Chaps. 34-40.

Chap. 34.—The Various Natures of Fruit.

Thus much, then, for the various classes and kinds of fruit: it will be as well now to classify their various natures within a more limited scope. Some fruits grow in a pod which is sweet itself, and contains a bitter seed: whereas in most kinds of fruit the seed is agreeable to the palate, those which grow in a pod are condemned. Other fruits are berries, with the stone within and the flesh without, as in the olive and the cherry: others, again, have the berry within and the stone without, the case, as we have already stated, with the berries that grow in Egypt. [The fruit of the ben, or myrobalanus, the Balanites Ægyptiaca. See B. xiii. cc. and.]

Those fruits, known as “pomes” have the same characteristics as the berry fruits; in some of them we find the body of the fruit within and the shell without, as in the nut, for example; others, again, have the meat of the fruit without and the shell within, the peach and the plum, for instance: the refuse part being thus surrounded with the flesh, while in other fruits the flesh is surrounded by the refuse part. [Vitium.] Nuts are enclosed in a shell, chesnuts in a skin; in chesnuts the skin is taken off, but in medlars it is eaten with the rest. Acorns are covered with a crust, grapes with a husk, and pomegranates with a skin and an inner membrane. The mulberry is composed of flesh and juice, while the cherry consists of juice and skin. In some fruits the flesh separates easily from the woody part, the walnut and the date, for instance; in others it adheres, as in the case of the olive and the laurel berry: some kinds, again, partake of both natures, the peach, for example; for in the duracinus [Hard-berry or nectarine. See c..] kind the flesh adheres to the stone, and cannot be torn away from it, while in the other sorts they are easily separated. In some fruits there is no stone or shell [Lignum: literally, “wood.” “There is no wood, either within or without.” He has one universal name for what we call shell, seed, stones, pips, grains, &c.] either within or without, one variety of the date, [The “spado,” or “eunuch” date. See B. xiii. c..] for instance. In some kinds, again, the shell is eaten, just the same as the fruit; this we have already mentioned as being the case with a variety of the almond found in Egypt. [See B. xiii. c.. The fruit of the ben is alluded to, but, as Fée observes, Pliny is wrong in calling it an almond, as it is a pulpy fruit.] Some fruits have on the outside a twofold refuse covering, the chesnut, the almond, and the walnut, for example. Some, again, are composed of three separate parts—the body of the fruit, then a woody shell, and inside of that a kernel, as in the peach.

Some fruits grow closely packed together, such as grapes and sorbs: these last, just like so many grapes in a cluster, cling round the branch and bend it downwards with their weight. On the other hand, some fruits grow separately, at a distance from one another; this is the case with the peach. Some fruits are enclosed in a sort of matrix, as with the grains of the pomegranate: some hang down from a stalk, such as the pear, for instance: others hang in clusters, grapes and dates, for example. Others, again, grow upon stalks and bunches united: this we find the case with the berries of the ivy and the elder. Some adhere close to the branches, like the laurel berry, while other varieties lie close to the branch or hang from it, as the case may be: thus we find in the olive some fruit with short stalks, and others with long. Some fruits grow with a little calyx at the top, the pomegranate, for example, the medlar, and the lotus [The Nymphæa nelumbo of Linnæus.] of Egypt and the Euphrates.

Then, too, as to the various parts of fruit, they are held in different degrees of esteem according to their respective recommendations. In the date it is the flesh that is usually liked, in those of Thebais it is the crust; [Or shell, which, as Fée remarks, participates but very little in the properties of the flesh.] the grape and the caryota date are esteemed for their juice, the pear and the apple for their firmness, the melimelum [Or “honey” apple; see c. of this Book.] for its soft meat, the mulberry for its cartilaginous consistency, and nuts for their kernels. Some fruits in Egypt are esteemed for their skin; the carica, [Or “Carian” fig. See c. of this Book.] for instance. This skin, which in the green fig is thrown away as so much refuse peeling, when the fig is dried is very highly esteemed. In the papyrus, [See B. xiii. c..] the ferula, [See B. xiii. c., and B. xx. cc. 9 and 23.] and the white thorn [See B. xiii. c., and B. xxiv. c. 66.] the stalk itself constitutes the fruit, and the shoots of the fig-tree [See B. xiii. c.. Fée remarks that it is singular how the ancients could eat the branches of the fig-tree, the juice being actually a poison.] are similarly employed.

