name the Royal Exchange; and the foundationstone of Greenwich Hospital was laid June 30, 1696, by the commissioners and Sir Christopher Wren, the architect, precisely at five in the evening, after they had dined together. The early dinner-hour left time for an evening promenade in summer and autumn. Hence, the parks of London were as gaily crowded after as they are in the present day before dinner. Even in the present century, the centre mall or walk of St. James's Park might be seen thronged with promenaders in the full-dinner dress, after dinner; though within a few years the hour of dining has changed from four to six, seven, and even eight o'clock; St. James's Mall is deserted by fashion; Hyde Park has become the favoured drive, for the display of well-appointed equipages, although the splendour of dress, and the effect produced by the presence of rank and distinguished character are lost by the greater part of the company being shut up in carriages. The modern custom of abandoning the metropolis for the sea-coast, or the country, as soon as the fine weather sets in, also long operated as a drawback from these scenes of gaiety, though "late seasons" have more recently detained persons of fashion in London during the finest portion of the year. The changes in cookery would occupy still more space; though it may be interesting to know what was considered "the best universal sauce in the world" in the boon days of Charles II. at least, what was accounted such by the duke of York, who was instructed to prepare it by the Spanish ambassador. It consisted of parsley, and a dry toast pounded in a mortar, with vinegar, salt, and pepper. A fashionable or cabinet dinner of the same period consisted of a dish of marrow bones; a leg of mutton, a dish of fowl, three pullets, and a dozen larks, all in a dish; a great tart, a neat's tongue, a dish of anchovies, a dish of prawns, and cheese. At the same period, a supper dish was a chine of beef roasted. Indeed," roast beef" appears to have first become celebrated in this reign; for Charles originated the sirloin by knighting, by way of frolic, a loin of beef, which was thus Sir-Loin; and the oak table upon which the king performed the ceremony is or was lately to be seen at Friday Hill House, in the parish of Chingford, in Essex*. * A curious anecdote of the epicurism of an individual is related as occurring in the last century. A gentleman of Gloucestershire had one son, whom he sent abroad to make the grand tour of the continent, upon which journey the young man attended to nothing but the various modes of cooking, and methods of eating and drinking luxuriously. Before his return, his father died, leaving him a very large monied fortune, and a smalĺ landed estate. He now looked over his note-book, to discover where the most exquisite dishes were to be had, and the best cooks procured. He had no other servants in his house than men cooks; his butler, footman, housekeeper, coachman, and grooms, were all cooks. He had three Italian cooks, one from Florence, another from Sienna, and a third from Viterbo, for dressing one Florentine dish. He had a messenger constantly on the road between Brittany and London, to bring him Notice of the successive changes in setting out the table would occupy many pages; but a brief account of the origin of the principal of the implements may be an acceptable conclusion. The form of the table has been already noticed. The early use of table-cloths has also been mentioned. At one period, the "lord of the manor," as he would now be called, was entitled to the table-cloth, towel, &c. of the house where he dined. A father giving advice to his son, particularly recommended him, as one means of success in life, to have his table covered with a clean cloth. Some of the table-cloths made for the use of the nobility and opulent gentry were of great value: one would cost eighteen pounds The knives used by the ancient Britons were of great length, and rather resembled weapons of defence, or daggers, than dinner knives. A meat-knife of Queen Elizabeth's time is described with a handle of white bone. It has been said that knives were only first made in England in 1563; which appears to be incorrect, as Chaucer, the poet, who died in 1400, alludes to a knife as a Sheffield thwittel, and whittle is to this day the eggs of a certain sort of plover found in the former place. He was known to eat a single dinner at the expense of fifty-eight pounds, though himself only sat down to it, and there were but two dishes. In nine years he found himself getting poor, and this made him melancholy and ill. When totally ruined, having spent nearly one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, a friend gave him a guinea to keep him from starving; and he was found in a garret soon afterwards roasting an ortolan (an expensive bird) with his own hands. A few days afterwards this infatuated person shot himself. among the manufacturers the name of a common kind of knife. The most ancient knives were pointed, as it was customary for the carver to help the guests to a slice of meat on the point of a knife; and it is only within these few years that round topped knives have been adopted in France. Forks were not introduced into England till the reign of James I. when they were brought from Italy, and much ridiculed here as an effeminate piece of finery. Before this, skewers of silver or gold were used for forks in carving*. Spoons were originally made of roots of box, brass, bone, and horn; and some were made to fold up for the pocket. The annexed cut represents the front and back of an ancient spoon, the bowl of the spoon being temporarily fastened on to a fork, and the instrument thus serving as a fork or spoon. Grace at meals is of high antiquity. One grace among the Anglo-Saxons was signing the dish with a cross, but it was usually said by the clergy when at table. Psalms were sung as grace on Sundays and festivals; and in the time of Shakspeare, grace was often said in rhyme. Drinking healths was originally a religious Forks are, however, mentioned in an inventory of furniture belonging to Edward I. ceremony, and is of equal antiquity with grace. The custom was at its greatest height after the Restoration of Charles II. The origin of the term toast is uncertain, but it was probably taken from a toast floating in a cup of liquor. HISTORICAL NOTICES OF EDUCATION IN ACCORDING to the earliest records, the education of the ancient Britons consisted in their skill in certain field sports, healthful pastimes, and domestic amusements. They did not know how to read, but learned hymns by heart, sang and danced to music. Such were the pursuits of the mass of the people: indeed, they held it dishonourable to learn to read and write. Learning was in these times confined to the Druids, who possessed extraordinary power over the minds of their fellow men. Their education is believed to have been a poetical one; they learned by rote several thousand verses, in which all the knowledge then extant was contained. The leading maxim which they gave to the people was well calculated to maintain their power: for they taught that the fertility of the fields depended upon the riches of themselves, the Druids. They were the priests, and probably the lawgivers, of the people; their doctrines were not reduced into writing, but repeated from one generation to another, so that little is known of their actual history. |