On agriculture, with a recension of the text and an English translation by Harrison Boyd Ash

THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY

rOUNDKD BY JAMES LOBB, LI>.D.

EDITED BY
tT. E. PAGE, C.H., LITT.D.

tE. CAPPS, PH.D., LL.D. tW. H. D. ROUSE, litt.d.

L. A. POST, M.A. E. H. WARMINGTON, m.a., f.r.hist.soo.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS
COLUMELLA

ON AGRICULTURE

II

LUCIUS JUNIUS
MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ON AGRICULTURE

WITH A RECENSION OF THE TEXT AND AN
ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY

fE. S. FORSTER, M.B.E., M.A.(Oxox.), F.S.A.

EMERITUS PROFESSOR OP GREEK, SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY
AND

EDWARD H. HEFFNER, A.M., Ph.D.

PROFESSOR OF LATIN, UKIVERSITT OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THREE VOLUMES

II
RES RUSTICA V-IX

LONDON

WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS

MCMLIV

Printed in Oreat Britain

610707

4. 7. S-b-

CONTENTS

PAGE

Prefatory Note ..... vii
SlOLA ....... xi

Book V 2

Measurement and Shapes of Land— Number of Plants
to be Set — Provincial Vineyards — Cultivation of Vines
and Trees for Supporting them — Olive-trees and Nurseries
— Pomiferous Trees — Grafting — Shrub-Trefoil.

Book VI 118

Oxen, their Care and Diseases — Bulls and Cows —

Breeding ^Diseases Horses Medicines Mules

Diseases.

Book VII 230

The Ass — Sheep — Diseases — the Goat — Diseases —
Cheese-making — Pigs — Diseases — Dogs — Diseases.

Book VIII 320

Birds and Fishes — Farmyard Poultry — Pigeons-
Thrushes — Peafowl — Amphibious Birds — Ducks — Fishes.

Book IX 420

Wild Animals — Bees, the Management of them, their
Diseases and Pests — Honey — Wax.

PREFATORY NOTE

Owing to the death of Dr, Harrison Boyd Ash of '
the University of Pennsylvania shortly after the pub-
lication of the first volume (Books I-IV) of the De
Re Rustica of Columella, the Editors entrusted me
with the remainder of the work.

There has been no complete modern edition of
the text since J. G. Schneider's (Leipzig 1794), but
the principles laid down by Dr. Ash (Vol. I, p. xxi)
appear to me to be entirely satisfactory. He
describes them as follows : " The text and manu-
script readings of the present edition, for Books
I-H, Vl-Vn, X-XI and the De Arboribus, rest
substantially on the work of Lundstrom. For
Books ni-V, Vni-IX and XH, the translator has
attempted to construct a critical text in some
approximation to that of Lundstrom by the collation
of four major manuscripts with the text of Schneider."
It was natural to conclude from these words that a
text constructed by Dr. Ash would be available for
the rest of the work, but no traces of the existence
of such a text have been found in America. It has,
therefore, been necessary to undertake the con-
struction of a new text, and I have tried to conform
as far as possible with Dr. Ash's system, using
Lundstrom 's edition for those books which he has
edited and attempting a new text for Books V, VIII,
IX and XII. For this purpose I have been fortunate,
through the good offices of Professor L. A. Post, in
obtaining from America photostats of the four most

PREFATORY NOTE

important MSS. (see p. xvi of Vol. I), which fall into
two classes, (a) the two 9th-10th century MSS. and (b)
the two best of the 15th-century MSS. The photo-
stats, which were used by Dr. Ash for his collation
of Books III and IV, were purchased with a grant
provided by the Faculty Research Fund of the
University of Pennsylvania. The only point in
which my text of these books differs from that of
Dr. Ash is that I have not had an opportunity, which
Dr. Ash had, of comparing my text with that of the
MS. known as Morganensis 138, formerly Hamil-
tonensis 184 in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New
York.

For some unexplained reason the text of Book V,
especially Chapter VIII to the end, is in a worse
condition than in any other part of the work, and
there is the further complication that, from Chapter
X to the end, the text, though slightly longer, is
closely identical with that of De Arhorihus, Chapter
XVIII to the end. It seems certain that the De
Arhoribus is part of an earlier and shorter treatise
which was afterwards superseded by the De Re
Rustica. It is a question how far the text of these
similar chapters in the De Re Rustica and the De
Arhoribus should be corrected from one another.
There are numerous places in which the text of
Book V is deficient or careless, and these can be
corrected from the De Arhorihus, but it also appears
that the author made a good many verbal changes
as well as inserting new matter. I have, therefore,
refrained from making the two slightly different
versions correspond exactly and have kept the MS.
reading in both treatises where it makes sense —
very often the same sense in slightly different

viii

PREFATORY NOTE

words — but the fact that there are these two
versions has necessitated a larger apparatus criticus
in these chapters of Book V than for any other part
of the work.

I have to thank His Grace the Duke of Devonshire
for lending me [M. C. Curtius], L. Junius Moderatus
Columella o?i Husbandry in Twelve Books and his
Book concerning Trees (London 1745) (a very rare
work) from the Chatsworth Library, and Mademoi-
selle Helene Rousseau for obtaining for me in Paris
a copy of M. Nisard, Les Agronomes Latins (Paris,
1844), for which I had been searching for many
months.

Edward S. Forster.

Upon the death of Professor Forster, the Editors
of this Library entrusted to me the responsibility
of completing the unfinished project. In the cir-
cumstances this assignment naturally extended to
the making of a thorough examination of every
aspect of the work. The photostats mentioned by
my predecessor in the above lines were in due time
returned to America and were fully utilized in the
process of examination and study. In the checking
between these manuscripts, as well as in the verifi-
cation of references to important earlier editions of
Columella, very substantial assistance was furnished
to me by my wife, which I desire gratefully to ac-
knowledge here. It is to be hoped that the process of
restudying and reviewing has resulted in an improved
product. It is always a serious thing to find your-
self differing with another person on matters of a
scholarly nature ; to handle such materials when left

ix

PREFATORY NOTE

by the hand of one who is no longer able to speak in
defence of his interpretation imposes many a delicate
task. Naturally there are numerous passages in the
text of Columella, and also in the English version,
which I would have handled somewhat differently
from the manner in which they were treated by my
predecessor if I had been free to shape things de novo.
However, this statement applies rather to materials
involving the factors of taste and judgment than to
those where the essential thought was an issue.

The reader might be reminded of the Biblio-
graphy prepared by the late Professor Ash and
included in Vol. I of this Library. The works per-
taining to Columella that are there cited were
obviously made use of by Professor Forster, as they
were also utilized by me.

Edward H. Heffner.

SIGLA

S = Cod. Sangermanensis Petropolitanus 207 (9th

cent.).
A = Cod. Ambrosianus L 85 sup. (9th-10th cents.)
jR =: all or consensus of the 15th cent. MSS.
a = Cod. Laurentianus plut. 53. 32 (15th cent.).
c = Cod. Caesenas Malatestianus plut. 24. 2 (15th

cent.).
ed. pr. = editio princeps (Jensoniana), Venice, 1472.
Aid. — the first Aldine edition, Venice, 1514.
Gesfi. = J. M. Gesner, Scriptores Ret Rusticae Veteres

Latini, Leipzig, 1735.
Schneider = J. G. Schneider, Scriptores Rei Rusticae

Veteres Latini, Leipzig, 1794.
LundstrQm = V. Lundstrom, L. lun. Mod. Columella

Lib. I-II, VI-VII, X-XI, de Arboribus,

Upsala-Goteborg, 1897-1940.

Note. — In Books VI and VII, where the apparatus
criticus is based on Lundstrom's recension, his
siglum R is used as representing the reading of all
or the majority of the twenty-five 15th-century
MSS. collated by him. In Books V and VIII a new
collation has been made of only the two best 15th-
century MSS., for which the sigla a and c are used.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS
COLUMELLA

ON AGRICULTURE

VOL. II.

L. lUNI MODERATI
COLUMELLAE

REI RUSTICAE

LIBER V

I. Prioribus libi-is, quos ad te de constituendis
colendisque vineis, Silvine, scripseram, nonnulla
defuisse dixisti, quae agrestium operum studiosi
desiderarent ; neque ego infitior aliqua me prae-
teriisse, quamvis inquirentem sedulo, quae nostri
saeculi cultores quaeque veteres literarum monu-
mentis prodiderunt : sed cum sim professus ^ rusticae
rei praecepta, nisi fallor, asseveraveram, quae
vastitas ^ eius scientiae contineret, non cuncta me
dicturum, sed plurima. Nam illud in unius hominis
prudentiam cadere non poterat. Neque enim est
ulla disciplina, non ars, quae singular!^ consummata
sit ingenio. Quapropter ut in magna silva boni
venatoris est indagantem feras quamplurimas capere ;
nee cuiquam culpae fuit non omnes cepisse : ita nobis

* sim professus c : sum professus a : summo festus SA.

* vastitas ac : unitas SA.

' singulari ac : consulari 8 A,

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS
COLUMELLA

ON AGRICULTURE

BOOK V

I. You have said, Silvinus, that in the earlier The
books, which I had written to vou about estabhsh- '"^^'^'*-

1 1 • • • 1 1 • ment

ing and cultivating vineyards, some things were of land.
omitted of which those who devote themselves to
agriculture felt the want ; and indeed I do not deny
that, although I carefully studied what the agricul-
turists of our own age and also the ancients have
handed down in written records, there are some
topics which I have passed over. But when I under-
took to teach the precepts of husbandry, if I mistake
not, I did not assert that I would deal with all but
only with very many of those subjects which the vast
extent of that science embraces ; for it could not
fall within the scope of one man's knowledge, and 2
there is no kind of learning and no art which has been
completely mastered by a single intellect. There-
fore, just as the task of a good sportsman, tracking
his prey in a vast forest, is to catch as many wild
beasts as he can nor has blame ever attached to any-
one if he did not catch them all, so it is amply
sufficient for us to have treated of the greatest part of

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

abunde est, tam difFusae materiae, quam suscepimus,
maximam partem tradidisse. Quippe cum ea velut
omissa desiderentur, quae non sunt propria nostrae
professionis, ut proxime, cum de commetiendis agris
rationerai M. Trebellius noster requireret a me,
vicinum atque adeo coniunctum esse censebat de-
monstranti, quemadmodum agrum pastinemus, prae-
cipere etiam pastinatum quemadmodum metiri de-
beamus. Quod ego non agricolae sed mensoris
officium esse dicebam : cum praesertim ne architect!
quidem, quibus necesse est mensurarum nosse
rationem, dignentur consummatorum aedificiorum,
quae ipsi disposuerint, modum comprehendere, sed
aliud existiment professioni suae convenire, aliud
eorum, qui iam exstructa ^ metiuntur, et ^ imposito '
calculo perfect! operis rationem computant. Quo
magis veniam tribuendam esse nostrae disciplinae
censeo,* si eatenus progreditur, ut dicat, qua quidque
ratione faciendum, non quantum id sit quod effecerit.
Verum quoniam familiariter a nobis tu quoque,
Silvine, praecepta mensurarum desideras, obsequar
voluntati tuae, cum eo, ne dubites id opus geome-
trarum magis esse quam rusticorum, desque veniam,
si quid in eo fuerit erratum, cuius scientiam mihi non
vindico.

Sed ut ad rem redeam, modus omnis areae pedali
mensura comprehenditur, qui ^ digitorum est xvi.

^ exstructa ac : exstructam S : extrunctam A.

* post et add. SA iuncturae : om. ac.

* imposito Aac : posito S,

* censeo add. edd.

' qui Aac : quia 8.

BOOK V. I. 2-4

the extensive material with which we have under-
taken to deal. For indeed subjects, which do not
properly belong to our profession, are demanded as
though they had been left out; for example, only
recently, when my friend Marcus Trebellius required
from me a method of measuring land he expressed
the opinion that it was a kindred and indeed closely
connected task for one who was showing how we
ought to trench land to give instructions also how we
ought to measure the land thus trenched. I replied
that this was the duty not of a farmer but of a sur-
veyor, especially as even architects, who must
necessarily be acquainted with the nnethods of
measurement, do not deign to reckon the dimensions
of buildings which they have themselves planned,
but think that there is a function which befits their
profession and another function which belongs to
those who measure structures after they have been
built and reckon up the cost of the finished work by
applying a method of calculation. Therefore I hold
that excuse should rather be made for our system
of instruction if it only goes as far as to state by what
method each of the operations of farming should be
carried out and not the area over which it has been
performed. But since, Silvinus, you also ask us in a
friendly spii'it for instructions about measure-
ments, I will comply with your wish, on condition
that you harbour no doubt that this is really the
business of geometricians rather than of countrymen,
and make allowances for any errors that may be
committed in a sphere where I do not claim to possess
scientific knowledge.

But to return to my subject, the extent of every area
is reckoned by measurement in feet, and a foot consists

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Pes multiplicatus in passus et actus et climata et
iugera et stadia centuriasque mox etiam in niaiora
spatia pi'ocedit. Passus pedes habet v. Actus
minimus (ut ait M. Varro) latitudinis ^ pedes quattuor,
longitudinis habet pedes cxx. Clima quoquo versus
pedum est lx. Actus quadratus undique finitur
pedibus cxx. Hoc duplicatum facit iugerum, et ab
eo, quod erat iunctum, nomen iugeri usurpavit : sed
hunc actum provinciae Baeticae rustici acnuam ^
vocant : itemque triginta pedum latitudinem et
CLxxx longitudinem porcam dicunt. At Galli cande-
tum ^ appellant in areis urbanis spatium centum
pedum, in agrestibus autem pedum CL.* Semi-
iugerum quoque arepennem vocant. Ergo (ut dixi)
duo actus iugerum efficiunt longitudinem pedum
ccxL, latitudinem pedum cxx. Quae utraeque summae
in se multiplicatae quadratorum faciunt pedum
milia viginti octo et octingentos. Stadium deinde
habet passus cxxv, id est pedes dcxxv, quae mensura
octies efficit mille passus, sic veniunt quinque milia
pedum. ^ Centuriam nunc dicimus (ut idem Varro ait)
ducentorum iugerum modum. Olim autem ab
centum iugeribus vocabatur centuria, sed mox du-
plicata nomen retinuit : sicuti tribus dictae primum
a partibus populi tripartite divisi, quae tamen nunc
multiplicatae pristinum nomen possident. Haec
non aliena, nee procul a ratiocinio, quod tradituri
sumus, breviter praefari oportuit.

* latitudinis ac : latitudinem A : latitudine S.

* agnuam SAac.

' candetum Aa : candentum c : gandetum S.

* post CL add. quod aratores candetum nominant SAac.

* sic veniunt quinque millia pedum ac : sunt campum
8A.

6

BOOK V. I. 4-8

of \% fingers. The multiplication of the foot produces
successively the pace, the actus, the clima, the iugerum,
the stadium and the centuria, and afterward still larger
measurements. The pace contains five feet. The
smallest actus (as Marcus Varro says) is four feet wide
and 120 feet long. The c/i'raa is 60 feet each way. The
squai-e actus is bounded by 120 feet each way ; when
doubled it forms a iugerum, and it has derived the
name of iugerum from the fact that it was formed by
joining." This actus the country folk of the province
of Baetica call acnua ; they also call a breadth of 30
feet and a length of 180 feet a porca. The Gauls give
the name candeium to areas of a hundred feet in urban
districts but to areas of 150 feet in rural districts ;
they also call a ha\i-iugei'um an arepennis. Two
actus, as I have said, form a iugerum 240 feet long
and 120 feet wide, which two numbers multiplied
together make 28,800 square feet. Next a stadium
contains 125 paces (that is to say 625 feet) which
multiplied by eight makes 1000 paces, which amount
to 5000 feet. We now call an area of 200 iugera a
centuria, as Varro again states ; but formerly the
centuria was so called because it contained 100 iugera,
but afterwards when it was doubled it retained the
same name, just as the tribes were so called because
the people were divided into three parts but now,
though many times more numerous, still keep their
old name. It was proper that we should begin by
briefly mentioning these facts first, as being rele-
vant to and closely connected with the system of
calculation which we are going to set forth.

" I.e. iugerum is derived from the verb iungere " to join ",
because it consists of two square actus joined together.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Nunc veniamus ad propositum. lugeri partes
non omnes posuimus,^ sed eas, quae cadunt in aesti-
mationem facti operis. Nam minores persequi super-
vacuum fuit, pro quibus nulla merces dependitur.^
Igitur (ut diximus) iugerum habet quadratorum
pedum viginti octo milia et octingentos : qui pedes
efficiunt scripula cclxxxviii. Ut autem a minima
parte, id ^ est, ab dimidio scripulo incipiam, pars
quingentesima septuagesima sexta pedes efficit
quinquaginta ; id est iugeri dimidium scripulum.
Pars ducentesima octogesima octava pedes centum;
hoc est scripulum.^ Pars cxliv pedes cc, hoc est
scripula duo. Pars septuagesima et secunda pedes
cccc, hoc est ^ sextula in qua sunt scripula quattuor.
Pars quadx'agesima octava ^ pedes do, hoc est sici-

^ posuimus edd. : possumus SAac.

* dependitur SAc : deprehenditur a.

* ut autem — id om. A : autem om. Sac.

* post est scripulum add. pars septuagesima et secunda
SAac.

* sextula Aac : sextulam S.

* quadragesima octava om. a.

The divisions of a iugerum mentioned hy Columella with the

number of square feet, both Roman and English, in each division.

Number

Latin name of the

of scri-

Frac-

Roman

English

divisions of the

pula in

tions of

square

square.

iugerum.

each
division.

iugerum.

feet.

feet.

Dimidium scripulum ^

r}ii

50

48-35

Scripulum 1

3-iu

100

96-70

Duo scripula

2

tH

200

193-40

Sextula

4

tS

400

386-80

Sicilicus

8

6

I'ff

600

580-20

BOOK V. I. 8-9

Let us now come to our real purpose. We have
not put down all the parts of the iugerum but only
those which enter into the estimation of work done.
For it was needless to follow out the smaller fractions
on which no business transaction depends. The
iugerum, therefore, as we have said, contains 28,8)0
square feet, which number of feet is equivalent to 288
scripula. But to begin with the smallest fraction, the
haM-scripulum, the 576th part of a iugerum, contains
50 feet ; it is the haif-scripuluiii of the iugerum. The
288th part of the iugerum contains 100 feet ; this is a
scripulum. The 144th part contains 200 feet, that is
two scripula. The 72nd part contains 400 feet and is a
sextula, in which there are four scripula. The 48th
part, containing 600 feet, is a sicilicus, in which there

The divisions of a iugerum {continued).

Number

Latin name of the

of scri-

Frac-

Roman

English

divisions of the

pula in

tions of

square

square

iugerum.

each
division.

iugerum.

feet.

feet.

Semuncia

12

^t

1,200

1,160-40

Uncia

24

tV

2,400

2,320-80

Sextans

48

i

4,800

4,641-60

Quadrans

72

i

7,200

6,962-40

Triens

96

i

9,600

9,283-20

Quincunx

120

i\

12,000

11,604-0

Semis

144

i

14,400

13,924-80

Septunx

168

T7

16,800

16,245-60

Bes

192

f

19,200

18,566-40

Dodrans

216

i

21,600

20,887-20

Dextans

240

i

24,000

23,208-0

Deunx

264

H

26,400

25,528-80

Iugerum

288

1

28,800

27,849-60

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

10 licus, in quo sunt scripula sex. Pars vigesima quarta
pedes mille ducentos, hoc est semuncia, in qua
scripula xii. Pars duodecima duo milia et quadrin-
gentos, hoc est uncia, in qua sunt scripula xxiv. Pars
sexta pedes quattuor milia et octingentos, hoc est
sextans, in quo sunt scripula xlviii. Pars quarta
pedes 1 septem milia et ducentos, hoc est quadrans, in

11 quo sunt scripula Lxxii. Pars tertia pedes novem
milia, et sexcentos, hoc est triens, in quo sunt scripula
xcvi. Pars tertia et duodecima pedes duodecim
milia hoc est quincunx, in quo sunt scripula cxx.
Pars dimidia pedes quattuordecim milia et quadrin-
gentos, hoc est semis, in quo sunt scripula cxliv.
Pars dimidia et duodecima, pedes sexdecim milia et
octingentos, hoc est septunx, in quo sunt scripula
CLXviii. Partes duae tertiae pedes decern novem
milia et ducentos, hoc est bes, in quo sunt scripula
cxcii. Partes tres quartae pedes unum et viginti
milia et sexcentos, hoc est dodrans, in quo sunt

12 scripula ccxvi. Pars dimidia et tertia ped. viginti
quattuor milia, hoc est dextans,^ in quo sunt scripula
CCXL.3 Partes duae tertiae * et una quarta pedes
viginti sex milia et quadringentos, hoc est deunx, in
quo sunt scripula cclxiv, lugerum pedes viginti
octo milia et octingentos, hoc est as,^ in quo sunt

13 scripula cclxxxviii. lugeri autem modus ® si semper
quadraret, et in agendis mensuris in longitudinem
haberet pedes ccxl,'^ in^ latitudinem pedes cxx,
expeditissimum esset eius ratiocinium. Sed quo-
niam diversae formae agrorum veniunt in disputa-

^ pedes om. A.

* destas SA.

* pars dimidia — ccxl om. ac.

* tertiae et II 8A : duae tertiae et ac.

lO

BOOK V. I. 9-13

are six scripula. The 24th part, containing 1200 feet, 10
is a semi-uncia, in which there are 12 scripula. The
12th part, containing 2400 feet, is the uncia, in which
there are 24 scripula. The 6th part, containing 4800
feet, is a sextans, in which there are 48 scripula. The
4th part, containing 7200 feet is a quadra7is, in which
there are 72 scripula. The 3rd part, containing 9600 11
feet, is a triens, in which there are 96 scripula. The
3rd part plus the 12th part, containing 12,000 feet, is
the quincunx, in which there are 120 scripula. The
half of a iugerum, containing 14,400 feet, is a semis, in
which there are 144 scripula. A half plus a 12th part,
containing 16,800 feet, is a septunx, in which there are
168 scriptda. Two-thirds of a iugerum, containing
19,200 feet, is a hes, in which there are 192 scripula.
Three-quarters, containing 21,600 feet, is a dodrans,
in which there are 216 scripula. A half plus a third, 12
containing 24,000 feet, is a dextans, in which there are
240 scripula. Two-thirds plus a quarter, containing
26,400 feet, is a deunx, in which there are 264 scripula.
A iugerujn, containing 28,800 feet, is the as,'^ in which 13
there are 288 scripula. If the form of the iugerum
were always rectangular and, when measurements
were being taken, were always 240 feet long and
120 feet wide, the calculation would be very quickly
done ; but since pieces of land of different shapes
come to be the subjects of dispute, we will give below

" The as is the unit which forms the standard in Roman
measures, weights and coinage.

* as SAc : axis a.

* modus ac : modum SA.

^ ccxL a : CXL c : ccXLViii 8 A.

* in add. edd.

ii

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tionem, cuiusque generis species subiciemus, quibus
quasi formulis utemur.

II. Omnis ager aut quadratus, aut longus, aut
cuneatus, aut triquetrus, aut rotundus, aut etiam
semicirculi vel arcus, nonnunquam etiam plurium
angulorum fox'mam exhibet.^ Quadrati mensura
facillima est. Nam cum sit undique pedum totidem,
multiplicantur in se duo latera, et quae summa ex
multiplicatione efFecta est, earn dicemus esse quad-
ratorum pedum. Tanquam est locus quoquo versus
c pedum : ducimus centies centenos, fiunt decern
milia. Dicemus igitur eum locum habere decern
milia pedum quadratorum, quae efficiunt iugeri
trientem, et sextulam, pro qua portione operis effecti
numerationem facere oportebit.

At si longior fuerit, quam latior, ut exempli causa
iugeri forma pedes habeat longitudinis ccxl, lati-
tudinis pedes cxx, ita ut paulo ante dixi, latitudinis
pedes cum longitudinis pedibus sic multiplicabis.
Centies vicies duceni quadrageni fiunt viginti octo
milia et octingenti. Dicemus iugerum agri tot

^ exibet ac: exiget 8 A.

« I.e. 9600 + 400 Roman square feet = 10,000 square feet.
12

BOOK V. I. 13-11. 3

specimens of every kind of shape which we will use as
patterns.

II. Every piece of land is square, or long, or wedge- The shapes
shaped, or triangular, or round, or else presents the the'rrm-'*"'^
form of a semi-circle or of the arc of a circle, some- mensions.
times also of a polygon. The measuring of a square
is very easy ; for, since it has the same number of feet
on every one of its sides, two sides are multiplied
together and the product of this multiplication we
shall say is the number of square feet. For example

100 feet

100 feet

10,000
square feet

100 feet

100 feet

if an area were 100 feet each way, we multiply 100 by
100 and the result is 10,000. We shall, therefore, say
that the area contains 10,000 square feet, which
make a iriens {\) plus a sextula (^) of a iugenim,^ and
on the basis of this fraction we shall have to calculate
the amount of work done.

If it is longer than it is broad (for example let the
form of the iugerum have 240 feet of length and 120 of
breadth), as I said just now, you will multiply the feet
of the breadth with the feet of the length in the
following manner : 120 times 240 make 28,800, and we
shall say that the iugerum of land contains this number

13

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

4 pedes quadrates habere. Similiterque omnis longi-
tudinis pedes cum pedibus latitudinis multiplica-
bimus. ^

Sin autem cuneatus ager fuerit, ut puta longus
pedes centum, latus ex una parte pedes xx, et ex
altera pedes x: tunc duas latitudines componemus,
fiet utraque summa pedes xxx. Huius pars dimidia
est quindecim ; ^ decies et quinquies longitudinem
multiplicando efficiemus pedes niille et quingentos.
Hos igitur in eo cuneo quadrates pedes esse dicemus,
quae pars erit iugeri semuncia et scripula tria.

5 At si tribus paribus ^ lateribus triquetrum metiri
debueris, banc formam sequeris. Esto ager tri-
angulus pedum quoquo versus tricentorum. Hunc
numerum in se multiplicato. Fiunt pedum nona-
ginta milia. Huius summae partem tertiam sumito,

^ omnis longitudinis pedes cum pedibus latitudinis multi-
plicabimus SAac : fiet de omnibus agris, quorum longitudo
maior sit latitudine Schneider.

* quindecim edd. : decus quinquies SA : oni. ac.

* paribus ac : om, SA,

» I.e. 1200 + 300 Roman square feet = 1500 square feet.
14

BOOK V. 11. 3-5

of square feet. Similarly we shall always multiply
the feet of the length with those of the width.

240 feet

120

feet

28,800 square feet

120

feet

240 feet

But if the field is wedge-shaped (for instance,
suppose it to be 100 feet long and 20 feet broad on one
side and 10 feet on the other side) we shall add the
two breadths together, making a total of 30 feet.
Half of this sum is 15, and by multiplying the longi-
tude by 15 we shall obtain the result of 1500. We
shall say then that this is the number of square feet
in the wedge-shaped field which will be a semuncia
plus three scripula (ofg of ^ iugerum)."'
100 feet

20 feet

1500 square feet

10 feet

100 feet

But if you have to measure a triangle with three
equal sides, you will follow this formula. Suppose
the field to be triangular, three hundred feet on every
side. Multiply this number by itself and the result
is 90,000 feet. Take a third part of this sum, that is

15

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

id est triginta milia. Item sumito decumam, id est
novem milia. Utramque summam componito. Fiunt
pedes triginta novem milia. Dicemus hanc sum-
mam pedum quadratorum esse in eo triquetro, quae
mensura efficit iugerum, et trientem, et ^ sicilieum.

Sed si triangulus disparibus fuerit lateribus ager,
tanquam in subiecta forma, quae habet rectum
6 angulum, aliter ratiocinium ordinabitur. Esto unius
lateris linea, pedum ^ quinquaginta, et alterius pedum
centum. Has duas summas in se multiplicato ; ' quin-
quagies centeni fiunt quinque milia. Horum pars
dimidia duo milia quingeni, quae pars iugeri unciam
et scripulum efficit. Si rotundus ager erit, ut circuli
speciem habeat, sic pedes sumito.* Esto ^ area

^ et ac : om. SA.

^ pedum edd. : pedes SAac.

^ multiplicato c : multiplico SAa.

* pedes sumito edd. : podis minito SA : sic pedis mu-
miiito a.

* esto om. S.

' I.e. 28,800 + 9600 + 600 (Roman) square feet = 39,000
square feet.

* I.e. 2400 + 100 (Roman) square feet = 2500 square
feet.

i6

BOOK V. II. 5-6

30,000. Likewise take a tenth part, that is 9,000.
Add the two numbers together ; the result is
39,000. We shall say that this is the total number of
square feet in this triangle, which measure makes a
iugerum, plus a triens (^), plus a sicilicus (4^)."

But if your field is triangular with unequal sides, as
in the figure given below, which has a right angle,
the calculation will be ordered differently. Let the
line on one side of the right angle be 50 feet long and
that on the other side 100 feet. Multiply these two
numbers together; 50 times 100 makes 5000; half
of this is 2500, which makes an uncia {j^ of a iugerum)
-{- a scripubtm (jsg).^

50 feet

100 feet

If the field is to be round, so as to have the appear-
ance of a circle, reckon the number of feet as
follows. Let there be a circular area of which the

17

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

rotunda, cuius diametros,! id est dimensio, habeat
pedes Lxx. Hoc in se multiplicato,^ septuagies septua-
geni fiunt ^ quattuor milia et nongenti. Hanc
summam undecies multiplicato, fiunt pedes quinqua-
ginta tria milia nongenti. Huius summae quartam
decimam subduco, scilicet pedes tria milia octin-
genti et quinquaginta. Hos esse quadratos in eo
circulo dico, quae summa efficit iugei'i sexcunciam,
scripula duo et dimidium.

Si semicirculus fuerit ager, cuius basis habeat
pedes cxL, curvaturae autem latitudo ^ pedes lxx :
oportebit multiplicare latitudinem cum basi. Septua-
gies centeni quadrageni fiunt novem milia et
octingenti. Haec undecies multiplicata fiunt centum
septem milia et octingenti; Huius summae quarta
decima est septem milia et septingenti. Hos pedes
esse dicemus in semicirculo, qui efficiunt iugeri
quadrantem scripula quinque.

1 diametros ac : dimidia metres SA.
" multiplicato c : multiplico SAa.
^ fiunt om. SAac.
* latitudo ac : latitudinem SA.

" I.e. a sexcvncia (36 scripula) and 2^ scripula = 38^ scri-
pula = 3850 square feet,

'' A quadrans (72 scripula) and 5 scripula — 77 scripula =
7700 square feet.

i8

BOOK V. n. 6-8

diameter (that is, the measurement across) is 70
feet. Multiply this number by itself: 70 times 70
makes 4900. Multiply this sum by 11 and the result
is 53,900 feet. I subtract a fourteenth part of this

sum, namely 3850, and this I declare to be the
number of square feet in the circle, which sum
amounts to a sexcuncia of a iugerum and two scripula
(T44) ^i^d a \ia\i scripulum (5^).*

If the piece of land is to be semi-circular and its
base measures 140 feet and the depth of the circular
portion is 70 feet, it will be necessary to multiply the

/ Total

^^

/ area of

/ semicircle

'^ \

/ 7700 square

/ feet

140 feet
depth by the base. 70 times 140 makes 9800. This
sum multiplied by 11 makes 107,800, and a fourteenth
part of this is 7700. This we shall say is the number
of square feet in the semi-circle, which makes a
quadrans (^) of a iugerum and 5 scripula (288)-''

19

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

9 Si autem minus quam semicirculus erit, arcum sic
metiemur. Esto arcus, cuius basis habeat pedes
XVI, latitude autem pedes iv. Latitudinem cum basi
pono. Fit utrumque pedes xx. Hoc duco quater.
Fiunt Lxxx. Horum pars dimidia est xl. Item
sedecim pedum, qui sunt basis, pars dimidia viii.
Hi VIII in se multiplicati, fiunt Lxiv.^ Quartam
decimam partem duco,^ ea efficit pedes iv paulo
amplius. Hos adicies ad quadraginta.^ Fit utraque *
summa pedes xliv. Hos in arcu quadratos ^ esse
dico, qui faciunt iugeri dimidium scripulum, quinta et
vigesima ^ parte minus.

10 Si fuerit sex angulorum, in quadratos pedes sic redi-
gitur. Elisto hexagonum quoquo versus lineis pedum
XXX, Latus unum in se multiplico. Tricies triceni
fiunt Dcccc. Huius summae tertiam partem statue
ccc, eiusdem partem decumam xc. Fiunt cccxc.

^ Hi VIII in se multiplicati fiunt lxiv om. A.

* duco edd. : dico SAac.

* quadraginta ac : quadragies SA.

* utraque ac : utrumque <S^.

* quadratos edd. : quadratus SA : quadrato ac.

* quinta et vigesima ac : nona SA.

" Actually 4-57.

* Half a scripulum is 50 square feet, ^\ of a scripulum is 4
square feet, whereas the actual total is 44 square feet.

20

BOOK V. 11. 9-10

But if the area is to be less than a semicircle, we
shall measure the arc as follows : let there be an arc
the base of which measures 16 feet and the depth
4 feet. I add the base to the depth, which together
make 20 feet. This I multiply by 4, making 80, of
which the half is 40. Again, the half of 16 feet, which

16 feet

form the base, is 8. This I multiply by itself, making
61. I then take a fourteenth part of this, which
make 4 feet and a little more.'* This you will add to
40, and together they make a total of 44. This I
declare to be the number of square feet in the arc,
which is equivalent to half a scripulum (576^ of a
mgerum) less ^ of a scripulum.^

If the area has six angles, it is reduced to square 10
feet in the following manner. Let there be a
30 feet

30 feet

30 feet

Total area

2340
square feet

30 feet

30 feet
hexagon, each side of which measures 30 feet. I
multiply one side by itself: 30 times 30 makes 900.
Of this sum I take one-third, which is 300, a tenth part
of which is 90 : total 390. This must be multiplied

21

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Hoc sexies ducendum est, quoniam sex latera sunt,
quae consummata efficiunt duo milia trecenteni et
quadraginta. Tot igitur pedes quadratos esse
dicemus. Itaque ^ erit iugeri uncia dimidio scripulo
et decima parte scripuli minus.

III. His igitur velut primordiis talis ratiocinii
perceptis non difficiliter mensuras inibimus agrorum,
quorum nunc omnes persequi species et longum et
arduum est. Duas etiam nunc formulas praepositis
adiciam,^ quibus frequenter utuntur agricolae in
disponendis seminibus.

Esto ager longus pedes mille ducentos, latus pedes
cxx. In eo vites disponendae sunt ita, ut quini pedes
inter ordines relinquantur. Quaero ^ quot * semini-
bus opus sit, cum quinum pedum spatia inter semina
desiderantur. Duco quintam partem longitudinis,
fiunt ccxl; et quintam partem latitudinis, hoc est
XXIV. His utrisque summis semper singulos asses
adicito, qui efficiunt extremos ordines, quos vocant
angulares. Fit ergo altera summa ducentorum
quadraginta unius, altera viginti quinque. Has
summas sic multiplicato. Quinquies et vicies duceni
quadrageni singuli, fiunt sex milia et viginti quinque.
Totidem dices opus esse seminibus.

Similiter inter ^ senos pedes si voles ponere, duces
sextam partem longitudinis ^ mille ducentorum, fiunt
cc, et sextam latitudinis ' cxx, id est xx. His summis
singulos asses adicies quos dixi angulares esse. Fiunt

^ itaque ac, ex. inque cor. A : inque S.

* adiciam ac : indiciam SA.
' quaero om. S.

* quod SAac.

* inter ac : om. SA.

* sextam partem longitudinis Aac : longi S.
' sextam partem post latitudinis add. S.

22

BOOK V. II. lo-iii. 3

by 6, because there are 6 sides : the product is 2310.
We shall say, therefore, that this is the number of
square feet. It will, then, be equivalent to an imcia
(A of a iugeruni) less half a scripulum (5^) plus -^ of
a scripulum."^

III. Having grasped what may be called the first How many
principles of this kind of calculation, we shall have plants can a

T JU T . 1 lugerum of

no dimculty about entering upon the measurement land con-
of pieces of land, with the various kinds of which it fnJgrvals of
is a long and arduous task to deal at this point. I three to tan
will now also add, in addition to those which I have '^^ ^^^"^ '
already set forth, two rules which husbandmen often
employ in the setting out of plants.

Suppose that you have a piece of land 1200 feet
long and 120 feet wide, in which vines have to be;
so arranged that five feet are left between the rows.
How many plants, I ask, are necessary when spaces
of five feet are required between the plants. I take 2
a fifth of the length, which makes 240, and a fifth of
the breadth, which makes 24. To each of these
numbers always add one unit, which forms the
outermost row, and which they call the angular row ;
one number, therefore amounts to 241, the other to
25. Multiply these figures as follows : 25 times
241 makes 6025. This, you will say, is the number 3
of plants required.

Similarly, if you wish to set them six feet apart,
you will take a sixth of the longitude (which is 1200),
that is 200, and a sixth of the breadth (which is 120),
that is 20. To each of these figures you will add
what I called the angular units. The numbers are

" Y^ of a iugerum = 2400 square feet : half a scripulum =
50 square feet : -[\ of a scripulum — 10 : therefore 2400 — 60
= 2340 square feet.

23

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cci, et XXI. Has summas inter se multiplicabis, vicies
et semel ducentos et unum, atque ita efficies quattuor
milia ducentos et viginti unum.^ Totidem seminibus
opus esse dices.

Similiter si inter septenos pedes ponere voles,
septimam partem longitudinis et latitudinis duces,
et adicies asses angulares, eodem modo eodemque ^
ordine ^ consummabis numerum seminum. Denique
quotcunque pedum spatia facienda censueris,'* totam
partem longitudinis et latitudinis duces, et prae-
dictos asses adicies. Haec cum ita sint, sequitur
ut iugerum agri, quod habet pedes ccxl longitudinis
et latitudinis pedes ^ cxx, recipiat inter pedes ternos
(hoc enim spatium minimum esse placet vitibus
ponendis) per longitudinem semina lxxxi, per
latitudinem inter quinos pedes semina xxv. Qui
numeri inter se multiplicati fiunt seminum duo milia
et viginti quinque.

Vel si ^ quoquo versus inter quaternos pedes vinea
erit disposita, longitudinis ordo habebit semina Lxi,
latitudinis xxxi, qui numeri efficiunt in iugero vites
mille octingentas et nonaginta unam. Vel si in
longitudinem per quaternos pedes, in latitudinem
per quinos pedes fuerit disposita, ordo longitudinis
habebit semina lxi, latitudinis xxv. Quod si ' inter
quinos pedes consitio fuerit, per longitudinem ordinis
habebit semina xlix, et rursus per latitudinem semina
xxv. Qui numeri duo inter se multiplicati efficiunt
mille ducentum et viginti quinque. At si per senos

1 XXI ac : XI 8A.

* -que Aac : quae S.

* ordine ac : ordines SA.

* censueris Aac : censeris S.

' CCXL longitudinis et latitudinis pedes ac : om. SA.

* vel si xxv a : versi xxv SA : om. c.
24

BOOK V. III. 3-7

201 and 21. These sums you will multiply together,
21 times 201, and you will get 4221. This, you will
say, is the number of plants required.

Similarly, if you wish to set them seven feet apart,
you will take a seventh of the length and of the
breadth and you will add the angular units, and by
the same method and the same arrangement you will
make up the number of the plants. In a word, how-
ever many feet you have decided for the distance
between the plants, you will take the total length
and the total breadth and add the units mentioned
above. This being so, it follows that the iugerum of
land, which is 240 feet long and 120 feet broad, if the
distance between the plants is three feet (and this
we consider to be the smallest distance which should
be left when planting vines), will accommodate 81
plants in its length, and in its breadth, with a dis-
tance of five feet between them, it will hold 25 plants.
These numbers when multiplied together make
2025.

If the vineyard is arranged with intervals of four
feet each way, the row which runs lengthways will
contain 61 plants, and the row which runs breadth-
ways 31 plants ; this gives 1891 vines to a iugerum.
If the vineyard be laid out so that there are intervals
of four feet lengthways and five feet breadthways,
the row which runs lengthways will have 61 plants
and that which runs breadthways 25 plants. If the
planting is carried out with intervals of five feet, the
row will contain 49 plants lengthways and 25 breadth-
ways ; thetwonumbersmultipliedtogether make 1225.
If, however, you have decided to lay out the same area

' si ac : om. SA.

25

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

pedes eundem vitibus locum placuerit ordinare, nihil
dubium est quin longitudini dandae sint xli vites,
latitudini autem viginti una. Quae inter se multi-
plicatae efficiunt numerum dccclxi. Sin autem inter
septenos pedes vinea fuerit constituenda, ordo per
longitudinem recipiet capita triginta quinque, per
latitudinem xviii. Qui numeri inter se multiplicati
efficiunt dcxxx. Totidem dicemus semina prae-
paranda. At si inter octonos pedes vinea conseretur,
ordo per longitudinem recipiet semina xxxi, per
latitudinem autem xvi. Qui numeri inter se multi-
plicati efficiunt ccccxcvi. At si inter novenos pedes,
ordo in longitudinem recipiet semina viginti septem,
et in latitudinem quattuordecim. Qui numeri inter
se multiplicati faciunt ccclxxviii. Vel inter denos
pedes, ordo longitudinis recipiet semina xxv, latitu-
dinis XIII. Hi numeri inter se multiplicati faciunt
cccxxv, Et ne in infinitum procedat disputatio
nostra, eadem portione, ut cuique placuerint^ laxiora
spatia, semina faciemus. Ac de mensuris agrorum
numerisque seminum dixisse abunde sit. Nunc ad
Qrdinem redeo.

IV. Vinearum provincialium plura genera esse com-
peri. Sed ex iis, quas ipse incognovi,^ maxime pro-
bantur velut arbusculae brevi crure sine adminiculo
per se stantes : deinde quae pedaminibus adnixae
singulis iugis imponuntur : eas rustici canteriatas
appellant. Mox quae defixis arundinibus circum-

1 placuerit SAac.

* incognovi SA : cognovi ac.

» See note on Book IV. 12. 2.
26

BOOK V. III. 7-iv. I

with the vines at intervals of six feet, there is no
doubt that 41 vines must be assigned to the length
and 21 to the breadth ; these numbers multiplied
together make a total of 861. But if the vineyard 8
has to be arranged with intervals of seven feet, a row
will accommodate 35 heads lengthways and 18
breadthways ; these numbers multiplied together
make 630, and this, we shall say, is the number of
plants which must be got ready. But if the vine-
yard is to be planted with intervals of eight feet, a
row will accommodate 31 plants lengthways and 16
breadthways ; these numbers multiplied together
make 496. If the interval is to be nine feet, a row 9
will hold 27 plants lengthways and 14 breadthways ;
these numbers multiplied together make 378. With
intervals of ten feet, a row will hold 25 plants length-
ways and 13 breadthways ; these numbers multiplied
together make 325. So that our discussion may not
be infinitely prolonged, we shall carry out our plant-
ing by using the same proportion to suit the wider
spacing which any one of us prefers. Let what we
have said about the measurement of land and the
number of plants suffice. I now return to my pro-
posed order of subjects.

IV. I have found that there are several kinds of Of the cui-
vines in the provinces ; but of those of which I have yinci^ ^iw-
personal knowledge those resembling small trees yards.
and standing by themselves on a short stock without
any suppport are the most highly approved. Next
come those which are supported by props and placed
each on a single frame ; these the peasants call
" horsed "<» vines. Next come those which are
fastened round canes fixed in the ground and are
bent into curves and circles, their firm-wood branches

27

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

vinctae ^ per statumina calamorum materiis ligatis in
orbiculos gyrosque flectuntur ^ : eas non nulli
characatas vocant. Ultima est conditio stratarum
vitium, quae ab enata stirpe confestim velut proiectae
per humum porriguntur.

Omnium autem sationis fere eadem est conditio.
Nam vel scrobe vel sulco semina deponuntur, quo-
niam pastinationis expertes sunt exterarum gentium
agricolae : quae tamen ipsa paene supervacua est his
locis quibus solum putre et per se resolutum est :
namque hoc imitamur arando, ut ait Vergilius, id est
etiam pastinando. Itaque Campania, cum vicinum
ex nobis capere possit exemplum, non utitur hac
molitione terrae quia facilitas eius soli minorem
operam desiderat. Sicubi autem densior ager pro-
vincialis rustici ^ maiorem poscit impensam, quod
nos pastinando efficimus, ille sulco facto consequitur,
ut laxius subacto solo deponat semina.

V. Sed ut singula earum quae proposui vinearum
genera persequar, praedictum ordinem repetam.
Vitis quae sine adminiculo suis viribus consistit,
solutiore terra, scrobe ; densiore, sulco ponenda est.
Sed et scrobes et sulci plurimum prosunt, si in locis
temperatis,* in quibus aestas non est praefervida,
ante annum fiant, quam vineta conserantur.^ Soli

^ circumvinctae SAac : circummunitae edd,

* flectuntur c : flectentur SAa.

^ provincialem rusticum SAac : provincialis rustici edd.

* temperatis a : tempatis c : terrae spatio S : prao spatio
A.

* ante — conserantur om. SA.

28

« Oeorg. II. 184.

* jiaatinare is to dig with a pastinum, a fork.

BOOK V. IV. i-v. I

being tied by means of props formed of reeds. These
some people call " staked " vines. The type which 2
comes last in esteem is the vine which lies flat on the
ground and which, being as it were projected from
the stock as soon as it grows out of the earth, stretches
all over the ground.

The conditions under which all these vines are
planted are almost identical. The plants are placed
either in a plant-hole or in a furrow, since the
farmers of foreign races are unacquainted with
trenching, which indeed is almost superfluous in
places where the soil crumbles and has fallen to pieces
of its own accord, for, as Vergil says ; *

'Tis this that with the plough we imitate,

that is to say in fact by trenching.* Thus 3
the Campanians, though they might take a neigh-
bouring example from us, do not employ this method
of working the ground, because the ease with which
their soil can be cultivated calls for less labour ; but
wherever a dense soil calls for a greater expenditure
on the part of the pi*ovincial peasant, what we effect
by soil-preparation he achieves by making a furrow
in order that he may set his plants in soil which has
already been worked into a looser condition.

V. But that I may deal particularly with each Methods of
kind of the vine of which I have proposed to speak, v?ies[**"^
I will resume the order already mentioned. The
vine which stands by virtue of its own strength with-
out any prop must in rather loose soil be placed in a
planting-hole, in denser soil in a furrow, but both
planting-holes and furrows are very beneficial, if, in
temperate regions where the summer is not ex-
cessively hot, they are made a year before the vine-

29

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tamen ante bonitas exploranda est.^ Nam si ieiuno
atque exili agro semina deponentur, sub ipsum
tempus sationis scrobis aut sulcus faciendus est. Si
ante annum fiant, quam vinea conseratur, scrobis ^
in longitudinem altitudinemque defossus tripedaneus
abunde est, latitudine tamen bipedanea : vel si
quaterna pedum spatia inter ordines relicturi sumus,
commodius habetur eandem quoquo versus dare
mensuram scrobibus, non amplius tamen quam in
tres pedes altitudinis depressis. Ceterum quattuor
angulis semina applicabuntur subiecta minuta terra,
et ita scrobes adobruentur.

Sed de spatiis ordinum eatenus praecipiendum
habemus, ut intelligant agricolae, sive aratro vineas
culturi sint, laxiora interordinia relinquenda, sive
bidentibus, angustiora : sed neque spatiosiora quam
decern pedum, neque contractiora quam quattuor.
Multi tamen ordines ita disponunt, ut per rectam
lineam binos pedes aut ut plurimum, ternos inter
semina relinquant, transversa rursus laxiora spatia
faciant,^ per quae vel fossor vel arator incedat.

Sationis autem cura non alia debet esse, quam quae
tradita est a me tertio volumine. Unum tamen huic
consitioni Mago Carthaginiensis adicit,* ut semina
ita deponantur, ne protinus totus scrobis terra com-
pleatur, sed dimidia fere pars eius sequente biennio
paulatim adaequetur. Sic enim putat vitem cogi

^ si ante annum fiant -post exploranda est add. SA.
^ scrobis SA : scrobibus ac.
3 faciant ac : fiat SA .
* adioit Aac : adigit S.

" Two-pronged instruments.
» Chapters 14-16.

30

BOOK V. V. 1-4

yards are planted. Inquiry, however, must first be
made into the excellence of the soil ; for if the plants
are going to be set in hungry and poor land, planting-
holes or furrows must be made just before the time of
planting. If they are made a year before the vine-
yard is planted, it is quite enough for the planting-
hole to be dug three feet in length and depth, but
two feet in width ; or, if we are going to leave four
feet between the rows, it is generally reckoned more
convenient to give the planting-hole the same
measurement in every dimension without, however,
sinking them to a greater depth than three feet.
Each plant, then, will be applied to the four corners
after fine soil has been put into the bottom of the
planting-holes, which will then be filled in.

As to the spaces between the rows we have this
much advice to offer, that farmers should understand
that, if they intend to cultivate their vineyards with
the plough, wider intervals must be left, but they can
be narrower if hoes " are used ; but they should never
be wider than ten feet or narrower than four. Many
people, however, arrange the rows so as to leave two
or at most three feet in a straight line between the
plants, while on the other hand they make the
transverse spaces wider, so that the digger or plough-
man may pass freely.

The precautions taken in planting ought not to
differ from those which I directed in my Third Book.*
Mago, the Carthaginian, however, makes one
addition to this system of planting, namely, that the
plants should be put into the ground in such a way
that the whole plant-hole is not immediately filled
with soil but about half of it is gradually levelled up
in the two following years ; for he thinks that in this

31

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

deorsum agere radices. Hoc ego siccis locis fieri
utiliter non negaverim ; sed ubi aut uliginosa regie
est, aut caeli status imbrifer, minime faciundum
censeo. Nam consistens in semiplenis ^ scrobibus
nimius ^ humor, antequam convalescant, semina
6 necat. Quare utilius ^ existimo, repleri quidem
scrobes stirpe deposita, sed cum semina compre-
henderint, statim * post aequinoctium autumnale
debere diligenter atque alte ablaqueari, et recisis
radiculis, si quas in summo solo citaverint, post paucos
dies obrui.^ Sic enim utrumque incommodum vita-
bitur, ut nee radices in superiorem partem evocentur,
neque immodicis pluviis parum valida vexentur

6 semina. Ubi vero iam corroborata fuerint,^ nihil
dubium est, quin caelestibus aquis plurimum iuven-
tur. Itaque locis, quibus dementia hiemis permittit,
adapertas vites relinquere et tota hieme ablaqueatas
habere eas conveniet.

De qualitate autem seminum inter auctores non
convenit. Alii malleolo ' protinus conseri vineam
melius existimant, alii viviradice : de qua re quid

7 sentiam, iam superioribus professus sum. Et nunc
tamen hoc adicio, esse quosdam agros, in quibus non
aeque bene translata semina quam immota respon-

^ semiplenis ac : semipleni SA.

* nimius ac : seminis A : om. S.

' quare utilius ac : quarum et ilius SA.

* comprehend erint statim ac : om. SA.
' obrui SA : adobrui ac.

* corroborata fuerint Pontedera : corroboraverint ac :
comprobaverunt SA .

' malleolo ac : malleoli SA.

" ablaqueare is to dig round a plant so as to make a shallow
furrow to hold water.

* Book ill. 14. 2.

32

BOOK V. V. 4-7

way the vine is forced to drive its roots downwards.
I shall not deny that this can be done with advantage
in dry places ; but where either the district is marshy
or the climate rainy, I am of opinion that it should
certainly not be done, for excessive moisture standing
in the half-filled plant-holes kills the plants before
they can gain strength. Therefore I think that it
is more expedient that the plant-holes should be
filled up again after the vine-stock has been put
into them, but, when the plants have taken root,
immediately after the autumn equinox, the soil round
them ought to be carefully dug up " to a good depth
and, after the rootlets which they may have put forth
on the surface of the ground have been cut away, the
earth ought to be filled in again after a few days.
In this way two inconveniences will be avoided ;
firstly, the roots are not drawn to the upper part of
the soil, and, secondly, the plants will not be troubled
by excessive rains while they are still weak. When,
however, they have become quite strong, there is no
doubt that they are greatly benefited by the rains
from heaven ; and so, in places where the mildness
of the winter allows it, it will be expedient to leave
the vines uncovered and to keep the soil round them
loose the whole winter.

As regards the sort of vine-plants, the
authorities are not agreed amongst themselves.
Some think that it is better to plant a vineyard with
mallet-shoots from the first, others think that it
should be planted with quick-sets ; I have already
stated my opinion in the earlier part of this work.^
However, I now add this further point, that there are
some lands where vines which have been transplanted
do not answer as well as those which have not been

33

VOL. II. c

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

deant : sed istud rarissime accidere. Notandum
item diligenter explorandum esse,^

quid quaeque ferat regio, quid quaeque recuset.

Depositam ergo stirpem, id est, malleolum vel vivi-

8 radicem,^ formare sic convenit, ut vitis sine pedamine
consistat. Hoc autem protinus effici non potest.
Nam nisi adminiculum tenerae viti ^ atque infirmae *
contribueris, prorepens pampinus terrae se applicabit.^
Itaque posito semini arundo adnectitur, quae velut
infantiam eius tueatur atque educet, producatque in
tantam staturam, quantam permittit agricola. Ea
porro non debet esse sublimis : nam usque in sesqui-

9 pedem coercenda est. Cum deinde robur accipit, et
iam sine adiumento consistere valet, aut capitis aut
bracchiorum incrementis adolescit. Nam duae species
huius quoque culturae sunt. Alii capitatas vineas,
alii bracchiatas magis probant. Quibus cordi est in
bracchia vitem componere, convenit a summa parte,
qua decisa novella vitis est, quicquid iuxta cicatricem
citaverit, conservari, et in quattuor bracchia pedalis
mensurae dividere, ita ut omnem partem caeli *

10 singula aspiciant. Sed haec bracchia non statim
primo anno tam procera submittuntur, ne oneretur
exilitas vitis ; sed compluribus putationibus in prae-
dictam mensuram educuntur. Deinde ex bracchiis
quasi quaedam cornua prominentia relinqui oportet,

^ post explorandum esse add. versibus aliter SA.
2 viviradicem ac : viridem SA .
^ vite add. edd.

* infirmae ac : infirmum SA .

* applicabit ac : adplicavit SA.

* celiac : cesi SA.

Verg. Oeorg. I. 53.

Not, however, pointing straight upwards.

34

BOOK V. V. 7-IO

moved, but that this happens very rarely. It must
also be noted that we ought to try diligently to dis-
cover :

What every clime may yield and what refuse."

When, therefore, the plant has been put into the
ground, whether it be a mallet-shoot or a quick-set,
it is proper to adjust it in such a way that the vine
may stand up without any prop. This, however, 8
cannot be achieved immediately. For unless you
have provided the vine with a support when it is
tender and weak, the young shoots will creep along and
keep close to the ground. So, when the plant is set
in the earth, a reed is attached to it, so that it may,
as it were, watch over its infancy and train it and
raise it to such stature as the husbandman allows it
to reach. This, moreover, ought not to be high, for
it must be checked when it reaches a foot and a half.
Afterwards, when it gains strength and can already 9
stand without any help, it comes to maturity by the
growth of its head or its branches. For here too
there are two methods of cultivation, some people
preferring vines which grow to a head, others those
which grow out in arms. Those who delight in
shaping a vine into arms should preserve whatever
it puts forth near the scar where the young vine has
had its top removed, and divide it into four arms a
foot long in such a way that each of them looks
towards a different region of the sky.* But these arms 10
are not allowed to reach this height immediately in
the first year, lest the vine be too heavily laden while
it is still weak, but they must only reach the length
which I have indicated after numerous prunings.
Next there must be left projecting from these arms

35

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

atque ita totam vitem omni parte in orbem difFundi.

11 Putationis autem ratio eadem ^ est, quae in iugatis
vitibus : uno tamen difFert, quod pro materiis
longioribus pollices quaternum aut quinum gemmarum
relinquuntur : pro custodibus autem bigemmes reseces
fiunt. In ea deinde vinea quam capitatam diximus,
iuxta ipsam matrem usque ad corpus sarmentum ^
detrahitur, una aut altera tantummodo gemma

12 relieta, quae ipsi trunco adhaeret. Hoc autem riguis
aut pinguissimis locis fieri tuto potest, cum vires
terrae et fructum et materias valent praebere.
Maxime autem aratris excolunt,^ qui sic formatas
vineas habent, eamque rationem sequuntur detra-
hendi vitibus bracchia, quod ipsa capita sine ulla
extantia neque aratro neque bubus obnoxia sunt.
Nam in bracchiatis plerumque fit, ut aut crure aut
cornibus boum ramuli vitium defringantur, saepe
etiam stiva, dum sedulus arator vomere perstringere
ordinem, et quam proximam partem vitium excolere
studet.

13 Atque haec quidem cultura vel bracchiatis vel capi-
tatis antequam gemment, adhibetur. Cum deinde
germinaverint, fossor insequitur, ac bidentibus eas
partes subigit, quas bubulcus non potuit pertingere.
Mox ubi materias vitis exigit, insequitur pampinator
et supervacuos deterget fructuososque palmites sub-

* eadem ac : nam eodem 8 A.

* sarmentum ac : lumbrae A : inmte (?) 5.
' excolxmt ac : cxcoli S : excolis A.

" Cf. Book IV. 21. 3. » I.e. sideways.

36

BOOK V. V. 10-13

what may be called horns, and thus the whole vine
must be spread in a circular form on all sides. The 11
method of pruning is the same as for vines which
are trained on frames, though it differs in one respect,
namely, that instead of longer firm- wood branches
stumps with four or five " eyes " are left, and instead
of " keepers " " short-cut branches with two " eyes "
are formed. Then in the vine which we described
as growing to a head, the shoot is pulled off close to
the mother-vine right up to the stock, one or two

eyes " only being left which adhere to the trunk
itself. This can be done with safety in well- 12
watered and very rich districts when the strength of
the earth can supply both fruit and firm-wood.
Those who have vineyards formed in this way culti-
vate them mainly with ploughs and follow this
method of pulling off the arms from the vines,
because the heads themselves, having nothing pro-
jecting'' from them, are not liable to damage from
the plough or from the oxen. For in vines which
grow out into arms it generally happens that the
small bi'anches are broken off by the legs or horns
of the oxen, and often too by the handle of the plough
while the careful ploughman is striving to graze the
edge of the row with the ploughshare and to cultivate
the ground as near as possible to the vines.

Such then is the cultivation applied to vines 13
whether they grow to arms or to a head, before they
bud. When they have budded, a digger follows the
ploughman and breaks with a hoe the parts which
the ploughman could not reach. Then, when the
vine puts forth its firm- wood branches, the vine-
trimmer follows and clears away the superfluous
shoots and allows those which are fruitful to grow ;

&1

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

mittit, qui cum induruerunt, velut in coronam re-
ligantur. Hoc duabus ex causis fit : una, ne libero
excursu in luxuriam prorepant,^ omniaque alimenta
pampini absumant ; altera, ut religata vitis rursus
aditum bubulco fossorique in excolenda ^ se praebeat.

14 Pampinandi autem modus is erit, ut opacis locis
humidisque et frigidis aestate vitis nudetur, foliaque
palmitibus detrahantur,^ ut maturitatem fructus
capere possit, et ne situ putrescat : locis autem siccis
calidisque et apricis e contrario palmitibus uvae con-
tegantur ; et si parum pampinosa vitis est, advectis
frondibus et interdum stramentis fructus muniatur.

15 M. quidem Columella patruus meus, vir illustribus
disciplinis eruditus, ac diligentissimus agricola Bae-
ticae provinciae, sub ortu Caniculae palmeis tegetibus
vineas adumbrabat, quoniam plerumque dicti sideris
tempore quaedam partes eius regionis sic infestantur
Euro, quern incolae Vulturnum appellant, ut nisi
teguminibus vites opacentur, velut halitu flammeo
fructus uratur.

Atque haec capitatae bracchiataeque vitis cultura
est. Nam ilia, quae uni iugo superponitur, aut quae
materiis * submissis arundinum statuminibus per
orbem connectitur, fere eandem curam exigit, quam

16 iugata. Non nuUos tamen in vineis characatis

^ prorepant SAac : properent edd.

* excolendam SAac.

3 detrahantur c : detrahuntur SAa.

* materiis ac : materies <S^.

38

BOOK V. V. 13-16

and when these have hardened they are tied up into
a kind of crown. This is done for two reasons :
firstly, lest, if they are allowed to run free, the
shoots should creep forward and become over-
luxuriant, and use up all the shoot's nourishment, and,
secondly, in oi-der that the vine, being tied back,
may give the ploughman and the digger free access
again for carrying on the cultivation of it.

The following will be the method of trimming. 14
In places which are shady and damp and cold, the
vine should be stripped in summer and the leaves
plucked from the shoots, so that the fruit may reach
maturity and not become mouldy and rot away. In
dry, warm and sunny places, on the contrary, the
clusters of grapes should be covered by its shoots, and,
if the vine is not sufficiently covered with foliage,
the fruit should be protected with leaves brought from
elsewhere and sometimes with straw. Indeed, my 15
paternal uncle, Marcus Columella, a man learned in the
noble sciences and a most industrious farmer of the
province of Baetica, used to shelter his vines about the
rising of the Dogstar with palm-mats, because usually
during the period of the said constellation some
parts of that district are so troubled by the East
wind, which the inhabitants call Vulturnus, that,
unless the vines are shaded with coverings, the fruit
is scorched as it were with a fiery breath.

Such is the method of cultivating both the vine
which grows into a head and that which grows into
arms. The vine which is placed on a single rail, or
that of which the firm-wood is allowed to grow and
which is tied in a circular form to props of reeds,
requires almost the same treatment as that trained
on a frame. I have, however, noticed that some 16

39

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

animadverti, et maxime elvenaci ^ generis, prolixos
palmites quasi propagines summo solo adobruere,
deinde rursus ad ^ arundines erigere, et in fructum
submittere, quos nostri agricolae mergos, Galli
candosoccos ^ vocant, eosque adobruunt simplici ex
causa, quod existiment, plus alimenti terram * prae-
bere fructuariis flagellis. Itaque post vindemiam
velut inutilia sarmenta decidunt, et a stirpe sub-
movent. Nos autem praecipimus easdem virgas,
cum a matre fuerint praecisae, sicubi demortuis
vitibus ordines vacent, aut si novellam quis vineam
instituere velit, pro viviradice ponere. Quoniam
quidem partes sarmentorum, quae fuerant obrutae,
satis multas habent radices, quae depositae scrobibus
confestim comprehendant.
17 Superest reliqua ilia cultura prostratae vineae,
quae nisi violentissimo caeli statu suscipi non debet.
Nam et difficilem laborem colonis exhibet, nee un-
quam generosi saporis vinum praebet. Atque ubi
regionis conditio solam earn culturam recipit,^ bi-
pedaneis scrobibus malleolus deponitur. Qui cum
egerminavit, ad unam materiam revocatur : eaque
primo anno compescitur * in duas gemmas : sequente
deinde, cum palmites profudit, unus "^ submittitur,
ceteri decutiuntur. At ille qui submissus est, cum

^ eluaenaci a : eluenaci c : et luennaci SA.

" ad ac : om. SA.

' andooccos SA : candos {corr. ocros) c : candos occos a.

* plus alimenti terram ac : eius alimenta terri <S^.
' recipit ac : recepit SA .

* compescitur edd. : conspicitur SAac,
' post unus add. cum SA.

40

BOOK V. V. 16-17

people when dealing with " staked " vines, especially
those of the Helvenacan " kind, bury the sprawling
shoots, as though they were layers, under the surface
of the soil, and then again erect them on reeds and
let them grow for fruit-bearing. These our husband-
men call viergi (" divers "), while the Gauls call them
candosocci (' ' layers ' ') , and they bury them for the simple
reason that they think that the earth provides more
nourishment for the fruit-bearing whips ; and so after
the vintage they cut them off as useless shoots and
remove them from the stem. Our advice, however,
is that these same rods, when they have been cut
away from the mother-vine, should be planted as
quick-sets in any vacant spaces in the rows where
vines have died or in a new vineyard which anyone
wants to establish ; for indeed the parts of the shoots
which had been buried have enough roots to take
hold immediately if they are put into plant-holes.

There still remains the cultivation of the vine 17
which grows on the ground ; but this should not be
undertaken except where the climate is very boister-
ous ; for it presents a difficult task for the husband-
men and it never produces wine of a generous
flavour. Where local conditions admit of this form
of cultivation only, a hammer-shoot is put into
plant-holes two feet deep. When it has budded,
it is reduced to one firm-wood branch ; this in the first
year is confined to two " eyes." Then in the
following year, when it has put forth a profusion of
shoots, one is allowed to grow and the rest are
struck off. The shoot which has been allowed to
grow, when it has produced fruit, is pruned back to

« See Book III. 2. 25 : Pliny, N.H. XIV. §§ 32-33; it pro-
duced a wine of a pale yellow colour.

41

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

fructum edidit, in earn longitudinem deputatur, uti

18 iacens non excedat interordinii spatium. Nee magna
est putationis differentia cubantis et stantis rectae
vineae : nisi quod iacenti viti breviores materiae
submitti debent, reseces quoque angustius in modum
furunculorum relinqui, Sed ^ post putationem, quam
utique autumno in eiusmodi vinea fieri oportet, vitis
tota deflectitur ^ in alteram interordinium : atque
ita pars ea quae fuerat occupata vel foditur vel aratur,
et cum exculta ^ est, eandem vitem reeipit, ut altera

19 quoque pars excoli possit. De pampinatione talis
vineae parum inter auctores convenit. Alii negant *
esse nudandam vitem, quo melius contra iniuriam
ventorum ferarumque ^ fructum abscondat : aliis
placet parcius pampinari, ut et vitis non in totum
supervacuis frondibus oneretur, et tamen fructum
vestire aut protegere possit : quae ratio mihi quoque
commodior videtur.

VI. Sed iam de vineis satis diximus. Nunc de
arboribus praecipiendum est. Qui volet frequens et
dispositum arbustum paribus spatiis fructuosumque
habere, operam dabit, ne emortuis arboribus rarescat
ac primam quamque senio aut tempestate afflictam
submoveat, et in vicem novellam sobolem substituat.
Id autem facile consequi poterit, si ulmorum semi-

^ relinqui sed edd. : relictis et SA : relictis sed a : relinqui
relictis c.

^ deflectatur ac : deplectitur 8 A.

' exculta ac : exeuncta SA.

* negant ac : negent 8 A. ^ -que ac : quo 8 A.

" I.e. for supporting vines.
44

BOOK V. V. 17-VI. I

such a distance that, as it Ues on the ground, it does
not reach beyond the space between the rows. Nor 18
is there a great difference between the pruning of a
recumbent vine and of one which stands upright,
except that the firm-wood branches in the vine which
Hes on the ground should be allowed to grow to a
shorter length and the stumps ought to be left
narrower so as to resemble knobs. But after the prun-
ing, which in this kind of vine ought naturally to be
carried out in the autumn, the whole vine is bent
aside into one of the two spaces between the rows ; and
the part which was previously occupied is either dug
up or ploughed, and when it has been thoroughly
cultivated, it receives the same vine back again, so
that the other space may also be cultivated. About 19
the trimming of this kind of vineyard, there is little
agreement between the authorities. Some say that
the vine ought not to be stripped, that it may the
better conceal the fruit from injury by the wind and
by wild beasts ; others hold that it should be
trimmed only sparingly, so that the vine may not be
wholly burdened with superfluous leaves and yet
may be able to cover or conceal the fruit. The latter
method seems to me too to be the more expedient.

VI. We have now said enough about vines ; we Plantations
must now give directions about trees." He who wishes po^rt of ^'^^'
to have a thick and profitable plantation for support- vines.
ing vines with the trees set at equal distances from
one another will take care that it does not grow sparse
because the trees have died and will be careful to
remove any tree as soon as it is aflSicted with old
age or damaged by storm and substitute a young
growth in its place. This he will easily be able to
achieve if he has a nursery for elms ready prepared.

43

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

narium paratum habuerit : quod ^ quomodo et qualis
generis faciendum sit, non pigebit deinceps praeci-
pere.

Ulmorum duo esse genera convenit, Gallicum et
vernaculum : illud Atinia, hoc nostras dicitur. Ati-
niani ulmum Tremellius Scrofa non ferre sameram,
quod est semen eius arboris, falso est opinatus. Nam
rariorem sine ^ dubio creat, et idcirco plerisque et
sterilis videtur, seminibus inter frondem, quam prima
germinatione edit, latentibus. Itaque nemo iam
serit ex samera, sed ex sobolibus. Est autem ulmus
longe laetior et procerior, quam nostra,^ frondemque
iucundiorem bubus praebet : * qua ^ cum assidue
pecus paveris, et postea generis alterius frondem dare
institueris, fastidium bubus afferes.^ Itaque si fieri
poterit, totum agrum genere uno Atiniae ulmi con-
seremus : si minus, dabimus operam, ut in ordinibus
disponendis pari numero vernaculas et Atinias alter-
nemus. Ita semper mixta fronde utemur, et quasi
hoc condimento illectae pecudes fortius iusta ^
cibariorum conficient.

Sed vitem maxime populus videtur alere, deinde
ulmus, post etiam fraxinus. Populus, quia raram,
neque idoneam frondem pecori praebet, a plerisque
repudiata est. Fraxinus, quia capris et ovibus
gratissima est, nee inutilis bubus, locis asperis et

^ quod ac : quo SA . * sine ac : semini SA .

* nostras SAc : nostra a. * praebet ac : om. SA.

* qua a : -que SA : quia c, * afferes SAa : adfert c.
' iusta c : iuxta SAa.

" From the town of Atina in Cispadane Gaul,
* A contemporary of Varro and one of the speakers in
Varro's agricultural treatise.

44

BOOK V. VI. 1-5

In what manner and of what kind of trees it must be
formed, I shall have no objection to stating forth-
with.

It is generally agreed that there are two kinds of
elms, the Gallic and the native ; the former is called
the Atinian," the latter our own Italian. Tremellius
Scrofa * was wrong when he expressed the opinion
that the Atinian elm does not bear samera, which is
the seed of that tree ; it certainly produces it but
rather thinly and for that reason most people think
that it is actually barren, since the seeds are hidden
among the foliage which it produces at its first
budding. That is why no one now grows it from seed
but by means of shoots. This elm is much more
luxuriant and taller than ours and produces foliage
which is more acceptable to oxen ; when you have
fed cattle on it constantly and then begin to give
them foliage of the other kind, you will cause them to
feel a loathing for the latter. Therefore, if possible,
we shall plant a whole field with the Atinian kind of
elm only, or, failing that, we shall take care, in arrang-
ing the rows, to plant native and Atinian elms to the
same number alternately. In this way we shall
always have a mixture of foliage for use and the
cattle, attracted by this kind of seasoning for their
food, will finish off with greater heartiness the full
ration allotted to them.

But the poplar seems to sustain the vine best of
all trees, then the elm, and after it the ash. The
poplar tree, because it provides foliage which is
scanty and unsuitable for cattle, has been rejected by
most people ; the ash, because it is most acceptable to
goats and sheep and of some use for oxen, is rightly
planted in rough and mountainous places in which the

45

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

montosis, quibus minus laetatur ulmus, recte seritur.
Ulmus, quod et vitem commodissime patitur, et
iucundissimum pabulum bubus affert, variisque
generibus soli provenit, a plerisque praefertur.
Itaque si^ arbustum novum instituere cordi est,
seminaria ulmorum vel fraxinorum parentur ea
ratione, quam deinceps subscripsimus. Nam populi
melius cacuminibus in arbusto protinus deponuntur.
Igitur pingui solo et niodice humido bipalio terram
pastinabimus, ac diligenter occatam et resolutam
humum verno tempore in areas componemus.
Sameram deinde, quae iam rubicundi coloris erit, et
compluribus diebus insolata iacuerit, ut aliquem
tamen succum et lentorem habeat, iniciemus areis,
et eas totas seminibus spisse contegemus, atque ita
cribro putrem terram duos alte digitos incernemus,
et modice rigabimus, stramentisque areas cooperie-
mus, ne prodeuntia cacumina seminum ab avibus
praerodantur. Ubi deinde prorepserint ^ plantae,
stramenta colligemus, et manibus herbas carpemus :
idque leviter et curiose faciendum est, ne adhue
tenerae brevesque radiculae ulmorum convellantur.
Atque ipsas quidem areas ita anguste compositas ha-
bebimus, ut qui runeaturi sunt, medias partes earum
facile manu contingant : nam si latiores fuerint, ipsa
semina ^ proculcata noxam capient. Aestate deinde
prius quam sol oriatur, aut ad vesperum, seminaria

^ si S : cui ac : om. A,
" prorepserit SAac.

* ipsa semina Schneider : ipsiseminibus S : ipsi seminibus
Aac.

