The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-22
DINNERS AND MANNERS IN THE
THIRT,EENTH CENTURY.

From the (LOndoTa) Gentlemdn'S Magazine.
There can be little doubt that people lived
well IN those Gays, better and less roughly than
we imagine, There was q great prOfusion of
dishes at the tables of the mobiles and gentry on
ordinary occasions-a proiusion never seen now
but on festive occasions or great events Il
almost exceeds our belief. Men Wed with each
other in extravagance. Richard III entertai ned
ten thousand persons daily. Thomas, Earl of
Lancaster, expended in one year about 220O
pounds of silver in teasting, and in that year
his household consumed 81 pipes OF wine
Matthew Paris tells US that at the mar
riage banquet of Richard, Earl of Corn
wall, there were served up more than
thirty thousand dishes. In the following CEN
tury, at the installation of the Abbot of St.
Augustine's, no less than three thousand dishes
I were served AT the Rnighting and marriage of
! Alexander of Scotland, sixty oxen were slain as
one item OF the least, and all the rest IN proper
tion. John Mansell, the Kings Councillor,
according to Stow, gave dinner to the Kings
of England and Scotland, whose Queens were
also present, and many mobiles and citizens, In
somuch that bis house could not hold them,
and he had to erect tents tor them. at this
feast the first course consisted of more than
seven hundred messes.
Boiling was the most general form of cooking
meat, on account, probably, of the large quauti-
ties killed on the estate, which had 10 be pre-
served for use. In many OF the old MSS, where
fcooklng operations are represented, there are
n crooks suspended on hooks over tripods OF fire.
n In MS. in the British Museum there is repre-
tsentation of female cook attending to cal
dron in winch something is boiling; holy
water CIeGk, Win lHC dSpBlB6S III MS uH0u, IS
making love to the cook, and on the next folio of
the Ms. the affection has advanced so far an
embrace; but the clerk Is abusing the con61 1enCe
of the cook, and whilst he holds her to him with
one ann, quietly abstracts the contents of the cal
dron with the other. Still there we're many other
dishes served up for we find such implements
saucers, pepper-mills and instruments for
crunbl1ng bread. The meats were carried to
dinner on spits direct from the fire by servants
who presented them kneeing to the guests
each Of whom hpDpd himS off nv taking hold Of
the meat and cutting or tearing portion Off
The made dishes were carried in procession,
and the grand dish OF all, the boar's head, was
preceded with trumpets. The guests were mar
shalled to the table by two officers, directed 10
their seats, and served with water to wash their
hands. AT the best tables the meats, although
plates were in use, were eaten off square slices
of bread called "tranchoirs,n the individual
cutting it with the knife in his right hand,
and feeding himself with the fingers of the
left-forks had not yet been dreamt OF. This
custom of eating meat off slices OF bread
was an old one, and in earlier times, when they
had finished, and the tranchoirs were well satu-
rated, they were eaten as bonne-bouche; bat
in the period of which we are writing they were
thrown into the waste basket and given to the
poor at the gate, When the handwashing was
over, the absolute necessity of which we per-
ceive, the dinner commenced, and we will now
proceed to the lniunctions given in the 'Boke
of Curtasyen as to behavior at table. The bread
served up for eating was 10 be cut by the guest
in peculiar fashion; he is to be sparing OF
what be eats or drinks; should take care that
his nails are clean. He is not to bite his bread
and lay it down, but 20 break off what he wants;
not to take too much in his mouth at once; not
TO eat on both sides of his mouth, nor to laugh
nor talk when his mouth is full; nor to make a
noise when he eats or drinks, nor 10 leave his
spoons on the dish.
"Ioke thy naylys ben clene in beythe,
Lest tiny ieagh lothe ther wythe (therewh),
"Byt not on thy hrede and lay it doun,
That Is cuTtesye 10 use in Jowne,
But breke as myohe as though wylieete,
The remelant to pore thou shalle lete.
VIII T Of has hOa eIe
And ppys & Sspes% a % mST IN mea ys sSyhe ce fs
siOp bathe halle thy mouthe so that thou etc
Mony skorns shalle thou gete,
While thi mouthe be fulle OF mete or drynke
INe suppe not with CRETE soundyng,
Mother potoge ne other thyngi ,,aono
Whether thou be served with flesh or hsche
But tSi ciense is IL Lit honestly witIouten pride"
They were very particular about the cloth; i
was not TO be soicd; nothing was to be throwI
upon it, but upon the floor, about which they az
not appear to have cared, as 1t was generally
covered with rusOes, so that bones, etc, nigh
be thrown there with impunlty.
"Loke no browyng on thy hyngsr pore
Further on the guest is warned against spit
ting on the cloth, from which iG might be in
ferTed that he might spit upon the hoor'
"Gif thou spit on the borde or ellie opone.
Thou shalle be holden uncurtasye mou."
He is warned not to dip the same piece o
bread twice in the dlsh and to Wlpe his mout
before drinking, which, as one cup served 10
many was a necessary injunction. Also, ne ]
not TO call for dish once removed.
"In thi cysche yf thou wete thy brede,
Loke ther Of that noght pe leoe'
TO cast ayne thy dysche inTo
Thou are unkynde yf thou 90 so
Dry thy mouthe ay wele and tYnde
When thou shall drynke oIner ale OF "yh0'
"Ne calle thou noght dysche agayne:
That ys take fro the borde In phyne.'
Cats and dogs were allowed in the nall durn
dinner; but 1t was very bad manners 10 cares
or touch one, even If II were the guests oW
dog.
"Yfthy newne dogge thou scrape or clawe,
That ls holden vyse emong men knaWe'
''Whereso thon slit at mete In borde,
AVOldethe cat at on bare worde,
Flor VI thou stroke cot other dogge, .
Thou are lyke an ape legged with clogge"
Although pocket-handk kerchiefs were not
a,se We CLEAN from the books of etiquette thi
NO Embarrassment ensued az the table, as "
sbonld have imagined, seeing that they wei
omnelled TO respect the cloth, and yet ate wit
tpair dngers. What in our day would be gro
snSeHcacy even in peasant, was no indelcaC
then. In the 'Boke OF Curtasye" the difficult
is thus got over;-
,sYf thy nose thou cense as may befalle
Tate fhy hOnde thou clense withalle;
- Vely with skyrt do mt away,
or ellis thrugh thi tepet thAt IL so gay"
the uCoptenances de Table" this Is aga
onioined. The person is told not to use tue han
~ -.hich he carries his meat 10 the mOut