and ends in the middle of March. During that period, at the slightest
provocation, our countrymen are prepared to dine together, not with a
desire of over-indulgence in eating, but to enjoy the pleasant company
usually gathered round the festive board. It is an admitted fact that the
men who are in the habit of attending banquets are generally most
abstemious. Speech, story, and song form a pleasing part of the
proceedings of literary-society dinners, masonic banquets, and the more
homely but not less enjoyable suppers held in connection with the Burns'
Clubs. The toast lists and menu cards are often very interesting; they are
frequently artistic in design, and enriched with quotations from the
poets, which renders them of more than passing interest. A few quotations
from some of the best of those which have come under our notice seem worth
reproducing. The authors represented cover a wide field, ranging from
Shakespeare to Tennyson. The former is the most quotable poet, and he is
most frequently drawn upon. Burns, however, runs him very closely.
In turning over a pile of toast lists, the first to attract our attention
is the one prepared for the Hull Shakespearean Festival. On the front page
is a portrait of the bard and the familiar line of "rare" Ben Jonson:--
"He was not of an age, but for all time."
Under the first toast--that of the Queen--are two lines from _Henry V._:--
"God and his angels guard your sacred throne,
And make you long become it."
The toast of the evening follows: "The Immortal Memory of
Shakespeare"--Dr. Johnson's well-known verse beneath it:--
"Each change of many-coloured life he drew;
Exhausted worlds, and then imagined new;
Existence saw him spurn her bounded reign,
And panting Time toiled after him in vain."
The third speaker had for his topic "Shakespeare's Universality," with a
motto from _Romeo and Juliet_:--
"Monarch of the universal earth."
Actors and actresses were next toasted under the heading of
"Shakespearean Exponents," with a quotation from _Othello_:--
"Speak of me as I am: nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice."
The next theme was "Shakespeare and Tragedy," with a line from _Richard
III._:--
"I live to look upon their tragedy."
Then followed "Shakespeare and Comedy," with two lines from the _Taming of
the Shrew_:--
"Frame your mind for mirth and merriment,
Which bars a thousand harms."
Under the sentiment of "Shakespeare and History," is a line from _Henry
IV._ (Part II.):--
"There is a history in all men's lives."
Lastly, "Shakespearean Women" were remembered, and under the toast are
three lines as follow from the third part of _Henry VI._:--
"'Tis beauty that doth oft make women proud;
'Tis virtue that doth make them most admired;
'Tis modesty that makes them seem divine."
The programme of music is headed with a couple of lines from _Twelfth
Night_:--
"If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it."
At the foot of the card is printed "Good Night," and a quotation from
_Macbeth_, as follows:--
"At once good night:
Stand not upon the order of your going,
But go at once."
The toast list of a local literary society contains some happy quotations
from Shakespeare. The speakers are reminded at the commencement of the
programme, in the words from _Hamlet_, that "Brevity is the soul of wit."
The two lines under the toast of "The Prince and Princess of Wales" are
from _Pericles_:--
"As jewels lose their glory if neglected,
So princes their renown if not respected."
A line from _Richard III._:--
"Arm, fight, and conquer for England's sake."
was the motto to the toast of "The Army, Navy, and Auxiliary Forces."
Under the toast of "The Officers of the Club" are words from _Othello_:--
"We cannot all be masters."
Two good lines from the _Taming of the Shrew_ are given with the toast of
"Literature and Science":--
"My books and instruments shall be my company,
On them to look and practise by myself."
A line under the toast of "The Press" says, in the words of the _Merchant
of Venice_:--
"There are some shrewd contents in your paper."
We have seen on several menu cards:--
"A good digestion to you all, and once more
I shower a welcome on you--welcome all."
--_Henry VIII._
A more general quotation (from _Macbeth_) is:--
"Now good digestion wait on appetite,
And health on both."
The bill of fare for the Tercentenary Banquet held in 1864, at
Stratford-on-Avon, in honour of Shakespeare, is perhaps the best specimen
of cuisine literature ever produced. The following are a few of the
edibles and the quotations:--
Roast turkey:--
"Why, here comes swelling like a turkey-cock."
--_Henry V._
Roast fowls:--
"There is a fowl without a feather."
--_Comedy of Errors._
Ducks:--
"O dainty duck!"--_Midsummer Night's Dream._
Boar's head:--
"Like a full-acorned boar."--_Cymbeline._
York hams:--
"Sweet stem from York's great stock."
