Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/134

 114 Hiflory of Do?neJiic Marmers in drinking, till one of them becomes inebriated, and cannot be prevailed on to return home. Another of Reginald's flories defcribes a party in a private houfe, fitting and drinking round the fire. We are obliged thus to colle£t together flight and often trivial allufions to the manners of a period during which we have fo few detailed defcriptions. Hofpitality was at this time exercifed among all clafles freely and liberally j the mifery of the age made people meet together with more kindlinefs. The monafteries had their open gueft-houfes, and the unknown traveller was feldom refufed a place at the table of the yeoman. In towns, mofi of the burgetles or citizens were in the habit of receiving firangers as private lodgers, in addition to the accommodation atibrded in the regular hofpitia or taverns. Travelling, indeed, was more ufual under the Normans than it had been under the Saxons, for it was facilitated by the more extenfive ufe of horfes. But this alio brought ferious evils upon the country 5 for troops of followers and rude retainers who attended on the proud and tyrannical arifiocracy, were in the habit of taking up their lodgings at will and difcretion, and living upon the unfortunate houfe- holders without pay. It had been, even during the Anglo-Saxon period, a matter of pride and oftentation among men of rank — efpecially the king's officers — to travel about accompanied with a great multitude of followers,* and this praftice certainly did not diminifh under the Nor- mans. But, whether in great numbers or in fmall, the travellers of the twelfth century fought the means of amufing themfelves during their journey, and thefe amufements refembled fome of thofe which were employed at the dinner-table — they told fiories, or repeated epifodes from romances, or fung, and they fometimes had minfl:rels to accompany them. In the romance of Huon de Bordeaux, Huon, on his journey from his native city to Paris, afks his brother Gerard to fing, to enliven them on the road, — Cante, biaufrere, pour noi cars esjoir. — Huon de Bordeaux, p. 18. C. vii., fol. 41, v°., tells us how — "quidam consul regis, in caducis prsepotens rebus, cum ingenti comitatu, sicut mos est Anglo-Saxoniim, pioperater equitabat ad quendam vicum in quo grandis apparatus ad necessaries convivandi usus erat illi opipare constructus," &c. But
 * Lantfridus, in his collection of the miracles of St. Swithun, MS. Reg. 15,