STANS PUER AD MENSAM[71]

MY dear son, first thyself enableWith all thine heart to virtuous discipline;Afore thy sovereign, standing at the table,Dispose thou thyself, after my doctrine,To all nurture thy courage to incline.First, let all recklessness in speaking cease,And keep both hands and fingers still at peace.Be simple of cheer, cast not thy look aside,Gaze not about, nor turn thy sight over all;Against the post let not thy back abide,Neither make thy mirror of the wall.Pick not thy nose, and most in speciál,Be well aware and set hereon thy thought:Before thy sovereign nor scratch nor pick thee nought.Whoso speak to thee in any manner place,Lumpishly cast not thy head adown,But with sober cheer look in his face;Demurely walk through streets while in the town.And take good heed of wisdom and renown,That by no wanton laughing thou do no offence,Before thy sovereign, while he is in presence.

MY dear son, first thyself enable

With all thine heart to virtuous discipline;

Afore thy sovereign, standing at the table,

Dispose thou thyself, after my doctrine,

To all nurture thy courage to incline.

First, let all recklessness in speaking cease,

And keep both hands and fingers still at peace.

Be simple of cheer, cast not thy look aside,Gaze not about, nor turn thy sight over all;Against the post let not thy back abide,Neither make thy mirror of the wall.Pick not thy nose, and most in speciál,Be well aware and set hereon thy thought:Before thy sovereign nor scratch nor pick thee nought.

Be simple of cheer, cast not thy look aside,

Gaze not about, nor turn thy sight over all;

Against the post let not thy back abide,

Neither make thy mirror of the wall.

Pick not thy nose, and most in speciál,

Be well aware and set hereon thy thought:

Before thy sovereign nor scratch nor pick thee nought.

Whoso speak to thee in any manner place,Lumpishly cast not thy head adown,But with sober cheer look in his face;Demurely walk through streets while in the town.And take good heed of wisdom and renown,That by no wanton laughing thou do no offence,Before thy sovereign, while he is in presence.

Whoso speak to thee in any manner place,

Lumpishly cast not thy head adown,

But with sober cheer look in his face;

Demurely walk through streets while in the town.

And take good heed of wisdom and renown,

That by no wanton laughing thou do no offence,

Before thy sovereign, while he is in presence.

Pare clean thy nails, and wash thy hands also,Before thy meat and when thou dost arise;Sit in that place thou art assignéd to,Press not too high in any manner wise.And when thy dinner served before thee lies,Be not too hasty upon thy bread to bite,Lest men of greediness should thee indict.[72]Grinning and mowing[73]at the table eschew;Cry not too loud; honestly keep silence.To stuff thy jaws with bread it is not due,With full mouth speak not, lest thou do offence.Drink not with bridle[74]for haste or negligenceKeep clean thy lips from fat of flesh or fish;Wipe fair thy spoon, nor leave it in thy dish.Of bitten bread with thy teeth no sops think thou to make;Loud for to sup gainsays all gentleness.With mouth imbrued[75]thy cup thou must not take,In ale, in wine, with hand leave no fatnéss;Nor foul the napery through recklessness.Beware that at the meat thou begin no strife.Thy teeth at table pick not with no knife.Of honest mirth let be thy dalliance,Swear no oaths and speak no ribaldry;The best morsels—have this in remembrance—Wholly thyself to take do not apply.Part with thy fellows, for that is courtesy.Heap not thy trencher high with many morséls,And from blackness alway keep thy nails.Of courtesy it is against the lawWith rudeness, son, to make cause of offence;Of old forfeits[76]upbraid not thy fellow;Toward thy sovereign do reverence.Play with no knife—take heed to my sentence.At meat and at supper keep thee still and soft;Eke to and fro move not thy feet too oft.Drop not thy breast with stew[77]and other pottáge,Bring no unscoured knives unto the table;Fill not thy spoon lest in the carriágeIt spill aside, which were not commendáble.Be quick and ready, meek and serviceáble,Well awaiting to fulfil anonWhat that thy sovereign commandeth to be done.

Pare clean thy nails, and wash thy hands also,

Before thy meat and when thou dost arise;

Sit in that place thou art assignéd to,

Press not too high in any manner wise.

And when thy dinner served before thee lies,

Be not too hasty upon thy bread to bite,

Lest men of greediness should thee indict.[72]

Grinning and mowing[73]at the table eschew;Cry not too loud; honestly keep silence.To stuff thy jaws with bread it is not due,With full mouth speak not, lest thou do offence.Drink not with bridle[74]for haste or negligenceKeep clean thy lips from fat of flesh or fish;Wipe fair thy spoon, nor leave it in thy dish.

Grinning and mowing[73]at the table eschew;

Cry not too loud; honestly keep silence.

To stuff thy jaws with bread it is not due,

With full mouth speak not, lest thou do offence.

Drink not with bridle[74]for haste or negligence

Keep clean thy lips from fat of flesh or fish;

Wipe fair thy spoon, nor leave it in thy dish.

Of bitten bread with thy teeth no sops think thou to make;Loud for to sup gainsays all gentleness.With mouth imbrued[75]thy cup thou must not take,In ale, in wine, with hand leave no fatnéss;Nor foul the napery through recklessness.Beware that at the meat thou begin no strife.Thy teeth at table pick not with no knife.

Of bitten bread with thy teeth no sops think thou to make;

Loud for to sup gainsays all gentleness.

With mouth imbrued[75]thy cup thou must not take,

In ale, in wine, with hand leave no fatnéss;

Nor foul the napery through recklessness.

Beware that at the meat thou begin no strife.

Thy teeth at table pick not with no knife.

