[Sca-cooks] A Bird Bath, or: what I did with herbs last weekend!

[Heleen Greenwald]

What a moving ceremony 'Lainie. I bet it was wonderful! That was really nice of you to do it for him.
And vivats to Aleyn upon his Elevation.
Phillipa
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Laura C. Minnick 
  To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 4:34 AM
  Subject: [Sca-cooks] A Bird Bath, or: what I did with herbs last weekend!


  It occurred to me that several of you might be interested in hearing what I
  did last weekend- I provided a full Vigil Bath for a very dear friend of
  mine who was going to be elevated to the order of the Pelican in the
  morning. This involved a large (130 gal) stocktank (vinyl, not galvanized.
  Eyuew!), about 50 gallons of water, my pavilion and poster frame, and
  several hours of research to recreat the ceremonial that I had written last
  time I did this several years ago, but somehomw did not have a copy of, so... 

  Aleyn is one of the senior members of the local Hospitallers, so they
  rounded up all of their water cans, filled them the night before, and left
  them in the sun all day. When we poured the bath about 9 pm, the water was
  perfect.

  Lessee...

  I set up the poster bed frame inside my pavilion, but didn't put the bed
  inside. Instead I covered the area with rugs and set the tub up against one
  of the long sides of the bed frame, which was against the back wall of the
  pavilion. Had all of the curtains up on the bedframe, and curtains between
  the corners of the bed and the pavilion wals, so there was space to stash
  things. I have two small folding tables, they fit exactly into the back
  corners at the ends of the tub. Covered those with cloths, one candelabrum
  each. The left hand one also got my pretty new Madonna statue (She is
  'vaihrry naihce'). There was a nice period chair in the empty corner of the
  frame, on the right, and on the left was the extra water, the basins and
  ewers, the rosewater, etc. I laid several layers of white sheeting in to
  line the tub, and then I stripped a whole bunch of fresh herbs into the
  bottom- rosemary, sage, lemon balm, beards of fennel, and oregano flowers.
  When we poured in the warm water it was really intense. And then I added
  rosewater.

  When we got everyone ready to go, my student Laurence, who is also a
  Hospitaller, stood at the door and read this portion of the script (which
  was sewn together from bits of texts including Geoffery de Charnay _Le
  Livre de Chevalerie_, the anonymous Ordene de Chevalerie, _Ouevres de
  Froissart_, and _Li Romans de Durmant le Galois_):

  (before entering the bath)

       "Before you is the Bath of Courtesy and
  Bounty. As you enter and dwell therein, reflect
  on your need to cleanse your body henceforth,
  from impurities of sin, and any dishonorable
  ways of life~ you shall leave any such
  impurities in the water, and as recalling the
  baptism of infants, you will come out of the
  water with clean conscience, emerging clean
  and pure as an infant from the font."

  Mavis snuck in and took pictures before Aleyn got into the water- I'm
  hoping they turn out.

  Aleyn stripped down and got into the tub, and I read the Pater Noster in
  Latin.

  Laurence read this portion as Aleyn bathed:

       "Think on these things as you ready
  yourself for the vigil before you.

       As a Peer of the realm, you must be freed
  from wickedness, so to win a place in Paradise.
       You must be willing to shed your blood in
  defense of God, and of the Crown you serve.
       You must often contemplate your own
  death, and thereby avoid pride.
       You must keep your body pure and avoid
  liscentiousness.
       You must hasten to action with the love of
  God and the honor of the Crown in your heart.
       You must preserve this inseperable pair of
  virtues~ Justice and loyalty.
       And always be ready to return your soul
  to God, rendering fair account for your
  deeds."

  I read the Ave Maria, and after washing his hair, the Credo.

  Then, as Aleyn was leaving the bath and dressing in clean white clothes,
  Laurence read:

       "Hold close these virtues: hardinesse or
  courage, loyalty, and prowess. Be always
  courteous and generous; be of fair speech.
  Ferocious shall you be against evil, while frank
  and debonair to friends."

  When Aleyn was dressed, but before leaving the pavilion:

       "And now remember this: Every new peer
  should make a good beginning. Remember
  these words here tonight, and Godspeed you to
  your new life."

  With the candles and the steam and the warm water, and everything, Aleyn
  said it was a most wonderful experience- and indeed made him feel as if he
  was experiencing a part of the Middle Ages for real. And me? "Yippee!!"

  And then we had to bail the tub. Hey- can't re-use the water if he's left
  his sins in it! I dated the man! I know some of those sins! Encouraged him
  in them even! ;-D)

  Was great fun and a worthwhile experience. He cried. I cried. I cried some
  more the next day during the ceremony. And then I had a nap!

  'Lainie
  bathmaiden to peers...

  ___________________________________________________________________________
  "Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is
  writing a book." -Cicero
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