Brydone, Patrick; Beckford, William: A Tour Through Sicily And Malta: in a series of letters to William Beckford ; in 2 vol. (Band 2) (1775)

SICILY AND MALTA. 47
were so disguised in the shapes of peaches,
figs, oranges, nuts, &c. that a person un-
acqustomed to ices might very easily have
been taken in, as an honest sea-ossicer was
lately at the house of a certain minister of
your acquaintance, not less distinguished
for the elegance of his table, than the exact
formality and subordination to be observed
at it. After the second course was re-
moved, and the ices, in the shape of various
fruits and sweetmeats, advanced by way of
rear-guard ; one of the servants carried the
figure of a fine large peach to the captain,
who, unacquainted with deceifof any kind,
never doubted that it was a real one; and
cutting it through the middle, in a moment
had one large half of it in his mouth ; at
first he only looked grave, and blew up his
cheeks to give it more room; but the vio-
lence of the cold soon getting the better of
his patience, he began to tumble it about
from side to side in his mouth, his eyes
rushing out of water, till at last, able to hold
no