they hold it no less than perjury to break what they promise: as they write of a river in Bithynia, whose water hath a peculiar virtue to discover a perjurer; for if he drink thereof, it will presently boil in his stomach, and put him to visible tortures. This makes me think of the river Styx, among the poets, which the Gods were used to swear by ; and it was the greatest oath for the performance of any thing. It put me in mind also of that which some write of the river of Rhine, for trying the legitimation of a child being thrown in; if he be a bastard he will sink, if otherwise, he will not. In China they speak of a tree called Magnais, which affords not only good drink, being pierced, but all things else that belong to the subsistence of man. They bore the trunk with an auger, and there issueth out sweet potable liquor; 'twixt the rind and the tree, there is a cotton, or hempy kind of moss, which they wear for their clothing; it bears huge nuts, which have excellent food in them; it shoots out hard prickles above a fathom long, and those arm them; with the bark they make tents; and the dotard trees serve for firing. manner. Africa also hath a great diversity of drinks, as having more need of them, being a hotter country far. In Guinea, or the lower Ethi opia, there is a famous drink called Mingol, which issueth out of a tree much like the palm, being bored: but in the upper Ethiopia, or the Habassins country, they drink mead decocted in a different There is also much wine there; the common drink of Barbary, after water, is that which is made of dates. But in Egypt, in times past, there was beer drank called zithus in Latin, which was no other than a decoction of barley and water; they had also a famous composition (and they use it to this day,) called chiffi, made of divers cordials and provocative ingredients, which they throw into water to make it gustful; they use it, also, for fu migation but now the general drink of Egypt is Nile water, which of all water may be said to be the best, insomuch that Pindar's words might be more applicable to that than to any other. It doth not only fertilize and extremely fatten the soil which it covers, but it helps to impregnate barren women; for there is no place on earth where people increase and multiply faster. "Tis yellowish and thick, but if one cast a few almonds into a pot full of it, it will become as clear as rock water. It is also in a degree of lukewarm. ness, as Martial's boy : "Tolle puer calices tepidique torcumata Nili." In the new world, they have a world of drinks; for there is no root, flower, fruit or pulse, but is reducible to a potable liquor, as in CONCERNING THE WINES OF SPAIN, GREECE, FRANCE. 543 the Barbado island, the common drink among the English is mobbi, made of potato roots. In Mexico and Peru, which is the great continent of America, with other parts, it is prohibited to make wines under great penalties, for fear of starving of trade; so that all the wines they have are sent from Spain. Now for the pure wine countries; Greece, with all her islands, Italy, Spain, France, one part of four of Germany, Hungary, with divers countries thereabouts, all the islands in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Sea, are wine countries. The most generous wines of Spain grow in the middle parts of the continent, and St. Martin bears the bell, which is near the Court. Now, as in Spain, so in all other wine countries, one can. not pass a day's journey, but he will find a differing race of wine. Those kinds that our merchants carry over, are those only that grow upon the sea-side, as Malagas, Sherries, Tents, and Alicants. Of this last there's little comes over right, therefore the vintners make Tent (which is a name for all wines in Spain, except white,) to supply the place of it. There is a gentle kind of white wines, grows among the mountains of Galicia, but not of body enough to bear the sea, called rabidavia. Portugal affords no wines worth the transporting; they have an odd stone we call Yef, which they use to throw into their wines, which clarifieth it, and makes it more lasting. There's also a drink in Spain called alosha, which they drink between meals in hot weather, and 'tis a hydromel made of water and honey, much of the taste of our mead. In the court of Spain there's a German or two that brew beer; but for that ancient drink of Spain, which Pliny speaks of, composed of flowers, the receipt thereof is utterly lost. In Greece there are no wines that have bodies enough to bear the sea for long voyages; some few Muscadels and Malmsies are brought over in small casks: nor is there in Italy any wine transported to England but in bottles, as verde and others; for the length of the voyage makes them subject to pricking, and so lose color, by reason of their delicacy. France, participating of the climes of all the countries about her, affords wines of quality accordingly; towards the Alps and Italy she hath a luscious, rich wine called frontiniac: in the coun. try of Provence, towards the Pyrenees, and in Languedoc, there are wines concustable with those of Spain: one of the prime sort for white wines is that of Beaume, and of clarets that of Orleans, though it be interdicted to wine the king's cellar with it, in respect of the corrosiveness it carries with it. As in France, so in all other wine countries, the white is called the female, and the claret or red wine is called the male, because, commonly, it hath more sulphur, body, and heat in it. The wines that our merchants bring over grow upon the river Garon, near Bourdeaux, in Gascony, which is the greatest mart for wines in all France; the Scot, because he hath always been a useful confederate to France against England, hath (among other privileges) right of pre-emption, or first choice of wines in Bourdeaux; he is also permitted to carry his ordnance to the very walls of the town, whereas the English are forced to leave them at Blay, a good way distant down the river. There