The Every-day Book and Table Book. v. 3 (of 3): Everlasting Calerdar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the AlmanacHone, William
History
The Every-day Book and Table Book. v. 3 (of 3): Everlasting Calerdar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the Almanac
Hone, William
Days; Great Britain -- Social life and customs
Our old gentleman, in order to be exclusively himself, must be either a
widower or a bachelor. Suppose the former. We do not mention his precise
age, which would be invidious;--nor whether he wears his own hair or a
wig; which would be wanting in universality. If a wig, it is a
compromise between the more modern scratch and the departed glory of the
toupee. If his own hair, it is white, in spite of his favourite
grandson, who used to get on the chair behind him, and pull the silver
hairs out, ten years ago. If he is bald at top, the hair-dresser,
hovering and breathing about him like a second youth, takes care to give
the bald place as much powder as the covered; in order that he may
convey, to the sensorium within, a pleasing indistinctness of idea
respecting the exact limits of skin and hair. He is very clean and neat;
and in warm weather is proud of opening his waistcoat half way down, and
letting so much of his frill be seen; in order to show his hardiness as
well as taste. His watch and shirt-buttons are of the best; and he does
not care if he has two rings on a finger. If his watch ever failed him
at the club or coffee-house, he would take a walk every day to the
nearest clock of good character, purely to keep it right. He has a cane
at home, but seldom uses it, on finding it out of fashion with his
elderly juniors. He has a small cocked hat for gala days, which he lifts
higher from his head than the round one, when made a bow to. In his
pockets are two handkerchiefs, (one for the neck at night-time,) his
spectacles, and his pocket-book. The pocket-book, among other things,
contains a receipt for a cough, and some verses cut out of an odd sheet
of an old magazine, on the lovely duchess of A., beginning--
When beauteous Mira walks the plain.
He intends this for a common-place book which he keeps, consisting of
passages in verse and prose cut out of newspapers and magazines, and
pasted in columns; some of them rather gay. His principal other books
are Shakspeare’s Plays and Milton’s Paradise Lost; the Spectator, the
History of England; the works of Lady M. W. Montague, Pope, and
Churchill; Middleton’s Geography, the Gentleman’s Magazine; Sir John
Sinclair on Longevity; several plays with portraits in character;
Account of Elizabeth Canning, Memoirs of George Ann Bellamy, Poetical
Amusements at Bath-Easton, Blair’s Works, Elegant Extracts; Junius as
originally published; a few pamphlets on the American War and Lord
George Gordon, &c. and one on the French Revolution. In his sitting
rooms are some engravings from Hogarth and Sir Joshua; an engraved
portrait of the Marquis of Granby; ditto of M. le Comte de Grasse
surrendering to Admiral Rodney; a humorous piece after Penny; and a
portrait of himself, painted by Sir Joshua. His wife’s portrait is in
his chamber, looking upon his bed. She is a little girl, stepping
forward with a smile and a pointed toe, as if going to dance. He lost
her when she was sixty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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