Footwear of the Middle Ages - Lystyne Lordys Verament

Lystyne Lordys Verament (with suggested Translations)
Compiled and translated by I. Marc Carlson

Lystyne Lordys Verament (also called "A Shoemaker's Verse Testament" (c.1475-1500))
Manuscript Oxford, Lincoln College, MS Lat 141 f.5-6

		*Original text?*	Edward Wilson's corrections	A Suggested Translation
f.5.v		Pyrdow, pyrdow, pydowy, wows se bone Trenket sowterly	Pyrdow, pyrdow, pydowy, wows se bone Trenket sowterly	By God, By God, By God; You are good gather like shoemakers
		Lystyne lordys veramente How the sowt hath mad hys testamente, Wt py.	Lystyne lordys verament How the sowter hath mad hys testament, With py.	Listen Lords truly How the shoemaker made his will. With (By God)
	5	He bequethyd to Mabb hys wyffe Hys paring bord, hys carwyng knyfe Wt pyrd.	He bequeythed to Mabb hys wyffe Hys paring bord, hys carwyng knyfe With pyrd.	He bequeathed to Mabb his wife His paring board, his carving knife With (By God)
		He bequethyd to his sone Ihon Hys lastys, his lygellys euyrylkon Wt pyrdo.	He bequeythed to his sone Ihon Hys lastys, his lygellys ewyrylkon With pyrdo.	He bequeathed to his son John His lasts, his threads [Every thing] With (By God)
	10	He bequethyd to his sone Tome Hys chaspy and his schoyng horne Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his sone Tome Hys chaspy and his schoyng horne With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his son Tom His chaspy and his shoeing horn With (By God)
f.6.r	15	He bequethyd to his sone Hyke [Dicke] Hys tranket hys turning styke Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his sone Hyk Hys tranket and hys turning styk With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his son Hyk His trenket and his turning stick With (By God)
		He bequeythyd to his sone Coke Hys sterop and hys fotyng-bloke Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his sone Cok Hys sterop and hys footyng-blok With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his son Cok His stirrup and his footing block. With (By God)
	20	He bequethyd to his sone How All �e brystyllys of a sowe Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his sone How All �e brystyllys of a sowe With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his son How, all the bristles of a sow. With (By God)
		He bequethyd to his dowtyr Belle Hys talow, his gres, now euedelle Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his dowtyr Bell Hys talow, his gres, now euerydell With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his daughter Bell, his tallow, his grease, now a bit of sheep With (By God)
	25	He bequethyd to his dowtyr Anne Hys blackyng pot. his blackyng pan Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his dowtyr Anne Hys blackyng pot, his blacking pan With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his daughter Anne, his blacking pot and blacking pan With (By Godl)
	30	He bequethyd to his dowtyr Kat Hys nallys hys thombys blake Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his dowtyr Kat Hys nallys and hys thombys blak With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his daughter Kat, his nails and his black thumbs With (By God)
		He bequethyd to his dowtyr Ione Kyng Coltyng spone hys orgone Wt pyrdowy.	He bequeythed to his dowtyr Ione Kyng Coltyng spone and hys orgone With pyrdowy.	He bequeathed to his daughter Joan, King Colting's spoon, and his organ With (By God)
	35	Thus �e sowter mad hys ende He lygge in graff by Kyng Coltyng Wt pyrdowy.	Thus �e sowter mad hys end He lygge in graff by Kyng Coltyng With pyrdowy.	Thus the shoemaker made his end, He lies in the grave by King Colting With (By God)

