ENGLISH READING
JANUARY

1^ST DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord. Seventh day of Christmas

Perkin wants me to teach him how to read. He dreams of being a scholar but most likely he will just be a goat boy who can read. My Latin is none so good--

I wish Edward were here to help. But Edward is not here, and Robert and Thomas cannot read or write. Robert can barely talk. Too bad Perkin doesn't want to learn how to skewer an enemy on a sword,

or tumble a laundress in the barn.

2^ND DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Abel the Patriarch, son of Adam killed by his brother Cain.

Eighth day of Christmas

New snow today. We had a snowball fight and everyone joined in.

Even my lady mother was giddy and gay, laughing and blushing and acting much like a girl although she must be over thirty. William Steward grew smitten and made flowery speeches to her, but we put snow down his pants to cool his passion.

3^RD DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Genevieve, who through fasting and praying kept Atilla the Hun from Paris.

Ninth day of Christmas

     My head aches from the cold, the smoke, and the noise of too many people drinking ale. At supper, grown angry with the puppies nipping at my food, I swept them onto the floor. Later in remorse I smuggled them all into my bed for the night. 

Good thing Morwenna sleeps heavy and never knows what she has been sleeping with until morning.

4^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saints Aquilinus, Geminus, Eugenius, Marcianus, Quinctus, Theodotus, and Tryphon, a band of martyrs put to death in Africa by the king of the Vandals.

Tenth day of Christmas

The eels in their tub froze in the kitchen last night, so we had an eel feast for dinner

and eel pie for supper. I fear more eels with our breakfast bread and ale tomorrow.

5^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Simeon Stylites, who lived for thirty-seven years atop a pillar, praising God.

Eleventh day of Christmas

I will not be sorry to see the Christmas days end, for I have spent excessive time curing other people's ale head, putrid stomach, and various wounds, cuts, and bruises sustained in drunken fights.

I have near run out of mustard seed and boiled snake.

6^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of the Epiphany.

Twelfth day of Christmas

The end of Christmas. Mayhap I will soon have my chamber and my bed

to share with only the usual residents.

At dinner today my mother found the bean in her Twelfth Cake and chose my father to be king. I found the pea and was queen.

My father and I had to sit next to each other for the mumming and lead the dancing and eat together at supper. I could hardly swallow from being near the beast for so long. I wish I would have just eaten the pea and told no one. The best part of the day was when the mummers came in all wigged and masked, donkeys and kings and giants, singing and stomping and clashing their wooden swords. They hardly looked like the villagers I know, although I recognized Sym by his enormous feet and John At-Wood by his red hair, which poked right through his Father Christmas wig.

Spoke John: "In come I, Old Father Christmas, welcome or welcome not. 

  I hope Old Father Christmas will never be forgot.

And the play began, with knights and dragons and battles and the wondrous rebirth of Saint George. Perkin was Saint George-"Here come I, Saint George. I am called Saint George for Saint George is my name"-and he looked golden and beautiful like a saint and not much like a goat boy, even when his golden wig fell off and Brutus ate it. The dragon he battled was fearsome and bellowed so convincingly that I forgot it was but paper and wood and gears from the mill: "

I am the iron dragon, which no sword can undo. I eat the small, the pure, the young, and spit their bones at you!" It was gruesome and ugly and will give me nightmares. Perfect.

7^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Lucian of Antioch, leader of the Lucianists

I had not a nightmare last night but a dream. Again my uncle George came to rescue me from a dragon. The dragon threw at George a handful of dirt, which turned into a bolt of lighting, and George died at my feet. Has the curse then worked? Is George in danger? What does it mean?

8^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Plough Monday and Feast of Saint Nathalan, farmer

According to the story, one Summer the crops failed. Nathalan cursed God for the wet weather. In repentance, he had one of his arms chained to his side. The chain was padlocked in place, and the only key to the lock was thrown into the River Dee (Scotland). Nathalan then set out on foot to do penance in Rome. When he arrived, months later, he bought a fish from a stall in the market place and, on cutting it open, discovered the key to the padlock inside it. When the Pope heard the story of this miracle, he made Nathalan a Bishop.

Today the villagers celebrated what would have been the first day of work since before Christmas if they weren't celebrating instead. I walked down to the churchyard and watched the village boys dancing and fooling. I wonder which is the day when ladies dance and fool.

