take by towaile by the endes dowble / and faire on long by the ends,

a table lay ye,

from each end,

þan take pe end of pat bought/ an handfulle in fold up a handful hande, now here ye me :

216 wrap ye hard þat handfulle or more it is pe styffer,

y telle pe,

þañ ley betwene pe endes so wrapped, in myddes of and in the middle pat towelle,

of the folds lay

viij loves or bonnes, botom to botom, forsothe it eight loaves or

wille do welle,

buns, bottom to bottom;

and when pe looffes ar betweñ, þañ wrappe hit put a wrapper

wisely & felle;

220 and for youre enformacioun more playnly y wille

yow telle,

ley it on þe vpper part of pe bred, y telle yow
honestly;

take bope endis of pe towelle, & draw pem straytly,

and wrythe an handfulle of pe towelle next pe bred

myghtily,

[Fol. 174.] on the top,

twist the ends of

the towel to

gether,

224 and se pat thy wrappere be made strayt & evyñ smooth your

styffely.

when he is so y-graithed,' as rizt before y haue

saide,

þen shalle ye opeñ hym thus / & do hit at a

brayd,

wrapper,

open pe last end of þy wrappere before þi souerayne and open the end

laid,

228 and youre bred sett in maner & forme: peñ it is

honestly arayd.

of it before your lord.

Son, when þy souereignes table is drest in pus After your lord's

array,

kouer alle oper bordes with Saltes; trenchers & lay the other

cuppes peron ye lay;

tables.

þan emperialle þy Cuppeborde / with Siluer & gild Deck your cup

fulle gay,

1 A.S. geradian, to make ready, arrange, prepare.

9*

board with plate,

your washing

table with basins,

&c.

Have plenty of napkins, &c.,

and your pots clean,

Make the Surnape with a cloth under

a double napkin.

232 þy Ewry borde with basons & lauour, watur hoot & cold, eche oper to alay.

loke þat ye haue napkyns, spones, & cuppis euer

y-nowe

to your soueraynes table, youre honeste for to allowe,

also pat pottes for wyne & ale be as clene as þey

mowe;

236 be euermore ware of flies & motes, y telle pe, for by prowe.

The surnape' ye shulle make with lowly curtesye

with a clothe vndir a dowble of rizt feire napry; take thy towailes endes next yow with-out vilanye,

Fold the two ends 240 and pe ende of pe clothe oñ þe vttur side of pe

of your towel, and

one of the cloth,

a foot over,

and lay it smooth

for your lord to wash with.

The marshal

must slip it along

the table,

and pull it smooth.

Then raise the

upper part of the towel,

and lay it even,

towelle bye;

Thus alle iij. endes hold ye at onis, as ye welle

may;

now fold ye alle there at oonys pat a plizt passe

not a fote brede alle way,

pañ lay hyt fayre & evyñ þere as ye cañ hit lay; 244 pus aftur mete, 3iff yowre mastir wille wasche, pat

he may.

at þe rist ende of þe table ye must it owt gyde,
pe marchalle must hit convey alonge pe table to
glide;

So of alle iij clothes vppeward pe rizt half þat tide, 248 and pat it he draw strayt & evyñ bope in lengthe & side.

Then must ye draw & reyse / pe vpper parte of pe towelle,

Ley it with-out ruffelynge streizt to pat oper side, y þe telle;

pañ at euery end perof convay half a yarde or an elle,

1 See the mode of laying the Surnape in Henry VII.'s time described in H. Ord., p. 119, at the end of this Poem.

252 þat þe sewere may make a state / & plese his mastir so that the Sewer

welle.

(arranger of dishes may make a state.

whan pe state hath wasche, pe surnap drawne When your lord

playne,

has washed,

þeñ must ye bere forpe pe surnape before youre take up the Sur

souerayne,

nape with your

and so must ye take it vppe withe youre armes two arms,

twayne,

256 and to pe Ewery bere hit youre silf agayne.

and carry it back to the Ewery.

a-bowt youre nekke a towelle ye bere, so to serue Carry a towel

youre lorde,

pañ to hym make eurtesie, for so it wille accorde.

round your neck.

vnkeuer youre brede, & by pe salt sette hit euyñ Uncover your

on þe borde;

bread;

260 looke pere be knyfe & spone / & napkyň with- see that all diners outy[n] any worde.

have knife, spoon, and napkin.

[Fol. 174 b.]

Euer whañ ye departe from youre soueraigne, looke Bow when you

your knees };

leave your lord.

ye bowe to pe port-payne2 forthe ye passe, & pere viij. Take eight loaves loues ye leese:

Set at eipur end of pe table .iiij. loofes at a mese,

264 pañ looke pat ye haue napkyñ & spone euery

persone to plese.

from the bread

cloth,

and put four at each end.

wayte welle to pe Sewere how many potages Lay for as many

keuered he;

keuer ye so many personis for youre honeste.

