Som at two-pons on a day,

And som at iij. ob., I 30u say;

Mony of hem fotemen ther ben,

That rennen by the brydels of ladys schene.

DE PISTORE.

Of tho baker now speke y wylle,

620

And wat longes his office untylle;

Of a Lunden buschelle he shalle bake

625

xx. lovys, I undurtake;

Manchet and chet to make brom bred hard, ffor chaundeler and grehoundes and huntes reward.

DE VENATORE ET SUIS CANIBUS.

A HALPENY tho hunte takes on the day

ffor every hounde, tho sothe to say;

630

Tho vewter two cast of brede he tase,

Two lesshe of grehoundes, yf that he hase;

To yche a bone that is to telle,

If I to zou the sothe shalle spelle;
Bysyde hys vantage that may befalle,
Of skynnes and other thynges withalle,
That huntes con telle better than I,
Therfore I leve hit wytt[ur]ly.

DE AQUARIO.

635

AND speke I wylle of other mystere

That falles to court, as 3e mun here;

640

An euwer in halle there nedys to be,

And chandelew schalle have and alle napere;
He schalle gef water to gentilmen,

And als in alle zomen.

QUI DENT MANUS LAVARE ET IN QUORUM DOMIBUS.

IN kynges court and dukes also,

Ther 30men schynne wasshe and no mo; In duke Jonys house a 30man ther was, ffor his rewarde prayde suche a grace;

The duke gete graunt therof in londe,

645

Of the kyng his fader, I undudurstonde; (sic) 650 Wosoever gefes water in lordys chamber,

In

presens of lorde or levede dere, He schalle knele downe opone his kne, Ellys he forzetes his curtasé;

This euwer schalle hele his lordes borde,

655

With dowbulle napere at on bare worde:
The selvage to tho lordes side withinne,
And doune schalle heng that other may wynne;
Tho over nape schalle dowbulle be layde,

To tho uttur syde the selvage brade;

Tho over selvage he schalle replye,

As towelle hit were fayrest in hye;
Browers he schalle cast theropon,

660

That the lorde schulle clense his fyngers [on],
The levedy and whosever syttes withinne,
Alle browers schynne have bothe more and mynne.

665

DE PANETARIO.

THENNE comes the pantere with loves thre,
That square are corvyn of trenchour fre,
To sett withinne and oon withoute,
And saller y-coveryd and sett in route;
With tho ovemast lofe hit shalle be sett,
Withoute forthe square, withouten lett;
Two kervyng knyfes withoute one,
The thrydde to tho lorde, and als a spone.

670

DE CULTELLIS DOMINI.

Of tho two tho haftes schynne outwarde be,
Of the thrydde the hafte inwarde lays he,
The spony stele ther by schalle be layde,
Moo loves of trenchirres at a brayde;
He settes and servys evyr in fere
To duches his wyne that is so dere;

675

680

Two loves of trenchors and salt tho,

He settes before his son also;

A lofe of trenchours and salt on last,

At bordes ende he settes in hast;

Then brede he brynges in towelle wrythyne, 685 Thre lofys of tho wyte schalle be gevyne;

A chet lofe to tho elmys dyshe,

Wether he servyd be with flesshe or fysche;
At ather ende he castes a cope,

Layde downe on borde, the endys plyed up.

690

That he assayes knelande on kne,
Tho kerver hym parys a schyver so fre;
And touches tho lovys yn quere aboute,
Tho pantere hit etys withoute dowte;
Tho euwere thurgh towelle syles clene,
His water into tho bassynges shene;
Tho over bassyn theron schalle close,
A towelle theron, as I suppose,

695

That folden schalle be with fulle grete lore,
Two quarters on lenkethe and sumdele more; 700
A qwyte cuppe of tre therby shalle be,
Therwith tho water assay schalle he;
Quelmes hit agayn byfore alle men;
Tho kerver the bassynges tase up thenne;
Annaunciande sqyer, or ellis a knyzt,
Tho towelle downe tase by fulle good ryzt;
Tho cuppe he tase in honde also,
Tho kerver powres wat[er] the cuppe into;
The knyzt to tho kerver haldes anon,

He

says hit are he more schalle done; Tho cuppe then voyde is in tho flette, The euwer hit takes withouten lette.

The towelle two knyzhtes schyn halde in fere,
Before the lordes sleves, that ben so dere;

705

710

The over bassyn thay halde never the queder, 715 Quylle tho kerver powre water into the nedur. ffor a pype ther is insyde so clene,

That water devoydes, of selver schene;
Then settes he the nethyr, I und[u]rstonde,

In the over, and voydes with bothe is honde; 720

And brynges to the euwer that he come fro;
To tho lordys bordes azayn con go;

And layes iiij. trenchours tho lorde before,
The fyft above by good lore;

By hymself thre schalle he dresse,

To cut opon the lordes messe;

Smale towelle aboute his necke shalle bene,
To clens his knyfys that ben so kene.

DE ELEMOSINARIO.

THE aumenere by this hathe sayde grace,
And tho almes dysshe hase sett in place;
Therin the kerver a lofe schalle sette,
To serve God fyrst withouten lette;
These other lofes he parys aboute,

725

730

Lays hit myd dysshe withouten doute.

The smalle lofe he cuttes even in twynne,

735

Tho over dole in two lays to hym.

The aumenere a rod schalle have in honde,
As office for almes, y undurstonde.

Alle the broken met he kepys y wate,

To dele to pore men at the 3ate,

740

And drynke that leves served in halle;

Of ryche and pore bothe grete and smalle.
He is sworne to overse the servis wele,
And dele hit to the pore every dele;
Selver he deles rydand by way;
And his almys-dysshe, as I 30u say,
To the porest man that he can fynde,
Other ellys I wot he is unkynde.

745