--_Henry VI._ (Part I.).
Tongues:--
"Silence is only commendable in a neat's tongue dried."
--_Merchant of Venice._
Mayonnaise of lamb:--
"Was never gentle lamb more mild."--_Richard II._
Braised lamb and beef:--
"What say you to a piece of beef and mustard?
A dish that I love to feed upon."
--_Taming of the Shrew._
Roast lamb:--
"Come you to seek the lamb here?"
--_Measure for Measure._
Lobster and mayonnaise salads:--
"Sallet was born to do me good."--_Henry IV._ (Part II.).
Dressed lobsters and crabs:--
"There's no meat like them: I could wish my best friend at such a
feast."--_Timon of Athens._
Desserts, cakes, jellies, and creams:--
"The queen of curds and cream."--_Winter's Tale._
Dressed potatoes:--
"Let the sky rain potatoes."--_Merry Wives of Windsor._
Bitter ale:--
"And here's the pot of good double beer, neighbour:
Drink, and fear not your man."--_Henry VI._ (Part II.).
In addition to the foregoing, many interesting and well-chosen quotations
appear on the famous bill of fare.
The bill of fare of the Annual Dinner of the Norwich Saint Andrew Society,
held in 1896, was headed, "Caird o' Guid Things":--
"KAIL BREE.
Maukin.
Cockie Leekie.
GUID CALLER FISH.
Sole-fleuks, baned an' stovit.
Caller Cod wi' Sauce o' Caller Ou.
THE HAGGIS.
"Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great Chieftain, o' the puddin' race!"
"A nip o' Fairntosh, an' it's no ower perjinkitie measure!"
ROAST AN' BILED.
Sheeps' Hurdies.
Sirloins o' Nowte.
Biled Chuckies an' Tongue.
Rostit Bubblyjock wi' Sausages.
Tatties Biled an' Champit.
Curly Kail.
"I'm thinkin', Sandy, we wadna be the waur o' a drappie."
Roastit Feesants wi' Raupit Tatties.
CONFECTOURI.
Figmaleerie o' Fruits.
Jeelies.
Plum Puddin'.
Mince Pies.
Apple Tairts and Cream.
Kebbuck wi' Celery an' guid Oat Farls.
DESSERT AN' COFFEE.
"Let them that wants Coffee, hae Coffee; I'm thinkin' I'll hae a dram!"
The birthday of Burns is celebrated in all parts of the world: wherever
Scotchmen are located the bard is honoured. We have before us a number of
Burns dinner toast lists, and several are headed "Should auld acquaintance
be forgot?"
The following are from the toast lists of the Hull Burns' Club. Under the
toast of "The Queen," two lines appear:--
"In the field of proud honour, our swords in our hand,
Our Queen and our country to save."
To the toast of "The Mayor, Sheriff, and Corporation" is this couplet:--
"How wisdom and folly meet, mix, and unite;
How virtue and vice blend their black and their white."
The toast of the evening, "The Memory of Burns," has under it the
following verse from _The Cotter's Saturday Night_:--
"O Scotia! my dear, my native soil!
For whom my warmest wish to Heaven is sent!
Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toil
Be blessed with health, and peace, and sweet content."
We have seen inscribed with this toast a verse from one of Bennoch's
beautiful poems:--
"With reverent silence we will fill
A cup whene'er this day returns,
And pledge the memory of the Bard,
The Bard of Nature--Robert Burns,
Immortal Burns."
Appended to the toast of "The Hull Burns' Club" are the noble lines:--
"It's coming yet, for a' that,
That man to man, the warld o'er,
Shall brithers be for a' that."
"The Visitors," "Kindred Societies," are included with suitable
quotations. The verse under the toast of "The Press" is a happy
selection:--
"Here's freedom to him that wad read,
Here's freedom to him that wad write,
There's nane ever feared that the truth should be heard,
But they whom the truth would indite."
We have seen the following quoted several times with this toast:--
"A chiel's amang you takin' notes,
And faith he'll prent it."
The concluding toast, that of "The Lassies," has the familiar lines:--
"The wisest man the warl' e'er saw,
He dearly loved the lassies, O!"
At a dinner of the Hull Literary Club the toast list was enriched with
quotations from the works of the Poet Laureate. An excerpt from _The
Princess_ on the first page says:--
"Hark the bell
For dinner, let us go!"
