veneri Julia, nulla mero."

As we love wine, so wicked Venus you,
Twas _this_, not _that_, the Julian Edict knew.

In order to draw a consequence from all this, let us speak once more of
Montaigne[4], whose words are, "And if we cannot give any pleasure but
what costs us something, as the ancients maintain, I find this vice
costs the conscience less than all the rest, besides, it is in this
respect no despicable consideration, that a man advanced in honours,
amongst three principal conveniencies of life, that he told me he yet
enjoyed, he reckoned this for one."

After having shewn, in the foregoing chapters, That drunkenness reigns
all the world over, _Nulla in parte mundi cessat ebrietas_. Let us see
what we may hence infer in its favour: and I ask, if the agreement of so
many different nations, to do one and the same thing, proves nothing,
and may not, in some measure, serve as an apology for drunkenness?
For if one considers, that the surprising variety of the humour and
temperament of men, do, notwithstanding, in nowise hinder them from
agreeing unanimously in this point, one shall have a very strong
temptation to believe, that the desire of getting drunk is an innate
quality, and we shall be confirmed in this sentiment, after tasting
experimentally the exquisite sweetness caused by drunkenness.

To conclude,

All drink, throughout the universe, 'tis plain,
The moon drinks up the sea, the earth the rain,
The sun the air, and ev'ry tree, we know,
The earth's prolific juice imbibes to grow.
The air sups up the water too, 'tis said,
Why then, my dearest friends, d'ye plague my head,
And angry grow, because, dry soul[5], I swill
New wine, drink fit for gods, and quaff my fill.

[Footnote 1: Essais, l. ii. ch. 2.]

[Footnote 2: De Remed. Amor.]

[Footnote 3: Essais, liv. ii. ch. 2.]

[Footnote 4: Essais, liv. ii. ch. 2.]

[Footnote 5: Anima mea non potest habitare in sicco. S. Aug.]

CHAP. XX.

AN ANSWER TO THE OBJECTION, THAT DRUNKENNESS CAUSES INFINITE EVILS.

After having specified the good qualities of drunkenness, let us now
answer some frivolous objections that may be made against what we have
here advanced. For example, people will not be wanting immediately to
object, that drunkenness has been the cause of infinite evils.

To this I answer, that it has been only the cause of these evils when
people have pushed it too far, and not observed