Early English Meals and Manners Part 67

-- De cont{ra}rotulatore.[33]

-- The Countrollo{ur} shall{e} wryte to hym, Taunt resceu, no more I myn; And taunt dispendu {a}t same day, Vncountabull{e} he is, as y ?ou say. 544

[Sidenotes: _Of the Controller._ [541] He puts down the receipt and consumption of every day.]

-- De sup{er}uisore.[34]

-- Surueour and stuarde also, Thes thre folke and no mo, For no?t resayue{n} bot eu{er} sene {a}t noyng fayle {and} alle be whene; 548 {a}t o clerke of kechyn schulde not mys, {er}-fore o countrollo{ur}, as hafe I blys, Wrytes vp o somme as eu{er}y day, And helpes to count, as I ?ou say. 552

[Sidenotes: _Of the Surveyor._ [546] He, the steward, and controller, receive nothing, but see that all goes straight. [550] The Controller checks daily the Clerk of the kitchen's account.]

-- De Clerico coquine.[35]

-- The clerke of e cochyn shall{e} all{e} yng breue, Of men of court, bothe lothe and leue, Of achat_is and_ dispenses en wrytes he, And wages for gromes and ?eme{n} fre; 556 At dresso{ur} also he shalle stonde, And fett forthe mete dresset w{i}t{h} honde; e spicery and store w{i}t{h} hym shall{e} dwelle, And mony thynges als, as I no?t telle, 560 For clethyng of officers alle i{n} fere, Saue e lorde hym self and ladys dere.

[Sidenotes: _Of the Clerk of the Kitchen._ [553] He shall keep account of all purchases, and payments, and wages, shall preside at the Dresser, and keep the spices, stores, &c., [561] and the clothes of the officers.]

[Headnote: OF THE CHANCELLOR AND TREASURER.]

-- De cancellario.[36]

-- The chaunceler answer{es} for hor clothyng, For ?ome{n}, faukeners, {and} hor horsyng, 564 For his wardrop and wages also; And a.s.seles patenti{s} mony {and} mo; [Fol. 22.]

Yf o lorde gyf o?t to t{er}me of lyf, The chaunceler h{i}t seles w{i}t{h}-oute{n} stryf; 568

[Text note: [E MS. {er}]]

_Tan come nos plerra_ me{n} seyne, {at}[E] is _q{ua}n{do} n.o.b{is} placet_, {a}t is, whille vs lykes hym no?t omys; Ou{er}-se hys londes {a}t all{e} be ry?t: On of o grete he is of my?t. 572

[Sidenotes: _Of the Chancellor._ [563] He looks after the servants' clothes, and horses, seals patents, and grants of land, &c., for life, or during the lord's pleasure. [571] He oversees the land too, and is a great man.]

-- De thesaurizario.[37]

-- Now speke y wylle of tresurer{e}, Husbonde and houswyf he is in fer{e}; Of e resayu{er} he shall{e} resayue, All{e} {a}t is gedurt of bayle and grayue,[38] 576 Of e lordes courtes and forfet{is} als, Whe{er} ay ben ry?t or ay ben fals.

To o clerke of cochen he payes mone For vetayle to bye opon o countre: 580 The clerke to kat{er} and pult{er} is, To baker and butler bothe y-wys Gyffys seluer to bye in all{e} thyng {a}t longes to here office, w{i}t{h}-oute{n} lesyng. 584 e tresurer schall{e} gyfe alkyn wage, To squyer, ?omo{n}, grome, or page.

o resayuer and o tresurer, o clerke of cochyn and chaunceler, 588 Grayuis, and baylys, and parker, Schone come to acountes eu{er}y ?ere By-fore o audito{ur} of o lorde onone, {a}t schulde be trew as any stone; 592 Yf he dose hom no ry?t lele, To A baron of chekker ay mu{n} h{i}t pele.

[Sidenotes: _Of the Treasurer._ [574] He takes from the Receiver what is collected from bailiff and grieve, courts and forfeits. [579] He gives the Kitchen clerk money to buy provisions with, and the clerk gives some to the baker and butler. [585] The Treasurer pays all wages. [587] He, the Receiver, Chancellor, Grieves, &c., [590] account once a year to the Auditor, from whom they can appeal to a Baron of the Exchequer.]

-- De receptore firmar{um}.

-- Of e resayuer speke wyll{e} I, {a}t fermys[39] resayuys wytt{ur}ly 596 Of grayuys, and hom aquetons makes, s.e.x pons {er}-fore to feys he takes, And pays feys to parkers als I-wys,

[Text note: [F _Or_ loned.]]

{er}-of at acountes he loued[F] is, 600 And ou{er}-seys castels, man{er}s a-boute, {a}t no?t falle w{i}t{h}-in ne w{i}t{h}-oute.

Now let we es officers be, And telle we wylle of smaller mene. 604

[Sidenotes: _Of the Receiver of Rents._ [597]: He gives receipts, and gets a fee of 6d. [599] He pays fees to park-keepers, and looks after castles and manor-houses.]

