large/7215/natural_history_3_1301_librivox_64kb_mp3/naturalhistory3_21_pliny_64kb_11
large/7215/natural_history_3_1301_librivox_64kb_mp3/naturalhistory3_21_pliny_64kb
English
7215
(13.) At Rome it was not lawful for women to drink wine. Among the various anecdotes connected with this subject, we find that the wife of Egnatius Mecenius 90 was slain by her hus  band with a stick, because she had drunk some wine from the vat, and that he was absolved from the murder by Eomulus. AT ROME IT WAS NOT LAWFUL FOR WOMEN TO DRINK WINE AMONG THE VARIOUS ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH THIS SUBJECT WE FIND THAT THE WIFE OF IGNATIUS MISCENNEUS WAS SLAIN BY HER HUSBAND WITH A STICK BECAUSE SHE HAD DRUNK SOME WINE FROM THE VAT AND THAT HE WAS ABSOLVED FROM THE MURDER BY ROMULUS
SPECTION OF WINE ORDERED BY KING ROMULUS. Romulus made libations, not with wine but with milk ; a fact which is fully established by the religious rites which owe their foundation to him, and are observed even to the present day. The Posthumian Law, promulgated by King Numa, has an injunction to the following effect: — " Sprinkle not the funeral pyre with wine ;" a law to which he gave his sanction, no doubt, in consequence of the remarkable scarcity of that commodity in those days. By the same law, he also pronounced it illegal to make a libation to the gods of wine that was the produce of an unpruned vine, his object being to compel the husbandmen to prune their vines ; a duty which they showed themselves reluctant to perform, in consequence of the danger which attended climbing the trees.89 M. Varro in- forms us, that Mezentius, the king of Etruria, succoured the Rutuli against the Latini, upon condition that he should re- ceive all the wine that was then in the territory of Latium. YEAR OF THE CITY CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE INSPECTION OF WINE ORDERED BY KING ROMULUS ROMULUS MADE LIBATIONS NOT WITH WINE BUT WITH MILK A FACT WHICH IS FULLY ESTABLISHED BY THE RELIGIOUS RITES WHICH OWE THEIR FOUNDATION TO HIM AND ARE OBSERVED EVEN TO THE PRESENT DAY THE POSTHUMIAN LAW PROMULGATED BY KING NUMA HAS AN INJUNCTION TO THE FOLLOWING EFFECT SPRINKLE NOT THE FUNERAL PYRE WITH WINE A LAW TO WHICH HE GAVE HIS SANCTION NO DOUBT IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE REMARKABLE SCARCITY OF THAT COMMODITY IN THOSE DAYS BY THE SAME LAW HE ALSO PRONOUNCED IT ILLEGAL TO MAKE A LIBATION TO THE GODS OF WINE THAT WAS THE PRODUCE OF AN UNPRUNED VINE HIS OBJECT BEING TO COMPEL THE HUSBANDMEN TO PRUNE THEIR VINES A DUTY WHICH THEY SHOWED THEMSELVES RELUCTANT TO PERFORM IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE DANGER WHICH ATTENDED CLIMBING THE TREES MVARO INFORMS US THAT MEXENTIUS THE KING OF ETURIA SUCCORED THE RATULA AGAINST THE LATINAI UPON CONDITION THAT HE SHOULD RECEIVE ALL THE WINE THAT WAS THEN IN THE TERRITORY OF LATIUM
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