Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-02-10
Antique Drinking Customs.

The present as a season of cordiality
and good.tellowship naturally suggests
the topic OF drinking healths, and the
various odd phrases and customs which
the habit has from time to time origin.
ated
We are especially led to tho subject
by having just discovered on the dust
lest shelf III our library curious
pamphlet written by the famous wit
Tom Nash, who hourished in the age
of Elizabeth. 1t is entitled Pierce Pen
ny'esse, and may be considered the
most satisfactory authority extant on
the social customs prevailing in Great
Britain during the sixteenth century.
Nash declares that supertluity in
| drink is a sin that "ever since we (Enu.
lish) have mixed ourselves with the low
countries, IS counted honorable; but
before we knew their lingering wars,
it was held in that highest degree Of
hatred that might be.
The historian Camden confirms this
assertion.
The English" says he, Gin their long
wars in the Netherlands, first learnt
to drown themselves with moderate
drinking, and by drinking others
healths TO impair their own"
The barbarous custom introduced as
barbarous dialect, scores on scores
OF drinking terms, which, with few ex-
captions, are of Danish, Dutch, and
German origin.
Honest Tom Nash, as he was called,
seems to know them all by heart.
Now" he remarks, that man is
nobody who,cannot drink super naguluu;
earoase the hunters hoppe; quatf opse treese
crosse; with heaihes, glores, munpes, trol.
'ehes, and thousand such domneering
lnventions!'
Drinking "saper nggalam," or on tie
nal, is device "new come out of
France but it originated, doubtless,
in the extreme North, where to this
day 1t continues to be practiced.
1t consisted simply III mans turn
ing up tie bottom OF his cup or tank
ard, and allowing the drop that re-
manned to fall upon his thumb nail; if
the drop was too large aud rolled Oft,
the person was expected to quatf anotE-
er measure.
Il am thine al ua2uem," is a phrase
OF Fletcher's, meaning, My good friend,
IN ready to drink with thee to the Mst!'
In manuscript letter OF Queen Eliz-
abeths reign, there is u singular &C
ocunt OF Colombo, the Spanish Ambas-
sador, quoted by Isaac dlsraei. His
Excellency had been drinking hcalths
to the lnianta at Oxford, referring to
which the writer says: Il shall not tell
you how our doctors pledged healths
TO the Infanta and Archduchess, and il |
any left too big sagt, Colombo would
cry; 'Saper magnium! super magnlamr"
"C0roase the hunters hope ailudes to
the custom OF hoops being marked on
a drinking horn, whereby every man
was to measure his draught. Frequent
and significant reference to this may |
be found in the Elizabethan drama.
"iio. look ye!' exclaims Jack Cade
to his infatuated companions, 'there
shall yet be in England seven hali-pen-
ny loaves sold tor a penny; the three-
hoped pot shall haze ten hoops, ar III |
make 1t felony to drink small beer!" |
UpSe .tree-s crosse is a corruption of
the Dutch phrase op-=ee, and may be
translated "haJ-seas orer' Thus Ben
J on5on, i'll his -d1chemtst, makes one OF
his characters observe:
81 do not like the dulness of your eve.
1t hath heavy cast-tis upsee, Dutch"
But the cardinal precept in the
Book Of Faith solemnly
warns him to be duly provided with
yl0re or shoeing horm-something, that
IS, to stimulate the appetite for drink,
such as salt cakes.r behring's, ancho-
'ies, CANNON OF bacon and abundance
Of The like pu2lers-oa!'
Robert Green, a small poet, con-
temporary with Nash, and whose only
claim to remembrance consists in his
bitter abuse OF Shakespeare, owed his
Heath to these shoeny- horns, for they
empted HIM to indulge in surfet of
Rhenish, which brought on fever that
proved fatal Hearth and Home.
The Natchez Democrat, while hos
.ile to the Republicans in all things,