Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/513

 md Sentiments. 493 popular fatires, the bathers are fometinies chamhrieres, and at others good bourgeoifes. The pic-nics, which had formerly taken place at the tavern, were now transferred to the hot-bath, each of a party of bathers carrying fome contribution to the feaft, which they lliared in common. Thus, in the popular piece entitled " Le Banquet des Chambrieres fait aux Eftuves," printed in 1,^41, it is the chamber-maidens who go to the bath, and they begin immediately to produce their contributions, one exclaiming— j'ay du pore fra'is, Une andouille et quatre faukkes. To which a fecond adds, — yaye une cottehtte, S^ui k ventre quaji nCejchaulde. And a third, — Moy, un pa lie a Jauce chaulde. The women are feen eating their pic-nic feaft in one compartment of our cut. This practice foon palTed from the fervant maids of the bourgeoilie to their miftrelTes, and from the burghers' wives to ladies of higher condition. Our word pic-nic, reprefenting the French piqueynque, the origin or derivation of which word feems not to be clearly known, appears to have come into ufe at the latter end of the laft century, when people of rank formed evening parties at which they joined in fuch pic-nic fuppers, to which each brought his or her contribution. The term is now applied almoft folely to fuch collations in the fields, or in the open air. We have already feen how, at an earlier period, men of a fuperior rank in London, and probably in at leaft the larger country towns, lived much in the taverns and cooks' Ihops or eating-houfes. This practice continued, and underwent various modifications, the principal of which was the eftabliftiment of houfes where a public table was ferved at fixed hours, at which a gentleman could take his place on payment of a certain fum, much in the fame ftyle as our modern tables d'hote. Gradually thefe eftablilhments became gambling-houfes, and men fettled down after dinner to cards, dice, and other games. They were called ordinaries, and in