Early English Meals and Manners Part 5

5. _Monastic and Cathedral Schools._ Herbert Losing, Bp. of Thetford, afterwards Norwich, between 1091 and 1119, in his 37th Letter restores his schools at Thetford to Dean Bund, and directs that no other schools be opened there.

Tanner (_Not. Mon._ p. xx. ed. Nasmith), when mentioning "the use and advantage of these Religious houses"--under which term "are comprehended, cathedral and collegiate churches, abbies, priories, colleges, hospitals, preceptories (Knights Templars' houses), and frieries"--says,

"Secondly, They were schools of learning & education; for every convent had one person or more appointed for this purpose; and all the neighbours that desired it, might have their children taught grammar and church musick without any expence to them.[60]

In the nunneries also young women were taught to work, and to read English, and sometimes Latin also. So that not only the lower rank of people, who could not pay for their learning, but most of the n.o.blemen and gentlemen's daughters were educated in those places."[61]

[Headnote: LYDGATE'S TRICKS AT SCHOOL.]

As Lydgate (born at Lydgate in Suffolk, six or seven miles from Newmarket) was ordained subdeacon in the Benedictine monastery of Bury St Edmunds in 1389[62], he was probably sent as a boy to a monastic school. At any rate, as he sketches his early escapades--apple-stealing, playing truant, &c.,--for us in his _Testament_[63], I shall quote the youth's bit of the poem here:--

[Line numbers in the following selections were added by the transcriber for use with sidenotes.]

Harleian MS. 2255, fol. 60.

Duryng the tyme / of this sesou{n} ver I meene the sesou{n} / of my yeerys greene Gynnyng fro childhood / strecchith{e}[A] vp so fer to e yeerys / accountyd ful Fifteene bexperience / as it was weel seene The gerissh{e} sesou{n} / straunge of condiciou{n}s Dispoosyd to many vnbridlyd pa.s.siouns 7

[Sidenote: [fol. 60 b.]]

-- Voyd of resou{n} / yove to wilfulnesse Froward to vertu / of thrift gaf[B] litil heede loth to lerne / lovid no besynesse Sauf pley or merthe / strau{n}ge to spelle or reede Folwyng al appet.i.tes / longyng to childheede lihtly tournyng wylde / and seelde sad Weepyng for nouht / and anoon afftir glad 14

-- For litil wroth / to stryve with my felawe As my pa.s.siou{n}s / did my bridil leede Of the yeerde somtyme / I Stood in awe to be scooryd[C] / that was al my dreede loth toward scole / lost my tyme in deede lik a yong colt / that ran with-owte brydil Made my freendys / ther good to spend in ydil / 21

[Sidenotes (by line number): [1] In my boyhood, [4] up to 15, [10] I loved no work but play [17] yet I was afraid of being scored by the rod.]

-- I hadde in custom / to come to scole late Nat for to lerne / but for a contenaunce with my felawys / reedy to debate to Iangle and Iape / was set al my plesaunce wherof rebukyd / this was my chevisaunce to forge a lesyng / and therupon to muse whan I trespasyd / my silven to excuse 28

[Sidenote: [fol. 61.]]

-- To my bettre / did no reverence Of my sovereyns / gaf no fors at al wex obstynat / by in.o.bedience Ran in to garydns / applys ther I stal To gadre frutys / sparyd hegg[D] nor wal to plukke grapys / in othir mennys vynes Was moor reedy / than for to seyn[E] matynes 35

-- My l.u.s.t was al / to scorne folk and iape Shrewde tornys / evir among to vse to Skoffe and mowe[F] / lyk a wantou{n} Ape whan I did evil / othre I did[G] accuse My wittys five / in wast I did abuse[H]

Rediere chirstoonys / for to[I] telle Than gon to chirche / or heere the sacry[K] belle 42

[Sidenotes (by line number): [22] I came to school late, [25] talked, [27] lied to get off blame, [29] and mocked my masters. [32] I stole apples and grapes, [36] played tricks and mocked people, [40] liked counting cherry-stones better than church.]

-- Loth to ryse / lother to bedde at eve with vnwa.s.sh handys[L] / reedy to dyneer My _pater noster_ / my _Crede_ / or my beleeve Cast at the[M] c.o.k / loo this was my maneer Wavid with ech{e} wynd / as doth a reed speer Snybbyd[N] of my frendys / such techchys fortame{n}de[O]

Made deff ere / lyst nat / to them attende 49

[Sidenote: [fol. 61 b.]]

