MISCELL.iXr.
Fran tl: A?r.:r ':car. Muftum.
Crjfhv ir; fraijt of drunkenr.tfs.
D:TijercJ hy a Jruhnt cf Prince! on collect
at a Lit cwnu-r.cevicnt.
IAnr.nirh:r infenfible cf 'your digni
ty r.or.mown weaknef ; yet, it you
were better, and I worfe, as J am doom
. ed to fprak, I expect you will fpare mc
the trouble of making any apology 1 or
rr.y prefumption. I am fure that I may
make large allowances for your goodnefs
and geneioiity yet I mult confefs that
I .-rather wilh, thaa hope to pleafe.
What I am about to trouble you with is
a few reflations, on deep drinking ani
drankenneis, the utiiry of which I mean
to point our. A fubjed that the prefent
depravity of our age renders peculiarly
iaiereftiiig.
Any man, who is in the leaft: degree
converfanr in public lire, muft be fenfible
ol this. It is no uncharitable calculation
lo fuppofc, that one half of the human
race have in a great meafure dtfeited
the ca.iYof Ba;cas ; have mamefully
turned thkir backs cn the fparkling
glafs an J flowing bowl, and gone, in
.oi?:rr.n with the beafts cf the field, to
quench their thirft at die purling (tream
or bulling fountain ; or, if at any time
they, are prevailed upon to rafte the mec
tareous juice, it u done in fuch a fparing
and timid -nanner, as does difhonour to
the prot-Obn of drinking. If we look
back in:o rhe early ages ol the world, we
will rind Nu!i mjre'ihan middling wtll
iuJJIed with theproduceof his newviae
ard ; bat as we never hear of his re
pe.itia it the iecond time, and feeing
that all ,hi o'her actions are far from
LcfjsaLing him a good fubjea of Bac
chus, we cannot recommend him for an
eximplc. Any man may (tumble upon
a iood aftion, but it is perfeTerance alone
tf.a: merits applaufe Encouraged by
v.i:f. ancient Lot hid hc foundation of
two g: .a: ani populous nations, Moab
a.d.l;c'c:nlJ:ci: ( P Ammon. And I
do;, jl not, bt many honourable and ufc
f ; ta:x:. lie?, of more leccnt times, owe
their or:gin to th: nodurnal excurfions
ol the air criturous and intriguing bac
tfianil. Alexander the Great had natu
ral ferocity enough to deal deatk and de
ltruflion among his en:m:ei ; but to
wine alont he r.as indebted for that ?e
neroui ardttir which er.ablid him to itab ;
and murder his mo t faithful and afFec
ujuacc irisadi. To wiac a: laiV he
(20-)
furrsnJerei his pretended immsrtalify,
which w5 nothing more than a particu
lar kind of drunk:nnefs. Bat we need
notfearch the pages of antiquity for ex
amplesto recommend this water of life.
The many advantages arifing from a lull
ftomach and a rocking head, will be evi
dent enough to any who will but make
the experiment. Nay, lefs thfcn expe
rience, obferration alone may ferve
our turn. We can tatily difcorer that
words are-altogether inefficient to give
us an idea of the gladnefs of the drunk
ard's heart. His ineffable raptures are
ehher expreifed by wry faces, winking
eyes, or loud and inarticulate roars.
