By the eighteenth century, wealthy young men had turned feasting into an art, and at the core of the elaborate ritual was the drinking of wine.
It was the custom to offer a toast to someone present with every new glass during dinner.
When they tired of toasting themselves they would lift a glass in celebration of someone they might not even know.
Particularly if it is a beautiful woman who, if frequently admired this way, became known as the toast of the town.
