The morning call., 1892-11-06
NOTES BY THE WAY.
A Rambler's Observations on
Things in General.
QUAINT THINGS In A DIARY.
Merchants Leg in the Eighteenth Century.
How People Ate and Drer X Habits
of Profau ~ 0rmoDde.
Written for THE MORNING CALL.


able. That. at least, is the verdict of sue
ceedng generations when they come to read
IL, and sum up the life Of the person who
wrote it, and the kind OF society he kept.
The diary all unconscious all innocent of
any desire for publicity. is in every way
preferable TO the diary elaborately polished,
suppressed, corrected and gilded for the
reader. The one is a revelation in the
confessional spirit, like that celebrated
and uniustly denounced self.depictiOn left
by jean Jacques Rousseau; the other is q
literary effort In which there is as much con-
cealment as candor 1t is the charm Of un-
premeditated condolences between himself
and his waistcoat which so recommends
Pepys' diary to the reader. 1t remains one
of The most delightful books of pratting
gossip that can be named. We see the man,
accompany him 10 his walks, look over his
shoulder in the office. join with him In his
deplorngs over the state of public affairs,
look aghast with him at the uDbridled pro-
penSites Of the merry monarch. Charles III,
see him in his house and know what he
likes to eat, and listen TO his chickering's
with his wife. to whom he is attached, but
who spends too much money to suit q thrifty
inclination; We go with him to church, and
can enjoy his discontinue when young
woman at whom he looked too admiringiy
thrust q pin l0IO HIS hIlll, We eHJOy Ills
pleasures of the play with him, and listen TO
bis comments on the plot and the acting.
and much gossip which he contTives to
pick up about the audience and the actors
and actresses.
Pepys had no intention that this diary
should see the light. He wrote il In short
hand, and doubtless he kept the contents
secret from the wife OF his bosom, who
would have been huffed upon reading some
of the entries. But as Pepys did not destroy
his diary, his Shorthand was deciphered and
the world is grateful. The volumes OF his
diary. along with a valuable collection of
books and prints, were left TO Magda-
Iene College, Cambridge, and possibly PeDys
had the notion that his ten years Of jot-
tings would prove of sUme use. Being
in shorthand, he did not hesitate TO de-
scribe all that fOated through his mind and
DaTrate many things which he would have
hesitated TO write about in ordinary chlrOg-
raphy. Plain speaking among average
mOFtals is only possible when no disagree
able consequences are apt TO befall the
speaker. Were every one to blurt out pre-
eisely what is in his mind, what whrligig
the affairs of life wOuld be IN! It must
have been some recognition of this fact and
the danger OF bTRwling which led to the ac-
ceptance OF the maxim. THE greater the
truth the greater the libel"
full and conscientious Samuel had closed hi.
diary on account OF weakness OF eight
Sussex mercer. who not only traded in
cloths OF wool and silk, but in groceries.
haberdasheries, hats, drugs. irOnmongsry,
gloves and collins, whiled away leisure time
BY keeping diary relating to his own little
world. He lived in the country which
Thackeray studied so we'll for his unfin-
tshed novel Of Denis Duval, and reading
the notes one may almost suppose that the
novelist had laid them under contribution
for some of his incidents. The diary at
least bears out the picture OF English
lie In the eighteenth century conveyed in
Thackeray's "Virginians." The clergy
were then very much like other people,
much addicted to riOtous living and TO the
separation Of precept from practice.
Thomas Turner. the mercer aforesaid, was
born In 1928, and he began diarv annota-
tlons In 1754, and carried them on through
1l6 stout memorandum books-a prodigious
tecnndltJ OIL biographical parturition which
shows tnat he must have penned his reflec-
tons in ordinary longhand. He put down
many things fearlessly. especially about
himself.
On Sunday, February s. 1854, Mr.. Turner
draws mp rules Of proper regimen. He is
to rise early, breakfast between and
o'clock, dine between u and 1, eat little
meat but much of garden produce, and his
supper to be weak broth, water Cruel or
milk pottage. with occasionally fruit pie.
As to pota0les he thus writes: "If am at
home or in company abroad / viii never
drink more than four glasses of strong beer !;
one TO toast the Kings health the second to
the royal family, the third to all friends,
and the fourth to the pleasure OF the eompa-
ny. If there is either wine or punch never
upon any terms or persuasion to drink
more than eight glasses. each glass
to hold no mora than half quarter
OF pint" And he is to 90 to bed always
at or before 10 O'Clock. But his drinking
bouts overpowered these good resolutions,
and frequent is the wailing over his weak
ness. In 1756 there IS an entry: II went to
the Audit and came home drunk; but
think never to exceed the bounds of moder-
alton more" Then he writes this to show
another backsliding: u went down TO
Jones, where we drank one bowl Of punch,
and two mugs of bumboo, and l came home
again In liquor. Oh, with what horrors
does IL I'LL my breast to think l should be
guilty OF doing so, and on sunday, too J
Let me once more endeayor never, never,
TO be guilty OF the same again"
His resolves melted away like hoar frost
In the beams OF the morning sun. On two
consecutive days he falls under the spell of
liquor II set off for Piltdown, where saw
Charles Diggens and James Fowle run
twenty rods. for one guinea each ] got
never bet. but very drunk" Next day
Game homo in the afternoon not quite
sober, and l know behaved more like an
ass than human being-doubtless not like
one that calls himself Christian. Oh, ho
unworthy am l of that nameV
Mr.. Turner relates that after one round of
festivity at a neighbor's Thomas Fuller
brought his wife home upon his back, and
he adds that he cannot say he came home
sober. At another feast on four boiled
chickens. four boiled ducks, minced veal.
sausages, cold roast goose. chicken pasty
and BAN he gives the names of the COM
pany, all well to do, including the
parson. and thus describes the entertain
ment: Alter supper our behavior
was FAR !from that of serious. harmless
mirth; ID was downright obstreper lous.
mixed with great deal OF folly and stupid
ity. Our diversion was dancing or Jumping
about without violin or any music, sing
Ing of foolish healths and drinking all the
time as fast as Ii could well be poured
down; and the parson of the parish was on q
among the mixed multitude. Though /
was far from sober, l came home thank
God, very safe and well, without even tum-
bling; and Mr.. FreDch's servant brought
my vile home at ten minutes past g. (prOb-
ably on his back. say the editors of the
Diary.
But much worse befelI the poor man. He
'u"' "' y III 'h0 uoIHiug, Just as his
wife had got TO bed, Mrs. Porter, the mar
sons wife, awoke the housekeeper for a
pretended supply of cream Of tartar. Mr..
Porter. the parson. and Mr.. Fuller and his
wife had come On the same errand, and as
soon as they got footing In the house thew
pulled Mr.. Turner out of bed. They al
lowed him to don his small clothes and
to use bis wife's petticoaB for upper
4@zssa