The smoothfac'd youth, that has new guardians From playhouse steps to fupper at The Rofe,[chofe, Where he a main or two at random throws: Squandering of wealth, impatient of advice, His eating must be little, costly, nice.
Maturer Age, to this delight grown strange,
Each night frequents his club behind the 'Change, Expecting there frugality and health,
And honour, rising from a Sheriff's wealth:
Unless he fome insurance dinner lacks
'Tis very rarely he frequents Pontack's.
But then old age by still intruding years
Torments the feeble heart with anxious fears:
Morofe, perverse in humour, diffident,
The more he ftill abounds the lefs content;
His larder and his kitchen too obferves,
And now left he should want hereafter starves;
Thinks fcorn of all the prefent age can give,
And none these threescore years knew how to live.
But now the Cook must pass thro' all degrees, 241′
And by his art discordant tempers please,
And minifter to health and to disease.
Far from the parlour have your kitchen plac'd; Dainties may in their working be disgrac'd. In private draw your poultry, clean your tripe, And from your cels their flimy substance wipe. Let cruel offices be done by night;
For they who like the thing abhor the fight.
Next let difcretion moderate your cost,
And when you treat three courses be the most.
Let never fresh machines your pastry try
Unless grandees or magiftrates are by;
Then you may put a dwarf into a pie :
Or if you'd fright an alderman and mayor,
Within a pafty lodge a living hare;
Then midst their gravest furs shall mirth arife,
And all the Guild pursue with joyful cries.
Crowd not your table; let your numbers be Not more than sev'n, and never lefs than three. 260 "Tis the deffert that graces all the feast,
For an ill end disparages the rest :
A thousand things well done, and one forgot,
Defaces obligation by that blot.
Make your transparent sweetmeats truly nice 265
With Indian fugar and Arabian spice;
And let your various creams encircled be
With fwelling fruit just ravish'd from the tree.
Let plates and dishes be from China brought,
With lively paint and earth transparent wrought. 270
The feast now done, difcourfes are renew'd,
And witty arguments with mirth pursu'd.
The cheerful master midst his jovial friends
His glafs "To their best wishes" recommends.
The grace-cup follows "To his fov'reign's health,"
And to his country "Plenty, peace, and wealth :" 276
Performing then the piety of grace
Each man that pleases reaffumes his place;
While at his gate from fuch abundant ftore
He fhow'rs his godlike bleffings on the
In days of old our fathers went to war
Expecting sturdy blows and hardy fare:
Their beef they often in their murrions stew'd,
And in their basket-hilts their bev'rage brew'd.
Some officer perhaps might give confent
To a large cover'd pipkin in his tent,
Where every thing that every foldier got,
Fowl, bacon, cabbage, mutton, and what not,
Was all thrown into bank, and went to pot.
But when our conquests were extenfive grown, 290
And thro' the world our British worth was known,
Wealth on commanders then flow'd in apace,
Their Champaigne fparkled equal with their lace;
Quails, becaficoes, ortolans, were fent
To grace the levee of a genʼral's tent;
In their gilt plate all delicates were feen,
And what was earth before became a rich terrene.
When the young players once get to lflington
They fondly think that all the world's their own:
'Prentices, parifh-clerks, and Hectors, meet;
He that is drunk or bully'd pays the treat.
Their talk is loofe; and o'er the bouncing ale
At conftables and juftices they rail;
Not thinking cuflard such a serious thing
That common councilmen 't will thither bring, 305
Where many a man at variance with his wife
With foft'aing mead and cheesecake ends the ftrife.
Ev'nfquires come there, and with their mean difcourfe
Render the kitchen which they fit in worse.
Midwives demure, and chambermaids moft gay, 310
Foremen that pick the box and come to play,
Here find their entertainment at the height,
In cream and codlings rev'lling with delight:
What these approve the great men will dislike;
But here is the art, if you the palate strike
By management of common things fo well
That what was thought the meanest shall excel,
While others ftrive in vain all persons own
Such dishes could be drefs'd by you alone.
When straiten'd in your time, and fervants few, You'll rightly then compose an ambigue, Where first and fecond courfe, and
All in one single table have their part.
From fuch a vaft confufion it is delight
To find the jarring elements unite
And raise a structure grateful to the fight.
Be not too far by old example led; With caution now we in their footsteps tread. The French our relish help, and well fupply The want of things too grofs by decency. Our fathers most admir'd their fauces sweet, And often afk'd for fugar with their meat; They butter'd currants on fat veal bestow'd, And rumps of beef with virgin-honey ftrow'd. 334
Infipid tafte! old Friend, to them who Paris know,
Where rocambole, fhalot, and the rank garlick, grow.
Tom Bold did first begin the strolling mart,
And drove about his turnips in a cart;
Sometimes his wife the citizens would please,
And from the fame machine fell pecks of peafe: 340
Then pippins did in wheelbarrows abound,
And oranges in whimfey boards went round.
Befs Hoy first found it troublesome to bawl,
And therefore plac'd her cherries on a stall;
Her currants there and goofeberries were spread, 345
With the enticing gold of gingerbread:
But flounders, sprats, and cucumbers, were cry'd,
And ev'ry found and ev'ry voice was try’d.
At laft the law this hideous din fuppreft,
And order'd that the Sunday fhould have reft, 350
And that no nymph her noify food should fell
Except it were new milk or mackarel.
There is no difh but what our Cooks have made,
And merited a charter by their trade:
354
Not French kickshaws or oglios brought from Spain
Alone have found improvement from their brain;
But pudding, brawn, and whitepots, own'd to be
Th' effects of native ingenuity.
Our British fleet, which now commands the main, Might glorious wreaths of victory obtain 360 Would they take time; would they with leisure work, With care would falt their beef and cure their pork;
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