Of the Butler,

Panter, and Cooks serving him.

They are the

Marshal's

servants.

He shall score up all messes served, and order bread and ale for men,

but wine for gentlemen.

Each mess shall

be reckoned at 6d.

and be scored up to prevent the cook's cheating,

If bread runs

short, the Marshal

orders more, 'a reward.'

Of the Butler's duties.

He shall put a

pot and loaf to each mess.

He is the panter's mate.

The Marshal shall
see to men's

lodging.
The Lord's
Chamber and
Wardrobe are
under the Usher
of the Chamber.
Of the Usher and
Grooms of the
Chamber.

1. Usher,

De pincernario, panetario, et cocis sibi seruientibus.
The botelar, pantrer, and cokes also,
To hym ar seruauntis with-outen mo;
per-fore on his 3erde skore shalle he2
408 Alle messys in halle pat seruet be,

Commaunde to sett bothe brede and ale
To alle men pat seruet ben in sale ;
To gentilmen with wyne I-bake,
412 Ellis fayles po seruice, y vnder-take;
Iche messe at vjd breue shalle he

At the countyng house with oper mené ;
Yf po koke wolde say þat were more,

416 pat is po cause þat he hase hit in skore.
be panter also yf he wolde stryfe,

1

For rewarde pat sett schalle be be-lyue.
When brede faylys at borde aboute,

420 The marshalle gares sett with-outen doute
More brede, pat calde is a rewarde,

So shalle hit be preuet be-fore stuarde.

¶ De officio pincernarij.2

¶ Botler shalle sett for yche a messe
424 A pot, a lofe, with-outen distresse;
Botler, pantrer, felawes ar ay,

Reken hom to-gedur fulle wel y may.
The marshalle shalle herber alle men in fere,

428 That ben of court of any mestere;

432

Saue pe lordys chambur, po wadrop to,
po vssher of chambur schalle tent po two.

¶ De hostiario et suis seruientibus.3
Speke I wylle A lytulle qwyle

Of vssher of chambur, with-outen gyle.

1 See the Office of Panetry, H. Ord. p. 70.

2 See the Office of Butler of Englond, H. Ord. p. 73.

3 See Gentylmen Usshers of Chaumbre, IIII, H. Ord. P.

'This name ussher is a worde of Frenshe,' p. 38.

37.

per is gentylmen, 30mon-vssher also,
Two gromes at po lest, A page per-to.

¶ De Officio garcionum.1

¶ Gromes palettis shyn fyle and make litere,2 436 ix fote on lengthe with-out diswere;

vij fote y-wys hit shalle be brode,

Wele watered, I-wrythen, be craft y-trode,
Wyspes drawen out at fete and syde,

-440 Wele wrethyn and turnyd a-zayne þat tyde ;
On legh vnsonken hit shalle be made,

To po gurdylstode hegh on lengthe and brade.
For lordys two beddys schalle be made,

444 Bothe vtter and inner, so god me glade,

5

þat henget shalle be with hole sylour,3 With crochettis and loupys sett on lyour; ¶ bo valance on fylour shalle henge with wyn, 448 iij curteyns streзt drawen with-inne,

hat reche schalle euen to grounde a-boute, Noper more, noper lesse, with-outen doute; He strykes hom vp with forket wande, 452 And lappes vp fast a-boute pe lyft hande;

'Compare H. Ord. p. 39. 'Yeomen of Chambre, IIII, to make beddes, to bere or hold torches, to sette bourdes, to apparayle all chaumbres, and suche other servyce as the chaumberlayn, or usshers of chambre command or assigne.' Liber Niger Edw. IV. See also H. Ord. p. 40, Office of Warderobe of Beddes, p. 41, Gromes of Chambyr, X; and the elaborate directions for making Henry VII.'s bed, H. Ord. p. 121-2.

Hoc stramentum, lyttere, p. 260, col. 2 (the straw with which the bed was formerly made), Wright's Vocabularies.

3 Sylure, of valle, or a nother thynge (sylure of a walle), Celatura, Celamen, Catholicon, in P. Parv. Fr. Ciel, Heauen, pl. Ciels, a canopie for, and, the Testerne and Valances of a Bed. Cotgrave. A tester over the beadde, canopus. Withals.

4 Crochet, a small hooke.

5 Lyowre, to bynde wythe precyows clothys. Ligatorium. P. Parv.

6 Fylowre, of barbours crafte, Acutecula, filarium. P. Parv. See note 3, p. 160.

[Fol. 20.]

The counterpane

is laid at the foot,

cushions on the

sides,

tapestry on the

floor

and sides of the room.

The Groom gets fuel, and screens.

The Groom keeps the table, tresties, and forms for dinner;

and water in a

heater.

He puts 3 waxlights

over the chimney, all in different syces.

