The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-30

mot state this fact without an exelama-
ton pointD
But bleeding was not their only rem
edy though it seems to have been the
faVorite. When little "Banny" her
nephew. had ague, Mrs Delany gave
the distracted mother two 'infallible"
remedies: First, pounded ginger
made into paste with brandy, spread
on sleeps leather, and a plaster of it
laid over the navel. Secondly, a spider
put into a goose quill. well sealed and
secured and hung about the child s
neck as low as the pit of his
stomach" When he had worms, she
recommended giving him a ''pound of
quicksilver boiled in gallon of water
till half the water is consumed away,
to be taken at meals or when thirsty.
Whether "Banny" had been weaned
is doubtful, but as he eat buttered
turnips for his dinner heartily and a
mess of milk and bread before he set
out again. it is not surprising that
he was i'll. The Duchess of Portland 5
receipt for hopping or any nervous
cough" was rubbing the palms of the
hands, soles of the feet and pit of the
stomach with oil of amber and harts-
horn, an equal quantity, night and
morning, and the backbone with rum;
but Mrs. Delany recommends water in
full or two to be added to whatever
liquid is taken. A certain person who
was afflicted with violent bleeding at
the nose had tried every remedy to no
avail. when a friend gave her some
thing served up in a bag of black silk
to wear at the pit Of her stomach, hung
round her mock with a ribbon next her
skin in the day and at night she pinned
it to the bosom of her shift She had
one slight return on leaving it off too
soon; but on putting it on and wearing
it four months beyond the usual time
she expected the bleeding, has not had
it since. which is now two years"
But all these pale beside an act of
18th century surgery performed upon a
poor gentleman who had pain in his
leg. the effects of a fever AT last a
surgeon that was accidentally called in
opened his leg and screwed out piece
of the bone, and has taken out the
marrow, and since that. they say he
has recovered wonderfully"
Mrs. Delany's correspondence gives
much curious information as to the So
cial customs of the day. Some inter-
esting bills of fare are given, such as
the following, which is a list of the
, things Mrs. Delany gave her guests for
dinner, June 20, 1747: First course
Fish, beef steak, soup, rabbits and on
ions, fillet veal; second course, turkey
pout. salmon grilde and quails, picked
salmon, little terrene peas, cream APP
pie pie, mushrooms, crab, leveret,
cheese cakes; desert blamange, cher
ries Dutch cheese, raspberries and
cream, sweet meats, and jelly, strawber-
ries and cream, almond cream, currant
and gooseberries, orange butter Then
there is that atiny ball' she gave a
few years later, when emy company
came at II exactly; the nddelrs here be-
fore them. They had all breakfasteda and
were eager to begin, which they did inn
mediately. Seven couple. I never saw
a happier set of dancers. | had all
ages, from q to years old. At 1
o'clock they found prepared for them
in my dressing room green tea and Or
ange tea, and cakes of all kinds. In
half an hour they returned to their
dancing till half an hour after 2, and
then rested till dinner. / had one table
which held II, and another of eight
At o'clock the fiddlers struck up
again. and for two hours more they
danced as briskly as if they had not
danced at all. AT Z l made them leave
off, and gave them tea, and played to
them on the harpsichord, till they We're
cool enough to venture home. They
were all gone by half an hour after
s."
Readers of Maeaulay's History of
England will recall his chapter on the
condition of the English clergy during
the last century. Mrs. Delany throws
light upon this as upon so many of the
social conditions of her day Most cur
ious is the description of the Lanca-
shire clergyman, whose dress consisted
of coarse blue frock, trim
med with black horn buttons, checked
skirt, a leather strap about his neck for
a stock, a coarse apron, and pair of
great heavy wooden soled shoes plated
with iron to preserve them. With
child on his knee he was getting his
breakfast. while his wife and nine 9TH
er children We're. some of them, waiting
or each other, the rest spinning wool,
at which trade the parson was himself
proficient. His fixed salary which was
larger than ii had BEEN was nearly II
pounds per annum; his yearly income
from every source did not amount to %
poundsl
Here is a bit of gossip such as grande
danes did not then scorn to carry to
one another: THE present talk of the
town is of an affair between Lord Her
vey and Lord Gotham Lord Hervey
was at a drum of Lady Cobham's; he
held his hat under his arm. the side
upwards; Lord Gotham laid wager
with Mr.. Nugent of a crown that he
would spit in Lord Herveys hat, and
ulu, dShllS LOfu 11tfVey PARDON 1Of
doing it, and telling him the reason,
upon which with the utmost composure
Lord Hervey offered him his hat to win
as many crowns as he pleased; but next
morning sent Lord Gotham chal-
lenge."
The quotations from this entertaining
book must close with a specimen love
letter of the year 1743. The writer was
Rev. later Dean Patrick Delany and
the lady addressed was she who sub
sequently became the Mrs. Delany of
these memoirs. Having begged leave
to lay all his worldly possessions at her
feet, the suitor continues: You will, I
hope pardon me the presumption of
This wish, when / assure you il is no
way blemished by the vanity of think
ing them worthy of your acceptance,
the world to safety, l allowed myself
this time of life, with a man whose
own land for that only reason not
wholly unworthy Of you)-a man who
knows your worth, and knows you as
much as he is capable of honoring any
thing is mortal, might not be al
together abehorrent from the views Of
your humble and unearthly wisdom.
This | am sure Of that il you reject my
humble and unworthy Offering your
humility will rot let you do it with
djsdain; ANA if you condescend to ac-
cept if, the goodness Of your nature
and generosity Of your heart will
prompt you to do it in way most be-
coming your own dignity, and the Sc