'Pyke notte thy nostrellys': 15th-century guide on children's manners digitized

The Guardian ^ | 02-21-2020 | Alison Flood

[NRx]

From Horrid Henry to Just William, naughty children are not difficult to find in children’s books today. But bad behaviour isn’t confined to recent decades – 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.

“Bulle not as a bene were in thi throote,” is another piece of advice doled out by the book – or “don’t burp as if you had a bean in your throat”. “And chesse cum by fore the, be not to redy,” children are warned – or “don’t be greedy when they bring out the cheese”. And long predating the Victorian age’s exhortations for children to be seen but not heard: “‘Loke thou laughe not, nor grenne / And with moche speche thou mayste do synne.” Or: “Don’t laugh, grin or talk too much.”

[NRx]

‘Pyke notte thyne errys nothyr thy nostrellys’: Don’t pick your ears or nose. ‘Pyke not thi tothe with thy knyffe’: Don’t pick your teeth with your knife. ‘Spette not ovyr thy tabylle’: Don’t spit over your table. ‘Bulle not as a bene were in thi throote’: Don’t burp as if you had a bean in your throat. ‘Loke thou laughe not, nor grenne / And with moche speche thou mayste do synne’: Don’t laugh, grin or talk too much. ‘And yf thy lorde drynke at that tyde, / Dry[n]ke thou not, but hym abyde’: If your lord drinks, don’t drink. Wait until he’s finished. ‘And chesse cum by fore the, be not to redy’: Don’t be greedy when they bring out the cheese.

[Viking2002]

IOW, no mining for nose nuggets in mixed company.

[Billthedrill]

Picketh not to thy third knuckle and refrain from wyping on thy neighbor’s jerkin...

[Larry Lucido]

Guess spell-check was still in its infancy back then.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

“Picketh not to thy third knuckle and refrain from wyping on thy neighbor’s jerkin..”

Well honestly it’s kinda rude for your neighbor to be jerkin that close to you.

[Kirkwood]

Touchyet nott thine syblithe or prythee oxenkarte I turneth arounde.

[Kirkwood]

Nott cruxebough fyr thee, ylest thyne eyea thee shootyst oute.

[sauropod]

.

[seowulf]

Wype thou thy cracke from froward to backe.

[F450-V10]

You all are killing me....

[CaptainPhilFan]

Thou canst pyke thy nostrellys;
thou canst pyke thy freonds;
but pyke thou not thy freonds nostrellys.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

It actually makes more sense than most of the gobbledegook that spell checkers put out.

[OKSooner]

LOL!!

Yes, I CAN read Old English!

[waterhill]

You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you cannot pick your friend’s nose.

[waterhill]

I did not pre-scan for nose pickin’ jokes, and you did it with style!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

English spelling had not be standardized. Which was why a lot of legal communication was in Latin. You really did not want a judge being confused over what the law actually said.

[dfwgator]

"Double or nothing he eats it."

[CaptainPhilFan]

Ah, Waterhill, my FRiend, great minds and all that :)

[lastchance]

Indeed it is ever so.

[lastchance]

Kinder, Do not cry havoc or I shall slip dogs of war upon thee. Sytte thee still upon yon stool whilst supper heats on the hobb and vex not they good dame mother unless thee see the spyre on fyre or thee does burst out in plague boils.