Chaps. 22-33.

Chap. 22.—The Impurities of Water.

Slime [Or “mud”—“limus.” All rivers of necessity have it, in a greater or less degree.] is one great impurity of water: still, however, if a river of this description is full of eels, it is generally looked upon as a proof [On the contrary, the more the mud and slime, the more numerous the eels.] of the salubrity of its water; just as it is regarded as a sign of its freshness when long worms [“Tænias.”] breed in the water of a spring. But it is bitter water, more particularly, that is held in disesteem, as also the water which swells the stomach the moment it is drunk, a property which belongs to the water at Trœzen. As to the nitrous [Waters, probably, impregnated with mineral alkali. As to the “nitrum” of Pliny, see c. 46 of this Book.] and salso-acid [“Salmacidas.”] waters which are found in the deserts, persons travelling across towards the Red Sea render them potable in a couple of hours by the addition of polenta, which they use also as food. Those springs are more particularly condemned which secrete mud, [“Cænum.”] or which give a bad complexion to persons who drink thereof. It is a good plan, too, to observe if water leaves stains upon copper vessels; if leguminous vegetables boil with difficulty in it; if, when gently decanted, it leaves an earthy deposit; or if, when boiled, it covers the vessel with a thick crust. [Also, Ajasson says, to observe whether soap will melt in it. If it will not, it is indicative of the presence of selenite.]

It is a fault also in water, [As drinking water.] not only to have a bad smell, [As Plautus says of women, Mostell, A. i. S. 3—“They smell best, when they smell of nothing at all.”] but to have any flavour [See B. xv. c. 32.] at all, even though it be a flavour pleasant and agreeable in itself, or closely approaching, as we often find the case, the taste of milk. Water, to be truly wholesome, ought to resemble air [In purity and tastelessness. As Ajasson observes, Pliny could hardly appreciate the correctness of this remark, composed as water is of two gases, oxygen and hydrogen.] as much as possible. There is only one [Pausanias and Athenæus mention also the well of Mothone in Peloponnesus, the water of which exhaled the odour of the perfumes of Cyzicus. Such water, however, must of necessity be impure.] spring of water in the whole universe, it is said, that has an agreeable smell, that of Chabura, namely, in Mesopotamia: the people give a fabulous reason for it, and say that it is because Juno [More probably Astarte, Fée thinks, Juno being unknown in Mesopotamia.] bathed there. Speaking in general terms, water, to be wholesome, should have neither taste nor smell.

Chap. 23.—The Modes of Testing Water.

Some persons judge of the wholesomeness of water through the agency of a balance: [“Statera.” Ajasson remarks that it does not require an instrument very nicely adjusted to indicate the difference in weight between pure and very impure water. Synesius, Ep. xv., gives an account of the “hydroscopium” used by the ancients for ascertaining the weight of water. Beckmann enters into a lengthy examination of it, as also an enquiry into the question whether the ancients, and among them Pliny, were acquainted with the hydrometer. See his Hist. Inv. Vol. II. pp. 163-169. Bohn’s Ed.] their pains, however, are expended to little purpose, it being but very rarely that one water is lighter than another. There is, however, a more certain mode of ascertaining the difference in quality, that water being the better of the two which becomes hot and cold with the greatest rapidity: in addition to which, not to keep poising a balance, [“Ne manus pendeant.” These words, which Hardouin pronounces to be full of obscurity, have caused considerable discussion. The passage appears to be imperfect, but it is not improbable that he alludes to the use of the balance or scales for ascertaining the comparative wholesomeness of water.] after water has been drawn up in vessels, if it is good, it should gradually become warmer, they say, when placed upon the ground. Which water, then, of the several kinds will be most likely to be good and wholesome? Well-water, no doubt if we are to judge from the general use made of it in cities: but only in the case of wells in which it is kept in continual agitation by repeated drawing, and is refined by the earth acting as a filter. These conditions are sufficient to ensure salubrity in water: in regard to coolness, the well must be in a shaded spot, and the water kept exposed to the air. There is, however one thing above all to be observed, a point, too, of considerable importance with reference to the continuance of the flow—the spring must issue from the bed of the well, and not from the sides. To make water cold to the touch may be effected artificially even, either by forcing it to rise aloft or by making it fall from a height, and so come in collision with the air, and become incorporated [“Corripiat.”] therewith: for in swimming, [The thread of his reasoning is not very perceptible; but he seems to mean that the more air there is in a body the colder it is. If the air is inhaled by a person when eating peppermint, he will be sensible of a cold feeling in the mouth.] we find, when we hold our breath, the water is felt to be all the colder.

