>quantities of drink<
But, truth be told, prior to the 20th Century alcoholic beverages were viewed from a much different perspective, as a form of nourishment. And in many places distilled spirits were considered safer to drink than the available water supply. Even the Mayflower had enormous amounts of alcoholic beverages on its manifest, far more beer and wine than water, and these were Puritans who frowned on drunkeness. Indeed, beer was a staple beverage of the Pilgrims, even the children drank it.
>A ship's manifest of 1630 shows that the Puritans (of all people) had thoughtfully provisioned themselves with 10,000 gallons of beer, 120 hogsheads of brewing malt, and a dozen gallons of distilled spirits. No wonder construction of a stockade was generally the first order of business. "In the late seventeenth century the Rev. Increase Mather [father of Cotton, the man who would preside over the 1692 Salem witch hysteria] had taught that drink was 'a good creature of God' and that a man should partake of God's gift without wasting or abusing it. His only admonition was that a man must not 'drink a Cup of Wine more than is good for him'. ... At that time inebriation was not associated with violence or crime; only rowdy, belligerent inebriation in public places was frowned upon." (1)
"Thou dost cause grass to grow for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the heart of man." 104th Psalm<
I remember the first time I toured the Mayflower replica in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the guide told us in the hold of all the kegs of beer brought along...I was incredulous.
