THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



Lamb, thought that the subject de- 

 served an essay. 



In speaking of the ornaments on 

 the tea-cup he says, in " Old China" : 



" I like to see my old friends, whom distance 

 cannot diminish, figuring up in the air (so they 

 appear to our optics), yet on terra firma still, 

 for so we must in courtesy interpret that speck 

 of deeper blue which the decorous artist, to 

 prevent absurdity, has made to spring up be- 

 neath their sandals. I love the men with wom- 

 en's faces and the women, if possible, with still 

 more womanish expressions. 



" Here is a young and courtly Mandarin, hand- 

 ing tea to a lady from a salver two miles off. 

 See how distance seems to set off respect ! And 

 here the same lady, or another for likeness is 

 identity on tea-cups is stepping into a little 

 fairy boat, moored on the hither side of this 

 calm garden river, with a dainty, mincing foot, 

 which is in a right angle of incidence (as angles 

 go in our world) that must infallibly land her 

 in the midst of a flowery mead a furlong off on 

 the other side of the same strange stream ! " 



The Spectator and the Tatler were 

 also susceptible to the female influ- 

 ence that tea inspired. In both of 



76 



