The babees book, Aristotle's A B C, Urbanitatis, Stans puer ad mensam, The lvtille childrenes lvtil boke, The bokes of nurture of Hugh Rhodes and John Russell, Wynkyn de Worde's Boke of keruynge, The booke of demeanor, The boke of curtasye, Seager's Schoole of vertue, &c. &c. with some French and latin poems on like subjects, and some forewords on education in early England. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ...

The office of ussher & marshalle. [See the duties and allowances of 'The Gentylmen Usshers of Chaumbre .IIII. of Edw. IV., in H. Ord. p. 37; and the duties of Henry VIII's Knight Marshal, ib. p. 150.]

⁴my lorde, my master, of lilleshulle abbot⁴ [^4-4 This line is in a later hand.]

"The office of a connynge vschere or mar|shalle with-owt fable

must know alle estates of the church goodly & greable, and þe excellent estate of a kynge with his blode honorable: Line 1004 hit is a notable nurture / connynge, curyouse, and commendable.

The pope hath no peere;

Thestate off a

Emperowre is nex hym euery where; Kynge corespondent; þus nurture shalle yow lere. highe Cardynelle, þe dignyte dothe requere; Line 1008 Kyngis sone, prynce ye hym Calle; Archebischoppe is to hym peregalle. Duke of þe blode royalle, bishoppe / Marques / & erle / coequalle. Line 1012

Thestate off a

Vycount / legate / baroune / suffrigan / abbot with mytur feyre, barovn of þeschekere / iij. þe cheff Iusticeȝ / of london þe meyre; Pryoure Cathedralle, mytur abbot without / a knyght bachillere Prioure / deane / archedekon / a knyght / þe body Esquyere, Line 1016 Mastir of the rolles / riȝt þus ryken y, Vndir Iustice may sitte hym by: Clerke of the crowne / & theschekere Con|venyently Meyre of Calice ye may preferre plesauntly. Line 1020

Thestate off a

Provyncialle, & doctur diuyne, [folio 186b] Prothonotur, apertli to-gedur þey may dyne.

Thestate off a

Þe popes legate or collectoure, to-gedur ye assigne,

Doctur of bothe lawes, beynge in science digne.

Thestate off a

Hym þat hath byn meyre / & a londynere, Sargeaunt of lawe / he may with hym com|pere; The mastirs of the Chauncery with comford & chere, Þe worshipfulle prechoure of pardoun in þat place to appere. Line 1028

The clerkes of connynge that han taken degre, And alle othur ordurs of chastite chosyn, & also of pouerte, alle parsons & vicaries þat ar of dignyte, parische prestes kepynge cure, vn-to þem loke ye se. Line 1032 For þe baliffes of a Cite purvey ye must a space, A yeman of þe crowne / Sargeaunt of armes with mace, A herrowd of Armes as gret a dygnyte has, Specially kynge harrawd / must haue þe princi|palle place; Line 1036 Worshipfulle merchaundes and riche artyficeris, Gentilmen welle nurtured & of good maneris, With gentilwommen / and namely lordes nur|rieris, alle these may sit at a table of good squyeris. Line 1040

Lo, son, y haue shewid the aftur my symple wytte euery state aftir þeire degre, to þy knowleche y shalle commytte, and how þey shalle be serued, y shalle shew the ȝett, in what place aftur þeire dignyte how þey owght to sytte: Line 1044

Line 1044

Thestate of a

Pope, Emperowre / kynge or cardynalle, Prynce with goldyn rodde Royalle, Archebischoppe / vsyng to were þe palle, Duke / alle þese of dygnyte owȝt not kepe þe halle.

Bisshoppes, Merques, vicount, Erle goodly, May sytte at .ij. messeȝ yf þey be lovyngely. þe meyre of london, & a baron, an abbot myterly, the iij. chef Iusticeȝ, þe spekere of þe parlement, propurly Line 1052 alle these Estates ar gret and honorable, þey may sitte in Chambur or halle at a table, .ij. or els iij. at a messe / ȝeff þey be greable: þus may ye in youre office to euery man be plesable. Line 1056 Of alle oþer estates to a messe / iij. or iiij. þus may ye sure, And of alle estatis þat ar egalle with a knyght / digne & demure, Off abbot & prioure sauncȝ mytur, of convent þey han cure; Deane / Archedecon, mastur of þe rolles, aftur youre plesure, Line 1060 Alle the vndirIusticeȝ and barounes of þe kynges Eschekiere, [folio 187a] a provincialle / a doctoure devine / or boþe lawes, þus yow lere, A prothonotur apertli, or þe popis collectoure, if he be there, Also þe meyre of þe stapulle / In like purpose þer may appere. Line 1064 Of alle oþur estates to a messe ye may sette foure / & foure, as suche persones as ar peregalle to a squyere of honoure:

