which thy predecessors preserved them; and if there be anything to amend, amend and redress it, and keep them in favour and affection; for because of the power and riches of the great cities thy subjects and foreigners will fear to do anything against thee, especially thy peers and thy barons. Honour and love all persons belonging to the Holy Church, and take heed that no one wrests from them, or diminishes the gifts and alms which thy predecessors have bestowed. It is related of King Philip, my grandfather, that on one occasion one of his counsellors told him that the people of the Holy Church did him much wrong in that they infringed his rights and encroached upon his jurisdiction, and that it was great marvel he suffered it; and the good king answered, that he was well aware of it; but when he reflected upon the goodness and favour God had shown to himself, he preferred to lose something of his rights than to have any dispute with the people of the Holy Church. To thy father and thy mother show honour and respect, and keep their commandments. Bestow the benefices of the Holy Church upon persons of worth and of unspotted lives; and act by the advice of wise and honourable men. Take care not to undertake a war against a Christian prince without grave deliberation; and if it be necessary for thee to do so, watch over the Holy Church and those who have done thee no wrong. If wars and disputes arise between thy subjects, appease them as speedily as thou canst. careful to have good provosts and bailiffs, and make frequent inquiries about them and the people of thy household, as to how they conduct themselves, and if they are guilty of overmuch greed, or of treachery or deceit. Labour to root out of thy kingdom all vile sinfulness; especially put down with all thy might profane oaths and heresy. Take heed that the charges of thy household be Be reasonable. Lastly, sweet son, cause masses to be chanted and prayers offered up for my soul throughout thy kingdom; and grant me a special and positive part in all the good that thou shalt do. Fair, dear son, I bestow upon thee all the benedictions that a good father can give unto a son. And may the blessed Trinity preserve and defend thee from all evil; and may God give thee grace, to do always His will, so that He may be honoured by thee, and that thou and I, after this mortal life, may be together with Him, and praise Him without end. Amen.'" MEDIEVAL PRECEPTS (From Thomas Wright's "History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England," chapter viii.) "THE early metrical romances of the Carlovingian cycle give us an insight into what were considered as the praiseworthy features in the character of the feudal knight. In 'Doon of Mayence,' for example, when the aged count Guy sends his young son Doon into the world, he counsels him thus: You shall always ask questions of good men, and you shall never put your trust in a stranger. Every day, fair son, you shall hear the holy mass, and give to the poor whenever you have money, for God will repay you double. Be liberal in gifts to all; for the more you give, the more honour you will acquire, and the richer you will be; for a gentleman who is too sparing will lose all in the end, and die in wretchedness and disgrace; but give without promising whenever you can. Salute all people when you meet them, and, if you owe anything, pay it willingly; but if you cannot pay, ask for a respite. When you come to the hostelry, don't stand squabbling, but enter glad and joyously. When you enter the house, cough very loud, for there may be something doing which you ought not to see, and it will cost you nothing to give this notice of your approach, while those who happen to be there will love you the better for it. Do not quarrel with your neighbour, and avoid disputing with him before other people; for if he know anything against you, he will let it out, and you will have the shame of it. When you are at court, play at tables, and if you have any good points of behaviour (depors), show them; you will be the more prized, and gain the more advantage. Never make a noise or joke in church; this is only done by unbelievers, whom God loves not. Honour all the clergy, and speak fairly to them, but leave them as little of your goods as you can; the more they get from you, the more you will be laughed at ; you will never profit by enriching them. And if you wish to save your honour undiminished, meddle with nothing you do not understand, and don't pretend to be a proficient in what you have never learnt. And if you have a valet, take care not to seat him at the table by you, or take him to bed with you; for the more honour you do to a low fellow, the more will he despise you. If you should know anything that you would wish to conceal, tell it by no means to your wife, if you have one; for if you let her know it, you will repent of it the first time you displease her.' 6 "With these counsels of a father, we may compare those of a mother to her son. In the romance of Huon de Bordeaux,' when the youthful hero leaves his home to repair to the court of Charlemagne, the duchess addresses her son as follows: My child,' she said, 'you are going to be a courtier; I require you, for God's love, have nothing to do with a treacherous flatterer; make the acquaintance of wise men. Attend regularly at the service of holy church, and show honour and love to the clergy. Give your goods willingly to the poor; be courteous, and spend freely, and you will be the more loved and cherished.' On the whole, higher sentiments are placed in the mouth of the lady than in that of the baron." SELECTED RULES OF GOOD BEHAVIOR FROM A BOOK ENTITLED "STANS PUER AD MENSAM." (From Thomas Wright's "History of Domestic Manners," ch. ix.) EVERY one was considered to show his good manners best, or at least to be expected to do so, in the hall at table, and manners at table were among those in which the scholar was first instructed. Among the most common of the pieces in Latin verse, composed for the purpose of which I am here speaking, is one bearing, under rather different forms, the title of Stans Puer ad Mensam' (the boy standing at table), as it gives directions for his conduct under those circumstances. Several copies of this piece, which is written in Latin hexameters, are found among the mediæval manuscripts of the British Museum of different dates. One of these occurs in the Harl. MS., No. 1002, in a handwriting of the fifteenth century, the age in which the outward forms of medieval manners were perhaps most insisted upon, and from this copy I will give a review of its teaching and doctrines. “While you are standing at your lord's table," the scholar is told, "learn the good maxims " Stans puer ad mensam domini, bona dogmata discas. Attention is first called to the personal bearing of the boy. He is while talking to "keep at perfect ease, and his fingers, hands, and feet quiet, to hold his countenance undisturbed, and not to roll his eyes about in every direction; nor is he to fix his eyes upon the wall as if it were a looking-glass, or lean upon the post as if it were a walking-staff Dum loqueris digitique manus in pace pedes sint. |