W I N 
we include beer or ale, mead and metheglin, cyder, 
perry, all forts of artificial Wines, and whatever li- 
quors afford fpirits poffeffed of the properties before 
fet down. 
The like is to be underftoocl of vinegar, which is ob- 
tainable from all the fame bodies that afford Wine fo 
that we have either the Wine or vinegar of -all forts of 
fruits, as of Grapes, Currants, Mulberries, Cherries, 
&c. all forts of Grain, as Barley, Wheat, Oats, &c. 
all forts of pulfe, as Beans, Peas, Tares, &c. all forts 
of roots, as Turneps, Carrots, Radifhes, &c. and in 
fhort, all forts of vegetable fubftances, even Grafs 
itfelf. 
3. All the bodies capable of being changed by fer- 
mentation, either into Wine or vinegar, are faid to be 
fermentable bodies •, and becaufe fuch a change can 
only be wrought, fo far as we know at prefent, upon 
vegetables, thefe alone are accounted fermentable. 
4. Any matter, which being mixed with a fermen- 
table body, increafes its inteftine motion, or excites or 
forwards the fermentation, is called the ferment ; and, 
according to the doftrine before delivered, nothing 
can properly be called fo, but what will produce either 
Wine or vinegar. 
Thefe fermentable bodies may be reduced to the fol- 
lowing claffes ; 
The fir ft elafs will confift of the meally feeds, i. e. 
all the grain, which, being fully ripe, and well dried, 
may be reduced, by grinding to a light meal or flour, 
that is neither clammy nor unftuous. 
The fecond clafs confifts of all the pulpy fummer 
fruits, which, when ripe, affeft tire tongue with the 
fenfe of acidity and flrarpnefs, as Apples, Pears, 
Grapes, Goofberries, &c. Under this clafs may be 
ranged all manner of bulbous pulpy roots r growing in 
the ground, if they are firft deprived of their volatile 
alkaline fait, which is apt to determine them to pu- 
trefaftion. 
The third clafs takes itl all the juicy parts of plants, 
as the leaves, flowers, ftalks, and roots, provided they 
are not too oily, or too alkaline ; in which Cafes ve- 
getables will rather putrify than ferment. 
The fourth clafs contains the frelh, expreffed, and 
native juices of all kinds of vegetables ; to which may 
be added, all the native faline liquors that diftil from 
wounded plants, as the tears of the Vine, the Walnut, 
the Birch-tree, &c. 
Under the fifth clafs come the moft perfeft of all the 
vegetable juices, viz. thofe that are unctuous, con- 
denfed, and elaborated by nature herfelf, fuch as ho- 
ney, manna, fugar, and all other kinds of concofted 
* juices capable of difi'olving in water. 
In order to fit any of the fermentable bodies for fer- 
mentation, there are feveral particulars requifite : 
1. Maturity-, the juice of unripe berries, as of Cur- 
rants or Goofberries, for inftance, will fcarce be 
brought to ferment at all, while it is very difficult to 
hinder their juice, when fully ripe, from falling fpon- 
taneoufly into fermentation. 
Thus the juice of unripe Grapes, being uncapable of 
fermenting, is a rough acid liquor, called verjuice, 
that will for feveral years remain in the fame unadtive 
ftate ^ but after they are come to maturity, it can no 
fooner be prefled into the veffel, than it becomes a 
fermentable fpirituous fluid. 
2. Another requifite to prepare a body for fermenta- 
tion is, that it fhould contain only a moderate pro- 
portion of oil ; for if it either exceeds in the quantity, 
or be entirely deftitute of oil, it will never be brought 
to ferment at all. Thus Almonds, Fennel-feeds, &c. 
are always deprived of their oil before they are at- 
tempted to be fermented. 
3. The bodies intended for fermentation muft not be 
too acid or auftere, as is plain from the acid juices of 
unripe fruit, which are not greatly dilpofed to ferment. 
