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 ...

HEre begynnethe þe fyrst boke of curtasye. [folio 12]

Qwo so wylle of curtasy lere, In this boke he may hit here! Yf thow be gentylmon, ȝomon, or knaue, The nedis nurture for to haue. Line 4 When thou comes to a lordis ȝate, The porter þou shalle fynde ther-ate; Take hym thow shalt þy wepyn tho, And aske hym leue in to go Line 8 ¶ To speke with lorde, lady, squyer, or grome. Ther-to the nedys to take the tome [Toom or rymthe. Spacium, tempus, oportunitas. P. Parv.] ; For yf he be of loghe degre, Than hym falles to come to the; Line 12 ¶ Yf he be gentylmon of kyn, The porter wille lede the to hym. When thow come tho halle dor to, Do of thy hode, thy gloues also; Line 16 ¶ Yf þo halle be at the furst mete, This lessoun loke thow noȝt for-ȝete: Þe stuard, countroller, and tresurere, Sittand at de deshe, þou haylse in fere. Line 20 ¶ Within þe halle sett on ayther side, Sitten other gentylmen as falles þat tyde; Enclyne þe fayre to hom also, First to the ryȝht honde þou shalle go, Line 24

Line 24 ¶ Sitthen to þo left honde þy neghe þou cast; To hom þou boghe withouten wrast [AS. wræsten, to writhe, twist.] ; Take hede to ȝomon on þy ryght honde, And sithen byfore the screne þou stonde Line 28 ¶ In myddys þe halle opon þe flore, Whille marshalle or vssher come fro þe dore, And bydde the sitte, or to borde the lede. Be stabulle of chere for menske [grace, civility; from AS. mennisc, human; cp. our double sense of humanity. H. Coleridge.] , y rede; Line 32 ¶ Yf he þe sette at gentilmonnes borde, Loke þou be hynde [courteous.] and lytulle of worde. Pare þy brede and kerue in two, Tho ouer crust þo nether fro; Line 36 ¶ In fowre þou kutt þo ouer dole, Sett hom to-gedur as hit where hole; Sithen kutt þo nether crust in thre, And turnc hit down, lerne þis at me. Line 40 ¶ And lay thy trenchour þe be-fore, And sitt vp-ryȝht for any sore. Spare brede or wyne, drynke or ale, To thy messe of kochyn be sett in sale; Line 44 ¶ Lest men sayne þou art hongur betcn, Or ellis a gloten þat alle men wyten, Loke þy naylys ben clene in blythe, Lest þy felaghe lothe ther-wyth. Line 48 ¶ Byt not on thy brede and lay hit doun,— That is no curteyse to vse in town;— But breke as myche as þou wylle ete, The remelant to pore þou shalle lete. Line 52 ¶ In peese þou ete, and euer eschewe To flyte [AS. flytan, dispute, quarrel.] at borde; þat may þe rewe. Yf þou make mawes [Mowe, or skorne. Vangia, vel valgia, cachinna. Promptorium.] on any wyse, A velany þou kacches or euer þou rise. Line 56

Line 56 ¶ Let neuer þy cheke be Made to grete [folio 13] With morselle of brede þat þou shalle ete; An apys mow men sayne he makes, Þat brede and flesshe in hys cheke bakes. Line 60 ¶ Yf any man speke þat tyme to the, And þou schalle onsware, hit wille not be But waloande, and a-byde þou most; Þat is a schame for alle the host. Line 64 ¶ On bothe halfe þy mouthe, yf þat þou ete, Mony a skorne shalle þou gete. Þou shalle not lauȝhe ne speke no þynge Whille þi mouthe be fulle of mete or drynke; Line 68 ¶ Ne suppe not with grete sowndynge Noþer potage ne oþer þynge. Let not þi spone stond in þy dysche, Wheþer þou be serued with fleshe or fische; Line 72 ¶ Ne lay hit not on thy dishe syde, But clense hit honestly with-outen pride. Loke no browynge on þy fyngur þore Defoule þe clothe þe be-fore. Line 76 ¶ In þi dysche yf þou wete þy brede, Loke þer-of þat noȝt be lede To cast agayne þy dysche in-to; Þou art vn-hynde yf þou do so. Line 80 ¶ Drye þy mouthe ay wele and fynde When þou schalle drynke oþer ale or wyne. Ne calle þou noȝt a dysche a-ȝayne, Þat ys take fro þe borde in playne; Line 84 ¶ ȝif þou sp[i]tt ouer the borde, or elles opon, Þou schalle be holden an vncurtayse mon; Yf þy nown dogge þou scrape or clawe, Þat is holden a vyse emong men knawe. Line 88 ¶ Yf þy nose þou clense, as may be-falle, Loke þy honde þou clense, as wythe-alle, Priuely with skyrt do hit away, Oþer ellis thurghe thi tepet þat is so gay. Line 92

Line 92 ¶ Clense not thi tethe at mete sittande, With knyfe ne stre, styk ne wande. While þou holdes mete in mouthe, be war To drynke, þat is an-honest [an privative, unhonest.] char, Line 96 ¶ And also fysike for-bedes hit, And sais þou may be choket at þat byt; Yf hit go þy wrang throte into, And stoppe þy wynde, þou art fordo. Line 100 ¶ Ne telle þou neuer at borde no tale To harme or shame þy felawe in sale; For if he then withholde his methe [AS. mod, mood, passion, violence.] , Eftsons he wylle forcast þi dethe. Line 104 ¶ Where-sere þou sitt at mete in borde, Avoide þe cat at on bare worde, For yf þou stroke cat oþer dogge, Þou art lyke an ape teyȝed with a clogge. Line 108 ¶ Also eschewe, with-outen stryfe, To foule þe borde clothe with þi knyfe; Ne blow not on þy drynke ne mete, Neþer for colde, neþer for hete; Line 112 ¶ With mete ne bere þy knyfe to mowthe, Wheþer þou be sett be strong or couthe; Ne with þo borde clothe þi tethe þou wype, [folio 14] Ne þy nyen þat rennen rede, as may betyde. Line 116 ¶ Yf þou sitt by a ryȝht good man, Þis lesson loke þou þenke apon: Vndur his theȝghe þy kne not pit, Þou ar fulle lewed yf þou dose hit. Line 120 ¶ Ne bacwarde sittande gyf noȝt þy cupe, Noþer to drynke, noþer to suppe; Bidde þi frende take cuppe and drynke, Þat is holden an honest thyng. Line 124 ¶ Lene not on elbowe at þy mete, Noþer for colde ne for hete;

Dip not þi thombe þy drynke into, Þou art vncurtayse yf þou hit do; Line 128 ¶ In salt saler yf þat þou pit Oþer fisshe or flesshe þat men may wyt, Þat is a vyce, as men me telles, And gret wonder hit most be elles. Line 132 ¶ After mete when þou shalt wasshe, Spitt not in basyn, ne water þou dasshe; Ne spit not lorely, for no kyn mede, Be-fore no mon of god for drede. Line 136 ¶ Who so euer despise þis lessoun ryȝt, At borde to sitt he hase no myȝt. Here endys now oure fyrst talkyng, Crist graunt vs alle his dere blessyng! Line 140

¶ Here endithe þe [first] boke of curtasye.