Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 81
§ 81.
THat they'le hate, revile, and ſtab him who refuſeth to pledge their healthes, How impatient of deniall.needs no other proofe then experience: as how many have loſt their lives, becauſe they would not be drunke? though ſome others (Vriah-like) have loſt theirs, when they have yeelded to be drunke.
Neither is this in uſe here onelyonly, but in other countries the ſame. It was a great mercy of God, that I had not my braines knockt out in the Low-countries, for not drinking a great mans healthe, and loſing mine owne.
In the Dukedome of Maſſovia, it is no more amongſt health quaffers, but either drinke to me, or fight with me: hence grow thoſe many murthers, ſtabs, wounds without cauſe (as Salomon ſpeakes) quarrels, fightings, contentions, and debates which we uſually heare of, both at home and abroad.
Now what's the reaſon of all, but this, long cuſtome, Their miſpriſion of honour and reputation.and the pravity and wickedneſſe of men, hath made it a kinde of affront, indignity, diſcourteſie, and wrong both to him that begins the health, to thoſe that ſecond it, and to the perſon that is remembred in it, to refuſe or paſſe it by, and not to pledge it, as St. Auſtin, Ambroſe, Ierom, &c. teſtifie, beſides our own experience.
And many men thinke, they cannot doe their abſent friends a greater honour; yea, their friends alſo take it for an high honour.
But, O the ſtupidity both of the one and the other! for can this be any honour or credit unto any, to be thus diſhonoured of every infamous and beaſtly drunkard, of every pot-companion, Tunne, or Hogshead; to be the dayly phraſe, the Theame the Rhetoricke of every ebrious and luxurious ſot; the occaſion, cauſe, and patronage of drunkenneſſe and exceſſe? yea, what Chriſtian would not ſcorne to have their healthes, their names, their place and perſons made a common Prologue or praeludium, an ordinary bawd or pandor, an uſuall in let, way, or paſſage to drunkenneſſe and exceſſe, a common ſhoe-horne, baite, or engine to force or draw men on to drinke beyond all meaſure, a dayly patronage, plea, or ſanctuary to juſtifie and beare out, or elſe a frequent, but unjuſt apology or excuſe to extenuate, ſalve, or mitigate the exceſſe of ſinne, and infamous, wicked, baſe, and ſwiniſh men?
It was a noble anſwer of a great Prince, Doe not drinke my health, but pray for it: and a wiſe reply of a grave and worthy Stateſ-man of this Kingdome, I will pray for the Kings health, but drinke for mine owne. And ſurely none but ſots will bring themſelves into grievous diſeaſes by drinking healthes to other men; and ſuch is the caſe of health drinkers. What ſaid Calliſthenes to one that urg'd him to drinke at Alexanders Feaſt, as others did? I will not, for who ſo drinketh to Alexander, had need of Aeſculapius, meaning a Phyſitian.Examples of ſome that have drunke other men… healthes, and their ow…e deaths
Nay, it's well if they prevent not the Phyſitian, and drinke not themſelves paſt all hope of recovery; for not ſeldome doe they ſave the Phyſitian a labour, and drinke at once anothers health, their owne death, as I could inſtance in ſundry examples, I'le onelyonly give you two, but they are as good as twenty.
At one ſupper, which Alexander prepared for his Favourites and Captaines, there was no leſſe then one and forty; which kild themſelves in that goodly conflict of carouſing healthes. Where Promachus having ſwallowed downe foure Gallons of wine, got the prize and victory.
And at another drinking feaſt, or combat which he appointed for the Indians, himſelfe dranke his death and ruine, in quaffing off a whole carouſe or health out of Hercules cup, and to beare him company, there was five and thirty more at the ſame time dranke themſelves dead in the place, and never revived more, with carouſing healthes and rounds.
There is another example recorded, which is ſo remarkable, that I am loth to paſſe it, though the circumſtances vary. It is recorded of Popelus the ſecond, King of Poland, that having incurred the diſpleaſure of his Nobility through his ill government, for which they intended to depoſe him; he feigned himſelfe to be very ſicke, by his Queenes advice, and thereupon ſent for twenty of the chiefe Princes of Pomerania, who had the principall voice in the election of the Polonian Kings, to come and viſit him in this his ſickneſſe, which they did accordingly; the King upon their comming, requeſted them to elect his ſonne to the Kingdome after his deceaſe, which thing they anſwered they would willingly doe, if the reſt of the Nobility would conſent; the Queene in the meane time provides a cup of ſudden poyſon, of purpoſe to diſpatch them, and preſents it to them all, to drinke the King her husbands health; they to teſtifie their love and alleagiance to the King, dranke off the cup, as their manner was, unto his health, but to their owne inſtant confuſion and immediate death, and to the ſubverſion of all the ſtocke and race of the Polonian Princes: a ſudden and fearefull, yet a juſt judgement of God upon theſe Princes, who were much addicted to the drinking of healthes formerly. But loe the infinite juſtice of God on both hands, for out of the dead and poyſoned Carkaſes of theſe Princes, there iſſued ſuch infinite troopes and ſwarmes of Rats and Mice, as chaſed Popelus, his wife, and all his children from place to place, both by Sea and land, till at laſt they were forced to flye to the ſtrong caſtle of Oraccovia, where they were drowned, and eaten up of theſe Rats and Mice, in deſpite of Guard and Gariſons, and all thoſe Arts and policies of fire and water-workes that were uſed to ſecure them; as the Polonian Hiſtories doe at large declare.
But not to travell ſo farre for examples; how many health-ſokers and drunkards may we ſee or heare of every yeare, within the verge and compaſſe of our land, who doe ſuddenly conſume, periſh, and come to a fearfull end, being cut downe by ſtrange and unexpected deathes, in the very act of their ſinnes, before they had any time, or ſpace to repent; whoſe deathes, even charity it ſelfe, muſt needs judge moſt miſerable, ſeeing they dye in their ſinnes, and are taken away in Gods juſt wrath, even whilſt they are ſacrificeing their ſoules to Sathan. And doth not the very Eccho of theſe drunken and exceſſive healthes, dayly cry in the eares of God for vengeance, on all that uſe them, if not upon the whole Land, for their ſakes? yea undoubtedly.