Rowlandson the Caricaturist; a Selection from His Works. Vol. 2 by Joseph Grego

Men are but children of a larger growth.--SHAKESPEARE. The chairs have been cleared out of a large apartment, and a party of full-grown men and women, some of whom have long passed maturity, are seated on the floor for a game at 'high jinks.' Bowls of punch, bottles of wine, and abundant refreshments of a strong nature, are put on the ground behind, within easy reach of the revellers, who are in the full enjoyment of a boisterous game of 'hunt the slipper.' The party is made up of an abundance of pretty rosy damsels, blooming, blushing, and smiling, such as Rowlandson with his etching needle or his reed pen could produce at will, and in every degree of perfection; corpulent matrons, dowagers, and gothic old maids are likewise plentiful. There is a gentleman to every lady, and the whole scene is a very animated one; while the fun is apparently appreciated by the performers, who are entering into the spirit of the diversion. The rules of the Society are framed on the wall:-- Ici on boit, on danse, on rit! Et quelquefois on joue aussi. Two pictures, hung over the doors, are supposed to be indicative of the subject. _Vive la Bagatelle!_ a party in pursuit of a balloon; and _Sans Souci, sans six sous_, a bacchanalian revel.