Chap. 9.] FOREIGN WINES. 245 



new to me, and it is by no means of first-rate quality ; the 

 emperor, however, you will see, will drink of no other." 13 

 Indeed I have no wish to deny that there may be other wines 

 deserving of a very high reputation, but those which I have 

 already enumerated are the varieties upon the excellence of 

 which the world is at present agreed. 



CHAP. 9. (7.) THIRTY-EIGHT VARIETIES OF FOREIGN WINES. 



We will now, in a similar manner, give a description of the 

 varieties found in the parts beyond sea. After the wines 

 mentioned by Homer, and of which we have already spoken, 14 

 those held in the highest esteem were the wines of Thasos 

 and Chios, 15 and of the latter more particularly the sort known 

 as " Arvisium." 16 By the side of these has been placed the 

 wine of Lesbos, 17 upon the authority of Erasistratus, a famous 

 physician, who flourished about the year of the City of Rome 

 450. At the present day, the most esteemed of all is the wine 

 of ClazomenaB, 18 since they have learned to season it more 

 sparingly with sea-water. The wine of Lesbos has naturally 

 a taste of sea- water. That from Mount Tmolus 19 is not so 

 much esteemed by itself 20 for its qualities as a wine, as for its 

 peculiar sweetness. It is on account of this that it is mixed 

 with other wines, for the purpose of modifying their harsh 

 flavour, by imparting to them a portion of its own sweetness ; 

 while at the same time it gives them age, for immediately 

 after the mixture they appear to be much older than they 

 really are. Next in esteem after these are the wines of 



13 He means to illustrate the capricious tastes that existed as to the 

 merits of wines. u In c. 6 of this Book. 



15 The Chian held the first rank, the Thasian the second. 



16 From Arvisium, or Ariusium, a hilly district in the centre of the 

 island.- The wine of Chios still retains its ancient celebrity. 



17 It was remarkable for its sweetness, and aromatics were sometimes 

 mixed with it. Homer calls it harmless. Lesbos still produces choice 

 wines. . . 



18 Near Smyrna. Probably similar to the Pramnian wine, mentioned 



in c. 6. 



19 See B. v. c. 30. This wine is mentioned again in the next page ; it is 

 generally thought, that he is wrong in making the Tmolites and the Meso- 

 gites distinct wines, for they are supposed to have been identical. 



20 If drunk by itself, and not as a flavouring for other wines. 



