Chapter 27

vous leur laisserez tousiours la place honorable, qui est celle qui sera marquée par l'vsage. A parler generalement, il semble que plusieurs Nations ont passé en coustume que la droite soit tenuë pour vne marque de reuerence, de telle soit, que quand quelq'vn veut deferer à un autre, il le mette à sa droicte, en prenant sa gauche. Lors que trois hommes se promenent ensemble, le plus qualifié a tousiours le milieu: Celuy qui tient la droite, a le second lieu, & l'autre qui reste à la gauche, n'a que le troisiéme. Mais en France, quand l'on se promene au long d'vn mur; par ce que ce lieu est presque toujours plus eleué & plus net à cause de sa pente, la coûtume porte presque par tout qu'elle soit laissée au plus qualifié, & particulierement quand deux personnes marchent ensemble.

If you happen to take a walk with them, always give them the place of honour, which is that pointed out by usage. To speak generally, it appears that several nations have made it a custom that the right should always be held as a mark of esteem, so that, when any one wishes to honour another, he will put him on his right, himself taking the left. When three are walking together, he of the highest quality always has the middle: he who takes the right has the second place, and the other who remains on the left has the third. But in France, when walking by the side of a wall, that place being almost always higher and cleaner because of the slope, the custom almost always is that it be yielded to the man of the highest quality, and particularly when two are walking together.

31st. If any one far Surpasses others, either in age Estate, or Merit [yet, in any particular instance,] would give Place to a meaner than himself [in his own house or elsewhere] the one ought not to except it, So [the other, for fear of making him appear uncivil, ought not to press] it above once or twice.