William Michael Rossetti gathers medieval Italian writings on manners: an extract from Brunetto Latini’s Tesoretto, passages from Francesco da Barberino on love and on the conduct of women, and, given complete in Italian and English, Fra Bonvesin da la Riva’s Fifty Courtesies for the Table — rules on sharing cups, wiping fingers and not leaning on the board.
A charming window on thirteenth-century table manners and social codes, for medievalists and food historians. Download the free EPUB.