With cooked meats, stews, etc., various kinds of seeds of the =spice= class were probably eaten, as modern nations eat mustard and pepper. The =common drink= of the country was =beer=, _ḥeqt_ 𓎛𓈎𓐱𓏏𓐰𓏊, made from barley, and probably flavoured with plants of various kinds which took the place of hops; in the earliest Liturgy of Funerary Offerings mention is made of three or four kinds of beer. A =sweet beer= was made from =honey=. =Wine= made from grapes was drunk by the upper classes, and the lower classes drank =date wine=. This was, and still is, made by pouring water on ripe, fleshy dates, and letting it stand for a number of days, according to the strength of the wine required; after standing for a week or so the liquor becomes an exceedingly strong intoxicant. =Mode of eating.=—The peasant sat, or squatted, on the ground and dipped his bread-cake into the mess of lentils or boiled vegetables which was in a bowl resting either on the ground or on a poor wooden stand. Well-to-do folk either sat on low stools, or lay on reed mats or cushions, and dipped their hands into the various bowls of boiled grain, meat, and vegetables which were placed on the small low stand that served as a table, round which they were grouped. Water was drunk from earthenware vessels, which were probably like the modern _ḳula_, or water-bottle, and wine and beer from bowls. The joint was roughly cut or broken into small pieces, probably before it was brought into the eating-chamber, but birds were pulled to pieces by the head of the house and his family or guests as they sat at meat. Fingers were wiped on the thin, flat bread-cakes, but after the meal a member of the household brought a jug and basin and poured water over the hands of those who had eaten. The chief meal of the day was eaten about the time of sunset. The Egyptians were careful to inculcate moderation in eating and drinking. Kaqemna, the sage, said: “If thou art sitting in company hate the food which thou likest; restrain thy appetite, for greediness savoureth of the beasts. Since one cup of water will quench the thirst, and a mouthful of vegetables stablish the heart, and one kind of good food is as satisfying as another, and a small quantity [of food] is as good as a large quantity, the man who permitteth his appetite to guide him is an abomination.” On the other hand, the guest must take what his host gives him, and must eat it, for to leave it uneaten is indeed an unmannerly act. And Ptaḥ-ḥetep said: “When thou art seated among the guests of a great man, accept what he giveth thee gracefully. Look before thee, nor stare [at the food], nor look at it often; he who departeth from this rule is a boorish fellow. And speak not to the great man more than is necessary, for one knoweth not what word will displease him. Speak when he speaketh, and thy word shall give pleasure.” [Illustration: Relief with a hippopotamus. From the temple of Neb-ḥap-Rā Menthu-ḥetep. XIth dynasty.