Stand by your

lord till he tells you to sit,

then keep your knife clean and sharp

to cut your food.

Be silent, and tell

no nasty stories.

Cut your bread, don't break it.

Lay a clean

trencher before

you, and eat your broth with a spoon,

don't sup it up.

Don't leave your spoon in your dish.

Don't lean on the table, or dirty the cloth.

Don't hang your head over your dish, or eat with a full mouth, or

pick your nose, teeth, and nails,

or stuff your mouth so that you can't speak,

Wipe your mouth when you drink,

and don't dirty the cup with your hands.

Byfore him stonde whils he komaunde yow sytte,
Withe clene handes Ay Redy him to serve;

136 Whenne yee be sette, your knyf withe alle your
wytte

Vnto youre sylf bothe clene and sharpe con

serve,

That honestly yee mowe your own mete kerve. Latte curtesye and sylence withe yow duelle, 140 And foule tales looke noone to other telle.

Kutte withe your knyf your brede, and breke yt nouhte;

A clene Trenchour byfore yow eke ye lay,

And whenne your potage to yow shalle be brouhte,

144 Take yow sponys, and soupe by no way,

And in youre dysshe leve nat your spone, I

pray,

Nor on the borde lenynge be yee nat sene,
But from embrowyng the clothe yee kepe clene.

¶ Oute ouere youre dysshe your heede yee nat hynge,

149 And withe fulle mouthe drynke in no wyse ;

Youre nose, your teethe, your naylles, from

pykynge,

Kepe At your mete, for so techis the wyse.
152 Eke or ye take in youre mouthe, yow avyse,
So mekyl mete but that yee rihte welle mowe
Answere, And speke, whenne men speke to yow.

[ Whanne ye shalle drynke, your mouthe clence withe A clothe;

156 Youre handes eke that they in no manere

Imbrowe the cuppe, for thanne shulle noone be

lothe

Withe yow to drynke that ben withe yow yfere.
The salte also touche nat in his salere
160 Withe nokyns mete, but lay it honestly
On youre Trenchoure, for that is curtesy.

Youre knyf withe mete to your mouthe nat bere, And in youre hande nor holden yee yt no way, 164 Eke yf to yow be brouhte goode metys sere,

Luke curteysly of ylke mete yee assay,

And yf your dysshe withe mete be tane away And better brouhte, curtesye wole certeyne 168 Yee late yt passe and calle it nat ageyne.

And yf straungers withe yow be sette at mete,
And vnto yow goode mete be brouhte or sente,
Withe parte of hit goodely yee theym Rehete,

172 For yt ys nouhte ywys convenyent,

Withe yow at mete whanne other ben present,
Alle forto holde that vnto yow ys brouhte,
And as wrecches on other vouchesauf nouhte.

Kutte nouhte youre mete eke as it were Felde

men,

177 That to theyre mete haue suche an appetyte

Don't dip your

meat in the saltcellar,

or put your knife in your mouth.

Taste every dish that's brought to you, and when once your plate is taken away, don't ask for it again.

If strangers dine

all good food sent

with you, share

to you with them. It's not polite to keep it all to yourself.

[Fol. 89 b.] Don't cut your meat like field labourers, who

have such an appetite they

That they ne rekke in what wyse, where ne don't care how

they hack their food.

when, Nor how vngoodly they on theyre mete twyte; sweet children, 180 But, swete children, haue al-wey your delyte In curtesye, and in verrey gentylnesse, And at youre myhte eschewe boystousnesse.

Whanne chese ys brouhte, A Trenchoure ha ye

clene

let your delight be courtesy, and eschew rudeness.

Have a clean trencher and knife for

184 On whiche withe clene knyf [ye] your chese your cheese,

mowe kerve;

In youre fedynge luke goodly yee be sene,

and eat properly.

Don't chatter

either, and you

shall get a good

repute for

gentleness.

When the meal is over,

clean your knives, and put them in their places: keep your seats till you've washed;

then rise up with-
out laughing or
joking, and go
to your lord's
table.

Stand there

till grace is said.

Then some of

you go for water, some hold the

towel, some

pour water over

his hands.

