The Babees' Book: Medieval Manners for the Young: Done into Modern English

by Unknown

Face aut Tace

First in the morning,	when thou dost awake,
To God for His grace,	thy petition then make.
This prayer following	use daily to say;
Thy heart lifting up,	thus begin to pray.

The Morning Prayer

“O God from whom	all good gifts proceed,
To thee we repair	in time of our need,
That with thy grace	thou would’st us endue,
Virtue to follow	and vice to eschew.
Hear this our request,	and grant our desire,
O Lord, most humbly	we do thee require.
This day us defend	that we walking aright
May do the thing	acceptable in thy sight;
That as we in years	and body do grow,
So in good virtues	we may likewise flow
To thy honour	and joy of our parents,
Learning to live well	and keep thy commandments,
In flying from all	vice, sin and crime,
Applying our books,	not losing our time,
May fructify and go forward	here in good doing,
In this vale of misery	unto our lives’ ending;
That after this life	here transitory,
We may attain	to greater glory.”
The Lord’s prayer then	see thou recite,
So using to do,	at morning and night.

How to Order Thyself when Thou Risest
and in Apparelling thy Body

Fly ever sloth	and overmuch sleep;
In health the body	thereby thou shalt keep.
Much sleep engendereth	diseases and pain,
It dulls the wit	and hurteth the brain.
Early in the morning,	thy bed then forsake,
Thy raiment put on,	thyself ready make.
To cast up thy bed	it shall be thy part,
Else may they say	that beastly thou art;
So to depart	and let the same lie,
It is not seeming	nor yet mannerly.
Down from thy chamber	when thou shalt go,
Thy parents salute thou,	and the family also;
Thy hands see thou wash,	and thy head comb,
And of thy raiment	see torn be no seam;
Thy cap fair brushed,	thy head cover then,
Taking it off,	in speaking to any man.
Cato doth council thee	thine elders to reverence,
Declaring thereby	thy duty and obedience.
Thy shirt collar fast	to thy neck knit;
Comely thy raiment	look on thy body sit;
Thy girdle about	thy waist then fasten,
Thy hose fair rubbed,	thy shoes see be clean.
A napkin see that	thou have in readiness,
Thy nose to cleanse	from all filthiness.
Thy nails, if need be,	see that thou pare;
Thine ears keep clean,	thy teeth wash thou fair.
If aught about thee	chance to be torn,
Thy friends thereof show	how it is worn,
And they will new	for thee provide,
Or the old mend,	in time being spied.
This done, thy satchell	and thy books take,
And to the school	haste see thou make.
But ere thou go,	with thyself forethink.
That thou take with thee	pen, paper and ink;
For these are things	for thy study necessáry,
Forget not then	with thee them to carry.
The soldier preparing	himself to the field,
Leaves not at home	his sword and his shield;
No more should a scholar	forget then truly
What he at school	should need to occupy.[[349]]
These things thus had,	take straight thy way,
Unto the school	without any stay.