The Usher of the Chamber walks about and sees

that all is served right,

orders the table to be set and removed,

po knop vp turnes, and closes on ryzt,
As bolde by nek pat henges fulle lyzt.
bo counturpynt he lays on beddys fete,
456 Qwysshenes on sydes shyn lye fulle mete.
Tapetis of spayne on flore by syde,

hat sprad shyn be for pompe and pryde ;
po chambur sydes ryzt to po dore,

460 He henges with tapetis pat ben fulle store;
And fuel to chymné hym falle to gete,

And screnes in clof to y-saue po hete.
Fro po lorde at mete when he is sett,

In

464 Borde, trestuls, and fourmes, with-outen let;
Alle thes þynges kepe schalle he,
And water in chafer for laydyes fre;
iij perchers of wax pen shalle he fet,
468 A-boue po chymné pat be sett,
syce 2 ichon from oper shalle be
be lenghthe of oper þat men may se,
To brenne, to voide, pat dronkyn is,
472 Oper ellis I wote he dose Amys.
bo vssher alle-way shalle sitt at dore
At mete, and walke schalle on pe flore,
To se pat alle be seruet on ryzt,

476 pat is his office be day and nyzt;

And byd set borde when tyme schalle be,
And take hom vp when tyme ses he.

Tapet, a clothe, tappis. Palsgrave, 1530. Tapis, Tapistrie, hangings, &c., of Arras. Cotgrave, 1611. Tapis, carpet, a green square-plot. Miege, 1684. The hangynges of a house or chambre, in plurali, aulæa . . Circundo cubiculum aulæis, to hange the chambre. The carpettes, tapetes. Withals.

2 And he (a Grome of Chambyr) setteth nyghtly, after the seasons of the yere, torchys, tortays, candylles of wax, mortars; and he setteth up the sises in the King's chambre, H. Ord. p. 41, 'these torches, five, seven, or nine; and as many sises sett upp as there bee torches,' ib. p. 114; and dayly iiii other of these gromes, called wayters, to make fyres, to sett up tressyls and bourdes, with yomen of chambre, and to help dresse the beddes of sylke and arras. H. Ord. p. 41.

The wardrop' he herbers and eke of chambur 480 Ladyes with bedys of coralle and lambur,

bo vsshere schalle bydde po wardropere Make redy for alle ny3t be-fore pe fere; ben bryngis he forthe ny3t goun also, 484 And spredys a tapet and qwysshens two, He layes hom pen opon a fourme, And foteshete per-on and hit returne. bo lorde schalle skyft hys gown at nyзt, 488 Syttand on foteshete tyl he be dyzt. þen vssher gose to po botré, "Haue in for alle ny3t, syr," says he Fyrst to pe chaundeler he schalle go,

;

492 To take a tortes lyzt hym fro;
¶ Bothe wyne and ale he tase indede,
bo botler says, with-outen drede,
No mete for mon schalle sayed 2 be,
496 Bot for kynge or prynce or duke so fre;
For heiers of paraunce also y-wys,

2

Mete shalle be sayed, now thenkys on this.
pen to pantré he hyzes be-lyue,

500 ¶"Syrs, haue in with-outen stryffe ;
Manchet and chet 3 bred he shalle take,
po pantere assayes pat hit be bake;
A morter of wax 3et wille he bryng,
504 Fro chambur, syr, with-out lesyng;
þat alle nyzt brennes in bassyn clere,
To saue po chambur on ny3t for fyre.
Then 30mon of chambur shynne voyde with
508 The torches han holden wele pat tyme;

ryme,

Tho chambur dore stekes po vssher thenne,
With preket and tortes pat conne brenne ;

1 Wardroppe, or closet-garderobe. Palsgrave.

2 See the duties of Edward IV.'s Sewar, H. Ord. p. 36.

3 Manchet was the fine bread; chet, the course. Fr. pain rouffet, Cheat, or boulted bread; houshold bread made of Wheat and Rie mingled. Cotgrave.

takes charge of

the Wardrobe and Bedchamber,

bids the Wardroper get all ready before the fire, nightgown,

carpet, 2 cushions,

a form with a

footsheet over it;

on which the lord changes his gown.

The Usher orders what's wanted from the Buttery:

a link from the Chandler,

and ale and wine.

(No meat shall be assayed except for King, Prince, Duke or Heirsapparent.)

From the Pantry the Usher takes fine and coarse bread,

and a wax-light

that burns all night in a basin.

(The YeomanUsher removes the torches.)

The Usher puts lights on the Bedroom door,

Fro cupborde he brynges bothe brede and wyne,

512 And fyrst assayes hit wele a[nd] fyne.
But fyrst þe lorde shalle vasshe I-wys,

Fro po fyr hous when he comen is ;

ben kneles þe vssher and gyfes hym drynke, 516 Brynges hym in bed where he shalle wynke; In strong styd on palet he lay,

Now speke I wylle of po stuarde als,
Few ar trew, but fele ar 2 fals.

po clerke of kechyn, countrollour,

524 Stuarde, coke, and surueyour,

Assenten in counselle, with-outen skorne,
How po lorde schalle fare at mete po morne.
Yf any deyntethe in countré be,

528 po stuarde schewes hit to po lorde so fre,
And gares by hyt for any cost,

Hit were grete syn and hit were lost.
Byfore be cours po stuarde comes þen,
532 he seruer hit next of alle kyn men
Mays way and stondes by syde,
Tyl alle be serued at þat tyde.
At countyng stuarde schalle ben,
536 Tylle alle be breuet of wax so grene,
Wrytten in-to bokes, with-out let,

hat be-fore in tabuls hase ben sett,

Tyl countes also per-on ben cast, 540 And somet vp holy at po last.

1 See the 'Styward of Housholde,' H. Ord. p. 55-6: He is head

เ

officer.'

2 MS, and