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An Unsteady History Of Drunkenness

In 1682, the Nonconformist minister Samuel Clarke told a peculiar tale about a soldier losing his wits and drinking to the health of the Devil, inviting the evil being into his world. The soldier was never heard from again.
This story was a warning to all regarding the treacherous fates that awaited drunkards. It was only one of the terrifying possibilities outlined by Clarke. Illness, madness, bodily and spiritual destruction, and - ultimately - death comprised the tragic fates that awaited every drunkard.