Ki9 af No Division Range Sfat/..... Received •?._*__ THE NATURAL HISTORY FLINT TEANSLATED, WITH COPIOUS NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE LATE JOHN BOSTOCK, M.D., F.R.S., AND H. T. RILEY, ESQ., B.A., LATE SCHOLAR OF CLARE HALL, CAMBRIDGE. VOL. V. LONDON : HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. MDCCCLTI. J. BILLING, PBINTF.K AND STKREOTYPER (FROM WOKING), GU1LDKOBD, 8UEHKY. CONTENTS OF THE FIFTH VOLUME. BOOK XXIV. THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE FOREST TREES. CHAP. Page 1. The antipathies and sympathies which exist among trees and plants . . . . '. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. The lotus of Italy : six remedies 3 3. Acorns : thirteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . 4 4. The kermes-berry of the holm-oak : three remedies .. .. ib. 5. Gall-nuts : twenty-three remedies . . . . . . . . 5 6. Mistletoe: eleven remedies .. .. .. .. .. ib. 7. The excrescences which grow on the robur : one remedy. The cerrus : eight remedies . . . . . . . . . . 6 8. The cork-tree : two remedies . . . 7 9. The beech : four remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. I 10. The cypress : twenty- three remedies . . . . . . . . ib. • 11. The cedar: thirteen remedies .. .. .. .. .. 8 I 12. Cedrides ; ten remedies .. .. .. .. .. .. 9 • 13. Galbanum: twenty-three remedies 10 [ 14. Hammoniacum: twenty-four remedies 11 15. Storax; ten remedies .. .. .. .. .. .. ib. i]6. Spondylium : seventeen remedies .. .. .. .. 12 17. Sphagnos, sphacos, or bryon : five remedies .. .. .. ib. 18. The terebinth ; six remedies. .. .. .. .. .. ib. ' 19. The pitch-tree and the larch : eight remedies 13 \ 20. The chamaepitys : ten remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. \ 21. Thepityusa: six remedies 14 • 22. Resins: twenty-two remedies 15 23. Pitch : twenty- three remedies . . . . . . . . . . 17 I 24. Pisseleeon and palimpissa : sixteen remedies .. .. .. 18 ? 25. Pissasphaltos : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 26. Zopissa: one remedy 19 27. The torch-tree : one remedy . . ib. 28. The lentisk : twenty-two remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 29. The plane-tree : twenty -five remedies . . . . . . . . 20 VI CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 30. The ash : five remedies 21 31. The maple : one remedy ib. 32. The poplar : eight remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 33. The elm : sixteen remedies 22 34. The linden-tree : five remedies 23 35. The elder : fifteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 36. The juniper : twenty-one remedies 24 37. The willow : fourteen remedies. The willow of Ameria : one remedy . . .... . . . . . . . . . . 25 38. The vitex : thirty-three remedies 26 39. The erica : one remedy 28 40. The broom : five remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 41. The myrica, otherwise called tamarica, or tamarix : three re- medies .. .. .. .. .. .. •.. .. 29 42. The brya : twenty-nine remedies 30 43. The blood-red shrub : one remedy 31 44. The siler : three remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 45. The privet : eight remedies . . . . . . . . . . 32 46. The alder : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 47- The several varieties of the ivy: thirty-nine remedies .. ib. 48. The cisthos : five remedies 34 49. The cissos erythranos : two remedies. The chamsecissos : two remedies. The smilax : three remedies. The clematis : eighteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 50. The reed : nineteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . 35 61. The papyrus, and the paper made from it : three remedies . . 36 52. The ebony : five remedies .. .. .. .. .. 37 53. The rhododendron : one remedy , . . . . . . . ib. 54. The rhus or sumach-tree ; two varieties of it : eight remedies. Stomatice 38 55. Rhus erythros : nine remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 56. The erythrodanus : eleven remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 57. The alysson : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . 39 58. The radicula or struthion : thirteen remedies. The apocynum : two observations upon it . . . . . . . . . . ib. 59. Rosemary : eighteen remedies . . « . . . . . . . 40 60. The seed called cachrys. .. .. .. .. ..41 61. The herb savin : seven remedies .. .. .. .. . . . ib. 62. Selago : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 63. Samolus : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 64. Gum : eleven remedies . . . . ib. 65. The Egyptian or Arabian thorn : four remedies . . . . 43 66. The white thorn : two remedies. The acanthion : one remedy ib. 67. Gum acacia : eighteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 68. Aspalathos : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . 4o 69. The erysisceptrum, adipsatheon, or diaxylon : eight remedies ib. 70. The thorn called appendix: two remedies. The pyracantha: one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 71. The paliurus : ten remedies ib. CONTENTS. Vll CHAP. Page 72. The agrifolia. The aquifolia : one remedy. The yew : one property belonging to it . . . . . . . . . . 46 73. The bramble : fifty-one remedies . . . . . . . . 47 74. The cynosbatos : three remedies . . . . , . . . 48 75. The Idaean bramble 50 76. The rhamnos ; two varieties of it : five remedies . . . . ib. 77. Lycium: eighteen remedies .. .. .. ,. .. 51 78. Sarcocolla : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . 52 79. Oporice : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 80. The trixago, chamaedrys, chaniaedrops, or teucria : sixteen re- medies . , .... . . . . . . . . . . 52 81. The chamaedaphne : five remedies .. .. .. .. ib. 82. The chamelaea : six remedies . . . . . . . . . . tb 83. The chamaesyce : eight remedies .. .. .. .. .. 54 84. The chamaecissos : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . ib. 85. The chamaeleuce, farfarum, or farfugium : one remedy. . . ib. 86. The chamaepeuce : five remedies. The charaaecyparissos : two remedies. The ampeloprason : six remedies. The stachys : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 87. The clinopodion, cleonicion, zopyron, or ocimoides : three re- medies . . , . ib. 88. The clematis centunculus : three remedies .. .. .. 56 89. The clematis echites, or lagine . . . . . . . . . . ib. 90. The Egyptian clematis, daphnoides, or polygonoides : two re- medies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 91. Different opinions on the dracontium .. .. .. .. ib. 92. The aron : thirteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . 58 93. The dracunculus : two remedies . . . , . . . . . . 60 94. The arisaros : three remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 95. The mille folium or my riophy lion t seven remedies .. .. 61 96. The pseudobunion : four remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 97. The myrrhis, myriza, or myrrha : seven remedies . . . . ib. 98. The onobrychis : three remedies 62 99. Coracesta and callicia .. .. .. .. .. .. i//. 100. The rainsas or corinthia : one remedy .. . . .. .. 63 101. The aproxis : six remedies .. .. .. .. .. ib. 102. The aglaophotis or marmaritis. The achaemenis or hippo- phobas. The theobrotion or semnion. The adamantis. The arianis. The therionarca. The aethiopis or merois. The ophiusa. The thalassegle or potamaugis. The thean- gelis. The gelotophyllis. The hestiatoris or protomedia. The casignetes or dionysonymphas. The helianthes or heliocallis. The hermesias. The seschynomene. Thecrocis. The cenotheris. The anacampseros . . . . . 64 103. The eriphia .. 67 104. The wool plant : one remedy. The lactoris : one remedy. The militaris : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . 68 105. The stratiotes : five remedies .« .. .. .. .. ib. 106. A plant growing on the head of a statue : one remedy . . ib. Vlll CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 107. A plant growing on the banks of a river : one remedy . . 69 108. The herb called lingua : one remedy .. .. . . .. ib. 109. Plants that take root in a sieve : one remedy . . . . . . ib. 110. Plants growing upon dunghills : one remedy .. .. .. ib. 111. Plants that have been moistened with the urine of a dog : one remedy . . , . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 112. Therodarum: three remedies .. ib. 113. The plant called impia : two remedies .. .. . . .. 70 114. The plant called Venus' comb: one remedy .. .. .. ib. 115. The exedum. The plant called notia : two remedies .. .. 71 116. The philanthropos : one remedy. The lappa canaria : two remedies , . . . . . . . . . . „ . . ib. 117. Tordylon or syreon : three remedies ib. 118. Gramen: seventeen remedies .. .. .. .„ .. 72 119. Dactylos: five remedies .. .. .. .. .. .. 73 120. Fenugreek or silicia : thirty-one remedies .. .. .. 74 BOOK XXV. THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE WILD PLANTS. 1. When the wild plants were first brought into use . . . . 77 2. The Latin authors who have written upon these plants . . 78 3. At what period the Eomans acquired some knowledge of this subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 4. Greek authors who have delineated the plants in colours . . 80 5. The first Greek authors who wrote upon plants . . . . ib. 6. Why a few of the plants only have been used medicinally. Plants, the medicinal properties of which have been miracu- lously discovered. The cynorrhodos : two remedies. The plant called dracunculus : one remedy. The britannica : five remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 • 7. What diseases are attended with the greatest pain. Names of persons who have discovered famous plants . . . . . . 86 8. Moly : three remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 9. The dodecatheos : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . 88 10. The pseonia, pentorobus, or glycyside : one remedy .. .. ib. 11. The panaces asclepion : two remedies .. .. .. .. 89 12. The panaces heracleon : three remedies . . . . . . . . 90 13. The panaces chironion : four remedies .. .. .. .. ib. 14. The panaces centaurion or pharnacion : three remedies . . ib. 15. The heracleon sideri on : four remedies .. .. .. .. 91 16. The ampelos chironia : one remedy ib. 17. Hyoscyamos, known also as the apollinaris oraltercum; five varieties of it : three remedies . . . . . . , . ib. 18. Linozostis, parthenion, hermupoa, or mercurialis : two varieties of it : twenty-two remedies . . . . . . . . 92 19. The achilleos, sideritis, panaces heracleon, millefolium, or scopae regiae ^ six varieties of it : three remedies 94 CONTENTS. ix CHAP. Page 20. The teucrion, hemionion, or splenion : two remedies . . . . 95 21. Melampodium, hellebore, or veratrura; three varieties of it. The way in which it is gathered, and how the quality of it is tested , 96 22. Twenty-four remedies derived from black hellebore. How it should be taken 98 23. Twenty-three remedies derived from white hellebore . . . . 99 24. Eighty-eight observations upon the two kinds of hellebore . . 100 25. To what persons hellebore should never be administered .. 101 26. The mithridatia . . 102 27. The scordotis or scordion : four remedies . . . . . . ib. 28. The polemonia, philetaeria, or chiliodynamus : six remedies .. ib. 29. The eupatoria : one remedy 103 30. Centaurion or chironion : twenty remedies . . . . . . ib. 31. The centaurion lepton, or libadion, known also as fel terra : twenty-two remedies . . . . . . . . . . 104 32. The centauris triorchis : two remedies ib. 33. Clymenus : two remedies .. ,. .. .. .. 105 34. Gentian : thirteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . ?/;. 35. The lysimachia : eight remedies 106 36. Artemisia, parthenis, botrys, or ambrosia : five remedies . . ib. 37. Nymphaea, heracleou, rhopalon, or madon; two varieties of it: four remedies . . , . . . . . . . . . . . 107 38. Two varieties of euphorbia : four remedies. The chamelaea . . ib. 39. Two varieties of the plantago : forty-six remedies .. .. 109 40. Buglossos : three remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 41. Cynoglossos: three remedies .. .. .. .. .. HO 42. The buphthalmos or cachla : one remedy . . . . . . ib. 43. Plants which have been discovered by certain nations. The scythice : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 44. The hippace : three remedies .. .. .. . . ..Ill 45. The ischcemon : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 46. The cestros, psychotrophon, vettonica, or serratula : forty-eight remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 47. The cantabrica : two remedies 1 12 48. Consiligo : one remedy .. .. .. .. .. .. ib. 49. The iberis : seven remedies 113 50. Plants which have been discovered by certain animals. Cheli- donia: six remedies .. .. .. .. .. .. 114 51. The dog-plant : one remedy ib. 52. The elaphoboscon 115 53. Dictamnon ; eight remedies. Pseudodictamnon or chondris. In what places the most powerful plants are found. How that milk is drunk in Arcadia for the beneficial effects of the plants upon which the cattle feed . . . . . . . . ib. 51. The aristolochia, clematitis, cretica, plistolochia, lochia polyr- rhizos, or apple of the earth : twenty-two remedies . . 116 55. The employment of these plants for injuries inflicted by serpents 118 56. The argemonia : four remedies .. .. .. .. ..119 X CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 57. Agaric: thirty-three remedies .... 120 58. The echios ; three varieties of it ; two remedies . . . . ib. 59. Hierabotane, peristereon, or verbenaca ; two varieties of it : ten remedies .. .. .. .. .. .. ..121 60. The blattaria : one remedy 122 61. Lemonium ; one remedy .. .. .. .. .. ib. 62. Quinquefolium, known also as pentapetes, pentaphyllon, or eha- maezelon ; thirty-three remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 68.' The sparganion ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . . 123 64. Four varieties of the daucus : eighteen remedies . . . . ib. 65. The therionarca : two remedies 124 66. The persolata or arcion : eight remedies . . . . . . ib. 67. Cyclaminos or tuber terrae : twelve remedies .. .. .. 125 68. The cyelaminos cissanthemos : four remedies . . . . . . ib. 69. The cyelaminos chamaBcissos : three remedies . . . . . . 126 70. Peucedanum : twenty-eight remedies ib. 71. Ebulum : six remedies .. .. .. .. .. .. 127 72. Polemonia : one remedy .. .. .. .. .. .. ib. 73. Phlomos or verbascum : fifteen remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 74. The phlomis : one remedy. The lychnitis or thryallis . . ib. 75. The thelyphonon or scorpio : one remedy .. .. .. 128 76. The phrynion. neuras, or poterion : one remedy . . . . ib. 77. The alisma, damasonion, or lyron: seventeen remedies. . .. 129 78. Peristereos: six remedies .. .. .. .. .. 130 79. Eemedies against certain poisons . . . . . . . . ib. 80. The antirrhinum, anarrhinon, or lychnis agria: three remedies 131 81. Euclea : one remedy .. .. .. .. .. .. ib. 82. The pericarpum ; two varieties of it : two remedies . . . . ib. 83. Remedies for diseases of the head. Nymphsea heraclia : two remedies 132 84. The lingulaca : one remedy ib. 85. The cacalia or leontice : three remedies . . . . . . 133 86. The callitrichos : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . ib. 87. Hyssop : ten remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 88. The lonchitis : four remedies 134 89. The xiphion or phasganion : four remedies ib. 90. Psyllion, cynoides, crystallion, sicelicon, or cynomyia ; sixteen remedies. Thryselinum : one remedy . . . . . . 135 91. Remedies for diseases of the eyes .. .. .. ..136 92. The anagallis, or corchoron ; two varieties of it : six remedies ib. 93. The aegilops : two remedies .. .. .. .. .. 138 94. Mandragora, circseon, morion, or hippophlomos ; two varieties of it : twenty-four remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 95. Hemlock : thirteen remedies 140 96. Crethmos agrios : one remedy .. .. .. .. .. 141 97. Molybdsena : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 98. The first kind of capnos, known also as chicken's foot : one re- medy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 99. The arborescent capnos : three remedies ib. CONTENTS. XI CHAP. Page 100. The aeoron or agrion : fourteen remedies .. .. .. 142 101. The cotyledon : two varieties of it : sixty-one remedies .. 143 102. The greater aizoiim, also called buphthalmos, zoophthalmos, stergethron, hypogeson, ambrosion, amerimnon, sedum mag- num, or digitellus : thirty-six remedies. The smaller aizoiim, also called erithales, trithales, chrysothales, isoetes or sedum : thirty-two remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 103. The andrachle agria or illecebra: thirty-two remedies . . 144 104. A remedy for diseases of the nostrils .. .. .. .. 145 105. Remedies for diseases of the teeth . . . . . . . . ib. 106. Erigeron, pappus, acanthis, or senecio : eight remedies .. 146 107. The ephemeron : two remedies .. .. .. .. .. 147 108. The labrum Venereum: one remedy . . . . . . 148 109. The batrachion, ranunculus, or strumus ; four varieties of it : fourteen remedies . . . . . . . . . ib. 110. Remedial preparations for offensive breath : two kinds of them 150 BOOK XXVI. A CONTINUATION OF THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM PLANTS, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO PARTICULAR DISEASES. 1. New forms of disease *.. .. .. .. .. .. 152 2. The nature of lichen . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 3. At what period lichen first made its appearance in Italy . . ib. 4. Carbuncle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 5. Elephantiasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 6. Colic 155 7. The new system of medicine : Asclepiades the physician . . 156 8. The changes effected by Asclepiades in the practice of medicine 157 9. Remarks in dispraise of the practices of magic . . . . 159 10. Lichen : five remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 11. Quinzy 161 12. Scrofula ib. 13. The plant called bellis : two remedies .. .. .. .. 162 14. The condurdum . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 15. Cough 163 16. Bechion, otherwise known as arcion, chamaeleuce, or tussilago : three remedies .. .. .. .. .. .. 164 17. The bechion, known also as salvia : four remedies . . . . ib. 18. Affections of the side, chest, and stomach .. .. . . ib. 19. Molon or syron. Amomum . . - . . . . . . . . 165 20. The ephedra or anabasis; three remedies . . . . . . . 166 21. Geum; three remedies ib. 22. Tripolium: three remedies 167 23. The grompha3na ib. 24. The malundrum : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 25. Chalcetum; two remedies. Molemonium ; one remedy .. 168 26. Halus or cotonea : five remedies 169 Xll CONTENTS. CHAP Page 27. The chamaedrops : one remedy. The stcechas : one remedy .. 169 28. Remedies for diseases of the belly . . . . . . . . ib. 29. The astragalus : six remedies . . .. .. .. .. 170 30. Ladanum : eighteen remedies .. .. .. .. ..171 31. Chondris or pseudodietamnon : one remedy. Hypoeisthis or orobethron ; two varieties : eight remedies .. .. .. 172 32. Laver or sion : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 33. Potamogiton : eight remedies. The statice : three remedies . . ib. 34. The ceratia : two remedies. Leontopodion, leuceoron, dori- petron, or thorybethron. Lagopus : three remedies .. 173 35. Epithymon or hippopheos ; eight remedies .. .. .. 174 36. Pycnocomon; four remedies .. .. .. .. .. 17o 37. Polypodion ; three remedies ib. 38. Scammony; eight remedies 176 39. The tithymalos characias .. .. .. .. ..177 40. The tithymalos myrtites, or caryites ; twenty-one remedies .. 178 41. The tithymalos paralios, or tithymalis; four remedies .. 179 42. The tithymalos helioscopios ; eighteen remedies . . . . ib. 43. The tithymalos cyparissias ; eighteen remedies .. .. .. 180 44. The tithymalos platyphyllos, corymbites, or amygdalites ; three remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 45. The tithymalos dendroides, cobios, or leptophyllos ; eighteen remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 46. The apios ischas, or raphanos agria ; two remedies . . . . ib. 47. Remedies for griping pains in the bowels .. .. .. 181 48. Remedies for diseases of the spleen . . . . . . . . ib. 49. Remedies for calculi and diseases of the bladder .. .. 182 50. Crethmos; eleven remedies. Cachry 183 51. The anthyllion ; two remedies. The anthyllis ; two remedies. . 184 52. Cepeea ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 53. Hypericon, chamsepitys, or corison ; nine remedies .. .. 185 54. Caros or hypericon ; ten remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 55. The callithrix ; one remedy. The perpressa ; one remedy. The chrysanthemum; one remedy. The anthemis ; one remedy 186 56. Silaus; one remedy .. .. .. .. .. .. ib. 57. The plant of Fulvius .. .. 187 58. Remedies for diseases of the testes and of the fundament . . ib. 59. Inguinalis or argemo .. .. .. .. .. .. 188 60. Remedies for inflamed tumours. Chrysippios ; one remedy . . ib 61. Aphrodisiacs and antaphrodisiacs .. .. .. .. 189 62. The orchis or serapias ; five medicinal properties. Satyrion . . ib. 63. Satyrion ; three medicinal properties. Satyrion erythraicon ; four medicinal properties . . . . . . . . . . 190 64. Remedies for the gout and diseases of the feet . . . . 192 65. Lappago or mollugo ; one remedy. Asperugo ; one remedy . . ib. 66. Phycos thalassion or sea-weed ; three varieties of it. Lappa boaria . 193 67. Maladies which attack the whole of the body . . . . . . 194 68. The geranion, myrrhis or myrtis; three varieties of it : six remedies 195 CONTEKTS. xiii CHAP. Page 69. The onotheras or onear ; three remedies 196 70. Remedies for epilepsy . . . . . . • . . . ib. 71. Remedies for fevers . . . . . . • . ... . . 197 72. Remedies for phrenitis, lethargy, and carbuncles . . . . 198 73. Remedies for dropsy. Acte or ebulum. Chamaeacte . . . . ib. 74. Remedies for erysipelas .. .. .. •• .. ..199 75. Remedies for sprains . . . . . . . . . . • . 200 76. Remedies for jaundice .. .. .. •• •• ib. 77. Remedies for boils 201 78. Remedies for fistula ib. 79. Remedies for abscesses and hard tumours . . . . . . ib. 80. Remedies for burns 202 81. Remedies for diseases of the sinews and joints ib. 82. Remedies for haemorrhage . . . . . . . . . . 203 83. Hippuris, otherwise called ephedron, anabasis, or equisoetum ; three kinds of it ; eighteen remedies ib. 84. Stephanomelis .. 205 85. Remedies for ruptures and convulsions. Erysithales; one remedy ib. 86. Remedies for phthiriasis 206 87. Remedies for ulcers and wounds .. .. .. .. .. ib. 88. Polycnemon ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . . 209 89. Remedies for warts, and applications for the removal of scars . . ib. 90. Remedies for female diseases . . . . . . . . 210 91. Arsenogonon ; one medicinal property. Thelygonon ; one me- dicinal property 213 92. Mastos ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 93. Applications for the hair. Lysimachia. Ophrys . . . . ib. BOOK XXVII. A DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS, AND OF THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THEM. 1. Researches of the ancients upon this subject .. .. .. 217 2. Aconite, otherwise called thelyphonon, cammaron, pardaliaiiches, or scorpio; four remedies .. .. .. .. .. 218 3. JEthiopis ; four remedies . . . . . . . . . . 221 4. Ageraton ; four remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 5. The aloe ; twenty-nine remedies 222 6. Alcea ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 7. The alypon ; one remedy ib. 8. Alsine, a plant used for the same purposes as hebtine ; five re- medies .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ib. 9. The androsaces ; six remedies . . . . . . . . 225 10. AndrosaBmon or ascyron ; six remedies . . . . , . . . ib 11. Ambrosia, botrys, or artemisia ; three remedies 226 12. The anonis or ononis ; five remedies .. .. .. ib. 13. The anagyros or acopon ; three remedies . . . . . . ib. 14. The anonymos; two remedies . . . . . . . . . . 227 15. Aparine, omphalocarpos, or philanthropes ; three remedies . . ib* xiv CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 16. The arction or arcturum ; five remedies . . . . . . 228 17. The asplenon or hemionion; two remedies . . . . . . ib. 18. The asclepias ; two remedies .. .. .. .. .. 229 19. The aster or bubonion ; three remedies ib. 20. Ascyron and ascyroides ; three remedies ib. 21. Theaphaca; three remedies .. . . .. .. .. 230 22. Alcibium ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . . ib. 23. Alectoroslophos or crista ; two remedies . . . . . . ib. 24. Alum, also called symphyton petreeon ; fourteen remedies .. 2:U 25. Alga rufa or red sea-weed ; one remedy 232 26. Actaaa ; one remedy ib. 27. The ampelos agria, or wild vine ; four remedies . . ' . . ib. 28. Absinthium or wormwood ; four varieties ; forty-eight remedies i b. 29. Absinthium marinum or seriphum . . . . . . . . 235 30. The ballotes, melamprasion, or black leek ; three remedies . . 236 31. Botrys, ambrosia, or artemisia ; one remedy .. .. .. ib. 32. The brabyla ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . . ib. 33. Bryon maritimum ; five remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 34. The bupleuron ; one remedy ' 237 35. The catanance ; one observation upon it. The cemos ; one ob- servation upon it . . . . . . . . . . ib. 36. The calyx ; three remedies 238 37. The calyx, known also as anchusa or onoclia ; two remedies . . ib. 38. The circaBa ; three remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 39. The cirsion ; one remedy . . . . . . . . . , 239 40. The crata3gonon ; two kinds of it ; eight remedies . . . . ib. 41. The crocodileon ; two remedies .. .. .. .. ., 240 42. The cynosorchis or orchis ; four remedies . . . . . . ib. 43. The chrysolachanum; two varieties of it; three remedies. Co- agulum terra3 ; two remedies . . . . . . 241 44. The cucubalus, strumus, or strycbnon ; six remedies . . < . ib. 45. The conferva ; two remedies .. .. .. .. .. 242 46. The coccus Cnidius, or grain of Gnidos ; two remedies. . . . ib 47. Thedipsacos; two remedies ib. 48. The dryopteris ; two remedies 243 49. The dryophonon ib. 50. The elatine ; two remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 51. Empetros, by our people called ealcifraga; four remedies . . 244 52. The epipactis or elleborine ; two remedies . . . . . . ib. 53. The epimedion ; three remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 54. The enneaphyllon; two remedies .. .. .. .. 245 55. Two varieties of filix or fern, known to the Greeks as pteris or blachnon, and as thelypteris or nympha3a pteris ; eleven re- medies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #>. 56. Femur bubulum, or ox thigh . . . . . . . . 246 57. Galeopsis, galeobdolon, or galion ; six remedies. . .. .. ib. 58. The glaux ; one remedy . . 247 59. Glaucion; three remedies. Diaglaucia ; two remedies .. ib. 60. The glycyside, pajonia, or pentorobos ; twenty remedies . . 248 CONTENTS. XV CHAP. Page 61. Gnaphalium or charaaezelon : six remedies .. .. .. 249 62. The gallidraga : one remedy ib, 63. Holcus or aristis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 64. Hyoseris : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . ib. 65. The holosteon : three remedies ib. 66. The hippophaeston : eight remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 67. The hypoglossa : one remedy .. .. .... .. 251 68. Hypecobn ib. 69. The Idaea herba or plant of Ida : four remedies . . . . ib. 70. The isopyron or phasiolon : two remedies . . . . . . ib. 71. The lathyris : two remedies .. .. .. .. 252 72. The leontopetalon or pardalion : two remedies . . . . ib. 73. The lycapsos : two remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 74. The lithospermum, exonychon, diospyron, or heracleos : two remedies 253 75. Lapidis muscus, or stone moss : one remedy . . . . . . 254 76. The limeum : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . ib. 77. The leuce, mesoleucon, or leucas : three remedies .. .. *b. 78. The leucographis : five remedies . . . . . . . . 255 79. The medion : three remedies ib. 80. The myosota or myosotis : three remedies . . . . . . ib. 81. Themyagros: one remedy .. .. .. .. .. 256 82. The nyma : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 83. The natrix : one remedy. . . . . . . . . . ib. 84. Odontitis : one remedy 257 85.. The othonna : one remedy ib. 86. The onosma : one property . . . . . . . . . . ib. 87. The onopordon : five remedies . . . . . . . . . . 258 88. The osyris : four remedies . . . . . . . . . . ib. 89. The oxys : two remedies. . . . . . . . . . ib. 90. The polyauthemum or batrachion : three remedies .. .. ib. 91. The polygonos, polygonatos, teuthalis, earcinethron, clema, or myrtopetalos, otherwise known as sanguinaria or orios : four varieties of it : forty remedies . . . . . . . . 259 92. The pancratium : twelve remedies 260 93. The peplis, syce, meconion, or mecon aphrodes: three remedies 261 94. The periclymenos : five remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 95. Pelecinon : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 96. Polygala : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . ib. 97. Poterion, phrynion, or neuras : four remedies . . . . . . ib. 98. The phalangitis, phalangion, or leucacantha : four remedies . . 263 99. The phyteuma : one property . . . . . . . . . . ib. 100. The phyllon : one property . , . . . . ib. 101. The phellandrion : two remedies .. .. .. .. 264 102. Thephalaris: two remedies .. .. ib. 103. The polyrrhizon : five remedies. . . . . . . . ib. 104. The proserpinaca : five remedies . . . . . . . . ib. 105. Rhacoma : thirty-six remedies . . . . . . . . . . 265 106. The reseda : two remedies ib. Xvi CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 107. The stoechas : three remedies 266 108. The solanum, by the Greeks called strychnon : two remedial properties . . . . . . . . - • ; • • • *^« 109. Smyrnion : thirty- two remedies. Sinon : two remedies . . ib. 110. Telephion: four remedies 267 111. The trichomanes: five remedies 112. The thalictrum : one remedy ib. 113. Thlaspi and Persicon napy : four remedies 114. The trachinia : one property .. .. .. •• •• 269 115. The tragonis or tragion : four remedies. ib. 116. The tragos or scorpion : four remedies 270 117. The tragopogon or come .. •• ib. 118. The ages of plants **• 119. How the greatest efficacy in plants may be ensured .. .. 271 120. Maladies peculiar to various nations #• BOOK XXVIII. KEMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES. 1. Introduction . . . . . . - . . . . . . . . 275 "~ 2. Remedies derived from man .. .. .. .. ..276 3. Whether words are possessed of any healing efficacy . . . . 278 4. That prodigies and portents may be confirmed, or made of no effect 280 6, A description of various usages .. .. .. .. .. -283 6. Two hundred and twenty-six observations on remedies derived from man. Eight remedies derived from children. . . . 286 7. Properties of the human spittle . . . . 288 8. Remedies derived from the wax of the human ear . . . . 291 9. Remedies derived from the human hair, teeth, &c. .. .. ib. 10. Remedies derived from the human blood, the sexual con- gress, &c 292 11. Remedies derived from the dead ib. 12. Various reveries and devices of the magicians .. .. .. 293 13. Remedies derived from the human excretions . . .. . . 294 1 4. Remedies depending upon the human will 295 15. Remedies derived from sneezing .. .. .. .. 297 16. Remedies derived from the sexual congress . . . . . . ib. 17. Various other remedies 298 18. Remedies derived from the urine 299 19. Indications of health derived from the urine . . . . . . 301 20. Forty-one remedies derived from the female sex . . . . ib. 21. Remedies derived from woman's milk .. .. .. .. 302 22. Remedies derived from the spittle of females . . . . . . 304 23. Facts connected with the menstrual discharge. . . . ib. 24. Remedies derived from foreign animals : the elephant, eight remedies 307 CONTENTS. XVil CHAP. Page 25. Ten remedies derived from the lion .. 308* 26. Ten remedies derived from the camel n. 27. Seventy- nine remedies derived from the hyaena .. .. 309 28. Nineteen remedies derived from the crocodile .. .. .. 31 4: 29. Fifteen remedies derived from the chameleon .. .. .. 31£ 30. Four remedies derived from the scincus . . .. . . . . 318 31. Seven remedies derived from the hippopotamus .. . . ib. 32. Five remedies derived from the lynx 319 33. Remedies furnished in common by animals of the same class, whether wild or tame. Fifty-four medicinal uses of milk, with observations thereon. . . . . . . . . . . ib. 34. Twelve remedies derived from cheese .. .. .. .. 322 35. Twenty remedies derived from butter . . . . . . . . 323 36. Oxygala : one remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 37. The various uses of fat, and observations upon it, fifty-two in number. . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 38. Suet 326 39. Marrow 327 40. Gall ib. 41. Blood 328 42. Peculiar remedies derived from various animals, and classified according to the maladies. Remedies against the poison of serpents, derived from the stag, the fawn, the ophion, the she-goat, the kid, and the ass . . .. . . ib. 43. Remedies for the bite of the mad dog. Remedies derived from the calf, the he-goat, and various other animals . . . . 331 44. Remedies to be adopted against enchantments . . . . . . ib. 45. Remedies for poisons , . .. .. .. .. .. 332 46. Remedies for diseases of the head, and for alopecy . , . . 334 47. Remedies for affections of the eyes 335 48. Remedies.for diseases and affections of the ears. . . . . . 337 49. Remedies for tooth-ache 338 50. Remedies for diseases of the face .. .. .. .. 340 51. Remedies for diseases of the tonsillary glands and for scrofula.. 342 52. Remedies for pains in the neck 343 53. Remedies for cough and for spitting of blood . . . . . . ib. 54. Remedies for affections of the stomach . . . . . . . . 344 55. Remedies for liver complaints and for asthma . . . . . . ib. 56. Remedies for pains in the loins . . . . . . . . . . ib. 57. Remedies for affections of the spleen .. .. . . . . 345 58. Remedies for bowel complaints . . . . . . . . . . 346 59. Remedies for tenesmus, tapeworm, and affections of the colon. . 348 60. Remedies for affections of the bladder, and for urinary calculi,. 349 61. Remedies for diseases of the generative organs and of the fun- dament 350 62. Remedies for gout and for diseases of the feet . . . . . . 352 63. Remedies for epilepsy . . . . 353 64. Remedies for jaundice .. .. .. .. .. .. 354 65. Remedies for broken bones . . ib. XV1U CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 66. Eemedies for fevers .. .. . . .. .. .. 354 67. Remedies for melancholy, lethargy, and phthisis .. .. 355 68. Remedies for dropsy . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 69. Remedies for erysipelas, and for purulent eruptions . . . . 357 70. Remedies for sprains, indurations, and boils . . . . . . ib. 71. Remedies for burns. The method of testing bull-glue ; seven remedies derived from it . . . . . . . . ib. 72. Remedies for affections of the sinews and for contusions • . . 358 73. Remedies for haemorrhage ib. 74. Remedies for ulcers and carcinomatous sores . . .. .. 359 75. Remedies for the itch 360 76. Methods of extracting foreign substances which adhere to the body, and of restoring scars to their natural colour . . . . ib. 77. Remedies for female diseases . . . . . . . . ib. 78. Remedies for the diseases of infants . . . . . . . . 364 79. Provocatives of sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 80. Stimulants for the sexual passions . . . . . . ib. 81. Remarkable facts relative to animals .. .. .. .. 366 BOOK .XXIX. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES. 1. The origin of the medical art ., .. .. .. .. 370 2. Particulars relative to Hippocrates. Date of the origin of clinical practice and of that of latraleptics . . . . . . . . 371 3 . Particulars relative to Chrysippus and Erasistratus . . . . ib. 4. The Empiric branch of medicine . . . . . . . . . . 372 5. Particulars relative to Herophilus and other celebrated physicians. The various changes that have been made in the system of medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 6. Who first practised as a physician at Rome, and at what period 375 7. The opinions entertained by the Romans on the ancient physicians ib. 8. Evils attendant upon the practice of medicine ... ... .. 376 9. Thirty-five remedies derived from wool . . . . . . . . 381 10. Thirty-two remedies derived from wool-grease . . . . . . 383 11. Twenty-two remedies derived from eggs .. .. ., 385 12. Serpents' eggs 388 13. The method of preparing commagenum. Four remedies derived from it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 14. Remedies derived from the dog .. %. .. .. .. 391 15. Remedies classified according to the different maladies. Reme- dies for injuries inflicted by serpents. Remedies derived from mice .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 392 16. Remedies derived from the weasel . . .. .... ib. 17. Remedies derived from bugs .. ,. .. .. .. ib. 18. Particulars relative to the asp .. .. .. .. .. 394 19. Remedies derived from the basilisk .. .. ib. CONTENTS. XIX CHAP. Papa 20. Remedies derived from the dragon 395 21. Remedies derived from the viper .. .. .. . . . . ib. 22. Remedies derived from the other serpents . . . . . . 396 23. Remedies derived from the salamander . . . . . . . . 397 24. Remedies derived from birds, for injuries inflicted by serpents. Remedies derived from the vulture . . . . . . . . 398 25. Remedies derived from poultry 399 26. Remedies derived from other birds . . . . . . . . 400 27. Remedies for the bite of the phalangium. The several varieties of that insect, and of the spider . . . . . . . . ib. 28. Remedies derived from the stellio, or spotted lizard . . . . 402 29. Remedies derived from various insects . . . . . . . . 403 30. Remedies derived from cantharides ib. 31. Various counter-poisons 405 32. Remedies for the bite of the mad dog .. .. .. .. ib. 33. Remedies for the other poisons . . . . . . . . . . 407 34. Remedies for alopecy . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 35. Remedies for lice and for porrigo . . . . . . . . 409 36. Remedies for head-ache, and for wounds on the head . . . . ib. 37. Remedies for affections of the eyelids .. .. .. .. 410 38. Remedies for diseases of the eyes .. .. .. ..411 39. Remedies for pains and diseases of the ears . . . . . . 416 BOOK XXX. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES. 1. The origin of the magic art .. 421 2. "When and where the art of magic originated : by what persons it was practised . . . . 422 3. Whether magic was ever practised in Italy. At what period the senate first forbade human sacrifices . . . . . . 425 4. The Druids of the Gallic provinces . . . . , . . . 426 5. The various branches of magic . . . . . . . . . . 427 6. The subterfuges practised by the magicians . . . . . . 428 7. Opinions of the magicians relative to the mole. Five remedies derived from it 429 8. The other remedies derived from living creatures, classified ac- cording to the respective diseases. Remedies for tooth-ache 430 9. Remedies for offensive odours and sores of the mouth . . . . 432 10. Remedies for spots upon the face . . . . . . . . ib. 11. Remedies for affections of the throat .. .. .. .. 433 12. Remedies for quinzy and scrofula .. .. .. .. 434 13. Remedies for diseases of the shoulders 436 14. Remedies for pains in the viscera .. . . . . . . 437 15. Remedies for pains in the stomach . . . . . . ib. 16. Remedies for pains in the liver, and for spitting of blood .. 438 17. Remedies for affections of the spleen 439 b XX CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 18. Remedies for pains in the side and in the loins . . . . . . 440 19. Remedies for dysentery .. .. .. .. .. ..441 20. Remedies for the iliac passion, and for other maladies of the bowels 442 21. Remedies for urinary calculi and affections of the bladder . . 443 22. Remedies for diseases of the fundament and of the generative organs . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . 445 23. Remedies for gout and for diseases of the feet 446 24. Remedies for evils which are liable to affect the whole body . . 448 25. Remedies for cold shiverings . . . . . . . . . . 449 26. Remedies for paralysis 450 27. Remedies for epilepsy . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 28. Remedies for jaundice . . . . . . . . . . . . 452 29. Remedies for phrenitis . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 30. Remedies for fevers 453 31. Remedies for dropsy 456 32. Remedies for erysipelas . . . . ib. 33. Remedies for carbuncles 457 34. Remedies for boils . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 35. Remedies for burns . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 36. Remedies for affections of the sinews . . . . . . . . ib. 37. Remedies for maladies of the nails and fingers 458 38. Methods for arresting haemorrhage . . . . . . . . ib. 39. Remedies for ulcerous sores and wounds . . . . . . ib. 40. Remedies for broken bones . . . . . . . . . . 460 41. Applications for cicatrizations, and for the cure of morphew . . 461 42. Methods of extracting foreign substances from the body , . ib. 43. Remedies for female complaints .. .. .. . . .. 462 44. Methods of facilitating delivery . . 463 45. Methods of preserving the breasts from injury 464 46. Various kinds of depilatories 465 47. Remedies for the diseases of infants .. .. .. .. ib. 48. Provocatives of sleep .. .. .. .. .. .. 467 49. Aphrodisiacs and antaphrodisiacs . . . . . . . . ib. 50. Remedies for phthiriasis, and for various other affections . . 468 ol. Remedies for intoxication .. .. .. .. .. ib. 52. Peculiarities relative to certain animals . . . . . . . . 469 53. Other marvellous facts connected with animals . . . . . . ib. BOOK XXXI. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE AQUATIC PRODUCTIONS. 1. Remarkable facts connected with water .. .. .. .. 471 2. The different properties of waters 472 ?j. Remedies derived from water .. .. .. 473 4. Waters productive of fecundity. "Waters curative of insanity 474 CONTENTS. XXI CH\P. Papre 5. Waters remedial for urinary calculi . . . . , . 474 6. Waters curative of wounds . . . . . . . . . . 475 7. Waters preventive of abortion ib. 8. Waters which remove morphew .. .. .. .. .. ib. 9. Waters which colour the hair .. .. .. .. .. 476 10. Waters which colour the human body . . . . . . . . ib. 11. Waters which aid the memory, or are productive of forgetfulness 477 12. Waters which sharpen or dull the senses. Waters which im- prove the voice . . . . . . . . . . ib. 13. Waters which cause a distaste for wine. Waters which produce inebriety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ih. 14. Waters which serve as a substitute for oil .. .. .. 478 15. Salt and bitter waters .. .. .. .. .. .. ib. 16. Waters which throw up stones. Waters which cause laughter and weeping. Waters which are said to be curative of love ib. 17. Waters which preserve their warmth for three days .. .. 479 18. Other marvellous facts connected with water. Waters in which everything will sink. Waters in which nothing will sink ib. 19. Deadly waters. Poisonous fishes .. .. .. .. 480 20. Waters which petrify themselves, or cause other objects to petrify 482 21. The wholesomeness of waters .. .. .. .. .. ib. 22. The impurities of water . . . . . . . . . . . . 484 23. The modes of testing water 4^5 24. The Marcian Waters 487 25. The Virgin Waters 488 26. The method of searching for water . . . . . . . . ib. 27. Signs indicative of the presence of water . . . . . . 489 28. Differences in waters, according to the nature of the soil . . ib. 29. The qualities of water at the different seasons of the year .. 491 30. Historical observations upon waters which have suddenly made their appearance or suddenly ceased . . . . . . . . 492 31. The method of conveying water .. .. .. .. .. 494 32. How mineral waters should be used .. .. . . _ /#. 33. The uses of sea-water. The advantages of a sea-voyage . . 496 34. How artificial sea- water may be made in places at a distance from the sea 498 35. How thalassomeli is made . . . . . . . . . . ib. 36. How hydromeli is made . . . . . . . . . . . . ib. 37. Methods of providing against the inconvenience of drinking sus- pected water .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 499 38. Six remedies derived from moss. Remedies derived from sand ib. 39. The various kinds of suit; the methods of preparing it, and the remedies derived from it. Two hundred and four observa- tions thereupon . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 40. Muria ^ ..' 503 41. The various properties of salt : one hundred and twenty histori- cal remarks relative thereto 504 42. Flower of salt : twenty remedies. Salsugo : two remedies . . 506 43. Garum : fifteen remedies 507 XX11 CONTENTS. CHAP. Page 44. Alex : eight remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . 508 45. The nature of salt 509 46. The various kinds of nitrum, the methods of preparing it, and the remedies derived from it : two hundred and twenty-one observations thereon .. .. .. .. .. ..512 47. Sponges, and the remedies derived from them: ninety-two observations thereon .. .. 519 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLINY. BOOK XXIV. THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE FOREST TREES. CHAP. l.(l.) — THE ANTIPATHIES AND SYMPATHIES WHICH EXIST AMONG TUBES AND PLANTS. even are the forests and the spots in which the aspect of Nature is most rugged, destitute of their peculiar remedies ; for so universally has that divine parent of all things distributed her succours for the benefit of man, as to implant for him medicinal virtues in the trees of the desert even, while at every step she presents us with most wonderful illustrations of those antipathies and sympathies which exist in the vegetable world. Between the quercus1 and the olive2 there exists a hatred so inveterate, that transplanted, either of them, to a site pre- viously occupied by the other, they will die.3 The quercus too, if planted near the walnut, will perish. There is a mortal feud4 existing also between the cabbage and the vine ; and the cabbage itself, so shunned as it is by the vine, will wither im- mediately if planted in the vicinity of cyclamen6 or of origanum. We find it asserted even, that aged trees fit to be felled, are cut with all the greater difficulty, and dry all the more rapidly, 1 See B. xvi. cc. 6, 8, 33, 50. 2 See B. xvii. c. 3. 3 As Fee justly remarks, the greater part of these so-called sympathies and antipathies must be looked upon as so many fables. In the majority of instances, it is the habitual requirements of the tree or plant that con- stitute the difference ; thus, for instance, the oak or quercus requires a different site and temperature from that needed by the olive, and the stony soil adopted by the vine is but ill-suited for the cultivation of the cabbage. 4 See B. xx. c. 36. 5 See B. xxi, cc. 27, 38, and B. xxv. c. 67. VOL. V. B 2 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXiV. if touched by the hand of man before the axe is applied : it is a common belief, too, that when their load consists of fruit, beasts of burden are immediately sensible 6 of it, and will in- stantly begin to sweat, however trifling it may be, unless the fruit is duly shown to them before starting, fennel-giant, as a fodder, is extremely grateful to the ass, and yet to other beasts of burden it is a deadly poison : hence it is that the ass is con- secrated to Father Liber,7 to which deity the fennel is also sacred. Inanimate objects again, even of the most insignificant character, have their own peculiar antipathies. Cooks dis- engage meat of the brine, when it has been too highly salted, by the agency of fine meal and the inner bark8 of the linden- tree. Salt again, tends to neutralize the sickly flavour of food when over- sweet. The taste of water, when nitrous or bitter, is modified by the addition of polenta,9 so much so indeed, as to be rendered potable10 in a couple of hours : it is for a similar reason, too, that a layer of polenta is put11 in our linen wine- strainers. A similar property is possessed also by the chalk12 of Ehodes, and the argilla of our own country. Equal affinities exist as well ; pitch, for instance, is extracted by the agency of oil, both of them being of an unctuous nature : oil again, will incorporate only with lime, both of them having a natural antipathy13 to water. Gum is most14 easily removed with vinegar, and ink15 with water; in addition to which, there 6 See the same statement made in B. xxiii. c. 62. 7 Or Bacchus. 8 " Philyra." Fee does not think that it can be of any use for such a purpose. Hardouin says, however, that in his time meat when too highly salted was wrapped in leaves of the lime or linden, for the purpose of ex- tracting the salt. . 9 See B. xviii. c. 14. 10 Instead of having this effect. Fee says, it would render it much worse. 11 The intention being to clear the wine, though in reality, as Fee ob- serves, it would have a tendency to turn the wine into vinegar. 12 Chalk, or in other words, sub-carbonate of lime, and argilla, or aluminous earth combining several earthy salts, would probably neutralize the acetic acid in the wine, but would greatly deteriorate its flavour, 18 On the contrary, lime would appear to have a great affinity for water, absorbing it with avidity, if we may use the term. 14 More easily with water ; though vinegar will do for the purpose. 15 " Atramentum." By this passage, Fee says, it is clearly proved that the ink of the ancients was soluble in water, and that it contained neither galls nor salts of iron, "What it really was made of is still a matter of Chap. 2.] THE LOTUS OF ITALY. 3 are numberless other instances of sympathy and antipathy which we shall be careful to mention in their appropriate places. It is in tendencies of this description that the medical art iirst took its rise ; though it was originally intended, no doubt, by Nature, that our only medicaments should be those which universally exist, are everywhere to be found, and are to be procured at no great outlay, the various substances, in fact, from which we derive our sustenance. But at a later period the fraudulent disposition of mankind, combined with an ingenuity prompted by lucre, invented those various laboratories,16 in which each one of us is promised an extension of his life — that is, if he will pay for it. Compositions and mixtures of an in- explicable nature forthwith have their praises sung, and the productions of Arabia and India are held in unbounded ad- miration in the very midst17 of us. For some trifling sore or other, a medicament is prescribed from the shores of the Red Sea ; while not a day passes but what the real remedies are to be found upon the tables of the very poorest man among us.18 But if the remedies for diseases were derived from our own gardens, if the plants or shrubs were employed which grow there, there would be no art, forsooth, that would rank lower than that of medicine. Yes, avow it we must — the Roman people, in extending its empire, has lost sight of its ancient manners, and in that we have conquered we are the conquered:19 for now we obey the natives of foreign20 lands, who by the agency of a single art have even out-generalled our generals.21 More, however, on this topic hereafter. CHAP. 2. (.2.) THE LOTUS OF ITALY : SIX KEMEDIES. We have already22 spoken in their appropriate places of the doubt ; but it is not improbable that the basis of it was spodium, or ashes of ivory. 16 " Officinas." 17 "In medio." The reading is very doubtful here. 8 This, of course, is mere exaggeration. 19 He would seem to imply that the medical men of his age had conspired to gain an adventitious importance by imposing upon the credulity of the public, on the principle " Omne ignotuin pro magnifico ;" much as the u medicine-men " of the North American Indians do at the present day. 20 He alludes to the physicians of Greece more particularly. " Imperatoribus quoque imperaverunt." 23 In B. xiii. c. 32, and B. xvi. c. 53. Pliny ascribes here to the Lotus of Italy, the Celtis Australia of Linnaeus, the same medicinal properties that B 2 4 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXIV. herb called lotus, and of the plant of Egypt known by the same name and as the " tree of the Syrtes." The berries of the lotus, which is known among us as the " Grecian bean,"23 act astringently upon the bowels ; and the shavings of the wood, boiled in wine, are useful in cases of dysentery, excessive menstruation, vertigo, and epilepsy: they also prevent the hair from falling off. It is a marvellous thing — but there is no substance known that is more bitter than the shavings of this wood, or sweeter than the fruit. The sawdust also of the wood is boiled in myrtle- water, and then kneaded and divided into lozenges, which form a medicament for dysentery of re- markable utility, being taken in doses of one victoriatus,24 in three cyathi of water. CHAP. 3. (3.) ACORNS I THIRTEEN REMEDIES. Acorns,25 pounded with salted axle-grease,25* are curative of those indurations known as " cacoethe."26 The acorn of the holm-oak, however, is the most powerful in its effects ; and in all these trees the bark is still more efficacious, as well as the inner membrane which lies beneath it. A decoction of this last is good for coeliac affections ; and it is applied topically in cases of dysentery, as well as the acorns, which are em- ployed also for the treatment of stings inflicted by serpents, fluxes, and suppurations. The leaves, acorns, and bark, as well as a decoction prepared from them, are good as counter- poisons. A decoction of the barkr boiled in cows' milk, is used topically for stings inflicted by serpents, and is adminis- tered in wine for dysentery. The holm-oak is possessed of similar properties. CHAP. 4. (4.) THE KERMES-BERRY OF THE HOLM-OAK : THREE REMEDIES. The scarlet berry27 of the holm-oak is applied to fresh are given by Dioscorides, B. i. c. 171, to the Egyptian bean or Nymphsea Nelumbo of Linnaeus. Galen gives the same account as Dioscorides ; it is not improbable, therefore, that Pliny is in error. 23 See B. xvi. c. 53, Note 55. 24 Half a denarius. See Introduction to Vol. III. 25 Acorns, as well as the bark of the various kinds of oak, are of an astringent nature. 25* Or, hogs' lard. 26 In the singular number, " cacoethes," " a bad habit ;" signifying a malignant or cancerous tumour. 27 See B. xvi. c. 12. All the properties here ascribed to it, Fee says, Chap. 6.J MISTLETOE. wounds with vinegar ; and in combination with water it is dropt into ths eyes in cases of defluxion of those organs or of ecchymosis. There grows also in most parts of Attica, and in Asia, a berry of this description, which becomes transformed with great rapidity into a diminutive worm, owing to which circumstance the Greeks have given it the name of " sco- lecion :"28 it is held, however, in disesteem. The principal varieties of this berry have been previously29 described. CHAP. 5. — GALL-NUTS I TWENTY-THREE REMEDIES. And no fewer are the varieties of the gall-nut which we have described :30 we have, for instance, the full-bodied gall- nut, the perforated one, the white, the black, the large, the small, all of them possessed of similar properties ; that, how- ever, of Commagene is generally preferred. These substances remove fleshy excrescences on the body, and are serviceable for affections of the gums and uvula,31 and for ulcerations of the mouth. Eurnt, and then quenched in. wine, they are applied topically in cases of cceliac affections and dysentery, and with honey, to whitlows, hang-nails, malformed nails, running ulcers, condylomatous swellings, and ulcerations of the nature known as phagedsenic.32 A decoction of them in wine is used as an injection for the ears, and as a liniment for the eyes, and in combination with vinegar they are employed for eruptions and tumours. The inner part of the gall, chewed, allays tooth-ache, and is good for excoriations between the thighs, and for burns. Taken unripe in vinegar, they reduce the volume of the spleen ; and, burnt and then quenched in salt and vinegar, they are used as a fomentation for excessive menstruation and procidence of the uterus. All varieties of the gall-nut stain the hair black. CHAP. 6. MISTLETOE t ELEVEN REMEDIES. We have already33 stated that the best mistletoe is that which grows on the robur,34 and have described the manner in are hypothetical. It is no longer used in medicine, at least to any re- cognized extent. 28 Hence the Latin word " vermiculum," from which our word " ver- milion " is derived. 29 In B. xvi. c. 12. 30 In B. xvi. c. 9. 31 They might he used advantageously, Fee thinks, in the shape of a decoction, for procidence of the uvula and uterus. aa " Eating," or "corrosive." aa See B. xvi. cc. 11, 93, 94. 31 SeeB. xvi. cc, 10, 11. 6 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. which, it is prepared. Some persons, after bruising the berries, boil them in water, till nothing appears on the surface, while others, again, bite the berries with the teeth, and reject the skins.35 The best kind of viscus is that which has none of the outer skin in it, is extremely light, yellow without, and of a leek-green colour within. There is no substance more glutinous than this : it is of an emollient nature, disperses tumours, and acts as a desiccative upon scrofulous sores ; com- bined with resin and wax, it heals inflamed swellings of every description. Some persons add galbanum as well, using equal proportions of each ingredient, and this preparation they em- ploy also for the treatment of wounds. The viscus of the mistletoe has the additional property also of rectifying malformed nails ; but to effect this it must be taken off at the end of seven days, and the nails must be washed with a solution of nitre.35* Some persons have a sort of superstitious notion that the viscus will be all the more effi- cacious if the berries are gathered from the robur at new moon, and without the aid of iron. They have an impression too, that if it has not touched the ground, it will cure epilepsy,36 that it will promote conception in females if they make a practice of carrying it about them : the berries, chewed and applied to ulcers, are remarkably efficacious for their cure, it is said. CHAP. 7. THE EXCRESCENCES WHICH GROW ON THE ROBUR : ONE REMEDY. THE CBRRUS I EIGHT REMEDIES. The round excrescences37 which grow on the robur * * * and mixed with bear's grease, are remedial in cases of loss of the hair by alopecy. The leaves, bark, and acorns of the cerrus38 act as a desic- cative upon gatherings and suppurations, and arrest fluxes. A decoction39 of them, used as a fomentation, strengthens such parts of the body as are paralyzed ; and it is a very good plan :35^ This passage, as Fee remarks, is somewhat obscure. 5* As to the identity of the " nitrum" of Pliny, see B. xxxi. cc. 22, 46. 36 Fee says, that till very recently it was a common belief that the oak mistletoe is curative of epilepsy. It was also employed as an ingredient in certain antispasmodic powders. 37 See B. xvi. c. 10. as gee j^ xvf. c, 8> !9 This decoction would be of a tonic and astringent nature, owing to the tannin and gallic acid which the leaves and baric contain. Chap. 10.] THE CYPRESS. 7 to employ it as a sitting-bath, for its desiccative or astringent effects upon the lower extremities. The root of this tree neutralizes the venom of the scorpion. CHAP. 8. THE-CORK TREE : TWO REMEDIES. The bark of the cork-tree,40 pulverized and taken in warm water, arrests haemorrhage at the mouth and nostrils ;41 and the ashes of it, taken in warm wine, are highly extolled as a cure for spitting of blood. CHAP. 9. (5.) — THE BEECH: FOUR REMEDIES. The leaves42 of the beech are chewed for affections of the lips and gums. A liniment is made of the ashes of beech- mast for urinary calculus, and, in combination with honey, for alopecy. CHAP. 10. — THE CYPRESS: TWENTY- THREE REMEDIES. The leaves of the cypress43 are pounded and applied to wounds inflicted by serpents, and with polenta, to the head, in cases of sunstroke. They are used also for hernia, and an infu- sion of them is taken in drink.44 They are applied with wax to swellings of the testes, and mixed with vinegar they stain the hair black.46 Beaten up with twice the quantity of light bread, and then kneaded with Aminean46 wine, they are found very soothing for pains in the feet and sinews. The excrescences of this tree are taken in drink for the stings of serpents and for discharges of blood from the mouth ; they are used also as a topical application for gatherings. Fresh-gathered and beaten up with axle-grease and bean- meal, they are good for hernia ; and an infusion of them is 40 See B. xvi, c. 13. 41 "Ex utralibet parte." 42 There is no foundation, Fee says, for any of these statements. 43 See 13. xvi. c. 60. The leaves of the cypress, Fee says, contain tan- nin and an essential oil ; all the medicinal properties therefore, here attri- buted to them, which are not based upon these principles, must be looked upon as hypothetical. 44 Down to the present century the leaves and fruit of the cypress were recommended in some medical works for the cure of hernia. The juice, however, of the leaves, taken internally, would be, as Fee says, highly dangerous. 45 Owing probably to the gallic acid they contain. *6 See 13. xiv. c. 4. 8 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. taken in drink for the same complaint. In combination with meal, they are applied topically to imposthumes of the parotid glands, and to scrofulous sores. From these excrescences, pounded along with the seed, a juice is extracted, which, mixed with oil, disperses films of the eyes. Taken in doses of one victoriatus,47 in wine, and applied at the same time in a pulpy, dried fig, the seeds of which have been removed, this juice cures maladies of the testes and disperses tumours: mixed with leaven, it heals scrofulous sores. The root of the cypress, bruised with the leaves and taken in drink, is curative of diseases of the bladder, strangury, and the sting of the phalangium.48 The shavings of the wood, taken in drink, act as an emmenagogue, and neutralize the venom of the scorpion. CHAP. 1 1 . THE CEDAR : THIRTEEN REMEDIES. The larger cedar, known as the "cedrelates,"49 produces a pitch called " cedria," which is very useful for tooth-ache, it having the effect of breaking50 the teeth and extracting them, and so allaying the pain.1 We have already51 stated how the juices of cedar are extracted, so remarkably useful for seasoning books,52 were it not for the head-ache they produce. This extract from the cedar preserves53 the bodies of the dead uncorrupted for ages, but exercises a noxious effect upon the bodies of the living — singular that there should be such a diversity in its properties, taking away life from animated 47 See Introduction to Vol. III. 48 See B. x. c. 28, and B. xi. cc. 24, 28. 49 See B. xiii. c. 11. 50 Fee remarks, that many of the moderns attribute to frankincense the properties here ascribed to cedria ; a most unfounded notion, he thinks. 51 In B. xiv. c, 25, and B. xvi. cc. 21, 22. 52 Sillig reads " volumina ;" in which case it is not improbable that the allusion is to the practice of seasoning the paper of manuscripts with a preparation of cedar, as a preservative against mildew and worms. An- other reading is " lumina," and it is not impossible that it is the right one, meaning that pitch of cedar is useful for making lamps or candles. Fee reminds us that we are not to confound the " cedria " with the " eedrium " of B. xvi. c. 21, though Pliny seems here to confound the two. See Note 38 to that Chapter. 53 As in B. xvi. c. 21, he has said the same of "eedrium," a red tar charged with empyreumatic oil, it is clear that he erroneously identifies it with " cedria," or pitch of cedar. It is with this last, in reality, that the Egyptians embalmed the dead, or rather preserved them, by dipping them in the boiling liquid. Chap. 12.] CEDIITDES. 9 beings, and imparting a sort of life, as it were, to the dead ! It injures clothing also and destroys54 animal life. It is for this reason that I cannot recommend it to be taken internally for the cure of quinzy and indigestion, though there are some who advise it : I should be greatly in dread too, to rinse the teeth with it, in combination with vinegar, for tooth-ache, or to use it as an injection for the ears in cases of hardness of hearing, or for worms in those organs. There is one very marvellous story told about it — if the male organs, they say, are rubbed with it j ust before the sexual congress, it will effectually prevent im- pregnation.56 Still, however, I should not hesitate to employ it as a fric- tion for phthiriasis or porrigo. It is strongly recommended also, in raisin wine, as an antidote to the poison of the sea- hare,56 but I should be more ready to use it as a liniment for elephantiasis. Some authors have prescribed it as an oint- ment for foul ulcers and the fleshy excrescences which grow in them, as also for spots and films on the eyes ; and have re- commended it to be taken, in doses of one cyathus, for ulcera- tions of the lungs, and for tapeworm. There is an oil extracted from this pitch, known as " pis- selaeon,"87 the properties of which are of increased activity for all the purposes before-mentioned. It is a well-known fact that the saw-dust of cedar will put serpents to flight, and that a similar effect is produced by anointing the body with the berries58 bruised in oil. CHAP. 12. CEDRIDES : TEN REMEDIES. Cedrides, or in other words, the fruit of the cedar,59 is curative of coughs, acts as a diuretic, and arrests looseness of the bowels. It is good also for ruptures, convulsions, spasms, and strangury, and is employed, as a pessary, for affections of the uterus. It is used also to neutralize the 54 If he implies that it is poisonous, such in reality is not the case. 55 A mere absurdity, of course. 56 It would be of no use whatever for the cure of injuries inflicted by the Aplysia vulgaris or Aplysia depilans of Linnaeus. See B. ix. c. 72, and B. xxxii. c. 3. 57 See B. xv. c. 7, and B. xxv. c. 22. " Pitch oil," a volatile oil. 58 This mention of the berries clearly proves, Fee thinks, that the Cedre- lates of Pliny belongs in reality to the genus Juniperus. 59 Or of the juniper, Fee thinks. 10 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. venom of the sea-hare,60 and for the cure of the various affections above-mentioned, as also of gatherings and inflammations. CHAP. 13. — GALBANUM: TWENTY-THREE REMEDIES. We have already61 given some description of galbanum : to be good, it should be neither too moist nor too dry, but just in the state which we have mentioned.63 It is taken by itself for inveterate coughs, asthma, ruptures, and convulsions ; and it is employed externally for sciatica, pains in the sides, inflamed tumours,63 boils, denudations of the bones, scrofulous sores, nodes upon the joints, and tooth-ache. It is applied with honey also, to ulcerations of the head. In combination with 011 of roses or with nard, it is used as an injection for sup- purations of the ears ; and the odour of it is useful for epilepsy, hysterical suffocations, and faintness at the stomach. Em- ployed as a pessary or as a fumigation, it brings away the foetus in cases of miscarriage; branches too of hellebore covered with it and laid beneath the patient, have a similar effect. We have already64 stated that serpents are driven away by the fumes of burnt galbanum, and they will equally avoid persons whose body has been rubbed with it. It is curative also of the sting of the scorpion. In protracted deliveries, a piece of galbanum the size of a bean is given in one cyathus of wine : it has the effect also of reducing the uterus when displaced, and, taken with myrrh and wine, it brings away the dead foetus. In combination with myrrh and wine too, it neutralizes poisons — those which come under the de- nomination of "toxica"65 in particular. The very touch of it, mixed with oil and spondylium,66 is sufficient to kill a serpent.67 It is generally thought to be productive of strangury. 60 See Note 56 above. 61 In B. xii. c. 56. 62 Cartilaginous, clear, and free from ligneous substances. 63 It is still employed, Fee says, to a small extent, as a topical application for ulcerated sores. Its properties are energetic, but nearly all the uses to which Pliny speaks of it as being applied are hypothetical. 64 In B. xii. c. 56. 65 Narcotic poisons. 66 See B. xii. c. 58. See also c. 16 of this Book. 67 This statement is entirely fabulous. Chap. 15.] STORAX. H CHAP. 14. (6.) HAMMONIACTJM I TWENTY-FOTTR EEMED1ES. Of a similar nature to galbanum is hammoniacum, a tear- like gum, the qualities of which are tested in manner already68 stated. It is of an emollient, warming, resolvent, and dis- pellent nature. Employed as an ingredient in eye- salves, it improves the sight. It disperses prurigo, effaces the marks of sores, removes spots in the eyes, and allays tooth- ache, more particularly when burnt. It is very useful too, taken in drink, for hardness of breathing, pleurisy, affections of the lungs, diseases of the bladder, bloody urine, maladies of the spleen, and sciatica : employed in a similar manner, it acts as a purgative upon the bowels. Boiled with an equal proportion of pitch or wax, and with oil of roses, it is good for diseases of the joints, and for gout. Employed with honey it ripens hard tumours, extracts corns, and has an emollient effect upon in- durations. In combination with vinegar and Cyprian wax, or oil of roses, it is extremely efficacious as a liniment for affections of the spleen. In cases of extreme lassitude, it is an excellent plan to use it as a friction, with vinegar and oil, and a little nitre. CHAP. 15. STOBAX: TEN BEMEDIES. In speaking too of the exotic trees, we have made mention69 of the properties of storax. In addition to those which we have already mentioned, it ought to be very unctuous, without alloy, and to break to pieces in whitish fragments. This substance is curative of cough, affections of the fauces, diseases of the chest, and obstructions or indurations of the uterus. Taken in drink, or employed as a pessary, it acts as an emmenagogue ; it has a laxative effect also upon the bowels. I find it stated that, taken in moderate doses, storax dispels melancholy; but that when em- ployed in large quantities, it promotes it. Used as an injection it is good for singings in the ears, and employed as a friction, for scrofulous swellings and nodes of the sinews. It neutra- lizes poisons of a cold nature, and consequently, hemlock.70 68 In B. xii. c. 49. Gum ammoniac is still used to some small extent in modern medicine, for asthma, boils, tumours, and diseases of the bladder. 69 In B. xii. c. 55. Fee says that it is of the Araygdalite storax that Pliny is here speaking. It is little employed at the present day for in- ternal maladies. •° This is not the fact. 12 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 16. SPONDYLIUM I SEVENTEEN REMEDIES. At the same time we have also spoken71 of spondylium ; an infusion of which is poured upon the head in cases of phrenitis and lethargy, and of head-ache of long standing. Combined with old oil, it is taken in drink for affections of the liver, jaundice, epilepsy, hardness of breathing, and hysterical suffocations, maladies for which it is equally serviceable in the shape of a fumigation. It relaxes the bowels, and with rue it is applied to ulcers of a serpiginous nature. The juice which is extracted from the blossom is a most useful injection for suppurations of the ears ; but the moment it is extracted it should be covered up, as flies and other insects of a similar nature are remarkably fond of it. Scrapings of the root, introduced into the interior of fistulas, have a caustic effect upon their callosities ; and they are some- times used, in combination with the juice, as an injection for the ears. The root itself also is prescribed for jaundice, and for diseases of the liver and uterus. If the head is rubbed with the juice, it will make the hair curl.72 CHAP. 17. SPHAGNOS, SPHACOS, OR BRYON I FIVE REMEDIES. Sphagnos, sphacos, or bryon, grows, as we have already73 stated, in Gaul. A decoction of it, employed as a sitting-bath, is useful for affections of the uterus : mixed with nasturtium, and beaten up in salt water, it is good for the knees and for swellings in the thighs. Taken in drink with wine and dried resin, it acts very powerfully as a diuretic. Pounded in wine with juniper berries, and taken in drink, it draws off the water in dropsy. CHAP. 18. THE TEREBINTH : SIX REMEDIES. The leaves and root of the terebinth74 are used as applica- 71 In B. xii. c. 58. It is no longer used in medicine, though possessed of properties of considerable energy. Fee says that most of the assertions here made respecting it are unfounded. 72 An absurdity, Fee remarks. 73 In B. xii. c. 50. Various lichens probably were called by this name. No use is made of them in modern medicine. 74 See B. xiii. c. 12. The leaves and root of the terebinth or turpentine- tree have some medicinal properties, owing to their resin or essential oil; but no use is made of them in modern medicine. Chap. 20.] THE CHAMJEPITYS. 13 tions for gatherings ; and a decoction of them is strengthening to the stomach. The seed of it is taken in wine for head-ache and strangury : it is slightly laxative to the bowels, and acts as an aphrodisiac. CHAP. 19. THE PITCH-TREE AND THE LARCH I EIGHT REMEDIES. The leaves of the pitch-tree75 and the larch,76 beaten up and boiled in vinegar, are good for tooth-ache. The ashes of the bark are used for excoriations and burns. Taken in drink this substance arrests diarrhoea, and acts as a diuretic ; and used as a fumigation, it reduces the uterus when displaced. The leaves of the pitch- tree are particularly good for the liver, taken in doses of one drachma in hydromel. It is a well-known fact that forests planted solely with trees from which pitch and resin are extracted, are remarkably beneficial for patients suffering from phthisis,77 or who are un- able to recover their strength after a long illness : indeed it is said, that in such cases to breathe the air of localities thus planted, is more beneficial even than to take a voyage to Egypt,78 or to go on a summer's journey to the mountains to drink the milk there, impregnated with the perfumes of plants. CHAP. 20. THE CHAMJEPITYS : TEN REMEDIES. The chamaepitys,79 called in Latin " abiga,"80 because it promotes abortion, and known to some as " incense of the earth,"81 has branches a cubit in length, and the odour and 75 See B. xvi. c. 18. 76 See B, xvi. c. 19. The leaves of these trees are of an astringent and acid nature, Fee says, but they are no longer employed in medicine. All that Pliny here states relative to them is very problematical. 77 Fee says that it is still the practice of the Turkish physicians to re- commend to their patients the air of the cypress groves of Candia. He states also, that it is a very general supposition that resins, balms, and bal- sams are good for pulmonary phthisis, but is of opinion that the notion is founded upon no solid basis. 78 See B. xxxi. c. 33, also Celsus, B. iii. c. 22. Similar to a voyage to Madeira, recommended to our consumptive patients at the present day. 78 Or "ground-pine." 80 From "abigo," to "drive away," it would appear. 81 <; Thus terrae." The Teucrinm Iva of Linnaeus, Fee says, or Chamae- pitys moschata. Fee remarks that Pliny commits a great error in giving to it the blossoms of the pine, and that he assigns larger proportions than really belong to it. The name " incense of the earth," is very inappropriate ; for it has none of the odour of incense, but merely a resinous smell. 14 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. blossoms of the pine. Another variety82 of it, which is some- what shorter, has all the appearance of being bent83 down- wards ; and there is a third,84 which, though it has a similar smell, and consequently the same name, is altogether smaller, with a stem the thickness of one's finger, and a diminutive, rough, pale leaf : it is found growing in rocky localities. All these varieties are in reality herbaceous productions ; but in consequence of the resemblance of the name,85 1 have thought it as well not to defer the consideration of them. These plants are good for stings inflicted by scorpions, and are useful as an application, mixed with dates or quinces, for maladies of the liver : a decoction of them with barley -meal is used for the kidneys and the bladder. A decoction of them in water is used also for jaundice and for strangury. The kind last mentioned, in combination with honey, is good for wounds inflicted by serpents, and a pessary is made of it, with honey, as a detergent for the uterus. Taken in drink it brings away coagulated blood, and rubbed upon the body it acts as a sudorific : it is particularly useful also for the kidneys. Pills of a purgative nature are made of it for dropsy, with figs.86 Taken in wine, in doses of one victor iatus,87 it dispels lumbago, and cures coughs that are not of an inveterate description. A decoction of it in vinegar, taken in drink, will instantaneously bring away the dead foetus, it is said. CHAP. 21. THE P1TYTJSA I SIX REMEDIES. For a similar88 reason, too, we shall accord the same dis- tinction to the pityusa, a plant which some persons reckon among the varieties of the tithy mains.89 It is a shrub,90 re- 82 The Teucrium chamsepitys of Linnaeus, the Chamsepitys lutea vulgaris of C. Bauhin, the ground-pine. 83 The leaves are imbricated, and the branches bend downwards, like those of the pine, whence the name. 84 The Teucrium pseudo-chamaepitys of Linnaeus, the bastard ground- pine. 85 To the pine or pitch-tree, mentioned in c. 19. 86 They are rich in essential oil, and are of a tonic nature. All that is here stated as to their medicinal uses, and which cannot be based upon that property, is hypothetical, Fee says, and does not deserve to be refuted. 87 See Introduction to Vol. III. 88 The resemblance of its name to the "pitvs," or pitch-tree. »» See B. xxvi. c. 39. 90 An Euphorbia with a ligneous stem, the Euphorbia pityusa of Linnaeus. Chap. 22.] RESINS. 15 sembling the pitch-tree in appearance, and with a diminutive purple blossom. A decoction of the root, taken in doses of one hemina, carries off the bilious and pituitous secretions by91 stool, and a spoonful of the seed, used as a suppository, has a similar effect. A decoction of the leaves in vinegar removes scaly eruptions of the skin ; and in combination with boiled rue, it effects the cure of diseases of the mamillae, gripings in the bowels, wounds inflicted by serpents, and incipient gather- ings of most kinds. CHAP. 22. — RESINS : TWENTY- TWO EEMEDIES. In treating, first of wines,92 and then of trees,93 we have stated that resin is the produce of the trees above-mentioned, and have described the several varieties of it, and the countries in which they are respectively produced. There are two principal kinds of resin, the dry and the liquid.93* The dry resins are extracted from the pine94 and the pitch- tree,95 the liquid from the terebinth,96 the larch,97 the lentisk,98 and the cypress ;" these last producing it in the province of Asia and in Syria. It is an error1 to suppose that the resin of the pitch- tree* is the same as that of the larch ; for the pitch-tree yields an unctuous2 resin, and of the same consistency as frankin- cense, while that of the larch is thin, like honey in colour, and of a powerful odour. It is but very rarely that medical men make use of liquid resin, and when they do, it is mostly that produced by the larch, which is administered in an egg for The characteristics of it differ, however, from the description here given by Pliny. It is no longer used in medicine, though, like the other Euphor- biaceae, it has very active properties. 91 This, Fee says, is consistent with truth. 9Mn B. xiv. c. 25. '<* B. xvi. cc. 16, 21, 22, 23. 93* Or, as they are called at the present day, the resins, and the oleo- resins, or terebinthines. 94 Fee thinks that this name extends to the numerous species of resin- iferous trees. . _ 95 The Abies excelsa of Linnaeus. 96 The Pistacia-terebinthus; see B. xiii. c. 12. It yields a valuable turpentine, known in commerce as that of Cyprus or Chios. 97 The so-called Venice turpentine is extracted from the larch. - It yields mastich solely, a solid resin. 99 It yields a terebin thine, and a very diminutive amount of solid resin. 1 Fee says, that if the same methods are employed, the same products may be obtained, though in general the larch yields the better terebinthine. 3 Fee thinks that he is speaking of a thick resin, or galipot, as the ; French call it, of the consistency of honey. 16 NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV cough and ulcerations of the viscera. The resin of the pine, too, is far from extensively used, and that of the other kinds is always boiled3 before use : on the various methods of boiling it, we have enlarged at sufficient length already.4 As to the produce of the various trees, the resin of the tere- binth is held in high esteem, as being the most odoriferous and the lightest, the kinds5 which come from Cyprus and Syria being looked upon as the best. Both these kinds are the colour of Attic honey ; but that of Cyprus has more body, and dries with greater rapidity. In the dry resins the qualities requisite are whiteness, purity, and transparency : but what- ever the kind, the produce of mountainous6 districts is always preferred to that of champaign countries, and that of a north- eastern aspect to that of any other quarter. Resins7 are dis- solved in oil as a liniment and emollient cataplasm for wounds ; but when they are used as a potion, bitter almonds8 are also employed. The curative properties of resins consist in their tendency to close wounds, to act as a detergent upon gatherings and so disperse them, and to cure affections of the chest. The resin of the terebinth * * * it is used too, warmed, as a liniment for pains in the limbs, the application being re- moved after the patient has taken a walk in the sun. Among slave-dealers too, there is a practice of rubbing the bodies of the slaves with it, which is done with the greatest care, as a corrective for an emaciated appearance ; the resin having the property of relaxing the skin upon all parts of the body, and rendering it more capable of being plumped out by food.9 Next after the resin of the terebinth comes that of the 3 Boiled terebinthine, or turpentine, is still used, Fee says, in medicine ; that process disengaging the essential oil. 4 In B. xvi. c. 22. 5 Fee thinks that in reality these are terehinthines, and not resins. 6 It has been generally remarked that aromatic plants grown on moun- tains have a stronger perfume than those of the plains ; Fee queries whether this extends to the resins. 7 Though of little importance in modern medicine, resins and terebin- thines are still employed as the basis of certain plasters and other prepara- tions. 8 Such a potion as this, Fee says, would but ill agree with a person in robust health even. 9 There would be no necessity whatever, Fee says, for such a process, a j plentiful supply of food being quite sufficient for the purpose. Galen I recommends frictions of terebinthine for the improvement of the health. Chap. 23.] PITCH. 17 Jcntisk:10 it possesses astringent properties, and is the most powerful diuretic of them all. The other resins are laxative feto the bowels, promote the digestion of crudities, allay the [ violence of inveterate coughs, and, employed as a fumigation, : disengage the uterus of foreign11 bodies with which it is sur- charged : they are particularly useful too as neutralizing the effects of mistletoe ; and, mixed with bull suet and honey, they are curative of inflamed tumours and affections of a similar nature. The resin of the lentisk is very convenient as a ban- doline for keeping stubborn eyelashes in their place : it is useful also in cases of fractures, suppurations of the ears, and prurigo of the generative organs. The resin of the pine is the best of them all for the cure of wounds in the head. CHAP. 23. (7.) PITCH : TWENTY-THREE REMEDIES. We have also stated on a previous occasion12 from what tree pitch is extracted, and the methods employed for that purpose. Of this also there are two kinds ; thick pitch and liquid pitch.13 Of the several varieties of thick pitch the most useful for medicinal purposes is that of Bruttium ;14 for being both extremely unctuous and very resinous, it reunites the properties both of resin and of pitch, that of a yellow reddish colour being the most highly esteemed. As to the statement made in addition to this, that the produce of the male tree is the best, I do not believe that any such distinc- tion is at all possible. Pitch is of a warming, cicatrizing tendency : mixed with polenta it is particularly useful as a neutralizer of the venom of the cerastes,15 and in combination with honey it is used for quinzy, catarrhs, and fits of sneezing caused by phlegm. With oil of roses it is used as an injection for the ears, and employed as a liniment with wax it heals lichens. It relaxes16 the bowels, also, and used as an electuary, or applied with 10 Mastich. The medicinal properties here attributed to it, Fee says, do not exist. !i " Onera," 12 In B. xiv. c. 25, and B. xvi. cc. 21, 22. 13 Tar. See B. xvi. c. 21. 14 The pitch of Calabria, Fee says, is known at the present day as yitch resin. All that Pliny states as to the medicinal properties of pitch, is destitute, Fee thinks, of the slightest probability. 15 Or horned serpent. 16 Taken internally, of course, VOL. V. • C 18 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. honey to the tonsillary glands, it facilitates expectoration. Applied topically, it acts as a detergent upon ulcers, and makes new flesh. Mixed with raisins and axle-grease, it forms a detergent plaster for carbuncles and putrid ulcers, and, with pine-bark or sulphur, for serpiginous sores. Pitch has been administered too by some, in doses of one cyathus, for phthisis and inveterate coughs. It heals chaps of the feet and rectum, inflamed tumours, and malformed nails ; and used as a fumigation, it is curative of indurations and derangements of the uterus, and of lethargy. Boiled with barley-meal and the urine of a youth who has not arrived at puberty, it causes scrofulous sores to suppurate. Dry pitch is used also for the cure of alopecy. For affections of the mamillae, Bruttian pitch is warmed in wine with fine spelt meal, and applied as hot as can be borne. CHAP. 24. PISSEL^ON AND PALIMPISSA : SIXTEEN REMEDIES. "We have already17 described the way in which liquid pitch and the oil known as pisselaeon are made. Some persons boil the pitch over again, and give it the name of " palimpissa."18 For quinzy19 and affections of the uvula, liquid pitch is employed internally. It is used also for the cure of ear-ache, for the improvement of the sight, and as a salve for the lips ; and is employed for hysterical suffocations, inveterate coughs, profuse expectorations, spasms, nervousness, opisthotony, paralysis, and pains in the sinews. It is a very excellent remedy too for itch in dogs and beasts of burden. CHAP. 25. PISSASPH ALTOS : TWO REMEDIES. There is pissasph altos too, a natural production of the territory of the Apolloniates,20 and consisting of pitch mixed 17 In B. xvi. c. 22, and B. xv. c. 7. 19 "Pitch boiled over again." 19 Fee says, that this statement is quite beyond all belief. Indeed there is little doubt that tar taken internally for quinzy, would only tend to aggravate the complaint. He states that a solution of tar in water is some- times used internally with success for pulmonary phthisis. Bishop Berkeley wrote his Siris, on the virtues of Tar- water as a medicament, having been indebted to it for his recovery from an attack of colic. 20 See B. xvi. c. 23. His description here is faulty, it being solely a natural pitch or mineral bitumen, without any admixture of vegetable pitch. Vitruvius calls this pissasphalt, pitch ; but Julian, more correctly, Chap. 28.] THE LENTISK. 19 with bitumen. Some persons, however, make this mixture artificially, and employ it for the cure of itch in cattle, and of injuries done by the young sucklings to the manrillse. The most esteemed portion of it is that which floats on the surface when boiled. CHAP. 26. ZOPISSA : ONE REMEDY. We have already21 stated that zopissa is the pitch, macerated with salt-water and wax, that has been scraped from off the bottoms of ships. The best kind is that taken from ships which have been to sea for the first time. It is used as an in- gredient in plasters of an emollient nature, employed to disperse gatherings. CHAP. 27. THE TORCH-IEEE : ONE KEMEDT. A decoction in vinegar of the wood of the torch- tree*2 makes a most eflicacjous gargle for tooth- ache. CHAP. 28. THE LENT1SK : TWENTY-TWO REMEDIES. The seed, bark, and tear-like juices of the lentisk are diuretics, and act astringently upon the bowels :23 a decoction of them, used as a fomentation, is curative of serpiginous sores, and is applied topically for humid ulcerations and erysipelas ; it is employed also as a collutory for the gums. The teeth are rubbed with the leaves in cases of tooth- ache, and they are rinsed with a decoction of the leaves when loose :24 this decoc- tion has the effect also of staining25 the hair. The gum of this tree is useful for diseases of the rectum, and all cases in which desiccatives and calorifics are needed ; a decoction too of the gum is good for the stomach, acting as a carminative bitumen. The names now given to it are mineral pitch, and malthe or pitch of Malta. 21 In B. xvi. c. 23. Fee thinks that the use of it is more likely to have been injurious than beneficial. 22 Or t«da. See B, xvi. c. 19. 23 Fee says, that within the last century, the wood of the lentisk or mastich, and the oil of its berries, figured in the Pharmacopoeias. Their medicinal properties are far from energetic, but the essential oil may pro- bably be of some utility as an excitant. 24 This property is still attributed in the East to the leaves and resin of the lentisk. We learn from Martial, B. xiv. Epig. 22, that the wood of the lentisk, as well as quills, was used for tooth-picks. 25 This, Fee says, is not the fact. 20 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. and diuretic ; it is applied also to the head, in cases of head- ache, with polenta. The more tender of the leaves are used as an application for inflammations of the eyes. The mastich26 produced by the lentisk is used as a bando- line for the hairs of the eye-lids, in compositions for giving a plumpness to the face, and in cosmetics for smoothing27 the skin. It is employed for spitting of blood and for inveterate coughs, as well as all those purposes for which gum acacia is in request. It is used also for the cure of excoriations ; which are fomented either with the oil extracted from the seed, mixed with wax, or else with a decoction of the leaves in oil. Fomentations too are made of a decoction of it in water for diseases of the male organs.28 I know for a fact, that in the illness of Considia, the daughter of M. Servilius, a per- sonage of consular rank, her malad}^ which had long resisted all the more severe methods of treatment, was at last success- fully treated with the milk of goats that had been fed urjon the leaves of the lentisk. CHAP. 29. (8.) — THE PLANE-TREE: TWENTY-FIVE REMEDIES. The plane-tree29 neutralizes the bad effects of bites in- flicted by the bat.30 The excrescences of this tree, taken in doses31 of four denarii, in wine, act as an antidote to the venom of serpents of all kinds and of scorpions, and are cura- tive of burns. Pounded with strong vinegar, squill vinegar in particular, they arrest haemorrhage of every kind ; and with the addition of honey, they remove freckles, carcino- matous sores, and black spots of long standing on the skin. The leaves again, and the bark of this tree, are used in the form of liniments for gatherings and suppurations, and a decoction of them is employed for a similar purpose. A de- coction of the bark in vinegar is remedial for affections of the teeth, and the more tender of the leaves boiled in white wine are good for the eyes. The down which grows upon the 2(5 See B. xii. c. 36, and B. xiv. c. 25. 27 " Smegmata." 28 Littre thus reads the whole passage, "Sive cum aqua, ut ita foveantur," — " A decoction of it is made with water for the purpose of fomentation." 29 See B. xii. c. 3. 30 " Adversantur vespertilionihus." Fee se^s difficulties in this passage, which really do not seem to exist. yi Hie produce of the plane is no longer employed in medicine. Chap. 32.] THE POPLAR. 21 leaves32 is injurious to both the ears and eyes. The ashes of the excrescences of this tree heal such parts of the body as have been burnt or frost-bitten. The bark, taken in wine, reduces the inflammation caused by the stings of scorpions. CHAP. 30. THE ASH I FIVE REMEDIES. "We have already33 made some mention of the virtues pos- sessed by the ash as an antidote to the venom of serpents. The seed of it is enclosed in follicules, which are good for diseases of the liver, and, in combination with wine, for pains in the sides : they are employed also for drawing off the water in dropsy. They have the property, too, of diminish- ing obesity, and of gradually reducing the body to a state of comparative emaciation,34 the follicules being pounded in wine and administered in proportion to the bodily strength ; thus, for instance, to a child, five of them are given in three cyathi of wine, but for persons in more robust health, seven are prescribed, in five cyathi of wine. We must not omit to state that the shavings and saw-dust of this wood are of a highly dangerous nature, according to some. CHAP. 31. — THE MAPLE I ONE REMEDY. The root of the maple,35 beaten up in wine, is extremely efficacious as a topical application for pains in the liver. CHAP. 32. THE POPLAR I EIGHT REMEDIES. We have already36 mentioned,- when speaking of the un- guents, the use that is made of the berries37 of the white poplar. A potion prepared from the bark is good for sciatica 32 The young leaves probably, or else the fruit. 33 In B. xvi. c. 24. There are still some traces of this notion existing, Fee says, among the French peasantry. All the statements here made re- lative to its medicinal properties, are utterly unfounded. 34 In reality they have no such effect. 35 See B. xvi. c. 26. The root of the maple, Fee says, has no marked qualities whatever. 36 In B. xii. c. 61. The buds of the poplar, Fee says, are still used in medicine in the composition of an unguent known as " populeum." The bark is astringent, and the wood destitute of taste. 37 " Uvarum." Fee thinks that by these berries, or grapes, the blossoms or buds are meant. See Note 91 to B. xii. c. 61 22 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. and strangury, and the juice of the leaves is taken warm for ear-ache. So long38 as a person holds a sprig of poplar in his hand, there is no fear of39 chafing between the thighs. The black poplar which grows in Crete is looked upon as the most efficacious of them all. The seed of it, taken in vinegar, is good for epilepsy. This tree produces a resin also to a small extent, which is made use of for emollient plasters. The leaves, boiled in vinegar, are applied topically for gout. A moisture that exudes from the clefts of the black poplar removes warts, and pimples caused by friction. Poplars produce also on the leaves a kind of sticky40 juice, from which bees prepare their propolis :41 indeed this juice, mixed with water, 'has the same virtues as propolis. CHAP. 33. THE ELM I SIXTEEN EEMEDIKS. The leaves, bark, and branches of the elm42 have the pro- perty of filling up wounds and knitting the flesh together : the inner membrane43 too, of the bark, and the leaves, steeped in vinegar, are applied topically for leprosy. The bark, in doses of one denarius, taken in one hemina of cold water, acts as a purgative upon the bowels, and is particularly useful for carrying off pituitous and aqueous humours. The gum also which this tree produces is applied topically to gatherings, wounds, and burns, which it would be as well to foment with the decoction also. The moisture44 which is secreted on the follicules of the tree gives a finer colour to the skin, and improves the looks. The foot-stalks of the leaves that first appear,45 boiled in wine, are curative of tumours, and 38 See also c. 38, as to the Vitex. 19 This superstition probably applies to persons riding on horseback. 40 "Guttam." This is the substance known to us as "honey-dew." It is either secreted by the plant itself, or deposited on the leaves by an aphis. It is found more particularly on the leaves of the rose, the plane, the lime, and the maple. Bees and ants are particularly fond of it. 41 Bee-glue. See B. xi. c. 6, and B. xxii. c. 50. 42 See B. xvi. c. 29. The bark of the elm, like that of most other trees, has certain astringent properties. 43 Fee says that it is only some few years since the inner bark of the elm was sometimes prescribed medicinally, but that it has now completely fallen into disuse. All that Pliny says here of the virtues of the elm is entirely suppositions. 44 A kind of honey-dew, no doubt. 45 " Cauliculi foliorum primi." Cbap. 35.] THE ELDEE. 23 bring them to a head :46 the same, too, is the effect produced by the inner bark. Many persons are of opinion that the bark of this tree, chewed, is a very useful application for wounds, and that the leaves, bruised and moistened with water, are good for gout. The moisture too that exudes from the pith of the tree, as already47 stated, on an incision being made, applied to the head, causes the hair to grow and prevents it from falling off. CHAP. 34. THE LINDEN-TREE I FIVE REMEDIES. The linden-tree48 is useful, thougli in a less marked degree, for nearly all the same purposes as the wild olive. The leaves, however, are the only part that is made use of for ulcers upon infants ; chewed, too, or employed in the form of a decoction, they are diuretic. Used as a liniment they arrest menstruation when in excess, and an infusion of them, taken in drink, carries off superfluous blood. CHAP. 35. THE ELDER : FIFTEEN REMEDIES. There are two kinds of elder, one of which grows wild and is much smaller than the other ; by the Greeks it is known as the " chamseacte," or " helion."49 A decoction of the leaves,60 seed, or root of either kind, taken in doses of two cyathi, in old wine, though bad for the upper regions of the stomach, carries off all aqueous humours by stool. This decoction is very cooling too for inflammations, those attendant upon recent burns in particular. A poultice is made also of the more 46 " Ex trah unique per fistulas." 47 In B. XT!, c. 74. 48 See B. xvi. c. 25. The blossoms of the linden-tree are the only part of it employed in modern medicine. Fee thinks, with Hardouin, that Pliny has here attributed to the linden, or Philyra of the Greeks, the pro- perties which in reality were supposed to belong to the Pliillyrea latifolia, a shrub resembling the wild olive. Dioscorides, in his description of its properties, has not fallen into the same error. 49 « Ground elder " or "marsh elder ;" the Sambucus ebulus of Lin- nseus, or dwarf elder. The other kind mentioned by Pliny is the Sambu- cus nigra of Linnaeus, or black elder. 50 Fee says that though some of the assertions as to its medicinal pro- perties made by Pliny are unfounded, it is still an opinion among the moderns that the leaves of the elder are purgative, the inner bark aa emetic and hydragogue, the berries laxative, and the flowers emollient. 24 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. tender leaves, mixed with polenta, for bites inflicted by dogs. The juice of the elder, used as a fomentation, reduces abscesses of the brain, and more particularly of the membrane which envelopes that organ. The berries, which have not so power- ful an action as the other parts of the tree, stain the hair. Taken in doses of one acetabulum, in drink, they are diuretic. The softer leaves are eaten with oil and salt, to carry off pituitous and bilious secretions. The smaller kind is for all these purposes the more efficacious of the two. A decoction of the root in wine, taken in doses of two cyathi, brings away the water in dropsy, and acts emolliently upon the uterus : the same effects are produced also by a sitting-bath made of a decoction of the leaves. The tender shoots of the cultivated kind, boiled in a saucepan and eaten as food, have a purgative effect : the leaves taken in wine, neutralize the venom of serpents. An application of the young shoots, mixed with he-goat suet, is remarkably good for gout ; and if they are macerated in water, the infusion will destroy fleas. If a decoction of the leaves is sprinkled about a place, it will exterminate flies. " Boa "61 is the name given to a malady which appears in the form of red pimples upon the body ; for its cure the patient is scourged with a branch of elder. The inner bark,62 pounded and taken with white wine, relaxes the bowels. CHAP. 36. THE JUNIPEK I TWEXTY-ONE REMEDIES. The juniper is of a warming and resolvent nature beyond all other plants : in other respects, it resembles the cedar.53 There are two species of this tree, also, one of which is larger54 than the other :55 the odour of either, burnt, repels the ap- 61 According to Hardouin, this would appear to be the measles ; but ac- cording to Festus, swellings on the legs were so called. The shingles is probably the malady meant. 62 Fee speaks of a decoction of the inner bark as having been recently in vogue for the cure of dropsy. 53 This so-called cedar, Fee says, is in reality itself a juniper. The medici- nal properties of all the varieties of the juniper are not identical. Theessen- tial oil of the leaves acts with a formidable energy upon the human system. 54 This is identified by Fee with the Juniperus communis of Lamarck, variety a, the Juniperus communis of Linnaeus. 55 Identified by Fee with the Juniperus nana of Willdenow, the Juni- perus communis of Lamarck, variety /3. The Spanish juniper, mentioned in H. xvi. c. 76, he identifies with the Juniperus thurifera of Linnaeus. Chap. 37.] THE WILLOW. 25 proach of serpents.56 The seed57 is good for pains in the stomach, chest, and sides ; it dispels flatulency and sudden chills, soothes cough, and brings indurations to a head. Ap- plied topically, it checks the growth of tumours ; and the berries, taken in red wine, act astringently upon the bowels : they are applied also to tumours of the abdomen. The seed is used as an ingredient in antidotes of an aperient nature, and ia diuretic58 in its effects. It is used as a liniment for de- fluxions of the eyes, and is prescribed for convulsions, rup- tures, griping pains in the bowels, affections of the uterus, and sciatica, either in a dose of four berries in white wine, or in the form of a decoction of twenty berries in wine. There are persons who rub the body with juniper berries as a preventive of the attacks of serpents. CHAP. 37. (9.) — THE WILLOW : FOURTEEN REMEDIES. THB WILLOW OF AMERIA : ONE REMEDY. The fruit of the willow,59 before it arrives at maturity, is covered with a down like a spider's web : gathered60 before it is ripe, it arrests discharges of blood from the mouth. The bark of the upper branches, reduced to ashes and mixed with water, is curative of corns and callosities : it removes spots also upon the face, being still more efficacious for that purpose if mixed with the j uices of the tree. The juices produced by the willow form three different varieties ; one61 of which exudes in the shape of a gum from 56 Virgil says this of the fumes of the cedar, Georg. III. 414; an additional proof, Fee says, that under the name of " cedrus," the juniper was really meant. The smoke of the juniper is not known to have the effect upon serpents here described. 5> The berries of the juniper contain sugar, mucilage, and a small pro- portion of essential oil ; a rob is prepared from them, Fee says, under the name of "extract of juniper." 58 It is a well-known fact, that juniper berries are diuretic ; they impart also to the urine the odour of the violet, a property which is equally pos- sessed by turpentine. All the other properties here attributed to the juniper, are, in Fee's opinion, either hypothetical or absurd. 69 See B. xvi. c. 68. 60 Neither this downy substance nor the seeds are now employed for any purpose. The bark of the willow has some strongly-pronounced pro- perties, but all other parts of it are totally inert. 61 A kind of manna, Fee says. The other juices here mentioned are secreted from the sap. 26 PLINY'S NATUKAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. the tree itself, and another distils from an incision some three • fingers in width, made in the bark while the tree is in blossom. This last is very useful for dispersing humours which impede the sight, acting also as an inspissative when needed, promoting the discharge of the urine, and bringing abscesses of all kinds to a head. The third kind of juice exudes from the wounds, when the branches are lopt off with the bill. Either of these juices, warmed in a pomegranate rind, is used as an injection for diseases of the ears. The leaves, too, boiled and beaten up with wax, are employed as a liniment for similar purposes, and for gout. The bark and leaves, boiled in wine, form a decoction that is remarkably useful as a fomentation for affec- tions of the sinews. The blossoms, bruised with the leaves, remove scaly eruptions of the face ; and the leaves, bruised and taken in drink, check libidinous tendencies,62 and effectually put an end to them, if habitually employed. The seed of the black willow of Ameria,63 mixed with litharge in equal proportions, and applied to the body just after the bath, acts as a depilatory. CHAP. 38. — THE VITEX : THIRTY-THREE REMEDIES. !Not much unlike the willow, for the use that is made of it in wicker-work, is the vitex,64 which also resembles it in the leaves and general appearance, though the smell of it is more agreeable. The Greeks call it "lygos," or "agnos,"65 from the fact that the matrons of Athens, during the Thesmo- phoria,66 a period when the strictest chastity is observed, are in the habit of strewing their beds with the leaves of this tree. There are two species of vitex : the larger67 one, like the willow, attains the full proportions of a tree ; while the other,68 which is smaller, is branchy, with a paler, downy leaf. The first kind, generally known as the " white" vitex, bears a 62 The leaves have no effect whatever as an antaphrodisiac. 63 See B. xvi. c. 69. 64 The Vitex agnus castus of Linnaeus, the tree of chastity. 65 The " chaste" tree. It is no longer used in medicine ; the fruit has some- what the flavour of spice, Fee says, and taken internally it would have the converse of an antaphrodisiac effect. The other parts of it are quite inert. 66 An Attic festival celebrated yearly in honour of Demeter, which lasted four or five days. It was also celebrated in other parts of Greece. 67 The Vitex agnus castus of Lamarck, variety /3, Elatior. 68 The Vitex agnus castus of Linnaeus, the type. Chap. 38.] THE VITEX. 27 white blossom mixed with purple, whereas the black one has a flower that is entirely purple. Both of these trees grow on level spots of a marshy nature. The seed of these trees, taken in drink, has a sort of vinous flavour, and has the reputation of being a febrifuge. It is said also to act as a sudorific, if the body is rubbed with it mixed with oil, and to have the effect of dispelling extreme lassitude : it acts too as a diuretic69 and emmenagogue. The produce of both trees is trying to the head, like wine, and indeed the odour of them is very similar. They have the effect also of removing flatulence in the lower regions of the body, act astringently upon the bowels, and are remarkably useful for dropsy and affections of the spleen. They promote the secretion of the milk, and neutralize the venom of serpents, when of a cold nature more particularly. The smaller kind, however, is the more efficacious of the two for injuries inflicted by serpents, the seed being taken in doses of one drachma, in wine or oxycrate, or else the more tender leaves in doses of two drachmae. From both trees also a liniment is prepared for the bites of spiders, but it is quite sufficient to rub the wounds with the leaves ; and if a fumigation is made from them, or if they are spread beneath the bed, they will repel the attacks of all venomous creatures. They act also as an antaphrodisiac, and it is by this tendency in particular that they neutralize the venom of the phalangium, the bite of which has an exciting effect upon the generative organs. The blossoms and young shoots, mixed with oil of roses, allay head-aches arising from inebriation. A decoction of the seed used as a fomentation cures head-ache, however intense it may be ; and employed as a fumigation or as a pessary, the seeds acts as a detergent upon the uterus. Taken in drink with honey and penny -royal, it has a laxative effect ; pounded and used with barley-meal, it quickly brings abscesses and hard tumours to a head, and has an emollient effect. The seed, in combination with saltpetre and vinegar, removes lichens and freckles ; mixed with honey, it heals ulcers and eruptions of the mouth ; applied with butter and vine-leaves, it reduces swellings of the testes ; used with water, as a lini- 69 It may possibly, Fee says, have this effect, but the other properties here attributed to it are wholly imaginary. 28 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. ment, it cures chaps of the rectum; and employed with salt, nitre, and wax, it is good for sprains. The seed and leaves are used as ingredients also in emollient plasters for diseases of the sinews, and for gout ; and a decoction of the seed in oil is employed as a fomentation for the head in cases of phrenitis and lethargy. Persons70 who carry a sprig of this plant in the hand, or stuck in the girdle, will be proof, it is said, against chafing between the thighs. CHAP. 39. THE ERICA J ONE REMEDY. The Greeks give the name of " erice,"71 to a shrub that is but little different from the myrice.72 It has the colour, and very nearly the leaf, of rosemary. It neutralizes73 the venom of serpents, it is said. CHAP. 40. — THE BROOM; FIVE REMEDIES. The broom is used for making withes ;74 the flowers of it are greatly sought by bees. I have my doubts whether this is not the same plant that the Greek writers have called "sparton," and of which, in those parts of the world, as I have already75 stated, they are in the habit of making fishing-nets. I doubt also whether Homer76 has alluded to this plant, when he speaks of the seams of the ships, — " the sparta" coming asunder ; for it is certain that in those times the spartuni77 of Spain or Africa was not as yet in use, and that vessels made of materials sown together, were united by the agency, not of spartum, but of flax. 70 Travelling on horseback, probably. A similar superstition is mentioned as to the poplar, in c. 32 of this Book. 71 Probably the Erica arborea of Linnaeus ; see B. xiii. c. 35. It has not, however, a leaf similar to that of rosemary, with the sole exception, Fee says, of the Erica cinerea of Linnaeus. 72 See B. xiii. c. 37. 73 It has no such effect, in reality. 74 See B. xvi. c. 69. The kind here alluded to is the Spanish broom, Fee thinks. ™ In B. xix. c. 2. Vol. IV. p. 135. ?6 Iliad, B. ii. 1. 135. See B. xix. c. 6, where Pliny states it as his opinion that in this passage Homer is speaking of flax, 77 See B. xix. c. 7. Fee thinks that the plant, under consideration in this Chapter is the Spanish broom, Genista juncea of Lamarck, the Spar- tium junceum of Linnaeus, a different plant from the Spartum of B. xix. c. 7, the Stipa tenacissima of Linnaeus. He is of opinion also, that Homer in the passage referred to alludes, not to flax, but to the Genista juncea. See this question further discussed, in the additional Note at the end of B. xxvii. Chap. 41.] THE MYllICA. 29 The seed of the plant to which the Greeks now give the name of " sparton," grows in pods like those of the kidney- bean. It is as strongly drastic78 as hellebore, and is usually taken fasting, in doses of one drachma and a half, in four cyathi of hydrorael. The branches also, with the foliage, are macerated for several days in vinegar, and are then beaten up, the infusion being recommended for sciatica, in doses of one cyathus. Some persons think it a better plan, however, to make an infusion of them in sea-water, and to inject it as a clyster. The juice of them is used also as a friction for sciatica, with the addition of oil. Some medical men, too, make use of the seed for strangury. Broom, bruised with axle-grease, is a cure for diseases of the knees. CHAP. 41. THE MTRICA, OTHERWISE CALLED TAMARICA, OR TAMARIX I THREE REMEDIES. Lenseus says, that the myrice,79 otherwise known as the " erica," is a similar plant to that of which brooms are made at Aineria.80 He states also that, boiled in wine and then beaten up and applied with honey, it heals carcinomatous sores. I would here remark, parenthetically, that some persons identify it with the tainarice. Ee this as it may, it is particularly useful for affections of the spleen, the juice of it being ex- tracted for the purpose, and taken in wine; indeed so marvellous, they say, is its antipathy to this part of the viscera, and this only, that if swine drink from troughs made of this wood,61 they will be found to lose the spleen. Hence it is that 78 Fee says that the blossoms and seed of the junciform genista and other kinds are of a purgative nature ; indeed, one variety has been called the Genista purgans by Lamarck. None of them, however, are so potent in their effects as Pliny in the present passage would lead us to suppose. 79 See B. xiii. c. 37, and Note 96 ; where it is stated that, in Fee's opinion, several plants were united by the ancients under this one collective name — brooms for instance, heaths, and tamarisks. He thinks, however, that under the name " Myrica," Pliny may possibly have intended to com- prehend the larger heaths and the Tamarix Gallica of LinnaBiis. M. Fraas, as Littre states, gives the Tamarix Africana as the probable synonym of the Myrica of Pliny. 80 . Of this broom-plant of Ameria nothing is known. 81 This cannot apply to any of the heaths of Europe. The tamarisk grows to a much larger size, and barrels and drinking vessels are made of the wood. 30 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKY. [Book XXIV. in maladies of the spleen victuals and drink are given to the patient in vessels made of this wood. A medical author too, of high repute,82 has asserted that a sprig broken from off this tree, without being allowed to touch the earth or iron, will allay pains in the bowels, if applied to the body, and kept close to it by the clothes and girdle. The common people, as already83 stated, look upon this tree as ill- omened, because it bears no fruit, and is never propagated from seed. CHAP. 42. THE BETA ! TWENTY-NINE REMEDIES. At Corinth, and in the vicinity of that city, the Greeks give the name of " brya"84 to a plant of which there are two varieties ; the wild brya,85 which is altogether barren, and the cultivated one.86 This last, when found in Syria and Egypt, produces a ligneous fruit, somewhat larger than a gall-nut, in great abundance, and of an acrid flavour ; medical men employ it as a substitute for galls in the compositions known as " antheraB."87 The wood also, with the blossoms, leaves, and bark of the tree, is used for similar purposes, but their pro- perties are not so strongly developed. The bark is pounded also, and given for88 discharges of blood from the mouth, irre- gularities of the catamenia, and cosliac affections : beaten up and applied to the part affected, it checks the increase of all kinds of abscesses. The juice too is extracted from the leaves for similar pur- poses, and a decoction is made of them in wine ; they are ap- plied also to gangrenes, in combination with honey. A de- coction of them taken in wine, or the leaves themselves ap- plied with oil of roses and wax, has a sedative effect : it is in this form that they are used for the cure of epinyctis. This decoction is useful also for tooth- ache or ear-ache, and the root 82 " Gravis." He does not, however, show his gravity in the present in- stance. 