LONDON, CHRISTMAS EVE, 1898. CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE OLD ADAM Introductory — Awful habits of the ancients — A bold, bad book — Seneca on the Drink Habit — The bow must not be always strung — _Ebrietatis Encomium_ — The noble Romans — “Dum vivimus vivamus” — The skeleton at the banquet — Skull-cups — “Life and wine are the same thing” — Virgil and his contemporaries — Goats for Bacchus — The days of Pliny — Rewards for drunkenness — Novellius Torquatus — Three gallons at a draught — A swallow which did not save Rome — The antiquity of getting for’ard — Noah as a grape-grower — Father Frassen’s ideas — Procopius of Gaza — New Testament wine — Fermented or not? — Bad old Early Christians — Drunkenness common in Africa — Religion a cloak for alcohol — Tertullian on cider — Paulinus excuses intemperance — Excellence of Early Christians’ intentions . . . Pages 1–10 CHAPTER II MORE FRIGHTFUL EXAMPLES Eating and drinking the only work of the monks — Nunc est bibendum — An apology for Herodotus — A jovial pope — Good quarters in Provence — Intemperance of holy men — A tippling bishop — Alexander the Great — “Lovely Thais sits beside thee” — A big flare-up — Awful end of Alec — Cambyses always shot straight — Darius the strong-of-head — Philip drunk and Philip sober — Dionysius gets blind — Tiberius loved the bowl — So did Flavius Vobiscus, the diplomatist — Bluff King Hal — The Merry Monarch and the Lord Mayor — Dear Old Pepys — A Mansion House wine-list — Minimum allowance of sack — A slump in brandy — A church-tavern — Dean Aldrich — The Romans at supper — “The tippling philosophers” . . . Pages 11–21 CHAPTER III DRINKS ANCIENT AND MODERN The Whitaker of the period — France without wine — Babylonian boozers — Beer discovered by the Egyptians — A glass of bitter for Cleopatra — Brainless Persians — German sots — Turning the tables — Intemperance in the North — Chinese intoxicants — Nature of Sack — Mead and morat — Vinous metheglin — Favourite tipple of the Ancient Britons — Braggonet — Birch-wine — “The inwariable” of Falstaff — A recipe by Sir Walter Raleigh — Saragossa wine — Usquebaugh — Clary — Apricock wine . . . 22–35 CHAPTER IV SOME OLD RECIPES Indifference of the Chineses — A nasty potion — A nastier — White Bastard — Helping it to be eager — Improving Malmsey — Death of the Duke of Clarence — Mum is _not_ the word — English champagne — Life without Ebulum a blank — Cock ale — How to dispose of surplus poultry — Painful fate of a pauper — _Potage pauvre_ — Duties of the old English housewife — Election of wines, not golf — Muskadine — Lemon wine — Familiar recipe — King William’s posset — Pope’s ditto . . . Pages 36–47 CHAPTER V GLORIOUS BEER