The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-09-17

~ pustOmS duUuJ Jneir tnoas5 lWuion
are in striking contrast with modern refine
ment. To begin with, they had no table,
but, instead Of one, a. board (6oyd), which
was brought for the occasion from some
place Of storage, laid on trestles, and when
the meal was ended, carefully put away
again. This was called laying the board,
to which our similar expression owes its
origin; and from the same sOrucecomes our
word "boarder" who sits at the board
to eat.
by horn, and after they were seated, the
cloth was spread; about this they were ex-
tremely particular, but of what kind of
fabric they were made does not so clearly
appear. 1t certainly was not linen, for
that was not introduced into England for
such use until the reign of Elizabeth. For
long time carpets and'pieces of tapestry
did service for coverings for tables.
The use of the carpet for the floor does
not seem to have occurred to those easily
satisfied individuals, who were willing to
sleep on straw mat with log under
their heads, or at best with sack filed
with chaff or straw for bolster. Floors
were strewn with rushes, occasionly re-
newed as the accumulations of rubbish
made it necessary. Amsng the items at the
time Of crowning of Isabella, Queen of
John, there is a charge of thirty-three
shillipgs for strewing Westminster Hall
| o,lxo al So -,
which Shakespeare refers to in "Taming a
Shrew''- Where's the cook? Is the sup
per ready the house trimmed, ruShes,
stre'oed, cobwebs swept?'-aud in other
plays.
Those were the days in which they had
oiled paper or thinly shaved pieces of horn
in what they called windows, or the open
ings were filed with strips Of wicker, in
terlaced in check work; when scarcely a
church could boast of pane of crystal, and
when nobleman, who had thin layers of
beryl in his castle windows, was looked
upon as very luxurious in his tastes.
After the cloth was arranged the salt
cellar was set on, then the knives (f they
were SO fortunate as to possess any were
placed, the spoons, the drinking horns, and
trenchers. -.da
The salt-cellar was the most important
article of all; very large, and made with a
cover And it is this popularity which
Shakespeare alludes to, where he makes
Launce say:-"The cover of the salt hides
the salt, and therefore it is more than the
salt" Where the host could afford it, it
was of solid silver, elaborately chased;
often very subtantial piece of plate, as
costly as his means would allow. And
this accounts for the greed with which
Queen Elizabeth once seized upon one, on
occasion of visiting certain great official;
she had already received valuable gifts from
him, and before her departure she "took a
salt, spoon, and fork of fair gate"
The sait-cellar occupied the place OF
honor on the table, and the most distin.
guished persons sat above it. Tosit ''below
the salt,' meant to be in the position of an
inferior.
The meats were brought in on spits just
| 40 UucJ WOlO COOhSb, anu III bhdU way pass
ed around by the servants to the guests
who in the more barbarous. times, tore of
portion as best they could. Afterwards
when they had advanced a little in theil
ideas, there was carver, who held the
, meat with one hand while he carved will
the other;and the guests helped themselves
, using their hands, and after they had de
voured what they wished, threw the bonei
to the dogs and cats that waited under thu
table and scrambled for their share among
!; the rnshes. Naturally enough, every one
was expected to wash his bands before
coming 10 the "board," and certainly i
: was needful afterward.
, A few had knives shaped like a razor
but forks were u1known. Even the grea
a Elizabeth ate with her fingers. In he
t reign, however, commerce was extended
Q and luxuries began to appear; porcelain anC
glasses instead Of pewter mugs 20 drinl
. from, and in her bathroom she had mil
81 rors, and this was considered great extray
agance. Her immense and lofty room
were meagre and cheerless enough will
their scant fui oishings and her table, il
l spite of many pieces of the plate, was no
h altogether removed from the rudeness o
manners of the early Saxons. At first, tw
4 persons ate from one trenche~," as it wa
( called. There were no plates, and thes
d trenchers were made to answer the pun
o pose. They were, in fact large slices @
hraad r1acaI hafora 90 oh ono (o, +,,oN 1