2 Early Social Life of Royal Society 



which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much 

 happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn." * 



Accordingly the philosophers of the seventeenth century, 

 following the universal practice of the day, repaired to these 

 places of entertainment, where they dined or supped, but 

 where at the same time they would often engage in the dis- 

 cussion of subjects in science, and would then do so with 

 greater freedom and vivacity than at their more formal 

 assemblies in Gresham College. It would appear that from 

 the beginning these convivial gatherings were of two kinds. 

 In the first place, the Fellows as a body dined together in 

 celebration of their anniversary on St. Andrew's Day (3oth 

 November), to which they went, each with a St. Andrew's 

 Cross fastened on his hat, for the purpose of electing their 

 Council and office-bearers for the ensuing year. The dinner 

 came after the election, and could be attended by every 

 Fellow who so desired. These festivals, which still survive, 

 were of a more or less formal character when personages of 

 consequence in the community, as well as private friends, 

 were invited. In the early daj^s of the Society they were 

 held at the noted tavern in Abchurch Lane, City, kept by 

 a Frenchman named Pontac. More than thirty years after 

 the start of the Royal Society, John Evelyn records, on 

 3Oth November 1696, that after the Anniversary Meeting 

 with its elections, " we all dined at Pontac's as usual." 2 



1 Boswell's Life of Johnson (Birkbeck Hill's Edit. vol. ii. p. 451). Mr. 

 Wheatley in his Pepysiana (p. 191) gives a list of more than a hundred 

 taverns referred to by Samuel Pepys as having been visited by him. In 

 this list it is noteworthy how often the same favourite name for a Tavern 

 was repeated in different parts of London. Thus there are four Taverns 

 with the sign of " The Cro\vn," six with that of " The Sun," seven with 

 that of " The Swan," and seven with that of the " King's Head." 



2 See Evelyn's Diary under date soth November 1680 ; 29th November 

 1688 ; 3oth November 1693. On i3th July 1683 he states- " I had this 

 day much discourse with Monsieur Pontac, son to the famous and wise 

 prime President of Bordeaux. This gentleman was owner of that excellent 

 vignoble of Pontac and O'Brien, from whence come the choicest of our 

 Bordeaux wines." The best French claret was named after Pontac. 

 Thus Matthew Prior in his Hind and Panther transvers'd : 



Drawers must be trusted, through whose hands convey'd 

 You take the Liquor, or you spoil the Trade : 

 For sure those Honest Fellows have no knack 

 Of putting off stum'd Claret for Pontack. 



"Dialogues of the Dead," etc., Waller's Edit. 



p. 20. 



