Supposing three-fourths of the above quantity to be claret, how many hampers, each containing three dozen quart bottles, could be filled out of it? Anf. 2,100,000 hampers. No. 238. SCHIRAS WINE. Schiras is generally esteemed the fecond city of Perfia; Ifpahan being confidered as the capital: though colonel Capper, who was in that country in 1778, affures us, that the feat of government was transferred the fame year from the latter to the former city. The city of Schiras, on account of the number of ingenious and learned men born in it, has been denominated the Athens of Perfia. The wine of Schiras is not only the best in Perfia, but, as fome think, in the whole world. It is fo potent as to admit twothirds of water without fpoiling the taste. Alexander the Great, of whom fome account has been given in the 21ft and 22d queftions, died of intoxication at Babylon*, in the 33d year of his age. At his final drunken caroufal, though already in a state of inebriation, he had the prefumption to empty the cup of Hercules, which, according to Rollin, held fix bottles, at a fingle draught. Suppofing each bottle to contain a pint and a half, how many times could this fatal cup have been filled from a pipe of Schiras wine ? Anf. 112 times. No. 239. ANCIENT HOSPITALITY. The following character of the "hofpitable, rich, and good AxYLUst," as drawn by Homer, affords an admirable inftance of ancient hofpitality. In fair Arifba's walls (his native place) POPE'S HOMER. This manner of keeping houfe near a frequented high-way, and relieving all travellers, is agreeable to that ancient hofpitality which we now only read of. The patriarchs in the Old Teftament fat at their gates to fee those who paffed by, and entreat them to enter into their houfes. This cordial manner of invitation is particularly defcribed in the 18th and 19th chapters of Gencfis. Diodorus Siculus informs us, that GALLIAS, of Agrigentum, in Sicily, having built feveral inns for the relief of strangers, he appointed perfons at the gates to invite all who travelled to make use This place has been noticed in the 13th question. + Axylus was a Trojan, and killed at the fiege of Troy. Breathlefs the good man fell, and by his fide POPE'S HOMER. of of them; and that this example was followed by many others, who were inclined, after the ancient manner, to live in a humane and beneficent correfpondence with mankind. Gallias entertained and clothed at one time no less than 500 horsemen; and there were in his cellars 300 veffels, each of which contained 100 hogfheads of wine. How many pints are in that quantity? Anf. 15,120,000 pints. ALE AND BEER MEASURE. Thus Ale and beer are fermented liquors obtained from an infufion of malt; the former differing from the latter chiefly in having a lefs proportion of hops. This liquor, the natural fubftitute of wine, in countries that could not produce the grape, was originally made in Egypt, the firft-planted kingdom, on the difperfion from the Eaft, which was fuppofed unable to produce grapes. And as the Noachian colonies penetrated farther into the weft, they found, or thought they found, the fame defect, and fupplied it in the fame manner. the natives of Spain, the inhabitants of France, and the aborigines of Britain, all ufed an infufion of barley for their ordinary liquor: and it was called by various names, all literally importing only the Arong water. The ancient Britons and other Celtic nations fometimes made their ale of wheat, oats, and millet. This was the favourite liquor of the Anglo-Saxons and Danes, as it had been of their anceftors, the ancient Germans. Before their converfion to Chriftianity, they believed that drinking large and frequent draughts of ale was one of the chief felicities, which thofe heroes enjoyed who were admitted into the hall of Odin. See the Ency. Brit. art. Ale. To heighten the enjoyment they were moreover affured, that their favourite beverage fhould be drank out of the fculls of their emies. No. 240. ALE. Ale is made by infufing malt in hot water, and then fermenting the liquor by the application of barm or yeast. Hops are also an effential ingredient. See Question 180. There are various forts of ale known in Britain, particularly pale and brown the former is brewed from malt flightly dried; and is esteemed more vifcid than the latter, which is made from malt more highly dried. Many places in England are famous for the excellency of their ale, particularly Dorchester in Dorfetfhire, and Burton in Staffordshire. The ale of this laft county is by fome deemed incom parable, parable, and great quantities of it are fent down the Trent to Hull, and exported to other parts of the kingdom, and abroad. Ale is of fo great antiquity in this kingdom, that in the year 1492, we meet with a licence from Henry VII. to a Fleming, to export fifty tons of this liquor. Cyclop. art. Beer. Suppofing a ton of ale to contain four hogfheads, how many firkins, quarts, and pints, are in the above-mentioned quantity? Ans. 1,200 firkins; 38,400 quarts; 76,800 pints. No. 241. BEER. Beer, like ale, as we have before obferved, is a liquor made of malt and hops. It is, however, distinguished from ale, either by being older, ftronger, or smaller. The following phrafe denotes, we prefume, beer of fuperior potency. Here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour; drink. SHAKESPEARE. Old or strong beer is fometimes called