Hawkins vi. 40. Speak not evill of one absent, for it is unjust to
detract from the worth of any, or besmeare a good name by
condemning, where the party is not present, to clear himselfe, or
undergo a rationall conviction.
90th. Being Set at meat Scratch not neither Spit Cough or blow your Nose
except there's a Necessity for it
Chapter viii. 2. Estant assis à table, ne vous grattez point, &
vous gardez tant que vous pourrez, de cracher, de tousser, de vous
moucher: que s'il y a necessité, faites-le adroitement, sans
beaucoup de bruit, en tournant le visage de costé.
Being seated at the table, do not scratch yourself, and if you can
help it, do not spit, cough, or blow your nose; should either be
necessary do it adroitly, with least noise, turning the face aside.
_(In the Washington MS. there is a notable omission of all that is
said in the French and English books concerning grace before meat.
At Washington's table grace was never said.)_
91st. Make no Shew of taking great Delight in your Victuals, Feed not
with Greediness; cut your Bread with a Knife, lean not on the Table
neither find fault with what you Eat.
Chapter viii. 3. Ne prenez pas vostre repas en gourmand.
4. Ne rompez point le pain auec les mains, mais auec le cousteau,
si ce n'estoit vn pain fort petil & tout frais, & que tous les
autres fissent de mesme, ou la pluspart.
5. Ne vous iettez pas sur table, à bras estendus iusques aux
coudes, & ne vous accostez pas indecemment les épaules ou les bras
sur vostre siege.
8. Ne monstrez nullement d'avoir pris plaisir à la viande, ou au
vin; mais si celuy que vous traittez, vous en demande vostre goust,
vous pourrez luy respondre avec modestie & prudence: beaucoup moins
faut il blasmer les viandes, ou en demander d'autres, ny dauantage.
3. Eat not like a glutton. (4.) Do not break the bread with your
hands, but with a knife; unless, indeed, it is a small and quite
fresh roll, and where the others present, or most of them, use
their hands. (5.) Do not throw yourself on the table, as far as the
elbows, nor unbecomingly rest shoulders or arms on your chair.
(8.) Do not make a show of taking delight in your food, or in the
wine; but if your host inquires your preference you should answer
with modesty and tact: whatever you do, do not complain of the
dishes, ask for others, or anything of that sort.
_(At Washington's table it was a custom to invite each guest to
call for the wine he preferred.)_
92d. Take no Salt or cut Bread with your Knife Greasy.
Chapter viii. 9. Prenant du sel, gardez que le cousteau ne soit
gras: quand il le faut nettoyer, ou la fourchette on le peut faire
honnestement auec vn peu de pain, ou comme il se pratique en
certains lieux, auec la serviette, mais iamais sur le pain entier.
In taking salt be careful that the knife is not greasy: when
necessary your knife or fork may with propriety be cleaned on a
piece of bread,--or, as is done in some places, with the
napkin,--but it must never be wiped on the whole loaf.
93d. Entertaining any one at table it is decent to present him w't meat,
Undertake not to help others undesired by y'e Master
Chapter viii. 10. Traittant quelqu'vn, il est de la bien-seance de
le seruir en table, & luy presenter des viandes, voire mesme de
celles qui sont proches de luy. Que si l'on estoit invité chez
autruy, il est plus à propos d'attendre que le Maistre ou vn autre
serue, que de prendre des viandes soy-mesme, si ce n'estoit que le
Maistre priast les conuiez de prendre librement, ou que l'on fust
en maison familiere. L'on se doit aussi peu ingerer à seruir les
autres hors de sa maison, où l'on avoir peu de pouuoir, n'étoit que
le nombre des conuiez fust grand, & que le Maistre de la maison ne
peust pas avoir l'oeil sur tout; Et pour lors l'on peut seruir ceux
qui sont proches de soy.
When entertaining any one it is polite to serve him at table and to
present the dishes to him, even such as are near him. When invited
by another it is more seemly to wait to be served by the host, or
some one else, than to take the dishes oneself, unless the host
begs the guests to help themselves freely, or one is at home in the
house. One ought also not to be officious in helping others when
out of one's own house, where one has but little authority, unless
the guests are very numerous and the host cannot attend to
everything; in that case we may help those nearest us.
