Plinies Naturall Hiftohe, 



A fore them all. As for the wines of Lagaria^ which bee made of the grapes not farre from Gru- 

 mentum, there gdeth a right great name of themjby rcafon that Meffda iiled ordinarily to drink 

 thereofjand thereby wasfiippofed toprcierve his health fo well. Of lace daies there beecertain 

 wines in Campaine growne into credite (like as they have gotten new names) by good ordering 

 and husbaqdrie, or by chaunce, I know not whether 3 namely, thofe of Trebellia , foure miles 

 from Naples , of Caulium neare to Capua : and laft of all^the Trebulaine wines within their own 

 icrritoriei for beforetime they were cvec-counted no better than common wines for every man 

 to drinke, no more than theTrifolineSj from whence they vaunt of their defcent. As for the 

 wineof Porapcij, a towne in thekjngdome of Naples^neitheritflor the, Vine whereof it com- 

 mcth^will laft above ten years at the moft: after which tearme, the elder they both bee^the worfc 



B they arcBefides^they arc found by experience -to caule the headach, infomucbjas if a man drink, 

 thereof over night^hee iTiall befure not to have his head in good tune untill noone the morrow 

 after. By which examples above rehearledj it is plainc in my conceitjihat the goodnefle of the 

 wine ftandeth much upon the fbile and the climate, and not in the grape ; lb as a needleite and 

 cndlefle matter it is to reduce all kind of wines toacertainenumber,confidering,thatoneand 

 the lelfefamc Vine planted in diverfe placesj hath fundrie operations^ and maketh varieticof 

 wines. Now as concerning the wines of Spaine^the Lalctane vineyards are much ipoken of for 

 the plentie and abundance of winethatthey yceld:buc thofe of Tarracon, ArragonjandLau- 

 rone, are much praifed and renowned for the fine and neat wines which they make . As for the 

 wines that come out of dbelflandsj and namely, the Baleares^ they are comparable to the very 



C« beftinltalie. 



I am not ignorant, that moft men who fliall read this Treatife, will thinke that I have omit* 

 ted and overpafled many wines : for every man liketh his ownejand as ones fancie leadeth/o go- 

 eth the voice and the crie, and there runs the Hare away, Itisreported,thacone ol K^ugujltis 

 C^e/4rj freed men (reputed for the fineft tafterthat hee had about his courr, and who knew beft 

 what would content his pallat J andpleafehistootli) upon a time when he taftcd the wine that 

 was for the Emperours bourd, at what time as he made a feaft, faid to one of the gucfts at the ta- 

 blejThatthe faid wine indeed had a new and ftraunge taft, and was none of the beft, and thofe 

 that were in name 5 howbeit(quoth he)this is lor the Emperours cup,and willingly will he drinke 

 of no other,notwithftanding it be but a homely wine made hereby in the countrey, and not far 

 D fetched. And now for a final] conclufion of this matter,! cannot deniebut that there bee other 

 wines which deferve to bee numbred among thole that are right good and commendable, 

 howbeitjfuffice it fliall to have written of thcfc, which by the common opinion and confent 

 of the world are held for the better. 



Chap. VJi, 

 ^ f Wines bepnd'fea^ 



ITremainethnowtofpeakeof oudandilli Wines beyond the Tea. Firftandformoft thereforej 

 next to thofe wines renowned by the Poet ^^?»^r, and whereof we have written before, beft 

 E efteemed alwaics were the wines of the lilands Thafos and Chios : and namely that of Chios 

 which.they call Arufium or Aruifium. ErafiJItatm the moft famous Phyfician ot his time, mat- 

 ched with thele the Lesbian wine; and his authoritie gave credite unto it : Si this was much about 

 the fixe hundred yeare after the foundation of Rome. B ut in thefe daies there is no wine to that 

 of Clazomene^everfince that they began to put thereto leflelea-water for to feafon it,than their 

 cuftomewas. As for the wine of Lesbps,ithathafentand rellifhof thcfaltwaternaturally of it 

 felfe.Neithcr is the wine that commeth from the hill Tmolus in any regard,as a wine to be drunk 

 alone, but it fervethas afweet cuit to mingle with other wines that bee hard: for thereby "their 

 greenc verdure will leeme more mjld and pleafant , yea, and withall to have their ripe age : for no 

 fooncr is it tempered therewith, but they taft prcfendy elder than they bee. Next after thefe for 

 F goodnefle, follow in their courfc the wines of Sycione, Cypres, Tclmeftus, TripoIis,Berytus, 

 Tyrus, and Sebennys. As for this wine laft rehearfed, it is made in ^gyptja countrey much re- 

 nowned for three kinds of grapes there,to wit,Thafia,iEthalos,and Peuce. Next in price & ac- 

 ' count be thefe followingjtheHippodomantian^theMyf^ickejCantharitejand the Gnidian wine 



of the firft running and unprefled^alfo that of Catacecaumenc^a regionfo called/or that it fee- 



