The Infant Office

"There is an Infant Office to aid these women towards a pathetic appearance. One woman hired no less than four infants for the day. Two she packed behind her like a Scotch pedlar's budget; the third was to run by her side bawling for victuals; the fourth she held in her arms like a tuneable instrument to be set to music when she came in view of any seemingly well disposed people."

To be delivered or left...

... at each Inhabitant's House:

SIR,

The Pavement before your house being out of Repair and complaint being made thereof These are to give you notice that you do forthwith cause the same to be repayred and amended and that you appear by yourself, servant or Agent before the Steward of Westminster on Tuesday the fourth day of December next at the Town Court House near Westminster Hall at ten of the clock in the Morning to make Oath thereof or otherwise you will be convicted for the same and penalties will be levied upon you by distress according to the Statute in that case made and provided.

Dated 10th Novr 1711

This early notice is given you out of respect to you to prevent the said trouble and expense.

Masquerade

The first originall ground of Cheating is, a counterfeit countenance in all things: a study to seem to be, & not to be in deed. And because no great deceit can be wrought but where special trust goes before, therefore the cheater when he pitches his hay to purchase his profit enforces all his wits to win credit & opinion of his honesty, and uprightness.

A Manifest Detection of Diceplay, Gilbert Walker (1550)

The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.

George Bernard Shaw

Twelve Hungry Men

After a trial: 'the jury... retire into a room where they have no light and no food, and here they must remain until they are unanimous as to whether the accused is guilty or innocent. I am told that there have been cases of eleven out of the twelve jurymen being convinced of the guilt of the accused and condemning him, whilst the one who wished to save him has insisted on declaring him innocent, and after remaining an entire day and even two without food, forcing the others to come round to his opinion; but such a case is extremely rare.'

Cesar de Saussure

Gentility is...

Artificial, and for the seizing by any highway robber: "An Art as would forever make him a Gentleman." James Clavell (pardoned highwayman, 1634)

Something achieved through force of will: "It's my intent to be a gentleman. It's my game." Rigaud (Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens, 1857)

A matter of ease, if you have the money for it: ..."to be drunk, swear, wench, follow the fashion, and to do just nothing." Henry Peacham (curate, 1622)




"Now that a man may make money, and rise in the world, and associate himself, unreproached, with people once far above him... it becomes a veritable shame to him to remain in the state he was born in and everybody thinks it his DUTY to try to be a 'gentleman'." John Ruskin (Pre-Raphaelitism, 1851)

Money Matters

A son may bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Triptych

Visuals are hugely important to me, especially when beginning a book.

Once they've been in your head a while you can take their features for granted, like those of old friends; but it took quite a search before I was happy that I had found faces for three of my central characters.

Hogarth's tableaux always form my mental backdrop for 18th century London, but for more intimate portraiture I have pillaged the works of Joshua Reynolds, transforming his portrait of Joseph Banks into the 'young' Archie Pullen (left); Mrs. Charles Ogilvie into Charley, a Drury Lane actress (centre); and real-life actress Mrs. Abington into Porzia, a woman of mystery (right)...