Among the shrubs, the fruit of the caper [See B. xiii. c..] is eaten along with the stalk; and in the carob, [See c. of this Book.] what is the part that is eaten but so much wood? Nor ought we to omit one peculiarity that exists in the seed of this fruit—it can be called neither flesh, wood, nor cartilage, and yet no other name has been found for it.

Chap. 35. (29).—The Myrtle.

The nature of the juices that are found in the myrtle are particularly remarkable, for it is the only one [He is wrong: the same is the case with the berries of the laurel, and, indeed, many other kinds of berries.] of all the trees, the berries of which produce two kinds of oil [See c. of this Book.] as well as of wine, besides myrtidanum, [See B. xiv. c..] of which we have already spoken. The berry of this was also put to another use in ancient times, for before pepper [See B. xii. c..] was known it was employed in place of it as a seasoning; so much so, indeed, that a name has been derived from it for the highly-seasoned dish which to this day is known by the name of “myrtatum.” [A kind of sausage, seasoned with myrtle. See also B. xxvii c. 49.] It is by the aid of these berries, too, that the flavour of the flesh of the wild boar is improved, and they generally form one of the ingredients in the flavouring of our sauces.

Chap. 36.—Historical Anecdotes Relative to the Myrtle.

This tree was seen for the first time in the regions of Europe, which commence on this side of the Ceraunian mountains, [He means the Acroceraunian chain in Epirus, mentioned in B. iii.] growing at Circeii, [See B. iii. c. 9.] near the tomb of Elpenor there: [He was one of the companions of Ulysses, fabled by Homer and Ovid to have been transformed by Circe into a swine.] it still retains its Greek [Μυρσίνη was its Greek name.] name, which clearly proves it to be an exotic. There were myrtles growing on the site now occupied by Rome, at the time of its foundation; for a tradition exists to the effect that the Romans and the Sabines, after they had intended fighting, on account of the virgins who had been ravished by the former, purified themselves, first laying down their arms, with sprigs of myrtle, on the very same spot which is now occupied by the statues of Venus Cluacina; for in the ancient language “cluere” means to purify.

This tree is employed, too, for a species of fumigation; [See B. xxv. c. 59.] being selected for that purpose, because Venus, who presides over all unions, is the tutelary divinity of the tree. [See B. xii. c.. Ovid, Fasti, B. iv. l. 15, et seq., says that Venus concealed herself from the gaze of the Satyrs behind this tree.] I am not quite sure, too, whether this tree was not the very first that was planted in the public places of Rome, the result of some ominous presage by the augurs of wondrous import. For at the Temple of Quirinus, or, in other words, of Romulus himself, one of the most ancient in Rome, there were formerly two myrtle-trees, which grew for a long period just in front of the temple; one of these was called the Patrician tree, the other the Plebeian. The Patrician myrtle was for many years the superior tree, full of sap and vigour; indeed, so long as the Senate maintained its superiority, so did the tree, being of large growth, while the Plebeian tree presented a meagre, shrivelled appearance. In later times, however, the latter tree gained the superiority, and the Patrician myrtle began to fail just at the period of the [Either this story is untrue, or we have a right to suspect that some underhand agency was employed for the purpose of imposing on the superstitious credulity of the Roman people.] Marsic War, [Or Social War. See B. ii c. 85.] when the power of the Senate was so greatly weakened: and little by little did this once majestic tree sink into a state of utter exhaustion and sterility. There was an ancient altar [Near the altar of Consus, close to the meta of the Circus.] also, consecrated to Venus Myrtea, known at the present day by the name of Murcia.

Chap. 37.—Eleven Varieties of the Myrtle.

Cato [De Re Rust. c. 8.] makes mention of three varieties of the myrtle, the black, white, and the conjugula, perhaps so called from its reference to conjugal unions, and belonging to the same species as that which grew where Cluacina’s statues now stand: at the present day the varieties are differently distinguished into the cultivated and the wild [The so-called wild myrtle does not in reality belong to the genus Myrtus.] myrtle, each of which includes a kind with a large leaf. The kind known as “oxymyrsine,” [See B. xxiii. c. 83; the Ruscus aculeatus of the family of the Asparagea.] belongs only to the wild variety: ornamental gardeners classify several varieties of the cultivated kind; the “Tarentine,” [The common myrtle, Myrtus communis of the naturalists.] they speak of as a myrtle with a small leaf, the myrtle of this country [Or Roman myrtle, a variety of the Myrtus communis.] as having a broad leaf, and the hexasticha [The “six row” myrtle. Fée thinks that it belongs to the Myrtus angustifolia Bœtica of Bauhin.] as being very thickly covered with leaves, growing in rows of six: it is not, however, made any use of. There are two other kinds, that are branchy and well covered. In my opinion, the conjugula is the same that is now called the Roman myrtle. It is in Egypt that the myrtle is most odoriferous.

