[Sca-cooks] Above/Below the Salt was Greetings

[Suey]

Terry Decker wrote:
> Interesting that all these references are 15th or 16th Century.
>
> Bear
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>
> There?s a 1597?
>
> *1597* Bp. Hall /Sat./ ii. vi, That he do, on no default, Euer presume
> to sit aboue the salt.
>
> ? *1599* B. Jonson /Cynthia's Rev./ ii. ii. (1616) 200 Hee neuer drinkes
> below the salt.
>
> ? *1602* Dekker /Honest Wh./ D, Set him beneath the salt and let him not
> touch a bit, till euery one has had his full cut.
>
> ? *1658* /Wit Restor'd/ 43 Hee..humbly sate Below the Salt, and munch'd
> his Sprat.
>
> also
>
> now it is well knowen, that saltabove all other things causeth leannesse.
> Plutarch The philosophie 1603
>
> You nere presume to fit above the salt, from  1639
>
> The unnaturall combat. A tragedie. The sc?ne Marsellis. Written by
> Philip Massinger. As it was presented by the Kings Majesties Servants at
> the Globe.
>
> 1609 Dekker /Gull's Horn-bk./ Wks. (Grosart) II. 244 You may giue any
> Iustice of peace, or yong Knight (if he sit but one degree towards the
> Equinoctiall of the Salt-seller) leaue to pay for the wine.
>
> I suspect we'll have to dig into the books of manners for this.
>
> Johnnae
>
>
>
>   
I have spent the afternoon trying to disprove this but all I come up 
with is that no one wrote about it much when the nef was a salt cellar 
in English or Spanish perhaps we should be looking more at French and 
German. From the 16th C on we have trencher salt in England so the nef 
becomes a table ornament only but some of the prettiest museum pieces 
are before the 16th C. Florilegium has at least two pieces mentioning 
the nef but they do not satisfy this question as far as I can see. Yes, 
I tried Furnivall's Babees' Book. I sure there must be something there 
but did not hit upon it. Hendrick's Fast and Feast leaves me hot and 
cold. Like Wilson at times I question where her information is from.
Suey