266 pliny's natural history. [Book XIV. 



to mitigate the harshness of the wine and subdue its asperity, 

 and when the wine is thin and fiat, to give it additional 

 strength and body. It is in Liguria more particularly, and 

 the districts in the vicinity of the Padus, that the utility is 

 recognized of mixing crapula with the must, in doing which 

 the following rule is adopted : with wines of a strong and 

 generous nature they mix a larger quantity, while with those 

 that are poor and thin they use it more sparingly. There are 

 some who would have the wine seasoned with both crapula 

 and flower of resin at the same time. 31 Pitch too, when used 

 for this purpose, has much the same properties as must when 

 so employed. 



In some places, the must is subject to a spontaneous fermen- 

 tation a second time : when this unfortunately happens it loses 

 all its flavour, and then receives the name of " vappa," 32 a word 

 which is applied as an opprobrious appellation even to worth- 

 less men of degenerate spirit : in vinegar, on the other hand, 

 notwithstanding its tart and acrid taste, there are very con- 

 siderable virtues, and without it we should miss many of the 

 comforts 33 of civilized life. 



In addition to what we have already stated, the treatment 

 and preparation of wines are the object of such remarkable at- 

 tention, that we find some persons employing ashes, and others 

 gypsum and other substances of which we have already 34 

 spoken, for the purpose of improving its condition : the ashes, 35 

 however, of the shoots of vines or of the wood of the quercus, are 

 in general preferred for this purpose. It is recommended also, 



these effects, and hence obtained the name. This kind of wine was used 

 itself, as we see above, in seasoning the other kinds. Fee remarks, that 

 in reality resins have no such effect as imparting body to weak wines. 



31 The whole of this passage is hopelessly corrupt, and we can only 

 guess at the meaning. 



32 We have already stated that " vappa " is properly vinegar, which 

 has been exposed to the air and has lost its flavour. In this fresh che- 

 mical change, which he calls a second fermentation, the wine becomes 

 vinegar ; and probably in the cases he mentions, for some peculiar reason, 

 its speedy transition to " vappa " could not be arrested. 



33 Mixed with water, it was the " posca," or common drink of the Roman 

 soldiers ; and it was used extensively both by Greeks and Romans in their 

 cooking, and at meals. 



34 In c. 24. 



35 By the mixture of ashes, Fee says, the wines would lose their colour, 

 and have a detestable alkaline flavour. 



