Amusements. It prevents any fick Qualms in Court, or fainting Inabilities. It preferves his Genius undisturb'd; fortifies his his Reafon ; ftrengthens his Memory; inlarges his Understanding; and does not only help his Invention at that Jun&ture, with the best Arguments drawn from the voluminous Law-Books, Statutes, Reports and Precedents, or from Inftitutes, Pandects, Codes and Digefts; but also furnishes him with the finest Elocution, and most perfwafive Elegancy, to carry his Caufe with Applaufe, and become famous in the Efteem of the World. In a Word, it is fufficient to qualifie, either the virtuous Advocate, or the celebrated Lawyer, for the highest Posts of Honour, or the noblest Offices of Government. It has made more LordHigh-Chancellors than One, now living; whofe illuftrious Character needs no brightning in our Kingdom. It renders him a deliberate Statesman, a close Politician, and a cool-headed PeaceMaker; it often dignifies him, either as a Minifter of State at Home, or an Ambassador and Plenipotentiary Abroad; and it never fails, at laft, of recommending him as a proper Perfon for publick Employments, or to be a Privy Councellor to any King, let him be never fo great, let him be as wife as Solomon. In fhort, it has the Gift of fo many valuable Benefits and Bleffings in its Power, either as to Health, Wealth or Intereft; either as to Credit, Reputation or Efteem; that one would readily think, it fhould be a fufficient Invitation of it felf, to affect the Clergy, and charm the Laity to a regular difcreet Way of living, within the Bounds of common Sobriety.

BUT,

BUT, in a fovereign Prince, above all others, a cool Temper and fober Conduct of Life makes him affable, courteous and humble, as well as vacant to the Addreffes of his Petitioners in any Diftrefs. It hinders his bouzing immoderately with fome peculiar Ministers, and careffing fome favourite-Minions, as his fole Familiars; which often may prevent a more eafy and common Access of the Subject to his Majefty And yet, it is that must chiefly fupport his Crown upon his Head, fix the Sceptre in his Hand, and establish his facred Person above the Throne. For who is it, what Barbarian, what unciviliz'd Subject would not heartily admire, and be well affected to a King of univerfal Learning; whofe Knowledge hath never been perverted by evil Counfel, or his Judgment infatuated by keeping intemperate Company, with Flatterers, Parafites, and Traytors: Of abfolute Chastity; whofe Heart never ftray'd from his own virtuous Wife, towards maintaining any mercenary Concubines: Of entire Temperance; whofe Head was never intoxicated with Wine, Women, or falfe Politicks of Inclemency, Perfecution and Oppreffion? His Learning illuftrates all his natural Gifts, with the nobleft Acquirements of Virtue, as the Lapidary does rough Gemms, or unpolish'd Diamonds. His Continency governs his Appetites, tunes his Affections, and keeps them all in Harmony with a good Understanding. His Sobriety makes his Perfon perfectly upright, and his Conftitution, as found as an Acorn off the Royal Oak, by a true Traduction from his prudent Parents, as well as a right Concoction of his natural Food: Infomuch, that it gives to his feveral Members the greatest Agility, as

well

well as the best Habit of Body; to his Mafs of noble Blood, the pureft Tincture; and to his Lymphatick Veffels, the finest beautifying Properties, fuitable to their original Intention. This is a Prince of the greatest humane Glory in the World, according to the most lively Oracles of Wisdom.