It was the Emperor Nero’s invention [Galen believes this method to have been known to Hippocrates, and Aristotle was undoubtedly acquainted with it. See Beckmann’s Hist. Inv. Vol. II. pp. 143-4. Bohn’s Ed.] to boil water, and then enclose it in glass vessels and cool it in snow; a method which ensures all the enjoyment of a cold beverage, without any of the inconveniences resulting from the use of snow. Indeed, it is generally admitted that all water is more [This is not at all the opinion at the present day.] wholesome when it has been boiled; as also, that water when it has once been heated, will become more intensely [“Magis refrigerari.” The experiments made by Mariotte, Perrault, the Academy del Cimento, Mariana, and others, showed no perceptible difference in the time of freezing, between boiled and unboiled water; but the former produced ice harder and clearer, the latter ice more full of blisters. In later times, Dr. Black, of Edinburgh, has from his experiments asserted the contrary. “Boiled water,” he says, “becomes ice sooner than unboiled, if the latter be left at perfect rest.” Beckmann’s Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 145. Bohn’s Ed.] cold than before—a most ingenious discovery. [“Subtilissimo invento.”] The best corrective of unwholesome water is to boil it down to one half. Cold water, taken internally, arrests hæmorrhage. By keeping cold water in his mouth, a person may render himself proof against the intense heat of the bath. Many a person knows by his own every-day experience, that water which is the coldest to drink is not of necessity the coldest to the touch, this delightful property being subject to considerable fluctuations. [Or perhaps, as we say, “to the touch, and vice versâ.” The original is “Alternante hoc bono.”]

Chap. 24.—The Marcian Waters.

The most celebrated water throughout the whole world, and the one to which our city gives the palm for coolness and salubrity, is that of the Marcian [A considerable number of its arches are yet standing, and it still in part supplies Rome with water.] Spring, accorded to Rome among the other bounties of the gods: the name formerly given to the stream was the “Aufeian,” the spring itself being known as “Pitonia.” It rises [At Sublaqueum, now Subiaco.] at the extremity of the mountains of the Peligni, passes through the territory of the Marsi and through Lake Fucinus, and then, without deviating, makes directly for Rome: shortly after this, it loses itself in certain caverns, and only reappears in the territory of Tibur, from which it is brought to the City by an arched aqueduct nine miles in length. Ancus Marcius, one of the Roman kings, was the first [“Primus auspicatus est.” In obedience to the “auspices,” probably.] who thought of introducing this water into the City. At a later period, the works were repaired by Quintus Marcius Rex: and, more recently, in his prætorship, by M. Agrippa. [In A.U.C. 720. See B. xxxvi. c. 24.]

Chap. 25.—The Virgin Waters.

It was he, too, who brought the Virgin [“Aqua Virgo.” This aqueduct, erected A.U.C. 735, still exists, and bears the name of “Aqua Vergine.”] Waters from the bye-road situate at the eighth milestone from the City, which runs for two miles along the Prænestine Way. Near these waters is the stream of Hercules, which the former shun, to all appearance, and have thence obtained [Another story was, that it had this name from the circumstance that the spring was first pointed out by a girl to some soldiers in search of water.] the name of “Virgin Waters.” On instituting a comparison between the waters of these streams, the difference above-mentioned [In c. 23 of this Book.] may be immediately detected, the Virgin water being as much cooler to the touch, as the Marcian water is in taste. And yet, for this long time past, the pleasure of drinking these waters has been lost to the City, owing to the ambition and avarice of certain persons who have turned [This was only temporarily, in all probability.] them out of their course for the supply of their country-seats and of various places in the suburbs, to the great detriment of the public health.

