Chaps. 45-62.

Chap. 45.—Rue.

Rue, [The Ruta graveolens of Linnæus. See B. xx. c.. This offensive herb, though looked upon by the Romans as a vegetable, is now only regarded as an active medicament of almost poisonous qualities.] too, is generally sown while the west winds prevail, as well as just after the autumnal equinox. This plant has an extreme aversion to cold, moisture, and dung; it loves dry, sunny localities, and a soil more particularly that is rich in brick clay; it requires to be nourished, too, with ashes, which should be mixed with the seed as well, as a preservative against the attacks of caterpillars. The ancients held rue in peculiar esteem; for I find that honied wine flavoured with rue was distributed to the people, in his consulship, [A.U.C. 421.] by Cornelius Cethegus, the colleague of Quintus Flamininus, after the closing of the Comitia. This plant has a great liking [It so happens that it thrives best on the same soil as the fig-tree.] for the fig-tree, and for that tree only; indeed, it never thrives better than when grown beneath that tree. It is generally grown from slips, the lower end of which is inserted in a perforated [This practice has no beneficial effect whatever.] bean, which holds it fast, and so nurtures the young plant with its juices. It also reproduces itself; [This is not the fact; for its branches never come in contact with the ground.] for the ends of the branches bending downwards, the moment they reach the ground, they take root again. Ocimum [Pliny has derived the greater part of this Chapter from Theophrastus, Hist. Plant. B. vii. c. 5, and Columella, B. xi. c. 3.] is of a very similar nature to rue, except that it dries with greater difficulty. When rue has once gained strength, there is considerable difficulty in stubbing it, as it causes itching ulcerations on the hands, if they are not covered or previously protected by being rubbed with oil. Its leaves, too, are preserved, being packed in bundles for keeping.

Chap. 46.—Parsley.

Parsley is sown immediately after the vernal equinox, the seed being lightly beaten [For the purpose of separating the seeds, which are slightly joined together; and of disengaging a portion of the perisperm. At the present day this is not done, for fear of bursting the kernel of the seed.] first in a mortar. It is thought that, by doing this, the parsley will be all the more crisped, or else by taking care to beat it down when sown with a roller or the feet. It is a peculiarity of this plant, that it changes colour: it has the honour, in Achaia, of forming the wreath of the victors in the sacred contests of the Nemean Games.

Chap. 47.—Mint.

It is at the same season, too, that mint [See B. xx. c..] is transplanted; or, if it has not yet germinated, the matted tufts of the old roots are used for the purpose. This plant, too, is no less fond of a humid soil than parsley; it is green in summer and turns yellow in winter. There is a wild kind of mint, known to us as “mentastrum:” [Called by the Greeks καλαμίνθη, according to Apuleius.] it is reproduced by layers, like the vine, or else by planting the branches upside down. It was the sweetness of its smell that caused this plant to change its name among the Greeks, its former name with them being “mintha,” from which the ancient Romans derived their name [Or “Mentha.”] for it; whereas now, of late, it has been called by them ἡδύοσμον. [“Sweet-smelling.”] The mint that is used in the dishes at rustic entertainments pervades the tables far and wide with its agreeable odour. When once planted, it lasts a considerable length of time; it bears, too, a strong resemblance to pennyroyal, a property of which is, as mentioned by us more than once, [“Sæpius.” See B. xviii. c..] to flower when kept in our larders.

These other herbs, mint, I mean, and catmint, as well as pennyroyal, are all kept for use in a similar manner; but it is cummin [The Cuminum cyminum of botanists. See B. xx. c..] that is the best suited of all the seasoning herbs to squeamish and delicate stomachs. This plant grows on the surface of the soil, seeming hardly to adhere to it, and raising itself aloft from the ground: it ought to be sown in the middle of the summer, in a crumbly, warm soil, more particularly. There is another wild kind [See B. xx. c..] of cummin, known by some persons as “rustic,” by others as “Thebaic” cummin: bruised and drunk in water, it is good for pains in the stomach. The cummin most esteemed in our part of the world is that of Carpetania, [In Hispania Tarraconensis. See B. iii. c. 4.] though elsewhere that of Africa and Æthiopia is more highly esteemed; with some, indeed, this last is preferred to that of Egypt.

