a Diamond Cross of 6 Brilliant Diamonds and a large Brilliant Stone loose in a Collet. The middle stone in the Cross weighs 10 grains, and the other 5 together 29 grains, and the Diamond in the Collet 15 grains or there abouts.'

The greatest loss of diamonds in this reign was the following, for which a reward of 1,000 guineas, and the Queen's pardon, was offered. 'Whereas there were brought from India in the Ship Albemarle (which was driven ashore at Pielpora near Plimouth about the 9th of this instant December) Five Bulses of Diamonds, which are pretending to be missing or lost. . . . Amongst which said Diamonds was one very uncommon, remarkable Diamond, viz. One cut Table Stone of the first Water, and in all Perfection, weighing about 26 Carrats and a Quarter, and one Pointed rough Stone weighing about 18 Carrats and a Quarter; and one other rough Stone weighing about 21 Carrats, a Point some thing fallen, Christalline, White and Clean.'1 One is glad to read in 'Luttrel's Diary,' January 15, 1709, 'Part of the Diamonds missing out of the Ship Albemarle are found, and brought to the Secretary's Office.'

'Lost April 23 (1702) upon the day of Her Majesty's Coronation, in or near Westminster Hall, a Diamond Stomacher, with a Row of Rose Diamonds down the Middle, with knots of small Rose Diamonds on each side; in the setting there being a joint between each knot; they being all set in Silver, and sow'd upon black Ribbon. Lost also at the same time one large Rose Diamond set in Silver, and fastened to a Bodkin.'

The Queen herself lost some diamonds on this memorable occasion, but nothing of great value, as only ten guineas were offered as a reward. 'Whereas there was Ten Small Diamonds singly set in Silver, but made up together into a Sprig fastened by a Wire, which were lost from her Majesty's Robes in the Procession upon the Coronation Day,' etc. This, however, was not the only loss the Queen suffered during her reign, some of her subjects conceiving a violent affection for her plate-vide the following advertisements. 'Whereas several pieces of Plate, as Dishes, Trencher Plates, Knives, forks,

London Gazette, Dec. 23/27, 1708.

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spoons and salts, together with Pewter of all Sorts, Table Linen and other Necessaries, which were provided and used in Westminster Hall at her Majesty's Coronation Feast on 23 Inst., have been taken away from thence, and are yet concealed,' etc. 'Lost last night, being the 10th of this Instant, January, the following Pieces of Plate, viz, a large Monteith 2 with the Queen's Arms; a Salver, with the Royal Arms; 3 Salts Nurl'd; 4 Spoons, with W. R. in a Cypher, and a Crown over them; One Plate with the late King's Arms, and W. R.; the bottom of a Mustard Caster, with A. R. in a Cypher, and a Crown over it.' 'Lost at Somerset House, at the Entertainment of the Venetian Ambassadors, one of Her Majesty's Knurl'd Dishes, weight 52 Ounces, and one Silver Mazerine, Weight 20 Ounces, both engrav'd with His late Majesty's Arms.' 'Lost from Her Majesty's Palace at Windsor, on Sunday the 4th Instant, Two Silver Trencher Plates of Her Majesty's Engraven'd A. R. and the Arms of England before the Union.'

The plate of this reign was heavy and cumbrous, and of very little artistic merit. It was greatly in use, and was an outward and visible sign of its owner's wealth. To such an extent did its use obtain, that taverns were ordered not to have silver tankards, the temptation to steal them being so great.

Ladies occasionally wore chatelaines in the street, and lost them, whilst they seem only to have worn their watches for the sake of losing their outer case, judging by the numbers of advertisements. Being worn outside, there was nothing easier to steal. Not the whole watch; oh no! but gently to press the spring, and the gold case was in the thief's possession, with next door to no risk. They were absolutely asking

1 London Gazette, Jan. 8/11, 1704-5.

2 A Monteith was a kind of punch-bowl, with scallops or indentations in the brim, the object of which was to convert it into a convenient tray for bringing in the wine-glasses. These being placed with the brims downwards, radiating from the centre, and with the handles protruding through the indentations in the bowl, were easily carried without much jingling or risk of breaking. Of course the bowl would then be empty of liquor!

'New things produce new words, and thus Monteith
Has by one Vessel, sav'd his name from Death.'

