professed the culinary science, and made good eating the business of his life. All kinds of birds, beasts, and fishes, were brought to him from foreign parts, and he investigated their tastes, with different sauces, and different dressings. When he declared his opinion of a dish, it was received as decisive, and sacredly followed by all the polite eaters of the Augustan age.

Augustus's favourite Fabius condescended to dine with Apicius, after he had been consul. A vase of crystal, then very rare, happened to fall out of his hand, when he was viewing it, and was broken. The thoughts of the high price it bore kept him silent and anxious, in spite of all the ease and gaiety that Apicius could put on; when at last, as if in a passion, he exclaimed, "What, Fabius, will you spoil our mirth because you have done against your will, what many of my slaves, bought with my money, do through mere carelessness?" Cheer up, and take part in our joy, which is of more value than an hundred vases.

CHAP. XVI.

Of the Voraciousness of some great Eaters. WHEREAS We should eat to live, and to enable these frail bodies of ours to a more cheerful attendance upon the soul in her several functions: many of those who are hereafter mentioned, may seem to have lived for no other purpose than to eat. Something may be said in favour of those whom diseas: hath brought to a dog-like appetite: but nothing in the behalf of those gluttons, whose paunches have been so immeasurably extended only by a bestial custom, and an inordinate desire to gratify theirown sensuality.

1. Ar stus, an Arcadian, at one supper, usually eat as much bread, flesh, and other provisions, as would abundantly satisfy six ordinary persons at a meal.

2. Astydamus, the Milesian, who had three times overcome in the Olympic games, being once invited by Ariobarzanes, the Persian, to supper, promised that he would eat up all that which was provided for the whole company which he also performed, devouring all that was appointed, being provision for nine men.

(15.) Universal Mag. vol. li. p. 13.

3. Herodotus, a trumpeter of Megara, usually eat six loaves of half a strike each, and twenty pounds of such flesh as came to hand,drinking there with two congies of wine.

. "There was a woman of Alexandria," saith Athenæus, "that used to eat at once twelve pounds of flesh, and above four pounds of bread, and together with it dfank up ten pints of wine."

5. Clodius Albinus, the Emperor, would eat as many apples, Quantum ratio humana non patitur, "As no man would believe." He would eat for his breakfast, five hundren of those figs the Greeks call Callistruthia: Cordus adds an hundred peaches of Campania, ten melons of Ostia, twenty pounds weight of the grapes of Lovinium, one hundred gnat-sappers, and four hundred oysters. "Out upon him," saith Lipsius, "God keep such a plague from the earth, at least from our gardens, which he, together with the herb-market, would' swallow up and devour at once.”

6. King Hardicanute, as Harold his brother for his swiftness was surnamed Harefoot, so he for his intemperance in diet, might have been surnamed Swinesmouth; for his tables were spread every day four times, and furnished with all kinds of curious dishes, as delighting in nothing but gormandizing and swilling But he had soon the reward of his intemperance: for in a solemn assembly and banquet at Lambeth, revelling and carousing, he suddenly fell down without speech or breath, after he had reigned only two years, and was buried at Winchester.

7. Theagenes Thasius, a wrestler, was of that voracity, that in one day only, without any other assistance, he would devour a whole ox.

S. Milo, the Crotonian, was also a notable devourer; he used to eat twentypounds of flesh, and as many of bread in a day, and drank three choas of wine. In the Olympic games, when he had taken up an ox on his shoulders, and borne him a furlong, he alone the same day eat him up.

9. The Emperor Aurelianus was deligh ed exceedingly with one Phagon, who eat so very much, that in one day at his table

he

16. Crantzius tells us of a certain stageplayer, who commonly eat at once as much as would suffice ten men, by which means hehad attained to a mighty corpulency. The King of Denmark being informed of him, and that he could do no more than another man, caused him to be taken and hanged up as a devourer of the labourer's food, and a public annoyance.

CHAP. XVII.

Of great Drinkers, and what Quantities they have swallowed.

THE infusion of too great a quantity of oil immediately extinguishes the lamp: the light of reason, and the lamp of life itself are frequently suffocated, and put out for ever, by fuch immoderate potations. as we shall hereafter read of. If some have survived those infamous victories they have this way gained, the greatest of their rewards were but mean compensations for their hazards; nor is the valour of such men to be admired who have dared to outlive their own virtue.

1. Firmius was Deputy of Egypt under the Emperor Aurelianus. He being challenged by Barbarus, a famous drinker, though he used not to drink much wine but most water, yet took off two buckets full of wine, and remained sober all the the time of the feast after.

2. That of the Emperor Maximinus is almost incredible, that he often drank in e day an amphora of the Capitol, which is nine gallons our measure, counting a gallon and a pint to the congius, whereof the amphora contained eight.

3. In the reign of Aurelianus there was one Phagon, who drank out in one day phus Orca. What measure this Orcâ held, I cannot well determine," saith Dr. Hackwell, "neither could Lipsius himself;" yet thus much he confidently affirms of it: "I know for certain," faith he, " that it was a vessel of wine, and that bigger than the amphora, but how much I know not."

