If you are sitting at the table of a rich man, do not open up your mouth. Do not think, there is much here to feast upon. Rather, remember that a jealous eye is a wicked thing. Do not reach for what another is looking at, so that your hand doesn't collide with his in the bowl. Consider what your neighbor likes and doesn't like. Do not eat greedily, lest you be hated. Be the first to leave off, for manners' sake, and so you don't cause any offense. Do not be the first to reach out when you are sitting with many others at the table. A well-mannered man is satisfied with little and can sleep well, because his stomach is kept at a moderate size, and he feels well again in the morning. But an insatiable glutton sleeps fitfully; he has stomach pains and abdominal pain. If you have been forced to eat, then vomit and go away so that you will have rest. Everything you do, do it eagerly, so you will not become ill. Men praise a hospitable man. Men judge a miser. Don't be a hero in drinking wine, for it kills many people. Fire tests steel, if it is dipped into the water; so wine tests the proud when they begin to quarrel. Wine quickens the heart if it is drunk in its measure. What is life without wine? Wine is created to make men glad at the right time. Too much wine causes strife and wounded hearts. Drunkenness makes fools even more foolish, until they fall down. Do not rebuke your neighbor when drinking wine; do not speak reproachful words and do not pressure him if he owes you a debt.
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