What inward fcrength of mind and
greatnefsof foul muft he luck from his
bottle, when he can wallow in mire or
perhaps in fomcthing ibuler, without
the leaft difcompofure ; canfweetly kifs
his mother earth, embrace the filth of
the duaghill, or bathe in the loathfome
dregs Cifa common fewer, (hall I fay
without repining -nay, even with com
placency and delight ! How often do
we fee him, from lbme internal heart
felt Joy, extending his jaws, and burftiag
into thundering; laughter,without any
of thole exterior caufcs whith generally
provoke the fober fool to I'mirth ! But
this is not all; drunkemlefs will. alio
effectually purge away that folifh fym
pathy which pcrfoss would otherwife
feel for human nature in diilrefs ; fo thafc
ifa man find it neceffary for the good
order of his houfe that his wife fhould be
kicked out of doors or, for the fupport
of his funds, that his neighbour's throat
fhould be tut, and the money transferred
iato his own chtft, a plentiful draught
of good Well-India will enable him to
perform either the one or the other, with
as much brarery and umreleming fury
as if he had been bred among the infer
nally And after all this, how little need
he.regard law, juftice, or trie worft con
fequences that can poflibly enfue ' A
plentiful potion of the fame-liquor which
enabled him to commit this action, will
alfo embolden him undauntedly to en
counter the punilhment to which it may
expofe him. And if it fhould even coft
him his life, death is an evil we have ail
to combat, and perhaps few of us will
make our exit like him, with porsp and
parade. Fr your encouragement, ye
keroes cf the bottle, attend to .the ufue
of this fortunate- 'man : he fhall be ear
dowed as it were, with the fpirit of pro
phecy, and be able to predict the very
day and manner of his death ; at his Jaft
hour he fliall be punctually waited upon
by the officers of tke Hate, and a fiume
x ous train of.a lower order ; while others
are walking on foot he fliall be borne in
4 vehicle, rrlth a particular badge of ho-
nour about hU reck.; arid ladlyJihc fi,all
fwinar away his life' in airy circlds, v.i b
out a groan or a figfi,; raiiird fGin the
C2rth abave the gajain and aiiniiig.
not to lay envying world.
Wheii the foft paiiionjof lovehh all
its cares and ax iettc .takes pofiifibn-;of
the aching brc.R, 'Id reduces tte maa
who is not wife' enough to feck iconiola
tion from his bowl, to the condiEon of" a
fawning; "fpaniel, ready to lick the dnfl
off his mittrcfo's feet, and willing tb re.
ceive a fingle kifs as an eternal;obliga
tibn but the fon of Eacchus approach
es his fair with a bold frbnt and; a refj
lute metn, as if determined to in fill onaa
immediate fur render, he; comes at cm:
to the point, without hefitation er ctr
cumlocution. His loud, Sthd confequcnt-
ly perfuafive eloquence, added to the
fhower of ncftar blown from his ltquorift
mouth, at every tmphatical word, toge
ther with the. fragrasce proceeding hora
his ftmach, furcliarged with whpleiomc
brandy, -cannot fail to foHen the rrieft ob
durate nyKiph. 1 J (I
Horace, the great juafler of ly tic poe
try among the Latins, has difcovercd
the high value he ftt upoiii ' 'drunlttnnefy,
in words to this effect : " hzt isfceyond
the power of drunkennefs ? It dijfeovers
the moft important fecrcts, thruits the
coward iato battle and removes the bur
then of anxiety from the mind,'? But
we are ali as fehfible as Horace was
what extraordinary effect it prodbcei is
mofl of thole cafes. How often', d we
fee the dr unkard fo full of bravery that
She will nobly ruin into tlic mofif immi
nent danger, without the leaft nccelUty I
I have knpn a man who, when drunk,
would ftrip himielf as naked as Adam
in his iRBoeence, and run headlong int
thickets of briars and thorns, to thp great
admiration of every beholder. What
more need J fay to rccommendi it ?
How amiable does this fet of itien always
5fpear J View them in the ftreetjs, and
and yoa Will find them attended by a nu
merous, train of (homing applaufters
view them in their hcufes, aud yob-Will
hnd the.moufred, inftrucling tlieircliildres
in the ufdful fcience of fingtng .lafijiviow
longs ; but if words fhould be wainiing,
the voice is liili kept up, and their melo
dious notes may fitly be ;rotipicd t
the enchantiny; voice of of the crow cr
jackdaw, thofe maders ' of harmony,
amoiig .tiie teathcrcd tribe. !
- ' . i-
FOREIGN NES.
! LONDON, JUN fc l3. '
A i-- v -irotn -r iantjers mrtntiosil
-that'thc Auftriiuib had ciclild