is a hard green wine that grows about Rochel, and the islands thereabouts, which the cunning Hollander sometimes uses to fetch; and he hath a trick to put a bag of herbs, or some other infusions into it (as he doth brimstone in Rhenish) to give it a whiter tincture, and more sweetness; then they re-embark it for England, where it passeth for good Bachrag, and this is called stumming of wines. In Normandy there's little or no wines at all grows, therefore the common drink of that country is cyder, especially the low Normandy. There are also many beer-houses in Paris and elsewhere; but, though their barley and water be better than ours or that of Germany, and though they have English and Dutch brewers among them, yet they cannot make beer in that perfection. The prime wines of Germany grow about the Rhine, especially in the Psalts, or Lower Palatinate about Bachrag, which hath its etymology from Bacchi ara; for, in ancient times, there was an altar erected there to the honor of Bacchus, in regard of the richness of the wines. Here, and all France over, 'tis held a great part of incivility for maidens to drink wine until they are married, as it is in Spain for them to wear high shoes, or to paint till then. The German mothers, to make their sons fall into hatred of wine, do use, when they are little, to put some owls' eggs into a cup of Rhenish, and sometimes a little living eel, which, twingling in the wine while the child is drinking, so scares him, that many come to abhor, and have an antipathy to wine all their lives after. From Bachrag the first stock of vines, which grow now in the grand Canary Island, were brought, which, with the heat of the sun and the soil, is grown now to that height of perfection, that the wines which they afford are accounted the richest, the most firm, the best bodied and lasting wines, and the most defecated from all earthly grossness, of any other whatsoever; it hath little or no sulphur at all in it, and leaves less dregs behind, though one drink it to excess. French wines may be said to pickle meat in the stomach; but this is the wine that digests, and doth not only breed good blood, but it nutrifieth also, being a glutinous substantial liquor. Of this wine, if of any other, may be verified that merry induction, that good wine makes good blood,-good blood causeth good humors,-good hu mors cause good thoughts-good thoughts bring forth good works -good works carry a man to heaven; ergo, good wine carrieth a man to heaven. If this be true, surely more English go to hea. ven this way than any other, for I think there's more Canary brought into England than to all the world besides. I think, also, there's a hundred times more drunk under the name of Canary wine, than there is brought in; for Sherries and Malagas well mingled pass for Canaries in most taverns, more often than Canary itself; else I do not see how 'twere possible for the vintner to save by it, or to live by his calling, unless he were permitted sometimes to be a brewer. When Sacks and Canaries were brought in first among us, they were used to be drank in Aqua Vitæ measures, and it was held fit only for those to drink of them who were used to carry their legs in their hands, their eyes upon their noses, and an almanack in their bones: but now they go down every one's throat, both young and old, like milk. The countries that are freest from excess of drinking, are Spain and Italy. If a woman can prove her husband to have been thrice drunk, by the ancient laws of Spain she may plead for a divorce from him. Nor, indeed, can the Spaniard, being hot-brained, bear much drink; yet I have heard that Gondomar was once too hard for the king of Denmark, when he was here in England. But the Spanish soldiers that have been in the wars of Flanders, will take their cups freely, and the Italians also. When I lived t'other side the Alps, a gentleman told me a merry tale of a Ligurian soldier, who had got drunk in Genoa; and Prince Doria going a horseback to take the round one night, the soldier took his horse by the bridle, and asked what the price of him was, for he wanted a horse: the prince, seeing in what humor he was, caused him to be taken into a house, and put to sleep in the morning he sent for him, and asked him what he would give for his horse? Sir," said the recovered soldier, "the merchant that would have bought him yesternight of your highness went away betimes in the morning." The boonest companions for drinking are the Greeks and Germans; but the Greek is the merrier of the two, for he will sing, and dance, and kiss his next com. panion; but the other will drink as deep as he. The Greek will drink as many glasses as there be letters in his mistress's name; the other will drink the number of his years, and, though he be not apt to break out into singing, being not of so airy a constitution, yet he will drink often musically, a health to every of these six notes, Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La; which, with his reason, are all comprehended in this hexameter. : 66 The fewest draughts he drinks are three; the first, to quench the thirst past; the second, to quench the present thirst; the third, to prevent the future; I heard of a company of Low Dutchmen that had drank so deep, that, beginning to stagger, and their heads turning round, they thought, verily, they were at sea, and that the upper chamber where they were was a ship; insomuch that it being foul, windy weather, they fell to throwing the stools and other things out of the window, to lighten the vessel, for fear of suffering shipwreck. Thus have I sent your Lordship a dry discourse upon a fluent subject; yet I hope your Lordship will please to take all in good part, because it proceeds from Your most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. STANZAS. DARK are thy forests, Sullivan; but yet Full many a tale could those old forests tell, Or of the deadly fight with paler foe, Or warrior chieftains, whose bleached bones lie low |