Letter 73

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An inquirer
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore explains why wine makes some people cheerful and others violent.

You ask why wine does not affect everyone the same way — why it makes some genial, others aggressive; some affectionate, others combative; some gentle, others savage. Since you force me into natural philosophy, here is my answer: it happens either from the temperament of the body or from the disposition of the soul. Wine does not create character — it reveals it. The person who becomes violent when drunk was already violent when sober; the wine simply removed the mask. If you want to know what a person is truly like, watch them when their guard is down.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.