Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-06-06
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
AGO.
English Life in the Eighteenth Gem
fury.

English Life in the Eighteenth Gem
fury.
Those who are uniniormed upon the
subject of English social life during
the reigus of Anna and the first three
Georges would be astonished to learn
what an utterly dissolute, reckless and
drunken life 1t was. Take for example
the literary men, and, without descend
ing to the "Grab street choir" we Will
find the great majority much given to
what we would call debauchery. Pope,
whose sickly constitution would not
permit excuses of this kind, describes
himself i'll the early part of his career
as sitting with the Addison coterie
until 2 O'Clock in the morning,
drinking punch and Burgundy
amid the fumes of tobacco. Even the
model Addison was accustomed to tarry
too long Mt his cups, and fiddle his
brains with generous wine. In letter
to Lord Bathurst he says: a have
lately had the honor to meet nv Lord
bingham at Amsterdam, where we
have drank Mr. Woods health hun
dred times in excellent champagne. :"
In this instance, as in too many others,
fear, he overstepped the rule which
he prescribed in No. 1876 cf the Specta-
tor "Were to prescribe rule for
drinking" says he, cit should be
formed upon saying quoted by SR
William Temple. The first glass for
myself, the second for my friends, the
third for good humor, and the fourth
for my enemies.
Poor Dick Steele passed his life in
alternate fits of dissipation and re
pentance, There was a letter written
by him to MIstres Scarlock, afterward
his second wife, and preserved along
with hundreds of others, which forcibly
suggests the difference in manner be-
tween his day and our own 1t is dated
Saturday night, Aug. Both, 1907, and
reads as follows Dear, lovely Mrs.
Scarlock, ] have been in good company,
where your health, under the character
of the woman | loved best, has been
often drunk, 50 | may say that | am
dead drunk for your sake.
The fine ladies of that day not only
smiled approvingly u0on tipping
beaux, but occasionally tippled little
themselves, which they could do with
ont losing caste. In letter from Pri
or to Bolingbroke, dated May 22d, IVA,
he says in the postscript, Lady Jer
sey is just gone from here. We drank
your health together in usqucbaugh
after our tea. Gay, the auth
or VI the Beggar's Opera, in a letter
written at Tunbridge Wells, gives MS
,f ,Nln,A
We have young lady here he
writes, that is very particular in her
desires. have known some young la
dies who, if ever they prayed, would
ask for some eqmppage or title, hus-
band or matadores but this lady, who
Is but seventeen and has $50, 600 to her
fortune, places all her wishes on a good
pot Of ale. When her friends, for the
sake of her shape and complexion,
would dissuade her from it. she an
swerS, with the trueSt sincerity, that
by the loss of shape and complexion
she could only lose a husband, where
rs ale is her passion" This | believe
Is the only instance on record of n
young lady who would barter her
shape, complexion, and chances for
husband for all the other pleasures this
world can give.
There is an anecdote related in which
q certain English Bishop figures, which
fairly illustrates the tremendous drink
ing capacity oil some of these eigh-
teenth century wine toperS. 1t is said
that when the Bishop was moving from
the deauery of st. Paul's he asked