City Glutton
THE celebrated John Wilkes attended a City dinner not long after his
promotion to city honors. Among the guests was a noisy vulgar deputy, a
great glutton, who, on his entering the dinner-room, always with great
deliberation took off his wig, suspended it on a pin, and with due
solemnity put on a white cotton nightcap. Wilkes, who certainly was a
high-bred man, and never accustomed to similar exhibitions, could not
take his eyes from so strange and novel a picture. At length the deputy,
with unblushing familiarity, walked up to Wilkes, and asked him whether
he did not think that his nightcap became him. O, yes, sir, replied
Wilkes, but it would look much better if it was pulled quite over
your face.