Cato [De Re Rust. 125.] has taught us how to make a wine from the black myrtle, by drying it thoroughly in the shade, and then putting it in must: he says, also, that if the berries are not quite dry, it will produce an oil. Since his time a method has been discovered of making a pale wine from the white variety; two sextarii of pounded myrtle are steeped in three semi-sextarii of wine, and the mixture is then subjected to pressure.

The leaves [See B. xxiii. c. 81.] also are dried by themselves till they are capable of being reduced to a powder, which is used for the treatment of sores on the human body: this powder is of a slightly corrosive nature, and is employed also for the purpose of checking the perspiration. A thing that is still more remarkable, this oil is possessed of a certain vinous flavour, being, at the same time, of an unctuous nature, and remarkably efficacious for improving [A new proof, as Fée remarks, that the ancients had peculiar notions of their own, as to the flavour of wine; myrtle berries, he says, would impart to wine a detestable aromatic flavour.] wines. When this is done, the wine strainer [“Saccis:” the strainer being made of cloth. See B. xiv. c..] is dipped in the oil before it is used, the result of which is that it retains the lees of the wine, and allows nothing but the pure liquor to escape, while at the same time it accompanies the wine and causes a marked improvement in its flavour.

Sprigs of myrtle, if carried by a person when travelling on foot, are found to be very refreshing [They would be of no assistance whatever, and this statement is entirely fictitious.] on a long journey. Rings, too, made of myrtle which has never been touched by iron, are an excellent specific for swellings in the groin. [He may possibly mean hernia.]

Chap. 38.—The Myrtle Used at Rome in Ovations.

The myrtle has played [In addition to all those particulars, he might have stated that the Lares, or household gods, were crowned with myrtle, and that it was not allowed to enter the Temple of Bona Dea.] its part, also, in the successes of war. Posthumius Tubertus, who gained a victory over the Sabines in his consulship, [A.U.C. 251.] was the first person who entered the City enjoying the honour of an ovation, [See the Notes to c. of this Book.] for having achieved this success with ease and without bloodshed: upon which occasion he made his entry crowned with the myrtle of Venus Victrix, and thereby rendered her tree an object of regard [Because the enemy would be less likely to envy us a bloodless triumph.] to our enemies even. Ever since this occasion, the wreath of those who have enjoyed an ovation has been made of myrtle, with the exception of M. Crassus, [He disdained the more humble myrtle crown, and intrigued successfully with the Senate to allow him to wear a wreath of laurel.] who, on his victory over the fugitive slaves and Spartacus, made his entry crowned with laurels. Massurius informs us, also, that some generals, on the occasion of a triumph even, have worn a wreath of myrtle in the triumphal car. L. Piso states that Papirius Maso, who was the first to enjoy a triumph for a victory over the Marsi—it was on the Alban Mount [The Senate refused him a triumph; and he accordingly celebrated one on the Alban Mount, B.C. 231. Paulus Diaconus says that his reason for wearing a myrtle crown was his victory over the Corsicans on the Myrtle Plains, though where they were, or what victory is alluded to, is not known.] —was in the habit of attending at the games of the Circus, wearing a wreath of myrtle: he was the maternal grandfather of the second Scipio Africanus. Marcus Valerius [The brother of Valerius Publicola.] wore two wreaths, one of laurel, the other of myrtle; it was in consequence of a vow which he had made to that effect.

Chap. 39. (30.)—The Laurel; Thirteen Varieties of It.

