ame denotes, it was the street of the bakers; for our
ancestors did not give names, as we do, without reason, for mere
distinction's sake. If a town gate bore the name of York Gate, that was
equivalent to a signpost, showing that it opened on the York road. They
made history and topography, where we only make confusion.

The fat, flour-besprinkled baker at the Harp, in Bread Street, was in
full tide of business. His shelves were occupied by the eight different
kinds of bread in common use--wassel, used only by knights and squires;
cocket, the kind in ordinary use by smaller folk; maslin, a mixture of
wheat, oats, and barley; barley, rye, and brown bread, the fare of
tradesmen and monks; oaten, the food of the poorest; and horse bread.
There were two or three varieties finer and better than these, only used
by the nobles, which were therefore made at home, and not commonly to be
found at the baker's: simnel, manchet or chet, and paynemayne or _pain
de main_ (a corruption of _panis dominicus_). We read also of _pain le
Rei_, or the King's bread, but this may be paynemayne under another
name. Even in the large towns, at that time, much of the baking was
done at home; and the chief customers of the bakers were the cookshops
or eating houses, with such private persons as had not time or
convenience to prepare their own bread. The price of bread at this time
does not appear to be on record; but about seventy years later, four
loaves were sold for a penny. [Note 1.]

The cooks, who lived mainly in Eastcheap and along the water-side, of
course had to provide bread of various kinds, to suit their different
customers; and a young man, armed with a huge basket, came to have it
filled with all varieties. Another young man had entered after him, and
now stood waiting by the wall till the former should have finished his
business.

"Now then," said the baker, turning to the man in waiting, as the other
trudged forth with his basket: "what shall I serve you with?"

"I don't want you to serve me; I want to serve you," was the answer.

The baker looked him over with a good-natured but doubtful expression.

"Want to serve me, do you? Whence come you?"

"I'm an upland man." [From the country.]

"Got any one to speak for you?"

"A pair of eyes, a pair of hands, a fair wit, and a good will to work."

The fat baker looked amused. "And an honest repute, eh?" said he.

"I have it, but I can't give it you, except from my wi