“And chesse cum by fore the, be not to redy,”

March 3, 2020 2:38 PM

15th-century guide on children's manners digitised for first time [The Guardian] “– a manuscript from 1480, which has been digitised for the first time by the British Library, gives an insight into the antics of medieval children, as it exhorts them to “pyke notte thyne errys nothyr thy nostrellys” – don’t pick your ears or your nostrils - and to “spette not ovyr thy tabylle”. The 15th-century conduct book, The Lytille Childrenes Lytil Boke, was intended to teach table manners. It has been put online as part of a new children’s literature website bringing together original manuscripts, interviews and drafts by authors from Lewis Carroll to Jacqueline Wilson. The medieval text is part of the British Library’s own collection, and “by listing all the many things that medieval children should not do, it also gives us a hint of the mischief they got up to”, said the library.”
posted by Fizz (27 comments total)

Title translation: Don’t be greedy when they bring out the cheese.
posted by Fizz at 2:46 PM on March 3, 2020 [10 favorites]

A very important rule, so that more cheese is left for adults.

This 1868 volume appears to include the transcribed text and a gloss in the margins.
posted by jedicus at 3:22 PM on March 3, 2020 [10 favorites]

And chesse cum by fore the, be not to redy

Easier said than done.
posted by betweenthebars at 3:42 PM on March 3, 2020 [12 favorites]

They just loved the letter "y" in ye olde medeyvayl tymes. Like there was only one real vowel.
posted by GuyZero at 3:47 PM on March 3, 2020 [4 favorites]

I lyk chesse, and thou art not the boce ov me, olde booke
posted by Wobbuffet at 4:24 PM on March 3, 2020 [69 favorites]

I feel slightly called out by this book
posted by Kitchen Witch at 4:40 PM on March 3, 2020 [7 favorites]

We had a form of the cheese rule that got whispered to the kids whenever our house was hosting—“family hold back.”
posted by sallybrown at 4:44 PM on March 3, 2020 [10 favorites]

That’s amazing. God, parenting has never changed. Sit up straight. Don’t pick your nose. Wash your hands. Be polite. The ancient Babylonians were probably saying the same things to their kids
posted by not_the_water at 6:37 PM on March 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

Not sure about the y in the middle/ end of the word, but wasn't Y in 'Ye Olde English' some kind of misconception of the adoption/ evolution of Þ, the letter 'thorn,' by people on the Isles?

Þ evolved to look something like Y, but with a straight left side and people got lazy about connecting the top. Stuff like that happened lots in logograms like written Chinese.

It wasn't pronounce Yee Olde but congruously at the time would be read/ pronounced (to literate people) The Olde, or something close to 'the,' right?

/#vikings #historychannel #Þorunn #katherynwinnick #alexanderludwig #travisfimmel #liberalartseducation
posted by porpoise at 9:04 PM on March 3, 2020 [6 favorites]

as if some 600 year old weakling could ever hope to stop my cheese greed
posted by poffin boffin at 9:47 PM on March 3, 2020 [4 favorites]

If cheese come before thee

Cheese is a privilege, not a right
posted by praemunire at 11:14 PM on March 3, 2020 [4 favorites]

Y was a perfectly good already existing vowel letter at that time, as used liberally in these examples. It's suggested that very early printers didn't have a þ, since it was already fallen out of use in favour of "th". They chucked in a Y for the odd cases where they still wanted þ, mostly as part of "þe" which you could use as an archaism to make your Bible look proper old.
posted by quacks like a duck at 11:38 PM on March 3, 2020 [5 favorites]

pote thine pockete talking-abacus in thine pocket whilst supping
posted by not_on_display at 12:05 AM on March 4, 2020 [15 favorites]

The Olde

Also the e is silent. Ye Olde Shoppe is pronounced The Old Shop.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 4:10 AM on March 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

If thee doest leave thee tabl to watch frivolities on thee televysionne, then thou have committed thy dynner to oblivionne, and thou are FORBIDE from returning too thee tabl and whynging that Father hast consumed your leftovers.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:26 AM on March 4, 2020 [6 favorites]

And if bacon cum by fore the?
posted by Cardinal Fang at 5:30 AM on March 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: Cheese greed
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 6:52 AM on March 4, 2020 [3 favorites]

Metafilter: Cheese greed
Not actually greedy, just protecting it from the hickere dickere dock moufe.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:07 AM on March 4, 2020 [3 favorites]

Þys is oonli for to seggen

I haue æten
þe chese
þat cam by-fore me

and whiche
þou were likli
keepyngge
for to breke þi fast;

For-gyf me
it wæs so savery
and so fyne
posted by mubba at 8:25 AM on March 4, 2020 [31 favorites]

They just loved the letter "y" in ye olde medeyvayl tymes. Like there was only one real vowel.

Yvyn yn Mydyrn Ynglysh thyry's ryylly ny ryysyn ty ysy yny ythyr vywyl thyn "y".
posted by The Tensor at 1:43 PM on March 4, 2020 [8 favorites]

Mydyrn Ynglysh

now I have a name for the 'zine I'm never going to publish!
posted by GuyZero at 2:10 PM on March 4, 2020 [2 favorites]

Oky Bomyr
posted by klanawa at 5:10 PM on March 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Gyd yvynyng Mytyfyltyr! Wy yry Crywn Yf Thyrns ynd wy yry hyry ty RYCK YLL NYGHT!!!
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 6:21 PM on March 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

I think I just got ryck ryll’d
posted by mbrubeck at 6:52 PM on March 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Byffyly byffyly byffyly byffyly byffyly byffyly
posted by not_on_display at 12:19 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]

I think y'all just summoned Yngwie Malmsteen.
posted by Marticus at 2:27 PM on March 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Sorry, I meant Yngvy Mylmstyne
posted by Marticus at 2:28 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]