ation, assured the company, that, except the usual
ingredients, he had mixed nothing in the soup but some sal ammoniac
instead of the ancient nitrum, which could not now be procured;
and appealed to the marquis, whether such a succedaneum was not an
improvement on the whole. The unfortunate petit-maitre, driven to
the extremity of his condescension, acknowledged it to be a masterly
refinement; and deeming himself obliged, in point of honour, to evince
his sentiments by his practice, forced a few more mouthfuls of this
disagreeable potion down his throat, till his stomach was so much
offended, that he was compelled to start up of a sudden; and, in the
hurry of his elevation, overturned his plate into the bosom of the
baron. The emergency of this occasion would not permit him to stay and
make apologies for his abrupt behaviour; so that he flew into another
apartment, where Pickle found him puking and crossing himself with great
devotion; and a chair, at his desire, being brought to the door, he
slipped into it more dead than alive, conjuring his friend Pickle to
make his peace with the company, and in particular excuse him to the
baron, on account of the violent fit of illness with which he had been
seized. It was not without reason that he employed a mediator; for when
our hero returned to the dining-room, the German got up, and was
under the hands of his own lacquey, who wiped the grease from a rich
embroidered waistcoat, while he, almost frantic with his misfortune,
stamped upon the ground, and in High Dutch cursed the unlucky banquet,
and the impertinent entertainer, who all this time, with great
deliberation, consoled him for the disaster, by assuring him that the
damage done might be repaired with some oil of turpentine and a hot
iron. Peregrine, who could scarce refrain from laughing in his face,
appeased his indignation by telling him how much the whole company, and
especially, the marquis, was mortified at the accident; and the unhappy
salacacabia being removed, the places were filled with two pies, one
of dormice liquored with syrup of white poppies, which the doctor had
substituted in the room of toasted poppy-seed, formerly eaten with
honey, as a dessert; and the other composed of a hock of pork baked in
honey.

Pallet, hearing the first of these dishes described, lifted up his hands
and eyes, and with signs of loathing and amazement, pronounced, "A
pie made of dormice and syrup of poppies! Lord in heaven! wha