BOOK III. XXI. 3-5 



the one side and the Spionians or BasiHcans to the 

 other side, whereby the fostering earth each year, 

 as if delighting in never-ending parturition," extends 

 to mortals her breasts distended with new wine. 

 Meanwliile, as father Bacchus is propitious to the 

 pregnant vine-branches, either of the white or yellow 

 variety, and of the rudd}^ kind or that which gleams 

 with purple sheen, on every hand Autumnus glows, 

 laden with his fruits of changing hue. But though 4 

 all these give the greatest dehght, still profit prevails 

 over pleasure. For the head of the household comes 

 down the more willingly to feast his eyes upon his 

 wealth in proportion to its splendour; and, as the 

 poet says of the sacred deity, 



Wheresoever the god has turned his goodly head,'' 



truly, wherever the person and eyes of the master 

 are frequent visitors, there the fruit abounds in 

 greater ineasure.*^ But, dismissing this statement, 

 which is applicable also to vines not grouped accord- 

 ing to their kinds, I shall proceed with those matters 

 which are most deserving of notice. 



Vine-plants of different kinds do not east their 5 

 blossoms at the same time, nor do they reach the 

 time of ripening together. For this reason, the man 

 who does not have his vineyards divided according 

 to their kinds must suffer one or the other of these 

 disadvantages : either he must gather the late fruit 

 along with the early ripe, which soon causes sourness ; 

 or, if he awaits the ripening of the late fruit, he may 



« C/. X. 145, 157. 



" Vergil, Gcorg. II. 392. The god is Bacchus. 

 ' Cf. IV. 18. 1 ; PalJadius, I. 6. 1, Praesentia domini provedus 

 est agri. 



343 



