A treatise against drunkennesse: described in its nature, kindes effects and causes, especially that of drinking of healths. To which are added, two short sermons of S. Augustine's, De tempore. Faithfully translated, by Matthew Scrivener.

SECT. III. The commmon Excuses used by Drunkards, considered.

BUt for the better clearing the point of Drunkennesse, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 kinds, theref••••••, before I directly ••arge it with the notorious evil of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 against God, and plagues upon Man for the same, I shall prepare ••••e way, yet farther, by taking no∣••••ce of some fine and smooth defen-••••s Men are wont to make against ••••at severity they will asperse this ••••••••ine undertaking with, as the ef∣••••cts of a sower nature, and morose∣••••sse in excesse on the other hand. ••he sum of the most principal ex∣••ses, is this:

Wine and strong Drinks (say they)

are Gods Blessings and Creatur•••• and therefore must needs be good.

Wine (saith the Scripture) is that wh•••••• cheereth God and man; and had No•••• that righteous Person, for its Invent•••••• And Janus, whom Learned M•••• make the same with Noah, with o•••• Face looking to the World past, a•• with another towards the World 〈◊〉〈◊〉 come after him, had his name fr•••• Wine, and was reputed a God. A•• Ale, say some English Criticks, h•••• its name, Ab Alendo, from nour••••••¦ing.

Besides, God and the wisest a•••• gravest men in all Ages and Natio•••• have not only allowed, but institu•••••••• days of rejoycing and hilarity, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 common recreation, which canno•• without Wine or the best of Drin•• as well as of Meats, to heighten •••• Spirits, and tune them for mirth.

Again, They will tell you of ma∣••y good Men, and some eminent ••••es in Holy Scripture, who have ••••en overtaken with Wine some∣••••mes, and yet have not lost the e∣••••••em or reputation for Great and ••••ghteous Men in their Generation. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that to exceed sometimes, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 somewhat overcome, doth not ar∣••••e a Man to be a Drunkard, or vi∣••••••us in that kinde.

Lastly, there wants not Scripture 〈◊〉〈◊〉 an Apology in this case; and that, ••••r ought I know, as validly and ••roperly used, as Sectaries use it a∣••••inst all discrimination of Meats: ••ll the Creatures of God are good, ••••ing used with thanksgiving: and, Not that which goeth into the man, de∣••••leth the man, but that which proceedeth ••ut of the mouth, that defileth the man. Whereby it may be they mean, that

Drinking doth not defile the man, but Vomiting it up again doth. I•• doth so.

These are some of the Allegations used by those who are rather good Fellows than good Men; to which we shall not strictly and Scholastical∣ly, but more largely, and as occasion•• is given make answer, intending no•• a Disputation, especially with a man that is not himself, but a Direction and Exhortation.

And first, I must ingeniously ac¦knowledge, that Wine is the gift of God, and so is that Sicera or strong Drink, mentioned in the Scripture distinctly from Wine: which as Chrysostome tells us, upon the fifth Chapter of Isaiah, v. 12. was a Drink invented by the Phenicians, which they made by bruising a certain Fruit they had into the likeness o••

Wine, which was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 stupify∣ing, and causing Drunkennesse: per∣haps not much unlike that we make of Apples: and the Biscai∣ans, as Valerius de Sacra Phi∣losophia, tells us, gave the name of Sydra unto. And Diodorus Siculus, Bibl. lib. 3. tells us, That Bacchus, the Father of good Fellows, was the Inventor of the Drink made of Bar∣ley, which we call Beer or Ale, as well as of Wine. But Aventine in his Annals adscribes the use of it a∣mongst the Germans, from whom (as Drunkennesse in great part, it might descend to us) to Marsus an ancient Hero amongst them. And how many sorts of Liquors the poor Indians (who had no Wine) had in∣vented before the Christians came a∣mongst them, I leave to him that pleases to read in Josephus Acostae, in

his third Book and twentieth Cha∣pter, of his History of the East In∣dies. All I huddle up here together as such, as men may equally offend in, though they be all Gods gifts, and in some sense, his Creatures, not made immediately by him, but in the simples. For to the honour of Water it may be said, God created directly no Drink but that: which notwith∣standing, I hold it altogether as law∣ful for man, by reason to prepare Drinks out of it, or other things more agreeable to the Body of Man in some Regions of the Earth; as it is for him by Art and Labour to make other Clothes to his back to keep him warm, than the raw Skin•• of wild and tame Beasts, or un¦wrought Fleeces of Sheep: though we hear of several Nations that con¦tent themselves only with what sim∣ple

