The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns, and Hoaxes of Theodore HookHook, Theodore Edward
General
The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns, and Hoaxes of Theodore Hook
Hook, Theodore Edward
English wit and humor
"We had a voulez vous of fowl, and some sailor's eels, which were
very nice, and some pieces of crape, so disguised by the sauce that
nobody who had not been told what it was would have distinguished
them from pancakes--after the sailor's eels we had some pantaloon
cutlets, which were savoury--but I did not like the writing
paper--however, as it was a French custom, I eat every bit of
it--they call sparrow-grass here asperge, I could not find out why.
"If I had not seen what wonderful men the French cooks are, who
actually stew up shoes with partridges, and make very nice dishes
too, I never could have believed the influence they have in the
politics of the country--everything is now decided by the cooks, who
make no secret of their feelings, and the party who are still for
Buonaparte call themselves traitors, while those who are partizans of
the Bonbons are termed Restaurateurs, or friends of the Restoration.
"After dinner a French monsheur, who I thought was a waiter, for he
had a bit of red ribbon at his button-hole, just the same as one of
the waiters had, began to talk to Mr. Fulmer, and it was agreed we
should go to the play--they talked of Racing and Cornhill, which
made me think the mounsheur had been in England--however, it was
arranged that we were to go and see Andrew Mackay at the Francay, or
Jem Narse, or the Bullvards; but at last it was decided unanimously,
crim. con. that we should go to see Jem Narse, and so we went--but I
never saw the man himself after all.
"A very droll person, with long legs and a queer face, sung a song
which pleased me very much, because I understood the end of it
perfectly--it was 'tal de lal de lal de lal,' and sounded quite like
English--after he had done, although every body laughed, the whole
house called out 'beast, beast,' and the man, notwithstanding, was
foolish enough to sing it over again."
VI.
ADVENTURES AT PARIS.
TO MR. BULL.
Paris, January 28, 1824.
SIR,--As my daughter Lavy, who acts as my amaranthus, is ill-disposed
with a cold and guittar, contracted by visiting the Hecatombs last
week, I send this without her little billy which she usually sends;
my second daughter has sprained her tender hercules in crossing
one of the roues, and my third daughter has got a military fever,
which, however, I hope, by putting her through a regiment, and giving
her a few subterfuges, will soon abate. I am, however, a good deal
_embracée_, as the French say, with so many invalids.
Since I wrote last, I have visited the Hullaballoo, or cornmarket,
so called from the noise made in it; Mr. Fulmer told me I should see
the flower of the French nation there, but I only saw a crowd of old
men and old women; here is a pillow made for judicious astronomy, but
which looks like a sun-dial.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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