Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/417

Rh example, and they feparated in parties, according to their different tastes. The monk, the parson, and the friar, went to visit fome clerical acquaintance, and indulged in spiced wine. The ladies remained at home :-

The prioress assents to this proposal-

When the gueſts reaffembled, they agreed that the knight fhould be their "marshall" of the table, and he ordered them all to wafh, and then appointed them to their feats, that they might be properly feated together, for this was part of his duty. They thus fat two and two, each couple, no doubt, at one dish-

Thus it would appear that nothing eatable was as yet placed on the table but bread. Prefently, the fupper was ferved round to them, of which there was only one "fervice," out of courtefy on the part of the rich members of the company towards thoſe who were poor, as there was to be an equal divifion of the expenfes of the fupper. In return, the higheſt places of the table were yielded to the perfons of beſt eſtate, and thefe, as an acknowledgment, gave a cup of wine round at their own expenſe, and