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fore tranfparent, grows opaque, and a violent unin- j 
terrupted inteftine motion manifefts itfelf therein. 
2. The parts of the fermenting fluid appear to be 
incredibly elaftic, and the motion of them exceeding 
violent. Indeed, by means of this property of fer- 
mentation, very terrifying and furprifing adions may 
be performed. Thus, if a hundred pints of muft were, 
on fome warm day in autumn, to be confined clofe in 
a veflel of Oak above an inch thick in the fides, and 
made ever fo tight and ftrong with iron hoops, yet 
could not this prevent the working of the liquor ; but 
in fpite of fo great a refiftance, it would buril; the vef- 
fel, with a report as loud as that of a cannon. 
And therefore the way to preferve new Wine in the 
ftate of muft is, to put it up in very ftrong but fmall 
cafks, firmly doled on all fides ; by which means it 
will be kept from fermenting, and then it goes by the 
name of ftum : but if it Ihould happen to fall into fer- 
mentation, the readied: and only way to flop it, is by 
the fume of fulphur, or fomething of the like nature. 
Were it not for the knowledge of this property of 
burning fulphur, the wine merchants and vintners 
might frequently fuftain great damages from the 
burfting of their veflels, when the liquor is upon the 
fret, or, by fome alteration in the air, or other acci- 
dent, begins to ferment again : but the fmoke of a 
little common brimftone, or a lighted match dipped 
in it, and held under a calk of Wine that is juft 
ready to burft its hoops, will calm its fury, and make 
it fubfide as fuddenly as a fpoonful of oil, thrown 
into a large foaming copper of boiling fugar, takes 
down its heat, and prevents the mifchief it might 
otherwife occafion. 
2. A thick fkin, or crufty fcurf, forms itfelf on the 
furrace, through which the elaftic or fermenting mat- 
ter is continually breaking. This cruft appears to be 
the principal caufe of fermentation •, for it keeps in, 
or prevents the fpirituous part of the liquor from fly- 
ing off; arid if it be frequently broken, it puts a 
check to the fermentation, and will often entitely ftop 
it, if wholly taken away. 
4. This fkiri or ci'iift, which We now call flowers or 
yeaft, gradually confumes and precipitates to the 
bottom of the liquor ; in which cafe it is called by 
the name of feces or mother •, and after this, the fluid 
above it immediately becomes tranfparent again, ceafes 
to hifs and bubble, has a very penetrating, pungent, 
fpirituous, or vinous tafte and lcent, with a mixture 
of acidity and fweetnefs. And now the liquor, hav- 
ing undergone the operation of fermentation, is be- 
come Wine. 
The vapour arifing from the liquor, during its fer- 
mentation, ought not to be approached too near, or 
breathed in too gfeat a quantity, becaufe it is highly 
poifonous ; and, if it prove not mortal, may at leaft 
render the perfon apoplectic and paralytic. We have 
accounts in the French and German Tranfadions, of 
people who were immediately ftriick dead, by receiv- 
ing at the nofe the fumes that iffued from large veflels 
of Wine, in the ftate of fermentation. 
And now, if the liquor thus fermented be flopped 
down clofe, it will begin to feed upon arid digeft its 
own lees or mother, and at length confume them ; in 
which cafe we commonly fay, the Wine begins to ri- 
pen ; and afterwards, this mother fhoots to the fides - 
of the containing veflel, and there appears in the form 
of an eflential fait, which is then called tartar. 
The fpaceof time required for finilhing the fermenta- 
tion differs with the fubjed matter, the feafon of the 
year, the nature of the place, and other cir cum dances ; 
but it is known to be perfectly performed by the fe~ 
veral phenomena juft now mentioned. 
As foon as the flowers fall to the bottom, the veflel 
mould be bunged down, otherwife the volatile part 
'would fly off, and the fermented liquor become vapid 
and flat. 
In this ftate it ought to ftand for fome weeks in a cool 
place, by which means it will grow ftronger, and 
more liquid ; for during this time, it imbibes and con- 
fumes Its own feces, which abound in fubtile fpiritu- 
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ous parts j and grows, foft, and lofes of its acidity, by 
throwing off its tartar. 
