THE INTRODUCTION OF THE TULIP, AND THE TULIPOMANIA. 27 



through the whole, and if the seller agrees, the bulb is sold, and the wine 

 money is paid as "met de Borden," the purchaser receiving the money 

 promised to tbe highest bidder, which amounts were known as 

 " Drietjens." The wine money, besides paying for light and fuel, supplied 

 the members of the club with tobacco, beer, &c, for Gaergoedt replies 

 to an inquiry from Waermondt about the wine money, and says : " Yes. 

 The wine money amounts sometimes to much more. I have often been 

 to inns and eaten baked and fried fish and meat. Yes ; chickens and 

 rabbits, and even fine pastry, and drunk wine and beer from morning to 



Tulip Gouda. 30. Azem 



F,8 



HIGHEST BIO, 1508 FLORINS 



Fig. 8. — Diagram on blackboard showing final bid of 1508 florins for the 

 Tulip ' Gouda,' weighing 30 azen, sold " in het Ootjen. ' 



three or four o'clock at night, and then arrived home with more money 

 than when I left, and if I had speculated about twelve thousand florins 

 the Drietjens would have been as plentiful as the raindrops from the 

 thatched roof when it has rained." 



It is not surprising that such an easy and luxuriant life attracted all 

 kinds of ne'er-do-wells, who had no intention of ever paying for the bulbs 

 purchased, but came solely for the "Drietjens," a state of affairs assisted 

 by the fact that bulbs were often sold while in the ground, and were 

 not paid for until delivery some time after, a system which led later to 

 such disastrous complications. The crisis came unexpectedly, principally 

 because connoisseurs had tired of their hobby, and had placed large 



