140 ANTIENTMETAPHYSICS. Book 11. 



which was preferved in Egypt, even in his time, by offering to this 

 Goddefs the firft fruits of thefe plants, in the beginning of their har- 

 veft. Diodorus, it may be obferved, mentions only wheat and bar- 

 ley. But there was another grain in Egypt, which they called Zea^ 

 and which, as the Halicarnaffian tells us, was the Far of the Ro- 

 mans. This grain was a much finer grain than the common wheat, 

 though I believe of the fame genus ; for which reafon it is likely 

 that it is not diftinguiihed by Diodorus from wheat. But Hero- 

 dotus has made the diftindlion, and informed us, thit the better fort 

 of people in Egypt ate no bread but what was made of the Zea or 

 Olyron, as it was likewife called*. Whether thefe plants were then 

 produced in any other country in the world, I will not take upon 

 me to determine, though 1 incline to believe that they were nor. 

 But one thing is certain, that the culture of them firft began in 

 Egypt) and from thence was carried to different parts of the 

 world f. So that the bread we eat at prefent, 1 am perfuaded, we 

 owe to this Goddefs Ifis, or Ceres, as fhe was called by the Romans, 



-cujus munere tellus 



Chaoniam pingui glandem. mutavit arifta.]:. 



for, in other countries, where they had not fuch plants as the lotus 

 and the agrojlis^ the men were obliged to live upon acorns, as we 

 are told the Arcadians did in antient times, and no doubt many 

 more nations didj in countries where they could find that fruit. 



The firft people in Europe, that this gift of the Goddefs came to,. 



were: 



* Herod, lib. 2. cap. 35. 



f The fineft kind of wheat, or Zea, is not to be found at prefent, as I am informed, 

 any where in Europe except in Sicily. From thence I wonder that we do not gei 

 the feed of it, and try to cultivate it in Dritain, 



+ Georgic. VirgiL in initio. 



