ALE 
could meet with. His compilation, or that compiled up¬ 
on his plan, confifts of thirteen volumes in folio, feveral 
of which were printed after his death. He himfelf ptib- 
lifhed his Ornithology, or Hiftory of Birds, in three folio 
volumes, in 1599 ; and his /even books of Infedls, which 
make another volume of the fame lize. The volume Ol 
Serpents, three Of Quadrupeds, one Of Fifties, that Of 
exanguinous Animals, the Hiftory of Monfters, with the 
Supplement to that of Animals, the Treatife ot Metals, 
and the Dendrology or Hiftory of Trees, were publiftied 
at feveral times after his death, by the care of different 
perfons. 
ALDROVANDA, f. [named after Aldrovandus, a 
great traveller and collector.] In botany, a genus of the 
pentandria pentagvnia clafs. The generic characters are 
—Calyx : perianthium five-parted, ereCt, equal, perma¬ 
nent. Corolla : petals five, oblong, acuminate, length of 
the calyx, permanent. Stamina: filaments length of the 
flowers; antherse ilmple. Piftillum: germ globofe, ftyles 
very Ihort, ftigmas obtufe. Pericarpium : aglobofecap- 
fule with five blunt angles, five-valved, one-celled. Seeds: 
ten, 1'ongiftt, fixed to the inner wall of the pericarpium — 
Ejjential CharaBcr. Calyx five-parted; petals five; cap- 
lule five-valved, one-celled, ten-feeded. 
There is only one fpecies, the aldrovanda veficulofa, 
which is found in marfhes both in Italy and India. 
ALDUABIS, a river of Celtic Gaul, which riling from 
Mount Jura, feparating the Sequani from the Helvetii, 
and running through Franche Comte, environs almoft on 
every fide the city of Be fan yon ; and, running by Dole, 
falls into the Saone near Chalone. In Caefar it is called 
Alduafdubis ; in Ptolemy Dubis; now k Doux. 
ALE,yi [fa/f, Sax.] A fermented liquor obtained from 
an infufion of malt, and differing from beer chiefly in 
having a lefs proportion of hops, and by the firft being 
drunk frefti or new, and the other kept until the gas fyl- 
veftre is deftroyed, or incorporated with the liquor, fo as 
to lofe its elafticity, or at leaft a part of it. See Brewing. 
This liquor, the natural fubftitute of wine in fitch coun¬ 
tries as could not produce the grape, was originally made 
in Egypt, the firft planted kingdom, on the difperiion from 
the eaft, that was fuppofed unable to produce grapes. And, 
as the Noachian colonies pierced further into the weft, they 
found, or thought they found, the fame defedt, and fup- 
plied it in the fame manner. Thus the natives of Spain, 
the inhabitants of France, and the aborigines of Britain, 
all ufed an infufion of barley for their ordinary liquor; 
and it was called by the various names of cxlia and ceria 
in the firft country, cerevifia in the fecond, and curmi in the 
laft; all literally importing only “ the ftrong water.” 
“ All the feveral nations (fays Pliny) who inhabit the 
weft of Europe, have a liquor with which they intoxicate 
themfelves, made of corn and water. The manner of 
making this liquor is fomewhat different in Gaul, Spain, 
and other countries, and is called by many various names ; 
but its nature and properties are every where the fame. 
The people of Spain, in particular, brew this liquor fo 
well, that it will keep good a long time. So exquifite is 
the cunning of mankind, in gratifying their vicious ap¬ 
petites, that they have thus invented a method to make 
water itfelf intoxicate.” The method in which the anci¬ 
ent Britons, and other Celtic nations, made their ale, is 
thus defcribed by Ifidorus and Orofius:—“The grain is 
fteeped in water and made to germinate, by which its fpi- 
rits are excited and fet at liberty ; it is then dried and 
grinded; after which it is infufed in a certain quantify of 
water; which being fermented becomes a pleafant, warm¬ 
ing, ftrengthening, and intoxicating, liquor.” This ale 
was moll commonly made of barley; but fometimes of 
wheat, oats, and millet. 
Anciently the Welch and Scots had alfo two kinds of 
ale, called common ale andJpiced ale; and their value was 
thus afeertained by law :—“ If a farmer hath no mead, he 
fliall pay two calks of fpiced ale, or four calks of common 
ale, for one calk of mead.” By this law, a calk of fpiced 
' Vgl. I. No. 17. 
