I’ve been reading The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon.
Today I came across this quote. Gibbon is describing the Barbaric tribes far north of the Roman Empire. Well, at least I think is. I suppose it was possible that he was predicting modern NFL fans.
“In the dull intervals of peace these barbarians were immoderately addicted to deep gaming and excessive drinking; both of which, by different means, the one inflaming their passions, the other by extinguishing their reason alike relieved them from the pain of thinking” (emphasis most emphatically mine).
Edward Gibbon in, The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire chapter 9.
