d then surfeiting and drunkenness which
they rather fall into for want of heed taking than wilfully following
or delighting in those errors of set mind and purpose. It may be that
divers of them living at home, with hard and pinching diet, small
drink, and some of them having scarce enough of that, are soonest
overtaken when they come into such banquets, howbeit they take it
generally as no small disgrace if they happen to be cupshotten, so
that it is a grief unto them, though now sans remedy, sith the thing
is done and past. If the friends also of the wealthier sort come to
their houses from far, they are commonly so welcome till they depart
as upon the first day of their coming; whereas in good towns and
cities, as London, etc., men oftentimes complain of little room, and,
in reward of a fat capon or plenty of beef and mutton largely bestowed
upon them in the country, a cup of wine or beer with a napkin to wipe
their lips and an "You are heartily welcome!" is thought to be a great
entertainment; and therefore the old country clerks have framed this
saying in that behalf, I mean upon the entertainment of townsmen and
Londoners after the days of their abode, in this manner:

"Primus jucundus, tollerabilis estque secundus,
Tertius est vanus, sed fetet quatriduanus."

[2] Neither "silent" nor "garrulous."

The bread throughout the land is made of such grain as the soil
yieldeth; nevertheless the gentility commonly provide themselves
sufficiently of wheat for their own tables, whilst their household and
poor neighbours in some shires are forced to content themselves with
rye, or barley, yea, and in time of dearth, many with bread made
either of beans, peas, of oats, or of altogether and some acorns
among, of which scourge the poorest do soonest taste, sith they are
least able to provide themselves of better. I will not say that this
extremity is oft so well to be seen in time of plenty as of dearth,
but, if I should, I could easily bring my trial. For, albeit that
there be much more ground eared now almost in every place than hath
been of late years, yet such a price of corn continueth in each town
and market without any just cause (except it be that landlords do get
licences to carry corn out of the land only to keep up the prices for
their own private gains and ruin of the commonwealth), that the
artificer and poor labouring man is not able to reach unto it, but is
driven to content himself with horse co