46

BOOK V. VI. 5-8

elm is less flourishing. The elm is preferred by most
people, because it both accommodates itself very well
to the vine and provides food most acceptable to
oxen and flourishes in various kinds of soil. So if it
is desired to establish a new plantation, nurseries of
elms or ash-trees should be prepared on the system
which we have described hereafter ; for poplars are
better put straight into the plantation in the form of
tree-tops planted in the ground. We will, therefore,
prepare the ground with a double mattock where
the earth is rich and moderately moist, and in the
spring-time, after the soil has been carefully harrowed
and broken up, we shall mark it out into beds. We
shall then cast upon the beds the elm-seed which
will now be of a ruddy colour and has been exposed
to the sun for several days, but still retaining some
juice and stickiness, and we shall thickly cover the
beds all over with the seed and scatter crumbling
earth over them with a sieve to the depth of two
inches and give them a moderate watering and cover
the beds with straw, so that the heads of the plants,
when they come up, may not be pecked off by birds.
Then, when the plants have crept forth, we shall
collect the straw and pull up the weeds by hand — ■
a process which must be carried out gently and
carefully, so that the still tender and short little
roots of the elms may not be pulled up with the
weeds. We shall have the beds themselves planned
so as to be so narrow that those who are going to
weed them can easily reach to the middle of them
with their hands ; for, if they are broader, the
seedlings themselves will be trodden upon and receive
damage. Then in the summer, before the sun rises
or towards evening, the nursery-beds ought to be

47

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

conspergi saepius ^ quam rigari debent : ^ et cum
ternum pedum plantae fuerint, in aliud seminarium
transferri, ac ne radices altius agant (quae res postmo-
dum in eximendo magnum laborem affert, cum plantas
in aliud seminarium transferemus) oportebit non
maximos scrobiculos sesquipede inter se distantes
fodere : deinde radices in nodum, si breves, vel in
orbem coronae similem, si longiores erunt, inflecti, et
oblitas fimo bubulo scrobiculis deponi, ac diligenter

9 circumcalcari. Possunt etiam collectae cum stirpi-
bus plantae eadem ratione disponi : quod in Atinia
ulmo fieri necesse est, quae non seritur e samera.
Sed haec ulmus autumni tempore melius quam vera
disponitur; paulatimque ramuli eius manu detor-
quentur, quoniam primo biennio ferri reformidat
ictum. Tertio demum anno acuta falce abraditur,'
atque ubi translationi iam idonea est, ex eo tempore
autumni, quo terra imbribus permaduerit, usque in
vernum tempus, antequam radix ulmi in eximendo

10 delibretur, recte seritur. Inde^ in resoluta terra
ternum pedum quoquo versus faciendi scrobes. At
in densa, sulci eiusdem altitudinis et latitudinis, qui
arbores recipiant,^ praeparandi. Sed deinde in solo
roscido et nebuloso conserendae sunt ulmi, ut earum
rami ad orientem et occidentem dirigantur, quo plus

^ saepius ecW. : seminis ac : seminus 5^4.

* debet SAac.

' abraditur a : ablanditur SAc.

* inde scripsi : in se SAac.
' respiciat Aac : respiat S.

" I.e those which are planted in the form of cuttings as
opposed to seedlings.

48

BOOK V. vr. 8-10

sprinkled from time to time rather than soaked, and
when the plantshave growth three feet highjthey should
be transferred to another nursery-bed, and that they
may not strike their roots too deep (for this after-
wards involves much labour in lifting them when we
are going to transfer them to another nursery-bed),
we shall have to dig not very large plant-holes a foot
and a half apart. Next the roots, if they are short,
will have to be bent as it were into a knot, or, if they
are too long, into a circle resembling a crown and,
after being smeared with ox-dung, they must be
lowered into small plant-holes and carefully trodden
down all round. The plants, too, which are 9
gathered on their stocks " can be set out in the
same manner, and this is essential in the case of the
Atinian elm which is not raised from seed. It is
better to set this kind of elm in the autumn rather
than in the spring, and its small branches are twisted
little by little by hand, since in its first two years it
dreads the blow of an iron implement. Finally, in
its third year it is scraped with a sharp pruning-
hook, and when it is fit for transplantation (that is,
from the season of autumn, when the ground has been
thoroughly soaked with rain, until the spring, before
the root of the elm is likely to lose its bark while
being removed from the soil), then is the proper time
for planting it. Next plant-holes measuring three 10
feet each way must be made if the soil is loose,
but, if it is dense, furrows of the same depth and
width must be prepared to receive the trees. But also
in a soil which is exposed to dew and mist the elms
must be planted in such a way that their branches
may be directed towards the east and west, in
order that the middle of the trees, to which the

49

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

solis mediae arbor es, quibus vitis appBcata et religata
innititur, accipiant.

11 Quod si etiam frumentis consulemus, uberi solo
inter quadraginta pedes, exili, ubi nihil seritur, inter
viginti, arbores disponantur. Cum deinde adolescere
incipient, falce formandae, et tabulata instituenda
sunt.^ Hoc enim nomine usurpant agricolae ramos
truncosque prominentes, eosque vel propius ^ ferro
compescunt, vel longius promittunt, ut vites laxius
difFundantur : hoc in solo pingui melius, illud in

12 gracili. Tabulata inter se ne minus ^ ternis pedibus
absint, atque ita formentur, ne superior ramus in
eadem linea sit, qua inferior. Nam demissum ex eo
palmitem germinantem inferior atteret, et fructum
decutiet.

Sed quamcunque arborem severis, earn biennio
proximo putare non oportet. Post deinde si ulmus
exiguum incrementum recipit,* verno tempore,
antequam librum demittat, decacuminanda est iuxta
ramulum, qui videbitur esse nitidissimus, ita tamen,
uti supra eum trunco ^ stirpem dodrantalem ® re-
linquas, ad quam ductus ' et applicatus ramus
alligetur, et correptus ^ cacumen arbori praebeat,

13 Deinde stirpem post annum praecidi et allevari
oportet. Quod si nullum ramulum arbor idoneum
habuerit, sat erit novem pedes a terra relinqui, et
superiorem partem detruncari, ut novae virgae, quas

^ instituenda sunt Aa : instituenda c : instituendis S.
" propius c : proprius Aa : prius S.
^ se si minus S : seminibus A : se minus ac.
* recipit om. SAac. * truncum SAac.

« dodrantem *S' : drodant partem A : dodrantanitem a :
dodrantanidem c.

' ductus edd. : dubitus 8Aa : dubius c.
^ correptus SAac : correctus edd.

5°

BOOK V. VI. 10-13

vine is applied and fastened, may receive more
sunlight.

But if we have in view the sowing of cereals also, the 11
trees should be placed, if the soil is rich, at intervals
of forty feet from one another, but if it is thin and
nothing is planted in it, at intervals of twenty feet.
Then when they begin to grow tall, they must be
shaped with the pruning-hook and successive

stages " must be arranged; for the husbandmen
call prominent branches and trunks by this name and
either cut them closer with the knife or let them grow
longer, that the vines may spread more loosely, the
latter process being better on rich soil, the former on
thin soil. The " stages " should be not less than 12
three feet apart from one another and so shaped
that an upper branch may not be in the same line
as a lower; for the lower branch will rub against
the budding shoot let down from the upper branch
and shake off the fruit.

But whatever tree you plant, you should not prune
it during the next two years. Then afterwards, if
the elm receives only a little growth, in the spring,
before it sheds its bark, its top must be lopped off
near the small branch which appears to be the most
healthy, but in such a way as to leave above it on the
trunk a stump nine inches long, towards which the
branch can be trained and then applied and fastened,
that, when it has been thus caught, it may provide
a top for the tree. Then after a year the stump must 13
be cut away and the place smoothed off. If, how-
ever, the tree has no suitable small branch, it will be
enough if nine feet from the ground it is left
standing and the upper part lopped off, in order that
the new rods which it will have put forth may be safe

51

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

emiserit,^ ab iniuria pecoris tutae sint. Sed si fieri
poterit, uno ictu arborem praecidi ; si minus, serra
desecari, et plagam falce allevari oportebit, eamque
plagam luto paleato contegi, ne sole aut pluviis

14 infestetur. Post annum aut biennium, cum enati
ramuli recte convaluerint, supervacuos deputai-i,
idoneos in ordinem submitti conveniet. Quae ulmus
a positione bene provenerit,^ eius summae virgae
falce debent enodari. At si robusti ramuli erunt, ita
ferro amputentur, ut exiguam stirpem prominentem
trunco relinquas. Cum deinde arbor convaluerit,
quicquid falce contingi poterit, exputandum est,
allevandumque eatenus, ne plaga corpori matris
applicetur. Ulmum autem novellam formare sic

15 conveniet. Loco pingui octo pedes a terra sine ramo
relinquendi, vel in arvo gracili septem pedes : supra
quod spatium deinde per circuitum in tres partes
arbor dividenda est, ac tribus lateribus singuli ramuli

16 submittendi primo tabulate assignentur. Mox de
ternis pedibus superpositis alii rami submittendi
sunt, ita ne iisdem lineis, quibus in inferiore positi
sint. Eademque ^ ratione usque in cacumen ordi-
nanda erit arbor. Atque in frondatione cavendum, ne
aut prolixiores pollices fiant, qui ex amputatis virgis

^ emiserant Sa : emiserint A : emiserat c.
- provenerit c : provenerint SAa.

' positis in easdemque S : postas in eadem quae A : positis
in eademque ac.

52

BOOK V. VI. 13-16

from injury by cattle. If possible, the tree should
be cut through with a single blow ; if not, it will
have to be sawn through and the wound smoothed
off with a pruning-hook and covered with mud
mixed with straw, so that it may not be damaged by
the sun or the rain. After a year or two, when the 14
little branches which have come forth have duly
gained strength, it will be fitting that those which
are superfluous should be pruned away and those
which are suitable should be allowed to grow freely
and take their place in the row. If an elm has made
good progress since it was planted, its topmost rods
should be freed from knots with a pruning-hook ;
but if the small branches are vigorous, they should
be cut off with a knife in such a way that you leave
a little stump projecting from the trunk. Then when
the tree has gained strength, whatever can be reached
with a pruning-hook should be cut away and smoothed
off, without, however, any wound being inflicted on
the body of the mother-tree. It will be proper to
shape the young elm in the following manner. Where 15
the soil is rich, eight feet should be left from the
ground, without any branches, or seven feet in poor
soil ; then above this the tree must be divided into
three parts throughout its circumference, and small
branches, one on each of the three sides, should be
allowed to grow and be allotted to the first" stage." 16
Then, three feet above, other branches must be
allowed to grow in such a manner that their position
is not in the same line as in the stage underneath ; and
the tree will have to be arranged on the same principle
right up to the top. In stripping the tree care must j
be taken that the knobs which are left where the rods
have been cut away do not project too much, and that

53

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

relinquuntur, aut rursus ita alleventur, ut ipse
truncus laedatur, aut delibretur ; nam parum gaudet
ulmus 1 in corpus nuda. Vitandumque ne de duabus
plagis una fiat, cum talem cicatricem non facile cortex

17 comprehendat. Arboris autem perpetua cultura est,
non solum diligenter earn ^ disponere, sed etiam trun-
cum circumfodere, et quicquid frondis enatum fuerit,
alternis annis aut ferro amputare aut astringere, ne
nimia umbra viti noceat. Cum deinde arbor vetus-
tatem ^ fuerit adepta, propter terram * vulnerabitur
ita, ut excavetur usque in medullam, deturque exitus
humori, quem ex superiore parte conceperit. Vitem
quoque, antequam ex toto arbor praevalescat, con-
serere convenit.

18 At si teneram ulmum maritaveris, onus iam non
sufFeret : si vetustae ^ vitem applicueris, coniugem
necabit. Ita suppares esse aetate et viribus arbores
vitesque convenit. Sed arboris maritandae causa
scrobis viviradici fieri debet latus pedum duorum,
altus levi terra totidem pedum (gravi, dupondio ^ et
dodrante) longus pedum sex aut minimum quinque.
Absit autem hie ab arbore ne minus sesquipedali
spatio. Nam si radicibus ulmi iunxeris, male vitis
comprehendet, et cum tenuerit, incremento arboris

19 opprimetur, Hunc scrobem, si res permittit, autum-
no facito, ut pluviis et gelicidiis maceretur. Circa
vernum deinde aequinoctium binae vites, quo celerius

^ post ulmus add. quae SAac.

* earn S : eadem Aa : om. c.

* vetustate SAac.

* terram S : ramum A ac.

* vetustae Schneider : vetustate S : vetustatem A : vetustam
a '. om. c.

* dupondio a : dupundio c : dupundiu 8A.

54

BOOK V. VI. 16-19

they are not, on the other hand, so much smoothed
away that the trunk itself is damaged or stripped of
its bark; for an elm takes little pleasure in being
bared to the quick. Also we must avoid making one
wound out of two, for the bark does not easily grow
over a scar of this kind. The elm requires constant 17
attention, not only in training it carefully but also in
digging round the trunk and in alternate years
cutting off with a knife or tying back any foliage
which has grown from it, so that excessive shade
may not harm the vine. Then when the tree has
reached a good age, a wound will be made in it near
the ground in such a way that a hole is made reaching
to the pith and a passage thus given to the moisture,
which it has formed in its upper portion. It is well
also to plant the vine before the tree has reached its
full strength.

But if you wed a tender young elm to a vine, it will 18
now not support the weight ; if you couple a vine with an
old elm, it will kill its mate. The trees and the vines,
therefore, ought to be nearly equal in age and
strength. In order to wed the tree and the vine, a
trench ought to be made for the quick-set two feet
wide and the same number of feet deep, if the soil is
light (but if it is heavy, two feet and three-quarters
deep) and six or at least five feet long. The trench,
however, should not be less than a foot and a half
from the tree ; for if you put the vine close to the
roots of the elm, it will not strike root properly and,
when it has taken hold, it will be smothered by the
growth of the tree. If circumstances allow, make 19
the trench in the autumn, that it may be softened
by the rains and frosts ; then, about the time of the
spring equinox, in order more quickly to clothe the

55^

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ulmum vestiant, pedem inter se distantes scrobibus
deponendae : cavendumque ne aut septentrio-
nalibus ventis aut rorulentae sed siccae serantur.

20 Hanc observationem non solum in vitium positione,
sed in ulmorum ceterarumque arborum praecipio :
et uti cum de seminario eximuntur, rubrica notetur
una pars, quae nos admoneat, ne aliter arbores con-
stituamus, quam quemadmodum in seminario stete-
rint. Plurimum enim refert, ut eam partem caeli
spectent, cui ab tenero consueverunt.^ Melius
autem locis apricis, ubi caeli status neque praege-
lidus neque nimium pluvius est, autumni tempore et

21 arbores et vites post aequinoctium deponuntur. Sed
eae ita conserendae sunt, ut summam terram,^ quae
aratro subacta sit, semipedem alte substernamus,
radicesque omnes explicemus, et depositas stercorata,
ut ego existimo, si minus, certe subacta operiamus,
et circumcalcemus ipsum seminis codicem. Vites in
ultimo scrobe deponi oportet, materiasque earum per
scrobem porrigi, deinde ad arborem erigi ; atque ab

22 iniuria pecoris caveis emuniri. Locis autem prae-
fervidis semina septentrionali parte arbori appli-
canda sunt : locis frigidis a meridie, temperate '
statu caeli aut ab oriente aut ab occidente, ne toto
die solem vel umbram patiantur.

Proxima deinde putatione melius existimat Celsus
ferro abstineri, ipsosque caules in modum coronae con-

1 consueverunt c : consuerunt SAa.

* siimraam terram Aac : somnum a terra S.

^ temperato a : tempato c : temperatu SA.

56

" See note on Vol. I. p. 35.

BOOK V. VI. 19-22

elm, two vines a foot apart should be put into the
trench, and care should be taken that they are not
planted when the north winds are blowing, nor when
the vines are wet with dew, but when they are dry.

This rule I lay down not only when vines are being 20
planted but also elms and the other trees ; also, that,
when they are removed from the nursery-bed, one
side should be marked with ruddle to warn us not to
plant trees in any position other than that in which
they stood in the nursery-bed ; for it is very import-
ant that they should face that quarter of the sky to
which they have been accustomed from their early
days. In sunny positions, however, when the climate
is neither very cold nor too rainy, both trees and vines
are better planted in the autumn after the equinox.
They should be planted on the principle of putting 21
beneath them to a depth of half a foot top-soil which
has been broken by the plough and uncoiling all the
roots and covering the plants when they are set with
dunged soil, which I consider the best course, or, if
not, at least with broken soil, and treading round the
actual stem of the plant. The vines should be set at
the edge of the trench and their firm-wood branches
stretched along the trench and then erected into the
tree and protected by railings from damage by cattle.
In very hot localities the plants should be attached 22
to the tree on the north side, in cold places to the
south side, in a temperate climate either on the east
or on the west side, so that they may not have to
endure the sun or the shade all day.

Celsus " is of opinion that at the next pruning-
season it is better to refrain from using the knife and
that the shoots themselves should be twisted and
wrapped round the tree in the shape of a crown, so

57

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tortos arbori circumdari, ut flexura materias ^ pro-
fundat, quarum validissimam sequente anno caput

23 vitis faciamus. Me autem longus docuit usus, multo
utilius esse primo quoque tempore falcem vitibus
admovere, nee supervacuis ^ sarmentis pati silves-
cere. Sed earn quoque, quae primo submittetur,
materiam ferro coercendam censeo usque in alteram
vel tertiam gemmam, quo robustiores palmites agat,
qui cum primum tabulatum apprehenderint, proxima
putatione disponentur, omnibusque annis alioquin ^
in superius tabulatum excitabuntur,^ relicta semper
una materia, quae applicata trunco cacumen arboris
spectet.

24 lamque viti constitutae certa lex ^ ab agricolis
imponitur : plerique ima tabulata materiis frequen-
tant, uberiorem fructum et magis facilem cultum
sequentes. At qui bonitati vini student, in summas
arbores vitem promovent : ut quaeque materia
se dabit,^ ita in celsissimum quemque ramum
extendunt, sic, ut summa vitis summam arborem
sequatur, id est, ut duo palmites extremi trunco
arboris applicentur, qui cacumen eius spectent, et
prout quisque ramus convaluit, vitem accipiat.'

25 Plenioribus ramis plures palmites alius ab alio separati
imponantur, gracilioribus pauciores ; vitisque novella
trlbus toris ad arborem religetur, uno, qui est in crura

materie Sac : materiae A .

supervacuus SAa : supervacuis c.

alioquin SAac : aliquis edd.

excitabuntur scripai : excitabitur edd.

lex om. S.

sedebit S : sed vetata A : sed evecta a : sed evetita c.

accipit SAac.

S8

BOOK V. VI. 22-25

that this bending-back may cause a profusion of
firm-wood branches, the strongest of which we may
make the head of the vine in the following year.
But long experience has taught me that it is much 23
more expedient to apply the pruning-hook to the
vines on the first possible opportunity and not allow
them to become bushy with superfluous shoots. I
also hold that the firm-wood branch which is to be
allowed to grow at first, should be cut back with the
knife as far as the second or third bud, so that it may
put forth more vigorous shoots, which, when they
have taken hold of the first " story " of the tree, will
be trained in different directions at the next pruning,
and furthermore will every year be raised to the
story above, one firm- wood branch being always left
which, applied to the trunk, will face towards the top
of the tree.

Once the vine is set in its place a fixed rule is 24
applied to it by husbandmen. Most of them crowd
the lower " stories " with firm-wood branches, their
object being a more abundant yield of fruit and easier
cultivation. But those whose chief object is high
quality in the wine, encourage the vine to mount to
the top of the trees, and, as each firm-wood shoot
offers itself, they stretch it out to the highest possible
branch in such a way that the top of the vine keeps
pace with the top of the tree, that is, that the two
furthest vine-shoots are applied to the trunk of the
tree so that they face its top and, as each branch
gathers strength, it takes up the burden of the vine.
On the stouter branches more shoots should be placed, 25
separate from one another, but fewer on the slenderer
branches, and the young vine should be attached to
the tree with three bindings, one on the stem of the

59

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

arboris a terra quattuor pedibus distans ; ^ altero, qui
summa parte vitem capit ; tertio, qui mediam vitem
complectitur. Torum imum imponi non oportet,
quoniam vires vitis adimit. Interdum tamen ne-
cessarius habetur, cum aut arbor sine ramis truncata
est, aut vitis praevalens in luxuriam evagatur.

26 Cetera putationis ratio talis est, ut veteres
palmites, quibus proximi anni fructus pependit,
omnes recidantur : novi, circumcisis undique capreolis
et nepotibus, qui ex his nati sunt, amputatis, sub-
mittantur ^ et si laeta vitis est, ultimi potius
palmites per cacumina ramorum praecipitentur ; si
gracilis, trunco proximi, si mediocris, medii ; quo-
niam ultimus palmes plurimum fructum affert,
proximus minimum vitemque exhaurit atque atte-
nuat.

27 Maxime autem prodest vitibus, omnibus annis
resolvi. Nam et commodius enodantur, et refri-
gerantur, cum alio loco alligatae sunt, minusque
laeduntur, ac melius convalescunt. Atque ipsos
palmites ita tabulatis superponi convenit, ut a tertia
gemma vel quarta religati dependeant, eosque non

28 constringi, ne sarmentum vimine praecidatur. Quod
si ita longe tabulatum est, ut ^ materia parum com-
mode in id perduci possit, palmitem ipsum viti
alligatum supra tertiam gemmam religabimus. Hoc
ideo fieri praecipimus, quia quae pars palmitis prae-

^ distant SAac,

* submittantur Gesner : committantur SAac.

' in SAac.

' Cf. Cato, E.R. 32, who warns his readers against this
practice.

6p

BOOK V. VI. 25-28

tree four feet from the ground, a second holding the
vine at its top, and a third clasping it in the middle.
A binding should not be placed at the bottom, since
it takes away the strength of the vine ; however, it is
sometimes considered necessary when the tree has
had its branches lopped off or when the vine, growing
too strong, runs riot.

The other points to be observed in pruning are that 26
the old shoots, upon which the fruit of the previous
year has hung, should be all cut away, but the new
ones should be allowed to grow after their tendrils
have been cut back all round and the side-shoots
which have grown from them have been lopped off — if
the vine is in a flourishing state, the furthest shoots
should be let down " through the top of the branches, if
the vine is slender, the shoots nearest to the stock,
and if it is of middling size, those in the middle. For
the furthest shoot produces the most fruit, the nearest
the least and exhausts and enfeebles the vine.

It is of great benefit to vines to unbind them every 27
year ; for they can then be more conveniently freed
from knots and they are refreshed by being bound in
another place and they are less damaged and recover
strength better. Also it is expedient that the shoots
themselves should be so placed upon the " stories "
of the tree that they hang down, being attached at
the third or fourth bud, and that they should not be
bound too tightly, lest the vine-twig be cut by the
osier. But if the " story " is so far away that the 28
firm-wood branch cannot conveniently be made to
reach it, we shall bind the shoot itself to the vine,
attaching it above the third bud. We give instruc-
tions that this should be done because it is the part
of the shoot that is bent over which is clothed with

61

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cipitata est, ea ^ fructu induitur : at quae vinculo
adnexa ^ sursum tendit, ea materias sequent! anno

29 praebet. Sed ipsorum palmitum duo genera sunt :
alterum, quod ex duro provenit, quod quia primo
anno plerumque fi'ondem sine fructu aiFert, pam-
pinarium vocant ; alterum, quod ex anniculo palmite
procreatur : quod quia protinus creat, fructuarium
appellant. Cuius ut semper habeamus copiam in
vinea,^ palmitum partes ad tres gemmas religandae
sunt, ut quicquid intra vinculum est materias

30 exigat. Cum deinde annis et robore vitis convaluit,
traduces in proximam quamque arborem mittendae,
casque post biennium amputare atque alias tene-
riores transmittere convenit. Nam vetustate vitem
fatigant. Nonnunquam etiam cum arborem totam
vitis comprehendere nequit, ex usu fuit partem
aliquam eius deflexam terrae immergere, et rursus
ad eandem arborem duas vel tres propagines excitare,
quo pluribus vitibus circumventa celerius vestiatur.

31 Viti novellae pampinarium immitti non oportet,
nisi necessario loco natus est, ut viduum ramum
maritet. Veteribus vitibus loco ^ nati palmites pam-
pinarii utiles sunt, et plerique ad tertiam gemmam
resecti optime submittuntur. Nam insequenti anno

32 materias fundunt. Quisquis autem pampinus loco
natus in exputando vel alligando ^ fractus est, modo

^ ex SAac. * abnexa SAac.

* inae <S'^ : in ea ac.

* loco a : loca SAc.

' alligando ac : alligandi SA.

62

BOOK V. VI. 28-32

fruit, and it is the part which, being tied with a band,
grows upwards that provides the firm-wood branches
for the following year. There are two kinds of the fruit- 29
bearing shoots themselves, one that comes out of the
hard-Avood of the vine, which, because in the first
year it usually puts forth leaves but no fruit, is called
a tendril-bearing shoot, and another which is pro-
duced from a one-year-old shoot and, because it bears
fruit immediately, is called a fructuary shoot. In
order that we may have plenty of shoots of this kind
in our vineyard, the portions of the shoots up to three
buds must be tied back, so that whatever is below the
band may produce firm-wood. Then, afterwards, 30
when the vine has increased in years and strength,
the cross-branches must be conveyed to all the
nearest trees and after two years must be cut away
and others which are younger must be trained across ;
for when they grow old they wear out the vine.
Sometimes too, when the vine cannot occupy the
whole tree, it has been found useful to bend part of
it down and sink it into the earth and raise two or
three layers again into the same tree, so that it may
be surrounded by several vines and so be more quickly
covered.

A tendril-bearing shoot ought not to be allowed to 31
grow on a young vine, unless it has grown in a place
where it is required, so that it may be wedded to a
branch which lacks a vine-shoot. Tendril-bearing
shoots which grow in the right place on old vines are
useful and are generally cut back to the third bud and
allowed to grow with very good results ; for in the
following year they produce firm-wood in abundance.
But if any tendril growing in the right place is broken 32
in the process of pruning or tying, provided that it

63

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ut aliquam gemmam habuerit, ex toto tolli non
oportet, quoniam proximo anno vel validiorem

33 materiam ex una creabit.^ Praecipites palmites di-
cuntur, qui de hornotinis ^ virgis enati in duro alli-
gantur. Hi plurimum fructus afFerunt, sed plurimum
matri nocent. Itaque nisi extremis ramis, aut si vitis
arboris cacumen superaverit, praecipitari palmitem

34 non oportet. Quod si tamen id genus colis propter
fructum submittere quis velit, palmitem intorqueat.
Deinde ita alliget et praecipitet. Nam et post eum
locum quern intorseris, laetam materiam citabit, et
praecipitata minus virium * in se trahet, quamvis
fructu exuberet. Praecipitem vero plus anno pati non
oportet.

35 Alterum * genus palmitis, quod de novello nascitur
et in tenero alligatum dependet, materiam vocamus ;
ea et fructum et nova flagella bene procreat. Et iam
si ex uno capite duae virgae submittantur, tamen
utraque ^ materia dicitur ; ^ nam pampinarius quam
vim habeat, supra docui. Focaneus est, qui inter
duo bracchia velut in furca de medio nascitur. Eum
colem deterrimum esse comperi, quod neque fructum
ferat, et utraque bracchia, inter quae natus est,
attenuet. Itaque tollendus est.

36 Plerique vitem validam et luxuriosam falso credi-
derunt feraciorem fieri, si multis palmitibus submissis

^ creabit a : creavit SAc.
^ annotinis codd.

* vinum SAac.

* est Sc : ei Aa: om. Poniedera.
^ utramque SAac.

* deciditur SA : decitur a : decidunt c.

» See Book IV. 24. 10.

64

BOOK V. VI. 32-36

has some bud left, it should not be entirely removed,
since in the following year it will produce an even
stronger firm-wood branch from a single bud. Shoots 33
are called " precipitated " which, sprung from rods
one year old, are tied to the hard wood. These bear
fruit very freely but do much damage to the mother-
vine ; and so a shoot ought not to be " precipitated "
except from the ends of the branches or if the vine has
surmounted the top of the tree. If, however, any- 34
one wishes to let this kind of stem grow freely for the
sake of the fruit, let him twist the shoot, and then
tie it in that position and bend it over ; for it will put
forth flourishing firm-wood behind the point at which
you have twisted it, and also, when it is bent over, it
will attract less strength to itself, even though it bears
an abundance of fruit. A shoot which has been bent
over ought not to be allowed to continue so for more
than one year.

Another kind of shoot which grows from a young 35
vine and hangs down tied to the tender part of the
vine, we call firm-wood ; it produces a good crop both
of fruit and of new sprouts, and if two rods are allowed
to grow from one head, both, nevertheless, are called
firm-wood ; for I have pointed out above what
strength the leaf-bearing shoot possesses. The
" throat-shoot " " is that which grows out of the
middle between two branches, as it were in a fork.
This I have found to be the worst kind of shoot,
because it does not bear fruit and it weakens both of
the branches between which it has grown. It must,
therefore, be removed.

Most people have believed that a strong, luxuriant 36
vine becomes more fertile, if it is loaded with many
shoots which are allowed to grow, but they are

65

VOL. II. D

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

oneretur. Nam ex pluribus virgis plures pampinos
creat, et cum se multa fronde cooperit, peius defloret,
nebulasque et rores ^ diutius continet, omnemque
uvam perdit. Validam ergo vitem in ramos diducere
censeo, et traducibus dispergere atque disrarare,^
certosque vinearios coles praecipitare, et si minus ^
luxuriabitur, solutas materias relinquere ; ea ratio
vitem feraciorem faciet.^
37 Sed ut densum arbustum commendabile ^ fructu et
decore est, sic ubi vetustate rarescit, pariter inutile
et invenustum est. Quod ne fiat, diligentis patris-
familias est, primam quamque arborem senio de-
fectam tollex*e, et in eius locum novellam restituere,*
nee eam viviradice frequentare,'' ea etsi ^ sit facultas,
sed,^ quod est longe melius, ex proximo propagare.
Cuius utriusque ratio consimilis est ei ^^ quam tradi-
dimus. Atque haec de Italico arbusto satis prae-
cepimus.

VII. Est et alterum genus arbusti Gallici, quod
vocatur rumpotinum. Id desiderat arborem hu-
milem nee frondosam. Cui rei maxime videtur esse

^ et rores ac : errores SA.

2 dirrare SA : diradare a : durare c.

' nimis SAac.

* faceret SAac.

* commendabili SAac.

* post restituere add. vitem SAac : om. Pontedera.

' nee tam viviradice frequentare Gesner : que aut enectam
viviradici frequenter S : quae aut nectam viviradici frequenter
A : queat ut nectam viviradici frequenter ac.

* ut si SAac.

* sed om. SAac.
1" ei om. SAac.

" The text here is quite doubtful.
66

BOOK V. VI. 36-vii. I

wrong; for it produces more leaf-bearing shoots
from its more numerous rods and, when it has
covered itself with abundant foliage, it flowers less
well and holds the fog and dew too long and loses all
its clusters of grapes. I am, therefore, in favour of
distributing a strong vine over the boughs of the
supporting tree and spreading it in the form of
cross-branches and thinning it out and bending
over a certain number of grape-bearing shoots, and,
if it is not luxuriant enough, leaving the firm-
wood loose. This method will make the vine more
productive.

Just as a dense plantation is commendable from 37
the point of view of the fruit and for its fine appear-
ance, so when it becomes thin through lapse of time
it is equally unprofitable and ugly to look upon. To
prevent this, it is the duty of a careful owner of
property to remove every tree as soon as it becomes
enfeebled by age and to plant a young tree in its place
and not to crowd it round with quick-sets "■ — ^although
there may be facilities for doing so — but, what is far
better, to set layers from near at hand. In both cases
the method is very similar to that which we have
already set forth. We have now given enough in-
struction about Italian plantations. ^itntations

VII.ThereisanotherkindofplantationfoundinGaul, of trees for
whichiscalledthatofdwarftrees.* It requires a low and vmes!'^"*
not very leafy tree, and the guelder-rose tree " seems

* This is derived from rumpvs (Varro, R.R. I. 8. 4) meaning
a " vine-branch " or " runner " — apparently the same as
tradux — and teneo.

" Viburnum opulus is called the cranberry-tree or high
cranberry, also white dogwood, marsh- or water-elder, or
gaiter-tree.

67

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

idonea opulus ^ : ea est arbor corno ^ similis. Quin
etiam cornus et carpinus et ornus non nunquam et
salix a plerisque in hoc ipsum disponitur. Sed salix
nisi aquosis locis, ubi aliae arbores difficiliter
comprehendunt, ponenda non est, quia vini saporem
infestat. Potest etiam ulmus sic disponi, ut adhuc ^
tenera decacuminetur, ne altitudinem qutndecim
pedum excedat. Nam fere ita constitutum rumpo-
tinetum animadverti, ut ad octo pedes locis siccis et
clivosis, ad duodecim locis planis et uliginosis tabu-
lata disponantur. Plerumque autem ea arbor in tres
ramos dividitur, quibus singulis ab utraque parte com-
plura bracchia submittuntur, tum omnes pene virgae,
ne umbrent, eo tempore quo vitis putatur, abraduntur.
Arboribus rumpotinis, si * frumentum non inseritur,
in utramque partem viginti pedum spatia inter-
veniunt ; at si segetibus indulgetur, in altera parte
quadraginta pedes, in altera viginti relinquuntur.
Cetera simili ratione atque in arbusto Italico admi-
nistrantur, ut vites longis scrobibus deponantur, ut
eadem diligentia curentur, atque in ramos didu-
cantur,^ ut novi ^ traduces omnibus annis inter se ex
arboribus proximis committantur ^ et veteres deci-
dantur. Si tradux traducem ® non contingit, media
virga inter eas deligetur. Cum ' deinde fructus
pondere urgebit, subiectis adminiculis sustineatur.
Hoc autem genus arbusti ceteraeque omnes arbores

^ opulus edd : populus SAac.

" aceme S : cemae A : ceme ac.

^ hue SAac. * Si om. SAac.

* deducatur SAac. * non novi Aac : non vita S.
' committantur SAa : commutantur c.

* ducem Aac : dulcem S.

' For dwarf planting, not for wet.
68

BOOK V. VII. 1-4

to be the most suitable for this purpose, a tree which
closely resembles the cornel-tree. Indeed the
cornel-tree, the horn-beam and sometimes the
mountain-ash and the willow are planted by most
people to this very end ; but willows should not be
planted except in watery places, where other trees
take root with difficulty, because it spoils the
flavour of the wine. The elm also can be adapted
to this purpose " by having its top cut off while it is
still young, so that it does not exceed the height of
fifteen feet ; for I have noticed that the plantation
of dwarf trees is usually so ordered that the " stories "
are arranged at the height of eight feet in dry, sloping
places, and twelve feet on flat, marshy ground. But
usually this tree is divided up into three branches,
upon each of which several arms are allowed to
grow on both sides ; then almost all the rods are
pared off" at the time when the vines are pruned, so
that they may not cause a shade.

If no cereal is sown amongst the dwarf trees, spaces
of twenty feet are left on either side ; but if one
indulges in crops, forty feet are left on one side and
twenty on the other. In all other respects operations
are carried out on the same principle as in an Italian
plantation, namely, that the vines are planted in
long holes, that they may be looked after with
the same care, and trained along the boughs of the
trees, and the young cross-branches joined together
every year from the nearest trees and the old ones cut
off". If one cross-branch does not reach to another, it
should be connected by a rod running between
them. When later the fruit bows the vine down with
its weight, it should be supported by props put
underneath it. This kind of plantation, just like all

69

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

quanto altius arantur et circiimfodiuntur, maiore
fructu exuberant ; quod an expediat patrifamilias
facere, reditus docet.

VIII, Omnis tamen arboris cultus simplicior quam
vinearum est, longeque ex omnibus stirpibus mi-
norem impensam desiderat olea, quae prima omnium
arborum est. Nam quamvis non continuis annis, sed
fere altero quoque ^ fructum afFerat, eximia tamen
eius ratio est, quod levi cultu sustinetur, et cum se
non induit, vix ullam impensam poscit. Sed et si
quam recipit, subinde fructus multiplicat : neglecta
compluribus annis non ut vinea deficit, eoque ipso
tempore aliquid etiam interim patrifamilias praestat,
et cum adhibita cultura est, uno anno emendatur.
Quare etiam nos in hoc genere arboris diligenter
praecipere censuimus.

Olearum, sicut vitium, plura genera esse arbitror,
sed in meam notitiam decem omnino pervenerunt :
Posia,2 Licinia,^ Sergia,* Nevia,^ Culminia,^ Orchis,'

1 quodque SAac. * posita SAac.

^ licia SAac. * Sergia SAac.

* nevira 8 : nevi Aac.

* culminia <S^ : culmina ac.
' orces SAa : orches c.

" The MSS. readings of the names which follow have to be
emended from the lists of olive-trees given by other authors,
particularly Palladius (III. 18), who is obviously copying
Columella. Whereas Columella says that he is going to give
the names of ten kinds, nine only are named. To complete the
number Schneider inserts Algiana as the second name, but he
gives no indication of the source from which he derived this
name. The meaningless culi, which in the MSS. precedes the
last name, is possibly a corruption of the missing tenth
name.

70

BOOK V. VII. 4-viii. 3

kinds of other trees, produces a greater abundance
of fruit the deeper the ground is ploughed and dug
round it ; whether it pays the owner of the property
to make it is shown by the profit which it returns.

VIII. The cultivation of any kind of tree is simpler The various
than that of the vine, and the olive-tree, the queen oiirc-trees.
of all trees, requires the least expenditure of all.
For, although it does not bear fruit year after year 2
but generally in alternate years, it is held in very
high esteem because it is maintained by very light
cultivation and, when it is not covered with fruit, it
calls for scarcely any expenditure ; also, if anything
is expended upon it, it promptly multiplies its crop
of fruit. If it is neglected for several years, it does
not deteriorate like the vine, but even during this
period it nevertheless yields something to the owner
of the property and, when cultivation is again applied
to it, it recovers in a single year. We have, there- 3
fore, besides others thought it well to give careful
instructions about this kind of tree.

I fancy that there are as many kinds of olive-trees
as of vines, but ten in all have come under my notice : "
the Posia,*" the Licinian, the Sergian, the Nevian,"
the Culminian,'* the Orchis,^ the Royal, the Shuttle,/

* Posia, or as it is sometimes spelt Pavsia is called by Vergil
{Georg. II. 86) anmra pavsia bacca : the derivation of the word
is unknown.

" The Licinian, Sergian and Nevian olive-trees were called
after the names of those who introduced them into Italy.

■* The origin of this name is unknown : it is mentioned by
Varro, BR.. I. 21. 1 and Pliny, N.H. XV. § 13.

« The Greek opx'S = Latin testictilus, and indicates the shape
of the fruit.

^ Also called maiorina from its great size (Pliny, N.H. XV. §
15). Gesner {Index,s.v.RADIOLV S and Vol. II. p. 1223) identi-
fies Cercitisy/iih. Radius (below). Both words mean "shuttle".

71

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Regia,^ Cercitis, Murtea.^ Ex quibus bacca iucun-
dissima est Posiae,^ speciosissima Regiae,* sed utra-
que potius escae, quam oleo est idonea. Posiae ^
tamen oleum saporis egregii, dum viride est, intra
annum corrumpitur.^ Orchis ' quoque et Radius
melius ad escam quam in liquorem stringitur.
Oleum optimum Licinia dat, plurimum Sergia :
omnisque olea maior fere ad escam, minor oleo est
aptior. Nulla ex his generibus, aut praefervidum,
aut gelidum statum caeli patitur. Itaque aestuosis
locis septentrionali coUe, frigidis meridiano gaudet.
Sed neque depressa loca neque ardua, magisque
modicos clivos amat, quales in Italia Sabino-
rum vel tota provincia Baetica videmus. Hanc
arborem plerique existimant ultra milliarium ^ cente-
simum ^ a mari aut non vivere aut non esse feracem.
Sed in quibusdam locis recte valet. Optime vapores
sustinet Posia,!** frigus Sergia.

Aptissimum genus terrae est oleis, cui glarea
subest, si superposita creta sabulo admixta est. Non
minus probabile est solum, ubi pinguis sabulo est.
Sed et densior terra, si uvida et laeta est, commode
recipit hanc arborem. Creta ex toto repudianda est,
magis etiam scaturiginosa, et in qua semper uligo
consistit. Inimicus est etiam ager sabulo macer, et

^ regiona SAac.

* Cercitis mystea edd. : scrisis culi murtea SA : scrisis
culimurtea a : scrisis culmurtea c.

' posiae iS : positae Aac.

* regies SAc : reges a.

* posita SAac.

" intra annum corrumpitur Codex Goesianus : inani rumpitur
S : imam rumpitur A : ima rumpitur a : una in rumpitur c.
' orceis SA : orces ac.

* milliarium om. SAac.

72

BOOK V. viii. 3-6

the Myrtle. Of these the berry of the Posia is the
most agreeable, that of the Royal the showiest, and
both are more suitable for eating than for oil. The
oil from the Posia has an excellent flavour as long as
it is green, but it goes bad within a year. The Orchis
also and the Shuttle-olive are better gathered for
eating than for their oil. The Licinian pro'duces the
best oil, the Sergian the most abundant, and,
generally speaking, all the bigger olives are more
suitable for eating, the smaller for oil. No olive-
trees of these kinds can stand a very warm or a very
cold climate ; and so in very hot regions the olive-
tree rejoices in the north side of a hill, in cool districts
in the south side ; but it does not like either low-
lying or lofty situations but prefers moderate slopes
such as we see in the Sabine territory in Italy and all
over the province of Baetica." Most people think
that this tree either cannot live or is not productive
more than a hundred miles from the sea, but in some
places it thrives well. The Posia stands the heat
best, the Sergian the cold.

The most suitable kind of ground for olive-trees is
that which has gravel underneath, if chalk mixed
with coarse sand forms the top-soil. Not less highly
esteemed is ground where there is rich sand, but
denser soil also is well adapted to receive this tree, if it
is moist and fertile. Chalk must be wholly rejected,
and even more land which abounds in springs and
where ooze is always standing. Land which is lean
because of sand is unfriendly to the olive-tree ; so is
" Columella's native province in S.W. Spain.

• centesimum S : censimum A : sexagesimum a: lx c.
*' postea SA : posita ac.

73

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

nuda glarea. Nam etsi non emoritur in eiusmodi
solo, nunquam tamen convalescit. Potest tamen in
agro frumentario seri, vel ubi arbutus, aut ilex
steterant. Nam quercus etiam excisa radices noxias
oliveto relinquit, quarum virus enecat oleam. Haec
in universum de toto genere huius arboris habui
dicere. Nunc per partes culturam eius exsequar.

IX. Seminarium ^ oliveto praeparetur caelo libero,
terreno ^ modice valido et succoso, neque denso neque
soluto solo,potius tamen resoluto ; id genus fere terrae
nigrae est. Quam cum in tres pedes pastinaveris, et
alta fossa circumdederis, ne aditus ^ pecoi*i detur,*
fermentari sinito : tum ramos ^ novellos proceros et
nitidos, quos comprehensos manus possit circum-
venire, hoc est manubrii crassitudine, feracissimis ^
arboribus adimito, et quam recentissimas ^ taleas
recidito, ita ne corticem aut ullam aliam partem,
quam qua ^ serra praeciderit, laedas. Hoc autem
facile contingit, si prius varam feceris, et cam partem,
supra quam ramum secaturus es, faeno aut stramentis
texeris, ut molliter sine noxa corticis taleae super-
positae secentur. Taleae ^ deinde sesquipedales
serra ^^ praecidantur, atque earum plagae utraque
parte falce leventur, et rubrica ^^ notentur, ut sic
quemadmodum in arbore steterat ramus, ita pars
recte et cacumine caelum spectans deponatur. Nam

^ seminario SAac.

* raodo SAac.

' aditus a : traditus SAc.

* ater SAac : post ater add. inferetur SAa : infrecturi c.

* ramos ac : ramus SA.

* feracissimos SAac.

^ recentissimos c : recentissimo SAa.
' -que SAac. • tali SAac.

^^ terra SAac. ^^ rubrica c : lubrica SAa.

74

BOOK V. VIII. 6-ix. 3

bare gravel : for, although it does not die in this kind 7
of soil, yet it never acquires strength. It can, how-
ever, be planted on corn-land or where the straw-
berry-tree or holm-oak have stood ; for the ordinary
oak, even if it has been cut down, leaves behind roots
harmful to the olive-grove, the poison from which
kills the olive. So much for general remarks on this
type of tree as a whole ; I will now describe its cultiva-
tion in detail.

IX. A nursery for your olive-grove should be pre- Nurseries

J *» " -*■ _ for olivG"

pared under the open sky on land which is moderately trees.
strong and juicy with soil which is neither dense nor
loose but rather broken up. This kind of soil generally
consists of black earth. When you have trenched it to
the depth of three feet and surrounded it with a deep
ditch, so that the cattle may have no access to it,
allow the ground to loosen up. Then take from
the most fruitful trees tall and flourishing young
branches, such as the hand can grasp when it takes 2
hold of them — that is to say of the thickness of a
handle — and cut off from these the freshest slips in
such a way as not to injure the bark or any other part
except where the saw has made its cut. This is quite
easy if you have first made a forked support and
protect with hay or straw the part above which you
are going to cut the branch, so that the slips which
are placed in the fork may be severed gently without
any damage to their bark. The slips then should be 3
cut to the length of a foot and a half with the saw,
and their wounds at each end smoothed with a
pruning-knife and marked with ruddle, in order that
the portion of the branch may be properly placed
in the position which the branch had occupied on the
tree, and with its top towards the sky ; for, if it is

75

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

si inversa mergatur, difficulter comprehendet, et
cum validius ^ convaluerit, sterilis in perpetuum erit.^
Sed oportebit talearum ^ capita et imas partes mixto
fimo cum cinere oblinire,* et ita totas eas immergere,^
ut putris terra digitis quattuor alte superveniat. Sed
binis indicibus ex utraque parte muniantur : hi sunt
de qualibet arbore ^ brevi ' spatio iuxta eas positi,
et inter se vinculo connexi, ne facile singuli deici-
antur. Hoc facere utile est propter fossorum
ignorantiam, ut cumi bidentibus aut sarculis semina-
rium colere institueris, depositae ^ taleae ^ non
laedantur.

Quidam melius existimant oculis excolere, et
chorda ^^ simili ratione disponere : sed utrumque
debet post vernum aequinoctium seri, et quam fre-
quentissime seminarium primo anno sarriri ; postero
et sequentibus, cum iam radiculae seminum con-
valuerint, rastris excoli. Sed biennio a putatione
abstineri, tertio anno singulis ^^ seminibus binos
ramulos relinqui, et frequenter sarriri seminarium
convenit. Quarto anno ex duobus ^^ ramis infirmior
amputandus est. Sic excultae quinquennio arbus-
culae habiles ^^ translationi sunt. Plantae autem

^ validis SAac.

* ease SAac.

* palorum SAac.

* oblinire ac : oblinere SA.

* immergere scripsi : inmediri SAc : inmederi a : immergerei
Schneider.

* arbore a : arbores SAc.
' brevi ac : breve 8 A.

* deposita SAac.

* et alere Sac : et alaerit A .

'" et chorda scripsi : cordo SAac.

" singuli SAac.

12 duabus SAa : duobus c. i' stabiles SAac.

76

BOOK V. IX. 3-6

sunk into the ground in an inverted position, it will
take root with difficulty and, when it has gained
more strength, it will be barren for ever. You will
have to smear the tops and lower ends of the slips
with a mixture of dung and ashes and plunge them
completely underground in such a way that there
may be four inches of loose earth above them. But the
slips should be provided mth two marking-pegs, one
on each side ; these are of any kind of wood and are
placed a little distance away from the slips and are
tied together with a band, so that they may not
easily be knocked over separately. It is expedient
to do this because of the unobservance of the diggers,
so that, when you start tilling your nursery with
mattocks or hoes, the slips which you have planted
may not be injured.

Some people think it better to cultivate olive-trees
by means of buds and to arrange them by means of
a cord on a similar principle ; * but in either case the
planting ought to take place after the spring
equinox, and during the first year the nursery ought
to be hoed over as often as possible. In the follow-
ing and subsequent years, when the rootlets of the
plants have gained strength, they should be cul-
tivated with rakes ; but for the first two years it is
best to abstain from pruning, and in the third year
two little branches should be left on each plant, and
the nursery should be frequently hoed. In the
fourth year the weaker of the two branches should
be cut away. Thus cultivated the small trees are
fit for transplantation in five years. In dry soil and

" The text here is apparently corrupt beyond emendation :
the above is a translation of the reading of the MSS. with one
slight change.

77

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

in oliveto disponuntur optime siccis minimeque
uliginosis agris per autumnum, laetis et humidis
verno tempore, paulo antequam germinent. Atque
ipsis scrobes quarternum pedum praeparantur anno
ante, vel si tempus non largitur, priusquam de-
ponantur arbores,^ stramentis ^ atque virgis iniectis '
incendantur scrobes, ut eos ignis putres faeiat, quos
sol et pruina * facere debuerat. Spatium inter-
medium esse debet ^ pingui et frumentario solo
sexagenum pedum in alteram partem, atque in
alteram quadragenum : macro nee idoneo segetibus,
quinum ^ et vicenum '' pedum. Sed in Favonium
dirigi ordines convenit, ut aestivo perflatu refrige-
rentur.

Ipsae autem arbusculae hoc modo possunt trans-
ferri : antequam explantes arbusculam solo,^ rubrica
notato partem eius, quae meridiem spectat, ut eodem
modo, quo in seminario erat,^ deponatur. Deinde ^^
arbusculae spatium pedale in circuitu relinquatur,
atque ita cum suo caespite planta eruatur. Qui
caespes in eximendo ne resolvatur ,i ^ modicos surculos ^^
virgarum inter se connexos facere oportet, eosque
pilae,^^ quae eximitur,^* applicare, et viminibus ita

^ deponantur arbores a : deponatur arbore SAc.

* stramentio Poniedera : sistam rectis c : sustain rectiua
A : si tam rectis a.

* atque virgis insectis S : om Aac.

* pruina a : ruina SAc.

* spatium intermedium esse debet pingui Poniedera :
spatia ut vitis me deberit pingui S : spatium ut as me deberit
pingui A : spatium minime debebit pingiu a : spatia vitis erit
pungui c.

* quidam 5.4 a : -em c.

' vicenum Ursinus : vicesimum SA : vigesimura ac.

* plantam pars arbuscula sole SAac,

* et id SAac.

7«

BOOK V. IX. 6-8

where there is very little moisture the plants are best
put out in the olive-grove during the autumn, but,
where the soil is I'ich and damp, in the spring just
before they come into bud. Four-foot plant-holes
are prepared for them a year earlier, or, if there is
not an abundance of time before the trees are
planted, let straw and twigs be thrown in and the
plant-holes burnt, so that the fire may make them
friable, as the sun and frost ought to have done. On
ground which is rich and fit for growing corn the space
between the rows ought to be sixty feet in one
direction and forty in the other : if the soil is poor
and not suitable for crops, twenty-five feet. But it
is proper that the rows should be aligned towards the
west, that they may be cooled by the summer-breeze
blowing through them.

The small trees themselves may be transplanted
in the following manner. Before you pull up a little
tree from the soil," mark on it with ruddle the side
of it which faces south, so that it may be planted in
the same manner as in the nursery. Next let a
space of one foot be left round the little tree in a circle
and then let the plant be pulled up with its own turf,
and that this turf may not be broken up in the process
of removal, you must weave together moderate-sized
twigs taken from rods and apply them to the lump of
earth which is being removed and so bind it with

" The text here is quite uncertain, but the sense is obvious.

^° post deinde add. ut SAa : aut c.

^1 solvatur SAac.

1^ modico surculos SAac.

1^ pilae quae scripsi : pila qua S : pila quae Aac.

^* eximitur c : eximuntur SAa.

79

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

innectere, ut constricta terra ^ velut inclusa teneatur.

9 Turn subruta parte ima leviter pilam ^ commovere, et
suppositis virgis alligare, atque plantam transferre.
Quae antequam deponatur,^ oportebit solum scrobis
confodere * bidentibus : deinde terram aratro subac-
tam, si tamen pinguior erit summa humus, immittere,^
et ita seminibus substernere, et si ^ consistet ' in
scrobibus aqua, ea omnis haurienda est, antequam ^
demittantur arbores. Deinde ingerendi minuti la-
pides vel glarea mixta pingui solo, depositisque
seminibus latera scrobis circumcidenda, et aliquid

10 stercoris interponendum. Quod si cum sua terra
plantam ^ transferre ^^ non convenit, tum optimum est
omni fronde privare truncum, atque levatis plagis
caenoque ^^ et cinere oblitis,^^ in ^^ scrobem vel sulcum
deponere. Truncus autem aptior translationi est,^*
qui bracchii crassitudinem habet. Poterit etiam longe
maioris incrementi et robustioris transferri. Quern
ita convenit poni, ut, si non periculum a pecore habeat,
exiguus admodum supra scrobem emineat : laetius
enim frondet. Si tamen incurs-us pecoris aliter vitari
non poterit, celsior^^ truncus constituetur, ut sit

^ constrictae terrae SAac * pilam SAac.

^ deponantur SAac.

* confodere scripsi : copia fodere SAac.
^ mittere SAac.

* si a : sic SAc.
' constet SAac.

* nusquam SAa : nunquam c.

* plantam SAac.

I*' transferre om. SAac.
" caenoqne S : cinoque A : acinoque ac.
^^ obrutis SAac. ^' in om. SAac.

1* truncus autem aptior translationi est Oeaner : truncos
gratus autem maturis SAac.
** depressior codex Ooeaianua.

8o

BOOK V. IX. 8-10

osiers that the soil, being pressed together, may be
held as it were enclosed. Then having dug up the 9
lowest part, you must gently move the lump of earth
and bind it to the rods put under it and transfer the
plant. Before it is placed in the ground, you will
have to dig up the soil in the plant-hole with hoes ;
then you should put in soil which has been broken up
with the plough, provided that the top-soil shall be
rather rich, and strew it with seeds underneath ; <*
and, if there is any water standing in the plant-holes,
it should all be drained away before the trees are put
in. Next minute stones or gravel mixed with rich
soil must be thrown in and, after seeds have been put
in, the sides of the plant-hole must be pared away
all round and some manure put in among them.
If, however, it is not convenient to remove the plant 10
with its own earth, it is best to strip the stem of all
its leaves and, after smoothing its wounds and daubing
them with mud and ashes, place it in the plant-hole
or furrow. A stem is quite ready for moving '' which
is as thick as a man's arm ; one of much greater
and stronger growth can also be transplanted, but it
must be so placed if it is not in any danger from
cattle, that only a little of it projects above the
plant-hole ; it then produces more luxuriant foliage.
If, however, the attacks of cattle cannot be avoided
in any other way, the stem will be planted so as to
project further from the ground, so that it may

" Schneider, by a quotation from Palladius III. 18, who is
there copying Columella, shows that it was customary to strew
barley-seeds in the bottom of the hole in which a tree was about
to be planted in order to cause fermentation; compare also
(Aristotle) Problems, XX. 8, where it is said that barley-husks
were sprinkled in the holes in which celery was to be planted.

'' The reading here is uncertain.

8i

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

11 innoxius ab iniuria pecorum. Atque etiam rigandae
sunt plantae, cum siccitates incesserunt, nee nisi post
biennium ferro tangendae.^ Ae primo surculari
debent, ita ut simplex stilus altitudinem maximi
bovis 2 excedat ; deinde arando ne ^ coxam bos,
aliamve partem corporis ofFendat, optimum est etiam
constitutas plantas circummunire ^ caveis.

Deinde constitutum iam et maturum olivetum in
duas partes dividere, quae alternis annis fructu in-
duantur. Neque enim olea continuo biennio uberat.^

12 Cum subiectus ager consitus non est, arbor ^ co-
liculum agit : cum seminibus repletur, fructum affert ;
ita sic divisum olivetum omnibus annis aequalem
reditum adfert.' Sed id minime bis anno arari
debet : et bidentibus alte circumfodiri. Nam post
solstitium cum terra aestibus hiat, curandum est, ne

13 per rimas sol ad radices arborum ^ penetret. Post
aequinoctium autumnale ita sunt arbores ablaque-
andae, ut a superiore parte, si olea in clivo ^ sit,
incilia ^° excitentur, quae ad codicem deducant
aquam. Omnis deinde soboles, quae ex imo stirpe
nata est, quotannis extirpanda est, ac tertio quoque
fimo pabulandae sunt oleae. Atque eadem ratione
stercorabitur olivetum, quam in secundo libro pro-

^ tangeri de SA : tangi debeat a : tangi de hac c.

* bovis Oesner : scrobis SAac.
^ ne post arando om. SAac.

* circumvenire SAac.

* eberat S : deberat Aa : debeat c.

* arbori SAac.

' ita sic — adfert om. Sa.

* arborem SA: arborum ac.

* clivoso SAa.

1" incilia S : inciUcia Aac.

82

BOOK V. IX. 10-13

be free from such injury by cattle. The plants must 11
also be watered, when droughts occur, and they must
not be touched with the knife unless two years have
passed; and, firstly, they ought to be trimmed so
that there is only a single stem which exceeds the
height of the tallest ox ; and, secondly, lest in
ploughing an ox should hit it with his haunch or any
other part of his body, it is best to protect the plants
with fences, even plants that are established.

When the olive grove is established and has
reached maturity, you must divide it into two parts,
so that they may be clothed with fruit in alternate
years ; for the olive-tree does not produce an
abundance two years in succession. When the 12
ground underneath has not been sown with a crop, the
tree is putting forth its shoots ; when the ground is full
of sown crop, the tree is bearing fruit ; the olive-grove,
therefore, being thus divided, gives an equal return
every year. But it ought to be ploughed at least twice
a year and dug deep all round the trees with hoes ; for
after the solstice, when the ground gapes open from
the heat, care must be taken that the sun does not
penetrate to the roots of the trees through the
cracks. After the autumn equinox the trees ought 13
to be trenched all round, so that, if the olive-grove is
on a slope, ditches may be formed from the higher
ground to convey water to the trunks of the trees.
Next every shoot which springs from the lowest part
of the stem must be removed each year, and every
third year the olive-trees must be fed with dung.
The olive-grove will be manured by the same method
as that which I suggested in the second book," if,

' Book II. 15. 1-3.

83

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

14 posui, si 1 tamen segetibus prospicietur. At si ipsis
tantummodo arboribus, satisfacient ^ singulis ster-
coris caprini sex librae, vel^ stercoris sicci modii
singuli, vel amurcae insulsae congius * sufficient,
Stercus autumno debet inici, ut permirtum hieme
radices oleae calefaciat.^ Amurca minus ^ valentibus
infundenda est. Nam "^ per hiemem, si vermes atque
alia suberunt animalia, hoc medicamento necantur.

15 Plerumque etiam locis siccis et humidis arbores
musco infestantur. Quem nisi ferramento earn *
raseris,^ nee fructum nee lactam frondem ^^ olea
inducet. Quin etiam compluribus interpositis annis
olivetum putandum est : nam veteris proverbii
meminisse convenit, eum qui aret olivetum, rogare ^^
fructum ; qui stercoret, exorare ; qui caedat, cogere.
Quod tamen satis erit octavo anno fecisse, ne fructu-
arii rami subinde amputentur.

16 Solent etiam quamvis laetae arbores fructum non
afFerre. Eas terebrari gallica terebra convenit,
atque ita in foramen ^^ viridem taleam ^^ oleastri arete
immitti.^* Sic velut inita arbor fecundo semine

^ si om. SAac.

* satisfaciant edd. : satis servari S : satis servaveri A :
satis servaveris a : satis servaverimus c.

^ vel add. Schneider.

* insulsae congius Schneider : in singulis condivis SAc : in
singulis congiis a.

* calefacit SAac.

* minus ex Palladio add. Schneider.
' Post nam add. eius SAac.

* eam scripsi : ea SAac.

* reseris SA : resecaveris ac.
1" laeta fronde SAac.

'1 rigare SAac.

84

BOOK V. IX. 13-16

that is, provision is going to be made for a crop of
corn." If you are providing only for the olive-trees 14
themselves, six pounds of goat's dung or a single
viodius of dry dung or a congius of unsalted lees of
oil will suffice. The dung ought to be put in during f
the autumn, so that, being thoroughly mixed in, it '
may warm the roots of the olive in the winter. The
lees of oil should be poured upon those trees which are
not thriving very well ; for during the winter, if worms
and other creatures have got into them, they are
killed by this treatment. Generally too in dry as well 15
as in moist places the trees are infested with moss,
and unless you scrape it off with an iron instrument,
the olive-tree will not put forth fruit or an abundance
of leaves. Moreover, the olive-grove must be pruned
at intervals of several years; for it is well to re-
member the old proverb " He who ploughs the olive-
grove, asks it for fruit; he who manures it, begs for
fruit ; he who lops it, forces it to yield fruit." How-
ever, it will suffice to have pruned it every eighth
year, so that the fruit-bearing branches may not be
from time to time cut off.

It happens also frequently that, though the trees 16
are thriving well, they fail to bear fruit. It is a good
plan to bore them with a Gallic auger and to put
tightly into the hole a green slip taken from a wild
olive-tree ; the result is that the tree, being as it were
impregnated with fruitful offspring, becomes more pro-

" I.e. if corn is being sown between the olive-trees.

^* formem SAac.

" viridam talem SA : viridem talem ac.

^* partem dimitti Aac : parte dimitti S.

85

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

fertilior extat. Sed ^ haec ablaqueatione adiuvanda
est amurcaque insulsa cum suilla vel nostra urina ^
vetere, cuius utriusque modus servatur.^ Nam
maximae arbori, ut tantundem aquae misceatur,*
urna abunde erit. Solent etiam vitio soli ^ fructum

17 oleae negare.^ Cui rei sic medebimur. Altis gyris
ablaqueabimus eas, deinde calcis pro magnitudine
arboris plus minusve circumdabimus : sed minima
arbor modium postulat. Hoc remedio si nihil fuerit
eflFectum, ad praesidium insitionis confugiendum erit.
Quemadmodum autem olea inserenda sit, postmodo
dicemus. Non nunquam etiam in olea unus ramus
ceteris aliquanto est laetior. Quem nisi recideris,
tota arbor contristabitur.

Ac de olivetis hactenus dixisse satis est. Superest
ratio ' pomiferarum arborum, cui rei deinceps
praecepta dabimus.

X. Modum pomarii, priusquam semina seras, ^
circummunire ^ maceriis vel saepe vel fossa praecipio,^"
nee solum pecori, sed et homini transitum negare,
quoniam si saepius cacumina manu detracta aut a
pecoribus praerosa sunt, in perpetuum semina in-

2 crementum capere nequeunt. Generatim autem dis-

^ Post sed add. si SAac.

^ nostra urina : natura SAac.

' servaturum SAac.

* misceatur ac : misatur 5.4.

* soli a : sol SAc.

* negare S : necare Aac.
^ ratio om. SAac.

86

BOOK V. IX. i6-x. 2

ductive. But it must also be assisted by being dug
round and by unsalted lees of oil mixed with pigs'
urine or stale human urine, a fixed quantity of each
being observed ; for a very large tree an urn will be
fully enough, if the same quantity of water is mixed
with it. Olive-trees also often refuse to bear fruit
because of the badness of the soil. This we shall 17
remedy in the following manner. We shall dig deep
trenches in circles round them and then put more or
less lime round them according to the size of the tree,
though the smallest tree requires a modius. If there
is no result from this remedy, we shall have to have
recourse to the assistance of grafting. How an olive-
tree should be ingrafted we will describe hereafter.
Sometimes also one branch of an olive-tree flourishes
somewhat more than the rest and, unless you cut it
back, the whole tree will languish.

This must suffice for our description of olive-groves.
It remains to deal with the treatment of fruit-bear-
ing trees, on which subject we will give instructions
forthwith.

X. <* Before you set the plants I advise you to protect Pomiferous
the bounds of your orchard with walls or a fence or a
ditch and to deny a passage not only to cattle but
also to man, for if their tops are frequently pulled
off by the hand of man or gnawed away by cattle,
the plants are forever unable to reach their full
growth. It is expedient to arrange the trees accord- 2

" The rest of this book is slightly longer but almost identical
with de Arhoribus, Ch. 18 to the end.

* semina seras a : semiseras SAc.

* circumvenire SAac.

^^ praecipio S : praecipi Ac : praecipiti a.

87

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ponere arbores utile est, maxime ne ^ etiam imbecilla
a valentiore prematur, quia nee viribus nee magnitu-
dine par est, imparique spatio temporis adolescit.
Terra, quae vitibus apta est, etiam arboribus est
utilis. Ante annum, quam seminare voles, scrobem
fodies.2 Ita sole pluviisve ^ macerabitur, et quod *
positum est cito comprehendet.^ At si eodem anno
et scrobem facere ^ et arbores serere properabis,''
minime autem duos menses scrobes ® fodito, postea
stramentis incensis calefacito ; quos si latiores
patentioresque feceris,* laetiores uberioresque fructus
percipies. Sed scrobis clibano similis sit, imus
summo ^^ patentior, ut laxius radices vagentur ac
minus frigoris hieme ^^ minusque aestate vaporis per
angustum os penetret,^^ etiam clivosis locis terra,
quae in eum congesta est, a pluviis non abluatur.

Arbores raris intervallis serito, ut, cum creverint,
spatium habeant, quo ramos extend ant. Nam si
spisse posueris, nee infra serere quid poteris, nee
ipsae fructuosae erunt, nisi intervulseris : itaque
inter ordines quadragenos pedes minimumque tri-
cenos relinquere convenit. Semina lege crassa non
minus quam manubrium bidentis, recta, levia,

^ ne o : om. SAc.

* fodies SA : fodi c : fodere a : fodito edd.
' phiviavc a : pluviasve c : pluviasne SA.

* qua c : qua pedes SAa.

' comprehendet S : compedit A : competet ac.
" facere om. SAac.

' properabis Brouckhusius : proibis S : prohibis A : pro-
hibes a : prohibe c.

* autem duos menses scrobes add. edd. ex libro de Arboribvs
20, 1 : om. SAac.

* feceris ac : seris SA.

^^ imus summo ex libro de Arboribvs I.e. edd. : humus sum-
mum S : humus summus a : umus summum Ac.

BOOK V. X. 2-6

ing to their kinds, chiefly in order to prevent the
weak from being overwhelmed by the stronger,
because the former is not equal to the latter either in
strength or in size and reaches maturity in a different
period of time. Ground which is suitable for vines
is also advantageous for trees. You will dig the
plant-hole in which you wish to put a plant a year
beforehand, for then it will be softened by the sun
or the rain, and that which has been put into it Avill
take root quickly. But if you are in a hurry to make
the plant-hole and to set the plants in the same
year, dig the plant-holes at least two months before-
hand and afterwards warm the holes by burning
straw in them. The broader and wider you make
them, the more luxuriant and abundant will be the
fruit which you will gather. Let your plant-hole be
like an oven, wider at the bottom than at the top,
so that the roots may spread more loosely, and less
cold in winter and less heat in summer may penetrate
through the narrow mouth, and also that on sloping
ground the earth which is heaped up in it may not be
washed away by rains.

Plant the trees at wide intervals, so that, when
they have grown, they may have room to spread
their branches. For if you set them thickly, neither
will you be able to plant anything underneath them,
nor will they be themselves fruitful unless you thin
them out ; and so it is well to leave forty or at least
thirty feet between the rows. Choose plants at least
as thick as the handle of a hoe and straight, smooth,

11 hieme om. SAac.

1* openetrum SAc : penetrum a.

89

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

procera, sine ulceribus, integro libro. Ea bene et
celeriter eomprehendent. Si ex arboribus ^ ramos ^
sumes,^ de iis quae quotannis bonos et uberes fructus
afFerunt, eligito ab humeris * qui sunt contra solem
orientem. Si cum radice plantam posueris, in-
crementum maius futurum quam ceteris senties.
Arbor insita fructuosior est quam quae insita non est,
id est, ^ quam quae ramis ^ aut plantis ponetur.''
Sed antequam arbusculas ^ transferas,^ nota ventos
quibus ^^ antea fuerant constitutae, postea ^^ manus
adhibeto ^^ ut de clivo et sicco in ^^ humidum agrum
transferas. Trifurcam ^^ maxime ponito. Ea extet ^^
minime tribus pedibus. Si eodem scrobe duas aut
tres arbusculas voles ^^ constituere,^' curato ne inter i®
se contingant,^^ nam ita vermibus interibunt.^o Cum
semina depones, ^^ dextra sinistraque usque ^^ in imum
scrobem fasciculos ^3 sarmentorum bracchii crassitu-
dinis demittito, ita ut supi-a terram paulum extent,

1 arboribus Schneider ex libro de Arboribns 20, 1 : veteribus
Aac : veterius S.

^ ramis SAc : rami a.

* sumes SA : summes a : sumus c.

* ab humeris Schneider ex libro de Arboribxis, I.e. : ab ilia
SAac.

* orientem — id est add, Schneider ex libro de Arboribus, I.e. :
om. SAac.

* ramis a : rimis SAc.

' ocnentur/S: conentur ^ac.

* arbuscula SAac.

* transferres SAa : transferes c.

1** ventos quibus scripsi : viventis quibus Sa : viveras
quibus A : vivenes(?) quibus c.
11 ante erunt (runt S) constitui possit SAac.
1* adhibeto S : adiuveto Aac,
'^ in om. SAac.

1* trifurcam ac : trifurcamina S : trifurcam in A.
'5 extent SAac,

90

BOOK V. X. 6-8

tall, free from excrescences and with sound bark.
Such plants will take root well and quickly. If you
take branches from trees, choose them from those
which bear good and abundant fruit every year,
taking them from the " shoulders " which face the
rising sun. If you have set a plant with its root you
will perceive that the growth will be quicker than in
the other plants. A tree which is ingrafted is more
fruitful than one which is not, that is, than one
which is planted in the form of a branch or of a small
plant. But, before you transplant small trees, note
what winds they had formerly faced, and afterwards
get to work and transfer them from a sloping, dry
position to moist soil. Preferably plant a tree which
has three prongs, and let it project at least three
feet from the ground. If you wish to put two or three
small trees in the same trench, take care that they do
not touch one another, since then they will be killed
by worms. When you set plants, lower right into
the bottom of the trench, on the right and on the left
hand side, bundles of twigs of the thickness of the
arm in such a way that they project a little above the
soil, so that in summer you may with little trouble

1* voles c : volens SAa.

I'' constituere SAac.

** puter SAac.

1' constringat SAac.

*° nam ita vermibus interibunt scripsi ex libra de Arboribvs
20, 2 : aut verbi ut interibunt 8 : aut verbi aut interibunt
Aac.

^^ cum semina depones ex libra de Arboribus I.e. Schneider :
depone Aac : depones iS.

22 usque ac : us SA.

23 fasciculas SA.

91

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

per quos aestate parvo labore aquam radicibus sub-
ministres. Arbores ac semina cum radicibus autum-

9 no serito, hoc est circa idus Octob. ; taleas et ramos ^
prime vere,2 antequam^ germinent* arbores, deponito :
ac ne tinea molesta sit seminibus ficulneis, in imum
scrobem lentisci taleam inverse cacumine demittito.

P'icum frigoribus ne serito. Loca aprica, calculosa,
glareosa, interdum et saxeta amat. Eiusmodi arbor
cito convalescit, si scrobes amplos patentesque feceris.

10 Ficorum genera,^ etsi sapore atque habitu distant,
uno modo, sed pro differentia agri seruntur. Locis
frigidis et autumni temporibus ^ aquosis praecoques
ponito ut ante pluviam fructum deligas : locis
calidis hibernas serito. At' si voles ficum quamvis
non natura seram facere, tunc grossulos, prioremve
fructum decutito,^ ita alterum edet,^ quem in hie-
mem^'^ difFeret. Non nunquam etiam, cum frondere^^
coeperint arbores, cacumina fici ferro summa prodest
amputare : sic firmiores arbores et feraciores sunt ;
ac semper conveniet, simulatque folia agere coeperit
ficus, rubricam amurca ^^ diluere, et cum stercore

11 humano ad radicem infundere. Ea res efficit
uberiorem fructum, et farctum ^' fici pleniorem ac

^ taleas et ramos addidi ex libro de Arboribvs, 20, 3.

* primo vers edd. : removerere S : removeret Aac.
' antequam edd. : qua S : equam A : aqiiam ac.

* germinant SAac.

* fico genera ta SAac.

* temporis SAac.
' aut SAac.

* decutit SAac.
» det SAac.

'" hieme SAac.

'' frondere Aac : fronde S.

1* amurgam S.

92

BOOK V. X. 8-1 1

convey water through them to the roots. Set trees
and seedlings with roots in autumn, that is, about
October 15th, but plant cuttings and branches in 9
the early spring before the trees begin to bud ; and,
in order that the moth may not damage fig-tree
seedlings, put in the bottom of the trench a slip from
a mastic-tree with its top inverted.

Do not plant a fig-tree in cold weather. It likes
sunny positions, where there are pebbles and gravel,
and sometimes also rocky places. This kind of tree
quickly gains strength if you make your trenches
roomy and wide. The various kinds of fig-tree, al- 10
though they differ greatly in flavour and habit, are
planted in the same manner, allowance being made for
the difference of soil. In cold places and where the
autumn season is wet, you should plant those whose
fruits ripen early, so that you may gather the fruit
before the rain comes ; but plant winter figs in warm
places. If, on the other hand, you wish to make a
fig-tree bear late fruit, which it does not naturally
do, shake down the unripe or early fruit, and it will
then produce another crop which it will defer to the
winter. Sometimes too, when the trees begin to bear
leaves, it is beneficial to cut off the extreme tops of
the fig-tree with a knife ; the trees are then sturdier
and more prolific. It will be always a good plan, as
soon as the fig-tree begins to put forth leaves, to
dissolve ruddle in lees of olive-oil and pour it together
with human ordure over the roots. This makes the 11
fruit more abundant and the inner part of the fig fuller

1' farctum add. edd. ex libro de Arboribus 21, 2 : partum
SAac.

