Part 45 (2/2)
The grete galees of Venees and Florence Be wel ladene wyth thynges of complacence, Alle _spicerye and of grocers ware_, _Wyth swete wynes_, alle maners of cheffare, Apes, and j.a.pes, and marmusettes taylede, Nifles, trifles, that litelle have availede, And thynges wyth which they fetely blere oure eye, Wyth thynges not enduryng that we bye.
l. 123. _Turnsole._ Newton's Herbal, plate 49, gives Yellow Turnsole G(erarde), the Colouring Turnsole P(arkinson).
l. 123. _Tornesole. Achillea tormentosa_, A.S. _Solwherf_. 'This wort hath with it some wonderful divine qualities, that is, that its blossoms turn themselves according to the course of the sun, so that the blossoms when the sun is setting close themselves, and again when he upgoeth, they open and spread themselves.' _Leechdoms_, ed. c.o.c.kayne, v. 1, p. 155.
l. 123, 141. _Granes_ are probably what are now called ”Granes of Paradise,” small pungent seeds brought from the East Indies, much resembling Cardamum seeds in appearance, but in properties approaching nearer to Pepper. See Lewis's _Materia Medica_, p. 298; in _North. H.
Book_.
l. 131-2. I cannot identify these three sorts of Ginger, though Gerarde says: ”Ginger groweth in Spaine, Barbary, in the Canary Islands, and the Azores,” p. 6. Only two sorts of Ginger are mentioned in Parkinson's Herbal, p. 1613. 'Ginger grows in China, and is cultivated there.'
Strother's Harman, 1727, v. 1, p. 101.
l. 141. Peper. ”Pepir blake” is one of the commoditees of the Januays (or Genoese). _Libelle_, p. 172.
[[Note on l. 77 originally printed here: see Corrigenda.]]
l. 178. _Ale._ See the praise of the unparalleled liquor called Ale, Metheglin, &c., in Iohn Taylor's _Drink and Welcome_, 1637. In his _Regiment_, A. Borde says, ”Ale is made of malte and water; and they the whiche do put any other thynge to ale than is rehersed, except yest, barme, or G.o.ddes good,[*] [] doth sophysticall there ale. Ale for an Englysshe man is a naturall drynke. Ale muste haue these properties, it must be fresshe and cleare, it muste not be ropy, nor smoky, nor it muste haue no werte nor tayle. Ale shulde not be dronke under .v. dayes olde. Newe Ale is vnholsome for all men. And sowre ale, and dead ale, and ale the whiche doth stande a tylte, is good for no man. Barly malte maketh better Ale than Oten malte or any other corne doth: it doth ingendre grose humours: but it maketh a man stronge.
[Footnote *: Halliwell says it means _yeast_. It cannot do so here.]
[Footnote : This, and _barme_, and _bargood_ (= beer-good) are only equivalents for 'yeast.' G.o.ddes-good was so called 'because it cometh of _the_ grete grace of G.o.d': see the following extract, sent me by Mr Gillett, from the Book of the Corporate a.s.sembly of Norwich, 8 Edw. IV.:
”The Maior of this Cite com{m}aundeth on the Kynges bihalve, y^t alle man{er} of Brewers y^t shall brewe to sale w^tynne this Cite, kepe y^e a.s.sise accordyn to y^e Statute, & upon peyne ordeyned. And wheras berme, otherwise clepid G.o.ddis good, w^toute tyme of mynde hath frely be goven or delyv{er}ed for brede, whete, malte, egges, or other honest rewarde, to y^e valewe only of a ferthyng at y^e uttermost, & noon warned, bicause it cometh of y^e grete grace of G.o.d, Certeyn p{er}sons of this Cite, callyng themselves com{m}on Brewers, for their singler lucre & avayll have nowe newely bigonne to take money for their seid G.o.ddis good, for y^e leest parte thereof, be it never so litle and insufficient to s{er}ve the payer therefore, an halfpeny or a peny, & ferthermore exaltyng y^e p{ri}ce of y^e seid G.o.ddis good at their p{ro}p{e}r will, ageyns the olde & laudable custome of alle Englande, & sp{eci}ally of this Cite, to grete hurte & slaunder of y^e same Cite. Wherefore it is ordeyned & provided, That no man{er} of brewer of this Cite shall from this time foorth take of eny p{er}son for lyvering, gevyng, or grauntyng of y^e s^d G.o.ddis good, in money nor other rewarde, above y^e valewe of a ferthyng. He shall, for no malice feyned ne sought, colour, warne, ne restregne y^e s^d G.o.ddis good to eny p{er}sone y^t will honestly & lefully aske it, & paye therefore y^e valewe of a ferthyng, &c.”]
