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straddle your legs,

or scrub your body.

Don't pick your teeth,

cast stinking

breath on your lord,

fire your stern guns, or expose

your codware

with youre feet trampelynge, ne settynge youre leggis a shore 1;

300 with youre body be not shrubbynge 2; Iettynge 3 is no loore.

Good son, þy tethe be not pikynge, grisynge, ne gnastynge 5;

ne stynkynge of brethe on youre souerayne castynge;

with puffynge ne blowynge, nowper fulle ne fastynge;

304 and alle wey be ware of by hyndur part from gunnes blastynge.

These Cuttid galauntes with theire codware; pat is añ vngoodly gise ;

Other tacches as towchynge y spare not to myspraue aftur myne avise,

1? shorewise, as shores. Schore, undur settynge of a þynge þat wolde falle.' P. Parv. Du. Schooren, To Under-prop. Aller eschays, To shale, stradle, goe crooked, or wide betweene the feet, or legs. Cotgrave.

2 Dutch Schrobben, To Rubb, to Scrape, to Scratch. Hexham. 3 Iettyn verno. P. Parv. Mr Way quotes from Palsgrave, "I iette, I make a countenaunce with my legges, ie me iamboye,” &c.; and from Cotgrave, "Iamloyer, to iet, or wantonly to go in and out with the legs," &c. 4 grinding. gnastyn (gnachyn) Fremo, strideo. Catholicon. Gnastyng of the tethe-stridevr, grincement. Palsg. Du. gnisteren, To Gnash, or Creake with the teeth. Hexham.

5

Short coats and tight trousers were a great offence to old writers accustomed to long nightgown clothes. Compare Chaucer's complaint in the Canterbury Tales, The Parsones Tale, De Superbia, p. 193, col. 2, ed. Wright. "Upon that other syde, to speke of the horrible disordinat scantnes of clothing, as ben these cuttid sloppis or anslets, that thurgh her schortnes ne covereth not the schamful membre of man, to wickid entent. Alas! som men of hem schewen the schap and the boce of the horrible swollen membres, that semeth like to the maladies of hirnia, in the wrapping of here hose, and eek the buttokes of hem, that faren as it were the hinder part of a sche ape in the fulle of the moone." The continuation of the passage is very curious. "Youre schort gownys thriftlesse" are also noted in the song in Harl. MS. 372. See Weste, Booke of Demeanour, 1. 141, below. Fr. tache, spot, staine, blemish, reproach. C.

when he shalle serue his mastir, before hym oñ before your

þe table hit lyes;

308 Euery souereyne of sadnes1 alle suche sort shalle

dispise.

master.

Many moo condicions a mañ myght fynde / þañ Many other

now ar named here,

improprieties

perfore Euery honest seruand/avoyd alle thoo, & a good servant worshippe lat hym leere.

Panter, yomañ of pe Cellere, butlere, & Ewere,

312 y wille þat ye obeye to pe marshalle, Sewere, &

kervere.2"

3

will avoid.'

"ood syr, y yow pray be connynge of kervynge 'Sir, pray teach ye wille me teche,

me how to carve,

pe fayre handlynge of a knyfe, y yow beseche, handle a knife, and alle wey where y shalle alle maner fowles /

breke, vnlace, or seche,1

and cut up birds,

316 and with Fysche or flesche, how shalle y demene fish, and flesh.'

me with eche."

"Soñ, thy knyfe must be bryght, fayre, & clene,

and pyne handes faire wasche, it wold be welle be sene.
hold alwey thy knyfe sure, þy self not to tene,

'Hold your knife

320 and passe not ij. fyngurs & a thombe on thy knyfe tight, with two so kene ;

fingers and a thumb,

In mydde wey of thyne hande set the ende of pe in your midpalm,

haft Sure,

Vnlasynge & mynsynge.ij. fyngurs with pe thombe/ Do your carving, pat may ye endure.

kervynge / of bred leiynge / voydynge / of cromes lay your bread,

& trenchewre,

and take off trenchers, with

324 with ij. fyngurs and a thombe/loke ye haue pe Cure. two fingers and

1 sobriety, gravity.

2 Edward IV. had Bannerettes IIII, or Bacheler Knights, to

be kervers and cupberers in this courte.' H. Ord., p. 32.

3 MS. comynge.

See the Termes of a Keruer in Wynkyn de Worde's Boke of Keruynge below.

thumb.

Never touch

others' food with

your right hand,

Sett neuer on fysche nor flesche/beest / nor fowle, trewly,

Moore pañ ij. fyngurs and a thombe, for pat is

curtesie.

Touche neuer with youre right hande no maner mete surely,

but only with the 328 but with your lyft hande / as y seid afore, for þat

left.

[Fol. 175 b.]

Don't dirty your table

or wipe your

knives on it.

