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OUR
ANCESTORS.
cabbages
were
grown,
with
turnips,
artichokes,
pump-
kins
and
cucumbers,
peas
and
beans,
mushrooms
and
truffles,
and
many
plants
and
herbs
used
for
flavoring.
Nor
did
the
Roman
table
lack
rare
and
choice
wines,
kept
in
jars
or
bottles
of
baked
clay.
They
were
prized
in
proportion
to
their
age;
and
each
jar
bore
a
label,
showing
in
whose
consulship
the
wine
had
been
made.
Campania
furnished
the
best
Italian
wines,
of
which
the
Caecuban
held
the
first
rank, the
Falernian
the
next,
while
the
third
place
was
claimed
by
several
vintages;
but
whoever
was
forced
to
drink
the
Vatican
was
an
object
of
general
commiseration.
Greek
wines,
too,
had
their
place
in
the
Roman
cellars.
As,
with
the
increasing
luxury
the
customs
at
the
table
were
more
and
more
fashioned
after
those
of
the
Greeks,
though
incompar-
ably
more
luxurious,
so,
like
the
Greek,
the
Roman
rarely
drank
wine
undiluted.
He
mingled
it
with
water,
and
cooled
it
with
snow;
while
for
the
winter
he
had
a
warm
drink
the
calda,
made
of
wine,
water,
honey,
and
spice,
for
preparing
which
there
was
a
special
ves-
sel,
the
caldarium, with
a
small
furnace
of
charcoal
in
the
interior,
on
the
principle
of
the
Russian
samovar.
Still
another
beverage,
called
mulsurn,
which
was
drunk
at
breakfast,
was
prepared
of
must,
honey,
and
spices.
The
Roman
table
was
thus
liberally
provided,
and
though
many
dishes
seem
to
us
of
questionable
taste,
still,
the
achievements
of
Romans
in
the
culinary
line
do
them
high
credit.
Even
in
Caesar's
time,
at
a
pon-