3 London Gazette, May 26,29, 1707.

Dr. King's Art of Cookery, etc., p. 37. • Ibid. Oct. 20/24, 1713.

to be stolen. Even the little children must needs be decked out with watches and chains. 'Whereas a Gold Watch, with a Gold Chain with 6 lockets, one of them with a Cypher L. T. set with Pearl and Green Stones, was lost from a Childe II years old.' 'Stop't, a Child's Gold Chain suppos'd to be stolen.' 'Cut off from a Child's neck yesterday, a Gold Chain, four times about her Neck.' 'Taken from a Child, a Gold Chain with this Motto, Memento Mori.' 'Lost from a Child's side a Silver Scissor Case, Open Work, with Scissors in them; to it a Chain and flat Hook gilt with Gold.'

CHAPTER XV.

FOOD.

(SOLID.)

English fare-Time of dining-Pontack's-Other ordinaries-Books on Cookery-Receipts - Pudding - Fish-Oysters-Poultry-Assize of bread-Markets-Vegetables - Lambeth gardeners-Fruit - Dried

fruit.

IN the matter of food, people were not gourmets as a rule. The living was plentiful, but plain, and a dinner was never more than two courses; as Addison wrote, 'two plain dishes, with two or three good natured, chearful, ingenious friends, would make me more pleased and vain than all that pomp and luxury can bestow;' and this sentiment pervaded the whole of society. Dinner is almost the only meal ever mentioned, and one looks in vain for details of breakfast or supper. They were taken, of course, but men, then, did not sufficiently deify their stomachs, as to be always talking about them: dinner was the meal of the day, and there is no doubt that the most was made of that opportunity. Misson says: 'The English eat a great deal at dinner; they rest a while, and to it again, till they have quite stuff'd their Paunch. Their Supper is moderate: Gluttons at Noon, and abstinent at Night. always heard they were great Flesh eaters, and I found it true. I have known several people in England that never eat any Bread, and universally they eat very little they nibble a few crumbs, while they chew the Meat by whole Mouthfuls. Generally speaking, the English Tables are not delicately serv'd. There are some Noblemen that have both French and English Cooks, and these eat much after the French manner; but among the middling Sort of People they have ten or twelve Sorts of common Meats, which infallibly

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take their Turns at their Tables, and two Dishes are their Dinners: a Pudding, for instance, and a Piece of Roast Beef; another time they will have a piece of Boil'd Beef, and then they salt it some Days before hand, and besiege it with five or six Heaps of Cabbage, Carrots, Turnips, or some other Herbs or Roots, well pepper'd and salted, and swimming in Butter: A Leg of roast or boil'd Mutton, dish'd up with the same dainties, Fowls, Pigs, Ox Tripes, and Tongues, Rabbits, Pidgeons, all well moistened with Butter, without larding: Two of these Dishes, always serv'd up one after the other, make the usual Dinner of a Substantial Gentleman, or wealthy Citizen. When they have boil'd Meat, there is sometimes one of the Company that will have the Broth; this is a kind. of Soup, with a little Oatmeal in it, and some Leaves of Thyme or Sage, or other such small Herbs. They bring up this in as many Porringers as there are People that desire it; those that please, crumble a little Bread into it, and this makes a kind of Potage.'

Here, then, we have a very graphic, and evidently unbiassed, account of the cuisine of this reign. Two o'clock seems to have been the middle-class time of dining, but people with any pretension to fashion dined later. 'Why, does any Body Dine before Four a Clock in London? For my Part, I think it an ill bred Custom to make my Appetite Pendulum to the Twelfth Hour. Besides, 'tis out of Fashion to Dine by Day light.' And Steele, writing about 'Rakes,' says: All the noise towards six in the evening is caused by his mimics and imitators;'2 thus leading to the inference that, dinner being at four, and wine being plentifully drunk after it, they rose from table half drunk, and went noisily to the coffee-houses.

This, probably, was the case at such a place as Pontack's, which held the first rank among the restaurants of the time. It was situated in Abchurch Lane, and was said to have derived its name from Pontack, a president of the Parliament of Bordeaux, who gave his name to the best French clarets; but this could hardly be the case, as all contemporary writers call the proprietor Pontack. Misson speaks in high terms of 1 The Basset Table. 2 Tatler, No. 27.