Chap. 48.—Olusatrum.

But it is olusatrum, [Or “black-herb:” the herb Alexander, the Smyrnium olusatrum of Linnæus. See B. xx. c..] more particularly, that is of so singular a nature, a plant which by the Greeks is called “hipposelinum,” [“Horse-parsley.”] and by others “smyrnium.” This plant is reproduced from a tear-like gum [See B. xvii. c. 14, and B. xxi. c..] which exudes from the stem; it is also grown from the roots as well. Those whose business it is to collect the juice of it, say that it has just the flavour of myrrh; and, according to Theophrastus, [Hist. Plant. B. ix. c. 1. This story originated, no doubt, in the fancied resemblance of its smell to that of myrrh.] it is obtained by planting myrrh. The ancients recommended that hipposelinum should be grown in uncultivated spots covered with stones, and in the vicinity of garden walls; but at the present day it is sown in ground that has been twice turned up, between the prevalence of the west winds and the autumnal equinox.

The caper, [The Capparis spinosa of Linnæus. See B. xiii. c. 44, also B. xx. c..] too, should be sown in dry localities more particularly, the plot being hollowed out and surrounded with an embankment of stones erected around it: if this precaution is not taken, it will spread all over the adjoining land, and entail sterility upon the soil. The caper blossoms in summer, and retains its verdure till the setting of the Vergiliæ; it thrives the best of all in a sandy soil. As to the bad qualities of the caper which grows in the parts beyond the sea, we have already [In B. xiii. c. 44.] enlarged upon them when speaking of the exotic shrubs.

Chap. 49.—The Caraway.

The caraway [The Carum carvi of Linnæus.] is an exotic plant also, which derives its name, “careum,” from the country [Caria, in Asia Minor.] in which it was first grown; it is principally employed for culinary purposes. This plant will grow in any kind of soil, and requires to be cultivated just the same way as olusatrum; the most esteemed, however, is that which comes from Caria, and the next best is that of Phrygia.

Chap. 50.—Lovage.

Lovage [The Ligusticum levisticum of Linnæus.] grows wild in the mountains of Liguria, its native country, but at the present day it is grown everywhere. The cultivated kind is the sweetest of the two, but is far from powerful; by some persons it is known as “panax.” Crateuas, a Greek writer, gives this name, however, to the plant known to us as “cunila bubula;” [“Ox cunila.” One of the Labiatæ, probably; but whether one of the Satureia or of the Thymbra is not known. See B. xx. cc.,.] and others, again, call the conyza [See B. xxi. c..] or cunilago, cunila, while they call cunila, [Scribonius Largus gives this name to savory, the Satureia hortensis of Linnæus. The whole of this passage is very confused, and its meaning is by no means clear.] properly so called, by the name of “thymbra.” With us cunila has another appellation, being generally known as “satureia,” and reckoned among the seasoning plants. It is usually sown in the month of February, and for utility rivals wild marjoram. These two plants are never used together, their properties being so extremely similar; but it is only the wild marjoram of Egypt that is considered superior to cunila.

Chap. 51.—Dittander.

Dittander, [The Lepidium sativum of Linnæus. See B. xx. c..] too, was originally an exotic plant: it is usually sown after the west winds have begun to prevail. As soon as it begins to shoot, it is cut down close to the ground, after which it is hoed and manured, a process which is repeated the succeeding year. After this, the shoots are fit for use, if the rigour of the winter has not injured them; for it is a plant quite unable to withstand any inclemency [It is an annual, in fact.] of the weather. It grows to the height of a cubit, and has a leaf like that of the laurel, [Its leaf has no resemblance whatever to that of the laurel.] but softer; it is never used except in combination with milk.

Chap. 52.—Gith.

