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pat torches and tortes2 and preketes con make, He can make all

4

Perchours, smale condel, I vnder-take;

Of wax pese candels alle pat brennen, 828 And morter of wax pat I wele kenne; po snof of hom dose a-way

With close sesours, as I 30w say;

be sesours ben schort and rownde y-close, 832 With plate of irne vp-on bose.

In chambur no lyzt þer shalle be brent,
Bot of wax per-to, yf ze take tent;
In halle at soper schalle caldels (so) brenne
836 Of parys, per-in þat alle men kenne;

Iche messe a candelle fro alhalawghe day
To candelmesse, as I 3ou say;

Of candel liueray squiyers schalle haue,
840 So long, if hit is mon wille kraue.
Of brede and ale also po boteler
Schalle make lyueré thurgh-out þe zere
To squyers, and also wyn to knyzt,
844 Or ellys he dose not his office ryzt.
Here endys the thryd speche.

Of alle oure synnes cryst be oure leche, And bryng vs to his vonyng place! 848 Amen, sayes 3e, for hys grete grace! Amen, par charite.

1 Torche. Cereus. P. Parv.

2? same as tortayes, p. 314, note2; p. 326, n.

3 Pryket, of a candylstykke, or other lyke. Stiga, P. Parv. Candlesticks (says Mr Way) in ancient times were not fashioned with nozzles, but with long spikes or prykets. . . (See wood cut at the end of this book.) In the Memoriale of Henry, prior of Canterbury, A.D. 1285, the term prikett denotes, not the candlestick, but the candle, formed with a corresponding cavity at one end, whereby it was securely fixed upon the spike. p. 413, n. 1. Henry VIII.'s allowance unto our right dere and welbilovede the Lady Lucy,' July 16, 1533, included at our Chaundrye barr, in Wynter, every night oon preket and foure syses of Waxe, with eight Candells white lights, and oon Torche.' Orig. Letters, ed. Ellis, Series I.,

kinds of candles, little and big,

and mortars of wax.

He snuffs them with short scissors.

In bed-chambers wax lights only shall be burnt;

[Fol. 27.]

in hall, Candles of Paris,

each mess having one from Nov, 1 to Feb. 2 (see 1. 395), and squires

one too.

The Butler shall give Squires their daily bread and ale all the year, and Knights their wine.

May Christ bring us to His dwelling-place. Amen!

vol. ii. p. 31.

4 Sce note1, p. 311.

All servants
should serve truly
God and their
Master;

primus uersiculus

doing fully all

orders,

without answer

ing.

Bp. Grossetest's Household Statutes.

[Sloane MS. 1986, p. 193, ab. 1450-60. The last page mentions the 19th year of Henry VI.]

INcipiunt statuta familie bone Memorie dompni
Roberti Grossetest, lincolnie episcopi.

LE

Et alle men be warned pat seruen zou, and warnyng be 3eue to alle men that be of howseholde, to serue god and zou trewly & diligently and to performyng, or the wyllyng of god to be performed and fulfyllydde. Fyrst let seruauntis doo perfytely in alle thyngis youre wylle, and kepe they 30ure commaundementis that their Master after god and ry3thwysnesse, and with-oute condicion and also with-oute gref or offense. And sey 3e, that be principalle heuede or prelate to alle 3oure seruauntis bothe lesse and more, that they doo fully, reedyly, and treuly, with-oute offense or ayenseyng, alle youre wille & commaundement that is not ayeynys god. T the secunde ys, that 3e commaunde them that kepe and haue kepyng of 3oure howseholde, a-fore 30ure meynye, that bothe with-in and with-oute the meynye be trewe, honest, diligent, bothe chast and profitabulle. ¶the thrydde commaunde ye that nomañ be admittyd in 3oure howseholde, nother inwarde nother vtwarde, but hit be trustyd and leuyd that 3e be trewe and diligent, and namely to that office to the whiche he is admyttyd; Also pat he be of goode maners The fowrethe: be hit sow3ht and examined ofte tymys yf ther be ony vntrewman, vnkunnyng, vnhonest, lecherous,

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The upper servants must be honest and diligent,

3 us

and engage no untrusty or unfit man.

iv.

Dishonest,

The

[* p. 194] quarrelsome, and drunken servants must be turned out.

v. All must be of one accord,

stryffulle, drunke lewe, vnprofitabulle, yf there be ony suche yfunde or diffamydde vppon these thyngis, that they be caste oute or put fro the howseholde. fyft: commaunde зе that in no wyse be in the howseholde men debatefulle or stryffulle, but that alle be of oon a-corde, of oon wylle, euen lyke as in them ys oon mynde and oon sowle. The sixte: commaunde ze vi. that alle tho that seruen in ony offyce be obedient, and obedient to those redy, to them that be a-bofe them in thyngis that perteynyn to there office. The seuenthe: commaunde vii. ze that 3oure gentilmen yomen and other, dayly bere and were there robis in 30ure presence, and namely at dress in livery, the mete, for 30ure worshyppe, and not oolde robis and

above them,

and not wear old

that viii.

to be

and sick.

ix. Make all the together in the

household dine

Hall.

not cordyng to the lyuerey, nother were they oolde shoes. schoon ne fylyd. ¶The viij: Commaunde 3e 3cure almys be kepyd, & not sende not to boys and Order your Alms knafis, nother in the halle nothe oute of pe halle, ne be wasted in soperys ne dyners of gromys, but wysely, temperatly, with-oute bate or betyng, be hit distribute given to the poor and the[n] departyd to powre meñ, beggers, syke folke and febulle. The ix. Make 3e 30ure owne howseholde to sytte in the alle, as muche as ye mow or may, at the bordis of oon parte and of the other parte, and lette them sitte to-gedur as mony as may, not here fowre and thre there: and when youre chef maynye be sett, then alle gromys may entre, sitte, And ryse ¶ The x. Streytly for-bede ze that no wyfe be at 30ure x. Let no woman And sytte 3e euer in the myddul of the hye borde, that youre fysegge and chere be schewyd to alle men of bothe partyes, and that 3e may see lyzhtly Let the Master the seruicis and defawtis: and diligently see ze that all. euery day in 30ure mete seson be two men ordeyned to ouer-se youre mayny, and of that they shalle drede 30u

mete.

