from the injurious effects of boroughmongering malpractices and political jobbery. Mr. Henry Berkeley, the member for Bristol, who has worn for many years the ballot-mantle of Mr. Grote, and annually delivers a clever and amusing speech on the iniquities of bribers and intimidators, has excluded the Berkeley examples from his catalogues. That is not surprising. His brother Grantley supplies the omission. The many public admirers of the present parliamentary apostle of the Ballot will read with interest some of the notices in this volume of Mr. Henry Berkeley's younger days. He was, it appears, "before his severe illness, of his weight, the best amateur boxer in the kingdom," and, when only sixteen, "went to the Fives Court, under the special introduction of the late Mr. Berkeley Craven and Colonel Berkeley, and with the trial gloves on, set to, and had a great deal the best of it, with one of the well-known pugilists of the day, Caleb Baldwin." It is further related that the member for Bristol never went to bed, in his youthful days, without suspending the clothesbag, full of linen, to a nail, and hitting at it, right and left, by way of practice, for half an hour together. "The child is father of the man," and the youthful pugilist who tried his prentice hand in punishing dirty-clothes bags has ripened into the hard hitter of the House of Commons against the foul practices of intimidation and corruption. P.S. Since the above article was in type, we have seen a small pamphlet, which is a Reply to some passages of Mr. Grantley Berkeley's book by his four surviving brothers. The passages replied to exclusively relate to the conduct of their parents and the question. of the legitimacy of the elder children under an alleged secret first marriage, which the late Lord Fitzhardinge failed to prove to the satisfaction of the House of Lords. As in the introduction to our article we have incidentally stated the illegitimacy of a portion of the family as a fact, in accordance with Mr. Grantley Berkeley's statements and the decision of the House of Lords, it is, perhaps, fair, in so delicate a matter, that we should give currency to the following declaration of Mr. Grantley's four surviving brothers, one of them being Mr. Moreton Berkeley : "The surviving brothers do not desire here to discuss the questions involved in the decision of the House of Lords; they simply desire to give to the world their united testimony as against that of their brother-that in their belief the history of the matter given by the late Earl and Countess, under sanction of their oaths, was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Their father solemnly, in his place in the House of Lords, made his declaration that the first marriage had been solemnised and registered, and confirmed that statement by his oath. Their sons believe devoutly their parents' solemn declaration. In this belief Mr. Moreton Berkeley shares as strongly as his elder brothers, and they have a perfect knowledge that their brother Craven up to the time of his death held the same conviction." It is further stated in this pamphlet, that, long after Mr. Grantley Berkeley became a member of Parliament, "he professed to share the belief of the other members of his family in the due celebration of the first marriage." The four brothers also say : "Mr. Grantley Berkeley knows that his father, within a few days of his death, and while in full possession of his intellect, and mindful of the Presence in which he must soon appear, too weak to write, dictated, and with his own hand signed, a letter to the Prince Regent, containing the following words:-'Your Royal Highness was well acquainted with the situation which I had placed my wife and children in by concealing my first marriage in 1785.' This letter was handed to the Prince Regent, who endorsed on it these words,-'I certify the whole of these particulars to be true. G. P.R.' The Prince made a statement to the same effect to Mr. Sergeant Best, counsel for the claimant, but His Royal Highness was not called as a witness by counsel, they supposing his evidence to be a declaration made post litem motam, instead of being, as in fact it was, ante litem motam. The mistake was fully explained in letters now extant, and which have been seen by Mr. Grantley Berkeley. With the main object of our article this question has nothing to do; the reply of the four brothers does not touch election matters; for ourselves and the public the decision of the House of Lords must settle the question of legitimacy. STRONG WATERS: A CHAPTER FROM THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE PAST. BY THOMAS WRIGHT, F.S.A. THE two agents which have perhaps exerted the greatest influence on the social condition of man are printing and alcohol, both of which were unknown to the ancients. To whatever extent they may have indulged in other excitements, neither Greeks nor Romans were brandy-drinkers or gin-drinkers; and our mediæval forefathers were obliged to restrict themselves to ale,.or mead, or wine, till the impatient curiosity of mediæval science hit upon one of the most notable of modern discoveries. We owe it to those old searchers after hidden principles and hidden powers, the alchemists, who incessantly tried experiment after experiment in pursuit of that quintessence of quintessences and elixir of elixirs, the elixir of life.. After almost every imaginable substance had been called into requisition, one day it. came into the head of an adventurous investigator to put wine in the alembic; and there came from it a spirit of such extraordinary purity, and which displayed such remarkable qualities, that he rejoiced in the conviction that he had at length reached the object of his vows. The exact date of this event, and the name of the discoverer,. are equally unknown, but it is believed to have taken place in the course of the thirteenth century. It