4. Alexander the Great, who was this way sufficiently addicted, after the burning of Calanus, proposed a prize of drinking, "wherein he that drank most," saith Plutarch," was one Promachus: the prize was (16.) Zuing. Theatr. vol. 2. 1. 2. p. 279.

onetalent." Promachus took off four con gies. "A congius of old," saith Lipsius,

contained about ten pints, or six fextaries." He had his talent, and death into the bargain, for he died the third day after, together with one-and-forty others, who in that drunken match had striven beyond their strength.

5. At a feast that the same Alexander made, he called for a mighty cup that held two congies (two gallons and a pint) and offered it to one Proteus, who thankfully received it, and praising the King's liberality, took it clear off with the great applaufe of the company; and then filling the same cup again, took that off also; and after filling it, offered it to Alexander himself, who also drank it off; but not able to bear it, he fell with his head upon the cushion, and the cup fell out of his hands. 6. Novellius Torquatus, a Millanois, won the name from all the Romans and Italians in the matter of drinking; he had gone through all honourable degrees of dignity in Rome; he had been Prætor, and attained to the place of a Proconful. In all thefe offices of state he won no great name, but for drinking in the presence of Tiberius three gallons of wine at one draught; and before he took his breath again, he was dubbed Knight by the name of Tricongius, or three-gallon Kaight; and the Emperor did delight to behold him in the performance of fuch feats.

7. Lipsius speaks of one Camaterus Logotheta employed in the affairs of Manuel the Emperor of Constantinople, that he was of an excellent wit, and very happy in an extempore eloquence: he was one of the greatest drinkers of all others, and though he used to drink wine excessively, yet was not his reafon drowned, but was in all points as sober men are; and at such times his reason and speech were more quick and elegant, as if inkindled by those spirits. He once agreed with the Emperor himself that he would drink off a porphyry vessel that stood by full of water: the Emperor said he should receive such precious gar ments and money if he did it; if not, he himself should forfeit the worth of them. He immediately stooping down with his head and neck, after the manner of a beast,

never left sucking till he had drawn it dry, though it held two congies of water; and so he won and received of the Emperor his wager.

8. "A few years since," saith Lipsius, "at the wedding of a noble person in Bavaria, to exhilarate the guests, there was a drinking wager propounded amongst the servants and retainers, and thither came one who drank little less than six gallons in a short space, and so went away with the prize." "I confess," saith my author, "I have neither seen, read, nor heard the like.”

9. The son of M. Tullius Cicero was so great a drinker, that it was common with him to drink off the quantity of two congies at once; that is to say, two gallons and a quart.

10. It was a kind of usual rule amongst the Romans to drink down the evening, and to drink up the morning star: and another of their common prace tices was, to drink so many cups and healths, as there were letters in the names of their mistresses; according to that of Martial:

Nævia sex cyathis, septem Justina bibatur, Quinque Lycas, Lyde quatuor, Ida tribus.

Six cups to NAVIA's health, sev'n to JusTINA be;

TO LYCAS five, to LYDE four, and then to IDA three.

11. Heraclides, a champion, is also famous at once both for his excessive eatingand drinking: he would swallowdown such a mighty quantity of drink, that there was none found that could be able to match him. It was usual to invite some to breakfast, some to dinner, some to supper, and others to another eating-bout after that: so that as one company went off, another sat down, only he kept his place all the day, and was able to hold out with all those successive companies.

12. Dionysius, in the feast called Choas, propounded a drinking match, wherein whosoever should drink the greatest quantity, should have a crown of gold for his reward. Xenocrates, of

Chalcedon, was the man that obtained this inglorious victory, and received the crown accordingly; who, at his depar ture, placed it upon the head of the statute of Mercury, which stood at the palace-gate. It being the custom for the victors, in all exercises, to leave their crowns of flowers, myrtle, ivy, and laurel there, he would not break it for the sake of the gold.

CHAP. XVIII.

Of Drunkenness, and its Consequences.

THE Father rightly describes the nature of this beastly vice, when he saith of it, that "It is a flattering devil, a sweet poison, a delightful sin, which he that hath, possesseth not himself; and he but is wholly converted into sin, being that acts it, doth not only commit a sin, deserted of his reason, which is at once his counsellor and guardian Sometimes he dishonours himself by that which is ridiculous; and at others exposes himself to hazards, by dealing with things that are dangerous to himself and others. 1. Lonicerus tells us of one who was violently assaulted by the temptations of the devil to commit one of these three sins, either to be drunk once, or commit adultery with the wife of his neighbour, or else murder his neighbour. At last, being overcome, he yielded to commit the first, as judging it a crime that had less horror in it than either of the other. But being drunk, he was easily thrust on to the rest, which before he had feared: for the flame of lust being kindled with his luxury, he feared not to violate the chastity of his neighbour's wife: and the husband casually surprising him, and desirous to revenge himself of the injury he had sustained, received a mortal wound in his hand, whereof he soon after died. Thus be that had given way to drunkenness, was also involved in adultery and

(1) Lonic. Theat. p. 665.

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