ALE 257 
ale, nine palms in height and eighteen in diameter, was 
valued at a funt of money equal in efficacy to 7I. 10s. of 
our prefent money; and a calk of common ale, of the fame 
dimenfions, at a fum equal to 3I. 15s. This is a fufiicient 
proof, that even common ale in this period was an article 
of luxury among the Welfti, which could only be obtained 
by the great and opulent. Wine feemsto have been quite 
unknown even to the kings of Wales, in this period, as 
it is not fo much as once mentioned in their laws ; though 
Giraldus Cambrenlis, who ttouriftied about a century af¬ 
ter the conqueft, acquaints us, that there was a vineyard 
in his time at Maenarper, near Pembroke, in South Wales. 
Ale was a favourite liquor of the Anglo-Saxons and 
Danes, as it had been of their anceftors the ancient Ger¬ 
mans. Before their converfion to Chriftianity, they be¬ 
lieved that drinking large and frequent draughts of ale 
was one of the chief felicities which thole heroes enjoyed 
who were admitted into the hall of Odin. 
There are various forts of ale known in Britain, parti¬ 
cularly pale and browti. The former is brewed from malt 
flightly dried, and is efteemed more vifeid than the latter, 
which is made from malt more highly dried or roalted. 
Pale ale brewed with hard waters, as thole of fpringsand 
wells, is judged the moll wholeiome, in regard the mine, 
ral particles tend to prevent the cohefions of thofe drawn 
from the grain, and enable them to pafs the proper fecre-- 
tions the better ; fofter waters, as thofe of rivers and rain, 
feem better fuited to draw out the fubftance of high-dried 
malts, which retain many igneous particles, bellabforbed 
in a fmooth vehicle. In Staffordftiire, they have a me¬ 
thod of fining ale in a very ftiort time. Plot conjectures 
it to be done by adding allum, or vinegar, in the working. 
Ale is prepared various ways, and of various ingredi¬ 
ents, as of wheat, rye, millet, oats, barley, the berries of 
the quick bean, Sec. Some have found that the juice which 
bleeds from the birch or fveamore is of great ufe on this 
occafion, applied inftead of water. It makes one bufhel 
of malt go as far as four in the common way. Some have 
a method of preparing ale, fo that it will keep, carried to 
the Eaft or Weft Indies. The fecret is, by malhing twice 
with frefti malt; boiling twice; and, after ftiipping it, 
putting to every five gallons two new-laid eggs whole, to 
remain therein. It is faid, that, in a fortnight’s time, 
the ftiells will be diffolved; and the eggs become like 
wind-eggs; and that afterwards the white would dilap- 
pear, and the yolk remain untouched. 
Ale is generally held to be more diuretic than beer, in 
regard it is fmoother, more foftening, and relaxing; fo 
that where urine is to be promoted by facilitating the paD 
fage, ale is 1110ft likely to effect it. 
Ale is flatulent, and fo fometimes produces colics, and 
the cholera morbus; it is acefcent, but it does not pro¬ 
duce calcareous difeafes, as is aflerted by many. It is 
obferved that thofe who drink ale conllantly are ftronger 
than thofe who drink wine, and that thofe who do not 
drink any ftrong liquors cannot labour fo well as thofe who 
do; but this does not appear to be the truth: men in 
health and accuflomed to toil, but who never drink any 
ftrong liquors, undergo the molt fatigue, and live longer 
than thofe who daily ufe them. Cordials are only delign- 
ed for the infirm, and to fit the healthy for extraordinary 
exertions ; but, as they may occalionally enable the vi¬ 
gorous to execute great undertakings, they alfo propor- 
tionably deftroy the power of nature, and caufe a prema¬ 
ture old age. A conflant ufe of wine, ale, &c. keeps up 
a conftant fever, in molt who ufe them freely, by w hich, 
deftruftion is furely the confequence, though fomewhat 
flower than the general confefled poifons. We mull ob- 
ferve that by the word beer, in common, is meant fmall 
or table beer, ftrong ale, or porter. The firft of which, 
if kept to a proper age, is ejteemed the bed beverage to 
take with our food. Indeed they all ought to be kept till 
they have loft great part of their vifeidity and fweetnefs; 
hence will they be more readily digeftible, and not fo apt 
to create difagreable flatulence in the primte via:, nor lay 
3 U the 
