554 B U T 
was covered, and that in the lid there were holes. What 
he fays refpefting oxygala, is attended with home difficul¬ 
ties. Oxygala, however, was evidently a kind of cheefe, 
the preparation of which has been belt defcribed by Co¬ 
lumella. in order to make it, fvveet milk was commonly 
rendered! four, and the ftrum was always feparated from 
it. Of this pfocefs Pliny (’peaks Lkewife; but he firil 
mentions under the above name a kind of cheefe formed 
from the cafeoits parts which remained behind in the but¬ 
ter-milk, and which were feparated front it by acids and 
boiling, and were mixed and prepared in various ways. It 
mufl in general have been (ouri’fh ; for, according to the 
account of Galen, it affected the teeth, though he men¬ 
tions alfo another kind of cheefe, under the name of ca¬ 
fe ns oxyg'alaciium, which was perfectly mild. Inthe Geo- 
ponica, directions are given how this cheefe may be kept 
frclh for a long time. Thu medicinal effects fpoken of by 
Pliny, feem not to be aferibed to the butter, but to the 
lour cheefe ; and phyficians undoubtedly will be much 
readier to allow them to the latter than to the former. 
Whether Tacitus by Inc concretum, which he fays was the 
molt common food of the Germans, meant cheefe or but¬ 
ter, is impodible to decide, as we have no grounds to ena¬ 
ble us to determine this queftion, refpefting which nothing 
more can be known. 
From What has been dated it appears evident, that but¬ 
ter is not a Grecian, and much lefs a Roman, invention ; 
but that the Greeks were made acquainted with it by the 
Scythians, the Thracians, and the Phrygians, and the Ro¬ 
mans by the people of Germany. It appears alfo, that, 
Wiled they had learned the art of making it, they employ¬ 
ed it only as an ointment in their baths, and particularly 
in medicine. Befides the proofs already quoted, a paffage 
of Columella deferves alfo to be remarked, becaufe that 
author, and not Pliny, as Voffius thinks, is the firlt Latin 
writer who makes life of the word bitty turn. Pliny recom¬ 
mends it mixed with honey to be rubbed over children’s 
gums in order to eale the pain of teething, and alfo for 
ulcers in the mouth. The Romans in general feem to 
have tiled butter for anointing the bodies of their children, 
to render them pliable ; and we are told that the ancient 
Burgundians befmeared their hair with it. A paffage of 
Clemens of Alexandria, in which he exprefsly fays, that 
fome burned it in their lamps in Head of oil, is likewife 
worthy of attention. It is however certain on the other 
hand, that it was iifed neither by the Greeks nor the Ro¬ 
mans in cookery or the preparation of food, nor was it 
brought upon their tables by way of defert, as it isalmoft 
every where at prefent. We never find it mentioned by 
Galen and others as a food, though they have fpoken of 
it as applicable to other purpofes. No notice is taken of 
it by Apicius ; nor is there any tiling fa id of it in that re- 
fpeft by t’ne authors who treat on agriculture, though 
they have given us very particular information concerning 
milk, chfeeie, and oil. This may be eafrly accounted for 
by the ancients having entirely accullomed thcmfelves to 
the ufe of oil; and, in like manner, butter at prelent is 
very little employed in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the 
fouthern parts of France, where it is fold in the apotheca¬ 
ries’ (hops for medicinal purpofes. It is certain betides, 
th at in warm countries it is difficult to preferve it for any 
length of time. 
Profelfcr Beckmann concludes, that, at the period when 
the foregoing anthers wrote, people were not acquainted 
with the art of making butter fo clean and firm as that 
we ufe at prefent. On the contrary, lie thinks it was ra¬ 
ther in an oily (late, and a Into ft liquid. They all (peak of 
butter as of fomething fluid. The moderns cut, knead, 
and fpread., butter; but the ancients poured it out as one 
pours.’otit oil. Galen tells us, that, to-make foot of but¬ 
ter, the butter mufl be poured into a lamp. Had the an¬ 
cients lift'd in their lamps hard or fblid butter, as our mi¬ 
ners tife tallow in the lamps that flipply them with light 
under ground, they would not have made choice of the 
exprellion ‘ To pour out.’ We are told that the elephants 
T E R. 
