[The Ambassadors from Aragon were in England for 58 days, and their expenses are recorded for each day, including those spent on their brief trip to Canterbury and back. There were four ambassadors plus an unknown number of servants. The expenditures for the dates recorded below are typical, and give some idea of the diets of the upper classes.]

Tuesday, 30th day of July [in London]:
for white bread, 21 pence; beer, 6 pence; 20 half-flagons of wine at at four pence each, six shilling ten pence; fuel, 13 pence; meat dish of pork, 13 pence; meat dish of mutton, 2 shillings 8 pence; meat dish of beef, 18 pence; 2 suckling pigs, 16 pence; 6 ducks at 3 pence, 18 pence; 4 chickens and baked pork meat dish, 3 shillings 6 pence; spices, 4 pence; plums and pears, 8 pence; Romney wine [a sweet wine], 6 pence; meat dish of veal, 12 pence; 24 pigeons, 15 pence; 8 pullets at 2 pence, 20 pence; vinegar and mustard, 4 pence; candles, 8 pence; hay, 3 shillings 9 pence half-penny; 5 bushels oats at 8 pence, 3 shillings 4 pence; horse-bread[a mixture of beans, bran, etc.], 3 shillings 7 pence half-penny, and for beds, 4 pence.

Total -- 39 shillings 3 pence.

[Journey to Canterbury and back, 4 days.]

Wednesday, last day of July: at Dartford, at dinner [prandium]:
for white bread, 16 pence; beer, 3 pence half-penny; 8 flagons and one-half of wine at 6 pence, 4 shillings 3 pence; half-flagon Romeny wine [sweet wine], 8 pence; fuel, 8 pence; meat dish of beef and mutton, 16 pence; 3 capons at 8 pence, 2 shillings; 12 chickens at 2 pence, 2 shillings; 12 pigeons, 12 pence; salted butter, 2 pence; spices, 2 pence; fish, 16 pence; fruit, 9 pence; hay, 16 pence half-penny; horse-bread, 19 pence; 3 and one-half bushels oats at 6 pence; 21 pence.

Supper [cena] at Rochester:
for white bread, 14 pence; beer, 4 pence; 7 flagons wine at 6 pence, 3 shillings; fuel, 3 pence half-penny; meat dish of mutton, 16 pence; eggs, 6 pence; eels, 3 pence; candles, 4 pence; hay 2 shillings 8 pence; straw, 6 pence; horse-bread, 22 pence; 3 bushels and one half oats at 6 pence, 2 shillings 3 pence; and for beds, 3 pence.

Total -- 38 shillings 8 pence half-penny

Thursday, first day of August, at Ospringe, at dinner [prandium]:
for white bread, 21 pence; beer, 3 pence; 8 flagons of wine at 6 pence, 4 shillngs; meat dish of beef and mutton, 6 shillings 3 pence; 2 suckling pigs, 16 pence; 8 chickens at 2 pence, 16 pence; fuel and salt, 4 pence; bacon, 3 pence; hay, 12 pence, horse-bread 18 pence; 2 bushels and a half oats at 6 pence, 15 pence; pears, 4 pence.

Supper at Canterbury:
for white bread, 9 pence, beer, 2 pence; 8 flagons wine at 6 pence, 4 shillings; 3 capons at 8 pence, 2 shillings; meat dish of mutton, 12 pence; 6 ducks at 3 pence, 18 pence; fuel, 4 pence half-penny; candles, 4 pence; hay, 2 shillings 1 pence; straw, 6 pence; horse-bread, 12 pence; 4 bushels and a half oats at 6 pence, 2 shillings 4 pence; for beds, 3 pence.

Total -- 37 shillings half-penny

Friday, second day of August, at Sittingburn, at dinner:
for white bread, 14 pence; beer, 2 pence; 8 flagons and a quarter wine at 6 pence, 4 shillings 1 pence half-penny; butter, 3 pence; fuel, 4 pence; salt and mustard, 4 pence; eels, 4 shillings; 4 mullets at 11 pence, 3 shillings 8 pence; fresh salmon, 3 shillings; salt fish, 11 pence; stockfish, 11 pence; shrimp, 7 pence; pears, 6 pence; spices, 4 pence; hay, 16 pence half-penny; horse-bread, 18 pence.
Supper at Rochester:
for white bread, 12 pence half-penny, 8 flagons and a half wine at 6 pence, 4 shillings 3 pence; eggs, 4 pence; salt fish, 13 pence; salt and fuel, 4 pence; beds, 4 pence; hay, 2 pence; hay, 2 shillings; straw, 4 pence; horse-bread, 19 pence; and for 4 bushels and a half oats at 6 pence, 2 shillings 3 pence.
Total -- 37 shillings 1 pence half-penny