Two lines from a poem, _To the Rev. F. D. Maurice_, head the list:--
"You'll have no scandal while you dine,
But honest talk and wholesome wine."
To the toast of "The Queen" are four lines, as follow:--
"Her Court was pure; her life serene;
God gave her peace; her land reposed;
A thousand claims to reverence closed
In her as Mother, Wife, and Queen."
Five lines from _The Battle of Brunanburgh_ are given to the toast of "Our
Brave Defenders":--
"Theirs was a greatness
Got from their grandsires--
Theirs that so often in
Strife with their enemies,
Struck for their hoards and their hearths and their homes."
Two quotations appear under the toast of "Success to the Hull Literary
Club":--
"We rub each other's angles down."--_In Memoriam._
"Work in noble brotherhood."--_Exhibition Ode._
With the toast of "Literature and the Arts" is the line:--
"Let knowledge grow from more to more."
Under "The Press":--
"News from the humming city comes to it."
The line under the toast of "The Ladies" is brief and graceful:--
"Made to be loved."
Toasts and Toasting.
Toasting and drinking were more general half a century ago than they are
at the present time. In the earlier years of the Queen's reign temperance,
if not teetotalism, was, it is true, making headway, but in a great
measure convivial customs were maintained, and toasting was popular. Books
were published to supply suitable toasts, for public and private parties.
Such compilations must have been extremely useful to those who attended
social gatherings, and were not able to express graceful and pithy
sentiments.
We have before us a little work issued in London in 1847, under the title
of "The Social and Convivial Toast-Master; and Compendium of Sentiment."
It consists of prose and poetry arranged under various headings, such as
Loyal and Patriotic, Naval and Military, Masonic, Bacchanalian, Amatory,
Sporting, Political, Sentimental, and lastly, Miscellaneous. It cannot be
without interest to reproduce from this rare volume a few examples of the
toasts of the earlier Victorian era.
The opening section of the book is devoted to loyal and patriotic toasts.
The first toast is this:--
"Albert and Victoria; may their union be cemented by love and
affection, and their Royal offspring adorn the station they are
destined to fill."
A brief and popular toast was:--
"Church and Queen."
Another sentiment was:--
"Happiness to the Royal pair--Victoria and Albert."
A longer toast is as follows:--
"Here's a health to Her Majesty,
Conversion to her enemies,
And he that will not pledge her health
I wish him neither wit nor wealth,
Nor yet a rope to hang himself."
Another toast is to this effect:--
"Health to the Queen, prosperity to the people, and may the Ministry
direct their endeavours to the public good rather than engage in party
distinction."
A favourite sentiment was:--
"Great Britain's rising star, the Prince of Wales."
Many of the patriotic toasts ask for reforms:--
"A revision of the code of criminal laws."
At this period they were extremely severe.
"A speedy restoration of the rights of the people."
was another toast, and not a few related to Ireland.
"Truth for England and justice for Ireland"
is one, and another says:--
"The birthplace of wit, the home of hospitality--Ireland."
Patriotic toasts relating to Scotland are numerous, such as:--
"Scotland, the birthplace of valour--the country of worth."
"Scottish heroes; and may their fame live for ever."
A popular toast of the past was:--
"The independence of Greece and the memory of Byron."
The dislike to France by our fathers is plainly indicated in several
sentiments:--
"May French principles never corrupt English manners."
It would appear from many of the toasts that the nation was weary of war
and wanted peace and liberty. The plea for liberty occurs in many of the
sentiments; it is the closing wish of the following:--
"May peace o'er Britain spread her wing,
And commerce fill her ports with gold;
May arts and science comfort bring,
And liberty her sons enfold."
The naval and military toasts, as befits a nation that has gained glory in
battles on sea and land, are on the whole good. A few examples only must
suffice. How out of date our first appears in this age of ironclads:--
"Old England's wooden walls."
Here is a punning toast:--
"Sir Home Popham--and pop-home to all our enemies."
A nautical toast is:--
"To Nelson's memory here's a health,
And to his gallant tars,
And may our British seamen bold,
Despite both wounds and scars,
Make France and Spain,
And all the main
And all the foes to know,
Britons reign o'er the main,
While the stormy winds do blow."
Says another toast:--
"May the deeds never be forgot that were done at Trafalgar and
Waterloo."
