beyond his ability
to pay in money, whereupon his belongings were seized, although their
value might be greatly in excess of his obligation. The manners and
morals of the women in these private places of entertainment were not
always commendable.

The tavern was the place of resort for a large part of the middle
class and practically all the lower class of mediaeval society.
Even the women spent much of their time gossiping and drinking in
such places, where they found great latitude for carrying out low
intrigues. The tavern was, in short, the great rendezvous for those
who sought amusement of any sort. It was the ordinary haunt of
gamblers. In one of the _fabliaux_, a young profligate is represented
as turning into a tavern before which the tavern boy is calling out
the price of the beverages on tap there. After inquiring the price
of the wines, and receiving the information from the host, the latter
goes on to enumerate the attractions of his house: "Within are all
sorts of comforts; painted chambers, and soft beds, raised high with
white straw, and made soft with feathers; here within is hostel for
love affairs, and when bedtime comes you will have pillows of violets
to hold your head more softly; and, finally, you will have electuaries
and rose-water, to wash your mouth and face." He orders a gallon
of wine, and immediately afterward a _belle demoiselle_ makes
her appearance, for such in those times were reckoned among the
attractions of the tavern. It is soon arranged that she shall share
his apartment with him, and then a general carousal ensues in which
he loses all his money and has to leave even his clothes in payment of
his bill. These alewives were looked upon as past masters in deceit,
and were heartily despised by those who did not fall into their
clutches. In a carved _miserere_ in Ludlow Church, representing
Doomsday, one of these characters is depicted as about to be cast
into the jaws of hell, carrying with her nothing but the finery of
her enticement and her short ale measure. The amusements of the times,
excepting those of a grosser order, or such as have already been
mentioned in the previous chapter, centred around the nobility and
persons of position; so that their consideration can be deferred
for the time being and be taken up in connection with the sports and
pastimes of the ladies of rank, as treated in the chapter following.

CHAPTER VI

THE WOMEN OF THE MANORS

The limited mean