The laurel is especially consecrated to triumphs, is remarkably ornamental to houses, and guards the portals of our emperors [We learn from two passages in Ovid that the laurel was suspended over the gates of the emperors. This, as Fée remarks, was done for two reasons: because it was looked upon as a protection against lightning, and because it was considered an emblem of immortality.] and our pontiffs: there suspended alone, it graces the palace, and is ever on guard before the threshold. Cato [De Re Rust. 133.] speaks of two varieties of this tree, the Delphic [Or “laurel of Apollo:” it was into this tree that Daphne was fabled to have been changed. See Ovid’s Met. B. i. l. 557, et seq.] and the Cyprian. Pompeius Lenæus has added another, to which he has given the name of “mustax,” from the circumstance of its being used for putting under the cake known by the name of “mustaceum”. [Cato, De Re Rust. c. 121, tells us that this cake was made of fine wheat, must, anise, cummin, suet, cheese, and scraped laurel sprigs. Laurel leaves were placed under it when baked. This mixture was considered a light food, good for the stomach!] He says that this variety has a very large leaf, flaccid, and of a whitish hue; that the Delphic laurel is of one uniform colour, greener than the other, with berries of very large size, and of a red tint approaching to green. He says, too, that it is with this laurel that the victors at Delphi [At the Pythian Games celebrated there.] are crowned, and warriors who enjoy the honours of a triumph at Rome. The Cyprian laurel, he says, has a short leaf, is of a blackish colour, with an imbricated [Meaning that it curves at the edge, something like a pent-house.] edge, and crisped.

Since his time, however, the varieties have considerably augmented. There is the tinus [Or tine tree, the Viburnum tinus of Linnæus, one of the caprifolia. It is not reckoned as one of the laurels, though it has many of the same characteristics.] for instance, by some considered as a species of wild laurel, while others, again, regard it as a tree of a separate class; indeed, it does differ from the laurel as to the colour, the berry being of an azure blue. The royal [Regia.] laurel, too, has since been added, which has of late begun to be known as the “Augustan:” both the tree, as well as the leaf, are of remarkable size, and the berries have not the usual rough taste. Some say, however, that the royal laurel and the Augustan are not the same tree, and make out the former to be a peculiar kind, with a leaf both longer and broader than that of the Augustan. The same authors, also, make a peculiar species of the bacalia the commonest laurel of all, and the one that bears the greatest number of berries. With them, too, the barren laurel [The barren laurel of the triumphs was the Laurus nobilis of Linnæus, which has only male flowers.] is the laurel of the triumphs, and they say that this is the one that is used by warriors when enjoying a triumph—a thing that surprises me very much; unless, indeed, the use of it was first introduced by the late Emperor Augustus, and it is to be considered as the progeny of that laurel, which, as we shall just now have occasion to mention, was sent to him from heaven; it being the smallest of them all, with a crisped [The Laurus vulgaris folio undulato of the Parisian Hortus, Fée says.] short leaf, and very rarely to be met with.

In ornamental gardening we also find the taxa [Not a laurel, nor yet a dicotyledon, Fée says, but one of the Asparagea, probably the Ruscus hypoglossum of Linnæus, sometimes known, however, as the Alexandrian laurel.] employed, with a small leaf sprouting from the middle of the leaf, and forming a fringe, as it were, hanging from it; the spadonia, [Or “eunuch” laurel; a variety, probably, of the Laurus nobilis.] too, without this fringe, a tree that thrives remarkably well in the shade: indeed, however dense the shade may be, it will soon cover the spot with its shoots. There is the chamædaphne, [The “ground laurel:” according to Sprengel, this is the Ruscus racemosus of Linnæus. See B. xxiv. c. 81.] also, a shrub that grows wild; the Alexandrian [From Alexandria in Troas: the Ruscus hypophyllum of Linnæus, it is supposed.] laurel, by some known as the Idean, by others as the “hypoglottion,” [“The tongue below.” This, Fée justly says, would appear to be a more appropriate name for the taxa, mentioned above.] by others as the “carpophyllon,” [From the berry being attached to the leaf.] and by others, again, as the “hypelates.” [“The thrower out from below,” perhaps.] From the root it throws out branches three quarters of a foot in length; it is much used in ornamental gardening, and for making wreaths, and it has a more pointed leaf than that of the myrtle, and superior to it in softness, whiteness, and size: the seed, which lies between the leaves, is red. This last kind grows in great abundance on Mount Ida and in the vicinity of Heraclea in Pontus: it is only found, however, in mountainous districts.

The laurel, too, known as the daphnoides, [Sprengel thinks that it is the Clematis vitalba of Linnæus. Fuchsius identities it with the Daphne laureola of Linnæus; and Fée thinks it may be either that or the Daphne mezereum of Linnæus.] is a variety that has received many different names: by some it is called the Pelasgian laurel, by others the euthalon, and by others the stephanon Alexandri. [“Crown of Alexander.”] This is also a branchy shrub, with a thicker and softer leaf than that of the ordinary laurel: if tasted, it leaves a burning sensation in the mouth and throat: the berries are red, inclining to black. The ancient writers have remarked, that in their time there was no species of laurel in the island of Corsica. Since then, however, it has been planted there, and has thrived well.

