The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1855-08-28

| Socrates Plato, AgaFon, ArlStophanes and others
! oil The most celebrated Greeks, drank wine 10 n
! surprising extent; and Plato says, in his Sum.
p0StHm, that Socrates kept sober longer tn ~ apy.
| IIberIus was so much addicted 10 this vice that
| he had frequently 10 be carried from the senate
! house. Cato was fond oil the bottle Ben Jonson
delighted IN coPlous draughts OF Canary wine, and
even c,lirlVed TO hove pipe of that liquor added
| to his yearly pension poet reate. The fine
intellect OF COleridge was couded over by this un.
| happy propensity. Montaigne INDUCED in sherry
! he Otherwise unrXceptlOuab BILE morality OF Ad-
olson was stained by IN 5 error. SIR Richard
Steele Fielding, aud Sterne shared the pre- vaillng
taste for hard drinking. Mozart was no excep.
lion TO the rule. Churchhn was a very intempa-
! rate man and t1ogarth gave a ludlcrous immor
tah;y to the satrSts love OF porter by representing
him IN The character of bear 18th mug of that
liquor in lis paw. Tasso aggravated his mental
lrrtabilIty by the use OF Wines despite the enrea
! ties OF his physicians. During his long impriSon-
mcn, he speaks gratefully in his letters OF some
sweaimeels with which he had been supplied ;
and after his release, he relates with delight the
good things that were provided for him by bis pa
iron, the Duke OF Mantau-' the bread and fruit
the fish and flesh, the wines sharp and brisk and
The contections.' Pope, who was hat Of an
ePIcuIe when staying at the house OF Lord Bo.
IIngbr"ke, would lie IN bed for days together, un-
less he heard there were 10 De stcwed lampreys
for dinner, when he would forthwith alise and
E:ake his appearance at table. DIR. Jonson had ii
voracIous liking for leg OF mutton. At my
Aunt Ford'S, he said, ate SO much of a leg OF
mutton, that she used 10 talk OF it, A grnetnan
once treated him to IL dish Of new honey and
cIoutrd cream, Of which he partook so enormous.
ly, that his entertainer alarmed.
Gain, the famous actor, has been known TO
travel from London tc Bath, for the mere saLe Of
dining upon John Dory. DR.. Pdrr, in private
letter, conieSs' 10 his passionate love of hot boil
ed iobsters, with pro!usIon Of shrimp
Shelly was E,r many years vegetarian and in
the notes to his earliest edition of Queen Nab,
<p AXIS w;h enthusiasm of d amer OF green's, po-
tatoes, aud turnp$.' Aros;o was excessively fond
OF turBips. lie fast, and OF whatever was near
est to hm, oI:en beginning " h the bread upo:. the
table before the other dishes came. Being visited
one day by stranger, he deVoured all :he dinner
that was provided Tor both and when afterwards
CenSured Tor his InpO!ltcness, only observed ihlt
'the gentleman should have taken care OF himself.
Handel ate enormously; Dr.. Kitchener relates OF
him, that whenever he diErd at tavern, he
dered dinner for three. Or beng tod that all
was ready as soon as the company should arrive,
he would exclaim Den pring up de dinner pres
tiSSintO, IN DE COMPANY ! Lord Byron'S favor
lis dish eggs and bacon ; and though he never
could tat it without suffering from an attack of IN
digestion, he had not always sufficient Courage TO
resist the temptation. LaIande, the great French
astronomer, would eat spiders relish Lin
nferus delighted in chocolate; and it was he who
bestowed upon 1t lis generic name OF Ihc0JF0'Aa,
food of the gods FonteHe!le deemed straw
berries he most delicious eating in The world and
durug his last illness, used to eXcaim constantly:
II can but reach the season OF stra" berries
The amusements of rcmarkabte PersonS have
been various. ana often eccentric. The great
Gayle would frequently wrap hIi9Seli IN his cloak
and hasten 10 places where montCbanks reSortcd
and this isIs chief relaxation from the intrns
ty Of study. Spinoza delighted To set spiders
fighting, and would laugh mmoderal"y at brhod
inI their Insect warfare. Cardinal RIchctu used
to seek nmu>cment in violent exercise, and was
found by De Grammoni Jumping with bis Servan.
to which could leap the highest The great
logican, Samu"l Clark, was equally fond Of s1ch
sau,ary inlerIudrS to his hours %! mediIatinn, and
has been discovered eaping over chairs and tables
Once observing the approach Of pedant, h" said
CHOW 'rave off, tpr fool Is coming 10 p
The learned Petavius used To twirl his chair round
and round for five minutes, at the end of every tw"
hours. Tycho Brahe diverted himself with pol
ishng glasses for SpccacIes. PaIpy, the author
OF Natural Theology, waF so much given 10 ang
ling that he had his portrait painted with rod aud
line in his hand Louis NVI., Of sad memory,
amused himself with lock. making. Salvador K ,sa
used 10 perform in cxtemPnre comcdI"s, and take
the character OF a monttbank in the streets Of
Rome. Anthony MagIiabccchi, the famous libra
ran 10 the Duke Of Tuscany, took great interest
in the spldrrs that throngaG his apartments; and
while sitting amongst his mountains Of books,
would caution his visitors not to hurt his spiders
Moses MrndeIssohn surnampd the jewish Socrates,
would snmetirnps seek relief from TOO much thought
in standing his window and coming the tiles
on his neighbors roof. Thomas War,on, the po-
etical anuqulry us"d to associate with the schoul
bows, while visiting his brother, DR.. J. Warton.-
Campbell says: When engaged with them in
some culinary occupation. and when alarmed by
the sudden approach of the master, he has been
known to hiie himself in the dark corner OF
kitchen, and has been dragged from thence by the
doctor, who had taken him for some great boy
Cowper kept hares and made bid cages
Dr. Johnson was fond Of his cat, that he
would 90 out himself 10 buy oysters Tor PuSS, be-
cause his servant was too proud to do 50. Gtc'he
kept a tame snake, but hated dogs. Ariosto de-
lighted in gardening but be destroyed all he
planted bv turning up the mould 10 ii the seeds
were terminating. Thomson had his garden at
Richmond. respecting which the old story OF how
he ate peaches off the trees with his hands 10 his
pockets is related. Gibbon was lazy man. Col
erdge was content to sit from morning TIL night
threading the dreamy mlz"S OF his own mind
Gray said that he wished TO be always lying on
sofas, reading eternal Few novels OF Crebili"n
and MarivauX. Frnton, the eminent Schoar, died
from sheer inlctIvi'y he rose late, aud when he