Sketches of Young Gentlemen

Sketches of Young Gentlemen

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sketches of Young Gentlemen, by
Charles Dickens (#26 in our series by Charles Dickens)
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Title: Sketches of Young Gentlemen
Author: Charles Dickens
Release Date: May, 1997 [EBook #918] [This file was first posted on

May 23, 1997] [Most recently updated: May 8, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: US-ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, SKETCHES
OF YOUNG GENTLEMEN ***

Transcribed from the 1903 edition by David Price, email
[email protected]

SKETCHES OF YOUNG GENTLEMEN

TO THE YOUNG LADIES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND; ALSO THE YOUNG LADIES
OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF WALES, AND LIKEWISE THE
YOUNG LADIES RESIDENT IN THE ISLES OF GUERNSEY,
JERSEY, ALDERNEY, AND SARK, THE HUMBLE DEDICATION
OF THEIR DEVOTED ADMIRER,
SHEWETH, -
THAT your Dedicator has perused, with feelings of virtuous
indignation, a work purporting to be 'Sketches of Young Ladies;'
written by Quiz, illustrated by Phiz, and published in one volume,
square twelvemo.
THAT after an attentive and vigilant perusal of the said work, your
Dedicator is humbly of opinion that so many libels, upon your
Honourable sex, were never contained in any previously published
work, in twelvemo or any other mo.
THAT in the title page and preface to the said work, your Honourable
sex are described and classified as animals; and although your
Dedicator is not at present prepared to deny that you ARE animals, still
he humbly submits that it is not polite to call you so.
THAT in the aforesaid preface, your Honourable sex are also described

as Troglodites, which, being a hard word, may, for aught your
Honourable sex or your Dedicator can say to the contrary, be an
injurious and disrespectful appellation.
THAT the author of the said work applied himself to his task in malice
prepense and with wickedness aforethought; a fact which, your
Dedicator contends, is sufficiently demonstrated, by his assuming the
name of Quiz, which, your Dedicator submits, denotes a foregone
conclusion, and implies an intention of quizzing.
THAT in the execution of his evil design, the said Quiz, or author of
the said work, must have betrayed some trust or confidence reposed in
him by some members of your Honourable sex, otherwise he never
could have acquired so much information relative to the manners and
customs of your Honourable sex in general.
THAT actuated by these considerations, and further moved by various
slanders and insinuations respecting your Honourable sex contained in
the said work, square twelvemo, entitled 'Sketches of Young Ladies,'
your Dedicator ventures to produce another work, square twelvemo,
entitled 'Sketches of Young Gentlemen,' of which he now solicits your
acceptance and approval.
THAT as the Young Ladies are the best companions of the Young
Gentlemen, so the Young Gentlemen should be the best companions of
the Young Ladies; and extending the comparison from animals (to
quote the disrespectful language of the said Quiz) to inanimate objects,
your Dedicator humbly suggests, that such of your Honourable sex as
purchased the bane should possess themselves of the antidote, and that
those of your Honourable sex who were not rash enough to take the
first, should lose no time in swallowing the last,-prevention being in all
cases better than cure, as we are informed upon the authority, not only
of general acknowledgment, but also of traditionary wisdom.
THAT with reference to the said bane and antidote, your Dedicator has
no further remarks to make, than are comprised in the printed directions
issued with Doctor Morison's pills; namely, that whenever your
Honourable sex take twenty-five of Number, 1, you will be pleased to
take fifty of Number 2, without delay.
And your Dedicator shall ever pray, &c.

THE BASHFUL YOUNG GENTLEMAN

We found ourself seated at a small dinner party the other day, opposite
a stranger of such singular appearance and manner, that he irresistibly
attracted our attention.
This was a fresh-coloured young gentleman, with as