BOOK XIV. XXIII. 119-XXIV. 121 



XXIII. And since life is upheld by reliffion it is Vin^snot 



UA&d, for 



considered sinful to pour libations to the gods, not reii^u4 

 only with \vines made from a vine that has not been "'"^^- 

 pruned, but from one that has been struck by Hght- 

 ning, or one in the neighbourhood of which a man has 

 been hanged, or wine made from grapes that have 

 been trodden out by someone with sore feet, or 

 squeezed from grape-skins that have been cut round " 

 or have been soiled by something not quite clean 

 dropping on them from above ; and Ukewise Greek 

 wines must not be used for Hbations, because they 

 contain water. 



The vine itself is also eaten, the tops of the shoots be- 

 ing boiled ; they are also pickled in vinegar and brine. 



XXIV. But it may also be proper to give an account Methodi of 

 of the method of preparing wine, as Greek authors ^,^*"^ 

 have written special treatises on this subject and have 



made a scientific system for it — for instance Euphron- 

 ius, Aristomachus, Commiades and Hicesius. The 

 practice in Africa is to soften any roughness with 

 gypsum, and also in some parts of the country with 

 Hme. In Greece, on the other hand, they enUven 

 the smoothness of tlieir w ines w^ith potter's earth or 

 marble dust or salt or sea-water, while in some parts 

 of Italy they use resinous ^ pitch for this purpose, and 

 it is the general practice both there and in the neigh- 

 bouring provinces to season must with resin ; in 

 some places they use the lees of older wine or else 

 vinegar for seasoning. Moreover, medicaments for 

 this purpose are also made from the must itself : it 

 is boiled down so as to become sweeter in proportion 

 to its strength, and it is said that must so treated 

 does not last beyond a year's time. In some places 

 they boil the must down into what is caHed sapa, 



265 