And the longer it is thus fuffered to ftand, the more 
ftrength it gains, or the more fpirifc it will yield in 
diftillatiom 
Thus, for inftance j malt liquors, newly brewed, af- 
ford but a fmall quantity of inflammable ipirit ; but 
if fuffered to remain for fome weeks in the. veflel, till 
they become fine and clean, they will yield a much 
greater proportion : though to avoid fo great an ap- 
paratus of veflels as would then be required, malt li- 
quors, brewed, in order to make fpirits, are feldom 
kept, but immediately after fermentation committed 
to the ftill. And hence we are furnifhed with a rea- 
fon, why all ftale vinous liquors are ftronger, arid in- 
ebriate ioonei, than fuch as are new. 
The phyjical effeffs. 
r< ’* > . / , f _ 4 ' 
The phyflcal properties of a vinous liquor, prepared 
in the manner above deferibed, are thofe which 
follow : 
1. It will have an inebriating quality, when received 
into the body ; and nothing is properly poflefled of 
this quality, but what has been firft fermented. 
For if a perfon ftiould eat ever fuch a quantity of 
Grapes, or drink ever fo freely of muft, he might in- 
deed bring a loofenefs upon hjmfelf by that means, 
but he would not be fuddled. So likewife to take 
down large draughts of fweet-wort, or the tindure of 
malt, might throw one into a violent vomiting and 
flux, but never produce the fymptoms of drunkennefs. 
And whatever fome pretend, as to Mandrake, Hem- 
lock, Poppies, opium, and the like, the effects they 
have upon the human body are rather ftupefying thari 
inebriating ; but drunkennefs is different from flrupe- 
fadion. 
An over dofe of vinous liquors makes a man brifle,’ 
lively, and joyful, or difpofes him to flng, dance, or 
be merry j at length however, his legs will not fup- 
port him ; and, if the fit be violent, he grows furi- 
ous, raving, Or paralytic, and fo he dies. 
But opium has not thefe effeds it brings on a pro- 
found fleep ; and he who has taken too much of it, 
dies lethargic. 
• ^ . j 
2. Wine has the faculty of heating the body. No- 
thing appears to cool the body more than Currants 5 
yet the wine prepared from them is very heating. 
The like is to be underflood of Cherries, and all fer- 
mentable bodies, though ever fo cold, for thefe will 
afford a vinous liquot. 
3. It is inflammable, and will mix with water. 
4. It contains tartar, and affords it after the ferment 
tation is over. This tartar is the eflential fait of the 
Vegetable made ufe of, and differs from the lees or 
mother, being refolvable by diftillation into a water, 
a fpirit, two kinds of oil, an alkaline fait, and earth! 
All fermented vegetables afford it. Muft yields a fe- 
culent fait, and no tartar; but if once it works, fo as 
to become pure Wine, it will, in the fpace of half a 
year, throw off a clean tartar, which therefore appears 
to be the effed of a perfed fermentation, and accord- 
ingly is never obtained without it. 
5. It retains neither the Colour, tafte, nor fmell of 
the fpecific vegetable from which it is made Thus 
we have feen, that Rofemary affords a quite different 
water, after it has been fermented, from what it did 
before. Thus fermented Hydromel, malt liquors, 
treacles, fugar, &c. yield fpirits by diftillation, that 
cannot be diftinguiftied from one another. 
The Grapes of fome countries are as fweet as honey, 
and fo is their muft before fermentation, yet the 
Wind prepared from either, may have little or no 
fweetnefs, and fometimes even gain a degree of acidi- 
ty. It is not eafy to believe that Rhenifh Wine lhould 
proceed from fo fweet a Grape as it does. 
6. It acquires a fomewhat acid and fpirituous tafte and 
fmell. The tafte of honey or malt, &rc. is fweet, and 
their feent fcarce- perceivable, before you commit 
them to fermentation ; but, after having undergone 
that 
