T he preface. 
They tofoft Meads, heightned with Wine, 
advance. 
And joyfully ’mongft oyled Bottlesdance 
Th’ Aufoman Race, and thofe (somTroy did 
fpring 
DiHolv'd with laughter,Ruftick verfes fingj 
Jn Vizardsof rough Bark conceal their face, 
And with glad Numbers thee great Bacchus 
grace. 
Ami after him , Pliny reports that Drun¬ 
ken nefs and Debauchery were theprincipaljlu- 
Aies of thofe times and Countries'^ they then in¬ 
venting all ways imaginable to excite the Ap¬ 
petite, as if they had been born into the world 
to no other end but to wajlc good Wine 5 giving 
great rewards to the greatcjl Drinkers. He 
tells us the Parthians then contended for the 
glory of excelfvc Wine-drinking 5 but the Ita¬ 
lians ivcre unwilling to part with that honour. 
Milatn yielding one Novellius Torquatus, 
that wan the name from all pretenders at that 
time, who had gone through all honourable de¬ 
grees of Dignity in Komc yvherein the great eft 
Repute he obtained , was for drinking in the 
prefence of Tiberius three Gallons of Wine at 
one draught, and before he drew his breath a- 
gain: Neither did he reft there, but he fo far 
had acquired the Art of Drinking, that al- 