83 In B. xvi. c. 45. 84 See B. xiii. c. 37. 85 Identified by Fee with the Tamarix Gallica. 86 The " brya," spoken of in B. xiii. c. 37, as growing in Achaia also, the Tamarix orientalis of Delille. But there he implies that it does not produce any fruit when it grows in Egypt. S7 " Flower compositions." 8S It may possibly be of some use for this purpose, being of an astrin- gent nature. Chap. 44.] THE SILEK. 31 is employed for similar purposes. The leaves too have this additional use — they are applied with polenta to serpiginous sores. The seed, in doses of one drachma, is administered in drink for injuries inflicted by spiders or the phalangium ; and mixed with the grease of poultry, it is applied to boils. It is very efficacious also for stings inflicted by all kinds of ser- pents, the asp excepted. The decoction, used as a fomentation, is curative of jaundice, phthiriasis, and lice; it also arrests the catamenia when in excess. The ashes of the tree are employed for all these purposes; there is a story told, too, that, mixed with the urine of an ox, and taken in the food or drink, they will act most effectually as an antaphrodisiac. The charcoal too of this wood is quenched in urine of a similar nature, and kept in a shady spot. When it is the intention of the party to rekindle the flames89 of desire, it is set on fire again. The magicians say,90 that the urine of an eunuch will have a similar effect. CHAP. 43. — THE BLOOD-RED SHRUB : ONE KEMEDT. Nor is the blood-red91 shrub looked upon as a less ill- omened92 plant than the last. The inner bark of it is used to re-open ulcers which have healed too rapidly. CHIP. 44. THE S1LER I THREE REMEDIES. The leaves of the siler,93 applied to the forehead, allay head-ache ; and the seed of it, beaten up with oil, is curative of phthiriasis. Serpents also are greatly in dread of this tree, and it is for this reason that the country-people are in the habit of carrying a walking-stick made of it. 89 This seems to be the meaning of " Idem cum liheat accendere re- solvitur," though in the French translations it is rendered, " It crumbles into ashes when an attempt is made to kindle it." Holland seems to have rightly understood the passage, which probably bears reference to some current superstition. 90 " Magi." He probably alludes in this passage to the Magi of the East. 91 See B. xvi. cc. 30, 43. 3a The cornel, probably. It was looked upon as " infelix," or ill-omened, because it was sacred to the Deities of the infernal regions. 93 See B. xvi. c. 31. If this is the Salix vitellina, Fee says, all that Pliny here states, as to its medicinal properties does not merit the slightest attention. 32 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CETAP. 45. — THE PRIVET: EIGHT REMEDIES. The ligustrum, or privet, if it is the same tree as the Cyprus93 of the East, has also its own medicinal uses in Europe. The juice of it is used for affections of the sinews and joints, and for sudden chills ; and the leaves are universally employed, with a sprinkling of salt, for the cure of inveterate sores and of ulcerations of the mouth. The berries are curative of phthiriasis and chafings between the thighs, for which last purpose the leaves also are employed. The berries are made use of for the cure of pip in poultry.94 CHAP. 46. — THE ALDER: ONE REMEDY. The leaves of the alder, steeped in boiling water, are an undoubted remedy for tumours. CHAP. 47. THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF THE IVY : THIRTY-NINE REMEDIES. "We have already95 enumerated some twenty varieties of the ivy. The medicinal properties of them all are of a doubtful nature ; taken in considerable quantities they disturb the mental faculties and purge the brain. Taken internally they are injurious to the sinews,96 but applied topically they are beneficial to those parts of the body. Ivy possesses properties similar97 to those of vinegar. All the varieties of the ivy are of a refrigerative nature, and taken in drink they are diuretic. The softer leaves, applied to the head, allay head-ache, acting more particularly upon the brain and the membrane which envelopes that organ. Eor this purpose the leaves are bruised with vinegar and oil of roses and then boiled, after which som e more rose-oil is added. The leaves too are applied to the fore- 93 See B. xii. c. 51. The botanical characteristics, Fee says, and the medicinal properties of the privet, differ essentially from those of the Cypros or Lawsonia inermis. The leaves of the privet are bitter and astringent. 94 Fee says, that on reading this passage it is impossible to preserve one's gravity. 95 In B. xvi. c. 62. The ivy is but little used for any of the purposes of modern medicine. It is said by some authorities that a decoction of the leaves will kill vermin, and that the berries are purgative and emetic. 96 "Nervis." 97 Fee states that in reality no such similarity exists ; but that acetic acid is sometimes developed by the rapid fermentation of the jiiices of a great number of vegetable substances. Chap. 47.] THE IVY. 33 head, and the mouth is fomented with a decoction of them, -with which the head is rubbed as well. They are useful also for the spleen, the leaves being applied topically, or an infusion of them taken in drink. A decoction of them is used for cold shiverings in fevers, and for pituitous eruptions ; or else they are beaten up in wine for the purpose. The umbels too, taken in drink or applied externally, are good for affections of the spleen, and an application of them is useful for the liver ; employed as a pessary, they act as an emmenagogue. The juice of the ivy, the white cultivated kind more par- ticularly, cures diseases of the nostrils and removes habitually offensive smells. Injected into the nostrils it purges the head, and with the addition of nitre it is still more efficacious for that purpose. In combination with oil, the juice is injected for suppurations or pains in the ears. It is a corrective also of the deformities of scars. The juice of white ivy, heated with the aid of iron, is still more efficacious for affections of the spleen; it will be found sufficient, however, to take six of the berries in two cyathi of wine. Three berries of the white ivy, taken in 4 oxymel, expel tape-worm, and in the treatment of such cases it is a good plan to apply them to the abdomen as well. Erasistratus prescribes twenty of the golden-coloured berries of the ivy which we have-mentioned as the " chrysocarpos,"98 to be beaten up in one sextarius of wine, and he says that if three cyathi of this preparation are taken for dropsy, it will carry off by urine the water that has been secreted beneath the skin. For cases of tooth-ache he recommends five berries of the chrysocarpos to be beaten up in oil of roses, and warmed in a pomegranate-rind, and then injected into the ear opposite the side affected. The berries which yield a juice of a saffron colour, taken beforehand in drink, are a preservative against crapulence ; they are curative also of spitting of blood and of griping pains in the bowels. The whiter umbels of the black ivy, taken in drink, are productive of sterility, in males even. A decoction in wine of any kind of ivy is useful as a liniment for all sorts of ulcers, those even of the malignant kind known as " cacoethes." The tears" which distil from the ivy are used 98 " Golden fruit." See B. xvi. c. 62. 99 The same substance which he speaks of at the end of this Chapter as the gum of ivy, called " hederine," Fee says, in modern chemistry. It is a gum resin, mixed with ligneous particles. VOL. V. 7) 34 PLINY* S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. as a depilatory, and for the cure of phthiriasis. The blossoms too, of all the varieties, taken twice a day in astringent wine, a pinch in three fingers at a time, are curative of dysentery and looseness of the bowels : they are very useful also, applied to burns with wax. The umbels stain the hair black. The juice extracted from the root is taken in vinegar for the cure of wounds inflicted by the phalangium. I find it stated too, that patients suffering from affections of the spleen are cured by drinking from vessels made of the wood of the ivy. The berries are bruised also, and then burnt, and a liniment is prepared from them for burns, the parts being fomented with warm wrater first. Incisions are sometimes made in the ivy to obtain the juice, which is used for carious teeth, it having the effect of breaking them, it is said ; the adjoining teeth being fortified with wax against the powerful action of the juice. A kind of gum even is said to be found in the ivy, which, it is asserted, is extremely useful, mixed with vinegar, for the teeth. CHAP. 48. THE CISTHOS: FIVE REMEDIES. The Greeks give the name of " cisthos" — a word very similar to"eissos," the Greek name of the ivy- — to a plant which is somewhat larger than thyme, and has a leaf like that of ocimum. There are two varieties of this plant ; the male,1 which has a rose-coloured blossom, and the female,2 with a white one. The blossom of either kind, taken in astringent wine, a pinch in three fingers at a time, is good for dysentery and looseness of the bowels. Taken in a similar manner twice a day, it is curative of inveterate ulcers : used with wax, it heals burns, and employed by itself it cures ulcer- ations of the mouth. It is beneath these plants more par- ticularly that the hypocisthis grows, of which we shall have occasion3 to speak when treating of the herbs. CHAP. 49. THE CISSOS ERYTHRANOS I TWO REMEDIES. THE CHAM^ECISSOS : TWO REMEDIES. THE SMILAX : THREE RE- MEDIES. THE CLEMATIS : EIGHTEEN REMEDIES. The plant called " cissos erythranos "4 by the Greeks, is 1 The Cistus pilosus of Linneeus, the wild eglantine, or rock-rose. 2 The Cistus salvifolius of Linnaeus. 3 In B. xxvi. cc. 31, 49, 87, and 90. 4 " Ked-berried " or " red-leaved ivy." See B. xvi. c. 62. This kind, Fee says, appears not to have been identified. Chap. 50.] THE REED. 35 similar to the ivy : taken in wine, it is good for sciatica and lumbago. The berries, it is said, are of so powerful a nature as to produce bloody urine. " Chamaecissos "5 also is a name given by them to a creeping ivy which never rises from the surface of the ground : bruised in wine, in doses of one aoe- tabulum, it is curative of affections of the spleen, the leaves of it being applied topically with axle-grease to burns. The smilax6 also, otherwise known as the " anthophoros,"7 has a strong resemblance to ivy, but the leaves of it are smaller. A chaplet, they say, made of an uneven number of the leaves, is an effectual cure for head-ache. Some writers mention two kinds of smilax, one of which is all but perennial, and is found climbing the trees in umbrageous valleys, the berries hanging in clusters. These berries, they say, are remarkably efficacious for all kinds of poisons ; so much so indeed, that infants to whom the juice of them has been habitually administered, are rendered proof against all poisons for the rest of their life. The other kind, it is said, manifests a predilection for cultivated localities, and is often found growing there ; but as for medicinal properties, it has none. The former kind, they say, is the smilax, the wood of which we have mentioned8 as emitting a sound, if held close to the ear. Another plant, similar to this, they call by the name of " clematis :"9 it is found adhering to trees, and has a jointed stem. The leaves of it cleanse leprous10 sores, and the seed acts as an aperient, taken in doses of one acetabulum, in one hemina of water, or in hydromel. A decoction of it is pre- scribed also for a similar purpose. CHAP. 50. (11.) — THE HEED: NINETEEN REMEDIES. We have already11 treated of twenty-nine varieties of the reed, and there is none of her productions in which that 5 "Ground-ivy." See B. xvi. c. 62, Note 17. M. Fraas adopts Sprengel's opinion that it is the Antirrhinum Azarina, the bastard asarum. 6 See B. xvi. c. 63. 7 " Flower-bearer." 8 In B. xvi. c. 63. 9 Sprengel thinks that this is the Clematis viticella, hut Fee identifies it with the Clematis vitalba of Linnaeus, the climber, or traveller's joy. 10 The leaves of it, Fee says, are of a caustic nature, and have been employed before now by impostors for producing sores on the skin of a frisrhtful appearance, but easily healed. 11 In B. xvi. c. 34. D 2 36 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKT. [Book XXIV. mighty power of Mature,12 which in our successive Books we have described, is more fully displayed than in this. The root of the reed, pounded and applied to the part affected, extracts the prickles of fern from the body, the root of the fern having a similar effect upon splinters of the reed. Among the numerous varieties which we have described, the scented reed13 which is grown in Judaea and Syria as an ingredient in our unguents, boiled with hay-grass or parsley-seed, has a diuretic effect : employed as a pessary, it acts as an emmena- gogue. Taken in drink, in doses of two oboli, it is curative of convulsions, diseases of the liver and kidneys, and dropsy. Used as a fumigation, and with resin more particularly, it is good for coughs, and a decoction of it with myrrh is useful for scaly eruptions and running ulcers. A juice, too, is collected from it which has similar properties to those of elaterium.14 In every kind of reed the part that is the most efficacious is that which lies nearest the root ; the joints also are efficacious in a high degree. The ashes of the Cyprian reed known as the "donax,"15 are curative of alopecy and putrid ulcers. The leaves of it are also used for the extraction1* of pointed bodies from the flesh, and for erysipelas and all kinds of gatherings. The common reed, beaten up quite fresh, has also considerable extractive powers, and not in the root only, for the stem, it is said, has a similar property. The root is used also in vinegar as a topical application for sprains and for pains in the spine ; and beaten up fresh and taken in wine it acts as an aphrodisiac. The down that grows on reeds, put into the ears, deadens the hearing.17 CHAP. 51. THE PAPYRUS, AND THE PAPER MADE FROM IT I THREE REMEDIES. Of a kindred nature with the reed is the papyrus18 of Egypt ; a plant that is remarkably useful, in a dried state, for 12 Sympathies and antipathies existing in plants. See c. 1 of tin's Book. 13 Not a reed, Fee thinks, but some other monocotyledon that has not been identified. See B. xii. c. 48. 14 See B. xx. c. 3. 15 See B. xvi. e. 66. 16 Celsus also speaks of the root of the reed as heing efficacious for this purpose, B. v. c. 26. ^ Fee says that neither of these last assertions is true. 13 See B. xiii. c. 21, It is no longer used in medicine. Chap. 53.] THE ItHOBODENDIlOX. 37 dilating and drying up fistulas, and, by its expansive powers, opening an entrance for the necessary medicaments. The ashes l9 of paper prepared from the papyrus are reckoned among the caustics : those of the plant, taken in wine, have a narcotic effect. The plant, applied topically in water, removes callosities of the skin. CHAP. 52. THE EBONY ! FIVE REMEDIES. The ebony- tree20 does not grow in Egypt even, as we have already stated, and it is not our intention to speak here of the medicinal properties of the vegetable productions of foreign cli- mates. Still, however, the ebony must not be omitted, on account of the marvels related of it. The saw- dust of this wood, it is said, is a sovereign remedy for diseases of the eyes, and the pulp of the wood, rubbed upon a whetstone moistened with raisin wine, dispels all films which impede the sight. The root too, they say, applied with water, is curative of white specks in the eyes, and, with the addition of root of dracunculus, 21 in equal proportions, and of honey, of cough. Medical men reckon ebony also in the number of the caustics.22 CHAP. 53 — THE RHODODENDRON! ONE REMEDY. The rhododendron23 has not so much as found a Latin name among us, its other names being " rhododaphne "24 and "nerium." It is a marvellous fact, but the leaves25 of this plant are poisonous to quadrupeds ; while for man, if taken in wine with rue, they are an effectual preservative against the venom of serpents. Sheep too, and goats, it is said, if they drink water in which the leaves have been steeped, will die immediately. 19 These statements as to the virtues of the ashes of papyrus, F£e says, are absurd. 20 See B. xii. c. 8. Desfontaines is inclined to identify the tree here spoken of with the Diospyros ebenaster of Kcenig. 21 See c. 91 of this Book ; the Artemisia dracunculus of Linnaeus. 22 " Erodentia." Fee remarks upon the singularity, that with this property attributed to it, it should be recommended for diseases of the eyes. 23 The "rose-tree." Our rose-bay or oleander. 24 "Rose-laurel." 25 See B. xvi. c. 33. It is, Fee says, an energetic poison, but as in- jurious to man as it is to animals. 38 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 54. THE RHUS OK SUMACH-TREE ; TWO VARIETIES OF IT : EIGHT REMEDIES. STOMATICE. ^or yet has the tree called "rhus"26 any Latin name, al- though it is employed in numerous ways. Under this name are comprehended a wild plant,27 with leaves like those of myrtle, and a short stem, which is good as an expellent of tapeworm ; and the shrub28 which is known as the " currier's plant," of a reddish colour, a cuhit in height, and about the thickness of one's finger, the leaves of which are dried and used, like pomegranate rind, for curing leather. Medical men also employ the leaves of these plants for the treatment of contusions, and for the cure of cosliac affections, and of ulcers of the rectum and phagedaenic sores ; for all which purposes they are pounded with honey and applied with vinegar. A decoction of them is injected for suppurations of the ears. With the branches, boiled, a stomatice29 is also made, which is used for the eame purposes as that prepared from mulberries ;3U it is more efficacious, however, mixed with alum. This preparation is applied also toreducethe swelling in dropsy. CHAP. 55. RHTJS ERYTHROS: NINE REMEDIES. "Rhus31 erythros is the name given to the seed of this shrub. It possesses properties of an astringent and cooling nature, and is used as a seasoning32 for provisions, in place of salt. It has a laxative effect, and, used in conjunction with silphium, it gives a finer flavour to meat of all kinds. Mixed with honey, it is curative of running ulcers, pimples on the tongue,33 con- tusions, bruises, and excoriations. It causes ulcers of the head to cicatrize with the greatest rapidity ; and taken with the food, it arrests excessive menstruation. CHAP. 56. THE ERYTHHODANUS ! ELEVEN REMEDIES. The erythrodanus,34 by some called " ereuthodanus," and 26 See B» xiii. c. 13. The sumach-tree ; the Rhus coriaria of Linnams. r Identified by Fee with the Coriaria myrtifolia of Linnaeus, or myrtle- leaved sumach. It is used in the preparation of leather, Fee says, and is intensely poisonous. 28 The sumach-tree. 29 Or <• mouth-medicine." See B. xxii. c. 11, and B. xxiii. cc. 58 and 71. 30 See B. xxiii. c. 71. 31 Or " ros." See B. xiii. c. 13, 12 Fee says that this is still done in some parts of Turkey. w « Asperitati linguae." •^ u Bed rose ;" our madder. See B. xix. c. 17. Beckmann is of Chap. 58.] THE RADICULA. 39 in Latin, "rubia," is quite a different plant. It is used for dyeing wool, and skins for leather are prepared with it. Used medicinally, it is a diuretic, and, employed with hydromel, it is curative of jaundice.35 Employed topically with vinegar, it heals lichens ; and a potion is prepared from it for sciatica and paralysis, the patient while using it taking a bath daily. The root of it and the seed are effectual as an emmenagogue ; they act astringently upon the bowels, and disperse gatherings. The branches, together with the leaves, are applied to wounds inflicted by serpents ; the leaves too have the property of staining the hair.36 I find it stated by some writers that this shrub is curative of jaundice, even if worn as an amulet only, and looked at every now and then. CHAP. 57. THE ALYSSON : TWO REMEDIES. The plant known as the "alysson"37 differs only from the preceding one in the leaves and branches, which are more di- minutive. It receives its name from the fact, that, taken in vinegar and worn as an amulet, .it prevents persons bitten by dogs from becoming rabid. It is a marvellous fact too, that is added, to the effect that the person bitten has only to look at this shrub, and the flow of corrupt matter from the wound will be staunched immediately. CHAP. 58. THE RADICTJLA OR STRTJTHION : THIRTEEN REMEDIES. THE APOCYNTJM I TWO OBSERVATIONS UPON IT. The radicula, which we have already38 mentioned as being called "struthion" by the Greeks, is used by dyers for pre- paring wool. A decoction of it, taken internally, is curative of jaundice and diseases of the chest. It is diuretic also, and laxative, and acts as a detergent upon the uterus, for which reasons medical men have given it the name of the "golden opinion that the " sandix" of B. xxxv. c. 12, is our madder, and identical with the Eubia. It is not improbable, however, that in reality it was a mineral. See Beckmann's Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 110, Bohn's Ed. 35 Fee says that it does not possess this property. 36 Madder has no colouring matter which can produce any effect upon the hair. 37 Or " anti-frantic " plant. C. Bauhin identifies it with the Rubia silvestris Isevis, or wild madder ; Fee is at a loss for its identification, but is inclined to think that it was a species of cultivated madder. 38 In B. xix. c. 18. The Gypsophila struthium, or soap-plant, possibly. Its identity is discussed at great length by Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. ll. p. 98—102, Eohn's Ed. 40 PLFNY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. beverage."39 Taken with honey, it is a sovereign remedy for cough ; and it is used for hardness of breathing, in doses of a spoonful. Applied with polenta and vinegar to the parts affected, it removes leprous sores. Used with panax and root of the caper-plant, it breaks and expels calculi, and a decoction of it in wine with barley-meal disperses inflamed tumours. It is used as an ingredient in emollient plasters and eye-salves for the sight, and is found to be one of the most useful sternu- tories known ; it is good too for the liver and the spleen. Taken in hydrorael, in doses of one denarius, it effects the cure of asthma, as also of pleurisy and all pains in the sides. The apocynum40 is a shrub with leaves like those of ivy, but softer, and not so long in the stalk, and the seed of it is pointed and downy, with a division running down it, and a very powerful smell. Given in their food with water, the seed is poisonous41 to dogs and all other quadrupeds. CHAP. 59. ROSEMARY I EIGHTEEN REMEDIES. There are two kinds of rosemary ; one of which is barren, and the other has a stem with a resinous seed, known as "cachrys." The leaves have the odour of frankincense.43 The root, applied fresh, effects the cure of wounds, prolapsus of the rectum, condylomata, and piles. The juice of the plant, as well as of the root, is curative of jaundice, and such diseases as require detergents ; it is useful also for the sight. The seed is given in drink for inveterate diseases of the chest, and, with wine and pepper, for affections of the uterus ; it acts also as an emmenagogue, and is used with meal of darnel as a liniment for gout. It acts also as a detergent upon freckles, and is used as an application in diseases which require calorifics or sudorifics, and for convulsions. The plant itself, or else the root, taken in wine, increases the milk, and the leaves and stem of the plant are applied with vinegar to scrofulous sores ; used with honey, they are very useful for cough. 3'J " Aureum poculum." 40 Desfontaines says that it is the Periploca angustifolia ; Fee gives the Apocynum folio subrotundo of C. Bauhin, round leafed dogsbaue. 41 This is the fact ; and hence one of its names ** cynanche," or " dog- strangle." 42 This, .Fee says, is the fact. The plant is rich in essential oil, and is consequently a powerful excitant. See B. xix. c. 62. Chap. 62.] SKLAGO. 41 CHAP. 60. THE SEED CALLED CACHRYS. As already43 stated, there are several kinds of cachrys ;44 but that which is produced by rosemary above-mentioned, when rubbed, is found to be of a resinous nature. It neu- tralizes poisons and the venom of animals, that of serpents exoepted. It acts also as a sudorific, dispels griping pains in the bowels, and increases the milk in nursing women. CHAP. 61. THE HEEB SAVIN I SEVEN REMEDIES. Of the herb savin, known as " brathy" by the Greeks,45 there are two varieties, one of them46 with a leaf like that of the tamarix, the other47 with that of the cypress ; for which reason some persons have called this last the Cretan cypress. It is used by many for fumigations, as a substitute for frankin- cense;48 employed in medicine, it is said to have the same effect as cinnamon, if taken in doses twice as large! It reduces gatherings, disperses corrosive sores, acts as a detergent upon ulcers, and, used as a pessaiy and as a fumigation, brings away the dead foetus.49 It is employed as a topical application for erysipelas and carbuncles, and, taken with honey in wine, is curative of jaundice. The smoke of this plant, they say, cures the pip in all kinds of poultry.50 CHAP. 62. — SELAGO : TWO REMEDIES. Similar to savin is the herb known as "selago."*1 Care is 43 In B. xvi. c. 11. 44 A gall or fungoid production, or> in some instances, a catkin. Fee says that Pliny has committed an error here in attributing a cachrys to rosemary, the Libanotis stephanomaticos, which, in reality, belongs to the Libanotis canchryphorus or Libanotis prima. 45 So called from the Greek fipadv, " slow," according to some au- thorities ; by reason of the slowness of its growth. 46 Identified by Fee with the Sabina vulgatior of Lobelius, or Juniperus Sabina, variety /3, of Lamarck. 47 The Sabina baceifera of J. Bauhin, the male savin, the type of the plant. 48 See Ovid's Fasti, B. i. 1. 341, as to this custom, and Virgil's " Culex," 1. 403. 49 Jt is still a common notion, though Fee says an ill-founded one, that it produces abortion. Indeed we find Galen stating to the same effect. 60 Fee ridicules this notion with considerable zest. 61 The Lycopodium selago of Linnaeus, upright club-moss, or fir- moss, 42 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. taken to gather it without the use of iron, the right hand being passed for the purpose through the left sleeve of the tunic, as though the gatherer were in the act of committing a theft.52 The clothing too must be white, the feet bare and washed clean, and a sacrifice of bread and wine must be made before gathering it : it is carried also in a new napkin. The Druids of Gaul have pretended that this plant should be carried about the person as a preservative against accidents of all kinds, and that the smoke of it is extremely good for all maladies of the eyes. CHAP. 63. SAMOLTJS I TWO REMEDIES. The Druids, also, have given the name of " samolus''53 to a certain plant which grows in humid localities. This too, they say, must be gathered fasting with the left hand, as a pre- servative against the maladies to which swine and cattle are subject. The person, too, who gathers it must be careful not to look behind him, nor must it be laid anywhere but in the troughs from which the cattle drink. CHAP. 64. GUM : ELEVEN REMEDIES. We have already** spoken of the different kinds of gum ; the better sort of each kind will be found the most effective. Gum is bad for the teeth ; it tends to make the blood coagu- late, and is consequently good for discharges65 of blood from the mouth. It is useful for burns,56 but is bad for diseases of the trachea. It exercises a diuretic effect, and tends to neutralize all acridities, being astringent in other respects. The- gum of the bitter-almond tree, which has the most57 according to Sprengel. Fee, however, dissents from that opinion, for the Lycopodium, he says, is but some three inches in height, while savin, with which the Selago is here compared, is more than eight or ten feet high. De Theis (Gloss. Botan.) thinks that it must have been a succulent plant ; but upon what grounds he bases that conjecture, Fee declares himself at a loss to conjecture. 52 Evidently a superstition derived from the Druids. 53 Sprengel thinks that it is the Samolus Valerandi of Linnaeus, the round- leaved water-pimpernel, and Anguillara identifies it with the Anemone pul- satilla, or pasque-flower. Fee inclines to the opinion that it is the Veronica beceubunga of Linnaeus, the brook-lime. 54 In B. xiii. c. 20. 65 Gum is still used. Fee says, for this purpose. 66 It is of no use whatever for burns, or as a diuretic. 57 Fee says that it is not different in any way from the gum of other trees. Chap. 67.] GUM ACACIA. 43 astringent properties of them all, is calorific also in its effects. Still, however, the gum of the plum, cherry, and vine is greatly preferred : all which kinds, applied topically, are pro- ductive of astringent and desiccative effects, and, used with vinegar, heal lichens upon infants. Taken in must, in doses of four oboli, they are good for inveterate coughs. It is generally thought that gum, taken in raisin wine, improves the complexion,58 sharpens the appetite, and is good for calculi69 in the bladder. It is particularly useful too for wounds and affections of the eyes. CHAP. 65. (12.) THE EGYPTIAN OR ARABIAN THORN I TOUR REMEDIES. When speaking60 of the perfumes, we have descanted upon the merits of the Egyptian or Arabian thorn. This, too, is of an astringent nature, and acts as a desiccative upon fluxes of all kinds, discharges of blood from the mouth, and excessive menstruation; for all which purposes the root is still more efficacious. CHAP. 66. THE WHITE THORN ! TWO REMEDIES. THE ACANTHION ; ONE REMEDY. The seed of the white thorn is useful as a remedy for the stings of scorpions, and a chaplet made of it, is good for head- ache. Similar to this plant is that known to the Greeks as the " acanthion ;"61 though it is much smaller in the leaf, which is pointed at the extremity, and covered with a down like a cobweb in appearance. This downy substance is gathered in the East, and certain textures are made of it similar to those of silk. An infusion of the leaves or root of this plant is taken for the cure of opisthotony. CHAP. 67. GUM ACACIA : EIGHTEEN REMEDIES. Gum acacia is produced also from the white and black62 5S Fee remarks, that gum is injurious as a cosmetic. 59 Gum is of no use whatever in such a case. 60 In B. xiii. c. 19. In speaking there, however, of this gum, the Acacia Nilotica of Linnaeus, he makes no mention whatever of Arabia ; for which reason Sillig concludes that this passage is corrupt, 61 The Onopordum acanthium of Linnaeus, the cotton- thistle, or woolly thistle. 62 The Mimosa Nilotica of Linnaeus ; see B. xiii. c. 19. Fee seems in- clined to identify the white thorn with the Cratsegus oxyacantha of Lin- 44 PLINY'S NATUKAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. thorns of Egypt, and from a green thorn as well ; the pro- duce, however, of the former trees is by far the best. There is also a similar gum found in Galatia, but of very inferior quality, the produce of a more thorny tree63 than those last mentioned. The seed of all these trees resembles64 the lentil in appearance, only that it is smaller, as well as the pod which contains it : it is gathered in autumn, before which period it would be too powerful in its effects. The juice is left to thicken in the pods, which are steeped in rain-water for the purpose, and then pounded in a mortar ; after which, the juice is extracted by means of presses. It is then dried in the mortars in the sun, and when dry is divided into tablets. A similar juice is extracted from the leaves, but it is by no means65 so useful as the other. The seed is used also, as a substitute for nut-galls in curing leather.6" The juice extracted from the leaves, as also tiie extremely black juice of the Galatian67 acacia, is held in no esteem. The same too with that of a deep red colour. The gum which is of a purple, or of an ashy, grey colour, and which dissolves with the greatest rapidity, possesses the most astringent and cooling qualities of them all, and is more particularly useful as an ingredient in compositions for the eyes. "When required for these purposes, the tablets are steeped in water by some, while some again scorch them, and others reduce them to ashes. They are useful for dyeing the hair, and for the cure of erysipelas, serpiginous sores, ulcerations of the humid parts of the body, gatherings, contusions of the joints, chilblains, and hangnails. They are good also for cases of excessive menstru- ation, procidence of the uterus and rectum, affections of the eyes, and ulcerations of the generative organs68 and mouth, naeus, the white hawthorn, or May. In the present passage, however, it is doubtful whether the colours apply to the varieties of gum, or to the trees which produce them. Sillig considers the passage to he corrupt. 63 The Prunus spinosa of Linnaeus, F£e thinks, the sloe, or black thorn. 64 Fee says that the difference in appearance is very considerable between them. 65 The leaves containing little or no tannin. 66 In India, the bark of the Acacia Arabica is still used for tanning leather. 67 This juice, Fee says, obtained from the Primus spinosa, is known at the present day in commerce by the name of Acacia nostras. 68 Fee queries, without sufficient foundation, it would appear, whether he is here speaking of syphilitic affections. Chap. 69.] THE ERYSISCEPTRUM. 45 CHAP. 68. (13.) — ASPALATHOS I ONE REMEDY". The common69 thorn too, with which the fulling coppers are filled, is employed for the same purposes as the radicula.70 In the provinces of Spain i't is commonly employed as an ingre- dient in perfumes and unguents, under the name of " aspa- lathos." There is no doubt, however, that there is also a wild thorn of the same name in the East, as already mentioned,71 of a white colour, and the size of an ordinary tree. CHAP. 69. THE EUYSISCEPTRUM, ADIPSATHEON, OR DIAXYLON : EIGHT REMEDIES. There is also found in the islands of Nisyros and of Ehodes, a shrub of smaller size, but full as thorny, known by some as the erysisceptrum,72 by others as the adipsatheon, and by the Syrians as the diaxylon. The best kind is that which is the least73 ferulaceous in the stem, and which is of a red colour, or inclining to purple, when the bark is removed. It is found growing in many places, but is not everywhere odoriferous. We have already74 stated how remarkably sweet the odour of it is, when the rainbow has been extended over it. This plant cures fetid ulcers of the mouth, polypus75 of the nose, ulcerations or carbuncles of the generative organs, and chaps ; taken in drink it acts as a carminative, and is curative of strangury. The bark is good for patients troubled with, discharges of blood, and a decoction of it acts astringently on the bowels. It is generally thought that the wild plant is productive of the same effects. 69 Fee suggests that this may be the Dipsacus fullonum of Linnaeus, the fuller's thistle. <° See B. xix. c. 18, and c. 58 of this Book. 71 In B. xii. c. 52. But in that passage he makes the Aspalathos to'be identical with the Erysisceptrum, which he here distinguishes from it. Fee thinks that there can be no identity between the common thorn here men- tioned, and the Aspalathos. This latter, as mentioned in B. xii., according to Fee, is the Convolvulus scoparius of Linnaeus, the broom bindweed, but Littre says that M. Fraas has identified it with the Genista acanthoclada. 72 See the preceding Note. Fee identifies this Aspalathos with the Spartium villosum of Linnaeus, making that of B xii. c. 52, to be the Lignum Ehodianum of commerce, probably the Convolvulus scoparius of Linnaeus. 73 The corresponding passage in Dioscorides has papvs, "heavy," i. e. the most solid in the stem. 74 In B. xii. c. 52. 76 " Ozsenas." 46 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 70. THE THORN CALLED APPENDIX : TWO REMEDIES. THE PTRACANTHA : ONE !RKMEDY. There is a thorn also known as the appendix ;"* that name being given to the red berries which hang from its branches. These berries eaten by themselves, raw, or else dried and boiled in wine, arrest looseness of the bowels and dispel griping pains in the stomach. The berries of the pyracantha77 are taken in drink for wounds inflicted by serpents. CHAP. 71. THE PALITJRUS ! TEN REMEDIES. The paliurus,78 too, is a kind of thorn. The seed of it, known by the people of Africa as " zura," is extremely efficacious for the sting of the scorpion, as also for urinary calculi and cough. The leaves are of an astringent nature, and the root disperses inflamed tumours, gatherings, and abscesses; taken in drink it is diuretic in its effects. A decoction of it in wine arrests diarrhoea, and neutralizes the venom of serpents : the root more particularly is administered in wine. CHAP. 72. THE AGRIFOLIA. THE AQUIFOLIA I ONE EEMEDY. THE YEW I ONE PBOPERTY BELONGING TO IT. The agrifolia,79 pounded, with the addition of salt, is good for diseases of the joints, and the berries are used in cases of excessive menstruation, coeliac affections, dysentery, and cholera ; taken in wine, they act astringently upon the bowels. A decoction of the root, applied externally, extracts foreign bodies from the flesh, and is remarkably useful for sprains and tumours. The tree called " aquifolia," planted80 in a town or country- 7? The Berberis vulgaris of Linnaeus, or barberry, Fee thinks. 77 Identified by Fee with the Mespilus pyraeantha of Linnaeus, the evergreen thorn. It receives its name probably from the redness of its berries, which are the colour of fire. 78 Fee considers this to be the Paliurus aculeatus of Decandolle, and not identical with the Paliurus mentioned in B. xiii. c. 33. 79 Fee thinks that the copyists have made a mistake in this passage, and that the reading should be " aquifolia," the same plant that is mentioned afterwards under that name. He identifies them with the Ilex aquifolium, or holly. See B. xvi. cc. 8, 12, where Pliny evidently confounds the holm oak with the holly. fl° Dioscorides says, B, i. c. 119, "the branches of the rlmmnus^ it is said, placed at the doors and windows, will avert the spells of sorcerers." Chap. 73.] THE BRAMBLE. 47 house, is a preservative against sorceries and spells. The blossom of it, according to Pythagoras, congeals81 water, and a staff82 made of the wood, if, when thrown at any animal, from want of strength in the party throwing it, it falls short of the mark, will roll hack again83 towards the thrower, of its own accord — so remarkable are the properties of this tree. The smoke of the yew kills84 rats and mice. CHAP. 73. THE BRAMBLE : FIFTY-ONE REMEDIES. TsTor yet has Nature destined the bramble85 to be only an annoyance to mankind, for she has bestowed upon it mul- berries of its own,86 or, in other words, a nutritive aliment even for mankind. These berries are of a desiccative, astringent, nature,87 and are extremely useful for maladies of the gums, tonsillary glands, and generative organs. They neutralize also the venom of those most deadly of serpents, the hsemorrhois83 and the prester ;89 and the flowers or fruit will heal wounds inflicted by scorpions, without any danger of abscesses forming. The shoots of the bramble have a diuretic effect: and the more tender ones are pounded, and the juice extracted and then dried in the sun till it has attained the consistency of honey, being considered a most excellent remedy, taken in drink or applied externally, for maladies of the mouth and eyes, dis- charges of blood from the mouth, quinzy, affections of the It is not improbable that Pliny, in copying from some other author, has mistaken the one for the other. 81 An exaggeration, no doubt. The Cissampelos Pareira of Lamarck, an Indian plant, abounds in mucilage to such an extent, that an infusion of it in water becomes speedily coagulated. 82 One would be induced to think that this story is derived from some vague account of the properties of the Boomerang. Although supposed by many to have been the invention of the natives of Australasia, repre- sentations of it are found on the sculptures of Nineveh. It is not improbable that Pythagoras may have heard of it from the Magi during his travels in the East. See £onomi's Nineveh, p. 136. 83 "Recubitu" seems preferable to " cubitu." 84 This is very doubtful, Fee says. 85 See B. xvi. c. 71. 86 See B. xvi. c. 71. *' Blackberries are still used in the country, Fee says, as an astringent medicine, and all here stated that is based upon that property is rational enough. The same cannot, however, be said of the greatet part of the other statements in this Chapter. ** See B. xx. cc. '23, 81, and B. xxiii. cc. 12, 18. 89 See B. xx. c, 81, B. xxii. c. 13, and B. xxiii. c. 23. 48 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXIV. uterus, diseases of the rectum, and cceliac affections. The leaves, chewed, are good for diseases of the mouth, and a topical ap- plication is made of them for running ulcers and other maladies of the head. In the cardiac disease they are similarly applied to the left breast by themselves. They are applied topically also for pains in the stomach and for procidence of the eyes. The juice of them is used as an injection for the ears, and, in combination with cerate of roses, it heals condylomata. A decoction of the young shoots in wine is an instantaneous remedy for diseases of the uvula ; and eaten by themselves like cymse,90 or boiled in astringent wine, they strengthen loose teeth. They arrest fluxes of the bowels also, and dis- charges of blood, and are very useful for dysentery. Dried in the shade and then burnt, the ashes of them are curative of procidence of the uvula. The leaves too, dried and pounded, are very useful, it is said, for ulcers upon beasts of burden. The berries produced by this plant would seem to furnish a stomatice91 superior even to that prepared from the cultivated mulberry. Under this form, or else only with hypocisthis91* and honey, the berries are administered for cholera, the cardiac disease, and wounds inflicted by spiders.92 Among the medicaments known as " styptics,"92* there is none that is more efficacious than a decoction of the root of the bramble in wine, boiled down to one third. Ulcerations of the mouth and rectum are bathed with it, and fomentations of it are used for a similar purpose ; indeed, it is so remarkably powerful in its effects, that the very sponges which are used become as hard as a stone.93 CHAP. 74. THE CYNOSBATOS: THBEE REMEDIES. There is another kind of bramble also,94 which bears a rose. It produces a round excrescence,95 similar to a chesnut in 90 Cabbage-sprouts. See B. xix. c. 41. 91 Or " mouth-medicine." See B. xxiii. c. 71. 91* See B. xxvi. cc. 31, 49, 87, and 90. 92 Tfce spider called " phalangium " is meant, Fee says. See B.-xi. c. 28, 92* Astringents. 93 "Lapidescunt." 94 The eglantine. See B. xvi. c. 71. 95 He alludes to " bedeguar," a fungous excrescence found on the wild rose-tree, and produced by the insect known as the Cynips rosse. It is somewhat rough on the exterior, like the outer coat of the chesnut. Chap. 74.] THE CYNOSBATOS. 49 appearance, which is remarkably valuable as a remedy for calculus. This is quite a different production from the "cynor- rhoda," which we shall have occasion to speak of in the succeeding Book.96 (14.) The cynosbatos97 is by some called " cynapanxis,"98 and by others " neurospastos ;" " the leaf resembles the human footstep in shape. It bears also a black grape, in the berries of which there is a nerve, to which it is indebted for its name of " neurospastos." It is quite a different plant from the cap- paris1 or caper, to which medical men have also given the name of " cynosbatos." The clusters2 of it, pickled in vinegar, are eaten as a remedy for diseases of the spleen, and flatulency : and the string found in the berries, chewed with Chian mastich, cleanses the mouth. The rose3 of the bramble, mixed with axle-grease, is curative of alopecy : and the bramble-berries themselves, combined with oil of omphacium,4 stain5 the hair. The blossom of the bram- ble is gathered at harvest, and the white blossom, taken in wine, is an excellent remedy for pleurisy and cceliac affections. The root, boiled down to one third, arrests looseness of the bowels and haemorrhage, and a decoction of it, used as a gar*gle, is good for the teeth : the juice too is employed as a fomenta- tion for ulcers of the rectum and generative organs. The ashes of the root are curative of relaxations of the uvula. 96 The fruit, Fee says, of the wild eglantine. See B. xxv. c. 6. 97 Or " dog-bramble." 98 « Dog-strangle," apparently. 99 " Drawn with a string." Fee thinks that Pliny has confused the account given of this plant with that of the Aglaophotis, mentioned in c. 102 of this Book, and that the Cynosbatos is only a variety of the Rubus or bramble. Other authorities identify it with the Eubus caninus, or with the Rosa sempervirens. Desfontaines thinks that it is the Ribes nigrum, or black currant ; and Littre is of opinion that some gooseberry or currant tree is meant, l See B. xiii. c. 44. 2 " Thyrsus/' Fee thinks that the allusion is to the produce of the caper, while Hardouin says that it is the first cynosbatos that he is speak- ing of. Hardouiii is probably riorht. a The blossom, perhaps, of the Rubus fruticosus, or blackberry, 4 See B. xii. c. 60. 5 Fee s.ays that they have no such property, and that the blossoms of the bramble are entirely destitute of any known medicinal qualities. The roots and leaves are somewhat astringent. VOL. V. ' E 50 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 75. THE IDJ2AN BRAMBLE. The Idsean bramble6 is so called from the fact that it is the only plant of the kind found growing upon Mount Ida. It is of a more delicate nature than the others, and smaller ; the canes too are thinner, and not7 so prickly : it mostly grows beneath the shade of trees. The blossom of it, mixed with honey, is applied topically for defluxions of the eyes, and is administered in water for erysipelas and affections of the stomach.8 In other respects, it has properties similar to those of the plants9 already mentioned. CHAP. 76. THE RHAMNOS; TWO VARIETIES OF IT! FIVE REMEDIES. Among the several kinds10 of bramble is reckoned the plant called " rhamnos" by the Greeks. One variety of it is whiter11 than the other, and has a more shrublike appearance, throwing out branches armed with straight thorns, and not hooked, like those of the other kinds; the leaves too are larger. The other kind,12 which is found growing wild, is of a more swarthy hue, in some measure inclining to red ; it bears too a sort13 of pod. "With the root of it boiled in water a medicament is made, known as "lycium:"14 the seed of it is useful for bringing away the after-birth. The white kind, however, is of a more astringent and cooling nature, and better adapted for the treat- ment of gatherings and wounds. The leaves of both kinds, either raw or boiled, are employed topically with oil. 6 The raspberry; see B. xvi. c. 71. 7 There is one variety which is very diminutive, and entirely destitute of thorns, the Kubus Idaeus Isevis of C. Bauhin, the Rubus Idaeus non spinosus of J. Bauhin. 8 See B. xvi. c. 71. 9 Of the bramble genus. 10 In reality, as Fee says, there is no botanical affinity between the •Rubus, or bramble, and the Rhamnus. 11 Sprengel identifies this plant with the Zizyphus vulgarisof Linnseus, the jujube, and Desfontaines is of the same opinion. Fee, however, takes it to be the Rhamnus saxatilis of Linnaeus, the rock buckthorn. 12 Identified by some authorities with the Paliurus aculeatus of Decan- dolles, mentioned in c. 71. Sprengel is in doubt whether it may not be the Rhamnus lycioides of Linnaeus. 13 Not a characteristic, Fee says, of the genus Rhamnus of modern Botany. 14 Or "Lycian" extract. See B. xii. c. 15. Chap. 77.] LTCITJM. 51 CHAP. 77. LYCIUM I EIGHTEEN REMEDIES. The best lycium,15 they say, is that prepared from the thorn of that name, known also as the " Chironian pyxacanthus,"16 and mentioned by us when speaking of the trees of India, the lycium of those regions being generally looked upon as by far the best. The branches and roots, which are intensely bitter,17 are first pounded and then boiled for three days in a copper vessel, after which the woody parts are removed, and the decoction is boiled again, till it has attained the consistency of honey. It is adulterated with various bitter extracts,18 as also with amurca of olive oil and ox-gall. The froth or flower19 of this decoction is used as an ingredient in compositions for the eyes : and the other part of it is employed as a cosmetic for the face, and for the cure of itch-scabs, corroding sores in the corners of the eyes, inveterate fluxes, and suppurations of the ears. It is useful too for diseases of the tonsillary glands and gums, for coughs, and for discharges of blood from the mouth, being generally taken in pieces the size of a bean. For the cure of discharges from wounds, it is applied to the part affected ; and it is similarly used for chaps, ulcerations of the genitals, excoriations, ulcers, whether putrid, serpiginous, or of recent date, hard excrescences20 of the nostrils, and suppurations. It is taken also by females, in milk, for the purpose of arresting the catamenia when in excess. The Indian lycium is distinguished from the other kinds by its colour, the lumps being black outside, and, when broken, red within, though they turn black very quickly.21 It is bitter and remarkably astringent, and is employed for all the purposes above mentioned, diseases of the generative organs in particular. 15 See 8. xii. c. 15. Fee identifies this with the modern Catechu, a de- coction from the Acacia catechu, a leguminous plant of the East Indies. 16 The Rhamnus lycioides of Linnaeus, our buckthorn. The Indian plant from which catechu is extracted is of a similar nature. See B. xii. c. 15. 17 This Fee looks upon as an exaggeration. 18 See B. xii. c. 15. 19 /. e. the choice part of it; see B. xii. c. 15. Catechu is adulterated at the present day with starch and argillaceous earths. As a medicament it is not possessed of a very powerful action. 20 " Clavos." 21 This statement is quite correct. E 2 52 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 78. — SARCOCOLLA: TWO REMEDIES. Some authors are of opinion that sarcocolla23 is a tearlike gum which exudes from a kind of thorn ;23 it is similar to powdered incense in appearance, has a sweet flavour with a slight degree of bitter, and is of the consistency of gum. Pounded in wine, it arrests defluxions, and is used as a topical application for infants more particularly. This substance too becomes black24 when old ; the whiter it is, the more highly it is esteemed. CHAP. 79. OPORICE I TWO REMEDIES. We are indebted too to the medicinal properties of trees for one very celebrated medicament, known as " oporice."25 This preparation is used for dysentery and various affections of the stomach ; the following being the method of preparing it. Five quinces, seeds and all, with the same number of pome- granates, one sextarius of sorbs, a similar quantity of Syrian rhus,26 and half an ounce of saifron, are boiled in one congius of white grape-juice at a slow heat, till the whole mixture is reduced to the consistency of honey. CHAP. 80. THE TRIXAGO, CHAM^EDRYS, CHAM^DROPS, OR TETJCRIA I SIXTEEN REMEDIES. We shall now add to these plants, certain vegetable produc- tions to which the Greeks have given names belonging to trees, so that it would be doubtful whether they themselves are not trees as well. (15.) The chamsedrys27 is the same plant that in Latin is called "trixago;" some persons, however, call it "chamse- drops," and others " teucria." The leaves of it are the size 22 See B. xiii. c. 20. 23 The Pensea sarcocolla is not a thorny tree. 24 Fee says that this is not the case. It is no longer used in medicine. 25 Or conserve of fruits. An electuary. 26 Seed of the sumach. See B. xiii. c. 13. 27 " Ground oak." See B. xiv. c. 19 ; where it is identified with the Teucrium chamsedrys of Linnaeus. Littre, however, informs us, that M. Fraas considers it to be the Teucrium lucidum of Linnaeus ; because, as we learn from Bioscorides, it grows on rocky places, is a remarkably diminutive shrub, and has a fine odour, all of which are characteristics of the latter plant, and not of the Teucrium chaniiedrys, commonly known as the dwarf oak or germander. Chap. 82.] THE CHAMEL^A. 53 of those of mint, but in their colour and indentations they resemble those of the oak. According to some, the leaves are serrated, and it was these, they say, that first suggested the idea of the saw :28 the flower of it borders closely upon purple. This plant is gathered in rough craggy localities, when it is replete with juice ; and, whether taken29 internally or applied topically, it is extremely efficacious for the stings of venomous serpents, diseases of the stomach, inveterate coughs, collections of phlegm in the throat, ruptures, convulsions, and pains in the sides. It diminishes the volume of the spleen, and acts as a diuretic and emmenagogue ; for which reasons it is very useful in incipient dropsy, the usual dose being a handful of the sprigs boiled down to one third in three heminae of water. Lozenges too are made of it for the above-named purposes, by bruising it in water. In combination with honey, it heals abscesses and inveterate or sordid ulcers : a wine30 too is pre- pared from it for diseases of the chest. The juice of the leaves, mixed with oil, disperses films on the eyes ; it is taken also, in vinegar, for diseases of the spleen j employed as a friction, it is of a warming nature. CHAP. 81. THE CHABLEDAPHNE : FIVE KEMEDIES. The chamaedaphne31 consists of a single diminutive stem, about a cubit in height, the limbs of it being smaller than those of the laurel. These leaves * * * The seed, which is of a red colour, and attached to the leaves, is applied fresh for head- ache, is of a cooling nature for burning heats, and is taken for griping pains in the bowels, with wine. The juice of this plant, taken in wine, acts as an emmenagogue and diuretic ; and applied as a pessary in wool, it facilitates laborious deliveries. CHAP. 82. — THE CHAMEL^EA : SIX REMEDIES. The leaves of the chamelsea32 resemble those of the olive ; they are bitter, however, and odoriferous. This plant is found 28 An invention attributed to Daedalus, in B. vii. c. 57. 29 The Teucrium chamaedrys is a bitter plant, which has been success- fully used for fever, and it acts as a tonic and vermifuge. Beyond these, it has no medicinal properties whatever. 30 See B. xiv. c, 19. si or « ground-laurel." Fee considers this to be identical with the Alexandrian laurel, mentioned in B. xv. c. 39. It is no longer used in medicine, but the roots of a plant of kindred nature, the Ruscus aculeatus, or butcher's broom, are diuretic. 3- Or ''ground olive.'* See B. xiii. c. 35. 54 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOEY. [Book XX JV. growing in craggy localities, and never exceeds a palm in height. It is of a purgative33 nature, and carries off phlegm and bile ; for which purposes, the leaves are boiled with twice the quantity of wormwood, and the decoction taken with honey. The leaves, applied to ulcers, have a detergent effect. It is said, that if a person gathers it before sunrise, taking care to mention that he is gathering it for the cure of white specks34 in the eyes, and then wears it as an amulet, it will effect a cure : as also that, gathered in any way, it is beneficial for the eyes of beasts of burden and cattle. CHAP. 83. THE CHAMJSSYCE : EIGHT REMEDIES. The chamsesyce35 has leaves similar to those of the lentil, and lying close to the ground ; it is found growing in dry, rocky, localities. A decoction of it in wine is remarkably useful as a liniment for improving36 the sight, and for dispersing cataract, cicatrizations, films, and cloudiness of the eyes. Applied in a pledget of linen, as a pessary, it allays pains in the uterus ; and used topically37 it removes warts and excrescences of all kinds. It is very useful also for hardness of breathing. CHAP. 84. THE CHAIOECTSSOS : ONE REMEDY. The chamsecissos38 has ears like39 those of wheat, with numerous leaves, and small branches, about five in number. When in blossom it might almost be taken for the white violet : the root of it is diminutive. For sciatica, the leaves of it are taken, seven days consecutively, in doses of three oboli, in two cyathi of wine : this is a very bitter potion, however. CHAP. 85. THE CHAMJELEUCE, FARFABTJM, OR FARFUGITJM I ONE REMEDY. The charnseleuce40 is known among us as the " farfarum" or " farfugium :" it grows on the banks of rivers, and has a leaf 33 This, Fee says, is consistent with modern experience ; indeed it is drastic to a dangerous extent. 34 " Albugines." 35 Or " ground fig." The Euphorbia chamassyce, or annual spurge. 36 The juices are irritating and acrid, and would in reality be highly dangerous to the eyes. 37 Owing to its caustic powers, it really is good for the removal of warts. 38 Or " ground-ivy." SeeB. xvi. c. 62, and c. 49 of this Book. 39 Fee says that this comparison is not strictly correct. 40 The " ground-poplar." See B. xxvi. c. 19. Identified with the Tussilago farfara of Linnaeus ; our colt's-foot. Chap. 87.] THE CLIXOPODIOtf, ETC. 55 like that of the poplar, only larger. The root of it is burnt upon cypress charcoal, and, by the aid of a funnel,41 the smoke inhaled, in cases of inveterate cough. CHAP. 86. THE CHAM2EPEUCE I FIVE REMEDIES. THE CHAM-E- CYPARISSOS I TWO REMEDIES. THE AMPELOPRASON J SIX RE- MEDIES. THE STACHYS: ONE REMEDY. The chamsepeuce*2 has a leaf which resembles that of the larch, and is useful more particularly for lumbago and pains in the back. The chamaecyparissos43 is a herb which, taken in wine, counteracts the venom of serpents of all kinds, and of scorpions. The ampeloprason44 is found growing in vineyards ; it has leaves like those of the leek, and produces offensive eructa- tions. It is highly efficacious for the stings of serpents, and acts as an emmenagogue and diuretic. Taken in drink or applied externally, it arrests discharges of blood from the gene- rative organs. It is prescribed also for females after delivery, and is used for bites inflicted by dogs. The plant known as " stachys" bears a strong resemblance also to a leek,45 but the leaves of it are longer and more nume- rous. It has an agreeable smell, and in colour inclines to yellow. It promotes menstruation. CHAP. 87. — THE CLINOPODION, CLEONTCTON, ZOPYRON, OR OCIM01DES I THREE REMEDIES. The clinopodion,46 cleonicion, zopyron, or ocimoides, resem- 41 Or " tube "— " infundibulum." Colt's-foot is still smoked, either by itself or in conjunction with tobacco. Fee says, however, that to inhale the smoke in the manner here described, would be enough to create a cough if it did not exist before. 43 "Ground-pine " or " ground pitch-tree." Identified by Sprengel with the Stcehelina chamaepeuce of Willdenow, a corymbiferous plant of the Isle of Candia. 43 " Ground-cypress." Identified with the Euphorbia cyparissias of Lin- naeus, the cypress spurge. Taken internally, it is a corrosive poison. 44 Qr « vine-leek." The Allium ampeloprason of Linnaeus, the great round-headed garlic. It is no longer used in medicine, and all that Pliny states as to its medicinal properties is quite unfounded, Fee says. 45 Fee thinks that Pliny has committed an error here, and that the word " marrubii " should be substituted, our " horehound." He identifies it with the Stachys Germanica of Linnaeus, or base horehound ; which is more commonly found in the South of Europe than in Germany. 46 Or " bed-foot." The Clinopodium vulgare of Linnaeus, our wild 56 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOEY. [Book XXIV. bles wild thyme in appearance. The stem of it is tough and ligneous, and it is a palm in height. It grows in stony soils, and the leaves are trained regularly around the stem,47 which resembles a bed-post in appearance. This plant is taken in drink, for convulsions, ruptures, strangury, and wounds inflicted by serpents : a decoction is also made of it, and the juice is similarly employed. CHAP. 88. THE CLEMATIS CENTUNCULUS ; THREE REMEDIES. "We shall now have to annex some plants, of a marvellous nature no doubt, but not so well known, reserving those of a higher reputation for the succeeding Books. Our people give the name of " centunculus,"48 to a creep- ing plant that grows in the fields, the leaves of which bear a strong resemblance to the hoods attached to our cloaks. By the Greeks it is known as the " clematis/' Taken in astrin- gent wine it is wonderfully effectual for arresting49 diarrhoea : beaten up, in doses of one denarius, in five cyathi of oxyinel or of warm water, it arrests haemorrhage, and facilitates the after-birth. CHAP. 89. THE CLEMATIS ECHITES, OR LA-GIKE. The Greeks have other varieties also of the clematis, one of which is known as " echites"50 or "lagine," and by some as the •" little scammony." Its stems are about two feet in height, and covered with leaves: in general appearance it is not unlike scammony, were it not that the leaves are darker and more diminutive ; it is found growing in vineyards and cultivated soils. It is eaten as a vegetable, with oil and salt, and acts as a laxative upon the bowels. It is taken51 also for dysentery, basil. It lias some useful properties attributed to it ; but what Pliny here states respecting it is erroneous. 47 This seems to be the meaning of " orbiculato foliorum ambitu." 48 Turner and C. Bauhin identify it with the Gnaphalium German ieum of Lamarck, and Sprengel with the Polygonum convolvulus of Linnaeus. If so, Fee says, the synonym here given by Pliny is erroneous; for the Greek clematis, there can be little doubt, is the Clematis cirrhosa of Lin- naeus. See the account given of the Gnaphalion in B. xxvii. c. 61. 49 All that Pliny states as to its medicinal properties, Fee says, is erroneous. 60 Probably the Asclepias nigra of Linnaeus, black swallow- wort. 51 The Asclepias nigra has no such medicinal effects as those mentioned by Pliny. Chap. 91.] THE DEACONTITTM. 57 with linseed, in astringent wine. The leaves of this plant are applied with polenta for defluxions of the eyes, the part affected being first covered with a pledget of wet linen. Applied to scrofulous sores, they cause them to suppurate, and if some axle-grease is then applied, a perfect cure will he effected. They are applied also to piles, with green oil, and are good for phthisis, in combination with honey. Taken with the food, they increase the milk in nursing women, and, rubbed upon the heads of infants, they promote the rapid growth of the hair. Eaten with vinegar, they act as an aphrodisiac. CHAP. 90. THE EGYPTIAN CLEMATIS, DAPHN01DES, OR POLY- GON01DES : TWO REMEDIES. There is another kind also, known as the "Egyptian"52 clematis, otherwise as "daphno'idesj'53or "polygono'ides:" it has a leaf like that of the laurel, and is long and slender. Taken in vinegar, it is very useful for the stings of serpents, that of the asp in particular. CHAP. 91. (16.) DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON THE DRACONTIUM. It is Egypt more particularly that produces the clematis known as the " aron," of which we have already54 made some mention when speaking of the bulbs, Respecting this plant and the dracontium, there have been considerable differences of opinion. Some writers, indeed, have maintained that they are identical, and Glaucias has made the only distinction between them in reference to the place of their growth, assuming that the dracontium is nothing else than the aron in a wild state. Some persons, again, have called the root " aron," and the stem of the plant " dracontium :" but if the dracon- tium is the same as the one known to us as the " dracuncu- lus,"55 it is a different plant altogether ; for while the aron has a broad, black, rounded root, and considerably larger, — large enough, indeed, to fill the hand, — the dracunculus has a 52 The Vinca major and Vinca minor of Linnaeus, the greater and smaller periwinkle. Fee is at a loss to know why it should be called " Egyptian," as it is a plant of Europe. 53 "Laurel-shaped" and "many-cornered." 54 In B. xix. c. 30. 43 Fee says that the Dracontion of the Greeks and the Dracunculus of the Latins are identical, being represented in modern Botany by the Arum dracunculus of Linnaeus, the common dragon. 58 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXIV. reddish root of a serpentine form, to which, in fact, it owes its name.66 CHAP. 92. THE AEON I THIRTEEN REMEDIES. The Greeks themselves, in fact, have established an im- mense difference between these two plants, in attributing to the seed of the dracunculus certain hot, pungent properties, and a fetid odour57 so remarkably powerful as to be productive of abortion,58 while upon the aron, on the other hand, they have bestowed marvellous encomiums. As an article of food, however, they give the preference to the female plant, the male plant being of a harder nature, and more difficult to cook. It carries off,69 they say, all vicious humours from the chest, and powdered and taken in the form either of a potion or of an electuary, it acts as a diuretic and emmenagogue. Powdered and taken in oxymel, it is good for the stomach ; and we find it stated that it is administered in ewe's milk for ulcerations of the intestines, and is sometimes cooked on hot ashes and given in oil for a cough. Some persons, again, are in the habit of boiling it in milk and administering the decoction ; and it has been used also in a boiled state as a topical application for defluxions of the eyes, contusions, and affections of the tonsil- lary glands. * * * *60 prescribes it with oil, as an injection for piles, and recommends it as a liniment, with honey, for freckles. Cleophantus has greatly extolled this plant as an antidote for poisons, and for the treatment of pleurisy and peripneumony, prepared the same way as for coughs. The seed too, pounded with olive oil or oil of roses, is used as an injection for pains 56 From " draco," a " dragon " or " serpent." Fee says, that it is not to its roots, but to its spotted stem, resembling the skin of an adder, that it owes its name. 57 *« Virus." Fee says that the Arum dracunculus has a strong, fetid odour, and all parts of it are acrid and caustic, while the Arum colocasia has an agreeable flavour when boiled. 58 This, Fee says, is fabulous. 59 Though no longer used in medicine, the account here given of the properties of the Arum colocasia is in general correct, a few marvellous details excepted. 60 Sillig thinks that there is a lacuna here, and that the name " Cleo- phantus " should be supplied. Chap. 92.] THE AEON. 50 in the ears. Dieuches prescribes it, mixed in bread61 with meal, for the cure of coughs, asthma, hardness of breathing, and purulent expectorations. Diodotus recommends it, in combi- nation with honey, as an electuary for phthisis and diseases of the lungs, and as a topical application even for fractured bones. Applied to the sexual parts, it facilitates delivery in all kinds of animals ; and the juice extracted from the root, in combina- tion with Attic honey, disperses films upon the eyes, and diseases of the stomach. A decoction of it with honey is curative of cough ; and the juice is a marvellous remedy for ulcers of every description, whether phagedaenic, carcinomatous, or serpiginous, and for polypus of the nostrils. The leaves, boiled in wine and oil, are good for burns, and, taken with salt and vinegar, are strongly purgative ; boiled with honey, they are useful also for sprains, and used either fresh or dried, with salt, for gout in the joints. Hippocrates has prescribed the leaves, either fresh or dried, with honey, as a topical application for abscesses. Two drachmae of the seed or root, in two cyathi of wine, are a sufficient dose to act as an emmenagogue, and a similar quan- tity will have the effect of bringing away the after-birth, in cases where it is retarded.62 Hippocrates used to apply the root also, for the purpose. They say too, that in times of pestilence the employment of aron as an article of food is very beneficial. It dispels the fumes of wine ; and the smoke of it burnt drives away serpents,63 the asp in particular, or else stupefies them to such a degree as to reduce them to a state of torpor. These reptiles also will fly at the approach of persons whose bodies have been rubbed with a preparation of aron with oil of laurel : hence it is generally thought a good plan to administer it in red wine to persons who have been stung by serpents. Cheese, it is said, keeps remarkably well, wrapped in leaves of this plant. 61 F£e thinks that, thus employed, it would be more injurious than beneficial. Though Pliny is treating here of the Arum colocasia or Egyptian Arum, he has mingled some few details with it, relative to the Arum dracunculus, a plant endowed with much more energetic properties. See Note 57 above. 62 See B. viii. c. 54, as to the use alleged to be made by animals of this plant. *•* Fee says that this is very doubtful. 60 PLINY'S NATTTBAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 93. THE DRACTJNCULUS ; TWO REMEDIES. The plant which I have spoken of65 as the dracunculus, is taken out of the ground just when the barley is ripening, and at the moon's increase. It is quite sufficient to have this plant about one, to be safe from all serpents ; and it is said, that an infusion of the larger kind taken in drink, is very useful for persons who have been stung by those reptiles : it is stated also that it arrests the catamenia when in excess, due care being taken not to let iron touch it. The juice of it too is very use- ful for pains in the ears. As to the plant known to the Greeks by the name of " dra- contion," I have66 had it pointed out to me under three dif- ferent forms ; the first67 having the leaves of the beet, with a certain proportion of stem, and a purple flower, and bearing a strong resemblance to the aron. Other persons, again, have described it as a plant69 with a long root, embossed to all ap- pearance and full of knots, and consisting of three stems in all ; the same parties have recommended a decoction of the leaves in vinegar, as curative of stings inflicted by serpents. The third70 plant that has been pointed out to me has a leaf larger than that of the cornel, and a root resembling that of the reed. This root, I have been assured, has as many knots on it as the plant is years old, the leaves, too, being as many in number. The plant is recommended also for the stings of serpents, administered either in wine or in water. CHAP. 94. THE ARISAROS : THEEE REMEDIES. There is a plant also called the " arisaros,"71 which grows in Egypt, and is similar to the aron in appearance, only that it is more diminutive, and has smaller leaves ; the root too is smaller, though fully as large as a good- sized olive. The white arisaros throws out two stems, the other kind only one. They are curative, both of them, of running ulcers and burns, and are used as an injection for fistulas. The leaves, boiled in 65 In c. 91 of this Book. This story is owing merely to its appearance, which somewhat resembles the skin of a serpent. 66 " Demonstratum mini est." 67 Identified by Fee with the Aram Italicum of Lamarck. 69 Fee queries whether this may not be the Arum maculatum of Linnaeus, wake-robin, cuckoo pint, or lords and ladies. 10 Identified by 0. Bauhin with the Calla palustris of LinnaBUs. n The Arum arisarum of Linnaeus, hooded arum or friar's cowl, a native of the coasts of Barbary and the South of Europe. Chap. 97.] THE MYRRHIS. 61 water, and then beaten up with the addition of oil of roses, arrest the growth of corrosive ulcers. But there is one very marvellous fact connected with this plant — it is quite sufficient to touch the sexual parts of any female animal with it to cause its instantaneous death. CHAP. 95. THE MILLEFOLITJM OE MYRIOPHYLLON ; SEVEN REMEDIES. The myriophyllon,72 by our people known as the "mille- folium " has a tender stem, somewhat similar to fennel-giant in appearance, with vast numbers of leaves, to which circum- stance it is indebted for its name. It grows in marshy lo- calities, and is remarkably useful for the treatment of wounds. It is taken in vinegar for strangury, affections of the bladder, asthma, and falls with violence ; it is extremely efficacious also iior tooth -ache. In Etruria, the same name is given to a small meadow- plant,73 provided with leaves at the sides, like hairs, and par- ticularly useful for wounds. The people of that country say that, applied with axle-grease, it will knit together and unite the tendons of oxen, when they have been accidentally severed by the plough-share.74 CHAP. 96. THE PSEUDOBUNION *. FOUR REMEDIES. The pseudobunion75 has the leaves of the turnip, and grows in a shrub-like form, about a palm in height; the most esteemed being that of Crete. For gripings of the bowels, stran- gury, and pains of the thoracic organs, some five or six sprigs of it are administered in drink. CHAP. 97. THE MYRRHIS, MYRIZA, OR MYRRHA I SEVEN REMEDIES. The myrrhis,76 otherwise known as the myriza or myrrha, 72 Or " ten thousand leaves." The Myriophyllum spicatura of Linnaeus, according to most authorities, though Fee considers it very doubtful. 73 Possibly the Achillea millefolium of Linnaeus, our milfoil or yarrow. It is still said to have the property of healing wounds made by edge-tools, for which reason it is known in France as the " carpenter's plant." 74 This assertion, as Fee remarks, is more than doubtful. 75 " Bastard turnip." Desfontaincs identifies it with the Bunium aro- maticum ; Fee queries whether it may not be the Pimpinella tennis of Sieber, found in Crete. The Berberis vulgaris has been also suggested. 76 Desfontaincs- identifies it with the Scandix odorata of Linnaeus. Har- G2 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKT. [Book XXIV. bears a strong resemblance to hemlock in the stem, leaves, and blossom, only that it is smaller and more slender : it is by no means unpleasant to the palate. Taken with wine, it acts as an emmenagogue, and facilitates parturition : they say too that in times of pestilence it is very wholesome, taken in drink. It is very useful also for phthisis, administered in broth. It sharpens the appetite, and neutralizes the venom of the pha- langium. The juice of this plant, after it has been macerated some three days in water, is curative of ulcers of the face and head. CHAP. 98.— THE ONOBBYCHIS : THKEE REMEDIES. The onobrychis77 has leaves like those of the lentil, only somewhat78 longer ; the blossom is red, and the root small and slender. It is found growing in the vicinity of springs. Dried and reduced to powder, and sprinkled in white wine, it is curative of strangury, and arrests looseness of the bowels. The juice of it, used as a friction with oil, acts as a sudorific. CHAP. 99. (17.) — CORACESTA AND CALLICIA. While I am treating of plants of a marvellous nature, I am induced to make some mention of certain magical plants — for what, in fact, can there be more marvellous than they r The first who descanted upon this subject in our part of the world were Pythagoras and Democritus, who have adopted the accounts given by the Magi. Coracesta79 and callicia, according to Pythagoras, are plants which congeal80 water. I find no mention made of them, however, by any other author, and he himself gives no further particulars relative to them. douin says that it is musk chervil, the Chserophyllum aromaticum of Lin- naeus, in which he has followed Dodonaeus. Fuchsius suggests the Chsero- phyllum silvestre of Linnaeus : Fee expresses himself at a loss to decide. 77 Probably the Hedysarum onobrycliis of Linnasus, our sainfoin. 78 They are very much larger than those of the lentil, in fact. This diversity has caused Fee to express some doubts whether it really is iden- tical with sainfoin. The Polygala officinalis has also been suggested. 79 Dalechamps considers these appellations to mean the " virgins' plant," and the "plant of beauty." 80 The Cissampelos Pareira, as already stated, abounds in mucilage to such a degree, as to impart a consistency to water, without impairing its transparency. See c, 72 of this Book. Chap. 101.] THE APEOXIS. 63 CHAP. 100. — THE M1NSAS OR CORINTHIAI ONE REMEDY. Pythagoras gives the name of minsas81 too, or corinthia, to another plant ; a decoction of which, used as a fomentation, will effect an instantaneous cure of stings inflicted by serpents, according to him. He adds too, that if this decoction is poured upon the grass, and a person happens to tread upon it, or if the body should chance to be sprinkled with it, the result is fatal beyond all remedy ; so monstrously malignant are the venomous properties of this plant, except as neutralizing other kinds of poison. CHAP 101. THE APROXIS: SIX REMEDIES. Pythagoras makes mention, too, of a plant called aproxis, the root of which takes fire82 at a distance, like naphtha, of which we have made some mention, when speaking83 of the mar- vellous productions of the earth. He says too, that if the human body happens to be attacked by any disease while the cabbage84 is in blossom, the person, although he may have been perfectly cured, will be sensible of a recurrence of the symptoms, every time that plant comes into blossom ; a peculiarity which he attributes to it in common with wheat, hemlock, and the violet. I am not ignorant, however, that the work of his from which I have just quoted is ascribed to the physician Cleem- porua by some, though antiquity and the unbroken current of tradition concur in claiming it for Pythagoras. It is quite enough, however, to say in favour of a book, that the author has deemed the results of his labours worthy to be published under the name of so great a man. And yet who can believe that Cleemporus would do this, seeing that he has not hesitated to publish other works under his own name ? 81 The reading of this word is doubtful. Hardouin thinks that it is the same as the Minyanthes mentioned in B. xxi. c. 88. 62 Fee says that the only cases known of a phenomenon resembling this, are those of the Dictamnus albus, white dittany, which attracts flame momentarily when in flower, and of the Tropoeolum majus, or great Indian cress. He thinks, however, that there are some trees so rich in essential oil, that they might possibly ignite as readily as naphtha. «« In B. i'i. c. 109. 84 Another reading here is " aproxis," which seems more probable. 64 PLIOT'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 102. - THE AGLAOPHOTIS OR MARMARITIS. THE MENIS OR HIPPOPHOBAS. THE THEOBROTION OR SEMNION. THE ADAMANTIS. THE ARIANTS. THE THERIONARCA. THE ^THIOPIS OR MEROIS. THE OPHIUSA. THE THALASSEGLE OR POTAM- AUGIS. THE THEANGELIS. THE GELOTOPHYLLIS. THE HESTI- ATOR1S OR PROTOMEDIA. THE CASIGNETES OR DIONTSONYMPHAS. THE HELIANTHES OR HELIOCALLIS. HERMESIAS. THE ^ISCHY- KOMENE. THE CROCIS. THE (ENOTHERIS. THE ANACAMPS- EROS. As to Democritus, there can be no doubt that the work called " Chiroemeta"85 belongs to him. How very much more marvellous too are the accounts given in this book by the philosopher who, next to Pythagoras, has acquired the most in- timate knowledge of the learning of the Magi ! According to him, the plant aglaophotis,86 which owes its name to the admiration in which its beauteous tints are held by man, is found growing among the marble quarries of Arabia, on the side of Persia, a circumstance which has given it the additional name of " marmaritis." By means of this plant, he says, the Magi can summon the deities into their presence when they please. The achaemenis,87 he says, a plant the colour of amber, and destitute of leaves, grows in the country of theTradastili, an Indian race. The root of it, divided into lozenges and taken in wine in the day time, torments the guilty to suoh a degree during the night by the various forms of avenging deities pre- sented to the imagination, as to extort from them a confession of their crimes. He gives it the name also of " hippophobas," it being an especial object of terror to mares. * The theobrotion88 is a plant found at a distance of thirty schceni89 from the river Choaspes ; it represents the varied tints of the peacock, and the odour of it is remarkably fine. The 85 " The work of his own hands," according to Hesychius. 86 " Admiration of man." It is impossible to say what plant is meant under this name, but the paeony, Pseonia officinalis, has been suggested ; also the Tropseolum majus. Desfontaines queries whether it may not be the Ceesalpinia pulcherrima, a native of the East. Some authors, Fee says, have identified it with the " Moly " of Homer. e7 So called from Aehaemenes, the ancestor of the Persian kings. Fee thinks that it was a variety of the Euphorbia antiquorum, or else a night- shade. 88 " Food for the gods." sy See B. xii. c. 30 ; also the Introduction to Vol. 111. Chap. 102.] THE THEA.NUEL1S. 65 kings of Persia, he says, are in the habit of taking it in their food or drink, for all maladies of the body, and derangements of the mind. It has the additional name of semnion,90 from the use thus made of it by majesty. He next tells us of the adamantis,91 a plant grown in Armenia and Cappadocia : presented to a lion, he says, the beast will fall upon its back, and drop its jaws. Its name originates in the fact that it is impossible to bruise it. The arianis,92 he says, is found in the country of the Ariani ; it is of a fiery colour, and is gathered when the sun is in Leo. Wood rubbed with oil will take fire on coming in contact with this plant. The therionarca,93 he tells us, grows in Cappadocia and Mysia ; it has the effect of striking wild beasts of all kinds with a torpor which can only be dispelled by sprinkling them with the urine of the hyaena. He speaks too of the aethiopis,94 a plant which grows in Meroe ; for which reason it is also known as the "mero'is." In leaf it resembles the lettuce, and, taken with honied wine, it is very good for dropsy. The ophiusa,95 which is found in Elephantine, an island also of ^Ethiopia, is a plant of a livid colour, and hideous to the sight. Taken by a person in drink, he says, it inspires such a horror of serpents, which his imagination continually represents as menacing him, that he commits suicide at last ; hence it is that persons guilty of sacrilege are compelled to drink an infusion of it. Palm wine, he tells us, is the only thing that neutralizes its effects. The thalasssegle96 he speaks of as being found on the banks of the river Indus, from which circumstance it is also known as the potamaugis.97 Taken in drink it produces a delirium,98 which presents to the fancy visions of a most extraordinary nature. The theangelis," he says, grows upon Mount Li- 90 "Venerable " or " majestic." 91 " Hard as a diamond." 12 The Spina Ariana is mentioned in B. xii. c. 18. 93 See B. xx. c. 65, where a plant is mentioned by this name. 94 Dalecbamps thinks that an Euphorbia is meant under this name. 95 " Serpent-plant." Fee thinks that a hemlock may possibly be meant, or perhaps the Arum serpentaria ; see c. 93 of this Book, 96 « Brightness of the sea." A narcotic plant, Fee thinks, probably a night-shade. 97 Hardouin suggests " potamitis," river-plant. 98 It is not impossible that this may in reality be an allusion to the effects of opium, or of hasheesh. 99 " Messenger of the gods," apparently. VOL. Y. P 66 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. banus in Syria, upon the chain of mountains called Dicte in Crete, and at Babylon and Susa in Persis. An infusion of it in drink, imparts powers of divination to the Magi. The gelotophyllis1 too, is a plant found in Bactriana, and on the banks of the Borysthenes. Taken internally with myrrh and wine, all sorts of visionary forms present themselves, and excite the most immoderate laughter, which can only be put an end to by taking kernels of the pine-nut, with pepper and honey, in palm wine. The hestiatoris,3 he tells us, is a Persian plant, so called from its promotion of gaiety and good fellowship at carousals. Another name for it is protomedia, because those who eat of it will gain the highest place in the royal favour. The casignetes3 too, we learn, is so called, because it grows only among plants of its own kind, and is never found in company with any other; another name given to it is " dionysonymphas,"4 from the circumstance of its being remarkably well adapted to the nature of wine. Helianthes5 is the name he gives to a plant found in the regions of Themiscyra and the mountainous parts of maritime Cilicia, with leaves like those of myrtle. This plant is boiled up with lion's fat, saffron and palm wine being added; the Magi, he tells us, and Persian monarchs are in the habit of anointing the body with the preparation, to add to its graceful appearance : he states also, that for this reason it has the additional name of " heliocallis."6 What the same author calls " hermesias,"7 has the singular virtue of ensuring the procreation of issue, both beautiful as well as good. It is not a plant, however, but a composition made of kernels of pine nuts, pounded with honey, myrrh, saffron, and palm wine, to which theobrotium8 and milk are then added. He also 1 "Laughing leaves." Possibly, Fee thinks, the Ranunculus philonotis, the Herba Sardoa or Sardonic plant of Virgil, known by some authorities as the Apium risus, or " laughing parsley." Desfontaines suggests that hemp (prepared in the form of hasheesh) is meant. 2 " Convivial " plant. Desfontaines identifies it with the Areca catechu, which, is chewed in India for the benefit of the teeth and stomach, and as a sweetener of the breath. 3 " Brother " plant. 4 " Bride of Dionysus or Bacchus." 5 " Sun-flower." Not the plant, however, known to us by that name. 6 " Beauty of the sun," apparently. 7 " Mixture of Hermes," apparently. 6 Previously mentioned in this Chapter. Chap. 103.] THE EPxIPHIA. g; recommends those who wish to become parents to drink this mixture, and says, that females should take it immediately after conception, and during pregnancy.9 If this is done, he says, the infant will be sure to be endowed with the highest qualities, both in mind and body. In addition to what has here been stated, Democritus gives the various names by which all these plants are known to the Magi. Apollodorus, one of the followers of Democritus, has added to this list the herb aeschynomene,10 so called from the shrink- ing of its leaves at the approach of the hand ; and another called "crocis,"11 the touch of which is fatal to the phalan- gium. Crateuas, also, speaks of the cenotheris,12 an infusion of which in wine, sprinkled upon them, has the effect of taming all kind of animals, however wild. A celebrated grammarian,13 who lived but very recently, has described the anacampseros,14 the very touch of which recalls former love, even though hatred should have succeeded in its place. It will be quite sufficient for the present to have said thus much in reference to the remarkable virtues attributed to certain plants by the Magi ; as we shall have occasion to revert to this subject in a more appropriate place.15 CHAP. 103. (18.) THE ERIPHIA. Many authors have made mention of the eriphia,1* a plant which contains a kind of beetle in its -hollow stem. This 5 As Fee remarks, it has been a notion in comparatively recent times, that it is possible to procreate children of either sex at pleasure. 10 The "bashful" plant. An Acacia, Fee thinks; see B. xiii. c. 19. The Mimosa casta, pudica, and sensitiva, have similar properties : the Sensi- tive Plant is well known in this country. 11 Fee queries whether this may not be the Silene rauscipula of Lin- na3iis, the fly-trap. 12 The "wine-tamer." 13 Hardouin thinks that he alludes to the Grammarian Apion. Dale- cliamps thinks that it is either Apion or Apollodorus. 14 The "returning" plant. Fee says that the Sedum Telephium of Linnreus, or orpine, is called in the dictionaries by this name. He queries whether it m;iy not be the Sedum anacampseros, or evergreen orpine, as Hesychius says that it continues to live after being taken up from tbe earth ; a peculiarity, to some extent, of the house-leek. 15 He probably alludes to his remarks upon Magic, in Books xxix. and xxx. 16 From ept0o£, a "kid." Ruellius has attempted to identify this plant with one of the Ranunculaceae ; but there is little doubt, as Fee says, that both plant and insect are imaginary, F 2 68 PLINY'S NATUKAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. beetle is continually ascending the interior of the stalk, and as often descending, while it emits a sound like the cry of a kid ; a circumstance to which the plant is indebted for its name. There is nothing in existence, they say, more beneficial to the voice, CHAP. 104. THE WOOL PLANT I ONE KEMEDY. THE LACTOKIS : ONE REMEDY. THE MILITARIST ONE REMEDY. The wool plant,17 given to sheep fasting, greatly increases the milk. The plant commonly called lactoris,18 is equally well known : it is full of a milky juice, the taste of which produces vomiting. Some persons say that this is identical with, while others say that it only resembles, the plant known as "mili- taris,"19 from the fact that, applied with oil, it will effect the cure, within five days, of any wound that has been inflicted with iron. CHAP. 105. THE STRATIOTES: FIVE REMEDIES. The Greeks speak in high terms also of the stratiotes,20 though that is a plant which grows in Egypt only, and during the inundations of the river Nilus. It is similar in appearance to the aizoon,21 except that the leaves are larger. It is of a remarkably cooling nature, and, applied with vinegar, it heals wounds, as well as erysipelas and suppurations.. Taken in drink with male frankincense, it is marvellously useful for discharges of blood 'from the kidneys. CHAP. 106. (19.) A PLANT GROWING ON THE HEAD OP A STATUE: ONE REMEDY. It is asserted also, that a plant growing22 on the head of a 17 "Herba lanaria." See B. xix. c. 18. 18 Hardouin identifies it with the Ulva lactuca of Linneeus; but that plant, Fee says, contains no milky j nice, and does not act as an emetk*. One of the Euphorbiaceae is probably meant. 19 " Military " plant. Hardouin identifies it with the Achillea mille- folium of Linnaeus, mentioned in c. 95 of this Book. Fee, however, docs not recognize the identity. 20 " Soldier " plant. Csesalpinus identifies it with the Salvinia natans ; but Fee thinks, with Sprengel, that it is the Pistia stratiotes of Linnaeus, great duckweed or pondweed. 21 " Always living." See B. xix. c, 58. 22 It is pretty clear that in relating this, absurdity he is not speaking ot one plant solely, but of any plant which may chance to grow on the head Chap. 112.] THE EODAEUM. 69 statue, gathered in the lappet of any one of the garments, and then attached with a red string to the neck, is an instantaneous cure for head- ache. CHAP. 107. — A PLANT GROWING ON THE BANKS OF A RIVER: ONE REMEDY. Any plant that is gathered before sunrise on the banks of a stream or river, due care being taken that no one sees it gathered, attached to the left arm without the patient knowing what it is, will cure a tertian fever, they say. CHAP. 108.— THE HERB CALLED LINGUA I ONE REMEDY. There is a herb called " lingua,"23 which grows in the vicinity of fountains. The root of it, reduced to ashes and beaten up with hog's lard — the hog, they say, must have been black and barren — will cure alopecy, the head being rubbed with it in the sun. CHAP. 109. PLANTS THAT TAKE ROOT IN A SIEVE I ONE REMEDY. Plants that take root in a sieve that has been thrown in a hedge-row, if gathered and worn upon the person by a. preg- nant woman, will i'acilitate delivery. CHAP. 110. PLANTS GROWING UPON DUNGHILLS: ONE REMEDY. A plant that has been grown upon a dungheap in a field, is a very efficacious remedy, taken in water, for quinzy. CHAP. 111. PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN MOISTENED WITH THE URINE OF A DOG : ONE REMEDY. A plant upon which a dog has watered, torn up by the roots, and not touched with iron, is a very speedy cure for sprains. CHAP. 112. THE ROD ARUM! THREE REMEDIES. We have already24 made mention of the rumpotinus, when speaking of the vine-growing25 trees. Near the tree, when not of a statue. Numerous mosses grow upon marble ; and statues are gradually covered, Fee says, with the Byssus antiquitatis. 23 " Tongue " plant. Fee identifies it with the Scolopendrium officinaruru of "Willdenow, the Lingua cervina of other botanists. See B. xxv. c. 84. 24 In B. xiv. c. 3. 25 Or " vine-supporting." 70 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKT. [Book XXIV. accompanied by the vine, there grows a plant, known to the Gauls as the "rodarurn."26 It has a knotted stem like the branch of a fig-tree, and the leaves, which are very similar to those of the nettle, are white in the middle, though in process of time they become red all over. The blossom of it is of a silvery hue. Beaten up with stale axle-grease, due care being taken not to touch it with iron, this plant is extremely useful for tumours, inflammations, and gatherings ; the patient, how- ever, on being anointed with it must spit three times on the right side. They say too, that as a remedy it is still more efficacious, if three persons of three different nations rub the right side of the body with it. CHAP. 113, THE PLANT CALLED IMPIA : TWO REMEDIES. The plant called "impia"27 is white, resembling rosemary in appearance. It is clothed with leaves like a thyrsus, and is terminated by a head, from which a number of small branches protrude, terminated, all of them, in a similar manner. It is this peculiar conformation that has procured for it the name of " impia," from the progeny thus surmounting the parent. Some persons, however, are of opinion that it is so called because no animal will touch it. Bruised between two stones it yields an effervescent juice, which, in combination with wine and milk, is remarkably efficacious for quinzy. There is a marvellous property attributed to this plant, to the effect that persons who have once tasted it will never be attacked by quinzy ; for which reason it is given to swine : those among them, however, which refuse to take it will be sure to die of that disease. Some persons too are of opinion that if slips of it are put into a bird's nest, they will effectually prevent the young birds from choking themselves by eating too voraciously. CHAP. 114. THE PLANT CALLED VENUS* COMB I ONE EEMEDT. Prom its resemblance to a comb, they give the name of " Venus' comb"29 to a certain plant, the root of which, bruised 16 Fee suggests that this may possibly be the Spiraea ulmaria of Linnaeus. 27 The " impious " or " unnatural " plant, Fee identifies it with the Filago Gallica of Linnaeus, the corn cudweed. It is destitute of medicinal properties, and what Pliny states is without foundation. 29 Generally identified with the Scandix pecten Veneris, corn cicely, or shepherd's needle. See B. xxii. c. 38. Chap. 117.] TORDILON OR SYREON. 71 with mallows, extracts all foreign substances from the human body. CHAP. 115. THE EXEDTJM. THE PLANT CALLED NOTIA I TWO REMEDIES. The plant called " exedum"30 is curative of lethargy. The herbaceous plant called "notia," which is used by curriers for dyeing leather a bright, cheerful colour, and known by them under various names — is curative of cancerous ulcers ; I find it also stated that, taken in wine or in oxycrate, it is extremely efficacious for stings inflicted by scorpions. CHAP. 116. THE PHILANTHROPOS : ONE REMEDY. THE LAPPA CANARIA I TWO REMEDIES. The Greeks wittily give the name of " philanthropes"31 to a certain plant, because it attaches itself to articles of dress.3- A chaplet made of this plant has the effect of relieving head- ache. As to the plant known as the " lappa canaria,"33 beaten up in wine with plantago and mille folium,34 it effects the cure of carcinomatous sores, the application being removed at the end of three days. Taken out of the ground without the aid of iron, and thrown into their wash, or given to them in wine and milk, it cures diseases in swine. Some persons add, however, that the person, as he takes it up, must say — " This is the plant arge- mon, a remedy discovered by Minerva for such swine as shall taste thereof/* CHAP. 117. TORDYI/XN" OR SYREON I THREE REMEDIES. Tordylon is, according to some authorities, the seed of sili,35 while according to others it is a distinct plant,36 known also as " syreon." I find no particulars relative to it, except that 30 Fee queries whether this may not possibly he the Rhus coriaria of Linnaeus, elm-leaved sumach, mentioned in B. xiii. c. 13. He would appear, however, to have confounded it with the Notia, next mentioned. 31 " Man-loving," or rather " attached to man." Identified with the Galium aparine of Linnaeus, goose-grass, or common ladies bedstraw ; the seeds of which attach themselves to the dress. 32 See B. xxi. c. 64. 33 The dog -bur. The Lappa tomentosa of Lamarck. See B. xxvi. c. 65. 34 See c. 95 of this Book. 35 Or hartwort; see B. xx. cc. 18, 87. 38 The Tordylium officinale of Linnaeus, officinal hart- wort. 72 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. it grows upon mountains, and that the ashes of it, taken in drink, act as an einmenagogue and facilitate expectoration. It is stated also, that for this last purpose the root is even more efficacious than the stem; that the juice of it, taken in doses of three oboli, cures diseases of the kidneys ; and that the root is used as an ingredient for emollient plasters. CHAP. 118. — GRAMEN I SEVENTEEN [REMEDIES. Gramen37 is of all herbaceous productions the most common. As it creeps along the ground it throws out jointed stems, from the joints of which, as well as from the extremity of the stem, fresh roots are put forth every here and there. In all other parts of the world the leaves of it are tapering, and come to a point ; but upon Mount Parnassus38 they resemble the leaves of the ivy, the plant throwing out a greater number of stems than elsewhere, and bearing a blossom that is white and odoriferous. There is no vegetable production that is more grateful39 to beasts of burden than this, whether in a green state or whe- ther dried and made into hay, in which last case it is sprinkled with water when given to them. It is said that on Mount Parnassus a juice is extracted from it, which is very abun- dant and of a sweet flavour. In other parts of the world, instead of this juice a decoction of it is employed for closing wounds ; an eliect equally pro- duced by the plant itself, which is beaten up for the purpose and attached to the part affected, thereby preventing inflamma- tion. To the decoction wine and honey are added, and in some cases, frankincense, pepper, and myrrh, in the proportion of one third of each ingredient; after which it is boiled again in a copper vessel, when required for tooth- ache or defluxions of the eyes. A decoction of the roots, in wine, is curative of griping pains in the bowels, strangury, and ulcerations of the bladder, and it disperses calculi. The seed is still more powerful as a diuretic,40 arrests looseness and vomiting, and is particularly 37 u Grass." The Triticum repens, or Paspalum dactylon of Linnaeus, our couch-grass. 33 This is probably quite a different production, being the Parnassia palustris, according to Dodonaeus ; but Fee is inclined to think that it is the Campanula rapunculus of Linnaeus, bell-flower or rampions. 39 Fee thinks that this appplies to the plant of Parnassus, and not to ' the common Gramen. 40 This property, Fee says, is still attributed to couch-grass. Chap. 119.] DACTFL03. 73 useful for wounds inflicted by dragons.41 There are some authorities which give the following prescription for the cure of scrofulous sores and inflamed tumours : — From one, two, or three stems, as many as nine joints must be removed, which must then be wrapped in black wool with the grease in it. The party who gathers them must do so fasting, and must then go, in the same state, to the patient's house while he is from home. When the patient comes in, the other must say to him three times, " I come fasting to bring a remedy to a fast- ing man;" and must then attach the amulet to his person, re- peating the same ceremony three consecutive days. The variety of this plant which has seven43 joints is considered a most excellent amulet for the cure of head-ache. For excru- ciating pains in the bladder, some recommend a decoction of gramen, boiled down in wine to one half, to be taken imme- diately after the bath. CHAP. 119. DACTYLOS; FIVE REMEDIES. There are some authorities who mention three varieties of the pointed gramen. That which has at the extremity five43 points at the utmost, is called "dactylos." Twisting these points together, persons introduce them into the nostrils and then withdraw them, with the view of preventing haemorrhage. The second kind, which resembles aizoon/4 is employed with axle-grease for whitlows and hangnails, and for fleshy excres- cences upon the nails : this also is called " dactylos," because it is so useful as a remedy for diseases of the fingers. The third45 kind, which is also known as " dactylos," is more diminutive, and is found growing upon walls or tiles. It has certain caustic properties, and arrests the progress of serpigi- nous ulcers. By placing a wreath of gramen round the head, bleeding at the nose is stopped. In Babylonia, it is said, the gramen4G which grows by the wayside is fatal to camels. 41 " Draconum." A peculiar kind of serpent. See Lucan's Pharsalia, B. ix. 11. 727-8. 42 No such variety is known. 43 Fee is somewhat at a loss as to its- identity, but thinks that it may be the Panicum sanguinale of Linmeus, or possibly the Cynodon dactykm. 44 See B. xix. c. 58, and B. xxv. c. 102. Possibly a Sedum or houseleek, Fee thinks ; certainly not a grass. 45 Fee queries whether this may not be the Poa rigida of Linnaus, hard meadow-grass. 46 An Euphorbia, Fee thinks. Ff PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. CHAP. 120. — FENTJGEEEK on SILICIA : THIHTY-OI^E KEMEDIES. NOT is fenugreek held in less esteem. By some it is known as " telis," by others as " carphos," and by others again as "buceras,"47 or " segoceras,"47 the produce of it bearing some resemblance to horns. Among us it is known as " silicia." The mode of sowing it we have already48 described on the appropriate occasion. Its properties are desiccative,49 emollient, and resolvent. A decoction of it is useful for many female maladies, indurations for instance, tumours, and contractions of the uterus ; in all which cases it is employed as a fomentation or used for a sitting-bath : it is serviceable also as an injection. It removes cutaneous eruptions on the face ; and a decoction of it, applied topically with nitre or vinegar, cures diseases of the spleen or liver. In cases of difficult labour, Diocles re- commends the seed pounded, in doses of one acetabulum, mixed with boiled50 must. After taking one third of the mix- ture, the patient must use a warm bath, and then, while in a perspiration, she must take another third, and, immediately after leaving the bath, the remainder — this, he says, will prove a most effectual means of obtaining relief. The same authority recommends fenugreek boiled, with barley or linseed, in hydromel, as a pessary for violent pains in the uterus : he prescribes it also as an external application for the lower regions of the abdomen. He speaks also of treating leprous sores and freckles with a mixture composed of equal proportions of sulphur and meal of fenugreek, recom- mending it to be applied repeatedly in the course of the day, due care being taken not to rub the part affected. For the cure of leprosy, Theodorus prescribes a mixture of fenugreek, and one fourth part of cleaned nasturtium, the whole to be steeped in the strongest vinegar. Damion used to give a potion by way of emmenagogue, consisting of half an aceta- bulum of fenugreek seed in nine cyathi of boiled must51 and water. There is no doubt too, that a decoction of it is re- markably useful for diseases of the uterus and for ulcerations 47 "Bull's horn" or "goat's horn." & In B.xviii. c. 39. 4a The seed contains a mucilage, and is considered emollient and resolvent. Till recently, Fenugreek was the base, Fee says, of a plaster held in high esteem. * 50 " Sapa." Grape-juice boiled down to one-third. 51 Chap. 120.] SUMMARY. 75 of the intestines, and that the seed is beneficial for affections of the joints and chest. Boiled with mallows and then taken in honied wine, fenugreek is extolled in the highest terms, as , serviceable for affections of the uterus and intestines. Indeed, the very steam that arises from the decoction may be produc- tive of considerable benefit. A decoction too of fenugreek seed is a corrective of the rank odours of the armpits. Meal of fenugreek, with wine and nitre, speedily removes ring-worm and dandriff of the head ; and a decoction of it in hydromel, with the addition of axle-grease, is used for the cure of diseases of the generative organs, inflamed tumours, imposthumes of the parotid glands, gout in the feet and hands, maladies of the joints, and denudations of the bones. Kneaded with vinegar, it effects the cure of sprains, and, boiled in oxymel only, it is used as a liniment for affections of the spleen. Kneaded with wine, it acts as a detergent upon carcinomatous sores ; after which, applied with hone}', it effects a perfect cure. A pottage too is made of this meal, which is taken for ulcera- tions of the chest and chronic coughs ; it is kept boiling a con- siderable time, in order to remove the bitterness,52 after which honey is added. We shall now proceed to speak of the plants which have gained a higher degree of reputation. SUMMARY. — Remedies, narratives, and observations, eleven hundred and seventy- six. ROMAN AUTHORS QUOTED. — C. Yalgius,53 Pompeius Lenaeus,54 Sextius Niger55 who wrote in Greek, Julius Eassus56 who wrote in Greek, Antonius Castor,57 Cornelius Celsus.58 FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED. — Theophrastus,59 Apollodorus,60 Democritus,61 Orpheus,62 Pythagoras,63 Mago,64 Menan- 52 Fee remarks, that in reality there is no bitterness in fenugreek. He suggests therefore, that the meaning maybe " offensive smell," that emitted by fenugreek being far from agreeable. 53 See end of B. xx. M See end of B. xiv. 55 See end of B. xii. 66 See end of B. xx. 51 See end of B. xx. 58 See end of B. vii. 59 See end of B. iii. 6° See end of B. xi. 61 See end of B. ii. 62 gee en(i Of 3. xx. 03 See end of B. ii. 6* See end of B. Yin. 76 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIV. dei165 who wrote the " Biochresta," Meander,66 Homer, He- siod,67 Musseus,68 Sophocles,69 Anaxilatis.70 MEDICAL AUTHORS QUOTED. — Mnesitheus,71 Callimachus,72 Phanias73 the physician, Timaristus,74 Simus,75 Hippo- crates,76 Chrysippus,77 Diocles,78 Ophelion,79 Heraclides,80 Hi- cesius,81 Dionysius,82 Apollodorus83 of Citium, Apollodorus84 of Tarentuin, Praxagoras,85 Plistonicus,86 Medius,87 Dieuches,88 Cleophantus,89 Philistion,90 Asclepiades,91 Crateuas,93 Petronius Diodotus,93 lollas,94 Erasistratus,95 Diagoras,86 Andreas, Mnesides,97 Epicharinus,58 Damion," Sosinienes,1 Tlepolemus,2 Metrodorus,8 Solon,4 Lycus,5 Olympias6 of Thebes, Philinus,7 Petrichus,8 Micton,9 Glaucias,10 Xenocrates.11 65 See end of B. xix. • 6G See end of B. viii. 67 See end of B. vii. e8 See end of B. xxi. 9 See end of B. xxi. 70 See end of B. xxi. See end of B. xxi. 72 See end of B. iv. See end of B. xxi. 74 See end of B. xxi. See end of B. xxi. 76 See end of B. vii. 77 See end of B. xx. ~8 See end of B. xx. 79 See end of B. xx. 80 Se.e end of B. xii. 81 See end of B. xxv. 82 See end of B. xxii. 63 See end of B. xx. 84 See end of B. xx. 85 See end of B. xx. £6 See end of B. xx. 87 See end of B. xx. S8 See end of B. xx. 83 See end of B. xx. 90 See end of B. xx. 91 See end of B. vil 92 See end of B. xx. 93 See end of B. xx. 94 See end of B. xii. 95 See end of B. xi. 96 See end of B. xii. 97 See end of B. xx. 98 See end of B. xii. ' 99 See end of B. xx. l See end of B. xx. 2 See end of B. xx. 3 See end of B. xx. 4 See end of B. xx. 5 See end of B. xx. 6 See end of B. xii. 7 See end of B xx. 8 See end of B. xx. 9 See end of B. xix. 10 See end of B. xx. u See end of B. xx. 12 See end of B. xx. 77 BOOK XXV. THE NATURAL, HISTORY OF THE WILD PLANTS. CHAP. 1. (1.) WHEN THE WILD PLANTS WERE FIRST BROUGHT INTO USE. THE more highly esteemed plants of which I am now about to speak, and which are produced by the earth for medicinal purposes solely, inspire me with admiration of the industry and laborious research displayed by the ancients. Indeed there is nothing that they have not tested by experiment or left untried ; no discovery of theirs which they have not disclosed, or which they have not been desirous to leave for the benefit of posterity. We, on the contrary, at the present day, make it our object to conceal and suppress the results of our labours, and to defraud our fellow- men of blessings even which have been purchased by others. For true it is, beyond all doubt, that those who have gained any trifling accession of knowledge, keep it to themselves, and envy the enjoyment of it by others; to leave mankind uninstructed being looked upon as the high prero- gative of learning. So far is it from being the habit with them to enter upon new fields of discovery, with the view of bene- fitting mankind at large, that for this long time past it has been the greatest effort of the ingenuity of each, to keep to himself the successful results of the experience of former ages, and so bury them for ever ! And yet, by Hercules ! a single invention before now has elevated men to the rank of gods ; and how many an individual has had his name immortalized in being bestowed upon some plant which he was the first to discover, thanks to the gratitude which prompted a succeeding age to make some adequate return ! If it had been expended solely upon the plants which are grown to please the eye, or which invite us by their nutrimental properties, this laborious research on the part of the ancients would not have been so surprising ; but in addition to this, we find them climbing by devious tracts to the very summit of mountains, penetrating to the very 78 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXV. heart of wilds and deserts, and searching into every vein and fibre of the earth — and all this, to discover the hidden virtues of every root, the properties of the leaf of every plant, and the various purposes to which they might be applied ; converting thereby those vegetable productions, which the very beasts of the field refuse to touch, into so many instruments for our welfare. CHAP. 2. (2.) THE LATIN AUTHORS WHO HAVE WRITTEN UPON THESE PLANTS. This subject has not been treated of by the writers in our own language so extensively as it deserves, eager as they have proved themselves to make enquiry into everything that is either meritorious or profitable. M. Cato, that great master in all useful knowledge, was the first, and, for a long time, the only author who treated of this branch1 of learning; and briefly as he has touched upon it, he has not omitted to make some mention of the remedial treatment of cattle. After him, another illustrious personage, C. Valgius,2 a man distinguished for his erudition, commenced a treatise upon the same subject, which he dedicated to the late Emperor Augustus, but left unfinished. At the beginning of his preface, replete as it is with a spirit df piety,3 he expresses a hope that the majestic sway of that prince may ever prove a most efficient remedy for all the evils to which mankind are exposed. CHAP. 3. AT WHAT PERIOD THE ROMANS ACQUIRED SOME KNOW- LEDGE OF THIS SUBJECT. The only4 person among us, at least so far as I have been able to ascertain, who had treated of this subject before the time of Yalgius, was Pompeius Lenseus,5 the freedman of Pompeius Magnus; and it was in his day, I find, that this branch of knowledge first began to be cultivated among us. Mithridates, the most powerful monarch of that period, and who was finally conquered by Pompeius, is generally thought to have been a 1 As Fee remarks, it is more as a writer upon Agriculture than upon Materia Medica, that Cato is entitled to the thanks of posterity. 2 See end of B. xx. 3 His piety, apparently, was tainted with adulation. 4 With the exception of Cato, of course. 5 See end of B. xiv. Cbap. 3.] THE EOMANS' FIKST KNOWLEDGE OF WILD PLANTS. 79 more zealous promoter of discoveries for the benefit of mankind, than any of his predecessors — a fact evinced not only by many positive proofs, but by universal report as well. It was he who first thought, the proper precautions being duly taken, of drinking poison every day ; it being his object, by becoming habituated to it, to neutralize its daugerous effects. This prince was the first discoverer too of the various kinds of anti- dotes, one 6 of which, indeed, still retains his name ; and it is generally supposed that he was the first to employ the blood of the ducks of Pontus as an ingredient in antidotes, from the circumstance that they derive their nutriment from poisons.7 It was to Mithridates that Asclepiades,8 that celebrated physician, dedicated his works, still extant, and sent them, as a substitute for his own personal attendance, when requested by that monarch to leave Rome and reside at his court. It is a well-known fact, that this prince was the only person that was ever able to converse in so many as two-and-twenty languages, and that, during the whole fifty-six years of his reign, he never required the services of an interpreter when conversing with any individuals of the numerous nations that were subject to his sway. Among the other gifts of extraordinary genius with which he was endowed, Mithridates displayed a peculiar fondness for enquiries into the medical art j and gathering items of informa- tion from all his subjects, extended, as they were, over a large proportion of the world, it was his hubit to make copies of their communications, and to take notes of the results which upon experiment had been produced. These memoranda, which he kept in his private cabinet,9 fell into the hands of Pompeius, when he took possession of the royal treasures ; who at once commissioned his freedman, Lenaeus the grammarian, to trans- late them into the Latin language : the result of which was, that his victory was equally conducive to the benefit of the republic and of mankind at large. 6 See c. 79 of this Book : also B. xxiii. c. 77, and B. xxix. c. 8. 7 A mere prejudice, arising from the fact that numerous poisonous plants grew in the countries on the shores of the Euxine. The blood of no animal whatever is an antidote to any poison, 8 See B. vii. c. 37. An interesting account of his system will be found in B. xxvi. c. 7. See also B. xxix. c. o. 9 See B. xxiii. c. 77. 