counterfeit words and gesture, thought to make him afraid. But this
drunken fellow making no account of his threatnings, Art thou the
divel? quoth he, then I am his damme; and so layeth upon him with his
cudgell, that if the poore priest had not changed his divel's voyce,
and confessed himselfe to be Hauns, and rescued by the woman that then
knew him, he had bin like not to have gone out of the place alive.

This vice of drunkennesse, wherein many take over-great pleasure, was
a great blemish to Alexander's virtues. For having won a great part of
Asia, he laid aside that sobrietie hee brought forth of Macedon, and
gave himselfe to the luxuriousenesse of those people whom he had
conquered.

That King, Cambyses, tooke over-great plaasure in drinking of wine;
and when he asked Prexaspes, his secretary, what the Persians said of
him, he answered, that they commended him highly, notwithstanding they
thought him over-much given to wine, the king being therewith very
angry, caused Prexaspes' sonne to stand before him, and taking his bow
in his hand, Now (quoth he) if I strike thy son's heart, it will then
appeare that I am not drunk, but that the Persians doe lye; but if I
misse his heart, they may be believed. And when he had shot at his
son, and found his arrow had pierced his heart, he was very glad; and
told him that he had proved the Persians to be lyars.

Fliolmus, king of the Gothes, was so addicted to drinking, that hee
would sit a great part of the night quaffing and carousing with his
servants. And as on a time he sate after his accustomed and beastly
manner carousing with them, his servants being as drunke as he, threw
the king, in sport, into a great vessell full of drinke, that was set
in the middist of the hall for their quaffing, where he ridiculously