93

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

meliorem. Serendae sunt autem praecipue Livi-
anae,^ Africanae, Chalcidicae, Fulcae, Lydiae, Calli-
struthiae,^ Astropiae,^ Rhodiae * Libycae, Tiburnae,^
omnes etiam biferae et triferae flosculi.

12 Nucem Graecam serito circa cal. Febr,, quia
prima gemmascit : agrum durum, calidum, siccum
desiderat. Nam in locis diversis nucem si depo-
sueris, plerumque putrescit. Antequam nucem
deponas, in aqua mulsa nee nimis dulci macerato.
Ita iucundioris saporis fructum, cum adoleverit,

13 praebebit, et interim melius atque celerius frondebit.
Ternas nuces in trigonum statuito, et nux a nuce
minime palmo absit, et apex ^ ad Favonium spectet.
Omnis autem nux unam radicem mittit, et simplici
stilo prorepit. Cum ad scrobis solum radix pervenit,
duritia humi coercita recurvatur, et ex se in modum
ramorum alias radices emittit.

14 Nucem Graecam et Avellanam Tarentinam facere
hoc modo poteris. In quo scrobe destinaveris nuces
serere,' in eo terram minutam in modo^ semipedis
ponito, ibique semen ferulae repangito.^ Cum ferula
fuerit enata, earn findito, et in medulla eius sine

^ libianae S.

* callistrustiae S : callistrustiae A : callistrusitae c : calli-
strusneae a.

* astopiae SA : asthopie c : stopie a.

* rhodie ac : rohiae SA.

* Tiburnae scripsi : tybernae Aa : tibeme S : thibeme c.

* apex scripsi : anceps SAac.

' necesse rere SA : nee esse serere a.
' in modum S : pro modum Aac.

* repangito A : pangito S : repaginate c : om. a.

" Pliny, N.H. XV. § 70. It is said to have been called after
Livia, the wife of Augustus.

* Pliny, N.H. XIV. § 69 : called after Chalcis in Euboea.

94

BOOK V. X. 11-14

and better. You should chiefly plant the Livian,"
African, Chalcidian,^ Fulcan,'' Lydian, Callistruthian,'*
Astropian/ Rhodian, Libyan and Tiburnian/ fig-trees,
also all those which bear a floweret twice or three
times a year.

You should plant the almond-tree, since it is the 12
first tree to put out buds, about February 1st. It
requires hard, warm, dry ground ; for if you plant a
nut in places which have different qualities from
these, it generally rots. Before you put the nut in
the ground, soak it in honey-water, which should not
be too sweet ; it will then, when it comes to maturity,
produce fruit of a pleasanter flavour, and meanwhile
its foliage will grow better and quicker. Place three 13
nuts so as to form a ti'iangle and let them be at least
a hand's breadth away from one another, and let one
apex of the triangle face towards the West. Every
nut sends out one root and creeps out of the ground
with a single stem. When the root has reached the
bottom of the planting-hole, it is checked by the
hardness of the soil and bent back and puts forth
from itself other roots like the branches of a tree.

You will be able to make an almond and a filbert
into a Tarentine nut in the following manner. In 14
the planting-hole in which you intend to sow the
nuts place fine soil to a depth of half a foot and set in
it a fennel-root. When the fennel has grown up,
split it and secrete in the pith of it an almond or a

' This kind is not otherwise mentioned and the name is
perhaps corrupt.

^ Book X. line 416 : so called because sparrows {arpovdol)
were fond of it. It was also called passeraria.

' This kind is not otherwise mentioned and the name is
perhaps corrupt.

■^ From Tibur in Latium, the modem Tivoli.

95

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

putamine nucem Graecam aut Avellanam abscondito,
et ita adobruito. Hoc ante calend. Martias facito,
vel etiam inter nonas et idus Mart. Eodem tempore
iuglandem et pineam et castaneam serere oportet.

15 Malum Punicum vere^ usque in cal. Aprilis recta
seritur. Quod si acidum aut minus dulcem fructum
feret, hoc modo emendabitur. Stercore suillo
et humano urinaque vetere radices rigato. Ea res
et fertilem arborem reddet, et primis annis fructum
vinosum ; post quinquennium dulcem, et apyrenum ^
facit. Nos exiguum admodum laseris vino diluimus,
et ita cacumina arboris summa oblevimus. Ea res

16 emendavit acorem malorum. Mala Punica ne in
arbore hient,^ remedio sunt ■* lapides tres, si, cum
seres ^ arborem, ad radicem ipsam coUocaveris.^ At
si iam arborem satam ' habueris, scillam secundum
radicem arboris serito. Alio modo, cum iam matura
mala fuerint, antequam rumpantur, ramulos, quibus
dependent, intorqueto. Eodem modo servabuntur
incorrupta etiam toto anno.

17 Pyrum autumno ante brumam serito, ita ut
minime dies xxv ad brumam ^ supersint. Quae ut
sit ferax, cum adoleverit, alte cam ablaqueato, et
iuxta ipsam radicem truncum findito, et in ^ fissuram
cuneum ^" tedae pineae adicito, et ibi relinquito :
deinde adobruta ablaqueatione cinerem supra terram

18 inicito. Curandum est autem, ut quam generosis-

* vere edd. ex libro de Arboribus 23, 1 : habere SAac.
^ aprinum SAac.

' hient a : lent SA : ventre medio c.

* erit SAac.

^ seres Aa : res Sc.

* collocaveris S : colueris Aac.
' sitam SAac.

* ad brumam ac : a brumam A : abruma S.

96

BOOK V. X. 14-18

filbert without its shell, and then cover it over with
earth. Do this before March 1st or between
March 7th and 15th. You should at the same time
plant the walnut, the pinenut and the chestnut.

It is correct to plant the pomegranate in the spring 15
up to April 1st. But if it bears fruit which is bitter
and not sweet, this will be remedied by the follow-
ing method : moisten the roots with sow-dung and
human ordure and stale urine. This will both render
the tree fertile and during the first years cause the
fruit to have a vinous taste ; after five years it makes
it sweet and its kernels soft. We ourselves have
mixed just a little juice of alexanders with wine and
smeared the uppermost tops of the tree. This has
remedied the tartness of the fruit. To prevent 16
pomegranates from bursting on the tree, the remedy
is to place three stones at the very root of the tree
when you plant it; if, however, you have already
planted it sow a squill near the root of the tree.
According to another method, when the fruit is al-
ready ripe and before it bursts, you should twist the
little boughs on which it hangs. By the same method
the fruit will keep without decaying for a whole year.

Plant the pear-tree in the autumn before winter 17
comes, so that at least twenty-five days remain before
mid-winter. In order that the tree may be fruitful
when it has come to maturity, trench deeply round
it and split the trunk close to the very root and into
the fissure insert a wedge of pitch-pine and leave it
there ; then, when the loosened soil has been filled
in, throw ashes over the ground. We must take 18
care to plant our orchards with the most excellent

» in om. SAac. i*" cuneo SAac.

97

VOL. IT. E

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

simis pyris pomaria conseramus. Ea sunt Crustu-
mina, regia, Signina, Tarentina, quae Syria dicuntur,
purpurea, superba, hordeacea, Aniciana, Naeviana,
Favoniana, Lateritana, Dolabelliana, Turraniana,
volaema, mulsa,i praecocia, venerea, et quaedam alia,

19 quorum enumeratio nunc longa est. Praeterea
malorum genera exquirenda maxime Scaudiana,^
Matiana, orbiculata, Cestina, Pelusiana,^ Amerina,
Syrica, melimela, Cydonia : quorum genera tria sunt,
struthia,* chrysomelina, mustea. Quae omnia non
solum voluptatem, sed etiam salubritatem afFerunt.
Sorbi quoque et Armeniaci atque Persici non minima
est gratia. Mala, sorba, pruna, post mediam

20 hiemem ^ usque in idus Feb. serito. Mororum ^ ab
idib. Feb. usque ad aequinoctium vernum satio est.

^ mulsa ac : mulsia 8 A.

^ Scaudiana scripsi : Scaidianam S : Gaudiana Aac.

* pedusiana SAac.

* struthia Aac : struti <S'.

* hiemem edd. ex libro de Arboribus 25, 1 : essem SA :
messem ac.

* mororum edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : malorum SA.

" From Crustumium in Etruria.

" From Signia in Latium.

" So called, according to Pliny {N.H, XV. § 55) because they
are ripe at the time of the barley-harvest.

** So called from the person who introduced it (Pliny, I.e. ;
Cato, li.R., VII. 3).

« Probably called after a member of the gens Naevia, who
perhaps also introduced the Naevian olive (Book XII. 50. 1).

■^ Called after M. Favonius, an imitator of Cato (Cicero, Alt.
I. 14. 5).

' From Laterium near Arpinum, where Q. Cicero had a villa
(Cicero, AH. XI, 1).

98

BOOK V. X. 18-20

pear-trees that we can find. These are the Crustu-
minian," the Royal, the Signine,* the Tarentine,
which are called Syrian, the Purple, the Superb,
the Barley-pear," the Anician,** the Naevian,« the
Favonian,/ the Lateritan,? the Dolabellian,'' the
Turranian,' the Warden-pear,i the Honey-pear, the
Early-ripe, the Venus-pear and certain others, which
it is a long task to enumerate now. Moreover, the 19
following kinds of apple should be especially sought
after, the Scaudian,* the Matian,^ the Globe-
apple, the Cestine,"* the Pelusian," the Amerian,"
the Syrian, the Honey-apple and the CydonianP
(of which there are three kinds, the Sparrow- apple,
the Golden apple and the Must-apple ?). All these
cause not only pleasure but also good health.
Service-apples also and apricots and peaches have no
small charm. You should plant apple-trees, service-
trees and plum trees after the middle of winter and
until February 13th. The time for planting mul- 20
berries is from February 13th to the spring equinox.

* Called after an unknown member of the Dolabella
family.

' Called after D. Turranius Niger, the friend of Varro
(Varro, R.R. II. Introd. 6).

^ Vergil, Oeorg. 88. Servius derives the name from vola
and says it means " hand-filler."

* Called after a certain Scaudius (Pliny, N.H. XV. § 49).

' Called after C. Matius, a favourite of Augustus (Book XII.
46. 1).

"* Called after a certain Cestius (Pliny, loc. cit.).

" From Pelusium in north Egypt.

" From Ameria, a town of Umbria.

** Malum Cydonium is the quince. Cydonia is a town in
Crete.

« So called according to Pliny (N.H. XV. § 51) because it
ripens quickly.

99

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Siliquam Graecam, quam quidam Kepdriov vocant, et
Persicum ante brumam per autumnum serito.
Amygdala, si parum ferax erit, forata arbore lapidem
adicito, et ita librum arboris inolescere sinito.

21 Omnium autem generum ramos ^ circa cal. Martias
in hortis subacta ^ et stercorata terra super pulvinos
arearum disponere convenit. Danda est opera, ut
dum teneros ramulos habent, veluti pampinentur, et
ad unum stilum primo anno semina redigantur. Et
cum autumnus incesserit, ante quam frigus cacumina

22 adurat, omnia folia decerpere expedit, et ita crassis
arundinibus, quae ab una parte nodos integros ha-
beant, velut pileis ^ induere, atque a frigore et
gelicidiis teneras adhuc * virgas tueri. Post viginti
quattuor deinde menses sive transferre et disponere
in ordinem voles, sive inserere, satis tuto utrumque ^
facere poteris.'

XI. Sed omnis surculus omni arbori inseri potest,
si non est ei, cui inseritur, cortice dissimilis. Si vero
etiam similem fructum et eodem tempore afFert, sine
scrupulo egregie inseritur. Tria genera porro in-
sitionum antiqui tradiderunt. Unum, quo resecta et
fissa arbor resectos "^ surculos accipit. Alterum, quo

^ ramos 8 : ramis A : ramus ac.

^ subacta edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : in hostis tritta
SA : trita a : truta c.

' pileis edd. : tiliae sic SAc : taliae sic a.

* adhuc edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : adit ut SAc : adit et
a.

* utrumque edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : utrius SAa :
utriusque c.

* poteris om. SAac.

' resectos Ac : sextos S : resoptos a.

TOO

BOOK V. X. 20-xi. I

The carob-tree, which some people called Ceration,"^ and
the peach-tree you should plant during the autumn
before winter comes. If an almond is not productive
enough, make a hole in the tree and drive in a stone
and so allow the bark of the tree to grow over.

It is proper to plant out the branches of all kinds of 21
fruit trees about March 1st in gardens on raised beds
after the soil has been well worked and manured.
Care must be taken to trim them while the little
branches are young and tender and in the first year
the seedlings should be reduced to a single stem.
When autumn has come on, before the cold nips the
tops, it is well to strip off all the foliage and to cover
the trees with caps, as it were, of thick reeds which 22
have their knots intact on one side, and thus protect
the still tender rods from cold and frosts. Then
after twenty-four months you will be able quite safely
to do whichever you wish of two things — either to
transplant and arrange them in rows or else to en-
graft them.

XI. Any kind of scion can be grafted on any tree, The graft-
if it is not dissimilar in respect of bark to the tree in t"fes.
which it is grafted ; indeed if it also bears similar
fruit and at the same season, it can perfectly well
be grafted without any scruple. Further, the
ancients have handed down to us three kinds of
grafting ; one in which the tree, which has been cut
and cleft, receives the scions which have been cut;
the second, in which the tree having been cut admits

" Kepdriov, which is found in the same sense as here in an in-
scription at Abydos {O.G.I. , 5. 21. 27), is used in Luke XV. 16 of
the " husks " eaten by the Prodigal Son. The name is no doubt
due to the shape of carob-nuts, which Pliny {N.H. XV. § 95)
describes as " sometimes curved like a sickle."

lOI

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

resecta inter librum et materiam semina admittit.
Quae utraque genera veris temporis sunt. Tertium,
quo ipsas gemmas cum exiguo cortice in partem sui
delibratam recipit, quam vocant agricolae emplastra-
tionem ; vel, ut quidam, inoculationem. Hoc genus
insitionis aestivo tempore optime usurpatur. Quarum
insitionum rationem cum tradiderimus, a nobis re-
pertam quoque docebimus.

Omnes arbores simulatque gemmas agere coe-
perint,^ luna crescente inserito ; olivam autem circa
aequinoctium vernum usque in idus Aprilis. Ex qua
arbore inserere voles, et surculos ad insitionem sumes,
videto ut sit tenera et ferax nodisque crebris : et
cum primum germina tumebunt,^ de ramulis anni-
culis, qui solis ortum spectabunt, et integri erunt, eos
legito crassitudine digiti minimi. Surculi sint bi-
furci vel trifurci. Arborem, quam inserere voles,
serra diligenter exsecato ^ ea parte, qua maxima nit-
ida et sine cicatrice est : * dabisque operam, ne librum
laedas. Cum deinde truncum recideris, acuto ferra-
mento plagam levato. Deinde quasi cuneum tenuera
ferreum vel osseum inter corticem et materiam ne
minus digitos tres, sed considerate, demittito, ne
laedas aut rumpas corticem. Postea surculos quos
inserere voles falce acuta ex ima parte deradito

^ coeperit SAa : coepit c.

" tumibunt SAac.

' excato S : exsecato Aa ; excecato c.

« QtS.

' So called from the plaster of clay or wax used in this
method.

Z02

BOOK V. XI. 1-4

grafts between the bark and the hard wood (both
these methods belong to the season of spring) ; and
the third, when the tree receives actual buds with a
little bark into a part of it which has been stripped
of the bark. The last kind the husbandmen call
emplastration * or, according to some, inoculation.*
This type of grafting is best employed in the summer.
When we have imparted the method of these graft-
ings, we will also set forth another which we have
discovered.

You should engraft all other trees as soon as they
begin to put forth buds and when the moon is
waxing, but the olive-tree about the spring equinox
and until April 13th. See that the tree from which
you intend to graft and are going to take scions for
insertion is young and fruitful and has frequent
knots and, as soon as the buds begin to swell, choose
from among the small branches which are a year old
those which face the sun's rising and are sound and
have the thickness of the little finger. The scions
should have two or three points. You should cut
the tree into which you wish to insert the scion care-
fully with a saw in the part which is most healthy
and free from scars, and you will take care not to
damage the bark. Then, when you have cut away
part of the trunk, smooth over the wound with a sharp
iron instrument ; then put a kind of thin wedge of
iron or bone between the bark and the firm-wood to
a depth of not less than three inches, but do so care-
fully so as not to damage or break the bark. After-
wards with a sharp pruning-knife pare down the
scions which you wish to insert, at their bottom end

' Because an " eye " or bud is taken from one tree and
inserted in another.

103

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tantum, quantum cuneus demissus ^ spatii dabit,
atque ita, ne medullam ^ neve alterius partis corticem
laedas. Ubi sureulos ^ paratos habueris,* cuneum
vellito, statimque sureulos dimittito ^ in ea foramina,^
quae cuneo adacto inter corticem et materiam feeeris.
Ea autem fine, qua adrasei'is, sureulos sic inserito, ut
semipede ' vel amplius de arbore extent. In una
arbore duos, vel si truncus vastior est, plures calamos
recte inseres, dum ne minus quattuor digitorum in-
ter eos sit spatium. Pro arboris magnitudine et
corticis bonitate haec facito. Cum omnes sureulos,
quos arbor ea patietur, demiseris, libro ulmi vel iunco
aut vimine arborem constringito : postea paleato
luto bene subacto oblinito totam plagam, et spatium
quod est inter sureulos, usque eo dum * minima
quattuor digitis insita extent.^ Supra deinde mu-
seum ^'^ imponito, et ita ligato, ne pluvia dilabatur.
Quosdam tamen magis delectat in trunco arboris
locum seminibus serra facere, insectasque partes
tenui scalpello levare, atque ita sureulos aptare. Si
pusillam arborem inserere ^^ voles, imam abscindito,
ita ut sesquipede e terra ^^ extet. Cum deinde praeci-
deris, plagam diligenter levato : et medium truncum
acuto scalpello modice findito, ita ut fissura digitorum

^ demissis c : dimissus SAa.

* medullis SAac.

' post sureulos add. Aac dimittito.

* straveris SAac.

* dimittito addidi ex libro de Arborihus I.e.

* foramina edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : forma SAac.
' semipedem SAac.

* usque ad eodem S.

* in una — § 6, insita extent S : om. Aac.

10 museum edd. ex libro de Arboribus 26, 6 : ramuscula Sac:
ramieula(?) A,

104

BOOK V. XI. 4-7

to such a size as will fill the space given by a wedge
which has been thrust in, in such a way as not to
damage the cambium or the bark on the other side.
When you have got the scions ready, pull out the 5
wedge and immediately push down the scions into
the holes which you made by driving in the wedge
between the bark and the firm-wood. Put in the
scions by inserting the end where you have pared
them down in such a way that they stand out half-a-
foot or more from the tree. You will be correct in
inserting two grafts in one tree, or more if the trunk
is larger, provided that the space between them is
not less than four inches. In doing so take into
account the size of the tree and the quality of the
bark. When you have put in all the scions that the 6
tree will stand, bind the tree with elm-bark or reeds
or osiers ; next with well-worked clay mixed with
straw daub the whole of the wound and the space
between the grafts to the point at which the scions
still project at least four inches. Then put moss
over the clay and bind it on so that the rain may not
seep through. Some people, however, prefer to make
a place for the slips in the trunk of the tree with a
saw and then smooth the parts in which cuts have
been made with a thin surgical-knife and then fit in
the grafts. If the tree which you wish to engraft is 7
small, cut it off low down so that it projects a foot
and a half from the ground ; then, after cutting it
down, carefully smooth the wound and split the
stock in the middle a little way with a sharp knife,

^^ serere SAac.

^* sesquipedam e terra A : sequipedamen terra S : sexquipe-
dam e terra o : sexquipedem e terra c.

105

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

trium sit in ea. Deinde cuneum, quo ^ diducatur,
inserito, et surculos ex utraque parte derasos de-
mittitOj sic ut librum seminis libro arboris aequalem

8 facias. Cum surculos diligenter aptaveris, cuneum
eximito, et arborem, ut supra dixi, alligato : deinde
terram circa arborem adaggerato usque ad ipsum
insitum. Ea res a vento et calore maxime tuebitur.

Nos tertium genus insitionis invenimus, quod ^
cum sit subtilissimum, non omni generi arborum '
idoneum est, sed fere recipiunt talem insitionem,
quae humidum succosumque et validum librum ha-

9 bent, sicut ficus. Nam et lactis plurimum mittit, et
corticem robustum habet, Optime itaque * inseritur
tali ratione.^ Ex arbore, de qua inserere voles,
novellos et nitidos ramos eligito, in iisdemque quae-
rito ^ gemmam, quae bene apparebit, certamque '
spem germinis habebit : earn duobus digitis quadratis
circumsignato, ut gemma media sit : et ita acuto
scalpello circumcisam diligenter, ne earn laedas,

10 delibrato. Item alterius arboris, quam emplastra-
turus es, nitidissimum ramum eligito, et eiusdem
spatii corticem circumcidito, et materiam delibrato.
Deinde in eam partem, quam nudaveris, praepara-

^ quo Aac : quod(?) S.

* invenimus quod add. edd. : om. SAac.

* generi arboris a : generi arborum c : generiem arbori A :
geriem arbori S.

* ea add. S.

* tali ratione scripsi ex libro de Arboribus 26, 7 : carifici
ratione S : caprifici raneus Ac : caprifici ramos a.

* querito SA : serito ac,

io6

BOOK V. XI. 7-IO

so that there is a cleft of three inches in it. Then
insert a wedge by which the cleft may be kept open,
and thrust down into it scions which have been pared
away on both sides, in such a way as to make the bark
of the scion exactly meet the bark of the tree. When 8
you have carefully fitted in the scions, pull out the
wedge and bind the tree in the manner desci'ibed
above ; then heap the earth round the tree right up
to the graft. This will give the best protection from
wind and heat.

A third kind of grafting is our own invention ;
being a very delicate operation, it is not suited to
every kind of tree. Generally speaking those trees
admit of this kind of grafting which have moist, juicy
and strong bark, like the fig-tree ; for this both yields 9
a great abundance of milk and has a stout bark, and
so a graft can be very successfully inserted by the
following method. On the tree from which you wish
to take your grafts, you should seek out young and
healthy branches, and you should look out on them
for a bud which has a good appearance and gives
sure promise of producing a sprout. Make a mark
round it enclosing two square inches, so that the
bud is in the middle, and then make an incision all
round it with a sharp knife and remove the bark
carefully so as not to damage the bud. Also choose 10
the healthiest branch of the other tree, which you are
going to inoculate, and cut out a part of the
bark of the same dimensions as before and strip the
bark off the firm-wood. Then fit the scutcheon which
you have prepared to the part which you have

' certamque edd, ex libro de Arboribm 26, 8 ; certaminis
SAac.

J07

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

turn emplastrum aptato,i ita ut alterius ^ delibratae

11 parti conveniat. Ubi ita haec feceris, circa gemmam
bene alligato, cavetoque ne laedas ipsum germen.
Deinde commissuras et vincula luto oblinito, spatio
relicto, ut gemma libera vinculo non urgeatur. Ar-
boris autem insitae sobolem et ramos superiores
praecidito, ne quid sit, quo ^ possit succus * avocari,^
aut ne cui ^ magis quam insito serviat. Post xxi
diem solvito emplastrum. Et hoc genere optima
etiam olea inseritur.

12 Quartum illud genus insitionis iam docuimus, cum
de vitibus disputavimus. Itaque supervacuum est
hoc loco repetere traditam rationem terebrationis.

Sed cum antiqui negaverint posse omne genus
surculorum in omnem arborem inseri, et ex ilia quasi
finitione, qua nos ante paulo usi sumus, veluti quan-
dam ' legem sanxerint, eos tantum ^ surculos posse
coalescere, qui sint cortice ac libro et fructu consi-
miles iis arboribus, quibus inseruntur, existimavimus
errorem huius opinionis discutiendum, tradendam-
que posteris, rationem, qua possit omne genus surculi

13 omni generi ^ arboris inseri. Quo ne longiore
exordio legentem fatigemus, unum quasi exemplum
subiciemus, -quo possit omne genus surculi dissimi-
libus 1" arboribus inseri.

1 aptato Sc : apto Aa.

^ alterius scripsi : altere Aac : alte S.

* quo edd. ex libro de Arboribus 26, 9 : quod SAac.

* succus add. edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : om. SAac.

* avocari S : vocari Aac.

* ne cui edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : necuim SA : nee
hurai a : ne vim c.

' veluti quandam edd. ex libro de Arboribus I.e. : vel
antequam SAa : ut antiquum c.

* tantum c : tantos SAa.

io8

BOOK V. XI. 10-13

bared, so that it exactly corresponds to the area on
the other tree from which the bark has been stripped.
Having done this, bind the bud well all round and be 11
careful not to damage the sprout itself. Then daub
the joints of the wound and the ties round them with
mud, leaving a space, so that the bud may be free and
not be constricted by the binding. Cut away the shoot
and upper branches of the tree into which you have in-
serted the graft, so that there may be nothing to
which the sap can be drawn off or benefit from the sap
to another part rather than the graft. After the
twenty-first day unbind the scutcheon. This kind of
grafting is very successful with the olive also.

The fourth method of grafting we have already 12
explained when we treated of vines ; so it is super-
fluous to repeat here the method of " terebration "
already described.*

But since the ancients denied that any kind of scion
could be grafted on any kind of tree and, according
to the limitation which we made use of just now,**
established as a hard and fast rule that only those
scions can unite which resemble the trees in which
they are inserted in bark and rind and fruit, we have
thought it advisable to destroy this erroneous
opinion and to hand down to posterity a method by
which any kind of scion can be grafted upon any kind
of tree. That we may not weary the reader with 13
too long a discourse, we will submit a single example
by following which any kind of scion can be grafted
upon a different kind of tree.

« IV. 29, 13 : V. 9. 16. ^ § 1 of this chapter.

• omni generi c : omni genere A : omne genere 8 : om. a.
^^ dissimilibus scripsi : dissimilis 8 : dimissis Aac.

109

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Scrobem ^ quoquoversus pedum ^ quattuor ab
arbore olivae tam longe fodito, ut extremi rami oleae
possint eam contingere.^ In ^ scrobem deinde fici
arbusculam deponito, diligentiamque adhibeto, ut

14 robusta et nitida fiat. Post biennium, cum iam satis
amplum incrementum ceperit, ramum olivae, qui
videtur nitidissimus, deflecte, et ad crus arboris
ficulneae religa : atque ita amputatis ceteris ramis,
ea tantum cacumina,^ quae inserere voles,® relinque ;
turn arborem fici detrunca, plagamque leva, et me-

15 diam cuneo finde. Cacumina deinde olivae, sicuti
matri cohaerent, ex utraque parte adrade, et ita
fissurae fici insere, cuneumque exime, diligenterque
ramulos colliga, ne qua vi revellantur.' Sic inter-
posito triennio coalescet ficus cum olea, et turn de-
mum quarto anno, cum bene ® coierint,^ velut pro-
pagines, ramulos olivae a matre resecabis. Hoe
modo omne genus in omnem arborem inseres. At
prius quam finem ^^ libri faciamus, quoniam fere
species ^^ surculorum omnes persequimur prioribus ^^
libris, de cytiso praecipere ^^ nunc parvum i* ac
tempestivum est.^^> ^^

^ aerobe SAac.
^ pedes SAac.

* possit ea contingere 8 : positae contingere ac : positae
tangere A.

* in om. SAac.

' cacumine ac : cacumineris SA.

* quae inserere voles add. edd. ex libro de Arboribus 27. 3:
om. SAac.

' revellantur ac : revellatur SA.

* bene edd. ex libro de Arboribus 27. 4 : ene S : eno Ac:
eo a.

* coierit SAac.

^^ finem Aac : fine S.

11 species a : specimus S : spes c.

IIO

BOOK V. xr. 13-15

Dig a trench measuring four feet each way at such
a distance from an olive-tree that the ends of the
branches can reach it. Then plant a small fig-tree
in the trench, and be careful that it grows strong and
healthy. After two years, when it has made enough 14
growth, bend down the branch of the olive-tree
which seems to be the healthiest and bind it to the
stock of the fig-tree. Then lop off the rest of the
branches and leave only the tops which you wish to
engraft ; then cut through the trunk of the fig-tree
and smooth off the wound and split it in the middle
with a wedge. Then pare the tops of the olive-tree, 15
still adhering to the mother-tree, on both sides, and
then insert « them in the cleft in the fig-tree, and
take away the wedge and carefully tie the little
branches so that no force may tear them away.
Then after an interval of three years the fig-tree will
coalesce with the olive-tree, and finally, in the fourth
year, when they have become properly united, you
will cut off the little olive branches from the mother-
tree, just as if they were layers. This is the way
in which you will graft any kind of scion on any kind
of tree. But before we make an end of this book,
since in the earlier books we treat of almost every
kind of small tree, I regard it as a brief and opportune
task to give instructions about the shrub-trefoil.*

» By bending them over, not cutting them off.
* The text here is doubtful : one MS. seems to contain
two sets of words expressing the same thing.

1* prioribus a : priores SAc. 1* incipere SAac.
1* parvum Aac : pravum S. i^ p^to A : fuit Sa : om. c.
^* post puto add. nunc (hunc c) arboris praecipientes oppor-
tune eius meminerimus SAac.

Ill

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

XII. Cytisum in agro esse quam plurimum maxime
refert, quod gallinis, apibus, ovibus, capris, bubus
quoque et omni genei'i pecudum utilissimus est ;
quod ex eo cito pinguescit, et lactis plurimum praebet
ovibus, 1 tum^ etiam ^ octo mensibus viridi eo pabulo
uti et postea arido possis. Praeterea in quolibet
agro quamvis macerrimo celeriter comprehendit :
omnem iniuriam sine noxa patitur. Mulieres quidem
si lactis inopia premuntur, cytisum aridum in aqua
macerare oportet, et cum tota nocte permaduerit,
postero die expressi succi ternas heminas permiscere
modico vino, atque ita potandum dare : sic et ipsae *
valebunt, et pueri abundantia lactis confirmabuptur.
Satio autem cytisi vel autumno circa idus Octobris,
vel vere fieri potest.

Cum terram bene subegeris, areolas facito, ibique
velut ocimi semen cytisi autumno serito. Plantas
deinde vere disponito, ita ut inter se quoquoversus
quattuor pedum spatio distent. Si semen non ha-
bueris, cacumina cytisorum vere deponito, et ster-
coratam terram circumaggerato. Si pluvia non in-
cesserit, rigato quindecim proximis diebus : simulat-
que novam frondem agere coeperit, sarrito, et post
triennium deinde caedito, et pecori praebeto. Equo ^
abunde est viridis pondo xv, bubus pondo vicena,
ceterisque pecoribus pro portione virium.^ Potest ^

^ ovibus add. edd. ex libro de Arboribus 28, 1 : om. SAac.

* cum SAc : turn a.

' ovis post etiam add. SAc : iovis quod a.

* ipsa SAa : ipse c.

' equo edd. : aeque SA : eque ac.

* virium Aac : virura S. ' potest Ac : potes S : om. a.

' Presumably at one feeding.
112

BOOK V. XII. 1-4

XII. It is very important to have as much shrub- Of the
trefoil as possible on your land, because it is most use- shrui> ""^
ful for chickens, bees, sheep, goats, oxen and cattle Trefoil.
of every kind, which quickly grow fat upon it and it
makes ewes yield a very large quantity of milk ;
moreover you could also use it for eight months of the
year as green fodder and afterwards as dry. Further-
more, on any ground whatsoever, even if it be very
lean, it quickly takes root, and it bears any ill-
treatment without taking harm. Indeed if women 2
suffer from lack of milk, dry shrub-trefoil ought to
be steeped in water and, after it has soaked for a
whole night, on the following day three heminae of
the juice squeezed out of it should be mixed with
a little wine and given them to drink ; in this way
they themselves will enjoy good health, and the
children will grow strong on the abundance of milk
provided for them. Shrub-trefoil can be sown either
in the autumn about October 15th or in the spring.

When you have worked the soil thoroughly, make 3
little beds and in the autumn sow there the seed of the
shrub-trefoil as you would that of basil. Then in
the spring set out the plants so that they are dis-
tant four feet each way from one another. If you
have no seed, plant out tops of shrub-trefoil in the
spring and heap well-manured soil round them. If 4
rain has not come on, water them on the fifteen
following days. As soon as a plant begins to put
forth young foliage, hoe the ground. Then after
three years cut down the plants and give them to the
cattle. Fifteen pounds of shrub-trefoil when it is
green is quite enough " for a horse, and twenty pounds
for an ox, and it should be given to the other animals
according to their strength. Shrub-trefoil can also

"3

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

etiam circa sepem agri satis commode ramis cytisus
seri, quoniam facile comprehendit et iniuriam susti-
net. Aridum si dabis, parcius praebeto, quoniam
vires maiores habet, priusque aqua macerato, et
exemptum paleis permisceto. Cytisum cum aridum
facere voles, circa mensem Septembrem, ubi semen
eius grandescere incipiet, caedito, paucisque horis,
dum flaccescat, in sole habeto : deinde in umbra ex-
siccato, et ita condito.

Hactenus de arboribus praecepisse abunde est,
reddituro pecoris curam et remedia sequenti volu-
mine.

114

BOOK V. XII. 4-5

be quite conveniently propagated by planting
boughs round the fence of a field, since it easily takes
root and stands up to rough usage. If you give it
dry, give it rather sparingly, since it has more
strength, and soak it first in water and after taking
it out of the water, mix it with chaff. When you wish
to dry it, cut shrub-trefoil about the month of
September, when its seed begins to grow large,
and keep it in the sun for a few hours until it
withers ; then dry it in the shade and store it.

In what has gone before I have given ample instruc-
tion about trees ; in the next book I intend to deal
with the care of cattle and the remedies for their
diseases.

"5

BOOK VI

LIBER VI

PRAEFATIO

Scio quosdam, Publi Silvine, prudentes agricolas
pecoris abnuisse curam, gregariorumque pastorum
velut inimicam suae professionis disciplinam con-
stantissime repudiasse. Neque infitior id eos aliqua

1 ratione fecisse, quasi ^ sit agricolae contrarium pastoris
propositum : cum ille quam maxime subacto et puro
solo gaudeat, hie novali graminosoque ; ille fructum
e terra speret, hie e pecore ; ideoque arator abomi-
netur, at contra pastor optet herbarum proventum.

2 Sed in his tarn ^ discordantibus votis est tamen quae-
dam societas atque coniunctio : quoniam et pabulum
e ^ fundo plerumque domesticis pecudibus magis
quam alienis depascere ex usu est, et * copiosa
stercoratione, quae contingit e gregibus, terrestres

3 fructus exuberant. Nee tamen ulla regie est, in
qua modo frumenta gignantur, quae non ut hominum ^
ita armentorum adiutorio colatur.® Unde etiam
iumenta et armenta nomina a re ' traxere, quod

1 qua SA^. * in his tam R : in ista SA^.

^ ex Lundstrom : et SA^ : e A^ : est c.

* ex usu est et Schneider : exueste S : exuestet AR.

* hominum 8 : omnium AR.

* adiutorio colatur Schneider : adiuratorio colatur S adiu-
rator inculator A : adiurator inculatur A'.

"> nomina a re Lundstrom : nominare 8 : nom are A.

zi8

BOOK VI

PREFACE

I am well aware, Publius Silvinus, that there are
some intelligent farmers who have refused to keep
cattle and have consistently rejected the pursuit
of the master of a flock as harmful to their profession.
I do not deny that they have some reason for so
doing on the ground that the aim of the farmer is
contrary to that of the shepherd, since the former
rejoices in land which is tilled and cleared to the
greatest possible extent, while the latter takes
pleasure in ground which is fallow and grassy ; the
one hopes for the fruits of the earth, the other for
the produce of his cattle, and so the cultivator detests
while on the other hand the grazier longs for a rich
yield of grass. But, in spite of these irreconcilable 2
desires, there exists a sort of alliance and union
between them, because, firstly, it is generally better
to use the food provided by one's own farm in feeding
one's own cattle rather than those of other people,
and, secondly, because it is owing to the plentiful
use of manure, which is derived from flocks, that the
fruits of the earth abound. Nor indeed is there any 3
region in which nothing but cereals is grown and
which is not cultivated quite as much by the aid
of cattle as of men. Hence also draught-animals
(iumentd) and animals which draw the plough (armentd)

119

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

nostrum laborem, vel onera subvectando ^ vel arando
iuvarent.

Itaque sicut veteres Romani praeceperunt, ipse
quoque censeo tarn pecorum quam agrorum cultum

4 pernoscere. Nam in rusticatione vel antiquissima
est ratio pascendi eademque ^ quaestuosissima, prop-
ter quod nomina quoque pecuniae et peculii tracta
videntur a pecore : quoniam et solum id ^ veteres
possederunt, et adhuc apud quasdam gentes unum
hoc usurpatur divitiarum genus : sed * ne apud
nostros quidem colonos alia res uberior." Ut etiam
M. Cato prodidit,^ qui consulenti, quam partem rei
rusticae exercendo celeriter locupletari posset ' re-
spondit : Si bene is pasceret ; ^ rursusque interro-
ganti, quid deinde faciendo satis uberes fructus per-
cepturus esset, affirmavit : Si mediocriter pasceret.

5 Ceterum de tarn sapiente viro piget dicere, quod eum
quidam auctores memorant eidem quaerenti, quid-
nam ^ tertium in agricolatione quaestuosum esset,
asseverasse, si quis vel male pasceret ; cum prae-
sertim mains dispendium sequatur inertem et ins-
cium I'' pastorem, quam prudentem ^^ diligentemque
compendium. ^2 De secundo tamen responso dubium

^ subvectando R : subiectando S : subtectando A.

* eandemque SA. * id Lundstrom : in SA.

* sed S : et AR. ^ re superior SAR.

* prodidit S : reddidit AR.
'' posset S : possit AR.

* is pasceret Lundstrom : ipsasciret S : ipsas geret A.
' quidam 8 A.

J« scium SAR.

" prudenti SAR.

" conpendium S^ : conprendium S^A.

" The author here derived iumentum from iuvare, to aid,
and armentum from arare, to plough. In the latter case the
120

BOOK VI, PREFACE 3-5

derive their names from the fact that they aid our
labour either by carrying burdens or by ploughing."

Therefore, as the ancient Romans taught, I myself
am also of the opinion that we should thoroughly
understand the management of cattle as well as the
cultivation of the fields. For in the history of farm- 4
ing the system of grazing is certainly very ancient
and at the same time very profitable, and it is on this
account also that the names for money (pecunia) and
private property (peculium) seem to have been derived
from the word for cattle (pecus), because this was the
only possession which the men of old time had, and,
even at the present day, amongst some peoples, this
is the only kind of wealth in general use, and even
among our farmers there is nothing which yields a
richer increase. This was the opinion of Marcus Cato
amongothers, who, when someone seeking advice asked
him what department of agriculture he should practise
in order to get rich quickly, replied that he would get
rich if he were a competent grazier. When the same
person went on to ask him what is the second best
thing to do in order to obtain a sufl!iciently rich return,
Cato insisted that he could achieve this by being a
moderately good grazier. I feel some hesitation in 5
relating about so wise a man the reply, which some
authors attribute to him, when the same person
enquired what was the third most lucrative practice
in agriculture, namely, for a man to be even a bad
grazier; since certainly the losses which attend a
lazy and ignorant grazier are greater than the profits
which attend one who is prudent and careful. As
for Cato's second answer, there is no doubt that the

derivation is correct, but iumentum is derived from iugum, a
yoke.

121

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

non est, quin mediocrem negligentiam domini fructus
pecoris exsuperet.

6 Quam ob causam nos hanc quoque partem rei
rusticae, Silvine, quanta valuimus industria, mai-
orum secuti ^ praeeepta posteritati mandavimus.
Igitur cum sint duo genera quadrupedum, quorum
alterum paramus in consortium operum, sicut bovem,
mulam, equum, asinum ; alterum voluptatis ac re-
ditus et custodiae causa, ut ovem, capellam, suem,
canem : ^ de eo genere primum dicemus, cuius usus ^

7 nostri laboris est particeps. Nee dubium, quin, ut
ait Varro, ceteras pecudes bos honore superare
debeat, praesertim in Italia, quae ab hoc nuncupa-
tionem traxisse creditur, quod olim Graeci tauros
italos vocabant,* et in ea urbe, cuius moenibus con-
dendis mas ^ et femina boves aratro terminum
signaverunt, vel, ut antiquiora repetam,^ quod item
Atticis ' Athenis Cereris et Triptolemi fertur
minister : quod inter fulgentissima sidera particeps
caeli sit : ^ quod deinde laboriosissimus adhuc hominis
socius in agricultura : cuius tanta fuit apud antiques ^
veneratio, ut tarn capitale esset ^^ bovem necuisse,
quam civem. Ab hoc igitur promissi operis capiamus
exordium.

^ secuti S : sicuti AR.
^ tamen 8AR.
' usum BAR.

* vocant SAR.

* condendis mas S : condendissimas A.

* vel, ut antiquiora repetam Liindslrom ex cit. Mulomedi-
cina Chironis {Ed. Oder) : petam SA.

' atticus SAR.

* caelis SA : cell R.

* aputanti quis S^ : apud antiquis A^ : apud antiquos
S^AK

^" capitales set S : capitales et AR.
122

BOOK VI, PREFACE 5-7

profit from cattle more than makes up for a
moderate amount of carelessness on the part of their
owner."

It is on this account, Silvinus, that, following the 6
precepts of our forefathers, we have taken all the
pains which we can to hand on to posterity an account
of this department of agriculture also. There are,
then, two classes of fourfooted animals, one of which
we procure to share our labours, such as the ox, the
mule, the horse and the ass, and the other which we
keep for our pleasure and the profit which they bring
us or for keeping watch, such as the sheep, the goat,
the pig and the dog. We will deal first with the class
which we employ to take part in our work. There is 7
no doubt, as Varro says, that the ox ought to be
ranked above all other cattle, especially in Italy,
which is believed to have derived its name from this
animal, which the Greeks formerly called italos,"
and in that city " at the founding of whose walls an
ox and a cow drew the plough which marked its
boundaries ; also because, to go still further back,
at Athens in Attica the ox too is said to have been
the attendant of Ceres (D emeter) and Triptolemus , and
because it has its place in the heavens, among the
most brilliant constellations, and, lastly, because it
is still man's most hardworking associate in agri-
culture, and so great was the respect in which it was
held among the ancients that it was equally a capital
crime to have killed an ox and to have killed a fellow-
citizen. Let us, therefore, begin the task before us
with the ox.

" Cicero, de Off. II, § 89, gives a fourth way of getting rich,
by tilling the soil.
* Or, more usually, vitulus, calf. * I.e. Rome.

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LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

I. Quae in emendis bubus sequenda quaeque
vitanda sint, non ex facili dixerim ; quoniam pecudes
pro regionis caelique statu et habitum ^ corporis at
ingenium animi et pili colorem gerant. Aliae formae
sunt Asiaticis, aliae Gallicis, Epiroticis aliae. Nee
tantum diversitas provinciarum, sed ipsa quoque
Italia partibus suis discrepat. Campania plerum-
que boves progenerat albos et exiles, labori tarn en

2 et culturae patrii soli non inhabiles. Umbria vastos
et albos ; eademque rubios ; ^ nee minus probabiles
animis quam corporibus. Etruria et Latium com-
pactos, sed ad opera fortes. Apenninus durissimos
omnemque difficultatem tolerantes, nee ab aspectu
decoros. Quae cum tarn varia et diversa ^ sint, tamen
quaedam quasi communia et certa praecepta in
emendis iuvencis arator sequi debet ; eaque Mago
Carthaginiensis ita prodidit, ut nos deinceps memo-

3 rabimus. Parandi sunt boves novelli, quadrati,
grandibus ^ membris, cornibus proceris ac nigrantibus
et robxistis, fronte lata et crispa, hirtis auribus, oculis
et labris nigris, naribus resimis patulisque, cervice
longa et torosa, palearibus amplis et pene ad genua
promissis, pectore magno, armis vastis,^ capaci et
tanquam implente utero, lateribus ^ porrectis, lumbis
latis, dorso recto planoque vel etiam subsidente,'

1 habitum S : habitu A R.

* rubios A : rabios S^ : robios S^ : rubeos a.

* diversa a : versa SAR.

* grandis SA. ^ vasti SAR.
« lateribus S^R : latibus S'^A.

' susidente S^ : subidente S^AR.

" His work on agriculture was translated into Latin by order
of the senate (I. 1. 13 ; Varro R.R. I. 1. 10 : Cicero, Or. I. 68,
249).

124

BOOK VI. I. 1-3

I. I should find it far from easy to say what are Points to
the points to be looked for and what to be avoided for in oxen,
in the purchase of oxen ; for cattle show variation
in bodily form and disposition and the colour of
their hair according to the nature of the district and
climate in which they live. Those of Asia and of
Gaul and of Epirus are different in form, and not
only are there diversities in the various provinces,
but Italy itself shows varieties in its different parts,
Campania generally produces small, white oxen,
which are, however, well suited for their work and for
the cultivation of their native soil. Umbria breeds 2
huge white oxen, but it also produces red oxen,
esteemed not less for their spirit than for their bodily
strength. Etruria and Latium breed oxen which
are thick-set but powerful as workers. The oxen
bred in the Apennines are very tough and able to
endure every kind of hardship but not comely to
look upon. Though there is so much variety and
diversity, yet there are certain as it were universal
and fixed principles which the farmer of arable land
ought to follow in buying bullocks. Mago" the
Carthaginian has laid down these principles in the
form which we will now detail. The bullocks which 3
should be purchased are those which are young,
squarely built, with large limbs and horns which are
long and blackish and strong ; the forehead should
be wide and covered with curly hair, the ears shaggy,
the eyes and lips dark in colour, the nostrils bent
back and wide spreading, the neck long and muscular,
the dewlap ample and falling almost to the knees,
the chest broad, the shoulders huge ; the belly should
be capacious and have the appearance of pregnancy,
the flanks extended, the loins wide, the back straight

125

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

clunibus rotundis, cruribus compactis ac rectis, sed
brevioribus potius quam longis, nee genibus impro-
bis, ungulis ^ magnis, eaudis longissimis et setosis,
pilo totius 2 corporis denso brevique, coloris rubii
vel fusci, tactu corporis mollissimo.

II. Talis notae vitulos oportet, cum adhuc teneri
sunt, eonsuescere manu tractari, ad praesepia religari,
ut exiguus in domitura labor eorum et minus sit
periculi. Verum nee ante tertium neque post quin-
tum annum iuvencos domari placet, quoniam ilia aetas
adhuc tenera est, haec iam praedura. Eos autem,
qui de grege feri comprehenduntur, sic subigi con-

2 venit. Primum omnium spatiosum stabulum prae-
paretur, ubi domitor facile versari, et unde egredi
sine periculo possit. Ante stabulum nullae angustiae
sint, sed aut campus aut via late patens, ut cum
producentur ^ iuvenci, liberum habeant excursum ;
ne pavidi aut arboribus aut obiacenti cuilibet rei se

3 implicent * noxamque capiant. In stabulo sint
ampla praesepia, superque transversi asseres in
modum iugorum a terra septem pedibus elati con-
figantur, ad quos religari possint iuvenci. Diem
deinde, quo domituram auspiceris, bonum a tempesta-
tibus et a religionibus matutinum eligito, canna-

4 binisque funibus cornua iuvencorum ligato. Sed
laquei, quibus capulantur, lanatis pellibus involuti
sint, ne tenerae frontes ^ sub cornua laedantur.

^ ungulis S : vinculis Aa.

* pilo totius Pontedera ex cit. Palladii : pilosius SA.

* producentur SA'a : producerentur A^Jt.

* implicent Sa : impluent c : inplicent AS' : inplicet <S'.
' tenere frontet S^A^ : frontes S' : tenera fronte R.

126

BOOK VI. I. 3-II. 4

and flat or even sinking slightly, the buttocks round,
the legs compact and straight but short rather than
long and the knees not ill-shaped, the hoofs large,
the tail very long and bristly, the hair all over the
body thick and short and of a red or brindle colour
and the body very soft to the touch.

II. Calves of such a strain, you must accustom, How to
while they are still young, to allow themselves *™° °^*°'
to be handled and fastened to their mangers,
so that there may be little trouble and less
danger in breaking them in. The general opinion
is that bullocks should not be broken in before their
third or after their fifth year, since the former age is
as yet too tender and the latter too hard. Those
which are taken wild from the herd ought to be
tamed in the following manner. First of all a 2
spacious shed should be got ready, where the trainer
may be able to move about easily and from which he
can withdraw without danger. There should be no
narrow spaces in front of the shed but either open
country or a wide road, so that, when the bullocks
are driven forth, they may have room to escape and
that they may not, in their alarm, become entangled
in trees or anything else which gets in their way and
hurt themselves. In the shed there should be 3
roomy stalls, and overhead horizontal beams should
be fixed shaped like yokes, raised seven feet above
the ground to which the bullocks can be tied. Then,
to inaugurate the training, choose the morning of a
day which is free from storms and not the occasion
of any religious ceremony and fasten the horns of
the bullocks with hempen cords. The nooses with 4
which they are cqiught should be wrapped round with
woolly skins, so that the tender part of the forehead

127

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Cum deinde buculos comprehenderis, perducito ad
stabulum, et ad stipites religato ita, ut exiguum
laxamenti habeant, distentque inter se aliquanto
spatio, ne in colluctatione alter alteri noceat. Si
nimis asperi erunt, patere unum diem noctemque
desaeviant. Simulatque iras contuderint,^ mane
producantur, ita ut et a tergo complures, qui se-
quuntur, retinaculis eos contineant, et unus cum
clava salignea procedens modicis ictibus subinde
impetus eorum coerceat.

6 Sin autem placidi et quieti boves erunt, vel eodem
die, quo alligaveris, ante vesperum licebit producere,
et docere per mille passus composite ^ ac sine pavore
ambulare : cum domum reduxeris,^ arete ad stipites
religato, ita ne capite moveri possint. Tum demum
ad alligatos boves neque a posteriore parte neque a
atere, sed adversus, placide et cum quadam vocis
adulatione venito, ut accedentem consuescant aspi-
cere, Deinde nares perfricato, ut hominem discant

6 odorari. Mox etiam convenit tota tergora et tractare
et respergere mero, quo familiariores bubulco fiant :
uteris quoque et sub femina manum subicere, ne ad
eius modi tactum postmodum pavescant, et ut ricini *

^ contulerint SA.

* composite R : conposita SA.
' preduxeris S^ : pro- AR.

* riclini SA.

128

BOOK VI. n. 4-6

below the horns may not be injured. Then when you
have captured the steers, you should lead them to
the shed and attach them to the posts in such a way
that their ropes give very little play and that they
are a little distance apart from one another, so that
they may not hurt each other in their struggles. If
they are too savage, allow them a day and a night
to expend their fury, and as soon as the edge of their
anger is blunted, they should be driven forth early
in the morning, care being taken that several persons
follow them behind also and hold them back by their
tethers while one man, going in front of them with
a club of willow wood in his hand, from time to time
restrains their onrush with light blows.

If, however, the cattle are placid and quiet, it will 5
be possible for you to drive them out even before the
evening of the day on which you have tied them up
and train them to walk for a thousand paces in an
orderly manner and without fear. When you have
conducted them home again, you should bind them
very closely to the posts, so that they cannot move
their heads. Then is the time to approach the oxen,
when they are tied, not from behind or from the side
but from straight in front, quietly and by using a
soothing tone of voice, in order that they may become
accustomed to see you approaching them, and next
rub their noses so that they may learn to know a man
by his odour. Soon after this it is also a good plan 6
both to stroke their hides all over and to sprinkle
them with unmixed wine, so that they may become
on more familiar terms with their oxherd ; it is well
also to put the hand on the belly and under the
thighs, so that they may not be alarmed if they are
touched in this way afterwards, and also so that

129

VOL. II. F

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

qui plerumque feminibus inhaerent, eximantur.
Idque cum fit, a latere domitor stare debet, ne calce

7 contingi possit. Post haec diductis malis educito
linguam, totumque os et ^ palatum sale defricato,
libralesque oiFas in praesulsae adipis liquamine tinctas
in gulam^ demittito, ac vini singulos sextarios per
cornu faucibus infundito : nam per haec blandimenta
triduo fere mansuescunt, iugumque quarto die
accipiunt, cui ramus illigatus temonis vice traicitur :
interdum et pondus aliquod iniungitur, ut maiore nisu

8 laboris exploretur patientia. Post eiusmodi experi-
menta vacuo plaustrum subiungendi, et paulatim
longius cum oneribus producendi sunt. Sic perdomiti
mox ad aratrum instituantur, sed in subacto agro, ne
statim difficultatem operis reformident, neve adhuc
tenera colla dura proscissione terrae contundant.^
Quemadmodum autem bubulcus in arando bovem
instituat, primo praecepi volumine. Curandum ^ ne
in domitura bos calce aut cornu quemquam contingat.
Nam nisi haec caventur, nunquam eiusmodi vitia
quamvis subacto ^ eximi poterunt.

9 Verum ista sic agenda praecipimus, si veteranum ^
pecus non aderit ; alioqui ' expeditior tutiorque ratio

^ OS et Lundstrom ex cit. Palladii : eo sed S : eo sub AE.

* gulam Palladius : singula 8AR.
' contundunt Aid. : condant SAR.

* Curanda SAa : Curandum c.

* subacta SAR. * veranum SA.
'' alioqui Lundstrom, : adeoque SAR.

" Which it must become used to later.

* These instructions occur in Book II. 2. 22 ff.

130

BOOK VI. II. 6-9

ticks, which generally fasten on the thighs, may be
removed. In doing this the trainer ought to stand
at the side, so that the animal may not reach him
with its hoof. After this you should pull the jaws 7
apart and draw out the tongue and rub the whole
mouth and palate with salt and put down the animal's
throat cakes of a pound's weight of meal moistened
with well-salted drippings of fat, and pour into their
jaws a sextarius of wine at a time by means of a
horn ; for by blandishments of this kind they
generally become tame in three days and allow
themselves to be yoked on the fourth day. This
yoke has the bough of a tree tied to it instead of
a pole ; " sometimes too a weight is attached, so that
the capacity of the animal for enduring toil may be
tested by the greater effort M^hich is involved.
After experiments of this kind the bullocks should fi
be yoked to an empty wagon and gradually be
made to go longer journeys with loads. Soon after
they have been thus broken in, they should be set to
draw the plough, but over land already tilled, so that
they may not be frightened at first by the difficulty
of their task and that their still tender necks may
not be bruised by the tough first breaking of the
ground. I have already in my first book * given
instructions how the ploughman is to train the ox in
ploughing. Care must be taken that the ox does not
strike anyone with his hoof or his horn while he is being
trained ; for, unless precautions are taken against this,
it will never be possible to get rid of faults of this
kind, though the animal has been broken in.

The method which we are prescribing should be 9
followed only if no ox is available which has already
done service ; otherwise the system of training which

131

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

domandi est, quam nos in nostris agris sequimur.
Nam ubi plaustro aut aratro iuvencum consuescimus,
ex domitis bubus valentissimum eundemque placidissi-
mum cum indomito iungimus. Is et procurrentem

10 retrahit, et cunctantem produeit. Si vero non pigeat
iugum fabricare, quo tres iungantur, per ^ hanc ma-
chinationem consequemur, ut etiam contumaces boves
gravissima opera non recusent. Nam ubi piger iuven-
cus medius inter duos veteranos iungitur, aratroque
iniecto terram moliri ^ cogitur, nulla est imperium
respuendi facultas. Sive enim efFeratus prosilit,
duorum arbitrio inhibetur : seu consistit, duobus
gradientibus etiam invitus obsequitur : seu conatur
decumbere, a valentioribus sublevatus trahitur :
propter quae undique necessitate contumaciam de-
ponit, et ad patientiam laboris paucissimis verberibus
perducitur.

11 Est etiam post domituram mollioris generis bos,
qui decumbit in sulco : eum non saevitia, sed ratione ^
censeo emendandum. Nam qui stimulis aut ignibus
aliisque tormentis id vitium eximi melius iudicant,
verae rationis ignari sunt : quoniam pervicax con-
tumacia plerumque saevientem fatigat. Propter
quod utilius est citra * corporis vexationem fame
potius et siti cubitorem bovem emendare. Nam eum
vehementius afficiunt naturalia desideria, quam

^ per add. Lundstrom.

* terra molli codd.

' rationem SA : sed ratione ac.

* citra S : circa AR.

132

BOOK VI. II. 9-II

we follow on our own farm is more expeditious and
safer. For when we are accustoming the young
bullock to the wagon or plough, we yoke with the un-
trained animal the strongest and at the same time
quietest of the trained oxen, which both keeps it
back if it rushes forward and makes it advance if it
lags behind. Indeed, if we have no objection to 10
constructing a yoke to which three animals can be
fastened, we shall by this device achieve the result
that even obstinate oxen do not refuse the heaviest
tasks. For when an idle bullock is yoked between
two veteran oxen and forced to till the ground with
the plough which is put upon them, he has no
opportunity of refusing to obey the order which has
been given him ; for, if he has become savage and
rushes forward, he is checked by the controlling power
of the other two ; or, if he stands still when the other
two pace along, he also follows even against his will ;
or, if he tries to lie down, he is upheld and dragged
along by his more powerful companions. Hence he
is forced from all sides to lay aside his obstinacy, and
it takes very few blows to induce him to submit to
hard work.

There is also an ox of a softer kind after it has been 11
broken in, which lies down in the furrow ; in my
opinion he should be made to mend his ways by
reasoning rather than by cruelty. Those who think
that the vice is better eradicated by means of goads,
fire or other forms of torture, do not know how to
reason aright ; for the animal's stubborn obstinacy
usually wears out the angry ploughman. Hence it
is more expedient to cure the ox which has the habit
of lying down by hunger and thirst without having
recourse to doing it bodily hurt ; for its natural desires

^33

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

12 plagae. Itaque si bos decubuit, utilissimum est
pedes eius sic cingulis ^ obligari, ne aut insistere aut
progredi aut pasci possit. Quo facto inedia et siti ^
compulsus deponit ignaviam ; quae tamen rarissima ^
est in pecore vernaculo : longeque omnis bos indigena
melior est quam peregrinus. Nam neque aquae nee
pabuli nee caeli mutatione * tentatur, neque infesta-
tur conditione regionis, sicut ille, qui ex planis et
campestribus locis in montana et aspera perductus

13 est, vel ex nnontanis in campestria. . Itaque etiam,
cum^ cogioiur ex longinquo boves arcessere, curan-
dum est, ut in similia patriis locis traducantur. Item
custodiendum est, ne in comparatione vel statura vel
viribus impar cum valentiore iungatur. Nam utra-
que res inferiori celeriter afFert exitum.

14 Mores huius pecudis probabiles habentur, qui sunt
propiores placidis quam concitatis, sed non inertes :
qui sunt verentes plagarum et acclamationum, sed
fiducia virium nee auditu nee visu pavidi, nee ad in-
gredienda flumina aut pontes formidolosi, multi cibi
edaces, verum in eo conficiendo lenti. Nam hi me-
lius concoquunt, ideoque robora corporum citra
maciem conservant, qui ex commodo,^ quam qui

15 festinanter mandunt. Sed tam vitium est bubulci
pinguem quam exilem bovem reddere : habilis enim
et modica corporatura pecoris operarii debet esse,

^ singulis SA^R.

2 siti B : sitis SA.

^ quam et amarissima S : qua et amarissima AR.

* mutationem SA : mutatione c.
« cui 8AR.

* commodo S : commoda AR.

BOOK VI. II. 11-15

affect it more deeply than blows. So, if an ox has 12
lain down, the best plan is for its feet to be fastened
together with straps in such a way that it can neither
stand up nor walk nor feed. As a result, under the
compulsion of starvation and thirst, it lays aside its
sloth, which, however, is very rarely found amongst
our home-grown cattle. Indeed a native ox is far
superior to one which comes from elsewhere ; for
it is not disturbed by change of water or food or
climate and is not troubled by the local conditions,
as an ox would be which has been brought from flat
plain-lands to a rough mountainous countiy or vice
versa. When, therefore, we are obliged to bring oxen 13
from a distance, care must be taken that they are
transferred to country which resembles that in which
they were born. You must also be on your guard
when pairing oxen together not to yoke one which
is inferior in height or strength with one which is
more powerful ; for either of these circumstances
quickly proves fatal to the weaker of the two.

Characteristics which are esteemed in oxen are 14
possessed by those which are placid rather than
excitable and at the same time not lazy, and which
are afraid of blows or shouts, but, being confident in
their own strength, are not alarmed by anything
which they hear or see, and which are not nervous at
having to cross rivers or bridges, and which can eat
plenty of food but are slow in finishing it ; for leisurely
chewers digest better and therefore preserve their
bodily strength without becoming thin better than
those which eat their food hurriedly. But it is quite 15
as much a fault in an oxherd to make his oxen fat as
to make them thin ; for the bodily form of a working
ox ought to be active and moderate in bulk, with

135

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

nervisque et musculis robusta, non adipibus obesa, ut
nee sui tergoris mole nee labore operis degravetur.
Sed quoniam quae sequenda sunt in emendis do-
mandisque bubus tradidimus, tutelam eorum prae-
cipiemus.

III. Boves calore sub divo,^ frigoribus intra tectum,
manere oportet. Itaque hibernae stabulationi ^
eorum praeparanda sunt stramenta, quae mense
Augusto intra dies triginta sublatae messis ^ prae-
cisa ^ in acervum extrui debent. Horum desectio
cum pecori tum agro est utilis : liberantur arva
sentibus, qui aestivo ^ tempore per Caniculae ortum
recisi plerumque radicitus intereunt, et stramenta
pecori ^ subiecta plurimum stercoris efficiunt.

Haec cum ita curaverimus, tum et omne genus
pabuli praeparabimus, dabimusque operam, ne
penuria cibi macrescat pecus. Boves autem recte
pascendi non una ratio est. Nam si ubertas regionis
viride pabulum subministrat nemo dubitat quin id
genus cibi ceteris praeponendum sit : quod tamen
nisi riguis aut roscidis locis non contingit, Itaque
in iis ipsis vel maximum commodum est, quod sufficit
una opera duobus iugis, quae eodem die alterna
temporum vice vel arant vel pascuntur. Siccioribus
agris ad praesepia boves alendi sunt, quibus pro
conditione regionum cibi praebentur: eosque nemo
dubitat, quin optimi sint ' vicia ^ in fascem ligata, et

1 divoi?: dioSA": dm A^.

2 stabulationi Aid. : stabulati S : stabulatio AR.

* messis a : mensis 8AR.

* precisas SAR.

* quaestivo A : qui aestivo A^ : quostivo S.
' stramenta pecori Ursinus : stramentis pecoris SAR.

^ sunt AR : sint 8.
* vitia 8A : vicia c.

136

BOOK VI. 11. 15-111. 3

strong sinews and muscles and not encumbered by-
fat, so that it may not be wearied either by the
weight of its own body or by the exertion necessary
for its work. But since we have now set down the
principles which must be followed in buying oxen
and in breaking them in, we will next give directions
for the care of them.

III. Oxen should remain out of doors when it is The care
warm and under cover when it is cold ; therefore, for o?oxra^'"*
their winter stabling, straw must be prepared, which
ought to be cut and heaped up in stacks in August with-
in thirty days of the gathering of the harvest. The
cutting of the straw is beneficial both to the cattle
and to the ground ; for the fields are thus freed from
briers, which, if they are cut back in the summer at
the time of the rising of the Dogstar, usually die off
at the roots, and also, if straw is put down as litter
for the cattle, it produces a very large quantity of
dung.

When we have arranged for this, we shall make
provision also for every kind of fodder and ensure
that the cattle will not be thin for want of food. 2
There is more than one system of feeding cattle
properly. If the fertility of the district supplies
green fodder, there is no doubt that this kind of food
is to be preferred to all others ; but this is only to be
found in well-watered or dewy places. In these
circumstances there is the very great advantage
that one farm-labourer is enough to look after two
yoke of oxen, which on the same day either plough
or graze alternately. On drier farms the oxen 3
must be fed at their stalls, the fodder provided
varying according to the nature of the district.
There can be no doubt that the best foods are vetches

137

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cicercula itemque pratense faenum. Minus com-
mode tuemur armenta ^ paleis, quae ubique et qui-
busdam regionibus solae praesidio sunt. Eae ^ pro-
bantur maxime ex milio, tum ex hordeo, mox etiam ex
tritico. Sed iumentis iusta operum reddentibus
hordeum praeter has praebetur.

Bubus autem pro temporibus anni pabula dis-
pensantur. lanuario mense singulis fresi et aqua
macerati ervi quaternos sextarios mixtos paleis dare
convenit, vel lupini macerati modios, vel cicerculae
maceratae semodios, et super haec afFatim paleas.^
Licet etiam, si est leguminum inopia, et eluta et
siccata vinacia, quae de lora eximuntur, cum paleis
miscere. Nee dubium quin ea longe melius cum suis
foUiculis, ante quam eluantur, praeberi possint.
Nam et cibi et vini vires habent, nitidumque et hilare
et corpulentum pecus faciunt. Si grano abstinemus,
frondis aridae corbis pabulatorius * modiorum viginti
sufficit, vel faeni pondo triginta, vel sine modo viridis
laurea et ilignea frondes. Et his, si regionis vis ^ per-
mittit, glans adicitur : quae nisi ad satietatem detur,
scabiem parit. Potest etiam si proventus ^ vilita-
tem' facit, semodius fabae fresae praeberi. Mense
Februario plerumque eadem sunt cibaria. Martio et
Aprili debet ad faeni pondus adici, qua terra pro-
scinditur : sat autem erit pondo quadragena singulis
dari. Ab idibus tamen mensis Aprilis usque in idus

^ armenta S : armento AB.

^ eae S : ea AR.

^ paleas S : paleis AR.

* pabulatoribus SAR.

* vis om. SAR.

* proventus S : pro ventu A.
' vilitatem R : vilitem SA.

BOOK VI. III. 3-6

tied up in bundles and chickpea and also meadow-
hay. We are not looking after our cattle so well if
we feed them on chaff, which is a universal, and in
some districts the only, resource. The chaff which
is most highly esteemed comes from millet, the next
best from barley, and the third best from wheat ;
beasts of burden which are rendering regular terms
of labour are given barley as well as chaff.

The diet of oxen is regulated according to the time
of year. In January it is a good plan to give them
four sextarii each of bitter-vetch crushed and soaked
in water and mixed with chaff, or a modius of soaked
lupines, or half a. modius of soaked chickling-pea, as well
as chaff in abundance. If there is a lack of pulse,
it is allowable to mix with chaff grape skins taken
from the after-wine which have been washed and
dried, but there is no doubt that it is far better to
give them the grapemash, skins and all, before they
have been washed, for they contain the strength
both of food and of wine and make the cattle sleek
and of good cheer and plump. If we abstain from
giving them grain, it is enough to supply a fodder-
basket holding twenty modii of dry leaves or thirty
pounds of hay, or green bay-leaves or the foliage of
the holm-oak in unlimited quantities. To these mast
is added, if the resources of the district permit, but,
unless enough is provided to cause satiety, it causes
the scab. A halt-modius of crushed beans may also
be provided, if a good crop makes it cheap enough
to do so. In February the food is usually the same.
In March and April an addition should be made to
the weight of hay in places where the ground is being
broken up for the first time ; forty pounds, however,
will be enough to give to each animal. From April

139

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

lunias viride pabulum recte secatur : potest etiam in
calend. lulias frigidioribus locis idem praestari : a
quo tempore in calend. Novemb. tota aestate et
deinde autumno satientur fronde ; quae tamen non
ante est utilis, quam cum maturaverit ^ vel imbribus
vel assiduis roribus : probaturque maxime ulmea,
post fraxinea, et ab hac populnea. Ultimae sunt
ilignea et quernea et laurea : sed eae post aestatem
necessariae deficientibus ceteris. Possunt etiam
folia ficulnea probe dari, si sit ea copia, aut stringere
arbores expediat. Ilignea tamen vel melior est
quernea, sed eius generis, quod spinas non habet;
nam id quoque, ut iuniperus,^ respuitur a pecore
propter aculeos. Novembri mense ac Decembi'i per
sementem quantum appetit bos, tantum praebendum
est : plerumque tamen sufficiunt singulis modii
glandis et paleae ad satietatem datae, vel lupini
macerati modii, vel ervi aqua conspersi sextarii vii
permixti paleis, vel cicerculae similiter conspersae
sextarii xii mixti paleis, vel singuli modii vinaceorum,
si iis, ut supra dixi, large paleae adiciantur; vel si
nihil horum est, per se faeni pondo quadraginta.

IV. Sed non proderit cibis ^ satiari pecora, nisi
omnis adhibeatur * diligentia, ut salubri sint corpore,
viresque conservent : quae utraque ^ custodiuntur
large dato per triduum medicamento, quod com-

^ maturuit SAR.

^ iunipenis R : -erins S : imperius A.

^ cibos S : cibns AR.

* adhibeatur S^ : adhibotur S^ : adiuvotur AR.

* utroque SAR.

140

BOOK VI. HI. 6-iv. I

13th to June 15th it is proper to cut green forage for
them ; supply of it can even be continued until July
1st in cooler regions. From then through the whole
summer and the following autumn up to November
1st, they should be given their fill of leaves, which,
however, are not fit for use until matured either by
rain or by continual dew. The most highly es-
teemed is the foliage of the elm, next comes that of
the ash, and, thirdly, that of the poplar ; the least 7
satisfactory is that of the holm-oak, the oak and the
bay-tree, but these may have to be used after the
summer, if all other kinds fail. It is also proper to
give them fig-leaves, if there is abundance of them
or if it is expedient to strip the trees. Holm-oak-
leaves are better than oak-leaves, but they should
not be of the kind that has spines, for this is refused
by cattle because of the prickles, as also are juniper-
leaves. In November and December, during the 8
period of sowing, an ox should be given all the food
which it wants ; but a modius of mast a head is
generally enough and as much chaff as they can eat,
or a modius of soaked lupines or seven sextarii of
bitter-vetch sprinkled with water and mixed with
chaff, or twelve sextarii of chickpeas similarly
sprinkled and mixed with chaff, or a modius of grape-
skins each, provided that, as I have said above, chaff
is generously added to them ; if none of these foods
is available, forty pounds of hay should be given by
itself.

IV. It will be no use to give cattle a satisfying i?*" diseases
diet unless every care is taken that they are healthy their rem-
in body and that they keep up their strength. Both ®*^'**'
these objects are secured by administering on three
consecutive days a generous dose of medicine com-

141

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ponitur pari pondere triti lupini ^ cupressique, et
cum aqua nocte una sub divo habetur ; idque quater
anno fieri debet ultimis temporibus veris, aestatis,
autumni, hiemis. Saepe etiam languor et nausea
discutitur, si integrum gallinaceum crudum ovum
ieiuni faucibus inseras, ac postero die spicas ulpici vel
alii cum vino conteras, et in naribus infundas :
neque haec tantum remedia salubritatem faciunt.
Multi 2 et largo sale miscent pabula ; quidam marru-
bium deterunt ^ cum oleo et vino ; quidam porri
fibras, alii grana thuris, alii sabinam herbam rutam-
que pinsitam * mero diluunt, eaque medicamenta
potanda praebent. Multi caulibus vitis ^ albae et
valvulis ervi bubus medentur : nonnulli pellem
serpentis obtritam cum vino miscent. Est ^ etiam
remedio cum dulci vino tritum serpyllum, et concisa
et in aqua macerata scilla. Quae omnes praedictae
potiones trium heminarum singulis diebus per tri-
duum datae alvum purgant, depulsisque vitiis re-
creant vires. Maxime tamen habetur salutaris
amurca, si tantundem aquae misceas, et ea pecus
insuescas ; quae protinus dari non potest, sed primo
cibi asperguntur ; ' deinde exigua portione medicatur
aqua, mox pari mensura mixta datur ad saturitatem.

^ lupini a : om. SAB.

2 multo SAR.

' deterunt S : dederunt AR.

* rutamque pinsitam Lundslrom : putaque vinitam SA.

^ vitibus <S^ : vitia ac.

« est S : sed AR.

'' adspergunt SA.