II. INTEMPERANCE, on the other Side of the Reflection, quickly turns any Man's Noddle, confounds his Judgment, and perverts his Reafon. It presently makes him think the whole Earth runs round apace, either according to the Copernican Syftem, or the whimsical Fancy of his own heavy Head; when he lies upon the Ground grovelling in his Vomit, or cannot hold by the Grafs, as the Vulgar fay: Depriv'd of the Knowledge of any natural Philofophy, as well as Aftronomy, to help the Vertigo of his weak Understanding. By intemperate Drinking, many a Man has made his own Bedlam, by rendring himself not Compos mentis, and diftracting his Brain; or becoming his own Atropos, by lending a willing Hand to cut off the Thread of his Life. Distraction has always been the Drunkard's Follower. Behold thofe daily Guzlers, and nocturnal Ranters, who delight in the Extravagancies of the Bottle; or thofe exceffive Gormandizers, the conftant Apicius's of the Age, who take Pleasure in nothing but Luxury and Delicacies: How they have often either drank their own Deaths in greedy Draughts, or digg'd their own Graves with their ungovernable Teeth! In the mean Time, fee their living Bodies ftaggering with Loads of ftrong Liquors; their Hands and Heads fhaking with Palfies; and their Brains so befotted with Gluttony, that they scarce

ever after are able to recover their loft Senfes again, to a better review of their past soaking Lives, and bloated Intellects; in Order either to prevent the farther Growing, or to break off the overgrown ill Habit. However it be, the habitual Drunkard, and gluttonous Eater, will never be deem'd, either fit for the Pulpit or the Barr, nor indeed qualified for common Bufinefs; whofe Life is conftantly attatch'd

his intemperate Companionry. For he generally drowns his Senfes and Faculties, by whetting with large Morning-Draughts; or confounds his Parts with the Luxurioufnefs of luscious Dainties, and greedily eating his own Deftruction, to indulge his Carnality. The Appetite is no fooner cloy'd, and the Belly loaded with the groffeft Ballast; but he either drams it all the Day afterwards, to digeft the Cramming, or Carowzes in huge Bumpers at Night, to raise his pall'd Spirits: and then drinks away his own, to oblige other People's Healths.

THE Ancients knew nothing of those pernicious Liquors, which our Moderns fwill in with Delight; as Brandy, Punch, Ufquebagh, Aqua-vitæ, Holland's Geneva, Aqua Epidemica,

c. or any other English Malt-Drinks and heady Spirits; which deferve worse Names than Cordials, upon the Excefs, let them be never fo comfortable, or reviving in their moderate Ufe, upon a craving Occafion of Nature; for the Corruption of the best Things, always proves to be the worst in its Effects. They never confider, that fuch Exceffes deftroy the innate Heat, prey upon the rofcid Juices, fpoil the natural Tone of the Stomach, change the Texture of the Body, and confound all the Crafes of the Parts; by leaving behind them, and in

tailing

tailing on us, a lafting imbecillity of our Nerves, or a final Trepidation of our Members, with Regret. They do not give themfelves Time, to weigh the frugal and abftemious Admonition of Claudian, Vivitur exiguo me lius- That Men may live better of a little; or that Contentment, with a Modicum, must be the best Fare; and Temperance, the trueft Feaft of the Mind, as well as wholefomeft Banquet for the Body. They forget the prudent and moral Advice of Hefiod, IxovT' EU eid, to fet their Houfes in good Order, and provide well for their Families firft at Home; or elfe they would keep better Hours Abroad, by the Poet's faithful Memorandum, ever Afterwards.

THUS the profufe, idle, imprudent Drinker, miferably spends his precious Time, fquanders away his ready Money, ruins his robuft Body, intoxicates his very rational Soul, and at laft reduces himself to Beggary, Poverty, or Want, through a lazy, habitual, extravagant Ebriety; fcarce to be pitied above-Ground. Infomuch, that he is not thought qualify'd for any fettled Employment; neither capable of the ordinary Operations of the Day, nor fit for the necellary Occupations of the Night; not able to execute the meaneft Offices of Life; nor fo much as to go an Errand, or carry a Meffage to his Betters. But at last, he dwindles immediately into an arrant dropfical Sot; and either dies over the beloved Pot, or at a worse Place; either goes off fuddenly in a Calenture, tumbles headlong at the Snap of an Apoplexy, or lingers away by Piece-Meal, in a long Confumption of his Lungs, to a meer Skeleton: As a monumental Toper, not worthy of any better Epi

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