Chap. 26.—The Method of Searching for Water.

It will not be out of place to append here an account of the method employed in searching for water. Water is mostly to be found in valleys, whether formed by the intersection of declivities or lying at the lower part of mountains. Many persons have been of opinion that all places with a northern [There seems, as he says below, to be no general rule as to this point.] aspect are naturally provided with water: a point upon which it will not be amiss to explain the diversities presented to us by Nature. On the south side of the mountains of Hyrcania it never rains; and hence it is that it is only on the north-east side that they are wooded. As for Olympus, Ossa, Parnassus, the Apennines, and the Alps, they are covered with wood on every side, and abundantly watered with streams. Some mountains, again, are wooded on the south side, the White [So called from the snow on their summit.] Mountains in Crete, for example. On this point, therefore, we may come to the conclusion that there is no rule which in all cases holds good.

Chap. 27.—Signs Indicative of the Presence of Water.

The following are indications of the presence of water:—rushes, reeds, the plant mentioned with reference to this point already, [In B. xxvi. c. 16.] or frogs sitting squatted on a spot for a long time together. As to the wild [“Salix erratica.”] willow, alder, vitex, reed, and ivy, all of which grow spontaneously on low grounds in which there is a settling of rain water from higher localities, considered as indications of the presence of water, they are all [Surely not the reed, as he has mentioned it above as one of the indications to be depended upon. In one MS. it appears to be omitted, and with justice, probably.] of them of a deceptive nature. A sign much more to be depended upon, is a certain misty exhalation, visible from a distance before sunrise. The better to observe this, some persons ascend an eminence, and lie flat at full length upon the ground, with the chin touching the earth. There is also another peculiar method of judging upon this point, known only to men of experience in these matters: in the very middle of the heats of summer they select the hottest hours of the day, and observe how the sun’s rays are reflected in each spot; and if, notwithstanding the general dryness of the earth, a locality is observed to present a moist appearance, they make no doubt of finding water there.

But so intense is the stress upon the eyes in doing this, that it is very apt to make them ache; to avoid which inconvenience, they have recourse to other modes of testing. They dig a hole, for instance, some five feet in depth, and cover it with vessels of unbaked pottery, or with a copper basin well-oiled; they then place a burning lamp on the spot, with an arch-work over it of leaves, and covered with earth on the top. If, after a time, they find the pots wet or broken, the copper covered with moisture, or the lamp extinguished, but not from want of oil, or if a lock of wool that has been left there is found to be moist, it is a sign of the presence of water, beyond all doubt. With some persons it is the practice to light a fire on the spot before they dig the hole, a method which renders the experiment with the vessels still more conclusive.

Chap. 28.—Differences in Waters, According to the Nature of the Soil.

The soil itself, too, gives indications of the presence of water, by presenting white spots, or an uniformly green appearance: for where the stratum is black the springs are mostly not of a permanent nature. The presence of potter’s clay always puts an end to all hopes of finding water, and the excavation is immediately abandoned; an eye being carefully kept to the strata [“Coria.”] of the earth, to see whether, beginning with black mould, it successively presents the appearances above-mentioned. The water is always fresh that is found in argillaceous soils, but in a stratum of tufa it is colder than elsewhere; this, indeed, being a soil which is highly approved of, as having a tendency to make the water pure and extremely light to the stomach, and, by its action as a filter, to withhold all impurities. The presence of sand [“Sabulum.”] gives indications of springs of but limited extent, and of water impregnated with slime; while that of gravel announces the presence of water of excellent flavour, but not to be depended upon for permanence. Male [“Sabulum masculum.” Coarse, reddish sand, Dalechamps says.] sand, fine sea [“Arena.”] -sand, and charcoal [See B. xvii. c. 3.] earth, yield a constant supply of water of a highly wholesome quality; but it is the presence of red stones that is the most to be depended upon, and the water found there is of the very finest quality. Craggy localities at the foot of mountains, and silicious soils, are equally good; in addition to which, the water found there is cooler than elsewhere.

