fallith or happenyth to a man than long to serve [the king] and no
goode to geete nor purchace." [The] Fader: "Many of thynges
now happenyth and cometh, and therfor the philosophre comaundith
that noman overmoche tary with his kyng nor in his seruice." And
another: "Who servith to the kyng without fortune so as I shal
sey he leesith this world?"[1] And the sone: "O fader, whi foryetest
thow to tel how a man ought to ete tofore a kyng?" [The
fader]: "I am nat foryetful to tel, forwhi no difference is to ete
before a kyng and elliswhere." The sone: "Say therfor how everywher
a man ought to ete." [The fader]: "With vnwasshen handis
ne touche nor ete noon of thi lordis mete; ne ete thow no brede til
ther come another dissh vpon the table, ne speke thow nat vnpaciently
neither; only be ther noon grete embosyng[2] put in thi
Mowth, neither any crommes flowe or falle out;[3] and also behave
the that thow speke nat with swolowyng;[4] nother swolow thow no
morsel bifore that it be wele chewed in thi Mowth, lest thow be
strangled; ne take neither mete ne drynk[5] til thi Mowth be voide;
ne speke thow nat envi[n]ously;[6] ne speke thow nat while thow
holdist anythyng in thi mowth, neither any thyng entre in to the
throte in thyn inward arterie that myght be cause of thi deth; and if
thow see any thyng[7] in the dissh that pleasith the, ne take it nat
bifore thi felaw lest he say the to be shrewissh and cherolissh. After
mete wassh thyn handis, for it is phisik and curtesy; of this forsoth
(f. 132b) the eyen of many men bien empeired that after mete wipen
with vnwasshen handis." [The] Sone: "Whosoever biddith me to
mete, what shal I aunswer? Shal I graunt or nat?" The fader:
"Do thow as it is comaunded of the Jewis." He saith: "Forsoth whosumeuer
biddith the, see thow the persone of the bidder. If he be
a worthy and a notable persone, anon graunt thow hym. Than if
he be nat after that it shalbe the thrid or the secunde tyme, and this[8]
is reherced of Habraham: Suche a day forsoth whan he stode
bifore his yaate [he] sawe goyng vnder mannes liknes iii Angels,
the whiche he praied to entre his house, their feete to wassh, refeccioun
of mete to take, recreacioun and sport to make of their
werynes; and thus he praied theym with an honest chiere. Thei
- ↑ Lat. (I, 37, l. 3) hoc saeculum perdit et aliud.
- ↑ Lat. tantum bolum.
- ↑ Eng. omits ne dicaris gluto (I, 37, 10.)
- ↑ The Lat. (I, 37, l. 10) has nothing corresponding to this sentence.
- ↑ Lat. has simply nee pocula sumas donee, etc.
- ↑ Lat. ne discaris vinosus.
- ↑ Lat. bolum 'morsel.'
- ↑ Ms. 'this and'; Lat. (I, 37, l. 20) Hoc etiam.
