T*he Prevalency of Example in Tea-drinkwg. 
243 
LETTER VIII. 
To the fame . 
Madam, 
S INCE we are now pleading the caufe of thofe who are 
fo peculiarly acceptable in the fight of god, let us freely 
enquire if fome mothers, as well as nurfes, are not deficient 
in their duty. Does not the paflion for amufement among the 
higher orders of the people, produce bad efle&s, tho’ not fo 
pernicious as the ufe of gin and tea in low life ? For whether 
the fine lady deftroys herfelf by drinking tea, flying abroad, 
or fitting up late ; or the nurfe with gin, and the immoderate 
ufe of tea, the king lofes a fubjeft, and the ftate is injured. 
How often does it happen that the nurfe, by carelefsly 
spending her time, destroys the child ! The poor infant ex- 
pires whilft fhe is lipping her tea ! From the pride of imitating 
her betters, and the habit of drinking this deluding infufion, 
fhe contracts a passion and appetite for this bitter draught, 
which bears down all the duties of humanity before it ! You 
know this to be almoft literally true, in many inftances : 
every miftrefs of a family knows it to be true, not of nurfes 
only, but of your fervants in general, efpecially of the females, 
who demand your submission to this execrable cuftom, and 
you submit, as if the evil was irremediable. Nay, your fer- 
vants fervants, down to the very beggars, will not be fatisfied 
unlefs they confume the produce of fo" remote a country as 
china. They confider it as their magna charta, and will die 
I i 2 by 
