The Merry Past 



had taught him to love. Even the most sacred things 

 were put to this purpose, a practice which caused it 

 to be facetiously observed when the Bible Society 

 presented a large number of bibles to the sailors, that 

 even if these bibles should not convert the sailors, the 

 sailors would very probably convert the bibles — into 



Grog is not a very ancient drink, having been first 

 introduced by Admiral Vernon in 1745, at which date 

 he put an end to the use by the English navy of ale, 

 and substituted for it rum diluted with water. The 

 admiral was dubbed by the sailors " Old Grog," 

 because of an old cloak of grogram which he always 

 wore in foul weather, and hence it came naturallv 

 about that the new potation of the high seas acquired 

 its present name. 



Jack ashore was seldom unaccompanied by his lass, 

 whom he often married before sailing away again. 

 The responsibilities of matrimony did not oppress him, 

 and he regarded the whole thing in a sort of casual 

 good-humoured way, which sometimes went rather 

 far. 



The rough-and-ready marriages which these sailors 

 contracted often turned out badly and led to trouble. 



A young sailor, for instance, who was tried at the 

 Clerkenwell Sessions for assaulting his wife, described 

 his experiences of matrimony in a way which aroused 

 some sympathy, for he certainly seemed to have cause 

 to complain. 



According to his statement he never could keep his 

 wife in the same berth with himself, whilst often 



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