1. “You gave us the brimming cup, And crowned us with your grace; Great king, for ever may you live, With brightening happiness! 2. “You gave us the brimming cup, And dainty viands spread; May you, great king, for ever live, Your splendour never fade!” Their potations were drunk from the horn of the rhinoceros, as already stated, and also from gourds—two substances which were in use amongst the most primitive races, and of which we shall repeatedly find mention made hereafter:— “From herd and pen the victims both are killed; Dried gourds for cups are with the spirits filled: So does the duke his friends and chieftains feast, Him as their lord and ruler hails each guest.”[38] That their revels were often protracted there can be no doubt whatever from the following:— “The dew lies heavy all around, Nor till the sun shines leaves the ground; Far into the night we feasting sit, We drink, and none his place may quit.”[39] The drinking at their entertainments was accompanied by dancing and singing:— “The drums resound; Having well drunk, they rise and dance, And thus their mutual joys enhance.”[40] And such entertainments are not confined to the lower classes only, but are given by all ranks of society. The following describes temperate feasting, the host being the king himself:— “See the mighty cup of horn Round their ranks in order borne! Full of spirits soft and good, It excites no conduct rude; Surely blessings haste to greet Lords of virtue so complete.”[41] But the royal topers are not always so bepraised. The reader will recollect in the “Announcement about Drunkenness” a virtuous King Wan is mentioned, who admonished princes and rulers not to indulge too freely in strong drink. Whether or not the following is the same we are unable to say, but— “Thus to the tyrant Show our King Wan said:— ‘Alas! alas! Yin’s king so great, Not heaven but spirits flush your face with red, That evil thus you imitate. You do in all your conduct what is wrong, Darkness to you the same as light, Your noisy feasts and revels you prolong, And day through you is black as night.’”[42] The middle classes, too, indulged freely, and often entertained their family connections at drinking parties:— “I’ve strained and made my spirits clear, The fatted lamb I’ve killed, With friends who my own surname bear My hall I’ve largely filled.”[43]