literature, as embodied alike in her essays, literary criticisms, and
novels, than she ever had produced before.

The advent of the pleasure garden brought coffee out into the open in
England; and one of the reasons why gardens, such as Ranelagh and
Vauxhall, began to be more frequented than the coffee houses was that
they were popular resorts for women as well as for men. All kinds of
beverages were served in them; and soon the women began to favor tea as
an afternoon drink. At least, the great development in the use of tea
dates from this period; and many of these resorts called themselves tea
gardens.

The use of coffee by this time, however, was well established in the
homes as a breakfast and dinner beverage, and such consumption more than
made up for any loss sustained through the gradual decadence of the
coffee house. Yet signs of the change in national taste that arrived
with the Georges were not wanting; for the active propaganda of the
British East India Company was fairly well launched during Queen Anne's
reign.

The London pleasure gardens of the eighteenth century were unique. At
one time there was a "mighty maze" of them. Their season extended from
April or May to August or September. At first there was no charge for
admission, but Warwick Wroth[84] tells us that visitors usually
purchased cheese cakes, syllabubs, tea, coffee and ale.

The four best-known London gardens were Vauxhall; Marylebone; Cuper's,
where the charge for admission subsequently was fixed at not less than a
shilling; and Ranelagh, where the charge of half a crown included "the
Elegant Regale" of tea, coffee, and bread and butter.

The pleasure gardens provided walks, rooms for dancing, skittle grounds,
bowling greens, variety entertainments, and promenade concerts; and not
a few places were given over to fashionable gambling and racing.

The Vauxhall Gardens, one of the most favored resorts of
pleasure-seeking Londoners, were located on the Surrey side of the
Thames, a short distance east of Vauxhall Bridge. They were originally
known as the New Spring Gardens (1661), to distinguish them from the old
Spring Gardens at Charing Cross. They became famous in the reign of
Charles II. Vauxhall was celebrated for its walks, lit with thousands of
lamps, its musical and other performances, suppers, and fireworks. High
and low were to be found there, and the drinking of tea and coffee in
the arbors was a feature. The illustration shows the