The Babees' Book: Medieval Manners for the Young

A late-medieval courtesy manual translated into modern English offers practical instruction for young people on comportment in a household and at table. It prescribes greetings, posture, attentiveness, restraint in speech, and deference to superiors; details service duties such as fetching water and holding a towel; and gives concrete table rules about carving, spoon use, not sharing a cup, salt etiquette, cleanliness of hands and mouth, and avoiding habits like picking or leaning. Moral principles of cleanliness, humility, reverence, and consideration underpin the rules, and the prose retains verse forms while urging learners to ask about unfamiliar words.