80 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXY. CHAP. 4. GREEK AUTHORS WHO HATE DELINEATED THE PLANTS IN COLOURS. In addition to these, there are some Greek writers who have treated of this subject, and who have been already men- tioned on the appropriate occasions. Among them, Crateuas, Dionysius, and Hetrodorus, adopted a very attractive method of description, though one which has done little more than prove the remarkable difficulties which attended it. It was their plan to delineate the various plants in colours, and then to add in writing a description of the properties which they possessed. Pictures, however, are very apt to mislead, and more particularly where such a number of tints is required, for the imitation of nature with any success ; in addition to which, the diversity of copyists from the original paintings, and their comparative degrees of skill, add very considerably to the chances of losing the necessary degree of resemblance to the originals. And then, besides, it is not sufficient to de- lineate a plant as it appears at one period only, as it presents a different appearance at each of the four seasons of the year.10 CHAP. 5. THE FIRST GREEK AUTHORS WHO WROTE UPON PLANTS. Hence it is that other writers have confined themselves to a verbal description of the plants ; indeed some of them have not so much as described them even, but have contented them- selves for the most part with a bare recital of their names, considering it sufficient if they pointed out their virtues and properties to such as might feel inclined to make further en- quiries into the subject. Nor is this a kind of knowledge by any means difficult to ' obtain ; at all events, so far as re- gards myself, with the exception of a very few, it has been my good fortune to examine them all, aided by the scientific researches of Antonius Castor,11 who in our time enjoyed the highest reputation for an intimate acquaintance with this branch of knowledge. I had the opportunity of visiting his garden, in which, though he had passed his hundredth year, he cultivated vast numbers of plants with the greatest care. Though he had reached this great age, he had never experienced 10 The four great changes in plants, though not always at the four seasons of the year, are the budding and foliation, the blossoming, the fructification, and the fall of the leaf. n See end of B. xx. Chap. 5.] GREEK AUTHORS WHO H AYE WEITTEN ON PLANTS. 81 any bodily ailment, and neither his memory nor his natural vigour had been the least impaired by the lapse of time. There was nothing more highly admired than an intimate knowledge of plants, in ancient times. It is long since the means were discovered of calculating before-hand, not only the day or the night, but the very hour even at which au eclipse of the sun or moon is to take place ; and yet the greater part of the lower classes still remain firmly persuaded that these phenomena are brought about by compulsion, through the agency of herbs and enchantments, and that the knowledge of this art is confined almost exclusively to females. What country, in fact, is not filled with the fabulous stories about Medea of Colchis and other sorceresses, the Italian Circe in particular, who has been elevated to the rank of a divinity even ? It is with reference to her, I am of opinion, that ^Eschylus,12 one of the most ancient of the poets, asserts that Italy is covered with plants endowed with potent effects, and that many writers say the same of Circeii,13 the pla<;e of her abode. Another great proof too that such is the case, is the fact, that the nation of the Marsi,14 descendants of a son of Circe, are well known still to possess the art of taming ser- pents. Homer, that great parent of the learning and traditions of antiquity, while extolling the fame of Circe in many other respects, assigns to Egypt the glory of having first discovered the properties of plants, and that too at a time when the portion of that country which is now watered by the river Nilus was not in existence, having been formed at a more recent period by the alluvion15 of that river. At all events, he states16 that numerous Egyptian plants were sent to the Helena of his story, by the wife of the king of that country, together with the celebrated nepenthes,17 which ensured oblivion of all sorrows and forgetfulness of the past, a potion which Helena was to administer to all mortals. The first person, however, of whom the remembrance has come down to us, as having 12 There is little doubt that he alludes to the passage of jEschylus, quoted by Theophrastus, Hist. Plant. B. ix. c. 15. Tvpprjvwv -ytviav QapfiaicoTroibv iQvoQ — " The race of the Tyrrheni, a drug-preparing nation.'* 13 See B. ii. c. 87, B. iii, c. 9, B. xv. c. 36, and B. xxxii. c. 21. 14 See B. vii. c. 2. ]5 See B. ii. c. 87. 16 Od. iv. 228, et seq. 17 See B. xxi. c, 91. VOL. V. 8 82 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXV. treated with any degree of exactness on the subject of plants, is Orpheus ; and next to him Musaeus and Hesiod, of whose admiration of the plant called polium we have already made some mention on previous occasions.18 Orpheus and Hesiod too we find speaking in high terms of the efficacy of fumiga- tions. Homer also speaks of several other plants by name, of which we shall have occasion to make further mention in their appropriate places. In later times again, Pythagoras, that celebrated philosopher, was the first to write a treatise on the properties of plants, a work in which he attributes the origin and discovery of them to Apollo, ^Esculapius, and the immortal gods in general. Demoeritus too, composed a similar work. Both of these philo- sophers had visited the magicians of Persia, Arabia, ^Ethiopia, and Egypt, and so astounded were the ancients at their recitals, as to learn to make assertions which transcend all belief. Xanthus, the author of some historical works, tells us, in the first of them, that a young dragon19 was restored to life by its parent through the agency of a plant to which he gives the name of " ballis," and that one Tylon, who had been killed by a dragon, was restored to life and health by similar means. Juba too assures us that in Arabia a man was resuscitated by the agency of a certain plant. Demoeritus has asserted — and Theophrastus believes it — that there is a certain herb in existence, which, upon being carried thither by a bird, the name of which we have already20 given, has the effect, by the contact solely, of instantaneously drawing a wedge from a tree, when driven home by the shepherds into the wood. These marvels, incredible as they are, excite our admiration nevertheless, and extort from us the admission that, making all due allowance, there is much in them that is based on truth. Hence it is too that I find it the opinion of most writers, that there is nothing which cannot be effected by the agency of plants, but that the properties of by far the greater part of them remain as yet unknown. In the number of these was Herophilus, a celebrated physician, a saying of whose is reported, to the effect that some plants may possibly exercise a beneficial influence, if only trodden under foot. Be this as it may, it has been remarked more than once, that wounds and 18 See B. xxi. cc. 21, 84. 19 Or serpent. 20 In B. x. c. 20. Chap. 6.] MEDICINAL PLANTS. 83 maladies are sometimes inflamed21 upon the sudden approach of persons who have been journeying on foot. CHAP. 6. WHY A FEW OF THE PLANTS ONLY HAVE BEEN USED MEDICINALLY. PLANTS, THE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF WHICH HAVE BEEN MIRACULOUSLY DISCOVERED. THE CYNORRHODOS : TWO REMEDIES. THE PLANT CALLED DRACUNCULUS I ONE REMEDY. THE BRITANNICA I FIVE REMEDIES. Such was the state of medical knowledge in ancient times, wholly concealed as it was in the language of the Greeks. But the main reason why the medicinal properties of most plants remain still unknown, is the fact that they have been tested solely by rustics and illiterate people, such being the only class of persons that live in the midst of them : in addition to which, so vast is the multitude of medical men always at hand, that the public are careless of making any enquiries about them. Indeed, many of those plants, the medicinal properties of which have been discovered, are still destitute of names — such, for instance, as the one which we mentioned'22 when speak- ing of the cultivation of grain, and which we know for certain will have the effect of keeping birds away from the crops, if buried at the four corners of the field. But the most disgraceful cause of all, why so few simples are known, is the fact that those even who are acquainted with them are unwilling to impart their knowledge ; as though, forsooth, they should lose for ever anything that they might think fit to communicate to others ! Added to all this, there is no well- ascertained method to guide us to the acquisition of this kind of knowledge ; for, as to the discoveries that have been made already, they have been due, some of them, to mere accident, and others again, to say the truth, to the interposition of the Deity. Down to our own times, the bite of the mad dog, the symp- toms of which are a dread of water and an aversion to every kind of beverage, was incurable ;23 and it was only recently that 21 Most probably by the agency of " feverish expectation " on the part of the patient. 22 In B. xviii. c. 45. 23 As Fee remarks, this dreadful malady is still incurable, notwithstand- ing the eulogiums which have been lavished upon the virtues of the Scu- tellaria laterifolia of Linnaeus, the Alisma pJantago, Genista tinctoria, and other plants, as specifics for its cure. G2 84 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTOET. [Book XXV. the mother of a soldier who was serving in the praetorian guard, received a warning in a dream, to send her son the root of the wild rose, known as the cynorrhodos,24 a plant the beauty of which had attracted her attention in a shrubbery the day before, and to request him to drink the extract of it. The army was then serving in Lacetania, the part of Spain which lies nearest to Italy ; and it so happened that the soldier, having been bitten by a dog, was just beginning to manifest a horror of water when his mother's letter reached him, in which she entreated him to obey the words of this divine warning. He accordingly complied with her request, and, against all hope or expectation, his life was saved ; a result25 which has been experienced by all who have since availed them- selves of the same resource. Before this, the cynorrhodos had been only recommended by writers for one medicinal purpose ; the spongy excrescences, they say, which grow26 in the midst of its thorns, reduced to ashes and mixed with honey, will make the hair grow again when it has been lost by alopecy . I know too, for a fact, that in the same province there was lately discovered in the land belonging to a person with whom I was staying, a stalked plant, the name given to which was dracunculus.27 This plant, about an inch in thickness, and spotted with various colours, like a viper's skin, was generally reported to be an effectual preservative against the sting of all kinds of serpents. I should remark, however, that it is a different plant from the one of the same name of which mention has been made in the preceding Book,28 having altogether another shape and appear- ance. There is also another marvellous property belonging to it : in spring, when the serpents begin to cast their slough, it shoots up from the ground to the height of about a couple of feet, and again, when they retire for the winter it conceals itself within the earth, nor is there a serpent to be seen so long as it remains out of sight. Even if this plant did nothing else but warn us of impending danger, and tell us when to be on our guard, it could not be looked upon otherwise than as a beneficent provision made by Nature in our behalves. 24 Dog-rose, or eglantine. See B. via. c. 63. 25 An unwarranted assertion, no doubt. 26 He alludes to a substance known to us as " bedeguar," a kind of gall-nut, produced by the insect called Cynips rosae. 27 Or " little dragon." The Arum dracunculus of Linnaeus. See B. xxiy. cc. 91, 93. 28 jn c. 93. Chap. 6.] THE BlilTANNICA. 85 (3.) It is not, however, the animals only that are endowed with certain baneful and noxious properties, but, sometimes, waters29 even, and localities as well. Upon one occasion, in his German campaign, Germanicus Caesar had pitched his camp beyond the river Ehenus ; the only fresh water to be obtained being that of a single spring in the vicinity of the sea-shore. It was found, however, that within two years the habitual use of this water was productive of loss of the teeth and a total relaxation of the joints of the knees : the names given to these maladies, by medical men, were " stomacace"30 and " sceloturbe." A remedy for them was discovered, however, in the plant known as the " britannica,"31 which is good, not only for diseases of the sinews and mouth, but for quinzy32 also, and injuries inflicted by serpents. This plant has dark oblong leaves and a swarthy root : the name given to the flower of it is " vibones,"33 and if it is gathered and eaten before thunder has been heard, it will ensure safety in every respect. The Frisii, a nation then on terms of friendship with us, and within whose territories the Roman army was encamped, pointed out this plant to our soldiers : the name34 given to it, however, 29 As Fee remarks, the influence of water impregnated with selenite upon the health is well known. 30 Fee says that this disease was an " intense gastritis, productive of a fetid breath." It would seem, however, to be neither more nor less than the malady now known as " scurvy of the gums." Galen describes the "sceloturbe," as a kind of paralysis. "Stomacace" means " disease of the mouth ;" " sceloturbe " ** disease of the legs." 31 Sprengel and Desfontaines identify it with the Runiex aquaticus, but Fee considers it to be the Inula Britannica of Linnaeus. The Statice armeria, Statice plantaginea, and Polygonum persicaria have also been suggested. 32 The pseudo-Apuleius, in B. xxix. t. 7, says, that if gathered before thunder has been heard, it will be a preservative against quinzy for a whole year. 33 The flower of the Inula Britannica, Fee says, is much more likely, from its peculiarities, to have merited a peculiar name, than that of the Rumex. 34 Lipsius, in his Commentaries upon Tacitus, Ann. i. 63, has very satisfactorily shown that it did not derive its name from the islands of Britain, but from a local appellation, the name given by the natives to the marshy tracts upon the banks of the Ems, between Lingen and Covoerden, which are still known as the " Bretaasche Heyde." Munting and Poiii- sinet de Sivry suggest that it may have received its name from being used as a strengthener of the teeth in their sockets, being compounded of the words tann, " tooth," and brita, " to break." surprises nu ^-auod Nvaiise tho s> Ml} soparaiod by th by Uus namo from t a'imnda.iuv. that is (|' oi. Urilaunia N\as s:: 7. — WHAT JftSU N V\:KS oy VJ-USONS that has boon dono oov'asion to snow :-v Uiado tho dlSOOYOrY it is far from imj look upon thoso ivs f;;l to a Mfo of oas, SnH. ho\vovoi\ i place thoso plar.:s in tho \u mitv, and Ht&tD "un rur o,uvuTsrruN. v;soo\i ur- vvvoi s n VMS. ort of ambition, as it wt^iv. of pon them one's name, a thins? gseven»MW*ahaU a thing did it appear to have ,t. ai-.vi thus far to ha\o i-ontri- At tho pivsont day. ho\vo\or, ;'\ i\' !r..-.\ bo sor.\o NN ;:o \\ ill plojred: in taking a reyiew of which one< than bewail the unhappy lot of mankind »T*TJ bo:;v is bnn-;:^ wi:h il. to thousand menace the existence of each mortal bein almost an act of folly to attempt to detormi diseases is attended with the most excmc ftyat ox cry ono is of opinion that tho mal the moment he himself is afflicted, is the and insupportable. The general e*perien< pivson! a^o lias oomo to tho oonolnsion, that calculiin the bladder ; next to them, those of the stomach 5 and in the IV pains and art'ovtions of tho hoad ; for it is V .»»V Vt» I ladies naina Ami thcartfore unknown, thw Book. 87 o castffl, wo find, it patient-. rwu p'-nt, I am r.urprr-ed that the Or< • ' gono HO f lantt V: Under I do not m< -:jrj th' -, plants merely ; for such is OUT ri of lib; that death of men. \V< use of a somewhat peaks of S .odius,Ma memher of tne !•/]',< illy tormented wit.li £out, that he had ) :i poisons, nsa- the / that frofl tha* fion, orjii.'ijjy with all pain, | }>'>dy. J*iit wliat oxou'-.' ! world ,'irf|uai.']t<:!ants which WTO made for tho bo-riofit of manJ tho propr-rtios of whioh I rod in th'. I time-. MIAP. 8. (4.) — MOI.V : 'J n HEE KEMKDIES. According to Horn' r/*'1 the mo-t r:el<:hr;. that, which, according to him, is known as moly41 a: •;f: tho ca«e of M. ACTippa, rm .-ritjon^l in 1i. xxiii. c. 27. -'' Said, by Plutarch, to haw: b«:<-n a"' of thiH plant, and CO! 88 the stalk of it, they say, is a cubit in length, branchy, and covered from the bottom with leaves somewhat smaller than those of fennel. Other authorities, however, while admitting that this last plant is good for wounds, affirm that the genuine achilleos has a bluish stem a foot in length, 83 B. xxvi. cc, 74, 76, 89, 84 Both stories are equally improbable. 85 See B. xxxiv. c. 45. 86 The weapons in early time, it must be remembered, were made of copper or bronze. 87 The third Sideritis of Dioscorides is thought to be the same with the Heracleon siderion of c. 15 of this Book. Pliny evidently confounds the Achillea and the Sideritis, totally different plants. The Achillea is identified by Fee with the Achillea tomentosa or abrotonifolia of Linnaeus. As to the Sideritis, see B. xxvi. c. 12. The real Panaces heracleon has been mentioned >in c. 12 of this Book. 83 Or_ •"« Thousand leaves," probably identical with the Achillea mille- folium of Linnseus, milfoil or yarrow. See B. xxiv. c. 95. Chap. 20.] THE TEUCRICW. 95 destitute of branches, and elegantly clothed all over with isolated leaves of a round form. Others again, maintain that it has a squared stem, that the heads of it are small and like those of horehound,89 and that the leaves are similar to those of the quercus — they say too, that this last has the property of uniting the sinews when cut asunder. Another statement is, that the sideritis90 is a plant that grows on garden walls, and that it emits, when bruised, a fetid smell ; that there is also another plant, very similar to it, but with a whiter and more unctuous leaf, a more delicate stem, and mostly found growing in vineyards. They speak also of another91 sideritis, with a stem two cubits in length, and diminutive branches of a triangular shape : the leaf, they say, resembles that of fern, and has a long footstalk, the seed being similar to that of beet. All these plants, it is said, are remarkably good for the treatment of wounds. The one with the largest leaf is known among us by the name of "scopae regiae,"9* and is used for the cure of quinzy in swine. CHAP. 20. — THE TEUCKION, HEMIONION, OK SPLENION : TWO REMEDIES. At the same period also, Teucer discovered the teucrion, a plant known to some as the " hemionion."93 It throws out thin rush-like stems, with diminutive leaves, and grows in rugged, uncultivated spots : the taste of it is rough, and it never blossoms or produces seed. It is used for the cure of affections of the spleen,91 and it is generally understood that its properties were discovered in the following manner : — The entrails of a victim having been placed upon this plant, it attached itself to the milt, and entirely consumed it ; 95 a 89 "Marrubii." 90 "Ironwork" The third Sideritis of Dioscorides, above mentioned. See c. 15 of this Book. See also B. xxvi. cc. 12 and 88. 91 Identified by Desfontaines with the Sanguisorba officinalis of Linnaeus. 92 " lloyal broom," identified by many commentators with the Cheno- podium seoparia of Linnaeus. 93 Or "mule-plant." It is identified by Fee with the Asplenion eete- rach, or Ceterach officinarum of Linnaeus, the Ceterach, a fern, and a dif- ferent plant from the Teucrium of B. xxiv. c. SO, or Germander. 94 Hence its name, " Aspleniurn." 95 " Exinanisse." A fable, of course. 96 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXV. property to which it is indebted for the name of " splenion," given to it by some. It is said too, that swine which have fed upon the root of this plant are found to have no milt. Some authors give this name also to a ligneous plant,96 with branches like those of hyssop, and a leaf resembling that of the bean ; they say too, that it should be gathered while in blossom, from which we may conclude that they entertain no doubt that it does blossom. That which grows on the moun- tains of Cilicia and Pisidia is more particularly praised by them. CHAP. 21. MELAMPODIUM, HELLEBORE, OR VERATRUM: THREE VARIETIES OF IT. THE WAY IN WHICH IT IS GATHERED, AJS'D HOW THE QUALITY OF IT IS TESTED. The repute of Melarnpus, as being highly skilled in the arts of divination, is universally known. This personage has given a name to one species of hellebore, known as the " rnelampodion." Some persons, however, attribute the discovery of this plant to a shepherd of that name, who remarked that his she-goats were violently purged after browsing upon it, and afterwards cured the daughters of Prcetus of madness, by giving them the milk of these goats. It will be the best plan, therefore, to take this opportunity of treating of the several varieties of hellebore. The two principal kinds are the white97 and the black ;98 though, according to most authorities, this difference exists in the root only. There are some authors, however, who assure us that the leaves of the black hellebore are similar to those of the plane-tree, only darker, more diminutive, and more jagged at the edges : and who say, that the white hel- lebore has leaves like those of beet when first shooting, though at the same time of a more swarthy colour, with reddish veins on the under side. The stem, in both kinds, is feru- laceous, a palm" in height, and covered with coats like those of the bulbs, the root, too, being fibrous like that of the onion.1 96 The Teucrium lucidum of Linnaeus : though, as Fee says, there is little similarity between it and hyssop, or between its leaves and those of the bean. See B. xxiv. c. 80. 97 Identified by Fe'e with the Veratrum album and Veratrum nigrum of Linnaeus, species between which there is little difference. 98 Identified by Tournefort with the Helleborus niger of Lamarck. Littre mentions the Helleborus orientalis of Linnaus. 09 The stem of white hellebore is much longer than this. 1 This comparison with the onion, Fee says, is altogether inexact. Chap. 21.] HELLEBORE. 97 The black hellebore kills horses, oxen, and swine ; hence it is that those animals avoid it, while they eat the white2 kind. The proper time, thay say, for gathering this last, is harvest. It grows upon Mount (Eta in great abundance ; and the best of all is that found upon one spot on that mountain, in the vicinity of Pyra. The black hellebore is found growing every- where, but the best is that of Mount Helicon ; which is also equally celebrated for the qualities of its other plants. The white hellebore of Mount (Eta is the most highly esteemed, that of Pontus occupying the second place, and the produce of Elea the third ; which last, it is generally said, grows in the vineyards there. The fourth rank is held by the, white hellebore of Mount Parnassus, though it is often adulter with that of the neighbouring districts of ^Etolia. Of these kinds it is the black hellebore that is known as the •' melampodium :" it is used in fumigations, attd for the purpose of purifying houses ; cattle, too, are sprinkled^with it, a certain form of prayer being repeated. This last plant, too, is gathered with more numerous ceremonies than the okher : a circle is first traced around it with a sword, after which, the person about to cut it turns towards the East, and offers up a prayer, entreating permission of the gods to do so. At the same time he observes whether an eagle is in sight — for mostly while the plant is being gathered that bird is near at hand — and if one should chance to fly close at hand, it is looked upon as a presage that he will die within the year. The white hellebore, too, is gathered not without difficulty, as it is very oppressive to the head ; more particularly if the precaution has not been used of eating garlic first, and of drinking wine every now and then, care being taken to dig up the plant as speedily as possible. Some persons call the black hellebore "ectomon,"3 and others " polyrrhizon :" it purges4 by stool, while the white hellebore acts as an emetic, and so carries off what might other- wise have given rise to disease. In former days hellebore was regarded with horror, but more recently the use5 of it has be- come so familiar, that numbers of studious men are in the 2 If he would imply that they do this without inconvenience, the state- ment, Fee says, is incorrect. 3 " Cut off," and " With many roots." 4 Hellebore is no longer used, except in veterinary medicine. 5 Petronius Arbiter says that the philosopher Chrysippus used it. VOL. V. H 98 PLDHT'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXV. habit of taking it for the purpose of sharpening the intellectual powers required by their literary investigations. Carneades, for instance, made use of hellebore when about to answer the treatises of Zeno ; Drusus 6 too, among us, the most famous of all the tribunes of the people, and whom in particular the public, rising from their seats, greeted with loud applause — to whom also the patricians imputed the Marsic war — is well known to have been cured of epilepsy in the island of Anti- cyra ;6* a place at which it is taken with more safety than else- where, from the fact of sesamoides being combined with it, as already7 stated. In Italy the name given to it is " veratrum." These kinds of hellebore, reduced to powder and taken alone, or else in combination with radicula, a plant used, as already mentioned,8 for washing wool, act as a sternutatory, and are both of them productive of narcotic effects. The thinnest and shortest roots are selected, and among them the lower parts in particular, which have all the appearance of having been cut short ;9 for, aa to the upper part, which is the thickest, and bears a resemblance to an onion, it is given to dogs only, as a purgative. The ancients used to select those roots the rind of which was the most fleshy, from an idea that the pith extracted therefrom was of a more refined10 nature. This substance they covered with wet sponges, and, when it began to swell, used to split it longitudinally with a needle ; which done, the fila- ments were dried in the shade, for future use. At the present day, however, the fibres11 of the root with the thickest rind are selected, and given to the patient just as they are. The best hellebore is that which has an acrid, burning taste, and when broken, emits a sort of dust. It retains its efficacy, they say, so long as thirty years. CHAP. 22. TWENTY-FOUR EEMEDIES DERIVED FROM BLACK HELLE- BORE. HOW IT SHOULD BE TAKEN. Elack hellebore is administered for the cure of paralysis, insanity, dropsy — provided there is no fever — chronic gout, and diseases of the joints : it has the effect too, of carrying 6 M. Livius Drusus. See B. xxviii. c. 42, and B. xxxiii. c. 6. 6* Anticyra in Phocis was a peninsula, not an island. • In B. xxii. c. 64. 8 In B. xix. c. 18. 9 Hence the Greek name "ectomon. 10 "Tenuior." 11 This is the meaning assigned by Hardouin to the word "ramulos." Holland renders it "small shoots " or " slips," and he is probably right. Chap. 23.] WHITE HELLEBORE. 99 off the bilious secretions and morbid humours by stool. It is given also in water as a gentle aperient, the proportion being one drachma at the very utmost, and four oboli for a moderate dose. Some authorities have recomended mixing scammony with it, but sa]t is looked upon as more safe. If given in any considerable quantity in combination with a sweet substance, it is highly dangerous : used in the form of a fomentation, it disperses films upon the eyes ; and hence it is that some medical men have pounded it and used it for an eye-salve. It ripens and acts detergently upon scrofulous sores, suppurations, and indurated tumours, as also upon fistulas, but in this latter case it must be removed at the end of a couple of days. In com- bination with copper filings12 and sandarach, it removes warts ; and it is applied to the abdominal regions, with barley-meal and wine, in cases of dropsy. This plant is employed for the cure of pituitous defluxions in cattle and beasts of burden, a slip of it being passed13 through the ear, and removed at the same hour on the fol- lowing day. With frankincense also, wax, and pitch, or else pisselaeon,14 it is used for the cure of itch in quadrupeds. CHAP. 23. TWENTY- THEE E REMEDIES DERIVED FROM WHJTE HELLEBORE. The best white hellebore is that which acts most speedily as a sternutatory ; but it would seem to be a much more formid- able16 plant than the black kind ; more particularly if we read in the ancient authors the precautions used by those about to take it, against cold shiverings, suffocation, unnatural drowsiness, continuous hiccup or sneezing, derangements of the stomach, and vomitings, either retarded or prolonged, too sparing or in excess. Indeed, it was generally the practice to administer other substances to promote vomiting, and to carry off the hellebore by the aid of purgatives or clysters, while bleeding even was frequently had recourse to. In addition to all this, however successful the results may prove, the symptoms by which it is attended are really most alarming, by reason of 2 " Squama aeris." 13 See a similar statement as to Consiligo, in B. xxvi. c. 21. 14 See B. xv. c. 7, and B. xxiv. c. 11. 15 Its properties, Fee says, are not more active than those of black helle- bore. H 2 100 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [BooTc XXV. the various colours which the matter vomited presents : besides which, after the vomiting has subsided, the physician has to pay the greatest attention to the nature of the alvine evacu- ations, the due and proper use of the bath, and the general regimen adopted by the patient ; all of them inconveniences in themselves, and preceded by the terrors naturally inspired by the character of the drug ; for one story is, that it has the property of consuming flesh, if boiled with it. The great error,16 however, on the part of the ancients was, that in consequence of these fears, they used to give it too sparingly, the fact being, that the larger the dose, the more speedily it passes through the body. Themison used to give no more than two drachmae, but at a later period as much as four drachmae was administered ; in conformity with the cele- brated eulogium passed upon it by Herophilus,17 who was in the habit of comparing hellebore to a valiant general, and saying, that after it has set in motion all within, it is the first to sally forth and show the way. In addition to these particulars, there has been a singular discovery made : the hellebore which, as we have already stated, has been cut with a small pair of scissors,18 is passed through a sieve, upon which the pith makes its way through, while the outer coat remains behind. The latter acts as a purgative, while the former is used for the purpose of arresting vomiting when that evacuation is in excess. CHAP. 24. EIGHTY-EIGHT OBSERVATIONS UPON THE TWO KINDS OF HELLEBORE. In order to secure a beneficial result, due precautions must be taken not to administer hellebore in cloudy weather ; for if given at such a time, it is sure to be productive of excruciating agonies. Indeed there is no doubt that summer is a better time for giving it than winter : the body too, by an abstinence from wine, must be prepared for it seven days previously, emetics being taken on the fourth and third days before, and 1(5 Fee remarks, that they showed their wisdom in this. 17 Herophilus, it must be remembered, lived a considerable time before Themison. js 4< Porficulis." He probably refers to c. 21, where, however, he has mentioned only a needle — " acus." It is possibly a lapsus memoria oil his part. Chap. 25.] HELLEBORE. 101 the patient going without his evening meal the previous day. White hellebore, too, is administered in a sweet19 medium, though lentils or pottage are found to be the best for the pur- pose* There has been a plan also, lately discovered, of splitting a radish, and inserting the hellebore in it, after which the sections are pressed together ; the object being that the strength of the hellebore may be incorporated with the radish, and mo- dified thereby. At the end of about four hours it generally begins to be brought up again ; and within seven it has operated to the full extent. Administered in this manner, it is good for epilepsy, as already20 stated, vertigo, melancholy, insanity, delirium, white elephantiasis, leprosy, tetanus, palsy, gout, dropsy, in- cipient tympanitis, stomachic affections, cynic spasms,21 sciatica, quartan fevers which defy all other treatment, chronic coughs, flatulency, and recurrent gripings in the bowels. CHAP. 25. TO WHAT PERSONS HELLEBORE SHOULD NEVER BE ADMINISTERED. It is universally recommended not to give hellebore to aged people or children, to persons of a soft and effeminate habit of body or mind, or of a delicate or tender constitution. It is given less frequently too to females than to males ; and persons of a timorous disposition are recommended not to take it : the same also, in cases where the viscera are ulcerated or tumefied, and more particularly when the patient is afflicted with spitting of blood, or with maladies of the side or fauces. Hellebore is ap- plied, too, externally, with salted axle-grease, to morbid eruptions of the body and suppurations of long standing : mixed with polenta, it destroys rats and mice. The people of Gaul, when hunting, tip their arrows with hellebore, taking care to cut away the parts about the wound in the animal so slain : the flesh, they say, is all the more tender for it. Flies are destroyed with white hellebore, bruised and sprinkled about a place with milk : phthiriasis is also cured by the use of this mixture. 19 This he has stated to be attended with danger, in the case of black hellebore, should the dose be too strong. 20 In c. 21 of this Book. 21 Twitchings of the mouth, which cause the patient to show his teeth, like a dog-. 102 PLINY'S FATTJEAL HISTORY. [Book XXV. CHAP. 26. (6.) — THE MITHRIDATIA. Crateuas ascribes the discovery of one plant to Mithridates himself, the name of which is " rnithridatia."22 Near the root it has two leaves resembling those of the acanthus, between which it puts forth a stem supporting a flower at the extre- mity, like a rose. CHAP. 27. THE SCOBDOTIS OK SCORDION I FOUR REMEDIES. Lenaeus attributes to Mithridates the discovery of another plant, the scordotis23 or scordion, which has been described, he tells us, by the hand even of that prince. This plant, he says, is a cubit in height, and has a square stem, branchy, covered with downy leaves, and resembling the quercus24 in appearance : it is found growing in Pontus, in rich, humid soils, and has a bitter taste. There is another25 variety also of this plant, with a larger leaf, and resembling wild mint in appearance. They are both of them used for numerous purposes, both individually and in combination with other ingredients, as antidotes. CHAP. 28. THE POLEMONIA, PHILETJERIA, OR CHHJODYNAMUS ! SIX REMEDIES. The polemonia26 is known as the " philetaeria" by some, in consequence of the contest which has arisen between certain kings for the honour of its discovery. The people of Cappa- docia also give it the name of " chiliodynamus."27 The root of it is substantial, and it has slender branches, with umbels 22 Caesalpinus identifies it with the Erythronium dens canis of Linnaeus, and Commerson and Schreiber with the Dorstenia tambourissa of Sonnerat. Fee is probably right in considering its synonym as still unknown. 23 Hardouin identifies it with the Stachys Gernianica, Linnaeus and Sprengel with the Nepeta scordotis of Linnaeus, and Fee with the Stachys Palaestina. 24 Fee remarks, that none of the plants mentioned in the last Note bear any resemblance to the " quercus," or oak. 25 Probably tue Teucrium scorodonia of Linnaeus, Fee says ; though, as he remarks, the description might apply to many of the Labiatae. 26 Its names were derived from Poleraon, a king of Pontus, and Phile- taerus, a king of Cappadocia. It is generally identified with the Pole- monium caeruleum of Linnaeus, Greek valerian, or Jacob's ladder. M. Fraas suggests that it may be the Hypericum Olympicum of Linnaeus, with which he also identifies the Panaces chironion. '£ " With a thousand virtues." Chap. 30.] CENTAURIOHT. 103 hanging from the extremities, and a black seed. In other respects, it bears a resemblance to rue, and is found growing in mountainous localities. CHAP. 29. — THE ETJPATOBIA: ONE BEMEDY. The eupatoria28 also is a plant under royal patronage. The stem of it is ligneous, hairy, and swarthy, and a cubit or more in length. The leaves, arranged at regular intervals, resemble those of cinquefoil or hemp ; they have five indentations at the edge, and are swarthy like the stem, and downy. The root is never used. The seed, taken in wine, is a sovereign, remedy for dysentery. CHAP. 30. CENTATJKION OR CHIRONION : TWENTY REMEDIES. Centaury,29 it is said, effected a cure for Chiron, on the occasion when, while handling the arms of Hercules, his guest, he let one of the arrows fall upon his foot : hence it is that by some it is called " chironion." The leaves of it are large and oblong, serrated at the edge, and growing in thick tufts from the root upwards. The stems, some three cubits in height and jointed, bear heads resembling those of the poppy. The root is large and spreading, of a reddish, colour, tender and brittle, a couple of cubits in length, and full of a bitter juice, somewhat inclining to sweet. This plant grows in rich soils upon declivities ; the best in quality being that of Arcadia, Elis, Messenia, Mount Pholoe, and Mount Lyca3us : it grows also upon the Alps, and in numerous other localities, and in Lycia they prepare a lycium30 from it. So remarkable are its properties for closing wounds, that pieces of meat even, it is said, are soldered together, when boiled with it. The root is the only part in use, being administered in dt>ses of two drachmae in the several cases hereafter31 men- 28 So called probably from a king Eupator. Sprengel and Desfontaines identify it with the Agrimonia eupatorium, but Fee prefers the Eupatorium cannabinum of Linnaeus, relying upon the description given by Dioscorides. B. iv. c. 41. 29 Fee considers this to be the same with the Panacea centaurion or Pharnaceon of c. 14 of this Book, the greater Centaury. Littre also names the Centaurea centaureum of Linnasus. 30 See B. xii. c. 15. B. xxiii. cc. 58, 60, and B. xxiv. c. 77, for a pre- paration with a similar name, but, as Fee says, of an entirely different character. 31 In B. xxvi. cc, 15, 19, 34, 55, 66, 76, 85, and 91. 104 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOBT. [Book XXV. tioned. If, however, the patient is suffering from fever, it should be bruised and taken in water, wine being used in other cases. A decoction of the root is equally useful for all the same purposes. CHAP. 31. THE CENTATJRION LEPTON, OR LIBADION, KNOWN ALSO AS FEL TERR3J : TWENTY-TWO REMEDIES. There is another centaury also, with diminutive leaves, known by the additional name of " lep ton."32 By some per- sons it is called "libadion,"33 from the circumstance that it grows upon the borders of fountains. It is similar to origanum in appearance, except that the leaves are narrower and longer. The stem is angular, branchy, and a palm in height ; the flower is like that of the lychnis,34 and the root is thin, and never used. It is in the juice that its medicinal properties are centred: it being gathered in the autumn, and the juice extracted from the leaves. Some persons cut up the stalks, and steep them for some eighteen days in water, and then extract the juice. In Italy this kind of centaury is known as "gall55 of the earth," from its extreme bitterness. The Gauls give it the name of " exacum ;"36 from the circumstance that, taken in drink, it purges off all noxious substances by alvine evacuation. CHAP. 32. — THE CENTAURIS TRIORCHIS : TWO REMEDIES. There is a third kind of centaury also, known as the " centauris triorchis."37 It is but rarely that a person cuts it without wounding himself. The juice emitted is just the colour of blood.38 Theophrastus relates that this plant is under 32 Or "small" centaury. Probably the Chironia centaureum of Smith, Flor. Brit. , our Felwort. Littre names the Ery thraea centaureum of Persoon . 33 From Xipades, " flowing streams." 31 See B. xxi. cc. 10, 39, and 98, also c. 80 of this Book. 35 " Fel terrae." 35 A word of Celtic origin, most probably, and not from the Greek, as Pintianus supposes. 37 Theophrastus, as stated by Pliny, in B. ix. c. 9, says that centaury is protected by the "triorchis"' (see B. x. cc. 95, 96), and Pliny in trans- lating the passage has made a mistake as to a third kind. Fee is probably right in his conjecture that the Gentaurea centaureum is meant ; though Brotier and Desfontaines look upon this as being a distinct plant, and identify it with the Rumex sanguineus of Linnaeus. 38 The root of the greater centaury, Fee remarks, is of a deep red wi thin. Chap. 34.1 GENTIAN. 105 the protection of the triorchis, a kind of hawk, which attacks those who gather it ; a circumstance to which it owes its name. Ignorant39 persons are in the habit of confounding all these characteristics, and attributing them to the centaury first named. CHAP. 33. (7). CLYMENTJS : TWO REMEDIES. Clymenus is a plant so called, after a certain king.46 It has leaves like those of ivy, numerous branches, and a hollow, jointed stem. The smell of it is powerful, and the seed like that of ivy : it grows in wild and mountainous localities. "We shall have to state hereafter, of what maladies it is curative, taken in drink, but it is as well to take the present opportunity of remarking that, while effecting a cure, in the male sex it neutralizes the generative powers. The Greeks speak41 of this plant as being similar to the plantago in appearance, with a square stem, and a seed in capsules, interlaced like the arms of the polypus. The juice of this plant, too, is used, being possessed of refreshing pro- perties in a very high degree. CHAP. 34. GENTIAN I THIKTEEN REMEDIES. Gentian42 was first discovered by Gentius, king of Illyria. It is a plant to be found everywhere,43 but that of Illyria is the finest. It has a leaf like that of the ash,44 but equal in size to a lettuce-leaf: the stem is tender, about the- thickness of the thumb, hollow and empty, and covered with leaves at regular intervals. This stem is sometimes three cubits in length, and the root is flexible, swarthy,45 and inodorous. It is found in the greatest abundance in humid localities at the foot of the Alps. The root and juice are the parts of it that are used : the root is possessed of certain warming pro- 39 Pliny himself is one of the "imperiti" here. 40 Son of Caeneus, and king of Arcadia. The plant is identified with the Lonicera periclymenum of Linnaeus, our Woodbine or Honeysuckle. Sibthorp identifies the Clymenum of Dioscorides with the Convolvulus sepiura of Linnaeus, andSprengel with the Lathyrus clymenum of Linnaeus. 41 Possibly the Clymenum of Dioscorides, mentioned in the preceding Note. Littre names the Calendula arvensis, the Field marigold. 4- The Gentiana lutea of Linnaeus. 4> This, Fee remarks, is not the fact. 44 This comparison is inexact. *5 It is not swarthy. 106 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY, [Book XXV. perties, but it should never be taken by women in a state of pregnancy. CHAP. 35. THE LYSIMACHIA : EIGHT REMEDIES. King Lysimachus46 first discovered the plant which from him has received the name of lysimachia, and the merits of which have been so highly extolled by Erasistratus. This plant has green leaves resembling those of the willow, and a purple47 blossom : it has all the appearance of a shrub, the branches are erect, and it has a pungent smell. It is found growing in watery soils. The properties of it are so extremely powerful, that if placed upon the yoke when beasts of burden are restive, it will be sure to overcome all stubbornness on their part.48 CHAP. 36. ARTEMISIA, PARTHEN1S, BOTRYS, OR AMBROSIA : FIVE REMEDIES. "Women too have even affected an ambition to give their name to plants: thus, for instance, Artemisia, the wife of King Mausolus, adopted the plant, which before was known by the name of " parthenis." There are some persons, how- ever, who are of opinion that it received this surname from the goddess Artemis Ilithyia,49 from the fact of its being used for the cure of female complaints more particularly. It is a plant with numerous branches, like those of wormwood, but the leaves of it are larger and substantial. There are two varieties of it ; one has broader50 leaves than the other,51 which last is of a slender form, with a more diminu- tive leaf, and grows nowhere but in maritime districts. 46 A -king of Thrace, contemporary with Alexander the Great. Sprengel and Desfontaines identify this plant with the Ly thrum salicaria of Linnaeus, the purple Willow-herb. Fee, on the authority of Dioscorides, identifies it with the Lysimachia vulgaris of Linnaeus, the yellow Willow-plant. Littre gives the Lysimachia atro-purpurea of Linnaeus. 47 Pliny has probably mistranslated the Greek -n-vppov here, "reddish yellow." 48 An absurdity, of course. 49 Artemis or Diana, the guardian of pregnant women. 50 Probably the Artemisia chamaemelifolia, Camomile-leaved mugwort. The A. arborescens, the Tree-wormwood is named by Littre. 51 Either the Artemisia Pontica of Linnaeus, Little wormwood, or Roman wormwood, or else A. campestris of Linnaeus, Field southern- wood. Chap. 38.] EUPHORBIA. 107 Some persons again, give this name to a plant62 which grows more inland, with a single stem, extremely diminutive leaves, and numerous blossoms which open at the ripening of the grape, and the odour of which is far from unpleasant. In addi- tion to this name, this last plant is known as "botrys " to some persons, and " ambrosia" to others :M it grows in Cappadocia. CHAP. 37. — NYMPHAEA, HERACLEON, RHOPALON, OR MADON J TWO VARIETIES OF IT : FOUR REMEDIES. The plant called "nymphgea," owes its name, they say, to a Nymph who died of jealousy conceived on account of Hercules, for which reason it is also known as " heracleon" by some. Ey other persons, again, it is called " rhopalon," from the resem- blance of its root to a club.54 * * * * and hence it is that those who take it in drink become impotent for some twelve days, and incapacitated for procreation. That of the first quality is found in Orchomenia and at Marathon : the people of Bceotia call it " madon, " and use the seed for food. It grows in spots covered with water ; the leaves65 of it are large, and float upon the surface, while others are to be seen springing from the roots below. The flower is very similar to a lily in appearance, and after the plant has shed its blossom, the place of the flower is occupied by a head like that of the poppy. The stem is slender, and the plant is usually cut in autumn. The root, of a swarthy hue, is dried in the sun; garlic56 manifests a peculiar antipathy to it. .There is another57 nymphaea also, which grows in the river Peneus, in Thessaly : the root of it is white, and the head yellow, about the size of a rose. CHAP. 38. TWO VARIETIES OF EUPHORBIA: FOUR REMEDIES. THE CHAMEL^EA. In the time, too, of our fathers, King Juba discovered58 a 52 Identified with the Artemisia camphorata of Linnaeus, Camphorated mngwort. 53 Quite a different plant. See B. xxvii. c. 11. 54 Judging from the text of Dioscorides, a passage has been probably lost here, to the effect that "it is taken in drink by persons troubled with lascivious dreams." 55 Identified with the Nymphaea alba of Linnaeus, the "White-flowered nymphaea. 56 " Adversatur ei allium." A corrupt reading, in all probability. 57 The Nuphar lutea of Sib thorp ; the Yellow-flowered nymphjea, or Nenuphar. 6S See B. v. c. i. 108 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTOIIY. [Book XXV. plant, to which he gave the name of " euphorbia," in honour of his physician, Euphorbus, the brother of the same Musa, whom we have mentioned59 as having saved the life of the late Emperor Augustus. It was these brothers who introduced the practice of douching the body with large quantities of cold water, immediately after the bath, for the purpose of bracing the system : whereas in former times, as we find stated in the works of Homer60 even, it was the practice to wash the body with warm water only. With reference to euphorbia,61 there is a treatise still in existence, written upon it by King Juba, in which he highly extols its merits : he discovered it growing upon Mount Atlas, and describes it as resembling a thyrsus in appearance, and bearing leaves like those of the acanthus.62 The properties of this plant are so remarkably powerful,63 that the persons engaged in collecting the juices of it are obliged to stand at a considerable distance. The incisions are made with a long pole shod with iron, the juice flowing into receivers of kid-leather placed beneath. The juice has all the appearance of milk, as it exudes, but when it has coagulated and dried, it assumes the form and consistency of frankincense. The persons engaged in collecting it, find their sight improved64 thereby. This juice is an excellent remedy for the stings of serpents : in whatever part of the body the wound may have been inflicted, the practice is to make an incision in the crown of the head, and there introduce the medicament. The Gsetuli who collect it, are in the habit of adulterating it with warm milk ;M a fraud, however, easily to be detected by the agency of fire, that which is not genuine emitting a most disgusting Bmell. Much inferior to this is the juice extracted, in Gaul,66 from the chamelaea,67 a plant which bears the grain of Cnidos. When broken asunder, it resembles hammoniacum68 in appearance j and however slightly tasted, it leaves a burning sensation in 59 In B. xix. c. 38. 6° II. xii. 444. 61 The Euphorbia officinarum of Linnaeus, Officinal spurge. 62 An incorrect statement, as Fee remarks. 63 Its odour, Fee says, is not so strong as Pliny would have us believe. 64 On the contrary, Fee observes, it would be not unlikely to produce ophthalmia of the most obstinate kind. 65 This Fee considers to be almost impracticable. 6 " Collyriis." 5 A most dangerous application, in reality. 6 A comparatively harmless, though useless application. 7 See c. 49 of this Book. ** See c. 73 of this Book. 9 In c. 70 of this Book. 50 See c. 90 of this Book. 51 The Corchorus of B. xxi. c. 106, is most probably altogether a differ- ent plant. Chap. 92.] THE ANAGALLIS. 137 two kinds of it, the male52 plant, with a red blossom, and the female,53 with a blue flower. These plants do not exceed a palm in height, and have a tender stem, with diminutive leaves of a rounded form, drooping upon the ground. They grow in gardens and in spots covered with water, the blue anagallis being the first to blossom. The juice54 of either plant, applied with honey, disperses films upon the eyes, suffusions of blood55 in those organs resulting from blows, and argema56 with a red tinge : if used in combination with Attic honey, they are still more efficacious. The anagallis has the effect also of dilating57 the pupil ; hence the eye is anointed with it before the operation of couching58 for cataract. These -\ plants are employed also for diseases of the eyes in beasts of burden. The juice, injected into the nostrils, which are then rinsed with wine, acts as a detergent upon the head : it is taken also, in doses of one drachma, in wine, for wounds inflicted by ser- pents. It is a remarkable fact, that cattle will refuse to touch the female plant ; but if it should so happen that, deceived by the resemblance — the flower being the only distinguishing mark — they have accidentally tasted it, they immediately have recourse, as a remedy, to the plant called " asyla," 59 but more generally known among us as " ferus oculus."60 Some persons recommend those who gather it, to prelude by saluting it before sunrise, and then, before uttering another word, to take care and extract the juice immediately ; if this is done, they say, it will be doubly efficacious. As to the juice of euphorbia, we have spoken61 of its pro- perties at sufficient length already. In cases of ophthalmia, 52 Identified with the Anagallis arvensis of Linnaeus, with a red flower, the Red pimpernel, Corn pimpernel, or Shepherd's weather-glass. 53 The Anagallis caeruleo flore of Tournefort, the Blue pimpernel. 54 In reality they are destitute of medicinal properties. It is said, though apparently on no sufficient grounds, that red pimpernel is poisonous to small birds. 55 Or u blood-shot eyes." 56 A disease of the pupil. 57 Belladonna, a preparation from the Atropa belladonna, is now gene- rally used for this purpose. 58 " Paracentesis." 59 This plant is unknown. Fee suggests that Pliny may have made a mistake, and that the account from which he copies may have been, that when cattle have been stung by the asilus, or gadfly, they have recourse to the Anagallis. 60 " Savage eye." 61 In c. 38 of this Book. 138 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXV. attended with swelling, it will be a good plan to apply worm- wood beaten up with honey, as well as powdered betony. CHAP. 93. THE JEGILOPS I TWO BEMEDIES. The fistula of the eye, called " eegilops," is cured by the agency of the plant of the same name,63 which grows among barley, and has a leaf like that of wheat. The seed is pounded for the purpose, and applied with meal ; or else the juice is extracted from the stem and more pulpy leaves, the ears being first removed. This juice is incorporated with meal of three-month wheat, and divided into lozenges. CHAP, 94. — MANDBAGORA, CTBCJEON, MOKION", OK HIPPOPHLOMOS j TWO VARIETIES OF IT I TWENTY-FOUR REMEDIES. Some persons, too, were in the habit of employing mandra- gora for diseases of the eyes ; but more recently, the use of it for such a purpose has been abandoned. It is a well-ascertained fact, however, that the root, beaten up with rose oil and wine, is curative of defluxions of the eyes and pains in those organs ; and, indeed, the juice of this plant still forms an in- gredient in many medicaments for the eyes. Some persons give it the name of " circseon."63 There are two varieties, the white64 mandragora, which is generally thought to be the male plant, and the black,65 which is considered to be the female. It has a leaf narrower than that of the lettuce, a hairy stem, and a double or triple root, black without and white within, soft and fleshy, and nearly a cubit in length. Both kinds bear a fruit about the size of a hazel-nut, enclosing a seed resembling the pips of a pear in appearance. The name given to the white plant by some persons is "arsen,"66 by others "morion,"67 and by others again, "hippo- phlomos." The leaves of it are white, while those of the other 62 See B. xviii. c. 44, and B. xxi. c. 63. 63 Or "Plant of Circe." 64 Identified by Fee with the Atropa mandragora vernalis of Bertolini, the Spring mandrake. 65 The Atropa mandragora autumnalis of Bertolini, the Autumnal man- drake. 66 The Greek for " male." 67 "Dementing." Fee remarks that the "Morion" in reality is a different plant, and queries whether it may not be the Atropa bella- donna of Linnaeus, the Belladonna, or Deadly nightshade, mentioned above in Note 57. Chap. 94.] MANDEAGORA. 139 one68 are broader, and similar to those of garden lapathum69 in appearance. Persons, when about to gather this plant, take every precaution not to have the wind blowing in their face ; and, after tracing three circles round it with a sword, turn towards the west and dig it up.70 The juice is extracted both from the fruit and from the stalk, the top being first removed ; also from the root, which is punctured for the purpose, or else a decoction is made of it. The filaments, too, of the root ^are made use of, and it is sometimes cut up into segments and kept in wine. It is not the mandragora of every country that will yield a juice, but where it does, it is about vintage time that it is collected : it has in all cases a powerful odour, that of the root and fruit the most so. The fruit is gathered when ripe, and dried in the shade ; and the juice, when extracted, is left to thicken in the sun. The same is the case, too, with the juice of the root, which is extracted either by pounding it or by boiling it down to one third in red wine. The leaves are best, kept in brine ; indeed, when fresh, the juice of them is a baneful poison,71 and these noxious properties are far from being entirely removed, even when they are preserved in brine. The very odour of them is highly oppressive to the head, although there are countries in which the fruit is eaten. Persons ignorant of its properties are apt to be struck dumb by the odour of this plant when in excess, and too strong a dose of the juice is productive of fatal effects. Administered in* doses proportioned to the strength of the patient, this juice has a narcotic effect ; a middling dose being one cyathus. It is given, too, for injuries inflicted by serpents, and before incisions or punctures are made in the body, in 68 The female, or black, mandrake. 69 See B. xx. c. 85. 70 The superstitions with reference to the Mandrake extended from the earliest times till a very recent period. It was used in philtres, and was supposed to utter piercing cries when taken up ; Josephus counsels those whose business it is to do so, to employ a dog for the purpose, if they would avoid dreadful misfortunes. All these notions probably arose from the re- semblance which the root bears to the legs and lower part of the human body. See B. xxii. c. 9, where we have queried in a Note whether the Eryngium may not have been the " mandrake," the possession of which was so much coveted by the wives of Jacob. 71 "Pestis est." 140 PLINY'S NATURAL HiSTcrar. [Book XXY. order to ensure insensibility to the pain.72 Indeed, for this last purpose, with some persons, the odour of it is quite sufficient to induce sleep. The juice is taken also as a substitute for hellebore, in doses of two oboli, in honied wine : hellebore, however, is more efficacious as an emetic, and as an evacuant of black bile. CHAP. 95. HEMLOCK I THIBTEEN BEMEDIES. Hemlock,73 too, is a poisonous plant, rendered odious by the use made of it by the Athenian people, as an instrument of capital punishment: still,74 however, as it is employed for many useful purposes, it must not be omitted. It is the seed that is noxious, the stalk being eaten by many people, either green, or cooked78 in the saucepan. This stem is smooth, jointed like a reed, of a swarthy hue, often as much as two cubits in height, and branchy at the top. The leaves are like those of coriander, only softer, and possessed of a powerful odour. The seed is more substantial than that of anise, and the root is hollow and never used. The seed and leaves are possessed of refrigerating properties ; indeed, it is owing to these properties that it is so fatal, the cold chills with which it is attended commencing at the extremities. The great remedy76 for it, provided it has not reached the vitals, is wine, which is naturally of a warming tendency ; but if it is taken in wine, it is irremediably fatal. A juice is extracted from the leaves and flowers ; for it is at the time of its blossoming that it is in ifs full vigour. The seed is crushed, and the juice extracted from it is left to thicken in the sun, and then divided into lozenges. This 72 In the same way that chloroform is now administered. 73 "Cicuta." Identified with the Conium maculatum of Linnaeus, Common hemlock or Keghs. It grows in the vicinity of Athens, and pro- bably formed the basis of the poisons with which that volatile people " re- compensed," as Fee remarks, the virtues and exploits of their philosophers and generals. Socrates, Phocion, and Philopcemen, are said to have been poisoned with hemlock ; but in the case of Socrates, it was probably com- bined with opium and other narcotics. See B. xiv. cc. 7, 28, and B. xxiii. c. 23, 74 He has more than once stated, that it is not his object to enter into a description of poisons. 75 Fee doubts if it is possible to eat it, boiled even, with impunity. 76 See B. xiv. cc. 7, 28, and B. xxiii. c. 23. Chap. 97.] MOLYBDJ31S-A. 141 preparation proves fatal by coagulating the blood — another deadly property which belongs to it ; and hence it is that the bodies of those who have been poisoned by it are covered with spots. It is sometimes used in combination with water as a me- dium for diluting certain medicaments. An emollient poultice is also prepared from this juice, for the purpose of cooling the stomach ; but the principal use made of it is as a topical ap- plication, to check defluxions of the eyes in summer, and to allay pains in those organs. It is employed also as an ingre- dient in eyesalves, and is used for arresting fluxes in other parts of the body : the leaves, too, have a soothing effect upon all kinds of pains and tumours, and upon defluxions of the eyes. Anaxilaiis makes a statement to the effect, that if the mamillaB77 are rubbed with hemlock during virginity, they will always be hard and firm : but a better-ascertained fact is, that applied78 to the mamillge, it dries up the milk in women re- cently delivered ; as also that, applied to the testes at the age of puberty, it acts most effectually as an antaphrodisiac.79 As to those cases in which it is recommended to take it internally as a remedy, I shall, for my own part, decline to mention them. The most powerful hemlock is that grown at Susa, in Parthia, the next best being the produce of Laconia, Crete, and Asia.80 In Greece, the hemlock of the finest quality is that of Megara, and next to it, that of Attica. CHAP. 96. CEETHMOS AGEIOS I ONE EEMEDY/. Crethmos agrios,81 applied to the eyes, removes rheum ; and, with the addition of polenta, it causes tumours to disappear. CHAP. 97. MOLYBMNA I ONE EEMEDY. Molybdaena82 also grows everywhere in the fields, a plant commonly known as " plumbago."82 It has leaves like those of lapathum,83 and a thick, hairy root. Chewed and applied to the 77 A very dangerous use of it, Desfontaines thinks. '8 Desfontaines says that it is still employed in various ways when the milk is in excess. 79 By causing those organs to waste away. ^ 80 The province of Asia Minor. 81 " Wild crethmos." Generally identified with the Crithmum mariti- mum of Linnseus, Small samphire, or sea fennel. 82 Or "lead plant." Identified with the Plumbago Europcea of Lin- nseus, Leadwort, or French dittander. 83 gee B, xx> c< $5, 142 PLINY' 8 NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXV. eye from time to time, it removes the disease called " plum- bum,"84 which affects that organ. CHAP. 98. THE FIRST KIND OF CAPNOS, KNOWN ALSO AS CHICKEN^ FOOT I ONE REMEDY. The first kind of capnos,85 known also as "chicken's foot/'86 is found growing on walls and hedges: it has very thin, straggling branches, with a purple blossom. It is used in a green state, and the juice of it disperses films upon the eyes ; hence it is that it is employed as an ingredient in medicinal compositions for the eyes. CHAP. 99. THE ARBORESCENT CAPNOS I THREE -REMEDIES- There is another kind87 of capnos also, similar both in name and properties, but different in appearance. It is a branchy plant, is extremely delicate, has leaves like those of coriander, is of an ashy colour, and bears a purple flower : it grows in gardens, and amid crops of barley. Employed in the form of an ointment for the eyes, it improves the sight, producing tears in the same way that smoke does, to which, in fact, it owes its name. It has the effect also of preventing the eye- lashes, when pulled out, from growing again. CHAP. 100, THE ACORON OR AGRION : FOURTEEN REMEDIES. • The acoron88 has leaves similar to those of the iris,89 only narrower, and with a longer stalk ; the roots of it are black, and no.t so veined, but in other respects are similar to those of the iris, have an acrid taste and a not unpleasant smell, and act as a carminative. The best roots are those grown in Pontus, the next best those of Galatia, and the next those of 84 " Lead disease," apparently; livid spots on the eyelids, Hardouin thinks. 85 Or " smoke-plant ;" so called from its smell, which resembles that of smoke or soot. 86 « Pedes gallinacei." Identified by Fee with the Corydalis digitata of Persoon, or else the C. bulbosa, or C. fabacea, several varieties of Fu- mitory. 87 Identified by Fee with the Fumaria parvifolia of Lamarck, Small- leaved fumitory, or Earth-smoke. Other varieties of Fumitory have also been mentioned. b8 The Acorus calamus of Linnaeus, Sweet cane, or Sweet- smelling flag. See B. xii. c. 48. 89 See B. ixi. c. 19. Chap. 102.] THE GBEATEE AIZOUM. 143 Crete ; but it is in Colchis, on the banks of the river Phasis, and in various other watery localities, that they are found in the greatest abundance. When fresh, they have a more powerful odour than when kept for some time : these of Crete are more blanched than the produce of Pontus. They are cut into pieces about a finger in length, and dried in leather bags90 in the shade. There are some authors who give the name of " acoron" to the root of the oxymyrsine ;91 for which reason also some prefer giving that plant the name of " acorion." It has powerful pro- perties as a calorific and resolvent, and is taken in drink for cataract and films upon the eyes ; the juice also is extracted, and taken for injuries inflicted by serpents. CHAP. 101. THE COTYLEDON I TWO VAEIETIES OF IT : SIXTY-ONK EEMEDIES. The cotyledon92 is a small herbaceous plant, with a diminu- tive, tender stem, and an unctuous leaf, with a concave surface like that of the cotyloid cavity of the thigh. It grows in maritime and rocky localities, is of a green colour, and has a rounded root like an olive : the juice of it is remedial for diseases of the eyes. There is another93 kind also of the same plant, the leaves of which are of a dirty green94 colour, larger than those of the other, and growing in greater numbers about the root, which is surrounded with them just as the eye is with the socket. These leaves have a remarkably astringent taste, and the stem is of considerable length, but extremely slender. This plant is employed for the same purposes as the iris and aizourn. CHAP. 102. THE GEEATEB AIZOUM, ALSO CALLED BTJPHTHALMOS, ZOOPHTHALMOS, STEEGETHEOtf, HYPOGESON, AMBE08ION, AME- EIMNON, SEDUM MAGNUM, OK DIGITELLUS : THIETY-SIX REME- DIES. THE SMALLEK AIZOUM, ALSO CALLED EEITHALES, TEI- THALES, CHEYSOTHALES, ISOETES OB SEDUM : THIETY-TWO EEMEDIES. Of the plant known as aizoum94* there are two kinds; the 9<> " Utribus." 91 see B. xv. c. 7. 92 Identified with the Cotyledon umbilicus of Smith, Ilor. £rit., Navel- wort, Kidney-wort, or Wall penny-wort. 93 Identified by Littre with the Saxifraga media of Gouan ; and by Fee with the Cotyledon serrata of Linnaeus, Saw- toothed navel-woit. 94 "Sordidis." «• ''Always living." 144 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXV. larger of which is sown in earthen pots. By some persons it is known as " buphthalmos,"96 and by others as "zoopth- almos," or else as " stergethron," because it forms an in- gredient in the composition of philtres. Another name given to it is "hypogeson," from the circumstance that it generally grows upon the eaves95* of houses : some persons, again, give it the names of " ambrosion" and " amerimnon." In Italy it is known as " sedum magnum,"96 "oculus," or " digitellus." The other kind97 of aizoiim is more diminutive, and is known by some persons as " erithales"98 and by others as " trithales," from the circumstance that it blossoms three times in the year. Other names given to it are " chryso- thales"99 and " isoetes :J)1 but aizoiim is the common appellation of them both, from their being always green. The larger kind exceeds a cubit in height, and is somewhat thicker than the thumb : at the extremity, the leaves are simi- lar to a tongue in shape, and are fleshy, unctuous, Ml of juice, and about as broad as a person's thumb. Some are bent down- wards towards the ground, while others again stand upright, the outline of them resembling an eye in shape. The smaller kind grows upon walls, old rubbish of houses, and tiled roofs ; it is branchy from the root, and covered with leaves to the ex- tremity. These leaves are narrow, pointed, and juicy : the stem is a palm in height, and the root is never used. CHAP. 103. THE ANDBA.CHLE AGRIA OK ILLECEBEA: THIRTY-TWO KEMEDIES. A similar plant is that known to the Greeks by the name of " andrachle agria,"2 and by the people of Italy as the " illece- 95 "Bull's eye," "living eye, "and " love exciter." The Semper vivum tectorum of Linnaeus, common Houseleek or Sengreene. 95* Called "geisa" in Greek. 96 " Great houseleek," "eye," or "little finger/' 97 Fee identifies it with the Sedum ochroleiicum of Sibthorp ; Sprengel with the Sedum altissimum, and others with the Sedum acre, varieties of Wall pepper, or Stone-crop. Littre gives the Sedum amplexicaule of Decandolle. 98 " Spring blossoming." 99 " Blossoming like gold." l " The same all the year." 2 " Wild andrachle." Desfontaines identifies it with the Sedum stel- latuin ; Fee, though with some hesitation, with the Sedum reflexum of Linnaeus, the Sharp-pointed stone-crop, or Prick-madam. The Sedum, however, is of a caustic and slightly corrosive nature, and not edible ; in which it certainly differs from the Andrachle agria of our author. Holland calls it " Wild purslain." Chap. 105.] BEMEDIES FOB DISEASES OF THE TEETH. 145 bra." Its leaves, though small, are larger than those of the last-named plant, but growing on a shorter stem. It grows in craggy localities, and is gathered for use as food. All these plants have the same properties, being cooling and astringent. The leaves, applied topically, or the juice, in form of a lini- ment, are curative of defluxions of the eyes : this juice too acts as a detergent upon ulcers of the eyes, makes new flesh, and causes them to cicatrize ; it3 cleanses the eyelids also of viscous matter. Applied to the temples, both the leaves and the juice of these plants are remedial for head-ache ; they neutralize the venom also of the phalangium ; and the greater aizoiim, in particular, is an antidote to aconite. It is asserted, too, that those who carry this last plant about them will never be stung by the scorpion. These plants are curative of pains in the ears ; which is the case also with juice of henbane, applied in moderate quantities, of achillea,4 of the smaller centaury and plantago, of peucedanum in combination with rose-oil and opium, and of acoron5 mixed with rose-leaves. In all these cases, the liquid is made warm, and introduced into the ear with the aid of a syringe.6 The cotyledon is good, too, for suppurations in the ears, mixed with deer's marrow made hot. The juice of pounded root of ebulum7 is strained through a linen cloth, and then left to thicken in the sun : when wanted for use, it is moistened with oil of roses, and made hot, being employed for the cure of iinposthumes of the parotid glands. Yervain and plantago are likewise used for the cure of the same malady, as also sideritis,8 mixed with stale axle-grease. CHAP. 104. A REMEDY FOR DISEASES OF THE NOSTRILS. Aristolochia,8* mixed with cyperus,9 is curative of polypus of the nose.10 CHAP. 105. REMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF THE TEETH. The following are remedies for diseases of the teeth : root 3 This is probably the meaning of " palpebras deglutinat." 4 See c. 19 of this Book. 5 See c. 100 of this Book. 6 " Strigil." This in general means a " body-scraper ;" but it most probably signifies a " syringe," in the present instance. See B. xxix. c. 39, and B. xxxi c. 47. 7 See B. xxiv. c. 35. 8 See c. 19 of this Book. *• See c. 54 of this Book, 9 See B. xxi. cc. 69, 70. 10 " Ozaenam." VOL. V. L 146 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTOKT. [BookXXY. of panacea,11 chewed, that of the chironion in particular, and juice of panaces, used as a collutory ; root, too, of henbane, chewed with vinegar, and root of polemonia.12 The root of plantago is chewed for a similar purpose, or the teeth are rinsed with a decoction of the juice mixed with vinegar. The leaves, too, are said to he useful for the gums, when swollen with sanious blood, or if there are discharges of blood there- from. The seed, too, of plantago is a cure for abscesses in the gums, and for gum-boils. Aristolochia has a strengthening effect upon the gums and teeth ; and the same with vervain, either chewed with the root of that plant, or boiled in wine and vinegar, the decoction being employed as a gargle. The same is the case, also, with root of cinquefoil, boiled down to one third, in wine or vinegar ; before it is boiled, however, the root should be washed in sea or salt water : the decoction, too, must be kept a considerable time in the mouth. Some persons prefer cleaning the teeth with ashes of cinquefoil. Root of verbascum13 is also boiled in wine, and the decoction used for rinsing the teeth. The same is done too with hyssop and juice of peucedanum , mixed with opium ; or else the juice of the root of anagallis,14 the female plant in particular, is injected into the nostril on the opposite side to that in which the pain is felt. CHAP. 106. ERIGERON, PAPPUS, ACANTHIS, OR SEKECTO : EIGHT HEM EDI ES. Erigeron15 is called by our people " senecio." It is said that if a person, after tracing around this plant with an imple- ment of iron, takes it up and touches the tooth affected with it three times, taking care to spit each time on the ground, and then replaces it in the same spot, so as to take root again, he will never experience any further pain in that tooth. This plant has just' the appearance and softness of trixago,16 with a number of small reddish-coloured stems: it is found growing upon walls, and the tiled roofs of houses. The Greeks have 11 See c. 11 of this Book. 12 See c. 28 of this Book. 13 See c. 73 of this Book. u See c. 92 of this Book. 15 Identified by Desfontaines with the Senecio Jacobaea of Linnaeus, Common ragwort. Fee identifies it with the Senecio vulgaris of Linnieus, our Groundsel. They are botli destitute of medicinal properties. l.6 See B. xxiv. c. 80. Chap. 107.] THE EPHEMEEON. 147 given it the name of " erigeron,"17 because it is white in spring. The head is divided into numerous downy filaments, which resemble those of the thorn,18 protruding from between the divisions of the head : hence it is that Callimachus has given it the name of " acanthis,"19 while others, again, call it " pappus.20" After all, however, the Greek writers are by no means agreed as to this plant; some say, for instance, that it has leaves like those of rocket, while others maintain that they resemble those of the robur, only that they are considerably smaller. Some, again, assert that the root is useless, while others aver that it is beneficial for the sinews, and others that it produces suffocation, if taken in drink. On the other hand, some have prescribed it in wine, for jaundice and all affections of the bladder, heart, and liver, and give it as their opinion that it carries off gravel from the kidneys. It has been prescribed, also, by them for sciatica, the patient taking one drachma in oxymel, after a walk ; and has been recommended as ex- tremely useful for griping pains in the bowels, taken in raisin wine. They assert, also, that used as an aliment with vinegar, it is wholesome for the thoracic organs, and recommend it to be grown in the garden for these several purposes. In addition to this, there are some authorities to be found, which distinguish another variety of this plant, but without mentioning its peculiar characteristics. This last they recom- mend to be taken in water, to neutralize the venom of serpents, and prescribe it to be eaten for the cure of epilepsy. For my own part, however, I shall only speak of it in accordance with the uses made of it among us Romans, uses based upon the results of actual experience. The down of this plant, beaten up with saffron and a little cold water, is applied to defluxions of the eyes ; parched with a little salt, it is employed for the cure of scrofulous sores. CHAP. 107. — THE EPHEMEBON : TWO BEMEDII S. The ephemeron21 has leaves like those of the lily, but smaller j 17"Ea/oi y€pa>i/, "aged," or " hoary in spring." 18 " Spinae." He probably uses a wrong term, and means " thistle." 19 It may possibly have been so called from the Acanthis, or goldfinch, . that bird being fond of groundsel, 20 u Thistle-down." If Pliny is speaking of groundsel, he is wrong in his assertion that it turns white, or in other words, goes to seed, in spring. 21 Sprengel identifies it with the Ornithogalum stachyoides ; but that 148 PLINY'S KATUEAL HISTORY. [Book XXY. a stem of the same height, a blue flower, and a seed of which no use is made. The root is single, about the thickness of one's finger, and an excellent remedy for diseases of the teeth ; for which purpose it is cut up in pieces, and boiled in vinegar, the decoction being used warm as a collutory. The root, too, is employed by itself to strengthen the teeth, being inserted for the purpose in those that are hollow or carious. Boot of chelidonia22 is also beaten up with vinegar, and kept in the mouth. Black hellebore is sometimes inserted in carious teeth ; and a decoction of either of these last-mentioned plants, in vinegar, has the effect of strengthening loose teeth. CHAP. 108 THE LABKIjM VE2TERETJM : OKE REMEDY. Labrum Venereum23 is the name given to a plant that grows in running streams.24 It produces a small worm,25 which is crushed by being rubbed upon the teeth, or else enclosed in wax and inserted in the hollow of the tooth. Care must be taken, however, that the plant, when pulled up, does not touch the ground. CHAP. 109. THE BATRACHION, RANUNCULUS. OR STRUMUS J POUR VARIETIES OF IT : FOURTEEN REMEDIES. The plant known to the Greeks as " batrachion,"26 we call ranunculus.27 There are four varieties of it,28 one of which has no blue flower, and the same is the case with many other plants that have been suggested as its synonym. Fee suggests the Convallaria verti- cillata of Linna3us, the whorl-leaved Solomon's seal ; as to which, however, there is the same difficulty in reference to the flower. Holland calls it the " May lily," otherwise the Lily of the valley, the Convallaria Maialis ; and this is the synonym suggested by Fuchsius. Littre gives the Conval- laria multiflora of Linnaeus. 22 See c. 50 of this Book. 23 Or "Venus' bath." Identified by Littre with the Dipsacus silvestris of Linnaeus, and by Fee with the Dipsacus fullonum of Linnaeus, the Teazel, or Fuller's thistle. It received its Roman name from the form of the leaves, which are channelled, and curved at the edges. 24 This is entirely erroneous ; he may possibly have mistranslated some author, who has stated that the rain-water settles in reservoirs formed by the leaves. 25 He alludes to the larvae of the Curculio or weevil, which are found in the head of the Dipsacus, and many other plants.* See B. xxvii. c. 62, and B. xxx. c. 8. 26 " Frog-plant." 1 " Little frog." Called " Crow-foot" by us. 28 Sprengel identifies it with the Ranunculus Seguieri, Fee with the R. Asiaticus, also a native of Greece. Chap. 109.] THE BATEACHION. 149 has leaves somewhat thicker than those of coriander, nearly the size of those of the mallow, and of a livid hue : the stem of the plant is long and slender, and the root white ; it grows on moist and well-shaded embankments. The second29 kind is more foliated than the preceding one, the leaves have more numerous incisions, and the stems of the plant are long. The third30 variety is smaller than the others, has a powerful smell, and a flower of a golden colour. The fourth31 kind is very like the one last mentioned, but the flower is milk-white* All these plants have caustic properties : if the leaves are applied unboiled, they raise blisters like those caused by the action of fire ; hence it is that they are used for the removal of leprous spots, itch- scabs, and brand marks upon the skin. They form an ingredient also in all caustic preparations, and are applied for the cure of alopecy, care being taken to remove them very speedily. The root, if chewed for some time, in cases of tooth-ache, will cause32 the teeth to break ; dried and pulverized, it acts as a sternutatory. Our herbalists give this plant the name of " struraus," from the circumstance of its being curative of strumous33 sores and inflamed tumours, for which purpose a portion of it is hung up in the smoke. It is a general belief, too, with them, that if it is replanted, the malady so cured will reappear34 — a criminal practice, for which the plaritago is also employed. The juice of tliis last-mentioned plant is curative of internal ulcerations of the mouth ; and the leaves and root are chewed for a similar 29 Identified by Desfontaines with the Ranunculus hirsutus, or philonotis. Fee, with Ilardouin, considers it to be the same as the Apiastrum of H. xx. c. 45, and identifies it with the Ranunculus Sardoiis of Crantz, the plant probably which produces a contraction of the mouth, rendered famous as the " Sardonic grin," and more commonly known as the Ranunculus seeleratus, Apium risus, or Apium Sardoiim, "Laughing parsley," or " Sardinian parsley/ 30 Identified by Sprengel and Desfontaines with the Ranunculus repens. or Creeping crow-foot ; but by Fee, with the Ranunculus muricatus of Linnaeus. 31 Identified by Desfontaines with the Ranunculus aconitifolius; by Fee with the Ranunculus aquatilis of Linnaeus, the Water crowfoot. The Ranunculi are all active poisons. 32 A fabulous assertion, probably, and it is very doubtful if any one ever made the trial of its efficacy. 33 Or scrofula. 34 Sje B. xxi. c. 83, and B. xxvi. c. 5. 150 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXV. purpose, even when the mouth is suffering from defluxions. Ginquefoil effects the cure of ulcerations and offensive breath ; psyllium35 is used also for ulcers of the mouth. CHAP. 110. — REMEDIAL PREPARATIONS FOR OFFENSIVE BREATH : TWO KINDS OF THEM. We shall also here make mention of certain preparations for the cure of offensive breath — a most noisome inconvenience. For this purpose, leaves of myrtle and lentisk are taken in equal proportions, with one half the quantity of Syrian nut-galls ; they are then pounded together and sprinkled with old wine, and the composition is chewed in the morning. In similar cases, also, ivy berries are used, in combination with cassia and myrrh ; these ingredients being mixed, in equal proportions, with wine. For offensive odours of the nostrils, even though attended with carcinoma, the most effectual remedy is seed of dra- contium36 beaten up with honey. An application of hyssop has the effect of making bruises disappear. Brand marks37 in the face are healed by rubbing them with mandragora.38 SUMMARY. — Remedies, narratives, and observations, twelve hundred and ninety-two. ROMAN AUTHORS QUOTED. — C. Yalgius,39 Pompeius Lenaeus,40 Sextius Niger41 who wrote in Greek, Julius Bassus42 who wrote in Greek, Antonius Castor,43 Cornelius Celsus,44 Fabi- FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED. — Theophrastus,46 Apollodorus,47 Democritus,48 Juba,49 Orpheus,50 Pythagoras,51 Mago,52 Menan- 35 See c. 90 of this Book. 36 See B. xxiv. cc. 91, 93. 37 " Stigmata." 3S See c. 94 of this Book. 39 See end of B. xx. 40 See end of B. xiv. 41 See end of B. xii. 42 See end of B. xx. 43 See end of B. xx. 44 See end of B. vii. 45 j^ Fabianus Papirius, see end of B. ii. ; for Fabianus Sabinus, see end of B. xviii. 46 See end of B. iii. 47 See end of B. xi. 48 See end of B. ii. 49 See end of B. v. 50 See end of B, xx. 5l See end of B. ii. 52 See end of B. viii. SUMMARY. 151 dor53 who wrote the " Biochresta," Nicander,54 Horaer, He- siod,65 Musaeus,56 Sophocles,57 Xanthus,68 Anaxilaiis.59 MEDICAL AUTHORS QUOTED. — Mnesitheus,60 Callimachus,61 Phanias62 the physician, Timaristus,63 Sim us,64 Hippo- crates,65 Chrysippus,66 Diocles,67 Ophelion,68 Heraclides,69 Hi- cesius,70 Dionysius,71 Apollodorus7a of Citium, Apollodorus™ of Tarentum, Praxagoras,74 Plistonicus,75 Medius,76 Dieuches,77 Cleophantus,78 Philistion,79 Asclepiades,80 Crateuas,81 Petronius Diodotus,82 lollas,83 Erasistratus,84 Diagoras,85 Andreas,88 Mnesides,87 Epicharmus,88 Damion,89 Sosimenes,90 Tlepolemus,91 Metrodorus,92 Solon,93 Lycus,94 Olympias95 of Thebes, Philinus,96 Petrichus,97 Micton,98 Glaucias," Xenocrates.1 63 See end of B. xix. 54 See end of B. viii. 65 See end of B. vii. 56 See end of B. xxi. 57 See end of B. xxi. 58 A Lydian historian, anterior to Herodotus, of whom little is known with any degree of certainty. He prohably flourished in the earlier part of the fifth century B.C. 59 See end of B. xxi. *° See end of B. xxi. 61 See end of B. iv. 62 See end of B. xxi. 63 See end of B. xxi. 64 See end of B. xxi. 65 See end of B. vii. 66 See end of B. xx. 67 See end of B. xx. 6S See end of B. xx. 69 See end of B. xii. 70 See end of B. xv. 71 See end of B. xii. 72 See end of B. xx. 73 See end of B. xx. 74 See end of 1*. xx. 75 See end cf B. xx. 76 See end of B. xx. 77 See end of B. xx. 78 See end of B. xx. *79 See end of B. xx. *° See end of B. vii. 81 See end of B. xx. 82 See end of B. xx. 83 See end of B. xii. w See end of B. xi. 85 See end of B. xii. 86 See end of B. xx. 87 See end of B. xii. 88 See end of B. xx. 89 See end of B. xx. 90 See end of B. xx. 91 See end of B. xx. 92 See end of B. xx. 93 See end of B. xx. 94 See end of B. xii. 95 See end of B. xx. 96 See end of B. xx. 97 See end of B. xix. 98 See end of B. xx. 99 See end of B. xx. l See end of B. xx. 152 BOOK XXVI. A CONTINUATION OF THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM PLANTS, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO PARTICULAR DISEASES. CHAP. 1. (1.) — NEW FOKMS OF DISEASE. THE face of man has recently been sensible of new forms of disease, unknown1 in ancient times, not only to Italy, but to almost the whole of Europe. Still, however, they have not as yet extended to the whole of Italy, nor have they made any very great inroads in Illyricum, Gaul, or Spain, or indeed any other parts, to so great an extent as in Rome and its en- virons. Though unattended with pain, and not dangerous to life, these diseases are of so loathsome a nature, that any form of death would be preferable to them. CHAP. 2. THE NATURE OF LICHEN. The most insupportable of all these diseases is the one which, after its Greek appellation, is known to us as " lichen."1 In consequence, however, of its generally making its first appear- ance at the chin, the Latins, by way of joke, originally — so prone are mankind to make a jest of the misfortunes of others — gave it the name of " mentagra ;"2 an appellation which has since become established in general use. In many cases, how- ever, this disease spreads over the interior of the mouth, and takes possession of the whole face, with the sole exception of the, eyes ; after which, it passes downwards to the neck, breast, and hands, covering them with foul furfuraceous eruptions. CHAP. 3. AT WHAT PERIOD LICHEN FIRST MADE ITS APPEARANCE IN ITALY. This curse was unknown to the ancients,3 and in the times of our fathers even, having first entered Italy in the middle of 1 Probably as Littre suggests, a peculiar form of elephantiasis, the leprosy of the middle ages. 2 The "chin disease :" from "men turn," the " chin." It is difficult to detect the joke which has here incurred the censure of our author. 3 Meaning the people of Italy. Chap. 3.] WHEN LICHEN FIRST APPEARED IN ITALY. 153 the reign of the Emperor Tiberius4 Claudius Caesar ; where it was introduced from Asia,4* in which country it had lately made6 its appearance, by a member of the equestrian order at Rome, a native of Perusium, secretary to the quaestor. The disease, however, did not attack either females or slaves,6 nor yet the lower orders, or, indeed, the middle classes, but only the nobles, being communicated even by the momentary contact requisite for the act of salutation.7 Many of those who persevered in undergoing a course of remedial treatment, though cured of the disease, retained scars upon the body more hideous even than the malady itself; it being treated with cauteries, as it was certain to break out afresh, unless means were adopted for burning it out of the body by cauterizing to the very bone. Upon this occasion several physicians repaired to Rome from Egypt, that fruitful parent of maladies of this nature, men who devoted themselves solely to this branch of medical practice ; and very considerable were the profits they made. At all events, it is a well-known fact that Maniiius Cornutus, a personage of praetorian rank, and legatus of the province of Aquitania, expended no less a sum than two hundred thou- sand8 sesterces upon his cure. It is much more frequently, on the other hand, that we hear of new forms of diseases attacking the lower orders ; a singular fact, and one quite unequalled for the marvellous phaenomena which sometimes attend these outbreaks. Thus, for instance, we find an epidemic suddenly making its appearance in a cer- tain country, and then confining itself, as though it had made its election so to do, to certain parts of the body, certain ages, and even certain pursuits in life. In the same way, too, while * It is somewhat difficult to say whether Tiberius, the predecessor, or Claudius, the successor of Caligula, is meant ; most probably the latter, as the former's reign would have been in the times of " our fathers." 4* Asia Minor. 5 ** Cum apparuisset." He is probably wrong here, for leprosy was known in Asia from the very earliest times. 6 This assertion as to the slaves and lower orders is somewhat doubtful, though it is very possible that the diet and habits of the higher orders may have predisposed them more particularly for the attacks of the diseases. 7 "Osculi," "kissing;" a nauseous and silly practice, still adhered to, between bearded men even, in many parts of Europe. « Upwards of £1500. 154 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. one class of diseases attacks the young, another confines itself to adults ; while one malady extends itself only to the higher classes, another is felt exclusively by the poor. CHAP. 4. — CARBUNCLE. We find it stated in the Annals, that it was in the censorship9 of L. Paulus and Q. Marcius that carbuncle10 was first intro- duced into Italy, a malady which till then had confined itself solely to the province of Gallia Narbonensis. In the year in which I am writing these lines, two persons of consular rank have died of this disease, Julius Rufus11 and Q. Lecanius Eassus;12 the former in consequence of an incision unskilfully made by his medical attendants, the latter through a wound upon the thumb of the left hand by pricking a carbuncle with a needle, a wound so small originally as to be hardly percep- tible. This disease makes its appearance in the more hidden13 parts of the human body, and mostly beneath the tongue. It ori- ginally has the form of a hard, red, pimple, with a blackish head mostly, though sometimes of a livid colour. It produces tension of the flesh, but unattended with swelling, pain, or any itching sensation ; indeed, the only symptom that accom- panies it is a confirmed drowsiness, which overpowers the pa- tient, and carries him off in the course of three days. Some- times, however, it is accompanied with shuddering, and small pustules about the sore ; and occasionally, though but rarely, with fever. When these symptoms extend to the fauces and oesophagus, death ensues with the greatest rapidity. CHAP. 5, ELEPHANTIASIS. We have already14 stated that elephantiasis15 was unknown 3 A.U.C. 590. 10 ** Carbunculus." A malignant pustule, accompanied with swelling and ending with gangrene, is still known by this name, but it does not mani- fest any particular preference for the mouth and tongue. Fee says that carbuncle was recently (1833) endemic in Provence, the ancient Gallia Narbonensis, for which reason it had received the name of " Charbon Pro- ven qal." 11 Consul, A.U.C. 819. 12 Consul, A.U.C. 816. 13 Judging from this symptom, Dalechamps says that it looks more like chancre than carbuncle. 14 In B. xx. c. 52. 15 Supposed, as Pliny says, to have originally come from Upper Egypt. Chap. 6.] COLIC. 155 in Italy before the time of Pompeius Magnus. This malady, too, like those already mentioned, mostly makes its first ap- pearance in the face. In its primary form it bears a consider- able resemblance to a small lentil upon the nose ; the skin gradually dries up all over the body, is marked with spots of various colours, and presents an unequal surface, being thick in one place, thin in another, indurated every here and there, and covered with a sort of rough scab. At a later period, the skin assumes a black hue, and compresses the flesh upon the bones, the fingers and toes becoming swollen. This disease was originally peculiar to Egypt. Whenever it attacked the kings of that country, it was attended with pe- culiarly fatal effects to the people, it being the practice to temper their sitting-baths with human blood, for the treatment of the disease. As for Italy, however, its career was very soon cut short : the same was the case, too, with the disease known as " gernursa"16 to the ancients, a malady which made its appearance between the toes, and the very name of which is now buried in oblivion. CHAP. 6. — COLIC. It is a remarkable fact that some diseases should disappear from among us, while others, again, should continue to prevail, colic17 for example. It was only in the reign of Tiberius CaBsar that this malady made its appearance in Italy, the emperor himself being the first to be attacked by it ; a cir- cumstance which produced considerable mystification through- out the City, when it read the edict issued by that prince excusing his inattention to public business, on the ground of his being laid up with a disease, the very name of which was till then unknown. To what cause are we to attribute these various diseases, or how is it that we have thus incurred the anger of the gods ? Was it deemed too little for man to be exposed to Lucretius, B. vi. 1. 1111, et seq., attributes it to the water of the Nile. It is but rarely known in Europe. 16 Fee thinks that this may have been a sort of abscess similar to those by the Talmudists. 17 " Colum." Fee takes this to be Schirrus of the colon. 156 PLINY'S NATUKAL HISTOBY. [Book XXVI. fixed and determinate classes of maladies, already more than three hundred in number, that he must have new forms of disease to alarm him as well ? And then, in addition to all these, not less in number are the troubles and misfortunes which man brings upon himself! The remedies which I am here describing, are those which were universally employed in ancient times, Nature herself, so to say, making up the medicines : indeed, for a long time these were the only medicines employed. (2.) Hippocrates,18 it is well known, was the first to com- pile a code of medical precepts, a thing which he did with the greatest perspicuity, as his treatises, we find, are replete with information upon the various plants. No less is the informa- tion which we gain from the works of Diocles 19 of Carystus, second only in reputation, as well as date, to Hippocrates. The same, too, with reference to the works of Praxagoras, Chrysippus, and, at a later period, Erasistratus20 of Cos. Herophilus21 too, though himself the founder of a more refined system of medicine, was extremely profuse of his commenda- tions of the use of simples. At a later period, however, expe- rience, our most efficient instructor in all things, medicine in particular, gradually began to be lost sight of in' mere words and verbiage : it being found, in fact, much more agreeable to sit in schools, and to listen to the talk of a professor, than to go a simpling in the deserts, and to be searching for this plant or that at all the various seasons of the year. CHAP. 7. (3.) THE NEW SYSTEM OF MEDICINE : ASCLEPIADES THE PHYSICIAN. Still, however, the ancient theories remained unshaken, based as they were upon the still existing grounds of uni- versally acknowledged experience ; until, in the time of Pom- peius Magnus, Asclepiades,22 a professor of rhetoric, who considered himself not sufficiently repaid by that pursuit, and whose readiness and sagacity rendered him better adapted for any other than forensic practice, suddenly turned his attention to the medical art. Having never practised medicine, and being totally unacquainted with the nature of remedies — a 18 See B. xxix. c. i. 19 See end of B. xx. 20 See B. xxix. c. 3. 21 See B. xxix. c. 5. 22 See end of B. vii. Chap. 8.] CHANGES EFFECTED BY ASCLEPIADES. 157 knowledge only to be acquired by personal examination and actual experience — as a matter of course, he was obliged to renounce all previously-established theories, and to trust rather to his flowing periods and his well-studied discourses, for gaining an influence upon the minds of his audience. Eeducing the whole art of medicine to an estimation solely of primary causes, he made it nothing but a merely con- jectural art, and established it as his creed, that there are five great principles of treatment for all diseases in common ; diet, use or non-use of wine, frictions, exercise on foot, and ex- ercise23 in a carriage or on horseback. As every one perceived that each of these methods of treatment lay quite within his own reach, all, of course, with the greatest readiness gave their assent, willing as they were to believe that to be true which was so easy of acquisition ; and hence it was that he attracted nearly all the world about him, as though he had been sent among mankind on a special mission from heaven. CHAP. 8. — THE CHANGES EFFECTED BY ASCLEPIADES IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. In addition to this, he had a wonderful tact in gaining the full confidence of his patients : sometimes he would make them a promise of wine, and then seize the opportune moment for administering it, while on other occasions, again, he would prescribe cold water : indeed, as Herophilus, among the an- cients, had been the first to enquire into the primary .causes of disease, and Cleophantus had brought into notice the treat- ment of diseases by wine, so did Asclepiades, as we learn from M. Varro, prefer to be indebted for his surname and repute to the extensive use made by him of cold water as a remedy. He employed also various other soothing remedies for his patients ; thus, for instance, it was he that introduced swinging beds, the motion of which might either lull the malady, or induce sleep, as deemed desirable. It was he, too, that brought baths into such general use, — a method of treatment that was adopted with the greatest avidity — in addition to numerous other modes of treatment of a pleasant and soothing nature. By these means he acquired a great professional reputation, and a no less extended fame ; which 23 " Gestationes ;" exercise on horseback, in a litter, or in a carriage drawn by horses. 158 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. was very considerably enhanced by the following incident : meeting the funeral procession of a person unknown to him, he ordered the body to be removed from the funeral pile24 and carried home, and was thus the means of saving his life. This circumstance I am the more desirous to mention, that it may not be imagined that it was on slight grounds only that so extensive a revolution was effected in the medical art. There is, however, one thing, and one thing only, at which we have any ground for indignation, — the fact, that a single individual, and he belonging to the most frivolous nation25 in the world, a man born in utter indigence, should all on a sudden, and that, too, for the sole purpose of increasing his income, give a new code of medical laws to mankind ; laws, however, be it remembered, which have been annulled by numerous authorities since his day. The success of Asclepi- ades was considerably promoted by many of the usages of ancient medicine, repulsive in their nature, and attended with far too much anxiety : thus, for instance, it was the practice to cover up the patient with vast numbers of clothes, and to adopt every possible method of promoting the perspiration ; to order the body to be roasted before a fire ; or else to be continually sending the patient on a search for sunshine, a thing hardly to be found in a showery climate like that of this city of ours ; or rather, so to say, of the whole of Italy, so prolific25* as it is of fogs and rain.-6 It was to remedy these inconveniences, that he introduced the use of hanging baths,27 an invention that was found grateful to invalids in the very highest degree. In addition to this, he modified the tortures which had hitherto attended the treatment of certain maladies ; as in quiuzy for instance, the cure of which before his time had been usually effected by the introduction of an instrument'8 into the throat. He condemned, and with good reason, the indiscrimi- nate use of emetics, which till then had been resorted to in a 24 See B. vii. c. 37. Apuleius gives the story at considerable length., in the Florida, B. iv. 25 Asia Minor. Asclepiades was a native of Prusa in Bithynia. 25* We a(i0pt Sillig's suggestion, and read " nimborum altrice," the word " imperatrice " being evidently out of place. The climate of Italy seems to have changed very materially since his day. 26 See B. ii. c. 51. 27 Set/B. ix. c. 79. 28 " Organo." Chap. 9.] EEMABKS ON THE PRACTICES OF MAGIC. 159 most extraordinary degree. He disapproved also of the prac- tice of administering internally potions that are naturally injurious to the stomach, a thing that may truthfully be pro- nounced of the greater part of them. Indeed it will be as well to take an early opportunity of stating what are the medi- caments which act beneficially upon the stomach. CHAP. 9. (4). REMARKS IN DISPRAISE OF THE PRACTICES OF MAGIC. But above all things, it was the follies of magic more par- ticularly that contributed so essentially to his success — follies which had been carried to such a pitch as to destroy all confi- dence in the remedial virtues of plants. Thus, for instance, it was stoutly maintained that by the agency of the plant gethi- opis29 rivers and standing waters could be dried up, and that by the very touch30 * * * * all bars and doors might be opened : that if the plant achaemenis31 were thrown into the ranks of the enemy it would be certain to create a panic and put them to flight : that latace32 was given by the Persian kings to their ambassadors, to ensure them an abundant supply of every- thing wherever they might happen to be : with numerous other reveries of a similar nature. Where, I should like to know, were all these plants, when the Cimbri and Teutones brought upon us the horrors of warfare with their terrific yells ? or when Lucullus defeated, with a few legions, so many kings who ruled over the Magi ?33 Why is it too that the Roman, generals have always made it their first care in warfare to make provision for the victualling of their troops ? And how was it that atPharsalia the troops of Caesar were suffering from famine, if an abundance of everything could have been ensured by the fortunate possession of a single plant ? Would it not have been better too ibr Scipio ^Emilianus to have opened the gates of Carthage by touching them with a herb, than to have taken so many years to batter down its bulwarks with his engines of war? Turning to the present moment, let them, by the agency of the herb merois,34 dry up the Pomptine35 Marshes, if they can, 29 See B. xxiv. c. 102. 30 We agree with Pintianus that the name of some plant here has been lost, the word "condiendis " making no sense. 31 See B. xxiv. c. 102. 32 Some plant as fictitious as the others here mentioned. 33 See B. xxx. c. i. « See B. xxiv. e. 102. 3> See B. iii. c. 9. 160 PLINY'S KATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. and by these means restore so much territory to the regions of Italy in the neighbourhood of our city. In the works, too, of Democritus, already mentioned,36 we find a recipe for the compo- sition of a medicament which will ensure the procreation of issue, both sure to be good and fortunate. — What king of Persia, pray, ever obtained that blessing ? It really would be a mar- vellous fact that human credulity, taking its rise originally in the very soundest of notions, should have ultimately arrived at such a pitch as this, if the mind of man understood, under any circumstances, how to keep within the bounds of modera- tion ; and if the very system of medicine thus introduced by Asclepiades, had not been carried to a greater pitch of extra- vagance than the follies of magic even, an assertion which I shall prove on a more appropriate occasion.37 Such, however, is the natural constitution of the human mind, that, be the circumstances what they may, commencing with what is necessary it speedily arrives at the point of launching out in excess. We will now resume our account of the medicinal properties of the plants mentioned in the preceding Book, adding to our description such others as the necessities of the case may seern to require. CHAP. 10. — LICHEN: FIVE KEMEDIES. As to the treatment of lichen, so noisome a disease as it is, we shall here give a number of additional remedies for it, gathered from all quarters, although those already described are by no means few in number. For the cure of lichen plantago is used, pounded, cinquefoil also, root of albucus38 in combination with vinegar, the young shoots of the fig-tree boiled in vinegar, or roots of marsh-mallow boiled down to one-fourth with glue and vinegar. The sores are rubbed also with pumice, and then fomented with root of rumex39 bruised in vinegar, or with scum of viscus40 kneaded up with lime. A decoction, too, of tithymalos41 with resin is highly esteemed for the same purpose. But to all these remedies the plant known as " lichen," from 36 In B. xxiv. c. 102. 3* In B. xxix. c. 5. 38 See B. xxi. c. 68. 39 See B. xx. c. 85. » " Flos visci." « See c. 39 of this Book. Chap. 12.] SCROFULA. 161 its efficacy as a cure, is held in preference. It is found grow- ing among rocks, and has a single broad leaf 42 near the root, and a single long stem, with small leaves hanging from it. This plant has the property also of effacing brand marks, being beaten up with honey for that purpose. There is another kind43 of lichen also, which adheres entirely to rocks, like moss, and which is equally used as a topical application. The juice of it, dropt into wounds, or applied to abscesses, has the property of arresting haemorrhage : mixed with honey, it is curative of jaundice, the face and tongue being rubbed with it. Under this mode of treatment, the patient is recommended to wash in salt water, to anoint himself with oil of almonds, and to abstain from garden vegetables. For the cure of lichen, root of thapsia44 is also used, bruised in honey. CHAP. 11. QTJINZY. For the treatment of quinzy, we find argemonia45 recom- mended, in wine; a decoction of hyssop, boiled with figs, used as a gargle ; peucedanum,46 with an equal proportion of sea-calf's rennet; proserpinaca,47 beaten up in the pickle of the maena48 and oil, or else placed beneath the tongue; as also juice of cinquefoil, taken in doses of three cyathi. Used as a gargle, juice of cinquefoil is good for the cure of all affections of the fauces : verbascum,49 too, taken in wine, is particularly useful for diseases of the tonsillary glands. CHAP. 12. (5.) — SCROFULA. For the cure of scrofula50 plantago is employed, chelidonia61 mixed with honey and axle-grease, cinquefoil, and root of per- 42 Identified by Fee with the Marchantia polymorpha of Linnaeus, Com- mon Marchantia, or Fountain liverwort, the male plant. 43 Identified by Fee with the Marchantia stellata, Star-headed Mar- chantia, or Female fountain liverwort. Desfontaines takes it to be either the Marchantia conica, or the Peltidea caiiina. It must be remembered that the Marchantia is not a Lichen in the modern acceptation of the word, and that our Lichens are destitute of stem. Littre identifies it with the Lecanora parella. 44 See B. xiii. c. 43. « See B. xxv. c. 66. 46 See B. xxv. c. 70. 47 See B. xxvii. c. 104. ** See B. ix. c. 42. 49 See B. xxv. c. 73. 50 Fee remarks that none of the plants here mentioned are of any utility for the cure of scrofula. 51 See B. xxv. c. 50. VOL. V. M 162 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. solata52 — this last being applied topically, and covered with the leaf of the plant — artemisia,53 also, and an infusion of the root of mandragora54 in water. The large-leaved sideritis,65 cleft hy the left hand with a nail, is worn attached as an amulet : but after the cure has been effected, due care must be taken to preserve the plant, in order that it may not be set again, to promote the wicked designs of the herbalists and so cause the disease to break out afresh ; as sometimes happens in the cases already mentioned,66 and others which I find stated, in reference to persons cured by the agency of artemisia or plantago. Damasonion,57 also known as alcea, is gathered at the summer solstice, and applied with rain-water, the leaves being beaten up, or the root pounded, with axle- grease, so as to admit, when applied, of being covered with a leaf of the plant. The same plan is adopted also for the cure of all pains in the neck, and tumours on all parts of the body. CHAP. 13. THE PLANT CALLED BELLIS : TWO KEMEDIES. Bellis88 is the name of a plant that grows in the fields, with a white flower somewhat inclining to red ; if this is applied with artemisia,59 it is said, the remedy is still more efficacious. CHAP. 14. THE CONDTJRDUM. The condurdum,60 too, is a plant with a red blossom, which flowers at the summer solstice. Suspended from the neck, it 52 See B. xxv. c. 66. 53 See B. xxv. c. 36. 54 See B. xxv. c. 94. 65 See B. xxv. c. 19, where our author has confused the Achillea with the Sideritis ; also c. 15, where he describes the Heraclion siderion. Fee identifies the Sideritis mentioned in B. xxv. c. 19, as having a square stem and leaves like those of the quercus, with the Stachys heraclea of modern botany. That mentioned in the same Chapter, as having a fetid smell, he identifies with the Phellandrium mutellina of Linnseus. The large-leaved Sideritis is, no doubt, the one mentioned as having leaves like those of the quercus. See the Note to B. xxv. c. 19. 56 In B. xxi. c. 83, and B. xxv. c. 119. 57 See B. xxv. c. 77. 58 Probably the Bellis perennis of Linnasus, the Common daisy. Fee remarks, that it was probably unknown to the Greeks. 59 See B. xxv. c. 36. 60 Identified by Sprengel and Desfontaines with the Saponaria vaccaria, the Perfoliate soapwort. Other commentators have suggested the Valeriana rubra, but Fee thinks that its synonym has not been hitherto discovered. Chap. 15.] COUGH. 163 arrests scrofula, they say : the same being the case also with vervain, in combination with plantago. For the cure of all diseases of the fingers, hangnails in particular, cinquefoil is used, CHAP. 15. — COUGH. Of all diseases of the chest, cough is the one that is the most oppressive. For the cure of this malady, root of pa- naces 61 in sweet wine is used, and in cases where it is attended with spitting of blood, juice of henbane. Henbane, too, used as a fumigation, is good for cough ; and the same with scordotis,62 mixed with nasturtium and dry resin, beaten up with honey : employed by itself also, scordotis facilitates expectoration, a property which is equally possessed by the greater centaury, even where the patient is troubled with spitting of blood ; for which last juice of plantago is very beneficial. Betony, taken in doses of three oboli in water, is useful for purulent or bloody expectorations : root also of persolata,68 in doses of one drachma, taken with eleven pine-nuts ; and juice of peu- cedanum.64 For pains in the chest, acoron85 is remarkably useful ; hence it is that it is so much used an ingredient in antidotes. For cough, daucus <* and the plant scythice 67 are much employed, this last being good, in fact, for all affections of the chest, coughs, and purulent expectorations, taken in doses of three oboli, with the same proportion of raisin wine. The verbas- cum68 too, with a flower like gold, is similarly employed. (6.) This last-named plant is so remarkably energetic, that an infusion of it, administered in their drink, will relieve beasts of burden, not only when troubled with cough, but when broken- winded even — a property which I find attributed to gentian also. Root of cacalia69 chewed, or steeped in wine, is good for cough as well as all affections of the throat. Five sprigs of hyssop, with two of rue and three figs, act detergently upon the thoracic organs and allay cough, 61 See B. xxv. c. 11. 62 See B. xxv. c. 27. 63 See B. xxv. c. 66. «* See B. xxv. c. 70. «5 See B. xxv. c. 100. 65 See B. xxv. c. 64. 67 See B. xxii. c. 11, and B. xxv. c. 43. Our Liquorice probably, which, Fee remarks, as also figs and hyssop, has maintained its ancient reputation as a pectoral. 68 See B. XXY. c. 73. 69 See B. xxv. c. 85. 164 PLINY'S HATUBAL HISTOEY. [Book XXVI. CHAP. 16. — BECHION, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS AECION, LETJCE OE TUSSILAGO I THEEE EEMEDIES. Bechion70 is known also as tussilago : there are two kinds of it. "Wherever it is found growing wild, it is generally thought that there is a spring of water below, and it is looked upon as a sure sign that such is the ease, by persons in search71 of water. The leaves are somewhat larger than those of ivy, and are some five or seven in number, of a whitish hue beneath, and a pale green on the upper surface, The plant is destitute of stem, blossom, and seed, and the root is very diminutive. Some persons are of opinion that this bechion is identical with the arcion, known also as the " chamaeleuce."72 The smoke73 of this plant in a dry state, inhaled by the aid of a reed and swallowed, is curative, they say, of chronic cough ; it is necessary, however, at each inhalation to take a draught of raisin wine. CHAP. 1 7. - THE BECHION, KNOWN ALSO AS SAL VIA I FOTJE EEMEDIES. There is another bechion74 also, known to some persons as " sal via,"75 and bearing a strong resemblance to verbascum. This plant is triturated, and the juice strained off and taken warm for cough and for pains in the side : it is considered very beneficial also for the stings of scorpions and sea- dragons.76 It is a good plan, too, to rub the body with this juice, mixed with oil, as a preservative against the stings of serpents. A bunch of hyssop is sometimes boiled down with a quarter of a pound of honey, for the cure of cough. CHAP. 18. (7.) - AFFECTIONS OF THE SIDE, CHEST, AND STOMACH. For the cure of pains in the side and chest, verbascum77 is used in water, with rue ; powdered betony is also taken in warm water. Juice of scordotis78 is used as a stomachic, 70 See B. xxiv. c. 85. 71 " Aquileges." 72 See B. xxiv. c. 85. 73 Dried bechion, o* coltsfoot, is still smoked by some persons for affections of the chest. 74 Generally identified with the Phlomos, or Verhascum lychnitis men- tioned in B. xxv. c. 74. 75 " Sage." See B. xxv. c, 73. 76 See B. ix. c. 43, and B. xxxil c. 53. T7 See B. xxv. c. 73. 78 See B. xx. c. 27. Chap. 19.] MOLON OB SYEON. 