Demeanour in Serving at the Table
Stand straight upright, and both thy feet together closely standing;
Be sure on’t, ever let thine eye be still at thy commanding.
Observe that nothing wanting be which should be on the board.
Unless a question movéd be, be careful—not a word.
If thou do fill or give the drink, with duty set it down;
And take it back with manlike cheer, not like a rustic clown.
If on an errand thou be sent, make haste and do not stay;
When all have done, observe the time, serve God and take away.[[353]]
When thou hast done and dinéd well, remember thou repair
To school again with carefulness; be that thy chiefest care.
And mark what shall be read to thee, or given thee to learn;
That apprehend as near as may be; wisdom so doth warn.
With steadfast eye and careful ear, remember every word
Thy schoolmaster shall speak to thee, as memory shall afford.
Let not thy brows be backward drawn, it is a sign of pride.
Exalt them not, it shows a heart most arrogant, beside.
Nor let thine eyes be glumly[[354]] down cast, with a hanging look,
For that to dreamers doth belong, that goodness cannot brook.
Let forehead joyful be and full, it shows a merry part,
And cheerfulness in countenance, and pleasantness of heart.
Nor wrinkled let thy countenance be, still going to and fro,
For that belongs to hedgehogs[[354]] right; they wallow even so.
Nor imitate with Socrates[[354]] to wipe thy snivelled nose
Upon thy cap, as he would do, nor yet upon thy clothes.
But keep it clean with handkerchief provided for the same,
Not with thy fingers or thy sleeve; therein thou art to blame.
Blow not aloud as thou shalt stand, for that is most absurd,
Just like a broken-winded horse; it is to be abhorred.
Nor practice snufflingly to speak, for that doth imitate
The brutish stork[[355]] and elephant, yea, and the wauling[[356]] cat.
If thou perforce do chance to sneeze, then backwards turn away
From presence of the company wherein thou art to stay.
Thy cheeks with shamefaced modesty dipped in Dame Nature’s dye,
Not counterfeit nor pufféd out—observe it carefully.
Keep close thy mouth, for why? Thy breath may hap to give offence,
And other worse may be repaid for further recompense.
Nor put thy lips out like a fool, as thou would’st kiss a horse,
When thou before thy betters art, and what is ten times worse,
To gape in such unseemly sort, with ugly, gaping mouth,
Is like an image picturéd[[357]] a-blowing from the south.
Which to avoid, then turn about, and with a napkin hide
That gaping, foul deformity, when thou art so aside.
To laugh at all things thou shalt hear is neither good nor fit;
It shows the property and form of one with little wit.
To bite the lip, it seemeth base, for why? To lay it open,
Most base, dissembling doggedness, most sure, it doth betoken.
And so to bite the upper lip doth most uncomely show;
The lips set close[[358]] (as like to kiss), in manner seem not so.
To put the tongue out wantonly and draw it in again,
Betokens mocking of thyself, in all the eyes of men.
If spitting chance to move thee so thou canst it not forbear,
Remember, do it modestly, consider who is there.
If filthiness or ordure thou upon the floor do cast,
Tread out and cleanse it with thy foot—let that be done with haste.
Thy head, let that be combed and trimmed, let not thy hair be long;
It is unseemly to the eye, rebukéd by the tongue.
If in thy tale thou hammering[[359]] stand, or coughing twixt thy words,
It doth betoken a liar’s smell—that’s all that it affords.
To belch or bulch like Clitipho,[[360]] whom Terence setteth forth,
Commendeth manners to be base, most foul and nothing worth.
If thou to vomit be constrained, avoid from company,
So shall it better be excused, if not through gluttony.
Keep white thy teeth and wash thy mouth with water pure and clean;
And in that washing, mannerly observe and keep a mean.
And be not like a slothful wight, delighted to hang down
Thy head, and lift the shoulders up, nor with thy brows to frown.
To carry up the body fair is decent and doth show
A comely grace in any one, wherever he doth go.
To hang the head on any side doth show hypocrisy;
And who shall use it, trust him not—he deals with policy.
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And in thy sitting use a mean, as may become thee well,
Not straddling, no, nor tottering, and dangling like a bell.
Observe in courtesy to take a rule of decent kind:
Bend not thy body too far forth, nor back thy leg behind.
In going, keep a decent gait, not feigning lame or broken,
For that doth seem but wantonness, and foolishness betoken.
Let thy apparel not exceed to pass for sumptuous cost,
Nor altogether be too base, for so thy credit’s lost.
Be modest in thy wearing it, and keep it neat and clean,
For spotted, dirty or the like is loathsome to be seen.
This for thy body may suffice, how thou must ordered be,
Now at the church thou shalt observe, to God how all must be.
[Then follows How to Behave Thyself at the Church, much as in Seager, p. 154.]