VINE. 73 



were seldom able to regale themselves with wine, taly raised 

 but little ; and the foreign wines were so expensive that they 

 were rarely produced even at entertainments ; and when they 

 were, every guest was only indulged with a single draught. But 

 in the seventh century after the founding of the city, as their 

 conquests augmented the degree of their wealth and enlarged 

 the sphere of their luxury, wines became an object of particular 

 attention. Vaults were now constructed, and gradually became 

 well-stocked, and the wines of the country acquired a consi- 

 derable character. The Falernian arose immediately into great 

 repute ; the fashion for it, however, progressively gave way ; others 

 rose into greater favour, and especially that of Florence, towards 

 the close of the above century; and the more westerly parts of 

 Europe were at once subjugated by the arms of Italy, and exhila- 

 rated by her wines. 



Vine leaves and the tendrils have an astringent taste, and were 

 formerly used in diarrhoeas, haemorrhages, and other disorders re- 

 quiring refrigerant and styptic medicines. The juice or sap of the 

 vine, called lachryma, has been recommended in calculous disor- 

 ders ; and it is said to be an excellent application to weak eyes and 

 specks of the cornea. The unripe fruit has a harsh, rough, sour 

 taste; its expressed juice, called verjuice, was formerly much 

 esteemed, but is now superseded by the juice of lemons : for exter- 

 nal use, however, particularly in bruises and pains, verjuice is still 

 employed, and considered to be a very useful application. 



The fruit of some of the varieties in Persia are so large that a 

 single grape is sufficient for a mouthful. 



Vines were transplanted to the Cape of Good Hope from the 

 Rhine, from Persia, and many other countries, and are so vastly 

 increased, and yield so plentifully, that the Cape Europeans have 

 much more wine than they can drink, and sell a great deal to the 

 ships that touch there. 



Constantia, a place visited by all strangers, is a neat Dutch farm, 

 about eight miles from the Cape; remarkable for its fine wines, 

 both red and white,, which are much esteemed every where, as well 

 ou account of their richness as their scarcity. The grapes of this 

 vineyard, owing to some peculiar property in the soil, are superior 

 to any other in the country. The vintage is in autumn, which is 

 about March and April. The Cape wines, by being kept about 

 two years, acquire the taste of sack ; and such as have been kept 



