Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-05-09


sort TO contain Il. Even IL stored IN
underground cisterns. as Is stll done
In southern Europe. bottles would be
required for carrying the liquid on
Journeys or even for consuming Il at
home. Frequent mention is made OF
such bottles ia ancient literature. At n
feast In the liquid In the "Iliadv the
servants are described as bearing wine
upon their shoulders ia bottle OF GOAT
skin. from which the goblets OF the
guests We're filed.
Throughout the interior of Spain
wine is still conveyed from place TO
place In bottles made OF goat or pig
skin Identical I'm every respect with the
description given by HerOdotus. saws
the Chicago Chronicle. 1t will doubtless
be remembered that In the venta on
the Sierra Moreno Don Quixote's room
was hung around with these cueros
and that the doughty knight, mistaking
them for the myrmidons OF n wicked
enchanter. valiantly attacked them
with his sword until the room was
inch deep in red wine flowing from the
gashes made In the skins.
In Portugal and Greece these skin
bags are also used for the conveyance
or wine. as they are much more porta-
bic than any other sort Of vessel. es-
pecially I'm mountainous district.
where they have to be borne by mules.
These leathern bottles have n peculiar
interest, for in make and material they
connect the viniculture of today with
its origin In the unknown past. They
are survivals which have floated down
to us on the stream of time unaffected
by centuries of age.
y leathern bottle capable of holding
an armed man would seem today too
unwieldy for practical purposes. but
there is evidence that many OF those
used by the Romans were of still great
er dimensions. Among the ruins Of
the ancient city OF Pompeii a mural
picture has been discovered represent
ing an enormous skin bag on a wine
cart which is being borne along by
machine shaped like boat Two
men were drawing the wine off into
amphorae. In order 20 gain populari-
~ Roman politician would occasion
ally dole out wine wholesale to the
clients whose favor he courted. and
this picture probably portrays the con-
veyance on which the wine skin was
borne through the streets and the men
engaged I'm circulating Il.
The coronation ceremony of Ptolemy
Philadelphus eNcelled I'm pomp and pag-
eantry every procession recorded In
history, not even excepting the trium-
plant progress with which Alexander
the Great celebrated his escape from
the deserts OF Gedrosia. Perhaps the
object of philadelphus was so TO daz-
zle his subjects that they should forget
the domestic crimes with which he in
augurated his ascent TO the throne.
The cost OF the procession is estimated
at over 100000 of American money.
II lasted the whole day. being opened
by the figure of the morning star and
closed with that OF Hesperus.
Eighty thousand troops. cavalry and
infantry, clad in gorgeous uniforms
marched past Although the festival
was held I'm winter owing TO the dell
cious Egyptian climate. abundance Of
fresh grapes were provided on one Of
the vehicles of the procession and a
vintage scene faithfully represented
To the sound of the flute and song six
~ satyrs under the superintendent of
Silenus, bearing his symbolic cantha-
rus. trod out the grapes and flooded the
streets with foaming must
Perhaps not the least appreciated
part Of the show was car thirty-sev-
Ell feet long by twenty-one feet broad,
bearing a gigantic utter made OF Loop
l A ri Init q
rae OF wine. As the Greek amphora is
equivalent To eight imperial gallons,
the liquid contained in the utter would
have cQualed the enormous quantity Of
$4,000 gallons.
The sides must have been strength
ened with some material stronger than
leather TO enable the skins To resist the
| pressure OF such weight of liquid. As
| the car moved along In the stately pro-
| ceSsion the wine was allowed slowly to
| flow from Ii so that the thirsty multi
/ tude could I'LL their drinking vessels as
/ il passed
The scholastic Latin term for n wine
/ skin is utter. but the cOlloquial word
used was butts and thus n small skin
was the diminutive buticula. From
this buticula is derived the word bot
tie" and. with slight linguistic modih-
cation. the same has been adopted in
all modern languages
Although skins were never used for
wine in England, even when grape
| juice was fomented there. the leather
bottle or blackjack was one of the
earliest drinking vessels. 1t is cele-
| 1Aro tod n, r,onv old INnolfSb ballads
and is not an uncommon alehouse en-
blem at the present day. Some of
these leather bottles were silver lined
and were ornamented with silver bells
ito ring pealS of drunkenness" as
Becker says in his English Villainies
Seven Times Pressed TO Death" When
so ornamented they are called "gyngle
boyeS."
Many of those in ordinary use were
made IN the shape of boot. which oc-
casioned the French prisoners to report
on their return to France that 1.-The
EngliShmen used to drink out of their
bootes"
They evidently took the fancy, how
ever. Of some of the French nobility
for in the expenses Of John, king OF
France, when prisoner I'm England aft
er the battle of Poitiers there is the
following entry: "Pour deux bouteilleS
de CUR achetees London pour Mon
seigneur Philippe, 9S. 3d." no incon
siderable price in those days. A. ID
/ 1359-6O.
As the arts improved leather bottle:
a To- aT