Do not be vexed at the trifles of the world; drink, for it is folly for a wise man to be afflicted....
The only friends who are free from care are a goblet of wine and a book of odes.
Give me wine! wine that shall subdue the strongest: that I may for a time forget the cares and troubles of the world.
Armstrong joined in the general growl at the substitution of port for the lighter French wine.
In describing a man’s sensations on awaking he says:—
You curse the sluggish port, you curse the wretch,
The felon, with unnatural mixture, first
Who dared to violate the virgin wine.
Again, when speaking of wholesome wine, he praises:—
The gay, serene, good-natured Burgundy,
Or the fresh fragrant vintage of the Rhine.
Again, he describes Burgundy as the drink for gentlemen, and port as an abomination:—
The man to well-bred Burgundy brought up,
Will start the smack of Methuen in the cup.