Chap. 40.—Historical Anecdotes Connected with the Laurel.

This tree is emblematical of peace: [Curiously enough, it is generally considered now more suggestive of war than of peace.] when a branch of it is extended, it is to denote a truce between enemies in arms. For the Romans more particularly it is the messenger of joyful tidings, and of victory: it accompanies the despatches [The despatches were wrapped in laurel leaves.] of the general, and it decorates the lances and javelins of the soldiers and the fasces which precede their chief. It is of this tree that branches are deposited on the lap of Jupiter All-good and All-great, [Optimus Maximus.] so often as some new victory has imparted universal gladness. This is done, not because it is always green, nor yet because it is an emblem of peace—for in both of those respects the olive would take the precedence of it—but because it is the most beauteous tree on Mount Parnassus, and was pleasing for its gracefulness to Apollo even; a deity to whom the kings of Rome sent offerings at an early period, as we learn from the case of L. Brutus. [L. Junius Brutus, the nephew of Tarquin. Pliny alludes to the message sent to Delphi, for the purpose of consulting the oracle on a serpent being seen in the royal palace.] Perhaps, too, honour is more particularly paid to this tree because it was there that Brutus [He alludes to the circumstance of the priestess being asked who should reign at Rome after Tarquin; upon which she answered, “He who first kisses his mother;” on which Brutus, the supposed idiot, stumbled to the ground, and kissed the earth, the mother of all.] earned the glory of asserting his country’s liberties, when, by the direction of the oracle, he kissed that laurel-bearing soil. Another reason, too, may be the fact, that of all the shrubs that are planted and received in our houses, this is the only one that is never struck by lightning. [A mere absurdity; the same has been said of the beech, and with equal veracity.] It is for these reasons, in my opinion, that the post of honour has been awarded to the laurel more particularly in triumphs, and not, as Massurius says, because it was used for the purposes of fumigation and purification from the blood of the enemy.

In addition to the above particulars, it is not permitted to defile the laurel and the olive by applying them to profane uses; so much so, indeed, that, not even for the propitiation of the divinities, should a fire be lighted with them at either altar or shrine. [He makes a distinction between “altar” and “ara” here. The former was the altar of the superior Divinities, the latter of the superior and inferior as well.] Indeed, it is very evident that the laurel protests against such usage by crackling [The crackling of the laurel is caused by efforts of the essential oil to escape from the parenchyma or cellular tissue of the leaf, which it breaks with considerable violence when burning.] as it does in the fire, thus, in a manner, giving expression to its abhorrence of such treatment. The wood of this tree when eaten is good as a specific for internal maladies and affections of the sinews. [Nervorum. See B. xxiii. c. 80.]

It is said that when it thundered, the Emperor Tiberius was in the habit of putting on a wreath of laurel to allay his apprehensions of disastrous effects from the lightning. [Suetonius, c. 66, confirms this. Fée says that the same superstition still exists in some parts of France. See B. ii. c. 56.] There are also some remarkable facts connected with the laurel in the history of the late Emperor Augustus: once while Livia Drusilla, who afterwards on her marriage with the Emperor assumed the name of Augusta, at the time that she was affianced to him, was seated, there fell into her lap a hen of remarkable whiteness, which an eagle let fall from aloft without its receiving the slightest injury: on Livia viewing it without any symptoms of alarm, it was discovered that miracle was added to miracle, and that it held in its beak a branch of laurel covered with berries. The aruspices gave orders that the hen and her progeny should be carefully preserved, and the branch planted and tended with religious care. This was accordingly done at the country-house belonging to the Cæsars, on the Flaminian Way, near the banks of the Tiber, eight miles from the City; from which circumstance that road has since received the title “Ad gallinas.” [“The Poultry.”] From the branch there has now arisen, wondrous to relate, quite a grove: and Augustus Cæsar afterwards, when celebrating a triumph, held a branch of it in his hand and wore a wreath of this laurel on his head; since which time all the succeeding emperors have followed his example. Hence, too, has originated the custom of planting the branches which they have held on these occasions, and we thus see groves of laurel still existing which owe their respective names to this circumstance. It was on the above occasion, too, that not improbably a change was effected in the usual laurel of the triumph. [See c. of this Book.] The laurel is the only one among the trees that in the Latin language has given an appellation to a man, [See B. xxxi. c. 3. As Poinsinet remarks, this is not strictly true; the name “Vinucius” most probably came from “vinea,” a vineyard. Numerous names were derived also from seeds and vegetables; Piso, Cicero, and Lactuca, for instance, among a host of others. “Scipio,” too, means a “walking-stick.”] and it is the only one the leaf of which has a distinct name of its own,—it being known by the name of “laurea.” The name of this tree is still retained by one place in the city of Rome, for we find a spot on the Aventine Mount still known by the name of “Loretum,” [The “laurel-grove.”] where formerly a laurel-grove existed. The laurel is employed in purifications, and we may here mention, incidentally, that it will grow from slips [See B. xvii. c..] —though Democritus and Theophrastus have expressed their doubts as to that fact.