Natures offer for Meat, Drink, and Clothing. And as for those in∣stances of renowned Persons suffer∣ing by Wine, the common answer may be first, which the Fathers give for some other Enormities they have been liable to; viz. That they are Recorded for our instruction and advertisement negatively; not by imi∣tating them in such Facts which e∣clipsed their glory otherwise egregi∣ous: but to look upon them as Buoys left by our wise Pilote God himself, near Flats, Shelves or Rocks, for us to shun that Course, lest we suffer the like Shipwrack. And besides, those Examples were either occasion∣ed by surprise, or some imposture: as Lots Daughters may be well thought to have used, to draw in their Father to their purpose.

And as to what follows, I must

acknowledge my self to be an enemy to the pretended rigour of some who would have all days of Publick re∣laxation and recreation suppressed, upon account of abuses incident thereunto. It is the consent of Na∣tions (which is commonly called, The Law of Nations) upon which such days stand. Seneca (who was a Puri∣tan in his Religion, giving very se∣vere Rules for others to observe, which he grosly neglected himself, and especially in the Sin of Cove∣tousness, whereof he was notori∣ously guilty) tells us in his Treatise of the Tranquility of the Mind, That all ancient Law-makers, and wisest Men in framing Civil Societies, did constantly otdain Festival-days, for men to meet together, and put some ease to their hard labour, by rejoycing together. And the Prophetick speech

of Lamech, Gen. 5. v. 29. saying of his Son Noah, This same shall comfort as concerning our work, and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed, may be understood concerning the Inventions of Hus∣bandry, such as Spades, Ploughs, Harrows, and ascribed to him; which made the Tillage of the Earth much more easie to men than it was before: or of the Invention of Wine, which was a great comfort to the Spi∣rits of Men, above the simple and natural Drink of Water: adding perhaps reasonable Intermissions, for the refreshment of constant Labor∣ers; but above all, setting up and restoring to the New World, Reli∣gion defended by the seven Precepts, it is said he delivered to be observed by all his Posterity. But in such an∣cient Intermissions and Recreations

we do not read were used any suc•• Exercise, as now adays is, to frequen•• in Taverns and Gentlemens Houses but in Manly Feasts and Exploits which gain'd them applause and glo¦ry, and wonderfully recreated th•• minds of the Spectators, inflamin•• them not with Drink, but with desire and endeavour of acts of Ho¦nour and true Glory. We do no•• read that any one of the Olympiack Games consisted in trying of Men•• strength in Drinking: or that ther•• was any Crown or Reward for him that did drink off his Cups best, o•• bear most rounds of Healths offered him. But Plutarch, in a Tractat•• he hath, shewing how a man can not live happily according to th•• Notions taught in Epicurus hi•• School, on the contrary tells us, Tha•• it is not the abundance of Wine and

Roast-meat which makes Men cheer∣full at Feasts, but a fair hope and perswasion that God is propitiously present with them, and graciously accepts what is there and then per∣formed. I would to God such Do∣ctrines as this were more frequent in the mouths of Christians, and their mirth more exactly regulated by such Crnsiderations. But may we not say, as Christ of the Centurion, I have not found so great faith, nor so good or∣der, no not in Israel? The more is the pity.

Yet, notwithstanding the two extreme abuses of publick Joy and Thanksgiving, one denying the use of all such (their turns not served by it) and the other admitting them for no cause so truly, as for the oppor∣tunity of giving Scandal at such times: God Almighty did not only

permit the Israelites, but enjoyn them to appear and rejoyce before th•• Lord, at certain Seasons of the Year as the Scripture witnesses, Levit. 23 40. Deuter. 12. 12. 27. 7. The nam•• and fear of the Lord duly at such times considered, diluting the spirit of the Wine against sinful Intempe¦rance, yet with hilarity in some goo•• degree also. But if any man shal•• hereupon demand, What degree tha•• is? I must be forc'd to reply, Tha•• it is past my skill to declare, and per¦haps other mens of acuter Wits an•• greater Reason than I; because, (as •••• premised) men are not to drink, no•• is Drunkennesse to be judged by A¦rithmetical proportion, when ever man drinks alike as to number o•• Glasses and measure, some at th•• same time faultering, and some stand¦ing immoveable; but according t••

Geometrical proportion, that is, ac∣••ording to their Age, Sex, or ability ••f Body: so that what is excesse in ••ne, is not in another.

