Volume 1

Portraits and lives of remarkable and eccentric characters.

Date:
[1819?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Portraits and lives of remarkable and eccentric characters. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    101/348 (page 53)
    liquors he held in abhorrence. Indeed, with respect to exotics, he discouraged their consump¬ tion, from an idea that our own island was, by means of its productions, competent to the sup¬ port of its inhabitants. Beef, over which boiled water had been poured, and placed on a wooden platter, was a favorite dish, by which his appetite was frequently gratified. Tea, or coffee, he would not touch ; for sugar he substituted honey, being particularly partial to sweets. Of course many stories were told of his diet, not true; but with regard to the particulars already specified, the reader may rely on their authenticity. Nor should we here forget to mention that he was ex¬ tremely fond of bathing, even from an early pe¬ riod of life, and continued the practice almost to his dying day. The frequency of his ablutions is astonishing, and he used to remain in the water a considerable length of time. His constitution had been accustomed to it, and, probably, his health required such reiterated purifications. To this circumstance is ascribed Lord Rokeby’s great longevity. This subject is further corroborated by the following account of his lordship, which was published some time ago. A gentleman making the tour of Kent, thus speaks of his visit to