The worst eftate of man is that in which he lofes the knowledge and government of himself: and it is faid, amongst other things upon the fubject, that as muft or wort, fermenting in a veffel, drives up every thing that is at the bottom to the top, fo wine makes those who drink it intemperately blab out the greateft fecrets to another:

Tu fapientium

Curas, et arcanum jocofe,
Confilium retegis Lyao*.

The fecret cares and counfels of the wife
Are known, when you to Bacchus facrifice.

Jofephus tells us, that he wormed out a fecret from an ambaffador whom his enemies had fent to him, by mak ing him drunk. Nevertheless, Auguftus having imparted his moft fecret affairs in confidence to Lucius Pifo, who conquered Thrace, was never mistaken in him, no more than Tiberius was in Coffus, to whom he intrufted all his defigns, though we know they were fo much given to wine, that both were often forced to be carried drunk out of the fenate.

Hefterno inflatum venas de more Lyao §.

Their veins, according to custom, being filled by yesterday's debauch.

The defign to affaffinate Cæfar was as fafely communicated to Cimber, though he was often drunk, as it was to Caffius, who drank nothing but water: and, upon this, Cimber once faid, merrily, "Shall I, who cannot "bear wine, bear with a tyrant |?"

German foldiers, though fuch hard

drinkers, not eably conquered.

We see our Germans, when drunk as the devil, remember their poft, the word for the day, and their rank.

Horat. lib. iii. Od. 21, ver. 14, &c.

↑ Id. ibid.

+ Senec. Ep. 83.

Virg. Eclog. vi. ver. 15.

Sen. Ep. 83. The words in Seneca are, Ego quemquam feram qui vinum ferre non poffum? But he has fpoiled Cimber's jeft for not having had the Courage to give Cæfar the name of tyrant, as Montaigne does.

Nec

* Nec facilis vittoria de madidis et Blafis, atque mero titubantibus.

Nor is it easy to enforce command

O'er men fo drunk, they fcarce can speak or ftand.

I could never have believed there had been in the world fuch profound drunkennefs, even

Inftances and

of profound drunkennefe.

to a degree of fuffocation and death, if I inconveniencies had not read in hiftory what follows, viz. That Attalus having, to put a flagrant affront upon him, invited to fupper the fame Paufanias who afterwards killed Philip of Macedon, (a king whose excellent qualities bore teftimony to the education which he had received in the house and company of Epaminondas), he made him drink to such a pitch, that he was fo void of fenfe as to proftitute his perfon, like a common hedge-whore, to the mule-keepers and fervants of the meaneft office in the house. I have been farther told by a lady, whom I highly honour and esteem, that, near Bourdeaux, towards Caftres, where the lives, a countrywoman, a widow of chafte repute, perceiving in herself the first symptoms of pregnancy, faid to her neighbours, that, if fhe had a hufband, fhe fhould think herself with child: but the cause of this fufpicion increafing more and more every day, fo that at length there was a ma nifeft proof of it, the poor woman was fain to have it published in her parifh-church, that whoever was confcious he had done the deed, and would freely confefs it, the promised to forgive him, and not only fo, but, if he liked the motion, to marry him. Upon this a young fellow that used to do hufbandry-work for her in the field, encouraged by this publication, declared he found her, upon a certain holiday, when the had been too free with her bottle, so fast asleep on the hearth, by her fire-fide, and in fo indecent a pofture, that he made ufe of her body without waking her; and they live together as man and wife.

Montaigne, in order to illuftrate this remarkable fact, has made ufe of thefe lines, which, however, have a different meaning in Juvenal. ↑ Juv. Sat. xv, ver, 47, 48,

Drunkenness not much declaimed against by the ancients.

It is certain, that the ancient writers have not declaimed very much against this vice; nay, the writings of many philofophers speak of it very tenderly; and even among the Stoics there are fome who advise a hearty caroufe, now and then, to chear up the fpirits: Hoc quoque virtutum quondam certamine magnum Socratem palmam promeruiffe ferunt *.

And Socrates, they fay, in days of yore,
From toping blades the palm of drinking bore.

That cenfor and corrector of others, Cato, lies under the reproach of having been alfo a hard drinker.

Narratur et prifci Catonis

Sape mero caluiffe virtus.

Of Cato 'tis faid, whofe virtues yet fhine,
That he often indulg'd in gen'rous wine.