Gith [The Nigella sativa of Linnæus. See B. xx. c..] is employed by bakers, dill and anise by cooks and medical men. Sacopenium, [Or sagapenum. See B. xx. c.. It is mentioned also in B. xii. c., as being used for adulterating galbanum. As to laser, see c. of the present Book.] so extensively used for adulterating laser, is also a garden plant, but is only employed for medicinal purposes.

Chap. 53.—The Poppy.

There are certain plants which are grown in company [This practice, as Fée remarks, is not followed; and indeed, unless it is intended to transplant them, it would be attended with injurious results to the young plants.] with others, the poppy, for instance, sown with cabbages and purslain, and rocket with lettuce. Of the cultivated poppy [As to the poppy, for further particulars see B. xx. c. and the Note.] there are three kinds, the first being the white [The variety Album of the Papaver somniferum of modern botanists.] poppy, the seed of which, parched, and mixed with honey, used to be served up in the second course at the tables of the ancients; at the present day, too, the country people sprinkle it on the upper crust of their bread, making it adhere by means of the yolk of eggs, the under crust being seasoned with parsley and gith to heighten the flavour of the flour. The second kind is the black [The variety Nigrum of the Papaver somniferum. The white poppy has also a milky juice.] poppy, from which, upon an incision being made in the stalk, a milky juice distils; and the third is that known to the Greeks by the name of “rhœas;” [The Papaver rhœas of modern botanists, the corn-poppy, or wild poppy. The seed of the poppy does not partake of the qualities of its capsular envelope, and at the present day it is extensively employed in the South of Europe for sprinkling over pastry.] and by us as the wild poppy. This last grows spontaneously, but in fields, more particularly, which have been sown with barley: it bears a strong resemblance to rocket, grows to the height of a cubit, and bears a red flower, which quickly fades; it is to this flower that it is indebted for its Greek name. [“Rhœas,” the “crimson,” or “pomegranate” poppy.]

As to the other kinds of poppies which spring up spontaneously, we shall have occasion to speak of them when treating of the medicinal plants. [See B. xx. cc. -.] That the poppy has always been held in esteem among the Romans, we have a proof in the story related of Tarquinius [See c. of this Book, also Ovid’s Fasti, B. ii. l. 703, et seq.] Superbus, who, by striking down the tallest poppies in his garden, surreptitiously conveyed, unknown to them, his sanguinary message through the envoys who had been sent by his son.

Chap. 54.—Other Plants Which Require to Be Sown at the Autumnal Equinox.

There are some other plants, again, which require to be sown together at the time of the autumnal equinox; coriander, for instance, anise, orage, mallows, lapathum, chervil, known to the Greeks as “pæderos,” [“Lad’s love.”] and mustard, [Black mustard, Fée thinks.] which has so pungent a flavour, that it burns like fire, though at the same time it is remarkably wholesome for the body. This last, though it will grow without cultivation, is considerably improved by being transplanted; though, on the other hand, it is extremely difficult to rid the soil of it when once sown there, the seed when it falls germinating immediately. This seed, when cooked in the saucepan, [He can hardly mean a pottage made of boiled mustard-seed alone, as Fée seems to think. If so, however, Fée no doubt is right in thinking that it would he intolerable to a modern palate.] is employed even for making ragouts, its pungency being rendered imperceptible by boiling; the leaves, too, are boiled just the same way as those of other vegetables.

There are three different kinds of mustard, [See B. xx. c..] the first of a thin, slender form, the second, with a leaf like that of the rape, and the third, with that of rocket: the best seed comes from Egypt. The Athenians have given mustard the name of “napy,” [Perhaps a corruption of its Greek name, σίνηπι.] others, “thapsi,” [Hardouin suggests “thlaspi.”] and others, again, “saurion.” [Its bite being as sharp as the venom of the “saurus,” or lizard.]

Chap. 55.—Wild Thyme; Sisymbrium.

