Sentence:  How pleased, therefore, will the reader be to find that we have, in the following work, adhered closely to one of the highest principles of the best cook which the present age, or perhaps that of <WSD>Heliogabalus</WSD>, hath produced. This great man, as is well known to all lovers of polite eating, begins at first by setting plain things before his hungry guests, rising afterwards by degrees as their stomachs may be supposed to decrease, to the very quintessence of sauce and spices. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A Roman emperor of the Severan dynasty who reigned from 218 to 222. He was known for perverse and decadent behavior with regard especially to sex, religion, and food.