The renowned Cyrus, amongst other commendable qualities for which he claimed a preference before his brother Artaxerxes, urged this excellency, that he could drink a great deal more than his brother . And in na tions the best regulated, and the most civilifed, this trial of skill in drinking was very much in ufe. I have heard Sylvius, an eminent physician of Paris, fay, that, left the digeftive faculties of the ftomach should grow weak, it is good, once a month, to invigorate them by this excefs, and to ftimulate them, that they may not be benumbed: and they write, that the Perfians used to confult about their most important affairs after being well warmed with wine.

Drunkenness a

vice not fo bad as fome others.

My taste and conftitution are greater enemies to this vice than my reafon; for, befides that I eafily fubmit my belief to the opinions of the ancients, I think it, indeed, an unmanly and a stupid vice, but not fo wicked and mischievous as the other vices, which do almoft directly tend to the bane of public fociety. And, though we cannot please

† Horat. lib. iii. Od. 21. ver. 11, 12.

• Corn. Gall. Eleg. i. ver. 47.
Plutarch, in the life of Artaxerxes, cap. 2.

ourfelves

ourfelves with the thought that it is of no expence to us, yet I believe that this vice fits lighter upon the confcience than others; befides that, it is of no difficult preparation, nor hard to be found, a confidération not to be despised.

Delicacy in wine to be a

voided, and

why.

A man who was advanced both in dignity and age, among three principal advantages which he faid remained to him in life, reckoned this for one; and where would a man wifh to find it more juftly than amongst the natural advantages? But he did not take it in a right light; for delicacy and a curiofity in the choice of wines is to be avoided. If nothing will please you but drinking of the richest wine, you oblige yourself to the mortification of drinking that which is not fo; your taste must be more indifferent and free, fo nice a palate will never qualify you for a good toper. The Germans drink almoft of all wines alike with pleasure: their end is not fo much to tafte as to fwallow; and, indeed, they have their pleafure cheaper than others, fince they have their wine in much more plenty, and nearer at hand.

I

The ancients spent whole nights in drinking. Whether we are ever the

better for being more wary in that respect,

In the next place, to drink as the French do, at two meals only, and then with moderation, is to be too fparing of the favours of the god of wine; there is more time and conftancy required than that comes to. The ancients spent whole nights at this exercife, and often all the next day; and therefore their fet meals were, to be fure, more plentiful, and more substantial. have feen a great lord, in my time, a perfonage in great employments, and very fuccefsful, who, without fetting himself to it, but only in the common courfe of his meals, drank not much lefs than five bottles of wine at a time, and, at his going away, appeared but too fober and wary, to our coft. The pleasure which we chufe to prefer, for our life, ought to take up more of its time: we fhould, like fhop-boys and working men, refuse no opportunity of drinking, but always with for it.

It looks as if, the longer we live, the lefs we drink; and that the breakfasts, repafts, caroufals, and collations I used to see at our houses, when I was a boy, were more frequent and common than now. Are we a jot the farther advanced towards an amendment? Truly no. But, perhaps, we are more addicted to the fports of Venus than our ancestors were: they are two exercises that thwart and hinder one another in their vigour; as intemperance has taken off the edge of our appetite on the one hand, fobriety ferves, on the other, to render us more fpruce and more keen for the exercise of love.

and character of

Montaigne's fa

ther.

What strange stories have I heard my father tell of the The defcription chastity of the age wherein he lived! He was well qualified to speak of the fubject, being formed, both by art and nature, for an acquaintance with the ladies. He spoke little, but well, ever mixing his language with fome ornament borrowed from authors moft in ufe, efpecially the Spanish, and, amongst the Spanish, from the book intitled *Marcus Aurelius, which was familiar to him. In his behaviour he was humble and very modeft, with an engaging gravity, and was particularly nice as to neatness and decency, both in his person and cloaths, whether on foot or on horseback. He was wonderfully punctual in keeping his word, and both his confcience and religion, in general, inclined rather to fuperftition than to the other extreme. For a little man, he was vigorous, ftraight, and well-proportioned; had a pleafing countenance, inclining to a brown complexion, and was adroit and perfect in all the noble exercises. I have even feen canes filled with lead, with which, it is faid, he exercised his arms, in order to fit himself for throwing the bar,

Mery Caufaubon, who mentions this book, in a short advertisement prefixed to his English translation of the genuine work of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, tells us this book was writ originally in Spanish, and tranflated into Italian, French, English, &c. The author, he adds, would fain have his work pass for a faithful translation of the treatise "of Marcus Aurelius; but there is nothing, in the whole book, which fhews that the learned Spaniard, who compofed it, had seen the treatise of this wife emperor. This Spaniard is Guevara, who does not deserve the title of learned, which is here given him by Mery Caufaubon. The reader may fee the character of his wit and works, in Bayle's Dictionary, under the title of GUEVARA.

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