Sargeaundes of lawe / & hym þat hath byn meyre of london aforne, and þe mastyrs of þe chauncery, þey may not be forborne. Line 1068 Alle prechers / residencers / and persones þat ar greable, Apprentise of lawe In courtis pletable, Marchaundes & Franklonȝ, worshipfulle & honorable, þey may be set semely at a squyers table. Line 1072 These worthy [royalle is written over worthy.] Estates a-foreseid / high of re|nowne, Vche Estate syngulerly in halle shalle sit a|downe, that none of hem se othure / at mete tyme in feld nor in towne, but vche of þem self in Chambur or in pavil|owne. Line 1076

Yeff þe bischoppe of þe provynce of Caunturbury be in þe presence of the archebischoppe of yorke reuerently, þeire seruice shalle be kouered / vche bisshoppe syngulerly, and in þe presence of þe metropolytane none oþer sicurly. Line 1080 yeff bischopps of yorke provynce be fortune be syttynge In þe presence of þe primate of Englond þan beynge, þey must be couered in alle þeyre seruynge, and not in presence of þe bischoppe of yorke þere apperynge. Line 1084

Now, son, y perceue þat for dyuerse cawses / as welle as for ignoraunce, a merchalle is put oft tymes in gret comberaunce

For som lordes þat ar of blod royalle / & litelle of lyvelode per chaunce, and some of gret lyvelode / & no blode royalle to avaunce; Line 1088 And som knyght is weddid / to a lady of royalle blode, and a poore lady to blod ryalle, manfulle & myghty of mode: þe lady of blod royalle shalle kepe þe state / þat she afore in stode, the lady of low blode & degre / kepe her lordis estate, y make hit good. Line 1092 The substaunce of lyvelode is not so digne / as is blode royalle, Þerfore blode royalle opteyneth þe souereynte in chambur & in halle, For blode royalle somtyme tiȝt to be kynge in palle; of þe whiche matere y meve no more: let god gouerne alle! Line 1096

There as pope or cardynalle in þeire estate beynge, þat han fadur & modur by theire dayes lyvynge, þeire fadur or modir ne may in any wise be pre|sumynge to be egalle with theire son standynge ne sit|tynge: Line 1100 Therfore fadir ne moder / þey owe not to desire to sytte or stond by þeyre son / his state wille hit not require, but by þem self / a chambur assigned for them sure, Vn-to whom vche office ought gladly to do plesure. [folio 187b] Line 1104 To the birthe of vche estate a mershalle must se, and þen next of his lyne / for þeyre dignyte;

þen folowynge, to officers afftere þeire degre, As chauncelere, Steward / Chamburleyn / tresorere if he be: Line 1108 More ouer take hede he must / to aliene / com|mers straungeres, and to straungers of þis land, resi[d]ent dwell|eres, and exalte þem to honoure / if þe be of honest maneres; þen alle oþer aftur þeire degre / like as cace requeres. Line 1112 In a manerable mershalle þe connynge is moost commendable to haue a fore sight to straungers, to sett þem at þe table; For if þey haue gentille chere / & gydynge manerable, þe mershalle doth his souereyn honoure / & he þe more lawdable. Line 1116 ¶ Ȝeff þow be a mershalle to any lord of þis land, yff þe kynge send to þy souereyn eny his seruand by sand,

Yeff he be a

knyght Squyere yoman of þe crown grome page Childe

recebe hym as a

baroun honorand knyght with hand Squyere yeman in manere grome goodly in fere grome gentille lernere.

¶ hit rebuketh not a knyght / þe knyges grome to sytte at his table, Line 1125 no more hit dothe a mershalle of maners plesable; and so from þe hiest degre / to þe lowest honor|able, if þe mershalle haue a sight þerto, he is com|mendable. Line 1128

Line 1128 ¶ Wisdom wolle a mershalle manerabely þat he vndirstand alle þe worshipfulle officers of the comunialte of þis land, of Shires / Citees / borowes; like as þey ar ruland, þey must be sett aftur þeire astate dewe in degre as þey stand. Line 1132 ¶ hit belongethe to a mershalle to haue a fore sight of alle estatis of þis land in euery place pight, [folio 188a] For þestate of a knyght of blode, lyvelode, & myght, is not peregalle to a symple & a poouere knyght. Line 1136 ¶ Also þe meyre of london, notable of dignyte, and of queneborow [Queenborough, an ancient, but poor town of Kent, in the Isle of Sheppey, situated at the mouth of the river Medway. The chief employment of the inhabitants is oyster-dredging. Walker's Gazeteer, by Kershaw, 1801.] þe meire, no þynge like in degre, at one messe þey owght in no wise to sitt ne be; hit no þynge besemethe / þerfore to suche semble ye se / Line 1140 ¶ Also þe abbote of Westmynstere, þe hiest of þis lande / The abbot of tynterne [The Annual Receipts of the Monastery "de Tinterna in Marchia Wallie," are stated in the Valor Eccl. vol. iv. p. 370-1, and the result is

	£	s.	d.
Summa totalis clare valoris dec' predict'	cclviij	v	x ob'
Decima inde	xxv	xvj	vj ob'q'

Those of the Monasterium Sancti Petri Westm. are given at v. 1, p. 410-24, and their net amount stated to be £4470 0 2d.

