The Sunday Oregonian., July 13, 1919, Magazine Section, Page 5, Image 81

tnTE STDTDAY . OnEGOXLAX, PORTLAND, JTTLT 13, 1919.
5
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES POPULAR SINCE EARLIEST TIMES
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HOJLACB AT XI B I R, WHERE HE WAS OFTEX EVTERT4UED BY BIS PATHOS, MAKCE.VAS. A.VO WHERE, AS AT HIS SABIXB
VAJUI. THE tUtJLAJt POET UBAAK 8PABJ.VGLY.
GOTHS IX ROME ALARIC'S VICTORIOUS GERMAN BARBARIANS SERVED BY THEIR CAPTIVES, THE TREMBLING SONS AND
DAUGHTERS OF ROMAN SENATORS, WITH WINE, IN GOLDEN AND JEWELED GOBLETS.
r I m I Tifim T-' mi ufm rCi 'i I r-'.--- , - -
fT"'-n hit-- '
iTX. , I '
ti mil
THK LAST FEAST OK n,EOPTR ON A RtROG WITH MARK ANTHONY. THE EGYPTIAN QUEEN IS ACCREDITED WITH JJIS
SULVI.G A rURL UUHTH I. VIi:UAK A.VD DRIAKI.M THE VINEGAR TUB COSTLIEST DRINK ON RECORD.
A ROMAN F SI AST IN THE PERIOD OF' DECADENCE, THE GUESTS RECLINING ON COUCHES ARRANGED ABOUT THE TABLES,
THE HOST SURROUNDED BY SYCOPHANTS, AS DESCRIBED BY PETRONIUS ARBITER. ' '
WINTE U often mentioned in the
poem of Horace, but he did not
' rive himself up to the dlulp'
tlon that had already act In during the
ace In which he wrote. At Tibur,
where he waa often entertained by hie
patron, Maecenaa. and at hia Sabine
farm. Horace drank aparlnicly. We
learn from hta vereea that Cblan wine
waa highly esteemed among- the Roman
epleurca. Thle came from the Island
f Chloa. off the coast of Asia Minor.
Ha aaya that some of the hard drink
era of hia time lndulsed In enalia im
ported from Africa, which were re
carded as helpful to rouse a satiated
thirst.
Horace la not, however, so good an
authority upon the hold that alcohol
had on the Romans aa Pliny. This re.
Bowped writer, who perished In the
eruption that overwhelmed Pompeii,
aot only telle ua all about the varioue
kinds of wine that, were popular In
Rome, but he aleo goes with great de
tail Into the processes of their manu
facture.
So enamored were the Romans) of
alcoholic drinks that they were not
content with wine. They had nothing
that resembles our rum. whisky, gin
and brandy, but they had an amazing
variety of Intoxicating- drinks. Pliny
Indeed describe ma many ways to
make liquors that cause Intoxication
that his writings might be put under
the ban during a period of prohibition.
He says that one popular drink waa
Inade from the cereal millet. Dates
and flga were also often utilized as
materials from which heady liquors
were made. Peara, applea. pomegran
ates, mulberries and pine-nuts are oth
er curious substitutes for grapes.
Pliny says. too. that the Greeks made
a wine from the sprigs of myrtle, but
that In Rome the berriea of the wild
myrtle were preferred.
The Roman farmer waa never at a
lowed to stand for five years. Tho?
who were - more Impatient, however,
found it fairly satisfactory to tak
fresh rain-water and boll It down one
third, alter which they added one-third
the quantity of old honey. This mix
ture waa exposed to a hot aun for 4
days. A stranger drink waa made of
honey, old vinegar, sea-water and rain
water, which doea cot sound very
palatable.
Even queerer was the drink called
dodra, which perhaps served the Ro
mans in the place of the cocktail. Ko
less than nine different Ingredients
were mingled In this water, wine.
broth, oil. salt, bread, herbs, honey and
pepper. The Romans also made beer,
but it does not seem to have been very
popular and apparently' waa not in
dulged In so often aa the mixture of
iter and honey.
Mark Antony Good Example
of Roman Wine Bibbler.
T T ARK ANTONT U a good example of
the balf-way period In Roman his
tory when the civilization of that great
power had almost reached Its apex and
was about to plunge Into degeneration.
