Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
Probably a corruption of _droile_; a scullion, kitchen-boy, or servant
of all-work.--M. Droie also occurs in Stubbes' Anatomie of Abuses, 1583.
[E442] "In some places it [the malt] is dried at leisure with wood
alone, or strawe alone, in other with wood and strawe togither; but
of all, the strawe dried is the most excellent. For the wood dried
malt when it is brued, beside that the drinke is higher of colour,
it dooth hurt and annoie the head of him that is not vsed thereto,
bicause of the smoake. Such also as vse both indifferentlie, doo
barke, cleaue and drie their wrood in an ouen, thereby to remooue all
moisture that shuld procure the fume, and this malt is in the second
place, and with the same likewise, that which is made with dried firze,
broome, etc.; whereas, if they also be occupied greene, they are in
maner so preiudiciall to the corne, as is the moist wood."--Harrison,
Description of England, ed. F. J. Furnivall, Part I. p. 157.
[E443] See Note E116.
[E444] "The husbandmen dine at high noone as they call it, and sup at
seuen or eight."--Harrison, Part I. p. 166.
[E445] Though all the standard editions read "chaps walking," may it
not be a misprint for "chaps wagging," that is, mouths craving?--M.
[E446] "Enough is a plentie." Cf. "Mesure is medcyne þouȝ þow moche
ȝerne."--Piers Plowman, Passus i. 35. "But mesure is a meri mene, þouȝ
men moche ȝerne."--Richard the Redeles, E.E. Text Soc., ed. Skeat, ii.
139. "Measure is treasure."--Dyce's Skelton, ii. 238, 241. "Enough is
as good as a feast."--Gascoigne's Posies, 1575.
[E447] "Chippings." The "Chippings of Trencher-brede" in Lord Percy's
household were used "for the fedynge of my lords houndis."--Percy
Household Book, p. 353. "Other ij pages ... them oweth to _chippe_
bredde, but too nye the crumme."--Household Ordin. pp. 71-2. In the
_Regimen Sanitatis Salerni_, ed. 1634, p. 71, we are warned against
eating crusts, because "they ingender a dust cholor, or melancholly
humours, by reason that they bee burned and dry."
[E448] "Call quarterly seruants to court and to leete," that is, call
to account.
[E449] "Lurching," cf. footnote 1, p. 64.
[E450] "Bandog," cf. note E35.
[E451] "Guise."
"For he was laid in white Sheep's wool
New pulled from tanned Fells;
And o'er his Head hang'd Spiders webs
As they had been Bells.
Is this the _Country Guise_, thought he?
Then here I will not stay."
--Ballad, K. Alfred and the Shepherd.
"'Tis thy _Country Guise_, I see,
To be thus bluntish still."
--Ibid.
"The Norman _guise_ was to walke and jet up and downe the
streets."--Lambert's Peramb. of Kent, 1826, p. 320.
[E452] "Plough Monday." "The Monday next after Twelfth-day, when our
Northern plow-men beg plow-money to drink; and in some places if the
plowman (after that day's work) come with his whip to the kitchin
hatch, and cry 'cock in pot' before the maid says 'cock on the
dung-hill,' he gains a cock on Shrove-Tuesday."--Coles' Dict. 1708.
"Among the rural customs connected with the anniversary of Christmas
were those of Plough-Monday, which fell on the first Monday after
Twelfth-day. This was the holiday of the ploughmen, who used to go
about from house to house begging for plough-money to drink. In the
northern counties, where this practice was called the fool-plough (a
corruption perhaps of _yule_-plough), a number of sword-dancers dragged
about a plough, while one of the party, called the Bessey, was dressed
for the occasion like an old woman; and another, who was the fool of
the pageant, was almost covered with skins, and wore the tail of some
animal dangling down his back. While the rest danced, one of these odd
personages went among the spectators, rattling a box, and collecting
small donations; and it is said that whosoever refused to pay had the
plough dragged to his door and the soil of his threshold ploughed
up."--Pict. Hist. of England, ii. 894.
