Henri Mission covers everything about England from drinking healths to debauchery and whores
Whereas in France drinking of Healths is a Custom almost out of Date among People of any Distinction, it being equally impertinent and ridiculous;, here, on the contrary, it still subsists in its full Strength. To drink at Table, without drinking to somebody's Health, especially among middling People, would be like drinking in a Corner, and be reckon'd a very rude Action. There are two principal Grimaces which are universally observ'd, upon this Occasion, among Persons of all Degrees and Conditions: The first is, that the Person whose Health is drank, if an Inferior or even an *Equal, must remain as still as a Statue while the Drinker is drinking. If, for Instance, you are about to help your self to something out of the Dish, you must stop suddenly, lay aside your Fork or Spoon, and wait without stirring any more than a Stone till the other has drank: After which, the second Grimace is to make him a low Bow, to the great Hazard of dipping your Peruke in the Sauce upon your Plate. I own, that to a Stranger these Customs seem ridiculous; he thinks nothing can be more pleasant than to see a Man that is just going to chew a Mouthful of Victuals, cut a Piece of Bread, wipe his Fingers, or any Thing of that Nature, in a Moment put on a grave serious Face, keep his Eyes fix'd upon the Person that drinks his Health, and grow as motionless as if he were taken with an universal Palsy, or struck with a Thunderbolt. As Civility absolutely requires this respectful Immobility in the Patient, so there is some Caution to be used on the Part of the Agent: When you would drink a Man's Health, you should first keep your Eye upon him for a Moment, and give him Time, if possible, to swallow his Mouthful, that you may not reduce him to perplexing and uneasy Necessity of putting a sudden Stop to his Mill, and so fitting a good while with his Mouth cramm'd with a huge Load of Victuals, which commonly getting all to one Side, raises his Cheek as high as an Egg, so forming a large kind of a Wen, often shining with Grease, equally distorted and unseemly. The usual Kick is, for the Men** to drink the Women's Health, and the Women the Men's; and if any one in Company should break this Law, 'twould be reckon'd intolerable Rudeness.
* Unless they live together in a very great Familiarity.
** Upon some certain Occasions they drink round
Now we are getting somewhere. The above, from Henri Mission de Valbourg's 1719 work, M. Misson's Memoirs and Observations in his Travels over England with some Account of Scotland and Ireland, originally published in French and translated to English by Mr. Ozell, give us our first real glimpse it what drinking healths was really about at that time. Obviously, this was not a custom to be taken lightly and there was a great deal of formality and civility about it.
This gives some perspective on why someone who was concerned about the practice for reasons of religion or public safety would feel the need to rail so intensely against it. It seems they were fighting quite an uphill battle indeed.
As a side note, I quite like that at least by translator Mr. Ozell, the person being drunk to is the "Patient" and the drinker the "Agent".
