BOTTLE, a small vessel proper for holding liquors. We say a glass bottle, a stone bottle, a leathern bottle, a wooden bottle, a sucking bottle. Of glass bottles no mention occurs before the 15th centu ry: for the 'Amphorae vitrem" of Petro nius, to the necks of which were affixed labels, expressing the name and age of the wine, appear to have been large jars, and to have formed part of the many un common articles, by which the voluptua ry Trimalchio wished to distinguish him self. It is, however, singular, that these convenient vessels were not thought of at an earlier period, especially as among the small funeral urns of the ancients many are to be found, which, in shape, resem ble our bottles.
Beckman conceives that he discovers the origin of our bottles in the figure of the Syracusan wine-flasks. Charpentier cites, from a writing of the year 1387, an expression, which seems to allude to one of our glass bottles ; but this, attentively considered, refers merely to cups, or drinking glasses. The name boutiaux, or boutilles, occurs in the French language for the first time in the 15th century; but if it were more ancient, it would prove nothing, as it signified originally, and still signifies, vessels of clay or metal, and particularly of leather. Such vessels fill ed with wine, which travellers were ac customed to suspend from their saddles, might be stopped with a piece of wood, or closed by means of wooden or metal tops screwed on them ; and such are still used for earthen pitchers. We shall here add, that stoppers of cork must have been introduced after the invention of glass bottles. In 1553, they were little known ; and their introduction into the shops of the apothecaries in Germany took place about the end of the 17th century. Before that period, they used stoppers of wax, which were more troublesome and more expensive. The ancient Jewish bot tles were kegs made of goats' or other wild beasts' skins, with the hair on the inside, well sewed and pitched together ; an aperture in one of the animal's paws serving for the mouth ofthe vessel. Calmet.
Bottles of this kind are mentioned in scripture, and they were used for carry ing water through the deserts of Arabia and other countries, where springs and streams are scarce. Such bottles, in deed, have been in common use both in ancient and modern times. The word used by Job (eh. xxxii. 19.) signifies, in the original, to swell or distend ; it is properly used to express a skin bottle, which would he made to swell by the li quor poured into it, and which would be more distended and enlarged, till they would at last burst, if they had no vent for the fermentation of the liquor as it ad vanced towards ripeness. Hence we per ceive the propriety of putting new wine into new bottles, &c. according to the ap propriate allusion in the gospels, which, being moist and strong, would resist the expansion, and preserve the wine to due maturity ; whereas old bottles of this kind, being dry and more brittle, would be in danger of bursting, and were best adapted to receive old wine, the fermen tation of which had ceased.
These leather bottles are supposed, by a sacred historian, not only to be frequent ly rent, when grown old and much used, but also to be capable of being repaired (Josh. ix. 4.) Modern travellers, as well as ancient authors, frequently take notice of these leathern bottles. The Arabs, says Sir John Chardin, and all those who lead a wandering life, keep their water, milk, and other in these bottles, the manner of repairing which he also describes. They serve, according to this writer, to preserve their contents more fresh than in any other way. They arc made, he says, of goat-skins : when the animal is killed, they cut off its feet and its head, and in this manner they draw it out of the skin without opening the belly. They afterwards sew up the places where the legs were cut off, and the tail, and when it is filled, they tie it about the neck. These nations, and the country people of Persia, never go a journey with out a small leathern bottle of water hang ing by their side like a scrip. The great leathern bottles are made of the skin of an he-goat, and the small ones, that serve instead of a bottle of water on the road, are made of a kid's skin. In speaking of the Persians, the same traveller says, that they use leathern bottles, and find them useful in keeping water fresh, especially if people, when they travel, take care to moisten them, wherever they find water. The evaporation thus fur nished, serves also to keep the water cool. He says that the disagreeable taste of the leather is taken off, by causing it to imbibe rose water when it is new, and before it be applied to use.
Formerly, it is said, the Persians per fumed these leathern vessels with mastic, or with incense. From him also we learn, that they put into these goat-skin and kid skin vessels every thing which they want to carry to a distance in the East, whether dry or liquid ; they are thus preserved fresher than if they were conveyed in boxes or pots : the ants and other insects are prevented from getting among them, and they are thus kept free from dust; and for these reasons butter, honey, cheese, and other such aliments, are in closed in vessels made of the skins of these animals. Accordingly the things, particularly the balm and honey, which were somewhat liquid, that were carried to Joseph as a present, were probably inclosed in little vessels made of kid skins. Homer also refers to this mode of preserving various kinds of provision in leathern vessels. Glass bottles are better for cider than those of stone. Foul glass bottles are cured by rolling sand or small shot in them ; musty bottles by boiling them. Bottles are chiefly made, of thick coarse zlass ; though there are likewise bottles of boiled leather made and sold by the case-makers. Fine glass bottles, covered with straw or wicket, are called flasks. The quality of the glass has been sometimes found to affect the liquor in the bottle.