-- A child resemblyng / which was nat lyk to thryve Froward to G.o.d / reklees[P] in his servise loth to correcciou{n} / slouh{e} my sylf to shryve Al good thewys / reedy to despise Cheef bellewedir / of feyned[Q] trwaundise this is to meene / my silf I cowde feyne Syk lyk a trwaunt / felte[R] no maneer peyne 56

-- My poort my pas / my foot alwey vnstable my look my eyen / vnswre and vagabounde In al my werkys / sodeynly chaungable To al good thewys / contrary I was founde Now ovir sad / now moornyng / now iocounde Wilful rekles / mad[S] stertyng as an hare To folwe my l.u.s.t / for no man wold I spare. 63

[Sidenotes (by line number): [43] Late to rise, I was; dirty at dinner, [49] dea to the snubbings of my friends, [51] reckless in G.o.d's service, [54] chief shammer of illness when I was well, [57] always unsteady, [60] ill-conducted, [62] sparing none for my pleasure.]

[Collations: A: strecched. (These collations are from Harl. 218, fol. 65, back.) B: toke. C: skoured. D: nedir hegge. E: sey. F: mowen.

G: koude. H: alle vse. I: cheristones to. K: sacryng.

L: hondes. M: atte. N: Snybbyng. O: tamende. P: rekkes.

Q: froward. R: and felt. S: made.]

At these monastic schools, I suppose, were educated mainly the boys whom the monks hoped would become monks, cleric or secular; mostly the poor, the Plowman's brother who was to be the Parson, not often the ploughman himself. Once, though, made a scholar and monk there, and sent by the Monastery to the University, the workman's, if not the ploughman's, son, might rule n.o.bles and sit by kings, nay, beard them to their face.

Thomas a Becket, himself the son of independent[[63a]] parents, was sent to be brought up in the "religious house of the Canons of Merton."

In 1392 the writer of Piers Plowman's Crede sketches the then state of things thus:

Now mot ich soutere hys sone seten to schole, And ich a beggeres brol on the book lerne, And worth to a writere and with a lorde dwelle, Other falsly to a frere the fend for to serven; 4 So of that beggares brol a [bychop[64]] shal worthen, Among the peres of the lond prese to sytten, And lordes sones[65] lowly to tho losels alowte, Knyghtes crouketh hem to and cruccheth ful lowe; 8 And his syre a soutere y-suled in grees, His teeth with toylyng of lether tatered as a sawe.

[Sidenotes (by line number): [1] Now every cobbler's son and beggar's brat turns writer, then Bishop, [7] and lords' sons crouch to him, [9] a cobbler's son.]

Here I might stop the quotation, but I go on, for justice has never yet been done[66] to this n.o.ble _Crede_ and William's _Vision_ as pictures of the life of their times,--chiefly from the profound ignorance of us English of our own language; partly from the grace, the freshness, and the brilliance of Chaucer's easier and inimitable verse:--

Alaas! that lordes of the londe leveth swiche wreechen, And leveth swych lorels for her lowe wordes.

They shulden maken [b.i.+.c.hopes[64]] her owen bretheren childre, Other of som gentil blod And so yt best semed, 4 And fostre none faytoures[64] ne swich false freres, To maken fat and fulle and her flesh combren.

For her kynde were more to y-clense diches Than ben to sopers y-set first and served with sylver. 8 A grete bolle-ful of benen were beter in hys wombe, And with the bandes[A] of bakun his baly for to fillen Than pertryches or plovers or pec.o.c.kes y-rosted, And comeren her stomakes with curiuse drynkes 12 That maketh swyche harlotes hordom usen, And with her wikkid word wymmen bitrayeth.

G.o.d wold her wonyynge were in wildernesse, And fals freres forboden the fayre ladis chaumbres; 16 For knewe lordes her craft treuly I trowe They shulden nought haunten her house so ho[m]ly[64] on nyghtes, Ne bedden swich brothels in so brode shetes, 20 But sheten her heved in the stre to sharpen her wittes.

[Sidenotes (by line number): [1] Lords [3] should make gentlemen Bishops, [5] and set these scamps [7] to clean ditches, [9] and eat beans and bacon-rind instead of peac.o.c.ks, [13] and having women. [17] If Lords but knew their tricks, [20] they'd turn these beggars into the straw.]

[Textnote A: ? randes. Sk.]

[Headnote: EDUCATION OF FIELD LABOURERS.]

There is one side of the picture, the workman's son turned monk, and clerk to a lord. Let us turn to the other side, the ploughman's son who didn't turn monk, whose head _was_ 'shet' in the straw, who delved and ditched, and dunged the earth, eat bread of corn and bran, worts fleshless (vegetables, but no meat), drank water, and went miserably (_Crede_, l. 1565-71). What education did he get? To whom could he be apprenticed? What was his chance in life? Let the Statute-Book answer:--

A.D. 1388. 12 Rich. II., Cap. v.

