The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-12-11
FACTS ABOUT BEER.
IT'S USE eNsHR.NsD IN POETIC
RHYMES.

rayern Various kinds tsed In biner-
On, Countries Amount of Capital In
ye.ted In Its Maxine.
Soma old rhymester says that something
ofan exalting nature happens to man
when FRA he shakes hands
With tankard ofbeer.
hoard this half of the couplet from a
Very old lady when | was a small boy; hut
Ihaye never been able 20 find the complete
.,anza. though have looked for ii for years.
Insi who II was that invented beer will
n-ohably never be known; Tor malt liquor
~ some form-and there have been endless
variesjes of it-goes back at least five or
six thousand years. Noah, il is said, got
drink on wine after being surrounded by
water for long time; and yet. so far as we
lnow with any certainty, II may have been
b,er. As the ancients call beer "barley-
wine.' a..
cr..Ls and FgVptians. but IL has had its
m 81 famous history in the middle and north
II Furopc. The mead Of the Scandnaviahs
was moi our temperance drink OF boyhood;
IL was really metheglin or "honey-"lne,
moro likely "h0ney brandy" for those
northorn gods and heroes did not perform
tbeir EXHIBITS on any mild beverage. They
drank beer. too. and gallons Of II. To the
Teufopic race the habit Of drinking II seems
forome As a sort Of second nature. IL mas
hecn said. in reference 70 this fact' that
while tea and coffee and some other drinks
NAV be "A tonic, beer II too-tOnic.
The old religious foundations IN England
have from time immemorlal supplied beer
IN their ministers and guests; and English
law has from time 20 time stepped INTO the
offices Of the masters aud licensed Nenders
to SOC HAT pure article was sold. IL we
couid have been good fellows WIN pen
r,bn.o1' Shakespeare and their set, at the
Mermaid tavern. we should have had many
-tanrard of this brewed beverage poured
nnt to lis: for Shakespeare. at heart, sings
49, rr,ises. as Chauccr did before nm.
p..r i'm fact. is As close linked with Eng
M literature as wine is with the poems Of
tn,rreon and llaiZ. In ballad and col
80. SONG particularly ~ $50 10 speak,
is-rir. even the pun-the reigning spirit.
m. ,,n Oh quote much OF the poetry re-
I.., a. d would require reams Of space;
a., tar.. are some Of the lines which Beau
m,yf delivered himself of, in comparing
win" with ale. very much 10 the advantage
AZ the latter
Come al We brave wights,
rn,t pre- dubbed ale-knlghts.
Now set oui yourselves in sight;
Ami let them tnai crack
In me presence Of sack
Know malt is If mickle might.
Though sack they define
L. hOit divine.
Ictit i, but natural liquor.
Ale hath for its part
A addition oi Hrt
10 makelt drink thinner or thicker.
SICK quickly ascends,
AMI suddenly ends.
What company care for IL first,
And that which Yet worse is
o. IN .ties nous purses
Before 70 bali quenches their thirst
And there is much. too much Of this %
..r.f.. though 10 is enthusiastic and lauda-
-,r, 10 the end. But the proverbs on ale
4r. also numerous and Of great variety.
The eccentric waterproof John Taylor.
,.u. MS that ''ale is the warmest lining Of a
r,la, mans coat" A prOyerb current two
or three centuries ago says;
Wine 10 tut single brolb.
Aieis meat. drink and cloth.
The old Druids were said to have the art
ofbrewing in tine perfection. ana an OK
(lri poet. VINO perhaps drank from one OF
fb.ir recipes. said with beer IN mind:
0ftrua British growth is the nectar we boast,
The bOneiy companion of plain boiled anu
roast,
A writer Of another college says:
4 hg for Horace and hi Juice,
Ialornian and Massic.
Far D. tier drink can We produce.
Though ne. not quite so classic.
,,t ro doubt. beer j. the better If either
ar my Kind is 10 be used day 10y day. Ihe
oii.sf rentcua rams were, IN many cases,
h.er-lrinker-, and Won MOiike, the famous
German has lately cdlo ihat ne prefers ueeI
t,,uy alcoholic drius whatever, ana would
iit. M see this weaker beverage displace
She more fiery spiriiuOus liquors among The
Tsr song ..Iolly Good Ale and Old" is
too familiar o. need copying here; and we
Will nov dismiss in the main, the poetry OF
the subject.
A .,0l many attempts have been made
by pbIlnlogi.t, 20 give the origin OF the
names. ale and beer: but rs there are so
utny. aud i'm some instances so fantastic
and ftf.,.iched they do not command much
..ari,u. attention. In the early Anglo
saxon pl.m of "BeOwulf" where the
of the hero from tie monster Grended
Is recorded, the feast following IL is le-
serihed: Then was for the sons oil the
Geat- altogether a bench cleared In tue
beer hall: there the told IN spirit went 10
sit the man observed his office, he that IN
IN. hand bare the twisted ale cup; he
poured the bright, sweet liquor.
There was laughter OF heroes, the noise was
m0dulatad. words were winsOme. Weather
hero, lleothgaI's queen, went forth; mind
fu Of their races. she. hung round With
gold. greeted the men IN the hall" The up
shot OF % was that she passed the beer cup
galore and the king and all were mBde
merry. 10 was said Of another queen on
similar occasions
4 horn she bare in her hand,
30 was the custom in the land.
knightcs ana hquler,
Ale drOnkrn OF the Der.
TO skip the different beers that were once
known viii give room Tor WORD ABOUT
"arer. " THE. as everybody knows, is
l-.-.-L In IlNDrs ~ nInn lrOns