An Archaeological Drink

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 113, 4 March 1886, Page 3

An Archaeological Drink

T w ~ There was lately discovered in the neighborhood of Marseilles a Roman cemetery. The most interesting of the tomb* opened was undoubtedly that of the Consul Caius Septimus. Besides arms and money it contained an amphora with an almost illegible inscription en it, filled to a fourth part with a red and thick fluid. Au authority on matters archaeo* logical, whose word had great weight with the Academic des Inscriptions, after studying the inscription, declared his belief that the contents of the bottle were real Falernian wine— the celebrated Fal* erna of which Horace sang. The ConsuCaiu* Septimus in his lifetime had evideatly been" a merry brother." and had had an amphora of his favorite wine buried with him. To an antiquary such & discovery was not to be kept to oneself Mons. P-^took the amy hora with him to Paris and invited a dozen of his colleagues of the Acadamy to dinner. The historic Falerna was reverently handed around in small glasses, and drunk upstanding in memorian of Gains Septimus and of Horace. Hardly were the - ' glasses replaced on the table than the servant of the host entered with • telegram. Making an apoie»gy, the host opened the letterand read. Imt suddenly 'flushed to the roots ot his hair, and then became deadly pale, finally starting to his feet and fleeing from the room wjth . .a . cry of horror The astounded guests took up the telegram and one of them read it out. It ran — " Marseilles 7 o'clock evening. Don't drink contents of amphora. Not Falerna. Inscription on socle overlooked, The liquid is the body itself of Consul Caius Septimus, liquified by the balsam process." The unlucky antiquaries had drank ihe Consul in the amphora J mmmmmm—mm—mmemm