THE VINEYARDS OF THE WORLD. 5 



abused, at the earliest known periods of 

 the history of the human race. 



Whether it be Osiris, in Egypt ; Varum, 

 in India ; Samschid, in Persia ; Eleusis 

 and Bacchus, in Greece and in Rome ; 

 we find in all the oldest legends of the 

 East and the mythology of the Ancients, 

 a benevolent divinity who was credited 

 with having introduced viticulture and 

 civilisation. It may truly be said that in 

 every part of the world and among every 

 race, the use of wine is older than the oldest 

 records which have reached us. 



Pickett, in his Origines Indo-Europe- 

 ennes, states that the Aryans introduced 

 viticulture in Egypt, India, Persia, and 

 Greece ; this is also the opinion advanced 

 by Pietro Selleh in his Trattato di Viticul- 

 tura e di Vinificazione. On the other hand, 

 we are told by Sir John Malcolm, in his 

 History of Persia, that viticulture was 



