An inuectyue agaynst dronkennes

I drede it muche lest that suche as be sobre sholde scornefully deryde me for my discours and inuaying agaynst them the be dronken , The proemy . as lyght and laboure loste and tryfled tyme in vayne for they will saye , that such castigacion / as to sobre men it nedeth not so vnto dronkerdes it bootethe not : whiche wallowynge invayne can nother heare anye mannes voyce , vnderstande hys fryendlye admonytion , nor feleth the poygnant sharpenes of any rebuke . For in lyke case , as a dead corps can with no vehemente pryckynge , be made to feele : no more can the mynde of a dronkard be stirred vp with any admonisshements . And albeit it ware to be wisshed , that mens labour shuld not be loste in chastenynge of them that are so wedded to their vice & wilfullnes that all hope of amendement vtterly is excluded , yet that not with standyng , for as moch as some there be whiche otherwhiles & betwixt times , as it wer awaking out of the depe slepe of that so great an euy● 〈…〉 them selues and declare them selues no lesse , but to be in case to be holpen in that they do acknowledge some time theyr own disease : I wil euen for their sakes , now as briefly as I can , declare what outrage & enormitye is in thys foule vice conteyned : for as ther is nothing moore beautyfull , Contra … 〈…〉 than a sobre man ●est and redy 〈…〉 hyng in what so euer tyme and place you wyll haue hym : so is there no monster more huglye then a dronkerde whose handes & fete , as Terence sayth , can nother of them do their dutie And fyrst of al , I can muche prayse the wisedome of the Grekes , The ety mologie of the woord . who in the proprietie of theyr language do manyfestly expresse how great a vertewe and how exellente is sobrietie for to th entent they myght declare , that the mynde of man can not contynewe in hys dignytie with out sobrietie , they haue called this vertue by a good ly name , SOPHROSYNE , which signyfyeth nothyng els but the preseruation of the mynd that in how muche man dothe excell all vnreasonable Creatures in worthynesse of mynde so muche should thys vertu be estemed aboue all other excellent & albeit , that certayne Phylosophers of the secte of zeno holde opinion , that he that hath one vertew , wanteth not the resydew : yet neuerthelesse , it is often seene by experyence , that he hath had fortitude which hathe not kepte the lawes o● Almytie . But without the foundation of sobrietie , was neuer man yet , endued with other vertues . For in like case , as that eye onely can iudge best the diuersytie of colours , lyke . which is cleare without any blemysh of euil humor or other infection : soo can that mynd discerne in euerye thynge , what is to be esc●●●●d , & what is to be followed , whiche the temperancie of meat and drynke , kepe the cleare from any burden This vnto wise men is mother of all good Counsels . This putteth in execution , all wittie deuises . This maketh common wel thes to floryshe . And with out this the chiefeste thynges decaye . So that euen hereof is it manyfeste , howe great a mischief in a commonne wealthe , is a dronken citesyn , Declaration . whiche as he is cleane without all vertue and honestie : so can he nother in doubtfull matters gyue any counsell him selfe , nor followe that shall be gyuen hym of others , as oone that nother can remembre thynges paste , nother vnderstande that which is present , nother fore ●ee thynges to come : finally , who is nothing else , but as the Poete sayeth of idle persons , Telluris mutile pondus , an vnprofitable burden of the earthe . Furthermore , It feyned person . painte in your mynde withe the Pensyll of your thought , suche a mannes life from euenyng till it be far forth nyghtes , There is cryenge , there is drynekyng , there is playeng there is singinge , ther is talkyng of bawdry , There is hod lynge , ther is Chiding there is fighryng and brawlynge , there is breakynge of pottes there is vieng & vomytyng , the shame it is to heare . Then are some taken withe slepe so heuy as it ware euen deathe : some ar trubled with spirites & other thinges most terrible in theyr dremes . Then ensueth the iuste punyshment of dronkennes , great hedache and debilitation of all the members . On the morow , ache and wine notte as yet digested , kepeth hym in bed tyl none . But & if he haue any vrgente busynesse to do , he goeth there aboute as it were a man worne and halfe dead . And who shall euer do anye thynge purposly in a matter of weighti importaunce , wherevntoo hee commethe with so euyll a wyll , so faynt , and weak in his lymmes ? What thing can he dispatche being hym self laden ? What thynge strongly can a weake man do ? What laboure can he endure which with drynkyng ouer nyghte , was not onelye weakened and weryed : but also clene ouer throwen ? Muste he touche any thinge ? His handes haue the paulsy . Must he go anye whyther , his legges stacker , Comparison . so he reeleth , and maketh indentures . Doth the matter requyre eloquence Hys tonge stamereth , his voyce wyll not let hym speake , and to be shorte , amongeste all kynd of diseses ( wher vnto the myserable condytion of man is subiecte , there is none at all to be found , that so whollye take the man from all vse of him self and ouerthrowethe both body and mynde as dothe thys vyce of dronkennes . For al other diseses , what tim they do assayle the body or any parte therof yet dare they not attempte , to pearce the mind , the immortal part of man .