Pyrowy	Likely from Par dieu. I am reasonably certain that the gradual spelling change in the following stanzas is paralleled, by the spelling change in the first stanza. However, the meaning really doesn't change. Wilson suggests below that the following repetitions might be an ironic response by the recipient, but I'm not sure the evidence supports these.
Wows se bone	Likely "vous etes bon." It has been suggested that this is meant ironically, because the term in Modern French is used so, however, I don't believe that the evidence is sufficient to support the speculation.
Trenket	While it is true that normally I would gloss this as "The Shoemaker's Knife", "a Trenket of Sutors" is also a term for a gathering of shoemakers, therefore "trenket sowterly" is to "gather like shoemakers"
Paring Bord	This is either a cutting board, or may be a small board used for trimming welts without damaging the uppers.
Carwyng Knyfe	Carving knife. It is likely that this is the knife used to trim the inner seam while the shoe is still on the last, but has not been turned, and to trim the welt after it's been turned. See pictures from the Das Hausbuch der Mendelschen for use, specifically Blatts 1v, 44r, 48v, 93v. I should note that Swann suggests that this instead could refer to the clicking knife, for cutting out the pieces, which would balance the paring board as a cutting board.
Lasts	Lasts
Lygellys	Lingles or threads, generally used as a waxed thread.
Euyrylkon	Ever-ilk-on", Everilk referring to every thing of a class of items. I think the suffix -on should be glossed --en and indicate an emphasis of the plural of the items in the class.
Chaspy	Chaspy/Chaspey/Chaucepe is a "shoe horn", and may be a bit of hair-on leather to slip on shoes with.
Schoyng horne	Shoe horn. If chaspy refers to a shoe horn, this is redundant, unless one or the other refers to a different in type of item.
Hyke	Hikke is a nickname for an hostler (ostler, a stableman or groom). It is also apparently a diminutive for Richard, according to the MED. This is supported by the fact that at a later date, the name in this manuscript was crossed out and replaced by "Dicke", probably to give a less obscure name. Swann suggests that this might be a nickname.
Tranket	Trenket/Tranchet - This is ubiquitous stereotypical "Shoemaker's Knife" as described in numerous dictionaries (See Glossary). It is my opinion that this then refers to the spiked round knife that the iconographical attribute in pictures of shoemakers from this period. I should note that today the meaning of "tranchet" is completely different.
Turning styke	Turning stick. This is a stick used in turning the shoe, after it's been removed from the last.
Coke	"Cook", or "Cock".. Swann suggests that this might be a nickname, however, Kok/Cok/Cock/etc was used as a given or forename in English during the Middle Ages, according to several Onomasticians, citing Reaney and Wilson.
Sterop	Stirrup
Fotyng-bloke	Footing Block, probably the heel block used with the stirrup.
How	Swann suggests that this might be "Hugh"
Bristles	Bristles for sewing
Tallow	Rendered fat
Gres	Grease
Euedelle	Ewe-del, Del in this case referring to a fraction or portion of something. (MED)
Blackyng pot	Blacking pot. The meaning is not really clear, but this probably refers to some form of container for blacking for shoes. Wilson suggests that this might be an ink horn, Swann suggests that it might be some sort of blacking paste. My suspicion is that it could contain coperas water or iron black (made much in the fashion of medieval ink). At this point these all are speculative.
Blackyng pan	Blacking pot. Again the meaning is not clear, but Swann suggests that this may be the pan used for preparing the blacking in the pot.
Nallys	Nails. Could refer to lasting tacks, or the blacking under finger nails.
Thombys blake	Thumbs black, or black thumbs (the word order is to allow the rhyme to flow), possibly from the coode or shoemaker's wax, or possibly from blacking the shoes.
Kyng Coltyng	King Colting. Wilson and Swann suggest that "colt" in this context refers to an apprentice, and from this Swann has suggested that this be a wish for the shoemaker's youngest daughter to be an apprentice. While this is entirely possible, the use in the next stanza makes no sense. On the other hand, the use of King Colting in the next stanza doesn't make much sense anyway, since we have no real idea of who King Colting is supposed to be referring to.
Spone	Spoon. Swann suggests that, in context of "Colting" as an apprentice, this should refer to an apprentice's wooden spoon.
Orgone	Organ. Musical Instrument, specifically a wind instrument, which Wilson suggests falls in with a reference in Deloney to shoemakers sounding trumpets and playing pipes.

Wilson refers to Thomas Deloney's The Gentle Craft, and notes that one of the requirements for being a shoemaker is to be able to list his tools in rhyme.

Swann also points out that if the carving knife is, in fact, the clicking knife, and the black thumbs are from blacking the shoes, then the widow receives the Master's tools, since cutting the leather is traditionally the master's work, the sons receive the tools for assembling the shoes, and the daughters receive the waxing and finishing materials.

Some Sources:

Footwear of the Middle Ages - Lystyne Lordys Verament, by I. Marc Carlson. Copyright 2001. This page is given for the free exchange of information, provided the author's name is included in all future revisions, and no money change hands, other than as expressed in the Copyright Page.