-- De Auenario.[40]

-- e Aueyn{er} schall{e} ordeyn p{ro}uande[41] good won, For o lordys horsis eu{er}ychon; ay schyn haue two cast[42] of hay, A pek of p{ro}uande on a day; 608 Eu{er}y horse schall{e} so muche haue, At racke and mang{er} {a}t standes w{i}t{h} staue.

A mayst{ur} of horsys a squyer[43] {er} is, Aueyn{er} and fero{ur} vnd{ur} hym I-wys; 612 ose ?ome{n} {a}t olde sadels schyn haue, {a}t schyn be last for kny?t and knaue, For yche a hors {a}t ferrour{e}[44] schall{e} scho, An halpeny on day he takes hym to; 616 Vnd{ur} ben gromes and pages mony one, at ben at wage eu{er}ychone; Som at two pons on a day, [Fol. 23.]

and som at iij ob., I ?ou say; 620 Mony of hem fote-me{n} er ben, {a}t renne{n} by e brydels of ladys shene.

[Sidenotes: _Of the Avener._ [605] He shall give the horses in the stable two armsful of hay and a peck of oats, daily. [611]: A Squire is Master of the Horse; under him are Avener and Farrier, (the Farrier has a halfpenny a day for every horse he shoes,) and grooms and pages hired at 2d.

a day, or 3 halfpence, and footmen who run by ladies' bridles.]

[Headnote: OF THE BAKER AND HUNTSMAN.]

-- De pistore.[45]

-- Of o baker now speke y wylle, And wat longes his office vntylle; 624 Of a lunden busch.e.l.l{e} he shall{e} bake xx louys, I vndur-take;

[Text note: [G _Read_ broun, brown.]]

Manchet and chet to make brom[G] bred hard, For chaundeler and grehoundes {and} hu{n}tes reward. 628

[Sidenotes: _Of the Baker._ [625] Out of a London bushel he shall bake 20 loaves, fine and coa.r.s.e.]

-- De venatore {et} suis canib{us}.

-- A halpeny o hunte takes on e day For eu{er}y hounde, o soth{e} to say: o vewt{er}, two cast of brede he tase, Two lesshe of grehoundes yf {a}t he hase; 632 To yche a bone, at is to telle, If I to ?ou e sothe shall{e} spelle; By-syde hys vantage {a}t may be-fall{e}, Of skynnes and o{er} thynges w{i}t{h}-all{e}, 636 at hunt{er}es con tell{e} bett{er} a{n} I, {er}-fore I leue h{i}t wytt[{ur}]ly.

[Sidenotes: _Of the Huntsman and his Hounds._ [629] He gets a halfpenny a day for every hound. [631] The Feuterer 2 lots of bread if he has 2 leash of Greyhounds, and a bone for each, besides perquisites of skins, &c.]

-- De aquario.[46]

-- And speke I wyll{e} of o{er} myster{e} {a}t falles to court, as ?e mu{n} her{e}; 640 An euwer{e} in hall{e} ere nedys to be, And chandelew schall{e} haue and all{e} naper{e}; He schall{e} gef wat{er} to gentilme{n}, And als in all{e} ?ome{n}. 644

[Sidenotes: _Of the Ewerer or Water-bringer._ [641] He has all the candles and cloths and gives water to every one.]

-- Qui d{eb}ent ma.n.u.s lauar{e} {et} i{n} q{u}or{um} domib{us}.

-- In kynges court and dukes also, {er} ?ome{n} schynne wa.s.she and no mo;-- In duke Ionys house a ?oma{n} {er} was, For his rewarde p{ra}yde suche a g{ra}ce; 648 e duke gete graunt {er}-of in londe, Of e kyng his fader, I vndudurstonde.--(_so_) Wosoeuer gefes wat{er} in lordys chaunber, In p{re}sens of lorde or leuede dere, 652 He schall{e} knele downe opon his kne, Ellys he for?etes his curtase; is euwer schall{e} hele his lordes borde, W{i}t{h} dowbull{e} napere at on bar{e} worde: 656 The seluage to o lordes syde w{i}t{h}-i{n}ne, And doun schall{e} heng {a}t o{er} may wynne; o ou{er} nape schall{e} dowbull{e} be layde, To o vttur syde e seluage brade; 660 o ou{er} seluage he schall{e} replye,[47]

As towell{e} h{i}t were fayrest in hye; Browers[48] he schall{e} cast {er}-opon, {a}t e lorde schull{e} clense his fyngers [on], 664 e leuedy and whoseuer syttes w{i}t{h}-inne, All{e} browers schynne haue bothe mor{e} {and} myn.

[Sidenotes: _Who may wash his hands, and where._ [651] The bringer of Water shall kneel down. [655] The Ewerer shall cover the lord's table with a double cloth, the lower with the selvage to the lord's side; the upper cloth shall be laid double, the upper selvage turned back as if for a towel. [664] He shall put on cleaners for every one.]