Henry Fielding

“ Thus we see the Legislature have taken the utmost Care not only to punish, but even to prevent this Vice of Drunkenness, which the Preamble of one of the foregoing Statutes calls a loathsome and odious Sin, and the Root and Foundation of many other enormous Sins, as Murder, &c. Nor doth the Wisdom of our Law stop here. Our cautious Ancestors have endeavoured to remove the Temptation, and, in a great measure, to take away from the People their very Power of offending this way. ”

“ For though the Encrease of Thieves, and the Destruction of Morality; though the Loss of our Labourers, our Sailors, and our Soldiers, should not be sufficient Reasons, there is one which seems to be unanswerable, and that is, the Loss of our Gin-drinkers: Since, should the drinking this Poison be continued in its present Height during the next twenty Years, there will, by that Time, be very few of the common People left to drink it. ”

“ The Justices, at the Time of granting the Licence, shall take a Recognizance from the Party, not to suffer any unlawful Games, nor other Disorders, in his House; which is to be certified to the Sessions, and the Justices there have a Power to proceed for the Forfeiture [12] .
By the Statute of Jac. I. [13] Alehouse-keepers, who suffer Townsmen to sit tipling (unless in the Cases abovementioned [14] ) forfeit Ten Shillings to the Poor; the Distress to be sold within six Days; and if no Distress can be had, the Party is to be committed till the Forfeiture is paid. ”

“ If therefore it be thought proper to suppress this Vice, the Legislature must once more take the Matter into their Hands; and to this, perhaps, they will be the more inclined, when it comes to their Knowledge, that a new Kind of Drunkenness, unknown to our Ancestors, is lately sprung up amongst us, and which, if not put a Stop to, will infallibly destroy a great Part of the inferiour People.
The Drunkenness I here intend, is that acquired by the strongest intoxicating Liquors, and particularly by that Poison called Gin ”

“ It is not making Men pay 50l. or 500l. for a Licence to poison; nor enlarging the Quantity from two Gallons to ten, which will extirpate so stubborn an Evil. Here may, perhaps, be no little Difficulty. To lay the Axe to the Still-head, and prohibit all Distillery in general, would destroy the Chemist. ”

“ This will appear from considering, that however cheap this vile Potion may be, the poorer Sort will not easily be able to supply themselves with the Quantities they desire; for the intoxicating Draught itself disqualifies them from using any honest Means to acquire it, at the same time that it removes all Sense of Fear and Shame, and emboldens them to commit every wicked and desperate Enterprize. ”