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 ...

Vrbanitatis. [[Fol. 86, col. 2, MS. Cott. Calig. A. II., ab. 1460 A.D.]]

Who-so wylle of nurtur lere, Herken to me & ȝe shalle here. When þou comeste be-fore a lorde In halle, yn bowre, or at þe borde, Line 4 Hoode or kappe þou of þo. Ere þou come hym alle vn-to, Twyse or þryse with-owten dowte To þat lorde þou moste lowte, Line 8 With þy Ryȝth kne lette hit be do, Thy worshyp þou mayst saue so. Holde of þy cappe & þy hood also Tylle þou be byden hit on to do; Line 12 Alle þe whyle þou spekest with hym, Fayr & louely holde vp þy chynn, So aftur þe nurtur of þe book In his face louely þou loke; Line 16 Foot & hond þou kepe fulle stylle Fro clawyng or tryppyng, hit ys skylle; Fro spettyng & snetyng kepe þe also; Be priuy of voydance, & lette hit go. Line 20 And loke þou be wyse & felle, And þerto also þat þow gouerne þe welle. In-to þe halle when þou dost wende Amonge þe genteles gode & hende, Line 24 Prece þou not vp to hyȝ for no þyng, Nor for þy hyȝ blood, nere for þy konnyng, Noþur to sytte, neþur to lene, For hit ys neyþur good ne clene. Line 28

Line 28 Lette not þy contynaunce also abate, For good nurtur wylle saue þy state; Fadyr & modyr, what euur þey be, Welle ys þe chylde þat may the: Line 32 In halle, in chambur, ore where þou gon, Nurtur & good maners makeþ man. To þe nexte degre loke þou wysely To do hem Reuerence by and by: Line 36 Do hem no Reuerens, but sette alle in Rowe But ȝyf þou þe bettur do hym knowe. To þe mete when þou art sette, Fayre & honestly thow ete hyt: [folio 86b:1] Line 40 Fyrste loke þat þy handes be clene, And þat þy knyf be sharpe & kene; And cutte þy breed & alle þy mete Ryȝth euen as þou doste hit ete. Line 44 If þou sytte be a worthyor man Then þy self thow art on, Suffre hym fyrste to towche þe mete Ere þy self any þer-of gete; Line 48 To þe beste morselle þou may not stryke Thowȝ þou neuur so welle hit lyke. Also kepe þy hondys fayre & welle Fro fylynge of the towelle, Line 52 Ther-on þou shalt not þy nose wype; Noþur at þy mete þy toth þou pyke; To depe in þy cuppe þou may not synke Thowȝ þou haue good wylle to drynke, Line 56 Leste þy eyen water þere by, Then ys hyt no curtesy. Loke yn þy mowth be no mete When þou begynneste to drynke or speke; Line 60 Also when þou sest any man drynkyng That taketh hede of þy karpyng, Soone a-non þou sece þy tale, Wheþur he drynke wyne or Ale. Line 64

Line 64 Loke also þou skorne no mon In what þegre [[Marg. has gre for insertion.]] þou se hym gon; Nor þou shalte no mon repreue Ȝyf þou wylt þy owen worshyp saue, Line 68 For suche wordys þou myȝth out kaste Sholde make þe to lyue in euelle reste; Close þyn honde yn þy feste, And kepe þe welle from hadde-y-wyste. Line 72 In chambur among ladyes bryȝth, [folio 86b:2] Kepe þy tonge & spende þy syȝth; Lawȝe þou not with no grette cry, Ne Rage þou not with Rybawdry. Line 76 Pley þou not but with þy peres; Ne telle þou not þat þou heres, Nor dyskeuere þou not [[not put in by a later hand.]] þyn owen dede For no myrth nor for no mede; Line 80 With fayr speche þou may haue þy wylle, And with þy speche þou may þe spylle. Ȝyf þou suwe a wordyer mon Then þy self þou art on, Line 84 Lette þy Ryȝth sholdur folow his bakke, For nurtur þat ys, with-owten lakke. When he doth speke, holde þe style; When he hath don, say þy wylle; Line 88 Loke yn þy speche þou be felle, And what þou sayste a-vyse þe welle; And be-refe þou no mon his tale, Noþur at wyne nere at Ale. Line 92 Now, criste of his grette grace Ȝeue vs alle bothe wytte & space Welle þis to knowe & Rede, And heuen to haue for our mede! Line 96 Amen, Amen, so moot hit be, So saye we alle for charyte!

EXPLICIT TRACTUS VRBANITATIS.