drank, butter ; and liquid butter muff have been verv fa¬ 
miliar to the Greek tranflators of the facred fcriptnres, 
when they could mention it as flowing in dreams. Hera- 
taeas, quoted by Athenxus, calls the butter with which 
tiie Paeonians anointed themfelves, oil of milk. Cafau- 
bon obferves on this pailage, that the author makes ufe 
of thefe words, becaufe butter was then employed inffead 
of oil, and fpoken of in the like manner, as vvas the cafe 
with fugar, which was at firft confidered to be a kind of 
honey, becaufe it was equally fvveet and could be applied 
to the fame purpofes. Hippocrates, on the like grounds, 
calls (wine’s (earn, fvvine’s oil. This explanation might 
be adopted, did not fucli expreftions refpebting butter, as 
one can apply only to fluid bodies, occur every where 
without exception. Butter appears to have been extremely 
learce in Norway during the ages of paganifm ; for we 
fin’d mention made in the Tranfaftions of the Copenhagen 
Society of a prefent of butter, which was fo large that a 
man could not carry it, and which was confidered as a very 
refpeftable gift. 
We do not poffefs any direct experiments to (hew what 
it is that occafions the difference between the obvious qua¬ 
lities of butter, and thofe of other oils, diftinguiflied by 
the name of fat or fixed oils, from their not rifing by a 
low heat. It refembles them in its habitudes as nearly as 
they refemble each other refpeftively. By diftillation on 
the water-bath it gives out a portion of watery fluid, that 
either remained interpofed between its parts from the firft, 
or was taken up during the waffling it undergoes in the 
making. A (Longer heat, carefully managed, expels firft 
a ffrong acid of a penetrating fmell, which is followed by 
a concrete-coloured oil poflelling the fame odour. Very 
little coal remains. The acid appears to be of the fame 
nature as that diftinguiflied by the name of the acid of 
fat : and it may alfo be obtained from butter by means of 
lime, or an alkali. Butter becomes rancid fooner than 
molt other fat oils, probably on account of the water, 
which may favour the developement of its acid. Waffling 
with water or ardent fpirit reftores it in fome meafure to 
its former (late, by carrying off the dilengaged part of 
the acid. Fixed alkalis dilfolve butter, and form (oap. 
Butter is now constantly ufed in food, from its agreea¬ 
ble taffe ; but, to be vvholefome, it mult be very freffi and 
free from rancidity, and alfo not fried or burnt ;■ other-wife 
-its acrid and even cauftic acid, being difengaged’, diforders. 
digeftion, renders it difficult and painful, excites acrid 
empyreumatic belchings, and introduces much acrimony 
inio the blood. Some perfons have ftomachs fo delicate, 
that they are even aftefted with thefe inconveniences by 
eating freih butter or milk. This obfervation is alfo ap¬ 
plicable to oil, fat, chocolate, and in general to all oleagi¬ 
nous matters. The trade in butter is very coniklerable. 
Some compute 50,000 tons annually confu ned in London. 
It is chiefly made within forty miles round the city. Fifty 
thoufand firkins are faid to be fent yearly from Cambridge 
and Suffolk alone. Uttoxeter in Statfordffiire is a market 
famous for good butter, infornuch that the London mer¬ 
chants have eltabliihed a factory there for that article. It 
is bought by the pot, of a long cylindrical form, weighing 
14Ib. But no butter i? efteemed equal to that which is 
made in the county of Elfex, well known by the name of 
Epping butter, and which in almoff every feafon of the 
year yields a fuperior price in the London marker. The 
following directions concerning the making and manage¬ 
ment of butter, including the Epping method, are ex¬ 
tracted from the third volume of the Bath Society Papers. 
In. general it is to be obferved, that, the greater the 
quantity made from a few cows, the greater will be the 
farmer’s profit; therefore he (liould never keep any but 
what are efteemed good milkers. A.bad cow will be equally 
expenlive in her keep, and will not perhaps bring in more 
than front three to lix pounds a year; whereas -a .good one 
will bring from (even to ten pounds per annum.: therefore 
it is obvious that bad cows (liould be parted with, and 
good ones purchafed-in their room. When fucli are ob¬ 
tained- 