was no doubt at first communicated only to a few, and then gradually became known to the many; and all, equally impressed with its importance, believed they saw in it a special intervention of God's providence. They imagined at first that the new agent was destined to be the grand regenerator of mankind, which was supposed to be greatly fallen from its original perfection that it would free man from his liability to disease and in firmity, and that it would prolong his life. But no good in this world is without its alloy, and even this fortunate discovery brought with it a cause of alarm. There were those who considered that a novelty so wonderful could betoken nothing less than the near approach of the consummation of all things, the end of this world. Thus was brandy discovered. At first the alchemists modestly gave it the name, in their technical nomenclature, of aqua vini, water of wine, but this was soon changed to aqua vita, water of life, which expressed better their estimate of its qualities, and which many of them relished all the better, because they imagined ingeniously that it involved a sort of equivoque, or pun, upon aqua vitis, the water of the vine, or of the grape. One of the famous phy sicians of the middle ages, Arnaldus de Villanova, who is said to have been born about the year 1300, is the earliest writer who mentions aqua vita; and he speaks of it as though it had not then been long known (et jam virtutes ejus notæ sunt apud multos). In a treatise which bears the significant title, De conservanda juventute et retardanda senectute, dedicated to Robert, King of Jerusalem and Sicily, Arnaldus speaks of this liquor, which he says was effective in nourishing youth (juventutem nutrit) and in keeping off the approach of old age. "It prolongs life," he says, "and on account of its operation in this "respect, it has merited the name of aqua vitæ" (pro1ngat vitam, et ex ejus operatione dici mcruit aqua vitæ). It was best kept, he adds, in vessels of gold, and could be preserved in no other material except glass. Only one of the anticipations of the old alchemists in regard to their aqua vitæ has been fulfilled-it has produced a vast effect upon social life; but it has certainly neither tended to prolong youth nor to retard old age. These early alchemists, indeed, do not appear to have foreseen the usage of their newly-discovered spirit as an exciting and intoxicating drink, nor does it appear to have been employed for this purpose to much extent before the sixteenth century. It was considered as a medicinal potion, and, perhaps, in course of time, it began to be taken as a cordial "on the sly." It was probably very expensive, and no doubt a great mystery was made about it; but people who could possess it, and were persuaded that it would preserve youth and keep off old age, would be frequently tempted to take a dose, when they might not in outward appearance be in want of it. The use of aqua vitæ as a drink appears to have increased rapidly during the sixteenth century, until the regular consumption must have become very considerable. It is spoken of as a thing in common use in the plays of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Beaumont and Fletcher; and the "aqua-vitæ man," who carried it about for sale, is introduced as a common character. In the comedy of the "Beggar's Bush," by the two last-mentioned dramatists, the aqua-vitæ man calls his merchandize "brand wine," which (meaning simply burnt wine) was the name by which it was known in Dutch, and was the origin of its modern name, brandy. The earliest large manufacture of brandy, in fact, was seated in the Low Countries and Germany. At the close of the seventeenth and the commencement of the eighteenth centuries Strasburg and Nantes were celebrated for this manufacture, at least, it was from those two cities that the best brandies were brought to England. In Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," Sir Toby Belch. talks of brandy as a. favourite drink with midwives; and from that time forwards we may trace among female society in all ranks at gentle leaning towards the exhilarating stimulant. But the ladies sought. to. conceal the true character of the liquor be seen, in these treatises we can trace from date to date the increase in number and variety of these favourite cordials. These earlier books were merely destined for the use of good housewives, who were their own distillers ; but the manufacture and sale of strong waters became soon a public and extensive trade. In 1639, appeared the "Distiller of London," a work put forth by authority by the Distillers' Company. This book contains receipts for no less than thirty-two different waters. A reprint of it, with fuller explanations and directions, but the same title, appeared in 1652. In the more numerous list of waters given in this work, we find aniseed water, a famous surfeit water" (in which poppies form one of the ingredients), aqua cœlestis, horseradish water, aqua imperialis, and snail water. Larger and more full works on the subjects of distilling were published in the earlier part of the last century; among which one of the best was the "Complete Body of Distilling," compiled by George Smith, of Kendal," and printed in 1725, and again in 1738. A remarkable characteristic of many of these cordials is the number of ingredients, mostly herbs, which are mixed up to produce one water. There are thus no less than sixty-two ingredients, besides sugar and aqua vitæ (brandy), in the aqua cœlestis of the "Distiller of London" of 1652. In an earlier book, known by the title of "The Ladies Cabinet Opened," and printed in 1639, we have the following receipt : 66 A WATER. "Take a gallon of Gascoigne wine; of ginger, gallingall, sinamon, nutmegs, graines, cloves, mace, annis-seeds, caraway-seed, coriander-seed, fennell-seed, and suger, of every one a dramme; then take of sacke and