1903 The Flowing Bowl by Edward Spencer

24 THE FLOWING BOWL efFect, then they also begin to make peace. One compliments in a very high degree, another tells stories, but all are extremely ridiculous both in their w^ords and actions." And after mentioning other liquors which they use, he adds, "It is difficult to find in Persia a man that is not addicted to one of these liquors, without which they think they cannot livebut veryunpleasantly." Anything nastier than hot laudanum as a restora tive I cannot imagine. It sounds curious to read that France and Spain were censured by that universal provider of knowledge, Pliny, for their drunkenness with beer and ale, "wines not being in that age so frequent." What was the world like before the invention of port wine, I wonderFor in Pliny's time Italy exceeded all parts of the world for her luscious and curious vintages, being re sponsible for 195 different sorts of wines. Their Names and Kinds innumerable arc, Nor for their Catalogue we need not care ; Which who would know as soon may count the Sands The Western Winds raise on the Libyan Strands. At a much later date, in the seventeenth century, Italy still held her own in the matter of the juice of the grape ; and then, as now, their Chianti and Lachrymae Christi were justly cele brated. Strange to say at the same period the Germans, we read, " are much given to drunken ness, as one of their own countrymen writes of them; theydrinksoimmodestlyandimmoderately at their Banquets that they cannot pour their beer