Superiority of wine
17 So the first young man, who had spoken of the strength of wine, started:
18
"Gentlemen, how is it that wine is so superior? It misleads the minds of all who drink it.
19
It makes the mind of the king the same as that of the orphan, likewise of the slave and the free, of the poor and the rich.
20
It changes every thought to feasting and cheerfulness, and forgets all grief and every obligation.
21
It fattens all hearts, makes one remember neither kings nor administrators, and makes everyone talk in outrageous sums.
22
When drinking, people forget to be civil even with their friends and relatives, and after a while they draw their swords.
23
When they recover from the wine, they don't even remember what they did.
24
Gentlemen, isn't wine superior, since it forces people to behave like this?" With that, he stopped speaking.