ale a quart a peece, of cammomill, sage, mint, red roses, tine, pellitorie of the wall, wilde majorame, rosemary, wilde time, lavendir, peneroyall, fennell rootes, parsly rootes, and setwall rootes, of each halfe a handfull: Then beate the spice small, and bruise the hearbes, and put them altogether into the wine, and so let it stand sixteene houres, stirring it now and then Then distill it in a limbecke with a soft fire, and keepe the first pinte of the water by itselfe, for it is the best, and the rest by itselfe, for it is not so good as the first." Some of these cordial-makers appear to have regarded their "waters" with feelings similar to those of the old alchemists in regard to their aqua vita; and the compiler of this book assures us that the water here described was good against "all cold diseases-it preserveth youth, comforteth the stomacke;" and he adds, "it preserved Dr. Stevens tenne yeares bed-red, that he lived to ninety-eight yeares." In fact, it was a water which, under the name of Dr. Stephens's water, was popular from the days of Queen Elizabeth until the middle of the last century. "The Ladies' Directory," by Hanna Wolley, printed in 1662, furnishes us with the following receipt for a water, which is stated to be good to comfort the spirits :" ANOTHER CORDIAL-WATER. "Take cellondine, sage, coursmary, rue, wormwood, mugwort, scordian, pimpernel, scabious, agrimony, betony, balm, cardus, centory, pennyroyal, elecampane roots, tormentel with the roots, horehound, rosa-solis, marygold flowers, angellico, dragon, margerum, time, camomile, of each two good handfulls; licorice, zeduary, of each an ounce; slice the roots, shred the herbs, and steep them in four quarts of white wine, and let it stand close covered two dayes, then put it in an ordinary still close detted; when you use it, sweeten it with sugar, and warm it." Here, no doubt, the brandy is, as boys "undersay in construing their Latin, stood." This is not the case in the following receipt, taken from Closet of Rarities," printed in 1706 : 66 TO MAKE SURFEIT-WATER. "The : excess the night before. This purpose appears to have been served also by another of these liqueurs, called spirit of clary. In Shadwell's comedy of "The Scowrers," in the opening scene, Sir William Rant, waking after a night's violent debauch, says to his domestic, "But go into my closet, and fetch me a "bottle of spirit of clary, and a lusty "glass." Ralph, returning, says, "Here's your spirit of clary." In another scene of the same play (Act ii. sc. 1), Tope, bragging of himself, says, "Hem, hem, "I'll scowre in the Mall now, if you will, "without the help of spirit of clary, "fasting, and in cold blood." After the Restoration, the passion for these liqueurs extended itself much, and several new waters became very popular. One of these was called aqua mirabilis; the other was the much more celebrated ratafia. Aqua mirabilis, we are told in Smith's "Complete Body of Distilling," was a drink which "cheers the heart." It appears to have been a favourite dose at night. In Durfey's comedy of "The Virtuous Wife," published in 1680 (Act iv. sc. 3), one of the characters, Sir Lubberly, talking of his country mode of passing the day, concludes, "And at "night tell old stories, then drink a dose "of mirabilis, go to bed, and snore "heartily." It was a favourite cordial for an old woman; as we learn from Dilke's comedy of "The Pretenders" (1698), in which, at the close of the second act, Nickycrack says, "Come, now, let me "alone with her; I'll take her and give "her a turn or two in the air, and a draw "of aqua mirabilis, which is the life of an old woman, and I'll warrant ye all "will be well again." And so again, in "The Reformation, a Comedy" (Act iv. sc. 1), a nurse recommends this water " "Wil't please you to have a little cordial water, or some aqua mirabilis ? In the "Ladies' Directory," printed in 1662, we find the following receipt :— "TO MAKE AQUA MIRABILIS. "Take three pints of sack [or, white wine], one pint of aqua-vitæ ; half a pint of the juice of cellondine; cloves, mace, nutmegs, ginger, citbebees [cubebs], cardumus, gallingal, mullets [mellilot flowers], one dram of each of No. 66.-VOL. XI. these; lay all these to steep in a glass still all night, close covered, and the next day still it: it is a most delicious cordial." 66 At the earlier period of the history of strong waters," England appears to have been richer in the number and variety of liqueurs than France or any other country on the Continent-perhaps through the ingenuity and industry of the fair matrons who ruled our households. In the "Distiller of London," in 1639, thirty-two different waters are enumerated. Subsequently, however, most of the new varieties were introduced from France. Such was the spirit of clary, just mentioned, called in French eau clairette, but derived from Italy, and composed chiefly of cinnamon, rosewater, and sugar, with brandy. Such was the ros solis, so named from a plant which formed its chief ingredient, and much beloved by Louis XIV. Such, especially, were the ratafias, or (in the French form of the word) ratafiats, which appear to have been introduced into England in the time of Charles II. The ingredients in the older liqueurs had been principally herbs; in the ratafias they were fruits, and especially kernels, or fruits and kernels mixed. What we now call noyeau would be a ratafia. Ratafia, once brought hither, soon became a favourite liqueur with our English ladies of fashion. Pope says of the fine woman of his time,— Of mirth and opium, ratafia and tears, And Cibber, in his comedy of the 66 fans, laces, perfumes, washes, powder, "patches, jessamine, gloves, and ratafia;" to which Supple replies: "Ah! sir, that's a cruel liquor with 'em." In Wilkinson's comedy of the "Passionate Mistress," 1703 (Act iii. sc. 1), Apish says, "I vow 'tis as familiar to me as ratafia to a lady." |