9^THDAY OF JANUARY,

Feast of Saint Fillan, ancient Irish abbot, whose bell and staff and arm still survive

Now that Christmas is over, we are putting the manor to rights again. Morwenna made me help the kitchen boys dig out the pits and bones and dog droppings from the rushes on the hall floor. We found a silver gilt belt with jeweled buckle, three shoes, a lady’s stocking, a wad of fake hair, a rat skeleton, and two silver pennies. I also found Ralf Emory's knife that he accused Walter of Pennington of stealing. Walter is going to the king to complain and there may be a joust between them at the next tournament,

though no one stole it after all--it fell into the rushes. Should I tell? I would dearly love to see that joust.

This afternoon we sprinkled dried mint and thyme and gillyflowers over the cleaned rushes.

The hall smells much better, but that may be because Robert is not here today.

10^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Paul of Thebes, the first hermit. He lived to be one hundred thirteen and two lions dug his grave.

A very special holiday--Robert has left. He took with him Brutus, my favorite of the pups, even though I cried and argued and thumped him on the chest with my fists. As they were riding out the gate, Brutus made water in Robert's lap and now I have him back. I think the little creature is bruised and frightened so he will sleep in my bed tonight. Morwenna and the Eternal Guests will just have to make room. Thomas leaves tomorrow. I will be sorry to see him go.

11^Th DAY OF JANUARY Feast of Saint Hyginus, pope and martyr

The ice on the river has finally frozen hard enough to walk on. Perkin and Gerd the miller's son came to the kitchen for bones that they will polish and fasten to their shoes so they can glide on the ice.

I begged my mother to be allowed to go, but she had a headache and would not speak of it. I made her a potion of peony root and oil of roses to soothe her head. Being angry, I wanted to add spurge and deadly hemlock to it, but mostly I love her, so I didn't. Instead I thought to make a list of all the things girls are not allowed to do:

Go on crusade

Be horse trainers

Be monks

Laugh very loud

Wear breeches

Drink in the ale houses

Cut their hair

Piss in the fire to make it hiss

Wear nothing

Be alone

Get sunburned

Run

Glide on the ice

Marry whom they will

12^TH DAY OF JANUARY,

Feast of Saint Benedict Biscop who collected books

I have heard that a cloth merchant in Lincoln has a privy not in the yard but inside his house, in a little room built out over a stream so that the stream washes the waste away. Such a wonder! I have it in my mind to go to Lincoln and see for myself. I would sit in the privy and piss and think about my water flying through the air, sailing on the stream to the river to the sea and across to wondrous foreign lands. If I cannot go to faraway places, I would like to think my water went.

13^TH DAY OF JANUARY,

Feast of Saint Kentigern, called Mungo, grandson of a British prince

It appears the curse has worked. George returned last night from York

to say that Aelis has been married to the seven-year-old duke of Warrington.  After the ceremony, the duke had an attack of putrid throat and had to go home to his mother to be nursed. His new wife remains at court. I am sorry that Aelis was sold at auction to the highest bidder like a horse at a horse fair, but I am gladdened to have my uncle George back.

14^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Felix of Nola, tortured but not martyred     I tried to talk to George. He will not hear Aelis's name. He will not speak it. He does not listen, will not play and his eyes that once flashed mischief and joy now glow dark with pain.

I thought to write a song about his doomed romance, but he said to save it for his betrothal to Ethelfritha, the very rich widow of a salt merchant from York. I asked him if he loved her. He said he loved her money, her business, and her good heart, and that was enough. I think my curse was cursed. Aelis is gone from here, wedded to a baby, George sighs and suffers and still he is not mine but marries some fat Saxon widow.

God's thumbs. I might have done better to fail. My guts are grumbling. 

I hope it is but a cold in my liver, but I fear it is guilt and remorse.

15^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Ita, foster mother of the Irish saints

George has left for York again. My guts still grumble.

16^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Henry, who became a hermit rather than marry It is none so bad sometimes to have a pig for a father. This day it served me well. There were guests at dinner but I had no forewarning of danger so I acted like myself, some good and some bad, like always. I told the story of the time Perkin and I dressed his smelliest goat in his granny's other shift  and let it loose in the church while a visiting friar was preaching about the terrors of Hell. The villagers in the church, convinced that the preacher had loosed the Devil on them, stumbled over each other trying to escape the fiend. Perkin's granny recognized her shift and started chasing the goat to get it back, swinging at him with a candlestick. The frightened goat loosed its bowels in the middle of the church, bawled frantically, and leapt into Perkin’s lap.

It was wondrous sport, but the story did not seem to amuse my listeners at dinner. We finished eating in quiet. Later I discovered that one of the guests was another suitor, who was pleased with me and even my story but so offended by my father's bumping and farting and scratching his chest with his knife that any hopes for a marriage died. I shall never tell my father that I am grateful to him.

