Part 90 (1/2)
EXPLICIT T{RA}CTUS VRBANITATIS.
[Sidenotes: [a] When you come before a lord [b] take off your cap or hood, [c] and fall on your right knee twice or thrice. [d] Keep your cap off till you're told to put it on; [e] hold up your chin; [f] look in the lord's face; [g] keep hand and foot still; [h] don't spit or snot; [i] get rid of it quietly; [k] behave well. [l] When you go into the hall, [m] don't press up too high. [n] Don't be shamefaced. [o] Wherever you go, good manners make the man.
[p] Reverence your betters, but treat all equally whom you don't know. [q] See that your hands are clean, and your knife sharp.
[r] Let worthier men help themselves before you eat. [s] Don't clutch at the best bit. [t] Keep your hands from dirtying the cloth, and don't wipe your nose on it, [v] or dip too deep in your cup. [x] Have no meat in your mouth when you drink or speak; and stop talking when your neighbour is drinking. [y] Scorn and reprove no man. [z] Keep your fingers from what would bring you to grief. [aa] Among ladies, look, don't talk. [ab] Don't laugh loud, or riot with ribalds. [ac] Don't repeat what you hear.
[ad] Words make or mar you. [ae] If you follow a worthier man, let your right shoulder follow his back, and [af] don't speak till he has done. [ag] Be austere (?) in speech; [ah] don't stop any man's tale. [ai] Christ gives us all wit to know this, [ak] and heaven as our reward. Amen!]
[Text notes: A Marg. has _gre_ for insertion.
B _repraue_ is written above the line.
C _not_ put in by a later hand.]
The Boris hede furst.
[_Porkington MS. No. 10, fol. 202; ? ab. 1460-70 A.D._]
Hey, hey, hey, hey, e borrys hede is armyd gay![1]
The boris hede i{n} hond I bryng W{i}tt garlond gay in porttoryng.
[Sidenote: [Fol. 202b.]]
I pray yow all w{i}tt me to synge W{i}tt hay.
---- Lordys, kny?tt{is}, and skyers, Persons, prystis and wycars, The boris hede ys e fur[s]t mes, W{i}tt hay.
---- The boris hede, as I yow say, He takis his leyfe, & gothe his way Son aft{ur} e xij theylffyt day, W{i}tt hay.
---- The{n} co{m}mys i{n} e secund kowrs w{i}th mekyll pryde, e crann{is} & e heyrrou{n}s, e bytt{ur}is by e syde, e p{ar}trychys & e plowers, e wodc.o.k{is} & e snyt, W{i}tt hay.
---- Larkys i{n} hoot schow,[2] ladys for to pyk, Good drynk {er}to, lycyvs and fyn, Blwet of allmayn,[3] ro{m}nay and wyin, W{i}tt hay.
---- Gud[4] bred, alle & wyin, da{er} I well say, ^e boris hede w{i}tt musterd armyd soo gay,
---- furma{n}te to po^tdtage,[5] w{i}tt we{n}nissu{n} fyn, & ^e ho{m}buls of e dow, & all {a}t eu{er} co{m}mis in,
---- Cappons I-bake w{i}tt ^e pesys of ^e roow, Reysons of corrans, w{i}tt odyr{e} spysis moo,
[_incomplete._]
[Footnote 1: ”When you print I recommend that the first line of the MS. 'Hey, hey,' &c. should stand alone in two lines. They are the burthen of the song, and were a sort of accompaniment, or under-song, sung throughout, while an upper voice sang the words and tune. You will see numbers of the same kind in Wright's Songs and Carols printed by the Percy Society. It was common in the 14th and 15th centuries.” --WM. CHAPPELL.
This Carol is printed in _Reliq. Antiq._, vol. ii., and is inserted here--copied from and read with the MS.--to fill up a blank page. The t.i.tle is mine.]