98 — ¶ Certaine Table Lessons
1
Friend, eat lesse, and drinke lesse,1 and buie thee a knife,
else looke for a caruer not alway too rife.
Some kniueles their daggers for brauerie weare,
that often for surfetting neede not to feare.E472
2
At dinner and supper the table doth craue
good fellowly neighbour good manner to haue.
Aduise thee well therefore, ere tongue be too free,
or slapsauce be noted too saucie to bee.
3
If anything wanteth or seemeth amis,
to call for or shew it, good maner it is.
But busie fault finder, and saucie withall,
is roister like ruffen, no manner at all.
4
Some cutteth the napkin, some trencher will nick,
some sheweth like follie, in many a trick.
Let such apish2 bodie so toieng at meate,
go toie with his nodie, like ape in the streate.E473
5
Some commeth vnsent for, not for thy good cheere,
but sent3 as a spiall, to listen and heere.
Which being once knowne, for a knaue let him go,
for knaue will be knauish, his nature is so.
Notes
1 eateles and drinkles. 1577.
2 Let apishle. 1577.
3 bent. 1577.