165 centaury also, gentian taken in water, and plantago, either eaten with the food, or mixed with lentils or a pottage of alica.79 Betony, which is in general prejudicial to the stomach, is remedial for some stomachic affections, taken in drink or chewed, the leaves being used for the purpose. In a similar manner too, aristolochia80 is taken in drink, or dried agaric is chewed, a draught of undiluted wine being taken every now and then. Nymphsea heraclia81 is also applied topically in these cases, and juice of peucedanum.82 For burning pains in the stomach psyUion83 is applied, or else cotyledon84 beaten up with polenta, or aizoiim.85 CHAP. 19. MOLON OK SYEON. AMOMTTM. Molon86 is a plant with a striated stem, a soft diminutive leaf, and a root four fingers in length, at the extremity of which there is a head like that of garlic ; by some persons it is known as " syron." Taken in wine, it is curative of affec- tions of the stomach, and of hardness of breathing. For similar purposes the greater centaury is used, in an electuary ; juice also of plantago, or else the plant itself, eaten with the food ; pounded betony, in the proportion of one pound to half an ounce of Attic honey, taken daily in warm water ; and aristo- lochia87 or agaric, taken in doses of three oboli, in warm water or asses' milk. For hardness of breathing an infusion of cissanthemos*8 is taken in drink, and for the same complaint, as also for asthma, hyssop. For pains in the liver, chest, and side, if unattended with fever, juice of peucedanum is used. For spitting of blood agaric is employed, in doses of one victoriatus,89 bruised and administered in five cyathi of honied wine : amomum,90 too, is equally useful for that purpose. For liver diseases in 79 See B. xviii. c. 29. Fee observes that none of these prescriptions would be countenanced at the present day. 80 See B. xxv. c. 54. 81 See B. xxv. c. 37. 82 See B. xxv. c. 70. 83 See B. xxv. c. 90. 84 See B. xxv. c. 101. 85 See B. xxv. c. 102. 86 Possibly the same plant as the " Moly " of B. xxv. c. 8. If so, as Fee says, it would appear to belong to the genus Allium, or garlic. 87 See B. xxv. c. 84. ** See B. xxv. c. 68. 89 See Introduction to Vol. III. 90 See B. xii. c. 28. Fee says that none of these so-called remedies would now be recognised. 166 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. particular, teucria91 is taken fresh, in doses of four drachmae to one hemina of oxycrate ; or else betony, in ^the proportion of one drachma to three cyathi of warm water. For diseases of the heart, betony is recommended, in doses of one drachma to two cyathi of cold water. Juice of cinquefoil is remedial for diseases of the liver and lungs, and for spitting of blood as well as all internal affections of the blood. The two varieties of anagallis92 are wonderfully efficacious for liver complaints. Patients who eat the plant called " capnos"93 discharge the bile by urine. Acoron94 is also remedial for diseases of the liver, and daueus95 is useful for the thorax and the pectoral organs. CHAP. 20 — THE EPHEDEA OR ANABASIS ; THREE REMEDIES. The ephedra,96 by some persons called " anabasis/ ' mostly grows in localities exposed to the wind. It climbs the trunks of trees, and hangs down from the branches, is destitute of leaves, but has numerous suckers, join ted like a bulrush; the root is of a pale colour. This plant is given, pounded, in astringent reel wine, for cough, asthma, and gripings in the bowels. It is administered also in the form of a pottage, to which some wine should be added. For these complaints, gentian is also used, being steeped in water the day before, and then pounded and given in doses of 5ne denarius, in three cyathi of wine. CHAP. 21. GEUM : THREE REMEDIES. Geum97 is a plant with thin, diminutive roots, black, and aromatic.98 It is curative not only of pains in the chest and sides, but is useful also for dispelling crudities, owing to its agreeable flavour. Yervain, too, is good for all affections of the viscera, and for diseases of the sides, lungs, liver, and 91 See B. xxv. c. 20. 92 See B. xxv. c. 92. 93 See B. xxv. c. 99. 9i See B. xxv. c. 100. 95 See B. xxv. c. 64. 96 Probably the Equisetum silvaticum of Linnaeus, our Wild horse-tail. He is in error in saying that it climbs the trunks of trees ; a mistake also made by Dioscorides, B. iv. c. 46, who calls it " hippuris." It is said by some to be a strong diuretic. Littre, however, gives as its synonym the Ephedra fragilis of Linnaeus. 97 The Geum urbanum of Linnaeus, the Common avens, or herb bennet. It was probably unknown to the Greeks. 98 Its root has a smell like that of cloves, for which reason it is some- times known as 196 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVL name given in common to bulimia61 and to a corrosive kind of ulcer, tithymalos63 is taken in combination with sesame. CHAP. 69. THE ONOTHEBAS OE ONEAE I THEEE EEMEDIES. Among the various evils by which .the whole of the body in common is afflicted, that of wakefulness is the most common. Among the remedies for it we find panaces63 mentioned, clymenus,64 and aristolochia,65 the odour of the plant being inhaled and the head rubbed with it. Aizoiim, or houseleek, is beneficial, wrapped in black cloth and placed beneath the pillow, without the patient being aware of it. The onotheras66 too, or onear, taken in wine, has certain exhilarating pro- perties ; it has leaves like those of the almond tree, a rose- coloured flower, numerous branches, and a long root, with a vinous smell when dried : an infusion of this root has a soothing effect upon wild beasts even. For fits of indigestion67 attended with nausea, betony is taken in drink : used similarly after the evening meal, it faci- litates the digestion. Taken in the proportion of one drachma to three cyathi of oxymel, it dispels crapulence. The same is the case, too, with agaric, taken in warm water after eating. Betony is curative of paralysis, it is said; the same, too, with iberis, as already stated.68 This last is good, too, for numbness of the limbs ; the same being the case with argemonia,69 a plant which disperses those affections which might otherwise necessitate the application of the knife. CHAP. 70. EEMEDIES FOE EPILEPSY. Epilepsy is cured by the root of the panaces which we have spoken70 of as the " heraclion," taken in drink with sea-calf's rennet, the proportions being three parts of panaces and one of rennet. For the same purpose an infusion of plantago71 is taken, or else betony or agaric, with oxymel, the former in doses of one drachma, the latter in doses of three oboli ; leaves 01 Voracious appetite — "sine modo esurientium." 6- See B. xxvi. c. 39. 63 See B. xxv. cc. 11 and 12. i;4 See B. xxv. c. 33. 65 See B. xxv. c. 54. 6>i Identified with the Epilobiurn roseum of Linnceus, Rose-coloured willow-herb. 67 See c. 25 of this Book. ** In B. xxv. c. 49. 69 See B. xxv. c. 56. "° In B. xxv. c. 12. 71 See B. xxv. c. 39. Chap. 71.] REMEDIES FOB FEVERS. 197 of cinquefoil are taken, also, in water. Archezostis72 is also curative of epilepsy, but it must be taken constantly for a year ; root of bacchar,73 too, dried and powdered, and taken in warm water, in the proportion of three cyathi to one cyathus of coriander; centunculus74 also, bruised in vinegar, warm water, or honey ; vervain, taken in wine ; hyssop75 berries, three in number, pounded and taken in water, for sixteen days consecutively ; peucedanum,76 taken in drink with sea-calf's rennet, in equal proportions ; leaves of cinquefoil, bruised in wine and taken for thirty days ; powdered betony, in doses of three denarii, with one cyathus of squill vinegar and an ounce of Attic honey ; as also scammony, in the proportion of two oboli to four drachmae of castoreum. CHAP. 71. REMEDIES FOR FEVERS. Agaric, taken in warm water, alleviates cold fevers : sideritie, in combination with oil, is good for tertian fevers ; bruised ladanum 77 also, which is found in corn fields ; plantago,78 taken in doses of two drachmae, in hydromel, a couple of hours before the paroxysms come on ; juice of the root of plantago made warm or subjected to pressure ; or else the root itself beaten up in water made warm with a hot iron. Some medical men pre- scribe three roots of plantago, in three cyathi of water ; and in a similar manner, four roots for quartan fevers. When buglossos79 is beginning to wither, if a person takes the pith out of the stem, and says while so doing, that it is for the cure of such and such a person suffering from fever, and then attaches seven leaves to the patient, just before the paroxysms come on, he will experience a cure, they say. Fevers too, those which are attended with recurrent cold shiverings more particularly, are cured by administering one drachma of betony, or else agaric, in three cyathi of hydromel. Some medical men recommend three leaves of cinquefoil for tertian, four for quartan, and an increased number for other fevers ; while others again prescribe in all cases three oboli of cinquefoil, with pepper, in hydromel. Vervain, administered in water, is curative of fever, in beasts 73 See B. xxiii. c. 16. 73 See B. xxi. c. 16. 74 See B. xxiv. c. 88. 75 See B. xxv, c. 87. 76 See B. xxv. c. 70. 77 See c. 30 of this Book. 18 See B, xxv. c. 39. 79 See B. xxv. c. 40. 198 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. of burden even ; but care must be taken, in cases of tertian fever, to cut the plant at the third joint, and of quartan fever at the fourth. The seed of either kind of hypericon80 is taken also for quartan fevers and cold shiverings. Powdered betony modifies these fits, and panaces81 is of so warming a nature that persons when about to travel amid the snow are recom- mended to drink an infusion of it, and to rub the body all over with the plant. Aristolochia81* also arrests shivering produced by cold. CHAP. 72. REMEDIES FOR PHRENTTIS, LETHARGY, AND CARBUNCLES. Phrenitis is cured by sleep induced by the agency of an infusion of peucedanum82 in vinegar, poured upon the head, or else by the juice of either kind of anagallis.82* On the other hand, when patients are suffering from lethargy, it is with the greatest difficulty that they are aroused ; a result which may be effected, they say, by touching the nostrils with juice of peucedanum in vinegar. For the cure of insanity, betony is administered in drink. Panaces83 brings carbuncles to a head, and makes them break; and they are equally cured by powdered betony applied in water, or else cabbage leaves mixed with frankincense in warm water, and taken in con- siderable quantities. For a similar purpose, a red-hot coal is extinguished in the patient's presence, and the ashes are taken up with the finger and applied to the sore. Bruised plantago83* is also used for the cure of carbuncles. CHAP. 73. REMEDIES FOR DROPSY. ACTE OR EBTTLTTM. CHAM^ACTE. For the cure of dropsy, tithymalos characias84 is employed ; panaces85 also ; plantago,86 used as a diet, dry bread being eaten first, without any drink ; betony, taken in doses of two drachmas in two cyathi of ordinary wine or honied wine ; agaric or seed of lonchitis,87 in doses of two spoonfuls, in 80 See Chapters 53 and 54 of this Book. 81 See B. xxv. c. 11, et seq. 81* See B. xxv. c. 54. 33 See B. xxv. c. 70. 82* See B. xxv. c. 92. 83 See B. xxv. c. 11, et seq. 88' See B. xxv. c. 39. 84 See c. 39 of this Book. 85 See B. xxv. c. 11, et sea. 86 See B. xxv. c. 39. 87 gee B. xxv. c. 88. Chap. 74.] REMEDIES FOR ERYSIPELAS. . 199 water; psyllion,88 taken in wine; juice of either anagallis;89 root of cotyledon90 in honied wine ; root of ebulum,91 fresh gathered, with the mould shaken off, but not washed in water, a pinch in two fingers being taken in one hemina of old wine mulled; root of trefoil, taken in doses of two drachmae in wine ; the tithymalos92 known as " platyphyllos ;" seed of the hypericon,93 otherwise known as "caros;" the plant called "acte" — the same thing as ebulum94 according to some — the root of it being pounded in three cyathi of wine, if there are no symptoms of fever, or the seed of it being ad- ministered in red wine ; a good handful of vervain also, boiled down in water to one half. But of all the remedies for this disease, juice of chamaeacte95 is looked upon as by far the most efficacious. Morbid or pituitous eruptions are cured by the agency of plantago, or else root of cyclaminos96 with honey. Leaves of ebulum,97 bruised in old wine and applied topically, are curative of the disease called "boa," which makes its appearance in the form of red pimples. Juice of strychnos,98 applied as a liniment, is curative of prurigo. CHAP. 74. REMEDIES FOR ERYSIPELAS. For the cure of erysipelas, aizoiim99 is used, or else pounded leaves of hemlock, or root of mandragora j1 this last being cut into round slices like cucumber and suspended over must,2 after which it is hung up in the smoke, and then pounded in wine or vinegar. It is a good plan too to use fomentations with myrtle wine : two ounces of mint beaten up in vinegar with one ounce of live sulphur, form a mixture sometimes employed ; as also soot mixed with vinegar. There are several kinds of erysipelas, one in particular which attacks the middle of the body, and is known as " zoster :"3 should it entirely surround the body, its effects are 88 See B. xxv. c. 90. 89 See B. xxv. c. 92. 90 See B. xxv. c. 101. 91 See B. xxv. c. 71. 93 See c. 44 of this Book. 93 See c. 54 of this Book, u See B. xxv. c. 71. 95 See B. xxv. c. 71. 96 See B. xxv. c. 67. 9T See B. xxv. c. 71. 98 See B. xxi. c. 105. M See B. xxv. c. 102. 1 See B. xxv. c. 94. 2 Or Grape-juice. 3 The "belt " — known to us as " shingles." 200 . PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOEY. [Book XXVI. fatal. For this disease, plantago4 is remedial, mixed with Cimolian5 chalk ; vervain, used by itself; or root of persolata.6 For other kinds of erysipelas of a spreading nature, root of cotyledon7 is used, mixed with honied wine ; aizoiim also,8 or juice of linozostis,9 in combination with vinegar. CHAP. 75. (12.) KEMEDIES FOE SPBAINS. For the cure of sprains, root of polypodion10 is used, in the form of a liniment : the pain and swelling are modified also by using seed of psyllion ;n leaves of plantago12 beaten up with a little salt ; seed of verbascum,13 boiled in wine and pounded ; or hemlock with axle-grease. Leaves of ephemeron14 are applied topically to tumours and tuberosities, so long as they are capable of being dispersed. CHAP. 76. REMEDIES FOK JAUNDICE. It is upon the eyes in particular that jaundice is productive of so remarkable an effect ; the bile penetrating between the membranes, so extremely delicate as they are and so closely united. Hippocrates15 tells us that the appearance of jaundice on or after the seventh day in fevers is a fatal symptom ; but I am acquainted with some instances in which the patients survived after having been reduced to this apparently hopeless state. We may remark also, that jaundice sometimes comes on without fever supervening. It is combated by taking the greater centaury,16 as already mentioned, in drink ; agaric, in doses of three oboli in old wine ; or leaves of vervain, in doses of three oboli, taken for four consecutive days in one hemina of mulled wine. But the most speedy cure of all is effected by using juice of cinquefoil, in doses of three cyathi, with salt and honey. Eoot of cyclaminos17 is also taken in drink in doses of three drachmae, the patient sitting in a warm room free from all cold and draughts, the infusion expelling the bile by its action as a sudorific. 4 See B. xxv. c. 39. 5 See B. xxxv. c. 57. 6 See B. xxv. c. 66. 7 See B. xxv. c. 101. 8 See B. xxv. c. 102. 9 See B. xxv. c. 18. 10 See c. 37 of this Book. " See B. xxv. c. 90. 12 See B. xxv. c. 39. 13 See B. xxv. c. 73. 14 See B. xxv. c. 107. 15 B. iv. cc. 62, 64. 16 See B. xxv. c. 3'J. tf See B. xxv. c. 67. Chap. 79.] BEMEDIES FOE ABSCESSES. 201 Leaves of tussilago18 are also used in water for this purpose ; the seed of either kind of linozostis,19 sprinkled in the drink, or made into a decoction with chick-pease or wormwood : hyssop berries taken in water; the plant lichen,20 all other vege- tables being carefully abstained from while it is being used ; polythrix,21 taken in wine ; and struthion,22 in honied wine. CHAP. 77. REMEDIES FOR BOILS. There are boils also, known as " furunculi,"23 which make their appearance indiscriminately on all parts of the body, and are productive of the greatest inconvenience : sometimes indeed, when the constitution is exhausted, they are fatal in their effects. For their cure, leaves of pycnocoinon24 are em- ployed, beaten up with polenta,25 if the boil has not come to a head. They are dispersed also by an application of leaves of ephedron.26 CHAP. 78. REMEDIES FOR FISTULA. Fistulas, too, insidiously attack all parts of the body, owing to unskilfulness on the part of medical men in the use of the knife. The smaller centaury27 is used for their cure, with the addition of lotions28 and boiled honey : juice of plantago29 is also employed, as an injection ; cinquefoil, mixed with salt and honey ; ladanum,30 combined with castoreum ;31 cotyledon,32 applied hot with stag's marrow ; pith of the root of verbascum33 reduced to a liquid state in the shape of a lotion, and injected ; root of aristolochia ;34 or juice of tithymalos.35 CHAP. 79. — REMEDIES FOR ABSCESSES AND HARD TUMOURS. Abscesses and inflammations are cured by an application of leaves of argemonia.36 For indurations and gatherings of all descriptions a decoction of vervain or cinquefoil in vinegar is 18 Or Bechion. See B. xxiv. c. 85. 19 See B. xxv. c. 19. 20 See c. 10 of this Book. 21 See B. xxv. c. 83. 22 See B. xix. c. 18. 23 "Little thieves," literally. 24 See c. 36 of this Book. 25 See B. xviii. c. 14. 26 See c. 83 of this Book. 27 See B. xxv. c. 31. 28 " Collyriis." 29 See B. xxv. c. 39 ™ See B. xii. c. 37, and c. 30 of this Book. 31 See B. viii. c. 47. 32 See B. xxv. c. 101. 33 See B. xxv. c. 73. 34 See B. xxv. c. 54. *> See c. 39 of this Book. 36 See B. xxv. c. 56. 202 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOET. [Book XXVI. used ; leaves or root of verbascum ;37 a liniment made of wine and hyssop ; root of acoron,38 a decoction of it being used as a fomentation ; or else aizoiim.39 Contusions also, hard tumours, and fistulous abscesses are treated with illecebra.40 All kinds of foreign substances which have pierced the flesh are extracted by using leaves of tussilago,41 daucus,42 or seed of leontopodium43 pounded in water with polenta.44 To suppurations, leaves of pycnocomon45 are applied, beaten up with polenta, or else the seed of that plant, or orchis.46 An application of root of satyrion47 is said to be a most efficacious remedy for deep-seated diseases of the bones. Corrosive ulcers and all kinds of gatherings are treated with sea- weed,48 used before it has dried. Boot, too, of alcima49 disperses gatherings. CHAP. 80. — EEMEDIES FOE BTJENS. Burns are cured by the agency of plantago,50 or of arction,51 so effectually indeed as to leave no scar. The leaves of this last plant are boiled in water, beaten up, and applied to the sore. Boots of cyclaminos52 are used, in combination with aizoum ;53 the kind of hypericon also, which we have mentioned as being called " corissum."54 CHAP. 81. EEMEDIES FOE DISEASES OF THE SINEWS AND JOINTS. For diseases of the sinews and joints, plantago,55 beaten up with salt, is a very useful remedy, or else argemonia,56 pounded with honey. Patients affected with spasms or tetanus are rubbed with juice of peucedanum.57 For indurations of the sinews, juice of aegilops58 is employed, and for pains in those parts of the body erigeron69 or epithymum,60 used as a liniment, 37 See B. xxv. c. 73. 38 See B. xxv. c. 100. 39 See B. xxv. c. 102. 40 See B. xxv. c. 103. 41 See B. xxiv. c. 85. 42 See B. xxv. c. 64. 43 See B. xxvii. c. 72. 44 See B. xviii. c. 14. 45 See Chapters 36 and 77 of this Book. 46 See c. 62 of this Book. 4? See c. 62 of this Book. 48 See c. 66 of this Book. 49 Probably the " Alcea " of B. xxvii. c. 6. See also B. xxv. c. 77. 50 See B. xxv. c. 39. 6l See B. xxvii. c. 16, 32 See B. xxv. c. 67. 53 See B. xxv. c. 102. 54 Or " Corison." See c. 53 of this Book. 55 See B. xxv. c. 39. 56 See B. xxv. c. 56. 67 See B. xxv. c. 70. 58 See B. xxv. c. 93. 59 See B. xxv. c. 106. «o See c. 35 of this Book. Chap. 83.] HIPPUEIS. 203 with vinegar. In cases of spasms and opisthotony, it is an excellent plan to rub the part affected with seed of the hype- ricon known as " caros,"61 and to take the seed in drink. Phrynion,62 it is said, will effect a cure even when the sinews have been severed, if applied instantaneously, bruised or chewed. For spasmodic affections, fits of trembling, and opis- thotony, root of alcima63 is administered in hydromel ; used in this manner, it has a warming effect when the limbs are benumbed with cold. CHAP. 82. REMEDIES FOR HAEMORRHAGE. The red seed of the plant called " paeonia"64 arrests haemorr- hage ; the root also is possessed of similar properties. But it is clyinenus65 that should be employed, when there are dis- charges of blood at the mouth or nostrils, from the bowels, or from the uterus. In such cases, lysimachia66 also is taken in drink, applied topically, or introduced into the nostrils ; or else seed of plantago,67 or cinquefoil, is taken in drink, or em- ployed in the form of a liniment. Hemlock seed is introduced into the nostrils, for discharges of blood there, or else it is pounded and applied in water ; aizoum68 also, and root of as- tragalus.69 Isehsemon70 and achillea71 likewise arrest haemorr- hage. CHAP. 83. (13.) HIPPURIS, OTHERWISE CALLED EPHEDRON, ANABASIS, OR EQTJIS^ETUM ; THREE KINDS OF IT I EIGHTEEN REMEDIES. Equisaetum, a plant called " hippuris" by the Greeks, and which we have mentioned in terms of condemnation, when treating of meadow lands72 — it being, in fact, a sort of hair of the earth, similar in appearance to horse- hair78 — is used by runners for the purpose of diminishing74 the spleen. For this 61 See c. 53 of this Book. 62 See B. xxv. c. 76. 63 See Note 49 above. 64 Our peony. See B. XXY. c. 10. 65 See B. xxv. c. 33. 66 See B. xxv. c. 35. 67 See B. xxv. c. 39. m See B. xxv. c. 102. 69 See c. 29 of the present Book. 70 See B. xxv. c. 45. 71 See B. xxv. c. 19. 72 In B. xviii. c. 67 ; where it is called " equissetis." M. Fraas identifies it with the Equisaetum limosum of Linnaeus. 73 Whence its name " equisaetum." 7* See B. xi. c. 30. 204 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOBY. [Book XXVI. purpose it is boiled down in a new earthen vessel to one third, the vessel being filled to the brim, and the decoction taken in doses of one hemina for three successive days. It is strictly forbidden, however, to eat any food of a greasy nature the day before taking it. Among the Greeks there are various opinions in relation to this plant, According to some, who give it the same name of " hippuris," it has leaves like those of the pine tree, and of a swarthy hue ; and, if we are to believe them, it is possessed of virtues of such a marvellous nature, that if touched by the patient only, it will arrest haemorrhage. Some authorities call it " hippuris, "others, again, "ephedron," and others "anabasis;" and they tell us that it grows near trees, the trunks of which it ascends, and hangs down therefrom in numerous tufts of black, rush-like hair, much like a horse's tail in appearance. The branches, we are told, are thin and articulated, and the leaves, few in number, small, and thin, the seed round, and similar to coriander in appearance, and the root ligneous : it grows, they say, in plantations more particularly. This plant is possessed of astringent properties. The juice of it, kept in the nostrils, arrests bleeding therefrom, and it acts astringently upon the bowels. Taken in doses of three cyathi, in sweet wine, it is a cure for dysentery, is an efficient diuretic, and is curative of cough, hardness of breathing, rup- tures, and serpiginous affections. For diseases of the intestines and bladder, the leaves are taken in drink ; it has the property, also, of reducing ruptures of the groin. The Greek writers describe another75 hippuris, also, with shorter tufts, softer and whiter. This last, they say, is remark- ably good for sciatica, and, applied with vinegar, for wounds, it having the property of stanching the blood. Bruised nym- phaea76 is also applied to wounds. Peucedanum77is taken in drink with cypress seed, for discharges of blood at the mouth or by the lower passages. Sideritis79 is possessed of such remark- able virtues, that applied to the wound of a gladiator just inflicted, it will stop the flow of blood ; an effect which is equally produced by an application of charred fennel-giant, or of the 75 Identified by Littre with the Ephedra fragilis of Linnaeus. Fee gives as its synonym the Equisaetum arvense of Linnaeus, the Common horse-tail, or Corn horse-tail. 76 See B. xxv. c. 37. 77 See B. xxv. c. 70. ™ See B. xxv. c. 15. Chap. 85.] REMEDIES FOE RUPTURES. 205 ashes of that plant. For a similar purpose, also, the fungus that is found growing near the root of fennel-giant is still more efficacious. CHAP. 84. STEPHANOMELIS. For bleeding at the nostrils, seed of hemlock, pounded in water, is considered efficacious, as also stephanomelis,79 applied with water. Powdered betony, taken with goat's milk, or bruised plantago,80 arrests discharges of blood from the ma- millae. Juice of plantago is administered to patients when vomiting blood. For local discharges of blood, an application of root of persolata81 with stale axle-grease is highly spoken of. CHAP. 85. REMEDIES FOR RUPTURES AND CONVULSIONS, ERYSITHALES I ONE REMEDY. For ruptures, convulsions, and falls with violence, the greater centaury*- is used ; root of gentian pounded or boiled ; j uice of betony — this last being employed also for ruptures produced by straining the vocal organs or sides — panaces j83 scordium j84 or aristolochia85 taken in drink. For contusions and falls, agaric is taken, in doses of two oboli, in three cyathi of honied wine, or if there are symptoms of fever, hydromel ; the verbascum,86 also, with a golden flower ; root of acoron ;87 the several varieties of aizoiim,88 the juice of the larger kind being particularly efficacious; juice of symphytum,89 or a decoction of the root of that plant ; daucus,90 unboiled ; erysithales,91 a plant with a yellow flower and a leaf like that of acanthus, taken in wine ; chamaerops ;92 irio,93 taken in pottage ; plantago94 taken any way, as also * * * * 79 Dalechamps identifies it with the Potentilla anserina of Linnaeus, Silver- weed, or White tansy ; bat on insufficient grounds, Fee thinks. 80 See B. xxv. c. 39. bl See B. xxv. c. 66. 82 See B. xxv. c. 30. 83 See B. xxv. c. 11, et seq. 84 See B. xxv. c. 27. 85 See B. xxv. c. 54. be See B. xxv. c. 73. 87 See B. xxv. c. 100. 88 See B. xxv. c. 102. 89 See B. xxvii. c. 24. 90 See B. xxv. c. 64. 91 C. Bauhin identifies it with the Cnicus erysithales of Willdeuow ; - but that plant, Fee says, was unknown to the Greeks. 9* See B. xxiv. c. 80. »3 See B. xviii. c. 10. 94 See B. xxv. c. 39., 206 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. CHAP. 86. — EEMEDIES FOR PHTHIRIASIS. Phthiriasis is a disease which proved fatal to the Dictator Sylla,95 and which developes itself by the production of insects in the blood, which ultimately consume the body. It is combated by using the juice of Taminian grapes96 or of hellebore, the body being rubbed all over with it, in combination with oil. A decoction of Taminian grapes in vinegar, has the effect, also, of ridding the clothes of these vermin. CHAP. 87. (14.) REMEDIES FOR ULCERS AND WOUNDS. Of ulcers there are numerous kinds, which are treated in various ways. The root of all the varieties of panaces97 is used as an application for running ulcers, in warm wine. That which we have spoken of as the " chironion"98 is par- ticularly good as a desiccative : bruised with honey, it opens tumours, and is useful for serpiginoyiis ulcers, the cure of which appears more than doubtful ; in which case it is amalgamated with flower99 of copper tempered with wine, either the seed, flower, or root, being employed for the purpose. Mixed with polenta1 it is good for old wounds. The following are also good detergents for wounds : heraclion siderion,2 apollinaris,3 psyllion,4 tragacantha,5 and scordotis 6 mixed with honey. Powdered scordotis, applied by itself, consumes fleshy excres- cences on the body. Polemonia7 is curative of the malignant ulcer known as " cacoethes." The greater centaury,8 sprinkled in powder, or applied in the form of a liniment, or the leaves of the smaller9 centaury, boiled or pounded, act as a detergent upon inveterate ulcers, and effect a cure. To recent wounds, the follicules of the clymenus10 are applied. Gentian is applied to serpiginous ulcers, the root being bruised or else boiled down in water to the consistency of honey ; the juice also of the plant is employed. For wounds, a kind of lycium11 is prepared from gentian. 95 See B. xi. c. 39, and B. xx. c. 32. 96 See B. xxiii. c. 13. 97 See B. XXT. c. 11, et seq. 98 See B. xxv. c. 15. 99 For a description of this substance, see B. xxxiv. c. 24. 1 See B. xviii. c. 14. 2 See B. xxv. c. 15. 3 See B. xxv. c. 17. 4 See B. xxv. c. 90. 5 See B. xiii. c. 36. 6 See B. xxv. c. 27. 7 See B. xxv. c. 28. 8 See B. xxv. c. 30. 9 See B. xxv. c. 31. 10 See B. xxv. c. 33. 11 See B. xxiv. c. 77. Chap. 87.] EEHEBIES FOR TJLCEKS. 207 Lysimachia12 is curative of recent wounds, and plantago13 of all kinds of ulcerations, those on females, infants, and aged per- sons more particularly. This plant, when softened by the action of fire, is better still : in combination with cerate it acts as a detergent upon ulcers with indurated edges, and arrests the progress of corrosive sores : when applied bruised, it should be covered with its own leaves. Chelidonia14 also acts as a desiccative upon suppurations, abscesses, and fistulous ulcers ; indeed, it is so remarkably useful for the cure of wounds, as to be employed as a substitute for spodium15 even. In cases where the cure is almost hopeless, it is applied with axle- grease. Dittany,16 taken internally, causes arrows to fall from the flesh ; used as a liniment, it has the effect of extracting other kinds of pointed weapons : the leaves are taken in the pro- portion of one obolus to one cyathus of water. Nearly equal in its efficacy is pseudo-dictamnon : 17 they are both of them useful, also, for dispersing suppurations. Aristolochia18 cauterizes putrid sores, and, applied with honey, acts as a detergent upon sordid ulcers. At the same time also, it removes maggots, and extracts hard cores, and all foreign bodies adhering to the flesh, arrows more particularly, and, applied with resin, splintered bones. Used by itself, it fills the cavities made by ulcers with new flesh, and, employed with iris,19 in vinegar, it closes recent wounds. Vervain, or cinque- foil with salt and honey, is remedial for ulcers of long stand- ing. Roots of persolata20 are applied to recent wounds in- flicted with iron, but for old wounds, it is the leaves that are employed : in both cases, in combination with axle-grease, the sore being then covered with the leaves of the plant. Damaso- niuin21 is used for wounds the same way as for scrofula,22 and leaves of verbascum23 are employed with vinegar or wine. Vervain is useful for all kinds of callosities or putrid sores ; root of nympha3a heraclia24 is curative of running ulcers ; and 12 See B. xxv. c. 35. 13 See B. xxv. c. 39. 14 See B. xxv. c. 50. 15 See B. xix. c. 4, B. xxiii. c. 35, and B. xxxiv. c. 52. 16 See B. xxv. c. 53. 17 Bastard dittany. See B. xxv. C. 53. 18 See B. xxv. c. 54. w See B. xxi. c. 19. 20 See B. xxv. c. 66. 21 gee B. xxv. c, 77. 22 See c. 12 of this Book. 23 See B. xxv. c. 73. 34 See B. xxv. c. 37. 208 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. the same is the case with root of cyclaminos,26 either used by itself, or in combination with vinegar or honey. This last root is useful also for the cure of steatomatous tumours, and hyssop for that of running ulcers ; an effect equally produced by peu- cedanum,26a plant which exercises so powerful an influence upon fresh wounds, as to cause exfoliation even of the bones. The two varieties of anagallis27 are possessed of similar properties, and act as a check upon the corrosive sores known as " nomae" and upon defluxions; they are useful also in cases of recent wounds, those of aged people in particular. Fresh leaves of niandra- gora,28 applied with cerate, are curative of apostemes and sordid ulcers: the root too is used, with honey or oil, for wounds. Hemlock, incorporated with flour of winter wheat29 by the agency of wine — as also the plant aizoum30 — is curative of her- petic eruptions, and corrosive or putrid sores. Erigeron*1 is employed for ulcers which breed maggots. Boot of astra- galus32 is used for the cure of recent wounds or of ulcers of long standing ; and upon these last either kind of hypocisthis33 acts as a detergent. Seed of leontopodium,34 bruised in water and applied with polenta,35 extracts pointed weapons from the flesh : a result equally produced by using seed of pycnocomon.36 The tithymalos characias37 supplies its juice for the cure of gan- grenes, phagedaenic sores, and putrid ulcers; or else a decoction is made of the branches with polenta and oil. Roots of or- chis38 have a similar effect ; in addition to which, applied, either dry or fresh gathered, with honey and vinegar, they are curative of the ulcer known as " cacoethes." Onothera39 also, used by itself, is curative of ulcers when rapidly gaining head. The people of Scythia employ scythice40 for the treatment of wounds. For carcinoma, argemonia,41 applied with honey, is extremely efficacious. For sores that have prematurely closed, root of asphodel is boiled, in manner already42 stated, 25 See B. xxv. c. 67. 26 See B. xxv. c. 70. 27 See B. xxv. c. 92. 28 See B. xxv. c. 94. 29 "Siligo." See B. xviii. c. 20. 30 See B. xxv. c. 102. 31 See B. xxv. c. 106. 33 See c. 29 of this Book. 33 See c. 31 of this Book. 34 See B. xxvii. c. 72. 35 See B. xxviii. c. 14. 36 See c. 36 of this Book. 37 See c. 39 of this Book. 38 See c. 62 of this Book. 39 See c. 69 of this Book. 40 Our "liquorice," see B. xxv. c. 43. 41 See B. xxv. c. 66. *2 In B. xxii. c. 33. Chap. 89.] EEMEDIES FOB WAETS. 209 and then beaten up with polenta,43 and applied. For all kinds of wounds apollinaris44 is very useful. Root of astragalus,45 reduced to powder, is good for running ulcers ; the same, too, with callithrix,46 boiled in water. For blisters, more particu- larly when caused by the shoes, vervain is used, as also pounded lysimachia, 47 or nymphsea48 dried and powdered ; but when they have assumed the form of inveterate ulcers, polythrix4® will be found more serviceable. CHAP. 88. POLYCNEMON I ONE REMEDY. Polycnemon50 is a plant which resembles cunila bubula ; 5l it has a seed like that of pennyroyal, a ligneous stem with numerous articulations, and odoriferous umbels, with a plea- sant though pungent smell. This plant is chewed and applied to wounds inflicted with iron, the application being removed at the end of four days. Symphyton53 causes sores to cicatrize with the greatest rapidity; the same, too, with sideritis,53 which is applied in combination with honey. The seed and leaves of verbascum,54 boiled in wine and pounded, are used for the extraction of all foreign substances adhering to the body; and a similar use is made of leaves of mandragora85 mixed with po- lenta,56 and roots of cyclaminos57 with honey. Leaves of trixago,53 bruised in oil, are used for ulcers of a serpiginous nature more particularly, as also sea- weed bruised with honey. Betony, with the addition of salt, is employed for the cure of carcino- matous sores and inveterate blisters on the neck. CHAP. 89. EEMEDIES FOR WARTS, AND APPLICATIONS FOR THE REMOVAL OF SCARS. Argemonia59 with vinegar, or root of batrachion,60 removes warts ; this last having the effect also of bringing off malformed 43 See B. xviii. c. 14. 44 See B. xxv. c. 17. 45 See c. 29 of this Book. 46 See B. xxii. c. 30, and B. xxv. c. 86. 47 See B. xxv. c. 35. 48 See B. xxv. c. 37. 49 See Note 46 above. 50 Desfontaines identifies it with the Mentha cervina, or Stag mint. 51 See B. xix. c. 50, and B. xx. c. 61. 52 See B. xxvii. c. 24. 53 See B. xxv. c. 19. 54 See B. xxv. c. 73. 55 See B. xxv. c. 94. 56 See B. xviii. c. 14. 57 See B. xxv. c. 67. 58 See B. xxiv. c. 80. 59 See B. xxv. c. 56. 60 See B. xxv. c. 109. VOL. Y. p 210 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. nails. The juice or the leaves, applied topically, of either kind of linozostis,61 remove warts. All the varieties of tithy- malos62 are efficacious for the removal of every kind of wart, as also of hangnails63 and wens. Ladanum64 imparts a fresh colour and seemly appearance to scars. (15.) The traveller who carries artemisia65 attached to his person, or elelisphacus, 66 will never be sensible of lassitude, it is said. CHAP. 90. REMEDIES FOR FEMALE DISEASES. One great remedy for all female diseases in common, is the black seed of the herbaceous plant paeonia,67 taken in hydro- mel : the root also is an effectual emmenagogue. Seed of panaces,68 mixed with wormwood, acts as an emmenagogue and as a sudorific: the same, too, with scordotis,69 taken internally or applied topically. Betony, in doses of one drachma to three cyathi of wine, is taken for various affections of the uterus, as also directly after child-birth. Excessive menstru- ation is arrested by a pessary of achillea,70 or else a sitting-bath composed of a decoction of that plant. Seed of henbane in wine is used as a liniment for diseases of the mamillge, and the root is employed in the form of a plaster for uterine affections ; chelidonia,71 too, is applied to the mamillaB. Boots of panaces,72 applied as a pessary, bring away the after-birth and the dead foetus, and the plant itself, taken in wine, or used as a pessary with honey, acts as a detergent upon the uterus. Polemonia,73 taken in wine, brings away the after-birth ; used as a fumigation, it is good for suffocations of the uterus. Juice of the smaller centaury,74 taken in drink, or employed as a fomentation, acts as an emmenagogue. The root also of the larger centaury, similarly used, is good for pains in the uterus ; scraped and used as a pessary, it expels the dead foatus. For pains of the uterus, plantago75 is applied as a pessary, in wool, and for hysterical suffocations, it is taken in 61 See B. xxv. c. 18. 62 See c. 39 of this Book, et seq. es u pterygia." 64 See B. xii, c. 37 and c. 30 of this Book. 65 See B. xxv. c. 81. 66 See B. xxii. c. 71. 67 See B. xxv. c, 10. 68 See B. xxv. c. 11, et seq. 69 See B. xxv. c. 27. 70 See B. xxv. c. 19. 71 See B. xxv. c. 50. 72 See B. xxv. c. 11, et seq. 73 See B. xxv. c. 28. 74 See B. xxv. c. 31. ™ See B. xxv. c. 39. Chap. 90.] EEMEDIES FOB FEMALE DISEASES. 211 drink. But it is dittany that is of the greatest efficacy in cases of this description ; it acts as an emmenagogue, and is an ex- pellent of the foetus when dead or lying transversely in the uterus. In these cases the leaves of it are taken, in doses of one obolus, in water : indeed so active is it in its effects that ordinarily it is forbidden to be introduced into the chamber of a woman lying-in. Not only is it thus efficacious when taken in drink, but even when applied topically or used as a fumiga- tion. Pseudodictamnum76 possesses pretty nearly the same vir- tues, but it acts as an emmenagogue also, boiled in doses of one denarius in unmixed wine. Aristolochia,77 however, is employed for a greater number of purposes : in combination with myrrh and pepper, either taken in drink or used as a pessary, it acts as a powerful emmenagogue, and brings away the dead foetus and the after-birth. This plant, the smaller kind in particular, used either as a fomentation, fumigation, or pessary, acts as a preventive of procidence of the uterus. Hysterical suffocations and irregularities of the catamenia are treated with agaric, taken in doses of three oboli, in one cyathus of old wine : vervain is used also in similar cases, as a pessary, with fresh hog's lard ; or else antirrhinum,78 with rose oil and honey. Root of Thessalian nymph aea,79 used as a pessary, is curative of pains in the uterus ; taken in red wine, it arrests uterine discharges. Boot of cyclaminos,80 on the other hand, taken in drink and employed as a pessary, acts as an emmenagogue : a decoction of it, used as a sitting-bath, cures affections of the bladder. Cissanthemos,81 taken in drink, brings away the after-birth, and is curative of diseases of the uterus. The upper part of the root of xiphion,82 taken in doses of one drachma, in vinegar, promotes menstruation. A fumigation of burnt peucedanum83 has a soothing effect in cases of hysterical suffocation. Psyllion,84 taken in the pro- portion of one drachma to three cyathi of hydromel, is par- ticularly good for promoting the lochial discharge. Seed of mandragora,65 taken in drink, acts as a detergent upon the 76 " Bastard dittany." See B. xxv. c. 53. 77 See B. xxv. c. 54. 73 See B. xxv. c. 80. 79 See B. xxv. c. 37. 80 See B. xxv. c. 67. 81 See B. XXT. c. 68, 82 See B. xxv. c. 88. 83 See B. xxv. c 70. 84 See B. xxv. c. 90. 85 gee B xxv< c> 94> P 2 212 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. uterus; the juice, employed in a pessary, promotes menstruation and expels the dead foetus. The seed of this plant, used with live sulphur,86 arrests menstruation when in excess ; while ba- trachion,87 on the other hand, acts as an emmenagogue. This last plant is either used as an article of food, or is taken in drink : in a raw state, as already stated,88 it has a burning flavour ; but when cooked, the taste of it is greatly improved by the addition of salt, oil, and cummin. Daucus,89 taken in drink, promotes the catamenia, and is an expellent of the after-birth in a very high degree. Ladanum,90 used as a fumigation, acts as a corrective upon the uterus, and is employed topically for pains and ulcerations of that organ. Scammony, taken in drink or used as a pessary, is an ex- pellent of the dead foetus. Either kind of hypericon,91 used as a pessary, promotes menstruation : but for this purpose it is crethmos,92 according to Hippocrates, that is the most effica- cious, the seed or root of it being taken in wine.93 * * * of the outer coat brings away the after-birth. This plant, taken in water, is good for hysterical suffocations ; root of geranion94 also, which is peculiarly useful for the after-birth, and for inflation of the uterus. Hippuris,95 taken in drink or applied as a pessary, acts as a detergent upon the uterus : polygonos,96 taken in drink, promotes menstruation ; and the same with root of alcima.97 Leaves of plantago,98 and agaric in hydromel, have a similar effect. Artemisia,99 bruised and applied as a pessary, with oil of iris,1 figs, or myrrh, is curative of diseases of the uterus ; the root, too, of this plant, taken in drink, is so strongly purgative as to expel the dead foetus even. A decoction of the branches, used as a sitting-bath, promotes menstruation and brings away the after-birth ; the 86 See B. xxxv. c. 50. 87 See B. xxv. c. 109. 88 In B. xxv. c. 109. 89 See B. xxv. c. 64. 90 See B. xii. c. 37, and c. 30 of this Book. 91 See Chapters 53 and 54 of this Book. 92 See B. xxv. c. 96. 93 Probahly the word "juice," or " decoction,-' is lost here. 94 See c. 68 of this Book. 35 See Chapters 20 and 83 of this Book. M See B. xxvii. c. 91. 97 The same as "Alcea" probably; see Chapters 79 and 81 of this Book. Also B. xxvii. c. 6. 98 See B. xxv. c. 39. 99 See B. xxv. c. 36. 1 See B. xiii. c. 2, and B. xxi. cc. 19, 83. Chap. 91.] ARSENOGONON. 213 same, too, with the leaves, taken in doses of one drachma in drink. The leaves, if applied to the lower regions of the abdomen with barley-meal, will prove equally efficacious. Acoron2 is very useful for internal complaints of females ; as also the two varieties of conyza,3 and crethmos.4 Either kind of anthyllis,6 taken in wine, is remarkably good for uterine affections, griping pains in that organ, and retardations of the after- birth. Callithrix,6 applied as a fomentation, is curative of affections of the vagina : it removes scaly eruptions7 also of the head, and, beaten up in oil, it stains the hair. Ge- ranion,8 taken in white wine, or hypocisthis9 in red, arrests all uterine discharges. Hyssop modifies hysterical suffocations. Eoot of vervain, taken in water, is a most excellent remedy for all accidents incident to, or consequent upon, delivery. Some persons mix bruised cypress seed with peucedanum10 in red wine. Seed, too, of psyllion,^ boiled in water and taken warm, has a soothing effect upon all defluxions of the uterus. Symphyton,12 bruised in wine, promotes menstruation. Juice of scordotis,13 in the proportion of one drachma to four cyathi of hydromel, accelerates delivery. Leaves of dittany are given for the same purpose, in water, with remarkable success. It is a well-known fact, too, that these leaves, to the extent of a single obolus even, will bring away the foetus instantaneously, even when dead, without the slightest inconvenience to the patient. Pseudodictamnum 14 is productive of a somewhat similar effect, but not in so marked a degree : cyclaminos,16 too, attached as an amulet ; cissanthemos,16 taken in drink ; and powdered betony, in hydromel. CHAP. 91. ARSENOGONON I ONE MEDICINAL PROPERTY. THELT- GONON I ONE MEDICINAL PROPERTY. Arsenogonon17 and thelygonon are plants, both of them, 2 See B. xxv. c. 100. 3 See B. xxi. c. 29. 4 See B. xxv. c. 96. 5 See B. xxi. c. 103. 6 See B. xxii. e. 30, and B. xxv. c. 86. 7 " Albugines." 8 See c. 68 of this Book. 9 See c. 31 of this Book. 10 See B. xxv. c. 70. n See B. xxv. c. 90. 12 See B. xxvii. c. 24. 13 See B. xxv. c. 27. 14 See B. xxv. c. 53. 15 See B. xxv. c. 67. 16 See B. xxv. c. 68. 17 These two plants, the names of which signify " begetting males," 214 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOET. [Book XXVI. with clusters resembling the blossoms of the olive, but paler, and a white seed like that of the poppy. By taking thely- gonon in drink, they say, the conception of female issue is en- sured. Arsenogonon differs from it in the seed, which resembles that of the olive, but in no other respect. By taking this last plant in drink, male issue may be ensured — that is, if we choose to believe it. Some persons, however, assert that both plants resemble ocimum,18 but that the seed of arsenogonon is double, and resembles the testes in appearance. CHAP. 92. MASTOS I ONE EEMEDY. Aizoiim, which we have spoken of under the name of digi- tellus,19 is the great specific for diseases of the mamillse. The milk is increased by taking erigeron20 in raisin wine, or else sonchos21 boiled with spelt. The plant known as " mastos,"22 applied topically, removes the hairs from the mamillae,23 which make their appearance after child-birth : it has the effect also of dispersing scaly crusts 24 upon the face, and other cutaneous affections. Gentian also, nymph a?a heraclia25 employed in a liniment, and root of cyclaminos,26 remove all blemishes of the skin. Seeds of cacalia,27 mixed with melted wax, plump out the skin of the face and make wrinkles disappear. Boot of acoron,28 also, removes all spots upon the skin. CHAP. 93. APPLICATIONS FOR THE HAIR. LYSIMACHIA. OPHRYS. Lysimachia29 imparts a blonde tint30 to the hair, and the hy- pericon,31 otherwise called " corisson," makes it black. The same too, with ophrys,32 a plant with indentations, which re- and " begetting females," are identified by Fee as the male and the female of the same plant, the Mercurialis tomentosa of Linnaeus, the "Woolly mercury. Littre gives the Mercurialis perennis of Linnaeus, Dog's mer- cury ; and Desfontaines identifies them with the Thelygonum cynocrambe. 18 See B. xxi. c. 60. 19 In B. xxv. c. 102. 20 See B. xxv. c. 106. 21 See B. xxii. c. 44. 22 Meaning the " breast " plant. It has not been identified. 23 See B. xxxii. c. 10. 24 "Testes." 25 See B. xxv. c. 37. 26 See B. xxv. c. 67. 27 See B. xxv. c. 85. 28 See B. xxv. c. 100. 29 See B. xxy. c. 35. 30 The most highly esteemed among the Romans of all colours of the hair. 31 See Chapter 53 of this Book. sz The " eye-brow " plant. It is identified by Fee with the Ophrys Chap. 93.] SUMMAEY. 215 sembles the cabbage, but has only two leaves. Polemonia,33 too, boiled in oil, imparts blackness to the hair. As for depilatories, I reckon them in the number of cos- metics, fit for women only, though men use them now-a-days. For this purpose archezostis 34 is looked upon as highly efficacious, as also juice of tithymalos,35 applied with oil every now and then in the sun, or after pulling out the hairs. Hyssop, applied with oil, heals itch-scab in beasts, and side- ritis 36 is particularly useful for quinzy in swine. But let us now turn to the remaining plants of which we have to speak. SUMMARY. — Remedies, narratives, and observations, one thousand and nineteen. ROMAN AUTHORS QUOTED. — M. Varro,37 C. Valgius,38 Pom- peius Lenseus,39 Sextius Niger40 who wrote in Greek, Julius Bassus41 who wrote in Greek, Antonius Castor,42 Cornelius Celsus.43 FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED. — Theophrastus,44 Democritus,46 Juba,46 Orpheus,47 Pythagoras,48 Mago,49 Menander M who wrote the " Biochresta," Nicander,61 Homer, Hesiod,52 Musaeus,53 Sophocles,54 Xanthus,55 Anaxilaiis.56 MEDICAL AUTHORS QUOTED. — Mnesitheus,57 Callimachus,68 ovata or bifolia of Linnaeus, Ivy blade. The indentations in the leaves are almost imperceptible. •8s See B. xxv. c. 28. 34 See B. xxvi. c. 70. 35 See c. 39 of this Book, et seg. 36 See B. xxv. c. 19. 37 See end of B. ii. ** See end of B. xx. 39 See end of B. xiv. 40 See end of B. xii. 41 See end of B. xx. 42 See end of B. xx. 43 See end of B. vii. 44 See end of B. iii. 45 See end of B. ii. * See end of B. v. 4" See end of B. xx. 48 See end of B. ii. 49 See end of B. viii. 50 See end of B. xix. 51 See end of B. viii. 52 See end of B. vii. 53 See end of B. xxi. ^ See end of B. xxi. 55 See end of B. xxv. & See end of B. xxi. 57 See end of B. xxi. w See end of B. iv. 216 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOET. [Book XXVI. Phanias59 the physician, Timaristus,60 Simus,61 Hippocrates,62 Chrysippus,63 Diocles,64 Ophelion,65 Heraclides,66 Hicesius,67 Dionysius,68 Apollodorus 69 of Citium, Apollodorus 70 of Taren- tum, Praxagoras,71 Plistonicus,72 Medius,73 Dieuches,74 Cleophan- tus,75Philistion,76 Asclepiades,77 Creteuas,78 Petronius Diadotus,79 lollas,80 Erasistratus,81 Diagoras,83 Andreas,83 Mnesides,84 Epi- charmus,85 Damion,86 Tlepolemus,87 Metrodorus,88 Solo,89 Lycus,90 Olympias91 of Thebes, Philinus,92 Petrichus,93 Micton,94 Glaucias,95 Xenocrates.96 59 See end of B. xxi. eo gee en^ Of B. xxi. 61 See end of B. xxi. 62 See end of B. vii. 63 See end of B. xx. «* See end of B. xx. 65 See end of B. xx. «« See end of B. xii. 67 See end of B. xv. 68 See end of B. xii. 69 See end of B. xx. • 70 See end of B. xx. 71 See end of B. xx. 72 See end of B. xx. 73 See end of B. xx. 74 See end of B. xx. 75 See end of B. xx. 76 See end of B. xx. 77 See end of B. vii. 78 See end of B. xx. 79 See end of B. xx. 8» See end of B. xii. 81 See end of B. xi. ** See end of B. xii. 83 See end of B. xx. 84 See end of B. xii. 85 See end of B. xx. ** See end of B. xx. 67 See end of B. xx. 88 See end of B. xx. 89 See end of B. xx. 9° See end of B. xii. 91 See end of B. xx. ** See end of B. xx. 93 See end of B. xix. 94 See end of B. xx. S5 See end of B. xx. 95 See end of B. xx. 217 BOOK XXVII. A DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS, AND OF THE REMEDIES DE- RIVED FROM THEM. CHAP. 1. (1.) raSEABCHES OF THE ANCIENTS tf PON THIS SUBJECT. THE further I proceed in this work, the more I am impressed with admiration of the ancients ; and the greater the number of plants that remain to be described, the more I am induced to venerate the zeal displayed by the men of former times in their researches, and the kindly spirit manifested by them in transmitting to us the results thereof. Indeed their bounteous- ness in this respect would almost seem to have surpassed the munificent disposition even of Nature herself, if our knowledge of plants had depended solely upon man's spirit of discovery : but as it is, it is evident beyond all doubt that this knowledge has emanated from the gods themselves, or, at all events, has been the result of divine inspiration, even in those cases where man has been instrumental in communicating it to us. In other words, if we must confess the truth — a marvel surpassed by nothing in our daily experience — Nature herself, that common parent of all things, has at once produced them, and has discovered to us their properties. Wondrous indeed is it, that a Scythian1 plant should be brought from the shores of the Palus Mseotis, and the euphor- bia2 from Mount Atlas and the regions beyond the Pillars of Hercules, localities where the operations of Nature have reached their utmost limit ! That in another direction, the plant britannica2* should be conveyed to us from isles of the Ocean situate beyond the confines of the earth !3 That the aethiopis* should reach us from a climate scorched by the 1 He alludes to the Glycyrrhiza or Scythice, our Liquorice, which is still found on the hanks of the river Volga. See B. xxi. c. 54, B. xxii. c. 11, B. xxv. c. 43, and B. xxvi. cc. 15,87. 2 See B. xxv. c. 38. 2* See B. xxv. c. 6. 3 " Extra terras." Meaning, the continental part of the earth. 4 See c. 3 of this Book. 218 PLINY'S NATITEAL HISTOEY. [Book XXVII. luminaries of heaven ! And then, in addition to all this, that there should be a perpetual interchange going on between all parts of the earth, of productions so instrumental to the welfare of mankind ! Results, all of them, ensured to us by the peace that reigns under the majestic sway of the Roman power, a peace which brings in presence of each other, not individuals only, belonging to lands and nations far separate, but moun- tains even, and heights towering above the clouds, their plants and their various productions ! That this great bounteousness of the gods may know no end, is my prayer, a bounteousness which seems to have granted the Roman sway as a second luminary for the benefit of mankind. CHAP. 2. (2.) — ACONITE, OTHEKW1SE CALLED THELYPHONON, CAM- MARON, PARDALIANCHES, OB SCORPIO J FOUR REMEDIES. Eut who, I say, can sufficiently venerate the zeal and spirit of research displayed by the ancients ? It is they who have shown us that aconite is the most prompt of all poisons in its effects — so much so indeed, that female animals, if the sexual parts 5 are but touched with it, will not survive a single day. With this poison it was that M. Csecilius 6 accused Calpurnius Bestia of killing his wives in their sleep, and this it was that gave rise to that fearful peroration of his, denouncing the murderous finger of the accused.7 According to the fables of mythology, this plant was originally produced from the foam of the dog Cerberus, when dragged by Hercules from the Infernal 8 Re- gions ; for which reason, it is said, it is still so remarkably abundant in the vicinity of Heraclea in Pontus, a spot where the entrance is still pointed out to the shades below. And yet, noxious as it is, the ancients have shown us how to employ aconite for the benefit of mankind, and have taught us as the result of their experience, that, taken in mulled wine, it neutralizes the venom of the scorpion : indeed such is the nature of this deadly plant, that it kills man, unless it can find * See B. xxv. c. 75. 6 Properly " Caelius " — the same M. Cselius Rufus who is mentioned in B. vii. c. 50. See also B. xxxv. c. 46. 7 "Hinc ilia atrox peroratio ejus in digitum." Sillig is probably right in his suggestion that the word " mortiferum " is wanting at the end of the sentence. Bestia was accused of having killed his wives by the contact of aconite, applied, through the agency of the finger, to the secret parts. b See B. vi. c. i. Chap. 2.] ACONITE. 219 in man something else to kill. When such is the case, as though it had discovered in the body a fit rival to contend with, that substance is the sole object of its attack ; finding another poison in the viscera, to it alone it confines its onslaught; and thus, a truly marvellous thing ! two poisons, each of them of a deadly nature, destroy one another within the body, and the man survives. Even more than this, the ancients have handed down to us remedies employed by the animals them- selves, and have shown how that venomous creatures even effect their own cure. By the contact of aconite the scorpion is struck with torpor,9 is quite benumbed, assumes a pallid hue, and so confesses itself vanquished. When this is the case, white hellebore is its great auxiliary : the very touch of it dis- pels its torpor, and the aconite is forced to yield before two foes, its own enemy 10 and the common n enemy of all. Now, after this, if any one should be of opinion that man could, by any chance or possibility, make such discoveries as these, he must surely be guilty of ingratitude in thus appre- ciating the beneficence of the gods ! In countries frequented by the panther, they rub meat with aconite, and if one of those animals should but taste it, its effects are fatal : indeed were not these means adopted, the country would soon be over- run by them. It is for this reason, too, that some persons have given to hellebore the name of " pardalianches."12 It has been well ascertained, however, that the panther instantaneously recovers if it can find the opportunity of eating human ordure.13 So far as these animals are concerned, who can entertain a doubt that it was chance only that first led them to this dis- covery ; and that as often as this happens the discovery is only a mere repetition of the accident, there being neither reason nor an appreciation of experience to ensure its transmission among them ? (3.) It is chance,14 yes, it is chance that is the Deity who has made to us these numerous revelations for our practical 9 See B. xxv. c. 75. 10 The hellebore. See B. xxiii. c. 75, and B. xxv. c. 21. 11 The scorpion. 12 4< Pard-strangle." ™ See B. viii. c. 41. 14 He seems here, by implication, to contradict himself, and, by his ex- planation, to be sensible that he does so. He would appear not to have known exactly what his belief was in reference to first causes. 220 PLDHT'S NATTJEAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. benefit ;15 always understanding that under this name we mean Nature, that great parent and mistress of all things : and this is evident, whether we come to the conclusion, that these wild beasts make the discovery from day to day, or that they aro gifted from the first with these powers of perception. Re- garded in another point of view, it really is a disgrace that all animated beings should have an exact knowledge of what is beneficial to them, with the exception of man ! The ancients, openly professing their belief that there is no evil without some admixture of good, have asserted that aconite is a remarkably useful ingredient in compositions for the eyes. It may therefore be permitted me, though I have hitherto omitted a description of the poisonous plants, to point out the characteristics of aconite, if only that it may be the more easily detected. Aconite 16 has leaves like those of cyclaminos :7 or of the cucumber, never more than four in number, slightly hairy, and rising from near the root. This root, which is of moderate size, resembles the sea-fish known as the " cam- marus,"18 a circumstance owing to which the plant has received the name of " cammaron " from some ; while others, for the reason already19 mentioned, have called it " thelyphonon."20 The root is slightly curved, like a scorpion's tail, for which reason some persons have given it the name of ' 'scorpio." Others, again, have preferred giving it the name of " myoc- tonon,"21 from the fact that the odour of it kills mice at a considerable distance even. This plant is found growing upon the naked rocks known as " aconse ;"22 and hence it is, according to some authorities, 15 " Hoc habet nomen " is omitted ; for, as Sillig says, it is evidently a gloss, which has crept into the text. 16 The ancients no doubt knew several plants under the common name of Aconitum. The one here described, is identified by Fee with the Do- ronicum pardalianches of Linnaeus, Leopard's bane. 17 See B. xxv. c. 67. Fee says that neither the leaves of the Doronicum, nor of any plant of the genus Arnica, bear any resemblance to those of the _ Cyclamen, or the cucumber. He remarks also, that the contact solely of it is not productive of poisonous effects. 18 A kind of crab. 19 At the beginning of this Chapter. " Female-bane," or " female-killer." See B. xx. c. 23. 1 " Mice-killer." This assertion is incorrect. K So called from a, "without," and KOVIQ, "dust," Theophrastus says that it received its name from the town of Aconae, in the vicinity of which it grew in great abundance. Chap. 4.] AGEBATOtf. 221 that it is called " aconitum," there being not so much as dust even about it to conduce to its nutriment. Such is the reason given for its name by some : but according to others, it re- ceives this appellation from the fact that it fatally exercises the same effects upon the body that the whetstone23 does upon the edge of iron, being no sooner employed than its effects are felt. CHAP. 3. (4.) — ^THIOPIS : roira KEMEDIES. JEthiopis24 is a plant with leaves resembling those of phlo- mos,25 large, numerous, hairy, and springing from the root. The stem is square, rough, similar to that of arction25* in ap- pearance, and with numerous axillary concavities. The seed resembles that of the fitch, being white and twofold ; the roots are several in number, long, fleshy, soft, and of a viscous taste ; when dry they turn black and hard, and might easily be taken for horns. In addition to ^Ethiopia, this plant grows upon Mount Ida in Troas, and in Messenia. The roots are gathered in autumn, and left to dry for some days in the sun, to prevent them from turning mouldy. Taken in white wine they are curative of affections of the uterus, and a decoction of them is administered for sciatica, pleurisy, and eruptions of the throat. The kind, however, which comes from ^Ethiopia, is by far the best, and gives instantaneous relief. CHAP. 4. AGERATON I FOUR REMEDIES. Ageraton26 is a ferulaceous plant, a couple of palms in height, similar to origanum27 in appearance, and bearing flowers like balls of gold. Used as a fumigation, this plant acts as a diuretic ; and as a detergent upon the uterus, when used in a sitting bath more particularly. Its name has been given to it, from the circumstance that it keeps a very long time without fading. 23 Also called cucovrj. 24 Generally identified with the Salvia argentea of Linnaeus, Silver sage, or else with the Salvia JEthiopis, Woolly sage. It must not be confounded with the plant of the same name mentioned in B. xxiv. c. 102. 25 See B. xxv. c. 73. 25* See c. 16 of this Book. 26 " Not growing old." It is identified by Fee and .Desfontaines with the Achillaea ageratum of Linnaeus, Sweet milfoil or Maudlin. Littre gives as its synonym, the Hypericum origanifolium, 27 See B. xx. c. 67. 222 PLINY'S NATIJBAL HISTOBT. [Book XXVII. CHAP. 5. — THE ALOE ; TWENTY-FINE KEMEDIES. The aloe28 bears a resemblance to the squill, except that it is larger, and has more substantial leaves, with streaks running obliquely. The stem is tender, red in the middle, and not unlike that of the anthericus.39 It has a single root, which runs straight downwards, like a stake driven into the ground ; its smell is powerful, and it has a bitter taste. The most esteemed aloes are those imported from India, but it grows in the Asiatic provinces30 as well. This last kind, however, is never used, except that the leaves are applied fresh to wounds ; indeed, these leaves, as well as the juice, are glutinous to a marvellous degree, and it is for this property that it is grown in vessels of a conical form, in the same way as the greater aizoum.al Some persons make incisions in the stem to obtain the j uice, before the seed is ripe, while others, again, make them in the leaves as well. Tearlike drops are also found adhering to it, which exude spontaneously : hence it is that some recommend that the place should be paved where it is grown, to prevent this juice from being absorbed. Some authors have stated, that there is found in Judaea, beyond Hierosolyma, a mineral32 aloe, but that it is inferior to the other kinds, being of a darker colour and more humid than any of the rest. Aloes53 of the finest quality should be unctuous and shining, of a red colour, brittle, compact, like the substance of liver, and easily liquefied. That which is hard and black should be rejected; the same, too, when it is mixed with sand or adulterated with gum and acacia, a fraud which may be easily detected by the taste. This plant is of an astringent nature, binding, and slightly calorific. It is employed for numerous purposes, -but principally as a purgative,34 it being almost the only one of all the medica- 28 The ancients probably included under this name several distinct species of the aloe. They were well acquainted, Fee says, with the Indian aloe, but probably not with that of Africa. As described by Pliny, he identifies it with the Aloe perfoliata of Linnaeus: Desfontaines gives the Aloe umbellata. 29 See B. xxi. c. 68. 30 "Asia." 31 See B. xxv. c. 102. The aloe is still grown in large wooden vessels, in this country, at least ; but only as an ornament. 32 He alludes to the bitumen of Judaea, much used by the Egyptians for the purposes of embalmment. 33 He is speaking of the prepared aloes of commerce. 34 It is still used for this purpose. Chap. 5.] THE ALOE. 223 ments which produce that effect, that is at the same time a good stomachic, and does not exercise the slightest noxious influence upon the stomach. It is taken in doses of one drachma, and, in cases of derangement of the stomach, it is administered two or three times a da}7, in the proportion of one spoonful to two cyathi of warm or cold water, at intervals, according to the nature of the emergency. As a purgative it is mostly taken in doses of three drachm a3 ; and it operates still more efficaciously, if food is eaten directly afterwards. Used with astringent wine, it prevents36 the hair from falling off, the head being rubbed with it the contrary way of the hair, in the sun. Applied to the temples and forehead with rose oil and vinegar, or used as an infusion, in a more diluted form, it allays head-ache. It is generally agreed that it is remedial for all diseases38 of the eyes, but more particularly for prurigo and scaly eruptions of the eye-lids ; as also for marks and bruises, applied in combination with honey, Pontic honey in particular. It is employed, also, for affections of the tonsillary glands and gums, for all ulcerations of the mouth, and for spitting of blood, if not in excess — the proper dose being one drachma, taken in water or else vinegar. Used by itself, or in combination with vinegar, it arrests haemorrhage, whether proceeding from wounds or from other causes. In addition to these properties, it is extremely efficacious for the cure of wounds, producing cicatrization very rapidly : it is sprinkled also upon ulcerations of the male organs, and is applied to condylomata and chaps of the fundament, either in common wine, raisin wine, or by itself in a dry state, according as a mollifying or restrictive treatment is required. It has the effect, also, of gently arresting ha3morrhoidal bleeding, when in excess. In cases of dysentery, it is used as an injection, and where the digestion is imperfect it is taken shortly after the evening meal. For jaundice, it is administered in doses of three oboli, in water. As a purgative for the bowels, it is taken in pills, with boiled honey or turpentine. It is good also for the removal of hangnails. When employed in ophthalmic preparations, it is first washed, that the more gravelly portions of it may subside ; 35 There is no foundation, Fee says, for this statement. 36 It would appear that it is still employed in India for this purpose, but it is no longer used in Europe. 224 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOHT. [Book XXVII. or else it is put over the fire in a pipkin, and stirred with a feather from time to time, that the whole of it may be equally warmed. CHAP. 6. — ALCEA : ONE EEMEDY. Aleea37 is a plant with leaves, resembling those of vervain,38 known also as " peris tereon," some three or four stems covered with leaves, a flower like that of the rose, and white roots, at most six in number, a cubit in length, and running obliquely. It grows in a soil that is rich without being dry. The root is given in wine or water, for dysentery, diarrhoea, ruptures, and convulsions. CHAP. 7. — THE ALYPON: ONE KEMEDT. The alypon39 has a small stem, with a soft head, and is not unlike beet in appearance. It has an acrid, viscous taste, extremely pungent and burning. Taken in hydromel, with a little salt, it acts as a purgative. The smallest dose is two drachmae, a moderate dose, four, and the largest, six. When used as a purgative, it is taken in chicken broth. CHAP. 8. ALSINE, A PLANT USED FOE THE SAME PUEPOSES AS HELXINE I FIVE EEMEDIES. Alsine,40 a plant known as "myosoton "41 to some, grows in the woods, to which fact it is indebted for its name of " alsine."42 It begins to make its appearance at mid- winter, and withers in the middle of summer. When it first puts forth, the leaves bear a strong resemblance to the ears of mice. We shall have 37 Identified by Fee with the Malva alcea of Linnaeus, the Vervain mallow, an emollient and, comparatively, inert plant. Littre gives as its synonym the Malope malacho'ides, Marsh mallow. Sibthorp identifies it with the Hibiscus trionum, and Anguillara with the Althaea cannabina of Linnaeus. It is probably the same plant as the Alcima, mentioned several times in B. xxvi. 38 See B. xxv. c. 59. 39 Identified with the Globularia alypum of Linnaeus, the Three-toothed leaf Globularia, or Turbith. 40 Identified by Sprengel with the Cerastium aquaticum, and by other authorities with the Alsine media of Linnaeus, the Common chickweed. Desfontaines suggests the Stellaria nemorum, the Broadleaved stitchwort, but Fee prefers the Parietaria Cretica of Linnaeus, Cretan pellitory, as its synonym. 41 " Mouse-ear." 42 From the Greek a\<70£, a "grove." Chap. 10.] ANDBOS^MOtf. 225 occasion,43 however, to speak of another plant, which may, with much more justice, be called " myosotis." As for alsine, it would be the same thing as helxine,44 were it not that it is smaller and not so hairy. It grows in45 gardens, and upon walls more particularly : when rubbed, it emits a smell like that of cucum- ber. It is used for abscesses, inflammations, and all those pur- poses for which helxine is employed ; its properties, however, are not so active. It is applied topically, also, to defluxions of the eyes, and to sores upon the generative organs, and ulcera- tions, with barley meal. The juice is used as an injection for the ears. CHAP. 9. — THE ANDEOSACES I BIX EEMEDIES. The androsaces46 is a white plant, bitter, without leaves, and bearing arms surmounted with follicules, containing the seed. It grows in the maritime parts of Syria, more particularly. This plant is administered for dropsy, in doses of two drachmae, pounded or boiled, in either water, wine, or vinegar : it acts most powerfully as a diuretic. It is used also for gout, either taken internally or used as a liniment. The seed is possessed of similar properties. CHAP. 10. — ANDKOS^MON OE ASCYEON '. SIX EEMEDIES. Androsaemon47 or, as some persons call it, " ascyron," is not unlike hypericon, a plant of which we have spoken already i48 the stems, however, are larger, redder, and lie more closely together. The leaves are of a white colour, and like those of rue in shape ; the seed resembles that of the black poppy, amd the upper branches, when bruised, emit a red juice the colour of blood : these branches have also a resinous smell. This plant grows in vineyards, and it is usually in the middle 43 In c. 80 of this Book. 44 The Parietaria officinalis ; see B. xxii. c. 19. 45 He has previously stated that it grows in the woods. The fact is, M. Fraas says, that it grows equally upon garden walls, heaps of rubbish, in plains, upon shady rocks, and upon mountains, below an elevation of 1500 feet. 46 Generally supposed not to be a vegetable production, but a Madrepore. Fee identifies it with the Madrepora acetabulum of Linnaeus. 47 " Man's blood." Identified by Sprengel with the Hypericum monta- num, and by Sibthorp and Fee with the Hypericum perforatum, of Lin- naeus, Perforated tutsan or St. John's wort. 48 See B. xxvi. cc. 53, 54, VOL. V. Q 226 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. of autumn that it is taken up and hung to dry. Used as a purgative, it is bruised with the seed, and taken in the morn- ing or just after the evening meal, in doses of two drachmae, in hydromel, wine, or pure water, the draught amounting to one sextarius in all. It carries off bile, and is particularly good for sciatica ; but in this last case, caper root must be taken with resin the day after, the dose being one drachma, to be repeated every four days : after being purged, it is the practice for the patient, if in robust health, to take wine, but if in a weak state of body, water. It is employed topically, also, for gout, burns, and wounds, as it tends to arrest the flow of blood. CHAP. 11. AMBROSIA, BOTRYS, OR ARTEMISIA! THREE REMEDIES. Ambrosia is a vague name, which has fluctuated between various plants : there is one,49 however, which has been more particularly designated by this appellation, a branchy, shrub- like plant, with a thin stem, some three palms in height ; the root of it is one third shorter, and the leaves, towards the lower part of the stem, resemble those of rue. Its diminutive branches bear a seed which hangs down in clusters, and has a vinous smell : hence it is that by some persons the plant is called " botrys,"50 while to others it is known as " artemisia." The people of Cappadocia use it for garlands. It is employed in medicine as a resolvent. CHAP. 12. THE AXONIS OR ONONIS ! FIVE REMEDIES. The anonis,51 by some called " ononis" in preference, is a branchy plant, and similar to fenugreek in appearance, except that it is more shrub-like and more hairy. It has an agreeable smell, and becomes prickly after spring. It is pickled in brine for eating. Applied fresh to ulcers, it cauterizes the margins of them. For the cure of tooth-ache, the root is boiled in oxy- crate : taken in drink, with honey, the root expels urinary calculi. For epilepsy, it is administered in oxyrnel, boiled down to one half. CHAP. 13. THE ANAGYROS OR ACOPON I THREE REMEDIES. The anagyros, known to some by the name of " aco- 19 Identified with the Ambrosia maritima of Linnaeus, the Sea ambrosia. 50 The "cluster" plant. It still figures in the Materia Medica. See B. xxv. c. 36, and c. 31 of this Book. 51 See B. xxi. c. 58. Chap. 15.] APABHTE. 227 pon,"52 is a shrub-like plant, with an offensive smell, and a blossom like that of the cabbage. The seed grows in small hornlike pods of considerable length, and resembles a kidney in shape ; it hardens about the time of harvest. The leaves of this plant are applied to gatherings, and are attached to the person in cases of difficult parturition, care being taken to remove them the moment after delivery. In cases where the extraction of the dead foetus is attended with difficulty, or where the after-birth or catamenia are retarded, the leaves are taken, in doses of one drachma, in raisin wine. The leaves are adminis- tered in the same manner for asthma : they are prescribed also in old wine, for injuries inflicted by the phalangium.63 The root is employed medicinally as a resolvent and maturative : the seed, chewed, acts as an emetic. CHAP. 14. THE ANONTMOS : TWO REMEDIES. The anonymos,54 through not having a name, has at last found one.65 It is brought from Scythia, and has been highly extolled by Hicesius, a physician of no small repute, as also by Aristogiton. Eruisedin water and applied, it is remarkably useful for wounds, and taken in drink it is good for blows upon the chest or mamillae, as also for spitting of blood : it has been thought, too, that it might be advantageously taken in a potion for wounds. I am of opinion that the additional state- ment, to the effect that, burnt fresh, it acts as a solder to iron or copper, is wholly fabulous. CHAP. 15. (5.) — APARINE, OMPHALOCARPOS, OK PHILANTHROPOS I THREE REMEDIES. Aparine,56 otherwise called " omphalocarpos"57 or " philan- thropes,JJ58 is a ramose, hairy, plant, with five or six leaves at regular intervals, arranged circularly around the branches. 52 " Dispelling lassitude." Identified with the Anagyris fcetida of Lin- naeus, the Stinking bean trefoil. It is a purgative, and its seeds are emetic. 93 See B. viii. c. 41, B. x. c. 95, B. xi. cc. 24, 23. 5i It has not been identified, Pliny being the only author that has men- tioned it. The Ajuga pyraraidalis of Linnaeus, and the Ajuga iva have been suggested. 55 "Anonymos," or "nameless." 56 See B. xviii. c. 44, and B. xxiv. c. 116. It is identified with the Galium Aparine of Linna3us, Ladies* bedstraw, Cleavers, goosegrass, hariff, or catchweed. Its medicinal properties are next to nothing. 57 "Navel-fruit." » « Man-loving. " See B. xxiv. c. 116. 228 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. The seed is round, hard, concave, and of a sweetish taste. It grows in cornfields, gardens, and meadows, and, by the aid of its prickly points, adheres to the clothes. The seed is em- ployed to neutralize the venom of serpents, being taken in doses of one drachma, in wine : it is useful also for the bite of the phalangium.59 The leaves, applied topically, arrest hae- morrhage from wounds. The juice is used as an injection for the ears. CHAP. 16. THE AUCTION OR ARCTURTJM : FIVE REMEDIES. The arction60 is by some called " arcturum" in preference : the leaves of it are like those of verbascum,61 except that they are more hairy ; the stem is long and soft, and the seed resem- bles that of cummin. It grows in rocky localities, and has a tender root, white and sweet. A decoction of it is made with wine for tooth-ache, being retained for that purpose in the mouth. The plant is taken in drink for sciatica and strangury, and is applied with wine to burns and chilblains, which are fomented also with the root and seed bruised in wine. CHAP. 17. — THE ASPLENON OR HEMIONION : TWO REMEDIES. Some persons call the asplenon62 by the name of " hemio- nion."63 It has numerous leaves, a third of a foot in length, and a slimy root, pierced with holes like that of fern, white, and hairy. It is destitute of stem, flower, and seed,64 and is found growing upon rocks or sheltered damp walls. The most approved kind is that of Crete. A decoction of the leaves in vinegar, taken in drink for a period of thirty days, will 50 See JSote 53 above. 60 Brotero and Linnaeus identify it with the Arctium lappa of Linnaeus, the Burdock or clot-burr : Sibthorp with the Conyza Candida, the White fleabane : others, again, with the Celsia arcturus of Linnaeus, and Sprengel with the Verbascum ferrugineum of Linnaeus, the Ferruginous mullein ; between which two last, Fee is unable to decide. 61 See B. xxv. c. 73. 62 So called from its supposed property of consuming the spleen. It is generally identified with the Asplenium ceterach of Linnaeus, Spleenwort, or miltwaste. The Asplenium hemionitis of Linnaeus, Mule's fern, and the Asplenium scolopendrium of Linnaeus, Hart's tongue, have also been suggested ; but Fee prefers the first-named plant. 53 The " mule's plant." These animals were said to be very fond of it. 64 This is incorrect : the Ceterach has a large quantity of seed, but it is concealed beneath a kind of downy substance. Chap. 20.] ASCYRON. 229 consume the spleen, it is said, the leaves being applied simul- taneously. The leaves give relief also in hiccup. This plant should never be given to females, being productive of sterility. CHAP. 18. THE ASCLEPIA8 : TWO EEMEDIES. The asclepias65 has leaves like those of ivy,66 long branches, and numerous roots, thin, and odoriferous. The flower has a strong offensive smell, and the seed is like that of securidaca:67 it is found growing in mountainous districts. The roots are used for the cure of griping pains in the bowels, and of stings inflicted by serpents, either taken in drink or applied topically. CHAP. 19. THE ASTER OR BUBONION : THREE REMEDIES. The aster68 is called " bubonion" by some, from the circum- stance of its being a sovereign remedy for diseases of the groin. It has a diminutive stem with oblong leaves, two or three in number ; and at the summit it is surmounted with small radiated heads, like stars. This plant is taken also in drink as an antidote to the venom of serpents : but if required for the cure of inguinal complaints, it is recommended that it should be gathered with the left hand, and attached to the body near the girdle. It is of great service also, worn as an amulet, for sciatica. CHAP. 20. ASCYRON AND ASCrROlDES I THREE REMEDIES. Ascyron69 and ascyroides are plants similar to one another, and to hypericon70 as well, except that the plant known as 65 Possibly the Asclepias vincetoxicum of Linnaeus, the Common white- flower swallow-wort ; though Fee considers it somewhat doubtful. 66 Those of Swallow-wort have no such resemblance. 67 See B. xviii. c. 44. 68 Desfontaines suggests the Inula bubonium, but Fee adopts the opinion of Jussieu and Sprengel, that it is the Aster araellus of Linnaeus, the Italian starwort. It is probably the same plant as the Inguinalis, men- tioned in B. xx vi. c. 59. 69 Identified by Fee and Desfontaines with the Hypericum androssemum of Linnaeus, the Common tutsan, or Park leaves. Littre gives as the synonym the Hypericum perforatum of Linnaeus, the Perforated St. John's wort ; which last is also preferred by Sprengel. Fuchsius and Mathioli think that it is the Hypericum montanum of Linnaeus. 70 See B. xxvi. c. 53. 230 PLINY'S NATTTBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. " ascyroides"71 has larger branches, ferulaceous, red all over, and bearing small yellow heads. The seed, enclosed in small calyces, is diminutive, black, and resinous. The tops of the branches, when bruised, stain like blood; for which reason some persons have given it the name of " androsaemon."r2 The seed is used for the cure of sciatica, being taken in doses of two drachmae, in one sextarius of hydromel. It relaxes the bowels, and carries off bile : it is applied also to burns. CHAP. 21. — THE APHACA: THREE REMEDIES. The aphaca73 has remarkably diminutive leaves, and is but little taller than the lentil. The pods are of a larger size, and enclose some three or four seeds, of a darker colour, moister, and more diminutive than those of the lentil : it grows in cultivated fields. It is naturally more astringent than the lentil, but in other respects is applied to much the same pur- poses. The seed, used in a decoction, arrests fluxes of the stomach arid bowels. CHAP. 22. — ALCIBITJM I ONE REMEDY. I have not found it stated by authors what kind of plant alcibium74 is ; but the root, I find, and the leaves, are pounded and employed, both externally and internally, for injuries in- flicted by serpents. When the leaves are used, a handful of them is bruised in three cyathi of undiluted wine : the root is employed in the proportion of three drachmae to the same quantity of wine. CHAP. 23. ALECTOROSLOPHOS OR CRISTA I TWO REMEDIES. Alectoroslophos,75 or crista,75* as we call it, has numerous 71 It is considered to be identical with the Ascyron. 72 " Man's blood." See c. 10 of this Book. 73 Different probably from the plant of a similar name mentioned in B. xxi. cc. 52, 59. Fee identifies it with the Vetch, mentioned in B. xviii. c. 37. Littre gives as its synonym the Vicia cracca of Linnaeus, the Tufted vetch, and Desfontaines the Lathyrus aphaca, the Yellow vetchling, or bindweed. 74 Fee considers it to be the same plant as the Anchusa or Archebion, mentioned in B. xxii. c. 25. Desfontaines identifies the Alcibium with the Echium rubrum of Linnaaus. Holland observes here that Pliny " hath here forgotten himself/' 75 " Cock's comb." The Rhinanthus crista galli of Linnaeus, Yellow rattle, or cock's comb. «• " Crest " or " Comb." Chap. 24.] ALUM. 231 leaves resembling, a cock's comb, a thin stem, and a black seed enclosed in pods. Boiled with broken beans and honey, it is useful for cough and for films upon the eyes. The seed, too, is sprinkled whole into the eyes, and so far is it from injuring them, that it attracts and collects the filmy matter. When thus used, it changes colour, and from black becomes white, gradually swells, and comes out of itself. CHAP. 24. (6.) ALUM, ALSO CALLED SYMPHYTON PETR.EON : FOURTEEN REMEDIES. The plant which we call "alum,"78 and which is known to the Greeks as " symphyton77 petrseon," is similar to cunila bubula78 in appearance, having a diminutive leaf and three or four branches springing from the root, with tops like those of thyme. It is a ligneous plant, odoriferous, of a sweet flavour, and pro- vocative of saliva : the root of it is long and red. It grows upon rocks, to which circumstance it is indebted for its addi- tional name of " petra3on ;" and is extremely useful79 for affec- tions of the sides and kidneys, griping pains in the bowels, diseases of the chest and lungs, spitting of blood, and eruptions of the fauces. The root is pounded and taken in drink, or else a decoction is made of it in wine ; sometimes, also, it is ap- plied externally. Chewed, it allays thirst, and is particularly refreshing to the pulmonary organs. It is employed topically for sprains and contusions, and has a soothing effect upon the intestines. Cooked upon hot ashes, with the follicules removed, and then beaten up with nine peppercorns and taken in water, it acts astringently upon the bowels. For the cure of wounds it 76 Identified by Desfontaines with the Symphytura officinale, or Great comfrey. Fee, however, considers it to be the Coris Monspeliensis of Lin- naeus, Montpellier coris. Lobel identifies it with the Prunella vulgaris of Linnaeus, Common self-heal, and Cassalpinus with the Hyssopus officinalis of Linnaeus. See B. xxvi. c. 26. 77 Fee reiterates his assertion here that this " rock " symphytum is a totally different plant from the Symphytum officinale, or Comfrey, though they appear to have heen generally considered as identical by Scribonius Largus, Plinius Valerianus, Apuleius, and other writers. 7» See B. xxvi. c. 26. 79 This account of its medicinal properties applies properly to the Sym- phytum officinale, or Great comfrey, a plant which would appear to have been confounded by Pliny with the Alum, if Fee is right in his conjecture. 232 PLINY'S NATTJBAL HISTOET. [Book XXVII. is remarkably efficacious, being possessed of agglutinating80 properties to such a remarkable degree as to solder pieces of meat together with which it is boiled ; to which, in fact, it is indebted for its Greek name.81 It is used also for the cure of fractured bones. CHAP. 25. (7.) ALGA RUFA OK RED SEA- WEED : ONE REMEDY. Red sea- weed82 is useful as an application for the sting of the scorpion. CHAP. 26. ACT^lA : ONE REMEDY. Actaea83 has leaves with a powerful smell, rough knotted stems, a black seed like that of ivy, and soft berries. It grows in umbrageous, rugged, watery localities ; and is used, in doses of one full acetabulum, for female complaints. CHAP. 27. THE AMPELOS AGRIA, OR WILD VINE : FOUR REMEDIES. Ampelos agria, or wild vine, is the name of a plant with leaves of an ashy colour, as already84 stated in our description of the cultivated plants, and long, tough twigs of a red hue, like that of the flower which we have mentioned,85 when speak- ing of violets, under the name of " flame of Jove." It bears a seed which resembles the grains of the pomegranate. The root, boiled in three cyathi of water, with the addition of two cyathi of 'Coan wine, is slightly laxative to the bowels, and is consequently given for dropsy. It is curative also of uterine affections, and of spots upon the face in females. It is found a good plan for patients afflicted with sciatica to use the juice of this plant, bruised, applied topically, with the leaves. CHAP. 28. ABSINTHIUM OR WORMWOOD ; FOUR VARIETIES I FORTY-EIGHT REMEDIES. There are numerous kinds of absinthium ; the Santonic,86 for 80 Hence its Latin name "consolida," and its French name "consoude." Fee says that Comfrey still figures in the French Materia Medica, and that the lower classes use it in most of the cases mentioned by Pliny ; he states also, that it is destitute of energetic properties, in a medicinal point of view. 81 2u/i0vroi>, " consolidating." 82 See B. xiii. c. 48, and B. xxvi. c. 66. 83 The Actaea spicata of Linnaeus, Herb-christopher or bane-berries, is mentioned by Desfontaines ; but Fee is inclined to identify it with the Sambucus ebulus of Linnaeus, the Dwarf elder, wall- wort, or dane-wort. 84 See B. xxiii. c, 14. 85 In B. xxi. cc. 33, 38. 86 The Artemisia Santonica of Linnaeus, Tartarian southernwood. Chap. 28.] ABSINTHIUM. 233 instance, so called from a city in Gaul, and the Pontic,87 which comes from Pontus, where the cattle are fattened upon it — a diet which causes them to be destitute of gall.88 The Pontic wormwood, we may remark, is of the finest quality, superior to that of Italy,89 and much more bitter ; the pith, however, of the Pontic wormwood is sweet. As to its general utility, a plant so commonly found and applied to such numerous uses, people are universally agreed ; but with the Romans more particularly it has been always held in the highest esteem, from the fact of its being employed in their religious ceremonials. Thus, for instance, upon the Latin90 Festival, it is the custom to have a race of four-horsed chariots in the Capital, and for the conqueror to be presented with a draught of wormwood ; from the circum- stance, no doubt, that our forefathers were of opinion that good health was the most valuable reward they could bestow upon his skill. This plant is very strengthening to the stomach, and hence it is that wines are flavoured with it, as already91 stated. A decoction of it in water is also taken, the following being the method employed in preparing it. Six drachmae of the leaves are boiled, with the branches, in three sextarii of rain water, and the preparation is then left to cool in the open air a day and a night. Salt, too, should be added to it. When old, it is utterly useless. A dilution of wormwood steeped in water is also used, such being the name92 given to this method of preparing it. This dilution is made by leaving the vessel covered up for three days, any kind of water being used. Pounded wormwood is but rarely employed, and the same with the extracted juice of the seed.93 In cases, however, where it is extracted, the seed is subjected to pressure as soon as it begins to swell, after which it is soaked for three days in water, if used fresh, and seven, if dry. It is then boiled in a copper vessel, in the proportion of ten heminae to forty- five sextarii of water, after which it is strained off and boiled 87 The Artemisia Pontica of Linnaeus, Little wormwood, or Eoman wormwood. 88 See B. xi. c. 75. 89 The Artemisia absinthium of Linnaeus, Common wormwood. 90 Upon which occasion a sacrifice was offered on the Alban Mount. See further as to this Festival, in B. iii. c. 2. 91 In B. xiv. c. 19. Wine of wormwood is still used medicinally. 92 "Dilutum." An infusion. 99 It contains a small quantity of essential oil. 234 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [BookXXVIL gently to the consistency of honey, in the same way as the juice is extracted from the smaller centaury. The juice, however, of wormwood, thus extracted, is bad for the head and stomach ; whereas the decoction, on the other hand, is wholesome in the highest degree, as it acts astringently upon the stomach, carries off bile, is a powerful diuretic, has a soothing effect upon the bowels, and assuages pains in the intestines. With the addi- tion of sile,94 Gallic nard, and a little vinegar, it dispels nausea and flatulency, and expels intestinal worms. It removes qualmishness, promotes the digestion, and, with the addition of rue, pepper, and salt, disperses crudities of the stomach. The ancients were in the habit of giving wormwood as a purgative, the dose being six drachmas of the seed with three of salt and one cyathus of honey, in one sextarius of sea water kept for some time. This preparation, however, is rendered more efficacious by doubling the proportion of salt ; the seed, too, must be bruised with the greatest care, as there is con- siderable difficulty in pounding it. Some authorities have prescribed the dose above mentioned to be given in polenta,95 with the addition of pennyroyal; while others recommend the leaves to be given to children in a dried fig, to disguise their bitterness. Taken with iris,96 wormwood acts as. a detergent upon the thoracic organs : for jaundice it is used raw, with parsley or adiantum.97 In cases of flatulency, it is sipped every now and then, warmed in water ; for liver com- plaints it is taken with Gallic nard, and for diseases of the spleen, with vinegar, pap,98 or figs. Taken in vinegar it neu- tralizes the bad effects of fungi and of viscus :" in wine it is an antidote to the poison of hemlock, and to the bite of the shrew-mouse, and is curative of wounds inflicted by the sea- dragon1 and the scorpion. It contributes also very greatly to the improvement of the sight, and is used as an external appli- cation, with raisin wine, for defluxions of the eyes, and with honey, for bruises. 94 See B. xx. c. 18. 95 See B. xviii. c. 14. 96 See B. xxi. c. 19. 97 See B. xxii. c. 30. 98 " Puls." See B. xviii. c. 19. 99 From a passage in Scribonius Largus, c. 191, it has been concluded that by the word " YISCO," he means the juice of the Ixias or Chamceleon, mentioned in B. xxii. c. 21. 1 See B. ix. c. 43, and B. xxxii. c. 53. Chap. 29.] ABSINTHIUM MAEINDM. 235 The steam of a decoction of wormwood is curative of affec- tions of the ears ; and when they are attacked with running sores, a liniment of wormwood bruised with honey is applied. Three or four sprigs of wormwood, with one root of Gallic nard, taken in six cyathi of water, act as a diuretic and as an emmenagogue ; indeed, if taken with honey, or employed as a pessary with wool, it has especial virtues as an emmena- gogue. In combination with honey and nitre it is useful for quinzy, and an infusion of it in water is good for epinyctis. A topical application is made of it for recent wounds, provided always they have not been touched with water : it is em- ployed also for ulcers upon the head. In combination with Cyprian wax or figs, it is highly recommended as a plaster for the iliac regions : it is curative also of prurigo, but it must never be administered in fevers. Taken in drink, it is a pre- ventive of sea sickness; and, worn attached to the body, beneath an apron, it arrests inguinal swellings. The smell of it2 induces sleep, a similar effect being produced by placing it under the pillow unknown to the party. Kept among clothes it preserves them from worms, and used as a liniment, with oil, or burnt as a fumigation, it has the effect of driving away gnats. Writing ink, mixed with an infusion of wormwood, effectually protects the writings from the attacks of mice. Ashes of wormwood, mixed with rose unguent, stain the hair black. CHAP. 29. ABSINTHIUM MAEINUM OE SEEIPHTJM. There is a sea wormwood3 also, known as " seriphum" by some, the most esteemed being that of Taposiris in Egypt. Those initiated in the mysteries of Isis carry a branch of it in the hand. It has a narrower leaf than the preceding plant, and is not so bitter ; it is injurious to the stomach, has a laxative effect upon the bowels, and expels intestinal worms. It is taken in drink with oil and salt ; or else an infusion of it is taken in a pottage made of meal of three -month wheat. When employed as a decoction, a handful is used to one sexta- rius of water, the mixture being boiled down to one half. 2 This, Fee observes, is not the case. 3 The Artemisia maritima of Linnaeus, Sea wormwood : see B. xxxii. c, 31. 236 PLINY'S NATTJBAL HISTOBY. [Book XXVII. CHAP. 30. (8.) THE BALLOTES, MELAMPBASION, OB BLACK LEEK I THKEE BEMEDIES. The Greeks give to the ballotes4 the other name of " melam- prasion," meaning " black leek."5 It is a branchy plant, with black angular stems, covered with hairy leaves, larger and darker than those of the leek, 6and possessed of a powerful smell. The leaves, bruised and applied with salt, are highly efficacious for bites inflicted by dogs : cooked upon hot ashes and applied in a cabbage leaf, they are curative of condylomata. Mixed with honey, this plant acts as a detergent upon sordid ulcers. CHAP. 31. BOTBYS, AMBBOSIA, OB ABTEMTSIA : ONE BEMEDY. Botrys7 is a shrublike plant, which has small yellow branches, with the seed growing all round them, and leaves resembling8 those of endive. It is found upon the banks of running streams, and is used for the cure of hardness of breathing. The people of Cappadocia call this plant " am- brosia," others again, " artemisia." CHAP. 32. THE BBABYLA I ONE BEMEDY. The brabyla9 is possessed of astringent properties like those of the quince, but beyond this, authors give no particulars relative to it. CHAP. 33. BBYON MABITIMUM : FIVE BEMEDIES. Sea bryon10 is a plant, no doubt,11 with leaves like those of 4 The Ballota nigra of Linnaeus, the Fetid ballota, or Stinking black horehound ; see B. xx. c. 89. 5 He is in error here, as the word " raelamprasion " means " black horehound.'* " Black leek " would be " melamprason." 6 " Horehound," properly. The Ballota is of a stimulating nature, and contains a considerable quantity of essential oil. 7 The Chenopodium botrys of Linnaeus, Cut-leaved goose foot, or oak of Jerusalem. See B. xxv. c. 36, and c. 11 of this Book. 8 There is no such resemblance. The name " botrys " was given to the plant from the little clusters formed by the blossoms. 9 Identified by Fee with the Prunus domestica of Linnaeus, var. /?, or Damascena, the Damascene plum or damson. Desfontaines considers it to he the Prunus instititia, the Bullace plum. Holland mentions in a Note, " Bullois, skegs, or such like wild plums." 10 The Ulva lactuca of Linnaeus, Lettuce laver ; see B. xiii. c. 49, B. xxiv. c. 17, and B. xxxii. c. 36. 11 He probably says this in reference to the opinion expressed by Theo- Chap. 35.] THE CATANANCE. 237 the lettuce, of a wrinkled, pursed appearance, and destitute of stem, the leaves arising from a single root : it grows upon rocks more particularly, and shells sunk in the sand. It has desiccative12 and astringent qualities in a very high degree, properties which render it useful for reducing all kinds of abscesses and inflammations, those attendant upon gout in particular. It is good also for all affections which stand in need of cooling applications. CHAP. 34. THE BUPLEURON I ONE REMEDY. I find it stated that seed of bupleuron13 is given for injuries inflicted by serpents ; and that the wound is fomented with a decoction of the plant, in combination with leaves of the mulberry or of origanum.14 CHAP. 35. — THE CATANANCE ; ONE OBSERVATION UPON IT. THE CEMOS *. ONE OBSERVATION UPON IT. The catanance15 is a Thessalian plant, which it would be a mere loss of time to describe, seeing that it is only used as an ingredient in philtres. In order, however, to expose the follies of the magical art, it may not be out of place to remark that this plant has been selected for the above-named purpose, from the fact that, as it withers, it gradually contracts and assumes the shape of the claws of a dead kite.16 For a similar reason we shall give no description of the plant called " cemos."17 phrastus, Hist. iv. 7, that it was a name for sea- weed in general, and not a specific plant. 1 - In reality, it is destitute of medicinal properties. Some kinds of laver are considered a dainty food. 13 See B. xxii. c. 35. u See B. xx. c. 67. 15 Dioscorides speaks of two kinds of Catanance ; one of which has heen identified hy Sprengel with the Ornithopus compressus of Linnaeus, and the other with the Astragalus pugniformis. Fee expresses his doubts as to the correctness of these conclusions. 16 " As if it would catch women, and hold them fast perforce." — Holland. It has been suggested that the Coronopus, or " crow's foot," mentioned in B. xxi. c. 59^ was so called for a similar reason. 17 Prosper Alpinus identifies it with the Plantago Cretica of X*inna3us, and Sprengel with the Micropus erectus of Linnaeus. Fee considers it to be the Gnaphalium leontopodium of Lamarck. 238 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOBY. [Book XXVII. CHAP. 36. THE CALYX I THKEE REMEDIES* Of the calyx18 there are two kinds. One of these resembles arum, and is found growing in ploughed soils; the proper time for gathering it being before it begins to wither. It is em- ployed for the same purposes as arum ;19 and an infusion of the root is taken as a purgative and as an emmenagogue. The stalks, boiled with the leaves and some pulse, are curative of tenesmus. CHAP. 37. THE CALYX, KNOWN ALSO AS ANCHTJSA OB ONOCLIA : TWO REMEDIES. The other20 kind of calyx is known by some persons as *' anchusa," and by others as " onoclia." The leaves are like those of the lettuce, but longer, and with a downy surface. The root is red, and is employed topically, in combination with fine polenta,21 for the cure of erysipelas : taken inter- nally with white wine, it is good for affections of the liver. CHAP. 38. THE CIRCJEA : THEEE REMEDIES. The circaea22 resembles the cultivated trychnon23 in ap- pearance, It has a small swarthy flower, a diminutive seed, like millet, growing in small horn-shaped pods, and a root half a foot in length, generally triple or fourfold, white, odoriferous, and hot in the mouth. It is found growing upon rocks exposed to the sun. An infusion of it is prepared with wine, and administered for pains and affections of the uterus : to make it, three ounces of the pounded root should be steeped 18 Other readings are "calsa, " and "calla;" but "calyx" is supported by the text of Dioscorides, B. iv. c. 23. The first kind has been generally identified with the Arum arisarum of Linnaeus, Hooded arum, or Monk's hood, and is identical probably with the Aris aros of B. xxiv. c. 94. 19 See B. xxiv. c. 93. 20 Probably the Anchusa tinctoria of Linnaeus, Dyer's alkanet. See B. xxii. c. 23. 21 " Flore polentas." See B. xviii. c. 14. 22 Sprengel identifies it with the Asclepias nigra, Black swallow-wort, but Fee considers it to be the Circasa Lutetiana of Linnaeus, Parisian circa3a, or enchanter's nightshade. Other authorities have suggested the Capsicum annuum of Linnaeus, Indian or Guinea pepper, and the Celosia margaritacea of Linnaeus, Pearly celosia, or cock's coinb. M. Fraas suggests, though with some doubt, the Cynanchura Monspeliacum, the Montpellier dog's-bane. 23 See B. xxi. c. 105. Chap. 40.] THE CEAT^IGONON. 239 in three sextarii of wine a day and a night. This potion is effectual also for bringing away the after-birth. The seed of this plant, taken in wine or hydromel, diminishes the milk in nursing women. CHAP. 39. THE CIRSION : ONE REMEDY. The cirsion24 is a plant consisting of a diminutive and deli- cate stem, two cubits in height, of a triangular form, and covered with prickly leaves. The prickles on the leaves are downy, and the leaves themselves resemble those of buglos- sos25 in shape, but are smaller, and of a whitish colour. At the summit of the plant there are small purple heads, which fall off in the shape of down. This plant or the root of it, worn as an amulet, it is said, is curative of the pains attendant upon varicose veins. CHAP. 40. THE CRAT^GONON ; TWO KINDS OF IT ! EIGHT REMEDIES. The crataegonon26 is similar to an ear of corn in appearance. It is formed of numerous shoots, springing from a single root, and full of joints. It grows in umbrageous localities, and has a seed like that of millet, with a remarkably acrid taste. If a man and woman, before the evening meal, take three oboli of this seed in three cyathi of water, for forty days consecutively, before the conception of their issue, it will be sure to be of the male27 sex, they say. There is another crataagonon, known also as " thelygonos,"28 and distinguished from the last mentioned plant by the mild- ness of the taste. Some persons assert that females, if they take the blossom of this plant in drink, will be sure to con- ceive before the end of forty days. These plants, used in com- bination with honey, are curative of black ulcers of a chronic nature ; they also fill the concavities made by fistulous 24 Identified with the Carduus parviflorus of Linnaeus, the Small-flowered thistle. 25 See B. xxv. c. 40. 26 Identified hy Fee and Desfontaines with the Polygonum persicaria of Linnaeus, the Spotted persicaria, red-shanks, fleawort, or lakeweed. Littre gives the Crucianella Monspeliaca of Linnaeus, Montpellier petty madder. 27 Hence its name, signifying that it strengthens the generative powers. 28 See B. xxvi. c. 91. 240 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. ulcers with new flesh, and restore such parts of the hody as are wasted by atrophy. They act as a detergent upon purulent sores, disperse inflammatory tumours, and alleviate gout and all kind of abscesses, those of the mamillae in particular. Under the name of " crataegos"29 or '*' cratsegon," Theo- phrastus30 speaks of the tree known in Italy as the " aquifolia." CHAP. 41. THE CROCODILEON : TWO REMEDIES. The crocodileon31 resembles the black chamseleon32 in shape : the root is long, of an uniform thickness, and possessed of a pungent smell. It is found growing in sandy soils. Taken in drink, it causes a copious discharge of coagulated blood at the nostrils, and in this way, it is said, diminishes the volume of the spleen. CHAP. 42. THE CYNOSORCHIS OR ORCHIS I FOUR REMEDIES. The cynosorchis,33 by some called " orchis," has leaves like34 those of the olive, soft, three in number, half a foot in length, and lying upon the ground. The root is bulbous, oblong, and divided into two portions,35 the upper one hard, and the lower one soft. These roots are eaten boiled, like bulbs,36 and are mostly found growing in vineyards. If males eat the upper part, they will be parents of male issue, they .say, and females, if they eat the lower part, of female. In Thessaly, the men take the soft portion in goats' milk as an aphrodisiac, and the hard part as an antaphrodisiac. Of these parts, the one effec- tually neutralizes the action of the other.37 29 See B. xxiv. c. 72. Littre remarks that Pliny is in error here, for that the Crataegos of Theophrastus is the Cratsegos azarolia of Linnseus, the Parsley-leaved hawthorn, while the Aquifolia of Pliny is the Holly. As to the latter point, see B. xvi. cc. 8, 12 30 Hist. Plant. B. iii. c. 15. 31 Desfontaines identifies it with the Centaurea crocodileuin of Linnaeus, and Littre wjth the Cardims pycnocephalus of Linnaeus. Ruellius con- siders it to b*e the same plant as the Leucacantha of Dioscoridesj which Sprengel identifies with the Cnicus Casahonce. Fee expresses himself at a loss as to its identity. 32 See B. xxii. c. 21. 33 u Do-g'g testicle/"' Considered to be a synonym merely of the Orchis, mentioned in B. xxvi. c. 62. 34 This comparison is totally incorrect. 35 See B. xxvi. c. 62. 3G Or onions. 37 A tissue of groundless superstitions. Chap. 44.] THE GUCUBALUS. 241 CHAP. 43. — THE CHRYSOLACHANUM ; TWO VARIETIES OF IT : THREE REMEDIES. COAGULUM TERRJE I TWO REMEDIES. The chrysolachanum38 grows in pine plantations, and is similar to the lettuce in appearance. It heals wounds of the sinews, if applied without delay. There is another kind39 of chrysolachauum mentioned, with a golden flower, and a leaf like that of the cabbage : it is boiled and eaten as a laxative vegetable. This plant, worn as an amulet by a patient suffer- ing from jaundice, provided it be always kept in sight, is a cure for that disease, it is said. I am not certain whether this is all that might be said about the chrysolachanum, but, at all events, it is all that I have found respecting it ; for it is a very general fault on the part of our more recent herbalists, to confine their account of plants to the mere name, with u very meagre description of the peculiar features of the plant, — j ust as though, forsooth, they were universally known. Thus, they tell us, for instance, that a plant known as " coagulum40 terra3," acts astringently upon the bowels, and that it dispels strangury, taken in water or in wine. CHAP. 44. — THE CUCUBALTJS, STRUMUS, OR STRYCHNON I SIX REMEDIES. The leaves of the cucubalus,41 they tell us, bruised with vinegar, are curative of the stings of serpents and of scorpions. Some persons call this plant by the name of " strumus,"42 while others give it the Greek name of " strychnon :" its ber- ries are black. The juice of these berries, administered in doses of one cyathus, in two cyathi of honied wine, is curative of lumbago ; an infusion of them with rose oil is used for head- ache, and they are employed as an application for scrofulous sores. 3S " Golden vegetable." Supposed to be identical with the Atriplex of B. xx. c. 38, our Orage. rfy Cultivated orage, probably. 40 " Earth rennet." This plant has not been identified. Lobelius has made a guess at the Serapias abortiva of Linnaeus, the Helleborine. It is pretty clear that it was unknown to Pliny himself. 41 The same, probably, as the Trychnon of B. xxi. cc. 52, 105, Solanum nigrum or Black nightshade. In the former editions the reading is "cuculus." 4~ The " strumous " or "scrofula" plant. VOL. V. li 242 PLINY'S NATUKAL HISTOBY. [Book XXVII. CHAP. 45. — THE CONFERVA I TWO REMEDIES. The conferva43 is peculiar to running streams, those of the Alpine regions more particularly ; receiving its name from " conferrumino,"44 to solder together. Properly speaking, it is rather a fresh-water sponge than a moss or a plant, being a dense, porous mass of filaments. I know an instance where a man, who fell to the ground while lopping a tree of consider- able height, and broke nearly every bone of his body, was cured by the agency of this plant. The patient's body was covered all over with conferva, the application being continually sprinkled with water the moment it began to dry, and only removed for the purpose of changing it when the plant gave signs of losing its virtues.45 It is hardly credible with what rapidity he re- covered. CHAP. 46. (9.) THE COCCUS CNIDIUS, OR GRAIN OF CNIDOS *. TWO REMEDIES. The Cnidian grain46 has just the colour of the kermes berry.47 It is larger than a peppercorn, and has very heating proper- ties : hence it is that when used, it is taken in crumb of bread, that it may not burn the throat in passing downwards. It is a sovereign remedy for hemlock, and arrests48 looseness of the bowels. CHAP. 47. — THE DIPSACOS : TWO REMEDIES. The dipsacos49 has leaves like those of the lettuce, with prickly tubercles on the middle of the back. The stem of it, two cubits in length, is bristling all over with prickles of a similar nature. The joints of the stem are closely covered with two leaves, which form a concave axil in which a saltish dew-like liquid collects.50 At the summit of the stem there 43 Possibly the Conferva rivularis, or the C. glomerata of Linnaeus, the Eiver conferva or River sponge, or the Green cluster conferva. 44 On account of its asserted agglutinative properties. In reality it is an inert plant, and is never used in medicine. 45 Fee considers this statement as fabulous in every respect. 46 See B. xiii. c. 35. 47 " Coccus." See B. xvi. c. 12. This is not the case. Sillig is of opinion that the passage is imperfect. 49 The same plant as the Labrum Venereum of B. xxv. c. 108. It is used for carding cloth, but is no longer employed in medicine. 30 Hence its uaiiie " Venus' bath." Chap. 50.] THE ELATIKE. 243 are small heads covered with prickles : it grows in watery localities. This plant is used for the cure of chaps of the fundament and of fistula ; in which latter case the root is boiled down in wine to the consistency of wax, to allow of its being introduced into the fistula in the form of a salve.61 It is employed, too, for the cure of all kinds of warts : as a liniment for which, the juice collected in the axils, as above mentioned, is also used by some. CHAP. 48. THE DRYOPTERIS : TWO REMEDIES. The dryopteris,52 which resembles fern in appearance, is found growing upon trees ; the leaves are of a somewhat sweet- ish53 flavour and marked with slight indentations, and the root is hairy. This plant is possessed of caustic properties,54 and hence the root is pounded and used as a depilatory. In using it the skin is rubbed with it till perspiration is excited, the operation being repeated a second and a third time, care being taken not to remove the perspiration. CHAP. 49. THE DRYOPHONON. The dryophonon55 is a similar plant, with thin stems a cubit in length, and surrounded on either side with leaves about as large as the thumb and like those of the oxymyrsine56 in ap- pearance, only whiter and softer : the blossom is white, and similar to that of the elder. The shoots of it are eaten boiled, and the seed is used as a substitute for pepper. CHAP. 50. THE ELATIKE I TWO REMEDIES. The elatine57 has leaves like those of the helxine,68 diminu- 51 "Collyrii." 52 The same plant, prohably, as the Polypodion of B. xxvi. c. 37. Littre, however, identifies it with the Asplenium adiantum nigrum of Linnaeus, the Black maiden-hair, or spleenwort. 63 It is the root that is sweet, and not the leaves. 54 It has no such properties. 55 The " oak-killer." Fee thinks that it may possibly be the Conval- laria uniilora of Linnaeus. Desfontaines names the Cochlearia draba, and Littre the Lepidium draba of Linnaeus. 56 See B. xv. cc. 7, 37, and B. xxiii, c. 83. 67 Desfontaines and Fee identify it with the Antirrhinum spuriura of Linnaeus, Bastard toad-flax, calves' snout, or snapdragon. Littre gives the Linaria Groeea as its synonym. 58 See B. xxii. c. 19. B 2 244 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. live, round, and hairy ; its branches are small, half a foot in length, five or six in number, and covered with leaves from the root upwards. It grows in corn-fields, and has a rough flavour : hence it is found very useful for defluxions of the eyes, the leaves being beaten up and applied with polenta 59 in a linen pledget. A decoction of this plant with linseed, taken in pottage, is good for dysentery. CHAP. 51. EMPETROS, BY OTJR PEOPLE CALLED CALCIFRAGA I FOUR REMEDIES. Empetros,60 by the people of our country called "calci- fraga,"61 grows on mountains near the sea, and is generally found upon rocks : the nearer it grows to the sea the salter it is, acting as an evacuant of bile and pituitous secretions. That, on the other hand, which grows at a greater distance and more inland, is of a more bitter flavour. It carries off the aqueous humours of the body, being taken for that purpose in broth of some kind, or else hydromel. When old, it loses its strength ; but used fresh, either boiled in water or pounded, it acts as a diuretic, and disperses urinary calculi. Authorities who wish full credence to be given to this asserted property, assure us that pebbles boiled with it will split asunder. CHAP. 52. — THE EPIPACTI8 OR ELLEB ORIFE I TWO REMEDIES. The epipactis,62 called " elleborine " by some, is a diminutive plant with small leaves. Taken in drink, it is extremely use- ful for diseases of the liver, and as an antidote to poisons. CHAP. 53. THE EPLMEDION I THREE REMEDIES. The epimedion63 consists of a stem of moderate size, with ten or twelve leaves like those of ivy : it never flowers, and 69 See B. xviii. c. 14. 60 Fee, with Sprengel, identifies it with the Salsola polychlonos of Lin- Tiseus, Branchy saltwort or glasswort ; Bauhin with the Passerina poly- galifolia. The Crithmum maritinmm of Linnaeus, Sea samphire, has been suggested by Desfontaines. Littre gives the Frankenia pulverulenta of Linnaeus. Holland suggests Saxifrage. 61 " Calculus-breaking." 62 See B. xiii. c. 35. 63 Sprengel suggests the Marsilea quadrifolia of Linnaeus; Columna the Botrychium lunaria of LinnaBUs ; C. Bauhin the Ornithogalum Nar- bonense of Linnaeus, Narbonese star of Bethlehem ; and Talius the Caltha palustris of Linnseus, the Marsh marigold. Fee considers its identification Cbap. 55.] FILix OK FEilisr. 