CONCERNING ODOURS, 50-53 



skin. These and similar properties may be con- 

 sidered peculiar to these particular perfumes. 



Of other properties and peculiarities of perfumes. 



XI. The admixture of rose-perfume, whether in 

 scents or in flavours, if it be well blended, is bene- 

 ficial, in the one case by removing the heaviness and 

 strength of the scent, in the other by imparting a 

 fragrant scent or a sweet taste to the flavour, as in 

 the case of wines. 1 Thus the wine which is served 

 in the town-hall of Thasos, which appears to be 

 of wonderfully delightful quality, is thus flavoured. 

 For they put into the jar a lump of dough which has 

 been kneaded up with honey, so that the wine gets 

 its fragrance from itself, but its sweet taste from the 

 honeyed dough. 



This result also follows, it is said, from the mixture 

 of different wines, for example, if a strong fragrant 

 wine be mixed with one that is mild and without 

 fragrance, (for instance, if wine of Heraclea be 

 mixed with wine of Erythrae), 2 since the latter con- 

 tributes its mildness and the former its fragrance : 

 3 for the effect is that they simultaneously destroy 

 one another's inferior qualities through the mildness 

 of the one and the fragrance of the other. There 

 are many other such blends mentioned by and known 

 to experts. And it is quite to be expected that such 

 a result should follow from blending odours, as it does 

 from blending colours, if one discovers the suitable 

 combinations. This then is peculiar to rose-perfume. 



However there is one question which applies to 

 all perfumes, namely, why it is that they appear to 



mutual. I have added al TTJ evoff^la Oarepov after Sch. ; his 

 text however is ffv/j.ir'nrrfi yap a/tta, nal ra KUKO. aAA.TjAwi' 

 atyavifci, rf) yUaActfc^TTjTJ <KOJ TT) euo<r^fa> darfpov. 



373 