In boring for water, the soil should always become more and more humid, and, the deeper the descent, with the greater facility the implements should penetrate. In deep-sunk wells, the presence of sulphureous [An inconvenience neutralized in a considerable degree by Davy’s invention of the safety-lamp.] or aluminous substances is fatal to the sinkers; a danger that may be guarded against by letting down a lighted lamp, and ascertaining whether the flame is extinguished. When such is found to be the case, it is the practice to sink vent-holes on each side of the well, both right and left, in order to receive and carry off the noxious exhalations. Independently of these evils, the air becomes heavier, from the great depth merely of the excavation, an inconvenience which is remedied by keeping up a continual circulation with ventilators of linen cloth. As soon as water is reached, walls are constructed at the bottom, but without cement, [“Arenatum.” Properly a mortar, which consisted of one part lime and two parts sand.] in order that the springs may not be intercepted.

Some waters, the sources of which do not lie on elevated ground, are coldest at the beginning of spring, being maintained by the winter rains in fact. Others, again, are coldest at the rising of the Dog-star—peculiarities, both of them, to be witnessed at Pella in Macedonia; for in front of that city there is a marsh-spring, which at the beginning of summer is cold, while in the more elevated parts of the city the water is ice-cold [“Riget.”] in the hottest days of summer. The same is the case, too, at Chios, the water-supply of the harbour and of the city occupying the same relative positions. At Athens, the water of the Fountain Enneacrunos [See B. iv. c. 11. At Bisley, in Surrey, there is a spring, Aubrey says, that is cold in summer and warm in winter.] is colder in a cloudy summer than the well there in the garden of Jupiter; while on the other hand, this last is ice-cold during the drought of a hot summer. For the most part, however, wells are coldest about the rising of Arcturus. [See B. xviii. c. 7.]

(4.) The water-supply of wells never fails in summer, but in all cases it falls low during four days at the rising of the constellation above-mentioned. Throughout the whole winter, on the other hand, many wells entirely fail; as in the neighbourhood of Olynthus, for example, where the water returns in the early days of spring. In Sicily too, in the vicinity of Messana and Mylæ, the springs are entirely dry throughout the winter, while in summer they overflow and form quite a river. At Apollonia in Pontus there is to be seen, near the sea-shore, a fountain which overflows in summer only, and mostly about the rising of the Dog-star; should the summer, however, not be so hot as usual, its water is less abundant. Certain soils become drier in consequence of rain, that in the territory of Narnia for example: a fact which M. Cicero has mentioned in his “Admiranda,” with a statement that drought is there productive of mud, and rain of dust. [The sandy soil being dried in hot weather into masses of mud or clay, which become loosened when rain falls.]

Chap. 29.—The Qualities of Water at the Different Seasons of the Year.

Every kind of water is freshest in winter, not so fresh in summer, still less so in autumn, and least of all in times of drought. River-water, too, is by no means always the same in taste, the state of the bed over which it runs making a considerable difference. For the quality of water, in fact, depends upon the nature of the soil through which it flows, and the juices [See B. ii. c. 106.] of the vegetation watered by it; hence it is that the water of the same river is found in some spots to be comparatively unwholesome. The confluents, too, of rivers, are apt to change the flavour of the water, impregnating the stream in which they are lost and absorbed; as in the case of the Borysthenes, for example. In some instances, again, the taste of river-water is changed by the fall of heavy rains. It has happened three times in the Bosporus that there has been a fall of salt rain, a phænomenon which proved fatal to the crops. On three occasions, also, the rains have imparted a bitterness to the overflowing streams of the Nilus, which was productive of great pestilence throughout Egypt.

