University of Virginia Library

Howe to order thy selfe syttynge at the table.

Capitulo .iiii.

O chyldren! geue eare
your duties to learne,
Howe at the table
you may your selues gouerne.
Presume not to hyghe,
I say, in no case;
In syttynge downe,
to thy betters geue place.
Suffer eche man
Fyrste serued to be,
For that is a poynte
Of good curtesie.
when they are serued,
then pause a space,
For that is a sygne
of nourture and grace.
Saulte with thy knyfe
then reache and take,
The breade cut fayre,
And do not it breake.
Thy spone with pottage
to full do not fyll,
For fylynge the cloth,
If thou fortune to spyll,
For rudnes it is
thy pottage to sup,
Or speake to any,
his head in the cup.
Thy knyfe se be sharpe
to cut fayre thy meate;
Thy mouth not to full
when thou dost eate;
Not smackynge thy lyppes,
As comonly do hogges,
Nor gnawynge the bones
As it were dogges;
Suche rudenes abhorre,
Suche beastlynes flie,
At the table behaue
thy selfe manerly.
Thy fyngers se cleane
that thou euer kepe,
Hauynge a Napkyn
thereon them to wype;
Thy mouth therwith
Cleane do thou make,
The cup to drynke
In hande yf thou take,
Let not thy tongue
At the table walke,
And of no matter
Neyther reason nor talke.
Temper thy tongue
and belly alway,
For “measure is treasure,”
the prouerbe doth say,
And measure in althynges
Is to be vsed;
what is without measure
Ought to be refused.
For silence kepynge
thou shalt not be shent,
where as thy speache
May cause thee repent.
Bothe speache and silence
are commendable,
But sylence is metest
In a chylde at the table.
And Cato doth saye,
that “in olde and yonge
The fyrste of vertue
Is to kepe thy tonge.”
Pyke not thy teethe
at the table syttynge,
Nor vse at thy meate
Ouer muche spytynge;
this rudnes of youth
Is to be abhorde;
thy selfe manerly
Behaue at the borde.
If occasion of laughter
at the table thou se,
Beware that thou vse
the same moderately.
Of good maners learne
So muche as thou can;
It wyll thee preferre
when thou art a man.
Aristotle the Philosopher
this worthy sayinge writ,
That “maners in a chylde
are more requisit
then playnge on instrumentes
and other vayne pleasure;
For vertuous maners
Is a most precious treasure.”
Let not this saynge
In no wyse thee offende,
For playnge of instrumentes
He doth not discommende,
But doth graunt them
for a chylde necessary,
Yet maners muche more
see here he doth vary.
Refuse not his councell,
Nor his wordes dispise;
To vertue and knowledge
By them mayste thou ryse.