142

BOOK VI. IV. 1-4

pounded of equal weights of the crushed leaves of the
lupine and of the cypress, which is mixed with water
and left out of doors for a night. This should be
done four times a year — at the end of the spring, of
the summer, of the autumn and of the winter.
Lassitude and nausea also can often be dispelled if
you force a whole raw hen's egg down the animal's
throat when it has eaten nothing ; then on the
following day you should crush together spikes of
leek or garlic in wine and pour it into its nostrils.
Nor are these the only remedies which make for
health. Many people mix also a generous quantity
of salt with the fodder ; some grate white hore-
hound in oil and wine ; some infuse fibres of leek,
others grains of frankincense, others savin <* and
crushed rue in unmixed wine and give them these
medicaments to drink. Many people use the stalks
of white-vine (bryony) and the shells of bitter-vetch
as a medicine for oxen ; some crush a snake's skin
and mix it with wine. Thyme crushed in sweet
wine and squill cut up and soaked in water are also
used as remedies. All the above-mentioned potions
in doses of three heminae given daily for three days
purge the bowel and renew the animal's strength
by driving away its maladies. But lees of olive-oil
are regarded as particularly salutary if you mix
them with an equal portion of water and accustom
the cattle to them ; this remedy cannot be ad-
ministered all at once, but at first is sprinkled on
the food, next a small portion is infused in the
water, and then the animal is given as much as
it can take mixed in equal portions of both
ingredients.

" A kind of juniper which yields a volatile oil.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

V. Nullo autem tempore et minime aestate utile
est boves in cursum concitari : nam ea res aut alvum
movet, aut ^ frequenter ^ febrem. Cavendum quoque
est, ne ad praesepia sus aut gallina perrepat. Nam
hoc ^ quod decidit ^ immixtum pabulo, bubus afFert
necem.

Sus aegra pestilentiam facere ^ valet. Quae cum in
gregem ^ incidit, confestim mutandus ' est caeli status,
et in plures partes distributo pecore longinquae
regiones petendae sunt, atque ita segregandi a
sanis morbidi, ne quis interveniat, qui contagione
ceteros labefaciat. Itaque cum ablegabuntur, in
ea loca perducendi sunt, quibus nullum impascitur
pecus, ne adventu suo etiam illi tabem afferant.
Evincendi sunt autem quamvis pestiferi morbi, et
exquisitis remediis propulsandi. Tunc panacis et
eryngii radices faeniculi seminibus miscendae, et
cum fricti ^ ac moliti tritici farina candenti aqua con-
spergendae, eoque medicamine salivandum aegrotum
pecus. Tunc paribus casiae myrrhaeque et thuris
ponderibus, ac tantundem sanguinis marinae testu-
dinis miscetur potio cum vini veteris sextariis tribus,
et ita per nares infunditur. Sed ipsum medicamen-
tum ponderis sescunciae divisum portione aequa per
triduum cum vino dedisse sat erit. Praesens etiam
remedium cognovimus radiculae, quam pastores con-
siliginem vocant. Ea in Marsis montibus plurima
nascitur, omnique pecori maxime est salutaris. Laeva

^ meta ut SAR.

* frequenter Lundslrom : frequen {sequ. vac. sp.) SAR.
' haec S : hoc A : hoc c.

* desidit SA : decidit ac.
» facere S^ : face S^AR.

* grege SAR. ' mutandus jS : mutatus .4i?.

* fricti S : defruti AR.

144

BOOK VI. V. 1-3

V. At no season of the year and least of all in the Cftusw and
summer is it beneficial to incite oxen to run ; for this ^J^u*t'1n°'
either relaxes the bowels or else often gives rise to o^en.
fever. Care must also be taken that no pig or chicken
slips into their stalls, for the excrement which falls
from them, mixed with their food, is fatal to oxen.
A diseased sow may cause plague. If this falls upon
a herd, a change of climate must immediately be
made, and the cattle must be divided up, in a
number of groups, and sent to distant places and
those which are infected segregated from the
healthy, that no infected animal may come into
contact with the rest and destroy them with the
contagion. When they are thus isolated, they 2
have to be taken to places where no herd is pastured,
so that they may not by their arrival bring the
plague there also. Diseases, however pestilential,
must be overcome and expelled by carefully sought-
out remedies. Sometimes roots of all-heal and sea-
holly should be mixed with fennel-seeds and, together
with flour of crushed and ground wheat, should be
sprinkled with boiling water, and the suffering herd
given a drench with this medicament. Sometimes a 3
potion consisting of equal weights of cinnamon, myrrh
and frankincense and a like quantity of the blood of a
sea-tortoise is mixed with three sextarii of old wine and
poured through the animal's nostrils. It will suffice
to have given the medicine itself divided into equal
doses of one and a half ounces together with wine for
three days. We have also found a sovereign remedy
in the root which the shepherds call consiligo.'^ It
grows in large quantities in the Marsian mountains
and is very salutary for all cattle ; it is dug up with

" Pulmonaria officinalis, lungwort.

145

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

manu effoditur ante solis ortum. Sic enim lecta
maiorem vim creditur habere. Usus eius traditur
talis, Aenea fibula pars auriculae latissima circum-
scribitur, ita ut manante sanguine tanquam O literae
ductus ^ appareat. Hoc et intrinsecus et ex superiore
parte auriculae cum factum est, media pars descripti
orbiculi eadem fibula transuitur, et facto foramini
praedicta radicula inseritur ; quam cum recens plaga
comprehendit, ita continet, ut elabi ^ non possit : in
eam deinde auriculam omnis vis morbi pestilensque
virus elicitur,^ donee pars, quae fibula circumscripta
est, demortua excidit, et minimae partis iactura caput
conservatur. Cornelius Celsus etiam visci folia cum
vino trita per nares infundere iubet. Haec facienda,
si-gregatim pecora laborant : ilia deinceps, si singula.
VI. Cruditatis signa sunt crebri ructus ac ventris
sonitus, fastidia cibi, nervorum intentio, hebetes oculi.
Propter quae bos neque ruminat neque lingua se
deterget. Remedio erunt aquae calidae duo congii,
et mox triginta brassicae modicae caules cocti et ex
aceto dati. Sed uno die abstinendum est alio cibo.
Quidam clausum intra tecta continent, ne pasci
possit. Turn lentisci oleastrique cacuminum pondo
IV, et libram * mellis una trita permiscent aquae

^ littere ductum SA.

" ealabi SAR.

3 eligitur S : efficitur A^ : elicit c : elicitur A^a.

* libra SAB.

° Anlus Cornelius Celsus, a contemporary of Columella,
besides his book on medicine which has survived, also wrote
on agriculture.

146

BOOK VI. V. 3-vi. 2

the left hand before sunrise, for it is believed to have
greater potency if it is picked in this way. The 4
following is the traditional manner of using it. A
line is drawn round the widest part of the ear-lap with
brazen pin in such a way that a figure resembling the
letter O appears where the blood flows. When this
operation has been performed both inside and on the
upper part of the ear, the middle of the circle which
has been described is pierced with the same pin and
the root mentioned above is inserted in the hole thus
made, and, when the newly made wound has closed
on it, it holds the root so tightly that it cannot slip out.
Then all the virulence of the disease and the poison
of the plague is attracted to this ear, until the part
round which the line was described by the pin morti-
fies and comes away. Thus the head is saved by the
sacrifice of a very small portion of it. Cornelius 5
Celsus " also recommends the pouring into the
nostrils of wine in which the leaves of mistletoe have
been crushed. The latter course must be adopted if
the cattle are suffering as a herd, the former if in-
dividual animals are affected.

VI. Signs of indigestion are frequent eructations. Remedies
rumblings of the belly, distaste for food, tension of tionln'^^^
the sinews and dimness of the sight, with the result cattle.
that the ox neither ruminates nor cleanses himself
by licking. The appropriate remedy will be two
congii of hot water, followed by thirty moderate-
sized stalks of cabbage cooked and dipped in
vinegar ; but the animal must abstain from other
food for one day. Some people keep the animal 2
shut up indoors, so that it cannot graze ; they then
mix four pounds of the tops of mastic and wild olive
crushed up with a pound of honey in a congius of water,

147

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

congio, quam nocte una ^ sub dio habent, atque ita
faucibus infundunt. Deinde interposita hora ma-
cerati ervi quattuor libras obiciunt, aliaque potione
prohibent. Hoc per triduum fieri debet, ut omnis
causa languoris discutiatur. Nam si neglecta crudi-
tas est, et inflatio ventris et intestinorum maior dolor
insequitur,^ qui nee capere cibos sinit, gemitus ex-
primit, locoque stare non patitur, saepe decumbere,
et agitare caput, caudamque crebrius agere cogit.
Manifestum remedium est proximam clunibus partem
caudae vinculo vehementer obstringere, vinique
sextarium cum olei hemina faucibus infundere atque
ita citatum per mille et quingentos passus agere.
Si dolor permanet, ungulas circumsecare, et uncta ^
manu per anum inserta fimum extrahere, rursusque
agere currentem. Si nee hoc profuit, tres caprifici
aridi conteruntur, et cum dodrante aquae calidae
dantur. Ubi nee haec medicina processit, myrti
silvestris foliorum duae librae laevigantur, totidem-
que sextarii calidae aquae mixti per vas ligneum
faucibus infunduntur. Atque ita sub cauda sanguis
emittitur. Qui cum satis profluxit, inhibetur papyri
ligamine. Tum concitate agitur pecus eousque dum
anhelet. Sunt et ante detractionem sanguinis ilia
remedia : tribus heminis vini triens * pinsiti alii ^
permiscetur, et post eam potionem currere cogitur,
vel salis sextans cum cepis decem conteritur, et ad-

^ nocte unam SA : noctem unam £.

* dolor sequitur (S^ : dolori eequitur iS^^iZ.
' cuncta SAE,

* triens Svennung : tribus SAR.

* pinsiti alii ed. pr. : pinsitiali SAB.
148

BOOK VI. VI. 2-5

which they keep for one night in the open air, and
then pour it down the animal's throat. Then after
an interval of an hour they put before it four pounds
of soaked bitter-vetch and keep it away from any
other drink. This should be continued for three days,
so that every cause of lassitude is dissipated. If
indigestion is neglected, inflation of the belly and
more severe pain in the intestines follow, which does
not allow the animal to take its food, causes it to
bellow, does not suffer it to remain in one place, and
makes it lie down frequently, toss its head and lash
its tail continuall3^ An obvious remedy is to bind
down tightly the part of the tail nearest to the
haunches and to pour down its throat a sextarius of
wine and a hemina of oil and then drive it for a mile
and a half at a quick pace. If the pain persists, you
should cut the hoof all round, draw off the excrement
by greasing the hand and inserting it into the anus,
and again drive the animal at a running pace. If this
also has done no good, three dried wild figs are crushed
and administered with a dodrans of hot water. If
this remedy has also been unsuccessful, two pounds
of the leaves of wild myrtle are pulverized and
mixed with the same number of sextarii of hot water
and poured down the throat by means of a wooden
vessel; then the animal is bled under the tail and,
when enough blood has flowed, it is checked by a
bandage of papyrus ; then the animal is driven at a
quick speed until it is out of breath. The following
remedies are applied before drawing off any blood :
a triens of pounded garlic is mixed with three heminae
of wine, and, after drinking this, the animal is com-
pelled to run ; or else a sextans of salt is pounded up
with ten onions, and after being mixed with boiled-

149

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

mixto melle dococto collyria immittuntur alvo,^ atque
ita citatus bos agitur.

VII. Ventris quoque et intestinorum dolor sedatur
visu nantium et maxime anatis. Quam si con-
spexerit, cui intestinum dolet, celeriter tormento
liberatur. Eadem anas maiore profectu mulos ^ et
equinum genus conspectu suo sanat. Sed interdum
nulla prodest medicina. Sequitur torminum ^ vi-
tium, quorum signum est cruenta et mucosa ventris
proluvies. Remedio sunt cupressini quindecim coni,
totidemque gallae, et utrorumque ■* ponderis vetustis-
simus caseus.^ Quibus in unum tunsis admiscentur
austeri vini quattuor sextarii, qui pari mensura per
quatriduum dispensati dantur : nee desint lentisci
myrtique ^ et oleastri cacumina. Viridis alvus ' corpus
ac vires carpit, operique inutilem reddit. Quae cum
accident, prohibendus erit bos potione per triduum,
primoque die cibo abstinendus. Sed mox cacumina
oleastri et arundinis, item baccae lentisci myrtique ^
dandae ; nee potestas aquae nisi quam parcissime
facienda est. Sunt qui tenerorum lauri foliorum
libram ^ et abrotonum ceraticum,^" pari portione de-
terant ^^ cum aquae calidae duobus sextariis, atque ita
faucibus infundant, eademque pabula, ut supra dixi-
mus, obiciant. Quidam vinaceorum duas libras torrc-

1 albo SAR.

2 mulos B : mulus SA .

^ terminum S : minu A : minus B.

* utrorumque S : vivorumque AB.
^ caseus *S : caeses A : ceses B.

* myrtiq; cd. pr.: murtisq ; *S^a. ' albos 5^J?.

* myrti ed. f>r. : multi SAB.

* tenerorum lauri foliorum libram scrifsi : teneram laurum
coloni libram SAR.

^^ ceraticum SAB : cepaticum Lundstrom.
^^ deterant 5 : dederant^fl.

BOOK VI. VI. 5-vn. 4

down honey is introduced as a suppository into the
bowel and the ox is driven at a quick pace.

VII. Pain in the belly and intestines is assuaged Remedy for
by the sight of swimming birds, especially a duck. p"ahS^ra
If an ox which has a pain in its intestines sees a o^en.
duck, it is quickly delivered from its torment. The
sight of a duck is also even more successful in curing
mules and the race of horses. Sometimes, however,
no remedy is of any avail and colic follows, the sign
of which is a flux of blood and mucous matter from
the belly. The cure for this consists of fifteen 2
cypress-cones and the same number of oak-apples
and very old cheese equal in weight to the other two
ingredients. When these have been pounded up
together, four sextarii of rough wine are mixed with
them, and the mixture is administered in equal doses
for four days ; nor should tops of mastic and myrtle
and wild olive be lacking. Diarrhoea " wastes the
body and the strength and renders an animal useless
for work. When this happens, the ox will have to be
kept from drinking for two days and on the first day
must be kept from eating ; but soon thereafter tops of 3
wild olive and of reeds must be given, also berries of
mastic and myrtle, but no opportunity of drinking
water must be allowed except as sparingly as possible.
Some people crush a pound of tender leaves of bay
and the same quantity of horned southernwood ^ in
two sextarii of hot water and pour it down the
animal's throat and put before it the same food as I
mentioned above. Some people heat two pounds of 4

<" That viridis agrees with alvus ( ' ' green bowel ' ' ) and does not
belong to the previous sentence is clear from Vegetius, who
writes, si venter coeperit flttere viridis (quoted by Schneider).

' Probably Artemisia ahrotonum.

151

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

faciunt, et ita conterunt cum totidem sextariis vini
austeri, potandumque medicamentum praebent,
omni alio humore subtracto,^ nee minus eacumina
praedictarum arborum obieiunt. Quod si neque
ventris restiterit ^ citata proluvies, neque intesti-
norum ac ventris dolor, cibosque respuet, et prae-
gravato capite saepius coniverit,^ lacrimaeque ab
oculis et pituita a naribus profluent, usque ad ossa
frons media uratur, auresque ferro descindantur.*
Sed vulnera facta igne dum ^ sanescunt, defricare
bubula urina convenit ; at ferro rescissa melius pice
et oleo curantur.

VIII. Solent etiam fastidia ciborum afFerre vitiosa
incrementa linguae, quas ranas veterinarii vocant.
Haec ferro reciduntur, et sale cum alio pariter trite
vulnera defricantur, donee lacessita pituita profluat.'
Tum vino perluitur os, et interposito unius horae
spatio virides herbae vel frondes dantur, dum facta
ulcera cicatrices ducant. Si neque ranae fuerint,
neque alvus citata, et nihilo minus cibos non appetet,
proderit alium pinsitum cum oleo per nares in-
fundere, vel sale et cunila defricare fauces, vel
eandem partem alio tunso et alecula linire. Sed
haec si solum fastidium est.

' omni alio humore subtracto Svennung ex cit. PaUadii :
omnia in umores supra dixi SA.

* restiterit edd. : eriserit S : crescerit AR.
' coniverit Svennung: consuevit SAB.

* decidantur SA.

* indu S : interdum AR.

152

BOOK VI. VII. 4-vin. 2

grape-skins and crush them in two sextarii of rough
wine and then give them to be drunk as a medicine,
keeping any other hquid away from them, but
nevertheless putting before them the tops of the
trees mentioned above. But if neither the violent
flux from the belly nor the pain in the intestine
and stomach has ceased and the animal refuses his
food, and its head is very heavy and it frequently
blinks and tears flow from its eyes and slime from its
nostrils, the middle of its forehead should be burnt
down to the bone and its ears cleft with a knife. It
is in fact a good plan to rub with ox-urine the wounds
caused by the fire while they are healing ; but those
which are due to cuts with the knife are better treated
with pitch and oil.

VIII. Aversion to food is often caused by morbid Treatment
swellings of the tongue which veterinary surgeons (on^eln"
call " frogs." They are cut back with a knife and the o^en.
wounds rubbed with salt and garlic crushed together
in equal quantities, until a viscous discharge thus
provoked flows forth. The mouth is then washed
out with wine and after the interval of one hour a
diet of green herbs or leaves is administered until
the sores which had formed are scarred over. If no 2
" frogs " have formed and the bowel is not dis-
turbed but nevertheless the animal has no appetite
for its food, it will be beneficial to pour a mixture of
pounded garlic and oil through its nostrils or to rub
the throat with salt and marjoram, or to smear the
same part with crushed garlic and fish-sauce. But
this remedy should be used if aversion to food is the
only symptom.

* proluat S.

^S3

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

IX. Febricitanti bovi convenit abstineri cibo uno
die, postero deinde exiguum sanguinem ieiuno sub
Cauda emitti, atque interposita hora modicae magni-
tudinis coctos brassicae coliculos triginta ex oleo et
garo ^ salivati more demitti, eamque escam per
quinque dies ieiuno dari. Praeterea cacumina lentisci
aut oleae, vel tenerrimam quamque frondem, ac
pampinos vitis obici ; turn etiam spongia labra deter-
geri, et aquam frigidam ter die praeberi potandam.
Quae medicina sub tecto fieri debet, nee ante sani-
tatem bos emitti. Signa febricitantis manantes
lacrimae, gravatum caput, oculi compressi, fluidum
salivis OS, longior et cum quodam impedimento
tractus spiritus, interdum et cum gemitu.

X. Recens tussis optime salivato farinae hordeaceae
discutitur. Interdum magis prosunt gramina con-
cisa, et his admixta fresa faba. Lentis quoque
valvulis exemptae et minute molitae miscentur aquae
calidae sextarii duo, factaque sorbitio per cornu
infunditur. Veterem tussim sanant duae librae
hyssopi macerati sextariis aquae tribus. Nam id
medicamentum teritur, et cum lentis minute, ut
dixi, molitae sextariis quattuor more salivati datur, ac
postea aqua hyssopi per cornu infunditur. Porri

^ garo ed. pr. : caro SAR.

BOOK VI. IX. i-x. 2

IX. When an ox suffers from fever, it is a good plan fever in
that it should go without food for a day, and that on

the following day a little blood should be drawn off
under the tail before it eats anything, and that after
an interval of an hour it should be made to swallow
thirty cooked stalks of cabbage of moderate size
which have been dipped in oil and pickled fish in
the manner of drench. This food should be
given for five days on an empty stomach. Further-
more, tops of mastic or olive or any other very
tender foliage and vine-shoots should be placed before
it, also its lips should be wiped with a sponge and
cold water given it to drink three times a day. This 2
treatment should be carried out under cover and the
animal should not be allowed to go out until it is
cured. The symptoms of a state of fever are running
at the eyes, a heavy head, contracted eyes, a flow
of saliva from the mouth, an unusually slow and a
somehow obstructed respiration, accompanied also
at times by lowing.

X. A cough, if treated early, is best dispelled by a Coughs of
medicine which causes salivation made of barley- °^^^'
flour. Sometimes grass cut up small and crushed
beans mixed with it are more beneficial; also two
sextarii of lentils removed from their pods and
ground up small are mixed with hot water and the
draught thus formed is poured down the throat
through a horn. A cough of long standing is cured

with two pounds of hyssop infused in three sextarii
of water. Now this medicament is crushed up and
administered with four sextarii of lentils ground small,
in the manner I have described, and given to cause
salivation, and the hyssop-water is afterwards poured
in through a horn. The juice of a leek together with 2

155

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

enim succus cum ^ oleo, vel ipsa fibra cum hordeacea
farina contrita remedium ^ est. Eiusdem radices
diligenter lotae, et cum farre triticeo pinsitae ^
ieiunoque datae vetustissimam tussim discutiunt.
Facit idena pari mensura ervum sine valvulis cum
torrido * hordeo molitum et salivati more in fauces
demissum.

XI. Suppuratio melius ferro rescinditur quam
medicamento. Expressa deinde sanie sinus ^ ipse,
qui cam continebat, calida bubula urina eluitur,
atque ita linamentis pice liquida et oleo imbutis
colligatur : vel si coUigari ea pars non potest, lamina
candenti sebum caprinum aut bubulum instillatur.
Quidam, cum vitiosam partem inusserunt, urina
vetere humana eluunt,** atque ita acquis pon-
deribus incocta pice liquida cum vetere axungia
linunt.

XII. Sanguis demissus in pedes claudicationem
afFert. Quod cum accidit, statim ungulam inspicito.''
Tactus autem fervorem demonstrat : nee bos vitia-
tam partem vehementius premi patitur. Sed si
sanguis adhuc supra ungulas in cruribus est, frictione
assidua discutitur ; vel, cum ea nihil profuit, scarifica-
tione emittitur.^ At si iam in ungulis est, inter duos
ungues cultello leviter aperies.^ Postea linamenta

^ auccus cum Lundslrom : sucum SA.

^ remedium (S : remedia ^^ : remedio ^^-K.

^ pinsite K : pinsita 8 A.

* torreo SAR.

* sasinus SAR.

* partem — eluunt ex cit. Palladii edl. parteminus seruiitur
inhabeturo hurane luunt S : parte minus seruutur inhaboturae
rane luunt A.

' ungula inspicit SAR.

* homitur SAR : emititur c.

BOOK VI. X. 2-xn. 2

oil, or the fibre itself of the leeks crushed up with
barley-flour, is also used as a cure ; the roots too of
the same plant carefully washed and pounded up
with wheaten flour, given to the animal when it is
fasting, dispel the most inveterate cough. The
same effect is produced by bitter-vetch without
its husk pounded up with an equal portion of
toasted barley and poured down the throat in the
manner of a drench.

XL It is better to get rid of suppuration by the Remedies
surgeon's knife than with medicine. Then, when the t?on!"^^"'^"
pus has been squeezed out, the sinus itself which
contained it is washed out with warm ox-urine and
then bound up with hnen bandages soaked in liquid
pitch and oil, or, if the part aifected cannot be bound
up, goat's or ox's tallow is dripped upon it by means
of a red hot plate of iron. Some people, when they 2
have cauterized the part affected, wash it with stale
human urine and then anoint it with raw liquid pitch
and stale axle-grease in equal quantities.

XII. Down-flow of blood into the animal's feet Remedy for
gives rise to lameness. When this happens, the first in"olen?
thing that you should do is to inspect the hoof;
merely touching it proves the presence of inflamma-
tion, and the animal cannot bear any at all violent
pressure on the affected part. But if the blood is still
in the legs above the hoofs, it can be dissipated by
continual friction, or, if that has no effect, it can be
removed by scarification. Biit if it has already
reached the hoofs, you will make a slight incision
with a lancet between the two halves of the hoof;
then bandages dipped in salt and vinegar are 2

' aperiet SAR.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

sale atque aceto imbuta^ applicantur, ac solea spartea
pes induitur,^ maximeque datur opera, ne bos in
aquam pedem mittat et ut sicce stabuletur. Hie
idem sanguis nisi emissus fuerit, famicem creabit,
qui si suppuraverit, tarde percurabitur : primum
ferro circumcisus et expurgatus, deinde pannis aceto
et sale et oleo madentibus inculcatis, mox axungia
vetere et sebo hircino pari pondere decoctis, ad
sanitatem perducitur. Si sanguis in inferiore parte
ungulae est, extrema pars ipsius unguis ad vivum
resecatur, et ita emittitur, ac linamentis pes involutus
spartea munitur. Mediam ungulam ab inferiore
parte non expedit aperire, nisi eo loco iam suppuratio
facta est. Si dolore nervorum claudicat, oleo et sale
genua poplitesque ^ et crura confricanda sunt, donee
sanetur.

Si genua intumuerint, calido aceto fovenda sunt,
et lini semen aut milium detritum conspersumque
aqua mulsa imponendum : spongiae * quoque fer-
venti aqua imbutae ^ et expressae * litaeque ' melle
recte genibus applicantur, ac fasciis circumdantur.
Quod si tumori subest aliquis humor, fermentum vel
farina hordeacea ex passo aut aqua mulsa decocta
imponitur : et cum maturuit suppuratio, rescinditur
ferro, eaque emissa, ut supra docuimus, linamentis
curatur. Possunt etiam, ut Cornelius Celsus prae-

^ imbuta i? : inbuto SA.

* inducitur SAE.

* popliteque SA : poplitesque c.

* sphongia S : spongia E : phongio A.
^ inbuta SA.

* expressa SAS. '' litae quae A : lita que S.

BOOK VI. XII. 2-5

applied and the foot is covered with a " slipper " of
broom and the greatest care is taken to prevent the
ox from putting his foot in water and that it keep
dry in its stall. This same blood, unless it is drawn
off, will give rise to a bruise, and, if this suppurates,
it will take a long time to heal. First a cut must be
made round it with a knife and it must be cleaned,
then it is brought to a healthy condition by having
rags pressed against it soaked in vinegar, salt and
oil, and afterwards by treatment with stale axle-
grease and goat's tallow boiled in equal quantity.
If the blood is in the lower part of the hoof, the
extremity of the hoof itself is cut to the quick and
the blood thus discharged, and the foot is wrapped
in bandages and protected with a " slipper " of
broom. It is not advisable to open the middle of
the hoof from below, unless suppuration has already
taken place in that part. If the lameness is due to
pain in the sinews, the knees, the ham and the legs
should be rubbed with oil and salt until it is cured.

If the knees are swollen, they must be fomented
with warm vinegar and poulticed with linseed or
millet which has been ground up and sprinkled with
honey-water; also sponges soaked in boiling water
and then wrung out and smeared with honey are
correctly applied to the knees and wrapped round
with bandages. But if there is any liquid matter
under the swelling, some yeast or barley-flour boiled
in raisin- wine or honey-water is placed upon it ; and
when the suppuration has come to a head, it is cut
with the sui'geon's knife, and, when the pus has been
extracted, it is treated with bandages in the manner
described above. Incisions made with the knife can
also be treated, as Cornelius Celsus taught, by means

159

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cipit, lilii radix aut scilla cum sale, vel sanguinalis
herba, quam poligonum Graeci appellant, vel mar-
rubium ferro reclusa sanare. Fere autem omnis
dolor corporis, si sine vulnere est, recens melius
fomentis discutitur ; vetus uritur, et supra ustum
butyrum vel caprina instillatur adeps.

XIII. Scabies extenuatur trito alio defricta ; ^
eodemque remedio curatur rabiosae canis vel lupi
morsus, qui tamen et ipse imposito vulneri vetere
salsamento aeque bene sanatur. Et ad scabiem
praesentior alia medicina est. Cunila bubula,^ et
sulphur conteruntur, admixtaque amurca cum oleo
atque ^ aceto incoquuntur ; deinde tepefactis scissum
alumen tritum spargitur. Id medicamentum can-
dente ^ sole illitum maxime prodest. Ulceribus
gallae tritae remedio sunt ; nee minus succus marrubii
cumi fuligine.

Est et infesta pestis bubulo pecori, coriaginem
rustici appellant, cum pellis ita tergori adhaeret, ut
apprehensa manibus diduci a costis non possit. Ea
res non aliter accidit,^ quam si bos aut ex languore
aliquo ad maciem perductus est, aut sudans in opere
faciendo refrixit, aut si sub onere pluvia madefactus
est. Quae quoniam perniciosa sunt, custodiendum
est, ut cum ab opere boves redierint ^ adhuc aestu-
antes anhelantesque, vino aspergantur, et offae adi-
pis faucibus eorum inserantur. Quod si praedictum
vitium inhaeserit, proderit ' decoquere laurum, et ea

^ defricta S : defricto AR.

* cunicula bubula S : cuniculabula AR.

* aqua SAR.

* cantendente SAR.

* accedit SA R.

* rediderint SA : redierint ac.

'' proderit S-c : prodiderit S^AR.

x6o

BOOK VI. xii. 5-xiii. 3

of lily-roots or squills mixed with salt, or the staunch-
ing plant which the Greeks call polygonum,'^ or hore-
hound. Almost all bodily pains, if there is no wound,
can in their early stages be better dissipated by
fomentation ; in the advanced stage they are treated
by cauterizations and the dropping of burnt butter
or goat's fat upon the place.

XIII. The scab is alleviated if it is rubbed with Bemedieg
bruised garlic, and the same remedy is used for the fj'icera^ltc.^'
bite of a mad dog or wolf, which, however, is also
quite as easily cured by placing stale pickled fish
upon the wound. There is also a still more efficacious
remedy for the scab ; ox-marjoram and sulphur are
pounded up together and cooked in lees of olives
mixed with oil and vinegar ; then, when the mixture is
hot, split alum is ground up and sprinkled upon it.
This remedy is most efficacious if it is smeared on when
the sun is hot. Ground oak-galls are a cure for ulcers, 2
likewise the juice of horehound together with soot.

There is also a dangerous plague which affects
cattle, called by the farmers " hide-binding," when
the skin adheres so closely to the back that, if it is
taken hold of with the hands, it cannot be drawn
away from the ribs. It occurs only when the ox is
either reduced to a lean condition as the result of some
illness or has become chilled when sweating in the
course of its labours, or if it has been drenched by
rain when it is carrying a load. Since these con- 3
ditions are dangerous, care must be taken that the
oxen, when they have returned from work still hot
and panting, are sprinkled with wine and that balls
of fat are thrust down their throats. If, however, the
above-mentioned malady has already taken hold of

" Knotgrass {Polygonum^ aviculare).

i6i

VOL. II. G

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

calda fovere terga, multoque oleo et vino confestim
subigere, ac per omnes partes apprehendere et
attrahere pellem.^ Idque optima fit sub dio, sole
fervente. Quidam faeces vino et adipe commiscent,
eoque medicamento post fomenta praedicta utuntur.

XIV. Est etiam ilia gravis pernicies, cum pul-
mones exulcerantur. Inde tussis et macies, et ad
ultimum phthisis invadit. Quae ne mortem aiFerant,
radix consiliginis ita, ut supra docuimus, perforatae
auriculae inseritur, tum porri succus instar heminae
pari olei mensurae miscetur, et cum vini sextario
potandus datur diebus compluribus. Interdum et
tumor palati cibos respuit, crebrumque suspirium
facit, et banc speciem praebet, ut bos in latus ^
pendere videatur. Ferro palatum prodest ^ et
sauciare, ut sanguis profluat, et exemptum valvulis
ervum maceratum, viridemque frondem, vel aliud
molle pabulum, dum sanetur, praebere.

Si in opere collum contuderit,^ praesentissimum est
remedium sanguis de aure emissus : aut si id factum
non erit, herba, quae vocatur avia,^ cum sale trita et
imposita. Si cervix mota et deiecta est, conside-
rabimus quam in partem declinet, et ex diversa
auricula sanguinem detrahemus. Ea porro vena,
quae in aure videtur esse amplissima, sarmento prius

1 pelle 8AR.

* bos in latus Lundstrom : bos lotus SAR.
' prodest add. Schneider ex Vegetio iv. 14.

* contuderit S : contunderit AR.
' avia Aldus : habia SAR.

162

BOOK VI. xiii. 3-xiv. 3

them, it will be beneficial to make a concoction of
bay-leaves and foment their backs with it while they
are still warm and immediately after to massage them
with a large quantity of oil and wine and to take hold
of the hide all over the animal and draw it away.
This is best done in the open air in burning sunshine.
Some people mix dregs of oil with wine and fat and use
it as a remedy after the fomentations mentioned above.

XIV. It is also a serious distemper when the lungs Remedies
become ulcerated ; it results in coughing and lungsTnd***^
emaciation and finally in phthisis. To prevent these swellings of
conditions from causing death, a root of lungwort, as and^neck^of
we prescribed above, is inserted in a hole made in the *° °^-
ear and then about a hemina of the juice of leek is
mixed with a like quantity of oil and given as a potion
for several days with a sextarius of wine. Some- 2
times too a swelling of the palate causes the animal
to refuse its food and heave frequent sighs, and an
impression is caused that it is hanging over towards
one side." It is beneficial also to make a wound in the
palate with a knife, so that the blood may flow, and
to administer bitter-vetch without its husk and
soaked and green leaves or some other soft fodder,
until the wound heals.

If in the course of its work the ox has his neck 3
bruised, the most efficacious remedy is to draw blood
from the ear, or, if that is not done, the herb called
groundsel is crushed up with salt and placed on the
part affected. If the neck is moved in a certain
direction and hangs down, we shall examine and see
to which side it declines and draw blood from the ear
on the other side ; moreover, what appears to be the
largest vein in the ear is first beaten with a twig, and
' The text, however, seems to be in need of further correction.

163

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

verberatur. Deinde cum ad ictum intumuit, cultello
solvitur ; et postero die iterum ex eodem loco sanguis
emittitur, ac biduo ab opera datur vacatio. Tertio
deinde die levis iniungitur labor, et paulatim ad iusta
perducitur. Quod si cervix in neutram partem de-
iecta est, mediaque intumuit, ex utraque auricula
sanguis emittitur. Qui cum intra triduum, cum bos
vitium cepit, emissus non est, intumescit collum,
nervique tenduntur, et inde nata durities iugum non
patitur. Tali vitio comperimus aptum ^ esse medi-
camentum ex pice liquida et bubula medulla et
hircino sebo et vetere oleo acquis ponderibus com-
positum atque incoctum. Hac compositione sic
utendum est. Cum disiungitur ab opere, in ea
piscina, ex qua bibit, tumor cervicis aqua madefactus
subigitur, praedictoque medicamento defricatur et
illinitur. Si ex toto propter cervicis tumorem iugum
recuset, paucis diebus requies ab opere danda est.
Tum cervix aqua frigida defricanda, et spuma argenti
illinenda est. Celsus quidem tumenti cervici her-
bam, quae vocatur avia, ut supra dixi, contundi et
imponi iubet. Clavorum, qui fere cervicem infestant,
minor molestia est : nam facile oleo ^ per ardentem
lucernam instillato sanantur. Potior tamen ratio
est custodiendi, ne nascantur,^ neve colla calvescant,
quae non aliter glabra fiunt, nisi cum sudore aut
pluvia cervix in opere madefacta est. Itaque cum

^ aptum ex Vegeiio I.e. : autem SAS.
^ oleo et sanantur om. SAB.
* nascantur S : nascatur AB.

164

BOOK VI. XIV. 3-7

then when it has swollen up as a result of the blows, it is
opened with a lancet, and on the following day blood
is again drawn from the same spot and the animal is
given two days' rest from work. Then on the third
day a light task is enjoined upon it, which is gradually
increased until it does a full day's work. If, how- 4
ever, the neck does not incline to either side but is
swollen in the middle, blood is let from both ears. If
bleeding is not performed within three days after the
ox has got the disease, the neck swells up and the
sinews become taut and as a result a hard lump is
formed which cannot endure the pressure of the
yoke. For this kind of malady we have discovered 5
a suitable remedy composed of liquid pitch, beef-
marrow, goat's fat, and stale oil in equal quantities
and cooked together. This compound should be
used in the following manner : when the ox is un-
harnessed after its work, the swelling on its neck
is moistened with water in the trough from which it
drinks and then massaged and rubbed and smeared
with the medicament described above. If the animal 6
absolutely refuses the yoke because of the swelling on
its neck, it must be given a few days' rest from work ;
then the neck must be rubbed with cold water and
anointed with litharge of silver. Celsus indeed recom-
mends that to a swollen neck the herb called ground-
sel should, as I have already said, be crushed and
apphed. The warts which generally infest the neck
constitute only a minor malady ; for they can easily
be cured with oil dripped on them from a burning
lamp. A better plan, however, is to take care that 7
they do not form and that the necks of the oxen do
not become bald, for they only become hairless when
the neck is moistened by sweat or rain during work.

i6s

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

id accidit, pulveri ^ lateritio trito priusquam disiungan-
tur, colla conspergi oportet : deinde cum assiccu-
erint,2 subinde oleo imbui.

XV. Si talum aut ungulam vomer laeserit, picem
duram et axungiam cum sulfure et lana succida in-
volvito^ candente ferro supra vulnus inurito. Quod
idem remedium optime facit exempta stirpe, si forte
surculum calcaverit, aut acuta testa vel lapide ungu-
lam pertuderit * ; quae tamen si altius vulnerata est,
latius ferro circumciditur, et ita inuritur, ut supra prae-
cepi : deinde spartea calceata per triduum suffuso
aceto curatur. Item si vomer crus sauciarit, marina
lactuca, quam Graeci tithymallum vocant, admixto
sale imponitur. Subtriti pedes eluuntur calefacta
bubula urina : deinde fasce ^ sarmentorum incenso,
cum iam ignis in favillam recidit, ferventi cineri ^ bos
cogitur insistere, ac pice liquida cum oleo vel axungia
cornua eius linuntur. Minus tamen claudicabunt
armenta, si opere disiunctis multa frigida laventur
pedes; et deinde sufFragines coronaeque ac dis-
crimen ipsum, quo divisa est bovis ungula, vetere
axungia defricentur.'

^ pulveri (pulvere) Richter {Hermes LXXX, 201) : veteri
prior, edd.

^ ad siccum erit S : ad siccum erint A.

* involvito Svennung : involuta SAR.

* pertulerit SAR.

5 fasce R : fasces SA.

* ferveti cineribus A : ferventi cineribus 8R.
' defricentur S : defricetur AR.

166

BOOK VI. XIV. 7-xv. 2

When this happens, therefore, their necks ought to
be sprinkled with dust made by grinding brick-work
before they are unyoked ; then, when their necks have
dried, they ought to be moistened from time to time
with oil.

XV. If the pastern or hoof has been injured by Kemedies
the ploughshare, wrap round it hard pitch and to'^p^t^^
axle-grease, bind it with sulphur and greasy wool ^^^ hoofs.
and make a burn above the wound with a piece of
red-hot iron. The same remedy has an excellent
eifect after the removal of a piece of wood from the
hoof, if the ox has by chance trodden on a shoot or
pierced its hoof with a sharp tile or stone. If, how-
ever, the wound is rather deep, a wider cut is made
round it with a knife and it is then cauterized accord-
ing to the method which I have described above ;
next the hoof is covered with a " slipper " made of
broom and treated for three days with a suffusion of
vinegar. Also if an ox has damaged its leg on the 2
ploughshare, sea-spurge," which the Greeks call
iithymallus, mixed with salt, is applied to the wound.
The feet are rubbed underneath and are washed
with warmed ox-urine ; then a bundle of twigs is
burnt and when now the fire has sunk to embers, the
animal is made to stand on the glowing ashes and the
horny parts of the hoof are anointed with liquid pitch
mixed with oil or axle-grease. Cattle, however, will
be less likely to go lame, if their feet are washed
in plenty of cold water when they are unyoked
after work, and if their hocks, the crowns of their
hoofs and the division itself between the two
halves of the hoofs are rubbed with stale axle-
grease.

* Euphorbia paralius.

167

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

XVI. Saepe etiam vel gravitate longioris itineris/
vel cum in proscindendo aut duriori solo aut obviae
radici obluctatur,^ convellit armos. Quod cum accidit,
e prioribus cruribus sanguis mittendus est : si
dextrum armum laesit, in sinistro ; si laevum, in
dextro; si vehementius utrumque vitiavit, item in
posterioribus cruribus venae ^ solventur. Praefractis

2 cornibus linteola sale atque aceto et oleo imbuta
superponuntur, ligatisque per triduum eadem in-
funduntur. Quarto demum axungia pari pondere
cum pice liquida, et cortice pineo levigata * imponi-
tur. Et ad ultimum cum iam cicatricem ducunt,
fuligo infricatur.

Solent etiam neglecta ulcera scatere verminibus:
qui si mane perfunduntur aqua frigida, rigore con-
tracti decidunt. Vel si hac ratione non possunt
eximi, marrubium aut porrum conteritur, et admixto
sale imponitur. Id celerrime necat praedicta ani-

3 malia. Sed expurgatis ^ ulceribus confestim adhi-
benda sunt linamenta cum pice et oleo vetereque
axungia, et extra vulnera eodem medicamento
circumlinenda, ne infestentur a muscis, quae ubi
ulceribus insederunt, vermes creant.

XVII. Est etiam mortiferus serpentis ictus, est et
minorum ^ animalium noxium virus. Nam et vipera
et caecilia saepe cum in pascuo bos improvide super-

1 itineris om. SAB.

* obluctatur S : obluctatus AR.
^ vene S : bene AE.

* pineo levigata S : pineolo vigata A : pineolo iugata R.

* expurgatis 8 : -i AR.

* minorum ex Vegelio : magnorum codd.

i68

BOOK VI. XVI. i-xvii. I

XVI. It often happens that an ox wrenches its Hemedies
shoulders either owing to the weight of its load on a ghouid^re^'*
somewhat prolonged journey or when, in breaking and dam-
up the ground, it has to struggle against an un-
usually hard patch or a root which gets in its way.

When this happens, blood must be drawn from its
front legs — from the left leg if it has injured its
right shoulder and from the right leg if the left
shoulder is affected. If it has injured both shoulders
rather seriously, veins will have to be opened in the
hind legs as well. If the horns are broken, pieces 2
of linen soaked in salt and vinegar and oil are put
upon them and the same things poured over them
for three days after they have been bound up ; next
on the fourth day axle-grease and Uquid pitch in
equal portions and pulverized pine-bark are applied,
and, finally, when they are already beginning to
scar over, they are rubbed with soot.

Ulcers, too, if they are neglected, generally swarm
with worms. If they are drenched in the morning
\vith cold water, they shrivel up with the cold and
die. If they cannot be got rid of by this method,
horehound or leek is pounded up and applied
with a mixture of salt; this promptly kills these
creatures. After the ulcers have been cleaned 3
out, linen bandages must be immediately appUed
with pitch, oil and stale axle-grease, and the
wounds must be anointed outside with the same
medicament, so that they may not become infested
by flies which, when they settle on the ulcers, breed
worms.

XVII. The bite of a snake is also fatal to oxen, and f^Xtefof
the poison of certain lesser animals is also hurtful, sn^'kes and
For an ox while grazing often lies down unawares Limais and

for diseaseg
jog of the eye.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cubuit, lacessita onere morsum imprimit. Musque
araneus, quern ^ Graeci fxvyaXijv appellant, quamvis
exiguis dentibus non exiguam pestem molitur.
Venena viperae depellit super scarificationem ferro
factam ^ herba, quam vocant personatam,^ trita et

2 cum sale imposita. Plus etiam eiusdem radix con-
tusa prodest, vel si montanum trifolium invenitur,
quod confragosis locis efficacissimum nascitur, odoris
gravis, neque absimilis bitumini, et idcirco Graeci
earn aa<^aXTeLov appellant ; nostri autem propter
figuram vocant acutum trifolium : nam ^ longis et
hirsutis foliis viret, caulemque robustiorem facit,

3 quam pratense. Huius herbae succus vino mixtus
infunditur faucibus, atque ipsa folia cum sale trita
malagmatis in vicem cedunt.^ Vel si hanc herbam
viridem tempus anni negat, semina eius collecta et
levigata cum vino dantur potanda, radicesque cum
suo caule tritae atque hordeaceae farinae et sali com-
mixtae ex aqua mulsa scarificationi superponuntur,

4 Est etiam praesens remedium, si conteras fraxini
tenera cacumina quinque librarum, cum totidem vini
et duobus sextariis olei, expressumque ^ succum
faucibus infundas ; itemque cacumina eiusdem arboris
cum sale trita laesae parti superponas.

Caeciliae ' morsus tumorem suppurationemque
molitur. Idem facit etiam muris aranei. Sed illius
sanatur noxa subula aenea, si locum laesum com-

1 quein R : quae S : que A.

* captam SAR.

' personatam (cf. Pliny, N.H. XXV. § 104) : persona SAac.

* non SAR.

* in vicem cedunt scripsi : vicedunt SA : incendunt R.

* expressus quae S : expressusque A.
' celi S : caeli A.

170

BOOK VI. XVII. 1-4

upon vipers and lizards, which, provoked by its
weight, inflict a bite upon it. The shrew-mouse,
which the Greeks call mygale, though its teeth are
small, gives rise to a malady which is far from being
slight. A viper's poison can be expelled by scarify-
ing with a knife the part affected and applying to
it the herb called burdock, pounded up and mixed
with salt. The crushed root of the same plant is 2
even more beneficial, or the mountain trefoil, which
grows in rugged places and is most efficacious, if it can
be found ; it has a strong odour like that of bitumen,
whence the Greeks call it asphalteion, but our country-
folk call it " sharp trefoil " from its shape, for it
grows long, hairy leaves and forms a stouter stalk
than the meadow trefoil. The juice of this herb 3
mixed with wine is poured down the throat, and the
leaves themselves are pounded up with salt to form
a poultice. If the season of the year makes it im-
possible to obtain this herb in a green state, its seeds
are collected and pulverized and given with wine as
a potion, while the roots are pounded up with their
stalks and mixed with barley-flour and salt and,
after being dipped in honey-water, are applied to the
scarified part. A sovereign remedy is also provided 4
by crushing five pounds of tender tops of ash with
the same number of sextarii of wine and two of oil
and by pouring the juice which you have squeezed
out down the animal's throat. You should also apply
the tops of the same tree pounded up with salt to the
part affected.

The bite of a lizard causes swelling and suppura-
tion, as also does that of a shrew-mouse, but the
injury caused by the former is cured if you puncture
the part affected with a brazen awl and anoint it with

171

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

5 pungas, cretaque cimolia ex aceto linas, Mus
perniciem, quam intulit, suo corpore luit : nam
animal ipsum oleo mersum necatur, et cum imputruit,
conteritur, eoque medicamine morsus muris aranei
linitur. Vel si id non adest, tumorque ^ ostendit
iniuriam dentium, cuminum conteritur, eique adici-
tur exiguum picis liquidae et axungiae, ut lentorem

6 malagmatis habeat. Id impositum perniciem com-
movet. Vel si antequam tumor discuteretur, in
suppurationem convertitur, optimum est ignea
lamina collectionem ^ resecare, et quicquid vitiosi
est, inurere, atque ita liquida pice cum oleo linire.
Solet etiam ipsum animal vivum creta figulari cir-
cumdari ; quae cum siccata est, colic boum suspendi-
tur. Ea res innoxium pecus a morsu muris aranei
praebet.

7 Oculorum vitia plerumque melle sanantur. Nam
sive intumuerunt, aqua mulsa ^ triticea farina con-
spergitur et imponitur: sive album in oculo est,
montanus sal Hispanus vel Ammoniacus vel etiam
Cappadocus, minute tritus et immixtus melli vitium
extenuat. Facit idem trita sepiae testa, et per
fistulam ter die oculo inspirata. Facit et radix,
quam Graeci alXcfjiov vocant, vulgus autem nostra

8 consuetudine * laserpitium appellant. Huius quan-
tocunque ponderi decem partes salis ammoniaci
adiciuntur, eaque pariter trita oculo similiter in-

1 umorque A : umorquae S.

* collectionem ex Vegetio : convertionem SA.
' mulsa A^E : miilsae 8.

* consuetudinem SA : consuetudine ac.

" Fuller's earth from Cimolus, an island in the Cyclades.
* From Ammon in the Libyan desert.

173

BOOK VI. XVII. 4-8

Cimolian chalk <* dipped in vinegar. The shrew- 5
mouse atones with its own body for the harm which
it has inflicted ; for the animal itself is killed by being
drowned in oil, and, when it has putrefied, it is
crushed and the bite inflicted by the shrew-mouse is
anointed with it as a remedy. If this is not available
and the swelling shows teeth-marks, cumin is crushed
up and a little liquid pitch and axle-grease is added
to it, so that it may have the soft consistency of a
poultice. The application of this gets rid of the 6
mischief. If the swelling turns into a suppuration
before it is dispersed, it is best to cut away the abscess
with a hot iron plate and burn away any harmful
matter and then anoint the place with liquid pitch
and oil. There is also a practice of encasing the
shrew-mouse itself while still alive in potter's clay
and, when the clay is dry, hanging it round the ox's
neck. This renders the animal immune from the
bite of a shrew-mouse.

Maladies of the eyes are generally cured with 7
honey. If they have swollen up, wheaten flour is
sprinkled with honey water and applied to the eyes ;
or, if there is a white film on the eye, Spanish or
Ammoniac ^ or even Cappadocian rock-salt, pounded
small and mixed with honey, lessens the malady.
The shell of a cuttle-fish ground up and blown into
the eye three times a day through a pipe has the same
effect, as also has the root which the Greeks call
silphion and of which the common name in our language
is laserpitium." To any quantity of this ten parts of 8
Ammoniac salt are added ; and both are poured simi-
larly into the eye after being ground up in the same
manner, or else the root of the same plant crushed up and

- ^ ' Laserwort, Ferula iingitana.

173

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

funduntur, vel eadem radix tunsa^ et cum oleo
lentisci inuncta vitium expurgat. Epiphoram sup-
primit polenta conspersa mulsa aqua, et in supercilia
genasque imposita ; pastinacae quoque agrestis
semina, et succus armoraceae, cum melle conlevata
9 oculorum sedant dolorem. Sed quotiensque mel
aliusve succus remediis adhibetur, circumlinendus erit
oculus pice liquida cum oleo, ne a muscis infestetur.
Nam et ad dulcedinem et odorem ^ mellis aliorumque
medicamentorum non hae solae, sed et apes advolant.

XVIII. Magnam etiam perniciem saepe affert
hirudo hausta cum aqua. Ea adhaerens faucibus
sanguinem ducit, et incremento suo transitum cibis
praecludit. Si tam difficili loco est, ut manu trahi
non possit, fistulam vel arundinem inserito, et ita
calidum oleum infundito : nam eo contactum animal

2 confestim decidit. Potest etiam per fistulam deusti
cimicis nidor immitti : . qui ubi superpositus ^ igni
fumum emisit, conceptum nidorem fistula usque ad
hirudinem perfert ; isque nidor depellit haerentem.
Si tamen vel stomachum vel intestinum tenet, calido
aceto per cornu infuso necatur. Has medicinas
quamvis bubus adhibendas praeceperim, posse
tamen ex eis * plurima etiam omni maiori pecori
convenire nihil dubium est.

XIX. Sed et machina fabricanda est, qua clausa
iumenta bovesque curentur, ut et propior ^ accessus

^ tunsa S : contunsa A^.

* oculorum SAB.

' superpositus S : superponuntur AB.

* iaS: his AB.

* proprior SAB.

BOOK VI. XVII. 8-xix. I

mixed with oil of mastic is used to anoint the eye and
purges away the malady. Running at the eyes is
stopped by pearl-barley sprinkled with honey-water
and applied to the eyebrows and cheeks ; wild parsnip
seeds and the juice of the horse-radish diluted with
smooth honey assuage pain in the eyes. But when- 9
ever honey or any other juice is introduced into the
remedies employed, the eye will have to be anointed
all round with liquid pitch and oil to prevent its being
infested with flies ; for not only flies but also bees are
a^^tracted to the sweetness and odour of honey and
other medicaments.

XVIII. Much harm too is often caused by a leech Ben>edie«
swallowed with the drinking-water, which, fastening which hare
on the throat, sucks the blood and blocks the passage f^c^es!^*^
of food with its own added bulk. If the leech

is in such a difficult place that it cannot be re-
moved by hand, you should insert a pipe or reed and
then pour in warm oil ; for if this touches it, the leech
immediately falls off. The odour from a burnt bug 2
may also be introduced through a pipe (for when a
bug is put upon the fire and has produced smoke,
the vapour given off reaches the leech through a
pipe) and this vapour dislodges the leech from
its clinging hold. If, however, it is attached to the
stomach or intestine, it can be killed by pouring hot
vinegar through a horn. Though I have prescribed
these remedies to be used for oxen, most of them are
certainly suitable also for all the larger kinds of
cattle.

XIX. It is necessary also to construct a machine How to

1 . 1 1 •' , . r ^ 1 -I construct a

in which one can enclose beasts oi burden and oxen machine for
and treat them, in order that those who are applying ^tu^^ben
remedies mav have readier access to their patients they are

being
jne treated.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ad pecudem medentibus sit, nee in ipsa euratione
quadrupes reluetando remedia respuat. Est autem
talis machinae forma : roboreis axibus compingitur
solum, quod habet in longitudinem pedes novem, et
in latitudinem pars prior dipundium semissem, pars

2 posterior quattuor pedes. Huie solo septenum pedum
stipites recti ab utroque latere quaterni applicantur.
li autem in ipsis quattuor angulis affixi sunt, omnes-
que transversis sex temonibus quasi vacerrae inter
se ligantur,! j^g^ ^^^ g^ posteriore parte, quae latior ^
est, velut in caveam quadrupes possit induci, nee ex-
ire alia parte prohibentibus adversis axieulis. Primis
autem duobus statuminibus imponitur firmum iugum,
ad quod iumenta capistrantur, vel bourn cornua re-
ligantur. Ubi potest etiam numella ^ fabricari, ut
inserto capite descendentibus per foramina regulis

3 cervix catenetur. Ceterum corpus laqueatum et
distentum temonibus obligatur, immotumque me-
dentis arbitrio est expositum. Haec ipsa machina
communis erit omnium maiorum quadrupedum.

XX. Quoniam de bubus satis praecepimus, oppor-
tune de tauris vaccisque dicemus. Tauros maxime
membris amplissimis, moribus placidis, media aetate
probandos censeo. Cetera fere eadem omnia in his
observabimus, quae in bubus eligendis. Neque enim
alio distat bonus taurus a castrato, nisi quod huie
torva facies est, vegetior aspectus, breviora cornua,
torosior cervix, et ita vasta, ut sit maxima portio

^ ligantur S : ligatur AR.

* latior c ed. pr. : laterior SAR.

' numella S : numelli AR.

' The details of the construction are not altogether clear,
and the text appears in need of emendation.

176

BOOK VI. XIX. i-xx. I

and that these quadrupeds, while they are actually-
being doctored, may not struggle and reject the
remedies. The shape of this machine is as follows :
a piece of ground nine feet long and two and a half
feet wide in front and four feet wide at the back is
floored with boards of oak. In this space four upright 2
posts seven feet high are placed on the right and left
sides ; they are set upright in the four corners and
are all bound to each other with six cross-poles <» to
form a kind of railing, so that the animal can be driven
in fi-om the back, which is broader, as into a cage, but
cannot get out on any of the other sides, because the
bars get in his way and prevent him. On the two
front posts a stout yoke is placed, to which beasts of
burden are fastened with halters and oxen tied by
their horns, and you can also contrive here stocks, so
that, when the animal's head has been inserted, bars
may descend and pass through holes and the neck
thus be held tight. The rest of the body, secured 3
with nooses and stretched out, is bound to the cross-
poles and is subject to the will of the person who is
doctoring the animal. This machine will serve alike
for all the greater quadrupeds.

XX. Now that we have given enough instruction Buiu.
about oxen, it will be proper to deal next with bulls
and cows. In my opinion we ought to esteem most
highly bulls which have very large limbs and a calm
temperament and are not too young or too old. In
other respects we shall look for much the same
qualities as we sought when choosing oxen. For a
good bull does not differ from a gelded ox except that
its expression is fierce, its appearance more animated,
its horns shorter, its neck more brawny and so huge
as to form the greatest part of its body ; its belly is

177

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

corporis, venter ^ paulo subtruncior, qui magis rectus ^
et ad ineundas feminas habilis sit.

XXI. Vaccae quoque probantur altissimae formae
longaeque, maximis uteris, frontibus latissimis, oculis
nigris et patentissimis, cornibus venustis et levibus
et nigrantibus, pilosis auribus, compressis malis,
palearibus et caudis amplissimis, ungulis modicis, et
cruribus parvis.^ Cetera quoque fere eadem in
feminis, quae et in maribus, desiderantur, et praeci-
pue ut sint novellae : quoniam, cum excesserunt

2 annos decern, fetibus inutiles sunt. Rursus minores
bimis iniri non oportet. Si ante tamen conceperint,
partum earum removeri placet, ac per triduum, ne
laborent, ubera exprimi, postea mulctra prohiberi.

XXII. Sed et curandum est omnibus annis aeque
ac in reliquis gregibus pecoris, ut delectus habeatur.
Nam et enixae ^ et vetustae,^ quod gignere de-
sierunt, summovendae sunt, et utique taurae, quae
locum fecundarum occupant, ablegandae vel aratro
domandae ; quoniam laboris et operis non minus
quam iuvenci propter uteri sterilitatem patientes
sunt. Eiusmodi armentum maritima et aprica

2 hiberna desiderat ; aestate ^ opacissima nemorum et
montium,' elata ^ magis quam plana pascua. Nam

^ venter Schneider : ventre SAR.

* rectus ed. pr. : treus S : reus AR.

* parvis diibiianier add. Lundslrom.

* enixae Aid. : et visae 8 : et vise AR.

* vetustate SAR.

* 6 statim S : aestatim A.

' opacissima nemorum et montium Lundatrom : opicis
morum omnium SAR : opacis nemorum omnium a.

178

BOOK VI. XX. i-xxii. 2

rather less developed underneath, so that it forms a
straighter line and is more convenient for coupling
with the female.

XXI. Cows also are most highly esteemed which cowa.
are very tall and long in shape, with large bellies,
very broad foreheads, eyes black and very wide-open,
horns elegant, smooth and inclined to blackness,
hairy ears, compressed cheek-bones, very large
dewlaps and tails, hoofs of moderate size, and small
legs. In other respects almost the same qualities

are desirable in the females as in the males ; above
all things they should be young, since, when they
have passed ten years, they are useless for breeding.
On the other hand they should not be covered by the
bulls when they are less than two years old ; if, how- 2
ever, they conceive before reaching two years, it is
thought proper that their young should be taken from
them and their udders emptied for three days that
they may not feel pain, and that after that they
should be kept away from the milk-pail.

XXII. You should also take care to hold an AnnuaJ re-
examination of your cows, as of all herds of cattle, j^erd.°' ^^
every year; for those which have done with calf-
bearing and are old, since they have ceased bearing,
should be removed, and barren cows in particular, which

are occupying the place of the fertile, must be got rid
of or broken in to the plough ; for on account of their
sterility they can endure toil and work quite as well
as bullocks. This kind of cattle requires sunny 2
pasture-ground near the sea in the winter ; but in
summer they like the shadiest parts of the woods or
mountains and pasturage on high ground rather than

* elata Heinsius : ac laeta 8 : ac leta AR : alta a.

179

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

melius nemoribus herbidis et frutectis ^ et carectis ^
pascitur,' quoniam siccis ac lapidosis locis durantur
ungulae. Nee tarn fluvios * rivosque desiderat,
quam lacus ^ manu factos ; quoniam et fluvialis ^
aqua, quae fere frigidior est, partum abigit, et
caelestis iucundior est. Omnis tamen externi frigoris
tolerantior equino armento vacca est, ideoque facile
sub dio hibernat.

XXIII. Sed laxo spatio consepta facienda sunt, ne
in angustiis conceptum altera alterius elidat, et ut
invalida fortioris ictus efFugiat. Stabula sunt optima
saxo aut glarea strata, non incommoda tamen etiam
sabulosa, ilia, quod imbres respuant, haec, quod
celeriter exsorbent transmittuntque. Sed utraque
devexa sint, ut humorem effundant ; spectentque ad
meridiem, ut facile siccentur, et frigidis ventis non

2 sint "^ obnoxia. Levis autem cura pascui est. Nam
ut laetior herba consurgat, fere ultimo tempore
aestatis incenditur. Ea res et teneriora pabula re-
creat, incensis sentibus duris ® et fruticem surrectu-
rum in altitudinem compescit. Ipsis vero corporibus
afFert salubritatem iuxta conseptum saxis et canali-
bus sal superiectus, ad quem saturae pabulo libenter
recurrunt, cum pastorali signo quasi receptui canitur.

3 Nam id quoque semper crepusculo fieri debet, ut ad
sonum buccinae pecus, si quod in silvis substiterit,

^ frutetis ed. pr. : fructibus SAB.
^ curetis 8AE : caretis ed. pr.
' pascitur,^ add. Schneider.

* pluvios SAB : fluvios a.

* lacus B : iacu SA .

* pluvialis jS^-K : fluvialis a. ^ aii SAB.

* incensis sentibus duris et Lvndslrom : dentis durib ; S :
dentibus duribus A^ : dentibus duris B : sentibus duris, ed.
pr. : incensis aridis Palladius, IX. 4.

i8o

BOOK VI. xxii. 2-xxin. 3

in the plain ; for it is better for them to feed in grassy
woods and places covered with bushes and sedge-beds,
since in dry, stony places their hoofs become hard.
They do not require rivers and streams so much as
artificial ponds, since river-water, which is generally
colder, causes abortion, while rain-water is pleasanter
to the taste. Cows, however, endure every out-
door cold better than horses and so can easily pass
the winter under the open sky.

XXIII. Enclosures must be constructed which Enclosures
allow ample space, so that one cow may not in gheds?^
narrow quarters cause abortion in another and that
a feeble cow may avoid the blows of a stronger.
The best cow-sheds are floored with stone or gravel,
though sandy floors are also suitable, the former
because they keep out rainwater, the latter because
they quickly absorb it and drain it away. In either
case they must be shelving, so as to make the
moisture flow away, and they should face the south
that they may dry easily and not be exposed to
the cold winds. The care of the pasturage is a 2
small matter; for, in order that the grass may
grow more abundantly, it is usually burnt in the last
part of the summer. This makes the fodder more
tender when it grows again, since the hard briers are
burnt, and it keeps down the bushes which would
grow to a great height. Salt sprinkled on the stones
and water-courses near the enclosures contributes to
the good bodily health of the cattle and they gladly
have recourse to it after they have eaten their fill,
when what may be called the cowherd's signal for
retreat is sounded ; for this too ought always to be 3
given at dusk, so that any cattle which have remained
in the woods may be accustomed, when the horn

181

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

saepta repetere consuescat. Hie enim recognosci
grex poterit, numerusque ^ constare si velut ex
militari disciplina intra stabularii ^ castra manserint.
Sed non eadeni in tauros exercentur imperia, qui freti
viribus per nemora vagantur, liberosque egressus et
reditus habent, nee revocantur nisi ad coitus femi-
narum.

XXIV. Ex eis,^ qui quadrimis minores sunt mai-
oresque quam * duodecim annorum, prohibentur
admissura : illi,^ quoniam quasi puerili aetate semi-
nandis armentis parum idonei habentur; hi, quia
senio sunt efFeti.^ Mense lulio feminae maribus
plerumque permittendae, ut eo tempore conceptos

2 proximo vere adultis iam pabulis edant.' Nam
decern mensibus ventrem perferunt, neque ex imperio
magistri, sed sua sponte mai'em ^ patiuntur.^ Atque
in id fere^" quod dixi tempus, naturalia congruunt
desideria, quoniam satietate verni pabuli pecudes
exhilaratae lasciviunt in venerem, quam si aut
femina recusat, aut non appetit taurus, eadem
ratione, qua fastidientibus equis mox praecipiemus,
elicitur cupiditas odore genitalium admoto naribus.

3 Sed et pabulum circa tempus admissurae subtrahitur
feminis, ne eas steriles reddat nimia corporis obesitas ;

^ numerumqiie SAB.

2 stabularii ed. pr. : stabularum SAR.

Ms-S: his AR.

* quam AM. : cum SAR.

* illi eil. pr. : ilia SAR.
6 effecti A^ : effeti SA^.

' edant ed. pr. : edat SAR.

* -que post marem AR : quae S.

» patitur SAB. " ferre 8A : fere ac.

182

BOOK VI. xxiir. 3-xxiv. 3

sounds, to seek their enclosures. Here it will be
possible to pass the herd in review and its numbers
can be verified, if, as though under military disci-
pline, they occupy the quarters assigned to them
by the keeper of the stalls. But the same strict
rules are not imposed upon the bulls, which, relying
on their strength, wander about in the woods and
have free exit and return and are only recalled when
they are required to cover the females.

XXIV. Bulls which are less than four years old and The breed-
more than twelve are prevented from mounting the fe- '"^ °^ '^""'*'
males, the former because, being as it were in their
infancy, they are regarded as hardly suitable for breed-
ing purposes, the latter because they are worn out with
old age. The females are generally allowed to con-
sort with the males in the month of July, in order
that they may give birth to the young which are
conceived at this time in the following spring, when
the fodder has already come to perfection ; for the 2
period of gestation is ten months. The cows do not
admit the male at their owner's command but of
their own accord and their natural desires coincide
generally with the time of year which I have
mentioned, since exhilarated by the abundance of
food which the spring provides they become wanton
and desire intercourse. If the female refuses inter-
course or the bull feels no desire for her, the same
method is employed as we shall presently prescribe
for the stallion who shows distaste for the mare,
namely desire is stimulated by bringing to the nostrils
the odour of the genital parts. Also towards the time 3
when the females are to be covered their food is re-
duced, so that excessive fatness may not render them
barren, while the diet of the bulls is increased, so that

183

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

et tauris adicitur, quo fortius ineant. Unumque
marem quindecim vaccis sufficere abunde est. Qui
ubi iuvencam supervenit, certis signis comprehendere
licet, quern sexum generaverit : quoniam si parte
dextra desiluit, marem seminasse manifestum est ; si
laeva, feminam. Id tamien ^ verum esse non aliter
apparet, quam si post unum coitum forda non ad-

4 mittit taurum : quod et ipsum raro accidit. Nam
quamvis plena fetu non expletur libidine : adeo
ultra naturae terminos etiam in pecudibus plurimum
pollent blandae voluptatis illecebrae.

Sed non dubium est, ubi pabuli sit laetitia, posse
omnibus annis partum educari ; at ubi penuria est,
alternis submitti : quod maxime in operariis vaccis
fieri placet, ut et \ituli annui temporis spatio lacte
satientur, nee forda simul operis et uteri gravetur ^
onere. Quae cum partum edidit, nisi cibis fulta est,
quamvis bona nutrix, labore fatigata nato subtrahit

5 alimentum. Itaque et fetae cytisus viridis ' et
torrefactum hordeum,^ maceratumque ervum prae-
betur, et tener vitulus ^ torrido molitoque miUo et
permixto cum lacte salivatur. Melius etiam in hos
usus Altinae vaccae parantur, quas eius regionis in-
colae cevas ^ appellant. Eae sunt humilis staturae,

1 tarn SAR.

* gravetur S : graventur AR.

* viridis ed. pr. : viri SAB.

* in horreum SAR.

» tener vitulus Poniedera : tenuervitolus S^ : tenue vitulus
5* : teneruit olus A.

* gevas S : cevas Aac.

" I.e. from the point of view of nursing their young.

* A town near Venice.

* This word is probably the origin of tb^ Low German Keue.

184

BOOK VI. XXIV. 3-5

they may put more energy into the sexual act. One
bull is quite enough for fifteen cows ; and, when it
has covered a heifer there are definite signs by
which you can tell what is the sex of the offspring
which it has begotten ; since, if he uncouples towards
the right side, it is clear that he has begotten a male,
if towards the left, a female. But whether this is
really true is only apparent when after one copula-
tion the pregnant cow refuses to admit the bull again,
and this actually happens only rarely ; for although 4
the cow may have conceived, she is not satisfied in
her desires ; so true is it that the seductive allure-
ments of pleasure exercise the greatest power even
over cattle beyond the bounds prescribed by nature.
There is no doubt that where there is a great luxuri-
ance of fodder, a calf can be reared from the same
cow every year, but, where food is scarce, the cow
must be used for breeding only every other year.
This rule is particularly observed where cows are
employed for work, in order that, firstly, the calves
may have abundance of milk for the space of a year,
and, secondly, that a breeding cow may not have
to bear the burden of work and pregnancy at the
same time. When she has given birth to a calf, '
however good a mother she may be, if she is worn
out by work, she denies the calf its due nourishment
if her diet does not give her enough support. That 5
is why green shrub-trefoil and toasted barley and
sodden bitter-vetch are given to a cow which has
borne a calf, and her tender young is given a drench
of grilled millet ground up and mixed with milk.
For these purposes " too it is better to procure cows
from Altina,* which the inhabitants of that region
call cevae.'^ They are of low stature and produce an

185

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

lactis abundantes, propter quod remotis earum
fetibus, generosum pecus alienis educatur uberibus :
vel si hoc praesidium non adest, faba fresa et vinum
recte tolerat, idque praecipue in magnis gregibus
fieri oportet.

XXV. Solent autem vitulis nocere lumbrici, qui
fere nascuntur cruditatibus. Itaque moderandum
est, ut bene concoquant : aut si iam tali vitio laborant,
lupini semicrudi conteruntur, et ofFae salivati more
faucibus ingeruntur. Potest etiam cum arida fico et
ervo conteri herba Santonica, et formata in oiFam,
sicut salivatum demitti. Facit idem axungiae pars
una tribus partibus hyssopi permixta. Marrubii
quoque suceus et porri valet eiusmodi necare
animalia.

XXVI. Castrare vitulos Mago censet, dum adhuc
teneri sunt; neque id ferro faeere, sed fissa ^ ferula
comprimere testiculos, et paulatim confringere.
Idque optimum genus castrationum putat, quod

2 adhibetur aetati tenerae sine vulnere. Nam, ubi
iam induruit, melius bimus quam anniculus castratur.
Idque faeere vere ^ vel autumno luna decrescente
praecipit, vitulumque ad machinam deligare : deinde
prius quam ferrum admoveas, duabus angustis '

^ fissa 8 : ipsa AR.

uaaoi a . ipsa .i^-tt.

vere S : om. AR.

angustis S : angustiis Aac.

o Herba Santonica according to Pliny (N.H. XXVII. § 28)
was a kind of absinthium or wormwood found in the territory
of the Santoni in the province of Aqnitania : the name of the
town of Saintes in the department of Charentes Inferieure ia
derived from this tribe.

' Described in Chapter XIX above.

i86

BOOK VI. XXIV. 5-xxvi. 2

abundance of milk, for which reason, if their own
young are taken from them, excellent cattle can be
reared at the udders of cows who are not their
mothers ; or if this resource is not available, the calf
puts up quite well with crushed beans and wine.
This plan should be adopted particularly in large
herds.

XXV. Worms, which generally occur when indiges- Kemedies
tion is present, are often harmful to calves. Their i^'cliv™^
feeding, therefore, must be so regulated that they
digest properly ; or, if they are already suffering

from a malady of this kind, half-raw lupines are
crushed and pellets of them thrust down their throats
to serve as a drench. Wormwood « can also be
ground up with dried figs and bitter-vetch and
made up into pellets and thrust down their throats
to act as a drench. The same effect is produced by
one part of axle-grease mixed with three parts of
hyssop; also the juice of horehound and of leek is
effectual for killing creatures of this kind.

XXVI. Mago is in favour of castrating calves while ^he castra-
they are still young and tender, and he advises that calves.
the operation should not be performed with a knife

but that the testicles should be compressed with a
piece of cleft fennel and gradually broken up. He
considers this to be the best method of castration,
because it is applied when the animal is still tender
and causes no wound. When the animal has grown 2
tougher, it is better that it should be castrated as a
two-year-old than as a one-year-old. He recom-
mends that the operation should take place in the
spring or in the autumn when the moon is waning,
and that the calf should be bound in the machine * ;
then, before applying the knife, you should seize

187

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ligneis regulis veluti forcipibus apprehendere testium
nervos,quos Graeci Kpefxacrrijpas ab eo appellant, quod
ex illis genitales partes dependant. Comprehensos
deinde testes ferro reserare, et expresses ita recidere,
ut extrema pars eorum adhaerens praedictis nervis

3 relinquatur. Nam hoc modo nee eruptione sanguinis
periclitatur iuvencus, nee in totum effeminatur
adempta omni virilitate ; formamque servat maris
cum generandi vim deposuit, quam tamen ipsam non
protinus amittit. Nam si patiaris eum a recenti
curatione feminam inire, constat ex eo posse generari.
Sed minime id permittendum, ne profluvio sanguinis
intereat. Verum vulnera eius sarmenticio cinere
cum argenti spuma linenda sunt, abstinendusque eo

4 die ab humore, et exiguo cibo alendus. Sequenti ^
triduo velut aeger cacuminibus arborum et desecto
viridi pabulo oblectandus, prohibendusque multa
potione. Placet etiam pice liquida et cinere cum
exiguo oleo ulcera ipsa post triduum linere, quo et
celerius cicatricem ducant, nee a muscis infestentur.
Hactenus de bubus dixisse abunde est.

XXVII. Quibus cordi est educatio generis equini,
maxime convenit providere actorem ^ industrium et
pabuli copiam : quae utraque vel mediocria possunt
aliis^ pecoribus adhiberi. Summam sedulitatem et
largam satietatem desiderat equitium. Quod ipsum

^ sequensei S : sequens AR.

