The P R E F A C E.
Nor do we produce these Instances to redeem the Liquor from tkSuperstition, Prejudice and Opinions of those Men, who Jo w# cmagnify the Juice of the Grape above it: But we will here add J ornExperiments from undeniable Success ( in spite c/’Vintners and B avVto Men's Palates) were they sufficient to convince us and reclaim toVitiated; or that it were possible to dispute of the Plealantncis, K' c ‘ lCand Precedency of Drinks and Diets, and so to provide for fit, c0tr, fi‘tent , and impartial Judges; when by Nature, Nation or Clinjatewell as by Custom and Education) we differ in those Extremes. .
Mofi Barts of Africa and Asm prefer Coffee before our noblestquors ; India, the Roots and Plants before our befl-cook'd Venu° n ’almost all the World crude Water before our Country Ale and $ cer 'and we Englilh being generally more for insipid, luscious or gross 'than for the spicy, poignant, oily, and highly relilh’d, (witness ^.universal Hatred of Oils, French Wine, or Rhenilh without Sugar*our doating on Currants, Figs, Plumb-postage, Pies, Pudding, CaK e *&c.) renders yet the ‘Difficulty more arduous. But to make good totExperiment.
About thirty Tears since , one Mr. Taylor (a B er fin wellin Herefordstiire) challeng'd a London*V intner, (finding him stCountry) That he wouldproduce a Cider, which Jhould excel his firSpanish or French Wine. The Wager being deposited, he brings tn Agood Red-strake to a private House. On that Scene, all the Vin rnercould call to be Judges pronounce against his Wine; nor would fiJMan there drink French Wine without the Help of Sugar; norSack for a fitll Draught ; and to those who were not accustomedeither , the more racy Canaries were no more agreeable thantoo luscious for the Repetition. But this Wager being lofl , ourner renews his Chattel upon theje express Terms, of competent a)l ,indifferent Arbitrators. The Gentleman agrees to the Articles ; anthus again after mutual Engagements it must be debated who rjjef scompetent Judges, and absolutely indifferent. Mr. Taylor P r0 fi,fiThree, whereof the odd Number Jhould by Vote determine. Tkv.must be of the fittest Ages too, or rather the fittest of all Ages, &n ^such as were inufd neither to Cider nor any Slims, and so it u>u S a 'greed. The Judges convene , viz. a Youth of ten Tears old, aof thirty, and a Third of sixty % and by All thele also ourV^ znC glost the Battel. But this is not enough ; ’tis affay'd again by nttiJudges, the Ternary thrice over ; and there ’tis lost also. To thiscould add another , even the Cider of Ledbury, (which is not yet ^best of Herefordshire) which, when an experiene'd London-Viu tnehad tafied, he wiftid had been Poison; for that if it were kn 0 ^where he dwelt, it would utterly undo his Trade. And here / _
conclude, for I think never was fairer Duel; nor can more be resist ^ably pretended to vindicate this Blessing of God, and our native L 1quor from their Contempt, and to engage our Propagators of it- . ^Tot uentftiii To Jum up all: If Health be more precious than Opinion, I
pactr* cogi- our Admirers of Wines, to the Brejudice of Cider, beheld but J J*mur To*hm~ ^eat themselves ; ^Sophistications, Transformations, Traistow
tJseVtnum? _ (tfstftt
Plin. As *tisroost ingeniously cited by Ht.Cbarhttn, in his excellent Discourse of the Adulterations ffiL centered into the Register of the Royal Society ; and (with those other most useful Pieces subjoined )pub listed, Qpc, 5ee Rtgig, Re. Society, Hum. z, 17 Dtcemb. » 8 . Jan. i66z- p- 67 . n6 t &c.
ta
tionS*