Frederick James Furnivall

“ Do not carry your knife to your mouth with food, or hold the meat with your hands in any wise; and also if divers good meats are brought to you, look that with all courtesy ye assay of each; and if your dish be taken away with its meat and another brought courtesy demands that ye shall let it go and not ask for it back again. ”

“ And first of all, I think to show how you babies who dwell in households, should ’have yourselves when ye be set at meat, and how when men bid you be merry, you should be ready with lovely, sweet and benign words. ”

“ A Matter of Manners IN this present day, when chivalry has achieved at last its perfect bloom, it is hard to realize that but a scant four centuries ago the children of even the very best families in England had to be taught their table manners. ”

“ Today the graces of deportment come by nature to our youth; and the generation that has produced the immortal Rollo can not comprehend the rude manners of the “bela babee,” or beautiful well-born boy of Queen Elizabeth’s time. ”

“ When you enter your lord’s place, say “God speed,” and with humble cheer greet all who are there present. Do not rush in rudely, but enter with head up and at an easy pace, and kneel on one knee only to your lord or sovereign, whichever he be. ”

“ But oh, young babies, whom blood royal hath endowed with grace, comeliness, and high ability, it is on you I call to know this book, for it were great pity but that ye added to sovereign beauty virtue and good manners. Therefore I speak to you specially, and not [Pg 12] to old men expert in governance, decorum, and honest manners, for what need is to give pangs to Hell, joy to Heaven, water to the sea, or heat to fire already hot? ”