We shall now proceed to speak of the forest trees.

Summary. —Remarkable facts, narratives, and observations, one hundred and twenty.

Roman authors quoted. —Fenestella, [See end of B. viii.] Fabianus, [See end of B. ii.] Virgil, [See end of B. vii.] Corn. Valerianus, [See end of B. iii.] Celsus, [See end of B. vii.] Cato the Censor, [See end of B. iii.] Saserna [See end of B. x.] father and son, Scrofa, [See end of B..] M. Varro, [See end of B. ii.] D. Silanus, [See end of B..] Fabius Pictor, [See end of B. x.] Trogus, [See end of B. vii.] Hyginus, [See end of B. iii.] Flaccus Verrius, [See end of B. iii.] Græcinus, [See end of B..] Atticus Julius, [See end of B..] Columella, [See end of B. viii.] Massurius Sabinus, [See end of B. vii.] Tergilla, [See end of B..] Cotta Messalinus, [See end of B..] L. Piso, [See end of B. ii.] Pompeius Lenæus, [See end of B..] Maccius Plautus, [See end of B..] Flavius, [See end of B..] Dossenus, [See end of B..] Scævola, [See end of B..] Ælius, [See end of B..] Ateius Capito, [See end of B. iii.] Sextius Niger, [See end of B..] Vibius Rufus. [See end of B..]

Foreign authors quoted. —Aristotle, [See end of B. ii.] Democritus, [See end of B. ii.] King Hiero, [See end of B. viii.] King Attalus Philometor, [See end of B. viii.] Archytas, [See end of B. viii.] Xenophon, [See end of B. iv.] Amphilochus [See end of B. viii.] of Athens, Anaxipolis [See end of B. viii.] of Thasos, Apollodorus [See end of B. viii.] of Lemnos, Aristophanes [See end of B. viii.] of Miletus, Antigonus [See end of B. viii.] of Cymæ, Agathocles [See end of B. viii.] of Chios, Apollonius [See end of B. viii.] of Pergamus, Aristander [See end of B. viii.] of Athens, Bacchius [See end of B. viii.] of Miletus, Bion [See end of B. vi.] of Soli, Chæreas [See end of B. viii.] of Athens, Chæristus [See end of B..] of Athens, Diodorus [He is mentioned also by Varro and Columella, as a writer upon agriculture; but all further particulars of him are unknown.] of Priene, Dion [See end of B. viii.] of Colophon, Epigenes [See end of B. ii.] of Rhodes, Euagon [See end of B. x.] of Thasos, Euphronius [See end of B. viii.] of Athens, Androtion [See end of B. viii.] who wrote on Agriculture, Æschrion [See end of B. viii.] who wrote on Agriculture, Lysimachus [See end of B. viii.] who wrote on Agriculture, Dionysius [See end of B..] who translated Mago, [See end of B. viii.] Diophanes [See end of B. viii.] who made an Epitome of the work of Dionysius, Asclepiades [See end of B. vii.] the Physician, Erasistratus [See end of B..] the Physician, Commiades [Beyond what Pliny here says, nothing is known of him.] who wrote on the preparation of Wines, Aristomachus [See end of B..] who wrote on the same subject, Hicesius [A physician who lived probably at the end of the first century B.C. He was a disciple of Erasistratus, and founded a medical school at Smyrna. He is quoted by Athenæus, and in B. xxvii. c. 14, Pliny calls him “a physician of no small authority.” He seems to have been a voluminous writer; but none of his works have survived.] who wrote on the same subject, Themiso [See end of B..] the Physician, Onesicritus, [See end of B. ii.] King Juba. [See end of B. v.]