o deal far otherwise; for, albeit
that some of them do suffer their jaws to go oft before their claws, and
divers of them, by making good cheer, do hinder themselves and other men,
yet the wiser sort can handle the matter well enough in these junkettings,
and therefore their frugality deserveth commendation. To conclude, both
the artificer and the husbandman are sufficiently liberal, and very
friendly at their tables; and, when they meet, they are so merry without
malice, and plain without inward Italian or French craft and subtlety,
that it would do a man good to be in company among them. Herein only are
the inferior sort somewhat to be blamed, that, being thus assembled, their
talk is now and then such as savoureth of scurrility and ribaldry, a thing
naturally incident to carters and clowns, who think themselves not to be
merry and welcome if their foolish veins in this behalf be never so little
restrained. This is moreover to be added in these meetings, that if they
happen to stumble upon a piece of venison and a cup of wine or very strong
beer or ale (which latter they commonly provide against their appointed
days), they think their cheer so great, and themselves to have fared so
well, as the Lord Mayor of London, with whom, when their bellies be full,
they will not often stick to make comparison, because that of a subject
there is no public officer of any city in Europe that may compare in port
and countenance with him during the time of his office.

I might here talk somewhat of the great silence that is used at the tables
of the honourable and wiser sort generally over all the realm (albeit that
too much deserveth no commendation, for it belongeth to guests neither to
be _muti_ nor _loquaces_), likewise of the moderate eating and drinking
that is daily seen, and finally of the regard that each one hath to keep
himself from the note of surfeiting and drunkenness (for which cause salt
meat, except beef, bacon, and pork, are not any whit esteemed, and yet
these three may not be much powdered); but, as in rehearsal thereof I
should commend the nobleman, merchant, and frugal artificer, so I could
not clear the meaner sort of husbandmen and country inhabitants of very
much babbling (except it be here and there some odd yeoman), with whom he
is thought to be the merriest that talketh of most ribaldry or the wisest
man that speaketh fastest among them, and now and then surfeiting and
drunkenness which they rather fall into