	£	s.	d.
Et remanent clare	MlMlMliiijclxx	—	ij q'
Decima inde	iijcxlvij	—	— q'

] þe poorest, y vndirstande, [folio 188a] þey ar boþe abbotes of name, & not lyke of fame to fande;

ȝet Tynterne with Westmynster shalle nowþer sitte ne stande. Line 1144 ¶ Also þe Pryoure of Caunturbury, [The clear revenue of the Deanery of Canterbury (Decan' Can|tuar') is returned in Valor Eccl. v. 1, p. 27-32, at £163 0 21d.

	£	s.	d.
Rem'	clxiij	—	xxi
Decima pars inde while that of Prioratus de Dudley is only	xvj	vj	ij

	£	s.	d.
Summa de claro	xxxiiij	—	xvj
Decima pars inde	iij	viij	j ob'q'

Valor Ecclesiasticus, v. 3, p. 104-5.] a cheff churche of dignyte, And þe prioure of Dudley, [Dudley, a town of Worcestershire, insulated in Staffordshire, containing about 2000 families, most of whom are employed in the manufacture of nails and other iron wares. Walker, 1801.] no þynge so digne as he:— ȝet may not þe prioure of dudley, symple of degre, Sitte with þe prioure of Caunturbury: þer is why, a dyuersite. Line 1148 ¶ And remembre euermore / an rule þer is generalle: A prioure þat is a prelate of any churche Cathe|dralle, above abbot or prioure with-in the diocise sitte he shalle, In churche / in chapelle / in chambur / & in halle. Line 1152 ¶ Right so reuerend docturs, degre of xij. yere, þem ye must assigne to sitte aboue hym / þat commensed hath but .ix. and þaughe þe yonger may larger spend gold red & fyne, ȝet shalle þe eldur sitte aboue / wheþur he drynke or dyne. Line 1156 ¶ like wise the aldremen, ȝef þey be eny where,

þe yongere shalle sitte or stande benethe þe elder riȝt þere; and of euery crafft þe mastir aftur rule & manere, and þen þe eldest of þem, þat warden was þe fore yere. Line 1160 ¶ Soche poyntes, with many oþer, belongethe to a mershall; þerfore whensoeuer youre sovereyn a feest make shall, demeene what estates shalle sitte in the hall, þan reson with youre self lest youre lord yow calle; Line 1164 ¶ Thus may ye devise youre marshallynge, like as y yow lere, to þe honoure and worshippe of youre souereyn euery where; And ȝeff ye haue eny dowt / euer looke þat ye enquere, Resorte euer to youre souereyne / or to þe cheff officere; Line 1168 ¶ Thus shalle ye to any state / do wronge ne pre|iudice, to sette euery persone accordynge with-owten mys, as aftur þe birthe / livelode / dignite / a-fore y taught yow this, alle degrees of highe officere, & worthy as he is. Line 1172

¶ Now good son, y haue shewed the / & brought þe in vre, to know þe Curtesie of court / & these þow may take in cure, In pantry / botery / or cellere / & in kervynge a-fore a sovereyne demewre, A sewer / or a mershalle: in þes science / y sup|pose ye byn sewre, Line 1176

Line 1176 ¶ Which in my dayes y lernyd withe a prynce fulle royalle, with whom vschere in chambur was y, & mer|shalle also in halle, vnto whom alle þese officeres foreseid / þey euer entende shalle, Evir to fulfille my commaundement when þat y to þem calle: Line 1180 For we may allow & dissalow / oure office is þe cheeff In cellere & spicery / & the Cooke, be he loothe or leeff. [Two lines are wanting here to make up the stanza. They must have been left out when the copier turned his page, and began again.]

¶ Thus þe diligences of dyuerse officeȝ y haue shewed to þe allone, [folio 188b] the which science may be shewed & doon by a syngeler [The word in the MS. is syngle or synglr with a line through the l. It may be for synguler, singulus, i. unus per se, sunderly, vocab. in Rel. Ant. v. 1, p. 9, col. 1.] persone; Line 1184 but þe dignyte of a prince requirethe vche office must haue oon to be rewlere in his rome / a seruaund hym waytynge on. ¶ Moore-ouer hit requirethe euerich of þem in office to haue perfite science, For dowt and drede doynge his souereyn dis|plicence, Line 1188 hym to attende, and his gestis to plese in place where þey ar presence, that his souereyn þroughe his seruice may make grete congaudence. ¶ For a prynce to serue, ne dowt he not / and god be his spede!

