THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



brilliant, drank so deeply as to dis- 

 gust Jupiter, who had forgotten that 

 he, himself, 



u Drank tea that happy morn, 

 When wise Minerva of his brain was born." 



Laureant Tate, who wrote a poem 

 on tea in two cantos, described a 

 family jar among the fair deities, be- 

 cause each desired to become the 

 special patroness of the ethereal 

 drink destined to triumph over wine. 

 Another versifier exalts it at the ex- 

 pense of its would-be rival, coifee : 



" In vain would coffee boast an equal good, 

 The crystal stream transcends the flowing 



mud, 



Tea, even the ills from coffee spring repairs, 

 Disclaims its vices and its virtues shares." 



Another despairing enthusiast ex- 

 claims : 



44 Hail, goddess of the vegetable, hail ! 

 To sing thy worth, all words, all numbers, 

 faH!" 



16 



