1903 The Flowing Bowl by Edward Spencer

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THE FLOWING BOWL

" which possess a great part of the world, on a superstitious account forbear the drinking of much wine ; because that a young and beautiful woman being accosted by two angels, that had intoxicated themselves with it"—an intoxicated angel surely takes the cake?—"taking the advantage of their ebriety, made her escape, and was for her beauty and, wit prefer'd in Heaven, and the angels severely punished for their folly ; for which reason they are commanded not to drink wine. Yet many of them, doubting of the divinity of that relation, do transgress that command, and liberally drink of the blood of the grape, which the Christians prepare out of their own vineyards j palliating their crime, in that they did not plant the tree, nor make the wine." For the philosophy of the Mahomedan is like the ways of the Heathen Chinee, " peculiar." "The Chineses," we are further told, "are the least addicted to ebriety, delighting them selves in Coffee, Tea, and such like drinks, free from those stupifying qualities ; yet are they not without their carouses ; and those of the intoxi cating drinks prepared of Rice, Coco's, Sugar, Dates, etc., equalling in strength and spirit any liquors in the world." With the " Chineses " must be of course in cluded the gallant little Japaneses, with which nation English chroniclers had but a slight ac quaintance three hundred years ago. Without enquiring too closely into the nature of Red Falernian, Coan, Massic, or any of the Roman vintages at the time of dear old Horatius Flaccus, let us take a glance over the wine-lists