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AS DRUNK AS DAVID’S SOW 1 A common saying, which took its rise from the following cir- cumstance : David Lloyd, a Welshman, who kept an alehouse at Hereford, had a living sow with six legs, which was greatly resorted to by the curious : he had also a wife much addicted to drunkenness, for which he used sometimes to give her due cor- rection. One day, David’s wife having taken a cup too much, and being fearful of the consequence, turned out the sow, and laid down to sleep herself sober. Company coming to see the sow, David ushered them into the stye, saying, ” There is a sow for you ! Did any of you ever see such another ? ” all the while sup- posing the sow to have been there. To which some of the company, seeing the state the woman was in, replied, ” That it was the drunkennest sow that had ever been beheld;” whence the woman was ever after called “David’s Sow.”
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MIND YOUR P’S AND Q’S. This expression arose from the ancient custom of hanging a slate behind the alehouse door, on which was written P or Q (i. e., Pint or Quart} against the name of each customer, according to the quantity which he had drunk, and which was not expected to be paid for till the Saturday evening, when the wages were settled.
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Sir, the Irish had no civilation, civization, civilation I mean.’ Finding, however, his efforts to get civilization out impracticable, he sat down with the satisfaction of having added a new word to our language. Every drunken man ever since is here said to be in a state of civilation.
Dr. Maginn's poem of Daniel O'Rourke, iv. 35." Said he, ' Tis certain that I was not right To get into this state of civilation. 9 " "The treasury of knowledge and library reference"
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A CERTAIN CURE FOR DRUNKENNESS.— Sul-
phate of Iron five grains, Magnesia ten grains, Peppermint
water eleven drachms, Spirits of Nutmeg one drachm, twice
a day. This preparation acts as a tonic and stimulant, and
so partially supplies the place of the accustomed liquor,
and prevents that absolute physical and mental prostration
that follows a sudden breaking off from the use of stimulat-
ing drinks.
http://www.archive.org/stream/onethousandsecre00boga/onethousandsecre00boga_djvu.txt
“‘Out in the gloomy night, sadly I roam,
I have no mother dear, no pleasant home;
Nobody cares for me, no one would cry,
Even if poor little Bessie should die.
Weary and tired I’ve been wandering all day,
Asking for work, but I’m too small, they say ;
On the damp ground I must now lay my head;
Father ’s a drunkard and mother is dead.
http://www.archive.org/stream/onethousandsecre00boga/onethousandsecre00boga_djvu.txt
‘ We were so happy till father drank rum,
Then all our sorrow and trouble begun ;
Mother grew pale and wept every day.
Baby and I were too hungry to play ;
Slowly they faded till one summer night
Found their dead faces all silent and white;
Then with big tears slowly dropping I said,
‘ Father’s a drunkard and mother is dead.’
‘”Oh! If the temperance men’ only could find
Poor, wretched father and talk very kind ;
If they would stop him from drinking, then
I should be so very happy again.
Is it too late, temperance men ? Please try
Or poor little Bessie must soon starve and diel
All day long I’ve been begging for bread, —
Father’s a drunkard and mother is dead.
http://www.archive.org/stream/onethousandsecre00boga/onethousandsecre00boga_djvu.txt