Of wrath her right arm whirl'd,

But one poor poet's scroll, and with his word

She shook the world."

-Tennyson.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

II

CHAPTER I.

The Rise of the Temperance Movement. -Social Life

under Good Queen Bess.- Hamlet.-Dr. Norman

Kerr's Testimony.—Danish Health Drinking

CHAPTER II.

The Aim of Poetry.-Othello.-Iago's Plea.-Sir

Matthew Hale on Health Drinking.-"Rouse."-

An Icelandic Custom.-Quaint Tests

CHAPTER III.

"Crushing a Cup."-Highland Honours.-The Folly of

Health Drinking.-Romeo and Juliet.—A Biblical

Reference

CHAPTER IV.

20

30

Cymbeline.

-

"Paying the Shot."- Dr. Richardson

Quoted. — Dr. Guthrie's Testimony. — Timon of

Athens.-An Admirable Motto

37

CHAPTER V.

Our Soldiers.-Florence Nightingale's Testimony.--

Shakspeare's Abstainers.-King Lear. -Mac-

beth." Wine on the Lees."—" Paying the

Score"

PAGE

44

CHAPTER VI.

Troilus and Cressida.—Coriolanus.-A Disputed Pas-

sage.-Julius Cæsar.-Crime and Alcohol. —A

Voice from the Prison.-Antony and Cleopatra.

CHAPTER VII.

Two Gentlemen of Verona.-Whitsun Ales.-Love's

Labour's Lost.-The "Health" Argument.—

Merry Wives of Windsor.-"The Flemish

Drunkard."-Morning "Nips".

-

CHAPTER VIII.

Comedy of Errors.-Taming of the Shrew.-The

Bride-cup. A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Merchant of Venice.-The Power of Tempta-

tion

CHAPTER IX.

All's Well that Ends Well.-Much Ado about No-

thing.-Twelfth Night.-As You Like It.-

"Good Wine Needs no Bush".

CHAPTER X.

Measure for Measure.-A Winter's Tale.-Our Sea-

men.-The Tempest.-Lush." No-Body"

56

73

92

102

119

CHAPTER XI.

King John.-St. George and the Dragon.-King

Richard II.-First Part of King Henry IV.-

Sack. The Boar's Head.-"Mine Ease in Mine

Inn"

PAGE

146

CHAPTER XII.

Second Part of King Henry IV.-"A Red Lattice."-

King Henry V.-King Henry VI.-Jack Cade

CHAPTER XIII.

Richard III.-Clarence and Malmsey.-Henry VIII.

-Bombards.-Pericles.-Titus Andronicus

174

197

"What needs my Shakspeare, for his honour'd bones,

The labour of an age in pilèd stones?

Or that his hallow'd relics should be hid
Under a starry-pointing pyramid ?

Dear son of Memory, great heir of Fame,

What need'st thou such weak witness of thy name?

Thou, in our wonder and astonishment,

Hast built thyself a live-long monument.

For whilst, to th' shame of slow-endeavouring Art,
Thy easy numbers flow; and that each heart
Hath, from the leaves of thy unvalued book,
Those Delphic lines with deep impression took;
Then thou, our fancy of itself bereaving,

Dost make us marble, with too much conceiving;
And, so sepulchred, in such pomp dost lie,
That kings for such a tomb would wish to die."

-Milton.