" actorem Gesner : auctorem SAR,

' aliia 6' : alias AR.

x88

BOOK VI. XXVI. 2-xxvii, I

between two narrow laths of wood, as in a forceps,
the sinews of the testicles, which the Greeks call
" hangers," because the genital parts hang from them,
and then take hold of the testicles and lay them open
with a knife and after pressing them out cut them
off in such a way that their extremities are left adher-
ing to the said sinews. By this method the steer 3
runs no danger from an eruption of blood, nor is it
likely to lose its masculinity and become totally
effeminate, and it keeps the form of a male when it
has been deprived of generative power. This, how-
ever, it does not lose immediately ; for, if you allow
it to cover a cow directly after the operation, it is
certain that it is possible for it to beget offspring ; but
it should by no means be allowed to do so, lest it die
from a flux of blood. The wounds should be anointed
with the ash of brushwood and litharge of silver,
and the animal should be kept away from water for
that day and be fed on only a little food. For the 4
three following days it should be treated as a sick
animal and tempted to eat with the tops of trees and
green fodder cut off for it and must not be allowed to
drink much. It is thought right also to anoint the
actual sores after three days with liquid pitch and
ashes mixed with a little oil, so that they may scar
over more quickly and that they may not be infested
by flies. I have now said enough about oxen.

XXVII. For those whose pleasure it is to rear Horses.
horses it is of the utmost importance to provide a
painstaking overseer and plenty of fodder ; both
these points can be neglected up to a certain point in
dealing with other domestic animals. A stud of
horses, however, requires the most assiduous atten-
tion and a generous diet. Horses themselves fall

189

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tripartite ^ dividitur. Est enim generosa materies,
quae circo sacrisque certaminibus equos praebet.
Est mularis, quae pretio fetus sui comparatur
generoso. Est et vulgaris, quae mediocres feminas
maresque progenerat, Ut quaeque est praestantior,

2 ita ubere campo pascitur. Gregibus autem spatiosa
et palustria montana pascua eligenda sunt, rigua nee
unquam siccanea,^ vacuaque^ magis quam stirpibus
impedita frequentibus,* mollibus ° potius quam

3 proceris herbis abundantia, Vulgaribus equis passim
maribus ac feminis ^ pasci permittitur, nee admissurae
certa tempora servantur.' Generosis circa vernum
aequinoctium mares iniungentur, ut eodem tempore,
quo conceperint,® iam laetis et herbidis campis post
annum ^ parvo cum ^^ labore fetum ^^ educent. Nam
mense ^^ duodecimo ^^ partum edunt. Maxime itaque
curandum est praedicto tempore anni, ut tam feminis
quam admissariis desiderantibus coeundi fiat po-
testas, quoniam id praecipue armentum, si prohibeas,
libidinis exstimulatur furiis, unde etiam veneno in-
ditum est nomen iTTTTOfxaves, quod equinae cupidini

4 similem mortalibus amorem accendit. Nee dubium
quin aliquot regionibus tanto flagrent ardore coeundi

^ tripartito SAR.

^ siccana Sa : sicana AB.

^ bacuane SAB.

* frequentibus S : frequenter Aac.

* mollibus S : mollis AB.

* feminis B : finibus SA.

' servantur S : serventur AB.

* conceperint 8^ : coeperint A.

* post annum add. mensem SAB.

!*• parvo cum S^Aac : per vocum S^.
11 feitumS: fittuJ.
^* mense a : mensem 8 A .

X90

BOOK VI. XXVII. 1-4

into three classes. There is the noble stock which
supplies horses for the circus and the Sacred Games ;
then there is the stock used for breeding mules
which in the price which its offspring fetches is a
match for the noble breed ; and there is the common
breed which produces ordinary mares and horses.
The more excellent each class is, the richer must be 2
the pasturage assigned to it. The feeding-grounds
chosen for herds of horses must be spacious and
marshy, mountainous, well-watered and never
diy, empty rather than encumbered by many tree-
trunks, and producing an abundance of soft rather
than tall grass. The stallions and mares of the 3
common stock are allowed to be pastured every-
where together, and no fixed seasons are observed
for breeding. The stallions of the noble stock will
be put to the mares about the time of the spring
equinox, so that the mares may be able to rear their
offspring with little trouble, when the pasture is rich
and grassy, at the same season a year later as that
at which they conceived them ; for they give birth
to their young in the twelfth month. The greatest
care, therefore, must be taken that at the said time of
year every opportunity is given equally to mares as to
their stallions to couple if they desire to do so, because,
if you prevent them from doing so, horses beyond all
animals are excited by the fury of their lust. (Hence
the term " horse-madness " is given to the poison
which kindles in human beings a passion like the
desire in horses.) Indeed, in some regions, there is 4
no doubt that the mares are affected by such a
burning desire for intercourse, that, even though

" duodecimo o : duodecima 8 A.

191

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

feminae, ut etiam si marem non habeant, assidua et
nimia cupiditate figurando^ sibi ipsae venerem co-
hortalium more avium vento concipiant. Neque
enim poeta licentius dicit :

5 Scilicet ante omnes furor est insignis equarum.

lUas ducit amor trans Gargara, transque sonantem
Ascanium ; superant montes et flumina tranant,

6 Continuoque avidis ubi subdita flamma meduUis,
Vere magis, quia vere calor redit ossibus, illae
Ore omnes versae ad Zephyrum, stant rupibus altis,
Exceptantque leves auras, et saepe sine ullis
Coniugiis, vento gravidae (mirabile dictu).

7 Cum sit notissimum etiam in Sacro monte Hispaniae,
qui procurrit in occidentem iuxta Oceanum, fre-
quenter equas sine eoitu ventrem ^ pertulisse fetum-
que educasse, qui tamen inutilis est, quod triennio,
prius quam adolescat, morte absumitur. Quare, ut
dixi, dabimus operam, ne circa aequinoctium vernum

8 equae desideriis naturalibus angantur.^ Equos au-
tem pretiosos reliquo tempore anni removere oportet
a feminis, ne aut cum volent ineant aut, si id facere

^ figurando S : figurandus AR.

* ventrem S : vente A : ventum B.

' aguntur SAR.

' Vergil, Georg. III. 266 and 269-275.
* The highest peak of the range of Mt. Ida.
« A river of Bithynia (Strabo, XIV. 681).
"* The story of the impregnation of mares by the wind seems
to be as old as Homer (II. XVI. 150).

192

BOOK VI. XXVII. 4-8

there is no stallion at hand, owing to their continuous
and excessive passion, by imagining in their own
minds the pleasures of love they become pregnant
with wind, just as farmyard hens produce " wind-
eggs." Indeed the poet is not indulging his fancy
too much when he says : "

But, beyond all furies, wondrous is the rage 5

Of mares ;

Love leads them over Gargara *

And o'er Ascanius' " loudly roaring stream ;

They scale the mountain and through rivers swim.

Soon as the flame has reached their craving marrow 6

(More so in spring, for then the heat returns

And warms their bones) all on high rocks they

stand
Facing the west, and the light breezes catch.
And oft with wind conceive, without the aid
Of union — a wondrous tale to tell ! '^

For it is also well-known that on the Holy Mountain 7
of Spain,* which runs westward near the Ocean,
mares have often become pregnant without coition
and reared their offspring, which, however, is of no
use, because it is snatched away by death at three
years of age, before it can come to maturity. There-
fore, as I have said, we shall take care that the brood-
mares are not tormented by their natural desires
about the time of the spring equinox. But during 8
the rest of the year the valuable stallions should be
kept away from the mares, so that they do not cover
them whenever they wish, nor, if they are prevented

• Varro, de Be Rustica (II. 1. 9) says that this occurred in the
district in which Olisipo, the modem Lisbon, was situated.

193

VOL. II. H

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

prohibeantur, cupidine sollicitati ^ noxam contra-
hant.^ Itaque vel in longinqua pascua marem placet
ablegari, vel ad praesepia contineri : eoque tempore,
quo vocatur a feminis, roborandus est largo cibo, et
appropinquante vere hordeo ervoque^ saginandus, ut
veneri supersit, quantoque fortior inierit, firmiora
9 semina praebeat futurae stirpi. Quidam etiam
praecipiunt eodem ritu, quo mulos, admissarium
saginare, ut hac sagina hilaris pluribus ^ feminis
sufficiat. Verum tamen nee minus quam quindecim
nee rursus plures quam viginti unus debet implere,
isque admissurae post trimatum usque in annos

10 viginti plerumque idoneus est. Quod si admissarius
iners in venerem est, odore proritatur, detersis
spongia feminae locis, et admota naribus equi.
Rursus si equa marem non patitur, detrita scilla
naturalia eius linuntur, quae res accendit libidinem.
Nonnunquam ignobilis quoque ac vulgaris elicit ^
cupidinem coeundi. Nam ubi admotus ^ fere ten-
tavit obsequium feminae,' abducitur,^ et iam
patientiori generosior equus imponitur.

Inde maior praegnantibus adhibenda cura est,

11 largoque pascuo firmandae. Quod si frigore hiemis
herbae defecerint, tecto contineantur, ac neque opere

^ sollicitationis S : -i A.

* contrahant S : -unt A R.

' herboque S^A : hervoq ; <S* : ervoque c.

* pluribus S : plurimis AR.

" elicit S, ed. pr. : digit AR.

* admotu SAR.

' feminae Ur sinus : femina 8R : semina A.

* adducitur SAR.

194

BOOK VI. XXVII. 8-II

from doing so, harm themselves through excitement
due to their desires. It is better, therefore, either
to banish a stallion in some distant pasture or else
keep it shut up in the stables ; then at the time
when it is summoned by the mare, it should be
fortified by a generous diet, and with the approach
of spring should be fattened on barley and bitter-
vetch, so that it may be equal to the fatigues of
intercourse, and that, the stronger it is when it covers
the mare, the greater may be the sexual vigour
which it communicates to its future descendants.
Some authorities also prescribe that one should 9
fatten up a stallion by the method used for mules,
so that, exhilarated by this condition, it may suffice
for a number of mares. However, one stallion ought
to be able to impregnate not less than fifteen and
on the other hand not more than twenty mares, and
is generally suitable to breeding purposes from three
years of age to twenty. But if a stallion is dis- 10
inclined for intercourse, he can be roused by the
odour of a sponge, with which the parts of the mare
have been wiped, applied to his nostrils. On the
other hand, if the mare refuses to submit to the
stallion, her parts are anointed with crushed squill,
and this kindles her desire. Sometimes, too, a badly-
bred ordinary horse is used to arouse in the mare a
longing for copulation ; for, when he has approached
her and, so to speak, invited her compliance, he is
led away and the better-bred horse is mated with the
now more complaisant mare.

From the time when mares become pregnant they
need special care and must be fortified by generous
fodder. If the grass has failed owing to the cold of
winter, they should be kept under cover and not be 11

195

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

neque cursu exerceantur, neque frigori committan-
tur, nee in angusto clause, ne aliae aliarum conceptus
elidant: nam haec omnia incommoda fetum abi-
gunt. Quod si tamen aut partu aut abortu aqua
laboravit, remedio erit felicula trita, et aqua tepida

12 permixta ac data per cornu. Sin autem prospere
cessit, minime manu contingendus puUus erit.^
Nam laeditur etiam levissimo contactu. Tantum ^
cura adhibebitur, ut et amplo et calido loco cum
matre versetur, ne aut frigus adhuc infirmo noceat,
aut mater in angustiis eum obterat. Paulatim
deinde producendus erit, providendumque, ne ster-
core ungulas adurat. Mox cum firmior fuerit, in
eadem pascua, in quibus mater est, dimittendus, ne

13 desiderio partus sui laboret equa. Nam id praecipue
genus pecudis amore natorum, nisi fiat potestas,
noxam trahit. Vulgari feminae solenne est omnibus
annis parere, generosam convenit alternis continere,
quo firmior pullus lacte materno laboribus certa-
minum praeparetur.

XXVI 1 1. Marem putant minorem trimo non esse
idoneum admissurae, posse vero usque ad vigesimum
annum progenerare ; feminam bimam recte conci-
pere, ut post tertium annum enixa fetum educet:

^ pullus erit S : polluerit AR : poluerit c.
* tanta SAR.

196

BOOK VI, XXVII. ii-xxviii. I

fatigued by work or journeys, and they should not
be exposed to the cold nor enclosed in a narrow space
lest they should cause one another to miscarry ; for
all these unfavourable conditions cause abortion.
But if a mare has suffered either in producing its off-
spring or from abortion, polypody crushed and mixed
with tepid water and administered through a horn
will serve as a remedy. If, on the other hand, all 12
goes well, the foal must on no account be touched
with the hand, for even the lightest contact is harm-
ful. All that one will have to do is to take care that
the foal lives with its mother in a place which is both
roomy and warm, so that the cold may not hurt it
while it is still weak and that its mother may not
crush it because its quarters are narrow. Then
gradually it will have to be made to leave the stable,
and care must be taken that it does not burn its hoofs
with dung. Soon, when it has become stronger, it
must be sent out to the same pasture as its mother,
so that the latter may not be afflicted through longing
for its offspring ; for this kind of animal especially 13
suffers through its love for its young, if it have not the
opportunity for indulging it. An ordinary mare is in
the habit of bearing a foal every year ; but a well-
bred mare ought to be pregnant in alternate years,
in order that, receiving greater strength from its
mother's milk, the foal may be prepared for the toil
of the contests.

XXVIII. It is generally thought that a stallion is The age of a
not suitable for breeding purposes before it is three ^*^^"'°'^-
years old, and that it can continue to procreate until
its twentieth year, but that it is all right for a mare
to conceive at the age of two years, so that it is three
years old when it bears and rears its young, and it is

197

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

eandemque post decimum non esse utilem, quod ex
annosa matre tarda sit atque iners proles. Quae
sive ut femina sive ut masculus concipiatur, nostri
arbitrii fore Democritus affirmat, qui praecipit, ut,
cum progenerari marem velimus, sinistrum testicu-
lum admissarii lineo funiculo aliove quolibet obli-
gemus ; cum feminam, dextrum. Idemque in omni-
bus paene pecudibus faciendum censet.

XXIX. Cum vero natus est pullus, confestim licet
indolem aestimare, si hilaris, si intrepidus, si neque
conspectu novae rei neque ^ auditu ^ terretur, si ante
gregem procurrit, si lascivia et alacritate interdum et
cursu certans aequales ^ exsuperat,* si fossam sine
cunctatione transilit, pontem flumenque transcendit,
haec erunt honesti animi documenta.

2 Corporis vero forma constabit exiguo capite, nigris
oculis, naribus apertis, brevibus auriculis et arrectis,
cervice molli lataque nee longa, densa iuba ^ et per
dextram partem profusa, lato et musculorum toris
numeroso pectore, grandibus armis et rectis, lateri-
bus inflexis, spina duplici, ventre substricto, testibus
paribus et exiguis, latis lumbis et subsidentibus,

3 Cauda longa et setosa crispaque, mollibus atque
altis rectisque cruribus, tereti genu parvoque neque
introrsus spectanti, rotundis clunibus, feminibus
torosis ac numerosis, duris ungulis et altis et concavis
rotundisque, quibus coronae mediocres superpositae
sunt. Sic universum corpus compositum, ut sit
grande,* sublime, erectum, ab aspectu quoque agile,

* nove rei neq. S : noveque rei AR.

* auditu S : audita ut AR.

' aequalis S : exequalis AR.

* exuperat AR : exuberat S.

* iuba c : iuva S : tuta A.
« glande S^A : grande ac.

198

BOOK VI. xx\aii. i-xxix. 3

also considered to be of no use after the tenth year,
because the offspring of an aged mother is slow and
lazy. Democritus declares that it will rest with us
whether a male or a female is conceived, since he
directs us, if we wish that a male should be be-
gotten, to tie up the stallion's left testicle with a
flaxen cord or some other material, and the right
testicle if we want a female offspring ; and he thinks
that the same method should be adopted with almost
all other cattle.

XXIX. As soon as a foal is born, it is possible to The quaU-
judge its natural qualities immediately. If it is good- horse.^ *
humoured, if it is courageous, if it is not alarmed by
the sight or sound of something unfamiliar, if it runs
in front of the herd, if it surpasses its age-mates in
playfulness and activity on various occasions and
when competing in a race, if it leaps over a ditch and
crosses a bridge on a river without baulking — these
are the signs of generous mettle.

Its physical form will consist of a small head, dark 2
eyes, wide-open nostrils, short, upstanding ears, a
neck which is soft and broad without being long, a
thick mane which hangs down on the right side, a
broad chest covered with well-proportioned muscles,
the shoulders big and straight, the flanks arched, the
back-bone double, the belly drawn in, the testicles
well matched and small, the loins broad and sunken, 3
the tail long and covered with bristling, curly hair,
the legs soft and tall and straight, the knee tapering
and small and not turned inwards, the buttocks round,
the haunches brawny and well-proportioned, the
hoofs hard, high, hollow and round with moderately
large crowns above them; the whole body must be
so formed as to be large, tall and erect, and also active

199

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

et ex longo, quantum figura permittit, rotundum.

4 Mores autem laudantur, qui sunt ex placido con-
citati, et ex concitato mitissimi. Nam hi et ad
obsequia reperiuntur habiles, et ad certamina
laboremque promptissimi. Equus bimus ad usum
domesticum recte domatur ; certaminibus autem
expleto triennio : sic tamen ut post quartum demum
annum labori committatur.

5 Annorum notae cum corpore mutantur. Nam
dum bimus et sex mensium est, medii dentes superi-
ores et inferiores cadunt. Cum quartum annum ^
agit his, qui canini appellantur, deiectis, alios affert.
Intra sextum deinde annum molares superiores et
inferiores^ cadunt. Sexto anno, quos primos mu-
tavit, exaequat. Septimo omnes explentur aequa-
liter, et ex eo cavatos gerit. Nee postea quot
annorum sit, manifesto comprehendi potest. Decimo
tamen anno tempora cavari incipiunt, et superciha
nonnunquam canescere, et dentes prominere. Haec,
quae ad animum et mores corpusque et aetatem
pertinent, dixisse satis habeo. Nunc sequitur curam
recte et minus valentium demonstrare.

XXX. Si sanis ^ est macies, celerius torrefacto
tritico, quam hordeo reficitur. Sed et vini potio danda

^ annum om. AR.

* et inferiores S : om. AM.

' satis SAB.

" I.e. it should only contest after a year's training.
200

BOOK VI. XXIX. 3-xxx. i

in appearance and, in spite of its length, rounded as
far as its shape allows. As regards character, those 4
horses are esteemed which are roused to activity
after being quiet and become very mild again after
being roused ; for such animals are found to be both
amenable to discipline and very ready to take part in
public contests and the effort which they require.
At two years of age a horse is suitable to be trained
for domestic purposes ; but, if it is to be trained for
racing, it should have completed three years, and
provided that it is entered for this kind of effort only
after its fourth year."

The signs which mark a horse's age change with its 5
physical changes. For when it is two years and six
months old, its middle teeth, both the upper and the
lower, fall out. In the course of its fourth year the
so-called canine teeth are shed and it grows new
ones in their place ; then, before the end of its sixth
year the upper and lower molars fall out, and in the
course of the sixth year it makes up the number of
the first set of teeth which it has changed ; in the
seventh year the whole set is completed, and hence-
forward the animal has some hollow teeth ; and,
subsequently, it is impossible to ascertain with
certainty what its age is. In its tenth year, however,
its temples begin to sink and its eyebrows sometimes
begin to turn white and its teeth to project. I think
I have said enough on the subject of the horse's dis-
position, character, physique and age. My next
business is to set forth the way to look after horses in
health and sickness.

XXX. If a horse is thin without being ill, it can be Medicines
restored to condition more quickly with roasted wheat °^ °'^^'
than with barley ; but it must also be given wine to

201

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

est, ac deinde paulatim eiusmodi cibi subtrahend!
immixtis hordeo furfuribus, dum consuescat faba et
puro hordeo ali.^ Nee minus quotidie corpora pecu-
dum quam hominum defricanda sunt : ac saepe plus
prodest pressa manu subegisse terga, quam si
largissime cibos praebeas.^ Paleae vero equis

2 stantibus substernendae.' Multum autem refert
robur corporis ac pedum ^ conservare.^ Quod utrum-
que custodiemus, si idoneis temporibus ad praesepia,
ad aquam, ad exercitationem pecus duxerimus,
curaeque fuerit ut stabulentur sicco loco, ne humore
madescant ungulae. Quod facile evitabimus,^ si
aut stabula roboreis axibus constrata, aut diligenter
subinde emundata fuerit ' humus, et paleae super-
iectae.®

3 Plerumque iumenta morbos concipiunt lassitudine
et aestu, nonnunquam et frigore, et cum suo tempore
urinam non fecerint ; vel si sudant, et a concitatione
confestim biberint ; vel si, cum diu steterint, subito
ad cursum extimulata sunt. Lassitudini quies
remedio est, ita ut in fauces oleum vel adeps vino
mixta infundatur. Frigori fomenta adhibentur, et
calefacto oleo lumbi rigantur,^ caputque et spina

4 tepenti adipe vel uncto liniuntur. Si urinam non
facit, eadem fere remedia sunt. Nam oleum immix-
tum vino supra ilia et renes infunditur : et si hoc
parum profuit, melle decocto et sale coUyrium tenue

1 all A^Ji : alii SAK

* praebeat A : preheat SR.

' paleae — substernandae om. SAE.

* pecudum SA^E : pedum A^.
^ conservare S : servare AR.

* evitabimus A^R : evitavimus SA^. '' fuerint SAR.

* superiactae S : superiecta AR.

* et — rigantur om. AR.

202

BOOK VI. XXX. 1-4

drink, and then by degrees foods of this kind must be
reduced by mixing bran with barley until it be-
comes accustomed to a diet of beans and pure barley.
The bodies of horses require a daily rubbing down
just as much as those of human beings, and often to
massage a horse's back with the pressure of the hand
does more good than if you were to provide it most
generously with food. Chaff ought to be spread on
the ground where horses stand. It is also very im- 2
portant to maintain the vigour in their bodies and
feet ; we shall secure both these objects if we conduct
the herd at suitable times to their stable, to their
watering-place and to exercise, and if care is taken
that they are stabled in a dry place, so that'their hoofs
are not wetted. This we shall easily avoid if the
stable is floored with boards of hard wood, or if the
ground is carefully cleaned from time to time and
chaff thrown over it.

Beasts of burden generally fall ill from fatigue or 3
from the heat, and sometimes also from the cold and
when they have not passed urine at the proper time,
or if they sweat and then drink immediately after
having been in violent motion, or when they are
suddenly spurred into a gallop after they have
stood for a long time. Rest is the cure for
fatigue, provided that oil or fat mixed with wine is
poured down the throat. For a chill, fomentations
are applied, and the loins moistened with heated oil,
and the head and spine soaked with tepid fat or
ointment. If the animal does not pass urine, the 4
remedies are almost the same ; for oil mixed with
wine is poured over the flanks and loins, and if this
has not produced the desired effect, a small sup-
pository made of boiled honey and salt is applied to

203

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

inditur foramini,! quo manat urina,^ vel musca viva,
vel turis mica, vel de bitumine collyrium inseritur
naturalibus. Haec eadem remedia adhibentur, si

5 urina genitalia deusserit. Capitis dolorem indicant
lacrimae, quae profluunt, auresque flaccidae ; et
cervix cum capite aggravata, et in terram summissa.
Tum rescinditur vena, quae sub oculo est, et os
calda fovetur, ciboque abstinetur primo die. Inde
postero autem potio ieiuno tepidae aquae praebetur
ac viride gramen,tum vetus faenum vel molle stramen-
tum substernitur, crepusculoque aqua iterum datur,
parumque hordei cum vicialibus, ut per exiguas

6 potiones ^ cibi ad iusta perducatur. Si equo maxillae
dolent, calido aceto fovendae, et axungia vetere
confricandae sunt, eademque medicina tumentibus
adhibenda est. Si armos laeserit, aut sanguinem
demiserit,^ medio fere in utroque crure ^ venae
solvantur, et thuris polline cum eo qui profluit
sanguine immixto, armi linantur, et ne plus iusto
exanimetur, stercus ipsius iumenti fluentibus venis
admotum ^ fasciis obligetur. Postero quoque die
ex iisdem locis ' sanguis detrahatur, eodemque mode
curetur, et® hordeo abstineatur exiguo faeno date.

7 Post triduum deinde usque in diem sextum porri
succus instar trium cyathorum mixtus cum olei

* forainini S : -a AR.

^ manat urina S : maturina AB.

' exiguas potiones S : exigua potione (portione A^) A^.

* demiserit S : di- AR.

* crure A^c : cruore SA^R.

* admotum A^R : -am 8A^.

' locis om. AR. » g^ q^ jiji

204

BOOK VI. XXX. 4-7

the orifice from which the urine flows, or a hve fly or
a grain of incense or a suppository of bitumen is in-
serted in the genital organs. The same remedies
will be applied, if the urine has scalded these organs.
Head-aches are indicated by tears which flow from 5
the eyes and the hanging down of the ears, and the
neck and head which are weighed down and droop
towards the ground. In these circumstances the vein
under the eyes is opened and the mouth fomented
with hot water and the animal is kept away from food
for the first day. Then on the next day, before it
has eaten anything, it is given a drink of tepid water
and some green grass ; then a litter of old hay or soft
straw is spread under it and, at dusk, water is again
given and a little barley with haulm of vetch, so that
by means of small doses the animal may be brought
back to regular forms of food. If a horse's jaws
give it pain, they should be fomented with hot 6
vinegar and rubbed with old axle-grease, and
the same remedy should be applied if the jaws are
swollen. If it has damaged its shoulders or has had an
extravasation of blood to these parts, the veins some-
where near the middle of each leg should be opened
and the shoulders should be anointed with a mixture
of incense-dust and the blood which flows from the
wound, and, that the animal may not be unduly
weakened, some of its own ordure should be applied
to the bleeding veins and bound with bandages. On
the following day blood should again be drawn from
the same places and the same treatment given, and
the animal should be kept away from barley and only
given a little hay. After three days and until the 7
sixth day the juice of a leek to the quantity of about
three cyathi mixed with a hemina of oil should be

205

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

hemina faucibus per cornu infundatur. Post sextum
diem lente ingredi cogatur, et cum ambulaverit, in
piscinam demitti eum conveniet, ita ut natet : sic
paulatim firmioribus cibis adhibitis ^ ad iusta per-

8 ducetur. At si bilis molesta iumento est, venter
intumescit, nee emittit ventos, manus uncta inseritur
alvo, et obsessi naturales exitus adaperiuntur,
exemptoque stercore postea ^ cunila bubula et
herba pedicularis cum sale trita et decocto ^ melli
miscentur, atque ita facta collyria subiciuntur, quae

9 ventrem movent, bilemque omnem deducunt. Qui-
dam myrrhae tritae quadrantem cum hemina vini
faucibus infundunt, et anum * liquida pice oblinunt.
Alii marina aqua lavant alvum, alii recenti muria.

Solent etiam vermes atque ^ lumbrici nocere in-
testinis ; quorum signa sunt, si iumenta cum dolore
crebro volutantur, si admovent caput utero, si caudam
saepius iactant. Pracsens medicina est, ita ut
supra scriptum est, inserere ^ manum, et fimum
eximere ; deinde alvum marina aqua vel muria dura
lavare, postea radicem capparis tritam cum sextario
aceti '' faucibus infundere ; nam hoc modo praedicta
intereunt animalia.

XXXI. Omni autem imbecillo pecori alte sub-
sternendum est, quo mollius cubet. Recens tussis
celeriter sanatur, pinsita lente et a valvulis separata
minuteque molita. Quae cum ita facta sunt,

^ adivitis iS^^^ : adiutus i? : adibitis 5*.

* posite acunila S : posita ea AE.
' decoctos SA : -a R.

* anura S'a : annu <S* : annul A.
' in qua 8AR.

* insero iS^.

' aceti S : cum aceto AR.

.206

BOOK VI. XXX. 7-xxxi. i

poured down its throat through a horn. After the
sixth day it should be made to walk slowly and, after it
has taken this exercise, it will be a good plan to drive
it into a pond so that it may swim ; then, by the
administration by degrees of a more solid diet, it will
be brought back to normal conditions. If a horse is 8
troubled by bile and its belly swells and it cannot get
rid of wind, the hand is greased and inserted into its
bowel and the natural exits which have been
blocked are opened up ; afterwards, when the ordure
has been removed, ox-marjoram and lousewort
crushed up with salt are mixed with boiled-down
honey, so as to form a suppository, and inserted from
below ; these move the belly and bring away all
the bile. Some people pour down the throat a 9
quadrans of ground myrrh in a hemina of wine and
anoint the anus with liquid pitch ; others wash out the
bowel with sea-water, still others with fresh brine.

Tape-worms and maw-worms, too, often do harm
to the intestines. It is a sign of their presence when
horses roll about on the ground in internal pain or
bring heads near their bellies or frequently flick their
tails. An efiicacious remedy is that described above,
namely, the insertion of the hand and the removal
of ordure followed by the washing out of the bowel
with salt water or hard brine, and afterwards the
pouring down the throat of the root of the caper-
tree ground up with a sextarius of vinegar ; for by
this ntiethod the animals mentioned above are killed.

XXXI. When any animal is sick, deep litter must Kemedies
be provided, so that it may have a softer resting- *"'' ^ ''°'^g^
place. A cough which has only just begun is
quickly cured with crushed lentils separated from
the pods and pounded into minute fragments. When

207

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

sextarius aquae calidae in eandem mensuram lentis
miscetur, et faucibus infunditur ; similisque medicina
triduo adhibetur, ac viridibus herbis cacuminibusque
arborum recreatur aegrotum pecus. Vetus autem
tussis discutitur porri succo trium cyathorum cum
olei hemina compluribus diebus ^ infuso, iisdemque,
ut supra monuimus, cibis praebitis.

2 Impetigines et quicquid scabiei est ^ aceto et alu-
mine defricantur. Nonnunquam, si haec per-
manent, paribus ponderibus mixtis nitro et scisso
alumine cum aceto linuntur. Papulae ^ ferventissimo
sole usque eo strigile raduntur, quoad eliciatur
sanguis. Tum ex aequo miscentur radices agrestis
hederae,* sulfurque et pix liquida cum alumine. Eo
medicamine praedicta vitia curantur.

XXXII. Intertrigo bis in die subluitur aqua calida.
Mox decocto ac trito sale cum adipe defricatur, dum
sanguis emanet. Scabies mortifera huic quadru-
pedi est, nisi celeriter succurritur : quae si levis est,
inter initia candenti ^ sub sole vel cedro ^ vel oleo
lentisci linitur vel urticae semine et oleo detritis vel
unguine ceti, quod in lancibus salitus thynnus re-

2 mittit. Praecipue tamen huic noxae salutaris est
adeps marini vituli. Sed si iam inveteraverit, vehe-
mentioribus opus est remediis. Propter quod bitu-
men, et sulfur,' et veratrum ^ pici liquidae axungiae-
que vetere ^ mixta pari pondere incoquuntur, atque

' diebus add. Lvndstrom.

^ scabiei est Ltcndstrom : scabies SAB.

* pabulo SA^R : papulae A^.

* herhe SAR.

* candentis SAR.

* cedro S : cedre A R.

' sulpure S^A : sulphure S^R.

* veratro SAR. » veteri R : veterio SA.

?o8

BOOK VI. XXXI. i-xxxii. 2

this has been done, a sextarius of hot water is mixed
with the same quantity of lentils and poured down the
animal's throat ; the same treatment is continued
for three days and the sick animal is strengthened
by a diet of green grass and tree-tops. A cough of
long standing can be dispelled by pouring down the
throat on several days three cyathi of leek-juice in
a hemina of oil and providing the same diet as we
have prescribed above.

Skin-eruptions and any form of scab are rubbed with 2 Remedy f
vinegar and alum. Sometimes, if these sores persist, eases. '^
they are anointed with equal quantities of soda and
split alum mixed together in vinegar. Pustules are
scraped with a curry-comb in very hot sunlight until
blood is made to flow, then equal portions of the root
of wild ivy, sulphur and liquid pitch are mixed with
alum. The aforesaid ailments are treated with this
medicament.

XXXII. Sores due to chafing are washed twice a Remedies
day with hot water, and then they are rubbed with and'^scabkl.
salt powdered and boiled with fat until the blood
flows. Scabies is fatal to this kind of quadruped,
unless help is speedily given. If the attack is only
slight, in the first stages the sores should be anointed
in burning sunlight with cedar-oil or mastic-gum or
nettle seed and oil crushed together or the fish-oil
which is deposited on dishes by salted tunnies. The 2
fat of the sea-calf is particularly efficacious against
this malady. If, however, the trouble is of long
standing, more violent remedies are needed ; and so
bitumen and sulphur and hellebore mixed with
liquid pitch and stale axle-grease in equal quantities
are boiled together, and the patients treated with
this preparation, the sores having been previously

209

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ea compositione curantur, ita ut prius scabies ferro
3 erasa perluatur urina. Saepe etiam scalpello usque
ad vivum resecare et amputare scabiem profuit,
atque ita factis ulceribus mederi liquida pice atque
oleo, quae expurgant et replent vulnera. Quae ^
cum expleta sunt, ut celerius cicatricem et pilum
ducant,^ maxime proderit fuligo ex aeno ulceri
infricata.

XXXIII. Muscas quoque vulnera infestantes sum-
movebimus pice et oleo vel unguine infusis. Cetera
ervi farina recte curantur. Cicatrices oculorum
ieiuna saliva et sale defricatae ^ extenuantur : vel
cum fossili * sale trita sepiae testa, vel semine
agrestis ^ pastinacae pinsito et per linteum super

2 oculos expresso. Omnisque dolor oculorum in-
unctione succi plantaginis cum melle acapno,® vel si
id non est, utique thymino celeriter levatur. Non-
nunquam etiam per nares profluvium sanguinis
periculum attulit, idque repressum est infuso naribus
viridis coriandri succo.

XXXIV. Interdum et fastidio ciborum languescit
pecus. Eius remedium est genus seminis quod git '
appellatur, cuius duo cyathi triti diluuntur olei
cyathis tribus et vini sextario, atque ita faucibus
infunduntur. Sed^ nausea discutitur etiam, si caput
alii tritum cum vini hemina saepius potandum prae-
beas. Suppuratio melius ignea lamina quam frigido
ferramento reseratur, et expressa postea linamentis

^ aquae cum S : aeque quae cum AR.

* ducat SAM : ducant o.

* defricata AE : defricta S. * fossili 8 : fusili AE.

* agrestibus SAE. * acaprio SAE.

"> git S: gis AE. « sed a : det 8^ A.

' Roman coriander {Nigella saliva).
2IO

BOOK VI. XXXII. 2-xxxiv. i

scraped with a knife and thoroughly washed with
urine. Often, too, it has been found beneficial to 3
cut the scab to the quick with a lancet and remove
it and to treat the resulting sores with liquid pitch
and oil, which both cleanse the wounds and cause
them to fill up ; when they have filled, soot from a
brazen vessel rubbed into the sore will be found
most beneficial in causing the wounds to scar over
and grow hair.

XXXIII. We shall get rid of the flies which infest Remedies
wounds by pouring on them pitch and oil or fat. The andXr paia
other kinds of sores are correctly treated with the '" t'le eyes.
flour of bitter-vetch. Scars on the eyes are reduced

by rubbing with fasting spittle and salt or with the
shell of a cuttle-fish pounded up with mineral salt or
with the seed of the wild parsnip crushed and
squeezed through linen over the eyes. Any kind of 2
pain in the eyes is quickly alleviated by anointing
them with the juice of the plantain mixed with honey
obtained without smoking out the bees, or, if this
is not available, at any rate with thyme-honey.
Sometimes bleeding at the nose has proved dangerous
and has been stopped by pouring the juice of green
coriander into the nostrils.

XXXIV. A horse sometimes languishes through Remedies
distaste for food. The remedy for this is a kind of In^Tm?-*
seed called git,°' two cyathi of which are crushed and elation.
dissolved in three cyathi of oil and one sextarius of

wine and poured down the throat. Nausea can also
be stopped by frequently giving the animal a bruised
head of garlic in a hemina of wine to drink. It is
better to open up an abscess with a red-hot metal
plate than with a cold iron instrument, and when the
pus has been squeezed out, it is dressed with lint.

2n

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

2 curatur. Est etiam ilia pestifera labes, ut intra
paucos dies equae subita macie et deinde morte
corripiantur : quod cum accidit, quarternos sextarios
gari singulis per nares infundere utile est, si
minoris formae sunt : nam si maioris, etiam congios.
Ea res omnem pituitam per nares elicit, et pecudem
expurgat.

XXXV. Rara quidem, sed et haec est equarum
nota 1 rabies, ut cum in aqua imaginem suam vid^rint,
amore ^ inani capiantur, et per hunc oblitae pabuli,
tabe cupidinis intereant. Eius vesaniae ^ signa sunt,
cum per pascua veluti extimulatae concursant, sub-
inde ut circumspicientes requirere * ac desiderare

2 aliquid videantur. Mentis error discutitur, si de-
cidas inaequaliter comas equae et eam ^ deducas ad
aquam. Tum demum speculata ^ deformitatem
suam, pristinae imaginis abolet ' memoriam.
Haec de universe equarum genere satis dicta sunt.
Ilia proprie praecipienda sunt iis ® quibus mularum
greges curae est submittere.

XXXVI. In educando genere mularum antiquissi-
mum est diligenter exquirere atque explorare
parentem futurae prolis feminam et marem : quorum
si alter alteri * non est idoneus, labat etiam quod ex

2 duobus fingitur. Equam convenit quadrimam ^"
usque in annos decern amplissimae atque pulcher-

^ nota S : non AR.

* amore S : more AR.

' vasae sapiae A : vase sapie SR.

* requirit S : requirit AR.

' decidas — eam emend. Lundstrom praeeunle Svennungxo.

* speculatae ed. pr. : speculata codd.
' abolent ed. pr. : abolet codd.

» his SA.

* alter alteri Schneider : alteri SAR.

%\2

BOOK VI. XXXIV. i-xxxvi. 2

There is also a pestilential malady the effect of which 2
is that mares are attacked with sudden emaciation
and carried off by death in the course of a few days.
When this comes on, it is beneficial to pour four
sextarii of fish-pickle into the nostrils of each victim
if it be of small stature, one congius if it be of larger
size. This remedy draws away all the phlegm
through the nostrils and purges the animal.

XXXV. There is a form of madness which comes Madness in
over mares and is rare but remarkable, namely, that, ™^''®s-

if they have seen their reflexion in the water, they
are seized with a vain passion and consequently forget
to eat and die from a wasting disease due to love. It
is a sign of this form of insanity when they rush about
over their pastures as though they were goaded on
and at times seem to be looking about them and seek-
ing and missing something. This delusion is dis-
pelled if you cut off her mane unevenly and lead
her down to the water ; then beholding at length 2
her own ugliness, she loses the recollection of the
picture which was formerly before her eyes. What
I have now remarked with regard to mares in general
must suffice ; special instructions must now be given
for those who devote themselves to breeding droves
of mules.

XXXVI. For the rearing of mules it is of the Mules and
utmost importance to seek out and examine the male ^^^ '"*®*^"
and female which are to be the parents of the future
offspring ; for if one of them is not suitable to the

other, the result of their union is a failure. A mare 2
should be chosen which is between four and ten years
of age, physically very big and handsome, with stout

^^ quadrituam Schneider : quamam S : quam am A :
quoniam R.

213

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

rimae formae, membris fortibus, patientissimam
laboris eligere, ut discordantem utero suo generis
alieni stirpem insitam facile recipiat ac perferat, et
ad fetum ^ non solum corporis bona, sed et ingenium
conferat. Nam cum difficulter iniecta genitalibus
locis animentur semina, turn etiam concepta diutius
in partum adolescunt, atque ^ peracto anno mense
tertiodecimo vix eduntur, natisque inhaeret plus

3 socordiae paternae quam vigoris materni. Verumta-
men equae dictos ut in usus minore cura reperiuntur,'
maior est labor eligendi maris * : quoniam saepe
iudicium probantis frustratur experimentum. Multi
admissarii specie tenus mirabiles pessimam ^ sobo-
lem forma ^ vel sexu ' progenerant. Nam sive
parvi corporis feminas fingunt, sive etiam speciosi
plures mares quam feminas, reditum patrisfamiliae
minuunt. At quidam contempti ab aspectu pre-
tiosissimorum seminum feraces sunt. Nonnun-
quam aliquis generositatem suam natis exhibet, sed
hebes in voluptate rarissime ^ solicitatur ad venerem.

4 Huiusce sensum ^ magistri lacessunt i" admota ^^
generis eiusdem femina, quoniam similia similibus
familiariora fecit natura. Itaque obiectu asinae cum

^ ad fetum S : adfectum A.

* atque edd. : utque SA .

' cureperiuntur SA : reperiuntur ac,

* magis SAR.

^ mirabiles pessimam Ursinus : mirabilissimam SAB.
9 formam SAR. ' sex SAR.

* rarissime S : rarissimi AR.

* sensum R : sensium SA,
1" lacessunt S : om. AR.

^^ admota S : subadmota A.

214

BOOK VI. XXXVI. 2-4

limbs and well able to endure toil, that she may-
receive and bear in her womb an alien offspring of
another race planted within her and confer on her
progeny not only her good physical qualities but
also her natural disposition. For not only are the
seeds, which are injected into the genital parts, with
difficulty quickened into life but also after concep-
tion they take longer to mature into the creature
which is to be born, and it is only after the com-
pletion of a year that in the thirteenth month the
offspring is brought forth with difficulty, and more
of the sluggishness of the father is inherent in the
offspring than the vigour of the mother. Neverthe- 3
less, while mares for breeding mules are less trouble
to find, the task of selecting the male parent is
greater, for often experience disappoints the judg-
ment of the man who has to choose it. Many
stallions which are admirable as far as appearance
goes procreate offspring which are very inferior either
in physique or sexual qualities — for if they produce
she-mules of small size or more males than females
of fine physique, they diminish the income of the
proprietor of the estate — while some stallions which
have been despised on account of their appearance
are productive of the most valuable progeny. It
sometimes happens that a stallion displays his high
quality in his offspring but is sluggish in taking his
pleasure and can be only very seldom induced to
have intercourse. Owners of studs stimulate the 4
senses of such a stallion by bringing up to him a
female of the same race as himself,* since nature has
made like more at home with like ; then, when by

" I.e. an ass and not a mare.

215

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

superiectum^ eblanditi sunt, velut incensum et
obcaecatum cupidine, subtracta quam petierat,
fastiditae imponunt equae.

XXXVII. Est et 2 alterum genus admissarii fu-
rentis in libidinem, quod nisi astu inhibeatur, afFert
gregi perniciem. Nam et saepe vinculis abruptis
gravidas inquietat et, cum admittitur, cervicibus
dorsisque feminarum imprimit morsus. Quod ne
faciat, paulisper ad molam vinctus amoris saevitiam
labore ^ temperat, et sic veneri modestior admittitur.

2 Nee tamen aliter admittendus est etiam clementioris
libidinis, quoniam multum refert naturaliter sopitum
pecudis ingenium modica exercitatione * concuti
atque excitari, vegetioremque factum marem ^
feminae iniungi, ut tacita quadam ^ vi semina ipsa
principiis "^ agilioribus figurentur.

3 Mula ^ autem non solum ex equa et asino, sed ex
asina et equo, itemque onagro et equa generatur.
Quidam vero non dissimulandi auctores, ut Marcus
Varro, et ante eum Dionysius ac Mago prodiderunt
mularum fetus regionibus Africae adeo non pro-
digiosos haberi, ut tam familiares sint incolis partus

4 earum, quam sunt nobis equarum. Neque tamen
uUum est in hoc pecore aut animo aut forma ^ prae-

1 superiectum Lundstrom : -u 8AR.

2 est et AR : et est 8.

^ labore ed. pr. : laborare SAR.

* exercitatione ed. pr. : excitatione SAR.
^ marem a : mare SA ^R.

* quadam ed. pr. : quadram SA. ' principis SA.

* mula S : multa AR. * formam SA : forma a.

' In the translation of this part of Columella, ass is the
female donkey.

» R.R., 11. 1. 27. « See Book I. 1. 10.

2l6

BOOK VI. XXXVI. 4-XXXVTI. 4

putting the ass « in his way, they have lured on the
stallion which has thrown himself upon her, while he
is as it were inflamed and Winded by desire, they
take away the ass, which he had wanted, and put
him to the mare which he had scorned.

XXXVII. There is another type of stallion which The breed-
is mad to gratify his lust and brings ruin on the stud (conUnued)!
unless cunning is used to restrain him, for he often
breaks his bonds and disturbs the pregnant mares
and, when he covers them, inflicts bites on their
necks and backs. To prevent this he is harnessed for
a time to a mill and tempers the fierceness of his
passion with hard work and is only put to the mare
when he has moderated his desires. Nor indeed 2
should a stallion of milder passions be allowed to
cover a mare under any other conditions, since it is
very important that the naturally slumbering
temperament of the animal should be stirred up and
excited by moderate exercise and that the male
should be put to the female when he has become
more animated, in order that the seed itself, in
virtue of some secret force, may be fashioned by
more active elements.

A mule can be bred not only from a mare and a 3
donkey, but also from an ass and a horse, and further
from a wild ass and a mare. Indeed some authors,
who ought not to be passed over in silence, such
as Marcus Varro * and, before him, Dionysius <^ and
Mago, have related that in some regions of Africa
the production of offspring by mules is so far from
being considered a prodigy that their offspring is as
familiar to the inhabitants as those born from mares
are to us. There is, however, nothing in the way of 4
a mule superior either in disposition or in form to

217

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

stantius, quam quod seminavit asinus ^ quamvis ^
possit huic aliquatenus comparari ^ quod progenerat
onager, nisi et indomitum, et servitio * contumax
silvestris mores, strigosumque ^ patris praefert ^
habitum. Itaque eiusmodi admissarius nepotibus
magis quam filiis utilior est. Nam ubi asina et
onagro ' natus admittitur equae, per gradus infracta ^
feritate quicquid ex eo provenit, paternam ^ formam
et modestiam, foi-titudinem celeritatemque avitam
refert. Qui ex equo et asina concepti generantur,
quamvis a patre nomen traxerint, quod hinni vocan-
tur, matri per omnia magis similes sunt. Itaque
commodissimum est asinum destinare mularum
generi seminando, cuius, ut dixi, species experiment©
est speciosior. Verumtamen ab aspectu non aliter
probari debet, quam ut sit amplissimi corporis,
cervice valida, robustis ac latis costis, pectore muscu-
loso et vasto, feminibus lacertosis, cruribixs compactis,
coloris nigri vel maculosi.^'' Nam murinus cum sit in
asino vulgaris, tum etiam non optime respondet in
mula. Neque nos universa quadrupedis species
decipiat, si qualem probamus conspicimus. Nam
quemadmodum arietum quae sunt in Unguis et
palatis maculae, plerumque in velleribus agnorum
deprehenduntur : ita si discolores pilos asinus in

1 seminabituinsinus S : seminabitu in sinus A.
- quamvis add. Lundstrom.
' conpari S : comparari a.

* servili SA .

* mores trigo sunt quam 8Aa.

* praefert Lundstrom : praeferrot SAR.
' onagro S : onager AR.

* infracta ed. pr. : infra et a SAR.

* paternam S : -a AR.

1" macilis AR : magilis S.

:;i8

BOOK VI. XXXVII. 4-7

that begotten by a male ass, though up to a certain
point the progeny of a wild ass can be compared to
it, except that, being both difficult to train and re-
bellious against servitude, it exhibits the wild
character and lean condition of its sire. A stallion,
therefore, of this kind is more useful for the pro-
duction of descendants in the second than in the first
generation ; for, when the offspring of a she-ass and a
wild ass is put to a mare, the ferocity of the wild
animal has been broken down, and any offspring of
this union reproduces the form and mild temper of
its sire and the strength and quickness of its grand-
sire. The progeny conceived and procreated from 5
a horse and an ass, though they have derived their
name of " hinny " from their sire," show in every
respect a greater resemblance to their dam ; it is,
therefore, most advantageous to choose a donkey as
sire for a race of mules whose appearance, as I have
said, is proved by experience to be handsomer. How- 6
ever, from the point of view of appearance, it ought not
to be approved unless it has an ample stature, a strong
neck, robust and broad flanks, a vast and muscular
chest, brawny thighs, solid legs and a black or spotted
coat ; for a mouse-colour, as it is commonplace in a
donkey, is not very suitable in a mule either. We 7
must not let the general appearance of this quadruped
deceive us if we see that it is such as we approve of;
for just as the spots on the tongue and palates of rams
are generally found repeated on the fleeces of the
lambs which they sire, so if a donkey has different
coloured hairs on its eyelids or ears, it often sires
an offspring of diverse colouring also ; and this

" Because their neighing {hinnitus) resembles that of a
horse.

2IQ

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

palpebris aut auribus gerit, sobolera ^ quoque fre-
quenter facit diversi coloris, qui et ipse, etiam si
diligentissime in admissario exploratus est, saepe
tamen domini spem decipit. Nam interdum etiam
citra praedicta signa dissimiles sui mulas fingit.
Quod accidere non aliter reor, quam ut avitus color
primordiis seminum mixtus ^ reddatur nepotibus,

8 Igitur qualem descripsi asellum, cum est protinus ^
genitus, oportet matri statim subtrahi, et ignoranti
equae subici. Ea ^ optime tenebris fallitur. Nam
obscuro loco partu eius amoto, praedictus quasi ex
ea natus alitur. Cui deinde cum decern diebus
insuevit equa, semper postea desideranti ^ praebet
ubera. Sic nutritus ^ admissarius equas diligere
condiscit. Interdum etiam, quamvis materno lacte
sit educatus, potest a tenero ' conversatus ^ equis
familiariter earum consuetudinem appetere. Sed ei

9 non oportet minori quam trimo inire permitti.^ Atque
id ipsum si concedatur,^" vere fieri conveniet, cum
et desecto viridi pabulo et largo hordeo firmandus,
nonnunquam etiam salivandus erit. Nee tamen
tenerae feminae committetur. Nam nisi prius ea
marem cognovit,^^ adsilientem admissarium calcibus
proturbat, et iniuria depulsum etiam ceteris equis
reddit inimicum. Id ne fiat, degener ac vulgaris

^ sobolem R : subole5M^: sobole 5^

* mixtus S : mixtu A .

^ protinus Lundstrom : ptri A : ptris S : patri c.

* ae 8A^ : ac A'E.

* desideranti S : destinanti AR.

* nutritus S : nutritur AR.

'' potest a tenero >S' : potestate vero AR.

* conversatus S : -ur AR.

* inire permitti Lundstrom : inaremitti S : in are mitti A.
*" concidatur SAR.

** cognovit td. pr. : concivit SAR.
220

BOOK VI. XXXVII. 7-9

colouring, although the stallion was most carefully-
examined to see if it was present, is often a cause of
disappointment to the owner. For sometimes also
a stallion shapes mules very different from himself in
respects other than the signs mentioned above. This,
I think, occurs for no other reason than that the colour
of the grandsire is transmitted to the second genera-
tion mixed with the elements which form the seed.

As soon as the foal of the ass, such as I have de- 8
scribed, is brought to birth, it should be taken away
from its mother and put under a mare who has no
knowledge of it. This deception is best carried out in
dark conditions ; for if her offspring has been taken
away from her in a dark place and the aforesaid foal is
put under her it is nourished by her as if it were her
own offspring ; and then, when she has become accus-
tomed to it for ten days, she henceforward always
gives it her dugs whenever it wants to feed. The
future stallion fed in this manner learns to have an
affection for mares. Sometimes also, although it has
been reared on its own mother's milk, if it has lived
familiarly amongst mares from its tender years, it
may well seek their company. It must not, how- 9
ever, be allowed to cover them when it is less than
three years old, and when it is permitted to do so, it
will be well that intercourse should take place in the
spring, since it will have to be fortified with chopped
green fodder and an abundance of barley and some-
times also given a drench. It ought not, however,
to be put to a young mare ; for unless she has already
had experience of a male, she repulses the donkey
with her hoofs when he leaps upon her, and the affront
which he has received inspires him furthermore with
an aversion for all other mares. To prevent this, a

221

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

asellus admovetur, qui solicitet obsequia feminae :
neque is tamen inire sinitur. Sed, si iam est equa
veneris patiens, confestim abacto viliore, pretioso

10 mari^ subigitur.2 Locus est ad hos usus extructus,
machinam vocant rustici, duos parietes adverse
clivulo inaedificatos qui angusto intervallo sic inter
se distant, ne femina conluctari aut admissario
ascendenti avertere se possit. Aditus est ex utraque
parte, sed ab inferior e clatris ^ munitus : ad quae *
capistrata in imo clivo constituitur equa, ut et prona ^
melius ineuntis semina recipiat, et facilem sui tergoris
ascensum ab editiore parte minori quadrupedi prae-
beat. Quae cum ex asino conceptum edidit, partum
sequenti anno vacua nutrit. Id enim utilius est,
quam quod quidam faciunt, ut et fetam nihilominus

11 admisso equo impleant. Annicula mula recte a
matre repellitur, et amota montibus aut feris ^ locis
pascitur, ut ungulas duret, sitque "^ postmodum longis
itineribus habilis. Nam clitellis aptior mulus. Ilia
quidem ^ agilior : sed uterque sexus et viam recte
graditur, et terram commode proscindit, nisi si
pretium quadrupedis rationem rustici onerat,* aut
campus gravi gleba ^^ robora boum deposcit.

1 maris SAR.

2 subigitur S : iniungitur AR.

3 Claris SAR. * quod SAR.
^ pronam SAR. « seris SAR.
' sique SA : sitque ac. * quod SAR.
* onerant SAR.

^^ gleba S : graebra A^ : craebra A^ : crebra R.

Compare Chapter XIX above.

222

BOOK VI. xxxvii. 9-1 1

badly-bred, ordinary donkey is brought to seek her
compliance; he should not, however, be allowed to
cover her, but if the mare is inclined to submit to his
desires, the more ignoble donkey is promptly driven
away and the mare is covered by the valuable stallion.
A special place is constructed for these purposes — 10
the countryfolk call it a " machine " "—it consists of
two lateral walls built into gently-rising ground,
having a narrow space between them, so that the
mare cannot struggle or turn away from the donkey
when he tries to mount her. There is an entrance at
each end, that on the lower level being provided with
cross-bars, to which the mare is fastened with a halter
and stands with her forefeet at the bottom of the
slope, so that, leaning forward she may the better
receive the insemination of the donkey and make it
easier for a quadruped smaller than herself to mount
upon her back from the higher ground. When the
mare has given birth to a foal of which the donkey is
the sire, she rears it during the following year with-
out being with foal again. This method is better than
that which some people follow, who cause her to be
covered again by the stallion and to be with foal,
although she has only just foaled. When a she-mule 11
is a year old, it is right to take it away from its dam
and put it to feed far away in the mountains or in
wild places, so that it may harden its hoofs and
presently be fit for long journeys. Now the male is
better than the female mule for carrying a pack-saddle,
whereas the latter is more nimble ; but both sexes
step out well on a journey and are useful for breaking
up the soil, unless the price of the animal is too
burdensome an expense for the farmer, or a soil, being
of heavy sod, demands the strength of oxen.

223

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

XXXVIII. Medicinas huius pecoris plerumque iam
in aliis generibus edocui: propria tamen quaedam
vitia non omittam, quorum remedia subscripsi.
Equienti mulae cruda brassica datur. Suspiriosae
sanguis detrahitur, et cum sextario vini atque olei
thuris semuncia marrubii succus instar heminae

2 mixtus infunditur. Suffraginosae hordeacea farina
imponitur, mox suppuratio ferro reclusa linamentis
curatur, vel gari ^ optimi sextarius cum libra olei per
narem sinistram demittitur, admisceturque huic me-
dicamini trium vel quattuor ovorum albus liquor sepa-

3 ratis vitellis. Flemina ^ secari, et interdum inuri
Solent. Sanguis demissus ^ in pedes, ita ut in equis
emittitur : vel si est herba, quam veratrum vocant
rustici, pro pabulo cedit. Est et voaKvajxos, cuius
semen detritum et cum vino datum praedicto vitio
medetur.

Macies et languor submovetur saepius data
potione, quae recipit semunciam sulphuris ovumque
crudum, et myrrhae pondus denarii. Haec trita
vino admiscentur,* atque ita faucibus infunduntur.

4 Sed et tussi dolorique veritris eadem ista aeque
medentur. Ad maciem nulla res tantum quantum
medica potest. Ea herba viridis celerius ^ nee tarde
tamen arida faeni vice saginat iumenta : varum

^ gari 8 : cari AR.

* fiemina Litndslrom : femina 8AR.
' demissus S : di- AR.

* admiscetur SA.

* celerius S : om. AR.

" A kind of hellebore. * Medicago saliva,

224

BOOK VI. XXXVIII. 1-4

XXXVIII. Though, in dealing with other classes Bemedies
of animals, I have already described most of the eas3s of '^
medicines which mules require, I will not omit to ^"les.
mention certain maladies which are peculiar to these
animals, the remedies for which I have here
subjoined. If a mule is in heat, raw cabbage is
administered ; if it is asthmatic, blood is drawn off
and about a hemina of the juice of horehound mixed
with a sexiarius of wine and half an ounce of oil of
frankincense is poured down its throat. If it is suffer- 2
ing from spavin, barley-flour is applied, and then the
suppuration is opened with a lancet and dressed
with lint, or else a sextarius of the best fish-pickle
in a pound of oil is poured through the left nostril ;
the whites of three or four eggs from which the
yolks have been separated are mixed with this medica-
ment. Blood-blisters round the ankles are usually cut 3
and sometimes cauterized. When blood flows down
into the feet, it is drawn off by the same method as is
applied to horses, or, if the herb which the country-
folk call veratrum " is available, it is given as fodder.
Another remedy is henbane, the seed of which,
crushed and administered with wine, cures this
malady.

Emaciation and languor are dispelled by frequent
potions containing half an ounce of sulphury a raw
egg and a denarius weight of myrrh ; these are beaten
up and mixed in wine and then poured down the
animal's throat. The same ingredients serve equally 4
well as a remedy for a cough and for pain in the
stomach. For emaciation nothing is as efficacious as
lucerne * ; this herb, when it is green, quickly fattens
beasts of burden, and is not slow in doing so even
when it is dry and used instead of hay, but it must be

225

VOL. TI. I

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

modice danda, ne nimio sanguine stranguletur pecus.
Lassae et aestuanti mulae adeps ^ in fauces demitti-
tur,2 vinumque ^ in os sufFunditur. Cetera exe-
quemur in mulis sic, ut prioribus huius voluminis
partibus tradidimus, quae curam bourn equarumque
continent.

1 ad eos SA^R : adeps A^a.

* demittitur S : di- AR.

' virumque SA ^ -. vinumque a.

226

BOOK VI. XXXVIII. 4

given in moderation, lest the animal be choked by an
excess of blood. When a mule is exhausted and feel-
ing the heat, fat is thrust down its throat and wine
poured into its mouth. In all other respects in
dealing with mules we shall follow the method which
we have prescribed in the earlier parts of this book
which deal with the care of oxen and horses.

227

BOOK VII

LIBER VII

I. De minore pecore dicturis, P. Silvine, princi-
pium tenebit minor in ora ^ Arcadiae vilis hie vul-
garisque asellus, cuius plerique rusticarum rerum
auctores in emendis tuendisque iumentis praeci-
puam rationem volunt esse ; nee iniuria. Nam
etiam eo rure,^ quod pascuo caret, contineri potest,
exiguo et qualicunque pabulo contentus. Quippe
vel foliis spinisque vepraticis ^ alitur, vel obiecto fasce
sarmentorum. Paleis vero, quae paene omnibus re-
gionibus, abundant, etiam gliscit.
2 Tum imprudentis custodis negligentiam fortissime
sustinet : plagarum et penuriae tolerantissimus :
propter quae tardius deficit, quam ullum aliud
armentum. Nam laboris et famis maxime patiens
raro morbis afficitur. Huius animalis tarn ■* exiguae
tutelae plurima et necessaria opera supra portionem
respondent, cum et facilem terram qualis in Baetica
totaque Libye sit ^ levibus aratris ^ proscindat, et

^ minor in ora Lundstrom : minor minora SAac.
^ eorum re SAc : eo re a.

' vepratici salitur S : vel pratici salitur A : vel prati his
alitur a.

* tam S : tamen Aac.

* sit Aid. : si SAac,

* aratis SA^.

230

BOOK VII

I. Since, Publius Silvinus, we are now about to deal The
with the lesser farm- animals, our first subject shall
be that cheap and common animal the lesser * ass
from the region of Arcadia, to which the majority of
writers on agriculture consider that particular
attention should be paid when it is a question of
buying and tending beasts of burden ; and they are
quite right, for it can be kept even in a country which
lacks pasturage, since it is content with very little
fodder of any sort of quality, feeding on leaves
and the thorns of brier-bushes, or a bundle of
twigs which is offered to it; indeed it actually
thrives on chaff, which is abundant in almost every
region.

Further, it endures most bravely the neglect of a 2
careless master and tolerates blows and want most
patiently ; for which reasons it is slower in breaking
down than any other animal used for ploughing, for,
since it shows the utmost endurance of toil and
hunger, it is rarely affected by disease. The per-
formance by this animal of very many essential tasks
beyond its share is as remarkable as the very little
care which it requires, since it can both break up with
a light plough easily worked soil, such as is found in
Baetica and all over Libya, and can draw on vehicles

* I.e. the ass as compared with the mule.

231

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

3 non minima pondera vehiculo trahat. Saepe etiam,
ut celeberrimus poeta memorat :

. . . tardi costas agitator aselli
Vilibus aut onerat pomis, lapidemque revertens
Incusum aut atrae massam picis urbe reportat.

lam vero molarum et conficiendi frumenti paene
solemnis est huius pecoris ^ labor. Quare omne ^ rus
tanquam maxima necessarium instrumentum de-
siderat asellum, qui, ut dixi, pleraque utensilia et
vehere ^ in urbem et reportare cello vel dorse com-
mode potest. Qualis autem species eius vel cura
probatissima sit, superiore libre, cum de pretioso
praeciperetur, satis dictum est.

II. Pest huius * quadrupedis ovilli pecoris secunda
ratio est, quae prima fit, si ad utilitatis magnitu-
dinem referas. Nam id praecipue nos contra frigoris
violentiam protegit, cerporibusque nostris liberaliora
praebet velamina. Tum etiam casei lactisque
abundantia non solum agrestes saturat, sed etiam
elegantium mensas iucundis et numerosis dapibus
2 exornat. Quibusdam vero nationibus frumenti ex-
pertibus victum commodat, ex quo Nomadum
Getarumque plurimi yaAa/CTOvroTat dicuntur. Igitur
id pecus, quamvis mollissimum sit, ut ait prudentis-
sime Celsus, valetudinis tutissimae est, minimeque
pestilentia laborat. Verum tamen eligendum est ad

^ pecoru SA^. * omnem SA^.

• vehere ed. pr. : e vere 5 : vera A. * huius S : om. AR.

<• Vergil, Qeorg. I. 273 ff.

* I.e. the mule, treated in Book VI. Chapters XXXVI-
XXXVIII.

* A tribe living north of the lower course of the Danube.

2^9

BOOK VII. I. 2-II. 2

loads which are far from being small. Often too as 3
the most famous of poets says :

The tardy donkey's driver loads its sides

With cheap fruits and returning brings from town

A hammered millstone or black lump of pitch.**

This animal's almost invariable task at the present
day consists in turning a mill and grinding corn.
Every estate, therefore, requires a donkey as that
might be called a necessary instrument, since, as I
have said, it can conveniently convey to town and
bring back most things that are required for use
either with load on its neck or on its back. What
kind of ass and what method of looking after it is
most approved, has been sufficiently described in a
previous book, where instructions have been given
about the valuable type of animal.''

II. The importance of the sheep is secondary to Onthepur-
that of the ass, though the sheep is of primary care of
account if one has regard to the extent of its useful- sheep.
ness. For it is our principal protection against the
violence of the cold and supplies us with a generous
provision of coverings for our bodies. Then, too, it
is the sheep which not only satisfies the hunger of
the country folk with cheese and milk in abundance
but also embellishes the tables of people of taste
with a variety of agreeable dishes. Indeed to some 2
tribes, who have no corn, the sheep provides their
diet ; hence most of the nomadic tribes and the
Getae '^ are called the " Milk-Drinkers." Though the
sheep, as Celsus most wisely remarks, is a very deli-
cate creature, it enjoys sound health and suffers very
little from contagious disease. Nevertheless a breed
of sheep must be chosen to suit local conditions, a prin-

233

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

naturam loci : quod semper observari non solum in
hoc, sed etiam in tota ruris disciplina Vergilius
praecipit, cum ait :

Nee vero terrae ferre omnes omnia possunt.

3 Pinguis et campestris situs proceras oves tolerat ;
gracilis et collinus quadratas ; silvestris et montosus
exiguas ; pratis planisque novalibus tectum pecus
commodissime pascitur. Idque non solum generi-
bus, sed etiam coloribus plurimum refert. Generis
eximii Calabras, Apulasque et Milesias ^ nostri
existimabant, earumque optimas Tarentinas. Nunc
Gallicae pretiosiores habentur, earumque praecipue
Altinates. Item quae circa Parmam et Mutinam
macris stabulantur campis. Color albus cum sit

4 optimus, tum etiam est utilissimus, quod ex eo
plurimi fiunt, neque hie ex alio. Sunt etiam suapte
natura pretio commendabiles ^ pullus atque fuscus,
quos praebent in Italia PoUentia, in Baetica Corduba.
Nee minus Asia rutilos,^ quos vocant epvOpaiovs.
Sed et alias varietates in hoc pecoris genere docuit
usus exprimere. Nam cum in municipium Gaditanum
ex vicino Africae miri coloris silvestres ac feri arietes,
sicut aliae bestiae, munerariis deportarentur, M. Colu-
mella patruus meus acris vir ingenii, atque illustris

^ miles SAac. * commendabilis SAac.

3 lutilos -S^i.

» Qeorg. II. 109.

"" I.e. those which on account of the excellence of their wool
are covered with skins to preserve their fleeces (Varro, R^R.^
II. 2. 19 : Horace, Od. II. C. 10).

"^ A town near Venice.

<' Both these towns were in Cisalpine Gaul, Mutina being the
modem Modena.

?.34

BOOK VII. II. 2-4

ciple which ought always to be observed not only with
regard to sheep but in every department of agricul-
ture, as Vergil warns us, when he says :

Nor can all kinds of land all things produce.*'

A rich, flat country supports tall sheep, a lean and 3
hilly region those of square build, while a wooded,
mountainous land produces small sheep. " Coated " ^
sheep are best pastured in meadows and flat fallow
ground. Not only the question of the kinds of
sheep but also that of their colour are matters of
great importance. Our farmers used to regard the
Calabrian, Apulian and Milesian as breeds of out-
standing excellence, and the Tarentine as the best of
all ; now Gaulish sheep are considered more valuable,
especially that of Altinum," also those which have
their folds in the lean plains round Parma and
Mutina.** While white is the best colour, it is also 4
the most useful, because very many colours can be
made from it ; but it cannot be produced from any
other colour. By their very nature black and dark
brown sheep also, which Pollentia « in Italy and
Corduba/ in Baetica produce, are esteemed for the
price which they command ; Asia likewise provides
the red colour which they call " erythraean." Ex-
perience has also taught the way to produce other
variations of colour in this kind of animal. For when
fierce wild rams of a marvellous colour were brought
across amongst other wild beasts from a neighbouring
district of Africa to the municipal town of Gades for
those who were giving public shows, my uncle Marcus
Columella, a man of keen intelligence and a dis-

• A city of Liguria (the Italian Riviera),
/ Cordova in Spain.

235

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

agricola, quosdam mercatus, in agros transtulit, et
5 mansuefactos tectis ovibus admisit. Eae primum
hirtos,^ sed paterni coloris agnos ediderunt, qui
deinde et ipsi Tarentinis ovibus impositi, tenuioris
velleris arietes progeneraverunt. Ex his rursus
quicquid conceptum est, maternam mollitiem, pater-
num et avitum retulit colorem. Hoc modo Colu-
mella dicebat, qualemcunque speciem, quae fuerit ^
in bestiis, per nepotum gradus mitigata feritate
reddi. Sed ^ ad propositum revertar.

Ergo duo genera sunt ovilli pecoris, molle et hirsu-
tum. Sed in utroque vel emendo vel tuendo * plura
communia, quaedam tamen sunt propria generosi,
quae observari conveniat. Communia in emendis
gregibus fere ilia : si candor lanae maxime placet,
nunquam nisi ^ candidissimos mares legeris : quoniam
ex albo saepe fuscus editur partus ; ex erythraeo vel
pullo nunquam generatur albus.

III. Itaque non solum ea ratio est probandi arietis,
si vellere candido vestitur, sed etiam si palatum atque
lingua concolor lanae est. Nam cum hae corporis
partes nigrae aut maculosae sunt, pulla vel etiam

^ hirtus Aid. : ortos SAR.

* fuerint SAa : fuerunt c.

' reddi sed S^ : reddis et S^ : reddisset Ac.

* vel tuendo add. Lxindstrdm : om. SAR.

236

BOOK VII. 11. 4-III. I

tinguished agriculturist, bought some of them and
transferred them to his estate, and, when he had
tamed them, mated them with " coated " ewes.
These produced in the first generation lambs with
coarse wool but of the same colour as their sires.
When these in their turn were coupled with Tarentine 5
ewes, they produced rams with a finer fleece. All
the descendants of these latter in their turn repro-
duced the soft wool of their dams and the colours of
their sires and grandsires. Columella used to claim
that in this way whatever outward appearance the
wild animals possessed was reproduced in the
second and later generations of their descendants,
while their savage nature was tamed. But I must
return to my subject.

There are then two kinds of sheep, the soft -fleeced
and the shaggy-coated ; but, while there are several
points common to both kinds when you are buying
or looking after them, there are certain special
characteristics of the well-bred sheep which it is well
to observe. The following are generally the common
points to be looked for when you are buying flocks :
if whiteness of fleece is what pleases you most, you
should never choose any but the whitest rams, for a
dark lamb is often the offspring of a white ram, while
a white lamb is never bred from a red or brown sire.

III. And so, if a ram has a white fleece, this is not it- Oi ti^e
self a reason for approving of it, but only if its palate rams?"^ °
and tongue are also of the same colour as its wool ; for
if these parts of the body are black or spotted, the
offspring is either dark or even parti-coloured. The
same poet as I quoted above, amongst many other

* nisi S : om. AB.

237

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

varia nascitur proles ; idque inter cetera eximie
talibus numeris ^ significavit idem qui supra :

Ilium autem, quamvis aries sit candidus ipse,^
Nigra subest udo tantum cui lingua palato,
Reice, ne maculis infuscet vellera pullis
Naseentum.^

2 Una eademque ratio est in erythraeis et nigris arieti-
bus, quorum similiter, ut iam dixi, neutra pars esse
debet discolor lanae, multoque minus ipsa universitas
tergoris maculis variet. Ideo nisi lanatas oves emi
non oportet, quo melius unitas coloris appareat :
quae nisi praecipua est in arietibus, paternae notae
plerumque natis inhaerent.*

3 Habitus autem maxime probatur, cum est altus
atque procerus, ventre promisso atque lanato, cauda
longissima, densique velleris, fronte lata, testibus
iamplis, intortis cornibus : non quia magis hie sit
utilis, (nam est melior mutilus aries) sed quia ^ minime
nocent intorta potius, quam surrecta et patula cornua.
Quibusdam ^ tamen regionibus, ubi caeli status
uvidus ventosusque est, capros et arietes optaverimus
vel amplissimis cornibus, quod ea porrecta ' altaque *
maximam partem capitis a tempestate defendant.^

4 Itaque si plerumque ^'^ est atrocior hiems,^^ hoc genus
eligemus : si clementior, mutilum probabimus ma-
rem : quoniam est illud incommodum in cornuto,

^ numeris ed. pr. : numeri SAae.

* ipse S : ipsa Aac. * nascentium SAac.

* inheret SAac. * quia S : qui Ac.

* quibusdam S : quibus Aac.

' profecto SAac. ^ altoque SAac.

* defendant ed. pr. : defendat SAac.
^'* plerum SAa.

^1 hiems a, ed. pr. : hiomis SA.

23^

BOOK VII. III. 1-4

points, has expressed the same thing excellently in
the following lines :

But though the father-ram itself is white,
If under his wet palate a black tongue
Lurks, then reject it, lest with dusky spots
It stain the fleeces of the future race."

The same reasoning applies both to red and to black 2
rams, in whom, likewise, as I said just now, neither
the tongue nor the palate ought to be different in
colour from the wool, still less should the whole skin
be variegated with spots. Sheep, therefore, should
never be bought unless they still have their wool on
their backs, so that it may be easier to see that they
are of one colour only, because, unless this is a
prominent feature of the rams, the marks on the father
generally persist in the offspring.

The points which are most highly esteemed in a 3
ram are breadth and height of stature, a belly which
hangs down and is woolly, a very long tail, a thick
fleece, a broad forehead, large testicles and curling
horns — not because such a ram is more useful (for it is
better without horns), but because horns do much less
harm if they are curling than if they are up-standing
and spreading. In some localities, however, where
the climate is damp and windy, we should prefer that
both he-goats and rams should have very large horns,
because, being thus wide-spreading and lofty, they
protect most of the head from the storm. So, if the 4
winter generally tends to be severe, we shall choose
rams of this type ; if it is milder, we shall prefer
a ram which is hornless ; for there is this dis-
advantage about a sheep with horns, that, being

- ^ « Vergil, Georg. III. 387 ff.