Of honest mirth let be thy dalliance,Swear no oaths and speak no ribaldry;The best morsels—have this in remembrance—Wholly thyself to take do not apply.Part with thy fellows, for that is courtesy.Heap not thy trencher high with many morséls,And from blackness alway keep thy nails.

Of honest mirth let be thy dalliance,

Swear no oaths and speak no ribaldry;

The best morsels—have this in remembrance—

Wholly thyself to take do not apply.

Part with thy fellows, for that is courtesy.

Heap not thy trencher high with many morséls,

And from blackness alway keep thy nails.

Of courtesy it is against the lawWith rudeness, son, to make cause of offence;Of old forfeits[76]upbraid not thy fellow;Toward thy sovereign do reverence.Play with no knife—take heed to my sentence.At meat and at supper keep thee still and soft;Eke to and fro move not thy feet too oft.

Of courtesy it is against the law

With rudeness, son, to make cause of offence;

Of old forfeits[76]upbraid not thy fellow;

Toward thy sovereign do reverence.

Play with no knife—take heed to my sentence.

At meat and at supper keep thee still and soft;

Eke to and fro move not thy feet too oft.

Drop not thy breast with stew[77]and other pottáge,Bring no unscoured knives unto the table;Fill not thy spoon lest in the carriágeIt spill aside, which were not commendáble.Be quick and ready, meek and serviceáble,Well awaiting to fulfil anonWhat that thy sovereign commandeth to be done.

Drop not thy breast with stew[77]and other pottáge,

Bring no unscoured knives unto the table;

Fill not thy spoon lest in the carriáge

It spill aside, which were not commendáble.

Be quick and ready, meek and serviceáble,

Well awaiting to fulfil anon

What that thy sovereign commandeth to be done.

And wheresoever thou be to dine or sup,Of gentleness, take salt with thy knife.And be well aware thou blow not in the cup.Reverence thy fellows, begin with them no strife.To thy power keep peace all thy life.Interrupt no man, whereso that thou wend,No man in his tale, till he have made an end.With thy fingers mark thou not thy tale.Be well advised, and namely, in tender age,To drink measurably both wine and ale.Be not too copious of thy languáge.As time requireth, show not thy viságeToo glad nor sorry, but keep thee even between,For loss, or lucre, or any case suddén.Be soft[78]in measure, not hasty but tractáble;Over-soft is nought, in no manner thing.To children belongeth not to be vengeáble,[79]Soon movéd and full soon again fighting;[80]And as it is remembered by writing:Wrath of children is soon overgone;With the parts of an apple they be made at one.[81]In children war is now mirth and now debate;In their quarrel is no great violence;Now play, now weeping, and seldom in one estate,To their complaints give never any credénce.A rod reformeth all their negligence.In their courage[82]no rancour doth abide.Who that spareth the rod all virtues sets aside.Ah, little ballad, void of eloquence,[83]I pray young children that thee shall see and read,Though thou be copious of sentence,Yet to thy clauses for to take heed,Which into all virtue shall their youth lead.In this writing, though there be no date,If aught be amiss in word, syllable or deed,I submit me to correction without any debate.

And wheresoever thou be to dine or sup,

Of gentleness, take salt with thy knife.

And be well aware thou blow not in the cup.

Reverence thy fellows, begin with them no strife.

To thy power keep peace all thy life.

Interrupt no man, whereso that thou wend,

No man in his tale, till he have made an end.

With thy fingers mark thou not thy tale.Be well advised, and namely, in tender age,To drink measurably both wine and ale.Be not too copious of thy languáge.As time requireth, show not thy viságeToo glad nor sorry, but keep thee even between,For loss, or lucre, or any case suddén.

With thy fingers mark thou not thy tale.

Be well advised, and namely, in tender age,

To drink measurably both wine and ale.

Be not too copious of thy languáge.

As time requireth, show not thy viságe

Too glad nor sorry, but keep thee even between,

For loss, or lucre, or any case suddén.

Be soft[78]in measure, not hasty but tractáble;Over-soft is nought, in no manner thing.To children belongeth not to be vengeáble,[79]Soon movéd and full soon again fighting;[80]And as it is remembered by writing:Wrath of children is soon overgone;With the parts of an apple they be made at one.[81]

Be soft[78]in measure, not hasty but tractáble;

Over-soft is nought, in no manner thing.

To children belongeth not to be vengeáble,[79]

Soon movéd and full soon again fighting;[80]

And as it is remembered by writing:

Wrath of children is soon overgone;

With the parts of an apple they be made at one.[81]

In children war is now mirth and now debate;In their quarrel is no great violence;Now play, now weeping, and seldom in one estate,To their complaints give never any credénce.A rod reformeth all their negligence.In their courage[82]no rancour doth abide.Who that spareth the rod all virtues sets aside.

In children war is now mirth and now debate;

In their quarrel is no great violence;

Now play, now weeping, and seldom in one estate,

To their complaints give never any credénce.

A rod reformeth all their negligence.

In their courage[82]no rancour doth abide.

Who that spareth the rod all virtues sets aside.

Ah, little ballad, void of eloquence,[83]I pray young children that thee shall see and read,Though thou be copious of sentence,Yet to thy clauses for to take heed,Which into all virtue shall their youth lead.In this writing, though there be no date,If aught be amiss in word, syllable or deed,I submit me to correction without any debate.

Ah, little ballad, void of eloquence,[83]

I pray young children that thee shall see and read,

Though thou be copious of sentence,

Yet to thy clauses for to take heed,

Which into all virtue shall their youth lead.

In this writing, though there be no date,

If aught be amiss in word, syllable or deed,

I submit me to correction without any debate.

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