“Rotantes vertice fumum.”
[704]. From the noxious effects which some persons experience from potations of Champagne, it has been conjectured that this wine must possess some narcotic principle like that which exists in many species of Fungi. This, however, is extremely improbable.
[705]. ξηρος signifies dry. This is a curious coincidence.
[706]. The Sack of Shakespeare was probably Sherry; a conjecture which receives additional strength from the following passage.
Falstaff.—“You rogue, here’s lime in this Sack too: There is nothing but roguery to be found in villainous man: yet a coward is worse than a cup of sack with lime in it; a villainous coward.”
Huldrick Van Speagle, in his “Famous Historie of most Drinks”, says “Sack is no hippocrite, for any man who knows what an Anagram is will confesse that it is contained within the litteral letters and limmits of its own name, which is to say. Cask, i. e. Sack.” See Taylor’s Translation of the “Work of the painful and industrious Huldricke Van Speagle, a grammatical Brewer of Lubeck. A.D. 1637.”
[707]. Expose equal parts of sulphur and powdered oyster shells to a white heat for fifteen minutes, and when cold, add an equal quantity of cream of tartar; these are to be put into a strong bottle with common water to boil for an hour; and the solution is afterwards to be decanted into ounce phials, adding 20 drops of muriatic acid to each. This liquor will precipitate the least quantity of lead from wines in a very sensible black precipitate. As iron might be accidentally contained in the wine, the muriatic acid is added to prevent its precipitation.
[708]. Lead will not only correct the acidity of wines, but remove the rancidity of oils: a property which is well known to Painters, and which affords an expedient for making an inferior oil pass for a good one.
[709]. The quantity of rectified spirit and water ordered will be found on admixture to produce a spirit nearly of the above strength.
[710]. Ward’s Red Drop. A strong vinous solution of Tartarized Antimony.