On Cookery in general, 143 



lity," whose philosophy, now-a-days, seems very similar to 

 that of Shadwell's Virtuoso, who, when asked, "Whether life 

 does not consist of the four elements *P" answers, as an alder- 

 man, " Faith, so they say ; but, I think, it rather consists of 

 eating and drinking." 



Now eating, in a philosophical view, ought rather to be a 

 subject of humiliation than pride, since the imperfection of 

 our nature appears, in the daily necessity we are under of 

 recruiting by it. Hence, we should conclude, that the object 

 of a rational being should be, to repair his fabric as substan- 

 tially and as cheaply as possible, which was the notion of our 

 forefathers. 



Eating, in truth, like all other customs, is national, and it has 

 been said of the inhabitants of this isle, that they fight as they eat; 

 and we cannot but admire a laconic harangue a colonel in the 

 Guards once made to his grenadiers. Just before the company 

 were to advance to a desperate attack, a general officer began 

 to excite them with a fine speech. " What signifies all this/* 

 cries the colonel ; rt remember, my English lads, your beef 

 and pudding ; march up and singe the beards of them ! — » 

 March." 



Much learned authority might be quoted to show that the 

 battles of Agincourt, Poictiers, Ramillies, and Blenheim, were 

 won per force of British beef. We will illustrate this point by 

 a circumstance which occurred in the polite warfare of those 

 times. During a truce the cook of a marshal of France in- 

 vited the Duke of Marlborough's cook to dine with him ; the 

 Frenchman had at his entertainment all the extraordinary 

 dishes the fertile imagination of his country's art could invent, 

 or his own genius produce. The Englishman allowed him to 

 be a perfect master of his profession, and a day was fixed for 

 returning the visit. The appointed day, the cook and the 

 guests arrived, and when all were in expectation of a master- 

 stroke, in giving some dishes a false appearance, or in the 

 scientific seasoning of others, there was brought in a plain sir- 

 loin of beef, with a plum-pudding. After a shock of surprise, 

 " Sir," says the Frenchman, •« this is so uncommon a dish on 



* A ridicule on the medical theory, which supposed health to consist 

 in the just balance of the elements in the human body. 



