264 pliny's natural histoby. [Book XIV. 



used in preparing wines ; indeed, several of trie Greeks have 

 written separate treatises on this subject, and have made a 

 complete art of it, such, for instance, as Euphronius, Aristo- 

 machus, Commiades, and Hieesius. The people of Africa are 

 in the habit of neutralizing such acidity u as may be found 

 with gypsum, and in some parts with lime. The people of 

 Greece, on the other hand, impart briskness to their wines 

 when too flat, with potters' earth, pounded marble, salt, or 

 sea- water ; while in Italy, again, brown pitch is used for that 

 purpose in some parts, and it is the universal practice both 

 there as well as in the adjoining provinces to season their new 

 wines with resin : sometimes, too, they season them with old 

 wine-lees or vinegar. 12 They make various medicaments, also, 

 for this purpose with the must itself. They boil it down till 

 it becomes quite sweet, and has lost a considerable portion of 

 its strength ; though thus prepared, they say it will never last 

 beyond a single year. In some places they boil down the 

 must till it becomes sapa, 13 and then mix it with their wines 

 for the purpose of modifying their harshness. Both for 

 these kinds of wines, as, indeed, all others, they always employ 

 vessels which have themselves received an inner coat of pitch ; 

 the method of preparing them will be set forth in a succeeding 

 Book. 14 



CHAP. 25. (20.) PITCH AND EESIN. 



Of the trees from which pitch and resin distil, there are 

 some which grow in the East, and others in Europe : the pro- 

 vince of Asia, 15 which lies between the two, has also some of 

 both kinds. In the East, the very best commodity of this 

 kind, and of the finest quality, is that produced by the tere- 

 binth, 16 and, next to it, that from the lentisk, 17 which is also 

 known as the mastich. The next in quality to these is the juice 

 of the cypress, 18 being of a more acrid flavour than any other. 



11 See B. xxiii. c. 24, and B. xxxvi. c. 48. 



12 A process very likely, as Fe'e remarks, to turn the wines speedily to 

 vinegar. 



13 Down to one-third. This practice of using boiled grape-juice as a 

 seasoning, is still followed in Spain in making some of the liqueurs; but it 

 is not generally recommended. 



14 B. xvi. c. 21. 15 Asia Minor, namely. 

 16 B. xiii. c. 12. " B. xii. c. 37. 



18 It produces but a very minute quantity of resin, which is no longer 

 an article of commerce. 