Most mountains abound with wild thyme and sisymbrium, those of Thrace, for example, where [Hardouin, from Theophrastus, Hist. Plant. B. vi. c. 7, suggests a reading, “whence the streams bring down branches of them torn off, and so plant them.”] branches of these wild plants are torn up and brought away for planting. So, too, the people of Sicyon seek for wild thyme on their mountains, and the Athenians on the slopes of Hymettus. Sisymbrium, too, is planted in a similar manner; it grows to the greatest perfection upon the walls of wells, and around fish preserves and ponds. [The plants. Fée says, that we find in these localities, are nearly always ferns, or else Marchantia, or mosses of the genus Hypnum. Fée queries whether one of these may not have been the sisymbrium of Pliny. Water-cresses, again, have been suggested.]

Chap. 56. (9.)—Four Kinds of Ferulaceous Plants. Hemp.

The other garden plants are of the ferulaceous kind, such as fennel, for instance, very grateful to serpents, as already stated, [In B. viii. c. 41. The Anæthum fœniculum of Linnæus.] and used for numerous seasonings when dried; thapsia, too, which bears a close resemblance to fennel, and already mentioned by us when speaking [In B. xiii. c. 42.] of the exotic shrubs. Then, too, there is hemp, [The Cannabis sativa of Linnæus. See B. xx. c..] a plant remarkably useful for making ropes, and usually sown after the west winds have begun to prevail: the more thickly it is sown, the thinner are the stalks. The seed is gathered when ripe, just after the autumnal equinox, and is dried by the agency of the sun, the wind, or smoke. [Hemp-seed is never smoke-dried now.] The hemp itself is plucked just after vintage-time, and is peeled and cleaned by the labourers at night.

The best hemp is that of Alabanda, [See B. v. c. 29. The same hemp is mentioned as being used for making hunting-nets, by Gratius, in the Cynegeticon.] which is used more particularly for making hunting-nets, and of which there are three varieties. The hemp which lies nearest the bark or the pith is the least valuable, while that which lies in the middle, and hence has the name of “mesa,” is the most esteemed. The hemp of Mylasa [See B. v. c. 29.] occupies the second rank. With reference to the size to which it grows, that of Rosea, [See B. iii. c. 17, and B. xvii. c. 3.] in the Sabine territory, equals the trees in height. [This, as Fée says, is no doubt erroneous. It is seldom known to attain a couple of inches in circumference.]

We have already mentioned two kinds of fennel-giant when speaking [In B. xiii. c. 42.] of the exotic shrubs: the seed of it is used in Italy for food; the plant, too, admits of being preserved, and, if stored in earthen pots, will keep for a whole year. There are two parts of it that are used for this purpose, the upper stalks and the umbels of the plant. This kind of fennel is sometimes known by the name of “corymbia,” and the parts preserved are called “corymbi.”

Chap. 57. (10.)—The Maladies of Garden Plants.

The garden plants, too, like the rest of the vegetable productions, are subject to certain maladies. Thus, for [These absurd notions are borrowed from Theophrastus, De Causis, c. 8.] instance, ocimum, when old, degenerates into wild thyme, and sisymbrium [See B. xx. c..] into mint, while the seed of an old cabbage produces rape, and vice versâ. Cummin, too, if not kept well hoed, is killed by hæmodorum, [Or, according to some readings, “limodorum,” a parasitical plant, probably the Lathræa phelypea of Sprengel. Fée suggests that this plant may be the Polygonum convolvulus of Linnæus, or else one of the Cuscutæ, or a variety of Orobanche.], a plant with a single stalk, a root similar to a bulb in appearance, and never found except in a thin, meagre soil. Besides this, cummin is liable to a peculiar disease of its own, the scab: [“Scabies.” A fungous excrescence, Fée thinks, now known as “puccinia,” or “uredo.”] ocimum, too, turns pale at the rising of the Dog-star. All plants, indeed, will turn of a yellow complexion on the approach of a woman who has the menstrual discharge [See B. xvii. c. 47. Fée says that he has met with persons, in their sound senses, who obstinately defend the notion here mentioned by Pliny.] upon her.

