The Hawaiian gazette., 1879-01-29
WEDNESDAY,, JAN. 2s. 1879.
Remarkable Table Habits of Illus
IrIous Personages.


Its always interesting and often sautary to
read iu the lives Of eminent men and women
such incidents as illustrate peculiar traits Of
character. And not only may the eccentrciIies
and weaknesses OF these exalted beings furnish
intellectual Iecretation but the thoughtful mind
may derive from their perusal material by which
to point moral
We have collected from various sources some
table traits OF illusious personages, their habits
of eating and drinking, which. with their valiant
deeds. have come down TO US through the dim
vista Of years.
There are some men whom cooks toll 10
vain. Constantine the Great was a vegetarian,
and even OF vegetables ale spariBgly. Nothing
disgusted him so much as u gross feeder anu
probably nothing ever so greatly surprised him
as when, on taking possession Of Coustantinople
he found one thousand cooks waiting to prepare
the imperial dinners
There was something OF grandeur in the ban
quets Of Cleopatra when Marc Anthony dl0ed
with her. The service was of gold aud she made
present of it TO her visitor. On the following
day there was new service aud it was again
presented TO the favored guest"
1t is a well ascertained truth that the Caesars
at table by no means generally conducted them
selves as though they were under the influence
of Roman Chesterfield. as regarded their beha-
moderation. Perhaps the great Julius was as
much of q gentleman 10 both the above respects
any OF his imperial successors and even he
could reform the calendar with far more ease
than he could reform himself Cato said of Ce.
sar that be was the only sober man who had ever
attempted 10 subvert government. 1t was i'm
material to him whether he had sauce to his
meat or not and. as to the quality. he never
| concerned himself about it. He ate thankfully,
/ perhaps, but thoughtlessly, certainly. His po-
likeness was sometimes rldiculously excessive, as
/ when be ate up the ointment which bad been
/ served up instead of sauce, at table where he
/ was guest ard whore be was courteousy re-
solved to find everything excellent But although
/ the great uus was, according TO Cato, the only
man who came sober to the subyersion OF his
/ country. be had some unsOberiy habits about
/ him. Thus, when invited to feast, he used TO
whet his appetite by taking an emetic. This Is
attested by Cicero in his letters to Atticus.
! Suetonus agrees with Cato that Cesar was mod.
crate with regard to wine, Vini parcisSinun
ne quidem iHiGnici RegdrsTtmt."
History informs Us that William the Conlue-
ror had huge appetite for vsnlson and the
Saxon ehronicler says that he loved the high
/ deer as if be had been their father which is
bat an equivocal compliment to bis paternal al
lection. His table iudulgences cost the life of
/ hundreds, and The rnin OF tens of hundreds. 1t
brought on corpuency; his cOrpuleney begot
/ poor joke in Philip of France; and OF this joke
was born such wrath 10 the soul Of William that
he carried fire aud sword into that kingdom. and
was cut short in bis career ere he had accom-
| plished the foil measure of his revenge.
When it is stated of Richard Ii. that two
/ thousand cooks and three hundred servitors were
employed in the royal kitchen. We think we be-
come acquainted with the gastrOnomic tastes Of
/ hat unba T,,rxa D,,t h., .k.hN
whose virtues were his own, and his vices were
of others making. SO bis Sardanapaliau array Of
cooks was Kept up by those who ruled from
behind the throne, and finally left the King to
starEe. despite his counting cooks by thousands.
Henry V III. was given to indulgences OF all
| sorts, aud, with respect 10 those of the palate
ate not wisely bat too well; and this huge feed
| ing brought him ut last 10 such a size that be
could not be moved but by aid of "a machine
Elizabeth and her "maids" both diued and
breaktasted upon very solid principles and ma
terials. Beef and beer were consumed at break
fast-"a repast for a ploughman!" it may be
said. The royal table was a solemnity indeed
The attendants thrice bent their knees as they
approached to offer her the different dishes /;
but, when these ceremonies had been gone
through, the Queen rose aud retired to private
| room, where the meats were placed before her,
aud she was left TO dine as comfortably as the
plainest OF her subjects. 1t was during her reign
that napkins were first used.
The taste of the purseyors of james |. was
somewhat clumsey. What would now be said if
chef sent up TO table four huge pigs belted
and harnessed with ropes OF sausages and all
tied together to q moustrous bag pudding
Let US now contemplate MOutezuma in his
household and at his table. @
Barbarian as the Spenish invaders accounted
him TO be, he was superior IN many respects to
most OF his royal contemporaries in Europe. He
was not less magnificent than Solomon, and he
was FAR more clearly than Louis XIV. On the
terraced roof OF his palace thirty knights could
tilt at each other without complaining OF want of
space. His armories were filed with weapons
almost as destructive as any to be found in the
arsenals OF civilized christian kings.
His granaries were furnished with provisions
paid BY tributaries; three hundred servants
tended the beautiful birds of his aylares; his
meuageries were the wonder aud terror of be-
holders ; aud his dwarfs were more hdeous and
his ladies more dazzling than p0tentate had ever
before looked upon. His palace within and
without was marvel Of Aztec art. 1t was sur
rounded By gardens, clad with fountains and gay
flowers. One thousand beautiful women shared
the retirement of this splendid locality with a
master more gittering than anything by which
be was enyironed-who changed his apparel four
times daily, never putting on again garment be
had once worn, and who, eating of and drinking
from gold, never used second time the vessels
which had once ministered to the indulgence Of
his appetite. Three hundred dishes were daily
placed before the monarch and such as required
TO be kept hot at table were placed 10 heated
earthenware stands made for the purpose.
The ordinary dishes of Montezuma consisted
OF very dainty fare-uamey, domestic fowls,
geese, pa-trIdges quails, venIson, Indian hogs,
pigeons, hares, rabbits and other productions OF
his country In cold weather enormous torches
that flung forth not only light bot warmth and
aromatic odors. lent additional splendor to the
scene and. to temper at once the glare and the
heat. screens with droIl devices upon them.
framed 10 gold, we're placed before the brilliant
lame MonteZama is described as beng but q
moderate eater, but fond Of fruits, aud indulging
with eoDsirarnt upon his appetite. 10 certain
drinks, which we're Of q stimulating quality, such
as are found 10 countries where eisiIlzation and
luxury are at their highest.
When Peter the Great and bis consort dined
together, they were waited on by page and the
Empresss faEorite maid. Evea al. large dinners
be bore uBeasily the presence and service of
what be called listening. IAeksys. His taste was
not an imperial one. He loved. and most fire.
II .