Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/161

 and Senthnents. 14: CHAPTER VIII. THE OLD ENGLISH HALL. THE KITCHEN, AND ITS CIRCUMSTANCES. THE DINNER-TABLE. MINSTRELSY. AS I have already ftated, the hall continued to be the moft important . part of the houfe ; and in large manfions it was made of pro- portional dimenfions. It was a general place of rendezvous for the houfehold, efpecially for the retainers and followers, and in the evening it feems nfually to have been left entirely to them, and they made their beds and paffed the night in it. Strangers or vifitors were brought into the hall. In the curious old poem edited by Mr. Halliwell, entitled "The Boke of Curtafye," we find efpecial diredions on this fubje6t. When a gentleman or yeoman came to the houfe of another, he was direfted to leave his weapons with the porter at the outward gate or wicket, before he entered. It appears to have been the etiquette that if the perfon thus prefenting himfelf were of higher rank than the perfon he vifited, the latter fhould go out to receive him at the gate 3 if the contrary, the vifitor was admitted through the gate, and proceeded to the hall. JVhanne thou comes to a lordh gate. The porter thou jhalle fynde therate ; Take (give) hym thoiu Jhalt thy ive}yn tho (tlienl, And ajke hym le-ve in to go. . . ■ yf he he of logh (low) degr Than hym falles to come to the. At the hall door the vifitor was to take off his hood and gloves — When thoiu come tho halle dor to. Do of thy hode, thy glo-ves aljo. If, when he entered the hall, the vifitor found the family at meat, he flood