Furþer þan his office / & þer-to let hym take good hede, Line 1192 and his warde wayte wisely // & euermore þer-in haue drede; Þus doynge his dewte dewly, to dowte he shalle not nede.

¶ Tastynge and credence [Credence as creance . . a taste or essay taken of another man's meat. Cotgrave.] longethe to blode & birth royalle, [

Compare The Boke of Curtasye, below, l. 495-8,

No mete for mon schalle sayed beBot for kynge or prynce or duke so fre;For heiers of paraunce also y-wysMete shalle be seyed.

] As pope / emperoure / Emperatrice, and Car|dynalle, Line 1196 kynge / queene / prynce / Archebischoppe in palle, Duke / Erle, and no mo / þat y to remembraunce / calle.

¶ Credence is vsed, & tastynge, for drede of poy|senynge, To alle officers y-sworne / and grete othe by chargynge; Line 1200 þerfore vche man in office kepe his rome sewre, closynge Cloos howse / chest / & gardevyan [Gardmanger (Fr.) a Storehouse for meat. Blount, ed. 1681, Garde-viant, a Wallet for a Soldier to put his Victuals in. Phillipps, ed. 1701.] , for drede of congettynge.

¶ Steward and Chamburlayn of a prince of royalte, þey haue / knowleche of homages, seruice, and fewte; Line 1204 so þey haue ouersight of euery office / aftur þeire degre,

by wrytynge þe knowleche / & þe Credence to ouerse; ¶ Therfore in makynge of his credence, it is to drede, y sey, To mershalle / sewere [The Boke of Curtasye makes the Sewer alone assay or taste 'alle the mete' (l. 763-76), and the Butler the drink (l. 786, below).] and kervere þey must allowte allwey, Line 1208 to teche hym of his office / þe credence hym to prey: þus shalle he not stond in makynge of his cre|dence in no fray.

¶ Moore of þis connynge y Cast not me to con|treve: my tyme is not to tary, hit drawest fast to eve. Line 1212 þis tretyse þat y haue entitled, if it ye entende to preve, y assayed me self in youthe with-outen any greve. while y was yonge y-noughe & lusty in dede, y enioyed þese maters foreseid / & to lerne y toke good hede; Line 1216 but croked age hathe compelled me / & leue court y must nede. þerfore, sone, assay thy self / & god shalle be þy spede."

"Now feire falle yow, fadur / & blessid mote ye be, For þis comenynge / & þe connynge / þat y[e] haue here shewed me! Line 1220 now dar y do seruice diligent / to dyuers of dignyte, where for scantnes of connynge y durst no man y-se.

So perfitely sethe y hit perceue / my parte y wolle preue and assay; [folio 189a] boþe by practike and exercise / yet som good lerne y may: Line 1224 and for youre gentille lernynge / y am bound euer to pray that oure lorde rewarde you in blis that lasteth aye."

"Now, good son, thy self with other þat shalle þe succede, whiche þus boke of nurture shalle note / lerne, & ouer rede, [Boke of Nurture,] Line 1228 pray for the sowle of Iohn Russelle, þat god do hym mede, Som tyme seruaunde with duke vmfrey, duc [The duc has a red stroke through it, probably to cut it out.] of Glowcetur in dede. For þat prynce pereles prayethe / & for suche other mo, þe sowle of my wife / my fadur and modir also, vn-to Mary modyr and mayd / she fende us from owre foe, Line 1232 and brynge vs alle to blis when we shalle hens goo.

AMEN."

GO forthe lytelle boke, and lowly þow me commende vnto alle yonge gentilmen / þat lust to lerne or entende, Line 1236 and specially to þem þat han exsperience, praynge þe[m] to amende and correcte þat is amysse, þere as y fawte or offende. ¶ And if so þat any be founde / as þrouȝ myn necligence,

Cast þe cawse on my copy / rude / & bare of eloquence, Line 1240 whiche to drawe out [I] haue do my besy dili|gence, redily to reforme hit / by reson and bettur sentence. ¶ As for ryme or reson, þe forewryter was not to blame, For as he founde hit aforne hym, so wrote he þe same, Line 1244 and þaughe he or y in oure matere digres or degrade, blame neithur of vs / For we neuyre hit made; ¶ Symple as y had insight / somwhat þe ryme y correcte; blame y cowde no man / y haue no persone sus|pecte. Line 1248 Now, good god, graunt vs grace / oure sowles neuer to Infecte! þan may we regne in þi regioun / eternally with thyne electe. [[Some word or words in large black letter have been cut off at the bottom of the page.]]