239

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

quod cum sentiat se velut quodam natural! telo ^
capitis armatum, frequenter in pugnam procurrit, et
fit in feminas quoque procacior. Nam rivalem
(quamvis solus admissurae non sufficit) violentissime
persequitur, nee ab alio tempestive patitur iniri ^

5 gregem, nisi cum est fatigatus libidine. Mutilus
autem, cum se tanquam exarmatum intelligat, nee
ad rixam promptus est, et in venere mitior. Itaque
capri vel arietis ^ petulci saevitiam pastores hac
astutia repellunt. Mensurae pedalis robustam tabu-
lam configunt aculeis, et adversam fronti cornibus
religant. Ea res ferum prohibet * a rixa, quoniam

6 stimulatum suo ictu ipsum se sauciat. Epicharmus
autem Syracusanus, qui pecudum medicinas dili-
gentissime conscripsit, affirmat pugnacem arietem
mitigari terebra secundum auriculas foratis cor-
nibus, qua curvantur in flexum. Eius quadrupedis
aetas ad progenerandum optima est trima : nee
tamen inhabilis usque in annos octo. Femina post
bimatum maritari debet, iuvenisque habetur quin-

7 quennis : fatiscit post annum septimum. Igitur, ut
dixi, mercaberis ^ oves intonsas : ^ variam et canam '
improbabis, quod sit incerti coloris. Maiorem trima
dente ® minacem sterilem repudiabis. Eliges bimam
vasti corporis, cervice ^ prolixi villi, nee asperi,

^ natural! t^lo S : naturate loco A.

' inire ac : ini SA. ' arietis a : ariet«8 SA.

* prohibet a : prohibita SA.

* mercaberis ed. pr. : mercaveris S : mercaris Aac.

* intonsas S : intonsis Aac.

' calvamque Eichter : et canam prior, edd.

* trima dente ed. pr. : trime dentem SAac.

* cervi et SAac.

» See note on Book I. 1. 8.
240

BOOK VII. III. 4-7

conscious that its head is armed, as it were, with a
natural weapon, it often rushes into the fray and also
becomes too wanton towards the females. For
(although it does not itself suffice to mate with the
whole flock) it pursues its rival in the most violent
manner and does not allow the flock to be covered at
the proper time by any other ram, except when it is
worn out by lust. On the other hand the hornless 5
ram, since it realizes that it is, as it were, disarmed,
is not prompt to quarrel and is milder in its amours.
Shepherds, therefore, use the following ruse to check
the brutality of a butting he-goat or ram : they fix
spikes in a strong board a foot in length and tie it to
the horns with the spikes facing the forehead. This
prevents the animal, fierce though he may be, from
quarrelling, because by his blow he pricks and
wounds himself. Epicharmus,* the Syracusan, who
has written a very careful treatise on remedies for 6
cattle, declares that a pugnacious ram can be tamed
by piercing its horns with a gimlet near the ears at
the point where the horns bend into a curve. The
best time for breeding from this animal is when it is
three years old ; but it continues to be suitable up to
eight years of age. The female ought to be mated
after its second year and is still regarded as young at
five years ; after its seventh year it becomes ex-
hausted. You will, therefore, as I have said, buy 7
ewes before they have been sheared and you will
reject those which are parti-coloured or bald, because
its colour can not be determined. You will refuse
a sterile ewe which has passed its third year and has
projecting teeth : you will select a two-year-old
with a large frame, a neck covered with shaggy hair
which is abundant but not coarse, and a woolly and

241

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

lanosi et ampli uteri. Nam vitandus est glaber et
exiguus.

8 Atque haec fere communia sunt in comparandis
ovibus. Ilia etiam tuendis : humilia facere stabula,
sed in longitudinem potius quam in latitudinem
porrecta,! ut simul et hieme calida sint, nee angustiae
fetus oblidant.2 Ea poni debent contra medium
diem: namque id pecus, quamvis ex omnibus
animalibus sit ^ vestitissimum, frigoris tamen im-
patientissimum est, nee minus aestivi vaporis.
Itaque cohors clausa sublimi macerie praeponi
vestibulo debet, ut sit in eam tutus exitus aestuanti ; *
deturque opera, ne quis humor consistat, ut semper
quam aridissimis filicibus ^ vel culmis stabula con-
strata sint, quo purius ^ et mollius incubent foetae,
sintque ilia' mundissima, neque earum valetudo,
quae praecipue custodienda est, infestetur uligine.

9 Omnia autem pecudi larga praebenda sunt alimenta.
Nam vel exiguus numerus, cum pabulo satiatur,
plus domino reddit, quam maximus grex, si senserit
penuriam. Sequeris autem novalia non solum her-
bida, sed quae plerumque vidua sunt spinis ; utamur ^
emm saepius auctoritate divini carminis :

Si tibi lanitium curae est, primum aspera silva
Lappaeque tribulique absint;

^ porrecta S : profectam A.

* obligant SAac. ' sit 5 : om. AB.

* aestuanti Richter : aestivandi prior, edd.

* filicibus Sc : felicibus Aa.
« plurius SAR.

'' sint quala Gesner : sint quola SAac.

* utamur ac : utantur c : utam S^A : utar S*.
242

BOOK VII. HI. 7-9

ample belly ; for a small and hairless ewe must be
avoided.

These are, roughly speaking, the general points 8
which must be observed when you are buying sheep ;
the following points must be observed in their
management. Their folds should be built low and
extended in length rather than in breadth, so that
they may be warm in winter and also that lack of
space may not cause the ewes to cast their young.
They should be placed so as to face the mid-day sun ;
for sheep, though naturally the best clothed of
animals, can least endure cold, or summer heat
either. For this reason a closed court with a high
wall ought to be constructed in front of the entrance,
so that there may be a safe way out for the animal
when it is affected by the heat ; and care must
be taken to prevent there being any standing water
by always keeping their folds strewn with the driest
possible fern or straw, so that the ewes after lambing
may have something clean and soft on which to lie,
and that the folds may be very clean, and that the 9
health of the ewes, which must be specially guarded,
may not be impaired by dampness. Sheep must be
supplied with an abundance of every kind of food ;
for even a small flock, if it is given its fill of fodder,
brings its owner a bigger return than a very large one
which has suffered from want. You must look for
fallow land which is not only grassy but also for the
miost part free from thorns ; for, to make our repeated
appeal to the authority of inspired poesy,"

If wool is your desire, above all else

Avoid the prickly woods and burs and caltropses.

• Vergil, Georg. III. 384 f.

243

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

10 quoniam ea res, ut ait idem, scabras oves reddit,

cum tonsis illotus ^ adhaesit
Sudor, et hirsuti secuerunt corpora vepres :

turn etiam quotidie minuitur lanae fructus,^ quae
quanto prolixior in pecore concrescit, tanto magis
obnoxia ^ est rubis, quibus velut hamis inuncata
pascentium tergoribus avellitur. Molle vero pecus
etiam velamen, quo protegitur, amittit,* atque id non
parvo sumptu reparatur.

11 Inter auctores fere constat, primum esse admis-
surae tempus vernuni Parilibus,^ si sit ovis matura,^
sin vero ' feta, circa lulium mensem. Prius tamen
haud dubie probabilius,^ ut messem vindemia,'
fructum deinde vineaticum fetura pecoris excipiat,
et totius autumni pabulo satiatus agnus ante mae-
stitiam frigorum atque hiemis ieiunium confirmetur.
Nam melior est autumnalis verno, sicut ait verissime
Celsus ; quia ^'^ magis ad rem pertinet, ut ante aesti-
vum quam hibernum solstitium convalescat : solus-

12 que ex omnibus bruma commode nascitur. Ac si res
exigit, ut plurimi mares progenerandi sint, Aris-
toteles vir callidissimus rerum naturae praecipit

^ inlutus S^A : inlotus S'.

* fructus S : om. Aac.

' obnoxia S : obnoxium Aac.

* admittit SAc : amittit a.

* Parilibus S : paribus Aac.

* matura S : mature Aac.

' sin vero ed. pr. : sincera SAac.

* probabilis SAac.

* mensem vindemiam SAa : messem vindemiam c.
^° quia S : qui Aac.

244

BOOK VII. III. IO-I2

For, as the same poet says,* it causes scab in sheep, 10

When after shearing sweat unwashen clings
And prickly briers tear away their flesh.

Moreover, the yield of wool is daily reduced, for the
more abundantly it grows upon the animal, the more
exposed it is to brambles, by which it is caught, as if
by hooks, and torn from their backs as they feed.
The sheep also loses the soft covering with which it
is protected, and this can only be replaced at con-
siderable expense.

The authorities are in general agreement that the 11
earliest time of the year at which the ewes should
be mated is the spring, when the Parilia ^ is cele-
brated, if the ewe has just reached maturity, but, if
she has already produced a lamb, about the month of
July. The earlier date is, however, undoubtedly
preferable, so that, just as the vintage follows the
harvest, so the birth of the lamb may succeed to the
gathering in of the grapes, and the lamb, having
enjoyed its fill of food during the whole autumn, may
gain strength before the gloomy cold season and the
short rations of winter come on. For an autumn lamb is
superior to a spring lamb, as Celsus very truly remarks,
because it is more important that it should grow
strong before the summer solstice than before the
winter solstice, and it alone of all animals can be born
without risk in mid-winter. If circumstances require 12
that more males than females should be produced,
Aristotle," that shrewd researcher into natural

« Vergil, Georg. III. 443.

* The feast of Pales, tutelary goddess of sheep and
shepherds, which was celebrated on April 18th.
« De Gen. Anim., 766, 35 ff.

24S

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

admissurae tempore observare siccis diebus halitus
septentrionales, ut ^ contra ventum gregem pasca-
mus, et eum spectans admittatur pecus : at si feminae
generandae sunt, austrinos flatus captare, ut eadem
ratione ^ matrices ineantur. Nam illud, quod priore
libro docuimus, ut admissarii dexter vel etiam sinister
vinculo testiculos obligetur, in magnis gregibus
operosum est.

13 Post feturam deinde longinquae regionis opilio
villicus fere omnem sobolem pastioni ^ reservat ; sub-
urbanae, teneros agnos, dum adhuc herbae sunt
expertes, lanio tradit, quoniam et parvo sumptu
devehuntur, et iis submotis, fructus lactis ex matribus
non minor ^ percipitur. Submitti tamen etiam in
vicinia urbis quintum quemque ^ oportebit. Nam

14 vernaculum pecus peregrino longe est utilius : nee
committi debet, ut ^ totus grex effetus ' senectute
dominum destituat : cum praesertim boni pastoris
vel prima cura sit annis omnibus in demortuarum
vitiosarumque ovium locum totidem vel etiam plura
capita substituere : quoniam saepe frigorum atque
hiemis saevitia pastorem decipit, et eas oves ^ in-
terimit, quas ille tempore autumni ratus adhuc esse ^

15 tolerabiles, non submoverat. Quo magis etiam
propter hos casus, nisi quae validissima ^° non ^^ com-

1 et SAac.

* ratione a : -em SA.
' pastioni 8 : -e Aac.

* minor ac : mino A : orn. 8.

* quicumq;^. • ut 5 : om. Aac.
' eflectus Aac : effectu 8.

* eas oves Aid. : exe ovis 8 : ex eo vix Aac.

* esse aS* : essem 8^ A.
'" validissimo SAac.

^^ non Sa : anon A : anno c,

?46

BOOK VII. III. 12-15

phenomena, advises that in the breeding season we
should look out for breezes from the north on dry
days, so as to pasture the flock facing this wind, and
that the male should cover the female looking in that
direction; if, on the other hand, female births are
desired, we should seek for southern breezes, so that
the ewes may be covered in the same manner. The
device, which was described in the preceding book,"
of tying up the right or left testicle of the ram with a
band, is difficult to carry out in large flocks.

After the lambing season the bailiff in charge of 13
the sheep on an outlying estate reserves almost all the
young offspring for pasture ; and in a section near town
hands over the tender lambs, before they have begun
to graze, to the butcher, since it costs only a little to
convey them to the town and also, when they have
been taken away, no slighter profit is made out of
the milk from their mothers. Even in the neighbour-
hood of a town, however, one lamb in five will have to
be left with its mother, for an animal born on the
spot is much more profitable than one broiight from a
distance, nor ought the mistake be made of letting 14
the whole flock become exhausted by age and leave
the owner without any stock, especially as it is the
first duty of a good shepherd every year to substitute
the same number of sheep, or even more, in place of
those which have died or are diseased, since the
severity of the cold and winter often surprises the shep-
herd and causes the death of those ewes which he had
failed to remove from the flock in the autumn because
he thought them still able to stand the cold. These
mishaps are also further reason why no ewe, unless it 15
is very strorig, should be caught unprepared by winter
"Book VI. 28.

S47

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

prehendatur hieme, novaque pi-ogenie repleatur
Humerus. Quod qui faciet, servare debebit, ne
minori quadrimae, neve ei, quae excessit annos octo,
prolem submittat. Neutra enim aetas ad educan-
dum est idonea : turn etiam quod ex vetere materia
nascitur, plerumque congeneratum parentis senium ^

16 refert. Nam vel sterile vel imbecillum est. Partus
vero incientis ^ pecoris non secus quam obstetricum
more custodiri debet. Neque enim aliter hoe
animal quam muliebris sexus enititur, saepiusque
etiam, quando ^ est omnis rationis ignarum, laborat in
partu. Quare veterinariae medicinae prudens esse
debet pecoris magister, ut, si res exigat, vel integrum
conceptum, cum transversus haeret locis genitalibus,
extrahat, vel ferro divisum citra matris perniciem
partibus educat,'* quod Graeci vocant efJL^pvovXKelv.

17 Agnus autem, cum est editus, erigi debet, atque
uberibus admjveri, tum ^ etiam eius diductum ^ os
pressis humectare papillis, ut condiscat maternum
trahere alimentum. Sed prius quam hoc fiat, exi-
guum lactis emulgendum ' est, quod pastores colos-
trum vocant : ea nisi aliquatenus emittitur, nocet
agno qui primo biduo ^ quo natus est, cum matre
claudatur, ut et ea pai-tum suum foveat, et ille ma-

18 trem agnoscere condiscat. Mox deinde quamdiu non
lascivit, obscuro et calido septo ^ custodiatur ; postea

^ senium S^ : se nimiu S'^Ac.

* incientis Ursinus : incipientis codd.

* quanrlo Richter : quanto frior. edd.

* educat 8 : ducat Aa : duca c.
' tum S : cum Aac.

* diductum S : de- Aac.
' emulgendus SAac.

8 primo biduo Heinsius ; moviduo /SMc.

* septo Sa : septe Ac,

?48

BOOK VII. III. 15-18

and why the number should be made up with
young stock. Whoever is going to follow this
system will have to take care not to put a lamb
under a ewe which is less than four years or
more than eight years old, for a ewe of neither of these
ages is fit to bring up its young ; moreover, the off-
spring of aged stock generally reproduces the qualities
of old age inherited from its parents, being either
sterile or weakly. The delivery of a pregnant ewe 16
should be watched over with as much care as mid-
wives exercise ; for this animal produces its offspring
just in the same way as a woman, and its labour is
often even more painful since it is devoid of all
reasoning. Hence the owner of a flock ought to have
some knowledge of veterinary medicine, so that, if
circumstances require it, when the foetus becomes
stuck crosswise in the genital organs, he may either
extract it whole, or be able to remove it from the
womb, after dividing it with a knife without causing
the mother's death — an operation which the Greeks
call embryulkein.'^ The lamb, when it has been 17
brought forth, ought to be set upon its feet and put
near its mother's udder ; then its mouth should
be opened and moistened by pressing the mother's
teats, so that it may learn to derive its nourishment
from her. But, before this is done, a little milk should
be drawn off, which shepherds call " biestings," for,
if this is not to some extent extracted, it does harm
to the lamb, which for the first two days after its
birth should be shut up with its mother, so that she
may cherish her offspring, and that it may learn to
know her. Then, as long as it has not begun to frisk 18
about, it should be kept in a dark and warm en-

» I.e. extracting the embryo.

249

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

luxuriantem virgea cum comparibus hara ^ claudi
oportebit, ne velut puerili nimia exultatione maces-
cat : cavendumque est, ut tenerior separetur a

19 validioribus, quia robustus angit imbecillum, Satis-
que ^ est mane prius quami grex procedat in pascua;
deinde etiam crepusculo redeuntibus saturis ovibus
admiscere agnos. Qui cum firmi esse coeperint,^
pascendi sunt intra stabulum cytiso, vel medica,*
tum etiam furfuribus, aut, si permittat annona,
farina hordei vel ervi : deinde, ubi convaluerint, circa
meridiem pratis aut novalibus ^ villae continuis
matres admovendae sunt, et septo emittendi agni,
ut condiscant ® foris pasci.

20 De genere pabuli iam et ante diximus, et nunc
eorum, quae omissa sunt, meminerimus, iucundis-
simas herbas esse, quae aratro proscissis arvis
nascantur ; deinde quae pratis uligine carentibus ;
palustres silvestresque minime idoneas haberi. Nee
tamen ulla sunt tam blanda pabula, aut ' etiam
pascua, quorum gratia ^ non exolescat usu continue,
nisi pecudum fastidio pastor occurrerit praebito sale,
quod velut ^ aquae ac pabuli condimentum per
aestatem canalibus ligneis impositum, cum e pastu
redierint oves, lambunt, atque eo sapore cupidinem

21 bibendi pascendique concipiunt. At contra penuriae

^ area SAac.

* satisque S : atatimque A^ac.

* coeperint A : cepeiunt S.

* mediraedicatum S : medicatum A.

* navalibus SA .

^ condiscant c : -at SAa.
'' aut S : ut Aac.

* gratio S'^A : ratio S^.

* velut aquae ac Lundstrom ; vel atquae ac S ; vel atq ;
A Roc.

«50

BOOK VII. HI. 18-21

closure ; afterwards, when it begins to be sportive, it
will have to be shut up with the lambs of its own age
in a pen fenced with osiers, so that it may not become
thin from what we may call too much youthful
frolicking, and care must be taken to separate a
more tender lamb from the stronger ones, because the
robust torments the feeble. It is enough to make this
separation in the morning before the flock goes out to
pasture, and then at dusk to let the lambs mingle with 19
the ewes when they return home after eating their
fill. When the lambs begin to get strong, they should
be fed in the folds with shrub-trefoil or lucerne, and
also ^vith bran, or, if the price permits, with flour of
barley or of bitter-vetch. Afterwards, when they
have reached their full strength, their mothers should
be brought about mid-day to the meadows or fallow
lands adjoining the farm and the lambs released
from their pen, so that they may learn to feed outside.

Concerning the nature of their food we have 20
already spoken before and now call to mind what
was not mentioned, namely, that the vegetation which
is most acceptable is that which comes up when the
fields have received their first ploughing ; the next
best is that which grows in meadows which are free
from marsh ; boggy and wooded lands are considered
least suitable. There is, however, no fodder or even
pasturage so agreeable that the pleasure which it
gives does not grow stale with continuous use, unless
the shepherd counteracts this aversion of his sheep
by providing salt. This is placed in wooden troughs
during the summer to serve as a kind of seasoning in
their water and fodder and the sheep lick it up when
they return from the pasture, and the taste of it
makes them conceive a desire to eat and drink. But 21

251

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

hiemis succurritur obiectis intra tectum per prae-
sepia cibis. Aluntur autem commodissime repositis
ulmeis vel ex fraxino ^ frondibus, vel autumnali faeno,
quod cordum vocatur. Nam id mollius et ob hoc

22 iucundius est, quam maturum, Cytiso quoque et
sativa vicia ^ pulcherrime pascuntur. Necessariae
tamen, ubi cetera defecerunt, etiam ex leguminibus
paleae. Nam per se hordeum, vel fresa cum faba
cicercula sumptuosior est, quam ut suburbanis
regionibus salubri pretio ^ possit praeberi : sed
sicubi vilitas ^ permittit,^ haud dubie ^ sunt optima.

23 De temporibus autem pascendi, et ad ' aquam du-
cendi per aestatem non aliter sentio, quam ut pro-
didit Maro :

Luciferi primo cum sidere frigida rura
Carpamus, dum mane novum, dum gramina

canent,
Et ros in tenera pecori gratissimus herba,
Inde, ubi quarta sitim caeli coUegerit hora,
Ad puteos, aut alta greges ad stagna . . .

perducamus, medioque die, ut idem, ad vallem,

Sicubi magna lovis antiquo robore quercus
Ingentes tendit ramos, aut sicubi nigrum,
Ilicibus crebris sacra nemus accubat umbra.

24 Rursus deinde iam mitigato vapore compellamus

^ fragino SA.

^ vicia A : vitia Sac.

' potio SAac. * si cubilitas SA.

* perraittit S : mittit AB.

• dubie S : dubium Aac.
'' ad om. SAB.

252

BOOK VII. in. 21-24

on the other hand the lack of food in winter is relieved
by putting food for them under cover in their folds.
They can be most conveniently fed on leaves of elm
or ash which have been kept in store or on autumn
hay, which is called the " after-crop " ; for it is softer
and therefore pleasanter than the early crop. Shrub- 22
trefoil and cultivated vetch also make excellent
fodder ; but, when all else has failed, chaff of dried
pulse must be used as a last resort, for barley by itself
or chickling-vetch crushed with beans is too ex-
pensive to be provided at a reasonable price in dis-
tricts near towns ; but, wherever their cheapness
allows, they are undoubtedly the best food. As for 23
the times at which sheep ought to be fed and taken
to water during the summer, my opinion is the same
as that delivered by Maro :

At Lucifer's first rising let us haste
To the cool fields, while yet the dawn is new,
And turf still hoary, and on tender grass
The dew is sweetest to the feeding herd.
Then, when the sky's fourth hour brings thirst to all,
Let's lead the flocks to wells and deep-dug
pools,**

and in the middle of the day, as the same poet says,
let us conduct them to a valley.

Where haply Jove's great oak with hardwood old
Stretches its giant branches or a grove
Black with thick holm-oaks broods with holy
shade. ''

Then, when the heat is abated, let us again conduct 24

» VergU, Oeorg. III. 324 ff. » Ih., 332-334.

253

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ad 1 aquam — etiam per aestatem id faciendum est —
et iterum ad pabula ^ producamus.

Solis ad occasum, cum frigidus aera vesper
Temperat, et saltus reficit iam roscida luna.

Sed observandum est sidus aestatis per emersum
Caniculae ut ante meridiem grex in occidentem
spectans agatur et in eam partem progrediatur,
post meridiem in orientem. Siquidem plurimum
refert, ne pascentium capita sint adversa soli, qui
plerumque nocet animalibus oriente praedicto sidere.

25 Hieme et vere matutinis temporibus intra septa
contineantur, dum dies arvis gelicidia detrahat.
Nam pruinosa herba pecudi gravedinem ^ creat,
ventremque * proluit. Quare etiam frigidis humi-
disque temporibus anni semel die ^ potestas aquae
facienda est.

26 Turn qui sequitur gregem circumspectus ac vigilans
(id quod omnibus et omnium quadrupedum custo-
dibus praecipitur) magna dementia mioderetur ;
Idemque ^ propior ' quia ^ silent, et in agendis re-
cipiendisque ovibus adclamatione ac baculo minetur :
nee unquam telum emittat in eas : neque ab his
longius recedat : nee aut recubet,^ aut considat.
Nam nisi procedit, stare debet, quandoquidem

^,ad om. SAac. ^ in pabula S : pabulo AB.

' glaudigine S : glaudinem A.

* ventem quae S'^A ^ : ventrem S^.

* die Ursinus : ei SA R.

« -que add. ed. pr. ' proprior SAR.

« -que 8AE. » recavet SAR.

' Vergil, Oeorg. Ill, 336 f.

' The text here gives no satisfactory sense and is certainly
corrupt. The MS. reading proprior is meaningless and propior

254

BOOK VII. HI. 24-26

them to the Avater (and this must be done even in the
summer) and again drive them back to the pasture,

Till sun-set, when chill evening cools the air
And Luna's dews the thirsty glades refresh.**

But about the time when the Dogstar shows itself,
we must carefully observe the position of the sun in
summer, so that before mid-day the flock may be
driven facing the west and may advance in that
direction, but that after mid-day it may be driven
towards the east, since it is of great importance that
their heads, as they graze, should not face the sun,
which is generally harmful to animals at the rising of
the aforesaid constellation. In winter and spring 25
the sheep should be kept in their pens during the
morning hours until the sun removes the rime from
the fields, for grass with hoar-frost upon it causes
catarrh in cattle and loosens the bowels ; wherefore
also in cold and damp seasons of the year they must
be given the opportunity of drinking only once a day.

He who follows the flock should be observant and 26
vigilant — a precept which applies to every guardian
of every kind of four-footed animal — and should be
gentle in his management of them and also keep
close to them, because they are silent,^ and when
driving them out or bringing them home, he should
threaten them by shouting or with his staff but never
cast any missile at them, nor should he withdraw too
far from them nor should he lie or sit down ; for
unless he is advancing he should stand upright, because
the duty of a guardian calls for a lofty and com-

is scarcely better. A somewhat different line of thought is
contained in the emendation idemque pronior quam silena
suggested by Richter {Hermes LXXX, 213).

255

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

custodis officium sublimem celsissimamque oculorum
veluti speculam desiderat, ut neque tardiores et
gravidas, dum cunctantur,^ neque agiles et fetas,
dum procurrunt, separari ^ a ceteris sinat ; ne fur,
aut bestia ^ hallucinantem pastorem decipiat. Sed
haec communia fere sunt in omni pecore ovillo.
Nunc quae sunt generosi propria dicemus.

IV. Graeeum pecus, quod plerique Tarentinum
voeant, nisi cum domini praesentia est, vix expedit
haberi: siquidem et curam et cibum maiorem de-
siderat. Nam cum sit universum genus lanigerum
ceteris pecudibus mollius, tum ex omnibus Tarenti-
num est mollissimum, quod nullam domini aut
magistrorum ineptiam sustinet, multoque minus
avaritiam; nee aestus, nee frigoris patiens. Raro
foris, plerumque domi alitur, et est avidissimum cibi ;
cui si quid * detrahitur fraude villici,^ clades sequitur
gregem. Singula capita per hiemem recte pascuntur
ad praesepia tribus hordei vel fresae cum suis valvulis
fabae, aut cicerculae quattuor sextariis, ita ut et
aridam frondem praebeas,^ aut siccam vel viridem
medicam cytisumve, tum etiam cordi faeni septena
pondo, aut leguminum paleas adfatim. Minimus
agnis vendundis in hac pecude, nee uUus lactis re-
ditus haberi potest. Nam et qui submoveri debent,'
paucissimos post dies quam editi sunt, immaturi fere

^ cunctantur a : cunctatur SAc.

* separare SAR.

* bestias A : bestius S.

* si quid 5 : om. AR.

' vilici 8a : vilicis Ac.

* praebeat SAR. ^ debet SAac.

256

BOOK VII. III. 26-iv. 3

manding elevation from which the eyes can see as
from a watch-tower, so that he may prevent the
slower, pregnant ewes, through delaying, and those
which are active and have already borne their young,
through hurrying foi'ward, from becoming separated
from the rest, lest a thief or a wild beast cheat the
shepherd while he is day-dreaming. These precepts
are of general application and apply to sheep of all
kinds ; we will now deal with some points which are
peculiar to the best breeds.

IV. It is scarcely advantageous to keep the Greek " Coated '
breed, which most people call the Tarentine, unless ^^^®^p*
the owner is constantly on the spot, since it requires
more care and food than other kinds. For, while all
the sheep which are kept for their wool are more
delicate than the others, the Tarentine breed is
particularly so, for it does not tolerate any careless-
ness on the part of the owner or shepherd, much less
niggardliness, nor can it stand heat or cold. It is 2
seldom fed out of doors but generally at home, and is
most greedy of fodder and, if the bailiff fraudulently
abstracts any of the food, disaster overtakes the flock.
During the winter, when the sheep are fed in their
pens, a satisfactory diet per head is three sextarii of
barley or of beans crushed with their pods, or four
sextarii of chickling-vetch provided you also supply
them with dried leaves or lucerne, dry or fresh, or
shrub-trefoil ; also seven pounds of hay of the second
crop is to their liking or plenty of pulse-chaff. Only 3
a very small profit can be made by selling the lambs
of this kind of sheep and no return from the ewes'
milk; for the lambs which ought to be taken away
from their mother a very few days after birth, are
generally slaughtered before they reach maturity, and

257

VOL. 11. K

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

mactantur ; orbaeque natis ^ suis matres alienae
soboli praebent ubera : quippe singuli agni binis
nutricibus submittuntur, nee quiequam subtrahi
submissis expedit, quo saturior lactis agnus celeriter
confirmetur, et parta nutrici consociata minus
laboret in educatione fetus sui. Quam ob causam
diligenti cura servandum est, ut et suis quotidie
matribus et alienis non amantibus agni subrumentur.
Plures autem in eiusmodi gregibus quam in liirtis
masculos enutrire oportet. Nam prius quam feminas
inire possint mares castrati, cum bimatum exple-
verunt,^ enecantur, et pelles eorum propter pulchri-
tudinem lanae maiore pretio quam alia vellera
mercantibus traduntur. Liberis autem campis et
omni ^ surculo ruboque vacantibus ovem Graecam
pascere meminerimus, ne, ut supra dixi, et lana
carpatur et tegumen. Nee tamen ea minus sedulam
curam foris, quia^ non quotidie procedit in pascua,
sed maiorem^ domesticam postulat. Nam saepius
detegenda et refrigeranda est : saepius eius lana
diducenda, vinoque et oleo insuccanda, nonnunquam
etiam tota est eluenda, si diei permittit apricitas :
idque ter anno fieri sat est. Stabula vero frequenter
everrenda et purganda, humorque omnis urinae
deverrendus est, qui commodissime siccatur perfo-
ratis tabulis, quibus ovilia consternuntur, ut grex
supercubet. Nee tantum caeno aut stercore, sed

^ nates SA : nate ac.

^ expleverunt A-a : expleverint c : expluerunt iS^*.

* omnis SA.

* quia addidi.

258

BOOK VII. IV. 3-6

their dams, deprived of their own lambs, are given
the oiFspring of others to suckle ; for each single
lamb is put under two nurses and it is inexpedient
that it should be deprived of any of their milk, that so,
receiving a more satisfying quantity of milk, it may
quickly grow strong, and that the ewe which has
borne a lamb, having a nurse to share her duties, may
have less difficulty in bringing her offspring up. There-
fore you must be very careful to see that the lambs are
daily put to the udders of their own mothers and also of
strange ewes who have no maternal affection for them. 4
But in flocks of this kind more males must be brought
up than in those of coarse-wooUed sheep ; for the males
are castrated before they can be mated, when they
have completed two years, and are killed, and their
skins sold to dealers at a much higher price than
other fleeces because of the beauty of their wool.
We shall remember to feed a Greek sheep on open
fields free from all shoots and brambles, lest, as I have
already said, its wool and its covering be torn away.
Nor, because it does not go out to pasture every day, 5
does it require less but more diligent care at home
than out of doors ; for it must frequently be un-
covered and allowed to cool and its wool pulled apart
and soaked with wine and oil. Sometimes too the
whole animal must be washed, if sunny weather
allows it, but it is enough to do this three times a
year. The fold must be frequently swept and
cleansed and all moisture due to urine must be
brushed away, the best method of keeping it dry
being the use of boards with holes in them with
which the sheep-folds are paved, so that the flock
may lie down on them. The shelters must be free 6

* maiorem ed. pr. : maioris SAac.

259

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

exitiosis quoque serpentibus tecta liberentur: quod
ut fiat,

Disce et odoratam stabulis incendere cedrum,
Galbaneoque agitare graves nidore chelydros.
Saepe sub immotis praesepibus, aut mala tactu,
Vipera delituit, caelumque exterrita fugit :
Aut tecto assuetus coluber.

Quare, ut idem iubet :

cape robora, pastor,
ToUentemique minas, et sibila colla tumentem
Deice.

Vel ne istud cum periculo facere necesse sit, mulie-
bres capillos,^ aut cervina saepius ure cornua,
quorum odor maxime non patitur stabulis praedic-
tam pestem consistere.

Tonsurae certum tempus anni per omnes regiones
servari non potest, quoniam nee ubique tarde, nee
celeriter aestas ingruit : et est modus optimus con-
siderare tempestates, quibus ovis neque frigus, si
lanam detraxeris, neque aestum, si nondum deton-
deris,^ sentiat. Verum ea quandoque detonsa
fuerit, ungi debet tali medicamine : succus excocti ^
lupini, veterisque vini faex, et amurca pari mensura
miscentur, eoque liquamine tonsa ovis imbuitur,^ at
que ubi per triduum dilibuto tergore medicamina ^

^ capillos S : capillus Aac.

* detonseris c : detoderis S^ : detonderis S' : detodoris A,
' excocti S^ : excoleti AS.

* imbuitur A^B : inbitur S^ : imbitur A^.
^ medicamina ^Z(2. : media <S^i2.

" Galbanum was the resinous sap of an umbelliferous plant
{Bitbon gcUbanum) growing in Syria.

260

BOOK VII. IV. 6-8

not only from mud and ordure but also from deadly
snakes ; with this end in view,

Learn too to burn the fragrant cedar-wood
And from the stalls to drive dread water-snakes
With fumes of Syrian gum ; " a viper oft,
Dangerous to the touch, 'neath unmoved pens
Has lurked and, frightened, shunned the light of

heaven,
Or else a grass-snake wont to haunt the shed.**

Therefore, at the bidding of the same poet,

Seize, shepherd,
A club of oak, and when it rears its head
In threatening wise and swells its hissing neck,
Then strike it down."

Or, to avoid the necessity of this dangerous expedi-
ent, burn a woman's hair continually or a stag's horn,
the odour of which is the best thing to prevent this
pestilential creature from settling in the sheep-folds.

It is impossible to observe in all regions the same 7
fixed time of year for shearing, because summer does
not everywhere advance with the same speed or
slowness. The best plan is to watch carefully for
weather when the sheep will not feel the cold if you
deprive them of their wool, nor the heat if you put
off shearing them. But, whenever a sheep has been
sheared, it must be anointed with the following
preparation : the juice of boiled lupines, the dregs of
old wine and the lees of olives are mixed in equal
portions and the sheep is soaked with this liquid
after it has been sheared, and when, after its skin 8
has been anointed during three days and it has

* Vergil, Georg. III. 414 ff. « Ih., 419-421.

261

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

perbiberit, quarto die, si est vicinia maris, ad litus
deducta mersatur : si minus, caelestis ^ aqua sub
dio ^ salibus in hunc usum durata paulum decoquitur,
eaque grex perluitur. Hoc modo curatum pecus
toto anno scabrum fieri non posse Celsus affirmat :
nee dubium est, quin etiam ob eam rem lana moUior
atque prolixior renascatur.

V. Et quoniam censuimus cultum curamque recte
valentium, nunc quemadmodum vitiis aut morbo
laborantibus subveniundum sit, praecipiemus : quan-
quam pars haec exordii paene tota iam exhausta '
est, cum de medicina maioris pecoris priore libro
disputaremus. Quia * cum sit fere eadem corporis
natura minorum maiorumque quadrupedum, paucae
parvaeque morborum et remediorum diflferentiae
possunt inveniri ; quae tamen quantulaecunque
sunt, non omittentur a nobis.

Si aegrotat universum pecus, ut et ante praece-
pimus, et nunc, quia remur esse ^ maxime salutare,
iterum adseveramus, in hoc casu, quod est remedium
praesentissimum, pabula mutemus et aquationes,
totiusque regionis alium quaeramus statum caeli, cu-
remusque, si ex calore et aestu concepta pestis
invasit, ut opaca rura : si invasit frigore, ut eligantur
aprica. Sed modice ac sine festinatione persequl
pecus oportebit, ne imbecillitas eius longis itineribus

^ si minus celestis S : si minusca et gustis A.

^ sub dio ed. pr. : subsidio SAB.

' exhausta ed. pr. : excausa A^ : exhausa S : exausta ac.

* qua SAB.

* quia remur esse S^ : qui aremus res se iS^ : quiremus
resse Aac.

• Book VI. 6-19 and 30-35.
262

BOOK VII. IV. 8-v. 3

absorbed this preparation, on the fourth day, if the sea
is near at hand, the sheep should be driven down to
the shore and plunged in ; but, if this is impossible,
rain-water, after being hardened for this purpose
with salt in the open air, is boiled for a short time and
the flock thoroughly washed with it. Celsus declares
that a sheep treated in this manner cannot possibly
suffer from scab for a whole year, and there is no
doubt that, as a result, its wool too will grow again
more soft and luxuriant than before.

V. Since we have now considered the management The diseases
and care which sheep require when in good health, their cure,"'^
we will now give directions how to come to the help
of those which are suffering from ailments or diseases,
although almost all this part of my treatise has
already been entirely exhausted when we were
discussing in the previous book " the medical treat-
ment of the larger cattle ; for since the physical
nature of the smaller and of the larger quadrupeds
is practically the same, only a few trifling differences
are to be found in their diseases and the remedies of
them ; but, however unimportant they are, we will
not omit them.

If the whole flock is sick, we again prescribe in 2
this case also as the most efficacious remedy what we
directed before, because we regard it as the most
salutary, ntimely, to change both the fodder and the
watering-places and to seek another climate for the
grazing-ground as a whole, and to take care to choose
densely shaded country, if the malady which has
attacked the flock is the result of heat, but, if it is the
result of cold, to choose a sunny district. But it will 3
be advisable to drive the flock at a moderate pace and
not to hurry it for fear of aggravating its enfeebled

263

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

aggravetur : nee tamen in totum pigre ae segniter
agere. Nam quiemadmodum fessas morbo pecudes
vehementer agitare et extendere non eonvenit, ita
eonducit mediocriter exercere, et quasi torpentes
excitare, nee pati veterno eonsenescere atque ex-
tingui. Cum deinde grex ad locum fuerit perductus,
in lacinias eolonis ^ distribuatur. Nam partieulatim
faeilius quam universus convalescit, sive quia ipsius
morbi halitus minor est in exiguo numero, seu quia
expeditius eura maior adhibetur paucioribus. Haec
ergo et reliqua, ne nunc eadem repetamus, quae
superiore exordio percensuimus, observare debemus
si universae laborabunt : ilia, si ^ singulae.

Oves frequentius, quam uUum aliud animal in-
festantur ^ scabie : quae fere nascitur, sicut noster
memorat poeta,

Cum frigidus imber

Altius ad vivum persedit, et horrida cano

Bruma gelu,

vel post tonsuram, si remedium praediciti medica-
minis non adhibeas, si aestivum sudorem mari vel
flumine non abluas, si tonsum gregem patiaris
silvestribus rubis ac spinis sauciari, si stabulo utaris,
in quo mulae aut equi aut asini steterunt : praecipue

^ coloniis SAac.

* ilia si S : illas in Aac.

3 infostantur A^R : -atur S : infertur A^.

« Vergil, Gecrg. III. 441 f.
264

BOOK VII. V. 3-5

condition with long journeys ; on the other hand it
should not be driven at an absolutely slow and
sluggish rate ; for, while it is not expedient to urge
sheep on forcibly when they are worn out by disease
and put a strain upon them, yet it is good to give
them moderate exercise and, as it were, to rouse them
from their torpor and not allow them to lose strength
through inactivity, and so perish. Next, when the
flock has been conducted to its new station, it
should be distributed in small groups amongst the
farmers ; for it recovers more easily when it is 4
divided up than when it is kept together, either
because the infectiousness of the disease itself is less
in a small number or because a more effective cure
can be applied more expeditiously to fewer victims.
These precepts, then, and the others which we laid
down in the earlier part of our treatise (to avoid
repeating here what we have already said) should
be observed when the whole flock is sick ; but if in-
dividual animals are affected, the following rules
should be observed.

Sheep more often than any other animals are 5
attacked by the scab, which generally occurs, as our
poet says,"

When the cold shower and shivering winter, chill
With hoary frost, have pierced them to the quick,

or else after they have been sheared, if you do not
apply the remedy already described, or if you do not
wash out the summer sweat in the sea or in a river,
or if you allow the flock, after having been shorn, to
suffer wounds from wild brambles or thorns, or if you
are using a pen in which mules or horses or donkeys
have stood; but, above all things, scantiness of

265

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tamen exiguitas cibi maciem, macies autem scabiem
facit. Haec ubi coepit irrepere, sic intelligitur :
vitiosum locum pecudes aut morsu scalpunt, aut
cornu vel ungula tundunt, aut arbori adfricant,
parietibusve ^ detergent : quod ubi aliquam facien-
tem videris, comprehendere oportebit, et lanam ^
diducere : nam subest aspera cutis, et velut quaedam
porrigo.^ Cui primo quoque tempore occurrendum
est, ne totam progeniem coinquinet, si quidem
celeriter cum et alia pecora, tum praecipue oves
contagione vexentur. Sunt autem complura medi-
camina, quae idcirco enumerabimus, non quia
cunctis uti necesse sit, sed quoniam nonnullis re-
gionibus quaedam reperiri ^ nequeunt, ut ^ ex plu-
ribus aliquod inventum remedio sit. Facit autem
commode primum ea compositio, quam paulo ante
demonstravimus, si ad faecem et amurcam succum-
que decocti lupini misceas portione aequa detritum
album elleborum.^ Potest etiam scabritiem tollere
succus viridis cicutae : quae verno tempore, cum iam
caulem nee adhuc semina facit, decisa contunditur,
atque expressus humor eius fictili vase reconditur,
duabus urnis liquoris admixto salis torridi semodio.
Quod ubi factum est, oblitum vas in stercilino '
defoditur, ac toto anno fimi vapore concoctum mox
promitur,^ tepefactumque medicamentum illinitur
scabrae parti, quae tamen prius aspera testa defricta

* parietibus vel SAR.

* lanam diducere Aid, : lana rudi deucere S : lana rudi
diicere Aac.

* porrigo S^ : prurigo R.

* repperiri S' : repperi S^A : reperiri R.
^ ut om. SAR.

* eleborum c, ed. pr. : helloboreos S : -em A^ : -um A^.
' intercilino (S^i : instercilino ^^ : in sterquilino S^

266

BOOK VII. V. 5-8

fodder causes emaciation, and emaciation causes the
scab. This disease can be diagnosed in the following 6
way when it begins to creep in : the sheep either
gnaw the part aflfected, or strike it with horn or hoof,
or rub it against a tree or wipe it upon the walls.
When you see any sheep acting in these ways, it will
be best to take hold of the animal and draw its wool
apart, for there is a rough skin underneath it and a
kind of crust. This must be treated at the first possi-
ble opportunity, lest it infect the whole flock, since,
while other cattle are readily attacked by contagious
disease, sheep are particularly so. There are, how- 7
ever, several remedies, which we will on this account
enumerate, not because it is necessary to use them
all at one time but in order that, since some of them
are not to be met with in certain regions, one out of
many may be found in order to effect a cure, first,
the preparation which I explained just now can be
used with advantage, namely, a mixture in equal
portions of crushed white hellebore with lees of
wine and dregs of oil and the juice of boiled lupine.
The juice of green hemlock can also be used to remove 8
scabbiness ; this plant is cut in spring-time, when it
is already producing stalk but not seeds, and
crushed, and the juice is pressed out and stored in an
earthenware vessel, half a modius of dried salt being
mixed with two urnae of the liquid. Next the vessel
is sealed up and buried in a dung-pit and, after having
matured for a whole year in the heat of the dung, it
is taken out and the preparation is heated and
smeared over the part affected by scab after it has
been previously reduced to a state of soreness by
being rubbed with a rough potsherd or a piece of

* promittitur »S^^^.

267

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

9 vel pumice redulceratur. Eidem remedio est amurca
duabus partibus decocta : item vetus hominis urina
testis candentibus inusta. Quidam ^ tamen hanc
ipsam 2 subiectis ignibus quinta parte minuunt,
admiscentque pari mensura succum viridis cicutae :
deinde singulis urnis eius ^ liquaminis * singulos

10 fricti salis sextarios ^ infundunt. Facit etiam sul-
furis triti et picis liquidae modus aequalis igne lento ^
coctus. Sed Georgicum carmen affirmat nullam esse
praestantiorem medicinam,

Quam si quis ferro potuit rescindere summum
Ulceris os : alitur vitium, vivitque tegendo.

Itaque reserandum est, et ut cetera vulnera, medica-
mentis curandum. Subicit deinde aeque prudenter,
febricitantibus ovibus de talo vel inter duas ungulas
sanguinem emitti ' oportere : ^ nam plurimum, inquit^

Profuit incensos aestus avertere, et inter
Ima ferire pedis salientem sanguine venanti.

11 Nos etiam sub oculis et de auribus sanguinem de-
trahimus. Clodigo ^° quoque dupliciter infestat ^^
ovem, sive cum subluvies atque intertrigo in ipso
discrimine ungulae nascitur: seu cum idem locus

1 quadam SAR.

* hac ipsa SA : hanc ipsam a : hac ipsam c.

' singulis urnis eius Lundstrom ex cit. Palladii; singularis
triti et picis eius S : singularis triti et picis A.

* liqxiaminis A^.

^ fricti sali sestarios S^ : frictis aliis extarios A^ : fruti
salis sextarios a.

* lento S : lente AR.

' mitti SA. 8 oportet SAR.

* id quid S : id quod A^ac.

>" clodigo iStennMwgr : Clodi 5 : cludi^^: cladi ac.
11 infestato SR.

268

BOOK VII. V. 8-II

pumice-stone. The same disease is also treated with 9
oil-lees boiled down by two-thirds, and also with
stale human urine in which red-hot tiles have been
plunged. Some people, however, put the urine
itself upon the fire and reduce its volume by one-
fifth and mix with it an equal quantity of the juice
of green hemlock and then pour into each urn of
this liquid a sextarius of crushed salt.** An equal 10
quantity of ground sulphur and liquid pitch boiled
over a slow fire has a good effect. A passage in the
Georgics, however, declares that there is no more
sovereign remedy.

Than if with knife one cuts the ulcer's head ;
The scab, if covered, gains fresh food and life.*

That is why it must be opened and treated, like other
wounds, with medicaments. The poet presently
adds, with equal wisdom, that, when sheep are in a
state of fever, they should be bled either from the
pastern or between the two parts of the hoof; for, as
he says,

It oft has greatly helped to keep away
The kindled flames of fever, if you strike
The vein which throbs with blood beneath the
foot."

We also draw off blood beneath the eyes and from 11
the ears. Lameness also troubles sheep in two ways,
either when fouling or galling occurs in the actual
division of the hoof, or when the same place harbours

" The reading here is uncertain, but triti et picis has pro-
bably come in from the following sentence.
" lb. 453 f.
' lb. 459 f.

269

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tuberculum habet, cuius media fere parte canino

12 similis extat pilus, eique ^ subest vermiculus. Sub-
luvies et intertrigo pice per se liquida, vel alumine et
sulfure atque aceto mixtis litae curentur, vel tenero ^
punico malo, prius quam grana faciat, cum alumine
pinsito, superfusoque aceto vel aeris rubigine in-
friata,^ vel combusta galla cum austero vino levigata

13 et inlita. Tuberculum, cui subest vermiculus, ferro
quam cautissime circumsecari oportet, ne, dum
amputatur, etiam, quod infra est, animal vulnere-
mus : id enim cum sauciatur, venenatam saniem
mittit, qua respersum * vulnus ita insanabile facit,
ut totus pes amputandus sit : sed cum tuberculum
diligenter circumcideris, candens sebum vulneri per
ardentem tedam instillato.

14 Ovem pulmonariam similiter ut suem curari con-
venit, inserta per auriculam, quam veterinarii con-
siliginem vocant : de ea iam diximus, cum maioris
pecoris medicinam traderemus.^ Sed is * morbus
aestate plerumque concipitur, si defuit aqua, propter
quod vaporibus omni quadrupedi largius bibendi

15 potestas danda est, Celso placet, si est in pulmo-
nibus vitium, acris aceti tantum dare, quantum ovis
sustinere possit : vel humanae veteris urinae tepe-
factae trium heminarum instar per sinistram narem

^ ei quae SA.

^ tenero ed. pr. : tero S^Aac : austero 5*.

* infriata ed. pr. : infrita S^AE.

* repressum AR : res pressu S.

5 traderemus S'^ : trademus S^ : tradimus Aa.

* is ac : his SA,

" Pulmonaria officinalis.
" Book VI. 5. 3; 14. 1.

BOOK VII. V. 11-15

a tubercule from about the middle of which a hair
projects like that of a dog, which has a small worm
beneath it. Fouling and galling are removed by 12
being anointed with liquid pitch by itself or with
alum and sulphur and vinegar mixed together, or
young pomegranate, before it forms its seeds,
crushed up with alum and with vinegar poured over
it, or copper-rust sprinkled over it, or else burnt oak-
apples pulverized and mixed with rough wine and
smeared on the sore. A tubercule which has a worm 13
inside it should be cut round with a knife with the
greatest possible care, lest, in the course of cutting,
we should also wound the part of the animal which is
underneath it ; for, if this is damaged, it discharges
poisonous matter and, if this is sprinkled over the
wound, it makes it so difficult to heal that the whole
foot has to be amputated. But when you have carefully
cut round the tubercule, burning fat should be made
to drip over the wound by means of a lighted
torch.

Any sheep which is suffering from a disease of the 14
lungs should be treated in the same way as a pig is
treated for the same disease, by the insertion through
the ear of what the veterinary surgeons call lungwort."
We have already spoken ^ of this plant when we dealt
with the treatment of the larger cattle. This disease
is usually contracted in the summer if the water has
been in short supply, and for this reason opportunity
must be given to all quadrupeds of drinking more
freely in hot weather. Celsus is of opinion that, if 15
there is trouble in the lungs, one should give the
sufferer as much sour vinegar as it can stand, or else
pour down the left nostril through a small horn about
three heminae of stale human urine which has been

271

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

corniculo infundere, atque axungiae sextantem
faucibus inserere.

16 Est etiani insanabilis sacer ignis, quam pusulam ^
vocant pastores : ea nisi compescitur intra primam
pecudem, quae tali malo correpta est, universum gre-
gem contagione prosternit, si ^ quidem nee medica-
mentorum nee ferri remedia patitur. Nam paene ad
omnem tactum exeandescit : sola tamen fomenta
non aspernatur laetis caprini, quod infusum tactu
suo velut^ eblanditur* igneam saevitiam, difFerens

17 magis occidionena gregis, quam prohibens. Sed
Aegyptiae gentis auctor ^ memorabilis ^ Bolus '
Mendesius, cuius commenta, quae appellantur
Graece ■)(eip6Kixr]Ta,^ sub nomine Democriti falso
produntur, censet ^ propter banc pestem ^^ saepius ac
diligenter ^^ ovium terga perspieere, ut si forte sit in
aliqua tale vitium deprehensum, confestim scrobem ^^
defodiamus in limine stabuli, et vivam pecudem,
quae fuerit pusulosa,!^ resupinam obruamus, patia-
murque super ^^ obrutam meare totum gregem, quod
eo facto morbus propulsetur.

18 Bilis aestivo tempore non minima ^^ pernicies
potione depellitur humanae veteris urinae, quae ipsa^^
remedio est etiam pecori arcuato. At si molesta

* pusulam Ac : pusillam a : pustulam S^.
2 si S : sic AR.

' tactu suo velut Svenmtng : tactus volet ut (et o) SAc.

* eblanditur S : et blanditur AR.

* auctor S : auctore A : auctorem ac.
' memorabilis S^ : memorabis S^AR.
' Bolus Reinesius : dolus SAR.

* ^eipoKfiTjTa Schneider : XeipoKt/iijra S.
' censet S : gens et AR.

^° pestem om. Aac.

^^ ac diligenter S^ : adliganter S'^^A. ^* scribom S^A.

272

BOOK VII. V. 15-18

heated, and put a sextans of axle-grease down its
throat.

Erysipelas, which the shepherds call pusula, is 16
incurable. Unless it is confined to the first sheep
which is attacked by this kind of trouble, it infects
and lays low the whole flock, if it does not yield to
medical or surgical treatment ; for it blazes forth at
almost any touch. The only remedy which it does not
reject is fomentation with goat's milk, which, when
poured upon it, as it were, charms by its touch the fierv
raging of the disease, postponing rather than prevent-
ing the destruction of the flock. The celebrated writer 17
of Egyptian race, Bolus of Mendesium,*" whose com-
mentaries, which in Greek are called Hand-wrought
Products and are published under the pseudonym of
Democritus, is of opinion that as a precaution against
this disease the hides of the sheep ought to be fre-
quently and carefully examined, so that if any trace of
disease is by chance discovered in any one of them,
we may immediately dig a trench on the threshold of
the sheep-fold and, laying it on its back, inter alive
the animal which is suffering from erysipelas and
allow the whole flock to pass over its buried body ;
for by doing this the disease is driven away.

Bile, not the least fatal disease in summer, is 18
dispelled by making the victim drink stale human
urine. The same remedy is also given to a sheep
which is suffering from jaundice. If rheum is trouble-

° Pliny, N.H. XXIV. 102 ; Vitruvius IX. 3. His work was
entitled ovfjiTradeLcov Kal avriTradeLajv.

13 pusillosa S^AR. 1* super S : sub AR.

1^ minima ed. pr. : nimia SAR.
i« ipsa S : ipse AR.

273

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

pituita est, cunelae bubulae, vel surculi nepetae
silvestris lana involuti naribus inseruntur, versantur-
que donee sternuat ovis. Fracta pecudum non aliter
quam hominum crura sanantur, involuta lanis oleo
atque vino insuecatis, et mox circumdatis ferulis

19 conligata. Est etiam gravis pernicies herbae san-
guinariae, qua si pasta est ovis, toto ventre dis-
tenditur, contrahiturque, et spumat et ^ quaedam
tenuia ^ taetri odoris excernit.-' Celeriter sanguinem
mitti oportet sub cauda in ea parte quae proxima est
clunibus, nee minus in labro superiore vena * solvenda
est. Suspiriose ^ laborantibus auriculae ferro re-
scindendae, mutandaeque regiones ; quod in omnibus
morbis ac pestibus fieri debere censemus.

20 Agnis quoque succurrendum est vel febricitanti-
bus, vel aegritudine alia afFectis. Qui ubi morbo
laborant, admitti ad matres non debent, ne in eas
perniciem transferant. Itaque separatim mulgendae
sunt oves, et caelestis aqua pari mensura lacti
miscenda est, atque ea potio febricitantibus danda.
Multi lacte caprino iisdem medentur, quod per

21 corniculum infunditur faucibus. Est etiam mentigo,
quam pastores ostiginem vocant, mortifera lacten-
tibus. Ea plerumque fit, si per imprudentiam ®
pastoris emissi agni vel etiam haedi roscidas herbas

1 et om. SAR.

2 tenui SAR.

' expernit S^Aac. * veno S^A^.

6 suspiriose ac : suspiriore SA.

* per imprudontiam ed. pr. : prudentiam SAR.

274

BOOK VII. V. 18-21

some, stalks of ox-marjoram or wild mint, wrapped
round with wool, are inserted in the nostrils and
turned round and round until the sheep sneezes.
The broken legs of sheep are treated in the same
manner as those of human beings ; they are wrapped in
wool soaked in oil and wine and then bound up in
splints which are placed round them. Knotgrass « 19
has also bad effects which are serious ; for, if the sheep
feeds on it, its whole belly becomes distended and
then contracts, and the animal foams at the mouth
and emits a thin kind of matter which has a foul odour.
The victim must immediately be bled underneath
the tail in the region nearest to the buttocks, and
also a vein must be opened on the upper lip. Sheep
whose breathing is asthmatical must have their ears
cut with the knife and be transferred to other dis-
tricts, a precaution which, in my opinion, ought to be
taken in all diseases and plagues.

Succour must also be given to lambs when they are 20
suffering fi-om fever or affected by any other sickness ;
those which are labouring under any disease ought
not to be admitted to their dams, lest they pass on
the malady to them. The ewes, then, must be milked
separately, and rain-water must be mixed in equal
measure with the milk and this potion given to the
lambs which have fever. Many people use goats'
milk as a remedy for these same lambs, pouring it
down their throats through a small horn. There is 21
also an eruptive disease, called by the shepherds
ostigo (lamb-scab), which is fatal to sucking lambs.
This generally occurs, if, through the carelessness of
the shepherd, the lambs or even kids have been let
loose and have fed on grass which is covered with dew,

" See Book VI. 12. 5 and note.

275

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

depaverint, quod minime committi oportet, Sed
cum id factum ^ est, velut ignis sacer os atque labra

22 foedis ulceribus obsidet.^ Remedio suht hyssopus et
sal acquis ponderibus contrita. Nam ea mixtura
palatum atque lingua,^ totumque os perfricatur.
Mox ulcera lavantur aceto, et tunc pice liquida cum
adipe suilla perlinuntur. Quibusdam placet rubi-
ginis aeneae tertiam * partem duabus veteris axungiae
portionibus commiscere, tepefactoque uti medica-
mine. Non nulli folia cupressi trita ^ miscent aquae,
et ita perluunt ulcera atque palatum. Castrationis
autem ratio iam tradita est. Neque enim alia in
agnis, quam in maiore quadrupede servatur.

VI. Et quoniam de oviarico satis dictum est, ad
caprinum pecus nunc revertar. Id autem genus
dumeta potius, quam campestrem ^ situm desiderat :
asperisque etiam locis ac silvestribus optime pascitur.
Nam nee rubos aversatur, nee vepribus ofFenditur, et
arbusculis frutectisque maxime gaudet. Ea sunt
arbutus, atque alaternus ^ cytisusque agrestis, nee
minus ilignei querneique frutices, qui in altitudinem
non prosilierunt.

2 Caper, cui sub maxilUs binae verruculae coUo depen-
dent, optimus habetur, amplissimi corporis, cruribus
crassis,^ plena et brevi cervice, flaccidis ^ et prae-
gravantibus auribus, exiguo capite, nigro densoque et
nitido atque longissimo pilo. Nam et ipse tondetur

Usum in castrorum ac miseris velamina nautis.

^ id factum S^ : infactum S^Aac. * obsident SAR.

' lingua S^A^ : longua S^ : linquam AR. * tertia SA^.

* cupressi trita S : cum pressurita AR.

* campestre R : campreste S^A.
' alaternus S : alternus Aac.

* crassis S : erasis AR.

276

BOOK VII. V. 2I-VI. 2

which they certainly should not be allowed to do.
But when this has happened, a kind of erysipelas
surrounds their mouths and lips with filthy sores. 22
The cure consists of hyssop and salt crushed to-
gether in equal quantities, the palate, the tongue
and the whole mouth being rubbed with this mixture.
Next the sores are washed with vinegar and then
thoroughly anointed with liquid pitch and lard.
Some people prefer a mixture of one part of verdigris
to two parts of stale axle-grease heated and used as a
medicine ; some make a mixture of crushed cypress-
leaves and water and thoroughly wash the sores and
the palate. The method of castration has already been
described, for the operation is performed on lambs
in the same manner as on the larger quadrupeds.

VI. Now that enough has been said about sheep, Goata.
I will next turn to goats. This species of animal
prefers thickets to open country and is best pastured
in rough and wooded districts ; for it has no aversion
to brambles and has no fault to find with briers
and takes a particular pleasure in bushes and shrubs,
such as the strawberry-tree, the buck-thorn, the
wild trefoil and shrubs of holm-oak and oak which
have not yet reached any great height.

The points of the best type of he-goat are two 2
excrescences which project downwards from its
throat below its jaws, a large frame, thick legs, a full,
short neck, flabby and drooping ears, a small head,
and black, thick, glossy and very long hair ; for the
he-goat is also shorn

For use in camps and hapless sailors' coats."

» Vergil, Georg. III. 313.

* flaccidis ac : placcidis S^A^.

277

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Est autem mensumi septem satis habilis ad
progenerandum : ^ quoniam immodicus libidinis,
dum adhuc uberibus ^ alitur, matrem stupro super-
venit, et ideo ante sex annos celeriter consenescit,
quod immatura veneris cupidine primis pueritiae
temporibus exhaustus est. Itaque quinquennis
parum idoneus habetur feminis implendis. Capella
praecipue probatur simillima hirco, quern, descripsi-
mus, si etiam est uberis maximi et lactis abundan-
tissimi. Hanc pecudem mutilam * parabimus quieto
caeli statu : nam procelloso atque imbrifero cornuta.
Semper autem et omni regione maritos gregum
mutilos esse oportebit : quia cornuti fere perniciosi
sunt propter petulantiam. Sed numerum huius
generis maiorem, quam centum capitum sub uno
clause non expedit habere, cum lanigerae mille
pariter commode stabulentur.^ Atque ubi caprae
primum comparantur, melius est unum gregem
totum, quam ex pluribus particulatim mercari, ut nee
in pastione separatim laciniae diducantur, et in caprili
maiore concordia quietae consistant. Huic pecudi
nocet aestus, sed magis frigus, et praecipue fetae,
quia gelicidiosior ® heims conceptum vitiat J Nee
tamen^ ea sola creat^ abortus,^" sed etiam glans cum
citra satietatem data est. Itaque nisi potest afFatim
praeberi, non est gregi permittenda.

^ mensum S^ : mensuum S^A : mensium R,

* progenerandum S : procerandum A • : procreandum R.
' uberius SAB.

* mutilam ed. pr. : mila S : mila A .

* stabuleanter S^A * : stabulantur S^.

* gelicidiosior Lundslrorn : geliciorior S^ : geliciodior 5* :
gelicior Aac.

' vitiat S : fecit AR. * tamen S : tantum AR.

' creat Aac. : creant Aid. ^° abortu S : abortat AR.

278

BOOK VII. VI. 3-5

The he-goat is quite ready for breeding purposes 3
at the age of seven months ; for it is immoderate in
its desires and, while it is still being fed at its
mother's udder, it leaps upon her and tries to do her
violence. Hence, before it has reached six years of
age, it is fast becoming old, because it has worn itself
out in early youth by premature indulgence of its
desires ; and so, when it is only five years old, it is
regarded as unfit for impregnating the female. A 4
she-goat is most highly approved which most closely
resembles the he-goat which we have described, if it
also has a very large udder and a great abundance of
milk. If we live in a calm climate we shall acquire
a she-goat without horns ; for in a stormy and rainy
climate we shall prefer one with horns ; but always
and in every district the fathers of the herd will have
to be hornless, because those which have horns are
generally dangerous because of their viciousness.
One ought not to keep a larger number than a hundred 5
head of goats in one enclosure, though one can equally
easily keep a thousand sheep in the folds. When one
is acquiring she-goats for the first time, it is better to
buy a whole herd at once than to purchase them one
by one from a number of sources ; this prevents them
from splitting up into small groups while they are
pasturing and makes them settle down quickly and in
greater harmony in goat-stalls. The heat is harmful
to this creature, but the cold is even more so,
especially to pregnant she-goats, for an unusually
frosty winter destroys the embryo. But not only the
abnormally frosty winter causes abortion ; it also occurs
if less than a sufficiency of mast is given them ; and so
the herd should not be allowed to eat mast unless a
plentiful supply can be provided.

279

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Tempus admissurae per autumnum fere ante
mensem Decembrem praecipimus, ut iam propin-
quante vere, gemmantibus frutectis, cum primum
silvae nova germinant fronde, partus edatur. Ipsum
vero caprile vel natural! saxo, vel manu constratum ^
eligi debet, quoniam huie pecori nihil substernitur.
Diligensque pastor quotidie stabulum converrit, nee
patitur stercus aut humorem consistere lutumve fieri,
quae cuncta sunt capris inimica. Parit autem, si est
generosa proles, frequenter duos, nonnunquam
trigeminos. Pessima est fetura cum matres binae
ternos haedos efficiunt. Qui ubi editi sunt, eodem
modo, quo ^ agni educantur, nisi quod magis hae-
dorum ^ lascivia compescenda, et arctius cohibenda
est. Turn super lactis abundantiam samera, vel
cytisus, aut hedera praebenda, vel etiam cacumina
lentisci, aliaeque tenues * frondes obiciendae sunt.
Sed ex geminis singula capita, quae videntur esse
robustiora, in supplementum gregis reservantur,
cetera mercantibus traduntur. Anniculae vel bimae
capellae (nam utraque aetas partum edit) submitti
haedum non oportet. Neque enim educare nisi
trima debet. Sed anniculae confestim depellenda
suboles. Bimae ^ tamdiu admittenda, dum possit
esse vendibilis. Nee ultra octo annos matres ser-
vandae sunt, quod assiduo partu fatigatae steriles '
existant. Magister autem pecoris acer, durus,

* constratu iS^iJ. * qui SAR. * edonmi<S^c: odoruma.

* tenue SAR. * bimae SA : bime ac.

* fatigatae steriles S^ : fatigata steriles S^ : fatigata est
exsteriles A .

» Recently the reading bimae, instead of binae has been
strongly urged on the basis of palaeography and the sense of
the passage (Richter, Hermes LXXX. 215).
280

BOOK VII. VI. 6-9

The time which we advise for covering the she- 6
goats is during the autumn, some time before the
month of December, so that the kids may be born
when spring is already approaching and the shrubs
are coming into bud and the woods just sprouting
with new foliage. A site for the goats' stable
should be chosen which has a natural or artificial
stone floor, since no litter is provided for this animal.
A careful goatherd sweeps out the stable every day
and does not allow any ordure or moisture to remain
or any mud to form, all of which things are pre-
judicial to goats. If a she-goat is of good stock, it
frequently bears twins and sometimes triplets. It is 7
a very poor increase when two mothers produce only
three kids between them." When the kids are born,
they are reared in the same manner as lambs except
that their wantonness must be more repressed and
kept within stricter bounds. Besides an abundance
of milk, elm-seed or shrub-trefoil or ivy must be
provided, or else tops of mastic and other delicate
foliage must be put before them. When there are
sets of twins, from each pair one, whichever seems to
be the more robust, is reserved to fill up the herd,
while the rest are handed over to the dealers. A
she-goat of only one or two years (for both ages are
capable of bearing young) should not be given kids
to rear ; for it ought not to bring up a kid till it is
three years old. And a mother of one year ought to be 8
immediately deprived of its offspring, but a kid of a
two-year-old mother ought to be left with it until it
is ready to be sold. The mother-goats ought not to
be kept beyond eight years, because, worn out by
continual bearing, they end by becoming barren.
The herd-master ought to be keen, hardy, energetic, 9

28X

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

strenuus, laboris patientissimus, alacer atque audax
esse debet, et qui per rupes, per solitudines, per
vepres facile vadat, et non, ut alterius generis
pastores, sequatur, sed plerumque ut antecedat
gregem. Maxime strenuum pecus est capella ^
praecedens ; ^ subinde quae incedit,^ compesci debet,
ne procurrat,* sed placide ac lente pabuletur, ut et
largi sit uberis, et non strigosissimi corporis.

VIL Atque alia genera pecorum, cum pestilentia
vexantur, prius morbo et languoribus macescunt,
solae capellae quamvis opimae ^ atque hilares subito
concidunt et velut aliqua ruina gregatim prosternan-
tur.^ Id autem accidere "^ maxime solet ubertate
pabuli. Quamobrem cum adhuc paucas pestis
perculit, omnibus sanguis detrahendus : nee tota
die pascendae, sed mediis quattuor horis intra septa
claudendae. Sin alius languor infestat, poculo me-
dicantur arundinis et albae spinae radicibus, quas
cum ferreis pilis diligenter contudimus,^ admiscemus
aquam pluvialem, solamque potandam pecori prae-
bemus. Quod si ea res aegritudinem non depellit,
vendenda sunt pecora; vel, si neque id contingere
potest, ferro necanda saliendaque.^ Mox inter-
posito spatio, conveniet olim gregem reparare. Nee
tamen antequam pestilens tempus anni, sive id fuit

^ capelle SAE.

* praecedens Sc/ineirfer: capraecedent 5 : capre cedent Joe.
' quae incedit Liindstrom : quern cedit SAR.

* procurret SAJi.

* optima SA^.

* prostematur SAR.

^ id autera accidere Lvudstrom : id actim cedere 5^ : id
actum cedere Aa : id accidere S^.

* contudimus S : contundimus AR.

* saliendaque -S : saltenda quae ^'.

282

BOOK VII. VI. 9-vii. 2

well able to endure toil, active and bold — the sort of
man who can make his way without difficulty over
rocks and deserts and through briers ; he ought not
to follow the herd like keepers of the other kind of
cattle," but should usually precede it. The she-
goat which leads the herd is a very energetic animal ;
the one which so advances ought from time to time to
be restrained in order that it may not race out in front
but may browse quietly and slowly, so that it may have
a large udder and not be lean of body.

VII. Other kinds of domestic animals, when Diseases of
they are afflicted with pestilence, begin by wasting fhek cure.
away with disease and weakness, but she-goats are
the only animals which, though they are plump
and lively, are suddenly cut oif and over-whelmed,
as it were, with sudden ruin, the whole herd at
a time. This usually occurs as a result of too
rich a diet. Therefore, when the plague has still
stricken only a few of the herd, the goats should all
be bled and given no food for a whole day and be
kept shut up in their pens for the four middle hours
of the day. If besides this, a languor attacks them, 2
they are dosed with a beverage consisting of the
roots of reeds and white thorn, with which, after
we have carefully bruised them with an iron pestle,
we mix rain-water and give this, and nothing else,
to the goats to drink. If this does not dispel their
sickness, the animals must be sold ; or, if this cannot
be managed, they should be slaughtered with the
knife and their flesh salted. Then, after an interval,
the fitting time will come to replace the flock, but
not before the pestilential season, if it was winter,

<• I.e. oxen and cows and sheep.

283

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

hiemis, vertatur ^ aestate, sive autumni,^ vere ^

3 mutetur. Cum vero * singulae morbo ^ laborabunt,
eadem remedia, quae etiam ovibus, adhibebimus ;
nam cum distendetur aqua cutis, quod vitium Graeci
vocant vdpojna, sub armo pellis leviter incisa perni-
ciosum transmittal humorem, turn factum vulnus

4 pice liquida curetur. Cum efFetae ^ loca genitalia
tumebunt, aut secundae non responderint, defruti
sextarius, vel cum id defuerit, boni vini tantundem
faucibus infundatur, et naturalia ceroto ' liquido
repleantur. Sed ne nunc singula persequar, sicut in
ovillo pecore praedictum est, caprino medebimur.

V^III. Casei quoque faciendi non erit omittenda
cura, utique longinquis regionibus, ubi mulctram ®
devehere non expedit. Is porro si tenui liquore
conficitur, quam celerrime vendendus est, dum
adhuc viridis succum retinet : si pingui et opimo,
longiorem patitur ^ custodiam. Sed lacte fieri debet
sincero et quam recentissimo. Nam requietum
vel aqua mixtum ^^ celeriter acorem concipit. Id
plerumque cogi agni aut haedi coagulo ; quamvis
possit et agrestis^i cardui^^ flore conduci, et seminibus
cneci, nee minus ficulneo lacte, quod emittit arbor, si
2 eius virentem saucies corticem. Verum optimus

1 vertatur ed. pr. : vertantur SAR.

* autiimnum SAM.

^ verumutetur SA : vere mutentur a : ver utetur c.

* vero R : vere *S'^4,
6 domo SAR.

* & faetae S : et facte A R.
' geratori A : geroctori iS'.

* mulcram S : mulcra A ' : multra R.

* patitur iS : patimur AR.

•" aqua mixtum Heinsius : quu mixtum S : maximum AR.
^1 agrestius SAR.
^* cardiu S : cardius AR.
284

BOOK VII. VII. 2-viii. 2

has changed to summer, or, if it was autumn, has
changed to spring. If only individual goats are 3
suffering from the disease, we shall apply the same
remedies as to sheep ; for when the skin is distended
with water — the malady which the Greeks call hydrops
(dropsy) — a slight incision should be made in the skin
under the shoulder, causing the fatal liquid to flow
away ; then the wound thus caused should be treated
with liquid pitch. If, after a she-goat has borne 4
young, the genital pai'ts swell up and the after-birth
has not put in an appearance, a sextarius of boiled down
must, or, if this is not available, the same quantity of
good wine, should be poured down the throat and the
sexual parts filled with a liquid solution of wax. But,
not to enter into more detail now, we shall give goats
the same remedies as we have prescribed for sheep.

VIII. It will be necessary too not to neglect the cheese-
task of cheese-making, especially in distant parts of making.
the country, where it is not convenient to take milk
to the market in pails. Further, if the cheese is made
of a thin consistency, it must be sold as quickly as
possible while it is still fresh and retains its moisture ;
if, however, it is of a rich and thick consistency, it
bears being kept for a longer period. Cheese should
be made of pure milk which is as fresh as possible, for
if it is left to stand or mixed with water, it quickly
turns sour. It should usually be curdled with rennet
obtained from a lamb or a kid, though it can also be
coagulated with the flower of the wild thistle or the
seeds of the safilower,* and equally well with the liquid
which flows from a fig-tree if you make an incision in
the bark while it is still green. The best cheese, how- 2

" Carthamus tinctoriu6.