His use of alcohol is perhaps the best
manifestation of what Rome had be
come and what It waa to become.
Although drunkenness does not seem
to have been held disgraceful In the
earlier generations of Roman history. It
is seldom that we hear of any of the
really great men being immoderately
given to heavy drinking. But as we
get away from the days of simplicity
and abstemiousness the change that
came over Rome la noticeable In the
way In which men drank. Antony fre
quently drank too much long before he
achieved great fame and long before
he yielded to the fascination of Cleo
patra. On one occasion he was so In
toxicated as a young man when he
loss for Intoxicating liquors. He made i was called upon to make a speech that
win from radishes, asparagus, wild j his condition . disgusted many of the
mint. rue. wild thyme, horehound and I grave and elderly Romans. And every-
almost Innumerable other things that
grew In his garden. Even turnips and
rose were utilized to mix with the un
fcrmented grape Juice and then to
form a wine. He goes on to give so
many recipes for making Intoxicants
out of almost everything that grew
that the Roman could make an alco
holic drink out of any growing thing
that waa not poisonous.
Another popular drink described by
Pliny Is hydromeL Thl was made
from honey and water, but thla could
hardly b commended to those 'who
wanted a drink in a hurry, as he says
that the best' variety should b. made
from rain-water: which, bad, beea al-1
one knows how addicted Antony was
to wine when be reveled In Egypt with
the luring Queen.
Hut the old teachings were not so far
in the past that Antony was perpetually
drunk, as were some of the emperors
who were later to. make themselves ob
jects of derision and hatred. When he
had to go on a difficult campaign An
tony could go for weeks at a time with
out thinking of wine, and he could live
on the poorest and scantiest food. He
could turn readily from riotous dissipa
tion to life In the open wjth only muddy
water to drink and little more than
wld fruits and roots to eaL
Cleopatra It was only natural that he
should give himself up to Immoderate
drinking. In Rome Antony had been
famous for his costly feasts and enter
tainments, but the banquets that be
prepared for Cleopatra seemed like
barbaric and niggardly repasts when
contrasted with the extravagance of
those that she furnished for him. Some
Idea of her estimate of what was fitting
may be gained from the fact that at one
of these feasts the Roman , guests
walked to the tables through roses
strewn upon the floor to the depth of
two feet. And everyone is familiar
with the tale of Cleopatra melting in
vinegar a pearl worth 1375,000 and
drinking the vinegar, the costillest
drink that is recorded In .history.
The legend has grown up that Cleo
patra was responsible for Antonys
profligacy, but that is unwarranted.
He drank heavily while In her company.
but no more heavily than he had done
at Rome. After he first separated from
her and was spending a winter in Ath
ens, Antony feasted and rioted Just as
ostentatiously as he bad in Egypt. Nor
did Antony desert his wife, Octavla, and
fly to Cleopatra because of his un
questionable passion for the beautiful
Queen. Guglielmo Ferrero and other
historians have pointed out how much
more probable it is that Antony was
more stirred by the power that he could
gain from Cleopatra's influence than he
was by her beauty.
But Antony went back to Egypt, and
alcohol played its part in loosening his
hands upon the reins of the empire. He
drank and drank heavily. Cleopatra
drank with him, but apparently she
drank sparingly, as there is evidence
that Anthony was frequently besotted,
but Cleopatra was never 'seen In this
state. Antony reeled through the pal
aces; he waa attended In bis progress
through the streets of - Alexandria by
dancing women and men, he delighted
In being identified wKh bacchus. He
called for wine upon the night before
his last battle, and as he did so he be
thought himself once more of the fan
tasy that he might be the reincarnation
of the god Bacchus. It waa alcohol
rather than the fatal beauty of Cleo
patra that shattered his hope of making
himself the greatest man in tha world.
Roman Degeneration Due to
Drunkenness.
over to the wildest dissipation; the nid
die classes were only less dissipated,
because they could not 'afford qv.ite
such elaborate orgies; the poor fol
lowed as much as they could the ex
amples set by those above them
social standing.
A typical banqnet of Nero's age
described by Petronlus Arbiter. He
shows first the entrance gate of
stately Roman mansion, with guests
descending from their chariots, some
of them playing games, others talking
with animation, some receiving from
slaves welcoming draughts of wine.
