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 Lytylle Childrenes Lytil Boke or Edyllys be.

[Harl. MS. 541, fol. 210; and Egerton MS. 1995; ab. 1480 A.D.]

Lytylle childrene, here ye may lere Moche curtesy þat is wrytyne here; For clerkis that the vij arteȝ cunne, Seyn [Egerton MS. 1995, synne] þat curtesy from hevyn come Line 4 Whan Gabryelle oure lady grette, And Elizabeth with mary mette. Alle vertues arne [ben closyde] closide yn curtesye, And alle vices yn vylonye. Line 8 Loke þyne hondis be [that thy hondys benne] wasshe clene, That no fylthe on [in] thy nayles be sene. Take þou no mete tylle grace [the fyrste gracys] be seyde, And tylle þou see alle thyng arayede. Line 12 Loke, my son, þat thow not sytte Tylle þe ruler of þe hous the bydde; [the halle the bytte] And at thy [Atte the] mete, yn þe begynnyng, Loke on [a-pon (and omits that)] pore men that thow thynk, Line 16 For the fulle wombe without [ [The parts between square brackets [] are from the Egerton MS.] any faylys] Wot fulle lytyl [ [The parts between square brackets [] are from the Egerton MS.] what the hungery aylys.] Ete [ [The parts between square brackets [] are from the Egerton MS.] not thy mete to hastely, A-byde and ete esely. Line 20

Line 20 Tylle þou haue thy fulle seruyse, Touche noo messe in noo wyse. Kerue not thy brede to thynne, Ne breke hit not on twynne: Line 24 The mosselle that þou begynnysse to touche, Cast them not in thy pouche. Put not thy fyngerys on thy dysche, Nothyr in flesche, nothir in fysche. Line 28 Put not thy mete in-to the salte, In-to thy Seler that thy salte halte,] But ley it fayre [Egerton MS. omits fayre] on þi trenchere [folio 210b] The byfore, [To-fore the] and þat is þyne honore. Line 32 Pyke not þyne Eris ne thy nosterllis; If [And] þou do, men wolle sey þou come of cherlis. [comyste of karlys] And [But] whylle þi mete yn þi mouth is, Drynk þow not; for-gete not this. Line 36 Ete þi mete by smalle mosselles; Fylle not thy mouth as done [dothe] brothellis. Pyke not þi tethe with thy knyfe; In no company begynne þow stryfe. [whyle þou ettyste by thy lyffe] Line 40 And whan þou hast þi potage doone, [Idone] Out of thy dyssh þow put thi spone. Ne spitte þow not [spette not] over the [thy] tabylle, Ne therupon, for that is no þing abylle. [Nor a-pon hyt, for hyt ys not able] Line 44 Ley not þyne Elbowe nor [nothyr] thy fyst Vpon the tabylle whylis þat thow etist. [whyle þou este] Bulk not as a Beene were yn þi throte, [As a ka]rle þat comys oute of a cote. Line 48 [ [The parts between square brackets [] are from the Egerton MS.] And thy mete be o]f grete pryce, [Be ware of hyt, or þou arte n]ot wyse. [Speke noo worde stylle ne sterke;

And honowre and curtesy loke þou kepe, Line 52 And at the tabylle loke þou make goode chere; Loke þou rownde not in no mannys ere. With thy fyngerys þou towche and taste Thy mete; And loke þou doo noo waste. Line 56 Loke þou laughe not, nor grenne; And with moche speche þou mayste do synne. Mete ne drynke loke þou ne spylle, But sette hit downe fayre and stylle.] Line 60 Kepe thy cloth clene the byforne, And bere the so [that] thow haue no scorne. [folio 207a] Byte not þi mete, but kerve it [cut hit] clene, Be welle ware no [that noo] drop be sene. Line 64 Whan þou etyst, gape not to wyde That þi mouth be sene on yche a [be in euery] syde. And son, beware, I rede, of [be ware of] on thyng, Blow neþer [þou not] yn thi mete nor yn þi [mete not] drynk. Line 68 And yif thi lorde drynk at þat tyde, Drynk þou not, but hym abyde; Be it at Evyne, be it at noone, [morowe, (and omits next line.)] Drynk þou not tylle he haue done. Line 72 Vpon þi trencher no fyllthe þou see, [be sene] It is not honest, as I telle the; Ne drynk [Drynke þou not] behynde no mannes bakke, For yf þou do, thow art to lakke. [blame] Line 76 And chese come forthe, [by-fore the] be not to gredy, [redy] Ne cutte þow not therof to hastely. [To cut there-of be not to gredy.] Caste not þi bones ynto the flore, But ley þem [hem] fayre on þi trenchore. Line 80 Kepe clene þi cloth byfore þe [þe omitted.] alle; [The parts between square brackets [] are from the Egerton MS.]

And sit þou stylle, what so be-falle, [stylle withalle] Tylle grace be saide vnto þe ende, And tylle þou haue wasshen with þi frende. Line 84 Let the more worthy þan [thenne] thow Wassh to-fore [by-fore] þe, & that is þi prow; And spitte not yn [Spete not on (and omits next line.)] þi basyne, My swete son, þat þow wasshist yne; Line 88 And aryse up soft & stylle, [And ryse with hym that sate with the stylle, And thanke hym fayre and welle: Aftyr, Iangely not with Iacke ne gylle.] And iangylle nether with Iak ne Iylle, But take þi leve of the hede [lorde] lowly, [folio 207b] And þank hym with thyne hert hyghly, Line 92 And alle þe gentyllis [þe gentylles omitted.] togydre yn-same, And bare the so [soo that] thow haue no blame; Than men wylle [wylle they sey] say therafter That a gentylleman was heere. Line 96 And he þat dispiseth this techyng, He is not worthy, withoute lesyng, Nether at [Neuyr at a] good mannes tabulle to [for to] sitte, Ner [Nothyr] of no worshipe for to wytte. Line 100 And therfore, chyldren, for [pur] charyte, Louyth this boke though yt lytil be! [Lernythe thys boke that ys callyd Edyllys be] And pray for hym þat made it thus, [made thys] That hym may helpe swete Ihesus Line 104 To lyve & dye among his frendes, ¹⁶And neuer to be combred with no fendes;

And geve vs grace yn Ioy to be; Amen, Amen, for charytee!¹⁶ [^16-16 And vs graunte in Ioy to a-byde! Say ye alle Amen for charyde in euery syde.] Line 108

EXPLICIT. lerne or be lewde quod Whytyng. [AMEN.]

HEre endyth the boke of Curtesy that ys fulle neces|sary vnto yonge chyldryn that muste nedys lerne the maner of curtesy.

EXPLICIT. AMEN.