Education -- Early works to 1800; England -- Social life and customs -- Early works to 1800; Etiquette; Home economics -- Early works to 1800; Table
+S+{ir},[†] ȝeff þow wilt wrappe þy sou{er}aynes bred stately,
Thow must square & p{ro}porciou{n} þy bred clene & evenly,
and þat no loof ne bunne be mor{e} þañ oþ{er} p{ro}porcionly,
and so shaltow make þy wrappe for þy mast{er} man{er}ly; 212
[Sidenote: Take a towel two and a half yards long by the ends,
fold up a handful from each end,]
þañ take a towaile of Raynes,[45] of ij. yard{es}
and half wold it be,
take þy towaile by the end{es} dowble /
and fair{e} oñ a table lay ye,
þañ take þe end of þ{a}t bought /
an handfull{e} in hande, now her{e} ye me:
wrap ye hard þat handfull{e} or mor{e} it is þe styffer,
y telle þe 216
[Sidenote: and in the middle of the folds lay eight loaves or
buns, bottom to bottom;]
Þañ ley betwene þe endes so wrapped, in myddes of þat towell{e},
viij loves or bonnes, botom to botom̅,
forsothe it will{e} do well{e},
and wheñ þe looff{es} ar betweñ,
þañ wrappe hit wisely & fell{e};
and for your{e} enformaciou{n}
mor{e} playnly y will{e} yow tell{e}, 220
[Sidenote: put a wrapper on the top, twist the ends of the towel
together, smooth your wrapper,]
ley it oñ þe vpper part of þe bred,
y telle yow honestly; [Fol. 174.]
take boþe endis of þe towell{e}, & draw þem straytly,
and wrythe an handfull{e} of þe towell{e}
next þe bred myghtily,
and se þat thy wrapper{e} be made strayt & evyñ styffely. 224
[Sidenote: and quickly open the end of it before your lord.]
wheñ he is so y-graithed,[46] as riȝt befor{e} y haue saide,
þeñ shall{e} ye opeñ hym thus / & do hit at a brayd,
opeñ þe last end of þy wrapper{e} befor{e} þi sou{er}ayne laid,
and your{e} bred sett in man{er} & forme:
þeñ it is honestly arayd. 228
[Sidenote: After your lord’s lay the other tables. Deck your
cupboard with plate, your washing-table with basins, &c.]
++Soñ, wheñ þy sou{er}eignes table is drest in þus array,
kou{er} all{e} oþ{er} bord{es} w{i}t{h} Salt{es};
trenchers & cuppes þ{er}oñ ye lay;
þan emp{er}iall{e} þy Cuppeborde /
w{i}t{h} Silu{er} & gild full{e} gay,
þy Ewry borde w{i}t{h} basons & lauo{ur},
wat{ur} hoot & cold, eche oþ{er} to alay. 232
[Sidenote: Have plenty of napkins, &c., and your pots clean.]
loke p{a}t ye haue napkyns, spones, & cuppis eu{er} y-nowe
to your sou{er}aynes table, your{e} honeste for to allowe,
also þat pott{es} for wyne & ale be as clene as þey mowe;
be eu{er}more war{e} of flies & mot{es},
y telle þe, for þy prowe. 236
[Headnote: HOW TO LAY THE SURNAPE AND TABLE.]
[Sidenote: Make the _Surnape_ with a cloth under a double napkin.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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