There are,
however, some, it seems, who, directly contrary to the Advice given
by the Angel to the Mother of the strongest Man, instead of
refraining all Drink that may intoxicate, are determin'd to drink
nothing else. Their Fault will be its own Punishment: But what
Crimes have their unhappy Offspring committed, that they are
condemn'd to bring Misery into the World with them, to be born with
the Seeds of many future Diseases in their Constitution.
The Practice of Drinking Drams is so general, and so well
establish'd in the World at present, that some People are apt to
wonder, and scarce think it possible, when they are told, that Men
formerly lived and performed their Labour without it; and that 'tis
scarce 50 Years since distill'd Spirits have been commonly used in
England. They were first only to be found in the Apothecary's Shop,
and prescrib'd by Physicians in extraordinary Cases, a _Drachm_ at a
time, whence we have the present Word _Dram_, but it signifies now
much more than the _eighth part of an Ounce._ Our Forefathers, 'tis
true, have had Beer many Ages; but within the Memory of Men,
Temperance in Drinking was so universal amongst them, especially in
the inland Country Places, that a good old Man not long since dead
with us, could speak it as an extraordinary Thing, _Verily, I tell
thee, Friend, I knew a Smith in aoer Toon, who would sometimes go to
th' Alehouse, when he had no other Business there, but to drink!_
Observe, it was _a Smith_, which is allow'd to be a thirsty Trade,
_and but one Smith!_ I am afraid we have never a modern Miracle on
the other side to match it; that is to say, _A Smith_, or indeed any
other Tradesman, _in our Town, who never goes to the Tavern_ but when
he has other Business there _beside Drinking_.
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