Wellington is not neglected in the toasts, but he is not so popular as
Nelson. The feats of the Life Guards at Waterloo are remembered:--
"The Life Guards: that washed out in blood the blots of Piccadilly."
Another famous regiment is thus toasted:--
"The Scotch Greys: that made the Eagles look black."
Half a century ago was a toast which will find to-day a response in many
hearts:--
"The Greeks: may they never fall under Turkish bondage."
Many of the masonic sentiments are fine; they are amongst the best in the
book. Here is good teaching:--
"May we never condemn that in a brother which we pardon in ourselves."
"May the evening's diversions bear the morning's reflections."
"May every society instituted for the promotion of virtue--flourish."
Other toasts are equally good, but the masonic allusions make them more
suitable for the perusal of members of the craft than for the public.
Next in order come Bacchanalian toasts. Some of the sentiments would not
meet with favour in well regulated society at the present period, but we
doubt not were hailed with delight in the hard drinking days of old. The
first toast under this head is:--
"A friend and a bottle of wine to give him."
Wine and women find a place in not a few of the sentiments:--
"A full purse, a fresh bottle, and a pretty face."
"Beauty, wit, and wine."
"Wine, women, and wit."
The foregoing are brief, and are perhaps the best toasts which link women
with wine. The next is not a bad toast:--
"May our love of the glass never make us forget decency."
Punning examples are included, such as the two following:--
"May good fellows be found in every port, and all bad ones obliged to
sherry out."
"May we never be out of spirits."
On the whole, the toasts under this heading are not equal in merit to many
of the others in the volume.
We find amatory toasts next in order, and of this class quote three
examples:--
"The fairest work of nature--women."
"The village maid, may she remain so till she gets a good husband."
"Love without deceit, and matrimony without regret."
Sporting sentiments are by no means numerous; only four pages are devoted
to them. The following are specimens:--
"May the thirst of blood never disgrace a British sportsman."
"May the love of the chase never interrupt our attention to the
welfare of the country."
"The huntsman's pleasures--the field in the morning, the bottle at
night."
Some are in rhyme, and the following is a favourable example:--
"May jovial hunters in the morn
Prepare them for the chase;
Rise at the sounding of the horn,
And health with sport enhance."
Under the heading of political toasts are a number free from party
sentiment, advocating more the glory of our country than the praise of a
particular party. We can quite understand how favourably a toast like the
following would be received:--
"The British Lion, may he never rise in anger and sit down in fear."
The next is brief:--
"Death or Liberty."
A popular toast is as follows:--
"Here's to England, the ruler and queen of the waves,
May she ever be found to give freedom to slaves.
May she always extend to the weak and oppressed,
Those blessings with which her own have been blessed.
Lastly, let us quote one that in our day might be taken to heart by those
in office:--
"May Ministers while they are servants of the Crown never forget that
they are representatives of the people."
Next in order come sentimental toasts. Examples of these may almost be
culled at random to represent the whole, for there is a great sameness
about them:--
"May our great men be good and our good men great."
"May goodness prevail where beauty fails."
"May we never be lost to hope."
"Our friends, our country, our laws, home, love, and liberty."
Two pages are devoted to flash toasts, but as far as we are able to judge
are without interest.
The work closes with a varied and interesting collection of toasts under
the heading of "Miscellaneous," and contains excellent examples of the wit
and wisdom of bygone times. The celebrated Roxburghe Club of book-lovers
was founded in 1812, and has given to the world many valuable volumes. The
social side of the society was well sustained, and the following are the
ten bibliomania toasts which were honoured at the festive gatherings:--
1. "The immortal memory of Christopher Valdarfer, printer of the
Boccaccio of 1471."
2. "The memory of William Caxton, founder of the British Press."
3. "To the memory of Wynkyn de Worde, Pynson, and Notary, successors
of Caxton."
4. "The memory of John, Duke of Roxburghe."
5. "The memory of Lady Juliana Barnes and the St. Albans' Press."
6. "The memory of Gutenberg, Fust, and Schoeffer, fathers of the art
of printing."
7. "The Aldine family of Venice."
8. "The Giunti family of Florence."
9. "The prosperity of the Roxburghe Club, and in all cases the cause
of Bibliomania all over the world."
10. "The Society of the Bibliophiles Francais."
