Half-seas over, or nearly drunk, is likely to have been a proverbial phrase from the Dutch, applied to that state of ebriety by an idea familiar with those water-rats.  Thus op-zee, Dutch, means literally over-sea.  Mr. Gifford has recently told us in his “Jonson,” that it was a name given to a stupifying beer introduced into England from the Low Countries; hence op-zee, or over-sea; and freezen in German, signifies to swallow greedily:  from this vile alliance they compounded a harsh term, often used in our old plays.  Thus Jonson: 

    I do not like the dulness of your eye,
    It hath a heavy cast, ’tis upsee Dutch.

Alchemist, A. iv.  S. 2.

And Fletcher has “upse-freeze;” which Dr. Nott explains in his edition of Decker’s “Gull’s Hornbook,” as “a tipsy draught, or swallowing liquor till drunk.”  Mr. Gifford says it was the name of Friesland beer; the meaning, however, was “to drink swinishly like a Dutchman.”

We are indebted to the Danes for many of our terms of jollity, such as a rouse and a carouse.  Mr. Gifford has given not only a new but very distinct explanation of these classical terms in his “Massinger.”  “A rouse was a large glass, in which a health was given, the drinking of which by the rest of the company formed a carouse.  Barnaby Rich notices the carouse as an invention for which the first founder merited hanging.  It is necessary to add, that there could be no rouse or carouse, unless the glasses were emptied.”  Although we have lost the terms, we have not lost the practice, as those who have the honour of dining in public parties are still gratified by the animating cry of “Gentlemen, charge your glasses.”

According to Blount’s “Glossographia,” carouse is a corruption of two old German words, gar signifying all, and ausz, out; so that to drink garauz is to drink all out:  hence carouse.]

[Footnote 159:  “Pierce Pennilesse,” sig.  F 2, 1595.]

[Footnote 160:  When Christian IV. of Denmark was at the court of our James I. on a visit, drinking appears to have been carried to an excess; there is extant an account of a court masque, in which the actors were too tipsy to continue their parts; luckily, their majesties were not sufficiently sober to find fault.]

[Footnote 161:  These inventions for keeping every thirsty soul within bounds are alluded to by Tom Nash; I do not know that his authority will be great as an antiquary, but the things themselves he describes he had seen.  He tells us, that “King Edgar, because his subjects should not offend in swilling and bibbing as they did, caused certain iron cups to be chained to every fountain and well-side, and at every vintner’s door, with iron pins in them, to stint every man how much he should drink; and he who went beyond one of those pins forfeited a penny for every draught.”