[* p. 195]

[1 MS. wyse]

dine with you.

show himself to

¶ The xi: commaunde 3e, and yeue licence as lytul xi.

tyme as ye may with honeste to them that be in 3oure Let your servants howseholde, to go home. And whenne 3e yeue licence go to their homes.

J1 t. i. wroth] Don't allow

grumbling.

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to them, Assigne ze to them a short day of comyng a yeyne vndur peyne of lesyng there seruice. And yf ony mañ speke ayen or be worthe,' say to hym, "what! wille ye be lorde? ye wylle pat y serue you after 3oure wylle. and they that wylle not here that 3e say, effectually be they ywarnyd, and ye shalle prouide other seruantis the whiche shalle serue you to youre wylle or plesyng. The xij is: command the panytrere Butler to come to with youre brede, & the botelare with wyne and ale, come to-gedur afore 30u at the tabulle afore gracys, And let be there thre yomen assigned to serue the hye tabulle and the two syde tabullis in solenne dayes; And ley they not the vessels deseruyng for ale and wyne vppon the tabulle, but afore you, But be thay layid vnder pe tabulle. The 13: commaunde ye the

xii. Tell your

Panter and

the table before

grace.

Tell off three yeomen to wait at table.

xiii.

[* p. 196]

to keep good order in the Hall,

Tell the Steward stywarde pat he be besy and diligent to kepe the maynye in hys owne persone inwarde and vtwarde, and namely in the halle and at mete, that they be-haue them selfe honestly, with-out stryffe, fowlespekyng, and noyse; And that they that be ordeynyd to sette messys, bryng them be ordre and continuelly tyl alle

and serve every

one fairly.

[ MS. affecciori] be serued, and not inordinatly, And thorow affeccion1 to personys or by specialte; And take ze hede to this tyl messys be fully sett in the halle, and after tende ye to zoure mette. ¶ The xiiij: commaunde ze þat youre

xiv. Have your dish well filled

others to it.

dysshe be welle fyllyd and hepid, and namely of entermes, and of pitance with-oute fat, carkyng that ze

that you may help may parte coureteysly to thoo that sitte beside, bothe of the ryght hande and the left, thorow alle the hie tabulle, and to other as plesythe you, thow3ght they haue of the same that ye haue. At the soper be seruantis seruid of oon messe, & by3th metis, & after of chese. And yf the[r] come gestis, seruice schalle be xv. Always admit haued as nedythe. ¶ The xv: commaunde ye the officers that they admitte youre knowlechyd men, familiers frendys, and strangers, with mery chere, the

your special

friends,

[* p. 197] and show them

see them.

wh[i]che they knowen you to wille for to admitte and receyue, and to them the whiche wylle you worschipe, and they wyllen to do that ye wylle to do, that they may know them selfe to haue be welcome to 3ou, and you are glad to to be welle plesyd that they be come. ¶ And al so muche as 3e may with-oute peril of sykenes & werynys ete ze in the halle afore 3oure meyny, schalle be to you profyte and worshippe. when youre ballyfs comyn a-fore 3oure, speke to them fayre and gentilly in opyñ place, and not in priuey,

For that
¶ The xvj: xvi.

Talk familiarly to your Bailiffs,

tenants and store

And shew them mery chere, & serche and axe of them "how fare owre meñ & tenauntis, & how cornys ask how your doon, & cartis, and of owre store how hit ys multiplyed." do. Axe suche thyngis openly, and knowe ze certeynly that they wille the more drede zou. maunde зе that dineris and sopers priuely in hid plase

The xvij com

be not had, & be thay forbeden that there be no suche dyners nother sopers oute of the halle, For of suche comethe grete destr[u]ccion, and no worshippe therby growythe to the lorde.

Expliciunt Statuta Familie bone Memorie.

.

Prof. Brewer has, I find, printed these Statuta in his most interesting and valuable Monumenta Franciscana, 1858, p. 582-6. He differs from Mr Brock and me in reading drunkelewe (drunken, in Chaucer, &c.) as 'drunke, lewe,' and vessels as bossels,' and in adding e's to some final g's. He says, by way of Introduction, that, " Though entitled Ordinances for the Household of Bishop Grostete, this is evidently a Letter addressed to the Bishop on the management of his Household by some very intimate friend. From the terms used in the Letter, it is clear that the writer must have been on confidential terms with the Prelate. I cannot affirm positively that the writer was Adam de Marisco, although to no other would this document be attributed with greater probability. No one else enjoyed such a degree of Grostete's affection; none would have ventured to address him with so much familiarity. Besides, the references made more than once by Adam de Marisco in his letters to the management of the Bishop's household, greatly strengthen this supposition. See pp. 160, 170 (Mon. Francisc.). The MS. is a small quarto on vellum, in the writing of the 15th century. It is in all probability a translation from a Latin original."

In this he is probably right. The general custom of editors justifies it. Our printers want a pig-tailed or curly g to correspond with the MS. one.

xvii. Allow no only those in Hall.

private meals;

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