How to Behave Thyself in going by the Street
and in the School

In going by the way,	and passing the street,
Thy cap put off,	salute those ye meet;
In giving the way	to such as pass by,
It is a point	of civility.
And thy way fortune	so for to fall,
Let it not grieve thee	thy fellows to call.
When to the school	thou shalt resort,
This rule note well,	I do thee exhort:
Thy master there being,	salute with all reverénce,
Declaring thereby	thy duty and obediénce;
Thy fellows salute	in token of love,
Lest of inhumanity	they shall thee reprove.
Unto thy place	appointed for to sit,
Straight go thou to,	and thy satchell unknit,
Thy bokes take out,	thy lesson then learn,
Humbly thyself	behave and govérn.
Therein taking pain,	with all thine industry,
Learning to get,	thy book well apply.
All things seem hard	when we do begin,
But labour and diligence	yet both them win;
We ought not to reckon	and count the thing hard,
That bringeth joy	and pleasure afterward;
Leave off then labour	and the lack rue,
Lament and repent	when age doth ensue.
Deeds that deserved	fame and great praise,
Buried had been,	we see in old days,
If letters had not then	brought them to light
The truth of such things	who could now recite?
Apply thy mind	to learning and science,
For learning in need	will be thy defence.
Nothing to science	compare we may well,
The sweetness whereof	all things doth excel.
And Cato the wise	this worthy saying hath,
That man wanting learning	is as the image of death.
The roots of learning	most bitter we deem;
The fruits at last	most pleasant doth seem.
Then labour for learning	while here thou shalt live,
The ignorant to teach,	and good example give;
So shalt thou be thought	a member most worthy
Thy commonwealth to serve	in time of necessity.
Experience doth teach	and show to thee plain
That many to honour	by learning attain,
That were of birth	but simple and base;
Such is the goodness	of God’s special grace.
For he that to honour	by virtue doth rise,
Is double happy,	and counted most wise.
If doubt thou dost,	desire to be told,
No shame is to learn,	being never so old;
Ignorance doth cause	great errors in us
For wanting of knowledge	doubts to discuss;
Then learn to discern	the good from the ill,
And such as thee warn,	bear thou good will.
When from the school	ye shall take your way,
Or orderly then go ye,	two in array,
Your selves matching	so equal as ye may,
That men it seeing	may well of you say
In commending this,	your laudable ways,
Which must needs sound	to your great praise,
Not running in heaps	as a swarm of bees,
As at this day	every man it now sees;
Not using, but refusing,	such foolish toys,
As commonly are used	in these days of boys,
As whooping and hallooing,	as in hunting the fox,
That men it hearing	deride them with mocks.
This foolishness forsake,	this folly eschewing,
And learn to follow	this order ensuing.
In going by the way,	neither talk nor jangle,
Gape not, nor gaze not	at every new fangle,
But soberly go ye,	with countenance grave;
Humbly yourselves	toward all men behave;
Be free of cap	and full of courtesy;
Great love of all men	you shall win thereby.
Be lowly and gentle	and of meek mood;
Then men can not	but of you say good.
In passing the street,	do no man no harm;
Use thou few words,	and thy tongue charm,
Then men shall see	that grace in thee groweth,
From whom virtues	so abundantly floweth.
When thou art come	where thy parents do dwell,
Thy leave then taking,	bid thy fellows farewell;
The house then entering,	in thy parents’ presénce,
Humbly salute them	with all reverénce.

How to Behave Thyself in Serving the Table

When thy parents down	to the table shall sit,
In place be ready,	for the purpose most fit:
With sober countenance	looking them in the face,
Thy hands holding up,	thus begin grace:
“Give thanks to God	with one accord
For that shall be	set on this board.
And be not careful	what to eat;
To each thing living	the Lord sends meat;
For food he will not	see you perish,
But will you feed,	foster, and cherish;
Take well in worth	what he hath sent,
At this time be	therewith content Praising God.”
So treatably[[350]] speaking	as possible thou can,
That the hearers thereof	may thee understand.
Grace being said,	low curtsey make thou,
Saying, “Much good	may it do you!”
Of stature then	if thou be able,
It shall become thee	to serve the table,
In bringing to it	such meat as shall need,
For thy parents upon	that time to feed.
Dishes with measure	thou oughtest to fill,
Else may’st thou happen	thy service to spill,
On their apparel,	or else on the cloth,
Which for to do	would move them to wrath.
Spare trenchers with napkins	have in readiness,
To serve afterward,	if there come any guests.
Be circumspect,	see nothing do want,
Of necessary things	that there be no scant,
As bread and drink,	see there be plenty.
The voiders with bones	oft see thou empty.
At hand be ready,	if any do call,
To fetch or take up,	if ought fortune to fall.
When they have done,	then ready make,
The table up fair	in order to take.
First the salt	see that thou cover,
Having by thee	either one or other
Things from thy hands	then to convey,
That from the table	thou shalt take away.
A voider upon	the table thou have,
The trenchers and napkins	therein to receive.
The crumbs with a napkin,	together them sweep,
(It) at the table’s end	in a voider them keep.
Then before each man	a clean trencher lay,
The best first serving,	as judge thou soon may.
Then cheese with fruit	on the table set,
With biscuits or caraways,	as you may get.
Wine to them fill,	else ale or beer;
But wine is meetest,	if any there were.
Then on the table	attend with all diligénce,
It for to void,	when done have thy parénts.
Each side of the cloth	do thou turn in;
Folding it up,	at the higher end begin.
A clean towel then	on the table spread,
The towel wanting,	the cloth take instead.
The basin and ewer	to the table then bring,
In place convenient	their pleasure abiding.
When thou shalt see	them ready to wash,
The ewer take up,	and be not too rash
In pouring out water	more than will suffice.
The table then void	that they may rise.
All things thus done,	forget not thy duty,
Before the table make	thou low curtsey.