Take a loaf of trenchers, and

with the edge of your knife raise

a trencher, and

lay it before your lord;

lay four trenchers four-square,

and another on the top.

Take a loaf of light bread,

pare the edges,

is goodlye.

Alle-wey with youre lift hand hold your loof with

myght,

and hold youre knyfe Sure, as y haue geue yow sight. enbrewe1 not youre table / for þañ ye do not ryght, 332 ne per-vppoñ ye wipe youre knyffes, but on youre napkyn plight.

Furst take a loofe of trenchurs in þy lifft hande, pañ take þy table knyfe, as y haue seid afore

hande;

with the egge of pe knyfe youre trenchere vp be

ye reysande

336 as nyghe þe poynt as ye may, to-fore youre lord hit leyande;

right so .iiij. trenchers oon by a-nothur.iiij. square

ye sett,

and vppoň po trenchurs .iiij. a trenchur sengle with-out lett;

pañ take youre loof of light payne / as y haue said

zett,

340 and with the egge of þe knyfe nyghe your hand ye kett.

Furst pare pe quarters of the looff round alle a-bowt,

1 to embrew. Ferrum tingere sanguine. Baret.

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2 The table-knife, Mensal knyfe, or borde knyfe, Mensalis,' P. Parv., was, I suppose, a lighter knife than the trencher-knife used for cutting trenchers off very stale coarse loaves.

þañ kutt þe vpper crust for youre souerayne, & cut the upper

to hym alowt.

Suffere youre parelle to stond stille to pe botom /

& so nyze y-spend owt,

344 so ley hym of pe cromes a quarter of pe looff Sauncz

dowt;

Touche neuer þe loof aftur he is so tamed,

crust for your lord,

and don't touch

it after it's

put it, [on] a platere or pe almes disch per-fore trimmed.

named.

Make clene youre bord euer, þañ shalle ye not be Keep your table

blamed,

348 þañ may þe sewere his lord serue / & neythur of

yow be gramed3.

Fumositees.

Of alle maner metes ye must thus know & fele

clean.

Indigestibilities.

You must know what meat is

þe fumositees of fysch, flesche, & fowles dyuers indigestible,

& feele,

And alle maner of Sawces for fische & flesche to and what sauces

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352 to yow it behouyth to know alle pese euery deele."

"Syr, hertyly y pray yow for to telle me Certenle

of how many metes pat ar fumose in þeire

degre."

“In certeyn, my soñ, þat sone shalle y shew the

356 by letturs dyuers tolde by thries thre,

F, R, and S/in dyuerse tyme and tyde

F

R,

is pe furst þat is, Fatt, Farsed, & Fried;

are wholesome.

These things are indigestible:

Fat and Fried,

raw/resty, and rechy, ar comberous vndefied; Raw and Resty,

360 S / salt / sowre / and sowse1 / alle suche þow set Salt and Sour,

a-side,

1 Fr. pareil, A match or fellow. C. 2 MS. may be coomes.

3 A.S. gramian, to anger.

4 Sowce mete, Succidium. P. Parv.

also sinews, skin, hair, feathers,

crops,

heads,

pinions, &c.,

legs,

outsides of thighs,

skins:

these destroy

your lord's rest.'

'Thanks, father,

I'll put your teaching into practice,

and pray for you.

But please

tell me how to carve fish and flesh.'

Carving of Meat.

Cut brawn on the dish, and lift

with other of the same sort, and lo thus ar thay, Senowis, skynnes / heere / Cropyns' /yonge fedurs for certen y say,

heedis/pynnyns, boonis / alle pese pyke away, 364 Suffir neuer þy souerayne / to fele þem, y the pray / Alle maner leggis also, bothe of fowle and beestis, the vttur side of the thyghe or legge of alle fowlis in feestis,

the fumosite of alle maner skynnes y promytt þee

by heestis,

2

368 alle pese may benym þy souerayne from many nyghtis restis."

"Now fayre befalle yow fadur / &welle must ye

cheve,3

For these poyntes by practik y hope fulle welle to

preve,

and yet shalle y pray for yow / dayly while pat y

leue/

yow/dayly

372 bothe for body and sowle / pat god yow gyde from

greve;

Praynge yow to take it, fadur / for no displesure, yf y durst desire more / and þat y myghte be sure to know be kervynge of fische & flesche / aftur cockes cure:

376 y hed leuer pe sight of that / thañ A Scarlet hure."4

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'Son, take by knyfe as y taught pe whileere, kut bravne in þe dische rizt as hit liethe there,

'? Crop or crawe, or cropon of a beste (croupe or cropon), Clunis. P. Parv. Crops are emptied before birds are cooked. 2 A.S. beniman, take away, deprive.

3 Fr. achever, To atchieue; to end, finish. Cot.

4 Hwyr, cappe (hure H.), Tena. A.S. hufe, a tiara, ornament. Promptorium Parv.

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