If you serve a gentleman in war

time, don't plunder people,

or take the goods

of those whom

you ought to

defend.

Don't annoy any laymen.

Fear God's

vengeance, and

trust in Him.

Pillage cannot be rightly taken.

Violate no woman, nor defame any;

you will soon die, and be stinking

food for worms;

your body will rot,

and worms eat your flesh, and your soul will go to hell, never to return.

Consider then:

Death fronts you; fear God,

and love Him

with all your

heart.

[?heur, hour, or

feur, for Sp.

fuero, code of

laws, L. forum.]

Always serve

your master so as

to deserve his

favour and

honour; so that

you may be

master yourself

Se tu sers gentil homme en guerre,
Soit tant par mer comme par terre,
Ne va desrobant nulle gent,

124 Ne leur oste or ny argent.

Ne va pas de ceulx les biens prendre
Que tu dois garder et deffendre,
Ne à nulles gens seculiers

128 Ne faiz ennuys, ne destourbiers;
Crains tousjours de Dieu la vengence
Et mès en lui ta confidence;
De nul pillier ne peut bien prendre,
132 Car à la fin le fault tout rendre.
Ne prens par force nulle femme,
Ne leur faiz honte ne diffame,

Et quant telz fais faire vouldras,
136 Souviengne toy que brief morras;
Orde et puante viande aux vers,
Lors seront bien changiez ces vers,
Car ton corps qui tant est nourry,
140 En terre ou hors sera pourry.
Bien sera changée ta besoingne,
Car vers mengeront ta charoingne,
Et ton ame en torment yra,

144 Duquel jamais ne partira.

148

152

156

Advise toi donc, c'est le mieulx ;
Tu voys ta mort devant tes yeulx,
Crains Dieu, car il rend gaingne ou perte
A chascun selon sa desserte.

Aymes et crains Dieu en ton cuer,
Et jà ne veuilles à nul feur'
Faire faulx traict ne trahison;
Et tousjours, en quelque maison,
Ou quelque maistre que tu serves,
Faiz, se tu peulz, que tu desserves

La
grace et l'amour de ton maistre,
Affin que puisses maistre estre

Vt te geras ad Mensam.

[Harl. MS. 3362, fol. 6. The title above is in a later hand. The metrical points below are those of the MS. No stops are inserted.]

Wash before eating.

At table, think first of the Poor.

Don't eat till the dishes are set down.

Don't touch the salt with your

food.

Don't pick your teeth with your knife,

or spit on the table,

or belch.

Doctus dicetur. hec qui documenta sequetur.
Hec documenta sibi. qui vult vrbanus haberi.
Que scribuntur ibi. sciat obseruanda necesse.
4 Non lotis escam. manibus non sumpseris vnquam.
Nemo cibum capiat. donec benediccio fiat.
Nec capiat sedem. nisi quam vult qui regit eden.
Dum sedes in mensa. primo de paupere pensa.
8 Nam dapibus plenus. nescis quid sentit egenus.
Donec sint posita. tibi fercula mandere vita.
Immo panem scinde. quem mandat qui velit inde.
Dentibus etacta, non sit buccella redacta.
12 In discum digiti. tibi sunt vnguesque politi.
Sal non tangatur. esca quo vase ponatur.
Dum cibus extat. in ore tuo potare caueto.
Non membrum scalpe. discumbens de vice talpe.
16 Non mundent dentes. ex cultello comedentes.
A disco tollas. coclear cum sumpseris escas.
Non vltra mensam. sputes nec desuper vnquam.
In mensa cubitum. ponere sit vetitum.

20 Si potes hoc reputo.3 mensa ructare caueto.

1? for intacta.

2 for sint.

3 ? for reputa consider.

How to bear yourself at Table.

[Englished literally by Professor Seeley, M.A., of University College, London; Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge.]

He shall be called instructed who shall follow these teachings. These teachings which are written here, let him who wishes to be held polite

know must needs be observed,

4 Never take up food with hands not washed.

Let no one take food until the blessing be given,

Nor take a seat, except that which the master of the house chooses.

While you are sitting at the table, think first of the poor

man,

8 For when you are full of meat, you know not what the needy man feels.

12

Avoid eating of the dishes until they are put before you.

Cut the bread which he bids you cut who wants some of it.
Let not the piece of food, when it has been touched by the
teeth, be put back

Upon the dish. Let your fingers and nails be trimmed.
Let not the salt be touched by meat in the vessel in which
it is set on table.

While food still continues in your mouth, beware of drinking.
Don't scratch your limb, after the fashion of a mole, as you
sit down.

16 Let not persons eating, clean their teeth with their knife. Remove the spoon from the dish when you have taken up the food.

Don't spit over the table, nor down upon it ever.

Be it forbidden to put the elbow on the table.

20 If you can, I warn (?) you of this, don't belch at table.

Don't say offensive things,

or bring a cat to table.

Never grin.

Keep the table clean.

Don't drink

before the host.

Don't show your food while eating.

Don't slander absent men.

24

In mensa care. quam sint res ne memorare.
Nec dicas verbum. cuiquam quod ei sit acerbum.
Mensa sis hillaris. cuiquam nec in aure loquaris.
Mureligus' consors. in mensa sit tibi nunquam.
Si sapis extra vas. expue quando lauas.
Hoc penitus timeas. ne sociis noceas.
Numquam subrideas. sed stabilis sedeas.
28 Cum tribus digitis, escam tangendo politis.
Fare morosa.2 semper mensaque iocosa.
Mensa tibi pura. vir sit nec surgere cura.
Donec dicatur. gracias quoque mensa trahatur.
Cultellum terge, mappa quoque coclear terge.
Quando bibit dominus. non bibe discipule.
Vas in scissoriis.3 non ponas ne reproberis.
In potum sufflare. tuum nolito cibumque.
36 Vtraque parte. non masticabis aperte.

32

Pr[i]uetur mensa. qui spreuerit hec documenta.
4 Si quis amat dictis. absentum rodere vitam.
.i. indignam

Hanc mensam miseram. nouerit esse sibi.

1 Catte, beste. Cattus, mureligus. Catholicon in Prompt. Parv. 2 Morosus, waywarde; frowarde; ouerthwarte. Cooper.

Vas.. 17 cultrum (a knife); Forcellini. Scissorium, Orbiculus 5 mensorius, in quo conviva dapes sibi appositas vel præsumtas scindunt, nostris olim Trenchoir. Ducange.

4 Additio forsan aut altera ad pueros admonitio:' note in a

later hand.

* A Trencher, quadra. A rounde Trencher, orbis. Withals.