There are various kinds of insects, [See Theophrastus. Hist. Plant. B. vii. c. 5. Many of these insects, however, do not breed upon the plants, but are only attracted to them.] too, that breed upon the garden plants—fleas, for instance, upon turnips, and caterpillars and maggots upon radishes, as well as lettuces and cabbages; besides which, the last two are exposed to the attacks of slugs and snails. The leek, too, is infested with peculiar insects of its own; which may very easily be taken, however, by laying dung upon the plants, the insects being in the habit of burrowing in it. Sabinus Tiro says, in his book entitled “Cepurica,” [“Book on Gardening.”] which he dedicated to Mæcenas, that it is not advisable to touch rue, cunila, mint, or ocimum with any implement of iron.

Chap. 58.—The Proper Remedies for These Maladies. How Ants Are Best Destroyed. The Best Remedies Against Caterpillars and Flies.

The same author recommends as a remedy against ants, which are by no means the slightest plague in a garden that is not kept well watered, to stop up the mouths of their holes with sea-slime or ashes. But the most efficient way of destroying them is with the aid of the plant heliotropium; [The Heliotropium Europæum of botanists. See B. xxii. c..] some persons, too, are of opinion that water in which an unburnt brick has been soaked is injurious to them. The best protection for turnips is to sow a few fitches with them, and for cabbages chickpeas, these having the effect of keeping away caterpillars. If, however, this precaution should have been omitted, and the caterpillars have already made their appearance, the best remedy is to throw upon the vegetables a decoction of wormwood, [This may possibly, Fée says, be efficacious against some insects.] or else of house-leek, [See B. xviii. c..] known to some as “aïzoüm,” a kind of herb already mentioned by us. If cabbage-seed, before it is sown, is steeped in the juice of house-leek, the cabbages, it is said, are sure not be attacked by any insect.

It is said, too, that all caterpillars may be effectually exterminated, if the skull [A mere puerility, of course, though it is very possible that the insects may collect in it, and so be more easily taken. Garden-pots, on sticks, are still employed for this purpose.] of a beast of burden is set up upon a stake in the garden, care being taken to employ that of a female only. There is a story related, too, that a river crab, hung up in the middle of the garden, is a preservative against the attacks of caterpillars. Again, there are some persons who are in the habit of touching with slips of blood-red cornel [See B. xvi. c. 30.] such plants as they wish to preserve from caterpillars. Flies, [“Culices,” including both flies and gnats, probably.] too, infest well-watered gardens, and more particularly so, if there happen to he any shrubs there; they may be got rid of, however, by burning galbanum. [See B. xii. c. 56.]

(11.) With reference to the deterioration to which seed is subject, [An almost literal translation of Theophrastus, Hist. Plant. B. vii. c. 6.] there are some seeds which keep better than others, such, for instance, as that of coriander, beet, leeks, cresses, mustard, rocket, cunila, nearly all the pungent plants in fact. The seed, on the other hand, of orage, ocimum, gourds, and cucumbers, is not so good for keeping. All the summer seeds, too, last longer than the winter ones; but scallion seed is the very worst for keeping of them all. But of those, even, which keep the very longest, there is none that will keep beyond four years—for sowing [This is certainly not true with reference to the leguminous and gramineous plants. It is pretty generally known as a fact, that wheat has germinated after being buried in the earth two thousand years: mummy-wheat, at the present day, is almost universally known.] purposes, at least; for culinary purposes, they are fit for use beyond that period.

Chap. 59.—What Plants Are Benefitted by Salt Water.

A peculiar remedy for the maladies to which radishes, beet, rue, and cunila are subject, is salt water, which has also the additional merit of conducing very materially to their sweetness and fertility. Other plants, again, are equally benefitted by being watered with fresh water, the most desirable for the purpose being that which is the coldest and the sweetest to drink: pond and drain-water, on the other hand, are not so good, as they are apt to carry the seeds of weeds along with them. It is rain, [Rain-water, if collected in cisterns, and exposed to the heat of the sun, is the most beneficial of all; rain has the effect also of killing numerous insects which have bred in the previous drought.] however, that forms the principal aliment of plants; in addition to which, it kills the insects as they develope themselves upon them.

