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FTheThirdorFourthC^oW-LondonPublishedby
JohnVanVoorstPaternosterRow.CUPSAND THEIRCUSTOMS." Touchbrim!
touchfoot ! thewineis red,Andleapstothelips
ofthefree;Ourwassailtrueis quicklysaid,Comrade! Idrinktothee
!"Touchfoot! touch brim! whocares ? whocares?Brothersin
sorroworglee,Grioryordangereachgallantlyshares:Comrade!
Idrinktothee !" Touchbrim! touchfoot !
onceagain,oldfriend,Thoughthepresentourlast draughtbe;Wewere
boysweare menwe'JlbetruetotheendBrother! Idrinktothee
!"SECONDEDITION.LONDON:JOHNTANYOOEST,PATERNOSTERROW.MDCCCLXIX.INTED
BYTAYLORAND FRANCIS,REDLIONCOURT,FLEETSTREET.PREFACE.Theprincipal
object ofthese pages is to furnisha collection of recipes for the
brewing of com-pound drinks, technically called"Cups/' all
ofwhichhavebeenselectedwith the mostscrupu-lous attention to the
rules of gastronomy,andtheir virtues tested and approved by
repeatedtrials. Thesewe are inclined to put into type,from a belief
that, if theywere moregenerallyadopted, it would be the means of
getting ridof a great deal of that stereotyped drinkingwhich at
present holds sway at the festiveboards of England. In doing this,
we haveendeavoured to simplifythematter as much aspossible,adding
such hints and remarks asmayprove serviceable to the uninitiated,
whilst wehave discarded a goodly numberofmoderncom-poundsas
unpalatable and unscientific. As, inthis age of progress, most
things are raised tothe position of a science, we see no
reasonwhyBacchanology, if the term please our readers,should not
hold a respectable place, and beIVPREFACE.entitled to its due mead
of praise;so, bywayof introduction, we have ventured to take
acursory glance at the customswhich have beenattachedto drinking
fromthe earliest periods tothepresenttime. This,however,weset forth
asno elaborate history, but only as an arrange-mentof such scraps
as have from timetotimefallen in ourway, and have helped us to
formideas ofthe socialmannersofbygone times.Wehave selected a
sprigof Borage for ourfrontispiece,byreasonof the usefulness of
thatpleasant herb in theflavouring of cups.
Else-wherethaninEngland, plants for flavouring areaccounted of rare
virtue. So much are theyesteemed in the East, that an
anti-Brahminicalwriter, showing the worthlessness of
Hindusuperstitions, says," Theycommandyouto cutdown a living and
sweet basil-plant, that youmaycrownalifelessstone." Ouruse
offlavour-ing-herbs is thereverseofthis justlycondemnedone; for we
crop them that hearts may bewarmedandlife lengthened.And here we
would remark that, althoughourendeavoursare directed
towardstheresusci-tation of better times than those we live
in,times of heartier customs and of more genialways,we raiseno
lamentation for the departurePREFACE. Vofthe golden age, in the
spirit of
HoffmannvonFallersleben,whosings:"Wouldourbottlesbutgrowdeeper,Didourwinebutoncegetcheaper,ThenonearththeremightunfoldThegoldentimes,theageofgold!"Butnotforus;
wearecommandedTogowithtemperanceeven-handed.Thegoldenageis
forthedead:We've gotthepaperageinstead !"For,ah! ourbottles still
decline,Anddailydearergrowsourwine,Andflat
andvoidourpocketsfall;Faith! soonthere'11benotimesat all!"This is
rather the cry of those who live thatthey may drink, than of our
wiser selves, whodrink thatwe may live. In truth, we are notdead to
the charms of other drinks, in modera-tion. The apple has hada
shareof ourfavour,beingrecommendedto our literary notice
byanoldenpoet"Praisedandcaress'd, thetunefulPhillips
sungOfcyderfamed,whencefirst hislaurels sprung;"and we have looked
with a friendly eye uponthewool of a porter-pot, and involuntarily
apo-strophized it in thewordsofthe old stanza," Risethen,myItuse,
andtotheworldproclaimThemightycharmsofporter'spotentname,"VI
PREFACE.without the least jealous feeling being arousedat the
employment of a Muse whose laboursoughttobe secured solely
forhumanity; but acup-drink, little andgood,will, for its social
andmoralqualities, everhold the chief place in ourlikings.Lastly,
although weknowmanyofourfriendstobefirst-rate judges ofpleasant
beverages, yetwebelieve that but fewof them are acquaintedwiththeir
composition or history in times past.Should,therefore,
anyhintswemayhavethrownout assist in adding to the conviviality of
thefestive board,wefeelweshallnothave scribbledin vain;andwebeg
especially to dedicate thisbagatelle to all those good soulswho
havebeentaughtbyexperiencethat afirm adhesion to the"pigskin," anda
rattling galopadeto themusicof the twanging horn and the melody of
themerryPack, is the best incentive to the enjoy-mentofall
goodthings, especially goodappetite,goodfellowship,
andGoodHealth.And,althoughalone,"We'11drainonedraughtinMemoryof
manyajoyousBanquetpast.PBEEACETOTHE SECOND EDITION.The Second
Edition of this book containsmuch additional matter, all of which
has beenderived from notes collected by one of theoriginal authors
of the work, whose untimelydeath is mourned,andwhose genial
hospitalityis remembered, by very many friends. Thecompiler
believes that the additions made willgreatlyincreasethe usefulness
of thebookto allcompoundersofCups.CUPS AND THEIR CUSTOMS."
