Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.

The line contrasts material abundance (“great cheer,” i.e., plentiful food and drink) with the warmth of hospitality (“great welcome”). Its point is that a feast’s true success depends less on lavish provision than on the spirit in which guests are received. Read more broadly, it commends generosity of manner over generosity of means: sincere kindness can make modest circumstances feel rich, while extravagance without welcome falls flat. The proverb-like phrasing suggests it circulated as a common sentiment, and Shakespeare’s use (if correctly attributed) would align with his frequent interest in social bonds, courtesy, and the moral weight of how people treat one another.