Ale shall now engage my pen, To set at rest the hearts of men. First, my friend, your candle light,[25] Next of spiced cake take a bite; Then steep your barley in a vat, Large and broad, take care of that; When you shall have steeped your grain, And the water let out-drain, Take it to an upper floor, If you’ve swept it clean before, There couch,[26] and let your barley dwell, Till it germinates full well. Malt now you shall call the grain, Corn it ne’er shall be again. Stir the malt then with your hand, In heaps or rows now let it stand; On a tray then you shall take it, To a kiln to dry and bake it. The tray and eke a basket light Will serve to spread the malt aright. {50} When your malt is ground in mill, And of hot water has drank its fill, And skill has changed the wort to ale, Then to see you shall not fail Miracles and marvels; Lo! Two candles out of one do grow; Ale makes a layman a good clerk, To one unknown it gives a mark, Ale makes the strong go on all fours, And fill the streets with shouts and roars. The good ale from the malt at length, So draws the barley’s pride and strength, That a royster’s figure-head Needs no dye to make it red. Here, then, let the matter rest, To talk of other things were best. [25] _i.e._, you must rise betimes. [26] The word “couch” has still a technical meaning in malting. As everybody knows, the monks of old were famous for their home-brewed ales, and the brewer and cellarer, whether in mitred abbey or in the less distinguished religious houses, were officials of considerable importance. The office of cellarer was one held in especial estimation. An old glossary describes his position in the monastery as follows:—“_Pater debet esse totius congregationis_,” and in the priory of St. Swithin at Winchester special prayers were offered up for this functionary. Such a person is depicted on this page. The monk whose anxious eye proclaims the sad fact that in tasting the liquor entrusted to his charge he is exceeding his duty, is a cellarer who evidently makes the most of his opportunities. The drawing is taken from a manuscript in the Arundel collection. [Illustration: “Is it in condition?”] {51} [Illustration: Mediæval Cellarer.]