Opilci, falešní hráči a mlsní žrouti aneb ze života našich předků – Toufar Pavel (2008)

Our ancestors also indulged in various revelries, over which contemporary moralists wrung their hands and wrote condemning texts. This is evidenced by notes from the drinking brotherhood of Petr Vok of Rosenberg, as well as numerous entries in ancient chronicles about heroic drinking bouts in noble circles and among common people. Particularly, the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century saw a true flourishing of feasting, aptly referred to by moralists as gluttony due to the abundance of food and the number of servings (what were the stone troughs under the windows of banquet halls for?). Along with the abundance of food came an abundance of drink. Even in the times of Prince St. Wenceslas, mead was consumed in Bohemia, but it was soon pushed out of banquet halls, inns, taverns, and shabby pubs by wine and beer. From the southern regions, spirits also made their way into Bohemia. The excess of alcohol not only incited passions but also a desire for wealth, leading to a true harvest for swindlers with false games of dice and cards, which became so widespread that they were banned by municipal laws and even by the monarch himself. A trip into the distant past will surely bring a knowing smile to our faces, as the described sins have endured for centuries up to the present day. Dive into the latest book by one of...