| Citation |
PP-P.774.028
16 May 1774:12, 13 (3/134)
From the London Gazetteer. A CARD. The respectable society
of profligates, sharpers, rakes, coquettes, demireps,
macaronies, whores, bawds, pimps, bucks, bloods, &c. &c.
with the Devil at their heels, present their compliments to
the inhabitants of the city of London and its environs, and
congratulate them upon the numerous appearance of company at
the late masked ball at the Pantheon, where no fewer than
2000 masks figured away (and not 200 only, as maliciously
suggested;) this good success at first setting out, we doubt
not will be so far pursued, as to give in time a mortal
wound to those gloomy phantoms religion and morality, and to
every amusement by some falsely accounted rational and
manly; which we are the rather emboldened to hope for, as
the acquiescence of the dignified clergy, magistrates, and
also our most gracious and pious Sovereign himself gives us
the utmost reason to think that they all rather approve of
these our nocturnal assemblies, than, wish to suppress them.
By their favour, therefore, and by the continued countenance
of the nobility and gentry, an increase of our jovial
meetings is as cordially wished for as sanguinely expected
by us, that thereby the small and odious remains of virtue,
modesty, oeconomy, decency, honesty, industry, sincerity,
&c. may become utterly extinct; and that in their places
dissipation, debauchery, sloth, luxury, and their
concomitant, bankruptcy, may succeed. We also presume
masquerades may conduce to the encouragement of trade, these
times of scarcity, for the dresses, &c. as well as be
beneficial to their Italian inventors, and in an eminent
manner promote the interest of lawyers, proctors, gaming-
house, bawdy-house, and bagnio-keepers, be of service to
jailors, jack-ketch, and answer every other infernal
purpose.
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