The Connoisseur 82 (1755) [ Practices ]
… you return hither, if you do not bring with you some taste for reading: for a mere country gentleman, who can find no society in books, will have little else to do, besides following his sports, but to fit, as squire of the company, … and debauchery, or sink gradually into indolence and stupidity, I shall point out [p. 82] some of these pests of society in as few words as possible. The first person I would caution you against is the wretch that takes delight to … all means to avoid an habit, which will at once ruin your health, and impair your intellects. It is a misfortune, that society should be esteemed dull and insipid without the assistance of the bottle to enliven it: so that a man cannot …
Drinking | Women | Rake | Gaming | Gentleman
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