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24
CUPS
AND
THEIH
CUSTOMS.
This
last
line
has
reference
to
the
custom
pursued
in
the
clubs
of
the
eighteenth
century^
of
writing
verses
on
the
brims
of
their
cups;
they
also
inscribed
on
them
the
names
of
the
favourite
ladies
whom
they
toasted
:
and
Dr.
Arbuthnot
ascribes
the
name
of
the
celebrated
Kit-Cat
Club^
of
which
Dr.
Johnson
was
a
member^
to
the
toasts
drunk
there^
rather
than
to
the
renowned
pastry-cook,
Christopher
Kat
;
for
he
says
"
From
no
trim
beaux
its
name
it
boasts^
Grey
statesmen
or
green
wits
But
from
its
pell-mell
pack
of
toasts,
-Of
old
Cat
and
young
Kits."
Among
the
latter
may
be
mentioned
Lady
Mary
Mon-
tagu^
who
was
toasted
at
the
age
of
eight
years
while
among
the
former
denomination
we
must
class
Lady
Molyneux,
who
is
said
to
have
died
with
a
pipe
in
her
mouth.
In
the
17th
century
the
custom
of
drinking
health
was
conducted
with
great
ceremony
each
person
rising
up
in
turn,
with
a
full
cup,
named
some
individual
to
whom
he
drank
;
he
then
drank
the
whole
contents
of
the
cup
and
turned
it
upside
down
upon
the
table,
giving
it,
at
the
same
time,
a
fillip
to
make
it
ring,
or,
as
our
ancient
authority
has
it,
^^
make
it
cry
^twango.^^^
Each
person
followed
in
his
turn;
and,
in
order
to
prove
that
he
had
fairly
emptied
his
cup,
he
was
to
pour
all
that
remained
in
it
on
his
thumb-nail;
and
if
there
was
too
much
left
to
remain
on
the
nail,
he
was
compelled
to
drink
his
cup
full
again.
If
the
person
was
present
whose
health
was
drank,
he
was
expected
to
remain
perfectly
still
during