carried round, and each perfon having first tasted, offered it to those they thought proper. It is alfo mentioned in the facred writings. The Vulgate has propino in the fame fenfe, twice in J.remiah, once in Ifaiah, and once in Amos. The origin of it seems to come from the very ancient cuftom of offering libations. The whole of the wine was poured on the head of the victim, when it was offered up to the Deity, as Calmet obferves in his comment upon Numbers, chap. xxviii. Where are these words, You shall make a wine offering, or libation of the fourth part of a hin of wine: But when the facrifice was intended for any particular bleffings on a private perfon, part of the wine only was poured out, and the reft was drunk by the officiating priests. Others, probably taking the hint from the priests, thought it better to drink, than fpill a fingle drop of it; thus in private families, whenever a ftranger arrived, a goblet of wine was always produced by the mafter of the house, who poured out, or drank part of the liquor, as a libation to Jupiter, praying that he might grant health and profperity to the new comer, and the remainder was always drunk by the perfon himself, as accepting of the compliment. This is conformable to the literal meaning of the word, which is thus explained by the commentators, præbibo, poculum præ-. gufto,& deinde alteri trado. Martial tells one Hermus, who we may fuppofe had fomething difagreeable about his mouth, that his never drinking to any body was not pride, but humanity. Quod nulli calicem tuum propinas, No. 45. in good breeding, the ancients, and advised every perfon present to study the Symposium of Plato, and the Banquet of Xenophon, as models upon which every drinking-bout fhould be formed. Upon my return home I read over those remarkable productions, and was much furprized at finding, that though they abounded in good fayings, the greatest part were fhocking to all modesty. I then turned over fome claffics and other authors, from whence I have collected the following paffages, which prove, that the custom of toafting was not unknown to, but was conftantly practifed by, the ancients. The word propinare, in all the Latin writers, fignifies either to bob-nob, or to drink a person's health. Thus in the Curculio of Plautus, Propino magnum poculum, ille ebibit. And again in his Stichus, Propino tibi falutem plenis faucibus. i. e.. I drink your health in a bumper. Martial mentions a curious piece of plate out of which Dido drank to Bitias, when the entertained Æneas. Hac propinavit Bitiam pulcherrima Dido In patera, Phrygio cum data cæna viro eft. 1 This cuftom may be deduced from the highest antiquity: It was used by almost all nations, and the manner of doing it was, to tafte the cup first, and then hand it to the other. Suetonius, in his life of Tiberius, mentions it as practifed by the Greeks. This cuftom took its rife from hence, that the Greeks, in their more folemn compotations, called Philethefia, ⚫ ordered gold and filver goblets filled with wine to be carried carried round, and each perfon having first tafted, offered it to thofe they thought proper.' It is alfo mentioned in the facred writings. The Vulgate has propino in the fame fenfe, twice in J.remiah, once in Ifaiah, and once in Amos. The origin of it seems to come from the very ancient cuftom of offering libations. The whole of the wine was poured on the head of the victim, when it was offered up to the Deity, as Calmet obferves in his comment upon Numbers, chap. xxviii. Where are thefe words, You shall make a wine offering, or libation of the fourth part of a bin of wine: But when the facrifice was intended for any particular bleffings on a private perfon, part of the wine only was poured out, and the rest was drunk by the officiating priests. Others, probably taking the hint from the priests, thought it better to drink, than fpill a fingle drop of it; thus in private families, whenever a flranger arrived, a goblet of wine was always produced by the mafter of the houfe, who poured out, or drank part of the liquor, as a libation to Jupiter, praying that he might grant health and profperity to the new comer, and the remainder was always drunk by the perfon himself, as accepting of the compliment. This is conformable to the literal meaning of the word, which is thus explained by the commentators, præbibo, poculum prægufto,& deinde alteri trado. Martial tells one Hermus, who we may fuppofe had fomething difagreeable about his mouth, that his never drinking to any body was not pride, but humanity. Quod nulli calicem tuum propinas, Afterwards, when nations became more polished, the ceremony was performed in different cups, or glaffes, each perfon drinking out of his own as being the cleanlier method; and this particularly at feafts, where every perfon whofe health was drunk in this manner, was in good manners obliged to return it, like our hob-or-nobing, and this was called provocare. Thus we read in Athenæus, that Alexander, when at fupper in the house of Theffalus, hob or-nobbed every perfon at table, no lefs than twenty in number, and was again himself hob-or-nobbed by each of them.' Cum Alexander apud Theffalum cænaret aleffentque viginti in fympofio, omnes provocavit, ab omnibus pariter accipiens. 6 In the fourth century, this cuflom it seems, was much in fashion, as St. Ambrofe, Bishop of Milan, who lived at that time, mentions it as being the cause of drinking to excels, and gives it a hearty curfe. Bibamus, inquiunt, pro falute imperatorum ; qui non biberit fit reus indevotionis: bibamus pro falute exereitum: pro comitum virtute: pro filiorum fanitate. O ftultitia hominum, qui ebrietatem facrificium putant! Which, tranflated in the modern ftile, is no more than this. ( They fay, let's drink his Majesty, who does not drink it, is a Jacobite: Let us drink the army, a virtuous miniftry, the royal family. O foolish men, who look upon drunkenness as a facrifice.' Though the antiquity of the above is very confiderable, yet Plautus, who lived near two hundred years before Chrift, has it exprefsly in his comedy called Perfa. Bene mibi, bene vobis, bene amicæ meæ. My own health, all your health. i. e. healths, and my mistress's And And in Stichus. Bene nos, bene vos, bene te, bene me, bene noftram etiam Stephanium: . That this was intended as a facrifice is plain from Athenæus, who fays that Amphyctyon, King of Athens, ordained, that each perfon fhould, before he drank, invoke the name of Jove the Saviour, Jupiter confervator, to preferve him and his friends in health.' And Ovid in his Fafi, fpeaking of the family-feafts, called Chariftia, mentions the fame. Larga precaturi fumite vina manu Et bene vos, bene tuæ patriæ pater optime Cæfar, Dicite; fuffufo fint facra verba mero Ifhould proceed to confider the rules of drinking amonft the ancients, and amongst the reft, the cele brated one e pithi, e apithi, Drink, or go,' together with the origin of the word bob-or-nob, but muft referve thefe particulars for a future Speculation. Z. No. 46. Monday, September 3, 1770. Nole doctam ANT. LAMB. FL. HE great Baron de Montefquieu, in his celebrated l'Esprit de loix, has fully proved, that the laws of all nations, had their origin from neceflity. The same, I think, may be faid of their customs, which must depend on X: 2 the |