BOOK XIV. XIX. 101-104 



The next kind of artificial wine is made fr om ^i^n^n^. 

 ripe millet seed, by putting a pound and a quarter 

 of the seed together with its straw to soak in 

 1| gallons of must and after an inter^^al of seven 

 months pouring off the Hquor. It has already ^nr. 

 been stated where the varieties brewed from the ^'^*' *^' 

 lotus-tree, lotus-shrub and herbaceous lotus are 

 made. 



There are also wines, made from fruit, which we will ^cue mne 

 specify, adding only the indispensable explanations : ^ fi^^^^^- 

 First the wine madc from date-palms, which is used 

 by the Parthians and Indians and by the whole of 

 the East, a peck of the rather soft dates called in 

 Greek * common dates ' being soaked in two and a 

 quarter gallons of water and then pressed. Also fig 

 syrup is made from figs by a similar process, other 

 names for it being pharnuprium and trochis ; or if it 

 is not wanted to be sweet, instead of water is added 

 the same quantity of grape-skin juice. Also ex- 

 cellent vinegar is made from the Cyprus fig, and an 

 even better quaHty as well from that of Alexandria. 

 Wine is also made from the Syrian carob, and from 

 pears and all kinds of apples (one from pomegranates 

 is called rhoites") as also from cornels, medlars, 

 service berries, dried mulberries and fir-cones ; the 

 last are soaked in must before being pressed, but 

 the juice of the preceding fruits is sweet of itself. 

 We will indicate a Httle later instructions given by 

 Cato as to how to make myrtle-syrup. The Greeks xv.cxxv. 

 also employ another method : they boil tender 

 sprigs of myrtle with the leaves on in salted must, 

 and after pounding them boil down one pound of 

 the mixture in 2} gallons of must until only IJ 

 gallons are left. The beverage made by the same 



255 