For som haue the cra●●● and some the goute , some hote diseses and some colde : yet haue they styh the vse of reson in her chief perfection . But the selfe same thyng which we haue common and all ●one wyth God , wherbye , both we are , and so be ryghtlye called , men ▪ wherin 〈◊〉 , we differ from brute bestes , dronkennes bothe can and is also accustomablye wonte to confounde & bring to naught . Falling sycknes The fallyng sycknes is vndoubtedly a cruel and a dreadefull dysease , wherin many ar wont often times to destroy them selues , whyleste they beate their owne membres , teare theyr heyre , and wallow them selues in the myre . But no man is able wythe woordes to expresse , how much more beastly and detestable , dronkennes is : for whom so euer the fallyng sicknes taketh , it leaueth hym by and by , and restoreth vnto hym the vse of his mind again . But the dronkerd after that he hath longe & much bene tormoyled with dronkenship , and hath both done & suffred many thynges full shamefully ( vnles he ware by and by as often tymes it chaunseth vtterly extinguisshed therein ) and hath leyne two or thre daies lyke a deade man , scarsly then commeth agayn to himself . The other mannes disease is lesse euyll for thys cause , that nothynge is committed through his fault , but through the vehemencie of his disease . He repenteth that he hath sayd and done : but thys manne hath a double euyll , the he can laye the blame vpon none other , and that suche thynges do more greue men which chaunce vnto them with out deserte . Agayn , amongeste the diseases of the mynde , there is none so hurtfull , Thynges annexed . nor where vpon groweth and ensueth so muche wickednes to be found . For once , what thyng is so abhomynable that dronkerdes dare not doo ? Consequentes Nothyng ought amongeste men to be more reuerentli obserued , then faythe and counsell keapyng : but thou mayst commytte nothing in creadite to a dronckarde : for he bloweth it abrode and can kepe no counsel , be it neuer so reuerent a thynge , neuer so holy , neuer so much nede to be kepte secrete , but if he be prouoked vnto such folly by any dronken companion of his , The cause . he bewrayeth and betrayeth the high dignitie of his mynde : for what thinge is it that he wyll not dyscloose which is so ready and so greadye at the foolysshe requeste and affection of oothers , to lose that thynge that he hath in this world deerest . Effectes . And to whom is it vnknowen that dronkennes is an ouerflowyng founteyn and welsprynge of all myschiefes , of contention , strife and debate , woundyng of men , rauysshynge of women , murdre & aduoutry . It is euydently knowen , that the greate fyght of the Lapithes ( as Horace makethe mention ) arose onelye vpon wyne , & we now at this dai haue to many examples thereof : and dyd not Tharquinius kyng of Romaines , after that he had in his cuppes , goo and rauyshe that good woman Lucrece , and lost therby his kyngdom ? Who knoweth not , that great Alexander king of Macedonia , in al other thynges a prince moste excellente and a famous conquerer , in his dronkennes wold sley his moste deare & famyliar frendes , and so loste the loue of hys Lordes therby , that in fyne , he was poysoned . A briefe peroration . But men maye impute to me greate folly , which go aboute wythe the shortnesse of speache to comprise anne endlesse matter , whose myschief stretcheth so farre , that in case I had an hundred wittes with as many tongues , & a mouth of brasse or yron , yet ware I no thynge able to vtter the euyls that arise of dronkennes .