Healthes: sicknesse. Or, a compendious and briefe discourse; prouing, the drinking, and pledging of healthes, to be sinfull, and utterly unlawfull unto Christians / By William Prynne.

William Prynne

Date:: 1628

Credit: Healthes: sicknesse. Or, a compendious and briefe discourse; prouing, the drinking, and pledging of healthes, to be sinfull, and utterly unlawfull unto Christians / By William Prynne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$the * Theaters of Healthes, of'Drunktnneffand Cjlut* * Eiufmods tonie , ( efpecially in the time of Chrifts Ncitiuitie. co*t***tur*-efc Wherein men commonly fell themfelnes to Drunken- ^^^clenr neffe, Heakhing, Daunting, Carding, Dicing, IdlenefTe, Alex. Ps:dag'. Epicurifme, Wantonnefle, and excefte of Sinne, as if it libi.c.4. were a tim of ioolenefi’e & prophaneneflfe, not of Grace and Holindle; doing more true feruiceto the Deuill, du¬ ring this Holy time, then all the yeere befides :) what loy, what Peace, and Comfort : what encreafe and ftrength of Grace would it bring vnto our Soules, and to the Soules of ail our friends and gueffe ? which are fo much endangered, and without Repentance damned, by thefefinfull Healthes, which wee begin vnto them. O therefore let vs now at laft abandon thefe Heathenifh, Idolatrous , and Hellifh cuftomes as vnbefeeming Chri- ftians ; as the Inuentions and Ceremonies of Infidels and Pagans, whofe wayes and workes we muff not praeftife. O let it neuer be recorded of vs Englifbmen (who haue taken vp this Heathenifh cuftome but of punie times) as it is ftoried of the Polonians: (/) That they vfually, as their * Gudgninm* manner is, doe carrou^e and quaffe ojf great 'Bowles, to the Health of one another, oft times again]} their natures, fo that Chro- their mutuall loue one to another, (which they doe principally mews de Po - exprefe in therr Feafls and meetings') doeth oft times depriue ion & them of their health, and make them fubieli to many difeafes, Sal°me* Nett- through too much Healthing : T hat they will oft times force one another to drink*, (ay tag: either pledge me, orfght with me : (which is the caufe of many Duels : ) and that they ac¬ count him the beflferuant,who can drinkjois Afaiflers Health befi : Let not the CMufcouites defeription euer fuite with vs : of whom it is regiftred , (m) That they know fill well how to allure men to drinke ; and that when as Mofcouttu they haue no other occafon of drinking , they beqinne to Matthias a drinke their Takes Health : then the Trince his brothers Mtceu. de Sar* Health: and next the Healthes of other men of place and dig- ™at*a Eurtpea nity : whofe Healthes they think*, that no man either will or ' C i ’ dare denie: Let it not be ftoried of vs, as it is of the Anci- \$