þañ serve forthe youre table / vche persone to his

degre,

persons as the

Sewer has set potages for,

268 and þat þer lak no bred / trenchoure, ale, & wyne / and have plenty

euermore ye se.

1 make is repeated in the MS.

2 "A Portpayne for the said Pantre, an elne longe and a yerd brode." The Percy, or Northumberland Household Book, 1512, (ed. 1827), p. 16, under Lynnon Clothe. 'A porte paine, to beare breade fro the Pantree to the table with, lintheum panarium.' Withals.

of bread and drink.

Be lively and
soft-spoken, clean
and well dressed.

Don't spit or put your fingers into

cups.

Stop all blaming

and backbiting,

and prevent complaints.

General Directions

for Behaviour,

Don't claw your back, as if after a flea;

or your head, as if

after a louse.

See that your eyes

are not blinking

and watery.

Don't pick your nose, or let it

drop,

or blow it too

loud,

be glad of chere / Curteise of kne/ & soft of speche, Fayre handes, clene nayles / honest arrayed, y the teche;

Coughe* not, ner spitte, nor to lowd ye reche, 272 ne put youre fyngurs in the cuppe/ mootes for to seche.

yet to alle pe lordes haue ye a sight for groggynge & atwytynge 1

of fellows pat be at þe mete, for þeire bakbytynge; Se pey be serued of bred, ale, & wyne, for complaynynge,

276 and so shalle ye haue of alle meñ / good loue & praysynge.

Symple condicions.

Symple Condicyons of a persone pat is not taught, y wille ye eschew, for euermore pey be nowght. youre hed ne bak ye claw/ a fleigh as þaughe ye sought,

280 ne youre heere ye stryke, ne pyke / to pralle2 for a flesche mought.3

Glowtynge ne twynkelynge with youre yze / ne to heuy of chere,

watery/wynkynge/ne droppynge/but of sight clere. pike not youre nose / ne pat hit be droppynge with no peerlis clere,

284 Snyff nor snitynge hyt to lowd / lest youre souerayne hit here.

Mark over h.

1 A.S. ætwitan, twit; odwitan, blame.

2 prowl, proll, to seek for prey, from Fr. proie by the addition of a formative, as kneel from knee.' Wedgwood.

3 Louse is in English in 1530 Louse, a beest-pov. Palsgrave. And see the note, p. 19, Book of Quinte Essence.

4 To look sullen (?). Glowting round her rock, to fish she falls. Chapman, in Todd's Johnson. Horrour and glouting admiration. Milton. Glouting with sullen spight. Garth.

5 Snytyn a nese or a candyl. Emungo, mungo. Prompt. Parv. Emungo, to make cleane the nose. Emunctio, snuffyng or wypynge

288

wrye not youre nek a doyle' as hit were a dawe;

put not
youre handes in youre hosen youre codware 2
for to clawe,

nor pikynge, nor trifelynge / ne shrukkynge as

pauz ye wold sawe;

or twist your neck.

Don't claw your

cods,

your hondes frote ne rub / brydelynge with brest rub your hands, vppon your crawe;

with youre eris pike not / ner be ye slow of herynge; pick your ears, areche / ne spitt to ferre / ne haue lowd laughynge; retch, or spit too Speke not lowd be war of mowynge 3 &

scornynge;

far.

292 be no lier with youre mouthe/ ne lykorous, ne Don't tell lies, dryvelynge.

with youre mouthe ye vse nowper to squyrt, nor or squirt with

spowt;

your mouth,

be not gapynge nor ganynge, ne with by mouth gape, pout, or

to powt;

lik not with by tonge in a disch, a mote to haue owt. 296 Be not rasche ne recheles, it is not worth a clowt.

with youre brest/sighe, nor cowghe/nor brethe,

youre souerayne before;

put your tongue

in a dish to pick

dust out.

[Fol. 175.]

Don't cough,

be yoxinge, ne bolkynge / ne gronynge, neuer pe hiccup, or belch,

more;

of the nose. Cooper. Snuyt uw neus, Blow your nose. Sewel, 1740; but snuyven, ofte snuffen, To Snuffe out the Snot or Filth out of ones Nose. Hexham, 1660. A learned friend, who in his bachelor days investigated some of the curiosities of London Life, informs me that the modern Cockney term is sling. In the dresscircle of the Bower Saloon, Stangate, admission 3d., he saw stuck up, four years ago, the notice, "Gentlemen are requested not to sling," and being philologically disposed, he asked the attendant the meaning of the word.

1 askew. Doyle, squint. Gloucestershire. Halliwell.

Codde, of mannys pryuyte (preuy membris). Piga, mentula. Promptorium Parvulorum.

3 Mowe or skorne, Vangia vel valgia. Catholicon, in P. P.

4 3уxyй Singulcio. 3yxynge singultus. P. P. To yexe, sobbe, or

haue the hicket. Singultio. Baret. To yexe or sobbe, Hicken, To Hick, or to have the Hick-hock. Hexham.