Tonight, grave sir, both my poor house, and I / Do equally desire your company; / Not that we think us worthy such a guest, / But that your worth will dignify our feast / With those that come, whose grace may make that seem / Something, which else could hope for no esteem.
-- Speaker (Lines 1 – 6)

Importance: These are the opening lines of the poem, and they show the speaker's reverence for his prospective guest. Here, the speaker argues that the presence of the guest will determine whether the evening will be a worthwhile one. This notion mirrors the structure of literary patronage, in which professional poets and playwrights relied on support from wealthy nobility for their continued work.

Yet shall you have, to rectify your palate, / An olive, capers, or some better salad / Ushering the mutton; with a short-legged hen, / If we can get her, full of eggs, and then / Lemons, and wine for sauce; to these...
-- Speaker (Lines 9 – 16)