Hell-fire Clubs [ Clubs & Societies / Association ]
… location became the source of much speculation, both in the press and in literature. John Wilkes’ description of the gardens, which he provided in a letter to his friend John Almon, was widely disseminated, and if not for the public … had little insight into the inner sanctuary, where ‘Eleusinian mysteries’ were practiced (xxvi), but he describes the gardens as decidedly sexualized. Near a cave entrance, ‘the statue [of Venus] turned from you,’ presenting ‘two nether … victa subegit’ (‘here the vanquished naiad subdued the conquering satyr’) likewise point to the erotic nature of the gardens ( ibid ). In 1751, Dashwood leased the abbey at Medmenham, some miles removed from West Wycombe and formerly …
Blasphemy | Clubs | Masculinity | Sex
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