BOOK II. CHAP. XIIL 28f 



draw; and, when this fignal was difiegarded, gave fo indecent 

 a toaft, as drove them immediately out of the room ; a pradlice fo 

 brutal, that it would merit the baftinadoe even among Hottentots. 

 This unfocial cuflom, however, loies ground, as the men are lefs 

 attached than formerly to the pleafures of getting drunk. In the 

 genteeler families, converfation between the two parties is kept up 

 for a coniidcrable time after dinner. Tea, cotfee, and cards, fup- 

 p\y the pqffe I emps of jovhl fongs and voluptuous bumpers. They 

 now contrive, for the moft part, to have a feledl apartment, or 

 drawing room, for rejoining the ladies after a Ihort reparation ; 

 and the cuftomary intermixture in large companies, of placing the 

 beaus and belles alternately, tends much to promote this polite 

 intercourfe between the two fexes. Formerly the married men 

 and bachelors ufed tocarouze together almoft every day at taverns; 

 the fpirit of gaming then prevailed to a great excefs ; and the name ' 

 of a fam'ily man was held in the utmoft derinon. 



That irregular courfe of life was accompanied with innumerable 

 evils. Many gentlemen of rank in the country impaired their for- 

 tunes, and reduced their families to the brink of ruin. It was 

 not at all unufual to fee one of them, after lofing all his money, 

 proceed to ftake his carriage and horfes that were waiting to carry 

 him home ; and, after lofing thefe, obliged to return on foot. 

 Drunken quarrels happened continually between intimate friends ; 

 which generally ended in duelling. And there were very fevv- who 

 did not fliorten their lives by intemperance, or violence. 



The prefent flate of reformation therefore is a very happy 

 change; which, by re-uniting the fexes, has promoted temperance, 

 urbanity, and concord. A want of proper education and good 

 maternal examples has rendered fome women here extravagant in 

 their expences, and very indifferent oeconomifts in their houfeold 

 affairs. They employ too numerous a tribe of domeffic fervants, 

 and are apt to trufl too far their fidelity, which is not always proof 

 againft ftrong temptations. From twenty to forty fervants is no- / 

 thing unufual. Perhaps it may not be unpleaflint to the reader, to 

 fee a lilt of one of thefe houfehold eftabliiliments. I fliall there- 

 fore prefent him with the following: 



I Butler, 2 Footmen, or waiting-men. 



Vol. II. Go i Coach- 



