Yarmouth und Stockholm

Seit der Erfindung des Tourismus (durch die Engländer) liegt die Kunst des Reisenden darin, vom Touristen wieder zum Gast zu werden. Die etymologische Nähe von host und guest hat den amerikanischen Philologen J. Hillis Miller zu einem berühmt gewordenen rhetorischen Verwirrspiel animiert, das in den Worten gipfelte, "a host is a guest and a guest is a host". Vielleicht wäre das gar nicht nötig gewesen, denn Stephen Alsfords nützlichem Glossar zufolge war hostage einmal synonym mit hosting:

Hosting or hostage was practiced in a number of towns (e.g. Yarmouth, Ipswich, Norwich, Southampton), particularly those active in international commerce, even before it became the subject of a royal statute. A visiting merchant from abroad, if intending more than just an overnight stay, would be taken under the wing of a merchant of the town. This might include providing the visitor with lodging and storehouse facilities for his merchandise, and usually involved the host assisting the visitor to sell his goods – sometimes simply through advice, but sometimes as a deal-maker. In principle it could be beneficial to the visitor, unfamiliar with local marketing rules or without local business connections, and also beneficial to the town, since the host could then supervise the business activities of the visitor – and be held accountable by the town if the visitor committed any fraud. However, the practice was subject to abuse by the hosts, who had a competitive advantage regarding the visitor's merchandise and who might try to cheat the visitor or to cheat the town of tolls due on imported merchandise.