It was anciently a high Crime a∣mongst the Romans, for Women to ••rink Wine at all; and a little so ••aken, denominated them intempe∣••ate: Which abstemiousnesse hath ••f later years been observed by some noble and virtuous Women. An ••minent example whereof, Aeneas Syl∣vius gives us in his Comment upon ••he Sayings and Deeds of Alphonsus King of Castile, in Leonora, whom some call Heleonora, Daughter to the King of Portugal, Wife to Frederick ••he Emperor of Germany, who be∣••ng advised by her Physicians, com∣••ng out of a warmer Country into a ••older, and being Barren, to drink Wine as conducing to Fruitfulnesse:

Her Husband the Emperor sent he•• word, That he could by no mean•• yield to it, choosing rather to have a Wife that was Barren, than one tha•• should drink Wine: to which she a•••• well replyed, saying, I prefer Obe¦dience to the Emperor before min•• own Life; but if he should com¦mand me to dye or drink Wine, I should choose rather to dye than to drink Wine. And it were to be wish∣ed, that Wine were not so much i•• request amongst Women now adays and in the Northern Countries espe∣cially; but that they kept as strictly to the prescription of abstemious••¦nesse, as they do in Spain unto this day: where the more noble the per∣son is, the more abstemious is she i•• this kinde.

It was of late years but a vain piece of an Argument mentioned be∣fore,

taken from the inspiring qua∣••ity of Wine or strong Drinks. For ••hough we should account it true, as we do, we cannot count it good what is said: For whatever effect extraordinary it may have upon the phansie, it constantly hath an evil effect upon the Reason and Judg∣ment, which are the main Faculties making a Man, and rendring him profitable to God, his Country, or himself. He that is so transported in his minde as to be a loser in these, though he be gainer in the other, shall have no cause to boast of the ex∣change, or admire the author of it, Wine: For what are the common effects but clamour, and Poetry, and this upon the praise of Wine or Wo∣men? and not as St. Chrysostome once observed of those divinely inspired

and inflamed in Scripture, who (saith he) as men in love are wont to break forth into Poetry, commending ex∣cessively whom they so affect: in like manner David, and the rest of the Authors of Divine Songs or Psalms, we have in the Scriptures, being possessed with a fervent love of God and Heavenly things, vented themselves in Songs tending only to the honour and praise of God, and things Heavenly. But alas! if we observe now adays the Poetry in use (how accomplish'd soever it is said to be otherwise) or the Musick ei∣ther (that Divine and Noble gift of God to mankind) we shall finde that nine parts of ten are imployed upon the praise of Women, and exorbi∣tant caresses of such Creatures, whose lives are scarce tolerable: all which are commonly the exuberances of too

much Drink, with which they are Inspired. If such Inspiration or In∣flammations be allowable in any body, surely there only are they, where a defect is made, and a losse sustained of the Natural Spirits: as fainting by some accidental oppres∣sion of Spirit, or decay of them in Age. And yet as Valerius in his fore∣mentioned Treatise tells us, Wine is not good for old men, as is vulgarly believed; but, as he says, pernicious: His reason whereof is, because of the want of Natural heat whereby it may be master'd. And one may observe in this case, the same reason as when Princes distressed by inte∣stine or domestick Enemies, are wont to call Forreign aid to their assistance, which generally (as in the case of Brittains and Saxons) encreasing and growing strong, prove greater mis∣chiefs

to them that call for the•• than that from which they desire•• them; so strong Drink, called f•••• to drive away sorrows, and to s•• men on the merry Pin, who are d••¦jected, getting the mastery of them brings them under a worse subjectio•• than before they suffered.