Chap. 60. (12.)—The Proper Method of Watering Gardens.

The proper times [From Theophrastus, B. vii. c. 5. Evening is generally preferred to morning for this purpose; the evaporation not being so quick, and the plant profiting more from the water.] for watering are the morning and the evening, to prevent the water from being heated [It should, however, be of a middling temperature, and warmed to some extent by the rays of the sun.] by the sun; with the sole exception, however, of ocimum, which requires to be watered at midday; indeed, this plant, it is generally thought, will grow with additional rapidity, if it is watered with boiling water when sown. All plants, when transplanted, grow all the better and larger for it, leeks and turnips more particularly. Transplanting, too, is attended with certain remedial effects, and acts as a preservative to certain plants, such as scallions, for instance, leeks, radishes, parsley, lettuces, rape, and cucumbers. All the wild plants [These statements are consistent with modern experience.] are generally smaller in the leaf and stalk than the cultivated ones, and have more acrid juices, cunila, wild marjoram, and rue, for example. Indeed, it is only the lapathum [See B. xx. c..] that is better in a wild state than cultivated: in its cultivated state it is the same plant that is known to us as the “rumix,” being the most vigorous [He says this probably in reference partly to the large leaves which characterize the varieties of dock.] by far of all the plants that are grown; so much so, indeed, that it is said that when it has once taken root, it will last for ever, and can never be extirpated from the soil, more particularly if water happens to be near at hand. Its juices, which are employed only in ptisans, [Dishes made of rice or barley. See B. xviii. c..] as an article of food, have the effect of imparting to them a softer and more exquisite flavour. The wild variety [See B. xx. c..] is employed for many medicinal purposes.

So true it is, that the careful research of man has omitted nothing, that I have even met with a poem, [He does not give the name of the poet, but, as Fée says, we do not experience any great loss thereby.] in which I find it stated, that if pellets of goats’ dung, the size of a bean, are hollowed out, and the seed of leeks, rocket, lettuces, parsley, endive, and cresses is inserted in them, and then sown, the plants will thrive in a marvellous degree. Plants [From Theophrastus, Hist. Plant. B. vii. c. 6.] in a wild state, it is generally thought, are more dry and acrid than when cultivated.

Chap. 61.—The Juices and Flavours of Garden Herbs.

This, too, reminds me that I ought to make some mention of the difference between the juices and flavours of the garden herbs, a difference which is more perceptible here than in the fruits even. [See B. xv. c. 32.] In cunila, for instance, wild marjoram, cresses, and mustard, the flavour is acrid; in wormwood [“Absinthium.” See B. xxvii. c. 28.] and centaury, [See B. xxv. c. 30.] bitter; in cucumbers, gourds, and lettuces, watery; and in parsley, anise, and fennel, pungent and odoriferous. The salt flavour is the only one that is not to be found [Fée remarks, that though rarely to be met with, the salt flavour is still to be found in the vegetable kingdom.] in plants, with the sole exception, indeed, of the chicheling [The “cicercula,” or Lathyrus sativus of Linnæus. See B. xviii. c..] vetch, though even then it is to be found on the exterior surface only of the plant, in the form of a kind of dust which settles there.

Chap. 62.—Piperitis, Libanotis, and Smyrnium.

To come to a full understanding, too, both here as elsewhere, how unfounded are the notions which are generally entertained, I shall take this opportunity of remarking that panax [See B. xii. c. 57.] has the flavour of pepper, and siliquastrum even more so, a circumstance to which it owes its name of piperitis: [Or pepper-wort. See B. xx. c..] libanotis, [See B. xx. c..] again, has just the odour of frankincense, and smyrnium [The same, probably, as olusatrum. See cc. and of this Book, and B. xx. c. 46: also B. xxvii. c. 109.] of myrrh. As to panax, we have spoken of it at sufficient length already. [In B. xii. c. 57.] Libanotis grows in a thin, crumbly soil, and is generally sown in spots exposed to the falling dews; the root, which is just like that of olusatrum, [See c. of this Book.] has a smell in no way differing from that of frankincense; when a year old, it is extremely wholesome for the stomach; some persons give it the name of rosmarinum. [Rosemary, or “sea-dew.”] Smyrnium is a garden herb that grows in similar soils, and has a root which smells like myrrh: siliquastrum too, is grown in a similar manner.

