Introduction
The English barons of the thirteenth century were men lordly and stern, knights bold enough to present King John with the Great Charter at Runnymede in 1215, and to bring John’s son Henry III to heel at the Battle of Lewes in 1264. But they could afford to unbend a little at home, where they kept a splendid and lively table.
A DINNER in the hall of a baron in the thirteenth century was no commonplace affair. The power, the magnificence, and the resources of the feudal lord were there displayed. Surrounded by his dependents, he was a monarch in his home: men of noble blood did homage to his vanity by holding his cup or carving his meat at table: it was there that he impressed his guests with the resources of his revenue and the abundance of his personal wealth. All the luxuries that the commercial enterprise of the Basings, the Rokesbys, and the Crosbys of the time* could procure from foreign parts, were added at a princely cost to the novelty of the fare;* the precious fabrics of the East, and the artistic productions of the continental goldsmiths, increased the brilliancy of the show.
Amidst a scene glittering with arras* and gold, the baron assumed the graces of hospitality. He who was stern in the discharge of his public duties would yet unbend at the festive board. The great man threw off his cares, and cast aside his dignity, and loved to be amused as he ate his capon and drank his Gascoigne wine.
* A reference to prominent mediaeval merchants of London dealing in gold and silver tableware, and fine cloths. Salomon de Basing served alongside Hugh Basing as a Sheriff of London in 1214, and was elected Lord Mayor in 1216: Adam de Basing (?-?1266) was his son or grandson, a draper who supplied the household of Henry III and served as Mayor in 1251-1252. Gregory de Rokesley (?-?1291), sometimes given as Rokesby, was a wool merchant and goldsmith who was also a joint Warden of the Mint (1279-1292), and Lord Mayor on eight occasions (1274-1280, 1284). From a slightly later time, Sir John Crosby (?-?1476) was a London silk mercer, financier, alderman, diplomat, and MP for the City of London.
* It is to be hoped that the fare was better, or at any rate fresher, than that of the previous generation. See Stale and Hearty.
* Arras is a mediaeval word for tapestry. See Woven Story.
Précis
A thirteenth-century English baron kept a magnificent table as a demonstration of his prestige and power. The service was of gold and silver, the fabrics were of the highest quality, and the food was abundant, some of it imported. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was friendly, even relaxed, for the baron at home was very different from the baron in public. (59 / 60 words)
A thirteenth-century English baron kept a magnificent table as a demonstration of his prestige and power. The service was of gold and silver, the fabrics were of the highest quality, and the food was abundant, some of it imported. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was friendly, even relaxed, for the baron at home was very different from the baron in public.
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