BARLEY. 55 



Tacitus mentions a sort of beer in use 

 among the ancient Germans, made of barley 

 or of wheat. 



The fertility of the Egyptian soil in grain, 

 and its unfitness for the vine, induced the 

 people of that country to make a sort of 

 wine or ale from barley, which was drunk 

 by those who could not afford to purchase 

 the juice of grapes.* 



The principal use of barley in this country, 

 is for making beer; a beverage too well known, 

 from the peasant to the monarch, to require 

 any eulogium on its agreeable and salutary 

 qualities : we shall, therefore, only observe, 

 that it is an European beverage of greater 

 antiquity than wine. It was drunk in Italy, 

 Spain, and in France, before they had learnt 

 the cultivation of the vine, or the making of 

 wine. 



Ovid notices a sweet drink used by pea- 

 sants, which was made by boiling roasted 

 barley-meal in water. 



" The Goddess knocking at the little door, 

 'Twas open'd by a woman, old and poor, 

 \fy ho, when she bes^d for water, oave her ale 

 Brew'd long, but well preserved from being stale." 



The word ale is from the Saxon eale ; 



* Conf. Athenocus, sub finem lib. 1 . Arbuthnot. 



