No More Learning

_ is: '1463 _Bury Wills_
(Camden) 40, I beqwethe to Davn John Kertelynge my silvir forke for
grene gyngour. '

Cf. Dekker, _Guls Horne-booke_, _Non-dram. Wks. _ 2. 211: 'Oh golden
world, the suspicious Venecian carued not his meate with a siluer
pitch-forke. ' B. & Fl. , _Queen of Corinth_ 4. 1 (quoted by Gifford):

It doth express th' enamoured courtier,
As full as your fork-carving traveler.

_Fox_, _Wks. _ 3. 261:

--Then must you learn the use
And handling of your silver fork at meals,
The metal of your glass; (these are main matters
With your Italian;)

Coryat has much to say on the subject (_Crudities_ 1. 106): 'I
obserued a custome in all those Italian Cities and Townes through
the which I passed, that is not vsed in any other country that I
saw in my trauels, neither doe I thinke that any other nation of
Christendome doth vse it, but only Italy. The Italian and also most
strangers that are commorant in Italy, doe alwaies in their meales
vse a little forke when they cut their meate.
For while with their
knife which they hold in one hand they cut the meate out of the
dish, they fasten their forke which they hold in their other hand
vpon the same dish, so that whatsoeuer he be that sitting in the
company of any others at meale, should vnadvisedly touch the dish of
meate with his fingers from which all at the table doe cut, he will
giue occasion of offence vnto the company, as hauing transgressed
the lawes of good manners. . . . This forme of feeding I vnderstand is
generally vsed in all places of Italy, their forkes being for the
most part made of yron or steele, and some of siluer, but those are
vsed only by Gentlemen. ' Coryat carried this custom home with him to
England, for which a friend dubbed him _furcifer_. This passage is
doubtless the source of Jonson's lines. Compare the last sentence of
the quotation with lines 30, 31 of this scene.

=5. 4. 23, 4 on my priuate, By cause. = See variants. There is no
necessity for change. Cf. 1616 Sir R. Dudley in _Fortesc.