Common Dogs & Henry the 23rd (WASP LEG)

So, so, thou common dog, didst thou disgorge

Thy glutton bosom of the royal Richard;

And now thou wouldst eat thy dead vomit up,

And howl'st to find it.

Henry IV (Part 2), 1.3.101-4, Archbishop of York

 

There have been eight kings of England named Henry.  King Henry I of England (d. 1135) was the son of William the Conqueror.  Twenty three Henry's?  That would be too many, right?  Well, what about eating too much food (I must admit that I'm preaching to the choir here).

When I say "WASP LEG" what pops in your mind?  The seven deadly sins according to Christian tradition are Wrath (rage), Avarice (covetousness), Sloth (lazy), Pride, Lust, Envy and Gluttony.  Chris Donato has provided some tasty thoughts on intemperance.  Consider these versus from Proverbs:

 

When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

Consider carefully what is before you,

And put a knife to your throat

If you are a man of great appetite.

Do not desire his delicacies,

For it is deceptive food. (Pr. 23:1-3)

 

Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine,

Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,

And drowsiness will clothe one with rags. (Pr. 23:20,21)

 

Have you found honey? Eat only what you need,

That you not have it in excess and vomit it. ...

It is not good to eat much honey,

Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

Like a city that is broken into and without walls

Is a man who has no control over his spirit. (Pr. 25:16,27,28)

Puritan Richard Baxter (d. 1691) wrote A Christian Directory which contains over one million words. His pastoral guide, The Reformed Pastor, is still widely read.  Baxter had this say to those who over-gourmandize (from the Christian Directory):

 

Another time-wasting sin is needless and tedious feastings, gluttony, and tippling [excessive drinking]: which being of the same litter, I set together.  I speak not against moderate, seasonable, and charitable feasts: but alas, in this luxurious, sensual age, how commonly do men sit two hours at a feast, and spend two more in attending it before and after, and not improving the time in any pious or profitable discourse... You spend not so much time in the daily addresses of your souls to God, and reading his word, and taking an account of the affairs of conscience, and preparing for death, as you do in stuffing your guts, perhaps at one meal. And in taverns and alehouses among the pots, how much time is wasted by rich and poor! O remember, while you are eating and drinking, what a corruptible piece of flesh you are feeding and serving; and how quickly those mouths will be filled with dust! and that a soul that is posting so fast unto eternity, should find no time to spare for vanity; and that you have important work enough to do, which if performed, will afford you a sweeter and a longer feast. [1]

 

Note:

1) The Practical Works of Richard Baxter, Vol. 1 (Soli Deo Gloria Pub., Morgan, PA, 2000), p. 244.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41633/41633-h/41633-h.htm

 

#Gluttony #WASP_LEG #gourmandize #temperance #DeadlySins #foodie #RichardBaxter #Puritans #KingHenry #Shakespeare #ChristianDirectory #tippling #vomit