Chap. 30.—Historical Observations Upon Waters Which Have Suddenly Made Their Appearance or Suddenly Ceased.

It frequently happens that in spots where forests have been felled, springs of water make [Ajasson remarks, that just the converse of this has been proved by modern experience to be the case.] their appearance, the supply of which was previously expended in the nutriment of the trees. This was the case upon Mount Hæmus for example, when, during the siege by Cassander, [The son of Antipater, then acting for Alexander during his absence in the East.] the Gauls cut down a forest for the purpose of making a rampart. Very often too, after removing the wood which has covered an elevated spot and so served to attract and consume the rains, devastating torrents are formed by the concentration of the waters. It is very important also, for the maintenance of a constant supply of water, to till the ground and keep it constantly in motion, taking care to break and loosen the callosities of the surface crust: at all events, we find it stated, that upon a city of Crete, Arcadia by name, being razed to the ground, the springs and water-courses, which before were very numerous in that locality, all at once dried up; but that, six years after, when the city was rebuilt, the water again made its appearance, just as each spot was again brought into cultivation.

(5.) Earthquakes also are apt to discover or swallow [See B. ii. c. 84.] up springs of water; a thing that has happened, it is well known, on five different occasions in the vicinity of Pheneus, a town of Arcadia. So too, upon Mount Coryeus, [In Cilicia.] a river burst forth; after which, the soil was subjected to cultivation. These changes are very surprising where there is no apparent cause for them; such as the occurrence at Magnesia, [Whether he means the district of Thessaly so called, or one of the two cities of that name in Lydia, does not appear to be known.] for instance, where the warm waters became cold, but without losing their brackish flavour; and at the Temple [Its locality is unknown, but it was probably near the sea-shore.] of Neptune in Caria, where the water of the river, from being fresh, became salt. Here, too, is another fact, replete with the marvellous—the fountain of Arethusa at Syracuse has a smell of dung, they say, during the celebration of the games at Olympia, [In Elis in Peloponnesus.] a thing that is rendered not improbable by the circumstance, [His credulity is influenced by the popular story that the river Alpheus in Peloponnesus, in its love for the Fountain Nymph Arethusa, penetrated beneath the bed of the sea, and reappeared in Sicily. See B. iii. c. 14.] that the river Alpheus makes its way to that island beneath the bed of the sea. There is a spring in the Chersonesus of the Rhodians [See c. 20.] which discharges its accumulated impurities every nine years.

Waters, too, sometimes change their colour; as at Babylon, for example, where the water of a certain lake for eleven days in summer is red. In the summer season, too, the current of the Borysthenes [The modern Dnieper.] is blue, it is said, and this, although its waters are the most rarefied in existence, and hence float upon the surface of those of the Hypanis; [The Boug.] —though at the same time there is this marvellous fact, that when south winds prevail, the waters of the Hypanis assume the upper place. Another proof, too, of the surpassing lightness of the water of the Borysthenes, is the fact that it emits no exhalations, nor, indeed, the slightest vapour even. Authors that would have the credit of diligent research in these enquiries, assure us that water becomes heavier after the winter-solstice.

Chap. 31. (6.)—The Method of Conveying Water.

