Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/176

 156 Hijiory of Do??ieJiic Man?iers And the lady to whom this is addreffed, in reply, expreffes impatience, left they ftiould pals the hour. The dinner appears to have been ufually announced by the blowing of horns. In the romance of Richard Coeur de Lion, on the arrival of vifitors, the tables were laid out for dinner — T/iey fette trejieles^ and layde a horde ; Trumpcs hegonne for to bloive. — AVeber, ii. 7. Before the meal, each gueft was ferved with water to wafh. It was the bufinefs of the ewer to ferve the guetts with water for this purpofe, which he did with a jug and bafin, while another attendant flood by with a towel. Our cut No. 109, reprefents this procefs ; it is taken from TVajhing before Dinner. a fine manufcript of the " Livre de la Vie Humaine," preferved in the National Library in Paris, No. 6988. In the originals of this group, the jug and bafin are reprefented as of gold. In the copy of the Seven Sages, printed by Weber (p. 148), the preparations for a dinner are thus defcribed :— T/iai fet trefes, and hordes on layd ; Thaifpredclathes, and fait on ft. And made redy unto the mete ; Thai fet forth ivater and toivclk. The company, however, fometimes waflied before going to the table, and for