New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-01-30
DRINKING CUSTOMS.

The drinking customs Of our Eoslish and Du'cn
,,,ssnitors have been recorded and trsusnitied
a =, AZ curiorisies; while we, their desceodan's
at only exceed them in excessive, bes.tiy pota
klss. but the custom Of hard drinking whicn
vas denounced as the national vice OF our iere'
fsthers, IL, in this our day, far more perVsdiag
IA universal. Ii wac formerly true ana Gao
still be asserted with but slight abatenen'' '"a'
tbs Frepchmap. the italian, sDd the oP'n'ard'
only drink the Juice OF the grape, ana sei'ou'
drink to intoxicatoo. Their Baccous Isl YOUTH
full and graceful divinity, and atno'sh 'o'up'u'
ous. he il always Joyous and tender-~hiie the
Dutcbman the EnxishmaD, and the Dane, imoloe
.,,o,s drink and quzzle beer in convvial parties
and drinking Matches till stuPedsd and druok-
and their Bscchus is the hIdeous figure of ebriety
In In most disgusting stage-the bessial Suenu'
with bis drunken crew. Americans, native add
naturalized, have adopted the drinking habits OF
The Northern European nations; but their d.
vipity 10 not the youthful and joyous B,cchus,
nor the bestial Silebus and his crew, but P''-
soxali,y, vulgarIy yet significantly represented
and designsted as the chung. hole candidate.
Camden, the English historian, two hundred
and fifty years ago. asserted tb.t "the Enghsn'
60 IN their long wars in the Netherlands, hrst
" learned to drown themselves with imnoderate
drinking, and by drinking others healtd' TO
impair their OVID. Of al the northern nations,
they had been, before this, the most commended
for sobriety." And be adds "that the vice
chad 40 difased itself over the nation that in our
~ dsys it was first restrained by secers Ia1s."
That this was the first period, aud the source OF
the vile and ruinous custom 10 England, also ap-
pears from the writings of Tom Nash, OF Eliza
betb's reign, who says: "Superauty in drink 10
ca sin that, ever since we have mixed ourselves
"with the Low Countries, is counted honora-
"ble; but before We knew their lingering wars,
{" was held in tho highest degree Of hatred that
"uiebt be- Then, If we had seen man 60
walowibg in the streets or lain sleeping under
"the board, we should have spst at him, and
"waInsd all our friends out Of his company"
The drinking customs thus introduced among
Epplishmen from the Low Countries, although
frequently restrained and prohibited by severe
laws and royal prOclamatons, are practced by
US in these later days-somewbst modified in
form, it is true, but the effects thereof are more
suinous and disastrous. And the variety in the
drinking customs of early times, toe freaks aud
e1travsesDces, the technical phrases and art
ful inventions, introduced and consrved to induce
and encourage deep pOtations, are not only prac-
iiced but enlarged if not improved.
Among the drinking phrases Of olden times is
h.If xubi oh ia
70 have been the name given to astuPefying beer
introduced into England from the Low Countries,
and hence Op-zee, or orsr sea.
lido not like the dullness of your eve;
1t hath heavy oast-'tis opsee Dutch"
Rouse and Carouse, is Danish. and means drink.
inc bumpers all round Rouse was large glass,
In which the health was given, aud the drinking
of which by the rest of the company formed the
Carouse; and there could be no rouse or carOuse
unless the glasses were emptied. Then there was
drinking supernaeMiums, whereby every man was
required to drink off bis goblet, aud invert 1t,
placing the edge upon his thumb nail, aud II
more than a single drop were left, the cry Of sa
psrnacsism was raised and the defaulter was
obliged to fill up again and drink it of second
time. "Carouse the hunters hoop was drink
ing with cups or pots having hoops marked
thereon, by which every one measured ME draugot
and Shakspere's Jack Cade promises that
"tbere shall be in Eog'aod seven haltpenny
"loaves sold for Peony; the hree-hooPed pot
"shau hape ten hoops, and will make it felony to
"drnk email beer" The peg-tankards were iron
cups of two quarts, with eight pegs, one above
anotber-bslf pint between each peg. The fret
man drank to the first peg, thesecond man TO the
next, and so on, making every ole drink alike;
and II any one drank short of the peg, or beyond
It. he must drink again. These peg tankards
were also chained at every winners door, that
men .should not offend in swilling aud bibbing
"as they did," thereby Ito stint every one how
much he should drink. and he who went beyond
one of those pegs forfeited penny for each
draught" And Archbishop Anselms Canons
epjon the priests mot togo TO drinking bouts,
"no, drink TO Pegs" Then there was "service
"of shoeiDg horns" consisting of salt cakes,
"red herrines, snchovies and CANNON of bacon,
"and abundance Of pullers being Indictments
10 thirst and at the same time lessenlng the In
toxicatipg effects of the potations. There were
also other drinking Inventions. never used till
The Bacchanalians were told by
-" the hollow cssk-
How the waning night sres old"
And Of such were the JfaP-dragons-smal
combustible bodies, fred at Che end, and foated
in glass Of liquor, which an experienced topper
swallowed white yet burning which was, prob
ably, the feat alluded to bs fa'staf when he men