245 has a thin, black root, with a powerful smell. It grows in humid soils. This plant also has certain astringent and cool- ing properties, but females must be on their guard 64 against it. The leaves, beaten up in wine, prevent the bosom from growing too large in young girls. CHAP. 54. THE ENNEAPHYLLON : TWO EEMEDIES. The enneaphyllon65 has nine long leaves, and is of a caustic nature. It is employed topically, but when used it is wrapped in wool to prevent it from cauterizing further than desirable, for it blisters immediately. Fort lumbago and sciatica it is of the greatest utility. CHAP. 55.— TWO VARIETIES OF FILIX OK FERN, KNOWN TO THE GREEKS AS PTERIS, OR BLACHNON, AND AS THELYPTERIS, OR NYMPHS PTERIS I ELEVEN REMEDIES. Of fern there are two varieties, equally destitute of blossom and of seed.66 The Greeks give the name of "pteris," and sometimes " blachnon," to the kind67 in which numerous shoots take their rise from a single root, exceeding two cubits even in length, and with a not unpleasant smell i68 this plant is thought to be the male fern. The other kind is known to the Greeks as " thelypteris,"69 and sometimes, "nymphoea pteris:" it has a single stem only, with comparatively few branches, is shorter, softer, and more tufted than the other, and has channelled leaves growing near the root. Swine are fattened upon the roots of either kind. The leaves of both kinds are arranged on either side in the form of wings, whence the Greek name " pteris." The roots are long, run obliquely, and are of a swarthy colour, more par- 64 Because it was said to be a cause of sterility. 65 Identified with the Dentaria enneaphylla of Linnaeus, the Nine-leaved tooth -wort. 66 From this remark, Fee is of opinion that he had in view more par- ticularly the Pteris aquilina and the Blechnum spicatum of Linnaeus, plants in which the seed is not easily detected. 67 Identified by Fee with the Polypodiuin filix mas of Linnaeus, the Male fern. 68 Dioscorides says it has a somewhat unpleasant smell, and this is nearer the truth. 69 " Female fern." Identified by Fee with the Polypodium filix fsemina . of Linnaeus, Female fern or Pteris aquilina. 246 PLIKY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXVII. ticularly when dried : when wanted for use, they should be dried in the sun. These plants are found growing everywhere, but in cold soils more particularly ; they should be taken up, too, at the setting of the Yergilise.70 The root is only used at the end of three years, neither before that period nor after. They act as an expellent of intestinal worms ; for tapeworm71 honey is taken with them, but in other cases sweet wine, for three days. They are, both of them, extremely detrimental to the sto- mach, but are laxative to the bowels, carrying off first the bile and then the aqueous humours of the body. When used for tapeworm, it is the best plan to take scammony with them, in equal proportions. For rheumatic defluxions, the root is taken in doses of two oboli, in water, after a day's abstinence from food, a little honey being taken first. Neither kind must ever be given to females ; for in pregnancy they are productive of abortion, and in other cases entail sterility. Powdered fern is sprinkled upon sordid ulcers, as also upon the necks of beasts of burden, when chafed. Fern-leaves kill bugs, and serpents will never harbour among them : hence it is a good plan to strew them in places where the presence of those reptiles is suspected. The very smell, too, of burnt fern will put serpents to flight. Medical men have made this distinction as to ferns ; that of Macedonia, they say, is the best, and that of Cassiope the next. CHAP. 56. — FEMUR BUBTJLUM, OR OX THIGH. The name of femur bubulum72 is given to a plant which is good for the sinews, applied fresh, and beaten up with salt and vinegar. CHAP. 57. GALEOPSIS, GALEOBDOLOtf, OR GALION : SIX REMEDIES. Galeopsis,73 or as some call it, " galeobdolon" or "galion," 70 See B. xviii. c. 59. 71 Fee remarks that root of fern is an undoubted remedy for tapeworm, and that it is worthy of remark that we owe to the ancients the two most efficient anthelmintics known, fern-root, namely, and pomegranate rind. 72 The Femur hubulum has not been identified. C. Bauhin has suggested the Leonurus cardiaca of Linnaeus, Motherwort. 73 It has been suggested that this plant is the same as the Lamium, mentioned in B. xxii. c. 16, but Fee is not of that opinion. He identifies the Galeopsis with the Lamium purpureum of Linnaeus, the Purple arch- angel, or dead-nettle. Littre gives as its synonym the Scrofularia pere- grina of Linnaeus, the Foreign figwort. Chap. 59.] GLAUCIOST. 247 is a plant with a stem and leaves like those of the nettle, only smaller ; and which, when bruised, emit a powerful smell. The flower is purple, and the plant is found growing everywhere, about hedges and foot-paths. The leaves and stems, bruised in vinegar, and applied topically, are curative of indurations, carcinomata, and scrofulous sores. They disperse also inflam- matory tumours and imposthumes of the parotid glands, and it, is found a useful plan to foment the parts affected with a decoction of them. Applied with salt, this plant is curative of putrid ulcers and gangrenous sores. CHAP. 58. THE GLATJX I ONE REMEDY. The glaux74 was known in ancient times as the " eugalac- ton."75 In the leaves it resembles the cytisus and the lentil, only that they are whiter beneath. The branches, five or six in number, are extremely thin, and, springing from the root, creep upon the ground, with small purple blossoms upon them. This plant is found in localities near the sea. It is boiled in a pottage made of similago,76 to increase the milk : females, however, after taking it, must immediately use the bath. CHAP. 59. (10.) — GLAUCTON: TIIHEE EEMEDIES. DIAGEATJCTA: TWO REMEDIES. Glaucion77 grows in Syria and Parthia; it is a plant of stunted growth, and thickly covered with leaves, like those of the poppy in appearance, only smaller and of a more repulsive aspect : it has an offensive smell, and a bitter, astringent taste. The seed, which is of a saffron colour, is put into a vessel coated with potter's claj7, and heated in an oven ; when taken out, a juice78 is extracted, which is known by the same name as the plant. This juice and the leaves, bruised, are used for de- fluxions of the eyes, which disappear in an instant, under this 74 Fee thinks that it may possibly be the Astragalus glaux of Linnaeus, or Milk vetch, as originally suggested by Clusius. Littre gives as its synonym the Sennebierra coronopus of Poireau. 75 The " Good milk " plant. 76 See B. xviii. cc. 19, 20. 77 See B. xx. c. 78, where a similar plant is mentioned. Fee identifies this plant •with the Glaucium hybridum, or Chelidonium of Linnaaus, the Violet-coloured celandine, or horned poppy. Littre' gives the Glau- ciura flavum of Linna3us as its synonym. 7B This is a yellow, acrid, caustic juice ; it is no longer used in medicine. 248 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. treatment : an eye-salve, too, is prepared from the juice, known as " diaglaucia," to medical men. The milk, when the secretion of it is stopped, is restored by the agency of this plant, for which purpose it is taken in water. CHAP. 60. THE GLYCYS1DE, PJSONTA, OK PENTOEOBOS I TWENTY KEMEDIES. The glycyside,79 by some called " paeonia" or " pentorobos," has a stem two cubits in length, accompanied by two or three others, and of a reddish colour, with a bark like that of the laurel. The leaves are similar to those of isatis,80 but more unctuous, rounder, and more diminutive ; the seed is enclosed in capsules, some being red and some black, there being two varieties of the plant. The female plant is generally thought to be the one to the root of which some six or eight bulbs are attached, of an elongated form; those of the male plant61 being more in number, as it throws out more roots than one, a palm in length, and of a white colour : it has also an astringent taste. The leaves of the female plant smell like myrrh,82 and lie closer together than those of the male. Both plants grow in the woods, and they should always be taken up at night,83 it is said ; as it would be dangerous to do so in the day-time, the woodpecker of Mars being sure to attack the eyes84 of the person so engaged. It is stated also that the person, while taking up the root, runs great risk of being attacked with procidence of the anus : all this, however, I take to be so much fiction, most frivolously invented to puff off their supposed marvellous properties. Both plants are used85 for various purposes : the red seed, taken in red wine, about fifteen in number, arrest menstruation ; while the black seed, taken in the same proportion, in either raisin or other wine, are curative of diseases of the uterus. The root, taken in wine, allays all kinds of pains in the bowels, and acts as a purgative; it cures opisthotony also, jaundice, nephritic diseases, and affec- tions of the bladder. Boiled in wine, it is used for diseases of 79 The Peony ; described in B. xxv. c. 10. 80 See B. xx. c. 25, and B. xxii. c. 2. 81 See B. xxv. c. 10. 82 In reality it is destitute of smell. 83 See B. xxv. c. 10. 84 Or, as Holland says, would " be ready to job out tbeir eyes." 85 In reality, the peony has no medicinal virtues whatever. Chap. 62.] THE GALLIDHAGA. 249 the trachea and stomach, and acts astringently upon the howels. It is eaten also by beasts of burden, but when wanted for remedial purposes, four drachmae are sufficient. The black seed is useful as a preventive of night-mare,86 being taken in wine, in number above stated : it is very good, too, to eat this seed, and to apply it externally, for gnawing pains of the stomach. Suppurations are also dispersed, when recent, with the black seed, and when of long standing, with the red : both kinds are very useful, too, for wounds inflicted by ser- pents, and in cases where children are troubled with calculi, being employed at the crisis when strangury first makes its appearance. CHAP. 61. GNAPHALIUM OR CHA3O2ZELON : SIX BEMEDIES. Gnaphalium87 is called " chamaezelon" by some : its white, soft, leaves are used as flock, and, indeed, there is no per- ceptible difference. This plant is administered in astringent wine, for dysentery : it arrests looseness of the bowels and the catamenia, and is used as an injection for tenesmus. It is employed topically for putrid sores. CHAP. 62. THE GALLIDRAGA I ONE EEMEDT. Xenocrates gives the name of " gallidraga" 88 to a plant which resembles the leucacanthus,89 and grows in the marshes. It is a prickly plant, with a tall, ferulaceous stem, surmounted with a head somewhat similar to an egg in appearance. When this head is growing, in summer, small worms,90 he says, are generated, which are put away in a box for keeping, and are attached as an amulet, with bread, to the arm on the side on which tooth-ache is felt ; indeed it is quite wonderful, he says, how soon the pain is removed. These worms, however, are of no use after the end of a year, or in cases where they have been allowed to touch the ground. 86 " Suppressionibus nocturnis." 87 Sprengel identifies it with the Santolina maritima, Sea cudwort or cotton-weed. Fee considers its identification as doubtful. 88 Identified by Hardouin and Desfontaines with the Dipsacus pilosus of Linnaeus, the Shepherd's rod, or small white teasel. Fee is doubtful ou the subject, *> See B. xxii. c. 18. 9° See B. xxv. c. 28. 250 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. CHAP. 63. HOLCTJS OR ARISTIS. Holcus91 is a plant that grows in arid, stony, spots : it has an ear at the end of a fine stem, and looks like barley that has put forth again when cut. Attached to the head or around the arm, it extracts92 spikes of corn adhering to the flesh ; for which reason, some persons give it the name of " aristis." CHAP. 64. HYOSERIS: ONE REMEDY. Hyoseris92* resembles endive in appearance, but is a smaller plant, and rougher to the touch : pounded and applied to wounds, it heals them with remarkable rapidity. CHAP. 65. THE HOLOSTEON I THREE REMEDIES. The holosteon,93 so called by the Greeks by way of anti- phrasis,94 (in the same way that they give the name of " sweet"95 to the gall,) is a plant destitute of all hardness, of such extreme fineness as to resemble hairs in appearance, four fingers in length, and very similar to hay-grass. The leaves of it are narrow, and it has a rough flavour : it grows upon elevated spots composed of humus. Taken in wine, it is used for rup- tures and convulsions. It has the property, also, of closing wounds ; indeed, if applied to pieces of meat it will solder them together. CHAP. 66. THE HIPPOPH^STON : EIGHT REMEDIES. The hippophaeston is one of those prickly plants which fullers96 use in their coppers ; it has neither stem nor flower, 91 Identified with the Hordeum murinum of Linnaeus, and the same, most probably, as the Mouse barley of B. xxii. c. 65. 93 "Whence its name, from the Greek g'Xfcw, "to draw." 92* "Swine's endive." It is generally identified with the Centaurea nigra of Linnaeus ; though, as Fee says, on very insufficient grounds, as the black centaury has but little similarity to endive. 93 The " all-bone " plant. Desfontaines identifies it with the Plantago coronopus of Linnaeus, the Buckshorn plantain ; but Fee prefers the Plan- tago holostea of Lamarck, the Grass-leaved plantain. Lfttre names the Holosteum umbellatum. The Plantago albicans of Linnaeus has been also mentioned. 94 Because there is no hardness in it. 95 TA yXttata. 96 See B. xxiv. c. 68. In B. xvi. c. 92, Fee identifies this plant with the Calcitrapa stellata of Lamarck. He also suggests that it may possibly be the second " Hippophaes," mentioned in B. xxii. c. 14. Desfontaines identifies it with the Cuicus stellatus, the Star-thistle. Littre gives as its Chap. 70.] THE ISOPYRON. 251 but only diminutive, empty heads, numerous small leaves of a grass-green colour, and small, soft, white roots. From these roots a juice is extracted in summer, which, taken in doses of three oboli, acts as a purgative ; being used for this purpose in cases of epilepsy, fits of trembling, dropsy, vertigo, hardness of breathing, and incipient paralysis. CHAP. 67. (11.) THE HYPOGLOSSA : ONE EEMEDY. The hypoglossa97 is a plant with leaves like those of the wild myrtle, of a concave form, prickly, and presenting another small leaf within, resembling a tongue in shape. A wreath made of these leaves, placed upon the head, alleviates head- ache. CHAP. 68. HYPECOON. Hypecoon98 is a plant found growing in corn-fields, with leaves like those of rue. Its properties are similar to those of juice of poppies. CHAP. 69. THE ID^EA HEEBA, OE PLANT OF IDA : FOUE EEMEDIES. The Idaean" plant has leaves like those of the oxymyrsine ;l to which leaves a sort of tendril adheres, that bears a flower. This plant arrests diarrhoea, the catamenia, when in excess, and all kinds of haemorrhage. It is of an astringent and repercussive nature. CHAP. 70. THE ISOPYEON OE PHAS10LON I TWO EEMEBIES. The isopyron2 is called " phasiolon" by some, from the cir- cumstance that the leaf of it, which resembles that of anise, assumes a spiral form like the tendrils of the phasiolus.3 At synonym the Centaurea spinosa, Prickly centaury ; in accordance with the opinion of M. Fraas, who admits, however, that the statement that it has neither stem nor flower, would hardly seem to indicate a species of centaury. 97 The Ruscus hypoglossum of Linnaeus, the Double tongue. 98 The Hypecoiim procumbens of Liunams, Horned cummin. 99 Fee thinks that " Idsea herba," " plant of Ida," may possibly be one of the synonyms of the Alexandrian laurel. See B. xv. c. 39. Should that identity not hold good, he prefers the Uvularia amplexifolia of Linnaeus. 1 See B. xv. cc. 7, 37, and B. xxiii. c. 83. 2 Fee suggests the Corydalis claviculata of Decandolle. Littre mentions the Fumaria capreolata of Linnaeus, 3 Or kidney-bean. See B. xxiv. c. 40. 252 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. the summit of the stem, it bears small heads full of a seed like that of melanthium.4 These heads, taken with honey or hydromel, are good for cough and other affections of the chest; they are extremely useful also for liver complaints. CHAP. 71. THE LATHTRIS: TWO REMEDIES. The lathyris5 has numerous leaves like those of the lettuce,6 with numbers of small buds, in which the seed is contained, enclosed in envelopes like that of the caper. When these buds are dry, the seeds, about the size of a peppercorn, are taken out : they are white, sweet, and easily cleansed from the husk. Twenty of them, taken in pure water or in hydromel, are curative of dropsy, and carry off bile. Persons who require a stronger purgative, take them with the husks on. They are apt, however, to be injurious to the stomach ; for which reason a plan has been adopted of taking them with fish or else chicken broth. CHAP. 72. THE LEONTOPETALON OR PARDALION : TWO REMEDIES. The leontopetalon7 is called " pardalion" by some : it has a leaf like that of the cabbage, and a stem half a foot in height, with numerous lateral branches, and a seed at the extremities of them, enclosed in pods like those of the chick-pea. The root resembles that of rape, and is large and black : it grows in plough lands. The root, taken in wine, neutralizes the venom of all kinds of serpents ; indeed, there is nothing known that is more speedily efficacious for that purpose. It is given also for sciatica. CHAP. 73. THE LYCAPSOS I TWO REMEDIES. The lycapsos8 has longer and thicker leaves than those of the lettuce,9 and a long, hairy stem, with numerous offshoots a 4 Or Gith. See B. xx. c. 71. 5 The Euphorbia lathyris of Linnaeus, the Caper plant, or Caper spurge. 6 There is no such resemblance, except that they both contain a milky juice, the properties of which are, however, very different. It is a plant of an energetic and even dangerous nature, and must never be mistaken for the real caper. 7 Mostly thought to be the same plant as the Leontopodium of B. xxvi. c. 34. Littre, however, identifies it with the Evax pygmaeus of Linneeus. 8 Probably the Echium Italicum of Linnsus, Italian viper's tongue. 9 There is no resemblance between the Echium and the lettuce. Chap. 74.] THE LITHOSPEKMTTM. 253 cubit in length; the flower is diminutive, and of a purple colour ; it grows in champaign localities. In combination with barley- meal, it is used as an application for erysipelas : the juice of it, mixed with warm water, is employed as a sudorific, in fevers. CHAP. 74. THE LITHOSPERMTJM, EXONYCHON, DIOSPYKON, OR HEKACLEOS : TWO HEMEDIES. Among all the plants, however, there is none of a more marvellous nature than the lithospermum,10 sometimes called " exonychon," " diospyron,"11 or "heracleos." It is about five inches in height, with leaves twice the size of those of rue, and small ligneous branches, about the thickness of a rush. It bears close to the leaves a sort of fine beard or spike, standing by itself, on the extremity of which there are small white stones, as round as a pearl, about the size of a chick-pea, and as hard as a pebble. These stones,12 at the part where they adhere to the stalk, have a small cavity, and contain a seed within. This plant is found in Italy, no doubt, but that of Crete is the most esteemed. Among all the plants, there is none that I ever contemplated with greater admiration than this ; so beauteous is the conformation, that it might be fancied that the hand of an artist13 had arranged a row of lustrous pearls alter- nately among the leaves ; so exquisite too the nicety in thus making a stone to grow upon a plant ! The authorities say that this is a creeping plant, and that it lies upon the ground ; but for my own part, I have only seen it when plucked, and not while growing. It is well known that these small stones, taken in doses of one drachma, in white wine, break and expel urinary calculi,14 and are curative of strangury. In- deed, there is no plant that so instantaneously proclaims, at 10 Identified by Fee and Desfontaines with the Lithospermum officinale of Linnaeus, Gremil, gromwell, or stone-crop. Littre mentions the Lithos- permum tenuiflorum of Linnaeus. 11 "Jove's wheat," or the "plant of Hercules." 12 This description applies to the variety of Gremil, known as the Coix lacryma of Linnseus, Job's tears, originally an Indian plant ; but it may have been known in Italy in Pliny's time. 18 A poor compliment to Nature, as Fee remarks. 14 It has in reality no medicinal properties to speak of ; but its name, " stone seed," and its appearance, would, of course, ensure its reputation as an efficient cure for calculus. 254 PLINY'S NATUEAL HTSTOKY. [Book XXVII. the mere sight of it, the medicinal purposes for which it was originally intended; the appearance of it, too, is such, that it can be immediately recognized, without the necessity of having recourse to any botanical authority. CHAP. 75. LAPIDIS MUSCUS, OR STONE MOSS I ONE REMEDY. There grows near running streams, a dry, white moss,15 upon ordinary stones. One of these stones, with the addition of human saliva, is rubbed against another; after which the first stone is used for touching impetigo,16 the party so doing uttering these words : — Osuysrs xa,v6a,pifo$t Xvnog aypiog al/Ma biuxsi. 11 Cantharides17 begone, a wild wolf seeks your blood."18 CHAP. 76. THE L1MEUM I ONE REMEDY. Limeum19 is the name given by the Gauls to a plant, in a preparation of which, known to them as "deer's20 poison," they dip their arrows21 when hunting. To three modii of salivating mixture22 they put as much of the plant as is used for poisoning a single arrow ; and a mess of it is passed down the throat, in cases where oxen are suffering from disease, due care being taken to keep them fastened to the manger till they have been purged, as they are generally rendered frantic by the dose. In case perspiration supervenes, they are drenched all over with cold water. CHAP. 77. THE LETJCE, MESOLETJCON, OR LETJCA8 I THREE REMEDIES. Leuce,23 a plant resembling mercurialis,24 has received its 15 Some kind of lichen, probably, but what in particular it is impossible to say. 16 King-worm or tetter. 17 Hardouin says that this herpetic disease is called "cantharides," be- cause it attacks the body as the cantharis attacks wheat. See B. xviii. c. 44. 18 It would be superfluous to look for sense in this silly formula. 19 Anguillara and C. Bauhin identify it with the Ranunculus thora of Linnaeus, and other authorities with the Doronicum pardalianches of Lin- naeus. Pliny is the only writer that mentions it ; and if it really had any existence, it would seem quite impossible, as Fee says, to identify it with correctness. 2° " Venenum cervarium." 21 See B. xxv. c. 25. 22 " Salivati." Holland renders this, " A mash wherewith they used to drench cattle.'' 23 Identified with the Lamium of B. xxii. c. 16. 24 See B. xxv. c. 18. The resemblance, Fee says, is by no means a striking one. Chap. 80.] THE MTOSOTA. 255 name25 from the circumstance that a white line runs through the middle of the leaf; for which reason also, some give it the name of " mesoleucon."26 The juice of this plant is curative of fistula, and the plant itself, bruised, is good for carcinomata. It is prohably the same plant as that called " leucas," so remarkably efficacious for the venom of all kinds of marine animals. Authors have not given a description of it, beyond telling us that the wild leucas has larger leaves than the other, and has properties more strongly developed : they state also that the seed of the cultivated kind is the more acrid of the two. CHAP. 78. THE LETJCOGRAPHIS I FIVE REMEDIES. 1 have not found a description given by any writer of the leucographis ;27 a thing I am the more surprised at, as they tell us that it is good for the cure of spitting of blood, taken in doses of three oboli with saffron ; as also that it is useful for cceliac affections, applied beaten up in water, and in cases of excessive menstruation. They state also that it enters into the composition of ophthalmic preparations, and that it fills up ulcers on the more tender parts of the body with new flesh. CHAP. 79. (12.) — THE MEDION: THREE REMEDIES. The medion28 has leaves like those of the cultivated seris,29 a stem three feet in length, and a large, round, purple flower, at its extremity. The seed is diminutive, and the root half a foot in length : it grows upon umbrageous, sheltered rocks. The root, taken in doses of two drachmae with honey, arrests the catamenia, the electuary being used for some days. The seed, too, is administered in wine for a similar purpose. CHAP. 80. THE MTOSOTA OR MYOSOTIS : THREE REMEDIES. The myosota30 or myosotis is a smooth plant, throwing out 25 The " white " plant. 26 " White in the middle." 27 Identified by Fee with the Cerinthe of B. xxi. c. 41. Sprengel, how- ever, considers it to be the Carduus leucographus of Linnseus. 28 Fee identifies it with the Campanula Medium of Linuieus, our Canter- bury or Coventry bells ; but this flower is blue, while the colour of the Medion is purple. Littre gives the Convolvulus althseoides of Linnaeus. Sibthorp has named the Campanula laciniata ; and other authorities the Michauxia campanuloides. 29 See B. xx. C: 32. 30 " Mouse-ears." Fee identifies it with the Myosotis scorpioides of 256 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXVII. from a single root numerous hollowed stems, of a somewhat reddish colour ; and bearing at the lower extremities swarthy, narrow, oblong leaves, sharp on the back, arranged in pairs at regular distances, and springing from delicate branches attached with axils to the main stems. The flower is blue, and the root, a finger in length, is provided with numerous filaments like hairs. This plant possesses certain septic and ul- cerating properties, and hence is used for the cure of fistula of the eye. The Egyptians say that if upon the morning of the twenty-eight day of their month Thoth, a day which gene- rally falls in our month of August, a person rubs himself with the juice of this plant before speaking to any one, he will be sure to have no diseases of the eyes all that year. CHAP. 81. THE MYAGKOS : ONE KEMEDY. The myagros31 is a ferulaceous plant, with leaves like those of madder: the seed is of an oily nature — indeed, an oil is extracted from it. Ulcerations of the mouth are cured by rubbing them with the juice of this plant. CHAP. 82. THE NYMA : ONE KEMEDY. The plant called " nyma"32 bears three long leaves, like those of endive : applied to scars, it restores the skin to its natural colour. CHAP. 83. THENATKIX: ONE KEMEDY. " Matrix "33 is the name of a plant, the root of which, when taken out of the ground, has just the rank smell of the he-goat. It is used in Picenum for the purpose of keeping away from females what with a singular credulity they call by the name of " Fatui."34 For my own part, however, I should think that Linnaeus, Scorpion-grass, or mouse-ear, which is not of a corrosive nature, as Pliny says, but emollient and soothing. Littre names the Asperugo pro- cumbens of Linnaeus, Wild bugloss, German madwort, or great goose-grass. 31 Sprengel identifies it with the Alyssum sativum, the Garden madwort ; Fee with the Cameliria sativa of Crantz, the Cultivated cameline. Littre gives the Neslia paniculata as its synonym. 32 Or " Nigina," in some editions. It is utterly unknown. 33 Possibly a fabulous plant ; though it is generally identified with the Ononis natrix of Linnaeus. Poinsinet de Sivry derives its name from the Celto-Germanic words, nat, "night," and ns, "wand;" a name given to it, according to him, for its efficacy in dispelling the illusions of the night. 34 Qr « Fauni," the same as our nightmare. Chap. 86.] THE ONOSMA. 2.57 persons requiring to be treated with such medicaments as these, must be labouring under a sort of mental hallucination. CHAP. 84. ODONTITIS : ONE REMEDY. Odontitis35 is a sort of hay-grass,36 which throws out from a single root numerous, small, jointed stems, of a triangular form and of a swarthy hue. At the joints there are small leaves, somewhat longer than those of the polygonos ;37 and in the axils formed by these leaves is the seed, similar to barley in appearance. It has a purple, diminutive flower, and is found growing in meadows.38 A handful of the stems, boiled in astringent wine, is used for the cure of tooth-ache,39 the de- coction being retained for some time in the mouth. CHAP. 85. THE OTHONNA I ONE EEMEDY. The othonna40 is a Syrian plant, resembling rocket in ap- pearance ; its leaves are pierced with numerous holes, and its flower resembles that of saffron, for which reason some persons have given it the name of " anemone." The juice of thjte plant is employed in ophthalmic preparations ; it is slightly pungent, of a warming nature, and astringent as it dries. It acts as a detergent upon cicatrizations, films on the eyes, and all impediments of the sight. Some say that the plant is washed and dried, and then divided into lozenges. CHAP. 86. THE ONOSMA : ONE PROPERTY. The onosma41 has leaves some four fingers in length, lying upon the ground, and indented like those of the anchusa :42 it has neither43 stem, blossom, nor seed. A pregnant woman, they say, if she eats of this plant, or even walks over it, will be sure to miscarry. 35 Probably the Euphrasia odontites of Linnaeus, the Red eye-bright. 36 " Inter feni genera." 37 See c. 91 of this Book. There is no resemblance between them. 38 On the contrary, it grows in arid, sterile spots. 39 Hence its name " odontitis," " tooth-wort." 40 Its synonym is unknown. Sprengel has identified it with the Tagetis patula of Linnaeus, but that is purely an American plant ! 41 Probably one of the Borragineae, Fee thinks, but beyond that he considers it impossible to say. Desfontaines identifies it with the Onosma echioides of Linnaeus, the Hairy onosma. 42 See B. xxii. c. 23. 48 If it is the plant above-mentioned, this is incorrect. VOL. V. S 258 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. CHAP. 87. — THE ONOPORDON : FIVE KEMEDIES. The onopordon,44 it is said, has strongly carminative effects upon asses, when they eat of it. It acts as a diuretic and as an emmenagogue, arrests diarrhoea, and disperses abscesses and suppurations. CHAP. 88. THE OSYRIS I POUR REMEDIES. The osyris45 bears small, swarthy, flexible branches, covered with dark leaves like those of flax. The seed, which grows upon the branches, is black at first, but afterwards changes its colour and turns red. Cosmetics46 for females are prepared from these branches. A decoction of the roots, taken in drink, is curative of jaundice. The roots, cut in pieces before the seed ripens, and dried in the sun, act astringently upon the bowels : gathered after the seed has ripened, and boiled in pottage, they are curative of defluxions of the abdomen : they are taken also by themselves, bruised in rain water. CHAP. 89. THE OXYS I TWO REMEDIES. The oxys47 is a plant with three leaves ; it is given for derangement of the stomach, and patients eat it who are Buffering from intestinal hernia.48 CHAP. 90.; — THE POLYANTHEMUM OR BATRACHION : THREE REMEDIES. The polyanthemum,49 by some persons called " batrachion,"50 by virtue of its caustic properties has an excoriating effect upon scars, and restores the skin to its proper colour. It heals white morphew51 also. 44 Fee suggests that it may be identical with the Onopyxos of B. xxi. c. 56. Desfontaines, also, identifies it with the Onopordon acanthium of Linnaeus, the Cotton thistle or woolly thistle. 45 Probably the Osyris alba of Linnaeus, the Poet's cassia. Anguillara and Dodonaeus have mentioned the Chenopodium scoparia of Linnaeus, the Summer cypress, or line-leaved goosefoot, but without any good reason, it is thought. Holland calls it " toad -flax." 46 "Smegmata." 47 The " sour " plant. Mostly identified with the Oxalis acetosella of Linnaeus, Cuckoo's meal, three leaved sorrel, or wood-sorrel. 48 "Enterocele." 49 The "many-flowered" plant. Probably the Ranunciilus polyanthemos of Linnaeus. See B. xxv. c. 109. 50 The " frog " plant. 51 " Vitiligines." Chap. 91.] THE POLYGONOS. 259 CHAP. 91. THE POLYGONOS, POLYGONATOS, TEUTHALIS, CAKCI- NETHRON, CLEMA, OR MYRTOPETALOS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SANGUINAR1A OR ORIOS ; FOUR VARIETIES OF IT I FORTY REMEDIES. The Greeks give the name of " polygonos"52 to the plant known to us as " sanguinaria."53 It is but little elevated above the ground, has leaves like those of rue, and resembles grass in appearance. The juice of it, injected into the nostrils, arrests haemorrhage : taken with wine, it has a similar effect upon bleeding at any other part of the body, as also spitting of blood. Those who distinguish several kinds of polygonos, make this to be the male54 plant, and say that it is so called from the large number of seeds, or else from its numerous branches. Some call it "polygonatos,"66 from the number of its joints, others, again, "teuthalis," and others, " car cine - thron," " clema," or " myrtopetalos." There are some authorities to be found, however, who say that this is the female plant, and that the male is more diminutive, less swarthy, and more jointed, with a s,eed protruding beneath all the leaves. However this may be, these plants are of an astringent, cooling nature. The seed is laxative, and, taken in large doses, acts as a diuretic, and arrests defluxions; indeed, if there is no defluxion, it is of no use taking it. For burning heats of the stomach, the leaves are applied topically ; and they are used, in the form of a liniment, for pains in the bladder, and for erysipelas. The juice is used as an injection for suppurations of the ears, and by itself, for pains in the eyes. It is admi- nistered, also, in fevers, tertian and quartan fevers more par- ticularly, in doses of two cyathi, just before the paroxysms come on ; as also in cases of cholera, dysentery, and derange- ment of the stomach. There is a third kind, which grows on the mountains, and is known as "orios,"56 similar to a delicate reed in appearance, and 52 " Many-seeded." 53 " Blood plant." 54 Identified by Fee with the Polygonum aviculare of Linnaeus, the Knot-grass. 55 " Many-knotted." Scribonius says that it received its name, " poly- gonos," from its being found everywhere. 56 Or "mountain" plant. Fee considers it to be the same as the second kind above mentioned, and to correspond with the female Polygonos of Dioscorides. He identifies it with the Hippuris vulgaris of Linnaeus, s 2 260 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTOBY. [Book XXVII. having but a single stem, with numerous joints running into one another ; the leaves of it are similar to those of the pitch- tree, and the root is never used. This variety, however, is not so efficacious as those already mentioned, and, indeed, is used exclusively for sciatica. A fourth kind is known as the wild57 polygonos : it is a shrub, almost a tree in fact, with a ligneous root, a red trunk like .that of the cedar, and branches resem- bling those of spartum,58 a couple of palms in length, and with three or four dark-coloured, knotted joints. This kind, also, is of an astringent nature, and has a flavour like that of the quince. . It is either boiled down in water to one third, or else dried and powdered for sprinkling upon ulcerations of the mouth and excoriations : it is chewed, also, for affections of the gums. It arrests the progress of corrosive ulcers and of all sores of a serpiginous nature, or which cicatrize with difficulty, and is particularly useful for ulcerations caused by snow. Herbalists employ it also for quinzy, and use it as a chaplet for head-ache ; for defluxions of the eyes, they put it round the neck. In cases of tertian fever, some persons pull it up with the left hand, and attach it as an amulet to the body ; the same, too, in cases of haemorrhage. There is no plant that is more generally kept by them in a dry state than the polygonos. CHAP. 92. THE PANCRATIUM I TWELVE REMEDIES. The pancratium is called by some the " little squill,"59 in preference : it has leaves like those of the white lily, but longer and thicker, and a root composed of a large, red, bulb. The juice of it, taken with meal of fitches, relaxes the bowels, and acts as a detergent upon ulcers : for dropsy, and diseases of the spleen, it is administered with honey. Some persons boil it till the water becomes sweet ; the water is then poured off, and the root is pounded and divided into tablets, which Mare's tail, or female horse-tail ; Littre gives the Equisetum pallidum of Bory as its synonym. 57 Identified by Fee with the Ephedra distachya of Linnaeus, the Great shrubby horsetail. 58 See B, xix. c. 7. " Scillam pusillam." Fee considers it to be a squill, the variety with the red root of the Scilla maritima of Linnseus, the Sea-squill. Littre gives as its synonym the Pancratium maritimum of Linnaeus, the Sea- daffodil. Chap. 94.] THE PERICLYME1SOS. 261 are dried in the sun and used for ulcerations of the head, and other affections which require detergents. It is sometimes given for cough, a pinch in three fingers in wine, and, in the form of an electuary, for pains in the side or peripneumony. It is administered, also, in wine, for sciatica, griping pains in the bowels, and retardations of the catamenia. CHAP. 93. — THE PEPL1S, SYCE, MECONION, OE MECON APHRODES: THREE REMEDIES. The peplis,60 known by the various names of " syce,"6* " meconion," and " mecon aphrodes," is a shrub-like plant, springing from a single, diminutive, root. The leaves of it resemble those of rue, but are a little larger ; the seed, which lies beneath the leaves, is round, and smaller than that of the white poppy. It is ordinarily gathered in vineyards, at harvest- time, and is dried with the seed on, receivers being placed beneath to catch it as it falls. This seed, taken in drink, purges the bowels, and carries off bile andpituitous secretions: one acetabulum, taken in three heminse of hydromel, is a middling dose. It is sprinkled also upon meat and other articles of food, as a laxative medicine. CHAP. 94. THE PERICLYMENOS I FIVE REMEDIES. The periclymenos62 is also a shrub-like plant, with two whitish, soft, leaves, arranged at intervals. At the extremity, among the leaves, is the seed, hard, and very difficult to pluck. It grows in ploughed fields and hedges, entwining around every object from which it can gain support. The seed is dried in the shade, pounded, and divided into lozenges. These lozenges are left to dissolve, in three cyathi of white wine, for a period of thirty days, and are given for diseases of the spleen ; the volume of which is gradually diminished either by discharges of bloody urine, or else by alvine evacuation, the effects of the medicament being perceptible at the end of ten days. The leaves, boiled, act as a diuretic, and are useful for hardness of breathing. Taken in drink, in manner above- 60 Probably the Euphorbia peplis of Linnaeus; see B. xx. c. 81. It is a strong purgative. 61 "Fig-plant," "poppy-juice," and "poppy -froth." In reference, no doubt, to its milky juice. 62 See the Clymenus, B. xxv. c. 33. 262 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIL mentioned, they facilitate delivery, and bring away the after- birth. CHAP. 95. — PELECTNON: ONE REMEDY. We have already63 spoken of pelecinon as growing in corn- fields, a plant which throws out a number of shoots from thin stems, and has leaves like those of the chick-pea. The seed, which is contained in pods of a curved shape, like diminutive horns and three or four in number, is similar to gith64 in appearance, bitter, and an excellent stomachic. It is used as an ingredient in antidotes.65 CHAP. 96. POLYGALA : ONE REMEDY. Polygala66 is a palm in height, with leaves like those of the lentil at the extremity of the stem. It has an astringent taste ; taken in drink, it increases the milk in nursing women. CHAP. 97. POTERION, PHRYN10N, OR NETJRAS : FOUR REMEDIES. Poterion,67 or, as some call it, " phrynion" or " neuras,"68 throws out numerous branches, is shrivelled and prickly, and covered with a thick down. The leaves of it are small and round ; the branches long, soft, thin, and flexible ; and the blossom elongated, and of a grass-green colour. The seed is never used, but it has a pungent flavour and a powerful smell : the plant is found growing upon moist, watery, elevations. The roots are two or three in number, some two cubits in length, sinewy, white, and firm. It is dug up in autumn, and the stem yields a juice like gum, when cut. The root is said to be of wonderful efficacy as an application for the cure of wounds, more particularly of the sinews, even when severed. A decoction of it is also taken, with honey, for relaxations of the sinews, and for weakness or wounds of those parts. 63 In B. xviii. c. 44. It was also called " eecuridaca." 64 See B. xx. c. 71. 65 "We learn from Galen that it formed an ingredient in the great anti- dote of Mithridates. 66 Fee thinks that it may possibly be the Polygala vulgaris of Linnaeus, the Common milk-wort. Desfontaines mentions the Polygala amara of Lin- naeus, the Bitter milkwort of the South of Europe ; and Littre gives the Polygala veniilosa of Sibthorp. 87 See B. xxv. c. 76. 68 The " sinew " plant. Chap. 100.] THE PHYLLOF. 203 CHAP. 98. THE PHALANG1TIS, PHALANGION, OE LEUCACANTHA I FOTJK REMEDIES. The phalangitis69 is by some called " phalangion," and by others " leucanthemum,"70 or, as I find it written in some copies, " leucacantha."71 Its branches are diminutive, never less than two in number, and running in contrary directions : the blossom is white, and similar to the flower of the red lily ; the seed dark and broad, resembling the half of a lentil, but much thinner ; and the root slender and of a grass-green colour. The leaves, blossoms, or seed of this plant are employed for the cure of wounds inflicted by scorpions, serpents, and the phalangium,72 and for the removal of griping pains in the bowels. CHAP. 99. THE PHYTEUMA I ONE PROPERTY. As for the phyteuma,73 1 think it a mere loss of time to describe it, it being only used as an ingredient in philtres. CHAP 100. — THE PHYLLON : ONE PROPERTY. The Greeks give the name of "phyllon"74 to a plant which grows among the rocks, in mountainous spots. The female plant is of a more grass-green colour than the other, with a thin stem, a diminutive root, and a round seed, like that of the poppy. This last kind ensures the conception of issue of the same sex ; .while the male plant, differing only in the seed, which resembles the olive at its first appearance, ensures the conception of male issue. They are both taken in wine. 69 Generally identified with the Anthericum or Hemerocallis liliastrum of Linnaeus, the Savoy anthericum or Spider's-wort. M Fraas says, how- ever (Synopsis, p. 288), that that plant has not been found in Greece ; and relying upon the description of Dioscorides, he prefers the Lloydia Grseca, which grows commonly in Attica, the isles of Greece, and the Peloponnesus, as its synonym. It is found upon elevations of 1 500 feet. 70 « White flower." 71 " White thorn." 72 Hence its name. See B. viii. c. 41, B. x. c. 95, and B. xi. cc. 24, 28, 29. '3 Most probably the Reseda phyteuma of Linnaeus, the Crosswort. 74 See B. xxii. c. 18, and B. xxvi. c. 91. Fee thinks that it is two plants, the Cnicus Casabonse, and the Thelygonum cynocrambe of Linnaeus, that are here spoken of. Littre gives the Mercurialis perennis of Linnaeus, Dog's mercury, as its synonym. 264 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. CHAP. 101. THE PHELLANDKION I TWO EEMEDIES. The phellandrion75 grows in marshy spots, and has a leaf like that of parsley : the seed of it is taken in drink for calculi and affections of the bladder. CHAP. 102. THE PHALARIS : TWO EEMEDIES. The phalaris76 has a long thin stem, like a reed, with a drooping flower at the extremity ; the seed is like that of sesame.77 This plant, too, taken with milk and honey, in wine or vinegar, breaks urinary calculi, and is curative of diseases of the bladder. CHAP. 103. THE POLYERHIZON I FIVE KEMEDIES. The polyrrhizon78 has leaves like those of myrtle, and numerous roots. These roots are pounded and administered in wine, for injuries inflicted by serpents : they are useful, also, for cattle. CHAP. 104. THE PEOSEEPINACA : FIVE EEMEDIES. The proserpinaca,79 a common plant enough, is an excellent remedy for the sting of the scorpion. Powdered and mixed with brine and oil, in which the msena80 has been preserved, it is an excellent cure, they say, for quinzy.81 It is also stated that, however fatigued a person may be, to the extent even of losing his voice, he will be sure to be refreshed, by putting this plant beneath his tongue ; and that if it is eaten, a vomit will be the result, productive of good effects. 75 Linnaeus has given to the Fine-leaved water-hemlock the name of PheUandrium aquaticum, but the seeds of that plant are an active poison. It is probable that the Phellandrium, or " Male-cork-plant " of Pliny, still remains unknown. 76 Possibly the Phalaris aquatiea of Linnaeus, the Water canary-grass. Littre gives as its synonym, the Phalaris nodosa of Linnaeus, Knotted canary-grass. See Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. I. p. 34, .Bohn's Ed. 77 This is an exaggeration ; Dioscorides says " millet." 78 Possibly the plant mentioned in B. xxv. c. 54 ; though the Aristo- lochia has not leaves like those of the myrtle. 19 Supposed to be identical with the Polygonos, mentioned above inc. 91. 80 See B.ix. c. 42, and B. xxvi. c. 11. From, this passage it would appear that the maena was preserved in a somewhat similar way to our Sardines. *i gee g. xxvi. c. 11. Chap. 106.] THE RESEDA. 265 CHAP. 105. — RHACOMA: THIRTY- six REMEDIES. Rhacoma82 is imported from the regions situate beyond Eontus.83 The root of it is similar to black costus,*4 but smaller and somewhat redder, inodorous, and of a hot, astrin- gent flavour ; when pounded, it yields a colour like that of wine,85 but inclining to saffron. Applied topically, it reduces abscesses and inflammations, and heals wounds : used with raisin wine, it allays defluxions of the eyes; with honey, ecchy- mosis; and with vinegar, livid marks upon the skin. Reduced to powder, it is sprinkled upon malignant ulcers, and is given internally for spitting of blood, in doses of one drachma, in water. For dysentery and cceliac affections, if unattended with fever, it is administered in wine ; but if there is fever, in water. It is pounded more easily when it has been steeped in water the night before. A decoction of it is given, in doses of two drachmae, for ruptures, convulsions, contusions, and falls with violence. In cases of pains in the chest, a little pepper and myrrh is added. When the stomach is deranged, it is taken in cold water ; and the same in cases of chronic cough, purulent ex- pectorations, liver complaint, affections of the spleen, sciatica, diseases of the kidneys, asthma, and hardness of breathing. Pounded and taken in doses of three oboli, in raisin wine, or used in the form of a decoction, it cures irritations of the tra- chea : applied with vinegar, it acts as a detergent upon lichens. It is taken in drink, also, for flatulency, cold shiverings, chilly fevers, hiccup, gripings of the bowels, herpetic ulcerations, oppressions of the head, vertigo attended with melancholy, lassitude accompanied with pain, and convulsions. CHAP. 1 06. THE RESEDA : TWO REMEDIES. In the vicinity of Ariminum, there is a well-known plant called " reseda :"86 it disperses abscesses and all kinds of in- flammations. Those who employ it for these purposes, add 82 The reading of this word is very doubtful. It is generally supposed to be the Rheum Rhaponticum of Linnaeus, Pontic rhubarb. 83 The shores of the Euxine. **> See B. xii. c. 25. 85 " Fulvum," probably, " tawny-coloured," not white, red, or black ; see B. xiv. cc. 11, 18. 86 Possibly the Reseda alba of Linnaeus. 266 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII- the following words : " Beseda,P7 allay this disease ! knowest thou not, knowest thou not, what chick it is that has torn up these roots ? Let it have nor head nor feet I"88 This formula is repeated thrice, the party spitting on the ground each time. CHAP. 107. THE ST(ECHAS I THREE REMEDIES. The stcechas 89 grows only in the islands of that name.90 It is an odoriferous plant, with leaves like those of hyssop, and of a bitter taste. Taken in drink, it promotes menstruation, and allays pains in the chest. It forms an ingredient, also, in antidotes. CHAP. 108.— THE SOLANUM, BY THE GREEKS CALLED STRYCHNON '. TWO REMEDIAL PROPERTIES. The solanum,91 according to Cornelius Celsus,93 is called "stryehnon " by the Greeks; it is possessed of repercussive and refrigerative properties. CHAP. 109. — SMYRNION : THIRTY-TWO REMEDIES. SINON : TWO REMEDIES. Smyrnion 93 has a stem like that of parsley, but larger leaves, and growing principally about the young shoots, which are numerous. From the midst of these shoots the leaves make their appearance, unctuous, and bending towards the ground. This plant has a medicinal smell, penetrating to a certain degree, and agreeable : the colour of it is a pale yellow, and the stems bear rounded umbels like those of dill,94 with a round, black seed, which dries at the beginning of summer. The root, also, is odoriferous, of an acrid, pungent flavour, soft and juicy, black on the outer coat and pale within. The smell of it partakes very much of the nature of that of myrrh, to 87 " Reseda, morbos reseda." A pun upon the name of the plant, and the verb " resedo." 88 Like the silly charm itself, " neither head nor tail." 89 See B. xxvi. c. 27. 90 The Stcechades. See B. iii. c. 11, and B. xxxii. c. 11. 91 See B. xxi. c. 105, and c. 44 of this Book. The black nightshade is neither astringent nor cooling, but a narcotic poison. 92 De Be Med. ii. 33. 93 See B. xix. cc. 48, 62. It is generally identified with the Smyrniurn perfoliatum of Linnaeus, the Perfoliated alexander. 94 "Anethi" is a preferable reading to "apii," "parsley." Chap. 110.] TELEPHION. 267 which, in fact, it owes its name : it grows in localities of a stony nature, or covered with humus. Its medicinal properties are warming and resolvent. The leaves and root are used as a diuretic and as an emmen- agogue ; the seed arrests diarrhoea; and the root, applied topi- cally, disperses abscesses and suppurations, provided they are not inveterate, and reduces indurated tumours. It is useful, also, for injuries inflicted by the phalangium and by serpents, taken in wine, with the addition of cachrys,95 polium,96 or me- lissophyllum ;97 the dose, however, must be taken a little at a time only, for otherwise it acts as an emetic, a reason for which it is sometimes administered with rue. The seed or root is curative of cough, hardness of breathing, and diseases of the thoracic organs, spleen, kidneys, and bladder ; the root, too, is used for ruptures and convulsions. This plant facilitates delivery, and brings away the afterbirth ; it is also given, in combination with crethmos,98 in wine, for sciatica. It acts as a sudorific and carminative, for which reason it is used to disperse flatulency of the stomach ; it promotes, also, the cicatrization of wounds. A juice is extracted from the root, which is very useful for female complaints, and for affections of the thoracic organs and viscera, possessing, as it does, certain calorific, digestive, and detergent properties. The seed, in particular, is given in drink for dropsy, external applications being made of the juice, and emollient poultices applied of the dried rind of the root. It is used, also, as a seasoning for food, boiled meat in particular, with the addition of honied wine, oil, and garum.90 Sinon,1 a plant with a flavour very like that of pepper, pro- motes the digestion, and is highly eflicacious for pains in the stomach. CHAP. 110. — TELEPHION: FOTTB EEMEDIES. Telephion2 resembles purslain in the stem and leaves. From 95 See B. xxiv. c. 60. * See B. xxi. c. 21. 97 See B. xxi. c. 86. °8 See B. xxvi. c. 60. 99 " Fish-sauce." See B. ix. c. 30, and B. xxxi. c. 43. 1 Possibly the same plant as the Sison of Dioseorides, identified with tlie Sison amomum of Linnaeus, Field hone-wort, or stone- parsley. 2 Identified by Fee with the Sedum Telephiura of Linnaeus, the Or- pine or livelong ; by Desfontaines with the Sedum anacampseros, the Ever- 268 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXVII. the root of it there spring seven or eight small branches, covered with thick, fleshy leaves ; it grows in cultivated spots, and among vines in particular. It is used as an application for freckles, being removed as soon as dry ; it is employed, also, for white morphew,3 being applied some six hours each night or day, and the treatment continued for about three months : after removing it, barley-meal should be applied. Telephion is healing, also, for wounds and fistulas. CHAP. 111. THE TRICHOMANES : FIVE REMEDIES. The trichomanes4 is a plant that resembles the adiantum,5 ex- cept that it is more slender and of a darker colour ; the leaves of it, which are similar to those of the lentil, lie close together, on opposite sides, and have a bitter taste. A decoction of this plant, taken in white wine, with the addition of wild cummin, is-curative of strangury. Bruised and applied to the head, it prevents the hair from falling off, and, where it has come off, restores it : pounded and applied with oil, it effects the cure of alopecy. The mere taste of it is provocative of sneezing. CHAP. 112. THE THALICTRUM : ONE REMEDY. The thalictrura6 has leaves like those of coriander, only somewhat more unctuous, and a stem resembling that of the poppy.7 It is found growing everywhere, in champaign locali- ties more particularly. The leaves, applied with honey, heal ulcers. CHAP. 113.— THLASPI AND PERSICON NAPY : FOUR REMEDIES. Of thlaspi there are two kinds ; the first 8 of which has nar- row leaves, about a finger in length and breadth, turned to- green orpine ; and by Littre with the Cerinthe aspera, the Prickly honey- wort. 3 « Vitiligini." 4 The same plant as the Callitrichos of B. xxv. c. 86. 5 See B. xxii. c. 30. 6 Identified by Fee and Desfontaines with the Thalictrum minus of Linnaeus, the Small meadow rue. Littre gives the Thalictrum flavum of Linnaeus, the Common meadow rue. 7 In its colour. 8 Fee identifies it with the Thlaspi campestre of Linnaeus, the Wild bastard-grass ; Littre with the Thlaspi bursa pastoris of Linnseus, Shep- herd's purse, otherwise known as Capsella bursa pastoris. Desfontaines gives as the Thlaspi of Galen, the Cochlearia draba of Linnaeus. Chap. 115.] THE TKAGONIS. 269 wards the ground, and divided at the point. It has a slender stem, half a foot in length, and not wholly destitute of branches; the seed, enclosed in a crescent- shaped capsule,9 is similar to a lentil in shape, 'except that it has a jagged appearance, to which, in fact, it owes its name ;10 the flower is white, and the plant is found near footpaths and in hedges. The seed, which has an acrid flavour, carries oif bile and pituitous secretions, by vomit and by alvine evacuation, the proper dose being one acetabulurn. It is used, also, for sciatica, in the form of an injection, this treatment being persevered in until it has induced a discharge of blood : it acts also as an emmenagogue, but is fatal to the foetus. The other thlaspi, known by some as " Persicon napy,"11 has broad leaves and large roots, and is also very useful as an injection for sciatica. Both plants are very serviceable for in- guinal complaints ; it being recommended that the person who gathers them should mention that he is taking them for diseases of the groin, for abscesses of all kinds, and for wounds, and that he should pluck them with one hand only. CHAP. 114. THE TRACHINIA : ONE PROPERTY. What sort of plant the trachinia 12 is, the authorities do not state. I think that the assurance given by Democritus must be false : for it would be nothing less than a prodigy, for a plant, attached as an amulet, to consume the spleen in so short a time as three days. CHAP. 115. THE TRAGONIS OR TRAGION : FOUR REMEDIES. The tragonis,13 or tragion, grows nowhere but in the mari- time districts of the Isle of Crete ; it resembles the juniper in 9 " Peltarum specie." The " pelta " was a small, light shield, of various forms, but most commonly, perhaps, that of a crescent. 10 From 0\a'o>, " to break." 11 " Persian mustard." The Lunaria annua of Linnaeus, the Annual moon-wort, honesty, or satin-flower, has been suggested by Sprengel, but its identity is very doubtful. 12 This plant is unknown. A rose of this name is mentioned in E. xxi c. 10. 13 See B. xiii. c. 36. Fee suggests that it may possibly be a variety of the Pistacia lentiscus of Linnaeus, the Mastich-tree, or lentisk. Desfou- taines identifies it with the Hypericon hircinum. M. Fraas (Synopsis, p. 182) suggests the Origanum maru. 270 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOET. [Book XXVII. the seed, leaf, and branches. Its milky juice, which thickens in the form of a gum, or its seed, taken in drink, expels pointed weapons from the flesh. The plant, too, is pounded fresh and applied as a liniment with wine, or, dried and powdered, with honey. It increases the milk in nursing women, and is a sovereign remedy for diseases- of the mamillse. CHAP. 116. THE TEAGOS OE SCOEPION : FOUB EEMEDIES. There is another plant also, called "tragos,"14 or " scorpion" hy some, half a foot in height, branchy, destitute of leaves, and bearing diminutive red clusters, with a seed like that of wheat, but pointed at the extremity : this too grows in mari- time localities. Ten or twelve tops of the branches, bruised and taken in wine, are remedial in cases of cceliae affections, dysentery, spitting of blood, and excessive menstruation. CHAP. 117. THE TEAGOPOGON OE COME. There is the tragopogon,15 also, by some called " come ;" a plant with a small stem, leaves like those of saffron, an elon- gated, sweet, root, and a large, swarthy calyx at the extremity of the stem. It grows in rugged soils, and is never used. CHAP. 118. THE AGES OF PLANTS. Such, then, is all that I have hitherto been enabled to learn or discover, worthy of mention, relative to plants. At the close of this subject, it seems to me that it will not be out of place to remind the reader, that the properties of plants vary according to their age. It is elaterium, as already stated,16 that preserves its properties the longest of all. The black chamseleon16* retains its virtues forty years, centaury not more than twelve, peucedanum 17 and aristolochia 18 six, and the wild vine one year — that is to say, if they are kept in the shade. I would remark, also, that beyond those animals which breed within the plants, there are none that attack the roots 14 See B. xiii. c. 37. M. Fraas (Synopsis, p. 257) identifies it with the Epbedra distachya of Linnaeus, the Great shrubby horsetail. 15 " Goafs-beard. Probably the Tragopogon crocifolium of Linnaeus, the Saffron-leaved goat's beard. Though its properties are not inert , it is never used in medicine. 16 In B. xx. c. 3. 16« See c. 41 of this Book. 17 See B. xxv. c. 70. 18 See B. xxv. c. 54. Chap. 120.] MALADIES PECULIAB TO VARIOUS NATIONS. 271 of any of those which have been mentioned by me ; with the exception, indeed, of the sphondyle,19 a kind of creeping insect,20 which infests them all. CHAP. 119. HOW THE GREATEST EFFICACY IN PLANTS HAY BE ENSURED. It is also an undoubted truth, that the virtues and properties of all roots are more feebly developed, when the fruit has been allowed to ripen ; and that it is the same with the seed, when incisions have been previously made in the root, for the ex- traction of the juice. The efficacy, too, of all plants is impaired by making habitual use of them ; and these substances, if em- ployed daily, lose equally their good or bad properties, when required to be effectual. All plants, too, have more powerful properties, when grown in soils that are cold and exposed to the north-eastern blasts, or in dry localities. CHAP. 120. MALADIES PECULIAB TO VARIOUS NATIONS. There are certain differences, also, by no means inconsider- able, in the predispositions of the various nations of the earth. I have been informed, for instance, that the people of Egypt, Arabia, Syria, and Cilicia, are subject to tapeworm and maw- worm, while those of Thracia and Phrygia, on the other hand, are totally exempt from them. This, however, is less sur- prising than the fact that, although Attica and Bceotia are adjoining territories, the Thebans are troubled with these inflictions, while among the people of Athens they are un- known. Considerations of this description lead me now to turn my attention to the nature of the animated beings themselves, and the medicinal properties which are inborn in them, the most assured remedies, perhaps, for all diseases. For Nature, in fact, that parent of all things, has produced no animated being for the purpose solely of eating ; she has willed that it should be born to satisfy the wants of others, and in its very vitals has implanted medicaments conducive to health. "While she has implanted them in mute21 and inanimate objects even, she has equally willed that these, the most in- 19 A kind of foetid beetle, Hardouin says. Probably an Aphis. 20 " Serpentis." 21 See B. xxii. c. 3. 272 FLINT'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. valuable aids of life, should be also derived from the life of another — a subject for contemplation, marvellous in the highest degree !21 SUMMARY. — Remedies, narratives, and observations, six hun- dred and two. ROMAN AUTHORS QUOTED. — Caius Yalgius,22 Pompeius Le- nseus,23 Sextius Niger 24 who wrote in Greek, Julius Bassus 25 who wrote in Greek, Antonius Castor,26 Cornelius Celsus.27 FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED, — Theophrastus,28 Apollodorus,29 Democritus,30 Aristogiton,31 Orpheus,32 Pythagoras,33 Mago/4 Menander35 who wrote the " Biochresta," Meander.36 MEDICAL AUTHORS QUOTED. — Mnesitheus,37 Timaristus,38 Si- mus,39 Hippocrates,40 Chrysippus,41 Diodes,42 Ophelion,43 Hera- elides,44 Hicesius,45 Dionysius,46 Apollodorus 47 of Citium, Apol- 21 It is with regret that at the close of this Book, we take leave of the valuable Annotations of M. Fee, a series of illustrations which reflect the highest credit on his learning, his industry, and his critical acumen. Were the ancient authors in general subjected to the same minute exami- nation and thorough enquiry which he has expended upon the Sixteen Botanical Books of Pliny, their value would be greatly enhanced, equally to the critical scholar, and to the general reader who makes his acquaint- ance with them through the medium of a translation. To say, that, in reference to their respective labours upon Pliny, M. Fee deserves our thanks almost equally with the learned Sillig — now, alas ! no more — is to say much indeed in his praise, and to bestow upon him a commendation to which he is eminently entitled. 22 See end of B. xx. 23 See end of B. xiv. 24 See end of B. xii. 25 See end of B. xx. 26 See end of B. xx. 27 See end of B. vii. 28 See end of .B. iii. 29 See end of B. xi. 30 See end of B. ii. 31 Beyond being mentioned here, and in c. 14 of this Book, nothing is known of this writer. 32 See end of B. xx. 33 See end of B. ii. 34 See end of B. viii. 35 See end of B. xix. 36 See end of B. viii. 37 See end of B. xix. 3s See end of B. xxi. 39 See end of B. xxi 40 See end of B. vii." 41 See end of B. xx. 42 See end of B. xx. 43 See end of B. xv. 44 See end of B. xii. 45 See end of B. xv. « See end of B. xii. 47 See end of B. xx. SUMMARY. 273 lodorus48 of Tarentum, Praxagoras,49 Plistonicus,50 Medius,51 Dieuches,52 Cleophantus,53 Philistion,54 Asclepiades,55 Crateuas,56 Petronius Diodotus,57 loUas,58 Erasistratus,59 Diagoras,60 An- dreas,61 Mnesides,62 Epicharmus,63 Damion,64 Tlepolemus,65 Me- trodorus,66 Solo,67 Lyciis,68 Olyrapias 69 of Thebes, Philinus,70 Petrichus,71 Micton,™ Glaucias,73 Xenocrates.74 *#* Before quitting the Botanical Books of Pliny, it is a duty both to our author and to the reader, to call attention to the illustrations of a few passages in this work, which will be found in the Textrinum Antiquorum ^ by Dr. James Yates, F.R.S., a book characterized by learning, equally pro- found and extensive, aud the most indefatigable research : it being but re- cently, we are sorry to say, that we have been made acquainted with its valuable contents. The following are selected as among the most useful and interesting results of his enquiries. B. vi. c. 20 [V. ii. p. 36]. Dr. Yates is of opinion that Pliny has here mistranslated a passage of Aristotle, Hist. Anim. v. 19, and that he has mistaken the word J3o/w/3vKia, <; cocoons," for webs, similar to those of the spider, attached to the leaves of trees. Not understanding the original, he would seem to have given -a distorted account of the simple operation of winding the threads from off the cocoons of the silkworm upon bobbins, by the hands of females ; the threads upon which bobbins would be after- wards unwound for the manufacture of silken fabrics. See Notes 8 and 9 on the passage in question ; also B. xi. c. 26. B. viii. c. 74 [V. ii. p. 336]. For the word " Sororiculata," Dr. Yates proposes to read " Soriculata," and he suggests that the cloth thus called may have been a velvet or plush, which received its name from its resem- blance to the coat of the field-mouse, "sorex," the diminutive of which, would be " soricula." B. xix. c. 2 [V. iv. p. 133] and c. 6 [p. 138]. Dr. Yates expresses it as his opinion that the words li Carbasus" and " Carbasa" are derived from the oriental word Carpas, signifying "cotton," and thinks that Pliny, in B. xix. c. 2, may have used the word by Catachresis, as meaning linen, in the same manner as the Latin poets repeatedly use the word " carbasa," as signifying various kinds of woven textures. If this view be correct, the word "Carbasina" in B. xix. c. 6, will probably mean " awnings of 48 See end of B. xx. 49 See end of B. xx. 30 See end of B. xx. 61 See end of B. xx. 52 See end of B. xx. 53 See end of B. xx. si See end of B. xx. 55 See end of B. vii. 56 See end of B. xx. 57 See end of B. xx. 5* See end of B. xii. 5i) See end of B. xi. 60 See end of "B. xii. 61 See end of B. xx. 6a See end of B. xii. 63 See end of B. xx. 6i See end of B. xx. 65 See end of B. xx. 66 See end of B. xx. 67 See end of B. xx. 68 See end of B. xii. «' See end of B. xx. 70 See end of B. xx. 71 See end of B. xxi. 72 See end of B. xx. 73 See end of B. xx. 74 See end of B. xx. TOL. V. T 274 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVII. woven material " generally, and not of fine linen, or cambric, as suggested in Note 55. B. xix. c. 2 [V. iv. p. 134]. The genuineness of the passage which, makes mention of the " Gossypium," is questioned by Dr. Yates, who thinks it possible that it is an interpolation : such, however, if we may judge from the result of Sillig's researches, does not appear to have been the case. If, on the other hand, the passage is genuine, Dr. Yates is of opinion that the statement is incorrect, and that cotton was not grown in Egypt. It seems just possible, however, that Pliny may have had in view the trees mentioned by him in B. xiv. c. 28, B. xix. c. 4 [V. iv. p. 137, also p. 134, Note 37]. Dr. Yates has ad- duced a number of convincing arguments to prove that the " Byssus " of the ancients cannot have been cotton, but that in all probability it was a texture of fine flax. The passages of Pausanias, (B. v. c. 25, and B. vi. c. 26) in which "Byssus" is mentioned, would certainly seem to apply to flax, a product which is still cultivated near the mouth of the river Peneus, in ancient Elis. There is no doubt, however, that Philostratus, though perhaps erroneously, has used the word "Byssus" as meaning cotton. 275 BOOK XXVIII. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES. CHAP. 1. (1.) INTRODUCTION. WE should have now concluded our description of the various things1 that are produced between the heavens and the earth, and it would have only remained for us to speak of the sub- stances that are dug out of the ground itself ; did not our expo- sition of the remedies derived from plants and shrubs neces- sarily lead us into a digression upon the medicinal properties which have been discovered, to a still greater extent, in those living creatures themselves which are thus indebted [to other objects] for the cure of their respective maladies. For ought we, after describing the plants, the forms of the various flowers, and so many objects rare and difficult to be found — ought we to pass in silence the resources which exist in man himself for the benefit of man, and the other remedies to be derived from the creatures that live among us — and this more particularly, seeing that life itself is nothing short of a punishment, unless it is exempt from pains and maladies ? Assuredly not ; and even though I may incur the risk of being tedious, I shall exert all my energies on the subject, it being my fixed deter- mination to pay less regard to what may be amusing, than to what may prove practically useful to mankind. Nay, even more than this, my researches will extend to the usages of foreign countries, and to the customs of barbarous nations, subjects upon which I shall have to appeal to the good faith of other authors ; though at the same time I have made it my object to select no2 facts but such as are established 1 The trees and plants. 2 On the contrary, this and the four following Books are full of the most extravagant assertions, which bear ample testimony to his credulity, not- withstanding the author's repeated declarations that he does not believe in Magic. As Ajasson says, he evidently does not know what he ought to have inserted in his work, and what to reject as utterly unworthy of belief. His faults, however, were not so much his own as those of his age. Want of space, equally with want of inclination, compels us to forego the task of entering into an examination of the system of Animal Therapeutics upon which so much labour has been wasted by our author. T 2 276 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. by pretty nearly uniform testimony, and to pay more attention, to scrupulous exactness than to copiousness of diction. It is highly necessary, however, to advertise the reader, that whereas I have already described the natures of the various animals, and the discoveries2 due to them respectively — for, in fact, they have been no less serviceable in former times in dis- covering remedies, than they are at the present day in provid- ing us with them — it is my present intention to confine myself to the remedial properties which are found in the animal world, a subject which has not been altogether lost sight of in the former portion of this work. These additional details therefore, though of a different nature, must still be read in connexion with those whieh precede. CHAP. 2. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM MAN. We will begin then with man, and our first enquires will be into the resources which he provides for himself — a subject replete with boundless difficulties at the very outset.3 Epileptic patients are in the habit of drinking the blood even of gladiators, draughts teeming with life,4 as it were ; a thing that, when we see it done by the wild beasts even, upon the same arena, inspires uswitb horror at the spectacle! And yet these persons, forsooth, consider it a most effectual cure for their disease, to quaff the warm, breathing, blood from man himself, and, as they apply their mouth to the wound, to draw forth his very life ; and this, though it is regarded as an act of impiety to apply the human lips to the wound even of a wild beast ! Others there are, again, who make the marrow5 of the leg-bones, and the brains of infants, the objects of their research ! Among the Greek writers, too, there are not a few who have enlarged upon the distinctive flavours of each one of the viscera and members of the human body, pursuing their researches to the very parings of the nails ! as though, forsooth, it could - See B. viii. c. 97, et seq,, and B. xxv. c. 89, et seq. * See B. xxviii. c. 3. 4 This practice is mentioned with reprobation by Celsus and Tertullian. It was continued, however, in some degree through the middle ages, and Louis XV. was accused by his people of taking baths of infants' blood to repair his premature decrepitude. 3 In recent times, Guettard, a French practitioner, recommended human marrow as an emollient liniment. Chap. 2.] REMEDIES DERIVED UROM MAK, 277 possibly be accounted the pursuit of health for man to make himself a wild beast, and so deserve to contract disease from the very remedies he adopts for avoiding it. Most righteously, by Hercules ! if such attempts are all in vain, is he disap- pointed of his cure ! To examine human entrails is deemed an act of impiety ;6 what then must it be to devour them ? Say, Osthanes,7 who was it that first devised these practices: for it is thee that I accuse, thou uprooter of all human laws, thou inventor of these monstrosities ; devised, no doubt, with the view that mankind might not forget thy name ! Who was it that first thought of devouring each member of the human body ? By what conjectural motives was he induced ? What can possibly have been the origin of such a system of medicine as this ? Who was it that thus made the very poisons less baneful than the antidotes prescribed for them ? Granted that barbarous and outlandish tribes first devised such practices, must the men of Greece, too, adopt these as arts of their own ? We read, for instance, in the memoirs of Democritus, still extant, that for some diseases, the skull of a malefactor is most efficacious, while for the treatment of others, that of one who has been a friend or guest is required. Apollonius, again, in- forms us in his writings, that the most effectual remedy for tooth-ache is to scarify the gums with the tooth of a man who has died a violent death ; and, according to Miletus, human gall is a cure for cataract.8 For epilepsy, Artemon has prescribed water drawn from a spring in the night, and drunk from the skull of a man who has been slain, and whose body remains unburnt. From the skull, too, of a man who had been hanged, Antaeus made pills that were to be an antidote to the bite of a mad dog. Even more than this, man has resorted to similar re- medies for the cure of four-footed beasts even — for tympanitis in oxen, for instance, the horns have been perforated, and human bones inserted ; and when swine have been found to be diseased, 6 Hence, as Ajasson remarks, the ignorance of anatomy displayed by the ancients. 7 For further particulars as to Osthanes, see B. xxix. c. 80, and B. xxx. cc. 5 and 6 ; also cc. 19 and 77 of the present Book. The reading, how- ever, is very doubtful. 8 " Oculoruni suffusiones." As Ajasson says, the remedy here mentioned reminds us of the more harmless one used by Tobias for the cure of the blindness of his father Tobit. 278 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. fine wheat has been given them which has lain for a night in the spot where a human being has been slain or burnt ! Par from us, far too from our writings, be such prescrip- tions9 as these ! It will be for us to describe remedies only, and not abominations ;10 cases, for instance, in which the milk of a nursing woman may have a curative effect, cases where the human spittle may be useful, or the contact11 of the human body, and other instances of a similar nature. We do not look upon life as so essentially desirable that it must be prolonged at any cost, be it what it may — and you, who are of that opinion, be assured, whoever you may be, that you will die none the less, even though you shall have lived in the midst of obscenities or abominations ! Let each then reckon this as one great solace to his mind, that of all the blessings which Nature has bestowed on man, there is none greater than the death12 which comes at a season- able hour ; and that the very best feature in connexion with it is, that every person has it in his own power to procure it for himself.13 CHAP. 3. (2.) WHETHER WORDS ARE POSSESSED OF ANY HEALING EFFICACY. In reference to the remedies derived from man, there arises first of all one question, of the greatest importance and always attended with the same uncertainty, whether words, charms, and incantations, are of any efficacy or not?14 For if such is the case, it will be only proper to ascribe this efficacy to man himself ;15 though the wisest of our fellow-men, I should remark, taken individually, refuse to place the slightest faith in these opinions. And yet, in our every-day life, we practi- cally show, each passing hour, that we do entertain this belief, 9 He gives a great many, however, which are equally abominable. 10 " Piacula." 11 We may here discover the first rudiments of the doctrine of Animal Magnetism. 12 In accordance with the republican doctrines of Cato of Utica, Brutus, Cassius, and Portia. 13 Holland remarks, " Looke for no better divinitie in Plinie, a meere Pagan, Epicurean, and professed Atheist." See B. vii. cc. 53, 54. 14 Whether or not, they cannot, as Ajasson remarks, be regarded as remedies derived from the human body, being no part of the human body. 15 " Homini acceptum fieri oportere conveniat." This passage is pro- bably corrupt. Chap. 3.] WHETHER WORDS ARE OF HEALING EFFICACY. 2/P though at the moment we are not sensible of it. Thus, for instance, it is a general belief that without a certain form of prayer16 it would be useless to immolate a victim, and that, with such an informality, the gods would be consulted to little purpose. And then besides, there are different forms of address to the deities, one form for entreating,17 another form for averting their ire, and another for commendation. We see too, how that our supreme magistrates use certain formulae for their prayers: that not a single word may be omitted or pronounced out of its place,fit is the duty of one person to precede the dignitary by reacung the formula before him from a written ritual, of another, to keep watch upon every word, and of a third to see that18 silence is not ominouslj* foroken; while a musician, in the meantime, is performing on the fiuta to prevent any other words being heard.19 Indeed, there ^ Are memorable instances recorded in our Annals, of cases where • either the sacrifice has been interrupted, and so blemished, fty imprecations, or a mistake has been made in the utterance of the prayer J the result being that the lobe of the liver or the heart has disappeared in a moment, or has been doubled,20 while the victim stood before the altar, f There is still in exist- ence a most remarkable testimony,21 in the formula which the Decii, father and son, pronounced on the occasions when they devoted themselves.22 There is also preserved the prayer uttered by the Vestal Tuccia,23 when, upon being accused of incest, she carried water in a sieve — an event which took place in the year of the City 609. Our own age even has seen a man and a woman buried alive in the Ox Market,24 Greeks by birth, or else natives of some other25 country with which we 16 Beginning with an address to Janus and Vesta, imploring their inter- cession with the other divinities, and concluding with an appeal to Janus. 17 " Impetritis." 18 " Qui favere linguis jubeat." " Favete linguis " were the words used in enjoining strict silence. 19 By him who is offering up the prayer. 20 A trick adroitly performed by the priests, no doubt. 21 Given by Livy, in Books viii. and x. !2 To death, in battle, for the good of their country. 23 Preserved by Valerius Maximus, B. viii. c. 1. Tertullian and Saint Augustin doubt the authenticity of the story. She is said to have carried water in a sieve from the river Tiber to the temple of Vesta. 24 " Forum Boarium ;M in the Eighth Kegion of the City. 25 Of Gaul, as Plutarch informs us, who mentions also the Greek victims. 280 PLINY'S NATURAL HTSTOET. [Book XXVIII. were at war at the time. The prayer used upon the occasion of this ceremonial, and which is usually pronounced first by the Master of the College of the Quindecimviri,26 if read by a person, must assuredly force him to admit the potency of formulae ; when it is recollected that it has been proved to be effectual by the experience of eight hundred and thirty years. At the present day, too, it is a general belief, that our Yestal virgins have the power, by uttering a certain prayer, to arrest the flight of runaway slaves, and to rivet them to the spot, provided they have not gone beyond the precincts of the City. If then these opinions be once received as truth, and if it be admitted that the gods do listen to certain prayers, or are influenced by set forms of words, we are bound to conclude in the affirmative upon the whole question. Our ancestors, no doubt, always entertained such a belief, and have even assured us, a thing by far the most difficult of all, that it is possible by such means to bring down lightning from heaven, as already27 mentioned on a more appropriate occasion. CHAP. 4. THAT PRODIGIES AND PORTENTS MAY BE CONFIRMED, OR MADE OF NO EFFECT. L. Piso informs us, in the first Book of his Annals, that King Tullus Hostilius,28 while attempting, in accordance with the books of Numa, to summon Jupiter from heaven by means of a sacrifice similar to that employed by him, was struck by lightning in consequence of his omission to follow certain forms with due exactness. Many other authors, too, have attested, that by the power of words a change has been effected in destinies and portents of the greatest importance. While they were digging on the Tarpeian Hill for the founda- tions of a temple, a human head was found ; upon which de- puties were sent to Olenus Calenus, the most celebrated diviner of Etruria. He, foreseeing the glory and success which The immolation of the Gauls is supposed to have happened in the beginning of the reign of Vespasian. 2G Originally the " Decemviri Sacris Faciundis," whose number was in- creased by Sylla to fifteen. They had the management of the Games of Apollo, and the Secular Games. 27 In B. ii. c. 54. 23 It has been suggested that Tullus Hostilius was acquainted with some of the secrets of electricity, and that he met his death while trying ex- periments with a lightning conductor. See B. ii. c. 54, Chap. 4.] PRODIGIES AND PORTENTS. 281 attached to such a presage as this, attempted, by putting a question to them, to transfer the benefit of it to his own nation. First describing, on the ground before him, the outline of a temple with his staff — "Is it so, Romans, as you say ?" said he ; "here then must be the temple29 of Jupiter, all good and all powerful ; it is here that we have found the head" — and the constant asseveration of the Annals is, that the destiny of the Roman empire would have been assuredly transferred to Etruria, had not the deputies, forewarned by the son of the diviner, made answer — " No, not here exactly, but at Rome, we say, the head was found/* It is related also that the same was the case when a certain four-horse chariot, made of clay, and intended for the roof of the same temple, had considerably increased while in the furnace ;30 and that on this occasion, in a similar manner, the destinies of Rome were saved. Let these instances suffice then to show, that the virtues of presages lie in our own hands, and that they are valuable in each instance according as they are received.31 At all events, it is a principle in the doctrine of the augurs, that neither imprecations nor auspices of any kind have any effect upon those who, when entering upon an undertaking, declare that they will pay no attention whatever to them ; a greater instance than which, of the indulgent dis- position of the gods towards us, cannot be found. And then besides, in the laws themselves of the Twelve Tables, do we not read the following words — "Whosoever shall have enchanted the harvest,"32 and in another place, " Whoso- ever shall have used pernicious incantations"?33 VerriusFlac- cus cites authors whom he deems worthy of credit, to show that on the occasion of a siege, it was the usage, the first thing of all, for the Roman priests to summon forth the tutelary divinity of that particular town, and to promise him the same rites, or even a more extended worship, at Rome ; and at the present day even, this ritual still forms part of the discipline of our pontiffs. 29 Ajasson thinks that there is an equivoque here upon the word '* tern- plum," which signified not only a building, but certain parts of the heavens, and corresponding lines traced on the earth by the augur's staff. 30 This story is mentioned by Plutarch, in the Life of Publicola. 31 In which case it was considered necessary to repeat the words, " Ac- cipio omen," " I accept the omen." a3 "Qui fruges excantassit." 33 " Q,ui nialum carmen incantassit." 282 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Rook XXVIII. Hence it is, no doubt, that the name 34 of the tutelary deity of Rome has been so strictly kept concealed, lest any of our enemies should act in a similar manner. There is no one, too, who does [ not dread being spell-bound by means of evil imprecations ;35 and hence the practice, after eating eggs or snails, of immedi- ately breaking36 the shells, or piercing them with the spoon. Hence, too, those love- sick imitations of enchantments which we find described by Theocritus among the Greeks, and by Catullus, and more recently, Virgil,37 among our own writers. Many persons are fully persuaded that articles .of pottery may be broken by a similar agency ; and not a few are of opinion even that serpents can counteract incantations, and that this is the only kind of intelligence they possess-^-so much so, in fact, that by the agency of the magic spells of the Marsi, they may be attracted to one spot, even when asleep in the middle of the night. * Some people go so far, too, as to write certain words38 on the walls of houses, deprecatory of accident by fire. But it is not easy to say whether the outlandish and unpro- nounceable words that are thus employed, or the Latin ex- pressions that are used at random, and which must appear ridiculous to our judgment, tend the most strongly to stagger our belief — seeing that the human imagination is always con- ceiving something of the infinite, something deserving of the notice of the divinity, or indeed, to speak more correctly, some- thing that must command his intervention perforce. Homer39 tells us that Ulysses arrested the flow of blood from a wound 34 Ajasson is of opinion that this name was either Favra or Fona, Aeca, Flora, or Valesia or Valentia. 35 "As in saying thus, The Devill take thee, or The Ravens peck out thine eyes, or 1 had rather see thee Pie peckt, and such like." — Holland. 36 It is a superstition still practised to pierce the shell of an egg after eating it, " lest the witches should come." Holland gives the following Note — " Because afterwards no witches might pricke them with a needle in the name and behalfe of those whom they would hurt and mischeefe, according to the practice of pricking the images of any person in wax ; used in the witchcraft of these daies." We learn from Ajasson that till recently it was considered a mark of ill-breeding in France not to pierce the shell after eating the egg. See also Brand's Popular Antiquities, Vol. III. p. 19, John's Ed. ^ 37 See the Eighth Eclogue of Virgil. 38 " That is to say, Arse verse, out of Afranius, as Festus noteth, which in the old Tuscane language signifieth, Averte ignem, Put backe the fire." —Holland. •w Odyss. xix. 457. It is not Ulysses, but the sons of Autolycus that do this. Their bandages, however, were more likely to be effectual. Chap. 5.] A DESCRIPTION OF VAKIOUS USAGES. 283 in the thigh, by repeating a charm ; and Theophrastus40 says that sciatica may be cured by similar means. Cato41 has preserved a formula for the cure of sprains, and M. Varro for that of gout. The Dictator Caesar, they say, having on one occasion accidentally had a fall in his chariot,42 was always in the habit, immediately upon taking his seat, of thrice repeating a certain formula, with the view of ensuring safety upon the journey ; a thing that, to my own knowledge, is done by many persons at the present day. CHA.P. 5. A DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS USAGES. I would appeal, too, for confirmation on this subject, to the intimate experience of each individual. "Why, in fact, upon the first day of the new year, do we accost one another with prayers for good fortune,43 and, for luck's sake, wish each other a happy new year ? Why, too, upon the occasion of public lustrations, do we select persons with lucky names, to lead the victims ? Why, to counteract fascinations, do we Romans observe a peculiar form of adoration, in invoking the Nemesis of the Greeks ; whose statue, for this reason, has been placed in the Capitol at Rome, although the goddess herself possess no Latin name ?44 Why, when we make mention of the dead, do we protest that we have no wish45 to impeach their good name P46 Why is it that we entertain the belief that for every purpose odd numbers are the most effectual ;47 — a thing that is particularly observed with reference to the critical days in fevers? Why is it that, when gathering the earliest fruit, apples, OB pears, as the case may be, we make a point of saying — " This fruit is old, may other fruit be sent us that is new ? " Why is it that we salute48 a person when he sneezes, an obser- vance which Tiberius Caesar, they say, the most unsociable of men, as we all know, used to exact, when riding in his chariot 40 De Enthusiasmo. 41 See B. xvii. c. 47. 42 In passing along the Velabrum, on the occasion of his Gallic triumph, the axle of the carriage having broke. 43 See Ovid's Fasti, B. i. 1. 175, et seq., and Epist. de Ponto. B. iv. EL 4. 1. 23, et seq. 44 See B. xi. c. 103. 45 Hence the saying, " De mortuis nil nisi bonura." 46 " Defunctorum memoriam a nobis non sollieitari." 47 It is still a saying, and perhaps a belief, that " There is luck in odd numbers." 48 This has been a practice from the earliest times to the present day. See Brand's Popular Antiquities, Vol. III. p. 123, £ohn's Ed. 284 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. even ? Some there are, too, who think it a point religiously to be observed to mention the name as well of the person whom they salute. And then, besides, it is a notion49 universally received, that absent persons have warning that others are speaking of them, by the tingling of the ears. Attalus50 assures us, that if a person, the moment he sees a scorpion, says " Duo,"51 the rep- tile will stop short, and forbear to sting. And now that I am speaking of the scorpion, I recall to mind that in Africa no one ever undertakes any matter without prefacing with the word " Africa ;" while in other countries, before an enterprise is commenced, it is the practice to adjure the gods that they will manifest their good will. In addition to this, it is very clear that there are some religious observances, unaccompanied by speech, which are considered to be productive of certain effects. Thus,52 when we are at table, for instance, it is the universal practice, we see, to take the ring from off the finger. Another person, again, will take some spittle from his mouth and place it with hj| finger behind the ear, to propitiate and modify disquietude oraiind. When we wish to signify applause, we have a proverb even which tells us we should press the thumbs.53 When pay- ing adoration, we kiss the right hand, and turn the whole body to the right : while the people of the Gallic provinces, on the contrary, turn to the left, and believe that they show .mere devoutness by so doing. To salute summer lightning with clapping of the hands, is the universal practice with all nations. If, when eating, we happen to make mention of a fire that has happened, we avert the inauspicious omen by pour- ing water beneath the table. To sweep the floor at the moment that a person is rising from table, or to remove the table or tray,64 as the case may be, while a guest is drinking, is looked upon as a most unfortunate presage. There is a treatise, 49 In France and England, at the present day, this notion, or rather, per- haps, the memory of it, is universally to be found. If the right ear tingles, some one is speaking well of us ; if the left ear, the reverse. 50 King Attalus Philometor. See end of B. viii. si "Two." 52 This passage, it is pretty clear, ought to follow the preceding one, though in the Latin it is made to precede. 53 The thumb was turned upwards as a mark of favour, downwards, as a mark of disfavour. 64 ** Repositorium." Chap. 5.] A DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS USAGES. 285 written by Servius Sulpicitis, a man of the highest rank, in which reasons are given why we should never leave the tahle we are eating at ; for in his day it was not yet55 the practice to reckon more tables than guests at an entertainment. Where a person has sneezed, it is considered highly ominous for the dish or table to be brought back again, and not a taste thereof to be taken, after doing so ; the same, too, where a person at table eats nothing at all. These usages have been established by persons who enter- tained a belief that the gods are ever present, in all our affairs and at all hours, and who have therefore found the means of ap- peasing them by our vices even. It has been remarked, too, that there is never a dead silence on a sudden among the guests at table, except when there is an even number present ; when this happens, too, it is a sign that the good name and repute of every individual present is in peril. In former times, when food fell from the hand of a guest, it was the custom to return it by placing it on the table, and it was forbidden56 to blow upon it, for the purpose of cleansing it. Auguries, too, have bet n derived from the words or thoughts of a person at the mom^t such an accident befalls him ; and it is looked upon as one of the most dreadful of presages, if this should happen to: while celebrating the feast of Dis.67 The proper expiati< such a case is, to have the morsel replaced on table, burnt in honour of the Lar.58 Medicines, it is said, will prove ineffectual, if they happen to have been placed on a table before they are administered. It is religiously believed by many, that it is ominous in a pecuniary point of view, for a person to pare his nails without speaking, on the market days59 at Home, or to begin at the forefinger60 in doing so : it is thought, too, 55 It was not yet the custom to bring in several courses, each served up on a separate table. 50 Good manners possibly, more than superstition, may have introduced this practice. 57 Or Pluto. He alludes to the Feralia, or feasts celebrated, in the month of February, in honour of the dead. 58 Or household god. 59 The "Nundinae," held every ninth day; or rather every eighth day, according to our mode of reckoning. 60 Gronovius suggests a reading which would make this to mean that it is ;; ominous to touch money with the forefinger." It does not appear to be warranted, however. >n as one 01 to a pontiff, expiation in V\\ e, and then ;r* 286 PLINY' o NATUKAL HISTOEY, [Book XXVIII. to be a preventive of baldness and of head- ache, to cut the hair on the seventeenth and twenty-ninth60 days of the moon. A rural law observed in most of the farms of Italy, forbids6* women to twirl their distaffs, or even to carry them uncovered, while walking in the public roads ; it being a thing so pre- judicial to all hopes and anticipations, those of a good harvest63 iu particular. It is not so long ago, that M. Servilius Nonianus, the principal citizen at Rome,63 being apprehensive of ophthalmia, had a paper, with the two Greek letters P and A64 written upon it, wrapped in linen and attached to his neck, before he would venture to name the malady, and before any other person had spoken to him about it. Mucianus, too, who was thrice consul, following a similar observance, carried about him a living fly, wrapped in a piece of white linen ; and it was strongly asserted, by both of them, that to the use of these expedients they owed their preservation from ophthalmia. There are in existence, also, certain charms against hail- storms, diseases of various kinds, and burns, some of which have been proved, by actual experience, to be effectual; but so great is the diversity of opinion upon them, that I am precluded by a feeling of extreme diffidence from entering into further par- ticulars, and must therefore leave each to form his own con- clusions as he may feel inclined. CHAP. 6. (3.) TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX OBSERVATIONS ON EEMEDIES DERIVED FROM MAN. EIGHT REMEDIES DERIVED FROM CHILDREN. We have already,65 when speaking of the singular peculiar- ities of various nations, made mention of certain men of a monstrous nature, whose gaze is endowed with powers of fascination ; and we have also described properties belonging to numerous animals, which it would be superfluous here to repeat. In some men, the whole of the body is endowed with remark- able properties, as in those families, for instance, which are a terror to serpents ; it being in their power to cure persons when stung, either by the touch or by a slight suction of the wound. To this class belong the Psylli, the Marsi, and the people 60* Twenty-eighth, according to our reckoning. 61 Probably from their ominous resemblance to the Parcae, or Fates, with their spindles, 62 "Frugum." 63 " Princeps civitatis." 64 "Bho" and "Alpha." 65 In B. vii. c. 2.* Chap. 6.] EEMEDIES DEBITED FROM MAIN". 287 called " Ophiogenes,"66 in the Isle of Cyprus. One Euagon, a member of this family, while attending upon a deputation at Kome, was thrown by way of experiment, by order of the con- suls, into a large vessel67 filled with serpents ; upon which, to the astonishment of all, they licked his body all over with their tongues. One peculiarity of this family — if indeed it is still in existence — is the strong offensive smell which proceeds from their body in the spring ; their sweat, too, no less than their spittle, was possessed of remedial virtues. The people who are born at Tentyris, an island in the river Nilus, are so formidable68 to the crocodiles there, that their voice even is sufficient to put them to flight. The presence even, it is well known, of all these different races, will suffice for the cure of injuries inflicted by the animals to which they respectively have an antipathy ; just in the same way that wounds are- irritated by the approach of persons who have been stung by a serpent at some former time, or bitten by a dog. Such persons, too, by their presence, will cause the eggs upon which a hen is sitting to be addled, and will make pregnant cattle " cast their young and miscarry; for, in fact, so much of the venom remains in their body, that, from being poisoned themselves, they become poisonous to other creatures. The proper remedy in such case is first to make them wash their hands, and then to sprinkle with the water the patient who is under medical treatment. When, again, persons have been once stung by a scorpion they will never afterwards be attacked by hornets, wasps, or bees : a fact at which a person will be the less surprised when he learns that a garment which has been worn at a funeral will never be touched by moths ;69 that it is hardly possible to draw serpents from their holes except by using the left hand ; and that, of the discoveries made by Pythagoras, one of the most unerring, is the fact, that in the name given to infants, an odd number of vowels is portentous of lameness, loss of eyesight, or similar accidents, on70 the right 66 In B. vii. c. 2, he speaks of these people — " the serpent-born" — as natives of Parium, a town of the Hellespont. Ajasson suggests that they may have been a branch of the Thamirades, a sacerdotal family of Cyprus. 67 " Dolium." es see B. viii. c. 38. 69 Ajasson has thought it worth while to contradict this assertion. 70 Meaning, of course, in case such an accident should befall the party. The passage appears, however, to be corrupt. 288 FLINT'S NATTTKAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. side of the body, and an even number of vowels of the like infirmities on the left. (4.) It is said, that if a person takes a stone or other missile which has slain three living creatures, a man, a boar, and a bear, at three blows, and throws it over the roof of a house in which there is a pregnant woman, her delivery, however difficult, will be instantly accelerated thereby. In such a case, too, a successful result will be rendered all the more probable, if a light infantry lance71 is used, which has been drawn from a man's body without touching the earth ; indeed, if it is brought into the house it will be productive of a similar result. In the same way, too, we find it stated in the writings of Orpheus and Archelaiis, that arrows, drawn from a human body without being allowed to touch the ground, and placed beneath the bed, will have all the effect of a philtre ; and, what is even more than this, that it is a cure for epilepsy if the patient eats the flesh of a wild beast killed with an iron weapon with which a human being has been slain. Some individuals, too, are possessed of medicinal properties in certain parts of the body ; the thumb of King Pyrrhus, for instance, as already72 mentioned. At Elis, there used to be shown one of the ribs73 of Pelops, which, it was generally asserted, was made of ivory. At the present day even, there are many persons, who from religious motives will never clip the hair growing upon a mole on the face. CHAP. 7. PROPERTIES OF THE HUMAN 'SPITTLE. But it is the fasting spittle of a human being, that is, as already n stated by us, the sovereign preservative against the poison of serpents; while, at the same time, our daily experience may recognize its efficacy and utility,75 in many other respects. We are in the habit of spitting,76 for instance, as a preservative from epilepsy, or in other words, we repel contagion thereby : 71 "Hasta velitaris." 72 In B. vii. c. 2. 73 It is the shoulder-blade of Pelops that is generally mentioned in the ancient Mythology. Pliny omits to say of what medicinal virtues it was possessed. 74 In B. vii. c. 2. 75 It certainly does seem to be possessed of some efficacy for the removal of spots and stains, but for no other purpose probably. 76 In some parts of France, the peasants spit in the hand when in terror of spectjres at night. In our country, prize-fighters spit in the hand before beginning the combat, and costermongers spit on their morning's handsel, or first earned money, for good luck. Chap. 7.] PROPERTIES OF TliE HUMAN SPITTLE. 289 in a similar manner, too, we repel fascinations, and the evil presages attendant upon meeting a person who is lame in the right leg. We ask pardon of the gods, by spitting in 77 the lap, for entertaining some too presumptuous hope or expecta- tion.78 On the same principle, it is the practice in all cases where medicine is employed, to spit three times on the ground, and to conjure the malady as often ; the object being to aid the operation of the remedy employed. It is usual, too, to mark a boil, when it first makes its appearance, three times with fasting79 spittle. What we are going to say is marvellous, but it may easily be tested M by experiment : if a person re- pents of a blow given to another, either by hand or with a missile, he has nothing to do but to spit at once into the palm of the hand which has inflicted the blow, and all feelings 8l of resentment will be instantly alleviated in the person struck. This, too, is often verified in the case of a beast of burden, when brought on its haunches with blows; for upon this remedy being adopted, the animal will immediately step out and mend its pace. Some persons, however, before making an effort, spit into the hand in manner above stated, in order to make the blow more heavy.82 We may well believe, then, that lichens and leprous spots may be removed by a constant application of fasting spittle ; that ophthalmia may be cured by anointing, as it were, the eyes every morning with fasting spittle ; that carcinomata may be effectually treated, by kneading the root of the plant known as "apple of the earth,"83 with human spittle; that crick in the neck may be got rid of by carrying fasting spittle to the right knee with the right hand, and to the left knee with the left ; and that when an insect has got into the ear, it 77 "In sinum." 78 See Juvenal, Sat. v. 1. 112. 79 Ajasson remarks that the human spittle contains hydrochlorate of soda and potash ; the remedial virtues of which, however, would be in- finitely small. 80 A quibble, Ajasson remarks. Did Pliny ever test it himself? He would seem to imply it. 81 " Levatur illico in percusso culpa." 82 This is still the case with pugilists, and persons requiring to use strong exertion. It is based, however, on a mere superstition, as Ajasson remarks. 83 " Malum terrae." See B. xxv. c. 54, and B. xxvi. c. 56. Littre translates *' malum," " apple," in the former passage ; but here he calls it 44 curse of the earth." VOL. V. U 290 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. is quite sufficient to spit into that organ, to make it come out. Among the counter-charms too, are reckoned, the practice of spitting into the urine the moment it is voided, of spitting into the shoe of the right foot hefore putting it on, and of spitting while a person is passing a place in which he has incurred any kind of peril. Marcion of Smyrna, who has written a work on the virtues of simples, informs us that the sea scolopendra will burst asunder if spit upon ; and that the same is the case with bram- ble-frogs,84 arid other kinds of frogs. Opilius says that serpents will do the same, if a person spits into their open mouth ; and Salpe tells us, that when any part of the body is asleep, the numbness may be got rid of by the person spitting into his lap, or touching the upper eyelid with his spittle. If we are ready to give faith to such statements as these, we must be- lieve also in the efficacy of the following practices : upon the entrance of a stranger, or when a person looks at an infant while asleep, it is usual for the nurse to spit three times upon the ground ; and this, although infants are under the especial guardianship of the god Fascinus,85 the protector, not of infants only, but of generals as well, and a divinity whose worship is entrusted to the Yestal virgins, and forms part of the Roman rites. It is the image of this divinity that is attached beneath the triumphant car of the victorious general, protecting him, like some attendant physician, against the effects of envy ;86 while, at the same time, equally salutary is the advice of the tongue, which warns him to be wise in time,87 that so Fortune 84 "Rubetas." See B. viii. c. 48, B. xi. cc. 19, 76, and 116, and B. xxv. c. 76. 85 This divinity was identical with Mutinus or Tutinrs, and was worshipped under the form of a phallus, the male generative organ. As the guardian of infants, his peculiar form is still unconsciously represented in the shape of the coral bauble with which infants are aided in cutting their teeth. b6 Hence the expression " prsefiscini," " Be it said without envy," sup- posed to avert the effects of the envious eye, fascination, or enchantment. 7 " Resipiscere " seems to be a preferable reading to "respicere," adopted by Sillig. This passage is evidently in a very corrupt state ; but it is most probable that reference is made to the attendant who stood behind the general in his triumph, and reminded him that he was a man — or, according to Tzetzes, bade him look behind him. Pliny speaks of a servant attending the triumphant general, with a golden crown, in B. xxxiii. c. 4. liardouiii attempts another explanation, but a very confused and improbable one. Chap. 9.] REMEDIES DEBITED FROM THE HUMAN HAIR. 2^1 may be prevailed upon by his prayers, not to follow, as the destroyer of his glory, close upon his back. CHAP. 8. REMEDIES DEEIVED FROM THE WAX OF THE HUMAN EAR. The human bite is also looked upon as one of the most dan- gerous of all. The proper remedy for it is human ear-wax : a thing that \ve must not be surprised at, seeing that, if ap- plied immediately, it is a cure for the stings of scorpions even, and serpents. The best, however, for this purpose, is thai taken from the ears of the wounded person. Agnails, too, it is said, may be cured in a similar manner. A human tooth, reduced to powder, is a cure, they say, for the sting of a ser- pent. CHAP. 9. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HUMAN HAIR, TEETH, ETC. The first hair, it is said, that is cut from an infant's head, and, in fact, the hair of all persons that have not reached the age of puberty, attached to the limbs, will modify the attacks of gout. A man's hair, applied with vinegar, is a cure for the bite of a dog, and, used with oil or wine, for wounds on the head. It is said, too, if we choose to believe it, that the hair of a man torn down from the cross, is good for quartan fevers. Ashes, too, of burnt human hair are curative of carcinomata. If a woman takes the first tooth that a child has shed, provided it has not touched the ground, and has it set in a bracelet, and wears it constantly upon her arm, it will preserve her from all pains in the uterus and adjacent parts. If the great toe is tied fast to the one next to it, it will reduce tumours in the groin ; and if the two middle fingers of the right hand are slightly bound together with a linen thread, it will act as a preservative against catarrhs and ophthalmia. A stone, it is said, that has been voided by a patient suffering from calculi, if attached to the body above the pubes, will alleviate the pains of others similarly afflicted, as well as pains in the liver ; it will have the effect, also, of facilitating delivery. Granius8*5 adds, however, that for this last purpose, the stone will be more efficacious if it has been extracted with the knife. Delivery, when near at hand, will be accelerated, if the man by whom 88 See end of the present Book. U 2 292 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKY. [Book XXVIII. the woman has conceived, unties his girdle, and, after tying it round her, unties it, adding at the same time this formula, " I have tied it, and I will untie it," and then taking his de- parture, CHAr. 10. REMEDIES DERIVED FEOM THE HUMAN BLOOD, THE SEXUAL CONGRESS, ETC. The hlood of the human body, come from what part it may, is most efficacious, according to Orpheus and Archelaiis, as an application for quinzy : they say, too, that if it is applied to the mouth of a person who has fallen down in a fit of epilepsy, he will come to himself immediately. Some say that, for epilepsy, the great toes should be pricked, and the drops of blood that exude therefrom applied to the face ; or else, that a virgin should touch the patient with her right thumb — a cir- cumstance that has led to the belief that persons suffering from epilepsy should eat the flesh of animals in a virgin state. ^Eschines of Athens used to cure quinzy, carcinoma, and affec- tions of the tonsillary glands and uvula, with the ashes of burnt excrements, a medicament to which he gave the name of " botryon."89 There are many kinds of diseases which disappear entirely after the first sexual congress,90 or, in the case of females, at the first appearance of menstruation; indeed, if such is not the case, they are apt to become chronic, epilepsy in particular. Even more than this — a man, it is said, who has been stung by a serpent or scorpion, experiences relief from the sexual congress ; but the woman, on the other hand, is sensible of detriment. We are assured, too, that if persons, when washing their feet, touch the eyes three times with the water, they will never be subject to ophthalmia or other diseases of the eyes. CHAP. 11. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE DEAD. Scrofula, imposthumes of the parotid glands, and throat diseases, thejr say, may be cured by the contact of the hand of a person who has been carried off by an early death : indeed there are some who assert that any deac^body will produce the same effect, provided it is of the same sex as the patient, and 89 Properly meaning "a cluster of grapes." 90 Ajasson remarks that there is a considerable degree of truth in this assertion. He gives a long list of French works on the subject. Chap. 12.] EEVEBIES AND DEVICES OF THE MAGICIANS. 293 that the part affected is touched with the back of the left hand.91 To bite off a piece from wood that has been struck by lightning, the hands being held behind the back, and then to apply it to the tooth, is a sure remedy, they say, for tooth- ache. Some persons recommend the tooth to be fumigated with the smoke of a burnt tooth, which has belonged to another person of the same sex ; or else to attach to the person a dog- tooth, as it is called, which has been extracted from a body before burial. Earth, they say, taken from out of a human skull, acts as a depilatory to the eyelashes ; it is asserted, also, that any plant which may happen to have grown there, it' chewed, will cause the teeth to come out ; and that if a circle- is traced round an ulcer with a human bone, it will be effec- tually prevented from spreading. Some persons, again, mix water in equal proportions from three different wells, and, after making a libation with part of it in a new earthen vessel, administer the rest to patients suf- fering from tertian fever, when the paroxysms come on. So, too, in- cases of quartan fever, they take a fragment of a nail from a cross, or else a piece of a halter 92 that has been used for crucifixion, and, after wrapping it in wool, attach it to the patient's neck; taking care, the moment he has recovered, to conceal it in some hole to which the light of the sun cannot penetrate. CHAP. 12. VARIOUS REVERIES AND DEVICES OF THE MAGICIANS. The following are some of the reveries of magic.93 A whet- stone upon which iron tools have been frequently sharpened, if put, without his being aware of it, beneath the pillow of a person sinking under the effects of poison, will make him give evidence and declare what poison has been administered, and at what time and place, though at the same time he will not disclose the author of the crime. When a person has been struck by lightning, if the body is turned upon the side which has sustained the injury, he will instantly recover the power 91 This superstition still exists among the lower classes of this country, with reference to the beneficial effects of stroking neck diseases with tie hand of a man who has been hanged. 93 Made of " spartum." See B. xix. cc. 6, 7. s3 Of which the Persian Magi were the most noted professors. 294 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. of speech — that is quite certain.94 For the cure of inguinal tumours, some persons take the thrum of an old web, and after tying seven or nine knots in it, mentioning at each knot the name of some widow woman or other, attach it to the part affected. To assuage the pain of a wound, they recommend the party to take a nail or any other substance that has been trodden under foot, and to wear it, attached to the body with the thrum of a web. ; To get rid of warts, some lie in a footpath with the face upwards, when the moon is twenty days old at least, and after fixing their gaze upon it, extend their arms above the head, and rub themselves with anything within their reach. If a person is extracting a corn at the moment that a star shoots, he will experience an immediate cure,95 they say. By pouring vinegar upon the hinges of a ' door, a thick liniment is formed, which, applied to the fore- head, will alleviate headache : an effect equally produced, we are told, by binding the temples with a halter with which a. man has been hanged. When a fish-bone happens to stick in the throat, it will go down immediately, if the person plunges his feet into cold water ; but where the accident has happened with any other kind of bone, the proper remedy is to apply to the head some fragments of bones taken from the same dish. In cases where bread has stuck in the throat, the best plan is to take some of the same bread, and insert it in both ears. CHAP. 13. