must be turned out.

V. All must be of

shoes.

to be

stryffulle, drunke*lewe, vnprofitabulle, yf there be ony [* p. 194] suche yfunde or diffamydde vppon these thyngis, that drunken servants

quarrelsome, and they be caste oute or put fro the howseholdle.

The fyft: commaunde ze that in no wyse be in the howse

one accord, holde men debatefulle or stryffulle, but that alle be of ooñ a-corde, of oos wylle, euen lyke as in them ys oon mynde and oon sowle. The sixte : commaunde ze vi. that alle tho that scruen in ony offyce be obedient, and obedient to those

above them, redy, to them that be a-bofe them in thyngis that perteynyñ to there office. | The seuenthe: commaunde vii. ze that youre gentilmen yomen and other, dayly bere and were there robis in zoure presence, and namely at dress in livery, the mete, for zoure worshyppe, and not oolde robis and not cordyng to the lyuerey, nother were they colde and not wear old schoon ne fylyd. The viij: Commaunde ze that vii. zcure almys be kepyd, & not sende not to boys and Order your Alms knafis, nother in the halle nothe oute of þe halle, ne be wasted in soperys ne dyners of gromys, but wysely, temperatly, with-oute bate or betyng, be hit distribute given to the and the[n] departyd to powre men, beggers, syke folke and febulle. The ix.: Make ze zoure owne howse- ix. Make all the holde to sytte in the alle, as muche as ye mow or may, together in the 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 (* p. 195)

[1 MS, wys] The x.: Streytly for-bede ze that no wyfel be at zoure x. Let no woman mete. And sytte ze euer in the myddul of the hye borde, that youre fysegge and chere be schewyd to alle men of bothe partyes, and that ze may see lyzhtly Let the Master the seruicis and defawtis : and diligently see ze that euery day in zoure mete seson be two men ordeyned to ouer-se youre mayny, and of that they shalle drede zou

The xi : commaunde ze, and youe licence as lytul xi. tyme as ye may with honeste to them that be in

zoure howseholde, to go home. And whenne ze yeue licence go to their homes.

poor

and sick.

household dine

Hall.

dine with you.

show himself to all.

Let

your servants

And yf

Don't allow

grace.

Tell off three yeomen to wait at table.

xiii.

to them, Assigne ze to them a short day of comyng a

yeyne vndur peyne of lesyng there seruice. ji t. i. wroth)

ony man speke ayen or be worthe,' say to hym, “what! grumbling.

wille

ye
be lorde? ye wylle þat y serue you

after

zoure wylle. ” and they that wylle not here that ze say, effectually be they ywarnyd, and ye shalle prouide

other seruantis the whiche shalle serue you to youre
xii. Tell your wylle or plesyng. | The xij is: command the panytrere
Panter and
Butler to come to with youre brede, & the botelare with wyne and ale,
the table before

come to-gedur afore zou 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 (* p. 196]

layid vnder pe tabulle. The 13 : commaunde ye the
Tell the Steward stywarde þat he be besy and diligent to kepe the
to keep good order
in the Hall,

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 [1 MS. affecciori] be serued, and not inordinatly, And thorow affeccion'

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 dish well filled

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, bethe

of the ryght hande and the left, thorow alle the hie
tabulle, and to other as plesythe you, thowzght they
haue of the same that ye haue. At the soper be
seruantis seruid of oon messe, & byzth metis, & after of

chese. | And yf the[r] come gestis, seruice schalle be
xv. Always admit haued as nedythe. | The xv: commaunde ye the
your special
friends,

officers that they admitte youre knowlechyd men,
familiers frendys, and strangers, with mery chere, the

and serve every one fairly.

xiv, Hare your

others to it.

and show them

wh[ische 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

[* p. 197] may know them selfe to haue be welcome to 30u, and you are glad to

see them. to be welle plesyd that they be come. | And al so muche as ze may with-oute peril of sykenes & werynys ete ze in the halle afore zoure meyny, For that schalle be to zou profyte and worshippe. The xvj : xvi.

Talk familiarly to when youre ballyfs comyn a-fore zoure, speke to them

your Bailiffs, fayre and gentilly in opyñ place, and not in priuey,

And shew them mery chere, & serche and axe of them “how fare owre men & tenauntis, & how cornys 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. The xvij : com- xvii. Allow no

private meals ; maunde

ze

that dineris and sopers priuely in hid plase only those in Hall 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.

ask how

your tenants and store

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'st 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.”

Stanzas and Couplets of Counsel.

[From the Rawlinson MS., C. 86, fol. 31, in the

Bodleian Library.]

Never mistrust or fail your friend.

Vtter thy langage wyth good avisement;
Reule the by Reasoun in thy termoz alle;

Mystruste not thy frende for none accusement, 4 Fayle him neuer at nede, what so euer befalle;

Solace pi selfe when menn to sporte þee calle;
Largely to speke be wele ware for þat cause;
Rolle faste this reasoun & thynke wele on þis

clause.

Don't talk too much.

Spare your master's goods as your own,

8 What mann þou seruyst, alle wey him drede ;

His good as þyn owne, euer þou spare.
Lette neuer þy wylle þy witt ouer lede,
But be glad of euery mannys welfare.

12 Folus lade polys; wisemenn ete pe fysshe; Wisemenn hath in þer hondis ofte þat folys

after wysshe.

[Follows:--Policronica. Josephus of Iewes þat Nobyl was, the firste Auctour of the booke of Policronica, &c.]

of Ulertue, and booke of

good Nourture for chyloren, and
youth to learne theyr dutie by.
Newely perused, corrected,
and augmented by the

fyrst Auctour
F. S.[eager]

With a briefe declaracion of the

dutie of eche degree.

Anno. 1557

Dispise not councel, rebuking foly
Esteme it as, nedefull and holy.

Imprinted at London in Panles
Churchparde at the figne of

the Hedgehogge by
Wyllyam Seares.