made, she was soon reconciled, and by degrees grew
extremely tender of me.

It was about twelve at noon, and a servant brought in dinner. It was
only one substantial dish of meat (fit for the plain condition of an
husbandman), in a dish of about four-and-twenty feet diameter. The
company were the farmer and his wife, three children, and an old
grandmother. When they were set down, the farmer placed me at some
distance from him on the table, which was thirty feet high from the
floor. I was in a terrible fright, and kept as far as I could from the
edge, for fear of falling. The wife minced a bit of meat, then
crumbled some bread on a trencher, and placed it before me. I made her
a low bow, took out my knife and fork, and fell to eat, which gave
them exceeding delight. The mistress sent her maid for a small dram
cup, which held about two gallons, and filled it with drink; I took up
the vessel with much difficulty in both hands, and in a most
respectful manner drank to her ladyship's health, expressing the words
as loud as I could in English, which made the company laugh so
heartily that I was almost deafened with the noise. This liquor tasted
like a small cider, and was not unpleasant. Then the master made me a
sign to come to his trencher-side; but as I walked on the table, being
in great surprise all the time, as the indulgent reader will easily
conceive and excuse, I happened to stumble against a crust, and fell
flat on my face, but received no hurt. I got up immediately, and
observing the good people to be in much concern, I took my hat (which
I held under my arm out of good manners), and waving it over my head,
made three huzzas, to show I had got no mischief by my fall. But
advancing forward towards my master (as I shall henceforth call him),
his youngest son, who sat next him, an arch boy of about ten years
old, took me up by the legs, and held me so high in the air that I
trembled every limb; but his father snatched me from him, and at the
same time gave him such a box on the left ear as would have felled an
European troop of horse to the earth, ordering him to be taken from
the table. But being afraid the boy might owe me a spite, and well
remembering how mischievous all children among us naturally are to
sparrows, rabbits, young kittens, and puppy dogs, I fell on my knees,
and pointing to the boy, made my master to understand as well as I
could that I desired his son might be pardoned. The father complied,
and t