Chap. 35.] EEMEDIES DERIVED ESOM BUTTER. 323 



CHAP. 35. TWENTY- FIVE EEMEDIES DERIVED FROM BUTTER. 



From milk, too, butter is produced ; held as the most delicate 

 of food among barbarous^" nations, and one which distinguishes*^ 

 the wealthy from the multitude at large. It is mostly made 

 from cows' milk, and hence its name ; ®'- but the richest butter 

 is that made from ewes' milk. There is a butter made also 

 from goats' milk ; but previously to making it, the milk should 

 first be warmed, in winter. In summer it is extracted from 

 the milk by merely shaking it to and fro in a tall vessel, with 

 a small orifice at the mouth to admit the air, but otherwise 

 closely stopped, a little water^ being added to make it curdle 

 the sooner. The milk that curdles the most, floats upon the sur- 

 face ; this they remove, and, adding salt to it, give it the name 

 of "oxygala."^^ They then take the remaining part and boil 

 it down in pots, and that portion of it which floats on the 

 surface is butter, a substance of an oily nature. The more^ 

 rank it is in smell, the more highly it is esteemed. When old, 

 it forms an ingredient in numerous compositions. It is of an 

 astringent, emollient, repletive, and purgative nature. 



^'^ The people of Germany and Scythia, for instance. 



^1 In this passage also it is generally supposed that he refers to the 

 nomadic life of barbarous nations, in which multitudes of sheep and 

 cattle constituted the chief wealth. It is, however, not improbable that 

 he means to say that among the Romans it was only the wealthy who could 

 afford to use it. 



^- Boi'Tvpov, "cow cheese." 



^^ Qy. whether for " aquge," "water," we should not read "acidi" 

 here, " sour milk," as at the beginning of the next Chapter } Beckmann 

 suggests " aceti," "vinegar." — Hist. Inv. I. 505, Bohn's Ed. 



^* Beckmann says on this passage, "What Pliny says respecting oa-'y^ff/rt; 

 is attended with difficulties : and I am fully persuaded that his words are 

 corrupted, though I find no variations marked in MSS. by which this con- 

 jecture can be supported." — Hist. Inv. I. 505. He suggests another 

 arrangement of the whole passage, but without improving it, for the diffi- 

 culty would appear to be totally imaginary ; as it is quite clear that by 

 " oxygala," or "sour milk," Pliny means the thickest part of the curd, 

 which is first removed and tlien salted, forming probably a sort of cream 

 cheese. Though his meaning is clear, he may very possibly give an 

 erroneous description of the process. 



^^ The remark of Holland on this passage is curious — " Some would 

 amend this place, and for ' raagis,' ' more,' put ' minus,' ' less,' in a con- 

 trary sense ; but I suppose he writeth in regard of barbarous people, who 

 make more accouut of such ranke butyi'; like as the uncivile Irisli in 

 these daies." 



