Old Drinking Laws.

The offence of drunkenness seems to have been a source of great perplexity to the ancients [unclear: was] tried any number of ways of dealing with it. If none of them succeeded, it was in all [unclear: ability] because they failed to suppress the means by which this insidious disease is [unclear: ed] and propagated. Severe treatment was often attempted without any satisfactory result. The Romans prohibited the drinking of wine upon the part of men under 30 years of age—[unclear: ale] which applied to women of all ages. If a wife were declared guilty of consuming fermented [unclear: about] her husband might legally scourge her to death.

The Carthaginians prohibited governors, magistrates, soldiers, and servants from drinking [unclear: hing] stronger than water, and the Athenians made it a capital offence for a magistrate to [unclear: drunk].

The Suevi seem to have realised the necessity of drastic measures, as they went so far as [unclear: goverment] the importation of wine into their country.

The Locrians, under Zalenous (660 D.C), made it a capital offence to drink wine unless [unclear: uge] mixed with water; even an invalid was not exempt from punishment unless his [unclear: ancian] had ordered him to drink undiluted wine. History does not relate whether physicians [unclear: ls] in the habit of giving such instructions.

Pittacus of Mytilene (651-569 B.C.), made a law that he who, when drunk, committed any [unclear: they] should receive double the sentence which he would have received had he been sober. [unclear: able] and Plato considered this law the height of wisdom. The Roman censors were [unclear: ered] to expel a senator for drunkenness, and were at liberty to confiscate his horse.

Mohammed ordered drunkards to be bastinadoed with 80 blows.

Lycurgns of Thrace (about 900 B.C.) was a thorough Prohibitionist; he ordered the vines [unclear: his] out down.

The Spartans tried to turn the vice (as it was then regarded) of drunkenness into contempt [unclear: parcatically] making their slaves drunk once a year, in order to show their children how [unclear: possible] men looked when in an inebriated condition.

Drunkenness was considered much more vicious in some classes of persons than in others. [unclear: rient] Indians, for example, held it lawful to kill a king should he become drunk. Charlemagne ([unclear: 169]742-814) enacted a law that judges and pleaders should do their business fasting.