Then he depicts the banquet ball,
where the guests recline upon couches
ranged about low tables. The host.
vulgar millionaire. Is surrounded by a
host of sycophants, who tell him how
great he is. and he listens with
pleased smile to . their , hypocritical
phrases. Everyone talks loudly, and
the chief subject of conversation is the
host's generosity and his wealth. After
the first course has been finished, wine
is poured over the hands of the guests.
aa water Is considered too common to
be used. Glass Jars are paraded about
the room by slaves. On them are labels
stating that the wine within is of
certain highly-prized vintage and
century old.
While the guests are eating the sec
ond course an Egyptian slave sings. It
Is not surprising that the words cele
brate the virtues of wine. The host
becomes more talkative, and the guests,
who are dependent upon his generosity.
feign an eager interest in his vain
glorious words.
Course after course follows, and there
are numerous Interludes of entertain
ment. An orator comes in to harange
the assemblage upon the generosity of
the host; a slave Is ostentatiously
freed. The cook Is dragged In and
threatened with punishment because
e has failed to clean a hog thoroughly.
The banqueters do not know whether
it is Jest or earnest, until the cook is
told to cut open the hog. He plunges
In a knife, and a great mass of sau
sage falls out. Thereupon he Is ap
plauded and crowned with honors. As
the banquet draws to an end. the ceil
ing above opens, and a huge ring de
scends, bung with golden crowns and
alabaster pots of perfume, which are
eagerly seized as presents.
Throughout each course wine has
been brought in. At first it is greatly
diluted with water, but finally It is
drunk clear. Guest after guest grave
ly announces to the host that' he is
drunk, announcements that are re
ceived with cheers and laughter. To
ward the end of the banquet everyone
attention to his neighbor, but trying
to drown out the voices of all the oth
ers. Even the slaves are reeling about.
for they have .been plied with wine,
that they may not feel superior to their
masters.
Other parties stumbling home from
other banquets enter the hall. Women
drii k as much as the men, and at the
close some are stupefied with : drink,
while others are wildly screaming and
singing. Throughout the banquet the
guests have not once said or done any
thing intelligent. It Is the grossest
sort of entertainment. Judged by our
star-dards, and yet it was much more
seemly than some feasts of the period.
There were, of course, many thou
sands of men and women who deplored
the growing abuse of alcohol, men- and
women who clung - tenaciously to the
virtues and simpler ways of their an
cestors, but yearly they constituted
smaller and smaller minority, as
Rome plunged madly on to Its fall.
at
Goths Prove Greedy Drink
ers of Wines in Italy.
FROM the time of Nero down to the
final extinction of Rome, alcohol
had ever an Increasing share in the
steady degeneration of the jeople. . It
waa not a des-eneratinn of a ainsrla
When be cam under the influence class. The wealthy, gave themselves la talking at once, each one paying no But in. their rude- settlements "during
GERMAN historians have been fond
of contrasting the rude virtues of
the tribesmen who overwhelmed Rome
with the drunkenness and debauchery
of the empire.- The legend has grown
uo that these unlettered barbarians
who came out of the northern forests
were & sturdy and sober . race, .who
found it easy to trample upon the en
ervated and luxury-loving citizens of
Rome.
But this Is an exaggerated picture.
The Germans were not so refined in
their pleasures as the Romans; they
were sturdier and better fighters be
cause .they lived more In tle open and
did not hire other people to fight for
them. They were, however, almost as
much given to alcohol as the more
civilized people whom they conquered.
The Goths proved greedy drinkers of
the delicate and rich wines they found
in Italy. Their first thought upon seiz
ing a yilla was of the wine cellar, and
they apparently acted much as their
descendants were later to act in Bel
glum and northern. France In the great
war.
In their northern forests they brewed
beer from wheat or barley, a beer that
was evidently much more intoxicating
than the' beer of today, for it was as
powerful an intoxicant as the Roman
wines. When they, went to war they
were hardy fighters, able to go with
out rich foods and heady liquors as
long as their enemies were In the field.
Intervals of peace they' gave them
selves unreservedly to hard drinking.
