DE RECEPTORE FIRMARUM.

Or the resayver speke wylle I,

That fermys resayvys wytturly;

Of graynys and honi aquetons makes,
Sex-pons therfore to feys he takes,
And pays feys to parkers als i-wys,

Therof at acountes he loved is.

And overseys castels, maners aboute,
That nozt falle within ne withoute.

Now let we thes officers be,

And telle we wylle of smaller mené.

595

600

DE AVENARIO.

THE aveyner schalle ordeyn provande good won, 605 ffor tho lordys horsis everychon;

Thay schyn have two cast of hay,

A pek of provande on a day;

Every horse schalle so muche have,

At racke and manger that standes with stave. 610

A maystur of horsys a squyer ther is,
Aveyner and ferour undur hym i-wys;
Those 30men that olde sadels schyn have,
That schyn be last for knyzt and knave,
ffor yche a hors that ferroure schalle scho,
An halpeny on day he takes hym to;
Undur ben gromes and pages mony one,
That ben at wage everychone;

615

Som at two-pons on a day,

And som at iij. ob., I zou say;

Mony of hem fotemen ther ben,

That rennen by the brydels of ladys schene.

620

DE PISTORE.

Of tho baker now speke y wylle,

And wat longes his office untylle;

Of a Lunden buschelle he shalle bake

xx. lovys, I undurtake;

Manchet and chet to make brom bred hard,

625

Two lesshe of grehoundes, yf that he hase;

To yche a bone that is to telle,

If I to 3ou 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 dow bulle 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.

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

670

675

Then brede he brynges in towelle wrythyne,
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.

685

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