State Banquet.—Serving the Peacock.—Facsimile of a woodcut in an edition of Virgil, folio, published at Lyons in 1517.A Chinese painting of an outdoor banquet, from the era of the Song Dynasty (960–1279).
[T]he hazels rose / Tall and erect, with milk-white clusters hung, / A virgin scene! — A little while I stood, / Breathing with such suppression of the heart / As joy delights in; and, with wise restraint / Voluptuous, fearless of a rival, eyed / Thebanquet,[…]
And the sun, even as you and I and all there is, sits in equal honour at thebanquet of the Prince whose door is always open and whose board is always spread.
The thrill of discovery quickly wore off. TV crews and reporters were soon scurrying frantically to satisfy the medium’s insatiable appetite for novelty, sometimes achieving massive inanity instead. During coverage of the first greatbanquet, correspondents—who had not been given menus—variously described those little orange balls decorating the table’s center as pomegranates, oranges or JellO. (They were actually North China tangerines.)
Wee'll dine in the great roome, but let the muſick / Andbanquet be prepar'd here.
1874,Saturday Review: Politics, Literature, Science and Art:
At Inverkeithing the teetotalers objected to this profligate expenditure, so the Provost and magistrates manfully paid for their “cookies” out of their own pockets. At Dunse, instead of a cake and winebanquet, there was “a fruitconversazione,” whatever that may be.
I am resolved; 'tis but a three years' fast: / The mind shallbanquet, though the body pine: / Fat paunches have lean pates, and dainty bits / Make rich the ribs, but bankrupt quite the wits.
"Ay, ay," said Wamba, who had resumed his attendance on his master, "rare feeding there will be—pity that the noble Athelstane cannotbanquet at his own funeral.—But he," continued the Jester, lifting up his eyes gravely, "is supping in Paradise, and doubtless does honour to the cheer."
1580,George Cavendish, quoted byJohn Stow (ed.),The Annales of England, Faithfully collected out of the most autenticall Authors, Records, and other Monuments of Antiquitie, 1600 edition, “Henry the eight.,” p. 907,[3]
Then was the banquetting chamber in the tilt yard at Greenewich, to the which place these strangers were conducted by the noblest personages in the court, where they did both sup andbanquet.
Not possible; for who shall bear your part / And be in Padua here Vincentio's son; / Keep house and ply his book, welcome his friends, / Visit his countrymen, andbanquet them?
They treated them with profound reverence, as beings descended from heaven, and conducted them to a spacious house, the residence of the cacique, where they werebanquetted in their simple but hospitable way, with bread and various fruits of excellent flavour, and different kinds of beverages which have been already mentioned.
