George Washington is disgusted by your behavior.

By DonkeyHotey

Over at The Edge, I was reminded that as a teenager, George Washington wrote down over a hundred “Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation.”

Many of these rules have to do with spit (a.k.a. spittle, looches, saliva, etc.). I’ve slightly updated their spelling:

• Spit not in the fire, nor stoop low before it [lest we see your butt!].
• Bedew no man’s face with your spittle, by approaching too near him when you speak.
• Kill no vermin as fleas, lice, or ticks in the sight of others. If you see any filth or thick spittle [on the ground], put your foot upon it...
• If you soak bread in the sauce, let it be no more than what you put in your mouth at a time. 
• Neither spit forth the stones of any fruit upon a dish nor cast anything under the table.
• Put not another bit into your mouth till the last one be swallowed. Let not your morsels be too big for the gowls [jowels? mouth?].
• Cleanse not your teeth with the table cloth, napkin, fork or knife, but if others do it let it be done with a pick tooth. [And watch out for the spittle!]