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IS
CUPS AND THEIR CUSTOMS.
The origin of wine-making is also claimed by the
Persians^ who have a tradition of its accidental dis-
covery by their king Jemsheed. The monarch being
fond of grapes had placed a quantity in a large vessel in
his cellar for future use. Some time afterwards the
vessel was opened^ and the grapes were found in a
state of fermentation, and, being very acid, were be-
lieved by the king to be poisonous^ and marked ac-
cordingly. A lady of his harem being racked by pain,
determined to poison herself, for which purpose she
drank some of the grape-juice-—in fact, got very drunk.
After sleeping a considerable time, she awoke perfectly
well, and, being pleased with the result, managed in
time to finish all the poison. The monarch discovered
what she had done, and thence took the hint for his
own advantage.
The Armenians claim the origin of wine because
Noah planted his first vineyard near Erivan, upon the
spot where Noah and his family resided before the
Deluge,
The wines of Chio, however, held the greatest reputa-
tion, which was such that the inhabitants of that island
were thought to have been the first who planted the vine
and taught the use of it to other nations. These wines
were held in such esteem and were of so higb a value
at Borne, that in the time of Lucullus, at their greatest
entertainments, they drank only one cup of them, at
the end of the feast j but as sweetness and delicacy of
flavour were their prevailing qualities, this final cup
may have been taken as a liqueur. Both the Greeks