Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/388

 368 Hijhry of Dofnejlic Manners before dinner, but the wafliing after dinner appears now to have been commonly omitted. In one of the direftions for table already quoted, No. 239. A Monafiic Ftaft. the fcholar is told that he mull wafli himfelf when he rifes from bed in the morning, once at dinner, and once at fupper, in all thrice a day : — 'Enfant, d^honneur la-ue tes mains A ton k'ver, a ton dlfncr, Et puis au foupper, Jans finer ^ Ce font trois foys a tout le mains. And again, in another hmilar code, — La've tes mains dc'vant difner^ Et aufjl quant 'vouldras foupper. Still people put their viftuals to their mouth with their fingers, for, though forks were certainly known in the previous century, they were not ufed for conveying the food to the mouth. It was confidered, never- thelefs, bad manners to carry the viftuals to the mouth with the knife — Ne fai'z, pas ton movfd conduire A ton coufel qui te peult nuire. Another