leasure, was
a great blemish to Alexander's virtues. For having won a great part of
Asia, he laid aside that sobrietie hee brought forth of Macedon, and
gave himselfe to the luxuriousenesse of those people whom he had
conquered.

That King, Cambyses, tooke over-great plaasure in drinking of wine;
and when he asked Prexaspes, his secretary, what the Persians said of
him, he answered, that they commended him highly, notwithstanding they
thought him over-much given to wine, the king being therewith very
angry, caused Prexaspes' sonne to stand before him, and taking his bow
in his hand, Now (quoth he) if I strike thy son's heart, it will then
appeare that I am not drunk, but that the Persians doe lye; but if I
misse his heart, they may be believed. And when he had shot at his
son, and found his arrow had pierced his heart, he was very glad; and
told him that he had proved the Persians to be lyars.

Fliolmus, king of the Gothes, was so addicted to drinking, that hee
would sit a great part of the night quaffing and carousing with his
servants. And as on a time he sate after his accustomed and beastly
manner carousing with them, his servants being as drunke as he, threw
the king, in sport, into a great vessell full of drinke, that was set
in the middist of the hall for their quaffing, where he ridiculously
and miserably ended his life.

Cineas being ambassador to Pyrrhus, as he arrived in Egypt, and saw
the exceeding height of the vines of that country, considering with
himselfe how much evill that fruit brought forth to men, sayd, that
such a mother deserved justly to be hanged so high, seeing she did
beare so dangerous a child as wine was. Plato considering the hurt
that wine did to men, sayd, that the gods sent wine downe hither,
partly for a punishment of their sinnes, that when they are drunke,
one might kill another.

Paulus Diacrius reporteth a monstrous kinde of quaffing, between foure
old men at a banquet, which they made of purpose. Their challenge was,
two to two, and he that dranke to his companion must drinke so many
times as hee had yeares; the youngest of the foure was eight and
fiftie yeares old; the second three-score and three; the third
four-score and seven; the fourth four-score and twelve; so that he
which dranke least, dranke eight-and-fifty bowles full of wine, and so
consequently, according to their yeares, whereof one dranke four-score
and twelve bowles.

The old Romanes, when they were disposed