28s

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

caseus est, qui exiguum medicaminis habet. Mini-
mum autem coagulum ^ recipit sinum lactis argentei
pondus denarii. 2 Nee dubium quin fici ramulis
glaciatus caseus iucundissime sapiat. Sed mulctra,^
cum est repleta lacte, non sine tepore aliquo debet
esse. Nee tamen admovenda est flammis, ut qui-
busdam placet, sed haud procul igne constituenda, et
confestim cum concrevit liquor, in fiscellas aut in
calathos vel formas transferendus est. Nam maxime
refert primo quoque tempore serum percolari et a
concreta materia separari. Quam ob causam rustici
nee patiuntur quidem sua sponte pigro humore
defluere, sed cum paulo solidior caseus factus est>
pondera superponunt, quibus exprimatur serum:
deinde ut formis aut calathis exemptus * est, opaco
ac frigido loco, ne possit vitiari : quamvis mundis-
simis tabulis componitur, aspergitur tritis salibus, ut
exudet acidum liquorem : atque ubi duratus est,
vehementius premitur, ut conspissetur. Et rursus
torrido sale contingitur, rursusque ponderibus con-
densatur. Hoc cum per dies novem factum est, aqua
dulci abluitur,^ et sub umbra cratibus in hoc factis ^
ita ordinatur, ne alter alterum caseus contingat, et
ut modice siccetur : deinde, quo tenerior permaneat,
clauso neque ventis obnoxio loco stipatur per com-

^ coagulo SB : coaculo A ^.

* argenteis . . . denariis SAR.

* mulctrat SA.

* exemptus ac : exemtus S' : exemtis S^A.

' dulci abluitur S : dulcia bibitur A : dulci ebibitur B.
« fatis SA.

286

BOOK VII. VIII. 2-5

ever, is that which contains only a very small quantity of
any drug. The least amount of rennet that a pail of
milk requires weighs a silver denarius ; and there is no
doubt that cheese which has been solidified by means
of small shoots from a fig-tree has a very pleasant
flavour. A pail when it has been filled with milk 3
should always be kept at some degree of heat ; it
should not, however, be brought into contact with
the flames, as some people think it proper to do, but
should be put to stand not far from the fire, and,
when the liquid has thickened, it should immediately
be transferred to wicker vessels or baskets or moulds ;
for it is of the utmost importance that the whey should
percolate as quickly as possible and become separated
from the solid matter. For this reason the country- 4
folk do not even allow the whey to drain away slowly
of its own accord, but, as soon as the cheese has be-
come somewhat more solid, they place weights on the
top of it, so that the whey may be pressed out ; then,
when the cheese has been taken out of the moulds or
baskets, it is placed in a cool, shady place, that it may
not go bad, and, although it is placed on very clean
boards, it is sprinkled with pounded salt, so that it may
exude the acid liquid ; and, when it has hardened, it is
still more violently compressed, so that it may become
more compact ; and then it is again treated with
parched salt and again compressed by means of weights. 5
When this has been done for nine days it is washed
with fresh water. Then the cheeses are set in rows on
wickerwork trays made for the purpose under the
shade in such a manner that one does not touch
another, and that they become moderately dry;
then, that the cheese may remain the more tender, it
is closely packed on several shelves in an enclosed

287

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

plura tabulata. Sic neque ^ fistulosus neque salsus
neque aridus provenit. Quorum vitiorum primum
solet accidere, si parum pressus ; secundum, si nimio
sale imbutus : tertium,^ si sole exustus est. Hoc
genus casei potest etiam trans maria permitti. Nam
is, qui recens intra paucos dies absumi debet, leviore
cura conficitur. Quippe fiscellis exemptus in salem
muriamque ^ demittitur, et mox in sole paulum
siccatur. Nonnulli antequam pecus numellis in-
duant,^ virides pineas nuces in mulctram demittunt,
et mox super eas emulgent, nee separant, nisi cum
transmiserint ^ in formas coactam materiam. Ipsos
quidam virides conterunt nucleos, et lacti permiscent,
atque ita congelant. Sunt qui thymum contritum
cribroque colatum cum lacte cogant. Similiter
qualiscunque velis saporis efficere possis, adiecto
quod elegeris condimento. Ilia vero notissima est
ratio faciendi casei, quem dicimus manu ^ pressum,'
Namque is paulum gelatus ^ in mulctra dum ^ est
tepefacta,^" rescinditur et fervente aqua perfusus vel
manu figuratur,^^ vel buxeis formis exprimitur. Est
etiam non ingrati saporis muria perduratus, atque ita
malini ligni vel culmi fumo coloratus. Sed iam
redeamus ad originem.

1 sic neque S : -s igneas A : ligneas c.

^ tertium 8 : tertio AE.

* muriamque <S : murtamq; A.

* induant Broiickhusius : indurat SA R.

* transmiserint ed. pr. : transierunt SAR.
' vanu SA.

' pressum a : -us c : pressu SA.

* caelatus S : celatus A R.

* mulctra dum <S : mulctrandum AR.

*' tepefacta ed. pr. : neres phata S : neres fata A.
11 figiiratur Aid. : figuratus SAIL

288

BOOK VII. viii, 5-7

place which is not exposed to the winds. Under
these conditions it does not become full of holes or
salty or dry, the first of these bad conditions being
generally due to too little pressure, the second to its
being over-salted, and the third to its being scorched
by the sun. This kind of cheese can even be
exported beyond the sea. Cheese which is to be
eaten within a few days while still fresh, is prepared
with less trouble ; for it is taken out of the wicker-
baskets and dipped into salt and brine and then
dried a little in the sun. Some people, before they
put the shackles " on the she-goats, drop green pine-
nuts into the pail and then milk the she-goats over
them and only remove them when they have trans-
ferred the curdled milk into the moulds. Some
crush the green pine-kernels by themselves and mix
them with the milk and curdle it in this way. Others '
allow thyme which has been crushed and pounded
through a sieve to coagulate with the milk ; similarly,
you can give the cheese any flavour you like by adding
any seasoning which you choose. The method of
making what we call " hand-pressed " cheese is the
best-known of all : when the milk is slightly con-
gealed in the pail and still warm, it is broken up and
hot water is poured over it, and then it is either shaped
by hand or else pressed into box-wood moulds.
Cheese also which is hardened in brine and then
coloured with the smoke of apple-tree wood or
stubble has a not unpleasant flavour. But let us now
return to the point from which we digressed.''

" I.e. to restrain them while they are being milked.

* The author regards this chapter on cheese-making as a
digression from his real subject, which is a description of the
smaller domestic animals.

289
VOL. II. L

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

IX. In omni genere quadrupedum species maris
diligenter eligitur, quoniam frequentius ••■ patri
similior est progenies, quam matri. Quare etiam in
suillo pecore verres probandi sunt totius quidem
corporis amplitudine ^ eximii,^ sed qui quadrati potius
quam longi aut rotundi sint, ventre promisso, clunibus
vastis, nee proinde cruribus aut ungulis proceris,
amplae et glandulosae cervicis, rostri * brevis ^ et
resupini.^ Maximeque ad rem pertinet, quam
salacissimos esse ineuntes.' Ab annicula aetate
commode progenerant, dum quadrimatum agant :
possunt tamen etiam semestres implere feminam.
Scrofae probantur longissimi ^ status, et ut sint
reliquis membris similes descriptis verribus. Si
regio frigida et pruinosa est, quam durissimae
densaeque et nigrae setae ^ grex eligendus est ; si
temperata atque aprica, glabrum pecus vel etiam
pistrinale album potest pasci. Femina sus ^° habetur
ad partus edendos idonea ^^ fere usque in annos sep-
tem, quae quanto fecundior est, celei-ius senescit.
Annicula non improbe concipit, sed iniri ^^ debet
mense Februario. Quattuor quoque mensibus feta,
quinto parere, cum iam herbae solidiores sunt, ut et
firma lactis maturitas porcis contingat, et cum desie-

1 frequentius S : frequenter AR.

* amplitudine S : -em Aac.

* eximii S : eximit AR.

* rostri S : rostribus A ac.

* brevis SA : brevibus R.

* resupina SAR.

' esse ineuntes Lundslrom : esseminant et SAR.

* longissimis SAR.

* nigrae sete S^ : nigrae sedet S'^ : nigraes et egrex A.

10 suus SA.

11 edendo nea SA'^

1* iniri Aid. : inire SAB.
290

BOOK VII. IX. 1-3

IX. In every kind of quadruped it is a male of the Pigs.
fine appearance which is the object of our careful
choice, because the offspring is more often like its
father than like its mother. So too, when it is a
question of pigs, those boars must meet with our
approval which are remarkable for their outstanding
bodily size in general, provided that they are square
rather than long or round, and which have a belly
which hangs down, huge haunches, but not corre-
spondingly long legs and hoofs, a long and glandulous
neck, and a snout which is short and snub ; also it is
especially important that they should be as lustful as
possible when they have sexual intercourse. They 2
are fit for breeding purposes from a year old until
they are four years old, though they can also impreg-
nate a sow at six months old. Breeding sows are
esteemed which are very long in shape, provided that
in their other limbs they resemble the description
which we have given of the boars. If the district is
cold and frosty, a herd should be selected with very
hard, dense, black bristles ; if it is temperate and
sunny, smooth pigs and even white ones such as are
kept by bakers " may be pastured there. A sow is 3
considered fit for breeding purposes until it is about
seven years old, but the more prolific it is the more
quickly it becomes old. It can quite well conceive
at a year old, but ought to be covered by the boar in
the month of February and, having been four months
with young, it should farrow in the fifth month, when
the grass is already of stronger growth, so that the
porkers may find the milk at the perfection of its full
strength and also, when they cease to be suckled at

" It was customary for bakers to keep pigs and feed them
on the superfluous bran (Plant., Capt., 4. 2. 28).

291

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

rint uberibus ali/ stipula pascantur, ceterisque
leguminum caducis frugibus. Hoc autem fit longin-
quis regionibus, ubi nihil nisi submittere expedit.
Nam suburbanis lactens ^ porcus aere ^ mutandus
est : sic enim mater non educando labori subtrahitur,
celeriusque iterum conceptum partum edet. Idque
bis * anno faciet. Mares, vel cum primum ineunt
semestres, aut cum saepius progeneraverunt, trimi ^
aut quadrimi castrantur, ut possint pinguescere.
Feminis quoque vulvae ferro exulcerantur, et cica-
tricibus clauduntur, ne sint genitales. Quod facere
non intelligo quae ratio compellat,^ nisi penuria cibi.
Nam ubi est ubertas pabuli, submittere prolem semper
expedit.

Omnem porro situm ruris pecus hoc usurpat. Nam
et montibus et campis commode pascitur, melius
tamen palustribus agris, quam sitientibus. Nemora
sunt convenientissima, quae vestiuntur ' quercu,
subere, fago, cerris, ilicibus, oleastris, termitibus,
corylis, pomiferisque silvestribus, ut sunt albae
spinae, Graecae siliquae, iuniperus, lotus, pampinus,
cornus, arbutus, prunus, et paliurus, atque achrades
pyri, Haec enim diversis temporibus mitescunt, ac
paene toto anno gregem saturant. At ubi penuria
est arborum, terrenum pabulum consectabimur-, et

^ ali 8c : alti Aa.

" lactis a : lactens c : lactes SA.

* aere R : ae ru <S : eru A.

* vis A : quis S.

* primi SA.

* compellat B : -ant SA.
' vertuntur SA.

" Schneider is probably right in thinking that termes repre-
sents the Greek rep/iipdos.

293

BOOK VII. IX. 3-7

the udder, they may feed on stubble and the fruits
also which fall from leguminous plants. This is the 4
practice in out-of-the-way regions where raising
stock is the only thing which pays ; for in districts
near towns the sucking pig must be turned into
money, for then its mother is saved trouble by not
having to rear it and will more quickly conceive and
produce another offspring, and so bear twice in the
same year. The males are castrated, so that they
may be enabled to grow fat, either at six months, when
they first begin to cover the sows, or else at three or
four years of age, when they have been often used for
breeding. An operation is also performed with the 5
knife on the wombs of the females to make them
suppurate and close up as a result of scarring over,
so that they cannot breed. I do not know the reason
for doing this, unless it is lack of food ; for where
there is abundance of fodder, it always pays to rear
stock.

Moreover, pigs can make shift in any sort of 6
country wherever situated. For they find suitable
pasture both in the mountains and in the plains,
though it is better on marshy ground than on dry.
The most convenient feeding-grounds are woods
covered with oaks, cork-trees, beeches, Turkey oaks,
holm-oaks, wild olive trees, terebinth-trees,'* hazels,
wild fruit-trees like the whitethorn, carob-trees,
junipers, nettle-trees, vine-tendrils, cornel-trees,
strawberry-trees, plum-trees, Christ's thorn, and
wild pear-trees. For these ripen at different times and
provide plenty of food for the herd almost all the
year round. But where there is a lack of trees, we 7
shall have recourse to fodder which grows near the
ground and prefer muddy to dry ground, so that the

293

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

sicco limosum praeferemus, ut paludem rimentur,
effodiantque ^ lumbricos, atque in luto volutentur,
quod est huic pecudi gratissimum ; quin etiam aquis
abuti possint : namque id fecisse maxime per aesta-
tem profuit, et dulces eruisse radiculas aquatilis
silvae, tanquam scirpi ^ iuncique et degeneris arun-
dinis, quam vulgus cannam vocat. Nam cultus
quidem ager opimas reddit sues, cum est graminosus,
et pluribus generibus ^ pomorum consitus, ut per
anni diversa tempora mala, pruna, pyrum, multi-
formes nuces ac ficum praebeat. Nee tamen propter
haec parcetur horreis. Nam saepe de manu dandum
est, cum foris deficit pabulum. Proper quod plurima
glans vel cisternis in aquam vel fumo tabulatis re-
condenda * est. Fabae quoque et similium legu-
minum, cum vilitas permittit, facienda est potestas,
et utique vere, dum adhuc lactent ^ viridia pabula,
quae suibus plerumque nocent.^ Itaque mane
priusquam procedant in pascua, conditivis cibis
sustinenda "^ sunt, ne immaturis herbis citetur alvus,
eoque vitio pecus emacietur. Nee ut ceteri greges
universi claudi debent, sed per ^ porticus harae ^
faciendae sunt, quibus aut a partu ^^ aut etiam praeg-
nates includantur. Nam praecipue sues cater-

1 effodiantque R : et fodiantque SA .

^ stirpi SAac.

^ generibus om. SA.

* recondenda <S'^ : reconda S'^A : recondita ac.

* laotent ex cit. Palladii (III. 26. 3) : lantiunt 8A : lanciunt
R,

* nocet SA.

' sustinenda SAac.
' per om. SA.
' harae ovi. SA.
" parte iS^.

294

BOOK VII. IX. 7-9

pigs may root about in the marsh and turn up worms
and wallow in the mud, which pigs love to do ; and may
they also be able to use water freely ; for it has proved
a great benefit for them to do this in the summer and
to tear up the sweet-flavoured rootlets of under-water
growths, such as the reed-mace, the rush, and the bast-
ard reed, which the vulgar call the "cane." Sows indeed 8
grow fat on cultivated ground when it is grassy and
planted with fruit-trees of several kinds, so as to
provide at different seasons of the year apples,
plums, pears, nuts of many kinds and figs. You
should not, however, on the strength of these fruits
be sparing of the contents of the granary, Avhich
should often be handed out when out-door food fails.
For this purpose plenty of mast should be stored either
in cisterns of water or in lofts exposed to the smoke."
They should also be given the opportunity of feeding 9
on beans and similar leguminous vegetables, when
their cheapness makes this possible, especially in the
spring when green fodder is still in a juicy condition,
which is generally harmful to pigs. Early in the
morning, therefore, before they go out to pasture,
they should be given a nourishing meal of food from
the store, that the bowel may not be irritated by
grass which is immature and that the herd may not
waste away by the trouble which it causes. Pigs
ought not to be shut up all together, like all other
herds, but sties ought to be constructed after the
manner of colonnades, in which the sows can be shut
up after farrowing and even during pregnancy ; for
sows more than any other animals, when they are

" Cisternis — tabulatis, these words are possibly corrupt but
the general meaning is clear. Pontedera suggests cisiemis
sine aqua vel fumosis tabulatis^

295

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

vatim atque incondite cum sunt pariter inclusae,

10 super alias aliae cubant et fetus elidunt. Quare,
ut dixi, iunctae parietibus harae construeniae sunt
in altitudinem pedum quattuor, ne sus transilire septa
queat. Nam contegi non debet, ut a superiore parte
custos numerum porcorum recenseat, et si quem
decumbens mater oppresserit, cubanti subtrahat.
Sit autem vigilax, impiger, industrius, navus. Om-
nium, quas pascit, et matricum et iuniorum memi-
nisse debet, ut uniuscuiusque partum consideret.
Semper observet enitentem, claudatque ut in ^ hara

11 fetum edat. Tum denotet ^ protinus quot et quales
sint ^ nati, et curet maxime ne quis * sub nutrice
aliena educetur ^ : nam facillime porci, si evaserint
haram, miscent se, et scrofa cum decubuit, aeque

12 alieno ac suo praebet ubera. Itaque porculatoris
maximum officium est, ut unamquamque ^ cum sua
prole claudat. Qui si memoria deficitur, quo minus
agnoscat cuiusque progeniem, pice liquida eandem '
notam scrofae et porcis imponat, et sive per literas
sive per alias formas unumquemque fetum cum
matre distinguat. Nam in maiore numero diversis
notis opus est, ne confundatur memoria custodis.

13 Attamen quia id facere gregibus amplis videtur

* claudatq; ut in i? : claudat in SA.
" dinotet SA.

' sunt SA.

* ne quis S* : nutrix equis S^A.

' alien^ {-e ^) ducetur SA : aliena educatur R.

* unamque SA.

' eandem E : eadem AS.

2g6

BOOK VII. IX. 9-13

penned together in a crowd and pell-mell, lie one on top
of another and abortions are thus caused. Therefore, 10
as I have said, sties should be built joined by party walls
each to the other and fourfeet inheight,so that the sow
may not be able to j ump over the these barriei s. They
ought not to be roofed over, so that the man in
charge may be able to look in from above and count
the number of piglings, and that if any mother is lying
on top of its litter and squeezes one of them, he
may extract it from under her. The swineherd
must be watchful, energetic, painstaking and active :
he ought to be able to remember all the sows under
his charge, both those which have produced offspring
and the younger sows, so that he may identify the
offspring of each separately. He must be on the
watch for sows which are farrowing and shut them
up, so that they may produce their litter in a sty; 11
he must then take note immediately of the number
and quality of the piglings which are born and take
special care that none of them is brought up by a sow
which is not its mother ; for the sucking-pigs, if they
have escaped from the sty, very easily become mixed
up, and the sow, when it lies down, offers its dugs as
freely to the offspring of other sows as to her own.
Thus the most important duty of the swine breeder is 12
to keep each sow shut up with its own litter. If he has
not a good memory and so cannot recognize the off-
spring of each sow, he should put the same mark on
the sow and its piglings with liquid pitch, so that he
may distinguish the different litters and their mothers
by means of letters or some other device ; for where
a large number is involved, it is necessary to employ
distinctive marks, so that the swineherd's memory
may not be confused. Since, however, it seems a 13

297

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

operosum, commodissimum est haras ita fabricare,
ut limen earum ^ in tantam altitudinem consurgat,
quantam ^ possit nutrix evadere ; lactens autem su-
pergredi ^ non possit. Sic nee alienus irrepit, et in
cubili suam quisque matrem nidus ^ expectat, qui
tamen non debet octo capitum numerum excedere :
non quia ignorem fecunditatem scrofarum maioris
esse numeri, sed quia celerrime fatiscit, quae plures
educat. Atque eae quibus partus submittitur, cocto
sunt hordeo sustinendae, ne ad maciem summam
perducantur,^ et ex ea ad aliquam perniciem.

14 Diligens autem porculator frequenter suile converrit,
et saepius haras. Nam quamvis praedictum ani-
mal in pabulatione spuree versetur, mundissimum
tamen cubile desiderat. Hie fere cultus est pecoris
suilli recte valentis. Sequitur ut dicamus, quae sit
cura vitiosi.

X. Febricitantium signa sunt, cum obstipae sues
transversa capita ferunt, ac per pascua subito, cum
paululum procurrerunt, consistunt, et vertigine
correptae concidunt. Earum notanda sunt capita,

2 quam in partem prochnent,^ ut ex diversa parte de
auricula sanguinem mittamus. Item sub cauda
duobus digitis a clunibus intermissis venam feriamus,
quae est in eo loco satis ampla, eamque sarmento
prius oportet verberari, deinde ab ictu ' virgae tu-

^ limen earum li : minearum SA.
^ quanta S : quantum Aac.

* supergrcdi R : ut pergredi SA.

* nidus S : -OS AR. ' perducatur SA.

* proclinent S : proclinentur ^jB.
^ avictu S : abiectu a.

298

BOOK VII. IX. 13-X. 2

laborious task to carry out this plan in large herds,
the most convenient method is to construct the sties
in such a way that their thresholds are low enough
for the sow to be able to get out but too high for the
sucking pig to climb over ; thus no strange porker
can creep in, and each litter awaits its own mother
in the place where they sleep. A litter ought not to
number more than eight, not that I am ignorant that
the fecundity of breeding-sows can produce more
than this number, but because a sow which rears more
than eight quickly becomes worn out. Those sows
which are given a litter to rear, must be sustained with
cooked barley, so that they may not be reduced to a
state of extreme emaciation and from that to some
fatal sickness. The careful swineherd will frequently 14
sweep out the piggery and the sties still more often ;
for, though the animal in question behaves in a filthy
manner when it is at pasture, it likes its sleeping-
place to be very clean. Such, more or less, is the
manner in which pigs should be kept when they are
in good health ; our next task is to deal with the care
of the pig in disease.

X. The signs of fever in pigs are when they lean Diseases of
over and hold their heads awry, and, after running thei/cures.
forward a little way over their feeding-ground,
suddenly halt and are seized with giddiness and fall
down. Notice must be taken in which direction 2
they lean their heads forward, so that we may let
blood from the ear on the opposite side ; we shall
also smite under the tail, at two fingers' distance from
the haunches, the vein which at this point is fairly
big, but it ought first to be beaten with a vine-twig,
and then, as it swells up from the stroke of the rod, it
should be opened with a knife, and, after the blood

299

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

mentem ferro rescind!, detractoque sanguine colli-
gari saligneo libro vel etiam ulmeo. Quod cum
fecerimus, uno aut altero die sub tecto pecudem
continebimus, et aquam modice calidam quantam
volent, farinaeque hordeaceae singulos sextarios
praebebimus. Strumosis sub lingua sanguis mitten-
dus est, qui cum profluxerit, sale trito cum farina
triticea confricari totum os conveniet. Quidam
praesentius putant esse remedium cum per ^ cornu
singulis ternos cyathos gari ^ demittunt. Deinde
fissas taleas ferularum lineo funiculo religant : et ita
collo suspendunt, ut strumae ferulis contingantur.
Nauseantibus quoque salutaris habetur eburnea
scobis sali ^ fricto et fabae minute fresae commixta,
ieiunisque prius quam in pascua prodeant obiecta.*
Solet etiam universum ^ pecus aegrotare ita, ut
emacietur, nee cibos capiat, productumque ^ in pascua
medio campo procumbat, et quodam veterno pressum
somnos aestivo sub sole captet. Quod cum facit,
totus grex tecto clauditur stabulo, atque uno die
abstinetur potione et pabulo : ' postridie radix
anguinei ^ cucumeris trita et commixta cum aqua
datur sitientibus : quam cum pecudes biberunt,
nausea correptae vomitant, atque expurgantur, omni-
que bile depulsa, cicercula vel faba dura muria con-

* cum per R : compea S : cumpea A.

2 gari li : cari S^.

3 sale SAR.

* abiecta A R : obiecta S.

* universam SA^ : -um A^R.

* productusque <S^.
' paulo SA.

300

BOOK VII. X. 2-5

has been drawn off, the vein ought to be bound up
with bark of a willow or even of an elm-tree. After 3
this we shall keep the animals under cover for a day
or two and give them as much moderately warm
water as they shall desire and a sextarius each of
barley-flour. If pigs are scrofulous, they must be
bled under the tongue and, when the blood has
flowed, it will be well to rub the whole mouth with
powdered salt mixed with wheaten flour. Some
people think that a more efficacious remedy is to
make them swallow three cyathi each of fish-pickle
through a horn ; they then tie together split sticks of
fennel with a linen cord and hang them round their
necks in such a way that the scrofulous tumours are
in contact with the fennel-stalks. For pigs suffer- 4
ing from vomiting, ivory-dust is regarded as a good
remedy mixed with powdered salt and beans ground
very small and given to them on an empty stomach
before they go out to pasture. Sometimes also the
whole herd suffers at the same time, which causes
them to become thin and to refuse their food and to
lie down in the middle of the field when they are
driven out to pasture and to want to go to sleep in
the summer sunshine overcome by a kind of drowsi-
ness. When this happens, the whole herd is shut up 5
in a covered stable and deprived of drink and food
for one day ; then on the following day the root of the
snake-like cucumber, crushed and mixed with water,
is given to quench their thirst, and when the animals
have drunk it they are seized with nausea and vomit
and so are purged ; when all the bile has been dis-
charged, they are given chick-pea or beans sprinkled
with hard brine, after which they are allowed to drink

* anguinei i? : sanguine! *S^.

301

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

spersa, deinde, sicut hominibus, aqua calida potanda
permittitur.

6 Sed cum omni quadruped! per aestatem sitis
sit infesta, turn suillo maxime est inimica. Quare
non ut capellam vel ovem, sic et hoc animal bis ^ ad
aquam duci praecipimus : ^ sed si fieri potest, iuxta
flumen aut stagnum per ortum Caniculae detineri :
quia cum sit aestuosissimum, non est contentum
potione aquae, nisi obesam ingluviem atque distentara
pabulis alvum demerserit ac refrigeraverit : nee uUa
re magis gaudet, quam rivis atque caenoso lacu volu-

7 tari. Quod si locorum situs repugnat, ne ita fieri
possit, puteis extracta et large canalibus immissa
praebenda sunt pocula, quibus nisi affatim satientur,
pulmonariae fiunt. Isque ^ morbus optime sanatur
auriculis inserta consiligine : de qua radicula dili-

8 genter ac saepius iam locuti sumus. Solet etiam
vitiosi splenis dolor eas infestare, quod accidit, cum
siccitas ^ magna provenit, et, ut Bucolicum loquitur
poema,

Strata iacent passim sua quaeque sub arbore
poma.

Nam pecus inexsatiabile ^ sues, dum dulcedinem
pabuli consectantur supra modum, aestate splenis •
incremento laborant. Cui succurritur, si fabri-
centur canales tamaricis ' et rusco, repleanturque
aqua, et deinde sitientibus admoveantur; quippe

1 bis 52 : vis 5M : om. R.

* praecipimus R : precepimus SA.

* isque ed. pr. : quiq; E : quisq; S^A.

* ficitas A : sicitas S.

* inexitiabiles bis SA^ : inexitiaviles bis A^.

* esbatae splenis SAac.

' tramaricis Ji : tramaricua SA.

303

BOOK VII. X. 5-8

warm water, as men are allowed to do in similar
circumstances.

While thirst in the summer is pernicious to all 6
quadrupeds, it is specially hurtful to pigs. We,
therefore, advise that they should not be taken to
water twice a day, like goats and sheep, but that, if
possible, they should be kept in the neighbourhood
of a river or pool at the time of the rising of the
Dogstar ; for, when a pig is feeling the intense heat,
it is not content with drinking the water, if it cannot
also plunge into it and so cool its fat maw and its
belly distended with fodder, and there is nothing in
which it takes so much pleasure as wallowing in
streams and muddy lakes. But if the nature of the
district makes this impossible, drinking water should 7
be drawn from wells and poured into troughs in
generous supply; for, unless they are abundantly
satisfied, their lungs become affected. This disease
is best treated by inserting lungwort into the ears, a
small root of which we have already more than once
spoken about and in detail. Pain from a diseased spleen 8
also often attacks them ; this happens when a serious
drought occurs and when, as the Bucolic poem says,*

Fruits lie on all sides, each strewn 'neath its tree.

For pigs, being insatiable animals, make for sweet-
ness in their food beyond measure and suffer
exceedingly in the summer from swelling of the
spleen. This can be relieved if troughs made of
tamarisk wood and butcher's broom are constructed
and filled with water and put in their way when
they are thirsty; for the juice of the wood has a

« VergU, Eel VII. 54.

3<^3

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ligni succus medicabilis epotus intestinum tumorem
compescit.

XI. Castrationis autem in ^ hoc pecore duo tem-
pora servantur, veris et autumni : et eius adminis-
trandae duplex ratio. Prima ilia, quam iam tradidi-
mus, cum duobus vulneribus impressis per unam-
quamque plagam singuli exprimuntur testiculi.
Altera est speciosior, sed magis periculosa, quam

2 tamen non omittam. Cum virilem partem unajn
ferro reseratam ^ detraxeris, per impressum vulnus
scalpellum inserito, et mediam quasi cutem, quae
intervenit duobus membris genitalibus, rescindito,
atque uncis digitis alterum quoque testiculum
educito : sic fiet una cicatrix adhibitis ceteris
remediis, quae prius docuimus. Illud autem, quod
pertinet ad religionem ^ patrisfamilias, non reticen-

3 dum putavi. Sunt quaedam scrofae, quae mandunt
fetus suos : quod cum fit, non habetur prodigium.
Nam sues ex omnibus pecudibus * impatientissimae
famis aliquando sic indigent pabuli, ut non tantum
alienam, si liceat, sobolem, sed etiam suam consu-
mant.^

XII. De armentis ceterisque pecudibus et magis-
tris, per quos quadrupedum greges humana solertia *
domi forisque curantur atque observantur, nisi fallor,
satis accurate disserui. Nunc ut exordio priore sum

^ in om. SAR.

^ reseratam S : resecatam Aac.

^ regionem SA.

* pecudibus B : om. SA.

^ consummant a : consumat SAc.

• solertia i? : sollerti <S^^.

» I.e. one testicle.

* I.e. which may suggest superstitious fancies to his mind.

BOOK VII. X. 8-xii. I

medicinal effect and, being swallowed, stops intestinal
swelling.

XL Two seasons are observed for castrating the
pig, spring and autumn. There are two methods of
can-ying out this operation. The first, which we
have already described, consists of making two
incisions and squeezing out a testicle through each
of them. The other is more spectacular but more
dangerous ; but I will not pass it over in silence.
When you have opened up with the knife and drawn 2
out one of the male organs,* insert a lancet through
the wound that has been made ; then cut the middle
skin, as it were, which intervenes between the two
genital members, and with your bent fingers draw
out the other testicle also ; the result will be that
there will be only one scar after the application of the
other remedies which we have described earlier.
But there is one point, which concerns the religious
scruples of the head of the family, ** and which I have 3
thought that I ought not to pass over in silence,
namely, that there are some breeding-sows which
devour their young. When this happens, it is not
regarded as a prodigy ; for pigs, of all farm-animals,
are the least able to endure hunger, and sometimes
feel such need of food that they consume not only
the offspring of other sows, if they are allowed to do
so, but also their own young.

XII. I have now, unless I am mistaken, dealt in Dogs,
sufficient detail with animals used for ploughing and
other cattle and with the herdsmen who are employed
to look after and watch over flocks of four-footed
animals at home and out of doors with all the resources
of human intelligence. Now, as I promised in the
earlier part of my treatise, I will speak of the

305

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

pollicitus, de mutis custodibus loquar; quamquam
canis falso dicitur mutus custos. Nam quis hominum
clarius aut tanta vociferatione bestiam vel furem
praedicat, quam iste latratu ? quis famulus amantior
domini ? quis fidelior comes ? quis custos incor-
ruptior? quis excubitor inveniri potest vigilantior?
quis denique ultor aut vindex constantior? Quare
vel in primis hoc animal mercari tuerique debet
agricola, quod et villani et fructus familiamque et
pecora custodit. Eius autem parandi tuendique

2 triplex ratio est. Namque unum genus adversus
hominum ^ insidias eligitur, et id villam quaeque
iuncta sunt villae custodit. At alterum ^ propellen-
dis iniuriis hominum ac ferarum ; et id observat domi
stabulum, foris pecora pascentia. Tertium venandi
gratia comparatur ; idque non solum nihil agricolam
iuvat, sed et avocat desidemque ab opere suo reddit.

3 De villatico ^ igitur et pastorali dicendum est : nam
venaticus nihil pertinet ad nostram professionem.

Villae custos eligendus est amplissimi corporis, vasti
latratus canorique, ut prius auditu maleficum, deinde
etiam conspectu terreat, et tamen nonnunquam ne
visus quidem horribili fremitu suo fuget insidiantem.
Sit autem coloris unius; isque magis eligatur albus

^ post hominum add. et ferarum B.
2 laterum S^A^.
* villatigo /S : vitlatigo^^.
306

BOOK VII. XII. 1-3

dumb guardians of the flocks, though it is wrong to
speak of the dog as a dumb guardian ; for what human
being more clearly or so vociferously gives warning
of the presence of a wild beast or of a thief as does
the dog by its barking? What servant is more
attached to his master than is a dog? What com-
panion more faithful? What guardian more in-
corruptible ? What more wakeful night-watchman
can be found? Lastly, what more steadfast
avenger or defender ? To buy and keep a dog ought,
therefore, to be among the first things which a farmer
does, because it is the guardian of the farm, its pro-
duce, the household and the cattle. There are three 2
different reasons for procuring and keeping a dog.
One type of dog is chosen to oppose the plots of
human beings and watches over the farm and all its
appurtenances ; a second kind for repelling the
attacks of men and wild beasts and keeping an eye
at home on the stables and abroad on the flocks as
they feed ; the third kind is acquired for the purposes
of the chase, and not only does not help the farmer
but actually lures him away from his work and
makes him lazy about it. We must, therefore, speak 3
of the farm-yard dog and the sheep-dog; for the
sporting hound has nothing to do with the art which
we profess.

As guardian of the farm a dog should be chosen
which is of ample bulk with a loud and sonorous bark
in order that it may terrify the malefactor, first
because he hears it and thenbecausehe sees it; indeed,
sometimes without being even seen it puts to flight the
crafty plotter merely by the terror which its growling
inspires. It should be the same colour all over, white
being the colour which should rather be chosen for a

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

in pastorali, niger in villatico : nam varius in neutro
est laudabilis. Pastor album probat, quoniam est
ferae dissimilis, magnoque opus interdum discrimine
est in propulsandis lupis sub obscuro mane vel etiam

4 crepusculo, ne pro bestia ^ canem feriat. Villaticus,
qui hominum malefieiis opponitur, sive luce clara fur
advenit,^ terribilior niger conspicitur : sive noctu,'
ne conspicitur quidem propter umbrae similitudinem,
quamobrem tectus tenebris canis tutiorem accessum
habet ad insidiantem, Probatur quadratus potius
quam longus aut brevis, capite tarn magno, ut cor-
poris videatur pars maxima, deiectis et propendenti-
bus auribus, nigris vel glaucis oculis acri lumine
radiantibus, amplo villosoque pectore, latis armis,
cruribus crassis et hirtis, cauda brevi, vestigiorum
articulis * et unguibus amplissimis, qui Graece
SpaKes appellantur. Hie erit villatici canis status

5 praecipue laudandus. Mores autem neque mitis-
simi, neque rursus truces atque crudeles; quod illi
furem quoque adulantur, hi etiam domesticos in-
vadunt. Satis est severos esse nee blandos, ut non-
nunquam etiam conserves iratius intueantur, semper
excandescant in exteros. Maxime autem debent in
custodia vigilantes conspici, nee erronei,^ sed assidui

^ vestio S : bestico A^.

* advenit S : -erit AR.

' noctu ne S : nocte ne A : nocte nee ac.

* auriculis SA.

* errore ne S^ : errore A : erronei a : arronei c.

308

BOOK VII. XII. 3-5

sheep-dog and black for a farm-yard dog ; for a
dog of varied colouring is not to be recommended for
either purpose. The shepherd prefers a white dog
because it is unlike a wild beast, and sometimes a
plain means of distinction is required in the dogs
when one is driving off wolves in the obscurity of early
morning or even at dusk, lest one strike a dog instead
of a wild beast. The farmyard dog, which is pitted 4
against the wicked wiles of men, if the thief
approaches in the clear light of day, has a more
alarming appearance if it is black, whereas at night
it is not even seen because it resembles the shadow and
so, under the cover of darkness, the dog can approach
the crafty thief in greater security. A squarely
built dog is preferred to one which is long or short,
and it should have a head so large as to appear to
form the largest part of it ; it should have ears which
droop and hang down, eyes black or grey, sparkling
with rays of bright light, a broad and shaggy chest,
wide shoulders, thick, rough legs and a short tail;
the joints of its feet and its claws, which the Greeks
call drakes, should be very large. Such are the
points which will meet with most approval in all
farm-yard dogs. In character they should neither be 5
very mild nor, on the other hand, savage and cruel ;
if they are mild, they fawn on everyone, including the
thief; if they are fierce they attack even the people
of the house. It is enough that they should be stern
but not fawning, so that they sometimes look even
upon their companions in servitude with a somewhat
wrathful eye, while they always blaze with anger
against strangers. Above all they should be seen to
be vigilant in their watch and not given to wandering,
but diligent and cautious rather than rash; for the

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

et circumspecti magis quam temerarii.^ Nam illi
nisi ^ quod certum compererunt, non indicant : hi

6 vano strepitu et falsa suspicione concitantur. Haec
idcirco memoranda credidi, quia non natura tantum,
sed etiam disciplina ^ mores facit, ut et cum emendi
potestas fuerit, eiusmodi probemus, et cum educabi-

7 mus domi natos, talibus institutis ^ formemus. Nee
multum refert an ^ villatici corporibus graves et
parum veloces sint : plus enim cominus et in gradu,
quam eminus et in spatioso cursu facere debent.
Nam semper circa septa et intra aedificium consistere,
immo ne longius quidem recedere debent, satisque
pulchre funguntur officio, si et advenientem sagaciter
odorantur,^ et latratu conterrent, nee patiuntur
propius ' accedere,^ vel constantius appropinquantem
violenter invadunt. Primum est enim non adten-
tari, secundum est lacessitum fortiter et perseveranter
vindicari. Atque haec de domesticis custodibus;
ilia de pastoralibus.^

8 Pecuarius canis neque tam strigosus aut pernix
debet esse, quam qui damas cervosque et velocissima
sectatur animalia, nee tam obesus aut gravis, quam
villae horreique custos : sed et robustus nihilominus,

9 et aliquatenus promptus ac strenuus, quoniam et ad
rixam et ad pugnam, nee minus ^"^ ad cursum compara-
tur, cum et lupi ^^ repellere insidias, et raptorem

1 temeri SA.

" nam illi nisi ac : quam inlinisi SA.

* disciplina SA.

* institutis S : -i A.

* refert an R : refertam an ^ * : refertam SA ^,
" adoriantura: odorantur c : oderantur 5^^.
' proprius SAac. * accidere 8A^.

* pastoribus SAa : pastoralibus c.

" tameniS/1. ii rupi S^.

310

BOOK VII. XII. 5-9

cautious do not give the alarm unless they have
discovered something for certain, whereas the rash
are aroused by any vain noise and groundless
suspicion. I have thought it necessary to mention 6
these points, because it is not nature alone but educa-
tion as well which forms character, so that, when there
is an opportunity of buying a dog, we may choose one
with these qualities and that when we are going to
train dogs which have been born at home, we may
bring them up on such principles as these. It does 7
not matter much if farm-yard dogs are heavily built
and lack speed, since they have to function rather at
close quarters and where they are posted than at a
distance and over a wide area ; for they should always
remain round the enclosures and within the buildings,
indeed they ought never go out farther from home
and can perfectly well carry out their duties by
cleverly scenting out anyone who approaches and
frightening him by barking and not allowing him to
come any nearer, or, if he insists on approaching, they
violently attack him. Their first duty is not to allow
themselves to be attacked, their second duty to de-
fend themselves with courage and pertinacity if they
are provoked. So much for the dogs which guard
the house; our next subject is sheep-dogs.

A dog which is to guard cattle ought not to be as 8
lean and swift of foot as one which pursues deer and
stags and the swiftest animals, nor so fat and heavily
built as the dog which guards the farm and granary,
but he must, nevertheless, be strong and to a certain
extent prompt to act and vigorous, since the purpose 9
for which he is acquired is to pick quarrels and to
fight and also to move quickly, since he has to repel
the stealthy lurking of the wolf and to follow the

3"

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ferum consequi fugientem praedam excutere atque
auferre debeat. Quare status ^ eius longior pro-
ductiorque ad hos casus magis habilis est quam brevis
aut etiam quadratus : quoniam, ut dixi, nonnun-
quam necessitas exigit celeritate bestiam ^ con-
sectandi. Ceteri ^ artus similes membris villatici
canis aeque probantur.

10 Cibaria fere eadem sunt utrique generi praebenda.
Nam si tam laxa rura sunt, ut sustineant * pecorum
greges, omnes sine discrimine canes hordeacea farina
cum sero commode pascit. Sin autem surculo con-
situs ager sine pascuo est,^ farreo vel triticeo pane
satiandi sunt, admixto tamen liquore coctae fabae,
sed tepido : nam fervens ^ rabiem creat.

11 Huic quadrupedi neque feminae neque mari nisi
post annum permittenda venus est : quae si teneris
conceditur, carpit et corpus et vires ^ animosque
degenerat. Primus effetae partus amovendus est,
quoniam tiruncula nee recte nutrit, et educatio totius
habitus aufert incrementum. Mares iuveniliter
usque in annos decern progenerant: post id
tempus ineundis feminis non videntur habiles,
quoniam seniorum pigra soboles existit. Feminae
concipiunt usque in annos novem, nee ® sunt utiles

12 post decimum. Catulos sex mensibus primis, dum
corroborentur,^ emitti non oportet, nisi ad matrem
lusus ac lasciviae causa. Postea catenis per diem

^ debeat quare status om. SA .

* celeritate bestiam J? : celeriteratem bestii A^ : celeriter
aute bestii S.

' consectandi ceteri It : consectam dicere SA.

* sustineat SA. * est ii : et SA.

* fervens R : nam ferventi S : non aferventi A.
' veteres SA.

* nee om. SA. ' corroboretur 8 A.

312

BOOK VII. XII. 9-12

wild beast as he escapes with his prey and make him
drop it and to bring it back again. Therefore a dog
of a rather long, slim build is better able to deal with
these emergencies than one which is short or even
squarely built, since, as I have said, sometimes the
necessity of pursuing a wild beast with speed demands
this. The other joints in sheep-dogs if they resemble
the limbs of farm-yard dogs meet with equal approval.

Practically the same food should be given to both 10
types of dog. If the farm is extensive enough to
support herds of cattle, barley-flour with whey is a
suitable food for all dogs without distinction ; but if
the land is closely planted with young shoots and
affords no pasture, they must be given their fill of
bread made from emmer or wheaten flour, mixed,
however, with the liquid of boiled beans, which must
be lukewarm, for, if it is boiling, it causes madness.

Neither dogs nor bitches must be allowed to have 11
sexual intercourse until they are a year old ; for if
they are allowed to do so when they are quite young,
it enfeebles their bodies and their strength, and
causes them to degenerate mentally. The first
puppies which a bitch produces must be taken from
her, because at the first attempt she does not nourish
them properly and the rearing of them hinders her
general bodily growth. Dogs procreate vigorously
up to ten years of age, but beyond that they do not
seem suitable for covering bitches, for the offspring
of an elderly dog turns out to be slow and lazy.
Bitches conceive up to nine years of age, but are not
serviceable after the tenth year. Puppies should
not be allowed to run loose during the first six months, 12
until they are grown strong, except to join their
mother in sport and play ; later they should be kept

3^3

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

continendi, et noctibus solvendi. Nee unquam eos,
quorum generosam ^ volumus indolem eonservare,
patiemur alienae nutricis uberibus educari : quoniam
semper et lae et spiritus maternus longe magis ingenii

13 atque incrementa corporis auget.^ Quod si effeta ^
lacte deficitur, caprinum maxime conveniet praeberi
catulis,^ dum fiant ^ mensum quattuor.

Nominibus autem non longissimis appellandi sunt,
quo celerius quisque vocatus exaudiat : nee tamen
brevioribus quam quae duabus syllabis enuntientur,
sicuti Graecum est cr/cuAa^, Latinum yeroa;, Graecum
Aa/ccov, Latinum celer : vel femina, ut sunt Graeca
aiTOvdrj, aXK-q, pay^r] : Latina, lupa, cerva, tigris.

14 Catulorum caudas post diem quadragesimum, quam
sint editi, sic castrare ^ conveniet. Nervus est, qui per
articulos spinae prorepit usque ad ultimam partem
caudae : is mordicus ' comprehensus ® et aliquatenus
eductus abrumpitur : quo facto neque in longitu-
dinem cauda foedum capit incrementum, et, ut
plurimi pastores affirmant, rabies arcetur letifer
morbus huic generi.

XIII. Fere autem per aestatem sic muscis aures
canum exulcerantur, saepe ut totas amittant : quod
ne fiat, amaris nucibus contritis liniendae sunt.
Quod si ulceribus iam praeoccupatae fuerint, coctam
picem liquidam suillae adipi mixtam ^ vulneribus

1 generosa SA. " aget SA'^.

3 et fata SA. * catulus SA.

5 fiat SAB. « siccatrare S^A^.

' modice SAR.

" comprehensus i? : compressus 5^.

' mixtam add. Aldus.

" Xenophon, Cyneg., VII. 5, gives a list of 8ome fifty names
of dogs. They all are words of two syllables.

3H

BOOK VII. XII. I2-XIII. I

on the chain during the day and let loose at night.
We should never allow those whose noble qualities
we wish to preserve, to be brought up at the dugs of
any strange bitch, since its mother's milk and spirit
always does much more to foster the growth of their
minds and bodies. But if a bitch which has a litter is 13
deficient in milk, it will be best to provide goats'
milk for the puppies until they are four months old.

Dogs should be called by names which are not
very long, so that each may obey more quickly when
he is called, but they should not have shorter names
than those which are pronounced in two syllables,"
such as the Greek HKvXa^ (puppy) and the Latin
Ferox (savage), the Greek AaKcov (Spartan) and the
Latin CeZer (speedy) or, for a bitch, the Greek UttovSti
(zeal), 'AXK-q (Valour), 'PcojU-Ty (strength) or the Latin
Lupa (she-wolf), Cerva (hind) and Tigris (tigress). 14
It will be found best to cut the tails of puppies forty
days after birth in the following manner : there is a
nerve, which passes along through the joints of the
spine down to the extremity of the tail ; this is taken
between the teeth and drawn out a little way and
then broken. As a result, the tail never grows to an
ugly length and (so many shepherds declare) rabies,
a disease which is fatal to this animal, is prevented.''

XIII. It commonly happens that in the summer the Eemedies
ears of dogs are so full of sores caused by flies, that eases of '
they often lose their ears altogether. To prevent '^°sa.
this, the ears should be rubbed with crushed bitter
almonds. If, however, the ears are already covered
with sores, it will be found a good plan to drip boiled
liquid pitch mixed with lard on the wounds. Ticks

» This is quoted by Pliny, N.H. VIII. § 153.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

stillari conveniet. Hoc eodem ^ medicamine con-
tact! ricini decidunt. Nam manu non sunt vellendi,

2 ne, ut et ante praedixeram, faciant ^ ulcera.^ Puli-
cosae cani remedia sunt sive cyminum tritum pari
pondere cum veratro, aquaque mixtum et inlitum ;
seu cucumeris anguinei ^ succus : vel si haec non
sunt, vetus amurca per totum corpus infusa. Si
scabies infestabit, gypsi et sesami tantundem con-
terito, et cum pice liquida permisceto, vitiosamque
partem linito : quod medicamentum putatur etiam
hominibus esse conveniens. Eadem pestis si fuerit
vehementior, cedrino ^ liquore aboletur. Reliqua
vitia sicut in ceteris animalibus praecepimus, curanda
erunt.

3 Hactenus de minore pecore. Mox de villaticis
pastionibus, quae continent volucrum pisciumque et
silvestrium quadrupedum curam, sequenti volumine
praecipiemus.

^ edem S : eadem AR.

* faciant It : faciunt SA.

' ulcera S : 'ultra A : vulnera R.

* angiiinei R : sanguine! SA.

^ vehementior cedrino R : cedrino vehementer SA.

316

BOOK VII. XIII. 1-3

also fall off if they are touched with this same pre-
paration ; for they ought not to be plucked off by
hand, lest, as we have remarked also before, they cause
sores. A dog which is infested with fleas should be
treated either with crushed cumin mixed in water
with the same quantity of hellebore and smeared on,
or else with the juice of the snake-like cucumber, or
if these are unobtainable, with stale oil-lees poured
over the whole body. If a dog is attacked by the
scab, gypsum and sesame should be ground together
in equal quantities and mixed with liquid pitch and
smeared on the part affected ; this remedy is reported
to be suitable also for human beings. If this plague
has become rather violent, it is got rid of by the
juice of the cedar-tree. The other diseases of dogs
will have to be treated according to the instructions
which we have given for the other animals.

So much for the lesser domestic animals. In the
next book we will give instructions about the keeping
of live stock at the farm-house, which includes the
care of fowls, fish and four-footed wild creatures.

317

BOOK VIII

LIBER VIII

I. Quae fere consummabant, Publi Silvine, ruris
experiendi ^ scientiam, quaeque pecuariae negotia-
tionis exigebat ratio, septem memoravimus libris.
Hie nunc sequentis numeri titulum possidebit : nee ^
quia proximam propriamque rustici curam desiderent
ea, quae dicturi sumus, sed quia non alio loco, quam
in agris aut villis debeant administrari, et tamen

2 agrestibus magis, quam urbanis prosint. Quippe
villaticae pastiones, sicut pecuariae, non minimam
colono stipem conferunt, cum et avium stercore
macerrimis vineis et omni surculo atque arvo
medeantur ; et eisdem familiarem focum ^ mensam-
que pretiosis ^ dapibus opulentent ; ^ postremo
venditorum animalium pretio villae reditum augeant.
Quare* de hoc quoque genere pastionis dicendum

3 censui. Est autem id fere ' vel in villa, vel circa
villam.

In villa est, quod appellant Graeci opvidoJvag, Koi
TTepicTTepecovas ', atque etiam cum datur liquoris *
facultas l^6vorpo<j>€.Za sedula cura exercentur. Ea

^ experiendi SA : exercendis experiendique a : et exer-
cendique c.
^ nee om. SA.
^ focum Aac : locum S.

* pretiosis Sac : pretioribus A.

* opulentent A : -ant c : -et S : -em a.

* quare ac : c^e SA. ' fere 5ac : ferret.

* liquoris Aac : litoris S.

320

BOOK VIII

I. We have now, Publius Silvinus, dealt in seven Of the
books with what practically constituted a complete tMs"nd
account of the science of gaining knowledge of the ^^ °° *'*'^
land and all that was required for the business of
raising cattle. Our present book shall bear the
next number, eight, for its title, not that the subject
of which we are going to speak demands the close and
particular attention of the farmer, but because it
ought not to be undertaken except in the country and
on the farm, and brings benefit to country-folk rather
than to town-dwellers. For the keeping of animals 2
at the farm, as of cattle on the pasture, brings no
small profit to farmers, since they use the dung of
fowls to doctor the leanest vines and every kind of
young tree and every kind of soil, and with the fowls
themselves they enrich the family kitchen and table
by providing rich fare ; and, lastly, with the price
which they obtain by selling animals they increase
the revenue of the farm. Therefore I have thought
it fitting that I should speak also of the keeping of
this kind of animal. But it is generally carried on
either at the farm or in its neighbourhood.

At the farm there are what the Greeks call opvL- 3
^cDi^e? and TrepiGTepecbveg (poultry-houses and dove-
cotes), and also, where a supply of water is available,
lxdvorpo<f)eXa (fish-ponds), the management of which
requires unremitting care. All these, to use by

321

VOL. II. M

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

sunt omnia, ut Latine potius loquamur, sicut avium
cohortalium stabula, nee minus earum, quae con-
clavibus saeptae saginantur, vel aquatilium animalium
4 receptacula. Rursus circa villam ponuntur /xeAta-
aciJves Kal ;j^rjvoTpo^era, quin etiam Xayorpot^ela
studiose administrantur,quae nos similiter appellamus
apum cubilia, apiaria, vel nantium volucrum, quae
stagnis piscinisque laetantur, aviaria, vel etiam
pecudum silvestrium, quae nemoribus clausis custo-
diuntur, vivaria.

II. Prius igitur de his praecipiam, quae intra saepta
villae pascuntur.i Ac de aliis quidem forsitan
ambigatur,2 an sint agrestibus possidenda : galli-
narum vero plerumque agricolae cura solennis est.
Earum genera sunt vel cohortalium,^ vel rusticarum

2 vel Africanarum. Cohortalis est avis, quae vulgo
per omnes fere villas conspicitur : rustica, quae non
dissimilis villaticae per aucupem decipitur, eaque
plurima est in insula, quam nautae in Ligustico marl
sitam producto nomine alitis Gallinariam vocita-
verunt: Africana est, quam plerique Numidicam
dicunt, Meleagridi similis, nisi quod rutilam galeam
et cristam capite * gerit, quae utraque sunt in

3 Meleagride caerulea. Sed ex his tribus generibus
cohortales feminae proprie appellantur gallinae,
mares autem galli, semimares capi, qui hoc nomine

^ post pascuntur add. quod sint genera gallinarum ac.

2 ambigatur c : ambigantur SAa.

' cohortalium A : chortalium S. * capite om. 8.

" Variously identified as hazel-hen, heath-hen, field-hen and
red-legged partridge.

* This island is still called by this name and lies off Albengo,
three miles E. of Alassio on the Italian Riviera.

' Probably the guinea-fowl.

322

BOOK VIII. I. 3-II. 3

preference the terms employed in our own language,
are enclosures for farm-yard fowls and likewise for
birds which are fattened in coops, or else for aquatic
animals. On the other hand, in the neighbourhood 4
of the farm [xeXLcraaJves and x^^^'^P^^^^'^ (bee-hives
and goose-pens) find their place, and there are also
carefully managed XayoTpocf)€La (feeding-places for
hares). To these we give a set of similar names,
speaking of apiaries, where bees are lodged, aviaries
for swimming birds which take their pleasure in pools
and fish-ponds, and vivaria for wild creatures which
are confined in enclosed woodlands.

II. First then I will give instructions about the of the
creatures which are fed within the precincts of the of "a'rm-^''^*^
farm. With regards to other animals it may yard
perhaps be doubted whether country people should ^°" '^^'
possess them ; but the keeping of hens by farmers is
quite a general practice. They fall into three
classes, the farm-yard fowl, the " rustic "-hen ^ and the
African fowl. The farm-yard fowl is the bird 2
commonly to be seen on almost every farm. The
" rustic "-cock which is not very different from the
farm-yard bird and is caught by the wiles of the
fowler, is found in the greatest number in the island
in the Ligurian sea to which sailors have given the
name Gallinaria,'' a lengthened form of the Latin
word for hen. The African fowl," which most people
call Numidian, resembles the meleagris,^ except
that it has on its head a red helmet and crest, both of
which are blue on the meleagris. Of these three kinds 3
the female farm-yard fowls alone are properly called
hens, its males being called cocks and the half-males

^ Our term for the turkey family, Meleagridae, is derived
from this word.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

vocantur, cum sunt castrati libidinis abolendae causa.
Nee tamen id patiuntur amissis genitalibus, sed ferro
candente calcaribus inustis, quae cum ignea vi con-
sumpta sunt, facta ulcera dum consanescant, figulari
creta linuntur.

4 Huius igitur villatici generis non spernendus est
reditus, si adhibeatur educandi scientia, quam pleri-
que Graecorum et praecipue celebravere Deliaci.
Sed et hi, quoniam procera corpora et animos ^ ad
proelia pertinaces requirebant, praecipue Tanagri-
cum genus et Rhodium probabant, nee minus Chalci-
dicum 2 et Medicum, quod ab imperito vulgo htera

5 mutata Melicum appellatur. Nobis nostrum verna-
eulum maxime placet : omisso tamen illo studio
Graecorum, qui ferocissimum quemque alitem certa-
minibus et pugnae praeparabant. Nos enim cense-
mus instituere vectigal industrii patrisfamilias, non
rixosaruni ^ avium lanistae, cuius plerumque totum
patrimonium, pignus aleae, victor gallinaceus pyetes
abstuht.

6 Igitur cui placebit sequi nostra praecepta, con-
sideret oportet primum quam multas, et cuiusmodi
parare debeat matrices, deinde qualiter eas tutari * et
pascere ; mox quibus anni temporibus earum partus
exeipere; tum demum ut incubent et excludant
efficere ; postremo ut commode pulli educentur

^ animos ac : animos-a (a erasa) A : animosa S.

* calchidicum Sc : calcidicum Aa.
' rixiosarum Sa.

* tutari SAc : tueri a.

" From Tanagra in Boeotia.

^ From Chalcis in the island of Euboea.

' I.e. Persian.

BOOK VIII. II. 3-6

capons ; they are given this name because they have
been castrated to rid them of sexual desire. They
do not, however, suffer castration by the loss of their
genital organs but by having their spurs burnt with
a red-hot iron ; when these have been consumed by
the force of the fire, they are smeared with potter's
clay until the sores which have been caused heal up.

The profit from keeping the farm-yard type of fowl 4
is not to be despised if a scientific method of rearing
them is put into operation, which most of the Greeks
and in particular the people of Delos have made
famous. The Greeks, however, since they desired
height of body and determined courage in the fray,
esteemed most highly the Tanagran " and Rhodian
breeds and likewise the Chalcidian ^ and Median "
(called by the ignorant vulgar Melian,'* by the change
of one letter). We take most pleasure in our own 5
native breed ; however, we lack the zeal displayed by
the Greeks who prepared the fiercest birds they could
find for contests and fighting. Our aim is to establish
a source of income for an industrious master of a
house, not for a trainer of quarrelsome birds, whose
whole patrimony, pledged in a gamble, generally is
snatched from him by a victorious fighting ^-cock.

He, therefore, who shall be minded to follow our 6
instructions, should consider first with how many and
what kind of breeding-hens he ought to provide
himself, and then how he ought to look after and
feed them ; next, at what seasons of the year he ought
to reserve the eggs which they produce ; then he
should arrange for their setting and hatching, and
finally take thought for the proper rearing of the

^ I.e. from the island of Melos, one of the Cyclades.
' A ' boxer.'

325

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

operam dare. His enim curis et ministeriis exercetur
ratio cohortalis, quam Graeci vocant 6pvidorpo<j>iav.

7 Parandi autem modus est ducentorum capitum,
quae pastoris unius curam dispendant ^ : dum tamen
anus sedula vel puer adhibeatur custos vagantium,
ne obsidiis hominum, aut insidiatorum ^ animalium
diripiantur. Mercari porro nisi fecundissimas aves
non expedit. Eae sint rubicundae vel infuscae ^
plumae, nigrisque pinnis * : ac si fieri poterit, omnes
huius, et ab hoc proximi coloris eligantur. Sin aliter,
vitentur ^ albae ; quae fere cum sint molles ac minus
vivaces, tum ne fecundae quidem facile reperi-
untur : ^ atque etiam conspicuae propter insigne
candoris ab accipitribus et aquilis saepius abripi-

8 untur. Sint ergo matrices robii coloris "^ quadratae,
pectorosae, magnis capitibus, rectis rutilisque cristu-
lis,^ albis auribus, et sub hac specie quam amplissi-
mae, nee paribus ungulis : ^ generosissimaeque ^^
creduntur, quae quinos habent digitos, sed ita ne
cruribus emineant transversa calcaria. Nam quae
hoc virile gerit insigne, contumax ad concubitum
dedignatur ^^ admittere marem, raroque fecunda,
etiam cum incubat, calcis aculeis ova perfringit.

^ dispendeat c : distendant SAa.

^ insidiatorum 8A : insidiosonim ac.

' infuscae SAc : fuscae a.

* pinnis SAc : pennis a.

^ vitentur a : evitentur c : viterbitentur 8 A.

' reperiantur codd.

' robii coloris S : robusta coloris A : probi coloris ac.

* rectis rutulisque cristulis c : rectis rutilis SA : rectilis
(rectis a^) rutulisque cristulis a^.

* ungulis ac : unguibus <Syl.

10 generosissimeque ac : generosis eque 8 : generosis seque
A.

3a6

BOOK VIII. 11. 6-8

chickens. For it is by attention to these points and
management that the business of poultry-keeping,
which the Greeks call 6pvi6orpo(l>ia (bird-rearing), is
carried out.

Two hundred head are the limit which should be 7
acquired fully to employ the care of one person to
feed them, provided, however, that an industrious
old woman or a boy be set to watch over the fowls
which go astray, so that they may not be carried off
by the wiles of men or of animals which lie in wait
for them. Further only the most prolific fowls
should be bought. They should have red or darkish
plumage and black wings ; and, if this is possible,
they should be chosen of the latter colour all over
and of the nearest colour to it. Failing these colours,
white hens should be avoided ; for, while they are
delicate and not very long-lived, it is also not easy to
find white fowls which are prolific : also, being con-
spicuous owing to their remarkably light colour they
are rather often carried off by hawks and eagles. Let 8
your brood-hens, therefore, be of a red colour, square-
built, big-breasted, with large heads, straight, red
crests, white ears ; they should be the largest obtain-
able which present this appearance and should not
have an even number of claws. Those are reckoned
the best-bred which have five toes ° but without any
cross-spurs proj ecting from their legs ; for a hen
which has this masculine characteristic is refractory
and disdains to admit the male to intercourse
and is rarely prolific, and, when she does sit,
breaks the eggs with the sharp points of her
spurs.

" I.e. four claws and one spur on each leg.

dedignatur Sac : dedignatam A.

327

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

9 Gallinaceos mares nisi salacissimos habere non
expedit. Atque in his quoque sicut in feminis, idem
color, idemque numerus unguium, status altior quaeri-
tur : sublimes, sanguineaeque, nee obliquae cristae :
ravidi,^ vel nigrantes oculi : brevia et adunca rostra :
maximae candidissimaeque aures : paleae ^ ex rutilo
albicantes, quae velut incanae barbae dependent :
iubae ^ deinde variae, vel ex auro flavae, per colla

10 cervicesque in humeros diffusae : turn lata et muscu-
losa pectora, lacertosaeque similes bracchiis alae,
tum proeerissimae caudae, duplici ordine, singulis
utrinque prominentibus pinnis inflexae : quinetiam
vasta femina * et frequenter horrentibus plumis
hirta : robusta crura, nee longa, sed infestis velut

11 sudibus nocenter armata. Mares ^ autem, quamvis
non ad pugnam neque ad victoriae laudem prae-
parentur, maxime tamen generosi probantur, ut
sint elati, alacres, vigilaces, et ad saepius canendum
prompti, nee qui facile terreantur : nam interdum
resistere debent, et protegere coniugalem gregem :
quin et attoUentem minas serpentem, vel aliud
noxium animal interficere.

12 Talibus autem maribus quinae singulis feminae
comparantur.® Nam Rhodii generis aut Medici
propter gravitatem neque patres nimis salaces, nee
fecundae matres : quae tamen ternae singulis
maritantur. Et cum pauca ova posuerunt, inertes
ad incubandum, multoque magis ad excludendum,

1 ravidi edd. : rabidi c : rubidi SA : 'rubicundi a.

* paleae Aac : galeae S.

* iubae om. A.

* femina Aac : femini 8.

* mares 8Aac.

* comparantur Aac : comparant 8.

328

BOOK VIII. n. 9-12

It is advisable not to keep any but the most salaci- 9
ous cock-birds and the same colour as in hens, and the
same number of claws is looked for in them, but a
loftier stature. Their crest should be high, blood-red
and not crooked, their eyes darkish or tending
towards black, their beaks short and hooked, their
ears very large and white, their wattles bright-red
tending towards white and hanging down like grey
beards, their head-feathers of different colours or gold
shading into yellow and extending over their throats
and necks on to their shoulders. Their chests should 10
be broad and muscular, their wings brawny and like
arms, and their tails very prominent and divided into
two halves, bending over with a single projecting
feather on each side. They should also have huge
thighs, thickly covered with bristling feathers ; their
legs should be robust but not long, and armed for
offence with what may be described as stakes ready
for the attack. These male birds, though they are 11
not being trained for fighting and the glory of
winning prizes, are, nevertheless, esteemed as
well-bred if they are proud, lively, watchful and
ready to crow frequently and not easily to be
frightened ; for on occasion they have to act on the
defensive and protect their flock of wives, nay, even
to slay a snake which rears its threatening head or
some other hurtful animal.

For such male birds as these five hens each are 12
provided. Of the Rhodian and Median breeds the
father-birds are not very salacious on account of their
heavy build, nor are the mother-birds very prolific :
however, three hens are mated with each cock-bird.
And when they have laid a few eggs, they are lazy about
sitting on them and much more so about hatching

329

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

raro fetus suos educant. Itaque quibus cordi est ea
genera propter corporum speciem possidere, cum
exceperunt ova generosarum, vulgaribus gallinis

13 subiciunt, ut ab his exclusi ^ pulli nutriantur. Tana-
grici plerumque Rhodiis ^ et Medicis amplitudine
pares, non multum moribus a vernaculis distant, sicut
et Chalcidici. Omnium tamen horum generum
nothi 3 sunt optimi * pulli, quos conceptos ex pere-
grinis maribus nostrates ediderunt. Nam et pater-
nam speciem gerunt, et salacitatem fecunditatemque

14 vernaculam retinent. Pumiles ^ aves, nisi quem
humilitas earum delectat, nee propter fecunditatem,
nee propter alium reditum nimium probo, tam •
hercule, quam nee pugnacem ac '^ rixosae ^ libidinis
marem. Nam plerumque ceteros infestat, et non
patitur inire feminas, cum ipse pluribus sufficere non

15 queat. Impedienda est itaque procacitas eius
ampullaceo corio ; quod cum in orbiculum formatum
est, media pars eius rescinditur, et per excisam
partem galli pes inseritur : eaque quasi compede
cohibentur feri mores. Sed, ut proposui, iam de
tutela generis universi praecipiam.

III. Gallinaria constitui debent parte villae, quae
hibernum spectat orientem : iuncta sint ea furno vel
culinae, ut ad avem perveniat fumus, qui est huic

1 exclusi ac : excussi S : excusi A.

* Rhodiis ac : Hrodiis S : Hordiis A. ' noti ac.

* post optimi add. sunt SA.

^ pumiles Ac : pumileas S : humiles a.

* probo tam c : probatam Sa : -um A.
' ac serif si : nee codd.

* rixose a : risose c : rixo SA.

330

BOOK VIII. II. i2-in. I

them, and they rarely bring up their own oifspring.
Those, therefore, whose hearts are set on possessing
these breeds on account of their fine appearance,
when they have set aside the eggs of the well-bred
hens, put them under ordinary hens, in order that
the chickens when they are hatched may be brought
up by the latter. Tanagran fowls, which are usually 13
equal in size to the Rhodian and Median, do not
differ greatly from our native fowls in disposition, and
the same is true of the Chalcidian. But of all these
breeds the cross-bred chickens are the best, which
our own hens have produced after conceiving them
by foreign male birds ; for they show the fine appear-
ence of their fathers and their own native salacious-
ness and productivity. I do not highly commend 14
bantam-hens either for their fecundity or for any other
return which they give — unless one takes a pleasure
in their low stature— just as indeed I do not commend
the bantam-cock either, which is given to fighting
and whose lust makes him quarrelsome. For it
generally attacks the other cock-birds and does not
allow them to cover the hens, though it cannot itself
suffice for a large number of hens. Its petulance, 15
therefore, must be checked by means of a piece of
leather from an old flask, of which, after it has been
formed into a round shape, the middle part is cut
away and the cock's foot is inserted through this
cut-out part, and by this kind of shackle its fierce
disposition is restrained. But, as I proposed, I will
now give directions for the care of poultry in general.

III. Hen-houses should be placed in the part of the now to ^ ^
farm which faces the rising sun in winter and should house.
adjoin the oven or the kitchen, so that the smoke,
which is particularly beneficial to this kind of animal,

33*

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

generi praecipue salutaris. Totius autem officinae,
id est ornithonis, tres continuae extruuntur celiac,
quarum, sicuti dixi, perpetua frons orienti ^ sit

2 obversa. In ea deinde fronte exiguus detur unus
omnino aditus mediae celiac ; quae ipsa e tribus
minima esse debet in altitudinem et quoquoversus
pedes septem. In ea singuli ^ dextro laevoque pariete
aditus ad utramque cellam faciendi sunt, iuncti
parieti, qui est intrantibus adversus. Huic autem
focus applicetur tarn longe, ut nee impediat prae-
dictos aditus, et ab eo fumus perveniat in utramque
cellam : eaeque longitudinis et altitudinis duodenos
pedes habeant, nee plus latitudinis quam media.

3 Sublimitas dividatur tabulatis, quae supra se quater-
nos, et infra septenos liberos pedes habeant, quoniam
ipsa singulos occupant. Utraque tabulata gallinis
servire debent, et ea parvis ab oriente singulis illu-
minari fenestellis, quae et ipsae matutinum exitum
praebeant avibus ^ ad cohortem, nee minus vesper-
tinum introitum. Sed curandum erit, ut semper
noctibus claudantur, quo tutius aves maneant. Infra
tabulata maiores fenestellae * aperiantur, et eae
clatris muniantur, ne possint noxia irrepere animalia :
sic tamen, ut illustria sint loca, quo commodius

4 aditet ^ aviarius, qui ^ subinde debet speculari aut
incubantes aut parturientes fetus. Nam etiam in
iis ipsis locis ita crassos parietes aedificare convenit,

^ orienti Schneider : orientem coM.

* singuli Sac : singula A.
^ avibus ac : animoa SA.

* fenestellae SAa : fenestrae c, Schneider.

* aditet Schneider : habitet codd.

* qui ac : quia S : qua A.

33J?

BOOK VIII. III. 1-4

may reach the fowls. Three adjacent cells are con-
structed to form the whole building or poultry-house
and, as I have said, their continuous front should
face the east. In this front there should be one small 2
entrance provided leading into the middle cell, which
in itself should be the smallest of the three, being
seven feet in height and in its other dimensions. In
this cell entrances should be made in the right and left
party walls, one leading to each of the other two cells
and adjoining the wall which faces those who enter the
central cell. To this wall a hearth should be fixed
of such a length as not to block the entrances
already mentioned and to allow the smoke from it to
penetrate into each of the other two cells. These
latter should have a length and height of twelve feet
and no more breadth than the middle cell. The 3
height should be divided up by lofts with four un-
occupied feet above them and seven below, since
they themselves take up one foot. Both lofts
ought to be used to accommodate the hens and
should each be lighted by a small v^dndow on the
east side, which may also provide the birds with a
means of exit in the morning into the poultry-yard
and a means of entrance in the evening ; but care
must be taken that they are always kept closed at
night that the fowls may remain in greater safety.
Below the lofts larger windows should be opened up and
secured with lattice-work, that harmful animals may not
be able to creep in, but at the same time so constructed
that the interior may be well lighted, so that the
poultry-keeper, who ought from time to time to keep
an eye upon the hens when they are sitting and hatch-
ing their young, may more conveniently visit them.
For in the hen-houses themselves too the walls should 4

333

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ut excisa per ordinem gallinarum cubilia recipiant :
in quibus aut ova edantur, aut excludantur pulli : hoc
enim et salubrius et elegantius est, quam illud, quod
quidam faciunt, ut, palis in parietes vehementer actis

5 vimineos qualos superimponant.^ Sive autem parie-
tibus ita, ut diximus, cavatis, sive qualis ^ vimineis ^
praeponenda erunt vestibula, per quae * matrices
ad cubilia vel pariendi vel incubandi causa per-
veniant. Neque enim debent ipsis nidis involare,^

6 ne dum adsiliunt, pedibus ova confringant. Ascensus
deinde avibus ad tabulata per utramque cellam datur
iunctis parieti modicis asserculis, qui paulum formatis
gradibus asperantur, ne sint advolantibus lubrici.
Sed ab cohorte forinsecus praedictis ^ fenestellis
scandulae similiter iniungantur, quibus irrepant aves
ad requiem nocturnam. Maxime autem curabimus
ut et haec aviaria et cetera, de quibus mox dicturi
sumus, intrinsecus et extrinsecus ' poliantur opera
tectorio, ne ® ad ^ aves feles habeant aut coluber
accessum, et aeque noxiae prohibeantur pestes.

7 Tabulatis insistere dormientem avem non expedit,
ne suo laedatur stercore ; quod cum pedibus uncis
adhaesit, podagram creat. Ea pernicies ut evitetur,
perticae dolantur in quadrum, ne teres levitas earum
supersilientem volucrem non recipiat. Conquadratae

^ superponant a : -ent SA : -at c.
2 qualis c : qualem SA : qualos a.

* vimineis c : -os SAa.

* que SAac.

* inbolare 8 A.

* praedictis SAac.

' et extrinsecus ac : om. SA.

* ne a : neque SAc.

* ad om. A.

334

BOOK VIII. III. 4-7

be built so thick as to allow nesting-places for the hens
to be cut out of them in a row, where either the eggs
may be laid or the chickens hatched ; for this is both
healthier and neater than what some people do when
they forcibly drive pegs into the walls and support
wicker-work baskets on them. But in front of either 5
the walls which have been hollowed, as we have
described, or of the wicker-work basket, porches must
be placed through which the breeding-hens may reach
their nests for the purpose of either laying eggs or
sitting on them ; for they ought not to fly into the
nests themselves, lest, as they leap into them, they
break the eggs with their feet. Next a means of 6
ascent for the hens to the lofts across each of the
cells is provided by attaching to the wall moderately
sized planks which are roughened a little by having
steps made on them, so that the hens may not find
them shppery when they fly on to them. Similarly
httle ladders should be attached on the outside lead-
ing from the poultry-yard to the little windows
mentioned above, by which the birds may creep in
for their nightly repose. But we shall take particular
care that these poultry-houses and those about which
we shall be speaking presently, are made smooth,
within and without, with plaster-work, so that no cat
or snake may have access to the fowls and that
equally hurtful pests may be kept away.

