely cowched and sprad. after that done, ther muste be ordeyned basyns, and ewers with water hote or colde as tyme of the yere requerith, and to be sette uppon the tabill, and to stonde unto the water to the first grace be saide; and incontynent after grace seide, the servitours to be redy to awayte and attende to yeve water, first to the principall messe, and after that to the 24. Have ready basons and jugs with hot or cold water; and after Grace, hand basins and mess, then the second. 1 Fr. ferial, of or belonging to a holyday. Vn ferial beuveur, a square drinker, a faithfull drunkard; one that will take his liquor soundly. Cotgrave. Feries, Holydaies, feastiuall daies, properly such holydaies as Monday and Tuesday in Easter week, &c. Cot. 2 So "Apples and Cheese scraped with Sugar and Sage" at the end of the Second Course of the Dinner at the Marriage of Roger Rockley & Elizabeth Nevile, daughter of Sir John Nevile, the 14th of January in the 17th year of Henry the VIIIth. (A.D. 1526.) Forme of Cury, p. 174. 3 Wardens are baking pears; costards, apples. seconde. incontynent after this done, the towayle and tabill-clothis most be drawen, cowched, and sprad, and so by litill space taken uppe in the myddis of the tabill, and so to be delyvered to the officer of pantery or botery. [VIII. Of the Removal of the Table, and the separate Service to grand Guests in the Chamber.] 25. Take off and fold up the towels and cloth, and give 'em to the Panter. tables, trestles, Thenne uprysyng, servitours muste attende to avoyde 26. Clear away tabills, trestellis, formys and stolys, and to redresse forms; and put bankers and quyssyons. then the boteler shall avoyde seats. the cupborde, begynnyng at the lowest, procede in rule to the hieste, and bere hit in-to his office. cushions on other 27. Butler, put the cups, &c., back into your Thenne office. 28. Serve knights and ladies with bread and wine, after mete, hit moste be awayted and well entended by servitours yf drinke be asked. and yf ther be knyght or kneeling. lady or grete gentil-woman, they shall be servid uppon kne with brede and wyne. Thenne it moste be sene 29. Conduct yf strangers shalbe brought to chamber, and that the Chamber. chamber be clenly appareld and dressed according to the tyme of the yere, as in wynter-tyme, fyer, in somur tyme the bedd couerd with pylawes and hedde-shetys strangers to the in case that they woll reste. and after this done, they 30. Serve them moste have chere of neweltees in the chamber.' as with dainties: Iuncate, cheryes, pepyns, and such neweltees as the junket, pippins, tyme of the yere requereth; or ellis grene ginger com- or green ginger; fetts, with such thynge as wynter requereth; and 3 swete wynes, as ypocrasse, Tyre, muscadell, bastard and sweet wines. 1 I do not suppose that each guest retired to his own bed-room, but to the general withdrawing-room, possibly used as a general bed-room also, when the Hall had ceased to be it. "The camera usually contained a bed, and the ordinary furniture of a bedchamber; but it must be remembered that it still answered the purpose of a parlour or sitting-room, the bed being covered over during the daytime with a handsome coverlid, as is still the custom in France & other foreign countries to this day."-Domestic Archi. tecture, iii. 94-5. 2 See Ioncate in Index, and Russell, 1. 82. 3 See Russell, 1. 75, and, for wines, 1. 117. How to carve a vernage, of the beste that may be had, to the honor and lawde of the principall of the house. [XI. How to Carve.] to lose and t[i]re or sawse a capon: begynne at the lifte legge first of a Swan2; & lyfte a gose y-reared at the Wild-fowl, Crane, right legge first, and soo a wilde fowle. To unlose, tire, or display a crane3: cutte away the nekke in a voyde plate, rere legge and whyngge as of a capon; take of ij leches of the briste, and cowche legge and whyngge and lechis into a faire voyde plater; mynse the legge, and poyntes of whinge; sawse hym with mustard, vinager, and pouder gynger, and serve hit before the sovrayne, and the carcas in a charger besyde: serve it hole before the sovrayne. and he may be served and dressed as a capon, save one thyng, his breste bone.5 To tyre or ellis to dismember an heronsew: rere legge and whinge as of a crane; cowche them aboute the body on bothe sydes, the hedde and the nekke being upon the golet: serve him forth, and yf he be mynsed, sawse hym with mustard, burage,7 suger, and powder of gynger. Heronsew, Bittern, Egret, To lose or untache a bitorn: kitte his nekke, and lay hit by the hedde in the golette; kitte his whynge by the joynte; rere hym legge and whynge, as the heron; serve him fourth; no sawse unto hym but only salte. To lose or spoyle an Egrete: rere uppe his legge 1 There must be some omission here. See Russell, 1. 409, and W. de Worde, p. 275. 2 See Russell, 1. 403. Wynkyn de Worde, p. 275, directs the Rere is cut off. p. 276. 6 Russell, 1. 422; Wynkyn de Worde, p. 276, p. 278, 1. 20. 7 Borage is a favourite flavouring for cups and other drinks. 6 Russell, 1. 421; Wynkyn de Worde, p. 276. 9 Russell, l. 421; Wynkyn de Worde, p. 276. and whynge, as of a henne, aboute the carcas: no sawse to him but salte. 2 To tyre or to ele a partorich or a quayle 3 y-whyngged: rere uppe whynge and legge, as of an henne; cowche them aboute the carcas; no sawse save salte, or mustard and sugar. To lose or unlase a fesaunt rere uppe legge and whynge as an henne cowche legge and whynge aboute the carcas; serve hym fourth; no sawse but salte: but and yf he be mynsed, take whyte wyne, sugur, mustard, and a lyttell of powder gynger. ffor to make a feste for a bryde. Partridge, Quail, Pheasant. A Bridal Feast. a Device The ffirst cours: brawne, with the borys hed,5 Boar's head, and lying in a felde, hegge about with a scriptur, sayng on this wyse; "Welcombe you bretheren godely in this hall! 7 Joy be unto you all that en3 this day it is now fall! that worthy lorde that lay in an Oxe stalle mayntayne your husbonde and you, with your gystys, alle !" Ffurmente with veneson, swanne, pigge. Ffesaunte, with a grete custard, with a sotelte, of Welcome. Venison and A lambe stondyng in scriptour, sayng on this wyse : "I mekely unto you, sovrayne, am sente, to dwell with you, and ever be present." 7 1 Fr. aile, wing; but ailer, to give wings unto. Cotgrave. 2 Russell, 1. 397, 1. 417; W. de Worde, p. 275. 3 Russell, 1. 437; W. de Worde, p. 276. Russell, L. 417; Wynkyn de Worde, p. 275, p. 278. 5 See the carol from the Porkington MS., "The Boris hede furste," in Reliq. Ant. vol. ii., and below. 6 hedged or edged. 7 The verse is written as prose. 8 on Meekness. |