By-the-way, in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, is a memorial to the
first English printer, bearing the following inscription:--
"To the memory of
William Caxton,
Who first introduced into Great Britain
The Art of Printing;
And, who, A.D. 1477 or earlier, exercised that art in the
Abbey of Westminster,
This Tablet,
In remembrance of one to whom the literature of this
country is so largely indebted, was raised
Anno Domini MDCCCXX
By the Roxburghe Club.
Earl Spencer, K.G., President."
Professional sentiments are rather plentiful. The surgeon's toast is:--
"The man that bleeds for his country."
The schoolmaster's toasts are rather numerous, but not without point:--
"Addition to patriots,
Subtraction to placemen,
Multiplication to the friends of peace,
Division to its enemies,
Reduction to abuses,
Rule of three to king, lords, and commons,
Practice to reformation,
Fellowship to Britons,
Discount to the National Debt,
Decimal fractions to the clergy."
Toasts of musicians are included:--
"May a crotchet in the head never bar the utterance of good notes."
A second sentiment is:--
"May the lovers of harmony never be in want of a note, and its enemies
die in a common chord."
Tradesmen's toasts are very plentiful, and several include puns. Here is
the hatter's sentiment:--
"When the rogue naps it, may the lesson be felt."
Respecting the baker is the following:--
"May we never be done so much as to make us crusty."
The glazier's toast is:--
"The praiseworthy glazier who takes pains to see his way through
life."
A rather longer toast is that of the greengrocer:--
"May we spring up like vegetables, have turnip noses, reddish cheeks,
and carroty hair--and may our hearts never be hard like those of
cabbages, nor may we be rotten at the core."
The sentiment of the pawnbroker is:--
"When we lend our cash to a friend, may it be to his interest to pay
the principal, and his principle to pay the interest."
The shoemaker's toast is:--
"May the cobbler's lapstones never fail him."
In another toast we have an allusion to shoes:--
"May the enemies of Great Britain always have long corns and short
shoes."
Here we close this curious collection of toasts, feeling thankful that
such a book is no longer required for the every-day use of the people. A
great change for the better has come over the manners and customs of our
countrymen. Turning over the pages of this publication has given us
pleasure, and we trust the quotations culled from it may not fail to
interest our readers.
Curious American Old-Time Gleanings.
"The only true history of a country," said Lord Macaulay, "is to be found
in its newspapers." Sir George Cornewall Lewis expressed his conviction
that the historian of the future will find all his materials in the
_Times_. The American historian Mr. Bancroft seldom saw a newspaper
without drawing from it materials for his works. The story-teller often
obtains from the daily and weekly press suggestive notes. Charles Reade
made excellent use of the romantic episodes recorded in the newspapers.
His scrapbooks containing clippings from the papers were numerous and
valuable, and amongst his most cherished treasures. Many modern men of
letters might be mentioned who are alive to the importance of preserving
facts drawn from the journals of the day.
Professor James Davie Butler, LL.D., a few years ago wrote an amusing and
at the same time a valuable paper on Scrap-books. He related how he had
corrected, through seeing in an old Connecticut newspaper an
advertisement, statements made by the leading historians of America. It
was respecting the horse of General Stark, a hero in the American War, who
broke Burgoyne's left wing. Headley says, "Stark's horse sank under him."
Everett states, "The General's horse was killed in the action." Irving
writes, "The veteran had his horse shot under him." They were led to make
the statement from a postscript of a letter the General wrote saying, "I
lost my horse in the action." Here is the advertisement referred to:--
"TWENTY DOLLARS REWARD.--Stolen from me, the subscriber, in the time
of action, the 16th of August last, a Brown Mare, five years old; had
a star in her forehead. Also a doeskin seated saddle, blue housing
trimmed with white, and a curbed bridle.--It is earnestly requested of
all Committees of Safety, and others in authority, to exert themselves
to recover the said Mare, so that the thief may be brought to justice
and the Mare brought to me; and the person, whoever he be, shall
receive the above reward for both; and for the Mare alone, one-half
that sum. How scandalous, how disgraceful and ignominious, must it
appear to all friendly and generous souls to have such sly, artful,
designing villains enter into the field of action in order to pillage,
pilfer, and plunder from their brethren when engaged in battle!
JOHN STARK, B.D.G.
Bennington, 11th Sept., 1777."
The foregoing may be regarded as a good proof of the value of historical
facts gleaned from newspapers.