Other plants, again, differ from the preceding ones, both in smell and taste, anise [See B. xx. c..] for example; indeed, so great is the difference in this respect, and in their relative virtues, that not only are the properties of each modified by the other, but quite neutralized even. It is in this way that our cooks correct the flavour of vinegar in their dishes with parsley, and our butlers employ the same plant, enclosed in sachets, for removing a bad odour in wine.

[Fée suggests, though apparently without any good reason, that this paragraph, to the end of the Book, is an interpolation of the copyists.] Thus far, then, we have treated of the garden plants, viewed as articles of food only; it remains for us now (for up to the present we have only spoken of their various methods of cultivation, with some succinct details relative thereto), to enlarge upon the more elaborate operations of Nature in this respect; it being quite impossible to come to a full understanding as to the true characteristics of each individual plant, without a knowledge of its medicinal effects, a sublime and truly mysterious manifestation of the wisdom of the Deity, than which nothing can possibly be found of a nature more elevated. It is upon principle that we have thought proper not to enlarge upon the medicinal properties of each plant when treating of it; for it is a quite different class of persons that is interested in knowing their curative properties, and there is no doubt that both classes of readers would have been inconvenienced in a very material degree, if these two points of view had engaged our attention at the same moment. As it is, each class will have its own portion to refer to, while those who desire to do so, will experience no difficulty in uniting them, with reference to any subject of which we may happen to treat.

Summary. —Remarkable facts, narratives, and observations, one thousand one hundred and forty-four.

Roman authors quoted. —Maccius Plautus, [See end of B. xiv.] M. Varro, [See end of B. ii.] D. Silanus, [See end of B. xiv.] Cato the Censor, [See end of B. iii.] Hyginus, [See end of B. iii.] Virgil, [See end of B. vii.] Mucianus, [See end of B. ii.] Celsus, [See end of B. vii.] Columella, [See end of B. viii.] Calpurnius Bassus, [See end of B. xvi.] Mamilius Sura, [See end of B. x.] Sabinus Tiro, [Beyond the mention made of this writer in c. 57, nothing whatever is known of him.] Licinius Macer, [C. Licinius Macer, a Roman annalist and orator, born about B.C. 110. Upon being impeached by Cicero, he committed suicide. He wrote a History or Annals of Rome, which are frequently referred to by Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus.] Quintus Hirtius, [Nothing whatever appears to be known of this writer.] Vibius Rufus, [See end of B. xiv.] Cæsennius [Nothing whatever is known relative to this writer on Horticulture.] who wrote the Cepurica, Castritius [Nothing certain is known of him; but it has been suggested that he may have been the father of the rhetorician Castritius, so often mentioned by Aulus Gellius, and who lived in the time of the Emperor Adrian.] who wrote on the same subject, Firmus [Nothing whatever is known relative to this writer.] who wrote on the same subject, Petrichus [The author of a Greek poem on venomous serpents, mentioned in B. xx. c. 96, and B. xxii. c. 40, and by the Scholiast on the Theriaca of Nicander.] who wrote on the same subject.

Foreign authors quoted. —Herodotus, [See end of B. ii.] Theophrastus, [See end of B. iii.] Democritus, [See end of B. ii.] Aristomachus, [See end of B. xi.] Menander [Nothing whatever is known of him. His Book seems to have been a compendium of “Things useful to life.”] who wrote the Biochresta, Anaxiläus. [A physician and Pythagorean philosopher, born at one of the cities called Larissa, but which, is now unknown. He was banished by the Emperor Augustus, B.C. 28, on the charge of practising magic, a charge probably based on his superior skill in natural philosophy. He is frequently mentioned by Pliny in the course of this work.]