Fifty years ago . ortune isalready made, though but yesterday he was a reporterin the House, taking down the speeches in is that tall young man with the ugly nose ? Onlya journalist. They say he wrote that funny papercalled The Fatal Boots in Tilfs Annual. His name isThackeray, I believe, but I know nothing more abouthim. Here comes dinner, with a tankard of foaming there any other drink quite so good as stout ? Afteryou have taken your dinner, friend Eighty-seven, I shall prescribe for you what youwill never get, poor wretch—a bottle of the best portin the cellars of th
Fifty years ago . ortune isalready made, though but yesterday he was a reporterin the House, taking down the speeches in is that tall young man with the ugly nose ? Onlya journalist. They say he wrote that funny papercalled The Fatal Boots in Tilfs Annual. His name isThackeray, I believe, but I know nothing more abouthim. Here comes dinner, with a tankard of foaming there any other drink quite so good as stout ? Afteryou have taken your dinner, friend Eighty-seven, I shall prescribe for you what youwill never get, poor wretch—a bottle of the best portin the cellars of the Mitre. My friend, there is onething in which we of theThirties do greatly excelyou of the Eighties. Wecan eat like ploughboys,and we can drink like dray-men. As for your nonsenseabout ApoUinaris Water,we do not know what itmeans; and as for your not being able to take a simpleglass of port, we do not in the least understand take a pint of port ? Man alive ! we can take twobottles, and never turn a CHAELES DICKENS 07 CHAPTER y. WITH THE PEOPLE. When the real history of the people comes to be written—which will be the History, not of the Higher, but ofthe Lower Forms of Civilisation—it will be found that,as regards the people of these islands, they sank to theirlowest point of degradation and corruption in the middleof the eighteenth century—a period when they had noreligion, no morality, no education, and no knowledge,and when they were devoured by two dreadful diseases,and were prematurely killed by their excessive drinkingof gin. No virtue at all seems to have survived amongall the many virtues attributed to our race except abulldog courage and tenacity. There are glimpses hereand there, when some essayist or novelist hfts the veil,which show conditions of existence so shocking thatone asks in amazement how there could have been anycheerfulness in the civilised part of the community forthinking of the terrible creatures in the ranks did not t
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