[Fol. 90.] Other things I

shall not put in this little Report,

but skip over,
praying that no
one will abuse
me for this work.
Let readers add or
take away:

I address it to every one who

likes to correct it.

Sweet children,

I beseech you

And from Iangelyng your tunge al-wey conserve,
For so ywys yee shalle a name deserve
188 Off gentylnesse and of goode governaunce,
And in vertue al-wey youre silf avaunce.

¶ Whanne that so ys that ende shalle kome of mete,

Youre knyffes clene, where they ouhte to be, 192 Luke yee putte vppe; and holde eke yee your

seete

Whils yee haue wasshe, for so wole honeste. Whenne yee haue done, looke thanne goodly that yee

Withe-oute lauhtere, Iapynge, or boystous worde, 196 Ryse vppe, and goo vnto youre lordis borde,

And stonde yee there, and passe yee him nat fro

Whils

grace ys sayde and brouhte vnto an ende, Thanne somme of yow for water owe to goo,

200 Somme holde the clothe, somme poure vppon

his hende.

Other service thanne this I myhte comende
To yow to done, but, for the tyme is shorte,
I putte theym nouhte in this lytyl Reporte,

¶ But ouere I passe, prayyng withe spyrit gladde 205 Of this labour that no wihte me detray,

But where to lytyl ys, latte him more adde,
And whenne to myche ys, latte him take away;
208 For thouhe I wolde, tyme wole that I no more say;
I leve therfore, And this Book I directe
To euery wihte that lyste yt to correcte.

And, swete children, for whos love now I write, 212 I yow beseche withe verrey lovande herte,

To knowe this book that yee sette your delyte;
And myhtefulle god, that suffred peynes smerte,
In curtesye he make yow so experte,

know this book,

and may God

make you so

expert therein

216 That thurhe your nurture and youre governaunce that you may In lastynge blysse yee mowe your self auaunce! bliss.

attain endless

¶ Lerne or be Lewde.

To Amerous, to Aunterous, ne Angre the nat to
to muche;

To Bolde, ne to Besy, ne Bourde nat to large;
To Curteys, to Cruelle, ne Care nat to sore;

[Fol. 90 b.] Don't be too loving or angry, bold or busy, courteous or cruel, or cowardly, and don't drink too

4 To Dulle, ne to Dredefulle, ne Drynke nat to often,

offte;

To Elenge, to Excellent, ne to Carefulle ney

thur;

To Fers, ne to Famuler, but Frendely of Chere;

To gladde, ne to Glorious, and Gelousy thow

hate;

8 To Hasty, to Hardy, ne to Hevy in thyn

Hevy in thyn be not too hasty

Herte;

or daring;

To Iettyng, ne to Iangelyng, and Iape nat to joke not too oft;

ofte;

To Kynde, ne to Kepyng, and warre Knavis ware knaves'

cacches;

tricks.

To Lothe, ne to Lovyng, ne to Lyberalle of Don't be too

goode;

grudging or too liberal,

12 To Medlous, to Mury, but as goode Maner too meddling,

askithe;

To noyous, ne to Nyce, ne to Newfangylle;

too particular, new-fangled,

To Orped, to Overtwert, and Othes, sir, thow or too daring.

Hate oaths

hate;

and flattery.

Please well thy master.

Don't be too rackety,

or go out too much.

Don't be

too revengeful:

or wrathful,

and wade not too deep.

The middle path

is the best for us all.

To Preysyng, to Preve withe Prynces and
Dukes ;

16 To Queynt, to Querelous, and Queme welle
thy maistre ;

To Riotous, to Revelyng, ne Rage nat to

muche;

To Straunge, ne to Steryng, ne Stare nat

abroode;

To Toyllous, to Talevys, for Temperaunce it

hatithe;

20 To Vengable, to Envious, and waste nat to muche;

To Wylde, to Wrathefulle, and Wade nat to

depe;

A Mesurable Mene way ys beste for vs alle;
¶YITTE LERNE or be lewde.

[A Dietary given vnto Kyng Herry the vte by Sigismounde, Emperour of Rome,' follows.]

A complete copy of the A B C Alliterative Poem of which the foregoing LERNE or be lewde is a fragment, occurs in the Lambeth MS. 853, and is therefore added here.