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HUMAN EXCRETIONS. In Greece, where everything is turned to account, the owners of the gymnasia have introduced the very excretions96 even of the human body among the most efficient remedies ; so much so, indeed, that the scrapings from the bodies of the athletes are looked upon as possessed of certain properties of an emollient, calorific, resolvent, and expletive nature, re- sulting from the compound of human sweat and oil. These scrapings are used, in the form of a pessary, for inflammations and contractions of the uterus : similarly employed, they act as an emmenagogue, and are useful for reducing condylomata and inflammations of the rectum, as also for assuaging pains 94 The " constat " here, whether it belongs to the magicians, or to Pliny himself, is highly amusing, as Ajasson remarks. 95 Sillig appears to be right in his conjecture that the "vel" here should be omitted. 96 See B. xv. c. 5. Chap. 14.] BEMEDIES DEPENDING- UPON THE WILL. 29.") in the sinews, sprains, and nodosities of the joints. The scrapings obtained from the baths are still more efficacious for these purposes, and hence it is that they form an ingredient in maturative preparations. Such scrapings as are impregnated with wrestlers' oil,97 used in combination with mud, have a mollifying effect upon the joints, and are more particularly efficacious as a calorific and resolvent ; but in other respects their properties are not so strongly developed. The shameless and disgusting researches that have been made will quite transcend all belief, when we find authors of the very highest repute proclaiming aloud that the male seminal fluid is a sovereign remedy for the sting of the scor- pion ! In the case too, of women afflicted with sterility, they recommend the application of a pessary, made of the first excrement that is voided by an infant at the moment of its birth; the name they give it is " meconium."98 They have even gone so far, too, as to scrape the very filth from off the walls of the gymnasia, and to assert that this is also possessed of certain calorific properties. These scrapings are used as a resolvent for inflamed tumours, and are applied topically to ulcers upon aged people and children, and to excoriations and burns. CHAP. 14. KKMKDIES DEPENDING UPON THE HUMAN WILL. It would be the less becoming then for me to omit all mention of the remedies which depend upon the human will. Total abstinence from food or drink, or from wine only, from flesh, or from the use of the bath, in cases where the health requires any of these expedients, is looked upon as one of the most effectual modes of treating diseases. To this class of remedies must be added bodily exercise, exertion of the voice,99 anointings, and frictions according to a prescribed method : for powerful friction, it should be remembered, has a binding effect upon the body, while gentle friction, on the other hand, acts as a laxative ; so too, repeated friction reduces the body, while used in moderation it has a tendency to make flesh. But the most beneficial practice of all is to take walking 97 " Ceroma." A mixture of oil and wax. 98 Properly, " poppy juice." 99 Or " clara lectio," "reading aloud," as Celsus calls it, recommending it for persons of slow digestion. 296 PLIGHT'S NATURAL HISTOBY. [Book XXVIII. or carriage1 exercise; this last being performed in various ways. Exercise on horseback is extremely good for affections of the stomach and hips, a voyage for phthisis,2 and a change of locality3 for diseases of long standing. So, too, a cure may sometimes be effected by sleep, by a recumbent position in bed, or by the use of emetics in moderation. To lie upon the back is beneficial to the sight, to lie with the face downwards is good for a cough, and to lie on the side is recommended for patients suffering from catarrh. According to Aristotle and Fabianus, it is towards spring and autumn that we are most apt to dream ; and they tell us that persons are most liable to do so when lying on the back, but never when lying with the face downwards. Theophrastus assures us that the digestion is accelerated by lying on the right side ; while, on the other hand, it is retarded by lying with the face upwards. The most powerful, however, of all remedies, and one which is always at a person's own command, is the sun : violent friction, too, is useful by the agency of linen towels and body-scrapers.4 To pour warm water on the head before taking the vapour-bath, and cold water after it, is looked upon as a most beneficial practice ; so, too, is the habit of taking cold water before food, of drinking it every now and then while eating, of taking it just before going to sleep, and, if practicable, of waking every now and then, and taking a draught. It is worthy also of remark, that there is no living creature but man5 that is fond of hot drinks, a proof thjat they are contrary to nature. It has been ascertained by experiment, that it is a good plan to rinse the mouth with undiluted wine, before going to sleep, for the purpose of sweetening the breath ; to rinse the mouth with cold water an odd number of times every morning, as a preservative against tooth-ache ; and to wash the eyes with oxycrate, as a preventive of ophthalmia. It has been remarked also, that the general health is improved by a varying regimen, subject to no fixed rules. 1 "Gestatio." Exercise on horseback, in a carriage drawn by horses, or in a litter. See B. xxvi. c. 7. 2 See B. xxxi. c. 33. A sea voyage, to Madeira, for instance, is still re- commended for consumptive patients. 3 Change of locality is still recommended for diseases of the spleen, as they are called. 4 " Strigilium." * Except monkeys and some domesticated animals, Ajasson remarks. Chap. 16.] KEMEDIES FROM THE SEXUAL CONGRESS. 297 (5.) Hippocrates informs us that the viscera of persons who do not take the morning meal6 become prematurely aged and feeble ; but then he has pronounced this aphorism, it must be remembered, by way of suggesting a healthful regimen, and not to promote gluttony ; for moderation in diet is, after all, the thing most conducive to health. L. Lucullus gave charge to one of his slaves to overlook him in this respect ; and, a thing that reflected the highest discredit on him, when, now an aged man and laden with triumphs, he was feasting in the Capitol even, his hand had to be removed from the dish to which he was about to help himself. Surely it was a disgrace for a man to be governed by his own slave7 more easily than by himself! CHAP. 15. (6.) REMEDIES DERIVED FROM SNEEZING. Sneezing, provoked by a feather, relieves heaviness in the head ; it is said too, that to touch the nostrils of a mule with the lips, will arrest sneezing and hiccup. For this last pur- pose, Yarro recommends us to scratch the palm, first of one hand and then of the other ; while many say that it is a good plan to shift the ring from off the left hand to the longest finger of the right, and then to plunge the hands into hot water. Theophrastus says, that aged persons sneeze with greater diffi- culty than others. CHAP. 16. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE SEXUAL CONGRESS. Democritus spoke in condemnation of the sexual congress, as8 being merely an act through which one human being springs from another ; and really, by Hercules ! the more rarely it is used the better. Still however, athletes, we find, when they become dull and heavy, are re-established by it : the voice, too, is re- stored by it, when from being perfectly clear, it has degenerated into hoarseness. The congress of the sexes is a cure also for pains in the loins, dimness of the eyesight,9 alienation of the mental difficulties, and melancholy. 6 " Non prandentium." 7 Callisthenes the physician is the person supposed to be alluded to. Lucullus did not seem to be of opinion that a man " must be a fool or a physician at forty." 8 "Ut in qua homo alius exsiliret ex homine." The true meaning of this it seems impossible, with certainty, to ascertain : though a more in- delicate one than that given might be easily suggested. 9 On the contrary, some authorities say that it is apt to cause dimness of 298 PLINY'S KATUBAL HISTOEY. [Book XXVIII. CHAP. 17- VARIOUS OTHER REMEDIES. To sit by a pregnant woman, or by a person to whom any remedy is being administered, with the fingers of one hand inserted between those of the other, acts as a magic spell; a discovery that was made, it is said, when Alcmena10 was delivered of Hercules. If the fingers are thus joined, clasping one or both knees, or if the ham of one leg is first put upon the knee of the other, and then changed about, the omen is of still worse signification. Hence it is, that in councils held by generals and persons in authority, our ancestors forbade these postures, as being an impediment to all business.11 They have given a similar prohibition also with reference to sacrifices and the offering of public vows ; but as to the usage of uncovering the head in presence of the magistrates, that has been enjoined, Varro says, not as a mark of respect, but with a view to health, the head being strengthened12 by the practice of keeping- it uncovered. When anything has got into the eye, it is a good plan to close the otber ; and when water has got into the right ear, the person should hop about on the left foot, with the head reclining upon the right shoulder, the reverse being done when the same has happened to the left ear. If the secretion of the phlegm produces coughing, the best way of stopping it is for another person to blow in the party's face. When the uvula is relaxed, another person should take the patient with his teeth by the crown,13 and lift him from the ground ; while for pains in the neck, the hams should be rubbed, and for pains in the hams the neck. If a person is seized in bed with cramp in the sinews of the legs or thighs, he should set his feet upon the ground : so, too, if he has cramp on the left side, he should take hold of the great toe of the left foot with the right hand, and if on the right side, the great toe of the right foot with the left hand. For cold shiverings or for excessive bleeding at the nostrils, the extremities of the body should be well rubbed with sheep's wool. To arrest inconti- nence of urine, the extremities of the generative organs should 10 See Ovid, Met. ix. 273, et seq. 11 Much more probably, because they were considered to be significant of anything but seriousness and attention, 12 Exemplified in the case of the Egyptians, Herodotus says. 13 The remedy would seem to be worse than the evil. Chap. 18.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE URINE. 299 be tied with a thread of linen or papyrus, and a binding passed round the middle of the thigh. For derangement of the stomach, it is a good plan to press the feet together, or to plunge the hands into hot water. In addition to all this, in many cases it is found highly be- neficial to speak but little ; thus, for instance, Maacenas Me- lissus,14 we are told, enjoined silence on himself for three years, in consequence of spitting blood after a convulsive fit. When a person is thrown from a carriage, or when, while mounting an elevation or lying extended at full length, he is menaced with any accident, or if he receives a blow, it is singularly beneficial to hold the breath ; a discovery for which we are indebted to an animal, as already15 stated. To thrust an iron nail into the spot where a person's head lay at the moment he was seized with a fit of epilepsy, is said to have the effect of curing him of that disease. For pains in the kidneys, loins, or bladder, it is considered highly soothing to void the urine lying on the face at full length in a reclining bath. It is quite surprising how much more speedily wounds will heal if they are bound up and tied with a Hercules' knot :16 indeed, it is said, that if the girdle which we wear every day is tied with a knot of this description, it will be productive of certain beneficial effects, Hercules having been the first to discover the fact. Demetrius, in the treatise which he has compiled upon the number Four, alleges certain reasons why drink should never be taken in proportions of four cyathi or sextarii. As a pre- ventive of ophthalmia, it is a good plan to rub the parts be- hind the ears, and, as a cure for watery eyes, to rub the fore- head. As to the presages which are derived from man him- self, there is one to the effect that so long as a person is able to see himself reflected in the pupil of the patient's eye, there need be no apprehension of a fatal termination to the malady. CHAP. 18. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE URINE. The urine,17 too, has been the subject not only of numerous 14 See end of B. vii. 15 In B. viii. c. 58. 16 A knot tied very hard, and in which no ends were to be seen. 17 This excretion was, till lately, thought of great importance, as in- dicative of the health of the patient. 300 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII, theories with authors, but of various religious observances as well, its properties being classified under several distinctive heads : thus, for instance, the urine of eunuchs, they say, is highly beneficial as a promoter of fruitfulness in females. But to turn to those remedies which we may be allowed to name without impropriety — the urine of children who have not arrived at puberty is a sovereign remedy for the poisonous secretions of the asp known as the " ptyas,"18 from the fact that it spits its venom into the eyes of human beings. It is good, too, for the cure of albugo, films and marks upon the eyes, white specks19 upon the pupils, and maladies of the eye- lids. In combination with meal of fitches, it is used for the cure of burns, and, with a head of bulbed leek, it is boiled down to one half, in a new earthen vessel, for the treatment of suppurations of the ears, or the extermination of worms breed- ing in those organs : the vapour, too, of this decoction acts as an emmenagogue. Salpe recommends that the eyes should be fomented with it, as a means of strengthening the sight ; and that it should be used as a liniment for sun scorches, in combination with white of egg, that of the ostrich being the most effectual, the application being kept on for a couple of hours. Urine is also used for taking oat ink spots. Male urine cures gout, witness the fullers for instance,20 who, for this reason, it is said, are never troubled with that disease. With stale urine some mix ashes of calcined oyster- shells, for the cure of eruptions on the bodies of infants, and all kinds of running ulcers: it is used, too, as a liniment for corrosive sores, burns, diseases of the rectum, chaps upon the body, and stings inflicted by scorpions. The most celebrated inidwives have pronounced that there is no lotion which removes itching sen- sations more effectually ; and, with the addition of nitre,21 they prescribe it for the cure of ulcers of the head, porrigo, and cancerous sores, those of the generative organs in particular. But the fact is, and there is no impropriety in saying so, that every person's own urine is the best for his own case, due 18 From the Greek Trruw, " to spit." 19 « Argema." 30 Who had to use lant, or stale urine, in their business. 21 At a future period we shall have to discuss the identity of the "nitrum " of Pliny. See B. xxxi. c. 46. Chap. 20.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM FEMALES. 301 care being taken to apply it immediately, and unmixed with anything else ; in such cases as the bite of a dog, for instance, or the quill of a hedge-hog entering the flesh, a sponge or some wool being the vehicle in which it is applied. Kneaded up with ashes, it is good for the bite of a mad dog, and for the cure of stings inflicted by serpents. As to the bite of the scolopendra, the effects of urine are said to be quite mar- vellous— the person who has been injured has only to touch the crown of his head with a drop of his own urine, and he will experience an instantaneous cure. CHAP. 19. INDICATIONS OF HEALTH DERIVED FROM THE TJRINS. Certain indications of the health are furnished by the urine. Thus, for example, if it is white at first in the morning and afterwards high-coloured, the first signifies that the digestion is going on, the last that it is completed. When the urine is red, it is a bad sign ; but when it is swarthy, it is the worst sign of all. So, too, when it is thick or full of bubbles, it is a bad sign ; and when a white sediment forms, it is a symptom of pains in the region of the viscera or in the joints. A green- coloured urine is indicative of disease of the viscera, a pale urine of biliousness, and a red urine of some distemper in the blood. The urine is in a bad state, too, when certain objects form in it, like bran or fine clouds in appearance. A thin, white, urine also is in a diseased state ; but when it is thick and possessed of an offensive smell, it is significant of approaching death : so, too, when with children it is thin and watery. The adepts in magic expressly forbid a person, when about to make water, to uncover the body in the face of the sun22 or moon, or to sprinkle with his urine the shadow of any object- whatsoever. Hesiod23 gives a precept, recommending persons to make water against an object standing full before them, that no divinity may be offended by their nakedness being uncovered. Osthanes maintains that every one who drops some urine upon his foot in the morning will be proof against all noxious medicaments. CHAP. 20. (7.) — FORTY-ONE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE FEMALE SEX. The remedies said to be derived from the bodies of females 22 This was also one of the Pythagorean precepts. 23 Works and Days, 1. 727, et seq. 302 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. closely approach the marvellous nature of prodigies ; to say nothing of still-born infants cut up limb by liinb for the most abominable practices, expiations made with the menstrual dis- charge, and other devices which have been mentioned, not only by midwives but by harlots24 even as well ! The smell of a woman's hair, burnt, will drive away serpents, and hysterical suffocations, it is said, may be dispelled thereby. The ashes of a woman's hair, burnt in an earthen vessel, or used in combination with litharge, will cure eruptions and prurigo of the eyes : used in combination with honey they will remove warts and ulcers upon infants ; with the addition of honey and frankincense, they will heal wounds upon the head, and fill up all concavities left by corrosive ulcers ; used with hogs' lard, they will cure inflammatory tumours and gout; and applied topi- cally to the part affected, they will arrest erysipelas and hse- morrhage, and remove itching pimples on the body which resemble the stings of ants. CHAP. 21. KEMEDIES DERIVED FKOM WOMAN* S MILK. As to the uses to which woman's milk has been applied, it is generally agreed that it is the sweetest and the most deli- cate of all, and that it is the best25 of remedies for chronic fevers and cceliac affections, when the woman has just weaned her infant more particularly. In cases, too, of sickness at stomach, fevers, and gnawing sensations, it has been found by experience to be highly beneficial ; as also, in combination with frankincense, for abscesses of the mamillse. When the eyes are bloodshot from the effects of a blow, or affected with pain or defiuxion, it is a very good plan to inject woman's milk into them, more particularly in combination with honey and juice of daffodil, or else powdered frankincense. In all cases, however, the milk of a woman who has been delivered of a male child is the most efficacious, and still more so if she has had male twins ; provided always she abstains from wine and food of an acrid nature. Mixed with the white of an egg in a liquid state, and applied to the forehead in wool, it arrests 24 The use of the word "prodidere" shows that treatises had been written on these abominable subjects. Lais, Elephantis, and Salpe were probably the " meretrices" to whom he here alludes. See c. 23, and the end of this Book. 25 There is probably no foundation for this assertion. Chap. 21.] BEMEDIKS DEK1VKD FROM WOMAN'S MILK. 303 defluxions of the eyes. If a frog26 has spirted its secretions27 into the eye, woman's milk is a most excellent remedy ; and for the bite of that reptile it is used hoth internally and ex- ternally. It is asserted that if a person is rubbed at the same moment with the milk of both mother and daughter, he will be proof for the rest of his life against all affections of the eyes. Mixed with a small quantity of oil, woman's milk is a cure for diseases of the ears ; and if they are in pain from the effects of a blow, it is applied warm with goose-grease. If the ears emit an offensive smell, a thing that is mostly the case in diseases of long standing, wool is introduced into those organs, steeped in woman's milk and honey. While symptoms of jaundice are still visible in the eyes, woman's milk is injected, in combination with elaterium.28 Taken as a drink, it is pro- ductive of singularly good effects, where the poison of the sea-hare, the buprestis,29 or, as Aristotle tells us, the plant dorycnium30 has been administered ; as a preventive also of the madness produced by taking henbane. Woman's milk also, mixed with hemlock, is recommended as a liniment for gout ; while some there are who employ it for that purpose in com- bination with wool-grease31 or goose-grease ; a form in which it is used as an application for pains in the uterus. Taken as a drink, it arrests diarrhoea, Eabirius32 says, and acts as an emmenagogue ; but where the woman has been delivered of a female child, her milk is of use only for the cure of face diseases. Woman's milk is also a cure for affections of the lungs ; and, mixed with the urine of a youth who has not arrived at pu- berty, and Attic honey, in the proportion of one spoonful of each, it removes singing in the ears, I find. Dogs which have once tasted the milk of a woman who has been delivered of a male child, will never become mad, they say. 26 "Rana." He means the "rubeta" probably, or " bramble- frog/' so often mentioned by him. See Note 84, p. 290. 27 " Salivam." 2* See B. xx. c. 2. 29 See B. xxx. c. 10. Latreille has written a very able treatise on the Buprestis of the ancients, and considers it to belong to the family of Can- tharides. AnnaUs du Museum d'histoire Naturelle, Vol. xix. p. 129, et seq. 30 Convolvulus dorycnium ; see B. xx^. c. 105, and B. xxiii. c. 18. 31 " CEsypurn." See B- xxx c. 23. 33 Possibly the Epic writer of that name, mentioned by Ovid. Seneca, Quintilian, and Velleius Paterculus. 304 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. CHAP. 22. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE SPITTLE OF FEMALES. A woman's fasting spittle is generally considered highly efficacious for "bloodshot eyes : it is good also for defluxions of those organs, the inflamed corners of the eyes being moistened with it every now and then ; the result, too, is still more suc- cessful, if the woman has abstained from food and wine the day before. I find it stated that head-ache may be alleviated by tying a woman's fillet33 round the head. CHAP. 23.— FACTS CONNECTED WITH THE MENSTRUAL DISCHARGE. Over and above these particulars, there is no limit to the marvellous powers attributed to females. For, in the first place, hailstorms, they say, whirlwinds, and lightning84 even, will be scared away by a woman uncovering her body while her monthly courses are upon her. The same, too, with all other kinds of tempestuous weather ; and out at sea, a storm may be lulled by a woman uncovering her body merely, even though not menstruating at the time. As to the menstrual discharge itself, a thing that in other respects, as35 already stated on a more appropriate occasion, is productive of the most monstrous effects, there are some ravings about it of a most dreadful and unutterable nature. Of these particulars, how- ever, I do not feel so much shocked at mentioning the follow- ing. If the menstrual discharge coincides with an eclipse of the moon or sun, the evils resulting from it are irremediable ; and no less so, when it happens while the moon is in conjunc- tion with the sun; the congress with a, woman at such a period being noxious, and attended with fatal effects to the man. At this period also, the lustre of purple is tarnished by the touch of a woman : so much more baneful is her influence at this time than at any other. At any other time, also, if a woman strips herself naked while she is menstruating, and walks round a field of wheat, the caterpillars, worms, beetles, and other vermin, will fall from off the ears of corn. Metrodorus of Scepsos tells us that this discovery was first made in Cappa- docia ; and that, in consequence of such multitudes of can- 353 " Fascia." Either a stomacher, or a fillet for the head. 34 The mention of lightning here, Hardouin seems to look upon as an interpolation. 35 jn g yfj c 13 Chap. 23.] THE MENSTRUAL DISCHARGE. 305 tharides being found to breed there, it is the practice for women to walk through the middle of the fields with their garments tucked up above the thighs.36 In other places, again, it is the usage for women to go barefoot, with the hair dishevelled and the girdle loose : due precaution must be taken, however, that this is not done at sun-rise, for if so, the crop will wither and dry up. Young vines, too, it is said, are in- jured irremediably by the touch of a woman in this state ; and both rue and ivy, plants possessed of highly medicinal virtues, will die instantly upon being touched by her. Much as I have already stated on the virulent effects of this discharge, I have to state, in addition, that bees, it is a well- known fact, will forsake their hives if touched by a menstruous woman; that linen boiling in the cauldron will turn black, -that the edge of a razor will become blunted, and that copper ves- sels will contract a fetid smell and become covered with verdi- grease, on coming in contact with her. A mare big with foal, if touched by a woman in this state, will be sure to miscarry ; nay, even more than this, at the very sight of a woman, though seen at a distance even, should she happen to be menstruating for the first time after the loss of her virginity, or for the first time, while in a state of virginity. The bitu- men37 that is found in Judaea, will yield to nothing but the menstrual discharge ; its tenacity being overcome, as already stated, by the agency of a thread from a garment which has been brought in contact with this fluid. Fire itself even, an element which triumphs over every other substance, is unable to conquer this ; for if reduced to ashes and then sprinkled upon garments when about to be scoured, it will change their purple tint, and tarnish the brightness of the colours. Indeed so pernicious are its properties, that women themselves, the source from which it is derived, are far from being proof against its effects ; a pregnant woman, for instance, if touched with it, or indeed if she so much as steps over it, will be liable to miscarry. Lais and Elephantis38 have given statements quite at va- riance, on the subject of abortives ; they mention the efficacy 36 Columella describes this practice in verse, in B. x., and in B. xi. c. 3» JElian also mentions it. ^ 37 See B. vii. c. 13. Tacitus tells the same wonderful story. 38 See the end of this Book. VOL. V. X 306 PLISTY'S KATUEAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. for that purpose of charcoal of cabbage root, myrtle root, or tamarisk root, quenched in the menstrual discharge ; they say that she-asses will be barren for as many years as they have eaten barley-corns steeped in this fluid ; and they have enu- merated various other monstrous and irreconcileable properties, the one telling us, for instance, that fruitfulness may be ensured by the very same methods, which, according to the statement of the other, are productive of barrenness; to all which stories it is the best plan to refuse credit altogether. Bithus of Dyrrha- chium informs us that a mirror,39 which has been tarnished by the gaze of a^menstruous female, will recover its brightness if the same woman looks steadily upon the back of it ; he states, also, that all evil influences of this nature will be entirely neutralized, if the woman carries the fish known as the sur mullet about her person. On the other hand, again, many writers say that, baneful as it is, there are certain remedial properties in this fluid ; that it is a good plan, for instance, to use it as a topical application for gout, and that women, while menstruating, can give relief by touching scrofulous sores and imposthumes of the parotid glands, inflamed tumours, erysipelas, boils, and defluxions of the eyes. According to Lais and Salpe, the bite of a mad dog, as well as tertian or quartan fevers, may be cured by putting some menstruous blood in the wool of a black ram and enclo- sing it in a silver bracelet ; and we learn from Diotimus of Thebes that the smallest portion will suffice of any kind of cloth that has been stained therewith, a thread even, if in- serted and worn in a bracelet. The midwife Sotira informs us that the most efficient cure for tertian and quartan fevers is to rub the soles of the patient's feet therewith, the result. being still more successful if the operation is performed by the woman herself, without the patient being aware of it ; she says, too, that this is an excellent method for reviving persons when attacked with epilepsy. Icetidas the physician pledges his word that quartan fever may be cured by sexual intercourse, provided the woman is just beginning to menstruate. It is universally agreed, too, that when a person has been bitten by a dog and manifests a dread of water and of all kinds of drink, it will be quite sufficient to put under his cup a strip of cloth that has been dipped in 39 See B. vii. c. 13. Chap. 24.] KEMED1ES DEBITED FROM THE ELEPHANT. 307 this fluid ; the result being that the hydrophobia will immedi- ately disappear. This arises, no doubt, from that powerful sympathy which has been so much spoken of by the Greeks, and the existence of which is proved by the fact,40 already men- tioned, that dogs become mad upon tasting this fluid. It is awell- known fact, too, that the menstruous discharge, reduced to ashes, and applied with furnace soot and wax, is a cure for ulcers upon all kinds of beasts of burden; and that stains made upon a gar- ment with it can only be removed by the agency of the urine of the same female. Equally certain it is, too, that this fluid, re- duced to ashes and mixed with oil of roses, is very useful, applied to the forehead, for allaying head-ache, in women more parti- cularly ; as also that the nature of the discharge is most viru- lent in females whose virginity has been destroyed solely by the lapse of time. Another thing universally acknowledged and one which I am ready to believe with the greatest pleasure, is the fact, that if the door-posts are only touched with the menstruous fluid all spells of the magicians will be neutralized — a set of men the most lying in existence, as any one may ascertain. I will give an example of one of the most reasonable of their pre- scriptions— Take the parings of the toe-nails and finger-nails of a sick person, and mix them up with wax, the party saying that he is seeking a remedy for a tertian, quartan, or quotidian fever, as the case may be ; then stick this wax, before sunrise, upon the door of another person — such is the prescription they give for these diseases ! What deceitful persons they must be if there is no truth in it ! And how highly criminal, if they really do thus transfer diseases from one person to another ! Some of them, again, whose practices are of a less guilty nature, recommend that the parings of all the finger-nails should be thrown at the entrance of ant-holes, the first ant to be taken which attempts to draw one into the hole; this, they say, must be attached to the neck of the patient, and he will ex- perience a speedy cure. CHAP. 24. (8.) REMEDIES DEEIVED FROM FOREIGN ANIMALS : THE ELEPHANT, EIGHT REMEDIES. Such then are the remedies frt>m human beings which may with any degree of propriety be described, and many of those only with the leave and good -will of the reader. The rest are 40 See B. vii. c. 13. x 2 308 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. of a most execrable and infamous nature, such, in fact, as to make me hasten to close my description, of the remedies de- rived from man : we will therefore proceed to speak of the more remarkable animals, and the effects produced by them. The blood of the elephant, the male in particular, arrests all those defluxions known by the name of " rheumatismi." Ivory shavings, it is said, in combination with Attic honey, are good for the removal of spots upon the face : with the sawdust, too, of ivory, hangnails are removed. By the touch of an elephant's trunk head-ache is alleviated, if the animal happens to sneeze at the time more particularly. The right side of the trunk, attached to the body with red earth of Lemnos, acts powerfully as an aphrodisiac. Elephant's blood is good for consumption, and the liver for epilepsy. CHAP. 25. TEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE LION. Lion's fat, mixed with oil of roses, protects the skin of the face from all kinds of spots, and preserves the whiteness of the complexion ; it is remedial also for such parts of the body as have been frozen by snow, and for swellings in the joints. The frivolous lies of the magicians assert that persons who are anointed with lion's fat, will more readily win favour with kings and peoples ; more particularly when the fat has been used that lies between the eyebrows of the animal — a place, in fact, where there is no fat to be found ! The like effects they promise also from, the possession of a lion's tooth, one from the right side in particular, as also the shaggy hairs that are found upon the lower jaw. The gall, used as an ointment in combination with water, improves the eyesight, and, employed with the fat of the same animal, is a cure for epilepsy ; but a slight taste only must be taken of it, and the patient must run immediately after swallowing it, in order to digest it. A lion's heart, used as food, is curative of quartan fevers, and the fat, taken with oil of roses, of quotidian fevers. "Wild, beasts will fly from persons anointed with lion's fat, and it is thought to be a preservative even against treacherous practices. CHAP. 26. TEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE CAMEL. A camel's41 brains, dried and taken in vinegar, are a cure, they 41 Pliny has omitted the milk of the camel, which, according to Taver- nier, is an excellent cure for dropsy. Chap. 27.] EEMEDIES DEBITED FROM THE HY^NA. 309 say, for epilepsy : the same, too, -with the gall, taken with honey ; which is a remedy also for quinzy. A camel's tail dried, it is said, is productive of diarrhoea, and ashes of burnt camel's dung, mixed with oil, make the hair curl. These ashes, applied topically, are very useful for dysentery, as also taken in drink, the proper dose beiDg a pinch in three fingers at a time ; they are curative also of epilepsy. Camel's urine it is said, is very useful to fullers, and is good for the cure of running sores. Barbarous nations, we are told, are in the habit of keeping it till it is five years old, and then taking it as a purgative, in doses of one semisextarius. The hairs of the tail, it is said, plaited and attached to the left arm, are a cure for quartan fevers. CHAP. 27. SEVENTY-NINE EEMEDIES DEETVED FKOM THE HYAENA. But of all animals, it is the hyaena that has been held in the highest admiration by the magicians, who have gone so far as to attribute to it certain magical virtues even, and the power of alluring42 human beings and depriving them of their senses. Of its change of sex each year, and other monstrous peculiarities43 in its nature, we have spoken already;44 we will now proceed to describe the medicinal virtues that are ascribed to it. The hyaena, it is said, is particularly terrible to panthers ; so much so, indeed, that they will not attempt to make the slight- est resistance to it, and will never attack a man who has any portion of a hyaena's skin about him. A thing truly marvel- lous to tell of, if the hides of these two animals are hung up facing one another, the hair will fall from off the panther's skin ! When the hyaena flies before the hunter, it turns off on the right, and letting the man get before it, follows in his track ; should it succeed in doing which, the man is sure to lose his senses and fall from his horse even. But if, on the other hand, it turns off to the left, it is a sign that the animal is losing strength, and that it will soon be taken. The easiest method, however, of taking it, they say, is for the hunter to tie his girdle with seven knots, and to make as many knots in the 42 See B. viii. c. 44. 43 One peculiarity not mentioned bf Pliny, is, that its skin, like that of the sea-calf, was said to be proof against the effects of lightning. 44 In 1). viii. c. 44. 310 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI II- whip with which he guides his horse. In addition to all this, so full of quirks and subtleties are the vain conceits of the magicians, they recommend the hyaena to be captured while the moon is passing through the sign of Gemini, and every hair of it to be preserved, if possible. They say, too, that the skin of the head is highly efficacious, if attached to a person suffering from head- ache ; that the gall, applied to the fore- head, is curative of ophthalmia ; and that if the gall is boiled down with three cyathi of Attic honey and one ounce of saffron, it will be a most effectual preservative against that disease, the same preparation being equally good for the dispersion of films on the eyes and cataract. If, again, this preparation is kept till it is old, it will be all the better for improving the sight, due care being taken to preserve it in a box of Cyprian copper : they assert also, that it is good for the cure of argema, eruptions and excrescences of the eyes, and marks upon those organs. For diseases45 of the crystalline humours of the eyes, it is recommended to anoint them with the gravy of hyaena's liver roasted fresh, incorporated with clarified honey. We learn also, from the same sources, that the teeth of the hysena are useful for the cure of tooth-ache, the diseased tooth being either touched with them, or the animal's teeth being arranged in their regular order, and attached to the patient ; that the shoulders of this animal are good for the cure of pains in the arms and shoulders ; that the teeth, extracted from the left side of the jaw, and wrapped in the skin of a sheep or he- goat, are an effectual cure for pains in the stomach ; that the lights of the animal, taken with the food, are good for cceliac affections ; that the lights, reduced to ashes and applied with oil, are also soothing to the stomach ; that the marrow of the back- bone, used with old oil and gall, is strengthening to the sinews ; that the liver, tasted thrice just before the paroxysms, is good for quartan fevers ; that the ashes of the vertebrae, applied in hyaena's skin with the tongue and right foot of a sea-calf and a bull's gall, the whole boiled up together, are soothing for gout; that for the same disease hyaena's gall is advantageously em- ployed in combination with stone of Assos;46 that for cold shiver- ings, spasms, sudden fits of starting, and palpitations of the 45 " Glaucomata." Littre considers, on the authority of M. Sichel, that "Glaucoma" and "suffusio" are different names for the same disease—- cataract. 46 See B. xxxvi. c. 27. Chap. 27.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HTJENA. 311 heart, it is a good plan to eat some portion of a hyaena's heart cooked, care being taken to reduce the rest to ashes, and to apply it with the brains of the animal to the part affected ; that this last composition, or the gall applied alone, acts as a depilatory, the hairs being first plucked out which are wanted not to grow again; that by this method superfluous hairs of the eyelids may be removed ; that the flesh of the loins, eaten and applied with oil, is a cure for pains in the loins ; and that sterility in females may be removed by giving them the eye of this animal to eat, in combination with liquorice and dill, conception within three days being warranted as the result. Persons afflicted with night-mare and dread of spectres, will experience relief, they say, by attaching one of the large teeth of a hyaena to the body, with a linen thread. In fits of delirium too, it is recommended to fumigate the patient with the smoke of one of these teeth, and to attach one in front of his chest, with the fat of the kidneys, or else the liver or skin. They assert also that a pregnant woman will never miscarry, if she wears suspended from her neck, the white flesh from a hyaena's breast, with seven hairs and the genitals of a stag, the whole tied up in the skin of a gazelle. The genitals, they say, eaten with honey, act as a stimulant upon a person, according to the sex, and this even though it should be the case of a man who has manifested an aversion to all intercourse with females. Nay, even more than all this, we are assured that if the genitals and a certain joint of the vertebrae are preserved in a house with the hide adhering to them, they will ensure peace and concord between all members of the family ; hence it is * that this part is known as the " joint of the spine,"47 or ' ' At- lantian48 knot." This joint, which is the first, is reckoned among the remedies for epilepsy. The fumes of the burnt fat of this animal will put ser- pents to flight, they say ; and the jawbone, pounded with anise and taken with the food, is a cure for shivering fits. A fumi- gation made therewith has the effect of an emmenagogue ; and such are the frivolous and absurd conceits of the professors of the magic art, that they boldly assert that if a man attaches to 47 " Spinae " seems a preferable reading to " ruinse," adopted by Sillig. 48 ** Nodum Atlantion." From the Greek drKaq, "much enduring," Julius Pollux says, because it was fitted for supporting burdens. The " hinc " — " hence," of Pliny here appears to be a non sequitur. 312 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKY. [Book XXVIII. his arm a tooth from the right side of the upper jaw, he will never miss any object he may happen to aim at with a dart. The palate, dried and warmed with Egyptian alum,49 is curative of bad odours and ulcers of the mouth, care being taken to renew the application three times. Dogs, they say, will never bark at persons who have a hyaena's tongue in the shoe, beneath the sole of the foot. The left side of the brain, applied to the nostrils, is said to have a soothing effect upon all dangerous maladies either in men or beasts. They say, too, that the skin of the forehead is a preservative against all fascina- tions ; that the flesh of the neck, whether eaten or dried and taken in drink, is good for pains in the loins ; that the sinews of the back and shoulders, used as a fumigation, are good for pains in the sinews ; that the bristles of the snout, applied to a woman's lips, have all the effect of a philtre ; and that the liver, administered in drink, is curative of griping pains and urinary calculi. The heart, it is said, taken with the food or drink, is remedial for all kinds of pains in the body ; the milt for pains in the spleen ; the caul, in combination with oil, for inflammatory ul- cers ; and the marrow for pains in the spine and weakness in the sinews. The strings of the kidneys, they say, if taken with wine and frankincense, will restore fruitfulness, in cases where it has been banished through the agency of noxious spells ; the uterus, taken in drink with the rind of a sweet pomegranate, is highly beneficial for diseases of the uterus ; and the fat of the loins, used as a fumigation, removes all impediments to • delivery, and accelerates parturition. The marrow of the back, attached to the body as an amulet, is an effectual remedy for fantastic illusions,50 and the genitals of the male animal, used as a fumigation, are good for the cure of spasms. For oph- thalmia, ruptures, and inflammations, the feet, which are kept for the purpose, are touched ; the left feet for affections on the right side of the body, and the right feet for affections on the left. The left foot, if laid upon the body of a woman in travail, will be productive, they say, of fatal effects ; but the right foot, similarly employed, will facilitate delivery. The vesicle which has contained the gall, taken in wine or with the food, is 49 "We shall have occasion to make enquiry as to the identity of the " alumen " of Pliny on a future occasion. Chap. 27.] REMEDIES DEBITED FROM THE HYJEtfA. 313 beneficial for the cardiac disease ; and the bladder, taken in wine, is a good preservative against incontinence of urine. The urine, too, which is found in the bladder, taken with oil, sesame, and honey, is said to be useful for diseases of long standing. The first rib and the eighth, used as a fumigation, are said to be useful for ruptures ; the vertebrae for women in travail ; and the blood, in combination with polenta,51 for griping pains in the bowels. If the door-posts are touched with this blood, the various arts of the magicians will be rendered of no effect ; they will neither be able to summon the gods into their pre- sence nor to converse with them, whatever the method to which they have recourse, whether lamps or basin, water or globe,52 or any other method. The flesh of the hyaena, taken as food, is said to be efficacious for the bite of a mad dog, and the liver still more so. The flesh or bones of a human being which have been found in the belly of a slain hyaena, used as a fumigation, are said to be remedial for gout : but if among these remains the nails are found, it is looked upon as a presage of death to some one among those who have captured it. The excrements or bones which have been voided by the animal at the moment when killed, are looked upon as counter-charms to magic spells. The dung found in the intestines is dried and administered in drink for dysentery ; and it is applied to all parts of the body with goose-grease, in the form of a liniment, in the case of persons who have received injury from some noxious medicament. By rubbing themselves with the grease, and lying upon the skin, of a hysena, persons who have been bitten by dogs are cured. On the other hand, the ashes of the left pastern-bone, they say, boiled with weasel's blood, and applied to a person's body, will ensure universal hatred ; a similar effect being equally produced by the eye when boiled. But the most extraordinary thing of all is, their assertion that the extremity of the rectum of this animal is a preservative against all oppression on the part of chiefs and potentates, and an assurance of success in all petitions, judgments, and lawsuits, and this, if a person only carries it about him. The anus, according to them, has so 'powerful an effect as a philtre, that if it is worn on the left arm, a woman will be sure to follow the wearer the moment " See B. xviii. c. 14. « »' Pila." 314 FLINT'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. he looks at her. The hairs, too, of this part, reduced to ashes, and applied with oil to the body of a man who is living a life of disgraceful effeminacy, will render him not only modest, they assure us, but of scrupulous morals even. CHAP. 28. NINETEEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE CROCODILE. For fabulous stories connected with it the crocodile may challenge the next place ; and, indeed for cunning, the one53 which lives both upon land and in the water is fully its equal : for I would here remark, that there are two varieties of this animal. The teeth of the right jaw of the amphibious croco- dile, attached to the right arm as an amulet, acts as an aphro- disiac, that is, if we choose to believe it. The eye-teeth of the animal, filled with frankincense — for they are Jiollow — are a cure for periodical fevers, care being taken to let the patient remain five days without seeing the person who has attached them to his body. A similar virtue is attributed to the small stones which are found in the belly of this animal, as being a check to the cold shiverings in fevers, when about to come on ; and with the same object the ^Egyptians are in the habit of anointing their sick with the fat of the crocodile. The other kind of crocodile54 resembles it, but is much in- ferior in size : it lives upon land only, and among the most odoriferous flowers ; hence it is that its intestines are so greatly in request, being filled as they are with a mass of agreeable perfumes. This substance is called " crocodilea," and it is looked upon as extremely beneficial for diseases of the eyes, and for the treatment of films and cataract, being applied with leek-juice in the form of an ointment. Applied with oil of Cyprus,56 it removes blemishes growing upon the face ; and, em- ployed with water, it is a cure for all those diseases, the nature of which it is to spread upon the face, while at the same time it restores the natural tints of the skin. An application of it makes freckles disappear, as well as all kinds of spots and 53 Identified by Ajasson with the chamses, or common crocodile of the Kile. 54 See B. viii. c. 38. Identified by Ajasson with the souchos of Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire. It is equally amphibious with the other ; and the account of its habits given by Pliny is probably founded on the fact that Upper Egypt, which it inhabits, is covered with a more aromatic vegetation than the other parts of that country. 55 See B. xii. c. 51. Chap. 29.] BEMEDIE8 DERIVED FROM THE CHAMELEON. 315 pimples ; and it is taken for epilepsy, in doses of two oboli, in oxymel. Used in the form of a pessary it acts as an emmena- gogue. The best kind of crocodilea, is that which is the whitest, friable, and the lightest in weight : when rubbed between the fingers it should ferment like leaven. The usual method is to wash it, as they do white lead. It is sometimes adulterated with amylum56 or with Cimolian earth, but the most common method of sophistication is to catch the crocodiles and feed them upon nothing but rice. It is recommended as one of the most efficient remedies for cataract to anoint the eyes with crocodile's gall, incorporated with honey. We are assured also that it is highly beneficial for affections of the uterus to make fumigations with the intestines and rest of the body, or else to envelope the patient with wool impregnated with the smoke. The ashes of the skin of either crocodile, applied with vinegar to such parts of the body as are about to undergo an incision, or indeed the very smell of the skin when burning, will render the patient insensible to the knife. The blood of either croco- dile, applied to the eyes, effaces marks upon those organs and improves the sight. The body, with the exception of the head and feet, is eaten, boiled, for the cure of sciatica, and is found very useful for chronic coughs, in children more particularly : it is equally good, too, for the cure of lumbago. These animals have a certain fat also, which, applied to the hair, makes it fall off; persons anointed with this fat are effectually protected against crocodiles, and it is the practice to drop it into wounds inflicted by them. A crocodile's heart, attached to the body in the wool of a black sheep without a speck of any other colour, due care too being taken that the sheep was the first lamb yeaned by its dam, will effectually cure a quartan fever, it is said. CHAP. 29. — FIFTEEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE CHAMELEON. To these animals we shall annex some others that are equally foreign, and very similar in their properties. To begin then with the chamseleon, which Democritus has considered worthy to be made the subject of an especial work, and each part of which has been consecrated to some particular purpose — This book, in fact, has afforded me no small amusement, revealing 56 SeerB. xviii. c. 17. 316 PLINY'S TSATUEAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. as it does, and exposing the lies and frivolities of the Greeks. — In size, the chamseleon resembles the crocodile last mentioned, and only differs from it in having the back-bone arched at a more acute angle, and a larger tail. There is no animal, it is thought, more67 timid than this, a fact to which it owes its repeated changes of colour.58 It has a peculiar ascendancy over the hawk tribe ; for, according to report, it has the power of attracting those birds, when flying above it, and then leaving them a voluntary prey for other animals. Democritus89 asserts that if the head and neck of a chamseleon are burnt in a, fire made with logs of oak, it will be productive of a storm attended with rain and thunder ; a result equally produced by burning the liver upon the tiles of a house. As to the rest of the magical virtues which he ascribes to this animal, we shall forbear to mention them, although we look upon them as un- founded ;60 except, indeed, in some few instances where their very ridiculousness sufficiently refutes his assertions. The right eye, he says, taken from the living animal and applied with goats' milk, removes diseases of the crystalline humours of the«eyes ; and the tongue, attached to the body as an amulet, is an effectual preservative against the perils of child-birth. He asserts also that the animal itself will facilitate parturition, if in the house at the moment ; but if, on the other hand, it is brought from elsewhere, the consequences, he says, will be most dangerous. The tongue, he tells us, if taken from the animal alive, will ensure a favourable result to suits at law ; and the heart, attached to the body with black wool of the first shearing, is a good preservative against the attacks of quartan fever. He states also that the right fore-paw, attached to the left arm in the skin of the hyaena, is a most effectual preserva- tive against robberies and alarms at night ; that the pap on the right side is a preventive of fright and panics ; that the left foot is sometimes burnt in a furnace with the plant which also has the name of "chamaeleon,"61 and is then made up, with some unguent, into lozenges ; and that these lozenges, kept in 51 It is a timid animal, but Pliny's authorities have exaggerated its timidity/ This change of colour is in reality owing to change of locality. 59 A. Gellius tells the same story, B x. c. 12. 60 And therefore harmless, 61 See B. xxii. c. 21. Chap. 29.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE CHAMELEON. 317 a wooden vessel, have the effect, if we choose to believe him, of making their owner invisible to others ; that the possession, also, of the right shoulder of this animal will ensure victory over all adversaries or enemies, provided always the party throws the sinews of the shoulder upon the ground and treads them under foot. As to the left shoulder of the chamaeleon, I should be quite ashamed to say to what monstrous purposes Demoeri- tus devotes it; how that dreams may be produced by the agency thereof, and transferred to any person we may think proper ; how that these dreams may be dispelled by the em- ployment of the right foot ; and how that lethargy, which has been produced by the right foot of this animal, may be removed by the agency of the left side. So, too, head -ache, he tells us, may be cured by sprinkling wine upon the head, in which either flank of a chamaeleon has been macerated. If the feet are rubbed with the ashes of the left thigh or foot, mixed with sow's milk, gout, he says, will be the result. It is pretty generally believed, however, that cataract and diseases of the crystalline humours of the eyes may be cured by anointing those organs with the gall for three consecutive days ; that serpents may be put to flight by drop- ping some of it into the fire ; that weasels may be attracted by water into which it has been thrown ; and that, applied to the body, it acts as a depilatory. The liver, they say, applied with the lungs of a bramble- frog, is productive of a similar effect : in addition to which, we are told that the liver counteracts the effects of philtres ; that persons are cured of melancholy by drinking from the warm skin of a chamaeleon the juice of the plant known by that name ; and that if the intestines of the animal and their contents — we should bear in mind that in reality the animal lives without food62 — are mixed with apes* urine, and the doors of an enemy are besmeared with the mixture, he will, through its agency, become the object of universal hatred. We are told, too, that by the agency of the tail, the course of rivers and torrents may be stopped, and serpents struck with torpor ; that the tail, prepared with cedar and myrrh, and tied to a double branch of the date-palm, will divide waters that are smitten therewith, and so disclose every- 62 See B. viii. c. 51. Flits and gnats are, in reality, its food. 318 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOEY. [Book XXVIII, thing that lies at the bottom — and I only wish63 that Democri- tus himself had been touched up with this branch of palm, seeing that, as he tells us, it has the property of putting an end to immoderate garrulity. It is quite evident that this philosopher, a man who has shown himself so sagacious in other respects, and so useful to his fellow-men, has been led away, in this instance, by too earnest a desire to promote the welfare of mankind. CHAP. 30. — FOTJE KEMEDIES DEKIVED FROM THE SCINCUS. Similar in appearance to the preceding animals is the scincus,64 which by some writers has been called the land crocodile ; it is, however, whiter in appearance, and the skin is not so thick. But the main difference between it and the cro- codile is in the arrangement of the scales, which run from the tail towards the head. The largest of these animals is the Indian scincus, and next to it that of Arabia ; they are brought here salted. The muzzle and fat of the scincus, taken in white wine, act as an aphrodisiac ; when used with satyrion65 and rocket-seed more particularly, in the proportion of one drachma of each, mixed with two drachmae of pepper ; the whole being made up into lozenges of one drachma each, and so taken in drink. The flesh from the flanks, taken internally in a similar manner, in doses of two oboli, with myrrh and pepper, is generally thought to be productive of a similar effect, and to be even more efficacious for the purpose. According to Apelles, the flesh of the scincus is good for wounds inflicted by poisoned arrows, whether taken before or after the wound is inflicted : it is used as an ingredient, also, in the most celebrated anti- dotes. Sextius tells us, that, taken in doses of more than one drachma, in one semisextarius of wine, the flesh is productive of deadly results : he adds,' too, that a broth prepared from it, taken with honey, acts as an ant aphrodisiac. CHAP. 31. SEVEN BEMEDIES DEKIVED FEOM THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. Between the crocodile, too, and the hippopotamus there is a certain affinity, frequenting as they do the same river, and being both of them of an amphibious nature. The hippopo- 63 One of the few pieces of wit in which Pliny is found to indulge. 64 See B. viii. c. 38. Probably the Lacerta ouaran of Cuvier. 65 bee B. xxvi. c. 62. Chap. 33.] MEDICINAL USES OF MILK. 319 tamus was the first inventor of the practice of letting blood, a fact to which we have66 made allusion on a previous occasion : it is found, too, in the greatest numbers in the parts above the prefecture of Sais. The hide, reduced to ashes and applied with water, is cura- tive of inflamed tumours, and the fat, as well as the dung, used as a fumigation, is employed for the cure of cold agues. With the teeth of the left side of the jaw, the gums are scarified for the cure of tooth-ache. The skin of the left side of the forehead, attached to the groin, acts as an antaphrodisiac; and an application of the ashes of the same part will cause the hair to grow when lost through alopecy. The testes are taken in water, in doses of one drachma, for the cure of injuries inflicted by serpents. The blood is made use of by painters. CHAP. 32. FIVE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE LYNX. To foreign countries, also, belongs the lynx, which of all quadrupeds is possessed of the most piercing sight. It is said that in the Isle of Carpathus a most powerful medicament is obtained by reducing to ashes the nails of the lynx, together with the hide ; that these ashes, taken in drink, have the effect of checking abominable desires in men; and that, if they are sprinkled upon women, all libidinous thoughts will be restrained. They are good too for the removal of itching sensations in any part of the body. The urine of the lynx is a remedy for strangury ; for which reason the animal, it is said, is in the habit of rooting up the ground and covering it the moment it is voided.67 It is mentioned, too, that this urine is an effectual remedy for pains in the throat. Thus much with reference to foreign animals. CHAP. 33. (9.) — REMEDIES FURNISHED IN COMMON BY ANIMALS OF THE SAME CLASS, WHETHER WILD OR TAME. FIFTY-FOUR MEDICINAL USES OF MILK, WITH OBSERVATIONS THEREON. We will now return to our own part of the wcrld, speaking, first of all, of certain remedies common to animals in general, but excellent in their nature ; such as the use of milk, for example. The most beneficial milk to every creature is the mother's68 milk. It is highly dangerous for nursing women to 66 In B. viii. c. 40. 67 See E. viii. c. 57. 68 Except, of course, when the mother is in a state of disease. 320 PLINY' a NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXYI1I. conceive : children that are suckled by them are known among us as " colostrati,"69 their inilk being thick, like cheese in ap- pearance— the name " colostra,"70 it should be remembered, is given to the first milk secreted after delivery, which assumes a spongy, coagulated form. The most nutritive milk, in all cases, is woman's milk, and next to that goats' milk, to which is owing, probably, the fabulous story that Jupiter was suckled, by a goat.71 The sweetest, next to woman's milk, is camels' milk ; but the most efficacious, medicinally speaking, is asses' milk. It is in animals of the largest size and individuals of the greatest bulk, that the milk is secreted with the greatest facility. Goats' milk agrees the best with the stomach, that animal browsing more than grazing. Cows' milk is considered more medicinal, while ewes' milk is sweeter and more nutri- tive, but not so well adapted to the stomach, it being more oleaginous than any other. Every kind of milk is more aqueous in spring than in sum- mer, and the same in all cases where the animal has grazed upon a new pasture. The best milk of all is that which adheres to the finger nail, when placed there, and does not run from off it. Milk is most harmless when boiled, more particularly if sea pebbles72 have been boiled with it. Cows' milk is the most relaxing, and all kinds of milk are less apt to inflate when boiled. Milk is used for all kinds of internal ulcerations, those of the kidneys, bladder, intestines, throat, and lungs in particular ; and externally, it is employed for itching sensations upon the skin, and for purulent eruptions, it being taken fasting for the purpose. We have already73 stated, when speaking of the plants, how that in Arcadia cows' milk is administered for phthisis, consumption, and cachexy. Instances are cited, also, of persons who have been cured of gout in the hands and feet, by drinking asses' milk. To these various kinds of milk, medical men have added another, to which they have given the name of " schiston ;"74 69 See B. xi. c. 96. Dalechamps remarks that Pliny is in error here : this name being properly given to infants which have been put to the breast too soon after child-birth. And so it would appear from the context. 0 The " biestings." 71 Amalthaea, • Dioscorides says " river pebbles." 73 jn 3. ^y, Cj 53. 74 From the Greek " Same." Chap. 48.] REMEDIES FOE THE EARS. 337 and with woman's milk, for rupture of the coats of the eye. For all these purposes, the gall is considered the most effica- cious, when dried. Nor is the dung of this animal held in disesteem, being applied with honey for defluxions of the eyes. The marrow, too, of a goat, or a hare's lights, we find used for pains in the eyes ; and the gall of a goat, with raisin wine or honey, for the dispersion of films upon those organs. It is recommended also, for ophthalmia, to anoint the eyes with wolf's fat or swine's marrow : we find it asserted, too, that per- sons who carry a wolf's tongue, inserted in a bracelet, will always be exempt from ophthalmia. CHAP. 48. REMEDIES FOR DISEASES AND AFFECTIONS OF THE EARS. Pains and diseases of the ears are cured by using the urine of a wild boar, kept in a glass vessel, or the gall of a wild boar, swine, or ox, mixed with castor-oil and oil of roses in equal proportions. But the best remedy of all is bull's gall, warmed with leek juice, or with honey, if there is any suppu- ration. Bull's gall too, warmed by itself in a pomegranate rind, is an excellent remedy for offensive exhalations from the ears : in combination with woman's milk, it is efficacious as a cure for ruptures of those organs. Some persons are of opinion that it is a good plan to wash the ears with this preparation in cases where the hearing is affected ; while others again, after washing the ears with warm water, insert a mixture composed of the old slough of a serpent and vinegar, wrapped up in a dossil of wool. In cases, however, where the deafness is very considerable, gall warmed in a pomegranate rind with myrrh and rue, is injected into the ears; sometimes, also, fat bacon is used for this purpose, or fresh asses' dung, mixed with oil of roses: in all cases, however, the ingredients should be warmed. The foam from a horse's mouth is better still, or the ashes of fresh horse dung, mixed with oil of roses : fresh butter too is good ; beef-suet mixed with goose-grease ; the urine of a bull or she- goat ; or fullers' lant, heated to such a degree that the steam escapes by the neck of the vessel. For this purpose also, one third part of vinegar is mixed with a small portion of the urine of a calf, which has not begun to graze. They apply also to the ears calf's dung, mixed with the gall of that animal VOL. V. Z S38 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. and sloughs of serpents, care being taken to warm the ears be- fore the application, and all the remedies being wrapped in wool. Veal-suet, too, is used, with goose-grease and extract of ocimum ; or else veal marrow, mixed with bruised cummin and injected into the ears. For pains in the ears, the liquid ejected by a boar in copulation is used, due care being taken to receive it before it falls to the ground. For fractures of the ears, a glutinous composition is made from the genitals of a calf, which is dissolved in water when used ; and for other diseases of those organs, foxes' fat is employed, goat's gall mixed with rose-oil warmed, or else extracted juice of leeks : in all cases where there is any rupture, these preparations are used in combination with woman's milk. Where a patient is suffering from hardness of hearing, ox- gall is employed, with the urine of a he or she-goat ; the same, too, where there is any suppuration. Whatever the purpose for which they are wanted, it is the general opinion that these substances are more efficacious when they have been smoked in a goat's horn for twenty days. Hare's rennet, too, is highly spoken of, taken in Aminean41 wine, in the proportion of one third of a denarius of rennet to one half of a denarius of sacopenum.42 Bears' grease, mixed with equal proportions of wax and bull-suet, is a cure for imposthumes of the parotid glands : some persons add hy- pocisthis43 to the composition, or else content themselves with employing butter only, after first fomenting the parts affected with a decoction of fenugreek, the good effects of which are augmented by strychnos. The testes, too, of the fox, are very useful for this purpose ; as also bull's blood, dried and reduced to powder. She-goats' urine, made warm, is used as an injec* tion for the ears ; and a liniment is made of the dung of those animals, in combination with axle- grease. CHAP. 49. REMEDIES FOR TOOTH- ACHE. The ashes of deer's horns strengthen loose teeth and allay tooth-ache, used either as a friction or as a gargle. Some persons, however, are of opinion that the horn, unburnt and reduced to powder, is still more efficacious for all these purposes. Denti- frices are made both from the powder and the ashes. Another 41 See B. xiv. c. 4. ** See B. xx. c. 75. 43 See B. xxvi. c. 31. Chap. 49.] BEMEDIES TOB TOOTH-ACHE. 339 excellent remedy is a wolf's head, reduced to ashes : it is a well-known fact, too, that there are bones generally found in the excrements of that animal ; these bones, attached to the body as an amulet, are productive of advantageous effects. For the cure of tooth-ache, hare's rennet is injected into the ear : the head also of that animal, reduced to ashes, is used in the form of a dentifrice, and, with the addition of nard, is a correc- tive of bad breath. Some persons, however, think it a better plan to mix the ashes of a mouse's head with the dentifrice. In the side of the hare there is a bone found, similar to a, needle in appearance : for the cure of tooth-ache it is recom- mended to scarify the gums with this bone. The pastern-bone of an ox, ignited and applied to loose teeth which ache, has the effect of strengthening them in the sockets ; the same bone, reduced to ashes, and mixed with myrrh, is also used as a denti- frice. The ashes of burnt pig's feet are productive of a similar effect, as also the calcined bones of the cotylo'id cavities in which the hip-bones move. It is a well-known fact, that, introduced into the throat of beasts of burden, these bones are a cure for worms, and that, in a calcined state, they are good for strength- ening the teeth. When the teeth have been loosened by a blow, they are strengthened by using asses' milk, or else ashes of the burnt teeth of that animal, or a horse's lichen, reduced to powder, and injected into the ear with oil. By lichen45 1 do not mean the hippomanes, a noxious substance which I purposely forbear to enlarge upon, but an excrescence which forms upon the knees of horses, and just above the hoofs. In the heart46 of this animal there is also found a bone which bears a close resemblance to the eye-teeth of a dog : if the gums are scarified with this bone, or with a tooth taken from the jaw-bone of a dead horse, corresponding in place with the tooth affected, the pain will be removed, they say. Anaxilaiis assures us that if the liquid which, exudes from a mare when covered, is ignited on the wick of a lamp, it will give out a most marvellous representation47 of horses' heads ; and the same with reference 44 See B. xxi. c. 105. 45 See B. viii. c. 66. 46 See B. xi. c. 70. Ajasson remarks that this bone is only found in animals that have undergone much fatigue, and that it results from the consolidation of certain tendinous fibres which form the ligament of the heart. 47 " Capitum visus " seems to be a more probable reading than " capi- z 2 340 FLINT'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. to the she-ass. As to the hippomanes, it is possessed of proper- ties so virulent and so truly magical, that if it is only thrown into fused metal48 which is being cast into the resemblance of an Olympian mare, it will excite in all stallions that approach it a perfect frenzy for copulation. Another remedy for diseases of the teeth is joiners' glue, boiled in water and applied, care being taken to remove it very speedily, and instantly to rinse the teeth with wine in which sweet pomegranate-rind has been boiled. It is considered, also, a very efficacious remedy to wash the teeth with goats' milk, or bull's gall. The pastern-bones of a she-goat just killed, reduced to ashes, and indeed, to avoid the necessity for repetition, of any other four-footed beast reared in the farm- yard, are considered to make an excellent dentifrice. CHAP. 50. (12.) REMEDIES FOB DISEASES OF THE FACE. It is generally believed that asses' milk effaces wrinkles in the face, renders the skin more delicate, and preserves its white- ness : and it is a well-known fact, that some women are in the habit of washing their face with it seven49 hundred times daily, strictly observing that number. Poppa3a, the wife of the Emperor Nero, was the first to practise this ; indeed, she had sitting-baths, prepared solely with asses' milk, for which pur- pose whole troops of she- asses50 used to attend her on her jour- nies.51 Purulent eruptions on the face are removed by an application of butter, but white lead, mixed with the butter, is an improvement. Pure butter, alone, is used for serpigi- nous eruptions of the face, a layer of barley-meal being pow- dered over it. The caul of a cow that has just calved, is applied, while still moist, to ulcers of the face. The following recipe may seem frivolous, but still, to please the women,52 it must not be omitted ; the pastern-bone of a white steer, they say, boiled forty days and forty nights, till it is turn usus " given by Sillig. Be it what it may, the meaning of the pas- sage is doubtful. 48 See -Elian, Var. Hist. xiv. 18. 49 There surely must be a wrong reading here, or he cannot intend this to be understood literally. w See B. xi. c. 96. 91 One of the mistresses of Louis XV. not only did this, but (in a spirit of great charity and consideration, of course) gave the milk to the poor after she had thus used it. « " Ad deside:ri£ mulierum." Chap. 50.] REMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF THE FACE. 341 quite dissolved, and then applied to the face in a linen cloth, will remove wrinkles and preserve the whiteness of the skin. An application of bull's dung, they say, will impart a rosy tint to the cheeks, and not crocodilea53 even is better for the purpose ; the face, however, must be washed with cold water, both before and after the application. Sun-burns and all other discolorations of the skin, are removed by the aid of calves' dung kneaded up by hand with oil and gum ; ulcerations and chaps of the mouth, by an application of veal or beef-suet, mixed with goose-grease and juice of ocirnum. There is another composition, also, made of veal - suet with stag's marrow and leaves of white- thorn, the whole beaten up together. Marrow, too, mixed with resin, even if it be cow marrow only, is equally good ; and the broth of cow-beef is productive of similar effects. A most excellent remedy for lichens on the face is a glutinous substance prepared from the genitals of a male calf, melted with vinegar and live sulphur, and stirred together with the branch of a fig-tree : this com- position is applied twice a day, and should be used quite fresh. This glue, similarly prepared from a decoction of honey and vinegar, is a cure for leprous spots, which are also removed by applying a he- goat's liver warm. Elephantiasis, too, is removed by an application of goats1 gall ; and leprous spots and furfuraceous eruptions by em- ploying bull's gall with the addition of nitre, or else asses' urine about the rising of the Dog-star. Spots on the face are re- moved by either bull's gall or ass's gall diluted in water by itself, care being taken to avoid the sun or wind after the skin has peeled off. A similar effect is produced, also, by using bull's gall or calf s gall, in combination with seed of cunila and the ashes of a deer's horn, burnt at the rising of Canicula. Asses' fat, in particular, restores the natural colour to scars and spots on the skin caused by lichen or leprosy. A he-goat's gall, mixed with cheese, live sulphur, and sponge reduced to ashes, effectually removes freckles, the composition being brought to the consistency of honey before being applied. Some persons, however, prefer using dried gall, and mix with it warm bran, in the proportion of one obolus to four oboli of honey, the spots being rubbed briskly first. He-goat suet, too, is highly 53 See c. 28 of this Book. 342 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXVIII. efficacious, used in combination with gith, sulphur, and iris; this mixture being also employed, with goose-grease, stag's marrow, resin, and lime, for the cure of cracked lips. I find it stated by certain authors, that persons who have freckles on the skin are looked upon as disqualified from taking any part in the sacrifices prescribed by the magic art. CHAP. 51. REMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF THE TONSILLARY GLANDS, AND FOR SCROFULA. Cow's milk or goat's milk is good for ulcerations of the tonsillary glands and of the trachea. It is used in the form of a gargle, warm from the udder or heated, goat's milk being the best, boiled with mallows and a little salt. A broth made from tripe is an excellent gargle for ulcerations of the tongue and trachea; and for diseases of the tonsillary glands, the kidneys of a fox are considered a sovereign remedy^, dried and beaten up with honey, and applied externally. For quinzy, bull's gall or goat's gall is used, mixed with honey. A badger's liver, taken in water, is good for offensive breath, and butter has a healing effect upon ulcerations of the mouth. When a pointed or other substance has stuck in the throat, by rubbing it exter- nally with cats' dung, the substance, they say, will either come up again or pass downwards into the stomach. Scrofulous sores are dispersed by applying the gall of a wild boar or of an ox, warmed for the purpose : but it is only when the sores are ulcerated that hare's rennet is used, applied in a linen cloth with wine. The ashes of the burnt hoof of an ass or horse, applied with oil or water, is good for dispersing scrofu- lous sores ; warmed urine also ; the ashes of an ox's hoof, taken in water ; cow-dung, applied hot with vinegar ; goat- suet with lime ; goats' dung, boiled in vinegar ; or the testes of a fox. Soap,54 too, is very useful for this purpose, an invention of the Gauls for giving a reddish58 tint to the hair. This substance is prepared from tallow and ashes, the best ashes for the purpose being those of the beech and yoke-elm : there are two kinds of it, the hard soap and the liquid, both of them much used by the people of Germany, the men, in particular, more than the women. 54 See Beckraann's Hist. Inv. II. 92-3, Bohris Ed., where this sub- ject is treated at considerable length. 55 " Rutilandis capillis." Chap. 53.] BEMEDIES FOB COUGH. 343 CHAP. 52. KEMEDIES FOE PAINS IN THE NECK. For pains in the neck, the part should be well rubbed with butter or bears' grease ; and for a stiff neck, with beef suet, a substance which, in combination with oil, is very useful for the cure of scrofula. For the painful cramp, attended with inflexibility, to which people give the name of " opisthotony," the urine of a she-goat, injected into the ears, is found very useful ; as also a liniment made of the dung of that animal, mixed with bulbs. In cases where the nails have been crushed, it is an excel- lent plan to attach to them the gall of any kind of animal. Whitlows upon the fingers should be treated with dried bull's gall, dissolved in warm water. Some persons are in the habit of adding sulphur and alum, of each an equal weight. CHAP. 53. REMEDIES FOR COUGH AND FOR SPITTING OF BLOOD. A wolf's liver, administered in mulled wine, is a cure for cough ; a bear's gall also, mixed with honey ; the ashes of the tips of a cow's horn ; or else the saliva of a horse, taken in the drink for three consecutive days — in which last case the horse will be sure to die, they say.66 A deer's lights are useful for the same purpose, dried with the gullet of the animal in the smoke, and then beaten up with honey, and taken daily as an electuary : the spitter67 deer, be it remarked, is the kind that is the most efficacious for the purpose. Spitting of blood is cured by taking ashes of burnt deer's horns, or else a hare's rennet in drink, in doses of one-third of a denarius, with Samian earth and myrtle- wine. The dung of this last animal, reduced to ashes and taken in the evening, with wine, is good for coughs that are recurrent at night. The smoke, too, of a hare's fur, inhaled, has the effect of bring- ing off from the lungs such humours as are difficiflt to be dis- charged by expectoration. Purulent ulcerations of the chest and lungs, and bad breath proceeding from a morbid state of the lungs, are successfully treated with butter boiled with an equal quantity of Attic honey till it assumes a reddish hue, a spoonful of the mixture being taken by the patient every morning : some persons, however, instead of honey prefer using larch-resin for the purpose. In cases where there are 56 " Earn mori tradimt." The reading here is very doubtful. * "Subulo." 344 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTOBT. [Book XX VI II. discharges of blood, cow's blood, they say, is good, taken in small quantities with vinegar ; but as to bull's blood, it would be a rash thing to believe in any such recommendation. For inveterate spitting of blood, bull-glue is taken, in doses of three oboli, in warm water. CHAP. 54. (13.) — BEMEDIES FOR AFFECTIONS OF THE STOMACH. Ulcerations of the stomach are effectually treated with asses' milk58 or cows' milk. For gnawing pains in that region, beef is stewed, with vinegar and wine. Fluxes are healed by taking the ashes of burnt deer's horns ; and discharges of blood by drinking the blood of a kid just killed, made hot, in doses of three cyathi, with equal proportions of vinegar and tart wine ; or else by taking kid's rennet, with twice the quantity of vinegar. CHAP. 55. REMEDIES FOR LIVER COMPLAINTS AND FOR ASTHMA. Liver complaints are cured by taking a wolf's liver dried, in honied wine ; or by using the dried liver of an ass, with twice the quantity of rock-parsley and three nuts, the whole beaten up with honey and taken with the food. The blood, too, of a he-goat is prepared and taken with the food. For persons suf- fering from asthma, the most efficient remedy of all is the blood of wild horses59 taken in drink ; and next to that, asses' milk boiled with bulbs, the whey being the part used, with the addition of nasturtium steeped in water and tempered with honey, in the proportion of one cyathus of nasturtium to three semi-sextarii of whey. The liver or lights of a fox, taken in red wine, or bear's gall in water, facilitate the respiration. CHAP. 56. REMEDIES FOR PAINS IN THE LOINS. For pains in the loins and all other affections which require emollients, frictions with bears' grease should be used ; or else ashes of stale boars' dung or swine's dung should be mixed with wine and given to the patients. The magicians, too, have added to this branch of medicine their own fanciful devices. In the first place of all, madness in he-goats, they say, may be effectually calmed by stroking the beard ; and if the beard is cut off, the goat will never stray to another flock. 58 Asses' milk is still recommended for pulmonary phthisis. w See B. viii. c. 16. Chap. 57.] REMEDIES FOR AFFECTIONS OF THE SPLEEN. 345 To the above composition they add goats' dung, and recom- mend it to be held in the hollow of the hand, as hot as possible, a greased linen cloth being placed beneath, and care being taken to hold it in the right hand if the pain is on the left side, and in the left hand if the pain is on the right. They recommend also that the dung employed for this purpose should be taken up on the point of a needle made of copper. The mode of treatment is, for the patient to hold the mixture in his hand till the heat is felt to have penetrated to the loins, after which the hand is rubbed with a pounded leek, and the loins with the same dung annealed with honey. They prescribe also for the same malady the testes of a hare, to be eaten by the patient. In cases of sciatica they are for applying cow-dung warmed upon hot ashes in leaves : and for pains in the kidneys they recommend a hare's kidneys to be swallowed raw, or perhaps boiled, but without letting them be touched by the teeth. If a person carries about him the pastern-bone of a hare, he wifl never be troubled with puins in the bowels, they say. CHAP. 57. REMEDIES FOB AFFECTIONS OF THE SPLEEN. Affections of the spleen are alleviated by taking the gall of a wild boar or hog in drink ; ashes of burnt deer's horns in vinegar ; or, what is best of all, the dried spleen of an ass, the good effects being sure to be felt in the course of three days. The first dung voided by an ass's foal — a substance known as "polea"60 by the people of Syria — is administered in oxymel for these complaints ; a dried horse tongue, too, is taken in wine, a sovereign remedy which, Caecilius Bion tells us, he first heard of when living among the barbarous nations. The milt of a cow or ox is used in a similar manner.; but when it is quite fresh, the practice is to roast or boil it and take it with the food. For pains in the liver a topical application is made by bruising twenty heads of garlick in one sextarius of vinegar, and applying them in a piece of ox bladder. For the same malady the magicians recommend a calf's milt, bought at the price set upon it and without any haggling, that being an important point, and one that should be religiously observed. This done, the milt must be cut in two lengthwise, and attached 80 This would appear to be a Greek word in reality. 346 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. to the patient's shirt,61 on either side ; after which, the patient must put it on and let the pieces fall at his feet, and must then pick them up, and dry them in the shade. While this last is doing, the diseased liver of the patient will gradually contract, they say, and he will eventually be cured. The lights, too, of a fox are very useful for this purpose, dried on hot ashes and taken in water ; the same, too, with a kid's milt, applied to the part affected. CHAP. 58. (14.) REMEDIES FOR BOWEL COMPLAINTS. To arrest looseness of the howels, deer's blood is used ; the ashes also of deer's horns ; the liver of a wild boar, taken fresh and without salt, in wine ; a swine's liver roasted, or that of a he-goat, boiled in five semisextarii of wine ; a hare's rennet boiled, in quantities the size of a chick-pea, in wine, or, if there are symptoms of fever, in water. To this last some persons add nut-galls, while others, again, content themselves with hare's blood boiled by itself in milk. Ashes, too, of burnt horse-dung are taken in water for this purpose ; or else ashes of the part of an old bull's horn which lies nearest the root, sprinkled in water ; the blood, too, of a he-goat boiled upon charcoal ; or a decoction made from a goat's hide boiled with the hair on. For relaxing the bowels a horse's rennet is used, or else the blood, marrow, or liver of a she-goat. A similar effect is pro- duced by applying a wolf's gall to the navel, with elaterium;62 by taking mares' milk, goats' milk with salt and honey, or a she-goat's gall with juice of cyclaminos,63 and a little alum — in which last case some prefer adding nitre and water to the mixture. Bull's gall, too, is used for a similar purpose, beaten up with wormwood and applied in the form of a suppository ; or butter is taken, in considerable doses. Cceliac affections and dysentery are cured by taking cow's liver ; ashes of deer's horns, a pinch in three fingers swallowed in water ; hare's rennet, kneaded up in bread, or, if there is any discharge of blood, taken with polenta ;64 or else boar's 61 " Tunica." 62 See B. xx. c. 2. 63 See B. xxv. c. 67. Mares' milk is not a purgative ; and goats' milk, as Ajasson remarks, is somewhat astringent. Juice of Cyclamen, on the other hand, or sow-bread, is highly purgative. 64 See B. xviii. c. 14. Chap. 58.] REMEDIES FOE BOWEL COMPLAINTS. 347 dung, swine's dung, or hare's dung, reduced to ashes and mixed with mulled wine. Among the remedies, also, for the coeliac flux and dysentery, veal broth is reckoned, a remedy very commonly used. If the patient takes asses' milk for these complaints, it will be all the better if honey is added ; and no less efficacious for either complaint are the ashes of asses* dung taken in wine ; or else polea, the substance above65-mentioned. In such cases, even when attended with a discharge of blood, we find a horse's rennet recommended, by some persons known as " hippace ;" ashes of burnt horse-dung ; horses' teeth pounded ; and boiled cows' milk. In cases of dysentery, it is recommended to add a little honey ; and, for the cure of grip- ing pains, ashes of deer's horns, bull's gall mixed with cum- min, or the flesh of a gourd, should be applied to the navel. For both complaints new cheese made of cows' milk is used, as an injection ; butter also, in the proportion of four semi- sextarii to two ounces of turpentine, or else employed with a de- coction of mallows or with oil of roses. Veal-suet or beef-suet is also given, and the marrow of those animals is boiled with meal, a little wax, and some oil, so as to form a sort of pottage. This marrow, too, is kneaded up with bread for a similar pur- pose ; or else goats' milk is used, boiled down to one half. In cases, too, where there are gripings in the bowels, wine of the first running66 is administered. . For the last-named pains, some persons are of opinion that it is a sufficient remedy to take a single dose of hare's rennet in mulled wine ; though others again, who are more distrustful, are in the habit of applying a liniment to the abdomen, made of goats' blood, barley -meal, and resin. For all defluxions of the bowels it is recommended to apply soft cheese, and for cceliac affections and dysentery old cheese, powdered, one cyathus of cheese being taken in three cyathi of ordinary wine. Goats' blood is boiled down with the marrow of those animals for the cure of dysentery ; and the cceliac flux is effectually treated with the roasted liver of a she- goat, or, what is still better, the liver of a he-goat boiled in astringent wine, and administered in the drink, or else applied to the navel with oil of myrtle. Some persons boil down the liver in three sextarii of water to half a sextarius, and then add rue to it. 65 In Chap. 57 of this Book. 66 " Protropum." See B. xiv. cc. 9. 11. 348 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. The milt of a he or she-goat is sometimes roasted for this pur- pose, or the suet of a he-goat is incorporated in bread baked upon the ashes ; the fat, too, of a she-goat, taken from the kidneys more particularly, is used. This last, however, must be taken by itself and swallowed immediately, being generally recom- mended to be taken in water moderately cool. Some persons, too, boil goats' suet in water, with a mixture of polenta, cum- min, anise, and vinegar ; and for the cure of cceliac affections, they rub the abdomen with a decoction of goats' dung and honey. For both the coaliac flux and dysentery, kid's rennet is employed, taken in myrtle wine in pieces the size of a bean, or else kid's blood, prepared in the form of a dish known by the name of "sanguiculus."67 For dysentery an injection is employed, made of bull glue dissolved in warm water. Flatu- lency is dispelled by a decoction of calf's dung in wine. For intestinal affections deer's rennet is highly recommended, boiled with beef and lentils, and taken with the food ; hare's fur, also reduced to ashes and boiled with honey; or boiled goat's milk, taken with a small quantity of mallows and some salt ; if rennet is added, the remedy will be all the more effec- tual. Goat suet, taken in any kind of broth, is possessed of similar virtues, care being taken to swallow cold water imme- diately after. The ashes of a kid's thighs are said to be mar- vellously efficacious for intestinal hernia ; as also hare's dung, boiled with honey, and taken daily in pieces the size of a bean ; indeed, these remedies are said to have proved effectual in cases where a cure has been quite despaired of. The broth too, made from a goat's head, boiled with the hair on, is highly recommended. CHAP. 59. REMEDIES FOR TENESMUS, TAPEWORM, AND AFFECTIONS OF THE COLON. The disease called " tenesmus," or in other words, a frequent and ineffectual desire to go to stool, is removed by drinking asses' milk or cows' milk. The various kinds of tapeworm68 are expelled by taking the ashes of deer's horns in drink. The bones 67 A kind of black pudding. Dupinet, the old French translator, says that in his time the people of the Alpine regions still called this dish sancfot. 68 He uses " taenia" probably, as a general name for intestinal worms. Chap. 60.] AFFECTIONS OF THE BLADDER. 349 which we have spoken69 of as being found in the excrements of the wolf, worn attached to the arm, are curative of diseases of the colon, provided they have not been allowed to touch the ground. Polea, too, a substance already mentioned,70 is re- markably useful for this purpose, boiled in grape juice :71 the same too with swine's dung, powdered and mixed with cum- min, in a decoction of rue. The antler of a young stag, reduced to ashes and taken in wine, mixed with African snails, crushed with the shells on, is considered a very useful remedy. CHAP. 60. (15.) REMEDIES FOE AFFECTIONS OF THE BLADDEE, AND FOE UELNAEY CALCULI. Diseases of the bladder, and the torments attendant upon calculi, are treated with the urine of a wild boar, or the bladder of that animal taken as food ; both of them being still more efficacious if they have been thoroughly soaked first. The bladder, when eaten, should be boiled first, and if the patient is a female, it should be a sow's bladder. There are found in the liver of the wild boar certain small stones,72 or what in hardness resemble small stones, of a white hue, and resembling those found in the liver of the common swine : if these stones are pounded and taken in wine, they will expel calculi, it is said. So oppressed is the wild boar by the bur- den of his urine,73 that if he has not first voided it, he is unable to take to flight, and suffers himself to be taken as though he were enchained to the spot. This urine, they say, has a consuming effect upon urinary calculi. The kidneys of a hare, dried and taken in wine, act as an expellent upon calculi. We have already74 mentioned that in the gammon of the hog there are certain joint-bones ; a decoction made from them is remarkably useful for urinary affections. The kidneys of an ass, dried and pounded, and administered in undiluted wine, are a cure for diseases of the bladder. The excrescences that grow on horses' legs, taken for forty days in ordinary wine or honied wine, expel urinary calculi. The ashes, too, of 69 In c. 49 of this Book. 70 In c. 57 of this Book. 71 " Sapa." Grape-juice boiled down to two-thirds : see B. xiv. c. 11. 72 In reality, these are biliary calculi, found in the gall-bladder of the animal. They are called " bezoar " stones, from a Persian word signifying " destructive to poison." 73 See B. viii. c. 77. 74 In c. 49 of this Book. 350 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. a horse's hoof, taken in wine or water, are considered highly useful for this purpose ; and the same with the dung of a she- goat — if a wild goat, all the better — taken in honied wine : goats' hair, too, is used, reduced to ashes. For carbuncles upon the generative organs, the brains and blood of a wild boar or swine are highly recommended : and for serpiginous affections of those parts, the liver of those animals is used, burnt upon juniper wood more particularly, and mixed with papyrus and arsenic ;75 the ashes, also, of their dung; ox-gall, kneaded to the consistency of honey, with Egyptian alum and myrrh, beet-root boiled in wine being laid upon it; or else beef. Kunning ulcers of those parts are treated with veal-suet and marrow, boiled in wine, or with the gall of a she- goat, mixed with honey and the extracted juice of the bramble.76 In cases where these ulcers are serpiginous, it is recommended to use goats' dung with honey or vinegar, or else butter by itself. Swellings of the testes are reduced by using veal-suet with nitre, or the dung of the animal boiled in vinegar. The bladder of a wild boar, eaten roasted, acts as a check upon incontinence of urine ; a similar effect being pro- duced by the ashes of the feet of a wild boar or swine sprinkled in the drink ; the ashes of a sow's bladder taken in drink ; the bladder or lights of a kid ; a hare's brains taken in wine ; the testes of a male hare grilled ; the rennet of that animal taken with goose-grease and polenta ;77 or the kidneys of an ass, beaten up and taken in undiluted wine. The magicians tell us, that after taking the ashes of a boar's genitals in sweet wine, the patient must make water in a dog kennel, and repeat the following formula — " This I do that I may not wet my bed as a dog does." On the other hand, a swine's bladder, attached to the groin, facilitates the discharge of the urine, provided it has not already touched the ground. CHAP. 61. — REMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS AND OF THE FUNDAMENT. Eor diseases of the fundament, a sovereign remedy is bear's gall, mixed with the grease ; to which some persons are in the 75 Aj assort remarks that arsenic should be used with the greatest care in such a case. 76 u Rubi." Ho probably means the bramble-berry. 77 See B. xviii. c. 14. Chap. 61.] EEMEDIES FOB THE GENERATIVE QEOANS. 351 liabit of addiug litharge and frankincense. Butter, too, is very good, employed with goose-grease and oil of roses. The pro- portions in which they are mixed will be regulated by the circumstances of the case, care being taken to see that they are of a consistency which admits of their being easily applied. Bull's gall upon lint is a remarkably useful remedy, and has the effect of making chaps of the fundament cicatrize with great rapidity. Swellings of those parts are treated with veal suet — that from the loins in particular — mixed with rue. For other affections, goats' blood is used, with polenta. Goats' gall, too, is employed by itself, for the cure of condylomata, and sometimes, wolf's gall, mixed with wine. Bears' blood is curative of inflamed tumours and apost- emes upon these parts in general ; as also bulls' blood, dried and powdered. The best remedy, however, is considered to be the stone which the wild ass78 voids with his urine, it is said, at the moment he is killed. This stone, which is in a somewhat liquefied state at first, becomes solid when it reaches the ground : attached to the thigh, it disperses all collections of humours and all kinds of suppurations : it is but rarely found, however, and it is not every wild ass that produces it, but as a remedy it is held in high esteem. Asses' urine too, used in combination with gith, is highly, recommended ; the ashes of a horse's hoof, applied with oil and water; a horse's blood, that of a stone-horse in particular ; the blood, also, of an ox or cow, or the gall of those animals. Their flesh too, applied warm, is productive of similar results ; the hoofs reduced to ashes, and taken in water or honey ; the urine of a she-goat ; the flesh of a he-goat, boiled in water; the dung of these animals, boiled with honey ; or else a boar's gall, or swine's urine, applied in wool. Biding on horseback, we well know, galls and chafes the inside of the thighs : the best remedy for accidents of this nature is to rub the parts with the foam which collects at a horse's mouth. Where there are swellings in the groin, arising79 from ulcers, a cure is effected by inserting in the sores three horse-hairs, tied with as many knots. 78 "Onager." w Arising, by sympathy, from sores in other parts of the body. 352 PLINY'S NATUKAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. CHAP. 62. (16.) REMEDIES FOR GOTJT AND FOR DISEASES OF THE FEET. For the cure of gout, bears' grease is employed, mixed in equal proportions with, bull-suet and wax ; some persons add to the composition, hypocisthis80 and nut-galls. Others, again, prefer he-goat suet, mixed with the dung of a she-goat and saffron, or else with mustard, or sprigs of ivy pounded and used with perdicium,81 or with flowers of wild cucumber. Cow- dung is also used, with lees of vinegar. Some persons speak highly in praise of the dung of a calf which has not begun to graze, or else a bull's blood, without any other addition ; a fox, also, boiled alive till only the bones are left ; a wolf boiled alive in oil to the consistency of a cerate ; he- goat suet, with an equal proportion of helxine,82 and one- third part of mus- tard ; or ashes of goats' dung, mixed with axle-grease. They say, too, that for sciatica, it is an excellent plan to apply this dung boiling83 hot beneath the great toes ; and that, for diseases of the joints, it is highly efficacious to attach bears' gall or hares' feet to the part affected. Gout, they say, may be allayed by the patient always carrying about with him a hare's foot, cut off from the animal alive. Bears' grease is a cure for chilblains and all kinds of chaps upon the feet ; with the addition of alum, it is still more effi- cacious. The same results are produced by using goat-suet ; a horse's teeth powdered ; the gall of a wild boar or hog ; or else the lights of those animals, applied with their grease ; and this, too, where the soles are blistered, or the feet have been crushed by a substance striking against them. In cases where the feet have been frozen, ashes of burnt hare's fur are used ; and for contusions of the feet, the lights of that animal are applied, sliced or reduced to ashes. Blisters occasioned by the sun are most effectually treated by using asses' fat, or else beef- suet, with oil of roses. Corns, chaps, and callosities of the feet are cured by the application of wild boars' dung or swine's dung, used fresh, and removed at the end of a couple 80 See B. xxvi. c. 31. Bears' grease is of no use whatever for the cure of gout. 81 See B. xix. c. 31, B. xxi. cc. 62, 104, and B. xxii. cc. 19, 20. 82 See B. xxi. c. 56. 83 This mode of cure. Ajasson says, is still employed in the East, where the preparation is known by the name of mow. Chap. 63.] REMEDIES FOR EPILEPSY. 353 of days. The pastern-bones of these animals are also used, re- duced to ashes ; or else the lights of a wild boar, swine, or deer. When the feet have been galled by the shoes, they are rubbed with the urine of an ass, applied with the mud formed by it upon the ground. Corns are treated with beef-suet and pow- dered frankincense ; chilblains with burnt leather, that of an old shoe, in particular ; and injuries produced by tight shoes with ashes of goat- skin, tempered with oil. The pains attendant upon varicose veins are mitigated by using ashes of burnt calves' dung, boiled with lily roots and a little honey : a composition which is equally good for all kinds of inflammations and sores that tend to suppurate. It is very useful, also, for gout and diseases of the joints, when it is the dung of a bull-calf that is used more particularly. For exco- riations of the joints, the gall of a wild boar or swine is applied, in a warm linen cloth : the dung, also, of a calf that has not begun to graze ; or else goat-dung, boiled in vinegar with honey. Yeal-suet rectifies malformed nails, as also goat-suet, mixed with sandarach. Warts are removed by applying ashes of burnt calves' dung in vinegar, or else the mud formed upon the ground by the urine of an ass. CHAP. 63. REMEDIES FOR EPILEPSY. In cases of epilepsy, it is a good plan to eat a bear's testes, or those of a wild boar, with mares' milk or water ; or else to drink a wild boar's urine with honey and vinegar, that being the best which has been left to dry in the bladder. The testes, also, of swine are prescribed, dried and beaten up in sows' milk, the patient abstaining from wine some days before and after taking the mixture. The lights of a hare, too, are recom- mended, salted, and taken with one third of frankincense, for thirty consecutive days, in white wine : hare's rennet also ; and asses' brains, smoked with burning leaves, and adminis- tered in hydromel, in doses of half an ounce per day. An ass's hoofs are reduced to ashes, and taken for a month toge- ther, in doses of two spoonfuls ; the testes, also, of an ass, salted and mixed with the drink, asses' milk or water in par- ticular. The secundines, also, of a she-ass are recommended, more particularly when it is a male that has been foaled : placed beneath the nostrils of the patient, when the fits are likely to come on, this substance will effectually repel them. VOL. v. A A 354 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. There are some persons who recommend the patient to eat the heart of a black he-ass in the open air with bread, upon the first or second day of the moon : others, again, prescribe the flesh of that animal, and others the blood, diluted with vinegar, and taken for forty days together. Some mix horse- stale for this purpose, with smithy water fresh from the forge, employing the same mixture for the cure of delirium. Epilepsy is also treated with mares' milk, or the excrescences from a horse's legs, taken in honey and vinegar. The magicians highly recommend goats' flesh, grilled upon a funeral pile ; as also the suet of that animal, boiled with an equal quantity of bull's gall, and kept in the gall-bladder; care being taken not to let it touch the ground, and the patient swallowing it in water, standing aloft.8i The smell arising from a goat's horns or deer's antlers, burnt, efficiently detects the presence of epilepsy. In cases where persons are suddenly paralyzed, the urine of an ass's foal, applied to the body with nard, is very useful, it is said. 'CHAP. 64. — REMEDIES FOR JAUNDICE. For the cure of jaundice, the ashes of a stag's antlers are employed ; or the blood of an ass's foal, taken in wine. The first dung,85 too, that has been voided by the foal after its birth, taken in wine, in pieces the size of a bean, will effect a cure by the end of three days. The dung of a new-born colt is possessed of a similar efficacy. "^~ CHAP. 65. REMEDIES FOR BROKEN BONES. For broken bones, a sovereign remedy is the ashes of the jaw-bone of a wild boar or swine : boiled bacon, too, tied round the broken bone, unites it with marvellous rapidity. For fractures of the ribs, goats' dung, applied in old wine, is extolled as the grand remedy, being possessed in a high degree of aperient, extractive, and healing properties. CHAP. 66. — REMEDIES FOR FEVERS. Deer's flesh, as already86 stated, is a febrifuge. Periodical 84 "Potum vero ex aqua sublime." The true reading and the meaning are equally doubtful. 85 Spoken of as " polea" in c. 57. 86 In B. viii. c. 50. Because the animal itself was supposed to be free from fever. Chap. 67.] HEMEDTES FOtt MELANCHOLY. 355 and recurrent fevers are cured, if we are to believe what the magicians tell us, by wearing the right eye of a wolf, salted, and attached as an amulet. There is one kind of fever gene- rally known as " amphemerine ;"87 it is to be cured, they say, by the patient taking three drops of blood from an ass's ear, and swallowing them in two semi-sextarii of water. For quartan fever, the magicians recommend cats' dung to be attached to the bod}r, with the toe of a horned owl, and, that the fever may not be recurrent, not to be removed until the seventh paroxysm is past. Who,88 pray, could have ever made such a discovery as this ? And what, too, can be the meaning of this combination ? Why, of all things in the world, was the toe of a horned owl made choice of? Other adepts in this art, who are more moderate in their suggestions, recommend for quartan fever, the salted liver of a cat that has been killed while the moon was on the wane, to be taken in wine just before the paroxysms come on. The ma- gicians recommend, too, that the toes of the patient should be rubbed with the ashes of burnt cow-dung, diluted with a boy's urine, and that a hare's heart should be attached to the hands; they prescribe, also, hare's rennet, to be taken in drink just before the paroxysms come on. New goats' milk cheese is also given with honey, the whey being carefully extracted first, CHAP. 67. (17.) REMEDIES FOR MELANCHOLY, LETHARGY, AND PHTHISIS. For patients affected with melancholy,89 calves' dung, boiled in wine, is a very useful remedy. Persons are aroused from lethargy by applying to the nostrils the callosities from an ass's legs stepped in vinegar, or the fumes of burnt goats' horns or hair, or by the application of a wild boar's liver ; a remedy which is also used for confirmed90 drowsiness. The cure of phthisis is effected by taking a wolfs liver boiled in thin wine ; the bacon of a sow that has been fed upon herbs ; or the flesh of a she-ass, eaten with the broth : this last mode in particular, being the one that is employed by 87 Or " quotidian," daily fever. 88 A rather singular episode in his narrative. It looks like a gloss. 89 Under this name, as Ajasson remarks, the affections now called " hys- teria" are included. 9° '• Ye termini." A A 2 356 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. the people of Achaia. They say too, that the smoke of dried cow-dung — that of the animal when grazing, I mean — is re- markably good for phthisis, inhaled through a reed ;91 and we find it stated that the tips of cows' horns are burnt, and ad- ministered with honey, in doses of two spoonfuls, in the form of pills. Goat suet, many persons say, taken in a pottage of alica,92 or melted fresh with honied wine, in the proportion of one ounce of suet to one cyathus of wine, is good for cough and phthisis, care being taken to stir the mixture with a sprig of rue. One author of credit assures us that before now, a patient whose recovery has been despaired of, has been restored to health by taking one cyathus of wild goat93 suet and an equal quantity of milk. Some writers, too, have stated that ashes of burnt swine's dung are very useful, mixed with raisin wine ; as also the lights of a deer, a spitter94 deer in particular, smoke-dried and beaten up in wine. CHAP. 68. REMEDIES FOR DROPSY. !For dropsy, a wild boar's urine is good, taken in small doses in the patient's drink ; it is of much greater efficacy, however, when it has been left to dry in the bladder of the animal. The ashes, too, of burnt cow- dung, and of bulls' dung in particular — animals that are reared in herds, I mean — are highly esteemed. This dung, the name given to which is " bolbiton,"95 is re- duced to ashes, and taken in doses of three spoonfuls to one semisextarius of honied wine ; that of the female animal being used where the patient is a woman-, and that of the other sex in the case of males ; a distinction about which the magicians have made a sort of grand mystery. The dung of a bull-calf is also applied topically for this disease, and ashes of burnt calves' dung are taken with seed of staphy linos,96 in equal proportions, in wine. Goats' blood also is used, with the marrow ; but it is generally thought that the blood of the he-goat is the most efficacious, when the animal has fed upon lentisk, more par- ticularly. 91 Another instance of smoking, though not a very tempting one. 92 See B. xviii. c. 29. 9:i " Bupicapra." 94 "Stibulo." 95 From the Greek. 86 See B. xix. c. 27, B. xx. c. 15, and B. xxv. c. 64. Chap. 71.] KEMEDIES FOR BTJKNS. 35 7 CHAP. 69. — REMEDIES FOR ERYSIPELAS, AND FOE PURULENT ERUPTIONS. For erysipelas a liniment of bears' grease is used, that from the kidneys in particular ; fresh calves' dung also, or cow-dung ; dried goats' milk cheese, with leeks ; or else the fine scrapings of a deer's skin, brought off with pumice-stone and beaten up in vinegar. Where there is redness of the skin attended with itching, the foam from a horse's mouth is used, or the hoof, reduced to ashes. For the cure of purulent97 eruptions ashes of burnt asses' dung are applied, with butter ; and for the removal of swarthy pimples, dried goats' milk cheese, steeped in honey and vinegar, is applied in the bath, no oil being used. Pustules are treated with ashes of swine's dung, applied with water, or else ashes of deer's antlers. CHAP. 70.— REMEDIES FOR SPRAINS, INDURATIONS, AND BOILS. For the cure of sprains the following applications are used ; wild boars' dung or swine's dung; calves' dung; wild boars' foam, used fresh with vinegar; goats' dung, applied with honey; and raw beef, used as a plaster. For swellings, swine's dung is used, warmed in an earthen pot, and beaten up with oil. The best emollient for all kinds of indurations upon the body is wolf's fat, applied topically. In the case of sores which are wanted to break, the most effectual plan is to apply cow-dung warmed in hot ashes, or else goats' dung boiled in vinegar or wine. For the cure of boils, beef-suet is applied with salt ; but if they are attended with pain, it is melted with oil, and no salt is used. Goat- suet is employed in a similar manner. CHAP. 71. REMEDIES FOR BURNS. THE METHOD OF TESTING BULL-GLUE ; SEVEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM IT. For the treatment of burns, bears' grease is used, with lily roots; dried wild boars' dung also, or swine's dung; the ashes of burnt bristles, extracted from plasterers' brushes, beaten up with grease ; the pastern-bone of an ox, reduced to ashes, and mixed with wax and bull's marrow or deer's marrow ; or the dung of a hare. The dung, too, of a she-goat, they say, will effect a cure without leaving any scars. 91 " Eruptionibus pituitse," 358 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. The best glue is that prepared from the ears and genitals of the bull, and there is no better cure in existence for burns. There is nothing, however, that is more extensively adulterated; which is done by boiling up all kinds of old skins, and shoes even, for the purpose. The Bhodian glue is the purest of all, and it is this that painters and physicians mostly use. The whiter it is, the more highly glue is esteemed : that, on the other hand, which is black and brittle like wood, is looked upon as good for nothing. CHAP. 72. — REMEDIES FOR AFFECTIONS OF THE SINEWS AND FOR CONTUSIONS. For pains in the sinews, goats' dung, boiled in vinegar with honey, is considered one of the most useful remedies, and this even where the sinew98 is threatened with putrefaction. Strains and contusions are healed with wild boars' dung, that has been gathered in spring and dried. A similar method is employed where persons have been dragged by a chariot or lacerated by the wheels, or have received contusions in any other way, the application being quite as effectual, should the dung happen to be fresh. Some think it a better plan, however, to boil it in vinegar ; and if only powdered and taken in vinegar, they vouch for its good effects where persons are ruptured, wounded internally, or suffering from the effects of a fall. Others again, who are of a more scrupulous tendency," take the ashes of it in water ; and the Emperor Nero, it is said, was in the habit of refreshing himself with this drink, when he at- tempted to gain the public applause at the three-horse chariot races.1 Swine's dung, it is generally thought, is the next best to that of the goat. CHAP. 73. (18.) REMEDIES FOR HAEMORRHAGE. Haemorrhage is arrested by applying deer's rennet with vinegar, hare's rennet, hare's fur reduced to ashes, or ashes of burnt asses' dung. The dung, however, of male animals is the most efficacious for this purpose, being mixed with vinegar, and applied with wool, in all cases of haemorrhage. In the same way, too, the ashes of a horse's head or thigh, or of burnt calves' dung, are used with vinegar ; the ashes also of a goat's horns or dung, 98 Where the sinew has been wounded and exposed, either vinegar or honey, Ajasson remarks, would be u highly dangerous application. 99 " Reverentiores." J " Trigario." Chap. 74.] REMEDIES FOR ULCERS. 