Saturday, third day of August, at Dartford, for dinner:
for white bread, 16 pence; 7 flagons wine at 6 pence, 3 shillings 6 pence; butter, 4 pence; eggs, 6 pence; stockfish, 2 shillings; eels, 3 pence; smelt, 12 pence; 2 trout, 2 shillings 7 pence; baked eels, 8 pence; oysters, 3 pence; pears, 3 pence; hay, 19 pence half-penny; horse-bread, 21 pence; 4 bushels 1 peck oats at 8 pence, 2 shilings 8 pence; feul and salt, 5 pence.
Supper at London:
for white bread 14 pence; beer, 3 pence; 6 flagons wine at 4 pence, 2 shillings; pears, 2 pence; eggs, 8 pence; candles, 6 pence; hay, 2 shillings, 1 pence; bread for horses, 16 pence; 4 bushels oats at 8 pence, 2 shillings 8 pence; salt and fuel, 3 pence; 3 ounces of confections (comfits) at 4 pence, 12 pence; beds, 4 pence; fish, 8 pence; salt salmon, 13 pence; and for stockfish, 18 pence.

Total -- 37 shillings, 11 pence.

Sunday, fourth day of August, at London:
for white bread, 19 pence; beer, 3 pence; 16 flagons wine at 4 pence, 5 shillings 4 pence; pears, 6 pence; meat dish of beef, 6 shillings 1 pence; meat dish of mutton, 13 pence; 4 baked chickens, 2 shillings, meat dish of baked pork, 6 pence; 2 geese, 16 pence; 12 pigeons, 10 pence; salt and fuel, 10 pence; meat dish of mutton and veal, 2 shillings 3 pence; eight chickens at 2 pence, 16 pence; 6 rabbits, 15 pence; 12 pigeons, 12 pence; hay, four shillings 4 pence half-penny; straw, 4 pence; 4 bushels and a half oats at 8 pence, 3 shillings; beds, 4 pence; horse-bread, 3 shillings 10 pence half-penny; spices 3 pence.

Total -- 38 shillings 4 pence half-penny

Monday, fifth day of August, same [place as above], dinner:
for white bread, 13 pence; beer, 3 pence; 8 flagons and one quarter wine at 4 pence, 2 shillings 9 pence; meat dish of beef and mutton, 3 shillings 9 pence; 2 geese, 16 pence; 6 teles [teals?] at 2 pence half-penny, 15 pence; 4 baked chickens, 15 pence; meat dish of baked pork, 4 pence; fish, 14 pence; salt, 1 pence; hay, 22 pence half-penny; horse-bread, 2 shillings 8 pencel; fuel, 4 pence.

Supper at Kingston [Surrey]:
for white bread, 9 pence half-penny; beer, 3 pence; 8 flagons wine at 6 pence, 3 shillings; 2 capons, 16 pence; meat dish of mutton, 3 shillings 9 pence; fuel, 6 pence; candles, 6 pence; hay, 3 shillings 5 pence half-penny; 4 bushels oats at 6 pence, 2 shillings; horse-bread, 3 shillings 1 pence; and for beds, 6 pence.

Total -- 38 shillings, 10 pence half-penny

Tuesday, sixth day of August, at Guildford [Surrey], dinner:
for white bread, 14 pence half-penny; beer, 3 pence half-penny; 8 flagons and a half wine at 6 pence, 4 shillings 3 pence; meat dish of beef and mutton, 2 shillings 3 pence; one capon, 9 pence; 8 chickens at 2 pence half-penny, 20 pence; 12 pigeons, 10 pence; fuel and salt, 10 pence; pears, 2 pence; hay, 2 shillings 7 pence; horse-bread, 2 shillings 3 pence half-penny; 2 bushels 1 peck oats at 6 pence, 14 pence half-penny; cheese, 12 pence.

Supper at Farnham [Surrey]:
for bread, 11 pence half-penny; beer, 3 pence half-penny; 9 flagons and a half wine at 6 pence, 4 shillings 9 pence; meat dish of mutton, 2 shillings 6 pence half-penny; 2 capons, 18 pence; 8 chickens, 16 pence; pears, 4 pence; candles, 6 pence; beds, 6 pence; fuel, 6 pence; hay, 2 shillings 8 pence half-penny; 2 bushels and a half oats at 8 pence, 13 pence; horse-bread, 2 shillings 1 pence half-penny; and for salt, 1 pence.

Total -- 39 shillings 1 pence.

Translated from Analogues of Chaucer's Pilgrimage, ed. R.E.G. Kirk and F.J. Furnivall, Chaucer Society, London, 1908, pp. 5-7. [Widener 11483.36]