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CHAPTER II
MORE FRIGHTFUL EXAMPLES
Eating and drinking the only work of the monks—Nunc cst
bibendum—An apology for Herodotus—A jovial pope—
Good quarters in Provence—Intemperance of holy men—A
tippling bishop—Alexander the Great—" Lovely Thais sits
beside thee"—A big flare-up—Awful endofAlec—Cambyses
always shot straight—Darius the strong-of-head—Philip
drunk and Philip sober—Dionysius gets blind—Tiberius
loved the bowl—So did Flavius Vobiscus, the diplomatist—
BluffKing Hal—The Merry Monarch and the Lord Mayor
—Dear old Pepys—A Mansion House wine-list—Minimum
allowance of sack—A slump in brandy—A church-tavern—
Dean Aldrich — The Romans at supper—"The tippling
philosophers."
Not even popes, saints, or bishops were exempt
from accusations of loving the juice of the grape,
or of the apple, too well. We read in the
adages of Erasmus that it was a proverb amongst
the Germans that the lives of the monks con
sisted in nothing but eating and drinking.
One H. Stephens says on this subject, in his
apology for Herodotus :—
" But to return to these proverbs, theological
wine, and the abbot's, or prelate's, table. I say