A20760:224
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common…Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common…
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common sins; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkenness, whoredom, and bribery. Wherein the greatness and odiousness of these vices is discovered; and the means and remedies, which may either preserve, or wean men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By John Downame Bachelor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods word.Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common sinnes; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkennesse, whoredome, and briberie. Wherein the greatnes and odiousnesse of these vices is discouered; and the meanes and remedies, which may either preserue, or weane men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By Iohn Dovvname Batcheler in Diuinitie, and preacher of Gods word.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for William Welby, 1609
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But that we may descend from generals we will insist in some particular sins,1 unto which drunkenness maketh men most prone. As first the sins of the tongue: for as it is true of all evil tongues, which S. James speaketh, so it is most truly verified of the tongue of drunkards; namely, that it is a fire, yea a world of wickedness, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature,2 and is set on fire of hell, an unruly evil which cannot be tamed, full of deadly poison; wherewith they bless God and curse men at the same time, &c. Jam. 3.6.7.8.9. For they who are addicted to this vice, they abound not only in vain and idle talk, but also in foolish and ridiculous babbling, whereby they some out their own shame, and plainly prove unto all the hearers, that the hidden fountain of their hearts is full of deadly poison and stinking corruption, by those loathsome streams which issue from their mouths. Neither are they sparing in these speeches, but excessively frequent, and irksomely clamorous; the wine being to their tongues as a strong gale of wind to the ⟨p. 103⟩windmill sail, which whirleth it about in a continual motion. And hence it is the idol Bacchus was called Liber pater, 3because he setteth the tongue at liberty to run at random without intermission, until excessive abundance put it to silence. So that it is a most difficult thing to be prodigal in drinking, and niggardly in speaking: and therefore Bias thought it a sufficient argument to approve his wisdom,4 in that he could join these two together which are in nature so dissonant: for being at a banquet taxed of folly, by a vain babbler, because he said nothing whilst others talked; answered, that even this reason was sufficient to acquit him of the imputation of folly; for what fool, I pray you (said he) can be silent in the middest of his cups? So divers Philosophers meeting with the Kings Ambassadors at a feast in Athens, every one to commend his wisdom uttered some memorable sentences which might be related to the King, only Zeno continued silent; the which when the Ambassadors observed, they demanded of him what they should report from him unto the King. Nothing (answered Zeno) but this, that there is an old man at Athens who in the abundance of wine can keep silence.