But, the Examples of emine•••• Persons in Scripture over-taken wit•• this sin, needs no other answer tha•• other Instances of great Failings an•• Falls, to which they have been su••¦ject. May they not as well arg•••• for Adultery and Incest, for Murd•••• and Slaughter; for persecuting th•• Church with Paul, and denyin•• Christ with Peter? For though th•• circumstances of Noahs and Lo•••• Drunkennesse were singular, so as t•• make their offences lighter, and s•• in other sins of other persons; yet

shall not stand upon them, but ra∣••her advise such who have any fear ••f God before their eyes, or honour ••or deceased Saints, not to rake in ••he ashes of them, to bring them to patronize such notorious Crimes. For as it is also objected, and that ••ruly, That one act of Drunkennesse does not absolutely Characterize a man a Drunkard, no, nor perhaps ••wo; so cannot we say, they were such whose Errors are recorded upon surprize, as Noahs; or supplanting, ••s Lots: who made no practice of such Excesses, and wilfully that we know, ran not into such sins. But whoever he may be that presumptu∣ously shall commit such Sins, he is certainly obnoxious to severer Cen∣sures and Punishments: they espe∣cially, who offer themselves willing∣••y to Temptations, and yield not

unwillingly unto them. They a•••• Drunkards, who more than once o•• twice fall into Excesse, and excus•• and comfort themselves with this A¦pology: A man not vitious may be over taken sometimes: So that as long a•• they see any worse, they flatte•• themselves that they are not bad But the Fact is not always to be con¦sidered in the heinousnesse of offenc•• either against God or man, but th•• condition of the Person, and other cir∣cumstances. For it is as odious for a Woman to be Drunk once a year, a•••• for a Man once a week; and for a Youth once a quarter, as for a Ma•• once a day. But how monstrous i•• their Condition, and abominable to God and man, who shall make thei•• shame their glory, imagining (accord¦ing to their shallownesse) that it i•• masculine in Women, and manly in

Children or Striplings, and nothing ••ut Gallantry in obscure Persons, to ••ranscend in such cases due propor∣••ion? May not these same persons as well argue also a certain Divine∣••esse in being Drunk, because that ••he Learned Ancients numbered Bac∣••hus, a notorious Drunkard, amongst ••heir gods? For 'tis as true, that Bac∣••hus was a god, as that Drunkennesse ••s any piece of Gallantry, true No∣blenesse, or that in it consists any ••hing of Manhood.

Lastly, as to them who lie and ••abour under this Guilt and Infamy, and yet hope to relieve themselves, by alledging, They have regard to ••he main; they do not waste their Estates with it, as others: What is all this but to declare to the World, their ignorance of, and carelesnesse of ••hat which is the main of all mains?

What saith our Blessed Saviour in th•• Gospel? What if a man should g•••••• the whole world, and lose his own sou•• A gainer, is much more than a sav••¦or preserver of what he hath. A•••• to gain the whole World especially, •••• infinitely more than any mans Inh••¦ritance. Whence comes it therefo•••• to pass, that amongst Christians th•••• is not believed and throughly weig••¦ed? Why do men blindly study 〈◊〉〈◊〉 secure the Mite, and suffer the Mou••¦tain of invaluable Treasure to m•••••• away every day, and their immort•••• Souls to perish in the Floods of i•• temperate Drinking? But, methin•••• if such Knowledge be too wond••••¦ful for them, and they cannot a••¦tain unto it, as the Psalmist speak•• The eyes of their body might suffice to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 form them better, while they shew th•••• the daily ruines of that, and the m••••••

sore evils preying upon their carkass be∣fore its time. And besides, it is well ••o be observed, what is but too cu∣••tomary, That many men labour ••nder a double Distemper in divers ••espects, by sparing basely, and spend∣••ng basely with great artifice, as they may suppose, but weakly, making ••ne Sin support another: which is ••rue so far only, as in an Ague, the ••old Fit the greater it is, the more vio∣••ent is the hot Virtue therefore, if it be ••ot loved and embraced for its own ••ake, and not for vices sake (which ••ften happens) ceases to be what it is ••alled. But that men may better un∣••erstand this, I shall now proceed to ••xpose briefly the heinousness of this ••••n, leaving some other Palliations ••••d Excuses thereof, to be consider∣••d towards the Conclusion.

Notes

• Valerius Sac. Phil. 215.