that the other degrees have, with more. It is a voluptuous excess in drink to the depravation of reason. Gulosity is the general nature of it: excess is the matter: depravation of reason is its special form.

It is excess of drinking, when you drink more than, according to the judgment of sound reason, doth tend to fit your body mediately or immediately for its proper duty, without a greater hurt. Sometimes the immediate benefit is most to be regarded (as, if a man had some present duty of very great moment to perform). The present benefit consisteth, 1. In the abatement of such a troublesome thirst or pain, as hindereth you from doing your duty. 2. In adding that refocillation and alacrity to the spirits, as maketh them fitter instruments for the operations of the mind and body. That measure which doth one or both of these without greater hurt is not too great. I say without greater hurt; because if any should in a dropsy or a fever prefer a little present ease and alacrity before his health and life, it were excess. Or if any man ordinarily drink more than nature will well digest, and which causeth the incoction of his meat, and consequently crudities, and consequently a dunghill of phlegm and vitious humours fit to engender many diseases, this is excess of drinking, though he feel it ease him and make him cheerful for the present time. And this is the common case of most bibbers or tipplers that are not stark drunkards: they feel a present ease from thirst, and perhaps a little alacrity of spirits, and therefore they think that measure is no excess, which yet tendeth to crudities and diseases, and the destruction of their health and life.

Therefore (except in some great, extraordinary case of necessity) it is not so much the present, as the future foreseen effects, which must direct you to know your measure. Reason can foresee, though appetite cannot. Future effects are usually great and long; when present effects may be small and short. He that will do that which tendeth to the hurt of his health, for the present easing or pleasing of his thirsty appetite, doth sin against reason, and play the beast. You should be so well acquainted with your bodies, and the means of your own health, as to know first whether the enduring of the thirst, or the drinking to quench it, is like to be the more hurtful to your health, and more a hindrance to your duty.

And for the present alacrity which strong drink bringeth to some, you must foresee that you purchase it not at too dear a rate, by a longer dulness or disablement afterwards : and take heed that you take not an alien, counterfeit hilarity, consisting in mere sensual delight, for that serenity and just alacrity of the spirits as doth fit you for your duty. For this also is a usual (and wilful) self-deceit of sensualists: they make themselves believe that a cup of sack or strong drink giveth them a true assistant alacrity, when it only causeth a sensual delight, which doth more hinder and corrupt the mind, than truly further it in its duty and differeth from true alacrity as paint from beauty, or as a fever doth from our natural heat.

You see then that intemperance in drinking is of two sorts 1. Bibbing or drinking too much. 2. Drunkenness (in various degrees). And these intemperate bibbers are of several sorts. (1.) Those, that when they have over-heated themselves, or are feverish, or have any ordinary diseased thirst, will please their appetites, though it be to their hurt; and will venture their health rather than endure the thirst. Though in fevers, dropsies, coughs, it should be the greatest enemy to them, yet they are such beastly servants to their appetites, that drink they must whatever come of it: though physicians forbid them, and friends dissuade them, they have so much of the brute and so little of the man, that appetite is quite too hard for reason with them. These are of two sorts: one sort keep the soundness of their reason, though they have lost all the strength and power of it, for want of a resolved will: and these confess that they should abstain, but tell you, they cannot, they are not so much men. The other sort have given up their very reason (such as it is) to the service of their appetites: and these will not believe (till the cough, or gout, or dropsy, &c. make them believe it) that their measure of drinking is too much, or that it will do them hurt; but say, that it would hurt them more to forbear it: some through real ignorance, and some made willingly ignorant by their appetites.

(2.) Another sort of bibbers there are, much worse than those, who have no great, diseased thirst to excuse their gulosity, but call it a thirst whenever their appetite would have drink; and use themselves ordinarily to satisfy such an ap

petite, and drink almost as oft as the throat desireth it, and say, it is but to quench their thirst; and never charge themselves with intemperance for it. These may be known from the first sort of bibbers by the quality of their drink it is cold small beer that the first sort desire, to quench a real thirst; when reason bids them endure it, if other means will not quench it. But it is wine, or strong drink, or some drink that hath a delicious gust, which the second sort of bibbers use, to please the appetite, which they call their thirst. And of these luxurious tipplers, next to stark drunkards, there are also divers degrees, some being less guilty, and some more i

1. The lowest degree are they that will never ordinarily drink but at meals: but they will then drink more than nature requireth, or than is profitable to their health.

2. The second degree are they, that use to drink between meals, when their appetite desireth it, to the hindering of concoction, and the increase of erudities and catarrhs, and to the secret, gradual vitiating of their humours, and generating of many diseases and this without any true necessity, or the approbation of sound reason, or any wise physician yet they tipple but at home, where you may find the pat by them at unseasonable times.