359 with vinegar. But it is the thick blood that issues from the liver of a he-goat when cut asunder, that is looked upon as the most efficacious ; or else the ashes of the burnt liver of a goat of either sex, taken in wine or applied to the nostrils with vinegar. The ashes, too, of a leather wine-bottle — but only when made of he-goat skin — are used very efficiently with an equal quantity of resin, for the purpose of stanching blood, and knitting together the lips of the wound. A kid's rennet in vinegar, or the thighs of that animal, reduced to ashes, are said to be productive of a similar result. CHAP. 74. REMEDIES FOR ULCERS AKD CARCIXOMATOUS SORES. Ulcers upon the legs and thighs are cured by an application of bears' grease, mixed with red earth : and those of a serpigi- nous nature by using wild boar's gall, with resin and white lead ; the jaw-bone of a wild boar or swine, reduced to ashes ; swine's dung in a dry state ; or goats' dung, made hike- warm in vinegar. For other kinds of ulcers butter is used, as a detergent, and as tending to make new flesh ; ashes of deer's antlers, or deer's marrow ; or else bull's gall, mixed with oil of Cyprus2 or oil of iris. Wounds inflicted with edged weapons are rubbed with fresh swine's dung, or with dried swine's dung, powdered. When ulcers are phagedsenic or flstulous, bull's gall is injected, with leek-juice or woman's milk ; or else bull's blood, dried and powdered, with the plant cotyledon.3 Carcinomatous sores are treated with hare's rennet, sprin- kled upon them with an equal proportion of capers in wine ; gangrenes, with bears' grease, applied with a feather ; and ulcers of a serpiginous nature with the ashes of an ass's hoofs, powdered upon them. The blood of the horse corrodes the flesh by virtue of certain septic powers which it possesses ; dried horse-dung, too, reduced to ashes, has a similar effect. Those kinds of ulcers which are commonly known as "phage- dsenic," are treated with the ashes of a cow's hide, mixed with honey. Calves' flesh, as also cow-dung mixed with honey, pre- vents recent wounds from swelling. The ashes of a leg of veal, applied with woman's milk, are a cure for sordid ulcers, and the malignant sore known as " cacoethes :"4 bull-glue, melted, is 2 See B. xii. c. 51. 8 See B. xxv. c. 101. 4 " Bad habit." A sort of cancer, or malignant ulcer. 360 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. applied to recent wounds inflicted with edged weapons, the application being removed before the end of three days. Dried goats' milk cheese, applied with vinegar and honey, acts as a detergent upon ulcers ; and goat suet, used in combination with wax, arrests the spread of serpiginous sores : if employed with pitch and sulphur, it will effect a thorough cure. The ashes of a kid's leg, applied with woman's milk, have a similar effect upon malignant ulcers ; for the cure, too, of carbuncles, a sow's brains are roasted and applied. CHAP. 75. REMEDIES FOE THE ITCH. The itch in man is cured very effectually by using the marrow of an ass, or the urine of that animal, applied with the mud it has formed upon the ground. Butter, too, is very good ; as also in the case of beasts of burden, if applied with warmed resin : bull glue is also used, melted in vinegar, and incorporated with lime ; or goat's gall, mixed with calcined alum. The eruption called " boa,"5 is treated with cow-dung, a fact to which it is indebted for its name. The itch in dogs is cured by an application of fresh cows' blood, which, when quite dry, is renewed a second time, and is rubbed off the next day with strong lie- ashes. CLJAP. 76. METHODS OF EXTRACTING FOREIGN SUBSTANCES WHICH ADHERE TO THE BODY, AND OF RESTORING SCARS TO THEIR NATURAL COLOUR. Thorns and similar foreign substances are extracted from the body by using cats' dung, or that of she-goats, with wine ; the rennet also of any kind of animal, that of the hare more parti- cularly, with powdered frankincense and oil, or an equal quan- tity of mistletoe, or else with bee-glue.6 Ass suet restores scars of a swarthy hue to their natural colour; and they are equally effaced by using calf's gall made warm. Medical men add myrrh, honey, and saffron, and keep the mixture in a copper box ; some, too, incorporate with it flower of copper. CHAP. 77. (19.) REMEDIES FOR FEMALE DISEASES. Menstruation is promoted by using bull's gall, in unwashed v/ool, as a pessary : Olympias of Thebes adds hyssop and nitre. 5 See B. xxiv. c. 35. 6 " Propolis." Sec B. xi. c. 6. Chop. 77.] REMEDIES EOB EEMALE DISEASES. 361 Ashes,- too, of deer's horns are taken in drink for the same pur- pose, and for derangements of the uterus they are applied topi- cally, as also bull's gall, used as a pessary with opium, in the proportion of two oboli. It is a good plan, too, to use fumigations for the uterus, made with deer's hair, burnt. Hinds, the}r say, when they find themselves pregnant, are in the habit of swal- lowing a small stone. This stone, when found in their excre- ments, or in the uterus — for it is to be found there as well — attached to the body as an amulet, is a preventive of abortion. There are also certain small stones, found in the heart and uterus of these animals, which are very useful for women during preg- nancy and in travail. As to the kind of pumice-stone which is similarly found in the uterus of the cow, we have already7 mentioned it when treating of the formation of that animal. A wolf's fat, applied externally, acts emolliently upon the uterus, and the liver of a wolf is very soothing for pains in that organ. It is found advantageous for women, when near delivery, to eat wolf's flesh, or, if they are in travail, to have a person near them who has eaten it ; so much so, indeed, that it will act as a countercharm even to any noxious spells which may have been laid upon them. In case, however, a person who has eaten wolf's flesh should happen to enter the room at the moment of parturition, dangerous effects will be sure to follow. The hare, too, is remarkably useful for the complaints of females : the lights of that animal, dried and taken in drink, are beneficial to the uterus; the liver, taken in water with Samian earth, acts as an emmenagogue ; and the rennet brings away the after-birth, due care being taken by the patient not to bathe the day before. Applied in wool as a pessary, with saffron and leek-juice, this last acts as an expellent upon the dead foetus. It is a general opinion that the uterus of a hare, taken with the food, promotes the conception of male offspring, and that a similar effect is produced by using the testes and rennet of that animal. It is thought, too, that a leveret, taken from the uterus of its dam, is a restorative of fruitfulness to women who are otherwise past child-bearing. But it is the blood of a hare's foetus that the magicians recommend males to drink : while for young girls they prescribe nine pellets of hare's dung, to ensure a durable firmness to the breasts. For a similar purpose, also, 7 In B. xi. c, 79. 362 FLINT'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. they apply hare's rennet with honey ; and to prevent hairs from growing again when once removed, they use a liniment of hare's blood. For inflations of the uterus, it is found a good plan to apply wild boars' dung or swine's dung topically with oil : but a still more effectual remedy is to dry the dung, and sprinkle it, powdered, in the patient's drink, even though she should be in a state of pregnancy or suffering the pains of child-birth. By administering sow's milk with honied wine, parturition is facilitated ; and if taken by itself it will promote the secre- tion of the milk when deficient in nursing women. By rub- bing the breasts of famales with sow's blood they are pre- vented from becoming too large. If pains are felt in the breasts, they will be alleviated by drinking asses' milk ; and the same milk, taken with honey, has considerable efficacy as an emmenagogue. Stale fat, too, from the same animal, heals ulcerations of the uterus : applied as a pessary, in wool, it acts emolliently upon indurations of that organ ; and, applied fresh by itself, or in water when stale, it has all the virtues of a depilatory. An ass's milt, dried and applied in water to the breasts, promotes the secretion of the milk ; and used in the form of a fumigation, it acts as a corrective upon the uterus. A fumi- gation made with a burnt ass's hoof, placed beneath a woman, accelerates parturition, so much so, indeed, as to expel the dead foetus even : hence it is that it should only be employed in cases of miscarriage, it having a fatal effect upon the living foetus. Asses' dung, applied fresh, has a wonderful effect, they say, in arresting discharges of blood in females : the same, too, with the ashes of this dung, which, used as a pessary, are very good for the uterus. If the skin is rubbed with the foam from a horse's mouth for forty days together, before the first hair has made its appearance, it will effectually prevent the growth thereof : a decoction, too, made from deer's antlers is productive of a similar effect, being all the better if they are used quite fresh. Mares' milk, used as an injection, is highly beneficial to the uterus. Where the foetus is felt to be dead in the uterus, the lichens or excrescences from a horse's legs, taken in fresh water, will act as an expellent : an effect produced also by a fumigation made with the hoofs or dry dung of that animal. Chap. 77.] REMEDIES FOE. PEHALE DISEASES- 363 Procidence of the uterus is arrested by using butter, in the form of an injection ; and indurations of that organ are removed by similarly employing ox-gall, with oil of roses, turpentine being applied externally in wool. They say, too, that a fumi- gation, made from ox- dung, acts as a corrective upon procidence of the uterus, and facilitates parturition ; and that conception is promoted by the use of cows' milk. It is a well-known fact that sterility is often entailed by suffering in child-birth ; an evil which may be averted, Olympias of Thebes assures us, by rubbing the parts, before sexual intercourse, with bull's gall, serpents' fat, verdigrease, and honey. In cases, too, where menstruation is too abundant, the external parts should be sprinkled with a solution of calf's gall, the moment, before the sexual congress ; a method which acts emolliently also upon indurations of the abdomen. Applied to the navel as a lini- ment, it arrests excessive discharges, and is generally beneficial to the uterus. The proportions generally adopted are — one denarius of gall, one-third of a denarius of opium, and as much oil of almonds as may appear to be requisite ; the whole being applied in sheep's wool. The gall, too, of a bull-calf is beaten up with half the quantity of honey, and kept in readiness for the treatment of uterine diseases. If a woman about the time of conception eats roasted veal with the plant aristolochia,8 she will bring forth a male child, we are assured. Calf's marrow, boiled in wine and water with the suet, and applied as a pes- sary, is good for ulcerations of the uterus ; the same, too, with foxes' fat and cats' dung, the last being applied with resin and oil of roses. It is considered a remarkably good plan to subject the uterus to fumigations made with burnt goats' horns. The blood of the wild goat, mixed with sea-palm,9 acts as a depilatory. The gall of the other kinds of goat, used as an injection, acts emolliently upon callosities of the uterus, and ensures concep- tion immediately after menstruation: it possesses also the virtues of a depilatory, the application being left for three days upon the flesh after the hair has been removed. The midwives assure us that she-goats' urine, taken in drink, and the dung, applied topically, will arrest uterine discharges, however much in excess. The membrane in which the kid is en- closed in the uterus, dried and taken in wine, acts as an expei- 8 See B. xxv. cc. 79, 84, 91. 9 See B. xiii. c. 49. 364 PLTNT'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. lent upon the after-birth. For affections of the uterus, it is thought a desirable plan to fumigate it with burnt kids' hair ; and for discharges of blood, kids' rennet is administered in drink, or seed of henbane is applied. According to Osthanes, if a woman's loins are rubbed with blood taken from the ticks upon a black wild bull, she will be inspired with an aversion to sexual intercourse : she will forget, too, her former love, by taking a he-goat's urine in drink, some nard being mixed with it to disguise the loathsome taste. CHAP. 78.-— REMEDIES FOR THE DISEASES OF INFANTS. For infants there is nothing more useful than butter,10 either by itself oy in combination with honey ; for dentition more particularly, for soreness of the gums, and for ulcerations of the mouth. A wolf's tooth, attached to the body, prevents infants from being startled, and acts as a preservative against the maladies attendant upon dentition; an effect equally produced by making use of a wolf's skin. The larger teeth, also, of a wolf, attached to a horse's neck, will render him proof against all weariness, it is said. A hare's rennet, applied to the breasts of the nurse, effectually prevents diarrhoea in the infant suckled by her. An ass's liver, mixed with a little panax, and dropped into the mouth of an infant, will preserve it from epilepsy and other diseases to which infants are liable ; this, however, must be done for forty days, they say. An ass's skin, too, thrown over infants, renders them insensible to fear. The first teeth shed by a horse, attached as an amulet to infants, facilitate dentition, and are better still, when not allowed to touch the ground. For pains in the spleen, an ox's milt is ad- ministered in honey, and applied topically ; and for running ulcers it is used as an application, with honey. A calf's milt, boiled in wine, is beaten up, and applied to incipient ulcers of the mouth. The magicians take the brains of a she-goat, and, after passing them through a gold ring, drop them into the mouth of the in- fant before it takes the breast, as a preservative against epilepsy and other infantile diseases. Goats' dung, attached to in- fants in a piece of cloth, prevents them from being rest- less, female infants in particular. By rubbing the gums of 10 There is probably some truth in these statements as to the utility of butter and honey for infants. Chap. 80.] STIMULANTS FOR THE SEXUAL PASSIONS. 365 infants with goats' milk or Lare's brains, dentition is greatly facilitated. CHAP. 79. PROVOCATIVES OF SLEEP. Cato was of opinion that hare's flesh,11 taken as a diet, is provocative of sleep. It is a vulgar notion, too, that this diet confers heauty for nine days on those who use it ; a silly play12 upon words, no doubt, but a notion which has gained far too extensively not to have had some real foundation. According to the magicians, the gall of a she-goat, but only of one that has been sacrificed, applied to the eyes or placed beneath the pillow, has a narcotic effect. Too profuse perspiration is checked by rubbing the body with ashes of burnt goats' horns mixed with oil of myrtle. CHAP. 80. — STIMULANTS FOR THE SEXUAL PASSIONS. Among the aphrodisiacs, we find mentioned, a wild boar's gall, applied externally; swine's marrow, taken inwardly; asses' fat, mixed with the grease of a gander and applied as a liniment ; the virulent substance described by Virgil13 as dis- tilling from mares when covered ; and the dried testes of a horse, pulverized and mixed with the drink. The right testicle, also, of an ass, is taken in a proportionate quantity of wine, or worn attached to the arm in a bracelet ; or else the froth discharged by that animal after covering, collected in a piece of red cloth and enclosed in silver, as Osthanes informs us. Salpe recom- mends the genitals of this animal to be plunged seven times in boiling oil, and the corresponding parts to be well rubbed therewith. Bialcon14 says that these genitals should be reduced to ashes and taken in drink ; or else the uriiie that has been voided by a bull immediately after covering : he recommends, also, that the groin should be well rubbed with earth moistened with this urine. 11 Ajasson explains this by saying that the hare being eaten by the people of ancient Latiiim on festival days^ with plenteous potations, they erro- neously supposed the narcotic eifects of the wine to be produced by the flesh of the hare. 12 The resemblance of "lepos," "grace," to " lepus," " a hare." See Martial, B. v. Ep. 29. 13 Georg. iii. 280. He alludes to the " hippomanes." 14 Hardouin is probably right in his suggestion, that " Dalion " is the correct reading here. 366 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKT. [Book XXVIII. Mouse-dung, on the other hand, applied in the form, of a liniment, acts as an antaphrodisiac. The lights of a wild boar or swine, roasted, are an effectual preservative against drunken- ness ; they must, however, be eaten fasting, and upon the same day. The lights of a kid, too, are productive of the same effect. CHAP. 81. (20.) EEMAEKABLE FACTS EELATIVE TO ANIMALS. In addition to those already mentioned, there are various other marvellous facts related, with reference to these animals. "When a horse-shoe becomes detached from the hoof, as often is the case, if a person takes it up and puts it by, it will act as a remedy for hiccup the moment he calls to mind the spot where he has placed it. A wolf's liver, they say, is similar to a horse's hoof in appearance ; and a horse, they tell us, if it follows in the track of a wolf, will burst15 asunder beneath its rider. The pastern-bones of swine have a certain tendency to promote discord, it is said. In cases of fire, if some of the dung can be brought away from the stalls, both sheep and oxen may be got out all the more easily, and will make no at- tempt to return. The flesh of a he-goat will lose its rank smell, if the animal has eaten barley-bread, or drunk an in- fusion of laser16 the day on which i't was killed. Meat that lias been salted while the moon was on the wane, will never be attacked by worms. In fact, so great has been the care taken to omit no possible researches, that a deaf hare, we find, will grow fat17 sooner than one that can hear ! As to the remedies for the diseases of animals — If a beast of burden voids blood, an injection must be used of swine's dung mixed with wine. For the maladies of oxen, a mixture of suet is used with quicksilver, and wild garlic boiled ; the whole beaten up and administered in wine. The fat, too, of a fox is employed. The liquor of boiled horse-flesh, administered in their drink, is recommended for the cure of diseased swine : and, indeed, the maladies of all four-footed beasts may be effec- 15 He has already stated, in c. 44, that a horse will become torpid if it follows in the track of a wolf; for which statement, according to Ajasson, there appears to be some foundation. 16 See B. xix. c. 15. 17 This is not unlikely ; for it has no alarms to make it grow thin. Chap. 81.] SUMMATIY. 367 tually treated by boiling a she-goat whole, in her skin, along with a bramble- frog. Poultry, they say, will never be touched by a fox, if they have eaten the dried liver of that animal, or if the cock, when treading the hen, has had a piece of fox's skin about his neck. The same property, too, is attributed to a weazePs gall. The oxen in the Isle of Cyprus cure them- selves of gripings in the abdomen, it is said, by swallowing18 human excrements : the feet, too, of oxen will never be worn to the quick, if their hoofs are well rubbed with tar before they begin work. Wolves will never approach a field, if, after one has been caught and its legs broken and throat cut, the blood is dropped little by little along the boundaries of the field, and the body buried on the spot from which it was first dragged. The share, too, with which the first furrow in the field has been traced in the current year, should be taken from the plough, and placed upon the hearth of the Lares, where the family is in the habit of meeting, and left there till it is consumed : so long as this is in doing, no wolf will attack any animal in the field. We will now turn to an examination of those animals which, being neither tame nor wild, are of a nature peculiar to them- selves. SUMMARY. — Remedies, narratives, and observations, one thousand six hundred and eighty-two. ROMAN ATJTHOBS QUOTED. — M.Varro,19 L.Piso,20 Eabianus,21 Va- lerius Antias,22 Verrius Flaccus,23 Cato the Censor,24 Servius Sul- picius,25 Licinius Macer,26 Celsus,27 Massurius/8 Sextius Niger29 18 See B, viii. c. 41, as to a similar practice on the part of the panther. 19 See end of B. ii. '-° See end of B. ii. 21 For Fabianus Papirius, see end of B. ii. For Fabianus Sabimis, see end of B. xviii. 22 See end of B. ii. 23 See end of B. iii. -4 See end of B. iii. 25 Servius Sulpicms Lemonia Rufus, a contemporary and friend of Cicero, lie was Consul with M. Claudius Marcellus, B.C. 51, and died B.C. 43, at tbe siege of Mutina. . He left about 180 treatises on various subjects; but beyond the fact that he is often quoted by the writers whose works form part of the Digest, none of his writings (with the exception of two letters to Cicero) have come down to us. 26 See end of B. xix. 27 See end of B. vii. 28 See end of B. vii. 2y See end of B. xii. 368 PLINY'S NATTJHAL HISTORY. [Book XXVIII. who wrote in Greek> Bithus30 of Dyrrhachium, Opilius31 the physician, Granius32 the physician. FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED. — Dernocritus,33 Apollonius34 who wrote the " Myrosis," Miletus,35 Artemon,36 Sextilius,37 An- taeus,38 Homer, Theophrastus,39 Lysimachus,40 Attalus,41 Xeno- crates,42 Orpheus43 who wrote the "Idiophya," Archelaiis44 who wrote a similar work, Demetrius,45 Sotira,48 Lais,47 Ele- 30 From the mention made of him in Chap. 23, he was probably a physician. Nothing further is known of him. 31 Aurelius Opilius, the freedman of an Epicurean. He taught philosophy, rhetoric, and grammar at Rome, but finally withdrew to Smyrna. One of his works, mentioned by A. Gellius, was entitled " Musse," and the name of another was " JPinax." 32 From the mention made of his profound speculations in Chap. 9, Fabricius has reckoned him among the medical writers of Rome. It has also been suggested that he may have been the Granius Flaccus mentioned by Censorinus as the author of the " Indigitamenta," or Register of the Pontiffs. 33 gee end of B. ii. 34 Probably Apollonius Mus, or Myronides, a physician who flourished in the first century B.C., who is mostly identified with Apollonius Hero- pbileius. His " Myrosis " here mentioned is probably the work " On Unguents " mentione'd by Athenseus, B. xv. 35 Nothing whatever is known of him. It has been suggested that the name may have been " Melitus." A contemporary of Socrates, an orator and tragic writer, was so named. 56 Beyond the mention of him in c. 2 of this Book, nothing is known relative to this medical writer : no great loss, perhaps, if we may judge from the extract there given. 37 Though mentioned among the foreign writers, the name is evidently Roman. Nothing relative to him is known. 38 See end of B. xii. 39 See end of B. iii. 40 Probably the writer mentioned at the end of B. viii. 41 See end* of B. viii. 42 See end of B. xx. 43 See end of B. xx. The " Idiophya " was probably a work " On the Peculiar Animals," which passed as the composition of the mythic Or.pheus. 44 A Greek post, said to have been born at Chersonesus, a town in Egypt. Some of his Epigrams are still extant in the Anthology, and it has been suggested that he flourished either in the time of Ptolemy Soter, of Ptolemy Euergetes II., or of Ptolemy Philadelphus. His work " On Peculiar Animals," here mentioned, was probably written in "verse. 45 See end of B. viii. 46 A female writer on medical subjects. In addition to her work men- tioned in Chap. 23 of this Book, Labbe speaks of a work of hers in MS. " On Menstruation," preserved in the Library at Florence. 47 The female who is mentioned in Chap. 23 of this Book as having written on Abortion, or the Diseases peculiar to Females, was probably a STTMMAIiYr 869 phantis,48 Salpe,49 Olympias50 of Thebes, Diotinms51 of Thebes, lollas,52 Andreas,53 Marcion54 of Smyrna, ^Eschines55 the physician, Hippocrates,56 Aristotle,57 Metrodorus68 of Scepsos, Icetidas*9 the physician, Apelles60 the physician, Hesiod,61 Dalion,62 Caecilius,63 Eion64 who wrote " On Po wers, ' >64* Anaxi- laiis,65 King Juba.6€ different person from either of the two famous courtesans of that name. Nothing whatever is known of her. 48 The writer of certain amatory poems, much admired by the Emperor Tiberius, generally supposed, from the grammatical form of the name, to have been a female. Galen quotes a work u On Cosmetics," as written by a person of this name. 49 A native of Lemnos, who wrote on the Diseases of Women. Nym- ph odorus, as quoted by Athenaeus, states that she also wrote verses on Sportive subjects. ^ See end of B. xx. 51 Beyond the mention made of him in c. 23, nothing further is known relative to this writer. Theophrastus, in his work on Sudorifics, speaks of a. person of this name as having written on Perspiration. 32 See end of B. xii. M See end of B. xx. 54 Beyond the mention made of him in c. 7 of this Book, nothing is known of this writer. Hardouin suggests that he may have been identical with the Micton mentioned at the end of B. xx. 55 He is spoken of as a native of Athens, in c. 10 of this Book. Be- yond this, nothing is known of him. 56 See end of B. vii. 67 See end of B. ii. 58 See end of B. iii. 59 Or more probably, Hicetidas. Nothing is known. of this writer. 60 A native of Thasos. He is also mentioned by Galen. 61 See end of B. vii. 62 See end of B. vi. 63 Probably a physician, of whom Athenseus speaks as being a native of Anros, and writer of a treatise on Fish. ^4 Probably a different writer from the one of that name mentioned at the end of B. vi. 64* Htpi dvvdptwv. 65 See end of B. xxi. 66 See end of B. v. VOL. V. B B 370 BOOK XXIX. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES. CHAP. 1. (1.) THE 01UG1N OF THE MEDICAL ART. THE nature and multiplicity of the various remedies already described or which still remain to be enlarged upon, compel me to enter upon some further details with reference to the art of medicine itself : aware as I am, that no one1 has hitherto treated of this subject in the Latin tongue, and that if all new enterprises are difficult or of doubtful success, it must be one in particular which is so barren of all charms to recommend it, and accompanied with such difficulties of illustration. It will not improbably suggest itself, however, to those who are fami- liar with this subject, to make enquiry how it is that in the practice of medicine the use of simples has been abandoned, so convenient as they are and so ready prepared to our hand : and they will be inclined to feel equal surprise and indignation when they are informed that no known art, lucrative as this is beyond all the rest, has been more fluctuating, or subjected to more frequent variations. Commencing by ranking its inventors in the number of the gods,2 and consecrating for them a place in heaven, the art of me- dicine, at the present day even, teaches us in numerous instances to have recourse to the oracles for aid. In more recent times again, the same art has augmented its celebrity, at the cost perhaps of being charged with criminality, by devising the fable that ^Esculapius was struck by lightning for presuming to raise Tyn- dareus3 to life. And this example notwithstanding, it has not hesitated to relate how that others, through its agency, have since been restored to life. Already enjoying celebrity in the days 1 He must surely have forgotten Celsus ; unless, indeed, Pliny was un- acquainted with his treatise " De Medicina." 2 Apollo and JEsculapius, Agenor, Hercules, Chiron, and others. 3 The husband of Leda, and the father of Castor, Timandra, Clyteem- nestra, and Philonoe. Hippolytus also was fabled to have been raised from the dead by JEsculapius. Chap. 3.] CHRYSIPPUS. 371 of the Trojan War, its traditions from that period have ac- quired an additional degree of certainty; although in those times, we may remark, the healing art confined itself solely to the treatment of wounds. CHAP. 2. — PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO HIPPOCRATES. DATE OF THE ORIGIN OF CLINICAL PRACTICE AND OF THAT OF IATRAL1PTICS. Its succeeding history, a fact that is truly marvellous, re- mains enveloped in the densest night, down to the time of the Peloponnesian War ;4 at which period it was restored to light by the agency of Hippocrates, a native of Cos, an island flourishing and powerful in the highest degree, and consecrated to ^Esculapius. It being the practice for persons who had re- covered from a disease to describe in the temple of that god the remedies to which they had owed their restoration to health, that others might derive benefit therefrom in a similar emer- gency ; Hippocrates, it is said, copied out these prescriptions, arid, as our fellow-countryman Varro will have it, after burn- ing the temple to the ground,4* instituted that branch of medi- cal practice which is known as " Clinics."5 There was no limit after this to the profits derived from the practice of medi- cine ; for Prodicus,6 a native of Selymbria, one of his disciples, founded the branch of it known as " latraliptics,"7 and so dis- covered a means of enriching the very anointers even and the commonest drudges8 employed by the physicians. CHAP. 3. — PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO CHRYSIPPUS AND ERASIS- TKATUS. In the rules laid down by these professors, changes were effected by Chrysippus with a vast parade of words, and, after 4 Hippocrates is generally supposed to have been born B.C. 460. 4* In order to destroy the medical books and prescriptions there. The same story is told, with little variation, (ff Avicenna. Cnidos is also men- tioned as the scene of this act of philosophical incendiarism. 5 "Clinice" — Chamber-physic, so called because the physician visited his patients tv K\ivy, "in bed." 6 It is supposed by most commentators that Pliny commits a mistake here, and that in reality he is alluding to Herodicus of Selymbria in Thrace, who was the tutor, and not the disciple, of Hippocrates. Prodicus of Se- lymbria does not appear to be known. 7 "Healing by ointments," or, as we should call it at the present day, "The Friction cure." 8 " Mediastinis." 372 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. Chrysippus, by Erasistratus, son9 of the daughter of Aristotle. For the cure of King Antic-chus — to give our first illustration of the profits realized by the medical art — Erasistratus re- ceived from his son, King Ptolemseus, the sum of one hundred talents. CHAP. 4. THE EMPIEIC BRANCH OF MEDICINE. Another sect again, known as that of the Empirics10 — be- cause it based its rules upon the results of experiment — took its rise in Sicily, having for its founder Acron of Agri- gentum, a man recommended by the high authority of Empe- docles11 the physician. CHAP. 5. PAKTICULARS RELATIVE TO HEKOPBILUS AND OTHEli CELEBRATED PHYSICIANS. THE VARIOUS CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE SYSTEM OF MEDICINE. These several schools of medicine, long at variance among themselves, were all of them condemned by Herophilus,12 who regulated the arterial pulsation according to the musical13 scale, correspondingly with the age of the patient. In suc- ceeding years again, the theories of this sect were abandoned, it being found that to belong to it necessitated an acquaintance with literature. Changes, too, were effected in the school, of which, as already13* stated, Asclepiades had become the founder. His disciple, Themison,14 who at first in his writings implicitly followed him, soon afterwards, in compliance with the growing degeneracy of the age, went so far as to modify his own me- thods of treatment ; which, in their turn, were entirely dis- placed, with the authorization of the late Emperor Augustus, by Antonius Musa,15 a physician who had rescued that prince 9 Pythias, the daughter of Aristotle, was his stepmother, and adopted him. His mother's name was Cretoxena. 10 Or " Sect of Experimentalists." They based their practice upon ex- perience derived from the observation of facts. The word " Empiric " is used only in a bad sense at the present day. For an account of Hippo- crates, see end of B. vii. ; of Chrysippus, see end of B. xx. ; and of Erasis- tratus, see end of B. xi. 11 See end of B. xi. 12 See end of B. xi. 13 See B. xi. c. 88^ The Chinese, Ajasson remarks, apply the musical scale to the pulsation ; it being a belief of the Mandarins that the body is a musical instrument, and that to be in health it must be kept in tune. 13* In B. xxvL cc. 7, 8. 14 See end of B. xi. 15 See B. xix. c. 38. Chap. 5.] CELEBRATED PHYSICIANS. 373 from a most dangerous malady, by following a mode of treat- ment diametrically opposite. I pass over in silence many physicians of the very highest- celebrity, the Cassii, for instance, the Calpetani, the Arruntii, and the Rubrii, men who received fees yearly from the great, amounting to no less than two hundred and fifty thousand sesterces. As for Q. Stertinius, he thought that he conferred an obligation upon the emperors in being content with five hundred thousand16 sesterces per annum ; and indeed he proved, by an enumeration of the several houses, that a city practice would bring him in a yearly income of not less than six hun- dred thousand sesterces. Fully equal to this was the sum lavished upon his brother by Claudius Caesar ; and the two brothers, although they had drawn largely upon their fortunes in beautifying the public buildings at Neapolis, left to their heirs no less than thirty millions of sesterces !17 such an estate as no physician but Ar- runtius had till then possessed. Next in succession arose Yettius Valens, rendered so noto- rious by his adulterous connection18 with Messalina, the wife of Claudius Caesar, and equally celebrated as a professor of eloquence. When established in public favour, he became the founder of a new sect. It was in the same age, too, during the reign of the Emperor Nero, that the destinies of the medical art passed into the hands of Thessalus,19 a man who swept away all the precepts of his predecessors, and declaimed with a sort of frenzy against the physicians of every age ; but with what discretion and in what spirit, we may abundantly conclude from a single trait presented by his character — upon his tomb, which is still to be seen on the Appian Way, he had his name inscribed as the " latronices " — the " Conqueror of the Physicians." No stage-player, no driver of a three-horse chariot, had a greater throng attending him when he appeared in public : but he was at last eclipsed in credit by Crinas, a native of Massilia, who, to wear an appearance of greater discreetness and more devoutness, united in himself the pursuit of two sciences, and 16 Rattier more than £4400. 17 More than £265,000. 16 For which he was put to death A.D. 48. 19 A native of Tralles in Lydia, and the son of a weaver there. Galen mentions him in terms of contempt and ridicule. 374 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX prescribed diets to his patients in accordance with the move- ments of the heavenly bodies, as indicated by the almanacks of the mathematicians, taking observations himself of the various times and seasons. It was but recently that he died, leaving ten millions of sesterces, after having expended hardly a less sum upon building the walls of his native place and of other towns. It was while these men were ruling our destinies, that all at once, Charmis, a native also of Massilia, took20 the City by 'surprise. Not content with condemning the practice of preceding physicians, he proscribed the use of warm baths as well, and persuaded people, in the very depth of winter even, to immerse themselves in cold water. His patients he used to plunge into large vessels filled with cold water, and it was a common thing to see aged men of consular rank make it a matter of parade to freeze themselves ; a method of treatment, in favour of which Annseus21 Seneca gives his personal testimony, in writings still extant. There can be no doubt whatever, that all these men, in the pursuit of celebrity by the introduction of some novelty or other, made purchase of it at the downright expense of human life. Hence those woeful discussions, those consultations at the bed- side of the patient, where no one thinks fit to be of the same opinion as another, lest he may have the appearance of being subordinate to another ; hence, too, that ominous inscription to be read upon a tomb, "It was the multitude of physicians that killed me."22 The medical art, so often modified and renewed as it has been, is still on the change from day to day, and still are we impelled onwards by the puifs23 which emanate from the in- genuity of the Greeks. It is quite evident too, that every one among them that finds himself skilled in the art of speech, may forthwith create himself the arbiter of our life and death : as though, forsooth, there were not thousands24 of nations who *° "Invasit." 21 Ep. 53 and 83. His " adstipulatio " is of a very equivocal character, however. 22 " Turba raedicorum peril." This is supposed to be borrowed from a line of Menander — rioXAwv larpoiv sioo§o£ u.' awiitXtvev. 2* "Flatu." 34 Herodotus states this with reference to the Babylonians ; Strabo, the Chap. 7.] OPINIONS OK THE ANCIENT PHYSICIANS. 3/5 live without any physicians at all, though not, for all that, without the aid of medicine. Such, for instance, was the llo- man25 people, for a period of more than six hundred years ; a people, too, which has never shown itself slow to adopt all useful arts, and which even welcomed the medical art with avidity, until, after a fair experience of it, there was found good reason to condemn it. CHAP. 6. WHO FIRST PRACTISED AS A PHYSICIAN AT HOME, AND AT WHAT PERIOD. And, indeed, it appears to me not amiss to take the present opportunity of reviewing some remarkable facts in the days of our forefathers connected with this subject. Cassius Hemina,26 one of our most ancient writers, says that the first physician that visited Rome was Archagathus, the son of Lysanias, who came over from Peloponnesus, in the year of the City 535, L. .^Emilius and M. Livius being consuls. He states also, that the right of free citizenship27 was- gran ted him, and that he had a shop28 provided for his practice at the public expense in the Acilian Cross- way ;29 that from his practice he received the name of " Yulnerarius ;"80 that on his arrival he was greatly welcomed at first, but that soon afterwards, from the cruelty displayed by him in cutting and searing his patients, he ac- quired the new name of " Carnifex,"31 and brought his art and physicians in general into considerable disrepute. That such was the fact, we may readily understand from the words of M. Cato, a man whose authority stands so high of itself, that but little weight is added to it by the triumph32 which he gained, and the Censorship which he held. I shall, therefore, give his own words in reference to this subject. CHAP. 7. THE OPINIONS ENTERTAINED BY THE ROMANS ON THE ANCIENT PHYSICIANS. " Concerning those Greeks, son Marcus, I will speak to you Bastitani, a people of Spain ; and Eusebius, the more ancient inhabitants of Spain. 25 See B. xx. c. 33. 26 See end of B. xii. 27 " Jus Quiritium." 28 "Tabernam." A surgery, in fact, the same as the '* iatreion" of the Greeks. 29 Or " carrefour " — " compitum." The Acilian Gens pretended to be under the especial tutelage of the gods of medicine. 30 The " Wound-curer," from u vulnus," a wound. 31 " Executioner," or " hangman." 33 For his conquests in Spain. 376 PLINY'S NATURAL HTSTOET. [Book XXIX. more at length on the befitting occasion. I will show you the results of my own experience at Athens, and that, while it is a good plan to dip into their literature,33 it is not worth while to make a thorough acquaintance with it. They are a most iniqui- tous and intractable race, and you may take my word as the word of a prophet, when I tell you, that whenever that nation shall bestow itsliterature upon Rome it will mar everything; and that all the sooner, if it sends its physicians among us. They have conspired among themselves to murder all barbarians with their medicine ; a profession which they exercise for lucre, in order that they may win our confidence,34 and dispatch us all the more easily. They are in the common habit, too, of calling us barbarians, and stigmatize us beyond all other nations, by giving us the abominable appellation of Opici.35 I forbid you to have anything to do with physicians." CHAP. 8. — EVILS ATTENDANT UPON THE PRACTICE OP MEDICINE. Cato, who wrote to this effect, died in his eighty-fifth year, in the year of the City 605 ; so that no one is to suppose that he had not sufficient time to form his experience, either with reference to the duration of the republic, or the length of his own life. Well then — are we to conclude that he has stamped ' with condemnation a thing that in itself is most useful ? Far from it, by Hercules ! for he subjoins an account of the medical prescriptions, by the aid of which he had ensured to himself and to his wife a ripe old age; prescriptions36 upon which we are now about to enlarge. He asserts also that he has a book of recipes in his possession, by the aid of which he treats the maladies of his son, his servants, and his friends ; a book from which we have extracted the various prescriptions according to the several maladies for which they are employed. It was not the thing itself that the ancients condemned, but it was the art as then practised, and they were shocked, more particularly, that man should pay so dear for the enjoyment of life. For this reason it was, they say, that the Temple of " Illorum literas inspicere." 34 On the principle that that which costs money must be worth having. 15 The Opici or Osci were an ancient tribe of Italy, settled in Campania, Latium, and Samnium. From their uncivilized habits the name was long ng d- . 36 Marked by their supereminent absurdity, as Fee remarks. used as a reproachful epithet, equivalent to our words " bumpkin," " clo hopper," or " chawbacon." Chap. 8.] EYILS FROM THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. 3/7 ^Esculapius, even after he was received as a divinity, was built without the City, and afterwards on an island ;37 for this rea- son, too, it was, that when, long after the time of Cato, the Greeks were expelled from Italy, the physicians were not38 exempted from the decree. And here I will39 improve upon the foresight displayed by them. Medicine is the only one of the arts of Greece, that, lucrative as it is, the Roman gravity has hitherto refused to cultivate. It is but very few of our fellow-citizens that have even attempted it, and so soon as ever they have done so, they have become deserters to the Greeks forthwith.40 Nay, even more than this, if they attempt to treat of it in any other language than Greek, they are sure to lose all credit, with the most ignorant even, and those who do not understand a word of Greek ; there being all the less confidence felt by our people in that which so nearly concerns their wel- fare, if it happens to be intelligible to them. In fact, this is the only one of all the arts, by Hercules ! in which the moment a man declares41 himself to be an adept, he is at once believed, there being at the same time no imposture, the results of which are more fraught with peril. To all this, however, we give no attention, so seductive is the sweet influence of the hope entertained of his ultimate recovery by each. And then besides, there is no law in existence whereby to punish the ignorance of physicians, no instance before us of capital punishment inflicted. It is at the expense of our perils that they learn, and they experimentalize by putting us to death, a physician being the only person that can kill an- other with sovereign impunity. Nay, even more than this, all the blame is thrown upon the sick man only ; he is accused of disobedience forthwith, and it is the person who is dead and gone that is put upon his trial. It is the usage at Home for the decuries42 to pass examination under the censorship of the 37 Formed by the river Tiber. See the Quaest. Rom. of Plutarch, on this subject. 38 We have adopted Sillig's suggestion, and read "nee " for "et" here. The meaning, however, is very doubtful. 39 « Augebo providentiam illorum." The meaning of this passage also is doubtful. 40 By adopting that language instead of the Latin ; Sextius Niger, for in- stance. 41 Diplomas seem to have been less cared for in those times than at the present day even, when quackery lias so free a range. 42 See B. iii. c. 26, and B. xxxiii. cc. 7, 8. 378 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. emperor, and for inquisitions to be made at our party- walls43 even : persons who are to sit in judgment on our monetary matters are sent for to Gades44 and the very Pillars of Hercules; while a question of exile is never entertained without a panel of forty- five men selected for the purpose.45 But when it is the judge's own life that is at stake, who are the persons that are to hold council upon it, but those who the very next moment are about to take it ! And yet so it is, that we only meet with our deserts, no one of us feeling the least anxiety to know what is necessary for his own welfare. We walk46 with the feet of other people, we see with the eyes of other people, trusting to the memory of others we salute one another, and it is by the aid of others that we live. The most precious objects of existence, and the chief supports47 of life, are entirely lost to us, and we have nothing left but our pleasures to call our own. I will not leave Cato exposed to the hatred of a profession so ambitious as this, nor yet that senate which judged as he did, but at the same time I will pursue my object without wresting to my purpose the crimes practised by its adepts, as some might naturally expect. For what profession has there been more fruitful in poisonings, or from which there have emanated more frauds upon wills ? And then, too, what adulteries have been committed, in the very houses of our princes even ! the intrigue of Eudemus,48 for example, with Livia, the wife of Drusus Caesar, and that of Valens with the royal lady previously mentioned.49 Let us not impute these evils, I say, to the art, but to the men who practise it ; for Cato, I verily believe, as little apprehended 43 " Inquisitio per parietes." The reading is doubtful, but he not im- probably alludes to the employment of spies. 44 Hardouin thinks that he alludes to Cornelius Balbus here, a native of Gades. See 13. v. c. 5, and B. vii. 44. 45 " Electis viris datur tabula." He alludes to the three tablets de- livered to the Judices, one of which had inscribed on it " Acquitted," an- other " Not proven," and a third " Guilty " — Absolvatur, Non liquety and Condemno. 46 " In this place he casteth in the Romans' teeth, their Lecticarii, Anag- nosta, and Nomenclatures." — Holland. Letter-bearers, readers, and promp- ters as to the names of the persons addressed. 47 He alludes to the resources of medicine. 48 A physician at Rome, who was afterwards put to the torture for this crime. Livia was the daughter of Drusus Nero, the brother of Tiberius. 49 Messalina, mentioned in c. 5 of this Book. Chap. 8.] EVILS FROM THE PEACTICE OF MEDICINE. 379 such practices as these in the City, as he did the presence of royal ladies50 there. I will not accuse the medical art of the avarice even of its professors, the rapacious bargains made with their patients while their fate is trembling in the balance, the tariffs framed upon their agonies, the monies taken as earnest for the dispatching of patients, or the mysterious secrets of the craft. I will not mention how that cataract must be couched51 only, in the eye, in preference to extracting it at once — practices, all of them, which have resulted in one very great advantage, by alluring hither such a multitude of adventurers; it being no mo- deration on their part, but the rivalry existing between such numbers of practitioners, that keeps their charges within mo- deration. It is a well-known fact that Charmis, the phy- sician52 already mentioned, made a bargain with a patient of his in the provinces, that he should have two hundred thousand sesterces for the cure ; that the Emperor Claudius extorted from Alcon, the surgeon,63 ten millions of sesterces by way of fine ; and that the same man, after being recalled from his exile in Gaul, acquired a sum equally large in the course of a few years. These are faults, however, which must be imputed to in- dividuals only ; and it is not my intention to waste reproof upon the dregs of the medical profession, or to c#ll attention to the ignorance displayed by that crew,54 the violation of all regimen in their treatment of disease, the evasions practised in the use of warm baths, the strict diet they imperiously pre- scribe, the food that is crammed into these same patients, exhausted as they are, several times a day ; together with a thousand other methods of showing how quick they are to change their mind, their precepts for the regulation of the kitchen, and their recipes for the composition of unguents, it being one grand object with them to lose sight of none of the usual incitements to sensuality. The importation of foreign merchandize, and the introduction of tariffs settled by foreigners,55 would have been highly displeasing to our ances- 50 Nothing could possibly be more remote from his republican notions, than " reginae " at Rome. 51 "Emovendam." In order that a future job may be ensured. 62 In c. 5 of this Book. 53 " Vulnerum medico." 44 " Ejus turba3." 55 See B. xxiv. c. 1. 380 PLOT* 8 NATURAL HISTOBY* [Book XXIX. tors, I can readily imagine ; but it was not these inconveni- ences that Cato had in view, when he spoke thus strongly in condemnation of the medical art. "Theriaee"56 is the name given to a preparation devised by luxury ; a composition formed of six hundred57 different in- gredients ; and this while Nature has bestowed upon us such numbers of remedies, each of which would have fully answered the purpose employed by itself! The Mithridatic58 antidote is composed of four and fifty ingredients, none of which are used in exactly the same proportion, and the quantity pre- scribed is in some cases so small as the sixtieth part of one denarius ! Which of the gods, pray, can have instructed man in such trickery as this, a height to which the mere subtlety of human invention could surely never have reached? It clearly must emanate from a vain ostentation of scientific skill, and must be set down as a monstrous system of puffing off the medical art. And yet, after all, the physicians themselves do not under- stand this branch of their profession ; and I have ascertained that it is a common thing for them to put mineral vermilion59 in their medicines, a rank poison, as I shall have occasion60 to show when I come to speak of the pigments, in place of Indian cinnabar, and all because they mistake the name of the one drug for that of the other ! These, however, are errors which only concern the health of individuals, while it is the practices which Cato foresaw and dreaded, less dangerous in themselves and little regarded, practices, in fact, which the leading men in the art do not hesitate to avow, that have wrought61 the corruption of the manners of our empire. The practices I allude to are those to which, while enjoying robust health, we submit: such, for instance, as rubbing the body with wax and oil,63 a preparation for a wrestling match, by rights, but which, these men pretend, was invented as a preser- vative of health ; the use of hot baths, which are necessary, 56 The origin of our word " treacle." See B. xx. c. 100, and Note 97. 57 Used as a round number, like our expression " ten thousand." 58 See B. xxiii. c. 77, and B. xxv. c. 26. 59 " Minium." This red lead had the name of " cinnabaris nativa," whence the error. 60 In B. xxxiii. c. 38. 61 As tending to effeminacy, or undermining the constitution. 62 See B. xxviii. c. 13. Ohap. 9.] REMEDIES DEBITED FEOM WOOL. 381 they have persuaded us, for the proper digestion of the food, baths which no one ever leaves without being all the weaker for it, and from which the more submissive of their patients are only carried to the tomb; potions taken fasting ; vomits to clear the stomach, and then a series of fresh drenchings with drink ; emasculation, self-inflicted by the use of pitch-plasters as depilatories ; the public exposure, too, of even the most de- licate parts of the female body for the prosecution of these practices. Most assuredly so it is, the contagion which has seized upon the public morals, has had no more fertile source than the medical art, and it continues, day by day even, to justify the claims of Cato to be considered a prophet and an oracle of wisdom, in that assertion of his, that it is quite suffi- cient to dip into the records of Greek genius, without becoming thoroughly acquainted with them. Such then is what may be said in justification of the senate and of the Iloinan people, during that period of. six hundred years in which they manifested such repugnance to an art, by the most insidious terms of which, good men are made to lend their credit and authority to the very worst, and so strongly entered their protest against the silly persuasions entertained by those, who fancy that nothing can benefit them but what is coupled with high price. I entertain no doubt, too, that there will be found some to ex- press their disgust at the particulars which I am about to give, in relation to animals : and yet Yirgil himself has not disdained — when, too, there was no necessity for his doing so — to speak of ants and weevils, " And nests by beetles made that shun the light."63 Homer,*4 too, amid his description of the battles of the gods, has not disdained to remark upon the voracity of the common fly; nor has Nature, she who engendered man, thought it beneath her to engender these insects as well. Let each then make it his care, not so much to regard the thing itself, as to rightly appreciate in each case the cause and its effects. CHAP. 9. THIRTY- FIVE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM WOOL. I shall begin then with some remedies that are well known, l« " Lucifugis congesta cubilia blattis." Georg. I. 184, IV. 243. w 11. xvii. 570, et seq. 382 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOEY. [Book XXIX. those namely, which are derived from wool and from the eggs of birds, thus giving due honour to those substances which hold the principal place in the estimation of mankind ; though at the same time I shall be necessitated to speak of some others out of their proper place, according as occasion may offer. I should not have been at a loss for high-flown language wi'th which to grace my narrative, had I made it my design to regard any- thing else than what, as being strictly trustworthy,65 becomes my work : for among the very first remedies mentioned, we find those said to be derived from the ashes and nest of the phoenix,66 as though, forsooth, its existence were a well ascer- tained fact, and not altogether a fable. And then besides, it would be a mere mockery to describe remedies that can only return to us once in a thousand years. (2.) The ancient Romans attributed to wool a degree of reli- gious importance even, and it was in this spirit that they enjoined that the bride should touch the door-posts of her husband's house with wool. In addition to dress and protection from the cold, wool, in an unwashed state, used in combination with oil, and wine or vinegar, supplies us with numerous remedies, accord- ing as we stand in need of an emollient or an excitant, an astrin- gent or a laxative. "Wetted from time to time with these liquids, greasy w ool is applied to sprained limbs, and to sinews that are suffering from pain. In the case of sprains, some persons are in the habit of adding salt, while others, again, apply pounded rue and grease, in wool : the same, too, in the case of con- tusions or tumours. Wool will improve the breath, it is said, if the teeth and gums are rubbed with it, mixed with honey ; it is very good, too, for phrenitis,67 used as a fumigation. To arrest bleeding at the nose, wool is introduced into the nostrils with oil of roses ; or it is used in another manner, the ears being well plugged with it. In the case of inveterate ulcers it is applied topically with honey : soaked in wine or vinegar, or in cold water and oil, and then squeezed out, it is used for the cure of wounds. Rams' wool, washed in cold water, and steeped in oil, is used for female complaints, and to allay inflammations of the uterus. Procidence of the uterus is reduced by using this wool 55 He certainly does not always keep this object in view. 66 See B. x. c. 2, and B. xii. c. 42. 67 A form of fever, Littre remarks, that is known by the moderns " pseudo-continuous. " I Chap. 10.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM WOOL- GREASE. 383 in the form of a fumigation. Greasy wool, used as a plaster and as a pessary, brings away the dead foetus, and arrests uterine discharges. Bites inflicted by a mad dog are plugged with unwashed wool, the application being removed at the end of seven days. Applied with cold water, it is a cure for agnails : steeped in a mixture of boiling nitre, sulphur, oil, vinegar, and tar, and applied twice a day, as warm as possible, it allays pains in the loins. By making ligatures with un- washed rams' wool about the extremities of the limbs, bleed- ing is effectually stopped. In all cases, the wool most esteemed is that from the neck of the animal ; the best kinds of wool being those of Galatia, Tarentum, Attica, and Miletus. For excoriations, blows, bruises, contusions, crushes, galls, falls, pains in the head and other parts, and for inflammation of the stomach, unwashed wool is applied, with a mixture of vinegar and oil of roses. Reduced to ashes, it is applied to contusions, wounds, and burns, and forms an ingredient in ophthalmic compositions. It is employed, also, for fistulas and suppurations of the ears. For this last purpose, some persons take the wool as it is shorn, while others pluck it from the fleece ; they then cut off the ends of it, and after drying and carding it, lay it in pots of unbaked earth, steep it well in honey, and burn it. Others, again, arrange it in layers alternately with chips of torch- pine,68 and, after sprinkling it with oil, set fire to it : they then rub the ashes into small vessels with the hands, and let them settle in water there. This operation is repeated and the water changed several times, until at last the ashes are found to be slightly astringent, without the slightest pungency ; upon which, they are put by for use, being possessed of certain caustic properties,69 and extremely useful as a detergent for the eyelids. CHAP. 10. THIRTY-TWO REMEDIES DERIVED FROM WOOL-GREASE. And not only this, but the filthy excretions even of sheep, the sweat adhering to the wool of the flanks and of the axillary concavities — a substance known as " cesypum"70- — are 68 See B. xvi. c. 19. 69 " Smectica" is suggested by Gesner, Hist. Anim., as a better reading than " septica." 70 " (Esypum " is often mentioned by Ovid as a favourite cosmetic with the Roman ladies. 384 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOEY. [Book XXIX. applied to purposes almost innumerable ; the grease produced by the sheep of Attica being the most highly esteemed. There are numerous ways of obtaining it, but the most approved method is to take the wool, fresh clipped from those parts of the body, or else the sweat and grease collected from any part of the fleece, and boil it gently in a copper vessel upon a slow fire : this done, it is left to cool, and the fat which floats upon the surface collected into an earthen vessel. The material originally used is then subjected to another boiling, and the two results are washed in cold water; after which, they are strained through a linen cloth and exposed to the sun till they become bleached and quite transparent, and are then put by in a pew- ter box for keeping. The best proof of its genuineness is its retention of the strong smell of the original grease, and its not melting when rubbed with water upon the hand, but turning wh*ite, like white-lead in appearance. This substance is extremely use- ful for inflammations of the eyes and indurations of the eye- lids. Some persons bake the wool in an earthen pot, until it has lost all its grease, and are of opinion that, prepared this way, it is a more useful remedy for excoriations and indurations of the eyelids, for eruptions at the corners of the eyes, and for watery eyes. And not only does this grease heal ulcerations of the eyes, but, mixed with goose-grease, of the ears and generative organs as well ; in combination also with melilote and butter, it is a cure for inflammations of the uterus, and for excoriations of the rectum and condylomata. The other uses to which it is applied, we shall detail on a more appropriate occasion. The grease, too, of the wool about the tail is made up into pills, unmixed with any substance : these pills are dried and pulverized, being an excellent application for the teeth, when loose even, and for the gums, when attacked by spreading ulcers of a cancerous nature. Sheep's wool, too, cleaned, is applied by itself, or with the addition of sulphur, for dull, heavy pains, and the ashes of it, burnt, are used for diseases of the genera- tive organs : indeed, this wool is possessed of such sovereign virtues, that it is used as a covering for medicinal applications even. It is also an especial remedy for the sheep itself, when it has lost its stomach, and refuses to feed ; for, upon plucking some wool from the tail, and then tying the tail therewith, us Chap. 11.] HEMEDIES DEBITED FROM EGGS. 385 tight as possible, the sheep will fall to feeding immediately. It is said, however, that the part of the tail which lies beyond the knot so made will quickly mortify and die. CHAP. 11. (3.) TWENTY-TWO REMEDIES DEBITED FBOM EGGS. There is a considerable affinity also between wool and eggs, which are applied together as a frontal to the forehead by way of cure for defluxions of the eyes. Wool, however, is not required for this purpose to haTe been dressed with radicula,71 the only thing requisite to be combined with it being the white of an egg and powdered frankincense. The white of an egg, also applied by itself, arrests defluxions of the eyes, and has a cooling effect upon inflammations of those organs : some, how- ever, prefer mixing saffron with it, and employ it as an ingre- dient in eye-salves, in place of water. For ophthalmia in infants there is hardly any remedy to be found, except white of egg mixed with fresh butter. Eggs beaten up with oil, are very soothing for erysipelas, beet leaves being laid on the liniment. White of egg, mixed with pounded gum ammoniac, is used as a bandoline for arranging the hairs of the eyelids ; and, in combination with pine-nuts and a little honey, it forms a liniment for the removal of pimples on the face. If the face is well rubbed with it, it will never be sun-burnt. If, the moment the flesh has been scalded, an egg is applied, no blis- ters will form : some persons, howeTer, mix with it barley- meal and a little salt. In cases of ulceration formed by burns, there is nothing better than parched barley and hogs' lard, mixed with the white of an egg. The same mixture js also used as an application for diseases of the rectum, in infants eTen, and in cases, too, when there is procidence of those parts. For the cure of chaps upon the feet, white of eggs is boiled, with two denarii of white lead, an equal quantity of litharge, a little myrrh, and some wine. For the cure of erysipelas they use the whites of three eggs with amylum : 72 it is said, too, that white of egg has the effect of knitting wounds and of expelling urinary calculi. The yolk of eggs boiled hard, applied in woman's milk with a little saffron and honey, has a soothing effect upon pains in the eyes. The yolk is applied also to the eyes in wool, mixed with honied wine and oil of 71 See B. xix, c. 1, B. xxiv. c 58, and B. xxv. c. 21. 72 See B. xviii. c. 17. TOL. v. C C 386 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTOKY. [Book XXIX. roses ; or else mixed with ground parsley-seed and polenta, and applied with honied wine. The yolk of a single egg, swallowed raw by itself without being allowed to touch the teeth, is remarkably good for cough, defluxions of the chest, and irrita- tions of the fauces. It is used, too, both internally and ex- ternally, in a raw state, as a sovereign cure for the sting of the haemorrhois ;73 and it is highly beneficial for the kidneys, for irritations and ulcerations of the bladder, and for bloody expec- torations. For dysentery, the yolks of five eggs are taken raw in one semi-sextarius of wine, mixed with the ashes of the shells, poppy-juice, and wine. For cceliac fluxes, it is recommended to take the yolks of eggs, with like proportions of pulpy raisins and pomegranate rind, in equal quantities, for three consecutive days; or else to follow another method, and take the yolks of three eggs, with three ounces of old bacon and honey, and three cyathi of old wine ; the whole being beaten up to the consistency of honey, and taken in water, when needed, in pieces the size of a hazel nut. In some cases, too, the yolks of three eggs are fried in oil, the whole of the egg having been steeped a day previously in vinegar. It is in this way that eggs are used for the treatment of spleen diseases ; but for spitting of blood, they should be taken with three cyathi of must. Yolk of egg is used, too, for the cure of bruises of long standing, in combination with bulbs and honey. Boiled and taken in wine, yolks of eggs arrest menstruation : applied raw with oil or wine, they dispel inflations of the uterus. Mixed with goose-grease and oil of roses, they are useful for crick in the neck ; and they are hardened over the fire, and applied warm, for the cure of maladies of the rectum. For cond)7lomata, eggs are used in combination with oil of roses ; and for the treatment of bums, they are hardened in water, and set upon hot coals till the shells are burnt, the yellow being used as a liniment with oil of roses. Eggs become entirely transformed into yolk, on being re- moved after the hen has sat upon them for three days ; in which state they are known by the name of " sitista."74 The chicks that are found within the shell are used for strengthen- ?3 See B. xx. c. 23. 74 Hermolaiis suggests "schista," "divided," and Dalechamps proposes •" synchyta," " mixed." The reading is very doubtful. Chap. 11.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM EGGS. 387 ing a disordered stomach, being eaten with half a nut-gall, and no other food taken for the next two hours. They are given also for dysentery, boiled in the egg with one semi-sexta- rius of astringent wine, and an equal quantity of olive oil and polenta. The pellicle that lines the shell is used, either raw or boiled, for the cure of cracked lips ; and the shell itself, reduced to ashes, is taken in wine for discharges of blood : care nmst be taken, however, to burn it without the pellicle. In the same way, too, a dentifrice is prepared. The ashes of the shell, applied topically with myrrh, arrest menstruation when in excess. So remarkably strong is the shell of an egg, that if it is set upright, no force or weight can break it, unless a slight inclination be made to one side or other of the circum- ference. Eggs taken whole in wine, with rue, dill, and cum- min, facilitate parturition. Used with oil and cedar-resin, they remove itch and prurigo, and, applied in combination with cyclaminos,75 they are remedial for running ulcers of the head. For purulent expectorations and spitting of blood, a raw egg is taken, warmed with juice of cut-leek and an equal quantity of Greek honey. For coughs, eggs are administered, boiled and beaten up with honey, or else raw, with raisin wine and an equal quantity of olive oil. For diseases of the male organs, an injection is made, of an egg, three cyathi of raisin wine, and half an ounce of amylum,76 the mixture being used imme- diately after the bath. Where injuries have been inflicted by serpents, boiled eggs are used as a liniment, beaten up with nasturtium. In what various ways eggs are used as food is well known to all, passing downwards, however swollen the throat may be, and warming the parts as they pass. Eggs, too, are the only diet which, while it affords nutriment in sickness, does not load the stomach, possessing at the same moment all the advantages both of food and drink. We have already77 stated, that the shell of an egg becomes soft when steeped in vinegar : it is by the aid of eggs thus prepared, and kneaded up with meal into bread, that patients suffering from the cceliac flux are often restored to strength. Some, however, think it a better plan to roast the eggs, when thus softened, in a shallow pan ; a method, by the aid of which, they arrest not only looseness of 75 Or Sowbread. See B. xxv. c, 67. 76 See B. xviii. c. 17. " In B. x. c. 80. C C 2. 388 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. the bowels, but excessive menstruation as well. In eases, again, where the discharges are greatly in excess, eggs are taken raw, with meal, in water. The yolks, too, are employed alone, boiled hard in vinegar and roasted with ground pepper, when wanted to arrest diarrhoea. For dysentery, there is a sovereign remedy, prepared in the following manner : an egg is emptied into a new earthen vessel, which done, in order that all the proportions may be equal, fill the shell, first with honey, then with oil, and then with vinegar ; beat them up together, and thoroughly incorporate them : the better the quality of the several ingredients, the more efficacious the mixture will be. Others, again, instead of oil and vinegar, use the same proportions of red resin and wine. There is also another way of making up this prepara- tion : the proportion of oil, and of that only, remains the same, and to it they add two sixtieth parts of a denarius of the vegetable which we have spoken of under the name of "rhus,"78 and five oboli of honey. All these ingredients are boiled down together, and no food is eaten by the patient till the end of four hours after taking the mixture. Many persons, too, have a cure for griping pains in the bowels, by beating up two eggs with four cloves of garlick, and administering them, warmed in one semi-sextarius of wine. Not to omit anything in commendation of eggs, I would here add that glair of egg, mixed with quicklime, unites broken79 glass. Indeed, so great is the efficacy of the substance of an egg, that wood dipped in it will not take fire, and cloth with which it has come in contact will not ignite.80 On this occasion, however, it is only of the eggs of poultry that I have been speaking, though those of the various other birds as well are possessed of many useful properties, as I shall have to mention on the appropriate occasions. CHAP. 12. — SFIRPENTS' EGGS. In addition to the above, there is another kind of egg,81 held 7S See B. xxiv. c. 54. 79 This is the fact, and it is similarly used for mending china. White of egg, mixed with whiskey or spirits of wine, will answer the purpose equally well. 80 Ajasson remarks that there is some slight truth in this assertion. 81 Pliny alludes here to the beads or rings of glass which were used by the Druids as charms to impose on the credulity of their devotees, under Chap. 12.] SEKPENTS' EGGS. 389 in high renown by the people of the Gallic provinces, but totally omitted by the Greek writers. In summer82 time, num- berless snakes become artificially entwined together, and form rings around their bodies with the viscous slime which exudes from their mouths, and with the foam secreted by them : the name given to this substance is " anguinum."83 The Druids tell us, that the serpents eject these eggs into the air by their hissing,84 and that a person must be ready to catch them in a cloak, so as not to let them touch the ground ; they say also that he must instantly take to flight on horseback, as the serpents will be sure to pursue him, until some intervening river has placed a barrier between them. The test of its genuineness, they say, is its floating against the current of a stream, even though it be set in gold. But, as it is the way with magicians to be dexterous and cunning in casting a veil about their frauds, they pretend that these eggs can only be taken on a certain day of the moon ; as though, forsooth, it depended entirely upon the human will to make the moon and the serpents accord as to the moment of this operation. I myself, however, have seen one of these eggs: it was round, and about as large as an apple of moderate size ; the shell 85 of it was formed of a cartilaginous substance, and it was surrounded with numerous cupules, as it were, resembling those upon the arms of the polypus : it is held in high estimation the name of Glainnatdr, or " the Adder gem." Mr. Luyd (in Rowland's Mona Antiqua, p. 342) says that the genuine Ovum anguinum can be no other than a shell of the kind called echinus marinus, and that Dr. Borlase observes that, instead of the natural anguinum, artificial rings of stone, glass, and sometimes baked clay, were substituted as of equal validity. The belief in these charms very recently existed in Cornwall and Wales, if indeed it does not at the present day. The subject is very fully discussed in Brand's Popular Antiquities, Vol. III. p. 286, et seg., and p. 369, et seq.y JSohn's Edition. These gems and beads are not uncommonly found in tumuli of the early British period. 82 A similar belief in its origin was prevalent in Cornwall and "Wales, and whoever found it was supposed to ensure success in all his undertakings. 83 " The snake's egg" — ovum being understood. 84 " The vulgar opinion in Cornwall and most parts of Wales is that these are produced through all Cornwall by snakes joining their heads together and hissing, which forms a kind of bubble like a ring about the head of one of them, which the rest, by continual hissing, blow on till it comes oft at the tail, when it immediately hardens and resembles a glass ring." — Govgh's Camden,Vol. II. p. 571, Ed. 1789. 85 The shell of a sea urchin most probably. See Note 81 above. 390 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. among the Druids. The possession of it is marvellously vaunted as ensuring success86 in law-suits, and a favourable reception with princes ; a notion which has been so far belied, that a Koman of equestrian rank, a native of the territory of the Yocontii,87 who, during a trial, had one of these eggs in his bosom, was slain by the late Emperor Tiberius, and for no other reason, that I know of, but because he was in possession of it. It is this entwining of serpents with one another, and the fruitful results of this unison, that seem to me to have given rise to the usage among foreign nations, of surrounding the caduceus88 with representations of serpents, as so many symbols of peace — it must be remembered, too, that on the caduceus, serpents are never 89 represented as having crests. CHAP. 13. — THE METHOD OF PREPARING COMMAGEXUM. FOUR REMEDIES DERIVED FROM IT. Having to make mention, in the present Book, of the eggs of the goose and the numerous uses to which they are applied, as also of the bird itself, it is our duty to award the honour to Commagene90 of a most celebrated preparation there made. This composition is prepared from goose-grease, a substance applied to many other well-known uses as well ; but in the case of that which comes from Commagene, a part of Syria, the grease is first incorporated with cinnamon, cassia,91 white pep- per, and the plant called " commagene,"92 and then placed in vessels and buried in the snow. The mixture has an agree- able smell, and is found extremely useful for cold shiverings, convulsions, heavy or sudden pains, and all those affections, in fact, which are treated with the class of remedies known as " acopa ;"93 being equally an unguent and a medicament. There is another method, also, of preparing it in Syria : the fat of the bird is preserved in manner already 94 described, and 86 See Note 82 above. 87 A nation of Ganl. See B. iii. cc. 5, 21. 88 The wand held by heralds, and generally represented as being carried by Mercury in his character of messenger of the gods. 89 And therefore not portentous of war. 9° See B. v. cc. 13, 20. 9* See B. xii. c. 43. 92 See B. x. c. 28. Generally supposed to be Syrian nard ; though some identify it with the Comacum of Theophrastus. 93 See B. xxiii. cc. 45, 80. " In B. xxviii. c. 38. Chap. 14.] BEMEDIES DEBITED FROM THE DOG. 391 there is added to it erysisceptrum,95 xylobalsamum,96 palm elate,97 and calamus, each in the same proportion as the grease ; the whole being gently boiled some two or three times in wine. This preparation is made in winter, as in summer it will never thicken, except with the addition of wax. There are nume- rous other remedies, also, derived from the goose, as well as from the ravun ;98 a thing I am much surprised at, seeing that both the goose and the raven " are generally said to be in a diseased state at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. CHAP. 14. (4.) — REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE DOG. We have already1 spoken of the honours earned by the geese, when the Gauls were detected in their attempt to scale the Capitol. It is for a corresponding reason, also, that punish- ment is yearly inflicted upon the dogs, by crucifying them alive upon a gibbet of elder, between the Temple of Juventas2 and that of Summanus.3 In reference to this last-mentioned animal, the usages of our forefathers compel us to enter into some further details. They considered the flesh of sucking whelps to be so pure a meat, that they were in the habit of using them as victims even in their expiatory sacrifices. A young whelp, too, is sacrificed to Genita Mana ;4 and, at the repasts celebrated in honour of the gods, it is still the usage to set whelps' flesh on table ; at the inaugural feasts, too, of the pontiffs, this dish was in com- mon use, as we learn from the Comedies5 of Plautus. It is generally thought that for narcotic6 poisons there is nothing better than dogs' blood ; and it would appear that it was this animal that first taught man the use of emetics. Other me- 95 See B. xxiv. c. 69. 96 See B. xii. c. 54. 97 See B. xii. c. 62. 98 No MS., it would appear, gives "oorvis" here, the reading being "capris," " goats." Ajasson, however, is most probably right in his sug- gestion that "corvis" is the correct reading. 9a See B. x. c. 15. l In B. x. c. 26. 2 Or Youth, in the Eighth Region of the City. 3 See B. ii. c. 53. 4 An ancient divinity, who is supposed to have presided over childbirth. See Plutarch, Queest. Rom. 52. 5 In the Saturio probably, quoted by Festus, and now lost. The aborigines of Canada, and the people of China and Tartary, hold whelpa* flesh in esteem as a great delicacy, 6 "Toxica," 392 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXIX. dicinal uses of the dog which are marvellously commended, I shall have occasion to refer to on the appropriate occasions. CHAP. 15. REMEDIES CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT MALADIES. REMEDIES FOR INJURIES INFLICTED BY SERPENTS. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM MICE. We will now resume the order originally proposed.7 For stings inflicted by serpents fresh sheeps'-dung, boiled in wine, is considered a very useful application : as also mice split asunder and applied to the wound. Indeed, these last animals are possessed of certain properties by no means to be despised, at the ascension of the plane.ts more particularly, as already8 stated ; the lobes increasing or decreasing in number, with the age of the moon, as the case may be. The magicians have a story that swine will follow any person who gives them a mouse's liver to eat, enclosed in a fig : they say, too, that it has a similar effect upon man, but that the spell may be de- stroyed by swallowing a cyathus of oil. CHAP. 16. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE WEASEL. There are two varieties of the weasel ; the one, wild,9 larger than the other, and known to the Greeks as the " ictis :" its gall is said to be very efficacious as an antidote to the sting of the asp, but of a venomous nature in other respects.9* The other kind,10 which prowls about our houses, and is in the habit, Cicero tells us, u of removing its young ones, and changing every day from place to place, is an enemy to ser- pents. The flesh of this last, preserved in salt, is given, in doses of one denarius, in three cyathi of drink to persons who have been stung by serpents : or else the maw of the animal is stuffed with coriander seed and dried, to be taken for the same purpose in wine. The young one of the weasel is still more efficacious for these purposes. CHAP. 17. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM BUGS. There are some things, of a most revolting nature, but which 7 Of remedies classified according to the different maladies. 8 In B. xi. c. 76. 9 The ferret, most probably. fl* See c. 33 of this Book. 10 The common weasel. 11 Probably in his work entitled " Admiranda," now lost. Holland says "eome take these for our cats," Chap. 17.] REMEDIES DEBITED FROM BUGS. 393 are recommended by authors with such a degree of assurance, that it would be improper to omit them, the more particularly as it is to the sympathy or antipathy of objects that remedies owe their existence. Thus the bug, for instance, a most filthy insect, and one the very name of which inspires us with loath- ing, is said to be a neutralizer of the venom of serpents, asps in particular, and to be a preservative against all kinds of poisons. As a proof of this, they tell us that the sting of an asp is never fatal to poultry, if they have eaten bugs that day; and that, if such is the case, their flesh is remarkably beneficial to persons who have been stung by serpents. Of the various recipes12 given in reference to these insects, the least revolting are the application of them externally to the wound, with the blood of a tortoise ; the employment of them as a fumigation to make leeches loose their hold ; and the administering of them to ani- mals in drink when a leech has been accidentally swallowed. Some persons, however, go so far as to crush bugs with salt and woman's milk, and anoint the eyes with the mixture ; in combination,' too, with honey and oil of roses, they use them as an injection for the ears. Field-bugs, again, and those found upon the mallow,13 are burnt, and the ashes mixed with oil of roses as an injection for the ears. As to the other remedial virtues attributed to bugs, for the cure of vomiting, quartan fevers, and other diseases, although we find recommendations given to swallow them in an egg, some wax, or in a bean, I look upon them as utterly unfounded, and not worthy of further notice. They are employed, how- ever, for the treatment of lethargy, and with some fair reason, as they successfully neutralize the narcotic eifects of the poison of the asp : for this purpose seven of them are administered in a cyathus of water, but in the case of children only four. In cases, too, of strangury, they have been injected into the urinary channel :14 so true it is that Nature, that universal parent, has engendered nothing without some powerful reason or other. In addition to these particulars, a couple of bugs, 12 Guettard, a French commentator on Pliny, recommends bugs to he taken internally for hysteria ! 13 Perhaps the Cimex pratensis is meant here. Neither this nor the Cimex juniperiims, the Cimex hrassicae, or the Lygseus hyoscami has the offensive smell of the house bug. 14 An excellent method, Ajasson remarks, of adding to the tortures of the patient. 394 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. it is said, attached to the left arm in some wool that has been stolen from the shepherds, will effectually cure nocturnal fevers ; while those recurrent in the daytime may he treated with equal success by enclosing the bugs in a piece of russet- coloured cloth. The scolopendra, on the other hand, is a great enemy to these insects ; used in the form of a fumigation, it kills them. CHAP. 18. PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO THE ASP. The sting of the asp takes deadly effect by causing torpor and drowsiness. Of all serpents, injuries inflicted by the asp are the most incurable ; and their venom, if it comes in contact with the blood or a recent wound, produces instantaneous death. If, on the other hand, it touches an old sore, its fatal effects are not so immediate. Taken internally, in however large a quantity, the venom is not injurious,15 as it has no corrosive pro- perties ; for which reason it is that the flesh of animals killed by it may be eaten with impunity. I should hesitate in giving circulation to a prescription for injuries inflicted by the asp, were it not that M. Yarro, then in the eighty- third year of his age, has left a statement to the effect that it is a most efficient remedy for wounds inflicted b}r this reptile, for the person stung to drink his own urine. CHAP. 19. REMEDIES DERIVED PROM THE BASILISK. As to the basilisk,16 a creature which the very serpents fly from, which kills by its odour even, and which proves fatal to man by only looking upon him, its blood has been marvel- lously extolled by the magicians.17 This blood is thick and adhesive, like pitch, which it resembles also in colour : dis- solved in water, they say, it becomes of a brighter red than that of cinnabar. They attribute to it also the property of ensuring success to petitions preferred to potentates, and to prayers even offered to the gods; and they regard it as a remedy for various diseases, and as an amulet preservative against all noxious spells. Some give it the name of " Saturn's blood." 15 This is the fact. 16 See B. viii. c. 33, V The Magi of the East, probably. Chap. 21.] EEMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE YIPER. 395 CHAP. 20. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE DRAGON. The dragon18 is a serpent destitute of venom. Its head, placed beneath the threshold of a door, the gods heing duly propitiated by prayers, will ensure good fortune to the house, it is said. Its eyes, dried and beaten up with honey, form a liniment which is an effectual preservative against the terrors of spectres by night, in the case of the most timorous even. The fat adhering to the heart, attached to the arm with a deer's sinews in the skin of a gazelle, will ensure success in law-suits, it is said ; and the first joint of the vertebra will secure an easy access to persons high in office. The teeth, attached to the body with a deer's sinews in the skin of a roe- buck, have the effect of rendering masters indulgent and poten- tates gracious, it is said. But the most remarkable thing of all is a composition, by the aid of which the lying magicians profess to render persons invincible. The)* take the tail and head of a dragon, the hairs of a lion's forehead with the marrow of that animal, the foam of a horse that has won a race, and the claws of a dog's feet : these they tie up together in a deer's skin, and fasten them alternately with the sinews of a deer and a gazelle. It is, however, no better worth our while to refute such pretensions as these, than it would be to describe the alleged remedies for injuries inflicted by serpents, seeing that all these contrivances are so many evil devices to poison19 men's morals. Dragon's fat will repel venomous creatures ; an effect which is equally produced by burning the fat of the ichneumon.20 They will take to flight, also, at the approach of a person who has been rubbed with nettles bruised in vinegar. CHAP. 21. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE VIPER. The application of a viper's head, even if it be not the one that has inflicted the wound, is of infinite utility as a remedy. It is highly advantageous, too, to hold the viper that inflicted the injury on the end of a stick, over the steam of boiling 18 Some serpent of the boa species, probably. See B. via. cc. 1C, 14, 22, 41, and B. x. cc. 5, 92, 95, 96. 19 By leading them to confound truth with fiction. 20 See B. viii. c. 35. 396 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. water, for it will quite undo 21 the mischief, they say. The ashes, also, of the viper, are considered very useful, employed as a liniment for the wound. According to what Mgidius tells us, serpents are compelled, by a sort of natural instinct, to return to the person who has been stung by them. The people of Scythia split the viper's head between the ears, in order to extract a small stone,22 which it swallows in its alarm, they say : others, again, use the head entire. From the viper are prepared those tablets which are known as " theriaci"23 to the Greeks : for this purpose the animal is cut away three fingers' length from both the head and the tail, after which the intestines are removed and the livid vein ad- hering to the back-bone. The rest of the body is then boiled in a shallow pan, in water seasoned with dill, and the bones are taken out, and fine wheaten flour added ; after which the preparation is made up into tablets,24 which are dried in the shade and are employed as an ingredient in numerous medica- ments. I should remark, however, that this preparation, it would appear, can only be made from the viper. Some per- sons, after cleansing the viper in manner above described, boil down the fat, with one sextarius of olive oil, to one half. Of this preparation, when needed, three drops are added to some oil, with which mixture the body is rubbed, to repel the approach of all kinds of noxious animals. CHAP. 22. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE OTHER SERPENTS. In addition to these particulars, it is a well-known fact that for all injuries inflicted by serpents, and those even of an otherwise incurable nature, it is an excellent remedy to apply the entrails of the serpent itself to the wound ; as also, that persons who have once swallowed a viper's liver, boiled, will never afterwards be attacked by serpents. The snake, too, is not venomous, except, indeed, upon certain days of the month when it is irritated by the action of the moon : it is a very useful plan to take it alive, and pound it in water, the wound inflicted by it being fomented with the preparation. Indeed, it is generally supposed that this reptile is possessed of 21 This is per/iaps the meaning of "prsecanere." Sillig suggests "re- canere." 22 Which was said to act as an antidote to the poison, applied to the wound. M " Antidotes to serpents' poison." 2* "Pastilli," Chap. 23.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE SALAMANDER. 397 numerous other remedial properties, as we shall have occasion more fully to mention from time to time : hence it is that the snake is consecrated to ^Esculapius.25 As for Democritus, he has given some monstrous preparations from snakes, by the aid of which the language of birds, he says, may be understood.26 The ^Esculapian snake was first brought to Eome from Epidaurus,27 but at the present day it is very commonly reared in our houses28 even ; so much so, indeed, that if the breed were not kept down by the frequent conflagrations, it would be impossible to make head against the rapid increase of them. But the most beautiful of all the snakes are those which are of an amphibious nature. These snakes are known as " hydri,"29 or water-snakes : in virulence their venom is in- ferior to that of no other class of serpents, and their liver is preserved as a remedy for the ill effects of their sting. A pounded scorpion neutralizes the venom of the spotted lizard.30 From this last animal, too, there is a noxious preparation made ; for it has been found that wine in which it has been drowned, covers the face of those who drink it with morphew. Hence it is that females, when jealous of a rival's beauty, are in the habit of stifling a spotted lizard in the unguents which they use. In such a case, the proper remedy is yolk of egg, honey, and nitre. The gall of a spotted lizard, beaten up in water, attracts weasels, they say. CHAP. 23. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE SALAMANDER. But of all venomous animals it is the salamander31 that is 25 The god of Medicine. 26 A favourite reverie with the learned of the East. Dupont de Ne- mours, Ajasson informs us, has left several Essays on this subject. 21 In Peloponnesus, the principal seat of his worship. A very full account of his introduction, under the form of a huge serpent, into the city of Rome, is given by Ovid, Met. B. xv. 1. 544, et seq. This took place B.C. 293. 28 Among the snakes that are tamed, Ajasson enumerates the Coluber flagelliformis of Dandin, or American coach-whip snake ; the Coluber con- structor of Linnaeus, or Black snake; and the Coluber viridiflavus of Lacepede. The JEseulapian serpent is still found in Italy. 29 Or " chersydri," " amphibious." 30 Or " starred lizard " — " stellio." In reality it is not poisonous. 31 See B. x. c. 86. Some kind of starred lizard, or an eft or newt per- haps, was thus called : but in most respects it appears to be entirely a fabulous animal. 398 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOEY. [Book XXIX. by far the most dangerous ; for while other reptiles attack individuals only, and never kill many persons at a time — not to mention the fact that after stinging a human being they are said to die of remorse, and the earth refuses to harbour32 them — the salamander is able to destroy whole nations at once, unless they take the proper precautions against it. For if this reptile happens to crawl up a tree, it infects all the fruit with its poison, and kills those who eat thereof by the chilling pro- perties of its venom, which in its effects is in no way different from aconite. Kay, even more than this, if it only touches with its foot the wood upon which bread is baked, or if it happens to fall into a well, the same fatal effects will be sure to ensue. The saliva, too, of this reptile, if it comes in contact with any part of the body, the sole of the foot even, will cause the hair to fall off from the whole of the body. And yet the salamander, highly venomous as it is, is eaten by certain animals, swine for example ; owing, no doubt, to that antipathy which prevails in the natural world. From what we find stated, it is most probable, that, next to the animals which eat it, the best neutralizers of the poison of this reptile, are, cantharides taken in drink, or a lizard eaten with the food ; other antidotes we have already mentioned, or shall notice in the appropriate place. As to what the ma- gicians33 say, that it is proof against fire, being, as they tell us, the only animal that has the property of extinguishing fire, if it had been true, it would have been made trial of at Rome long before this. Sextius says that the salamander, preserved in honey and taken with the food, after removing the intestines, head, and feet, acts as an aphrodisiac : he denies also that it has the property of extinguishing fire. CHAP. 24. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM BIRDS FOR INJURIES IN- FLICTED BY SERPENTS. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE VULTURE. Among the birds that afford us remedies against serpents, it is the vulture that occupies the highest rank ; the black vulture, it has been remarked, being less efficacious than the others. The smell of their feathers, burnt, will repel serpents, they say ; and it has been asserted that persons who carry the heart of 32 See B ii. c. 63. 3J* He probably alludes to the Magi of Persia here, as most of the stories about the salamander appear to bear the aspect of an Eastern origin. Chap. 25.] BEMEDIES DEBITED TfiOM POULTHY. 39 'J this bird about them will be safe, not only from serpents, but from wild beasts as well, and will have nothing to fear from the attacks of robbers or from the wrath of kings. CHAP. 25. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM POULTRY. The flesh of cocks and capons, applied warm the moment it has been plucked from the bones, neutralizes the venom of serpents ; and the brains, taken in wine, are productive of a similar effect. The people of Parthia, however, prefer apply- ing a hen's brains to the wound. Poultry broth, too, is highly celebrated as a cure, and is found marvellously useful in many other cases. Panthers and lions will never touch persons who have been rubbed with it, more particularly if it has been flavoured with garlic. The broth that is made of an old cock is more relaxing to the bowels ; it is very good also for chronic fevers, numbness of the limbs, cold shiverings and maladies of the joints, pains also in the head, defluxions of the eyes, flatulency, sickness at stomach, incipient tenesmus, liver complaints, diseases of the kidneys, affections of the bladder, indigestion, and asthma. Hence there are several recipes for preparing this broth ; it being most efficacious when boiled up with sea-cabbage,34 salted tunny,35 capers, parsley, the plant mercurialis,36 polypodium,37 or dill. The best plan, however, is to boil the cock or capon with the plants above-mentioned in three congii of water, down to three semi-sextarii ; after which it should be left to cool in the open air, and given at the proper moment, just after an emetic has been administered. And here I must not omit to mention one marvellous fact, even though it bears no reference to medicine : if the flesh of poultry is mingled with gold38 in a state of fusion, it will absorb the metal and consume it, thus showing that it acts as a poison upon gold. If young twigs are made up into a collar and put round a cock's neck, it will never crow. 34 See B. xxii. c. 33. 35 "Cybium." See B. ix. c. 18. Dioscorides says the plant cnecos, de- scribed by Pliny in B. xxi. c. 107. 36 See B. xxv. c. 18, arid B. xxvii. c. 77. 37 See B. xvi. c. 92, and B. xxvi. cc. 37, 66. 33 « Hereupon peradventure it is that in collices and cockbroths we use to seeth pieces of gold, with an opinion to make them thereby more re- storative."— Holland. 400 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. CHAP. 26. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM OTHER BIRDS. The flesh of pigeons also, or of swallows, used fresh and minced, is a remedy for injuries inflicted by serpents : the same, too, with the feet of a horned owl, burnt with the plant plumbago.39 While mentioning this bird, too, I must not forget to cite another instance of the impositions practised by the magicians : among other prodigious lies of theirs, they pretend that the heart of a horned owl, applied to the left breast of a woman while asleep, will make40 her disclose all her secret thoughts. They say, also, in addition to this, that persons who have it about them in battle will be sure to display valour. They describe, too, certain remedies made from the egg of this bird for the hair. But who, pray, has ever had the opportunity of seeing the egg of a horned owl, considering that it is so highly ominous to see the bird itself?41 And then besides, who has ever thought proper to make the experiment, and upon his hair more particularly ? In addition to all this, the magicians go so far as to engage to make the hair curl by using the blood of the young of the horned owl. What they tell us, too, about the bat, appears to belong to pretty much the same class of stories : if one of these animals is carried alive, three times round a house, they say, and then nailed outside of the window with the head downwards, it will have all the effects of a countercharm : they assert, also, that the bat is a most excellent preservative for sheepfolds, being first carried three times round them, and then hung up by the foot over the lintel of the door.42 The blood of the bat is also recommended by them as a sovereign remedy, in combination with a thistle,43 for injuries inflicted by serpents. CHAP. 27. REMEDIES FOR THE BITE OF THE PHALA.NGITJM. THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF THAT INSECT, AND OF THE SPIDER. Of the phalangium,44 an insect unknown to Italy, there are 39 See B. xxv. c. 97. 40 The same is said of a frog's tongue, in B. xxxii. c. 18. 41 That is no reason, as Ajasson remarks, why the egg should not be found, it being easy to take it from the nest at night, when, the bird being absent, no ill omen will arise from seeing it. •2 We still see bats nailed upon and over stable doors in various parts of tliis country. 43 K Carduus." 44 A sort of spider. See B. xi. cc. 24, 28, 29. Chap. 27.] YATIIETIES OF THE SPIDER. 401 numerous kinds ; one of which resembles the ant, but is much larger, with a red head, black as to the other parts of the body, and covered with white spots. Its sting is much more acute than that of the wasp, and it lives mostly in the vicinity of ovens and mills. The proper remedy is, to present before the eyes of the person stung another insect of the same de- scription, a purpose for which they are preserved when found dead. Their husks also, found in a dry state, are beaten up and taken in drink for a similar purpose. The young of the weasel, too, as already45 stated, are possessed of a similar pro- perty. The Greeks give the name of "phalangion" also to a kind of spider, but they generally distinguish it by the surname of the "wolf."46 A third kind, also known as the "phalan- gium," is a spider with a hairy47 body, and a head of enormous size. When opened, there are found in it two small worms, thej' say : these, attached in a piece of deer's skin, before sun- rise, to a woman's body, will prevent conception, according to what Caecilius, in his Commentaries, says. This property lasts, however, for a year only ; and, indeed, it is the only one of all the anti-conceptives48 that I feel myself at liberty to mention, in favour of some women whose fecundity, quite teeming with children,49 stands in need of some such respite. There is another kind again, called " rhagion,"50 similar to a black grape in appearance, with a very diminutive mouth, situate beneath the abdomen, and extremely short legs, which have all the appearance of not being fully developed. The bite of this last insect causes fully as much pain as the sting of the scorpion, and the urine of persons who are injured by it, pre- sents filmy appearances like cobwebs. The asterion51 would be identical with it, were it not distinguished by white streaks upon the body : its bite causes failing in the knees. But worse than either of these last, is a blue spider, covered with black hair, and causing dimness of the sight and vomiting of a matter like cobwebs in appearance. A still more dangerous kind is one which differs only from the hornet, in form, in 45 In c. 16 of this Book. 46 " Lupus." See B. xi. c. 28. 47 The Tarantula has been suggested, but that is a native of Italy, 48 " Atocium." 49 " Plena liberis." 50 From 'pa£, a " grape." 51 Or " starred " spider. Nicander describes all these varieties of the Phalangium. VOL. V^ D D 402 PUNT'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. being destitute of wings, and the bite of which causes a wasting away of the system. The myrmecion52 in the head resembles the ant, has a black body spotted with white, and causes by its bite a pain like that attendant upon the sting of the wasp. Of the tetragnathius53 there are two varieties, the more noxious of which has two white streaks crossing each other on the middle of the head ; its bite causes the mouth to swell. The other one is of an ashy colour, whitish on the posterior part of the body, and not so ready to bite. The least noxious of all is the spider that is seen extending its web along the walls, and lying in wait for flies ; it is of the same ashy colour as the last. For the bite of all spiders, the best remedies are : a cock's brains, taken in oxycrate with a little pepper ; five ants, swal- lowed in drink ; sheep's dung, applied in vinegar ; and spiders of any kind, left to putrefy in oil. The bite of the shrew- mouse is cured by taking lamb's rennet in wine ; the ashes of a ram's foot with honey ; or a young weasel, prepared in manner already54 mentioned by us when speaking of serpents. lu cases where a shrewmouse has bitten beasts of burden, a mouse, fresh caught, is applied to the wound with oil, or a bat's gall with vinegar. The shrew-mouse itself too, split asunder and applied to the wound, is a cure for its bite ; indeed, if the animal is with young when the injury is inflicted, it will instantly burst asunder. The best plan is to apply the mouse itself which has inflicted the bite, but others are commonly kept for this purpose, either steeped in oil or coated with clay. Another remedy, again, for its bite is the earth taken from the rut made by a cart-wheel ; for this animal, it is said, owing to a certain torpor which is natural to it, will never cross55 a rut made by a wheel. CHAP. 28. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE STELLIO OR SPOTTED LIZARD. The stellio, in its turn, is said to have the greatest antipathy to the scorpion ;56 so much so indeed, that the very sight of it strikes terror in that reptile, and a torpor attended with cold sweats ; hence it is that this lizard is left to putrefy in oil, us 52 From /uvp/i»}£, "an ant." 63 The "four-jawed " spider. 54 In c. 16 of this Book. 55 See B. viii. e. 83. 56 See B. xix. c. 22. For further particulars as to the Stellio, see B. xi. c. 31, and the Note. Chap. 30.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM CANTHARIDES. 403 a liniment for injuries inflicted by the scorpion. Some persons boil down the oil with litharge, and make a sort of plaster of it to apply to the wound. The Greeks give the name of " colotes" to this lizard, as also " ascalabotes," and " galeotes :" it is never57 found in Italy, and is covered with small spots, utters a shrill, piercing noise, and lives on food ; characteristics, all of them, foreign to the stellio of Italy. CHAP. 29. KEMEDIES DERIVED FROM VARIOUS INSECTS. Poultry dung, too, is good as an application for the sting of the scorpion ; a dragon's liver also ; a lizard or mouse split asunder ; or else the scorpion itself, either applied to the wound, grilled and eaten, or taken in two cyathi of undiluted wine. Qne peculiarity of the scorpion is, that it never stings the palm of the hand, and never touches any parts of the body but those covered with hair. Any kind of pebble, applied to the wound on the side which has lain next to the ground, will alleviate the pain. A potsherd too, covered with earth on any part of it, and applied just as it is found, will effect a cure, it is said — the person, however, who applies it must not look behind him, and must be equally careful that the sun does not shine upon him. Earth-worms also, are pounded and applied to the wound; in addition to which, they form ingredients in numerous other medicaments, being kept in honey fof the purpose. For injuries inflicted by bees, wasps, hornets, and leeches, the owlet is considered a very useful remedy ; persons, too, who carry about them the beak of the woodpecker58 of Mars are never injured by any of these creatures. The smaller kinds of locusts also, destitute of wings and known as " attelebi," are a good remedy for the sting of the scorpion. There is a kind of venomous ant, by no means common in Italy; Cicero calls it "solipuga," and in Eastica it is known as "salpuga."59 The proper remedy for its venom and that of all kinds of ants is a bat's heart. We have already60 stated that cantharides are an antidote to the salamander. CHAP. 30. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM CANTHARTDE3. But with reference to cantharides, there has been considerable 37 This is probably an error ; see the Note to B. xi. c. 31. 5f* See B. x. cc. 18, 41, 44, and 50. 39 See B. viii. c. 43. A jasson remarks that this is a mere fabulous story, in reference to the venom of the ants. 60 In B. xxix. c. 23. D D 2 404 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOBY. [Book XXIX. eontroversj7" on the subject, seeing that, taken internally, they are a poison, attended with excruciating pains in the bladder. Cossinus, a Roman of the Equestrian order, well known for his intimate friendship with the Emperor Nero, being attacked with lichen,01 that prince sent to Egypt for a physician to cure him ; who recommending a potion prepared from cantharides, the patient was killed in consequence. There is no doubt, however, that applied externally they are useful, in combina- tion with juice of Taniinian62 grapes, and the suet of a sheep or she-goat. As to the part of the body in which the poison of the insect is situate, autbors are by no means agreed. Some fancy that it exists in the feet and head, while others, again, deny it ; indeed the only point tbat has been well ascertained is, that the wings63 are the only antidote to their venom, wherever it may be situate. Cantharides are produced from a small grub, found more particularly in the spongy excrescences which grow on the stem of the dog-rose,64 and still more abundantly upon the ash. Other kinds, again, are found upon the white rose, but they are by no means so efficacious. The most active of all in their properties, are those which are spotted with yellow streaks running transversely across the wings, and are plump and well-filled. Those which are small, broad, and hairy, are not so powerfuf in their operation, and the least useful of all are those which are thin and shrivelled, and present one uniform colour. They are put in a small earthen pot, not coated with pitch, and stopped at the mouth with a linen cloth, a layer of full-blown roses being placed upon them ; they are then sus- pended over vinegar boiled with salt, until the steam has pene- trated the cloth and stifled them, after which they are put by for use. They have a caustic effect upon the skin, and cover' the ulcerations with a crust ; a property which belongs also to the pine-caterpillar65 found upon the pitch- tree, and to the buprestis,66 both of which are prepared in a similar manner. All these insects are extremely efficacious for the cure of 61 See B. xxvi. c. 2. 62 See B. xxiii. c. 14. 6;i It has been ascertained by experiment that the vesicatory principle resides in the wings more particularly. Ajasson remarks, that it is possible that the ancients may not have known the genuine Cantharides, the Canth. vesicatoria of modern medicine. *4 See B. xxiv. c. 74. 65 u Pityoeampse." See B. xxiii. cc. 30, 40, and B. xxviii. c. 33. «« See B. xxviii. cc. 21, 33, 42, and B. xxx. c. 10. Chap. 32.] KEMEDIES FOE THE BITE OF THE MAD DOG. 405 leprosy and lichens. It is said, too, that they act as an ern- menagogue and diuretic, for which last reason Hippocrates used to prescribe them for dropsy. Cato of Utica was re- proached with selling poison, because, when disposing of a royal property by auction,67 he sold a quantity of cantharides, at the price of sixty thousand sesterces. (5.) We may here remark, too, that it was on the same occasion that some ostrich fat was sold, at the price of thirty thousand sesterces, a sub- stance which is preferable to goose-grease in every respect. CHAP. 31. — VARIOUS COUNTER-POISONS. We have already68 spoken of various kinds of poisonous honey : the antidote employed for it is honey in which the bees have been stifled. This honey, too, taken in wine, is a remedy for indispositions caused by eating fish. CHAP. 32. — REMEDIES FOR THE BITE OF THE MAD DOG. When a person has been bitten by a mad dog, he may be preserved from h3rdrophobia by applying the ashes of a dog's head to the wound. All ashes of this description, we may here remark once for all, are prepared in the same method"; the substance being placed in a new earthen vessel well covered with potter's clay, and put into a furnace. These ashes, too, are very good, taken in drink, and hence some recommend the head itself to be eaten in such cases. Others, again, attach to the body of the patient a maggot, taken from the carcase of a dead dog ; or else place the menstruous blood of a bitch, in a linen cloth, beneath his cup, or insert in the wound ashes of hairs from the tail of the dog that inflicted the bite. Dogs will fly from any one who has a dog's heart about him, and thej* will never bark at a person who carries a dog's tongue in his shoe, beneath the great toe, or the tail of a weasel which has been set at liberty after being deprived of it. There is beneath the tongue of a mad dog a certain slimy spittle, which, taken in drink, is a preventive of hydrophobia: but much the most useful plan is, to take the liver of the dog that has inflicted the injury, and eat it raw, if possible ; should that not be the case, it must be cooked in some way or other, or else a broth must be taken, prepared from the flesh. 67 At the sale, under his supervision, of the property of Ptolemy, king of Cyprus. 68 In B. xxi^ c. 34. 406 PLINY'S NATUKAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. There is a small worm69 in a dog's tongue, known as "lytta"70 to the Greeks : if this is removed from the animal while a pup, it will never become mad or lose its appetite. This worm, after being carried thrice round a fire, is given to persons who have been bitten by a mad dog, to prevent them from becom- ing mad. This madness, too, is prevented by eating a cock's brains ; but the virtue of these brains lasts for one year only, and no more. They say, too, that a cock's comb, pounded, is highly efficacious as an application to the wound ; as also, goose-grease, mixed with honey. The flesh also of a mad dog is sometimes salted, and taken with the food, as a remedy for this disease. In addition to this, young puppies of the same sex as the dog that has inflicted the injury, are drowned in water, and the person who has been bitten eats their liver raw. The dung of poultry, provided it is of a red colour, is very useful, applied with vinegar ; the ashes, too, of the tail of a shrew-mouse, if the animal has survived and been set at liberty; a clod from a swallow's nest, applied with vinegar; the young of a swallow, reduced to ashes ; or the skin or old slough of a serpent that has been cast in spring, beaten up with a male crab in wine : this slough, I would remark, put away by itself in chests and drawers, destroys moths. So virulent is the poison of the mad dog, that its very urine even, if trod upon, is injurious, more particularly if the person has any ulcerous sores about him. The proper remedy in such case is to apply horse-dung, sprinkled with vinegar, and warmed in a fig. These marvellous properties of the poison will occa- sion the less surprise, when we remember that, " a stone bitten bjr a dog" has become a proverbial expression for discord and variance.71 Whoever makes water where a dog has previ- ously watered, will be sensible of numbness in the loins, they say. 69 This is still the vulgar notion ; but in reality there is no worm, but certain white pustules beneath the tongue, which break spontaneously at the end of twelve days after birth. Puppies are still " wormed," as it is called, as a preventive of hydrophobia, it is said, and of a propensity to fnaw objects which come in their way. The " worming" consists in the reaking of these pustules. 70 " Rage " or " madness." 71 " For the manner of a dog is to bee angrie with the stone that is thrown at him, without regard to the partie that flung it, whereupon grew the proverb in Greeke, KVUV lig TOV XiQov ayavaKTovva (' A dog venting his rage upon a stone.')" — Holland. Chap. 33.] REMEDIES FOE THE OTHER POISONS. 