r of harm in it at all."

But, however, not to digress too much from our subject, to preserve
their health the Africans drink a great deal of wine; and this they do
to help the digestion of the vast quantity of fruits they eat.

Montaigne[7] tells us, that he heard Silvius, an excellent physician of
Paris, say, "That to keep up the powers of the stomach, that they faint
not, it would be very proper to rouze them up once a month by this
wholesome excess. And if we believe Regnier, a young physician does not
see so far as an old drunkard[8].

We also say with the French poet[9],

"Si Bourdaloue[10] un peu severe
Nous dit: craignez la volupte
Escobar[10], lui dit on mon pere
Nous la permet pour la sante!"

If Bourdaloue, somewhat severe,
Warns us to dread voluptuous sweets,
Good honest father Escobar,
To fuddle for one's health permits.

And, by the bye, if the number of physicians, who used to get drunk,
proves any thing, I could insert a good round catalogue, amongst whom I
do not find any English doctors, for they are the most abstemious
persons in the world; however, being unwilling to trouble my gentle
reader with so long a bead-roll, I shall instance only two very
illustrious topers of the faculty. The first is no less a man than the
great Paracelsus, who used to get drunk very often; and the other is the
famous master Dr. Francis Rabelais, who took a singular pleasure to
moisten his clay; or to make use of one of his own expressions, _Humer
le piot_.

I could, after these, mention Patin[11], who tells us, That when he gave
his public entertainment for his _decanat_, or deanship, at which
thirty-six of his colleagues assisted, he never saw in all his life so
much toping. From all which, however, one may very reasonably infer,
that so many able persons would never have drunk so much, had they not
thought it was no ways prejudicial to their health.

To conclude, let any one allege this verse as a maxim, that

Pocula non laedunt paucula, multa nocent.

It does no harm to take a glass or two,
But in great numbers mighty ills accrue.

And I shall do myself the honour to answer him with another verse, that
sometimes

Una salus sanis multam potare salutem[12].

The only health to people hale and sound,
Is to have many a tippling health go round.

And that this is true, witness the great Hippocrates, who says,

That what to health conduceth best,
Is fuddl