| Title: | Copy Letter In Scribal Hand A, ? To Hartlib? |
|---|---|
| Dating: | 23 May 1658 |
| Ref: | 52/69A-70B: 70B BLANK |
[52/69A]
<Hartlib: Winy Liquors. Cydar.>
Zurich May 13/23. 1658./
As for their Aqva Vitæ drawen out of cherries, it is hot & strong enough. But without doubt some of them make it much better than others. A little negligence, in such work, soone marres the taste of the Liqvor; corrupting it with some odious relish of putrefaction, mustinesse or adustion. When a sharp spring causeth a scarcity of those wild cherries, the Magistrates of Zurich forbid the selling of that sort of Aqva-Vitæ, least the Distillers should waste those fruits, which serve for food to soe many Country-families, the whole yeare through. A Citizen told me, that the Country-Cooke- [catchword: ry]
[52/69B]
ry of those cherries, was to stew them with bread & water & butter: so making a spoone-meat pleasant, hearty & fit for those men, whose Emploiments are most are most laborious. Not long since, one sent mee a bottle of liqvor, whose colour, smell & taste enticed me to pronounce it to be as good Muscatell as ever I had tasted. But he that sent it, told me it was nothing but Turgow-wine, ten yeares old. That is to say; It was the juice of the small, ill-tasted peares of Turgow, pressed out by a wine-presse; & then boiled till 2.[deletion] thirds were wasted. He had kept it 10. yeares; but every yeare hee had filled vp the vessell with new Perry of the like sort, fearing that otherwise it would lose all its spirits: because they are wont to doe soe with Zurich wine; which some keepe in huge Vessells many yeares, till age have abated the sourenesse of it; that it may at last deserve the Epithets of Plautus; annosum, edentulum.
About a month hence it will bee Zurichs turne to send[H alters from sent] a Prefect to governe the Country of Turgow for 2 yeares. They have chosen their cheife Secretary of State to bee the man. Hee had of his owne accord twice promised to make diligent enqviry concerning their whole manner of handling their Perry & to send me a punctuall description of it. He seemes very sensible of the inestimable advantage which the Turgovians might make of their
[52/70A]
Pear-trees, if[H alters from If] they could save[H alters from safe] all that liqvor, which they now boyle away, & yet might make better drinke, & with more variety of taste & more fit for ordinary vse, than their counterfeit Muscatell. Which he hopeth they may doe, & soe may have something like the Cider & Perry of Herefordshire of which I have promised to give him as full a Relation as I can procure. And therefore I pray you let mee have what soe ever M.B. writes further on that subject. In that of Apr. 9 hee seemes to intend another discourse with many particular directions fit for those