Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/112

 92 Hifiory of Domeftic Manners which feems to imply that flefli-meat was not in general ufe for food among the lower claffes of fociety. Bread feems almoft always to have been formed in cakes, like our buns, round in the earlier piftures, and in later ones (as in our cut No. 6^)), fliaped more fancifully. We fee it generally marked with a crofs, perhaps a fuperftitious precaution of the baker. The bread feems to have been in general made for the occafion, and eaten frelli, perhaps warm. In one of Reginald of Durham's flories, we are told of a prieft in the forefl of Arden, who, having nothing but a peck of corn left, and receiving a large number of vifitors on a facred feftival, gave it out to be baked to provide for them. The corn was immediately ground, perhaps with querns, and having been mixed with "dewy" water, in the ufual manner, was made into twelve loaves, and immediately placed in the hot oven.* Cheefe and butter feem alfo to have been tolerably abundant. An illuminator of the Cambridge MS., given in our cut No. 65, reprefents a man No. 65. Anglo-Normans Milking and Churning. milking and another churning ; he who churns appears, to ufe a vulgar phrafe, to be " taking it at his eafe." The milking-pail, too, is rather extraordinary in its form. We have not any diftin6t account of the hours at which our Norman aestuante est depositiim." Reg. Dundm, p. 128. He owns they were so small that they hardly deserved the name of loaves. " Vix enim bis seni panes erant numero, qui tamen minores adeo quantitate fuerant quod indignum videretur panum eos censer! vocabulo." anceftors
 * " Quod, mola detrituin, et aqua rorante perfusum, more usitato, in camino