3. The third degree are many poor men that have not drink at home, and when they come to a gentleman's house, or a feast, or perhaps an alehouse, they will pour in for the present to excess, though not to drunkenness, and think it is no harm, because it is but seldom, and they drink so small drink all the rest of the year, that they think such a fit as this sometimes is medicinal to them, and tendeth to their health.

4. Another rank of bibbers are those, that though they haunt not alehouses or taverns, yet have a throat for every health or pledging cup that reacheth not to drunkenness : and use ordinarily to drink many unnecessary cups in a day

i Et non solum hæc seculares viri, sed et ipse grex Domini ejusque pastores, qui exemplo esse omni plebi debuerint. Ebrietate quam plurimi quasi vino madidi torpebant resoluti, et animositatum tumore, jurgiorum contentione, invidiæ rapacibus angulis, indiscreto boni malique judicio carpebantur. Epis. Gildæ. Josseline's edit. 1568. pp. 18, 19.

to pledge, as they call it, those that drink to them: and custom and compliment are all their excuse.

5. Another degree of bibbers are common alehouse haunters, that love to be there, and to sit many hours, perhaps, in a day, with a pot by them, tippling, and drinking one to another. And if they have any bargain to make, or any friend to meet, the alehouse or tavern must be the place, where tippling may be one part of their work.

6. The highest degree, are they that are not apt to be stark drunk, and therefore think themselves less faulty; while they sit at it, and make others drunk, and are strong themselves to bear away more than others can bear. They have the drunkard's appetite, and measure, and pleasure, though they have not his giddiness and loss of wit.

(3.) And of those that are truly drunken also, there are many degrees and kinds. As some will be drunk with less and some with more; so some are only possessed with a little diseased levity and talkativeness, more than they had before some also have distempered eyes, and stammering tongues: some also proceed to unsteady, reeling heads, and stumbling feet, and unfitness for their callings: some go further, to sick and vomiting stomachs, or else to sleepy heads and some proceed to stark madness, quarrelling, railing, bawling, hooting, ranting, roaring, or talking nonsense, or doing mischief: the furious sort being like maddogs, that must be tied; and the sottish, prating, and spewing sort being commonly the derision of the boys in the

streets.

II. Having told you what tippling and drunkenness are, I shall briefly tell you their causes: but briefly, because you may gather most of them from what is said of the causes of gluttony.

1. The first and grand causes are these three concurrent: a beastly, raging appetite or gulosity: a weakness of reason and resolution to rule it: and a want of faith to strengthen reason, and of holiness to strengthen resolution. These are the very cause of all.

2. Another cause is their not knowing that their excess and tippling are really a hurt or danger to their health. And they are ignorant of this from many causes. cause they have been bred up among ignorant people, and

One is be

never taught to know what is good or bad for their own bo dies, but only by the common talk of the mistaken vulgar. Another is because their appetite so mastereth their very reason, that they can choose to believe that which they would not have to be true. Another reason is because they are of healthful bodies, and therefore feel no hurt at present, and presume that they shall feel none hereafter, and see some abstemious persons weaker than they, (who began not to be abstemious till some chronical disease had first invaded them.) And thus they do by their bodies, just as wicked men do by their souls: they judge all by present feeling, and have not wisdom enough to take things foreseen into their deliberation and accounts: that which will be a great while hence they take for nothing, or an uncertain something next to nothing. As heaven and hell move not ungodly men, because they seem a great way off; so, while they feel themselves in health, they are not moved with the threatening of sickness: the cup is in their hands, and therefore they will not set it by, for fear of they know not what, that will befal them you know not when. As the thief that was told he should answer it at the day of judgment, said, he would take the other cow too, if he should stay unpunished till then; so these belly-gods think, they will take the other cup, if they shall but stay till so long hence. And thus because this temporal punishment of their gulosity is not speedily exercised, the hearts of men are fully set in them to please their appetites.

3. Another cause of tippling and drunkenness is a wicked heart that loveth the company of wicked men, and the foolish talk, and cards, and dice, by which they are entertained. One sin enticeth down another: it is a delight to prate over a pot, or rant and game, and drive away all thoughts that savour of sound reason, or the fear of God, or

Why Gregory set up wakes, and church-ales, and meetings on holidays in England, you may see lib. x. Regist. Ep. 71. in policy to win the heathens: Qui boves solent multos in sacrificio dæmonum occidere, debet his etiam de hac re aliqua solemnitas immutari, ut die dedicationis vel natalitiis martyrum, tabernacula sibi circa casdem ecclesias, quæ ex fanis commutatæ sunt, de ramis arborum faciant, et religiosis conviviis solennitatem celebrent. Nec Diabolo jam animalia immolent, sed ad laudem Dei in esu suo anamalia occidant, et donatori omnium de satietate sua gratias agant, &c. But do Christians need this as heathens did, when we see the sad effects of such riotings? Lege Acost. lib. iii. c. 34.