t have loved this diversion. And first, enter Erasmus, who
certainly was no enemy to wine, since he chose rather to continue where
the plague was than drink water. To prove this, I shall instance part of
a letter written to this great man by Armonius, an Italian, and a very
learned person:-- "Immediately after my arrival in England,
I endeavoured to inform myself where you were, because in your last you
told me, the plague had forced you to quit Cambridge. At length I was
told for certain, that you had indeed left the town, but retiring into a
place where there was no wine, which to you being worse than the plague,
you returned thither, and where you now are. O intrepid soldier of
Bacchus, whom so eminent a danger could not compel to desert his
general!" The Latin having much more force, for the sake of those who
understand that language, I shall take the liberty to insert it, as
follows:-- _Simul atque Anglicum solum tetigi, ubi locorum esses rogare
cepi, siquidem Cantabrigiensem pestem fugere te scripsisti. Unus tandem
sixtinus mihi dixit te quidem Cantabrigiam. Ob pestem reliquisse et
concessisse nescio quo, ubi cum vini penuria laborares, et eo carere
gravius peste duceres, Cantabrigiam repetiisse atque ibi nunc esse.
O fortem Bassarei commilitonem, qui in summo periculo ducem deserere
nolueris_[8].

"Daniel Heinsius loved to drink a little. One day, when he was not in a
condition to read his lectures, having got drunk the day before, some
arch wags fixed these words on the school-door:-- _Daniel Heinsius,
non leget hodie, propter hesternam carpulam_[9]."

"George Sharpe, a Scotchman, professor, and vice-chancellor of
Montpelier, who died in the year 1673, on his birth-day, aged fifty-nine
years, was a great drunkard[10]."

Barthius may also be reckoned amongst those learned topers, if what
Coloniez says be true. "I knew," says he, "some learned men in Holland,
who spoke of Scriverius as of a man extremely amorous. M. Vossius,
amongst others, related to me one day, that Barthius being come from
Germany to Haerlaem to see Scriverius, had in his company a lady
perfectly beautiful, whom Scriverius had no sooner seen, but he found
means to make Barthius drunk, that he might entertain the lady with
greater liberty, which he accomplished. It was not, however, so well
managed, but Barthius coming to himself had some reason to suspect what
had past, which grew so much upon him, that he took the lady along with
him in a r