by the cant word, Stingo. It is moreover defignated by the term Ober; because that month is held to be peculiarly propitious to the brewing of this grateful beverage. Nor wanting is the brown OCTOBER, drawn, THOMSON The British beer is faid to be fuperior to that of other countries, even of Bremen, Mons, and Roftoch. Soon after the commencement of the ill-fated American war, two brewers agreed to fupply government with 10,coo butts of ftrong beer, for the use of our troops in Bofton, the capital of New England. How many pints were in that quantity? Anf. 8,640,000 pints. No. 242. SPRUCE-BEER. This is a kind of diet drink made by infufion or coction of the leaves and small branches of the brack and white fpruce-fir, and reckoned antifcorbutic. It is much drank in America. In as many butts of fpruce-beer as there are calendar months in a year, as many hogfheads as there are weeks in a year, and as many firkins as there are days in a year, how many pints? Anf. 59,112 pints. No. 243. CAPACIOUS CASKS. The late Mr. Bofwell, in his Jour nal, relates, that Dr. Johnfon once mentioned that his friend Thrale, the brewer, had four casks fo large that each of them held 1,000 hogfheads. The public prints inform us, that Mr. Meux is now building building a vat which, when finished, will contain 20,000 barrels of porter. How many gallons, quarts, and pints of beer, will the vat contain more than the cafks? Anf. 504,000 gallons; 2,016,000 quarts; 4,032,000 pints. No. 244. PORTER. This is a kind of malt liquor, which differs from ale and pale beer in its being made with high dried malt. Dr. Afh, in his English Dictionary, fays, that it obtained this appellation from being much drank by porters in the city of London. By a statement given, in feveral periodical publications, it appears, that from Midfummer 1788, to the fame period in 1789, there were brewed in the metropolis, and its environs, 705,625 barrels of porter. Meffrs. Whitbreads, Thrale's, the Calverts, Trueman's, and Giffard's brew-houses, are generally deemed the most eminent in London. A great quantity of porter is brewed annually at Worcester, and fent to different parts by means of the river Severn. Much of the London porter is exported to the Weft-Indies in bottles. Suppofe the 125th part of the porter mentioned in this question were bottled off into hampers, each containing 3 dozen quart bottles, how many would there be? Anf. 22,580 hampers. TIM E. Time is defined to be a fucceffion of phenomena in the univerfe, or a mode of duration, marked by certain periods and measures, chiefly by the motion and revolution of the fun. The idea of time in general, we acquire, as Mr. Locke obferves, by confidering any part of infinite duration, as fet out by periodical meafures. The idea of any particular time, or length of duration, as a day, an hour, &c. we acquire firft by obferving certain appearances at regular, and, seemingly, equidiftant periods. Some authors diftinguish time into astronomical and civil: the former being that taken purely from the motion of the heavenly bodies, without any other regard. The latter is astronomical time, accommodated to civil ufes, and formed and diftinguished into years, months, days, &c. Time makes the subject of CHRONOLOGY. No. 245. EPITAPH. An epitaph is a monumental infcription, in honour or memory of a perfon deceased. It has been difputed, whether the ancient Jews infcribed epitaphs on the monuments of the dead ; but be this as it may, epitaphs it is certain, of very ancient date, are found amongst them. The Athenians, by way of epitaph, put only the name of the dead, with the epithet good," or "hero," and a word expreffive of their good wishes to the defunct. The Lacedemonians allowed epitaphs to none but those who had died in battle. The Romans infcribed their epitaphs to the manes, diis manibus. The epitaphs of the prefent day are generally crammed with fulfome compliments which were never merited, characters which human nature in its beft ftate could fcarcely lay claim to, and expreffions of refpect which were never paid in the life-time of the deceafed. Hence the French proverb, with great propriety, took its rife; Menteur comme une épitaphe: He lies like an epitaph. The following epitaph is the fimple chronicle of an extraordinary man, and as well told, perhaps, as many of the lofty and pompous infcriptions in the abbey of Weftminster. Beneath this flone, in found repofe, How many moments did the subject of this epitaph exist; reckoning 365 days, 6 hours, to the year? Anf. 2,966,414,400 moments. No. 246. ENOCH'S TRANSLATION. When Enoch, whom Milton ftyles The only righteous in a world perverfe, had fojourned upon earth as many years as the year has days, he was tranflated to heaven, there, according to the fame great poet, To walk with God High in falvation, and the climes of blifs, Exempt from death; to fhew us what reward How many months, weeks, days, and hours, did Enoch inhabit our planet, reckoning 13 months, 1 day, 6 hours to the year? Anf. 4,745 months, 18,980 weeks, 133,225 days, 3,199,590 hours. No. 247. ANTEDILUVIAN LONGEVITY. The term antediluvians is a general name for all mankind who lived before the flood, and fo includes the whole human race from Adam to Noah and his family. One of the most extraordinary circumftances, which occurs in the antediluvian history, is the vast length of human lives in those first ages, |