Beere is made of malte, of hoppes, and water. It is a naturall drynke for a doche man. And nowe of late dayes [1557 ?] it is moche vsed in England to the detryment of many Englysshe men; specyally it kylleth them the whiche be troubled with the Colycke and the stone, and the strayne coylyon; for the drynke is a cold drynke. Yet it doth make a man fatte, and doth inflate the belly, as it doth appere by the doche mennes faces and belyes.” A. Borde, _Regyment_, fol. G. ii.
l. 194. Neck-towel. The _neck-towelles_ of the pantrey, ewerye, confectionarye, comters, hangers, liggers, and all that is the Kinges stuffe. _H. Ord._ p. 85.
l. 201. _Salts._ Other two groomes in this office [of Panetry] to help serve the hall, or other lordes, in absence of the yoman, and to cutte trenchours, to make _saltes_, &c. _H. Ord._, p. 71.
l. 213. Raynes. Towelles of _raygnes_, towelles of worke, and of playne clothe. _H. Ord._, pp. 72, 84.
l. 237. _The Surnape._ In the Articles ordained by King Henry VII. for the Regulation of his Household, 31 Dec., 1494, are the following directions, p. 119.
As for the Sewer and Usher, and laying of the Surnape.
The sewer shall lay the surnape on the board-end whereas the bread and salte standeth, and lay forth the end of the same surnape and towell; then the usher should fasten his rodd in the foresaid surnape and towell, and soe drawing it downe the board, doeing his reverence afore the Kinge till it pa.s.se the board-end a good way, and there the sewer kneeling at the end of the board, and the usher at the other, stretching the said surnape and towell, and soe the usher to laie upp the end of the towell well on the boarde, and rise goeing before the Kinge, doeing his reverence to the King on the same side the surnape bee gone uppon, and on that side make an estate with his rodd; and then goeing before the Kinge doeing his reverence, and soe make another estate on the other side of the King, and soe goeing to the boards end againe, kneele downe to amend the towell, that there bee noe wrinkles save the estates; and then the usher doeing his due reverence to the King; goeing right before the Kinge with his rodd, the side of the same towell there as the bason shall stand; and doeing his reverence to the Kinge, to goe to the boards end againe; and when the King hath washed, to bee ready with his rodd to putt upp the surnape and meete the sewer against the Kinge, and then the sewer to take it upp. (The French name was _Serre-nape_.)
l. 253. _State._ Divers Lords and _Astates_, p. 155; divers _astates_ and gentils, p. 160. _Wardrobe Accounts of King Edward IV_.
l. 262. The Pauntry Towells, _Purpaynes_, Coverpaynes, Chipping-knyffs.
Percy or Northumberland Hd. Book, p. 387.
l. 277. _Symple Condicions._ Compare these modern directions to a serving man: ”While waiting at dinner, never be picking your nose, or scratching your head, or any other part of your body; neither blow your nose in the room; if you have a cold, and cannot help doing it, do it on the outside of the door; but do not sound your nose like a trumpet, that all the house may hear when you blow it; still it is better to blow your nose when it requires, than to be picking it and snuffing up the _mucus_, which is a filthy trick. Do not yawn or gape, or even sneeze, if you can avoid it; and as to hawking and spitting, the name of such a thing is enough to forbid it, without a command. When you are standing behind a person, to be ready to change the plates, &c., do not put your hands on the back of the chair, as it is very improper; though I have seen some not only do so, but even beat a kind of tune upon it with their fingers. Instead of this, stand upright with your hands hanging down or before you, but not folded. Let your demeanour be such as becomes the situation which you are in. Be well dressed, and have light shoes that make no noise, your face and hands well washed, your finger-nails cut short and kept quite clean underneath; have a nail-brush for that purpose, as it is a disgusting thing to see black dirt under the nails. Let the lapels of your coat be b.u.t.toned, as they will only be flying in your way.” 1825. T. Cosnett. Footman's Directory, p. 97-8. Lord A. Percy's Waiters were changed every quarter. See the lists of them in the _Percy Household Book_, p. 53-4.
l. 280. Lice. See Thomas Phaire's Regiment of Life, The boke of Chyldren, H. h. 5; and A. Borde's Introduction, of the Irishe man,
Pediculus other whyle do byte me by the backe, Wherfore dyvers times I make theyr bones cracke.
And of the people of Lytle Briten,
Although I iag my hosen & my garment round abowt, Yet it is a vantage to pick _pendiculus_ owt.
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