Kervyng of fische

Now, good soñ, of kervynge of fysche y wot y must þe leere:

To pesoñ or frumeñty take þe tayle of þe bevere,

or ȝiff ye haue salt purpose / ȝele / torrentille, deynteithus fulle dere,

ye must do afture þe forme of frumenty, as y said while ere.

HOW TO CARVE HERRINGS AND SALT FISH.

Bakeñ herynge, dressid & diȝt with white sugure;

þe white herynge by þe bak a brode ye splat hym̅ sure,

bothe roughe & boonus / voyded / þeñ may youre lorde endure

to ete merily with mustard þat tyme to his plesure.

Of alle maner salt fische, looke ye pare awey the felle,

Salt samoun / Congur, grone fische / boþe lynge & myllewelle,

& oñ youre soueraynes trencheur ley hit, as y yow telle.

þe sawce þer-to, good mustard, alway accordethe welle.

Saltfysche, stokfische / merlynge / makerelle, buttur ye may

with swete buttur of Claynos or els of hakenay,

þe boonus, skynnes / & fynnes, furst y-fette a-way,

þeñ sett youre dische þere as youre souereyn may tast & assay.

Pike, to youre souereyñ y wold þat it be layd,

þe wombe is best, as y haue herd it saide,

Fysche & skyñ to-gedir be hit convaied

with pike sawce y-noughe þer-to / & hit shalle not be denayd.

The salt lamprey, gobeñ hit a slout .vij. pecis y assigne;

þañ pike owt þe boonus nyȝe þe bak spyne,

HOW TO CARVE PLAICE AND OTHER FISH.

and ley hit oñ your lordes trenchere wheþer he sowpe or dyne,

& þat ye haue ssoddyñ ynons to meddille with galantyne.

Off playce, looke ye put a-way þe watur clene,

afftur þat þe fynnes also, þat þey be not sene;

Crosse hym þeñ with your knyffe þat is so kene;

wyne or ale / powder þer-to, youre souerayñ welle to queme.

Gurnard / roche / breme / chevyñ / base / melet / in her kervynge,

Perche / rooche / darce / Makerelle, & whitynge,

Codde / haddok / by þe bak / splat þem̅ in þe dische liynge,

pike owt þe boonus, clense þe refett in þe bely bydynge;

[Fol. 179 b.]

Soolus / Carpe / Breme de mere, & trowt,

þey must be takyñ of as þey in þe dische lowt,

bely & bak / by gobyñ þe booñ to pike owt,

so serve ye lordes trenchere, looke ye welle abowt.

Whale / Swerdfysche / purpose / dorray / rosted wele,

Bret / samoñ / Congur / sturgeoun / turbut, & ȝele,

þornebak / thurle polle / hound fysch / halybut, to hym þat hathe heele,

alle þese / cut in þe dische as youre lord etethe at meele.

Tenche in Iely or in Sawce / loke þere ye kut hit so,

and oñ youre lordes trenchere se þat it be do.

Elis & lampurnes rosted / where þat euer ye go,

HOW TO CARVE CRABS AND CRAYFISH.

Cast vinegre & powder þeroñ / furst fette þe bonus þem̅ fro.

Crabbe is a slutt / to kerve / & a wrawd wight;

breke euery Clawe / a sondur / for þat is his ryght:

In þe brode shelle putt youre stuff / but furst haue a sight

þat it be clene from skyñ / & senow / or ye begyñ to dight.

And what ye haue piked / þe stuff owt of euery shelle

with þe poynt of youre knyff, loke ye temper hit welle,

put vinegre / þerto, verdjus, or ayselle,

Cast þer-oñ powdur, the bettur it wille smelle.

Send þe Crabbe to þe kychyñ / þere for to hete,

agayñ hit facche to þy souerayne sittynge at mete;

breke þe clawes of þe crabbe / þe smalle & þe grete,

In a disch þem̅ ye lay / if hit like your souerayne to ete.

Crevise / þus wise ye must them dight:

Departe the crevise a-sondire euyñ to youre sight,

Slytt þe bely of the hyndur part / & so do ye right,

and alle hoole take owt þe fische, like as y yow behight.

Pare awey þe red skyñ for dyuers cawse & dowt,

and make clene þe place also / þat ye calle his gowt,

hit lies in þe myddes of þe bak / looke ye pike it owt;

areise hit by þe þyknes of a grote / þe fische rownd abowt.

put it in a dische leese by lees / & þat ye not forgete

to put vinegre to þe same / so it towche not þe mete;

breke þe gret clawes youre self / ye nede no cooke to trete,

Set þem̅ oñ þe table / ye may / with-owt any maner heete.

The bak of þe Crevise, þus he must be sted:

array hym̅ as ye dothe / þe crabbe, if þat any be had,

and boþe endes of þe shelle / Stoppe them fast with bred,

& serue / youre souereyñ þer with / as he likethe to be fedd.

[Fol. 180.]

Of Crevis dewe douȝ Cut his bely a-way,

þe fische in A dische clenly þat ye lay

with vineger & powdur þer vppoñ, þus is vsed ay,

þañ youre souerayne / whañ hym semethe, sadly he may assay.

HOW TO CARVE WHELKS AND LAMPREYS.

The Iolle of þe salt sturgeoun / thyñ / take hede ye slytt,

& rownd about þe dische dresse ye musteñ hit.

Þe whelke / looke þat þe hed / and tayle awey be kytt,

his pyntill & gutt / almond & mantille, awey þer fro ye pitt;

Theñ kut ye þe whelk asondur, eveñ pecis two,

and ley þe pecis þerof / vppoñ youre sturgeoun so,

rownd all abowt þe disch / while þat hit wille go;

put vinegre þer-vppoñ / þe bettur þañ wille hit do.

Fresche lamprey bake / þus it must be dight:

Opeñ þe pastey lid, þer-in to haue a sight,

Take þeñ white bred þyñ y-kut & liȝt,

lay hit in a chargere / dische, or plater, ryght;

with a spone þeñ take owt þe gentille galantyne,

In þe dische, oñ þe bred / ley hit, lemmañ myne,

þeñ take powdur of Synamome, & temper hit with red wyne:

þe same wold plese a pore mañ / y suppose, welle & fyne.

Mynse ye þe gobyns as thyñ as a grote,

þañ lay þem̅ vppoñ youre galantyne stondynge oñ a chaffire hoote:

þus must ye diȝt a lamprey owt of his coffyñ cote,

and so may youre souerayne ete merily be noote.

White herynge in a dische, if hit be seaward & fresshe,

your souereyñ to ete in seesoun of yere / þer-aftur he wille Asche.

looke he be white by þe booñ / þe roughe white & nesche;

with salt & wyne serue ye hym̅ þe same / boldly, & not to basshe.

Shrympes welle pyked / þe scales awey ye cast,

Round abowt a sawcer / ley ye þem in hast;

þe vinegre in þe same sawcer, þat youre lord may attast,

þañ with þe said fische / he may fede hym̅ / & of þem make no wast.”

“Now, fadir, feire falle ye / & crist yow haue in cure,

[Fol. 180 b.]

For of þe nurture of kervynge y suppose þat y be sure,

but yet a-nodur office þer is / saue y dar not endure

to frayne yow any further / for feere of displesure:

For to be a sewere y wold y hed þe connynge,

þañ durst y do my devoire / with any worshipfulle to be wonnynge;

señ þat y know þe course / & þe craft of kervynge,

y wold se þe siȝt of a Sewere / what wey he / shewethe in seruynge.”

THE SEWER’S OR ARRANGER’S DUTIES.