tom of saying grace at meals s origin in times of ter-state of man, riumper a season of sinence, a lucky booty of deers or goats flesurally be used, per is not oto be understood, ing -- sicular expression of to it, distinct from t implied and silent gratitude ed to enter upon t of ts and good tence. I o I am disposed to say grace upon ty ot a form for setting out upon a pleasant s -- a grace before Milton -- a grace before Sional exercise proper to be said before reading t, tual o tary ceremony of manducation, I sions to tension to a nicical, and perc ical, liturgy, noion of Utopian Rabelaesian Cians, no matter where assembled.
tion before eating s beauty at a poor mans table, or at tive repasts of c is t man, , sits doo sense of t feebly acted by to ing a dinner could never, but by some extreme tered. tenance -- is barely contemplated by terally heir courses are perennial.
Again, t diet seems ttest to be preceded by t imulative to appetite, leaves t free for foreign considerations. A man may feel tily tton urnips, and o reflect upon titution of eating; ion of mind, inconsistent turtle. e (a rarus ricables, eaming up trils, and moistening ts racted c troduction of t ceremony to be unseasonable. it seems impertinent to interpose a religious sentiment. It is a confusion of purpose to mutter out praises from a mout ers. ts of epicurism put out tle flame of devotion. tercepts it for akes aion bets. You are startled at tice of returning t ? -- for oo mucarve. It is to praise the Gods amiss.
I , scarce consciously per in clergymen and ot of sances ional tone put on for a fe rid of some uneasy sensation of t te, or most conscientious in ty; but in mind tibility of tional gratitude.
I ians sit do table, like o troug remembering t doites must run riot, and t pamper t and are ransacked, I ion to a fitter season, e is laid; emperate diet and restricted distony and surfeiting are no proper occasions for t, ure better, o t a blessing. e may be gratefully sensible of t is a meaner and inferior gratitude: but t of tenance, not relis delicacies; t t frame or composure, I y cion at some great , , in all probability, t tient o commence ttle sense of true temperance) as t is feel ions a little clouded, teams mingling ing tar sacrifice.
t satire upon full tables and surfeits is t emptation in the wilderness:
A table richly spread in regal mode,
its of noblest sort
And savour; beasts of chase, or fowl of game,
In pastry built, or from t, or boiled,
Gris-amber-steamed; all fish from sea or shore,
Fres or purling brook, for which was drained
Pontus, and Lucrine bay, and Afric coast.
tempter, I you, t tes tory preface of a benediction. to graces s Cambridge? temptation fitter for a is too civic and culinary, and ts altogetion of t deep, abstracted, y artillery of sauces, ion to ts and plain . disturbed augter. to temperate fantasies of t sort of feasts presented themselves ? -- he dreamed indeed,
-- As appetite is to dream,
Of meats and drinks, natures refres s.
But s? --
, ood,
And saheir horny beaks
Food to Elijah bringing, even and morn;
taugo abstain from :
also how he fled
Into t, and
Under a juniper; then how awaked
he coals prepared,
And by t,
And ate time after repose,
trengty days:
Sometimes, t ook,
Or as a guest his pulse.
Noton is finelier fancied temperate dreams of to s, troduction of fitting and pertinent?
tically I am no enemy to graces; but practically I o (before meat especially) to involve sometites, of one or anot spurs to our reason, feebly set about t ends of preserving and continuing t blessings to be contemplated at a distance itude; but t of appetite (t fit season for t exercise. t tion, itle to tory prefaces. I grace, and tions to t and drink folloo be less passionate and sensual ttons nor , as a s ances. tizen in ucker, I cannot imagine it a surplice.
I am no Quaker at my food. I confess I am not indifferent to t. tuous morsels of deers fles made to be received e services. I e a man ing not to kno aste in ters. I sinctively from one er in tastes for food. C---- a man cannot certain but . it innocence, I confess a less and less relises. table tribe t ick to asparagus, o inspire gentle ts. I am impatient and querulous under culinary disappointments, as to come tance, expecting some savoury mess, and to find one quite tasteless and sapidless. Butter ill melted -- t commonest of kitcs me beside my tenour. -- to make inarticulate animal noises over a favourite food. as te proper to be preceded by tter to postpone ions to a season emplated urbation? I quarrel astes, nor my t t ty and feasting. But as ttle in tures so to grace t secretly kissing o some great fision of no ark but t tureen before preluding strains to ts of angels and co ts and severer repasts of treuse; to t not slenderly acknoion of t at t mood, less timed and tuned to tter befitting organs on. e sit too long at our meals, or are too curious in tudy of too disordered in our application to too great a portion of to our so be able o say grace. to be t ion is to add o injustice. A lurking sense of trut makes ty so cold and spiritless a service at most tables. In seen t never settled question arise, as to belike of next auty from years or gravity, s tter of compliment, eac uno s ty from his own shoulders?
I once drank tea in company divines of different persuasions, une to introduce to eac time t evening. Before t cup it to ty, seems it is tom aries to put up a s prayer before t at first quite appre upon an explanation, tle less importance it a custom knoary or tea-grace oget spirit mig Lucian ed ts, of o eac of performing or omitting a sacrifice, -- time, doubtful of ant nostrils ools) going a his supper.
A s form upon t to reverence; a long one, I am afraid, cannot escape tinence. I do not quite approve of tic conciseness equivocal my pleasant scuned for a grace used to inquire, first slyly leering doable, quot;Is t; -- significantly adding, quot;t; Nor do I t sce pertinent, ion of benefits t aion unc illis erat locus. I remember to it to reconcile t;good creatures,quot; upon before us, anding t expression in a loil some one recalled a legend, allers to s of roast meat upon tly boards, till some pious benefactor, commiserating tes, of ted our fless, and gave us -- roead of mutton.