The most convenient method of making a watercourse from the spring is by employing earthen pipes, two fingers in thickness, inserted in one another at the points of junction—the one that has the higher inclination fitting into the lower one—and coated with quick-lime macerated in oil. The inclination, to ensure the free flow of the water, ought to be at least one-fourth of an inch to every hundred feet; and if the water is conveyed through a subterraneous passage, there should be air-holes let in at intervals of every two [See B. xviii. c. 3, and the Introduction to Vol. III.] actus. Where the water is wanted to ascend [In jets, he means.] aloft, it should be conveyed in pipes of lead: water, it should be remembered, always rises to the level of its source. If, again, it is conveyed from a considerable distance, it should be made to rise and fall every now and then, so as not to lose its motive power. The proper length for each leaden pipe is ten feet; and if [“Si quinariæ erunt.”] the pipe is five fingers in circumference its weight should be sixty pounds; if eight feet, one hundred; if ten, one hundred and twenty; and so on in the same proportion.

A pipe is called “a ten-finger” [“Denaria.”] pipe when the sheet of metal is ten fingers in breadth before it is rolled up; a sheet one half that breadth giving a pipe “of five fingers.” [“Quinaria.”] In all sudden changes of inclination in elevated localities, pipes of five fingers should be employed, in order to break the impetuosity of the fall: reservoirs, [The name given to these reservoirs was “castellum” or “dividiculum:” in French the name is “ regard.” Vitruvius describes them, B. vii. c. 7.] too, for branches should be made as circumstances may demand.

Chap. 32.—How Mineral Waters Should Be Used.

I am surprised that Homer has made no [Pliny appears to have forgotten the warm springs of the Scamander, mentioned by Homer in the Iliad, B. xxii. l. 147, et seq.] mention of hot springs, when, on the other hand, he has so frequently introduced the mention of warm baths: a circumstance from which we may safely conclude that recourse was not had in his time to mineral waters for their medicinal properties, a thing so universally the case at the present day. Waters impregnated with sulphur are good for the sinews, [Or rather, as Ajasson says, for cutaneous diseases.] and aluminous waters are useful for paralysis and similar relaxations of the system. Those, again, which are impregnated with bitumen or nitre, the waters of Cutilia, [See B. iii. c. 17.] for example, are drunk as a purgative. [In conformity with Sillig’s suggestion, we reject “atque” as an interpolation.]

Many persons quite pride themselves on enduring the heat of mineral waters for many hours together; a most pernicious practice, however, as they should be used but very little longer than the ordinary bath, after which the bather should be shampooed [“Mulceri.”] with cold water, and not leave the bath without being rubbed with oil. This last operation, however, is commonly regarded as altogether foreign to the use of mineral baths; and hence it is, that there is no situation in which men’s bodies are more exposed to the chances of disease, the head becoming saturated with the intensity of the odours exhaled, and left exposed, perspiring as it is, to the coldness of the atmosphere, while all the rest of the body is immersed in the water. [In spite of what Pliny says, in some cases the use of a mineral bath is recommended for a long period of time together. At Leuk or Læch, for instance, in the Valais, the patients, Ajasson says, remain in the bath as much as eight hours together.]

There is another mistake, also, of a similar description, made by those who pride themselves upon drinking enormous quantities of these waters; [To promote expectoration, Dalechamps says; or rather vomiting, according to Holland.] and I myself have seen persons, before now, so swollen with drinking it that the very rings on their fingers were entirely concealed by the skin, owing to their inability to discharge the vast quantities of water which they had swallowed. It is for this reason, too, that these waters should never be drunk without taking a taste of salt every now and then. The very mud, [This substance, Ajasson says, is still used in medicine; that of the waters of Silvanez, for example, in the department of Aveyron, is highly celebrated for the cure of inveterate ulcers and sciatica. The mud baths, too, of Saint Amand, enjoy an European reputation.] too, of mineral springs may be employed to good purpose; but, to be effectual, after being applied to the body, it must be left to dry in the sun.

It must not be supposed, however, that all hot waters are of necessity medicated, those of Segesta in Sicily, for example, of Larissa, Troas, Magnesia, Melos, and Lipara. Nor is the very general supposition a correct one, that waters, to be medicinal, must of necessity discolour copper or silver; no such effect being produced by those of Patavium, [See B. ii c. 106.] or there being the slightest difference perceptible in the smell.

