Marc Antony Likes to Drink

Plutarch, Life of Antony §9:

“He was therefore hated by many of them, and as Cicero says, was because of his other habits in life hardly pleasing to the noble and right-thinking elements of society, but rather, was an object of contempt. They loathed his unseasonable drunkenness, his excessive meals, his wallowing around in ladies’ chambers, his habit of sleeping in the day, his excited and hung-over rambles, his nightly carousals, theater shows, and idle moments at the feasts of mimes and comedic actors.

It is said that once, after indulging himself at the feast of Hippius the mimic actor and drinking all through the night, he awoke in the morning to the call of public business and, as he strolled to the Forum still full of food, vomited as one of his friends held back his cloak.”

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τοῖς μὲν οὖν πολλοῖς ἐκ τούτων ἀπηχθάνετο, τοῖς δὲ χρηστοῖς καὶ σώφροσι διὰ τὸν ἄλλον βίον οὐκ ἦν ἀρεστός, ὡς Κικέρων φησίν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐμισεῖτο, βδελυττομένων αὐτοῦ μέθας ἀώρους καὶ δαπάνας ἐπαχθεῖς καὶ κυλινδήσεις ἐν γυναίοις, καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμέραν μὲν ὕπνους καὶ περιπάτους ἀλύοντος καὶ κραιπαλῶντος, νύκτωρ δὲ κώμους καὶ θέατρα καὶ διατριβὰς ἐν γάμοις μίμων καὶ γελωτοποιῶν.

λέγεται γοῦν, ὡς ἐν Ἱππίου ποτὲ τοῦ μίμου γάμοις ἑστιαθεὶς καὶ πιὼν διὰ νυκτός, εἶτα πρωῒ τοῦ δήμου καλοῦντος εἰς ἀγορὰν προελθὼν ἔτι τροφῆς μεστὸς ἐμέσειε, τῶν φίλων τινὸς ὑποσχόντος τὸ ἱμάτιον. τὸ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ περιέποντες ἠκολούθουν.

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