[E453] The Skreene was a wooden settee or settle, with a high back
sufficient to screen the sitters from the outward air, and was in the
time of our ancestors an invariable article of furniture near all
kitchen fires, and is still seen in the kitchens of many of our old
farm-houses in Cheshire. The meaning of the two lines:
"If ploughman get hatchet or whip to the skreene,
maides loseth their cock if no water be seene,"
is, "if the ploughman can get his whip, ploughstaff, hatchet, or
anything he wants in the field to the fireside (_screen_ being here
equivalent to _fireside_) before the maid has got her kettle on, then
she loses her Shrove-tide cock, which belongs wholly to the men."
[E454] "Shroftide." The Hen is hung at a Fellow's back who has also
some Horse Bells about him, the rest of the Fellows are blinded, and
have Boughs in their Hands, with which they chase this Fellow and his
Hen about some large Court or small Enclosure. The Fellow with his
Hen and Bells shifting as well as he can, they follow the sound, and
sometimes hit him and his Hen, other times, if he can get behind one
of them, they thresh one another well favour'dly; but the Jest is, the
Maids are to blind the Fellows, which they do with their Aprons, and
the cunning Baggages will endear their Sweet Hearts with a peeping
hole, while the others look out as sharp to hinder it. After this the
Hen is boil'd with Bacon, and store of Pancakes and Fritters are made.
She that is noted for lying a Bed long or any other Miscarriage, hath
the first Pancake presented to her, which most commonly falls to the
Dog's share at last, for no one will own it their due.--T.R.
"Let glad Shrove Tuesday bring the pancake thin
Or fritters rich with apples stored within."
--Oxford Sausage.
[E455] "Wake Day." The Wake-day is the day on which the Parish Church
was dedicated, called So, because the Night before it, they were used
to watch till Morning in the Church and feasted all the next day.
Waking in the Church was left off because of some abuses, and we see
here it was converted to wakeing at the Oven.--T.R. "Similar to the
church-ales, though of a still more ancient origin, were the Wakes. It
had been the custom, on the dedication of a church, or the birth-day
of a saint, for the people to assemble on the night previous, to hold
a religious vigil in the open air; and, as they remained all night
occupied in devotional exercises, this practice was called a wake.
Such a method of spending the night, however, soon gave place to very
different employments; and feasting, riot, and licentiousness became
the prevailing characteristics of these vigils. These concourses,
also, from every neighbouring town and parish, naturally suggested the
expediency of improving such opportunities for the purposes of traffic;
and hence the wakes gradually became fairs, which in some places they
still continue to be."--Pict. Hist. of England, ii. 897.
[E456] "Flawnes;" a kind of pancake was also so called. Nettleham
feast at Easter is called the _Flown_, possibly from _flauns_ having
been formerly eaten at that period of the year: but see Babees Book,
p. 173, where Flawnes are stated to be "_Cheesecakes_ made of ground
cheese beaten up with eggs and sugar, coloured with saffron, and baked
in 'cofyns' or crusts."
"Bread an chese, butere and milk,
Pastees and _flaunes_."
--Havelok, ed. Skeat, 644.
_For flaunes._
"Take new chese and grynde hit fayre,
In morter with egges, without dysware;
Put powder þerto of sugur, I say,
Coloure hit with safrone ful wele þou may;
Put hit in cofyns þat ben fayre,
And bake hit forthe, I þe pray."
--Liber Cure Cocorum, ed. Morris, p. 39.
[E457] A goose used formerly to be given at harvest-home, to those who
had not overturned a load of corn in carrying during harvest.--M.
[E458] "Fyrmente is made of whete and mylke, in the whiche, yf flesshe
be soden, to eate it is not commendable, for it is harde of dygestyon;
but whan it is dygested it doth nowrysshe, and it doth strength a
man."--Andrew Boorde's Dyetary, E.E. Text Soc. ed. F. J. Furnivall, p.