Chap. 33.—The Uses of Sea-water. The Advantages of a Sea-voyage.

Sea-water also is employed in a similar manner for the cure of diseases. It is used, made hot, for the cure of pains in the sinews, for reuniting fractured bones, and for its desiccative action upon the body: for which last purpose, it is also used cold. There are numerous other medicinal resources derived from the sea; the benefit of a sea-voyage, more particularly, in cases of phthisis, as already [In B. xxiv. c. 19, and B. xxviii. c. 14.] mentioned, and where patients are suffering from hæmoptosis, as lately experienced, in our own memory, by Annæus Gallio, [An elder brother of the philosopher Seneca. His original name was M. Annæus Noratus; but upon being adopted by the rhetorician Junius Gallio, he changed his name into L. Junius Annæus—or Annæanus—Gallio. He destroyed himself, A.D. 65.] at the close of his consulship: [He was “Consul subrogatus” only.] for it is not for the purpose of visiting the country, that people so often travel to Egypt, but in order to secure the beneficial results arising from a long sea-voyage. Indeed, the very sea-sickness that is caused by the rocking of the vessel to and fro, is good for many affections of the head, eyes, and chest, all those cases, in fact, in which the patient is recommended to drink an infusion of hellebore. Medical men consider sea-water, employed by itself, highly efficacious for the dispersion of tumours, and, boiled with barley-meal, for the successful treatment of imposthumes of the parotid glands: it is used also as an ingredient in plasters, white plasters more particularly, and for emollient [“Malagmatis.”] poultices. Sea-water is very good, too, employed as a shower-bath; and it is taken internally, though not without [It acts in most cases as an emetic, and is highly dangerous if taken in considerable quantities.] injury to the stomach, both as a purgative and as an expellent, by vomit and by alvine evacuation, of black bile [It is still considered useful, Ajasson says, for the treatment of lymphatic diseases.] or coagulated blood, as the case may be.

Some authorities prescribe it, taken internally, for quartan fevers, as also for tenesmus and diseases of the joints; purposes for which it is kept a considerable time, to mellow with age, and so lose its noxious [“Virus.”] properties. Some, again, are for boiling it, but in all cases it is recommended to be taken from out at sea, and untainted with the mixture of fresh water, an emetic also being taken before using it. When used in this manner, vinegar or wine is generally mixed with the water. Those who give it unmixed, recommend radishes with oxymel to be eaten upon it, in order to provoke vomiting. Sea-water, made hot, is used also as an injection; and there is nothing in existence preferred to it as a fomentation for swellings of the testes, or for chilblains before they ulcerate. It is similarly employed, also, for the cure of prurigo, itch-scab, and lichens. Lice and other foul vermin of the head, are removed by the application of sea-water, and lividities of the skin are restored to their natural colour; it being a remarkably good plan, in such cases, after applying the sea-water, to foment the parts with hot vinegar.

It is generally considered, too, that sea-water is highly efficacious for the stings of venomous insects, those of the phalangium and scorpion, for example, and as an antidote to the poisonous secretions of the asp, known as the “ptyas;” [Or “spitter.” See B. xxviii. c. 18.] in all which cases it is employed hot. Fumigations are also made of it, with vinegar, for the cure of head-ache; and, used warm as an injection, it allays griping pains in the bowels and cholera. Things that have been heated in sea-water are longer than ordinary in cooling. A sea-water bath is an excellent corrective for swelling [“Mammas sororiantes.” A malady, according to Dalechamps, in which the mamillæ are so distended with milk that they kiss, like sisters—“sorores.”] of the bosoms in females, affections of the thoracic organs, and emaciation of the body. The steam also of sea-water boiled with vinegar, is used for the removal of hardness of hearing and head-ache. An application of sea-water very expeditiously removes rust upon iron; it is curative also of scab in sheep, and imparts additional softness to the wool.