POISONED SNUFF. 255 



1703, called The Beau's Catechism ; which is here 

 copied. He is accused in the text of having " more 

 Periwig than Man," with " the necessary additions of 

 Vigo Snuff;" and his employment in the theatre is 

 denned to be, " to chat an hour with a mask in a side 

 box, then whip behind the scenes, bow to a fool in the 

 pit, take snuff, and talk to the actresses." In Baker's 

 comedy, Hampstead Heath (published 170G), a song 

 describing "the Beau's character," commences with 

 these peculiar details : — 



"Awig that's full, 

 An empty skull, 

 A "box of burgamot." 



Tom Brown, who drew his highly coloured pictures 

 from nature, speaks of one, " whose periwig was 

 large enough to have loaded a camel, and he bestowed 

 upon it at least a bushel of powder;" he adds other 

 details equally confirmatory of the general satire. 

 Misson was just in saying, "They are exactly like 

 Moliere's marquises, and want nothing but that title, 

 which they would assume in any other country but 

 England." 



In the Spectator, No. 43, this question is very reason- 

 ably asked : — " Would it not employ a beau prettily 

 enough, if, instead of playing eternally with a snuff- 

 box, he spent some part of his time in making one ? " 



Scented snuffs were sometimes made the recipients 

 of poison. In 1712 the Duke de Noailles presented 

 the Dauphiness of France with a box of Spanish snuff 

 in which she delighted ; she kept it for a few days pri- 