_Item._ It is ordained & a.s.sented, That he or she which used to labour at the Plough and Cart, or other Labour or Service of Husbandry _till they be of the Age of Twelve Years, that from thenceforth they shall abide at the same Labour_, without being put to any Mystery or Handicraft; and if any Covenant or Bond of Apprentie (_so_) be from henceforth made to the Contrary, the same shall be holden for none.

A.D. 1405-6. 7 Henri IV., Cap. xvii.

.....And Whereas in the Statutes made at Canterbury among other Articles it is contained That he or she that useth to labour at the Plough or Cart, or other Labour or Service of Husbandry, till he be of the age of Twelve Years, that from the same time forth he shall abide at the same Labour, without being put to any Mystery or Handicraft; and if any Covenant or Bond be made from that time forth to the contrary, it shall be holden for none: Notwithstanding which Article, and the good Statutes afore made through all parts of the Realm, the Infants born within the Towns and Seignories of Upland, whose Fathers & Mothers have no Land nor Rent nor other Living, but only their Service or Mystery, be put by their said Fathers and Mothers and other their Friends to serve, and bound Apprentices, to divers Crafts within the Cities and Boroughs of the said Realm _sometime at the Age of Twelve Years, sometime within the said Age_, and that for the Pride of Clothing and other evil Customs that Servants do use in the same; so that there is so great Scarcity of Labourers and other Servants of Husbandry _that the Gentlemen and other People of the Realm be greatly impoverished for the Cause aforesaid:_ Our Sovereign Lord the King considering the said Mischief, and willing thereupon to provide Remedy, by the advice & a.s.sent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and at the request of the said Commons, hath ordained and stablished, That no Man nor Woman, of what Estate or Condition they be, shall put their Son or Daughter, of whatsoever Age he or she be, to Serve as Apprentice to no Craft nor other Labour within any City or Borough in the Realm, except he have Land or Rent to the Value of Twenty s.h.i.+llings by the Year at the least, but they shall be put to other labours as their Estates doth require, upon Pain of one Year's Imprisonment, and to make Fine and Ransom at the King's Will. And if any Covenant be made of any such Infant, of what Estate that he be, to the contrary, it shall be holden for none. Provided Always, that every Man and Woman, of what Estate or Condition that he be, shall be free to set their Son or Daughter to take Learning at any manner School that pleaseth them within the Realm.

A most gracious saving clause truly, for those children who were used to labour at the plough and cart till they were twelve years old[67]. Let us hope that some got the benefit of it!

These Acts I came across when hunting for the Statutes referred to by the _Boke of Curtasye_ as fixing the hire of horses for carriage at fourpence a piece, and they caused me some surprise. They made me wonder less at the energy with which some people now are striving to erect "barriers against democracy" to prevent the return match for the old game coming off.--However improving, and however justly retributive, future legislation for the rich by the poor in the spirit of past legislation for the poor by the rich might be, it could hardly be considered pleasant, and is surely worth putting up the true barrier against, one of education in each poor man's mind. (He who americanizes us thus far will be the greatest benefactor England has had for some ages.)--These Statutes also made me think how the old spirit still lingers in England, how a friend of my own was curate in a Surrey village where the kind-hearted squire would allow none of the R's but Reading to be taught in his school; how another clergyman lately reported his Farmers' meeting on the school question: Reading and Writing might be taught, but Arithmetic not; the boys would be getting to know too much about wages, and that would be troublesome; how, lastly, our gangs of children working on our Eastern-counties farms, and our bird-keeping boys of the whole South, can almost match the children of the agricultural labourer of 1388.

[Headnote: NO BONDSMAN'S SON TO BE AN APPRENTICE.]

The early practice of the Freemasons, and other crafts, refusing to let any member take a bondsman's son as an apprentice, was founded on the reasonable apprehension that his lord would or might afterwards claim the lad, make him disclose the trade-secrets, and carry on his art for the lord's benefit. The fourth of the 'Fyftene artyculus or fyftene poyntus' of the Freemasons, printed by Mr Halliwell (p. 16), is on this subject.

_Articulus quartus_ (MS. Bibl. Reg. 17 A, Art. I., fol. 3, &c.)

The fowrthe artycul thys moste be, That the mayster hym wel be-se That he _no bondemon_ prentys make, Ny for no covetyse do hym take; For the lord that he ys bond to, May fache the prentes whersever he go.

?ef yn the logge he were y-take, Muche desese hyt my?th ther make, And suche case hyt my?th befalle That hyt my?th greve summe or alle; For alle the masonus that ben there Wol stonde togedur hol y-fere.