Of wisdom three books / written originally in French by the Sieur de Charron ; with an account of the author, made English by George Stanhope ...

CHAP. XXXIX. Of Eating and Drinking, Abstinence and Sobriety.

[unspec 1] THe true design of Meat and Drink is Nourishment: To sustain the Infirmities, and repair the continual decays of the Body; and a moderate, natural, and agreeable use of them satisfies and maintains it, makes it a serviceable instru∣ment for the Mind; whereas on the contrary, all unnatural Excesses weaken and overwhelm it, draw on grievous and noisome Diseases, which are the just and natural Punishments of Intemperance.* 1.1 Health is a plain and simple thing, and requires a cause of the same kind to produce it: Distempers are many and various, and nothing contributes more to them, than variety of Dishes, and high Feeding. When Men complain of their Head for so many troublesome Defluxions, and those Humours which fall upon the Vitals, and lays the founda∣tions of the most dangerous Diseases, they should do well to remember, how justly the Brain might return upon them, that old saying,† 1.2 Do you give over pouring in, and I will give over pouring out. While we are perpetually filling the Vessel, how is it possible it should not over-flow? But alas! these Considerations are now grown quite out of fashion. Excess and Pomp, Variety and nice Cookery, are come into Re∣putation. We have learnt to esteem our Meals, and to mea∣sure our welcome, by the number of Dishes, the different sorts of Meats, the height of the Sawces, and the super∣fluity of the Entertainment. Nay, so prodigious is our Va∣nity, that after we have set more before our Friends, than can be wholesome for them to taste of, or fit for us to spend, we make solemn Excuses for our want of Provision, and are sorry we have nothing better to receive them with.

[unspec 2] How exceeding prejudicial, both to a Man's Body and his Mind, full Meals, and the jumbling several sorts of Meat toge∣ther, Curiosities and Qualques Choses, and high Dressing are, every one might easily be convinced by his own Experience. Gluttony and Drunkenness are gross and paltry Vices; they

discover themselves, and sufficiently publish their own Shame in the Countenances and Gestures of the Persons addicted to them. The best and least forbidding whereof is a dozed, and heavy look; and indeed, the best Quality such Men can have, is to be stupid and dull too. For certain it is, no Man yet, who is a slave to his Belly, was ever capable of doing any glorious or considerable Action. And, generally speak∣ing, we find them trifling and insignificant Fellows, if not down right Beasts and Sots. But Drunkenness especially hath these cursed Effects, and pushes Men upon the basest, the most extravagant, and unaccountable actions in the World. Of which Alexander is a miserable Instance, though otherwise a wonderful Prince; who in heat of Wine killed his old dear Friend Clytus, and when he came to be sober; had like to have killed himself in Revenge. In short, what can be said bad enough of a Vice that robs the Mind of Un∣derstanding, and the Body of Sence; makes grown People Children again, and Men of Wit mere Naturals, and dri∣veling Fools?

[unspec 3] Sobriety therefore, which preserves us from these nauseous and detestable Excosses, deserves our good Esteem for its Ef∣fects at least. For although it be none of the most exalted Virtues, nor exceeding difficult to be mastered, by Men of any tolerable Sense, yet it leads the way to several other Virtues, and promotes many excellent Qualities. It chokes and crops our Vices in the very Bud, and intercepts the Pro∣visions, by which they should subsist. It is the Mother of Health, and the best Physick for all manner of Diseases; and the most probable insurer of long Life. Socrates owed the vigorous and confirmed Health he enjoyed purely to Abste∣miousness. Masinissa, who was a Pattern of it to all Kings of after Ages, begot Children at Fourscore and Six years Old, and won a Battel of the Carthaginians at Ninety Two. Whereas Alexander, who had naturally one of the best and strongest Constitutions of any Man that ever lived, killed himself with Drinking in the very Flower of his Age. Se∣veral Persons (as Atticus particularly) who have been given over by Physicians, of the Gout, and other Distempers, looked upon to be incurable, have been perfectly recovered by Abstinence, and a sparing regular Diet. And what can we desire more for the Body, than a long, and a healthful Life? What can recommend any Virtue to Men fond of the World, if this will not? But then it is of equal advantage to the Soul too. For by this means our Heads are kept

clear and unclouded, our Faculties awake and sprightly, we are capable of thinking, and fit to be advised. All the very great Men in Story have been particularly eminent for their Sobriety; not only Philosophers, and such as made preten∣sions to a strict and severer Virtue, but all that have been Ex∣cellent, and whose Names live upon Record, for any sort of Greatness whatsoever. Such were Cyrus, and Caesar, the Emperour Julian, and Mahomet. Such was Epicurus too, who, though a profest admirer of Pleasure, and run down as a Scandal to Philosophy for espousing it, was yet famous for these abstemious Virtues, above any of his Accusers. The Curij and Fabricij are more celebrated in the Roman Hi∣story for their frugality and simplicity of Diet, than for the greatest and most glorious Conquests they ever won. And though the Lacedaemonians wanted neither Courage, nor Suc∣cess, nor a Reputation equal to both, yet the Character they valued themselves upon, and pretended most to, was that of strict Discipline, Frugality and Sobriety.

[unspec 4] Now this is a Virtue which must be fallen in love with betimes; Youth is the proper time for embracing it; while it can be called a Virtue; while we have more opportuni∣ties of gratifying our Appetite; and while that Appetite is keener too. For how wretched is it, how ridiculous, to take Sanctuary here in our old Age, when we have made our selves living Hospitals, and are all over Aches and Pains? This is a folly, like that observed in the Athenians.; who are said never to have asked a Peace, but in Mourning Weeds, for their Friends and Relations slain in Battel; when all their Men of Note were lost, and they no longer in a condition to defend themselves. This is what our English Proverb calls* 1.3 Shutting the Stable-door when the Steed is stol∣len; and turning good Husbands, when we have brought our Noble to Ninepence.

[unspec 5] It will be very adviseable, not to use our selves to deli∣cious and artificial Meats, for fear our Body should by de∣grees come to relish no other, and suffer for the want of them. For in truth, these make our Appetites humoursome, and give us both a false Hunger, and a deceitful Nourishment. These may feed our Diseases and ill Humours, but the plainer and courser our Diet, the truer strength and more kindly Nourishment it imparts. These therefore we shall do

well to accustom our Palates to, if we would secure our Ease and Health: For they are easie and every where to be had; and so our desires are not like to be disappointed when we want, and they are also lightest of digestion and most agreeable to Nature when we have them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Simplex ex simplici causà valetudo; multos morbos, sup∣plicia Luxuriae, multa fercula fecerunt.
• † 1.2

  Desine fundere, & ego desinam fluere.
• * 1.3

  Sera in sundo parsimonia.