17^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Antony of Egypt, gardener and mat maker

A freeze. My ink froze and I had to thaw it over the fire so I could write. 

But now I have nothing to say.

18^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Ulfrid, martyred for breaking up a statue of Thor with his axe

In the heart of winter when we eat for weeks on end porridge and beans, eggs and wrinkled apples, salted meat and dried herring, I think I will never again see peaches and plums, fresh fish and parsley and leeks. I have painted into the mural on my chamber wall a tree

bursting with fresh fruit, dripping its juice straight into the waiting mouth of a golden warrior mounted on a black stallion, with my face (the warrior, not the horse).

19^th DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saints Marius, Martha, Audifax , and Abachum , a family of Persians martyred while on pilgrimage to Rome

Much activity about the manor as lambing started at the same time as a snowstorm. The sheep have all been driven to the pen in our yard , and the pregnant ewes will be put in our barn. Many are dropping their lambs on the way, and the shepherds with the newborn lambs stuck in their shirts look like fat bishops.

20^TH DAY OF JANUARY Feast of Saint Sebastian, who was shot with arrows, recovered, accused the emperor of cruelty, and then was clubbed to death

Edgar the saddler's apprentice, is missing. He went outside to relieve his bladder in the middle of the night and never returned. William Steward and the villagers searched for him today but it has been snowing so hard since last morning that they have little hope of finding him.

21^ST DAY OF JANUARY Saint Agnes's Day

Another virgin martyred rather than marry a heathen. I wonder what is so bad about heathens. They couldn't be worse than Robert.

22^ND DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Vincent of Saragossa, imprisoned, starved, racked, and roasted

I crept out last night hoping to help with the lambing. I am none too fond of sheep, for they are stupid and smelly and bad-tempered, but the new lambs are so sweet and soft. No one noticed me, so I sat wrapped in my cloak with lambs asleep in my lap and made a lambing song, which I misremember now, but I know it was good.

23^RD DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Emerentiana, foster sister of Saint Agnes, stoned to death while praying at her tomb

Edgar was found. He lost his way back to his cottage in the storm and took shelter in an old shed, which was soon covered in drifting snow. By morning the snow was too heavy for him to shift, so he stayed trapped under it these four days. This morning one of the shepherds spied a stick that Edgar managed to force through the snow with a stocking tied on and he was dug out. Thanks to God, he had not really gone to the privy but was sneaking back to his cottage from our hen house with his shirt stuffed with eggs , so he had plenty to eat.

24^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Timothy, who was clubbed to death during the pagan festival of Katagogia

The only Latin we have for Perkin to learn to read from is documents and house accounts, so I made some simple stories in my best Latin and am teaching Perkin from them. He says he is certain a scholar has to be able to read more than Pater meus animalus est or Non amo Robertum. I am doing my best.

26^th DAY OF JANUARY, feast of Saint Paula, a Roman widow who became a Christian, renounced all amusements, and went to visit the hermits in the Holy land

Baron Ranulf will be back in two weeks time and Aelis will be with him. Her new husband is still in his mother's care. George is still in York. My guts still grumble. It is still cold.

28^TH DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint John the Sage, an Irish philosopher who was stabbed to death by his students

Last night we had sleeping in our hall two monks from the abbey on their way to Rome. God it seems, told their abbot that He wants the remains of two Roman martyrs brought from Rome to a new home in the abbey church. Brother Norbert and brother Behrtwald are going to Rome to find them. Rome is so far away that they will not return until harvest. I thought to go with them but this morning when they left the snow was so deep and the wind so fierce and the dark so very dark that I snuggled down in my quilt and decided to wait for an adventure on some warmer day.

29^th DAY OF JANUARY, feast of Saint Julian the Hospitaler, who accidentally killed his mother and father and in his grief and remorse built a hospital for the poor. Patron of innkeepers, boatmen, and travelers

Peppercorn the dog is possessed of a demon. She howls and moans, digging at her head, running through the hall, and rubbing her face on the straw. Morwenna has made a charm which I wet with spit and tied about her head (the dog's, not Morwenna's). I pray the demon leaves Peppercorn without entering anyone else.

31^ST DAY OF JANUARY, Feast of Saint Maedoc of Ferns, who lived seven years on barley bread and water We have taken all the Christmas greens down. The hall looks so gloomy and bare.

It is still cold but thanks to God most of the lambs are still alive.