189 



greatly encouraged agricultural pursuits in 

 all the provinces under Rome, was em- 

 peror. 



Again, we are informed that the planting 

 of vineyards in Italy had so much increased 

 about A. D. 85, that agriculture was thereby 

 neglected; on which account Domitian is- 

 sued an edict prohibiting any new vineyards 

 to be planted in Italy, and ordered at least 

 one half of those in the provinces to be cut 

 down. It therefore appears highly impro- 

 bable that the vine should not have been 

 planted in Britain previous to the year 280, 

 when in 85 all the other Roman provinces 

 were over-run with vineyards. 



That we are indebted to the Romans for 

 the first introduction of the vine, is generally 

 allowed ; although it is possible it might 

 have been introduced at a much earlier pe- 

 riod than I have stated, as the Phoenicians 

 are said to have planted the vine in the isles 

 of the Mediterranean sea, as well as in seve- 

 ral parts of Europe and Africa ; and as we 

 have accounts of their trading to Britain for 

 tin, they might have planted it on the Eng- 

 lish coast also : but this must remain a matter 

 of conjecture, any further than it confirms 

 the vine to have been originally brought 

 from Palestine. In the Book of Numbers we 



