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DOMESTIC MANNEBS OF THE PBUSSIANS.

surfeit. In some cases tlie voracious guzzling is continued fora week, and in every case it lasts nearly onc entire day, thebride remaining at the table all the time.

On the occasion of the wedding at the hotel above alludedto, the bridal party returned from church to partake of anearly German dinner—which, it should be remembered, consistsat a Gasthof of upwards of a dozen courses. This was fol-lowed by dessert, at which the Company continued drinkingtheir bowls of " cardinal" —first made with red peaches, thenwith pine-apples and Champagne, and then flavoured with thepeel of green oranges,—tili four o'clock arrived; then the feastchanged to " coffee-drinking," with a countless multitude ofcakes, of which the gentlemen and ladies all partook, in quan-tities that would have fairly affrighted one of the serving-girlsat our Farrance's. At eight o'clock came the supper, whichwas certainly not the " light meal" recommended by the faculty,but a solid, substantial, second edition of the dinner, even downto hot puddings, and " JBaiser-tourte," and " Marzapane." Afterthis the entire Company feil to playing all kinds of childishgames; and, finally, settled down to good serious drinking,at which they continued until a late hour of the night, thebride and bridemaids sitting at the table the while tili morning— even though many of the gentlemen had long before grown,from the wine they had imbibed, unfit for female society.

During the wedding-feast it is customary for the " poet"of the Company (and there is mostly one gentleman in everyGerman circle who is given to rhyming) to start on his legs,and proceed to read a copy of verses filled with schoolboyallusions to "Amor" and Hymen, after the manner—-"and along way after it, too"—-of the classic " Epithalamium."

Printed copies of these verses are generally distributedamong the guests, and we here append a literal translation ofone presented to ourselves: —