[9]4th. If you Soak bread in the Sauce let it be no more than what you
put in your Mouth at a time and blow not your broth at Table but Stay
till Cools of it Self
Chapter viii. 14. Si vous trempez en la saulce le pain ou la chair,
ne les trempez pas derechef, apres y auoir mordu, trempez-y à
chaque fois vn morceau mediocre, qui se puisse manger tout d'vne
bouchée.
11. Ne soufflez point sur les viandes; mais si elles sont chaudes,
attendez qu'elles se refroidissent: le potage se pourra refroidir,
le remuant modestement auec la cuilliere, mais il ne sied pas bien
de humer son potage en table, il le faut prendre auec la cuilliere.
If you dip bread or meat into the gravy, do not do so immediately
after biting a piece off, but dip each time a moderately-sized
morsel which can be eaten at one mouthful. (11.) Do not blow on the
viands, but if they are hot, wait till they cool. Soup may be
cooled by stirring it gently with a spoon, but it is not becoming
to drink up the soup at table. It should be taken with a spoon.
95th. Put not your meat to your Mouth with your Knife in your hand
neither Spit forth the Stones of any fruit Pye upon a Dish nor cast
anything under the table
Chapter viii. 17. Ne portez pas le morceau à la bouche, tenant le
cousteau en la main, à la mode des villageois.
16. Aussi ne semble-il bien seant de cracher les noyaux de prunes,
cerises, ou autre chose semblable sur le plat; mais premierement on
doit les recueiller decemment, comme il a esté dit, en la main
gauche, l'approchant à la bouche, & puis les mettre sur le bord de
l'assiette.
[Sidenote: Maxim 15 is much longer]
15. L'on ne doit point jetter sous la table, ou par terre, les os,
les écorces, le vin ou autre chose semblable.
Do not carry a morsel to your mouth, knife in hand, like the
rustics. (16.) Moreover, it does not seem well bred to spit out the
kernels of prunes, cherries, or anything of the kind, on your
plate, but, as already said, they should be decently collected in
the left hand (raised to the mouth), and placed on the edge of the
plate. (15.) Bones, peel, wine, and the like, should not be thrown
under the table.
96th. Its unbecoming to Stoop much to one's Meat Keep your Fingers clean
& when foul wipe them on a Corner of your Table Napkin.
Chapter viii. 21. Il est messeant de se baisser beaucoup sur son
escuelle ou sur la viande, c'est assez de s'encliner vn peu lors
que l'on porte le morceau trempé à la bouche, de crainte de se
salir, & puis redresser la teste.
25. Ne vous nettoyez pas les mains à vostre pain, s'il est entier;
toutesfois les ayant fort grasses, il semble que vous les puissiez
nettoyer premierement à vn morceau de pain que vous ayez à manger
tout à l'heure & puis à la seruiette, afin de ne la point tant
salir: ce qui vous arriuera rarement, si vous sçauez vous seruir de
la cuilliere, & de la fourchette, selon le style des plus
honnestes. Beaucoup moins deuez vous lêcher les doigts,
principalement les sucçant auec grand bruit.
It is ill-bred to stoop too close to one's porringer or the meat.
It suffices to bend a little when conveying a soaked morsel to
one's mouth, in order to avoid soiling oneself, then straighten up
again. (25.) Do not clean your hands on a loaf; if very greasy you
might, it would seem, partly clean them on a bit of bread you are
about to eat, then on your napkin, so as not to soil the latter too
much: this will rarely happen if you know how to use spoon and
fork in the most approved manner. Much less should you lick your
fingers, especially not suck them noisily.
[9]7th. Put not another bit into your Mouth till the former be Swallowed
let not your Morsels be too big for the jowls
Chapter viii. 30. Ne portez pas le morceau à la bouche que l'autre
ne soil auallé, & que tous soient tels qu'ils ne fassent pas enfler
les jouës hors de mesure; ne vous seruez pas des deux mains pour
vous mettre le morceau à la bouche, mais seruez vous d'ordinaire de
la droite.
Carry not another morsel to the mouth till the other be swallowed,
and let each be such as will not stretch the jaws beyond measure;
do not take both hands to raise a morsel to the mouth, but,
usually, serve yourself with the right hand.
98th. Drink not nor talk with your mouth full neither Gaze about you
while you are a Drinking
Chapter viii. 32. Ne boiuez ayant le morceau en la bouche, ne
demandez point à boire, ne parlez, ne vous versez point à boire, &
ne boiuez cependant que vostre voisin boit, ou celuy qui est au
haut bout.