Though contrary to our tastes and habits, it is yet of the greatest antiquity.

Origin.

Authors explain the matter thus: 

In individual troubles, when a father, mother, or beloved child have died, all the household is in mourning.  The body is washed, perfumed, enbalmed, and buried as it should be—­none then think of eating, but all fast.

In public calamites, when a general drought appears, and cruel wars, or contagious maladies come, we humble ourselves before the power that sent them, and mortify ourselves by abstinence.  Misfortune ceases.  We become satisfied that the reason was that we fasted, and we continue to have reference to such conjectures.

Thus it is, men afflicted with public calamities or private ones, always yield to sadness, fail to take food, and in the end, make a voluntary act, a religious one.

They fancied they should macerate their body when their soul was oppressed, that they could excite the pity of the gods.  This idea seized on all nations and filled them with the idea of mourning, prayers, sacrifice, abstinence, mortification, etc.

Christ came and sanctified fasting.  All Christian sects since then have adopted fasting more or less, as an obligation.

How people used to fast.

The practice of fasting, I am sorry to say, has become very rare; and whether for the education of the wicked, or for their conversion, I am glad to tell how we fast now in the XVIII. century.

Ordinarily we breakfast before nine o’clock, on bread, cheese, fruit and cold meats.

Between one and two P. M., we take soup or pot au feu according to our positions.

About four, there is a little lunch kept up for the benefit of those people who belong to other ages, and for children.

About eight there was a regular supper, with entrees roti entremets dessert:  all shared in it, and then went to bed.

In Paris there are always more magnificent suppers, which begin just after the play.  The persons who usually attend them are pretty women, admirable actresses, financiers, and men about town.  There the events of the day were talked of, the last new song was sung, and politics, literature, etc., were discussed.  All persons devoted themselves especially to making love.

Let us see what was done on fast days: 

No body breakfasted, and therefore all were more hungry than usual.

All dined as well as possible, but fish and vegetables are soon gone through with.  At five o’clock all were furiously hungry, looked at their watches and became enraged, though they were securing their soul’s salvation.

At eight o’clock they had not a good supper, but a collation, a word derived from cloister, because at the end of the day the monks used to assemble to comment on the works of the fathers, after which they were allowed a glass of wine.