407 The lizard known by some persons as the " seps,"72 and by others as the " chalcidice," taken in wine, is a cure for its own bite. CHAP. 33. REMEDIES TOR THE OTHER POISONS. Where persons have been poisoned by noxious preparations from the wild weasel,73 the proper remedy is the broth of an old cock, taken in considerable quantities. This broth, too, is particularly good, taken as a counter-poison for aconite, in combination with a little salt. Poultry dung — but the white part only — boiled with hyssop, or with honied wine, is an ex- cellent antidote to the poison of fungi and of mushrooms : it is a cure also for flatulency and suffocations ; a thing the more to be wondered at, seeing that if any other living creature only tastes this dung, it is immediately attacked with griping pains and flatulency. Goose blood, taken with an equal quantity of olive oil, is an excellent neutralizer of the venom of the sea- hare : it is kept also as an antidote for all kinds of noxious drugs,rnade up into lozenges with red earth of Lemnos and juice of white-thorn, five drachmae of the lozenges being taken in three cyathi of water. The same property belongs also to the young of the weasel, prepared in manner already74 mentioned. Lambs' rennet is an excellent antidote to all noxious pre- parations ; the blocrd, also, of ducks from Pontus ;75 for which reason it is preserved in a dry state, and dissolved in wine when wanted, some persons being of opinion that the blood of the female bird is the most efficacious. In a similar manner, the crop of a stork acts as an universal counter-poison ; and so does sheep's rennet. A broth made from ram's flesh is particu- larly good as a remedy for cantharides : sheep's milk also, taken warm ; this last being very useful in cases where persons have drunk an infusion of aconite, or have swallowed the buprestis in drink. The dung of wood -pigeons is particularly good taken internally as an antidote to quicksilver ; and for 72 See B. xx. cc. 6, 20. It is somewhat doubtful what the "seps" really was ; whether, in fact, it was a lizard at all. Littre* suggests the Tri- dactylus saurius. 73 Or Ferret, probably. See c. 16 of this Book. 74 In c. 16 of this Book. 75 From the circumstance that that country was covered with herbs and plants of a medicinal nature, 408 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOEY. [Book XXIX. narcotic poisons the common weasel is kept dried, and taken internally, in doses of two drachmae. CHAP. 34. (6.) KEMEDIES FOE AXOPECY. Where the hair has been lost through alopecy,76 it is made to grow again by using ashes of burnt sheep's dung, with oil of Cyprus77 and honey ; or else the hoof of a mule of either sex, burnt to ashes and mixed with oil of myrtle. In addition to these substances, we find our own writer, Yarro, mentioning mouse- dung, which he calls " muscerda,"78 and the heads of flies, applied fresh, the part being first rubbed with a fig-leaf. Some recommend the blood of flies, while others, again, apply ashes of burnt flies for ten days, in the proportion of one part of the ashes to two of ashes of papyrus or of nuts. In other cases, again, we find ashes of burnt flies kneaded up with woman's milk and cabbage, or, in some instances, with honey only. It is generally believed that there is no creature less docile or less intelligent than the fly ; a circumstance which makes it all the more marvellous that at the sacred games at Olympia, immediately after the immolation of the bull in honour of the god called "Myiodes,"79 whole clouds of them take their departure from that territory. A mouse's head or tail, or, indeed, the whole of the body, reduced to ashes, is a cure for alopecy, more particularly when the loss of the hair has been the result of some noxious preparation. The ashes of a h edge-hog, mixed with honey, or of its skin, applied with tar, are productive of a similar effect. The head, too, of this last animal, reduced to ashes, restores the hair to scars upon the body ; the place being first prepared, when this cure is made use of, with a razor and an application of mustard : some persons, however, prefer vinegar for the purpose. All the properties attributed to the hedge-hog are found in the por- cupine in a still higher degree.80 A lizard burnt, as already81 mentioned, with the fresh root of a reed, cut as fine as possible, to facilitate its being re- 76 So called from a\w7r»}£, " a fox," an animal very subject to the loss of its hair. ;7 See B. xii. c. 51. 78 So swine's dung was called " sucerda," and cowdung " bucerda." 79 Or Maagrus, the "fly catcher," the name of a hero, invoked at Ali- phera, at the festivals of Athena, as the protector against flies. It was also a surname of Hercules. See B. x. c. 40. *° See B. viii. c. 53. bl In c. 32 of this Book. Chap. 36.] REMEDIES FOE HEAD-ACHE. 409 duced to ashes, and then mixed with oil of myrtle, will prevent the hair from coming off. For all these purposes green lizards are still more efficacious, and the remedy is ren- dered most effectual, when salt is added, bears' grease, and pounded onions. Some persons hoil ten green lizards in ten sextarii of oil, and content themselves with rubhing the place with the mixture once a month. Alopecy is also cured very speedily with the ashes of a viper's skin, or by an application of fresh poultry dung. A raven's egg, beaten up in a copper vessel and applied to the head, previously shaved, imparts a black colour to the hair ; care must be taken, however, to keep some oil in the mouth till the application is quite dry, or else the teeth will turn black as well. The operation must be per- formed also in the shade, and the liniment must not be washed off before the end of three days. Some persons employ the blood and brains of a raven, in combination with red wine ; while others, again, boil down the bird, and put it, at bedtime, in a vessel made of lead. With some it is the practice, for the cure of alopecy, to apply bruised cantharides with tar, the skin being first prepared with an application of nitre : — it should be remembered, however, that cantharides are possessed of caustic properties, and due care must be taken not to let them eat too deep into the skin. For the ulcerations thus pro- duced, it is recommended to use applications made of the heads, gall, and dung of mice, mixed with hellebore and pepper. CHAP. 35. REMEDIES FOR LICE AND FOR PORRIGO. Nits are destroyed by using dogs* fat, eating serpents cooked82 like eels, or else taking their sloughs in drink. Porrigo is cured by applying sheep's gall with Cimolian chalk, and rub- bing the head with the mixture till dry. CHAP. 36. REMEDIES FOR HEAD-ACHE AND FOR WOUNDS OX THE HEAD. A good remedy for head-ache are the heads taken from the snails which are found without83 shells, and in an imperfect state. In these heads there is found a hard stony substance, about as large as a common pebble : on being extracted from 82 A recipe well understood in the restaurants of the French provinces, Ajasson says, but it is doubtful whether with the object named by our author. 83 He means slugs probably. 410 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. the snail, it is attached to the patient, the smaller snails being pounded and applied to the forehead. Wool-grease, too, is used for a similar purpose ; the bones of a vulture's head, worn as an amulet ; or the brains of that bird, mixed with oil and cedar resin, and applied to the head and introduced into the nostrils. The brains of a crow or owlet, are boiled and taken with the food : or a cock is put into a coop, and kept without food a day and a night, the patient submitting to a similar abstinence, and attaching to his head some feathers plucked from the neck or the comb of the fowl. The ashes, too, of a weasel are applied in the form of a liniment ; a twig is taken from a kite's nest, and laid beneath the patient's pillow; or a mouse's skin is burnt, and the ashes applied with vinegar : sometimes, also, the small bone is extracted from the head of a snail that has been found between two cart ruts, and after being passed through a gold ring, with a piece of ivory, is attached to the patient in a piece of dog's skin ; a remedy well known to most persons, and always used with success.84 For fractures of the cranium, cobwebs are applied, with oil and vinegar ; the application never coming away till a cure has been effected. Cobwebs are good, too, for stopping the bleeding of wounds85 made in shaving. Discharges of blood from the brain are arrested by applying the blood of a goose or duck, or the grease of those birds with oil of roses. The head of a snail cut off with a reed, while feeding in the morning, at full moon more particularly, is attached to the head in a linen cloth, with an old thrum, for the cure of head- ache ; or else a liniment is made of it, and applied with white wax to the forehead. Dogs' hairs are worn also, attached to the forehead in a cloth. CHAP. 37. REMEDIES FOE AFFECTIONS OF THE EYELIDS. A crow's brains, taken with the food, they say, will make the eyelashes grow ; or else wool-grease, applied with warmed myrrh, by the aid of a fine probe. A similar result is pro- mised by using the following preparation : burnt flies and ashes of mouse-dung are mixed in equal quantities, to the amount of half a denarius in the whole ; two sixths of a deiaa- . 84 He does not appear to state this on hearsay only ! b5 Cobwebs are still used for this purpose, as also the fur from articles made of beaver. Ajasson mentions English taffeta. Chap. 38.] REMEDIES FOE DISEASES OF THE EYES. 4 J 1 rius of antimony are then added, and the mixture is applied with wool-grease. For the same purpose, also, the young ones of a mouse are beaten up, in old wine, to the consistency of the strengthening preparations known as " aeopa."86 When eye- lashes are plucked out that are productive of inconvenience, they are prevented from growing again by using a hedge-hog's gall ; the liquid portion, also, of a spotted lizard's eggs ; the ashes of a burnt salamander ; the gall of a green lizard, mixed with white wine, and left to thicken to the consistency of honey in a copper vessel in the sun ; the ashes of a s wallow* s young, mixed with the milky juice of tithymalos ;87 or else the slime of snails. CHAP. 38. BEMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF THE EYES. According to what the magicians say, glaucoma88 may be cured by using the brains of a puppy seven days old ; the probe being inserted in the right side [of the eye], if it is the right eye that is being operated on, and in the left side, if it is the left. The fresh gall, too, of the asio89 is used, a bird belonging to the owlet tribe, with feathers standing erect like ears. Apollonius of Pitanae used to prefer dog's gall, in combina- tion with honey, to that of the hysena, for the cure of cataract, as also of albugo. The heads and tails of mice, reduced to ashes and applied to the eyes, improve the sight, it is said ; a result which is ensured with even greater certainty by using the ashes of a dormouse or wild mouse, or else the brains or gall of an eagle. The ashes and fat of a field-mouse, beaten up with Attic honey and antimony, are remarkably useful for watery eyes — what this antimony90 is, we shall have occasion to say when speaking of metals. For the cure of cataract, the ashes of a weasel are used, as also the brains of a lizard or swallow. Weasels, boiled and pounded, and so applied to the forehead, allay defluxions of the eyes, either used alone, or else with fine flour or with frankin- cense. Employed in a similar manner, they are very good for sun-stroke, or in other words, for injuries inflicted by the sun. It is a remarkably good plan, too, to burn these animals alive, and to use their ashes, with Cretan honey, as a liniment for *e See c. 13 of this Book. 87 See B. xxvi. c. 39. 8b A disease of the crystalline humours of the eye. w See B. x. c. 33. 9° " Stibium.*' See B. xxxiii. c. 33. 412 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. films upon the eyes. The cast-off91 slough of the asp, with the fat of that reptile, forms an excellent ointment for im- proving the sight in beasts of burden. To burn a viper alive in a new earthen vessel, with one cyathus of fennel juice, and a single grain of frankincense, and then to anoint the eyes with the mixture, is remarkably good for cataract and films upon the eyes; the preparation being generally known as " echeon."91* An eye-salve, too. is prepared, by leaving a viper to putrefy in an earthen pot, and bruising the maggots that breed in it with saffron. A viper, too, is burnt in a vessel with salt, and the preparation is applied to the tip of the tongue, to improve the eyesight, and to act generally as a corrective of the stomach and other parts of the body. This salt is given also to sheep, to preserve them in health, and is used as an ingredient in antidotes to the venom of serpents. Some persons, again, use vipers as an article of food : when this is done, it is recommended, the moment they are killed, to put some salt in the mouth and let it melt there ; after which, the body must be cut away to the length of four fingers at each extremity, and, the intestines being first removed, the remainder boiled in a mixture of water, oil, salt, and dill. "When thus prepared, they are either eaten at once, or else kneaded in a loaf, and taken from time to time as wanted. In addition to the above-mentioned properties, viper-broth cleanses all parts of the body of lice,92 and removes itching sensations as well upon the surface of the skin. The ashes, also, of a viper's head, used by themselves, are evidently pro- ductive of considerable effects ; they are employed very advan- tageously in the form of a liniment for the eyes ; and so, too, is viper's fat. I would not make so bold as to advise what is strongly recommended by some, the use, namely, of vipers' gall; for that, as already stated93 on a more appropriate occa- sion, is nothing else but the venom of the serpent. The fat of snakes, mixed with verdigrease,94 heals ruptures. of the cuticle of the eyes ; and the skin or slough that is cast off in spring, employed as a friction for the eyes, improves the sight. The 91 " Exuta vere," as suggested by Sillig, would appear a better reading than " ex utero," which can have no meaning here. 91* « Viper mixture." 93 See c. 35 of this Book. « in B. xi. c. 62. 94 As Ajasson remarks, this would be very likely to gangrene the wound. Chap. 38.] EEMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF THE EYES. 413 gall of the boa95 is highly vaunted for the cure of albugo, cata- ract, and films upon the eyes, and the fat is thought to improve the sight. The gall of the eagle, which tests its young, as already stated,96 by making them look upon the sun, forms, with Attic honey, an eye-salve which is very good for the cure of webs, films, and cataracts of the eye. A vulture's gall, too, mixed with leek-juice and a little honey, is possessed of similar pro- perties ; and the gall of a cock, dissolved in water, is employed for the cure of argema and albugo : the gall, too, of a white cock, in particular, is recommended for cataract. For short- sighted persons, the dung of poultry is recommended as a lini- ment, care being taken to use that of a reddish colour only. A hen's gall, too, is highly spoken of, and the fat in particular, for the cure of pustules upon the pupils, a purpose for which hens are expressly fattened. This last substance is marvel- lously useful for ruptures of the coats of the eyes, incorporated with the stones known as schistos97 and ha3matites. Hens' dung, too, but only the white part of it, is kept with old oil in boxes made of horn, for the cure of white specks upon the pupil of the eye. While mentioning this subject, it is worthy of remark, that peacocks98 swallow their dung, it is said, as though they envied man the various uses of it. A hawk, boiled in oil of roses, is considered extremely efficacious as a lini- ment for all affections of the eyes, and so are the ashes of its dung, mixed with Attic honey. A kite's liver, too, is highly esteemed ; and pigeons' dung, diluted with vinegar, is used as an application for fistulas of the eye, as also for albugo and marks upon that organ. Goose gall and duck's blood' are very useful for contusions of the eyes, care being taken, immediately iifter the application, to anoint them with a mixture of wool- grease and honey. In similar cases, too, gall of partridges is used, with an equal quantity of honey ; but where it is only wanted to improve the sight, the gall is used alone. It is generally thought, too, upon the authority of Hippocrates,99 95 See B. viii. c. 14. Not tbe Boa constrictor of modern Natural History. 96 In B. x. c. 3. 97 See B. xxxiii. c. 25, and B. xxxvi. cc. 37, 38. 93 The tongues of peacocks and larks are recommended for epilepsy, by Lampridius, in his Life of the Emperor Elagabalus. The statement in the text is, of course, a fiction. " The reading here is doubtful. 414 PLIIST'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. that the gall to be used for these purposes should be kept in a silver box. Partridges' eggs, boiled in a copper vessel, with honey, are curative of ulcers of the eyes, and of glaucoma. For the treatment of blood-shot eyes, the blood of pigeons, ring-doves, turtle-doves, and partridges is remarkably useful ; but that of the male pigeon is generally looked upon as the most effica- cious. For this purpose, a vein is opened beneath the wing, it being warmer than the rest of the blood, and consequently more1 beneficial. After it is applied, a compress, boiled in honey, should be laid upon it, and some greasy wool, boiled in oil and wine. ]S"yctalopy,2 too, is cured by using the blood of these birds, or the liver of a sheep — the most efficacious being that of a tawny sheep — as already3 stated by us when speaking of goats. A decoction, too, of the liver is recommended as a wash for the eyes, and, for pains and swell- ings in those organs, the marrow, used as a liniment. The eyes of a horned owl, it is strongly asserted, reduced to ashes and mixed in an eye-salve, will improve the sight. Albugo is made to disappear by using the dung of turtle-doves, snails burnt to ashes, and the dung of the cenchris, a kind of hawk, according to the Greeks.4 All the substances above mentioned, used in combination with honey, are curative of argema : honey, too, in which the bees have died, is remarkably good for the eyes. A person who has eaten the young of the stork will never suffer from ophthalmia for many years to come, it is said ; and the same when a person carries about him the head of a dragon:5 it is stated, too, that the fat of this last-named animal, applied with honey and old oil, will disperse incipient films of the eyes. The young of the swallow are blinded at full moon, and the moment their sight is restored,6 their heads are burnt, and the ashes are employed, with honey, to improve the sight, and for the cure of pains, ophthalmia, and contu- sions of the eyes. Lizards, also, are employed in numerous ways as a remedy 1 A puerile reason, Ajasson remarks. It is much more probable that the reason was, because this vein was the most easily discovered. 2 See B. xxviii. c. 47. 3 In B. xxviii. c. 47. 4 See B. x. c. 52. 5 The serpent so called. 6 An absurdity. The probability is, that the sight of the young birds was only supposed to be destroyed, the operation being imperfectly performed. Chap. 38.] REMEDIES FOE DISEASES OF THE EYES. 415 for diseases of the eyes. Some persons enclose a green lizard in a new earthen vessel, together with nine of the small stones known as " cinsedia,"7 which are usually attached to the body for tumours in the groin. Upon each of these stones they make nine8 marks, and remove one from the vessel daily, taking care, when the ninth day is come, to let the lizard go, the stones being kept as a remedy for affections of the eyes. Others, again, blind a green lizard, and after putting some earth beneath it, enclose it in a glass vessel, with some small rings of solid iron or gold. When they find, by looking through the glass, that the lizard has recovered its sight,9 they set it at liberty, and keep the rings as a preservative against ophthalmia. Others employ the ashes of a lizard's head as a substitute for antimony, for the treatment of eruptions of the eyes. Some recommend the ashes of the green lizard with a long neck that is usually found in sandy soils, as an application for incipient defluxions of the eyes, and for glaucoma. They say, too, that if the eyes of a weasel are extracted with a pointed instrument, its sight will return; the same use being made of it as of the lizards and rings above mentioned. The right eye of a serpent, worn as an amulet, is very good, it is said, for defluxions of the eyes, due care being taken to set the serpent at liberty after extracting the eye. For continuous watering10 of the eyes, the ashes of a spotted lizard's head, applied with antimony, are remarkably efficacious. The cobweb of the common fly-spider, that which lines its hole more particularly, applied to the forehead across the temples, in a compress of some kind or other, is said to be marvellously useful for the cure of defluxions of the eyes : the web must be taken, however, and applied by the hands of a boy who has not arrived at the years of puberty ; the boy, too, must not show himself to the patient for three days, and during those three days neither of them must touch the ground with his feet uncovered. The white spider11 with 7 See B. xxxvii. c. 56. 8 The mention of this number denotes the Eastern origin of this re- medy, Ajasson remarks. 9 See Note 6 above. 10 " Lacrymantibus sine fine oculis." 11 Ajasson remarks, that Pliny has given here a much more exact de- scription of the varieties of the Spider, than in the Eleventh Book. The learned Commentator gives an elaborate discussion, of eighteen panes, on the varieties of the Spider as known to the ancients in common with modern naturalists. 416 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXIX. very elongated, thin, legs, beaten up in old oil, forms an oint- ment which is used for the cure of albugo. The spider, too, whose web, of remarkable thickness, is generally found ad- hering to the rafters of houses, applied in a piece of cloth, is said to be curative of defluxions of the eyes. The green scarabseus has the property of rendering the sight more piercing12 of those who gaze upon it : hence it is that the engravers of precious stones use these insects to steady their sight. CHAP. 39. REMEDIES FOR PAINS AND DISEASES OF THE EARS. A sheep's gall, mixed with honey, is a good detergent of the ears. Pains in those organs are allayed by injecting a bitch's milk ; and hardness of hearing is removed by using dogs' fat, with wormwood and old oil, or else goose-grease. Some per- sons add juice of onions and of garlic,12" in equal proportions. The eggs, too, of ants are used, by themselves, for this purpose; these insects being possessed, in fact, of certain medicinal pro- perties, and bears, it is well known, curing themselves when sick, by eating13 them as food. Goose-grease, and indeed that of all birds, is prepared by removing all the veins and leaving the fat, in a new, shallow, earthen vessel, well covered, to rnelt in the sun, some boiling water being placed beneath it ; which done, it is passed through linen strainers, and is then put by in a cool spot, in a new earthen vessel, for keeping : with the addition of honey it is less liable to turn rancid. Ashes of burnt mice, injected with honey or boiled with oil of roses, allay pains in the ears. In cases where an insect has got into the ears, a most excellent remedy is found in an iojection of mouse gall, diluted with vinegar ; where, too, water has made its way into the passages of the ear, goose-grease is used, in com- bination with juice of onions. Some persons skin a dormouse, and after removing the intestines boil the body in a new vessel with honey. Medical men, however, prefer boiling it down to one-third with nard, and recommend it to be kept in that state, and to be warmed when wanted, and injected with a syringe. It is a well-known fact, that this preparation is an 12 Green is universally the colour least fatiguing to the eye. 2* See B. xx. c. 23. 13 See B. vii. c. 27, and B. via. c. 41. The formic acid which ants con- tain may possibly possess some medicinal properties. Chap. 39.] 11EMEDIES FOE DISEASES OF THE EARS. 417 effectual remedy for the most desperate maladies of the ears : the same, too, with an injection of earth-worms boiled with goose-grease. The red worms, also, that are found upon trees, beaten up with oil, are a most excellent remedy for ulcerations and ruptures of the ears. Lizards, which have been suspended for some time and dried, with salt in the mouth, are curative of contusions of the ears, and of injuries inflicted by blows : the most efficacious for this purpose are those which have iron- coloured spots upon the skin,14 and are streaked with lines along the tail. Millepedes, known also as " centipedes" or "multipedes," are insects belonging to the earth-worm genus, hairy, with numerous feet, forming curves as they crawl, and contracting themselves when touched : the Greeks give to this insect the name of " oniscos," 15 others, again, that of "tylos." Boiled with leek-juice in a pomegranate rind, it is highly efficacious, they say, for pains in the ears ; oil of roses being added to the preparation, and the mixture injected into the ear opposite to the one affected. As for that kind which does not describe a curve when moving, the Greeks give it the name of "seps/; while others, again, call it " scolopendra ;" it is smaller than the former one, and is injurious.16 The snails which are commonly used as food, are applied to the ears with myrrh or powdered frankincense ; and those with a small, broad, shell are employed with honey as a liniment for fractured ears. Old sloughs of serpents, burnt in a heated potsherd and mixed with oil of roses, are used as an injection for the ears, which is considered highly efficacious for all affections of those organs, and for offensive odours arising therefrom in particular. In cases where there is suppuration of the ears, vinegar is used, and it is still better if goat's gall, ox-gall, or that of the sea tortoise, is added. This slough, however, is good for nothing when more than a year old ; the same, too, when it has been drenched with 14 Ajasson suggests that this may be the Lacerta coepium of Dandin, of a reddish brown colour, with two blackish lines running longitudinally along the back. 15 This insect in reality is a woodlouse, whereas the millepedes previously described are evidently caterpillars. Woodlice are still swallowed alive by schoolboys, and old women are to be found who recommend them for con- sumption. Holland says that woodlice are good for pains in the ears. id n. 73 According to Elias of Thishe this river was the Goza ; but Holsteuius says that it was the Eleutherus, or one of its tributaries. Josephus says that it flowed on the Sabbath day, and was dry the other six. Chap. 19.] DEADLY WATEES. 481 a more fatal nature. Ctesias states in his writings, that there is a spring in Armenia, the fishes in which, are black,74 and, if used as food, productive of instantaneous death. I have heard the same, too, with reference to the waters near the sources of the river Danuvius,75 until a spring is reached which is near its main channel, and beyond which this poisonous kind of fish is not to be found. Hence it is that this spot is gene- rally looked upon as the source of the river. The same, too, is reported of the Lake of the Nymphs, in Lydia. Near the river Pheneus, in Achaia, there flows from the rocks a spring known as the Styx, the waters of which, as already76 stated, are in- stantly fatal. And not only this, but there are also small fish in it, Theophrastus says, which are as deadly as the water, a thing that is not the case with the fish of any other poison- ous springs. Theopompus says, that at the town of Cychri, in Thrace, the waters are deadly ; and Lycus states, that at Leontium77 there is a spring, the waters of which are fatal at the end of a couple of days to those who drink thereof. Varro speaks also of a spring upon Mount Soracte, some four feet in breadth, the waters of which bubble forth at sunrise, as though they were boiling ; birds, he says, which only taste thereof, fall dead close by. And then, besides, we meet with this insidious circumstance, that in some cases, waters of this nature are inviting even in their appearance; those at Nonacris, in Arcadia, for example, the water of which fountain possesses no apparent quality to excite mistrust, though, owing to its intense coldness, it is generally looked upon as highly injurious, seeing that it petri- fies as it flows. It is otherwise with the waters of Tempe, in Thessaly, their baneful properties inspiring universal terror, and possessing the property of corroding copper even and iron, it is said. This stream runs a short distance only, as already stated ; 78 and it is truly marvellous that, according to general report, the banks of its source79 are surrounded with the roots of a wild carob,80 always covered with purple flowers, 74 Ajasson thinks that he means, grey. He remarks also, that it is a matter of doubt whether there are any fishes that are poisonous. 75 The Danuhe. 76 In B. ii. c. 106, see also B. xxx. c. 53. 77 See B. in. c. 14, and B. xviii. c. 21. ~8 In B. iv. c. 15. 79 He alludes, according to Dalechamps, to the Eurotas, a tributary, and not the source, of the Peneus. See B. iv. c. 8. *> " Siliqua." VOL. V. II 482 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOET. [Book XXXI. while the margin is clothed with a green herbaceous plant of a peculiar species. In Macedonia, not far from the tomb of the Poet Euripides, is the confluence of two streams, the water of one of which is extremely wholesome, that of the other fatal, CHAP. 20. — WATERS WHICH PETRIFY, THEMSELVES, OE CAUSE OTHER OBJECTS TO PETRIFY. At Perperena,81 there is a spring which petrifies82 the ground wherever it flows, the same being the case also, with the hot waters at ^Edepsus, in Eubcea ; for there, wherever the stream falls, the rocks are continually increasing in height. At Eury- mense,83 chaplets, when thrown into the waters of a certain foun- tain there, are turned to stone. At Colossas there is a river, into the water of which if bricks84 are thrown, when taken out they are found changed into stone. In the mines of Scyros, the trees petrify that are watered by the river, branches and all. In the caverns of Mount Corycus, the drops of water that trickle down the rocks become hard in the form of a stone.85 At Mieza, too, in Macedonia, the water petrifies as it hangs from the vaulted roofs of the rocks ; but at Corycus it is only when it has fallen that it becomes hard. In other caverns, again, the water petrifies both ways,86 and so forms columns ; as we find the case in a vast grotto at Phau- sia, a town of the Chersonesus87 of the Rhodians, the columns of which are tinted with various colours. These instances will suffice for the present. CHAP. 21. (3.) THE WHOLESOMENESS OF WATERS. It is a subject of enquiry among medical men, which kind of water is the most beneficial. They condemn, and with justice, all stagnant, sluggish, waters, and are of opinion that running water is the best, being rendered lighter and more 81 A town of Mysia, south of Adramyttiura. iVa As Ajasson remarks, numerous instances are known of this at the present day. Pliny, however, does not distinguish the intrusting springs from the petrifying springs. 83 In Thessaly, according to Hecataeus. 84 "Lateres." He means unburnt bricks, probably, *5 He alludes to stalactites and stalagmites. S6 Both on the roof and on the floor. 87 In Caria, opposite Rhodes. Chap. 21.] WHOLESOMENESS OF WATEKS. 483 salubrious by its current and its continuous agitation. Hence it is that I am much surprised that persons should be found to set so high a value as they do, upon cistern water. These last give as their reason, however, that rain-water must be the lightest water of all, seeing that it has been able to rise85 aloft and remain suspended in the air. Hence it is, too, that they prefer snow-water to rain-water, and ice, again, to snow, as being water subtilized to the highest possible degree ; on the ground that snow-water and ice- water must be lighter than ordinary water, and ice, of necessity, considerably lighter. It is for the general interest, however, of mankind, that these notions should be refuted. For, in the first place, this com- parative lightness which they speak of, could hardly be ascer- tained in any other way than by the sensation, there being pretty nearly no difference at all in weight between the kinds of water. !Nor yet, in the case of rain-water, is it any proof of its lightness that it has made its way upwards into the air, seeing that stones,89 it is quite evident, do the same : and then, besides, this water, while falling, must of necessity become tainted with the vapours which rise from the earth ; a circum- stance owing to which it is, that such numerous impurities90 are to be detected in rain-water, and that it ferments91 with such extreme rapidity. I am, surprised, too, that snow92 and ice should be regarded as the most subtilized states of this element, in juxtaposition with the proofs supplied us by hail, the water of which, it is generally agreed, is the most pernicious of all to drink. And then, besides, there are not a few among the medical men themselves, who assert that the use of ice-water and snow- water is highly injurious, from the circumstance that all the more refined parts thereof have been expelled by congelation. At all events, it is a well-ascertained fact that the volume of every liquid is diminished by congelation ; as also that exces- 88 Rain-water really is the lightest, but the reason here given is frivolous, for it does not ascend as water, but as vapour. 89 See B. ii. c. 38. Before venturing on this argument, he should have been certain as to the circumstances under which aerolites are generated, a question which still remains hidden in mystery. *° Ajasson remarks that this is only the case in the water of heavy falls of rain after long drought. 91 " Calefiat." 32 Snow-water is pernicious in a very high degree, being the fruitful source of goitre and cretinism. II 2 484 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. sive dews92* a reproductive of blight in corn, and that hoar- frosts result in blast ; of a kindred nature, both of them, to » snow. It is generally agreed, too, that rain-water putrefies with the greatest rapidity, and that it keeps but very badly on a voyage. Epigenes, however, assures us that water which has putrefied seven times and as often purified93 itself, will no longer be liable to putrefaction. As to cistern- water, medical men assure us that, owing to its harshness, it is bad for the bowels and throat ;94 and it is generally admitted by them that there is no kind of water that contains more slime or more numerous insects of a disgusting nature. Eut it does not, therefore, follow that river water is the best of all, or that, in fact, of any running stream, the water of many lakes being found to be wholesome in the very highest degree. What water, then, out of all these various kinds, are we to look upon as best adapted for the human constitution ? Dif- ferent kinds in different localities, is my answer. The kings of Parthia drink no water but that of the Choaspes95 or of the Eulseus, and, however long their journies, they always have this water carried in their suite. And yet it is very evident that it is not merely because this water is river- water that it is thus pleasing to them, seeing that they decline to drink the water of the Tigris, Euphrates, and so many other streams. CHAP. 22. THE IMPURITIES OF WATER. Slime96 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 proof97 of the salubrity of its water ; just as it is regarded as a sign of its freshness when long worms98 breed in the water of a spring. But it is bitter water, more particu- larly, that is held in disesteem, as also the water which swells the stomach the moment it is drunk, a property which belongs 92' See P>. xvii. c. 44, and B. xviii. c. 68. 93 This is somewhat similar to what is said of the putrefaction and purification of Thames water, on a voyage, 94 " Inutilis alvo duritia faucibusque." The passage is probably corrupt. 95 See B. vi. c. 27. 96 Or " mud " — " limus." All rivers of necessity have it, in a greater or less degree. 97 On the contrary, the more the mud and slime, the more numerous the eels, " "Taenias." Chap. 23.] MODES OF TESTING WATER. 485 to the water at Troezen. As to the nitrous" and salso-acid1 waters which are found in the deserts, persons travelling across towards the Eed 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,2 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.3 It is a fault also in water,3* not only to have a bad smell,4 but to have any flavour5 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 air6 as much as possible. There is only one7 spring of water in the whole universe, it is said, that has an agreeable smell, that of Chabura, namely, in Me- sopotamia : the people give a fabulous reason for it, and say that it is because Juno8 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 :9 their pains, however, are expended to little purpose, it being but very rarely that one water is 99 Waters, probably, impregnated with mineral alkali. As to the " ni- trum" of Pliny, see c. 46 of this Book, 1 " Salmacidas." 2 "Caenum." 3 Also, Ajasson says, to observe whether soap will melt in it. If it will not, it is indicative of the presence of selenite. 3* As drinking water, 4 As Plautus says of women, Mostell, A. i. S. 3 — " They smell best, when they smell of nothing at all." 5 See B. xv. c. 32. 6 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. 1 Pausanias and Athenseus mention also the well of Mothone in Pelopon- nesus, the water of which exhaled the odour of the perfumes of Cyzicus. Such water, however, must of necessity be impure. 8 More probably Astarte, Fee thinks, Juno being unknown in Mesopo- tamia. . 9 " Statera." Ajasson remarks that it does not require an instrument very nicely adjusted to indicate the difference in weight between pure and 486 FLINT'S NATURAL HISTOEY. [Book XXXI. 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,10 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 arti- ficially 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 be- come incorporated11 therewith : for in swimming,12 we find, when we hold our breath, the water is felt to be all the colder. It was the Emperor Nero's invention13 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 more14 wholesome when very impure water. Synesius, Ep. xv., gives an account of the " hydros- copium " used by the ancients for ascertaining the weight of water. Beck- mann 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. Bohris Ed. 18 " 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. n " Corripiat." 12 -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. 13 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. 14 This is not at all the opinion at the present day. Chap. 24.] THE MAECIAN WATEE3. 487 it has been boiled ; as also, that water when it has once been heated, will become more intensely15 cold than before — a most ingenious discovery.16 The best corrective of unwholesome water is to boil it down to one half. Cold water, taken inter- nally, arrests hemorrhage. 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.17 CHAP. 24. THE MAKCIAN WATEES. The most celebrated water throughout the whole world, and the one to which our city gives the palm for coolness and salu- brity, is that of the Marcian18 Spring, accorded to Eome 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 rises19 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 first20 who thought of introducing this water into the City. At a later period, the works were repaired by Quintus Mar- cius Rex; and, more recently, in his praetorship, by M. Agrippa.21 15 " Magis refrigerari." The experiments made by Mariotte, Perrault, the Academy del Cimento, Mariana, and others, showed no perceptible differ- ence 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. Jlohn's Ed. 16 " Subtilissimo invento." 17 Or perhaps, as we say, " to the touch, and vice versa." The original is " Alternante hoc bono." 18 A considerable number of its arches are yet standing, and it still in part supplies Rome with water. 19 At Sublaqueum, now Subiaco. 20 « Primus auspicatus est." In obedience to the "auspices," probably. 21 In A.U.C. 720. See B. xxxvi. c. 24. 488 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOBY. [Book XXXI. CHAP. 25. — THE VIRGIN WATERS. It was he, too, who brought the Virgin22 Waters from the bye-road situate at the eighth milestone from the City, which runs for two miles along the Praenestine Way. !Near these waters is the stream of Hercules, which the former shun, to all appearance, and have thence obtained23 the name of "Virgin Waters." On instituting a comparison between the waters of these streams, the difference above-mentioned24 may be imme- diately detected, the Virgin water being as much cooler to the touch, as tlie 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 turned25 them out of theTr 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 de- clivities or lying at the lower part of mountains. Many per- sons have been of opinion that all places with a northern26 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, Par- nassus, 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 White27 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, 22 " Aqua Virgo." This aqueduct, erected A.U.C. 735, still exists, and bears the name of "Aqua Vergine." 23 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. 24 In c. 23 of this Book. 25 This was only temporarily, in all probability^ 26 There seems, as he says below, to be no general rule as to this point* 27 So called from the snow on their summit. Chap. 28.] DIFFEBENCES IN WATERS. 489 CHAP. 27. SIGNS INDICATIVE OF THE PRESENCE OF WATEB. The following are indications of the presence of water : — - rushes, reeds, the plant mentioned with reference to this point already,28 or frogs sitting squatted on a spot for a long time together. As (o the wild29 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, con- sidered as indications of the presence of water, they are all80 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, notwith- standing 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 inconveni- ence, 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 28 In B. xxvi. c. 16. 29 " Salix erratica." 30 Surely not the reed, as he has mentioned it above as one of the in- dications to be depended upon. In one MS. it appears to be omitted, and with justice, probably.' 490 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXXI. water, by presenting white spots, or an uniformly green appear- ance : 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 ex- cavation is immediately abandoned; an eye being carefully kept to the strata31 of the earth, to see whether, beginning witb 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 sand33 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. Male33 sand, fine sea34- sand, and charcoal35 earth, yield a con- stant 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 sulphureous36 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 exhala- tions. 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 31 "Com." 32 "Sabulum." 33 " Sabulum masculum." Coarse, reddish sand, Dalechamps says. 34 "Arena." 35 See B. xvii. c. 3. 36 An inconvenience neutralized in a considerable degree by Davy's in- vention of the safety-lamp. Chap. 29.] QUALITIES OF WATEB. 491 are constructed at the bottom, but without cement,37 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 main- tained 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 elevatefl parts of the city the water is ice- cold38 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 Enneacrunos39 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.40 (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 neigh- bourhood of Olynthus, for example, where the water returns in the early days of spring. In Sicily too, in the vicinity of Messana and Mylae, 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.41 CHAP. 29. THE QUALITIES OF WATEK AT THE DIFFERENT SEASONS OF THE TEAK. Every kind of water is freshest in winter, not so fresh in 37 " Arenatum." Properly a inortar, which consisted of one part lime and two parts sand. 38 " Riget." 39 See B. iv. c. 11. At Bisley, in Surrey, there is a spring, Aubrey says, that is cold in summer and warm in winter. 40 See B. xviii. c. 7. 41 The sandy soil being dried in hot weather into masses of mud or clay, which become loosened when rainfalls. 492 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXXI. 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 juices42 of the vegetation watered by it ; hence it is that the water of the same river is found in some spots to be comparatively un- wholesome. 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 phenomenon which proved fatal to the crops. On three occa- sions, also, the rains have imparted a bitterness to the over- flowing streams of the Mlus, 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 make43 their appearance, the supply of which was previously expended in the nutriment of the trees. This was the case upon Mount Hsemus for example, when, during the siege by Cassander,44 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 im- portant 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 42 See B. ii. c. 106. 43 Ajasson remarks, that just the converse of this has been proved by modern experience to be the case. 44 The son of Antipater, then acting for Alexander during his absence in the East. Chap. 30.] WATERS WHICH HAVE SUDDENLY APPEARED. 493 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 swallow45 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 Corycus,46 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,47 for instance, where the warm waters became cold, but without losing their brackish flavour ; and at the Temple48 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,49 a thing that is rendered not improbable by the circumstance,50 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 Ilhodians50* 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 Borysthenes51 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 ;52 — 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. 45 See B. ii. c. 84. 4G In Cilicia. 47 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. 48 Its locality is unknown, but it was probably near the sea-shore. 49 In Elis in Peloponnesus. 50 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. 60* See c. 20. 51 The modern Dnieper. 52 The Bong. 494 PLUTO'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book XXXI, 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 thick- ness, 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 lei ift at intervals of every two53 actus. Where the water is wanted to ascend54 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 55 the pipe is five fingers in cir- cumference 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"56 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."57 In all sudden changes of inclination in elevated localities, pipes of five fingers should be employed, in order to break the impetu- osity of the fall : reservoirs,58 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 no59 mention of hot springs, when, on the other hand, he has so frequently intro- duced 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 53 See B. xviii. c. 3, and the Introduction to Vol. III. 54 In jets, he means. 55 " Si quinarise erunt." 56 " Denaria." 57 " Quinaria." 55 The name given to these reservoirs was " castellum " or " dividicu- jm :" in French the name is " regard'' Vitruvius i lum :" in French the name is " regard'' Vitruvius describes them, B. vii. c. 7. 59 Pliny appears to have forgotten the warm springs of the Scaraander, mentioned by Homer in the Iliad, B. xxii. 1. 147, et seq. Chap. 32.] HOW MINERAL WATEES SHOULD BE USED. 495 with sulphur are good for the sinews,60 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,61 for example, are drunk as a purgative.63 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 shampooed63 with cold water, and not leave the bath without being rubbed with oil. This last operation, however, is com- monly 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.64 There is another mistake, also, of a similar description, made by those who pride themselves upon drinking enormous quantities of these waters ;M 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,66 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 60 Or rather, as Ajasson says, for cutaneous diseases, ei See B. iii. c. 17. 62 In conformity with Sillig's suggestion, we reject " atque " as an in- terpolation. 63 "Mulceri." 64 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 Laech, for instance, in the Valais, the patients, Ajasson says, remain in the hath as much as eight hours together. 65 To promote expectoration Dalechamps says ; or rather vomiting, according to Holland. 66 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. 496 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOBY. [Book XXXI. 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 medi- cinal, must of necessity discolour copper or silver ; no such effect being produced by those of Patavium,67 or there being the slightest difference perceptible in the smell. CHAP. 33. THE USES OF SEA-WATEB. 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 already68 mentioned, and where patients are suffering from hsemoptosis, as lately experienced, in our own memory, by Annaeus Gallic,69 at the close of his consul- ship :70 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 recom- mended to drink an infusion of hellebore. Medical men con- sider 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 emollient71 poultices. Sea-water is very good, too, employed as a shower-bath ; and it is taken inter- nally, though not without72 injury to the stomach, both as a 67 See B. ii c. 106. 68 In B. xxiv. c. 19, and B. xxviii. c, 14. 69 An elder brother of the philosopher Seneca. His original name was M. Annseus Noratus ; but upon being adopted by the rhetorician Junius Gallio, he changed his name into L. Junius Annasus — or Annseanus — Gallic. He destroyed himself, A.D. 65. 70 He was " Consul subrogatus " only. 11 " Malagmatis." 72 It acts in most cases as an emetic, and is highly dangerous if taken in considerable quantities. Cfcap. 33.] USES OF SEA- WATER. 497 purgative and as an expellent, by vomit and by alvine evacu- ation, of black bile73 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 ; pur- poses for which it is kept a considerable time, to mellow with age, and so lose its noxious74 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 pha- langium and scorpion, for example, and as an antidote to the poisonous secretions of the asp, known as the " ptyas ;"75 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 cor- rective for swelling76 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 73 It is still considered useful, Ajasson says, for the treatment of lym- phatic diseases. 74 "Virus." 75 Or "spitter." See B. xxviii. c. 18. 76 " Mammas sororiantes." A malady, according to Dalechamps, in which the mamillse are so distended with milk that they kiss, like sisters — "sorores." VOL. V. K K 498 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. curative also of scab in sheep, and imparts additional softness to the wool. CHAP. 34. HOW ARTIFICIAL SEA-WATER MAY BE MADE IN PLACES AT A DISTANCE FROM THE SEA. I am by no means unaware that these details may very possibly appear superfluous to persons who live at a distance from the sea ; but scientific research has made provision against this objection, by discovering a method of enabling every one to make sea-water77 for himself. It is a singular fact in con- nexion with this discovery, that if more than one sextarius of salt is put into four sextarii of water, the liquefying proper- ties of the water will be overpowered, and the salt will no longer melt. On the other hand, again, a mixture of one sex- tarius of salt with four sextarii of water, acts as a good substi- tute for the efficacy and properties of the very saltest sea- water. The most reasonable proportion, however, is generally thought to be eight cyathi of salt, diluted in the quantity of water above mentioned; a preparation which has been found to have a warming effect upon the sinews, without in any degree chafing the body. CHAP. 35. HOW THALASSOMELI IS MADE. There is also a composition made to ripen for use, known as " thalassomeli,"78 and prepared with equal parts of sea- water, honey, and rain-water. For this purpose, also, the water is brought from out at sea, and the preparation is kept in an earthen vessel well pitched. It acts most efficiently as a pur- gative, and without in the least fatiguing the stomach ; the taste, too, and smell of it, are very agreeable. CHAP. 36. HOW HYDROMELI IS MADE. Hydromeli,79 also, was a mixture formerly made with pure rain-water and honey, and was prescribed for patients who were anxious for wine, as being a more harmless drink. For these many years past, however, it has been condemned, as having in reality all the inconveniences of wine, without the advantages. 77 The ancients being unable to analyze sea- water, could only imitate it very clumsily. 78 " Sea-water hon-ey." 79 See B. xiv. c. 20, and B. xxii. c. 51. He is speaking, probably, of fermented hydromel, a sort of mead. Chap. 38.] REMEDIES DERIVED FROM MOSS. 499 CHAP. 37. METHODS OF PROVIDING AGAINST THE INCONVENIENCE OF DRINKING SUSPECTED WATER. As persons out at sea often suffer great inconvenience from the want of fresh water, we will here describe some methods of obviating it. Fleeces are spread round the ship, and on becoming moistened with the exhalations arising from the sea, the water is wrung from them, and found to be quite fresh. Hollow balls of wax, also, or empty vessels sealed at the mouth, upon being let down into the sea in a net, become filled with water that is fresh and potable. On shore, too, sea-water may be made fresh, by filtering it through argillaceous earth. By swimming in water of any kind, sprains of the limbs in man or beast are reduced80 with the greatest facility. Persons when travelling, are sometimes apprehensive that the use of water, the quality of which is unknown to them, may prove injurious to their health: as a precaution against this, they should drink the suspected water cold, immediately after leaving the bath. CHAP. 38. SIX REMEDIES DERIVED FROM MOSS. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM SAND. Moss which has grown in water81 is excellent as a topical application for gout ; and, in combination with oil, it is good for pains and swellings in the ankles. The foam that floats82 upon the surface of the water, used as a friction, causes warts to disappear. The sand,83 too, of the sea-shore, that more particularly which is very fine and burnt white by the heat of the sun, is used remedially for its desiccative properties, the bodies of dropsical or rheumatic patients being entirely covered with it. Thus much with reference to water itself; we will now turn to the aquatic productions, beginning, as in all other instances, with the principal of them, namely, salt and sponge. 80 The joints being rendered more supple thereby. 81 He probably means sea-water, alluding to certain kinds of sea-weed. Dioscorides speaks of it, in B. iv. c. 99, as being good for gout. It is, in reality, of some small utility in such cases. 82 He most probably means sea- water. 63 The Greeks used sand-baths for the purpose of promoting the per- spiration; the names given to them were TrapoTrr^Ttg and $o K K 2 500 PLINTHS ffATimAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. CHIP. 39. (7.) THE VARIOUS KINDS OF SALT ; THE METHODS OF PREPARING IT, AND THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM IT. TWO HUNDRED AND FOUR OBSERVATIONS THEREUPON. All salt is either native or artificial ;84 both kinds being formed in various ways, but produced from one of these two causes, the condensation or the desiccation, of a liquid.85 The Lake of Tarentum is dried up by the heat of the summer sun, and the whole of its waters, which are at no time very deep, not higher than the knee in fact, are changed into one mass of salt. The same, too, with a lake in Sicily, Cocanicus by name, and another in the vicinity of Gela. But in the case of these two last, it is only the sides86 that are thus dried up ; whereas in Phrygia, in Cappadocia, and at Aspendus, where the same phenomena are observable, the water is dried up to a much larger extent, to the very middle of the lake, in fact. There is also another marvellous87 circumstance connected with this last — -however much salt is taken out of it in the day, its place is supplied again during the night. Every kind of lake- salt is found in grains, and not in the form of blocks.88 Sea- water, again, spontaneously produces another kind of salt, from the foam which it leaves on shore at high-water mark, or adhering to rocks; this being, in all cases, condensed by the action of the sun, and that89 salt being the most pun- gent of the two which is found upon the rocks. There are also three diiferent kinds of native salt. In Bac- triana there are two vast lakes ; 80 one of them situate on the side 84 " Sal fit." This expression is not correct, there being no such thing as made salt. It is only collected from a state of suspension or dissolution. Pliny, however, includes under the name ktsal" many substances, which in reality are not salt. His " hammoniacum," for instance, if identical with hydrocblorate of ammonia, can with justice be said to be made, being formed artificially from other substances. 85 " Coacto humore vel siccato." These two terms in reality imply the same process, by the medium of evaporation ; the former perfect, the latter imperfect. h6 The evaporation not being sufficiently strong to dry up the deeper parts. 87 There is in reality nothing wonderful in this, considering that most lakes are constantly fed with the streams of rivers, which carry mineral salts along with them, and that the work of evaporation is always going on. S8 " Glsebas." 89 Because it is necessarily purer than that found upon the sand. 90 The description is not sufficiently clear to enable us to identify these lakes with certainty. Ajasson thinks that one of them may be the Lake Chap. 39.] THE VARIOUS KINDS OF SALT. 501 of Scythia, the other on that of Ariana, both of which throw up vast quantities of salt.91 So, too, at Citium, in Cyprus ; and, in the vicinity of Memphis, they extract salt from the lake and dry it in the sun. The surface-waters of some rivers, also, condense92 in the form of salt, the rest of the stream flowing beneath, as though under a crust of ice ; such as the running waters near the Caspian Gates93 for instance, which are known as the " Rivers of Salt/' The same is the case, too, in the vici- nity of the Mardi and of the people of Armenia. In Bactriana, also, the rivers Ochus94 and Oxus carry down from the moun- tains on their banks, fragments of salt. There are also in Africa some lakes, the waters of which are turbid, that are productive of salt. Some hot springs, too, produce salt — those at PagasaB for example. Such, then, are the various kinds of salt produced spontaneously by water. There are certain mountains, also, formed of native salt ; that of Oromenus, in India, for example, where it is cut out like blocks from a quarry, and is continually reproduced, bringing in a larger revenue to the sovereigns of those countries than that arising from their gold and pearls. In some instances it is dug out of the earth, being formed there, evidently, by the condensation of the moisture, as in Cappadocia for example, where it is cut in sheets, like those of mirror-stone.95 The blocks of it are very heavy, the name commonly given to them being " mica."96 At Gerrhae,97 a city of Arabia, the ramparts and houses are constructed of blocks of salt, which are sol- dered together by being moistened with water. King Ptole*- mseus discovered salt also in the vicinity of Pelusium, when he encamped there ; a circumstance which induced other per- sons to seek and discover it in the scorched tracts that lie between Egypt and Arabia, beneath the sand. In the same of Badakandir in the Khanat of Bokhara ; and the other the lake that lies between Ankhio and Akeha, in the west of the territory of Balkh, and near the Usbek Tartars. 9I " Sale exsestuant." 92 In consequence of the intense heat. 93 All these regions, Ajasson remarks, are covered with salt. An im- mense desert of salt extends to the north-east of Irak-Adjemi, and to the north of Herman, between Tabaristan, western Khoracan, and Khohistan. 94 Identified by Ajasson with the Herat and the Djihoun. He thinks that it is of some of the small affluents oi' this last that Pliny speaks, 95 " Lapis specularjs." s6 A " crumb" properly, in the Latin language, w See 33. vi, c. 32, 502 PLINY'S KATUBAL HISTOKY. [Book XXXI. manner, too, it has been found in the thirsting deserts of Africa, as far as the oracle of Hammon,98 a locality in which the salt increases at night with the increase of the moon. The districts of Cyrenaica are ennobled, too, by the production of hammoniacum," a salt so called from the fact of its being found beneath the sands1 there. It is similar in colour to the alum known as " schiston,"2 and consists of long pieces, by no means transparent, and of an unpleasant flavour, but highly useful in medicine ; that being held in the highest esteem, which is the clearest and divides into straight3 flakes. There is one remarkable fact mentioned in connexion with it : so long as it lies under ground in its bed4 it is extremely light, but the moment it is exposed to the light, it is hardly credible to what an extent its weight is increased. The reason for this is evi- dent :5 the humid vapours of the excavations bear the masses upwards, as water does, and so aid the workmen. It is adulte- rated with the Sicilian salt which we have mentioned as being found in Lake Cocanicus, as also with that of Cyprus, which is marvellously like it. At Egelasta,6 in Nearer Spain, there is a salt, hewn from the bed in almost transparent blocks, and to which for this long time past most medical men, it is said, have given the preference over all other salt. Every spot in 98 More commonly known as Jupiter Hammon. 99 See B. xii. c. 49, and B. xxiv. c. 28, for an account of gum resin am- moniac, a produce of the same locality. The substance here spoken of is considered by Beckmann to be nothing but common salt in an impure state. See his Hist. Inv. Vol. II. pp. 398-9, where this passage is discussed at considerable length. Ajasson, on the other hand, considers it to be Hydro- chlorate of ammonia, the Sal ammoniac of commerce. According to some accounts, it was originally made in the vicinity of the Temple of Jupiter Hammon, by burning camels' dung. 1 Called a/jLfjLOQ, in Greek. 2 See B. xxxv. c. 52. 3 Sal ammoniac crystallizes in octahedrons. 4 " Intra specus suos." On this passage, Beckmann says, " From what is said by Pliny it may with certainty be concluded that this salt was dug up from pits or mines in Africa. Many kinds of rock-salt, taken from the mines of Wieliczka, experience the same change in the air ; so that blocks which a labourer can easily carry in the mine, can scarcely be lifted by him after being for some time exposed to the air. The cause here is undoubtedly the same as that which makes many kinds of artificial salt to become moist and to acquire more weight." — Vol. II. p. 399, Bohn's Ed. 5 According to modern notions, his reason is anything but evident. 6 In Celtiberia. He alludes to the mountain of salt at Cardona, near Montserrat in Catalonia. Chap. 40.] MUiiTA. 503 which salt7 is found is naturally barren, and produces nothing. Such are the particulars, in general, which have been ascer- tained with reference to native salt. Of artificial salt there are' several kinds ; the common salt, and the most abundant, being made from sea-water drained into salt-pans, and accompanied with streams of fresh water ; but it is rain more particularly, and, above all things, the sun, that aids in its formation ; indeed without this last it would never dry. In the neighbourhood of Utica, in Africa, they build up masses of salt, like hills in appearance ; and when these have been hardened by the action of the sun and moon, no moisture will ever melt them, and iron can hardly divide them. In Crete, however, salt is made without the aid of fresh water, and merely by introducing sea- water into the salt-pans. On the shores of Egypt, salt is formed by the overflow of the sea upon the land, already prepared for its reception, in my opinion, by the emanations of the river Nilus. It is made here, also, from the water8 of certain wells, discharged into salt-pans. At Eabylon, the result of the first condensation is a bituminous9 liquid, like oil, which is used for burning in lamps ; when this is skimmed off, the salt is found beneath. In Cappadocia, also, both well and spring- water are introduced into the salt- pans. In Chaonia there is a spring, from the water of which, when boiled10 and left to cool, there is an inert salt obtained, not so white as ordinary salt. In the Gallic provinces and in Germany, it is the practice to pour salt-water upon burning wood.11 CHAP. 40. — MURIA. In one part of Spain, they draw a brine for this purpose from deep-sunk pits, to which they give the name of "muria;" being of opinion, also, that it makes a considerable difference upon what kind of wood it is poured. That of the quercus they look upon as the best, as the ashes of it, unmixed, have 7 Speaking generally, this is true ; but soils which contain it in small quantities are fruitful. 8 A similar method is still employed, Ajasson says, at the salt-mines near ] nnspruck in the Tyrol. 9 Native bitumen ; always to be found in greater or less quantities, in K;iliferous earths. 10 The process of artificial evaporation. 11 This would produce an impure alkaline salt. According to Townson, this practice still prevails in Transylvania and Moldavia. 504 PLINY'S STATUKAL HISTOEY. [Book XXXI. the pungency of salt.12 In other places, again, the wood of the hazel is held in high esteem ; and thus, we see, by pouring brine upon it, charcoal even is converted into salt. All salt that is thus prepared with burning wood is black. I find it stated by Theophrastus, that the Umbri13 are in the habit of boiling ashes of reeds and bulrushes in water, till there remains but little moisture unconsumed. The brine, too, of salted provisions is sometimes boiled over again, and, as soon as all the moisture h as-evaporated, the salt resumes its original form. That prepared from the pickle of the msena 14 has the finest flavour. CHAP. 41. THE VAKIOTJS PROPERTIES OF SALT: ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY HISTORICAL REMARKS RELATIVE THERETO. Of the various kinds of sea-salt, the most esteemed is that of Salamis, in Cyprus ; and of the lake-salts, that of Tarentum, and the salt known as Tattsean salt, which comes from Phrygia: these last two are also good for the eyes. That of Cappadocia, which is imported in small cubes,15 imparts a fine colour, it is said, to the skin ; but, for effacing wrinkles, that which we have 1G already spoken of as the salt of Citium is the best : hence it is that, in combination with gith,17 it is used by fe- males as a liniment for the abdomen after childbirth. The drier the salt, the stronger it is in taste ; but the most agree- able of all, and the whitest known, is that of Tarentum. In addition to these particulars, we would remark also, that the whiter salt is, the more friable it is. Rain-water deadens every kind of salt, but dew-water makes it more delicate in flavour. North-easterly winds render the formation of salt more abundant, but, while south winds prevail, it never in- creases. It is only while north-easterly winds prevail, that flower of salt 1S is formed. Neither the salt of Tragasa, nor 12 " The water, evaporating, would leave the salt behind, but mixed with charcoal, ashes, earth, and alkaline salts; consequently it must have been moist, or at any rate nauseous, if not refined by a new solution/' — Beck- inann's Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 493. John's Ed. 13 Not improbably a people of India so called, and mentioned in B. vi. c. 20. i4 gee B. ix. c. 42. 15 " In laterculis." Hardouin considers this to mean small earthen vessels or pipes. 16 In c. 39 of this Book. 17 u Melanthiura." See B. xx. c. 17- 18 " Flos sails." Further mentioned in c. 42. Chap. 41.] VARIOUS PROPERTIES OF SALT. 505 the Acanthian salt — so called from the town19 where it is found — will decrepitate or crackle in the fire ; nor will the froth of salt do so, or the outside scrapings, or refined salt. The salt of Agrigentum 20 resists fire, but decrepitates in water. There are differences, too, in the colour of salt : at Memphis it is deep red, russet- coloured in the vicinity of the Oxus, purple at Centuripa, and so remarkably bright at Gela, situate also 21 in Sicily, as to reflect the image of objects. In Cappa- docia there is a saffron- coloured fossil salt, transparent and remarkably odoriferous. For medicinal purposes, the ancients esteemed the salt of Tarentum in particular, and next to that all the marine salts, those collected from sea-foam more espe- cially. For maladies of the eyes in cattle and beasts of burden, the salt of Tragasa and that of Bsetica are employed. For made dishes22 and ordinary food, the more easily a salt liquefies and the moister it is, the more highly it is esteemed ; there being less bitterness in salt of this description, that of Attica and of Euboea, for example. For keeping meat, a pungent, dry, salt, like that of Megara, is best. A conserve of salt is also made, with the addition of various odoriferous substances, which answers all the purpose of a choice sauce,23 sharpening the appetite, and imparting a relish to all kinds of food : in- deed, among the innumerable condiments which we use, the flavour of salt is always distinctly perceptible ; and when we take garum 24 with our food, it is its salt flavour that is considered so exquisite. And not only this, but sheep even, cattle, and beasts of burden, are induced to graze all the bet- ter 25 by giving them salt ; it having the effect, also, of con- siderably augmenting the milk, and imparting a superior flavour to the cheese. We may conclude, then, by Hercules ! that the higher en- joyments of life could not exist without the use of salt : indeed, so highly necessary is this substance to mankind, that the pleasures of the mind, even, can be expressed by no better term than the word " salt,"26 such being the name given to 19 See B. iv. c. 17. 20 St. Augustin mentions this marvellous kind of salt. Do Civit. Dei, B. xxi. cc. 5, 7. 21 As well as Centuripa. 22 " Opsonium." 23 " Pulmentarii." 2i See c. 43 of this Book. 25 This is consistent with modern experience. *6 u Sales." 506 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. all effusions of wit. All the amenities, in fact, of life, supreme hilarity, and relaxation from toil, can find no word in our lan- guage to characterize them better than this. Even in the very honours, too, that are bestowed upon successful warfare, salt plays its part, and from it, our word " salariuin"27 is derived. That salt was held in high esteem by the ancients, is evident from the Salarian 28 Way, so named from the fact that, by agreement, the Sabini carried all their salt by that road. King Ancus Martius gave six hundred modii of salt as a largess 29 to the people, and was the first to establish salt-works. Yarro also informs us, that the ancients used salt by way of a relish- ing sauce ; and we know, from an old proverb,30 that it was the practice with them to eat salt with their bread. But it is in our sacred rites more particularly, that its high importance is to be recognized, no offering ever being made unaccompanied by the salted cake.31 CHAP. 42. — FLOWER OF SALT I TWENTY REMEDIES. SALSTJGO : TWO REMEDIES. That which mainly distinguishes the produce of salt-works, in respect of its purity, is a sort of efflorescence,32 which forms the lightest and whitest part of salt. The name " flower of salt "33 is given, also, to a substance of an entirely different character, more humid by nature, and of a red or saffron co- lour ; a kind of "rust of salt," as it were, with an unpleasant smell like that of garum, and differing therein not only from froth of salt,34 but from salt itself. This substance is found 27 Literally, " salt money" — " argentum " being understood. The term was originally applied to the pay of the generals and military tribunes. Hence our word " salary." 28 Beginning at the Colline Gate. 29 " In coiigiario." 30 Most probably '* He cannot earn salt to his bread," or something similar, like our saying, " He cannot earn salt to his porridge.'* The two Greek proverbs given by Dalechamps do not appear to the purpose. 31 " Mola salsa." aa "Favillam." 33 " Schroder thinks that in what Pliny says of Flos Salis, he can find the martial sal-ammoniac flowers of our chemists, [the double chloride of ammonium and iron], or the so-called fares sales ammoniaci martiales. — It is certain that what Dioscorides and Pliny call flos sails, has never yet been defined. The most ingenious conjecture was that of Cordus, who thought that it might be Sperma ceti ; but though I should prefer this opinion to that of Schroder, I must confess that, on the grounds adduced by Matthioli and Conrad Gesner, it has too much against it to be admitted as truth,"— Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 493. Bohris Ed. 34 Salt collected from the foam on the sea-shore. Chap. 43.] OARUM. 507 in Egypt, and, as it would appear, is conveyed thither by the waters of the Nilus ; though it is to be found floating upon the surface of certain springs as well. The best kind is that which yields a certain fatty 3d substance, like oil — for salt even, a thing that is quite marvellous to think of, is not without a degree of unctuousness. This substance is sophisticated, and coloured with red earth, or, in most instances, with powdered potsherds ; an adultera- tion to be detected by the agency of water, which washes off the fictitious colour, the natural colour being only removeable by the agency of oil. Indeed, it is for its colour that per- fumers more particularly make such extensive use of this drug. When seen in the vessels, the surface of it is white, but that which lies in the middle is moister, as already stated. It is of an acrid nature, calorific, and bad for the stomach. It acts also as a sudorific, and, taken with wine and water, has a pur- gative effect upon the bowels. It is very useful, also, as an ingredient in acopa36 and in detersive37 compositions, and is re- markably efficacious for the removal of hairs from the eye-lids, It is the practice to shake up the sediment, in order to re- novate the saffron colour of the drug. In addition to these substances, there is another, known in the salt-works by the name of "salsugo," or "salsilago :" it is quite liquid, salter in taste than sea- water, but inferior to it in its properties. CHAP. 43. GARTJM : FIFTEEN KEMED1ES. Another liquid, too, of a very exquisite nature, is that known as "garum :"38 it is prepared from the intestines of fish and various parts which would otherwise be thrown away, macerated in salt ; so that it is, in fact, the result of their pu- trefaction. Garum was formerly prepared from a fish, called "garos"39 by the Greeks ; who assert, also, that a fumigation made with its head has the effect of bringing away the after- birth. (8.) At the present day, however, the most esteemed kind 35 A sort of bitumen, probably. 36 Medicines for relieving weariness. See B. xxiii. c. 45, and B. xxix. c. 13. 37 " Smegmatis." 38 It was, probably, of an intermediate nature, between caviar and an- chovy sauce. 39 See B. xxxii. c. 53. It does not appear to have been identified. 508 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. of garum is that prepared from the scomber,40 in the fisheries of Carthago Spartaria :41 it is known as " garum of42 the allies/' and for a couple of congii we have to pay but little less than one thousand sesterces. Indeed, there is no liquid hardly, with the exception of the unguents, that has sold at higher prices of late ; so much so, that the nations which produce it have become quite ennobled thereby. There are fisheries, too, of the scomber on the coasts of Mauretania, and at Carteia in Baetica, near the Straits 43 which lie at the entrance to the Ocean ; this being the only use that is made of the fish. For the production of garum, Clazomenae is also famed, Pompeii, too, and Leptis ; while for their muria, Antipolis,44 Thurii, and of late, Dahnatia,45 enjoy a high reputation. CHAP. 44. ALEX : EIGHT KEMEDIES. Alex, which is the refuse of garum, properly consists of the dregs of it, when imperfectly strained : but of late they have begun to prepare it separately, from a small fish that is other- wise good for nothing, the apua 46 of the Latins, or aphua of the Greeks, so called from the fact of its being engendered from rain.47 The people of Forum Julii 48 make their garum from a fish to which they give the name of " lupus."49 In process of time, alex has become quite an object of luxury, and the various kinds that are now made are infinite in number. The same, too, with garum, whic'h is now prepared in imitation of the colour of old honied wine, and so pleasantly flavoured as to admit of being taken as a drink. Another kind, again, is dedicated to those superstitious observances50 which enjoin strict chastity, and that prepared from fish without51 scales, to 40 As to the identity of the Scomber, see B. ix. c. 19. 41 See B. xix. c. 7. 42 u Garum sociorum." 13 The present Straits of Gibraltar. 44 In Gallia Narbonensis, 45 Sillig reads " Delmatia " here. 46 See B. ix. c. 74. The fry of larger fish, Cuvier says. 47 Ajasson considers this to be an absurd derivation ; and thinks it much more probable, that the name is from a privative, and Qvu, "to beget ;" it being a not uncommon notion that these small fish were pro- duced spontaneously from mud and slime. 48 The present Frejus, in the south of France. 49 «\Volf." Not the fish of that name, Hardouin says, mentioned in B. ix. c. 28. 50 The festivals of Ceres. The devotees, though obliged to abstain from meat, were allowed the use of this garum, it would appear. 51 Gesner proposes to read "non carentibus," "with scales" — fishes Chap. 45.] tTlIE KATtJEE OF SALT* 509 the sacregl rites of the Jews. In the same way, too, alex has corne to be manufactured from oysters, sea-urchins, sea-nettles, cammari,52 and the liver of the surmullet ; and a thousand different methods have heen devised of late for ensuring the putrefaction of salt in such a way as to secure the flavours most relished by the palate. Thus much, by the way, with reference to the tastes of the present day ; though at the same time, it must be remembered, these substances are by no means without their uses in medi- cine. Alex, for instance, is curative of scab in sheep, incisions being made in the skin, and the liquor poured therein. It is useful, also, for the cure of wounds inflicted by dogs or by the sea-dragon, the application being made with lint. Eecent burns, too, are healed by the agency of garum, due care being taken to apply it without mentioning it by name. It is useful, too, for bites inflicted by dogs, and for that of the crocodile in particular ; as also for the treatment of serpiginous or sordid ulcers. For ulcerations, and painful affections of the mouth and ears, it is a marvellously useful remedy. Muria, also, as well as the salsugo which we have mentioned,63 has certain astringent, mordent, and discussive properties, and is highly useful for the cure of dysentery, even when ulceration has attacked the intestines. Injections are also made of it for sciatica, and for coaliac fluxes of an inveterate nature. In spots which lie at a distance in the interior, it is used as a fo- mentation, by way of substitute for sea- water. CHAP. 45. (9.) THE NATURE OF SALT. Salt, regarded by itself, is naturally igneous, and yet it manifests an antipathy to fire, and flies51 from it. It consumes everything, and yet upon living bodies it has an astringent, desiccative, and binding effect, while the dead it preserves from putrefaction,55 and makes them last for ages even. In respect, however, of its medicinal properties, it is of a mordent, burning, detergent, attenuating, and resolvent nature ; it is, how- ever, inj urious to the stomach, except that it acts as a stimulant without scales being forbidden to the Jews by the Levitical Law. See Lev. c. xi. ver. 10. It is, most probably, Pliny's own mistake. 62 See B. xxvii. c. 2. 53 At the end of c. 42. 54 He alludes to its decrepitation in flame. 55 Pharnaces caused the body of his father Mithridates to. be deposited in brine, in order to transmit it to Pompey, 510 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. to the appetite, For the cure of injuries inflicted by serpents, it is used with origanum, honey, and hyssop ; and for the sting of the cerastes, with origanum, cedar-resin, pitch, or honey. Taken internally with vinegar, it is good for injuries caused by the scolopendra ; and, applied topically, with an equal proportion of linseed, in oil or vinegar, for stings inflicted by scorpions. For stings of hornets, wasps, and insects of a similar description, it is applied with vinegar ; and, for the cure of hemicrania, ulcers on the head, blisters, pimples, and incipient warts, with veal-suet. It is used also among the remedies for the eyes, and for the removal of fleshy excrescences upon those organs, as also of hangnails66 upon the fingers or toes. For webs that form upon the eyes it is peculiarly useful, and hence it is that it is so commonly employed as an ingredient in eye- salves, as well as plasters. For all these last-mentioned purposes, the salt of Tatta or of Caunus is more particularly in request. In cases where there is ecchymosis of the eyes, or a bruise from the effects of a blow, salt is applied, with an equal quan- tity of myrrh and honey, or with hyssop in warm water, the eyes being also fomented with salsugo. For this last-mentioned purpose, the Spanish salt is preferred ; and when wanted for the treatment of cataract, it is ground upon small whet- stones, with milk. For bruises it is particularly useful, wrapped in a linen pledget and renewed from time to time, being first dipped in boiling water. For the cure of running ulcers of the mouth, it is applied with lint ; gum-boils are also rubbed with it ; and, broken to pieces and powdered fine, it removes granulations on the tongue. The teeth, it is said, will never become carious or corroded, if a person every morn- ing puts some salt beneath his tongue, fasting, and leaves it there till it has melted. Salt effects the cure also of leprosy, boils, lichens, and itch-scabs ; for all which purposes it is ap- plied with raisins — the stones being first removed — beef-suet, origanum, and leaven, or else bread. In such cases it is the salt from Thebai's that is mostly used ; the same salt being considered preferable for the treatment of prurigo, and being highly esteemed for affections of the uvula and tonsillary glands, in combination with honey. 56 He uses the word "pterygia" here, as applied to the whole of the body — " totius corporis " — in its two distinct senses, a hangnail or ex- crescence on. the fingers, and a web or film on the eyes. Chap. 45.] THE NATURE OF SALT. 511 Every kind of salt is useful for the cure of quinzy ; but, in addition to this, it is necessary to make external applications simultaneously with oil, vinegar, and tar. Mixed with wine, it is a gentle aperient to the bowels, and, taken in a similar manner, it acts as an expellent of all kinds of intestinal worms. Placed beneath the tongue, it enables convalescents to support the heat57 of the bath. Burnt more than once upon a plate at a white heat, and then enclosed in a bag, it alleviates pains in the sinews, about the shoulders and kidneys more particularly. Taken internally, and similarly burnt at a white heat and applied in bags, it is curative of colic, griping pains in the bowels, and sciatica. Beaten up in wine and honey, with meal, it is a remedy for gout ; a malady for the especial behoof of which the observation should be borne in mind, that there is nothing better for all parts of the body than sun and salt :58 hence59 it is that we see the bodies of fishermen as hard as horn — gout, however, is the principal disease for the benefit of which this maxim should be remembered. Salt is useful for the removal of corns upon the feet, and of chilblains : for the cure of burns also, it is applied with oil, or else chewed. It acts as a check also upon blisters, and, in cases of erysipelas and serpiginous ulcers, it is applied topically with vinegar or with hyssop. For the cure of carcinoma it is employed in combination with Taminian60 grapes; and for phagedasnic ulcers it is used parched with barley-meal, a linen pledget steeped in wine being laid upon it. In cases of jaundice, it is employed as a friction before the fire, with oil and vinegar, till the patient is made to perspire, for the purpose of preventing the itching sensations attendant upon that dis- ease. When persons are exhausted with fatigue, it is usual to rub them with salt and oil. Many have treated dropsy with salt, have used external applications of salt and oil for the burning heats of fever, and have cured chronic coughs by laying salt upon the patient's tongue. Salt has been used, also, as an injection for sciatica, and has been applied to ulcers of a fungous or putrid nature. To bites inflicted by the crocodile, salt is applied, the sores 57 In c. 23, he has said much the same of cold water. 58 " Sale et sole." 59 This passage would come more naturally after the succeeding one. 60 See B. xxiii, c. 13. 512 PLnrr's KATUEAL HISTOKT. [Book XXXI* being tightly bandaged with linen cloths, first dipped61 in vinegar. It is taken internally, with hydromel, to neutralize the effects of opium, and is applied topically, with meal and honey, to sprains and fleshy excrescences. In cases of tooth- ache, it is used as a collutory with vinegar, and is very useful, applied externally, with resin. For all these purposes, however, froth of salt62 is found to be more agreeable and still more efficacious. Still, however, every kind of salt is good as an ingredient in acopa,63 when warming properties are required : the same, too, in the case of detersive applications, when re- quired for plumping out and giving a smooth surface to the skin. Employed topically, salt is curative of itch- scab in sheep and cattle, for which disease it is given them to lick. It is injected, also, with the spittle, into the eyes of beasts of burden. Thus much with reference to salt. CHAP. 46. (10.) THE VARIOUS KINDS OF NITRT7M, THE METHODS OF PREPARING IT, AND THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM IT : TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE OBSERVATIONS THEREON. And here we must no longer defer giving an account of nitrum ;64 which in its properties does not greatly differ from salt, and deserves all the more to be attentively considered, from the evident fact that the medical men who have written upon it were ignorant of its nature ; of all which authors Theophrastus is the one that has given the greatest attention to the point. It is found in small quantities in Media, in certain valleys there that are white with heat and drought ; the name given to it being " halmyrax."65 In Thracia, too, near Philippi, 61 "Ita ut batuerentur ante." From the corresponding passage in Dioscorides, where the expression RcnrrofjLrvoi ii£ 6£o£ is used, it would appear that the proper word here is " baptizarentur ;" or possibly, a lost Grzeco-Latin word, u bapterentur." Littre' suggests " hebetarentur," "the part being first numbed " by the aid of a bandage. 62 " Spuma salis." Collected from the foam on the sea-shore. 63 See Note 36, above, p. 507. 64 Beckmann, who devotes several pages to a consideration of the " ni- trum" of the ancients, considers it not to be our " nitre," or " saltpetre," but a general name for impure alkaline salts. See his Hist. Inv. Vol. II. pp. 490 — 503, Bohris Ed. Ajasson, without hesitation, pronounces it to be nitrate of potash, neither more or less than our saltpetre, and quotes a statement from Andreossy, that it is still to be found in great quantities at Mount Ptou-Ampihosem, near the city of Pihosem, called Nitria by St. Jerome. 65 "Salt bursting from the earth." Chap. 46.] VARIOUS KINDS OF NTTBUM. 513 it is found, but in smaller quantities, and deteriorated with earthy substances, being known there as " agrion."66 As to that prepared from the burnt wood of the quercus,67 it never was made to any very great extent, and the manufacture of it lias been long since totally abandoned. Nitrous68 waters are also found in numerous places, but not sufficiently impregnated to admit of condensation.69 The best and most abundant supply is found at Lita3, in Macedonia, where it is known as " Chalastricum :"70 it is white and pure, and closely resembles salt. In the middle of a cer- tain nitrous lake there, a spring of fresh water issues forth. In this lake the nitrum71 forms for nine days, about the rising of the Dog-star, and then ceases for the same period, after which it again floats upon the surface, and then again ceases : facts which abundantly prove that it is the peculiar nature of the soil which generates the nitrum, it being very evident that, when the formation is there interrupted, neither the heat of the sun nor the fall of rain is productive of the slightest effect. It is also a truly marvellous fact, that though the spring of fresh water is always uninterruptedly flowing, the waters of the lake never increase or overflow. If it happens to rain on the days during which the nitrum is forming, the result is, that it is rendered additionally salt thereby : the prevalence of north- east winds, too, still more deteriorates its quality, as they have a tendency to stir up the mud at the bottom. Such is the formation of native nitrum. In Egypt, again, it is made artificially, and in much greater abundance, but of inferior quality, being tawny and full of 66 "Wild." 67 See c. 40 of this Book. He is evidently speaking of a vegetable al- kali here. See Beckmann, Vol. II. pp. 492-3, John's Ed. 68 Beckmann thinks that these kinds of water were in reality only im- pure and not potable, from their nauseous taste, and that hence they were considered as nitrous. Nitrous water, he remarks, or water containing saltpetre, in all probability, does not exist. Vol. II. pp. 498-9. Bohris Edition. 69 Or in other words, crystallization. Beckmann remarks that, in re- ference to alkaline water, this is undoubtedly true. Vol. II. p. 499. 70 From the adjacent town of Chalastra, on the Thermaean Gulf. The site is probably occupied by the modern Kulakia. 71 Carbonate of soda is found in the mineral waters of Seltzer and Carlsbad, and in the volcanic springs of Iceland, the Geysers, more parti- cularly. VOL. V. L L 514 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. stones. It is prepared in pretty nearly the same manner73 as salt, except that in the salt-pans it is sea- water that is intro- duced, whereas in the nitre-beds it is the water of the river Mlus ; a water which, upon the subsidence of the river, is impregnated with nitrum for forty days together, and not, as in Macedonia, at intermittent periods only. On occasions when there has been a fall of rain, a smaller proportion of river- water is employed. As soon, too, as any quantity of nitrum has formed, it is immediately removed, in order that it may not melt in the beds. This substance, also, contains a certain proportion of oil,73 which is very useful for the cure of scab in animals. Piled up in large heaps, it keeps for a very con- siderable time. It is a marvellous fact, that, in Lake Ascanius74 and in certain springs in the vicinity of Chalcis, the water is fresh and potable on the surface, and nitrous below. The lightest part of nitrum is always considered the best, and hence it is that the froth of it is so much preferred. Still, however, when in an impure state, it is very useful for some purposes, colouring purple75 cloth, for instance, and, indeed, all kinds of dyeing. It is employed, also, very extensively in the manu- facture of glass, as we shall more fully mention on the appro- priate occasion.76 The only nitre-works in Egypt were formerly those in the vicinity of Naucratis and Memphis ; those near Memphis being inferior to the others, the piles of nitrum there prepared being as hard as stone, and many of the heaps having become changed into rocks. When in this state, vessels are made of it, and very frequently they melt it with sulphur77 on 72 Ajasson remarks, that from this we may conclude that the fabrication of nitrate of potash, or saltpetre, was in its infancy. It is by no means improbable that the artificial nitrum, here mentioned by Pliny, really was artificial saltpetre, more or less impure ; the native nitrum, on the other hand, being, as Beckmann suggests, a general term for impure alkaline mineral salts, in common with native saltpetre. Pliny's account, however, is confused in the highest degree, and in some passages far from intel- ligible. 73 Of a bituminous nature, probably. See c. 42 of this Book. 74 See B. v. c. 40. An alkaline water, Beckmaun thinks. See Vol. II. pp. 96-7. Bohn's Ed. 75 He may possibly mean bleaching the material before dyeing. 76 See B. xxxvi. c. 65. This certainly goes far towards proving that under the name " nitrum," alkaline salts were included. 41 " Faciunt ex his vasa; necnon frequenter liquatum cum sulphure, co- Chap. 46.] VARIOUS KINDS OF NITEUM. 515 a charcoal fire.'8 When substances79 are wanted to keep, they employ this last kind of nitrum. In Egypt there are also nitre- beds, the produce of which is red, owing to the colour of the earth in the same locality. Froth of nitrum,80 a substance held in very high esteem, could only be made, according to the ancients, when dews had fallen ; the pits being at the moment saturated with nitrum, but not having arrived at the point of yielding it. On the other hand, again, when the pits were in full activity, no froth would form, it was said, even though dews should fall. Others, again, have attributed the formation of this last substance to the fermentation of the heaps of nitrum. In a succeeding age, the medical men, speaking of it under the name of " aphronitrum,"81 have stated that it was collected in Asia, where it was to be found oozing from the soft sides of certain mines — the name given to which was " colyces"82 — and that it was then dried in the sun. The very best is thought to be that which comes from Lydia ; the test of its genuineness being its extreme lightness, its friability, and its colour, which should be almost a full purple. This last is imported in tablets, while that of Egypt comes enclosed in quentes in carbonibus." This passage Beckmann pronounces to be one of the darkest parts in the history of nitrum. See Vol. II. p. 502. lie is of opinion that not improbably the result here obtained would be, liver of sulphur, which when it cools is hard, but soon becomes moist when ex- posed to the air. Dalechamps, it would appear, explains the whole of this passage as applicable to glazing ; but in such case, as Beckmann observes, the nitrum could serve only as a flux. Michaelis suggests that the vessels here mentioned, were cut, not for real use, but merely for ornament, in the same manner as they are still made, occasionally, from rock-salt. 755 The mention of nitrum, sulphur, and charcoal, probably the three ingredients of gunpowder, in such close proximity, is somewhat curious. 79 " Quae " seems a preferable reading to " quos." 80 " Spuma nitri." An accidental property, Beckmann says, of the same salt that has been previously called " Chalastricum," " Halmyrax," " Aphronitrum," and " Agrion." In his opinion, " the ancients were ac- quainted with no other than native nitrum, which they called artificial, only when it required a little more trouble and art to obtain it." — Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 502. Bohrfs Ed. 81 " Froth of nitre." Ajasson identifies this with hydro-carbonate of soda. 82 Supposed by Hardouin to be derived from the Greek jeoAiKac, "round cakes;" owing to the peculiar form of the pieces of rock by which the aphronitrum was produced. The reading, however, is very doubtful. Sillig, from Photius, suggests that it should be " scolecas." L L 2 516 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. vessels pitched within, to prevent its melting,83 the vessels being previously prepared by being thoroughly dried in the sun.84 To be good, nitrum should be very fine, and extremely spongy and porous. In Egypt, it is sophisticated with lime, an adulteration easily detected85 by tasting it ; for when pure, it liquefies immediately, while that which has been adulte- rated, remains undissolved sufficiently long to leave a pungent taste86 in the mouth. It is burnt in a close earthen vessel, as otherwise it would decrepitate :87 except in this last case, how- ever, the action of fire does not cause it to decrepitate. This substance neither produces nor nourishes anything ; while, in the salt-pans, on the other hand, we see plants growing, and the sea, we know, produces immense numbers of animated beings, though, as to plants, sea-weed only. It is evident, too, that the acridity88 of nitrum must be much greater than that of salt, not only from the fact last mentioned, but from the circumstance also, that at the nitre-beds the shoes wear out with the greatest rapidity ; localities which are otherwise very healthy, and remarkably beneficial for the eye-sight. At the nitre- works ophthalmia is a thing unknown : persons, too, that come there with ulcers upon them experience a rapid cure ; though ulcerations formed upon the spot are but slow in healing. Used as a friction with oil, nitrum is a sudorific, and acts emolliently upon the body. That of Chalastra is used as a substitute for salt, in making bread,89 and the Egyp- 83 One proof, Beckmann thinks, that Soda is meant. See Vol. II. p. 491. 84 " Whether Pliny means that the vessels were not burnt, hut only baked in the sun, or that before they were filled, they were completely dried in the sun, has been determined by no commentator. To me the latter is probable." — Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 491. 85 Beckmann thinks that this mode of adulteration, with lime, is an additional proof that the " nitrum " of our author was only soda. See Vol. II. p. 492. 86 That, namely, of the lime. Quick-lime, certainly, would have a pun- gent taste, in comparison with that of soda, but not in comparison with that of saltpetre. 87 Another proof, Beekmann thinks, that it was native soda, impregnated with common salt. Vol. II. p. 492. 18 This would hardly apply to soda. 89 Probably to promote its rising, as Beckmann observes, Vol. II. p. 496 ; a circumstance which goes a great way towards proving that " Soda" Chap. 46.] YABIOUS KINDS OF NITETJM. 517 tian nitrum is eaten90 with radishes,91 it having the effect of making them more tender ; though as to other edibles it turns them white and spoils them. To vegetables it imparts an ad- ditional greenness.92 Viewed medicinally, nitrum is calorific, attenuant, mordent, astringent, desiccative, and ulcerating : it is good, too, in all cases where certain humours require to be drawn out or dis- persed, or where gentle mordents or attenuants are required, as in the case of pustules and pimples, for example. Some persons ignite it for this purpose, and, after quenching it in astringent wine, bruise and use it, without oil, at the bath. Applied with dried iris powdered, and green olive oil, it checks immoderate perspiration. Applied topically with a fig, or boiled down to one half in raisin wine, it removes marks upon the eyes and granulations of the eyelids. It is used, also, for the removal of argema, boiled in a pomegranate rind with raisin wine. Used as an ointment, in combination with honey, it improves the eye- sight. It is very useful, also, for tooth-ache, taken as a collutory with wine and pepper, or boiled with a leek. Burnt, and employed as a dentifrice, it restores teeth93 to their original colour that have turned black ; and an appli- cation of it, with Samian earth and oil, kills nits and other vermin of the head. Dissolved in wine, it is used as an in- jection for suppurations of the ears, and, applied with vinegar, it consumes filth that has accumulated there. Introduced dry into the ears, it disperses singings and tinglings in those organs. Applied topically, in the sun, with an equal quantity of Cimolian94 chalk dissolved in vinegar, it removes white mor- phew ; and a mixture of it with resin, or with white raisins — the stones being beaten up as well — is an excellent cure for was included, at least, under the name of " nitrum." Carbonate of soda is extensively used for this purpose at the present day. 90 And to correct the acridity of the radishes, possibly. A somewhat analogous fact is mentioned by Drury, in his " Journal in Madagascar." He says that the sourest tamarinds, " mixed with wood ashes, become sweet and eatable." See p. 316. — We are not unaware that many look upon this work and its statements as a work of fiction. 91 See B. xix. c. 26. 92 Carbonate of soda is added to pickles and boiling vegetables for this purpose. 9a Vegetable ashes, and tobacco-ashes in particular, have the same effect. 94 See B. xxxv. c. 57. L L 3 518 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOEY. [Book XXXI. boils. It is useful, also, for inflammations of the testes ; and, in combination with axle-grease, for pituitous eruptions on all parts of the body. For the cure of bites inflicted by dogs, it is used with resin, the application being made at first with vine- gar. With lime and vinegar, it is used as a liniment for stings inflicted by serpents, as, also, for ulcerations, whether phage- daenic, putrid, or serpiginous; in cases, too, of dropsy, it is employed both internally and externally, beaten up with figs. Taken internally as a decoction, in doses of one drachma, with rue, dill, or cummin, it effectually removes griping pains in the bowels. An external application of it, with oil and vine- gar, is highly refreshing to persons exhausted with fatigue ; and it is equally beneficial for shudderings and cold shiverings, the feet and hands of the patient being well rubbed with it, mixed with oil. It allays the itching sensations attendant upon jaundice, more particularly when it is administered to the patient while perspiring, with vinegar. Taken internally in oxycrate, it is an antidote to the poison of fungi ; and, taken with water, it acts beneficially, as an emetic, in cases where the buprestis has been swallowed. To persons who have taken bull's blood,95 nitrum is admi- nistered, in combination with laser.96 Mixed with honey and cow's milk, it is curative of ulcers upon the face. For the cure of burns, it is applied pounded, being first parched till it turns black. For pains in the bowels and kidneys, and for rigidities of the limbs and pains in the sinews, it is used in the form of an injection. For the cure of paralysis of the tongue, it is applied to that organ with bread, and to asthmatic patients it is administered in a ptisan. Flower of nitrum, used in combi- nation with equal proportions of galbanum and turpentine respectively, is curative of chronic coughs ; the mixture being taken in pieces the size of a bean. Nitrum97 itself, boiled and melted with tar, is given to patients to swallow, for quinzy. Flower of nitrum, mixed with oil of Cyprus,98 and applied in the sun, is a soothing liniment for pains in the joints. Taken internally witji wine, it is curative of jaundice. It acts as a carminative also ; and it arrests bleeding at the nose, the 95 Viewed by the ancients as a poison, when taken warm ; but errone- ously, as we have more than once remarked. 96 See B. xix. c. 15. 97 Nitre balls are still given to the patient to suck, in cases of sore throat, *8 See B. xii. c. 51. Chap. 47.] SPONGES. 519 vapour of it in boiling water being inhaled by the patient. Mixed with alum, it removes porrigo ; and, used daily with water, as a fomentation, it removes offensive odours of the armpits. Used in combination with wax, it heals ulcers pro- duced by pituitous secretions, and, similarly employed, it is very useful for affections of the sinews. For the cure of the cceliac flux, it is used in the form of an injection. Many authorities recommend the use of it, with oil, as a friction when cold shiverings are just coming on; as also, for the re- moval of leprous spots and freckles. It is a good plan also, to use a sitting-bath made with an infusion of nitrum, for the cure of gout, atrophy, opisthotony, and tetanus. Both salt and nitre, boiled with sulphur," become petrified. CHAP. 47. (11,) SPONGES, AND THE EEMEDIES DEKIVBD FROM THEM I NINETY-TWO OBSERVATIONS THEEEON. We have already,1 when speaking of the marine productions, described the various kinds of sponge. Some authorities make the following distinctions : they regard as males2 those sponges which are pierced with more diminutive holes, are more com- pact in form and more ready to imbibe, and are stained, to satisfy luxurious tastes, in various colours, sometimes purple even : those, on the other hand, which have holes, larger and running into one another, they consider to be females. Among the male sponges, too, there is one kind, harder than the others, the name given to which is " tragi,"3 and the holes of which are extremely small and numerous. Sponges are made white artificially ; the softest being chosen for the purpose, and after they have been steeped the whole summer through with the foam of the sea. They are then exposed to the action of the moon and hoar-frosts, being turned upside down, or, in other words, with that part upwards by which they formerly ad- hered to the rocks, the object being that they may become white throughout. That sponges are animated beings, we have already stated ; 9& Beckmann considers that this statement throws some light on the ohscure passage, commented on in Note 77, p. 514. See Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 503. John's Ed. l In B. ix. c. 69. 3 No such distinction, of course, really exists ; sponge being in reality a fibrous tissue formed by minute animals. 3 " Goats," literally. 520 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOKY. [Book XXXI. and not only this, but they have a coat of blood4 even, adhering to them. Some say that they regulate their movements by the sense of hearing, and that at the slightest noise they con- tract themselves, and emit an abundant moisture : when such is the case, it is said, it is impossible to tear them away from the rocks, and consequently they must be cut, an operation during which they emit a sanious secretion. Those sponges, too, are preferred to all others, which are grown on spots with a north-east aspect, the physicians assuring us that these re- tain the breath of life the longest of all ; a circumstance which renders them additionally useful to the human body, from the union which is thereby effected of their vital principle with our own.5 It is for this reason, too, that they are preferred as fresh as possible, and in a moist state rather than dry. They are not so useful, however, if applied with hot water,6 and still less so if they are oiled, or applied to the body when just anointed. The compact sponges, it is thought, have less adhe- sive power than the others. The softest kind of sponge are those employed for tents.7 Applied with honied wine, sponges reduce swellings of the eyes, and are extremely useful for the removal of rheum from those organs, the very finest and softest being of necessity selected for the purpose. Sponges are applied, also, with oxycrate, to defiuxions of the eyes, and, with warm vinegar, for head- ache. In addition to these properties, fresh sponges are resolvent, emollient, and soothing ; but when old, they lose their healing properties for wounds. They are employed, also, in medicine, for cleansing sores, and for either fomenting or cover- ing the parts fomented, till some other application is made. Applied topically, they have a healing effect upon running ulcers, and upon sores on the bodies of aged persons. Fractures, too, and wounds are most effectually fomented with sponge ; and when surgical operations are performed, it instantly ab- sorbs the blood, so as to allow the incision to be seen. Sponges are applied, also, as a bandage, to inflamed wounds, sometimes 4 See B. ix. c. 69. He probably alludes to the semifluid thin coat of animal jelly which covers the sponge in its recent state, and is susceptible of a slight contraction on being touched. 5 A fanciful notion, certainly. 6 Hot water renders them greasy, so to say ; an inconvenience which may be remedied by steeping them in an alkaline solution, or in urine. 7 " Penicilli." Chap. 47.] SPONGES. 521 dry, and, in some cases, moistened with vinegar, wine, or cold water. Soaked in rain-water, and applied to the incision, they prevent cuts recently inflicted from swelling. They are used as an application for such parts of the body, though appa- rently uninjured, as are threatened with occult humours which require to be dispersed; as also for reducing the tumours known to us as "apostemes," the parts being first fomented with a decoction of honey. Sponges are employed, also, for affections of the joints, steeped in vinegar and salt, or in oxycrate : in cases, however, where the attack is attended with fever, water alone is used with the sponge. Soaked in salt and water, sponges are applied to callosities ; and, with vinegar, they are used for stings inflicted by scorpions. In the treatment of wounds, sponges are sometimes used as a substitute for greasy wool, either with wine and oil, or with salt and water ; the only difference being, that wool acts emol- liently upon sores, whereas sponge has an astringent action, and absorbs the vitiated humours. To dropsical patients, ban- dages of sponge are applied, either dry or steeped in warm water or oxycrate, according as there is a necessity for soothing the skin, or for covering it up and drying it. Sponges are applied, also, in all those diseases where warmth is required, being first soaked in boiling water and then squeezed out between a couple of boards. Employed in this manner, too, they are very useful for affections of the stomach and for the excessive heats attendant upon fever. Steeped in oxycrate, they are good for diseases of the spleen, and in vinegar for erysipelas ; nothing, in fact, being equally efficacious. Sponge, when thus used, should always be so applied as amply to cover the adja- cent parts that are not affected. Employed with vinegar or cold water, sponge arrests haemor- rhage ; soaked in warm salt and water, and frequently renewed, it, removes the lividity which results from a recent blow. Used with oxycrate, it disperses pains and swellings in the testes. To bites inflicted by dogs, it is a good plan to apply sponge, from time to time, cut fine, and moistened with vinegar, cold water, or honey. Ashes of African8 sponge, with juice of cut-leek and a mixture of salt and cold water, are good, taken internally, for patients suffering from dis- charges of blood : applied topically to the forehead, with oil or s See B. ix. c. 69. 522 PLIKT'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXXI. vinegar, they are curative of tertian fevers. The sponge of Africa, more particularly, soaked in oxycrate, disperses tu- mours. Ashes of any kind of sponge burnt with pitch, arrest the discharge of blood from wounds ; though some recommend, for this purpose, the sponge with large pores only, burnt with pitch. For affections of the eyes, sponge is burnt in vessels of unbaked earthenware ; the ashes being found highly efficacious for granulations of the eyelids, fleshy excrescences, and all diseases of those parts which require detergents, astringents, or expletives. For all these purposes, however, it is the best plan first to rinse the ashes. When the body is in a diseased state, sponge acts as a substitute for body- scrapers and linen towels, and it protects the head most efficiently against the action of the sun. Medical men, in their ignorance, comprehend all sponges under two names ; African sponge, the substance of which is tougher and firmer ; and Ehodian sponge, which is softer and better adapted for fomentations. At the present day, however, the softest sponges of all are those found about the walls of the city of Antiphellos.9 Trogus informs us that the softest tent sponges are found out at sea, off the coast of Lycia, upon spots from which the sponge has been previously removed : we learn, too, from Polybius, tbat these fine sponges, suspended over a patient's bed, will ensure him additional repose at night.10 We will now turn to the remedies derived from the marine and aquatic animals. SUMMARY. — Remedies, narratives, and observations, nine hundred and twenty-four. BOM AN AUTHORS QUOTED. — M. Yarro,11 Cassius12 of Parma, Cicero,13 Mucianus,14 Caelius,13 Celsus,16 Trogus,17 Ovid,18 Poly- bius,19 Sornatius.20 9 See B. v. c. 28. 10 An absurdity, of course. n See end of B. ii. 12 Called C. Cassius Severus Parmensis, according to some authorities. He was one of the murderers of Caesar, and perished, the last of them by a violent end, about B.C. 30. He is supposed to have written tragedies, epigrams, and other works. See Horace, Epist. B. i. Ep. 4, 1. 3. " See end of B. vii. 14 See end of B. ii. 15 Caelius Antipater. See end of B. ii. 16 See end of B. vii. 17 See end of B. vii. 18 See end of B. xviii. 19 See end of B. iv. 20 This personage is entirely unknown. It may possibly be a corruption SUMMARY. 523 FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED. — Callimachus,21 Ctesias,22 Eudi- cus,23 Theophrastus,24 Eudoxus,25 Theopompus,26 Polycritus,27 Juba,28 Lycus,29 Apion,30 Epigenes,31 Pelops,32 Apelles,33 De- mocritus,34 Thrasyllus,35 Nicander,36 Menander37 the Comic writer, Attains,38 Sallustius Dionysius,39 Andreas,40 Niceratus,41 Hippocrates,42 Anaxilaiis.48 for Soranus, a poet of that name (Q. Valerius Soranus) who flourished about 100 B.C. See also 13. xxxii. c. 23. 21 See end of B. iv. 22 See end of B. ii. 23 Beyond the mention made of him in c. 9 of this Book, nothing what- ever is known of him. 24 See end of B. iii. 25 See end of B. ii., and end of B. vi. 26 See end of B. ii. 27 See end of B. xii. 28 See end of B. v. 29 See end of B. xii. 30 See end of B. xxx. 31 See end of B. ii. 32 He is also mentioned in B. xxxii. c. 16, hut beyond that, nothing whatever appears to be known of him. He must not be confounded with Pelops of Smyrna, one of Galen's preceptors, who flourished in the second century after Christ. 33 See end of B. xxviii. 34 See end of B. ii. 35 See end of B. ii. 36 See end of B. viii. 37 A celebrated Comic poet, a disciple of Theophrastus, and the inventor of the New Comedy at Athens. Only a few fragments of his works survive. 38 See end of B. viii. 39 A physician, of whom, beyond the mention made of him in B. xxxii. / c. 26, no further particulars appear to be known. 40 See end of B. xx. / 41 A Greek writer on plants, and a follower of Asclepiades of Bithynia. / He is supposed to have flourished in the latter half of the first century B.C. His medical formulae are several times quoted by Galen. See c. 31 of the succeeding Book. 42 See end of B. vii. « See end of B. xxi. END OF VOL. T. J. BILLING, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPE!* (FROM WOKING) QUILI>FORI), SURREY. I LOAN DIPT -t^& . 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