263. The following recipe for making Furmenty is from the Liber Cure
Cocorum, ed. Morris, p. 7:
_Furmente._
Take wete, and pyke [pick] hit fayre (and clene)
And do hit in a morter shene;
Bray hit a lytelle, with water hit spryng [sprinkle]
Tyl hit hulle, with-oute lesyng.
Þen wyndo [winnow] hit wele, nede þou mot;
Wasshe hit fayre, put hit in pot;
Boyle hit tylle hit brest, þen
Let hit doun, as I þe kenne.
Take now mylke, and play hit up
To hit be thykkerede to sup.
Lye hit up with yolkes of eyren [eggs],
And kepe hit wele, lest hit berne [burn].
Coloure hit with safron and salt hit wele,
And servys hit forthe, Syr, at þe mele;
With sugur candy þou may hit dowce,
If hit be served in grete lordys howce.
Take black sugur for mener menne;
Be ware þerwith, for hit wylle brenne [burn].
The following recipes for the manufacture of Furmenty are given
in Pegge's Forme of Cury, pp. 91 and 121: 1. For to make Furmenty,
"Nym [Take] clene wete, and bray it in a morter wel that the
holys [hulls] gon al of and seyt [seethe] yt til it breste and nym yt
up, and lat it kele [cool] and nym fay re fresch broth and swete mylk
of Almandys or swete mylk of kyne and temper yt al, and nym the yolkys
of eyryn [eggs], boyl it a lityl and set yt adoun and messe yt forthe
wyth fast venyson and fresch moton." 2. For to make Formenty on a
Fische-day, "Tak the mylk of the Hasel Notis, boyl the wete wyth the
aftermelk til it be dryyd, and tak and colour yt wyth Saffroun, and
the ferst mylk cast therto and boyle wel and serve yt forth." In Mr.
Peacock's Glossary of Manley, etc., we have: "Frumerty, a preparation
of creed-wheat [wheat simmered until tender] with milk, currants,
raisins and spices in it."
[E459] To make Aqua Composita, chap. 223: "Take of Sage, Hysope,
Rosemarie, Mynt, Spike or Lauender leaues, Marioram, Bay leaues, of
each like much, of all foure good handfulles to one galon of liquour.
Take also of Cloues, Mace, Nutmegs, Ginger, Cinnamon, Pepper, Graines,
of each a quarter of an ounce, Liquorice and Annise, of each halfe a
pound: beat the spices grosse [not fine, coarse], and first wash the
herbes, then breake them gently betweene your hands. Scrape off the
barke from the Liquorice, and cut it into thin slices, and punne [beat,
pound] the Annise grosse, then put altogether into a gallon or more of
good Ale or Wine, and let them steepe all night close couered in some
vessell of earth or wood, and the next morning after distill them with
a Limbecke or Serpentine. But see that your fire be temperate, and that
the head of your Limbecke be kept colde continually with fresh water,
and that the bottom of your Limbecke bee fast luted with Rye dough,
that so Ayre issue out. The best Ale to make Aqua Composita of is to be
made of Wheate malte, and the next of cleane Barley malte; and the best
Wine for that purpose is Sacke."--Cogan's Haven of Health, ed. 1612,
pp. 222-3.
[E460] A Cockney, the derivation of which word has been much disputed,
appears to me clearly to come from the verb to _cocker_, to _cock_, by
contraction, as in this passage. A _cockney_, therefore, is one who
has been brought up effeminately, and spoilt by indulgence, whether a
native of the city or of the country.--M.
"The original meaning of _cockney_ is a child too tenderly or
delicately nurtured, one kept in the house and not hardened by
out-of-doors life; hence applied to citizens, as opposed to the
hardier inhabitants of the country, and in modern times confined
to the inhabitants of London. The Promptorium Parvulorum, and the
authorities cited in Mr. Way's note, give '_Coknay_, carifotus,
delicius, mammotrophus'; 'To bring up like a _cocknaye_, mignoter.'
'Delicias facere, to play the _cockney_.' Cf. 'Puer in deliciis