Thenshallournames,Familiarintheirmouthsashouseholdwords,Beintheirflowing-cupsfreshlyremember'd."Asin
all countries andinall ages drinkinghasexistedas a necessary
institution, sowe find it has been in-variably accompanied by its
peculiar forms and cere-monies. Butinendeavouringto trace
these,weare atoncebesetwiththe difficulty offixing a
starting-point.If wewere inclinedto treat the subject in a
rollickingfashion,we couldfind a high antiquityready-made
toourhandsintheapocryphaldoingsof mythology,andmightquote the
nectar of the gods as the first ofallpotations;forweare
toldthatuWhenMars,theGodof War,of Venusfirst
didthink,Helaidasidehishelmandshield,andmix'd adropofdrink."Butit
is ourintention, at therisk of being consideredpedantic, to
discourse on customs more tangibleandreal. Ifwearebelieversin
theexistenceof pre-Adamiteman,the records he has left us, in the
shape of flintandstoneimplements,are far too difficult
ofsolutiontoberenderedavailable fordrinking-purposes,orto assistus
in forming any idea of his inner life : we mustBZ
CUPSANDTHEIRCUSTOMS.thereforecommenceourhistory at the
timeuwhenGodmadechoiceto
rearHismightychampion,strongabovecompare,Whosedrinkwasonlyfromthelimpidbrook."Nor
need we pause to dilate on the quality of thisprimsevaldraught;
foraAdam'sale "hasalwaysbeenanacceptedworld-widebeverage,evenbefore
drinking-fountainswereinvented, andwill continue till
theendoftimeto formthefoundationofevery otherdrinkablecompound.
Neitherwasit necessary for the historianto inform us of thevessel
fromwhich ourgrandpro-genitorquaffed his limpid potion, since our
commonsensewouldtell usthatthehollowedpalmof hishandwouldserve as
thereadiest and most probable means.Totrace theoriginof
drinking-vessels, andapply it toour
modernword"cup/'wemustintroducea singularhistorical fact,
which,thoughleadingusto it byratheracircuitous route,it
wouldnotbeproperto omit. Wemust gobackto a highantiquity
ifwewouldseekthederivationof theword,inasmuch as its Celtic root
isnearlyin amythologicage,so far as thewrittenhistoryof the Celts
is concernedthough the barbarouscustom from which the signification
of our cups orgoblets is taken (that of drinkingmeadfromtheskullof
aslain enemy)is proved bychronicles tohavebeeninuse upto
theeleventhcentury. Fromthis, acuporgoblet for containing liquor
was called the Skull orSJcoll,aroot-wordnearlyretained in
theIcelandicSka!,Skaal, and Skyllde, the German Schale, the
DanishSkaalj and, coming to ourownshores, in
theCornishCUPSANDTHEIRCUSTOMS. 3Skala.
Soale-gobletsinCelticweretermedKalt-skaal;and, though appliedin
otherways,thewordlingers intheHighland Scotch as Skiel (a tub);
andin the Oi'k-neysthesameworddoesdutyfor aflagon. Fromthisroot,
though more immediately derived from Scutella,a concavevessel,
through the Italian ScodellaandtheFrench Ecuelle (a porringer), we
have the homesteadword Skillet still used in England. Thereis
nolack,in old chronicles, of examplesillustrative of
thatmostbarbarouspractice of convertingthe skullof anenemyinto a
drinking-cup. Warnefrid, in his work'DeGestisLongobard./
says,"Albin slewCuminum,andhavingcarriedawayhis
head,converteditintoa drink-ing-vessel,whichkindofcupwithus is
called Schala.-"Thesamething is said oftheBoiibyLivy, ofthe
Scy-thiansbyHerodotus,ofthe ScordiscibyRufusFestus,of the Gauls
byDiodorus Si cuius, andofthe Celts bySilius Italicus.
HenceitisthatHagnarLodbrog,inhisdeath-song,consoleshimself
withthereflection,"Ishallsoondrinkbeerfrom hollow
cupsmadeofskulls."Inmoremoderntimes,themiddleages forexample,we
find historic illustration of anewuse of the
word,whereSkollwasapplied in anotherthoughalliedsense.Thus it is
said of oneof the leaders in theGowryanconspiracy"that he did drink
his skoll to myLordDuke/' meaningthat
thehealthofthatnoblemanwaspledged; andagain, at afestive
table,weread that thescoll passed about; and, as a still better
illustration,Calderwood says that drinking the king's skolemeantthe
drinking of his cup in honourofhim^which,
heb24CUPSANDTHEIRCUSTOMS.adds, should always be drank standing. In
moremoderntimes,however,drinking-cupshavebeen formedof various
materials, all of which have, at least inregardto idea, apreferable
and morehumanefounda-tionthantheonefromwhich wederivetheterm.