4. The laft thing required to fit and prepare a body to 
undergo fermentation, is the property of diffolving in 
water j for want of which, all acid bodies, and fuch 
woods, roots, and herbs, as are dry and hard, be- 
come unfit for this operation ; for unlefs the parts of 
W 1 N 
thefe bodies are difiblved, the requifite inteftine illa- 
tion thereof will not enfue ; but without fuch motion 
fermentation cannot fubfift. 
Hence honey itfelf can never be made to ferment, 
whilft it retains its native thick confiftence but being 
diffolved by heat, or let down with water, it immedi- 
ately enters the ftate of fermentation. On the other 
hand, fo violently as the juice of Grapes affefts this 
ftate, yet if, immediately after it is expreffed, it be 
reduced, by boiling, to the confiftence of a jelly, it 
will lie quiet, and never ferment at all, unlefs it be 
again diluted, and let down with water. 
Ferments are of two kinds the natural or fpontane- 
ous, and thofe produced by fermentation. 
The fpontaneous, or natural ferments, are, 
1. All the freffi expreffed juices of fully ripened 
plants, which eafily run into fermentation. 
2. Honey, manna, fugar, and the like thick and in- 
fpiffated vegetable juices, which eaufe a ftrong fer- 
mentation. 
3. The ferments produced by fermentation are, the 
freffi flowers or yeaft of any fermenting vegetable 
juice or liquor, as of Wine, beer, &c. By flowers or 
yeaft is to be underftood that light frothy matter, 
which covers the furface of the fermenting liquor in 
the nature of a tender cruft ; and which, being added 
to any other fermentable juices, will excite a fermen- 
tation in them. 
4. The freffi feces or lees of any fermenting liquor, 
as of Wine, ale, beer, &c. For all fermentation di- 
vides the liquor, which is the fubjeft of it, into three 
parts, viz. the flowers or yeaft, which poffefs the up- 
permoft place ; the operating or fermenting fluid, 
which lies in the middle ; and’ the grofs and leemingly 
exhaufted matter, which, falling to the bottom of the 
veffel, is known by the name of lees, fediments, fecu- 
lence, or mother, that will, if raifed again out of the 
liquor into which it was precipitated, eaufe it to work 
afreffi. 
Thus, when a hogffiead of Wine has done ferment- 
ing, and is fined down, if the veffel be any way fhaken 
or difturbed, it will grow turbid again, and ferment 
anew, as vintners very well know. For fuch as were 
the flowers in the aft of fermentation, fuch is the mo- 
ther after the aftion is over. 
5. Acid pafte, or bakers leaven, which is no more 
than any kind of meal brought into a clofe lump by 
means of water, after the fame manner as common 
bread is made for this being fet in a warm place, 
during the fpace of four or five days, it will firft fwell, 
then turn very acid, and at length become a ferment. 
6. Thofe ferments which relide in, or flick to the 
hides of the cafks that have contained fermenting li- 
quors ; for fuch calks will of themfelves raife a fer- 
mentation in the liquors committed to them ; and Hel- 
mont was of opinion, that they might be capable of 
doing this for ever. 
Upon account of this inherent ferment it is, that old- 
feaioned veffels, or fuch as have been long employed 
by vintners or brewers, bear fo great a price among 
them. 
It is very remarkable, though a thing well known to 
brewers and vintners, that a new caffi checks the fer- 
mentation of vinous liquors, and renders them weak 
and fpiritlefs ; for which reafon they never chufe to 
make ufe of fuch a cafk before it is feafoned, as thev 
call it, by having firft contained foine fpirituous or fer- 
mented liquor or other ; which being plentifully drank 
in by the wood, the original liquor comes to be de- 
prived of a large proportion of its Spirit, and more fer- 
mentable part, whence the remainder muft needs tafte 
flat and vapid. 
This is certain, that eVen muft itfelf will not eafily fer- 
ment in a new pure veffel, but with the greateft faci- 
lity, if put into one that has before contained ferment- 
ing juices ; for the parts of the fermenting liquors, 
with which fuch a veffel muft have been impregnated, 
prefently roufe and determine it to aftion. 
7. There are fome ferments that appear to be hete- 
rogeneous, or which are improperly called ferments y 
f 4 U i as 
' 
r . - 
