Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Rosa Anglica (Author: [unknown])

section 20

20

It is not proper for a man who has a weak head to drink wine, except a little with water; so anyone who is at a feast, or drinking with friends, if he cannot keep his head, let him eat pears or the stalks (?) of cabbage, or its seed after his meal. If ill hap cause him to get drunk, as he will notice first by his tongue stumbling, let him get up and vomit. If it be a man, wash his extremities and rub them and his testicles with salt; and if a woman, wash her extremities and her breasts; let water be dashed on the face, and rub the head with rose water, and let him be a day and a night without food or drink. On the following day, let him do work and bathe, and let him eat something late, avoiding things hard to digest: and I say


p.93

it is not seemly for a Christian to get drunk with his own knowledge. For though there come vomiting and sweat thereafter, yet it is very dangerous to vomit, for fear lest he fall into epilepsy, or apoplexy, or in the case of a woman, suffocatio hysterica. So there is many a way that is better than this of purging the body, and it is all against God and reason.