" The mouth should always be kept closed in eating, and both eating and drinking should be noiseless. The mouth should always be wiped with the napkin both before and after drinking. A wineglass is held by the stem, and not by the bowl. Never drink a glassful at once, nor drain the last drop. No one should refuse when asked to drink with another. It is sufficient, however, to fasten your eye upon the eye of the one asking you, bow the head slightly, touch the glass to your lips, and again bow before setting it down. Bread is broken at dinner. Vegetables are eaten with a fork. Asparagus can be taken up with the fingers, if so preferred. Olives and artichokes are always so eaten. Fish and fruit are served with silver knives and forks. If silver fish-knives are not provided, a piece of bread in the left hand answers the purpose as well, with the fork in the right. In England, it is considered to be underbred even to transfer the fork to the right hand. It is well to observe what others do when doubts exist, as customs differ everywhere. Bread should not be broken into the soup, nor the "soup-plate tilted for the last spoonful, nor the last fragment of bread, and last morsel of food eaten. Leave a little for manners. " Finger-glasses are used for the last course. Remove the d'oyley to the left hand, and place the finger-glass upon it as soon as the dessert-plate has been placed before you. The dinner napkin is to be used for wiping the fingers, and never the d'oyley, unless at family dinners, where colored ones are used." " Brillat Savarin, in his 'Physiologic du Gout,' speaks of finger-glasses in connection with the small goblet of water, which is sometimes placed in them, as, 'equally useless, indecent, and disgusting; useless, for among all those who know how to eat, the mouth remains clean to the end of the repast; as to the hands, one should know how to use them without soiling them; indecent, for it is generally a recognized principle that every ablution should be hidden in the privacy of the toilette.' He brings the goblet under the head disgusting, picturing the offensiveness of its use in most graphic language." "The law of the table is Beauty, — a respect to the common soul of every guest. Every- thing is unseasonable which is private to two or three or any portion of the company." " There are many persons, besides those who sin through ignorance, who seem to be well bred in other respects, and yet consider table etiquette of too little importance to keep up with the changes in fashion. They judge wrongly. Things trivial in themselves go far towards making people attractive to others or otherwise. Besides, it is always un- pleasant to find one's self ignorant of the usages of polite society." TABLE-TALK. If thou be master gunner, speak not all That thou canst speak at once, but husband it, And give men turns at speech. Do not foiesta!, By lavishness, thine own and other's wit, As if thou mad'st thy will. A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast, JESSICA. — Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. LORENZO. — I will anon; first, let us go to dinner. JESSICA. — Nay, let me praise you while I have a stomach. LORENZO. — No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk; Then howsoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things, I shall digest it. — THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

" The mouth should always be kept closed in eating, and both eating and drinking should be noiseless. The mouth should always be wiped with the napkin both before and after drinking. A wineglass is held by the stem, and not by the bowl. Never drink a glassful at once, nor drain the last drop. No one should refuse when asked to drink with another. It is sufficient, however, to fasten your eye upon the eye of the one asking you, bow the head slightly, touch the glass to your lips, and again bow before setting it down. Bread is broken at dinner. Vegetables are eaten with a fork. Asparagus can be taken up with the fingers, if so preferred. Olives and artichokes are always so eaten. Fish and fruit are served with silver knives and forks. If silver fish-knives are not provided, a piece of bread in the left hand answers the purpose as well, with the fork in the right. In England, it is considered to be underbred even to transfer the fork to the right hand. It is well to observe what others do when doubts exist, as customs differ everywhere. Bread should not be broken into the soup, nor the "soup-plate tilted for the last spoonful, nor the last fragment of bread, and last morsel of food eaten. Leave a little for manners. " Finger-glasses are used for the last course. Remove the doily to the left hand, and place the finger-glass upon it as soon as the dessert-plate has been placed before you. The dinner napkin is to be used for wiping the fingers, and never the doily, unless at family dinners, where colored ones are used." " Brillat Savarin, in his 'Physiologic du Gout,' speaks of finger-glasses in connection with the small goblet of water, which is sometimes placed in them, as, 'equally useless, indecent, and disgusting; useless, for among all those who know how to eat, the mouth remains clean to the end of the repast; as to the hands, one should know how to use them without soiling them; indecent, for it is generally a recognized principle that every ablution should be hidden in the privacy of the toilette.' He brings the goblet under the head disgusting, picturing the offensiveness of its use in most graphic language." "The law of the table is Beauty, — a respect to the common soul of every guest. Everything is unseasonable which is private to two or three or any portion of the company." " There are many persons, besides those who sin through ignorance, who seem to be well bred in other respects, and yet consider table etiquette of too little importance to keep up with the changes in fashion. They judge wrongly. Things trivial in themselves go far towards making people attractive to others or otherwise. Besides, it is always unpleasant to find one's self ignorant of the usages of polite society." TABLE-TALK. If thou be master gunner, speak not all That thou canst speak at once, but husband it, And give men turns at speech. Do not foiesta!, By lavishness, thine own and other's wit, As if thou mad'st thy will. A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast, JESSICA. — Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. LORENZO. — I will anon; first, let us go to dinner. JESSICA. — Nay, let me praise you while I have a stomach. LORENZO. — No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk; Then howsoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things, I shall digest it. — THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.

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