Thus,formanycenturies past, goldandsilvervessels
ofeveryformandpattern have beenintroduced, either
withorwithoutlids, andwithorwithout handles.Hanap is thenameof a
small drinking-cup of the15th and16th centuries, made usually of
silver, gilt,standing upon feet. Theywere made at
AugsburghandNuremberg.In an oldFrenchtranslation of Genesis, wefind
atv.5,c. xliv.:"LeHanapquevousavezambleeest leHanap monSeignor,et
quel il solortdeleter,malechoseavez fait/' relating to the silver
cupJoseph orderedtobeputin his brother's sack. Insome Scotchsongs
adrinking-cup is called cogneorcog: this word is
alsospeltindifferentpartsofScotlandcogie,andcoig.
Thiswordmaybecompared withcoculum (medicalLatinfora hollow
woodenvessel), alsowiththeold
Germankouch,andtheWelshcaivg,abasin.The Flemish drinking-cups of
the 16th and 17thcenturieswerecalled vidricomes, i.
e."come-agains."The bell-shaped drinking-glasses of the
sixteenthcenturyare speciallyworthyof observation; andthereare
threeverygood specimensin theBernal Collectionat the
South-Kensington Museum, one of which issaid to be German, and the
others Venetian. Themounting of the German glass consists of a
hollowCUPSANDTHEIRCUSTOMS. 5spherein silver,
whichenclosesadiceandissurmountedbya small statuette of Fortune.
Tothemounting ofanotherofthese glasses isattacheda little bell.
Theseglasses will stand in the reversed position only,
andwereofcourseintendedto beemptied at
onedraught,thedicebeingshakenorthebelltinkledasafinaletotheproceeding.
Thereis alsoacuriouscupin thepossessionof theYintners'Company,
representinga milk-maidcarry-ingapail onher head.
Thispailissetonaswivel, andissocontrivedthattheuninitiated,
whenattemptingtodrink,invariablyreceive its
contentsontheirneckorchest.In the last centuryit was
veryfashionable to con-vert the eggof the ostrichorthepolished
shell of thecocoa-nut, set in silver, into a drink ing-vessel.Many
varieties of tankards were formerly in use,among which we may
mention the Peg-tankard andthe Whistle-tankard, the latter of which
was con-structed with a whistle attached to the brim, whichcould be
soundedwhen the cup requiredreplenishing(fromwhich, in all
probability, originated the saying,"If youwantmore,youmustwhistle
for it");or, inmore rare instances, the whistle was so
ingeniouslycontrived at thebottomofthevesselthatitwouldsoundits own
notewhenthetankardwasempty. ThePeg-tankardwas an ordinary-shaped
mug, having in theinside arowof eightpins, oneaboveanother,
fromtoptobottom : this tankard heldtwoquarts, so that therewasa
gill of ale, i. e. half apint, Winchestermeasure,between eachpin.
Thefirst personwho drankwastoemptythe tankard to the first peg
orpin, the second6 CUPSANDTHEIRCUSTOMS.was to emptyto the next pin,
and so on; the pinsweretherefore so manymeasures to the
compotators,makingthemall drink alike; andasthe spacebetweeneach
pin was such as to contain a large draught ofliquor, the company
would be very liable by thismethod to get drunk, especially when,
if they drankshortofthepin,orbeyondit, they wereobligedto
drinkagain. For this reason, in Archbishop Anselm^s Ca-nons,made in
the Council inLondonin1102, priestsareenjoined not to go to
drinking-bouts, norto drinkto pegs. This shows the antiquity of the
invention,which, at least, is as old as the Conquest. There is acup
nowin the possession of HenryHoward,Esq., ofCorbyCastle,whichis
said tohavebelongedtoThomasa. Becket. It is madeofivory,set in
gold, withanin-scription round the edge of it,"Drinkthywine
withjoy;" and on the lid are engraved thewordsuSobriiestote," with
the initials T. B.interlaced with a mitre,from which circumstance
it is attributed to ThomashBecket, butin reality is a workofthe
16th century.Whitaker,in his'Historyof Craven/
describingadrinking-horn belonging to the Lister family, says,"
Wine in Englandwas first drankout of the mazer-bowl, afterwards out
of the bugle-horn. The mazer-bowlsweremadefrommaple-wood,
sonamedfromtheGerman Maser, a spotted wood. Mr. Shirley pos-sesses
a very perfectmazer-bowlofthetimeofBichardII.(1377-99). The bowl is
of light mottled woodhighlypolished, with a broadrim of silver
gilt,roundtheexterior ofwhichare
thefollowinglines:CUPSANDTHEIRCUSTOMS.74