The women-'did not participate In
these- orgies, eo that, they -were free
from the worst aspects: of the Roman
decadence. The men, however, drank
and gambled excessively, ' spending
whole days and nights at the table,
as Gibbon observes. ' As the partici
pants were all men, they quarreled
much more than the Romans did
their feasts, and their revels ofte
ended in the murder of friends and
relatives who had inflamed the anger
of drunken feasters.
When Alaric led his victoripus host
of Goths through Italy, the barbarians
gave . themselves eagerly to drunken
ness. They found the wines of the
south pleasanter to drink than the
strong beer of the north, and .they in
dulged , freely. "Their trembling cap
Uvea," eays Gibbons, "the sons and
daughters of Roman senators, present
ed, in goblets of gold and gems, large
draughts - of Falernian wine to the
haughty victors; who stretched their
huge limbs under the shade of plane
trees, artificially disposed to exclude
the scorching rays, and to admit the
eenial warmth of te sun." It Is such
a scene that Is recalled by the painting
here reproduced.
Some historians have attributed the
love of the ancient Germans for strong
drink to the cold, damp climate of their
northern land. Whatever may have
been the cause, it is. certain that they
did not acquire their taste for alcohol
from- the Romans. They liked the
Italian and' Greek wines that they
fojpnd in the south so much eo that they
were as eager drinkers of them as the
Romans, but they knew Just as much
about getting Intoxicated before ,they
ventured out of their" forests to the
sunny plains. .
China Familiar With Alcohol
From Earliest Periods.
ALCOHOL is generally supposed to
have little hold In China, owing to
the greater lure of the opium habit.
Yet the Chinese have been familiar
with alcohol from the earliest periods.
The most notable Chinese tippler was
probably Li Po, who lived from 705 to
762, and is sometimes regarded as the
greatest poet that China has produced.
He was 37 years of age when he was
first presented to the Emperor and he
made such an impression that the ruler
prepared with his own hands a bowl
of soup for the poet.
Soup unfortunately was not Li Po's
favorite beverage. He greatly pre
ferred wine and contemporary accounts
say that he was seldom sober and that
he w;rote most of his poetry while In
toxicated. On one occasion, when mes
sengers were sent out by the Emperor
to find him, he was lying face down in
the street Cold water was mopped over
him and. he was finally led into the
royal presence. Although he could
hardly stand, his genius did not fall
him. A lady of the seraglio held his
ink-well and he dashed off some of his
best verses. They were so much liked
by the Emperor that he made Li Po a
high court official and some of th
mandarins were ordered to attend on
him and remove' his' boots when he
desired this done. '
This naturally stirred up many feuds
In the court and LI Po was finally
compelled ' to seek elsewhere f6r a
pleasanter place In which to live. With
some other slaves to wine, he -ormed
a drinking club which was called "The
Eight Immortals of the Wine-cup." He
met his death in a novel manner. One
night while intoxicated, he leaned over
the edge of a boat in a vain rttempt
to embrace the reflection of the moon
In the. water. He lost his balance and
was drowned.
Long before LI Po' lived and died, '
however, the Chinese had discovered
wine. As long ago as the year 1118
B. C, an imperial edict was Issued ,
warning the people that drunkenness
was becoming too common. -Even one '
of the 1 emperors had been so given .
to immoderate drinking that the vice
had brought ruin upon him. The-edict
does not- seem to have attempted the
enforcement of prohibition, . but it '
threatened with death all members of '
gatherings where liquor flowed too !
freely. ' ' !
Coming down to the age of Confu
cius, who lived in the fifth century
B. C.,- we find many maxims about !
drinking. The great sage of China ate .
and drank sparingly but he did not
practice total abstinence. He was care
ful, however, never to drink enough to ;
disturb his understanding. "Be not
given to excess in the use of wine" la
one of his adages. -
With the adoption of Buddhism, a
temperance wave swept over China,- as
Buddha taught absolute abstinence
from Intoxicating liquors. Today the
Chinese' are a sober people, but the
best authorities seem to agree that -,;
there is more drinking In the country ;
than most foreigners realize. The na-
tives prefer, as they have since time
mmemorial. a wine made from rice, i-
Grapes have never been grown to any '!
great extent In China, but nearly every
rice-grower turns a small part of his ;
produce Into wine. This is sometimes -t
very delicately perfumed with certain
fruits and buds and the secrets of
making these rare varieties axe very
jealously' guarded.
V