“WHO is she that sitteth in the shrine of the temple of Bacchus ? the Priestess of that ancient worship whose mysteries are celebrated in the Halls of Evans. Her brows are crowned with mint and juniper, and her shining tresses curl like the rind of the artfully peeled orange upon her polished shoulders; in her right hand she beareth a bowl of fragrant nectar, and in her left presseth a golden lemon ; gas-lights burn brilliantly around her, and the rich odours of Geneva fill the air; pleasantly she smileth upon her customers through clouds of incense wafted from patrician Principes or plebeian Pickwicks, and tempereth the ardency of Cognac with mild modicums from the New River. A legion of kind familiar spirits obey her behests : hers are the refreshing fountains of Soda, and hers the gently-flowing waters of Carrara! Who asks her name? Who knows not the pretty Barmaid the modern Hebe, whose champagne is not more intoxicating than her æillades?”
‘The Barmaid’ by J. Stirling Coyne, in Gavarni in London (1849) at Archive.org, via Ron Pattinson.
3 replies on “The Barmaid, 1849”
Is “aillades” right? He seems to be saying she makes a mean range of garlic and walnut sauces, which seems a bit unlikely.
Scan of original book has ‘æillades’ — maybe a typo for or variant on ‘oeillades’? Have amended to match the scan, anyway.
Ah, I bet it’s oeillades, glances. Quite a demanding job really.