Plmies Naturall Hi (Idrie. y 



A drunkard moftjflball havcthegreateft reward. But what (hall we fay to thorc(wouId aman think 

 k.^thathirconetoeatalfoasmuch ashcecandrinke, and upon that condition covenant to 

 yeeld him the price for his wine drinking,and not otherwife. Yee fhall have another that will cn- 

 joyne himfelfe to drinke every denier that hce hath woon at dice . Now when they are come to 

 iha£once,and be throughly whitled^then Hiall ye have them call their wanton eyes upon mens 

 wives I then fall they to court faire dames and ladies^ and openly bewray their folly even before 

 their jealous and fterne husbands ; then (1 fay) the fecrcts of the heart are opened 8<:laid abroad, 

 So'me ye fhall have in the mids of their cups,make their wiils^even at the very board as they fit : 

 others againc caftout bloudieand deadly fpecches atrandon, and cannot hold but blurt ouc 

 thofc words which afterwards they eat againe with the fwords point: for thus many aman by a 



B lavilh tongue in his winCj hath come by his death and had his throat cut. And verily she world 

 is now growne to this paflTe, That whaifoevcr a man faith in his cups, it is held for fdotb ; as if ■ 

 Truth were the daughter of Wine. But fay they cicape thefe daungcrs :certesfpeed they never 

 (b well J the beft of them all never feerh the fun riling, Co drowfic and ikepie they are in bed cve- 

 rie morning J ncithcrlive they to be old men, but die in theftrength ofcheiryauth.Hen£e com-* 

 methit,thatfomeofthemlookcpale,withapaireof fiaggieblabd cheekes pothers have blea- 

 red and fore eyes; and there be of them that fhakefo with their hands, that they canr^othold a 

 full cup, butllied and poure it down the floore. Generally they jlloreame fearfully (which is the 

 very beginning of their hell in this life) or els have leltlefie n:«!i is ; and finally, if they chaunce 

 to (Icepe (for a ducT guerdon and reward of their drunkenncffe) they are deluded with imaginary 



C conceits of Fem^-s delights,defilcd with filthie and abominable poliUtions 5 and thus both flee- 

 ping and waking they (inne with pleafurc. Well, what bscorjc? ofchem the morrow after ? they 

 belch fbwre, their breath ftinkethof thebai^relljand telleth them whai they did over nighty 

 otherwife they lorget what either they did orfaid^thcy remembsr no more^shan if theirn^cmotie 

 were utterly extinS and dead. And yet our joilie drunkards give out andfay^fhat they alooc en- 

 joy this life, and rob other men of it. But who feeth noc^thac ordinarily they loofe not onely the 

 yefterday paft, bu t the morrow to come ? In the time of Tiber m CLuidm tlie E'liperour, about 

 ibrtic years fince,certain ouc-Iandifh Phyficians and Montc-bankSjwho would icem so fee thcm- 

 lelves out by fome ftraunge novelties of their ownc, and u > get a name , brought up at Rome 3 

 new devife and ordcr,to drinke fafting 5 and prefcribed folks to t^.kea good hcaitie draught of 



D wine before meatjand to lay that foundation of their dinner. Of all narionSjvheParthians would 

 have the glory for this goodly vertue of wine-bibbing: and am.ong the Greekes, Alabiadei in, 

 deed delecved the beft game for this worthy fcat.But here with us at Rome Novdhm T Qrquatns 

 a Millanoisj wan the name from allRomaiis & Italians both.This Lombardhad gone through 

 all honourable degrees of dignitie in Romejhehadbeen Pr€tor,and attained to the place of a 

 ProconfuIL In uJl ihefe offices of ftate he woon no great name : but for drinking in the prcfencc 

 of Ttherhi-s^ three gallons of wine at one draught and before he tooke his breath againe, he was 

 dubbed knight by ti^.s furname oiTricongius^^s one would fay,*The three gallon knight:and the *notThethnce. 

 Emperour^fternCjfe vere,andcruell otherwife though he wasjnow in liis old age(for in hisyouih- ^'whcr?!l^oa 

 fulldaicshee was given overmuch to ^drinking or wine)?i/ou]d delight to bclioid this renowmcd he was ca/kd 



E and worthieknightjwith great wonder and adrmration. For the like rare gift and commendable ^f/^"//^^^'*"* 

 qualitie,men thinke verily that C. Vtfo firft rife : and afterwards was advanced to the Ptovofti"bip ^^^^ "'"^ 

 of flie citie ofRome,by thefaid Tibermi^nA namely,for that in his court being now Emperor,he 

 fat two dales and two nights drinking continuaily/and never furred foot from the bourd. And ve-. 

 rily Druft^^ Cafir (by report) i n nothing more refemblcd his father Tikrim^ thaa in taking his 

 drinke.But to return again to noble T orqn-im)\cxc\n confiftcd hiscxccllencic,That he didic ac- 

 cording to art[for thisyou muft take withall,there is an art of Drinking,grounded upon certaine 

 rules & precepts.]r orqu^mQ. fay)drank he never fo much,was not kn own at any time to falter in 

 his tongue,ncver eafed himfelfe by vomiting,never let it go the other way under bourd : bow late 

 foever he fat up at the wine overnight, he would be fure to relieve the morning watch & fentinelL 



p Hedrunkemoftof any man at one entire draught before the pot went from his head ; and foE 

 finaller draughts befideSjhe went beyond all other in number 3 his wind he never tooke while the 

 cup was at his mouth,but juftly obfctvcd the rule of drinking with one breath j he was notknown 

 to fpit for all this ; and to concIude,he would not leave a drop behind in the cupsnotib much- as 

 would dafh againlf the pavcmentj&.make the Icaft found to be hcard:a fp^ciall point &prccifc lav* 

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