It is not expedient that the hen should rest on a 7
loft's floor when it is asleep, lest it be harmed by
its OAvn dung, because this, if it has adhered to its
crooked feet, causes gout. That this calamity may be
avoided, perches should be hewn square lest their
rounded smoothness should fail to give the bird a
good hold when it springs up. After being squared

335

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

deinde foratis duobus adversis parietibus induuntur,^
ita ut a tabulate pedalis altitudinis, et inter se
bipedalis latitudinis spatio distent.

8 Haec erit cohortalis officinae dispositio. Ceterum
cohors ipsa, per quam vagantur, non tarn stercore,
quam uligine careat. Nam plurimum refert aquam
non esse in ea nisi uno loco, quam bibant, eamque
mundissimam : nam stercorosa pituitam concitat.
Puram tamen servare non possis, nisi clausam vasis ^
in hunc usum fabricatis. Sunt autem, qui aut aqua
replentur aut cibo plumbei canales, quos magis utiles

9 esse ligneis aut fictilibus ^ compertum est. Hi super-
positis operculis clauduntur, et a lateribus super
mediam partem altitudinis per spatia palmaria
modicis forantur cavis, ita ut avium capita possint
admittere. Nam nisi operculis muniantur, quan-
tulumcunque aquae * vel ciborum inest, pedibus
everritur. Sunt qui a superiore parte foramina ipsis
operculis imponant ; quod fieri non oportet. Nam ^
supersiliens avis proluvie ventris cibos et aquam
conspurcat.

IV. Cibaria gallinis praebentur optima pinsitum
hordeum et vinacea ^ nee minus cicercula, tum etiam
milium, aut panicum : sed haec ubi vilitas annonae
permittit. Ubi vero ea est carior, excreta tritici
minuta commode dantur. Nam per se id frumen-
tum, etiam quibus locis vilissimum est, non utiliter
praebetur, quia obest avibus. Potest etiam lolium

^ induuntur a : induunt SAc.

* vasi a : vasis c : basis SA.

* ligneis et (aut A) fictilibus S : ligneos aut fictiles ac.

* aqtiae om. A.

' quam SA : nam a : tam c. • vinacia SA : vicia ac.

' I.e. chaff.

BOOK VIII. III. 7-iv. I

the poles should be fixed in holes in two walls which
face one another, so that they may be a foot in
height above the loft floor and two feet in breadth
away from one another.

Such will be the arrangement of the hen-house in 8
thepoultry-yard. But the poultry-yard itself, through
which the hens wander, should be free not so much
from dung as from moisture ; for it is extremely
important that there should be no water in it except
in one place, namely, the water for them to drink and
that water should be very clean (for water which has
dung in it gives fowls the pip), yet you cannot keep
it clean unless it is enclosed in vessels made for the
purpose. But there are leaden troughs which are
filled with either water or food, and it has been found
that they are more useful than troughs of wood or
pottery. These are closed by having lids placed over 9
them and are pierced with small holes above the
middle of their height a palm's breadth apart from one
another and large enough to admit the birds' heads.
For if they are not provided with covers, any small
quantities of water or food that is inside is swept out
by the birds' feet. Some people make holes above
in the top part of the covers themselves ; this should
not be done, for the bird leaping on the top befouls
the food and water with its excrement.

IV. The best foods to be given to hens are bruised How to feec
barley and grape-husks, likewise chick-pea and also *^^^'
millet and panic-grass, but these last two only when
the low price of cereals permits. When cereals are
dearer, small refuse " from wheat is a convenient food
to give ; for this grain by itself, even in places where
it is very cheap, is not a suitable food because it is
injurious to fowls. Boiled darnel can also be put

337

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

decoctum obici, nee minus furfures modice a farina
excreti : qui si nihil habent farris, non sunt idonei,

2 nee tantum appetuntur ieiunis. Cytisi folia senuna-
que maxime probantur, et sunt huic generi gratis-
sima : neque est uUa regio, in qua non possit ^ huius
arbusculae copia esse vel maxima. Vinacea quamvis
tolerabiliter pascant, dari non debent, nisi quibus
anni temporibus avis fetum non edit : nam et partus

3 raros, et ova faciunt exigua. Sed cum plane post
autumnum cessant a fetu, possunt ^ hoc cibo
sustineri. Attamen quaecunque dabitur esca per
cohortem vagantibus, die incipiente, et iam in
vesperum declinato,^ bis dividenda est, ut et mane
non protinus a cubili latius evagentur, et ante crepus-
culum propter cibi spem temporius ad officinam re-
deant, possitque * numerus capitum saepius recog-
nosci. Nam volatile pecus facile custodiam pastoris
decipit.

4 Siccus etiam pulvis et cinis, ubicunque cohortem
porticus vel tectum protegit, iuxta parietes re-
ponendus est, ut sit quo aves se perfundant. Nam
his rebus plumam pinnasque emundant : si modo
credimus Ephesio Heraclito, qui ait sues caeno,

5 cohortales aves pulvere vel cinere ^ lavari. Gallina
post pi-imam emitti, et ante horam diei undecimam
claudi debet : cuius vagae cultus hie, quem diximus,

^ possit ac : possint jS^.

^ possunt edd : potest SAac.

^ declinato SAac : doclinante edd.

* possitque ac : possintque SA.

^ cinere om. 8 A.

" The well-known Ionian philosopher of the late 6th
century B.C.

BOOK VIII. IV. 1-5

before them and likewise bran if only partly separ-
ated from the meal; for if there is no meal with
the food, it is not suitable nor have they much
appetite for it, though they be hungry. The leaves 2
and seeds of the shrub-trefoil are very highly
approved and are greatly appreciated by fowls, and
there is no region in which it is not possible to
find a very great abundance of this shrub. Grape-
husks, although they tolerate them as food, should
not be given to fowls except at times of year
when they are not laying ; for they cause them to
lay seldom and only small eggs. But when they
obviously stop laying after the autumn, they can be
kept on this food. Whatever food is to be given 3
them when they are loose in the poultry-yard should
be distributed in two parts, one when day is beginning
and the other when it has already declined towards
evening, so that in the morning they may not imme-
diately wander too far away from their sleeping-
quarters and that they may return before dusk to the
poultry-house in better time in hopes of finding food
there, and that the number of head may be vei-ified
more often. For winged creatures easily delude the
watchfulness of the man who looks after them.

Dry dust and ashes should be placed near the party 4
walls wherever a porch or a roof shelters the poultry-
yard, so that the birds may have the means to sprinkle
themselves ; for it is with these that they clean their
feathers and wings, if we believe Heraclitus " the
Ephesian who says that pigs wash themselves with
mud, farm-yard fowls with dust or ashes. A hen 5
ought to be let out after the first hour of the day and
be shut up again before the eleventh hour. Its
manner of life when it is let loose will be as we have

339

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

erit : nee tamen alius clausae, nisi quod ea non
emittitur sed intra ornithonem ter die pascitur maiore
mensura. Nam singulis eapitibiis quaterni cyathi
diurna cibaria sunt, cum vagis ^ bini praebeantur.

6 Habeat tamen etiam clausa oportet amplum vesti-
bulum, quo prodeat, et ubi apricetur : idque sit
retibus munitum, ne ^ aquila vel accipiter involet.
Quas impensas et curas, nisi locis,^ quibus harum
rerum vigent pretia, non expedit adhiberi. Anti-
quissima est autem cum in omnibus pecoribus tum
in hoc fides pastoris ; qui nisi * earn domino servat,
nullus ornithonis quaestus vincet ^ impensas. De
tutela satis dictum est: nunc reliquum ordinem
prosequemur.

V. Confecta bruma parere * fere id genus avium
consuevit. Atque earum quae sunt fecundissimae,
locis tepidioribus circa calendas lanuarias ova edere
incipiunt ; frigidis autem regionibus eodem mense

2 post idus. Sed cibis idoneis fecunditas earum
elicienda est, quo maturius partum edant. Optime
praebetur ad satietatem hordeum semicoctum : nam
et maius facit ovorum incrementum, et frequentiores
partus. Sed is "^ cibus quasi condiendus est inter-
iectis cytisi foliis ac semine eiusdem, quae ^ maxime
putantur augere fecunditatem avium. Modus
autem cibariorum sit, ut dixi, vagis binorum cya-
thorum hordei. Aliquid tamen admiscendum erit

^ post vagis add. temi vel c,

* ne om. A,

' post locis add. et SAa.

* qui nisi Aac : quin si S.

^ vincet c : vigit A : vinglt a : vincit S.

* parare c : 07n. SAa.
' sed is ac : et his SA .

* post quae add. utraque ac.

BOOK VIII. IV. 5-v. 2

described, and it will be no different when it is shut
up except that it is not allowed to go out but is kept
within the hen-house and fed three times a day with
a larger quantity of food ; for the daily ration is four
cyathi per head, whereas that of the wandering bird
is only two cyathi. A bird which is shut up, how- 6
ever, should have a spacious portico to which it can
go out and bask in the sun; and this should be
protected with nets, so that no eagle or hawk can
fly in. It is only worth while to go to these expenses
and to take these precautions in places where the
prices of hens and their produce are high. But in
the keeping of fowls, as of all domestic animals, the
most important thing is that the man who looks after
them should be trustworthy, for, unless he is faithful
to his master, the profit from the poultry-house will
not surpass the cost. Enough has now been said
about the management of hens ; we will now pursue
the other topics in order.

V. When midwinter is over, this kind of bird is of the
generally wont to lay. In warmer places the most and setting
prolific hens begin laying eggs about the first ofo^^ggs
January, but in colder regions after the 13th of the hen.
same month. But their productivity must be en- 2
couraged by suitable food to make them lay earlier.
The best food to give them is their fill of half-cooked
barley ; for it both increases the size of the eggs and
makes them lay more often. But this food must be
seasoned, as it were, by throwing into it the leaves
and seed of shrub-trefoil, which are thought greatly
to increase the productivity of birds. The quantity
of food, as I have said, should be two cyathi of barley
per hen if they are allowed to wander freely, but
some shrub-trefoil should be mixed with it, or, if this

341

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

3 cytisi, vel si id non fuerit, viciae aut milii. Curae
autem debebit esse custodi, cum parturient aves, ut
habeant quam mundissimis paleis constrata cubilia,
eaque ^ subinde converrat, et alia stramenta quam
recentissima reponat.^ Nam pulicibus, atque aliis
similibus ^ replentur, quae * secum afFert avis, cum
ad idem cubile revertitur. Assiduus autem debet
esse eustos et speculari parientes,^ quod se facere
gallinae testantur crebris singultibus interiecta voce

4 acuta. Observare itaque dum edant ova, et * con-
festim circumire oportebit cubilia, ut quae nata sunt
recolligantur, notenturque quae quoque die sint
edita, et quam recentissima supponantur glucienti-
bus : sic enim appellant rustici aves eas quae volunt
incubare ; cetera vel reponantur, vel aere mutentur.
Aptissima porro sunt ad excludendum recentissima
quaeque. Possunt tamen etiam requieta supponi,

6 dum ne vetustiora sint quam dierum decem. Fere
autem cum primum partum consummaverunt gallinae,
incubare cupiunt ab idibus lanuariis, quod facere non
omnibus permittendum est ; quoniam quidem no-
vellae magis edendis, quam cxcludendis ovis utiliores
sunt : inhibeturque cupiditas incubandi ' pinnula per

6 nares traiecta.^ Veteranas igitur aves ad banc rem
eligi oportebit, quae iam saepius id fecerint ; mores-
que earum maxime pernosci, quoniam aliae melius

1 eaque ac : que S : quae A.
^ reponat ac : reponant SA.
' post similibus add. animalibus ac.

* quae om. SA.

* speculari parientes ac : specularientes SA.

* observare itaque dum edant ova et ac : observare dum
edant ova itaque dum et S : observare idum edant ova
itaque dum et A.

" incubandi ac : incubando 8A.

34a

BOOK \lir. V. 2-6

is not available, vetch or millet. The keeper will 3
have to take care that the hens, when they are breed-
ing, have their nests strewn with the cleanest possible
straw, and he must sweep them out from time to time
and put in other litter which is as fresh as possible.
For the nests become full of fleas and other similar
creatures which the hen brings with it when it returns
to the same nest. The keeper ought also to be con-
tinually on the look-out for hens which are laying, a
fact to which they bear witness by frequent cackling
interrupted by shrill cries. He will have to watch until 4
they produce eggs and then immediately go round
the nests so that the eggs which have been laid may
be collected and a record taken to show the number
which have been laid each day and that the freshest
possible eggs may be put under the clucking hens,
for this is what country-folk call those birds which
wish to sit. The rest should either be stored or else
turned into money. Furthermore, the freshest eggs
are most suitable for hatching ; those, however,
which have been kept for some time can also be set,
provided that they are not more than ten days old.
Hens which have completed their first clutch of 5
eggs generally want to sit from January the 13th
onwards ; but they must not all be allowed to do
so, since young pullets are more useful for laying
eggs than for hatching them, and their desire to sit is
checked by passing a small feather through their
nostrils. Veteran fowls, therefore, will have to be 6
chosen for the task of sitting, which have already
done so frequently, and their disposition must be fully
known since some hens are better at hatching the

per nares traiecta ac : per nasi et a S : per nasia et a ^.

343

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

excludunt, aliae editos pullos commodius educant.^
At e contrario quaedam et sua et aliena ova com-
minuunt atque consumunt, quod facientem protinus
submovere conveniet.^

7 Pulli autem duarum aut trium avium exclusi,^ dum
adhuc teneri sunt, ad unam, quae sit melior nutrix,
transferri debent, sed primo quoque die, dum mater
suos et alienos propter similitudinem dignoscere non
potest. Verumtamen servare oportet modum. Ne-
que enim debet maior esse quam triginta capitum.
Negant * enim hoc ampliorem gregem posse ab una

8 nutriri. Numerus ovorum, quae subiciuntur, impar
observatur,^ nee semper idem. Nam primo tempore,
id est mense lanuario, quindecim, nee unquam plura
subici debent : Martio, xix,^ nee his pauciora : unum
et viginti Aprili : ' tota deinde aestate usque in
calendas Octobris totidem.^ Postea supervacua est
huius rei cura, quod frigoribus exclusi pulli plerum-

9 que intereunt. Plerique tamen etiam ab aestivo
solstitio non putant bonam pullationem, quod ab eo
tempore etiam si facilem educationem habent, iustum
tamen non capiunt incrementum. Verum suburbanis

^ educant a : educent SAc.

^ convenient S : conveniet a : conveniunt A : convenit c.

' exclusi edd. : excusi SA : excussi ac.

* negant Aa : necant S : negat c.

* impar observatur om. S.

* Martis xix edd. : Maio vni (aut novem) SAac.

' unum et viginti Aprili edd. : undecim Aprili SAa : unde
cum Aprili c.

* totidem edd. : tredecim (aut xiii) SAac.

344

BOOK VIII. V. 6-9

chickens and others are more suitable for bringing
them up when they have been hatched. Some hens,
on the other hand, break and consume both their own
and other hens' eggs ; any hen which does this will
have to be got rid of immediately.

The chickens of two or three hens, when they have 7
been hatched and are still very young, should be
transferred to one mother, whichever is the best nurse ;
but this must always be done the very first day while
the mother, owing to their similarity, is unable to
distinguish her own young and those of other hens. A
limit, however, must be observed, which ought not to
be more than thirty head ; for it is said that a larger
flock than this cannot be cared for by a single hen. 8
The rule is observed of putting an uneven number of
eggs under a hen, but it is not always the same
number. At the first setting, that is, in the month of
January, fifteen eggs, and never more, ought to be
set, in March nineteen and never less : in April,
twenty-one, and the same number throughout the
summer until October Ist.** After this date any
attention given to the matter of hatching is use-
less, because, owing to the cold, the chickens
generally die as soon as they are hatched. Most 9
people, however, do not think that it is good to hatch
chickens after the summer solstice, because from that
time onwards, even though it is easy to rear them,
they never come to their proper growth ; but in the

" It is clear that the numbers of eggs which should be put
under hens at various times of year are wrong in the MSS,
according to which fifteen should be set in January, nine in
May, eleven in April and thirteen in the summer. This is
quite illogical, since obviously more eggs can be given to a hen
to sit upon in warm than in cold weather. The readings
generally adopted by the editors give the required sense.

345

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

locis, ubi a matre pulli non exiguis pretiis veneunt,
probanda est aestiva educatio.

Semper autem, cum supponuntur ova, considerari
debet, ut luna crescente a decima usque ad quintam-
decimam id fiat. Nam et ipsa suppositio per hos fere
dies est commodissima ; et sic administrandum est,
ut rursus cum excluduntur pulli, luna crescat.

10 Diebus quibus animantur ova, et in speciem volu-
crum conformantur, ter septenis opus est gallinaceo
generi. At pavonino ^ et anserino, paulo amplius
ter novenis. Quae si quando fueririt supponenda
gallinis, prius eas incubare decem diebus fetibus
alienigenis patiemur. Tum demum sui generis
quattuor ova, nee plura quam quinque fovenda I'e-
cipient. Sed et haec quam maxima : nam ex pusillis

11 aves minimae ^ nascuntur. Cum deinde quis volet
quam plurimos mares excludi, longissima quaeque et
acutissima ova subiciet : et rursus cum feminas,
quam rotundissima. Supponendi autem consuetude
tradita est ab iis, qui religiosius haec administrant,
eiusmodi. Primum quam secretissima cubilia legunt,^
ne incubantes matrices ab aliis avibus inquietentur :
deinde antequam consternant ea, diligenter emun-
dant, paleasque, quas substraturi sunt, sulfure et
bitumine atque ardente teda perlustrant, et expiatas

* pavonino ac : pavone SA.

* minimae scripsi : minima SA : minutae ac.
' legunt SA : eligunt ac.

34^

BOOK VIII. V. 9-11

neighbourhood of towns, where chickens are sold at a
high price straight from their mother's care, summer
rearing is to be approved.

When eggs are being put under a hen, care should
always be taken that this is done when the moon is
increasing, namely, from the tenth to the fifteenth
day of the month ; for the actual placing of the eggs
is most convenient somewhere about this time, and it
is necessary to arrange that the moon is increasing
again when the chickens are hatched. It takes 10
twenty-one days for the eggs to become quickened
and take on the form of birds in the case of farm-yard
poultry, but for peacocks and geese rather more than
twenty-seven days are required. If ever it should
be necessary to put the eggs of the two latter species
under ordinary hens, we shall allow them to sit first
for ten days on the eggs of these alien birds, and then
they will be given four eggs of their own kind to sit
upon, and never more than five. These must be as
large as possible ; for from undersized eggs only very
small birds are produced. Next, when anyone wishes 11
as many male chickens as possible to be hatched, he
will set the longest and most pointed eggs ; if, on the
other hand, he wants female chickens, he should set
the roundest eggs. The following is the usual
method of placing eggs as handed down by those
who are most scrupulous in the way they manage
such matters. First of all they choose the most retired
nesting-boxes, so that the brooding hens may not be
disturbed by other fowls ; then, before they strew
anything in them, they cleanse them carefully and
purify the chaff which they are going to put under
the hens with sulphur and bitumen and a burning
torch, and when they have thus purged it they throw

347

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cubilibus iniciunt, ita factis concavatis nidis, ne
advolantibus aut desilientibus evoluta decidant ova,

12 Plurimi etiam infra cubilium stramenta graminis
aliquid et ramulos lauri, nee minus alii eapita cum
elavis ferreis subieiunt : quae cuncta remedio credun-
tur esse adversus tonitrua, quibus vitiantur ova,
puUique semiformes interimuntur antequam toti

13 partibus suis consummentur. Servat autem qui
subicit,^ ne singula ova ^ in cubili manu compo-
nat,^ sed totum ovorum numerum in alveolum
ligneum conferat, deinde universum leniter in prae-

14 paratum nidum transfundat. Incubantibus autem
gallinis iuxta ponendus est cibus, ut saturae studio-
sius nidis immorentur, neve longius evagatae re-
frigerent ova, quae quamvis pedibus ipsae conver-
tant,* aviarius tamen cum desilierint matres, circumire
debet,^ ac manu versare, ut aequaliter calore concepto
facile animentur, quin etiam si qua unguibus laesa
vel fracta sunt, ut removeat. Idque cum fecerit
duodeviginti diebus,^ die undevigesimo animadvertat
an pulli rostellis ova pertuderint, et auscultetur, si
pipiant. Nam saepe propter crassitudinem puta-

15 minum '' erumpere non queunt. Itaque haerentes
pullos manu eximere oportebit, et matri fovendos
subicere, idque non amplius triduo facere. Nam post
unum et vigesimum diem silentia ova carent animali-

^ subicit acA^ : qui subl A' : quis iibi S.

* ova om. SAac.

' componat ac : componant SA,

* quamvis pedibus ipse convertant ac : quam ipso convert
iS : quam ipsa confer© A.

' debent SAac.

* duodeviginti diebua om. ac.

' putaminum ac : putaminarum SA.

BOOK VIII. V. 11-15

it into the nest-boxes, making the nest hollow so that
the eggs may not roll out and fall when the hens fly
in or leap down. Very many people also lay a little 12
grass under the litter in the nest-boxes and small
branches of bay and also fasten underneath heads of
garlic with iron nails, all of which things are regarded
as preservatives against thunder by which the eggs
are spoilt and the half-formed chickens killed before
they can reach complete perfection in all their parts.
The man who places the eggs is careful not to place 13
them one by one in the nest-box by hand, but should
collect the complete number in a wooden basin and
gently pour the whole clutch into the nest ready
prepared. Food must be placed near the hens when 14
they are sitting, so that, being well satisfied, they
may be more eager to remain on their nests and may
not wander too far away and let the eggs grow cold.
Though the hens themselves turn the eggs with their
feet, the keeper of the poultry, when the hens have
leaped down, should go round and turn the eggs by
hand, so that they may easily be quickened, receiving
heat equally all over, and also that he may remove
any eggs which have been damaged or broken by the
hen's claws. After doing this for eighteen days, on
the nineteenth he should look and see whether the
chickens have broken through the eggs with their
little beaks and listen whether they are peeping;
for often, because of the thickness of the shells, they
cannot break their way out. He will, therefore, 15
have to remove with his hand the chickens which are
stuck in the shell and put them under their mother
to be kept warm, and he should do this for not more
than three days, for after the twenty-first day the
eggs which are silent have no living creature in them

349

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

bus : eaque removenda sunt, ne incubans inani spe
diutius detineatur ^ efFeta. Pullos autem non
oportet singulos, ut quisque natus sit, tollere, sed uno
die in cubili sinere cum matre, et aqua ciboque

16 abstinere, dum omnes excludantur. Postero die,
cum grex fuerit effectus, hoc modo deponatur.^
Cribro viciario, vel etiam. loliario, qui iam fuerit in
usu, pulli superponantur, deinde puleii ^ surculis
fumigentur. Ea res videtur prohibere pituitam,

17 quae celerrime teneros interficit. Post haec cavea
cum matre claudendi sunt, et farre hordeaceo cum
aqua incocto, vel adoreo farre vino resperso modice
alendi. Nam maxime cruditas vitanda est : et ob
hoc iam tertia die cavea cum matre continendi sunt,
priusque quam emittantur ad recentem cibum, singuli
tentandi, ne quid hesterni habeant in gutture. Nam
nisi vacua est ingluvies, cruditatem significat,

18 abstinerique debent, dum concoquant. Longius
autem non est permittendum teneris evagari, sed
circa caveam continendi sunt, et farina hordeacea
pascendi dum corroborentur : cavendumque ne a
serpentibus adflentur, quarum odor tarn pestilens
est, ut interimat universos. Id vitatur saepius in-
censo cornu cervino, vel galbano, vel muliebri capillo :
quorum omnium fere nidoribus praedicta pestis

^ retineatur SAc : detineatur a.
* deponatur SAa : deponitur c edd,
' pulei codd. : pulegii edd.

" Mentha pulegiiim.
* See note on p. 260.

3SO

BOOK VIII. V. 15-18

and must be removed, so that the hen may not be kept
sitting any longer after the hatching is over, deluded
by vain hope. Chickens should not be removed one
by one as they are hatched but should be allowed to
remain in the nest for one day with their mother and
should be kept without water or food until they are
all hatched. On the next day, when the brood is 16
complete, it should be brought down from the nest
in the following manner. The chickens should be
placed in a sieve made of vetch or darnel, which
has already been in use, and they should then be
fumigated with sprigs of pennyroyal " ; this seems
to prevent the pip, which very quickly kills them
when they are young. After this they must be 17
shut up in a coop with their mother and given a
moderately large feeding of boiled barley-flour with
v/ater or flour of two-grained wheat sprinkled with
wine. For above all things indigestion must be
avoided, and so on the third day they should be
kept in the coop with their mother and before they
are let out for fresh food, they should each be ex-
amined separately to see if they still have any of the
previous day's food in their gorge ; for if the crop is
not empty, this is a sign of indigestion and they
ought to be kept away from food until digestion has
taken place. While they are very young, chickens 18
should not be allowed to wander too far but should
be kept in the neighbourhood of the coop and fed on
barley-meal until they are strong, and care must be
taken that they are not breathed upon by snakes,
whose odour is so pestilential that it kills them all off.
This is prevented by frequently burning hart's-horn
or galbanum ^ or women's hair ; by the fumes from
all these things the aforesaid pest is generally kept

351

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

19 submovetur. Sed et curandum erit, ut tepide ha-
beantur. Nam nee calorem nee frigus sustinent.
Optimumque est intra officinam clauses haberi cum
matre, et post quadragesimum diem potestatem
vagandi fieri. Sed primis quasi infantiae diebus
pertractandi sunt, plumulaeque sub cauda clunibus ^
detrahendae, ne stercore coinquinatae durescant et

20 naturalia praecludant. Quod quamvis caveatur,
saepe tamen evenit, ut alvus exitum non habeat.
Itaque pinna pertunditur, et iter digestis cibis
praebetur.

Saepe etiam iam ^ validioribus factis, atque ipsis
matribus etiam vitanda pituitae ^ pernicies erit.
Quae ne fiat, mundissimis vasis et quam purissimam
praebebimus aquam : nee minus gallinaria semper
fumigabimus, et emundata stercore liberabimus.

21 Quod si tamen pestis permanserit, sunt qui micas *
alii tepido madefaciunt oleo et ^ faucibus inserant.
Quidam hominis urina tepida rigant ora, et tamdiu
comprimunt, dum eas amaritudo cogat per nares
emoliri pituitae nauseam.^ Uva ' quoque, quam
Graeci aypiav aracfivXriv vocant, cum cibo mixta pro-
dest ; 8 vel eadem pertrita, et cum aqua potui data.

22 Atque haec remedia mediocriter laborantibus adhi-
bentur. Nam si pituita circumvenit oculos, et iam
cibos avis respuit, ferro rescinduntur genae, et coacta
sub oculis sanies omnis exprimitur : atque ita paulum

^ clunibus a : crunibus SA.

^ saepo etiam iam SA : saepe iam etiam a : sed etiam iam c.

' pituitae om. SA.

* micas SA : spicas ac.

* madefaciant oleo et SA : madefactas oleo ac.

* nauseam edd. : nausa SA : nausea ac.
' uva edd. : aqua SA : una ac.

* prodest ac : prodent SA .

BOOK VIII. V. 18-22

away. Care will also have to be taken that they are 19
kept moderately warm ; for they do not bear extreme
heat or cold. It is best that they should be kept shut
up in the hen-house with their mother and be given
full liberty to wander abroad only after forty days.
But in the first days of what may be called their in-
fancy they should be held in the hands and the little
feathers under their tails should be plucked from their
buttocks, lest they become befouled with dung and
grow hard and so block the natural passages. It often 20
happens, however, in spite of the precautions taken,
that the bowels have no exit ; a perforation is, there-
fore, made and a passage thus opened for the digested
food.

Often too when the chickens have already grown
stronger they will have to avoid the fatal disease of
the pip, as also will their mothers. To prevent it,
we shall give them the purest possible water in the
cleanest possible vessels, and we shall also frequently
fumigate the hen-houses and keep them cleansed
from dung. Some people, if the pestilence persists, 21
moisten morsels of garlic with warm oil and insert
them in their throats. Others wet their mouths
with warm human urine and keep them closed until
the bitter taste of the urine forces them to expel
through their nostrils the nauseous matter produced
by the pip. The berry also, which the Greeks call
the " wild grape," is beneficial mixed with their food,
or else pounded up and given them in water to drink.
These remedies are given only to those who are suffer- 22
ing just to a slight degree ; if the pip surrounds the
eyes and the fowl now rejects its food, its cheeks are
cut with a lancet and all the diseased matter collected
under the eyes is pressed out, and then a little

353

VOL. II. N

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

23 triti salis vulneribus infricatur.^ Id porro vitium
maxime nascitur cum frigore et penuria cibi laborant
aves : item cum per aestatem consistens in cohortibus
aqua potatur : ^ item cum ficus aut uva immatura nee
ad satietatem permissa est, quibus scilicet cibis
abstinendae sunt aves : eosque ut fastidiant efficit
uva labrusca de vepribus immatura lecta, quae cum
farre triticeo ^ minuto cocta obicitur esurientibus,
eiusque sapore ofFensae aves omnem aspernantur
uvam. Similis ratio est etiam caprifici, quae dococta
cum cibo praebetur avibus, et ita fici fastidium creat.

24 Mos quoque, sicut in ceteris pecudibus, eligendi
quamque optimam et deteriorem vendendi, servetur *
etiam in hoc genere, ut ^ per autumni tempus omni-
bus annis, cum fructus earum cessat, numerus quoque
minuatur. Submovebimus autem veteres, id est,
quae trimatum excesserunt : item quae ® aut parum
fecundae, aut parum bonae "^ nutrices sunt, et prae-
cipue quae ova vel sua vel aliena consumunt : nee
minus, quae velut mares ^ cantare atque etiam
calcare ^ coeperunt : item serotini pulli, qui
ab solstitio nati capere iustum incrementum non
potuerunt. In masculis autem non eadem ratio
servabitur; sed tamdiu custodiemus generosos,

25 quamdiu feminas implere potuerint. Nam rarior est
in his avibus mariti bonitas. Eodem quoque tempore

^ infricatur c : infricantur Aa : infriantur S.

^ cohortibus aqua potatur ac : cohortibus fuit aqua SA.

' ordeo triticeo ac : hordeo tritico A : hordeo trittico 8.

* -post servetur add. ne SA.

* ut om. SA.

* itemque aut parum S.
' parum bonae om. SA.

' velut mares ac : vel mane SA .

354

BOOK VIIL V. 22-25

pounded salt is rubbed into the wounds. Further, 23
this disease chiefly arises when the fowls are suffering
from the cold and from poor feeding, and also when,
during the summer, water standing in the poultry-
yard is drunk, and, again, when they are allowed to
eat figs and unripe grapes and not to take their fill
of them, foods from which fowls should certainly be
kept away. A method of making them loathe them
is to pick the wild grapes from the bushes while they
are still unripe and put them before them when they
are hungry cooked with fine wheat-meal, for being
disgusted by the taste the birds refuse every kind of
grape. A similar method can be employed also with
the wild-fig, which being cooked with their food and
given to the birds, creates a distaste for figs also. A 24
practice too, which is employed for all other live-
stock, of choosing the better and selling the worse
should be observed also in the case of poultry, in
order that annually during the autumn, when they
cease to be productive, their number may be
diminished. We shall get rid of the old hens, that is,
those which are more than three years old, also those
which are not very prolific or are not very good nurses,
and, above all, those which eat their own and other
hens' eggs, likewise also those which are beginning
to crow like cocks or even to strut about, and also
late-born chickens, which have been hatched from the
solstice onwards and could not reach their full growth.
The same system will not be observed for the cock-birds,
but we shall keep those which are well-bred as long as
they can impregnate the hens ; for good quality in a 25
mating male is rather rare among these birds. Also at

* atque etiam calcare om. 8A : atque calcare a : aut etiam
calcare c.

355

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cum parere desinent aves, id est, ab idibus Novem-
bribus pretiosiores cibi subtrahend! sunt, et vinacea
praebenda, quae satis commode pascunt, adiectis
interdum tritici excrementis.

VI. Ovorum quoque longioris temporis custodia
non aliena est huic curae : quae commode servantur
per hiemem, si paleis obruas, aestate, si furfuribus.
Quidam prius trito sale sex horis adoperiunt : deinde
eluunt, atque ita paleis aut furfuribus obruunt.
Nonnulli solida, multi etiam fresa faba coaggerant :
alii salibus integris adoperiunt : alii muria tepefacta

2 durant. Sed omnis sal,^ quemadmodum non patitur
putrescere, ita minuit ova, nee sinit plena permanere :
quae res ementem deterret. Itaque ne in muriam
quidem qui demittunt, integritatem ovorum con-
servant.

VII. Pinguem quoque facere gallinam, quamvis
fartoris, non rustici sit officium, tamen quia non aegre
contingit, praecipiendum putavi. Locus ad banc
rem desideratur maxime calidus, et minimi luminis,
in quo singulae caveis angustioribus vel sportis in-
clusae pendeant aves, sed ita coarctatae, ne versari

2 possint. Varum habeant ex utraque parte foramina :
unum, quo caput exseratur; alterum, quo cauda
clunesque, ut et cibos capere possint et eos digestos
sic edere, ne stercore coinquinentur. Substernatur

^ omnis sal ac : omnea sails S : omnes es sails A^ : omne
sal A*.

3S6

BOOK VIII. V. 25-vii. 2

the time when the hens cease to lay, that is, from the
13th of November, the more expensive food must be
withheld and grape-husks be supplied, which form
quite a suitable diet, if refuse from wheat is added
from time to time.

VI. The keeping of eggs over a longer period is also Of eggs.
germane to the subject which we are now considei*-

ing. In winter they are conveniently preserved if
you bury them in chaff, in summer if you put them
in bran. Some people cover them first for six hours
with pounded salt ; next they wash them and then
bury them in chaff or bran. Some people cover them
with a heap of whole beans, many with a heap of
bruised beans ; others bury them in unpounded salt :
others harden them in lukewarm brine. But salt in 2
any form, although it does not allow the eggs to rot,
shrinks them and prevents them from remaining
full : and this is a deterrent to the purchaser. Thus
even those who plunge the eggs in brine do not com-
pletely preserve their original condition.

VII. Although it is the business of the poulterer On fattening
rather than of the farmer to fatten hens, yet, since it *"*'

is not a difficult task, I thought that I ought to give
directions on the subject. A spot is required for this
purpose which is very warm and has very little light,
where the birds may be hung, shut up each separately
in rather narrow coops or plaited cages and confined
in so close a space that they cannot turn round.
They should, however, have holes on either side, one 2
through which they can put out their head and the
other through which they can put out their tail and
hind-quarters, so that they may be able both to take
their food and also get rid of it when it has been
digested and so may not be befouled with dung.

357

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

autem mundissima palea, vel molle fenum, id est,
cordum. Nam si dure cubant, non facile pinguescunt.
Pluma omnis e capite et sub alis atque clunibus de-
tergetur : illic, ne pediculum creet ; hie, ne stercore
loca naturalia exulceret.

3 Cibus autem praebetur hordeacea farina, quae cum
est ^ aqua conspersa et subacta, formantur ofFae,
quibus aves saginantur.^ Eae ^ tamen primis diebus
dari parcius debent, dum plus concoquere consues-
cant. Nam cruditas vitanda * est maxime, tantum-
que praebendum, quantum digerere possint : neque
ante recens admovenda est, quam tentato gutture

4 apparuerit nihil veteris escae remansisse. Cum
deinde satiata est avis, paululum deposita cavea ^
dimittitur, sed ita ne vagetur, sed potius, si quid est
quod eam stimulet aut mordeat, rostro persequatur.
Haec fere communis est cura farcientium. Nam illi
qui volunt ^ non solum opimas, sed etiam teneras aves
efficere, mulsea recente ' aqua praedicti generis
farinam conspergunt, et ita farciunt : nonnulli tribus
aquae partibus unam boni vini miscent, madefactos-
que triticeo pane obesant avem ; quae prima luna
(quoniam id quoque custodiendum est) saginari

5 coepta, vicesima pergliscit. Sed si fastidiet cibum,
totidem diebus minuere oportebit, quot iam farturae

1 est om. 8a.

* saginantur edd. : salivatur codd.
' haec(?) A : eae ac : ita S.

* vitanda A^ac : cnidanda SA^.

* deposita cavea ac : -ae -ae 8 A.

* volunt ac : colunt 8 A.

' mulsea recente ac : multa regenti 8 : multa recentia A.

BOOK VIII. VII. 2-5

Very clean chaff should be spread under them or
soft hay, that is, hay of the second crop ; for if their
bed is hard they do not easily fatten. All the
feathers should be cleared away from their heads
and under their wings and hind-quarters, from
the head and wings so that they may not breed lice,
and from their hind-quarters so that sores may not
be caused by dung in the private parts.

Barley-meal is given as food, which, sprinkled with 3
water and kneaded, is formed into pellets with which
the birds are crammed. They should, however, be
given somewhat sparingly for the first few days, until
they become accustomed to digest more of this food ;
for indigestion niust above all things be avoided and
only as much given them as they can assimilate ; nor
ought fresh food be put before them until it is
apparent, from feeling the crop, that none of the old
food has remained behind. Then, when the bird has 4
had its fill, the coop is lowered a little and the bird is
let out, not in order that it may wander at will but
rather that it may pursue with its beak anything that
stings or bites it. The latter is the common pre-
caution taken by fatteners of birds : but those who
wish to make the birds not only plump but also tender,
sprinkle meal of the kind already mentioned with
fresh honey-water and then cram them with it.
Some people mix one part of good wine with three
parts of water and fatten the bird with wheaten-
bread soaked in it. If the process of cramming is
begun at the new moon (for this date too should be
observed), the fowl is quite fat by the twentieth day :
but, if it takes a dislike to its food, you will have to 5
lessen the amount for the same number of days as the
cramming has already proceeded, but only provided

359

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

processerint : ita tamen, ne tempus omne opimandi
quintam et vicesimam lunam superveniat. Anti-
quissimum est autem maximam quamque avem
lautioribus epulis destinare. Sic enim digna merces
sequitur operam et impensam.

VIII. Hac eadem ratione palumbos columbosque
cellares pinguissimos facere contingit : neque est
tamen in columbis farciendis tantus reditus, quantus
in educandis. Nam etiam horum possessio non
abhorret a cura boni rustici. Sed id genus minore
tutela pascitur longinquis regionibus, ubi liber egressus
avibus permittitur : quoniam vel summis turribus,
vel editissimis aedificiis assignatas sedes frequentant
patentibus fenestris, per quas ad requirendos cibos

2 evolitant. Duobus tamen aut tribus mensibus
acceptant conditiva cibaria, ceteris se ipsas pascunt
seminibus agrestibus. Sed hoc suburbanis locis
facere non possunt, quoniam intercipiuntur variis
aucupum insidiis. Itaque clausae intra tectum pasci
debent, nee in piano villae loco, nee in frigido : sed
in edito fieri tabulatum oportet, quod aspiciat

3 hibernum meridiem. Eiusque parietes, ne iam dicta
iteremus, ut in ornithone praecepimus, continuis
cubilibus excaventur : vel si non ita competit, paxillis
adactis tabulae superponantur, quae vel locula-
menta,^ quibus nidificent aves, vel fictilia columbaria
recipiant, praepositis vestibulis, per quae ad cubilia

^ loculamenta c : locum lamenta SAa.
• I.e. duo south.
360

BOOK VIII. vii. 5-viii. 3

that the whole period of fattening does not go beyond
the twenty-fifth day of the lunai- period. It is very im-
portant that all the biggest fowls should be reserved
for the more sumptuous feasts ; for thus a worthy
recompense attends one's trouble and expense.

VIII. The same method is successfully employed to Pigeona.
make wood-pigeons and house-pigeons that live in
dovecots very plump ; there is, however, not so much
profit in cramming pigeons as in just rearing them ; for
mere possession of them is not unworthy of the atten-
tion of a good farmer. The feeding of this kind of
bird too requires less supervision in distant parts of
the country where they can be allowed free egress,
for they frequent the haunts assigned to them on the
tops of towers or on very lofty buildings with ever-
open windows through which they fly forth to seek
their food. Nevertheless for two or three months 2
in the year they welcome food from the store-house,
while during the other months they feed themselves
on seeds picked up in the fields. But in regions near
a city they cannot do this because they are caught
by the various snares of the bird-catchers. They
ought, then, to be shut up and fed under cover ; and
on the farm they should not be kept in a part of the
farm-house which is level with the ground or cold,
but a loft should be constructed for them in an elevated
position to face the midday sun in winter ; " and, that 3
we may not repeat the instructions already given, the
walls, as we described in speaking of the hen-house,
should be hollowed to form a row of sleeping-places :
or, if this is not convenient, pegs should be driven
into the walls and boards placed upon them to hold
lockers, in which the hens may nest, or earthenware
dovecots with porches in front of them through which

3^1

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

perveniant. Totus autem locus et ipsae colum-
barum celiac poliri debent albo tectorio, quoniam eo

4 colore praecipue delectatur hoc genus avium. Nee
minus extrinsecus levigari parietes,^ maxime circa
fenestram : et ea sit ita posita, ut maiore parte hi-
berni diei solem ^ admittat, habeatque appositam
satis amplam caveam retibus emunitam, quae ex-
cludat accipitres, et recipiat egredientes ad aprica-
tionem columbas, nee minus in agros emittat matrices,
quae ovis vel pullis incubant, ne quasi gravi perpetuae

6 custodiae servitio contristatae senescant. Nam cum
paulum circa aedificia volitaverint, exhilaratae re-
creantur, et ad fetus suos vegetiores redeunt,
propter quos ne longius quidem evagari aut fugere
conantur.

Vasa, quibus aqua praebetur, similia esse debent
gallinariis, quae colla bibentium admittant, et
cupientes lavari propter angustias non recipiant.
Nam id facere eas nee ovis nee pullis, quibus plerum-

6 que incubant, expedit. Ceterum cibos iuxta parie-
tem conveniet spargi, quoniam fere partes ^ eae
columbarii carent stercore. Commodissima cibaria
putantur vicia, vel ervum, tum etiam lenticula,
miliumque et lolium, nee minus excreta tritici, et si
qua sunt alia legumina, quibus etiam gallinae aluntur.
Locus autem subinde converri et emundari debet.
Nam quanto est cultior, tanto laetior avis conspici-

^ parietes Ac : paries S : parientes a.
2 solem a : solis SA : om. c.

* quiartesaeae S : qui artesae A : quoniam fere partes a :
quam fere parietes c.

362

BOOK VIII. viii. 3-6

they may reach their sleeping-quarters. The whole
place and the pigeon-cells themselves ought to be
finished off with white plaster, since birds of this kind
take a special pleasure in that colour ; also the walls 4
ought to be made smooth outside, particularly round
the window, which should be so placed as to admit
the sun for the greater part of a winter's day and
should have adjoining it a fairly large pen, protected
by nets to keep out hawks, which may accommodate
the doves when they come out to bask in the sun ;
through this also the mother-birds, which are sitting
on their eggs or their squabs, can be let out into the
fields, so that they may not become prematurely aged
through the depression caused by the grievous
servitude of perpetual imprisonment ; for when they 5
have fluttered about a little round the farm-buildings,
they are exhilarated and refreshed and return in-
vigorated to their young, for whose sake they make
no attempt to wander far afield or escape by flight.

The vessels in which water is provided should be
like those used for fowls, so constructed as to admit
the necks of those which drink from them and too
narrow to allow the entrance of those which wish to
wash in them ; for to do so is not good either for the
eggs or the young, sitting on which they spend
most of their time. It will be found a good plan that 6
their food should be scattered near the wall, since
generally those parts of the dove-house are free from
dung. Vetch or bitter-vetch and next in order lentils
and millet and darnel are considered to be the most suit-
able foods, likewise the refuse from wheat, also any
other kinds of pulse on which hens too are fed. The
place ought to be swept and cleaned out from time to
time; for the better it is looked after, the more

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tur, eaque tarn fastidiosa est, ut saepe sedes suas
perosa, si detur avolandi potestas, relinquat.^ Quod
frequenter in his regionibus, ubi liberos habent

7 egressus, accidere solet. Id ne fiat, vetus est
Democriti praeceptum. Genus accipitris tinnun-
culum 2 vocant rustici, qui ^ fere in aedificiis nidos
facit. Eius pulli singuli fictilibus ollis conduntur,
spirantibusque opercula superponuntur, et gypso lita
vasa in angulis columbariis suspenduntur : * quae
res avibus amorem loci sic conciliat, ne unquam
deserant.

Eligendae vero sunt ad educationem neque vetulae,
nee nimium novellae,^ sed corporis maximi : curan-
dumque, si fieri possit, ut pulli, quemadmodum exclusi
sunt, nunquam separentur. Nam fere si sic maritatae ^

8 plures educant fetus. Sin aliter, certe nee alieni
generis ' coniungantur, ut Alexandrinae et Cam-
panae.^ Minus enim impares suas ^ diligunt, et ideo
nee multum ineunt, nee saepius fetant. Plumae
color non semper, nee omnibus idem probatus est :
atque ideo qui sit optimus, non facile dictu est.

9 Albus, qui ubique volgo conspicitur, a quibusdam
non nimium laudatur; nee tamen vitari debet in his,
quae clauso ^^ continentur. Nam in vagis maxime

1 relinquat ac : relinquant 8 A .

* tinnunculum edd. : titiunculum codd.
' qui add. edd.

* suspenduntur c : superponuntur SAa.

* nee nimium novellae om. 8 A.

* sic maritate ac : si marite SA.

' alieni generis 8a : aliendi generis A : alienigene c.

* alexandrina campane SA : alexandrine nee campane
ac.

* impares suas Ursinua : pares suos codd,
1" clauso Aac : cluso 8.

BOOK VIII. VIII. 6-9

cheerful is the appearance of the bird, and so squeam-
ish is it that it often takes a dislike to its own home
and abandons it if it is given the oppoi-tunity to fly
away. This is wont to happen often in districts
where the birds are allowed free egress. For the 7
prevention of such an escape, there is an ancient
precept of Democritus. There is a kind of hawk
which the country-folk call a ttnnunculus (kestrel) and
which generally makes its nest in buildings. The
young of this bird are enclosed separately in earthen-
ware pots, and while they are still breathing, lids are
put over the pots which are smeared with plaster and
hung up in the corners of the pigeon-houses. This
induces in the birds such a love for the place that they
never desert it.

For the rearing of the young chicks female birds
must be chosen which are neither old nor too young,
but they should be very large, and care must be
taken that, if possible, the chicks should never be
separated but be kept together as they were hatched ;
for if this principle is observed in mating them, they
generally rear larger broods. If this is not done, at 8
any rate birds of diflPerent breeds, for example the
Alexandrine and the Campanian, should not be
mated ; for they feel less affection for hen-birds unlike
themselves and so have little intercourse with them
and do not often produce offspring. The same
colour of plumage is not approved always or by
everybody ; it is, therefore, not easy to say which
is the best. White, which is generally to be seen 9
everywhere, is not very highly commended by
some people ; it should not, however, be avoided
for birds which are kept in confinement, but for
those which wander freely it is much to be con-

365

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

est improbandus, quod eum facillime speculatur
accipiter.

Fecunditas autem, quamvis longe minor sit quam
est gallinarum, maiorem tamen refert quaestum.
Nam et octies anno pullos educat, si est bona matrix ;
et pretiis eorum dominicam ^ complent arcam, sicut
eximius auctor M. Varro nobis affirmat, qui prodidit
etiam illis severioribus temporibus paria singula

10 milibus singulis sestertiorum solita venire. ^ Nam
nostri pudet seaculi, si credere volumus, inveniri qui
quaternis milibus nummorum binas aves mercentur.
Quamquam vel hos magis tolerabiles putem, qui
oblectamenta deliciarum possidendi habendique
causa gravi aere et argento pensent, quam illos qui
Ponticum Phasim et Scythica stagna Maeotidis
eluant.3 lam nunc Gangeticas et Aegyptias aves
temulenter eructant.

11 Potest* tamen etiam in hoc aviario, sicut dictum
est, sagina exerceri. Nam si quae steriles aut sordidi
coloris interveniunt, similiter ut gallinae farciuntur,
Pulli vero facilius sub matribus pinguescunt, si iam
firmis, prius quam subvolent, paucas detrahas pinnas,
et obteras crura, ut uno loco quiescant, praebeasque
copiosum cibum ^ parentibus,^ quo et se et eos

12 abundantius alant. Quidam leviter obligant crura,

^ dominicam SAac : domini edd.

* venire edd. : veniri codd.
' eluant edd. : heluat codd.

* potest ac : pontes SA.

* copiosum cibum ac : copiosus cibum S : copiosus cibus
A.

* parentibus A : parientibus Sac.

" R.R., 7. 10.

* The Rion, flowing into the Black Sea from the east.

366

BOOK VIII. viii. 9-12

demned, because it is very easily espied by a
hawk.

Fecundity in pigeons, though it is much less than
in hens, yet brings in greater profit ; for a pigeon, if
it is a good breeder, rears eight broods in the year,
and so pigeons fill the coffers of their owners with
the prices which their young command, as that
excellent writer Marcus Varro " assures us, who has
recorded that, even in those more austere times, a
single pair used to be sold for 1,000 sesterces. It 10
makes us blush for the present generation, if we are
willing to believe that people can be found to pay
4,000 nummi for a pair of birds, though I should regard
those people who pay great sums in copper and
silver for the pleasure which their pets give them
merely because they own and possess them, as less
insufferable than those who clear of all their birds the
river Phasis ^ in Pontus and the pools of Lake
Maeotis " in Scythia ; nay, they are now in their
drunkenness belching forth birds brought from the
Ganges and from Egypt.

Nevertheless, the fattening process can also be 11
carried out in this pigeon-house, as has already been
said; for if any barren or badly-coloured pigeons
occur, they are crammed in the same manner as
hens. Young pigeons indeed are more easily fat-
tened under their mothers' care, if when they are
already strong but before they begin to fly, you pull
out a few of their wing-feathers and crush their legs,
that they may remain quiet in one spot, and give
plenty of food to the parent-birds with which they
may feed themselves and their young more abund-
antly. Some people bind their legs loosely together, 12

* The Sea of Azov in South Russia.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

quoniam si frangantur, dolorem, et ex eo maciem
fieri putant. Sed nihil ista res pinguitudinis efficit.
Nam dum vincula exerere conantur, non conquies-
cunt : et hac quasi exercitatione corpori nihil adici-
unt. Fracta crura non plus quam bidui, aut sum-
mum tridui dolorem afferunt, et spem tollunt
evagandi.

IX. Turturum educatio supervacua est : quoniam
id genus ^ in ornithone nee parit nee excludit. Vola-
tura ita ut capitur, farturae destinatur : eoque leviore
cura, quam ceterae aves saginatur : verum non
omnibus temporibus.^ Nam per hiemem, quamvis
adhibeatur opera, difficulter crescit,^ et tamen, quia
maior est turdi copia, pretium turturum minuitur.

2 Rursus aestate vel sua sponte, dummodo sit facultas
cibi, pinguescit. Nihil enim aliud, quam obicitur
esca, sed praecipue milium : nee quia tritico vel aliis
frumentis minus crassescat ; * verum quod semine
huius maxime delectatur.^ Hieme tamen ofFae panis
vino madefactae, sicut etiam palumbos, celerius
opimant quam ceteri cibi.

3 Receptacula non tanquam columbis loculamenta,
vel cellulae cavatae efficiuntur,^ sed ad lineam mutuh
per parietem defixi tegeticulas cannabinas accipiunt,
praetentis retibus, quibus prohibeantur volare : quo-

^ id genus ac : ingenuus 8 A.

^ temporibus 07n. SA.

' crescit SA : gliscit ac.

* crassescat SA : -ant a.

* (ielectatur SA : -antur ac.

* efliciunt Aac : fiunt S.
368

BOOK VIII. VIII. 12-ix. 3

because they think that if they are broken, pain,
and consequently emaciation, is caused ; but doing
so does not contribute at all to their fattening, for,
while they are trying to get rid of their bonds, they
are never at rest, and by this kind of exercise, as it
were, they add nothing to their bulk. Broken legs
cause pain for not more than two or at most three
days and deprive them of all hope of wandering
abroad.

IX, The rearing of turtle-doves is of no benefit, Turtie-
because this kind of bird neither lays eggs nor hatches °^^'
its young in an aviary. A flight of them is ready for
cramming in the condition in which it is caught, and
can on this account be crammed with less trouble
than any other bird, not, however, at every time of
year. For in the winter, in spite of all the trouble
spent upon them, it is difficult to make them grow,
and yet the price of turtle-doves is lessened owing
to the greater abundance of thrushes. During the 2
summer, on the other hand, the turtle-dove grows
fateven of its own accord, provided it has easymeans of
getting food. Indeed it is only a question of putting
food in its way, especially millet, not that it grows
less fat on wheat or other cereals but because it
takes the greatest pleasure in millet-seed. In winter,
however, pellets of bread soaked in wine fatten
turtle-doves as well as wood-pigeons more quickly
than any other food.

People do not construct either pigeon-boxes or 3
hollow cells as receptacles for turtle-doves as for
wood-pigeons, but brackets are fixed in a row along a
wall and hold small hempen mats with nets spread
in front of them, so that the birds are prevented
from flying about, because, if they do so, they lose

369

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

niam si id faciant, corpori detrahunt. In his assidue
pascuntur milio aut tritico, sed ea semina dart nisi
sicca non oportet. Satiatque semodius cibi in diebus

4 singulis vicenos et centenos turtures. Aqua semper
recens et quam mundissima vasculis, qualibus
columbis atque gallinis, praebetur; tegeticulaeque
emundantur, ne stercus urat pedes, quod tamen et
ipsum diligenter reponi debet ad cultus agrorum
arborumque, sicut et omnium avium, praeterquam
nantium. Huius avis aetas ad saginam non tam
vetus est idonea quam novella. Itaque circa messem,
cum iam confirmata est pullities, eligitur.

X. Turdis maior opera et impensa praebetur, qui
omni quidem rure, sed salubrius in eo pascuntur, in
quo capti sunt. Nam difficulter in aliam regionem
transferuntur, quia caveis clausi plurimi despondent :
quod faciunt etiam cum eodem momento temporis a
rete in aviaria coniecti sunt. Itaque ne id accidat,
veterani debent intermisceri, qui ab aucupibus in
hunc usum nutriti quasi allectores sint captivorum,
maestitiamque eorum mitigent intervolando. Sic
enim consuescent et aquam et cibos appetere feri, si

2 mansuetos id facere viderint. Locum aeque muni-
tum et apricum, quam columbi desiderant : sed in eo
transversae perticae perforatis parietibus adversis
aptantur, quibus insideant, cum satiati cibo requi-

37°

BOOK VIII. IX. 3-x. 2

bulk. Here they are constantly fed with millet or
wheat ; but the grain must not be given them unless
it is dry. Half a modius of food every day easily
satisfies a hundred and twenty turtle-doves. The 4
purest possible water is always provided in vessels
such as are used for pigeons and hens. The mats
are kept clean so that the dung does not burn their
feet, and the dung should itself be carefully set aside
for the cultivation of the fields and trees, as also that
of all birds except those which swim. This bird is
not so suitable for cramming when it is old as when
it is young, and so the choice is made about harvest-
time when the young brood has already gained
strength.

X. Still more labour and expense is spent on Thrushes.
thrushes, which are kept in every country district,
but, with greater advantage to their health, in that
in which they have been caught; for there are
difficulties about moving them elsewhere, because,
when they are shut up in cages, most of them become
despondent; indeed they do so when they are in-
stantaneously hurled from the net into the aviaries.
So, to prevent this, some old thrushes ought to be
mixed with them which, having been brought up by
the fowlers for this purpose, may serve as decoys for
the captives and may mitigate their distress by
flying in among them. For in this way wild birds
will become used to seeking both their water and
their food when they have seen the tame birds doing
so. They require a place as well protected and as 2
sunny as wood-pigeons need, but transverse poles are
fixed in it fitted into holes pierced in the walls which
face one another, on which they may perch when
they have had their fill of food and wish to rest.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

escere volunt. Eae perticae non altius a terra debent
sublevari, quam hominis statura patitur, ut a stante

3 contingi possint. Cibi ponuntur fere partibus his
ornithonis, quae super se ^ perticas non habent, quo
mundiores permaneant. Semper autem arida ficus
diligenter pinsita et permixta polline praeberi debet,

4 tam large quidem ut supersit. Hanc quidam man-
dunt, et ita obiciunt. Sed istud in maiore numero
facere vix expedit, quia nee parvo conducuntur qui
mandant, et ab his ipsis aliquantum propter iucundi-
tatem consumitur. Multi varietatem ciborum, ne
unum fastidiant, praebendam putant ; ea est, cum

5 obiciuntur myrti et lentisci semina ; item oleastri et
ederaceae baccae,^ nee minus arbuti.^ Fere enim
etiam in agris ab eiusmodi volucribus haec appetun-
tur, quae in aviariis * quoque desidentium ^ detergent
fastidia, faciuntque avidiorem volaturam, quod
maxime expedit. Nam largiore cibo celerius pingue-
scit. Semper tamen etiam canaliculi milio repleti
apponuntur, quae est firmissima esca. Nam ilia

6 quae supra diximus, pulmentariorum vice dantur.
Vasa, quibus recens et munda praebeatur aqua, non
dissimilia sint gallinariis.

Hac ^ impensa curaque M. Terentius ternis saepe
denariis singulos emptitatos ' esse significat avorum

* se ac : om. SA.

* edoracee bace ac : herecee vace SA.
' arbuti edd. : arbusti codd.

* in aviariis rejietit S.

* desidentium ac : sidentur SA.

* hac ac : hanc SA.

' emptitatos Sa : entitatos A : eptitatos c.

<• Varro, R.Ii., III. 2. 15.

372

BOOK VIII. X. 2-6

These poles ought not to be raised higher from the
ground than a man's height allows, so that they may
be within his reach when he is standing up. The 3
food is usually placed in those parts of the aviary
which have no perches above them, so that it may
remain more clean. Dried figs, carefully crushed and
mixed with fine flour, ought always to be provided,
so abundantly indeed that some is left over. Some
people chew a fig and then offer it to the thrushes ; 4
but it is scarcely expedient to do this where the
number of thrushes is large, because people to chew
the figs cost a good deal to hire and themselves eat
an appreciable quantity because of the pleasant taste.
Many people think that a variety of food ought to be
provided, lest the thrushes take a dislike to a single
food. This variety consists in putting before themi
seeds of myrtle and mastic, also wild olive and ivy
berries and likewise the fruit of the strawberry-tree, 5
for these are the things for which this kind of bird
generally seeks in the fields, and so they do away
with the distaste for food which they feel in their
idle captivity in the aviaries and make the bird
population there more voracious, which is a great
advantage ; for the more they eat the quicker they
get fat. Little troughs, however, full of millet are
always placed near them since it is the most solid part
of their diet ; for the foods which we have mentioned
above are given them as relishes. Vessels for the 6
supply of fresh, clean water should be not unlike those
for poultry.

Thanks to the expenditure in this way of money
and care, so Marcus Terentius informs us,* these
birds were often bought for three denarii a piece in
our grandfathers' time, when those who celebrated

37i

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

temporibus, quibus qui triumphabant populo *
dabant epulum. At nunc aetatis nostrae luxuria^
cotidiana fecit haec pretia : propter quae ne rusticis
quidem contemnendus sit hie reditus.

Atque ea genera, quae intra saepta villae cibantur,
fere persecuti sumus. Nunc de his dicendum est,
quibus etiam exitus ad agrestia pabula dantur.

XI. Pavonum educatio magis urbani ^ patris-
familiae, quam tetrici rustici curam poscit. Sed nee
haec tamen aliena est agricolae captantis undique
voluptates acquirere, quibus solitudinem ruris eblan-
diatur. Harum autem decor avium etiam exteros
nedum dominos oblectat. Itaque genus alitum
nemorosis et parvulis insulis, quales obiacent Italiae,
facillime continetur. Nam quoniam nee sublimiter
potest nee per longa spatia volitare, tum etiam quia
furis ac noxiorum animalium rapinae metus non est,
sine custode tuto vagatur, maioremque pabuli partem
2 sibi acquirit. Feminae quidem sua sponte tanquam
servitio liberatae studiosius pullos enutriunt : nee
curator aliud facere debet, quam ut diei certo tem-
pore, signo dato, iuxta villam gregem convocet, et
exiguum hordei concurrentibus obiciat, ut nee avis
esuriat, et numerus advenientium recognoscatur,

^ populo Aac : populos S.

2 luxuria Sc : luxoriae A : luxurio a,

' urbani c : urbanis SAa,

374

BOOK VIII. X. 6-xi. 2

triumphs gave a feast to the people. But at the
present day luxury has made this their everyday
price ; wherefore this source of income must not be
despised even by farmers.

We have now dealt in general with those kinds
of birds which are fed within the precincts of
the farm ; we must now speak of those which are
also given freedom to seek their food in the
fields.

XI. The rearing of peafowl calls for the attention Peafowl.
of the city-dwelling householder rather than of the
surly countryman ; yet it is not alien to the business
of the farmer who aims at the acquisition, from every
source, of pleasure with which he beguiles the loneli-
ness of country life ; and the elegance of these birds
delights even strangers, much more their owners.
This breed of birds, therefore, can be easily kept on
the small wooded islands which lie off the coast of
Italy ; for since they cannot fly high or over long
distances and since too on these islands there is no
fear of their being carried off by a thief or by
harmful animals, they can safely wander about
without anyone to look after them and acquire most
of their food for themselves. The hen-birds, finding 2
themselves as it were released from bondage, of their
own accord bring up their young with unusual devo-
tion, and the man in charge of them should have
nothing to do except, at a fixed time of day, to give
the signal and summon the flock to the neighbour-
hood of the farm and throw down a small quantity
of barley before them as they run to meet him, so
that the birds may not be hungry and that the
number may be verified of those who come to his
call.

375

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

3 Sed huius possessionis rara conditio est. Quare
xnediterraneis locis ^ maior adhibenda cura est :
eaque sic administretur. Herbidus silvestrisque ager
planus sublimi clauditur ^ maceria, cuius tribus late-
ribus porticus applicantur, et in quarto duae celiac,
ut sit altera custodis habitatio, atque altera stabulum
pavonum. Sub porticibus deinde per ordinem fiunt
arundinea saepta in modum cavearum, quales ^
columbarii tectis superponuntur. Ea saepta dis-
tinguuntur velut clatris intercurrentibus calamis, ita

4 ut ab utroque latere singulos aditus habeant. Stabu-
lum autem carere debet uligine, cuius in solo per
ordinem figuntur breves paxilli,* eorumque partes
summae lingulas edolatas habent, quae transversis
foratis perticis inducantur.^ Hae porro quadratae
perticae, paxillis superponuntur, ut avem recipiant
adsilientem. Sed idcirco sunt exemptiles, ut cum
res exigit, a paxillis deductae ^ liberum aditum con-
verrentibus stabulum praebeant.

5 Hoc genus avium, cum trimatum explevit, optime
progenerat. Siquidem tenerior aetas, aut sterilis,
aut parum fecunda est. Masculus pavo gallina-
ceam salacitatem habet, atque ideo quinque feminas
desiderat. Nam si unam vel alteram fetam saepius
compressit, vix dum concepta in alvo vitiat ova, nee
ad partum ' sinit perduci : quoniam immatura geni-

locis ac : om. SA .

clauditur a : cluditur SAc.

quales iS'^ : qualis ac : qualia Schneider,

paxilli ac : taxilli SA.

inducantur ac : induantur SA,

deductae Aac : eductae S.

ad partum «c ; partum A : parte S,

^76

BOOK VIII. XI. 3-5

But the possession of these birds is a rare circum- 3
stance and so an unusual amount of care must be
exercised in inland districts, and the following pro-
cedure must be followed. A flat piece of land covered
with grass and trees is enclosed with a high fence to
three sides of which galleries are attached, while on
the fourth side there are two huts, one for the
dwelling-place of the custodian, the other as a
peacock-house. Then in the galleries enclosures are
made with reeds in a row to form coops such as are
placed on the roofs of a pigeon-house. These en-
closures are separated from one another by barriers
as it were of reeds which run between them, so
arranged as to have one entrance on either side. The 4
peacock-house ought to be entirely free from damp,
and in the floor short stakes are fixed in a row, the
tops of which have carefully hewn tenons for insertion
into holes made in the transverse perches. More-
over, these perches which are placed on the top of
the stakes are cut square, so that they may give a
foothold to a bird when it leaps onto them, but they
are made so as to be removable in order that, when it
is necessary, they may be detached from the stakes
and give free access to those who are sweeping out the
peacock-house.

This kind of fowl, when it has completed its first 5
three years, breeds excellently, but at a tenderer age
it is either sterile or not very prolific. The male bird
has the salaciousness of the farmyard cock and so
requires five hens ; for if it frequently covers one or
two of them that have been laying, it spoils eggs
which are hardly yet formed in the womb and does
not allow them to be bi'ought to birth, since they fall
out of the genital parts while they are still immature.

377

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

6 talibus locis excidunt. Ultima parte hiemis conci-
tantibus libidinem cibis utriusque sexus accendenda
venus est. Maxima facit ad banc rem, si favilla levi
torreas fabam, tepidamque des ieiunis quinto quoque
die. Nee tamen excedas modum sex cyathorum
in singulas aves. Haec cibaria non omnibus pro-
rrtiscue ^ spargenda sunt, sed in singulis saeptis, quae
arundinibus contexi oportere proposueram, portione ^
servata quinque feminarum et unius maris, ponenda
sunt cibaria, nee minus aqua, quae sit idonea potui.

7 Quod ubi factum est, mares sine rixa ^ diducuntur *
in sua quisque saepta cum feminis, et aequaliter
universus grex pascitur. Nam etiam in hoc genere
pugnaces inveniuntur masculi, qui et a cibo et a coitu
prohibent minus validos, nisi sint hac ratione separati.
Fere autem locis apricis ineundi cupiditas exercet
mares, cum Favonii spirare coeperunt, id est tempus

8 ab idibus Februariis ante Martium mensem. Signa
sunt extimulatae libidinis, cum semetipsum veluti
mirantem caudae gemmantibus pinnis protegit :
idque cum facit, rotare dicitur.

Post admissurae tempus confestim matrices custo-
diendae sunt, ne alibi quam in stabulo fetus edant :
saepiusque digitis loca feminarum tentanda sunt.
Nam in promptu gerunt ova, quibus iam partus
appropinquat. Itaque includendae sunt incipientes,^

9 ne extra clausum fetum edant : maximeque tem-
poribus his, quibus parturiunt, pluribus stramentis

promiscue a : promisee SA : perraixtae c.

proposueram portione ac : om. SA.

sine rixa ac : om. SA.

diducuntur S : deducuntur Aac.

incipientes SAac : incientes Ursinus, Schneider,

378

BOOK VIII. XI. 5-9

In the last part of the winter the desires of both sexes 6
must be kindled by foods which excite lust. The
best means to this end is to toast some beans over
embers which are not very hot and give them while
still warm to the fowls every fifth day on an empty
stomach ; but you should not go beyond six cyathi to
each bird. This food must not be scattered pro-
miscuously to all of them together but must be
placed in each of the enclosures, which I had suggested
should be made of reeds woven together, a portion
having been set aside for five hens and a cock and
likewise water which should be suitable for drinking.
When this has been done the male birds are driven, 7
without quarrelling, each into its own enclosure
together with their hens, and the food is equally
distributed over the whole flock. For even among
birds of this kind pugnacious males are found which
try to deprive those which are weaker than them-
selves of food and sexual intercourse, if they are not
kept apart in this way. Generally in sunny places,
when the west winds begin to blow, that is, from the
13th of February until the month of March, a desire
for sexual intercourse torments the male birds. It 8
is a sign that a peacock's lust is excited when it
covers itself with its bejewelled tail-feathers and
seems to be admiring itself; when it does so, it is said
to be " forming a wheel."

After the mating season the laying hens must
immediately be watched carefully lest they lay their
eggs anywhere except in the peacock-house, and
the parts of the females must often be felt with the
fingers, for, when the time for laying is at hand, they
carry their eggs in readiness. When they begin to 9
lay they must be shut up, so that they may not

379

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

exaggerandum est aviarium, quo tutius integri fetus
excipiantur. Nam fere pavones, cum ad noctumam
requiem venerunt, praedictis perticis insistentes
enituntur ova, quae quo propius ac mollius deci-
derint, illibatam servant integritatem. Quotidie
ergo diligenter mane temporibus feturae stabula
circumeunda erunt, et iacentia ova colligenda. Quae
quanto recentiora gallinis subiecta sunt, tanto com-
modius excluduntur : ^ idque fieri maxime patris-

10 familias rationi conducit. Nam feminae pavones,
quae non incubant, ter anno fere partus edunt : at
quae fovent ova, totum tempus fecunditatis aut
excludendis aut ^ etiam educandis pullis consumunt.
Primus est partus quinque fere ovorum ; secundus

11 quattuor; tertius aut trium aut duorum. Neque est
quod committatur, ut Rhodiae aves pavoninis in-
cubent, quae ne suos quidem fetus commode
nutriunt. Sed veteres maximae quaeque gallinae
vernaculi generis eligantur : ^ eaeque novem diebus a
primo lunae incremento, novenis ovis incubent, sint-
que ex his quinque pavonina, cetera gallinacei

12 generis. Decimo deinceps die omnia gallinacea sub-
trahantur, et totidem recentia eiusdem generis
supponantur, ut trigesima luna, quae est fere nova,
cum pavoninis excludantur. Sed custodis curam

^ excuduntur SAa : excluduntur c.

* excludendis aut edd. : excudendis aut ac : oni. SA.

* eligantur ac : religantur SA,

380

BOOK VIII. XI. 9-12

produce their eggs outside the enclosure. Above all
during the seasons in which they lay, the peacock-
house must be piled high with more straw, the better
to ensure that the eggs are delivered intact. For
usually peahens, having come to seek rest at night,
lay their eggs while they are roosting on the perches,
which have already been described, and when the
eggs have fallen from a lesser height and more softly,
they keep their soundness unimpaired. Every day,
therefore, during the period of laying you will have
to go carefully round the peacock-houses in the early
morning and collect the eggs which are lying about,
and the fresher they are when they are set under the
hen, the better are the prospects of a good hatch,
and that this should be done is very much to the house-
holder's advantage. For peahens which do not sit 10
generally produce three lots of eggs during the year,
but those which sit spend the whole period of their
productivity in either hatching or even rearing their
young. The first laying generally consists of five
eggs, the second of four, and the third of either three
or two. There is no reason for making the mistake 11
of letting Rhodian hens incubate peahens' eggs,
since they do not even bring up their own offspring
properly ; but the biggest veteran farmyard-fowls of
our native breed should be chosen and should be put
to sit upon nine eggs, five of which should be pea-
hen's and the rest ordinary hen's eggs, nine days
after the moon's first increase. Then on the tenth 12
day all the hen's eggs should be removed and the
same number of fresh eggs of the same kind sub-
stituted, that they may be hatched out with the
peahen's eggs on the thirtieth day which is about
new moon. But it must not escape the keeper's

381

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

non efFugiat observare desilientem matricem, saepius-
que ad cubile pervenire, et pavonina ova, quae
propter magnitudinem difficilius a gallina moventur,
versare manu : idque quo diligentius faeiat, una pars
ovorum notanda est atramento, quod signum habebit

13 aviarius,^ an a gallina conversa sint. Sed, ut dixi,
meminerimus cohortales quam maximas ad hanc rem
praeparari. Quae si mediocris habitus sunt, non
debent amplius quam terna pavonina et sena generis
sui fovere. Cum deinde feeerit pullos, ad aliam
nutrieem gallinacei debebunt transferri, et subinde
qui nati fuerint pavonini ad unam congregari, donee

14 quinque et viginti capitum grex efficiatur. Sed cum ^
erunt editi pulli, similiter ut gallinacei prime die non
moveantur : postero die cum educatrice trans-
ferantur in caveam : primisque diebus alantur
hordeaceo farre vino resperso, nee minus ex quolibet
frumento cocta pulticula, et refrigerata. Post paucos
deinde dies huic ^ cibo adiciendum erit concisum
porrum Tarentinum, et caseus mollis vehementer
expressus ; nam serum nocere pullis manifestum est.

15 Locustae quoque pedibus ademptis utiles cibandis
pullis habentur, atque his pasci debent usque ad
sextum mensem : postmodum satis est hordeum de
manu praebere. Possunt autem post quintum et
trigesimum diem quam nati sunt, etiam in agrum

habiarius S. * cum ac : om. SA.

* huic ac : hie S : hoc A.

382

BOOK VIII. XI. 12-15

attention to mark the mother-hen when she leaps
down and to visit the nest-box frequently and with
his hand to turn the peahen's eggs, which on account
of their size are more difficult for the farmyard-hen
to move ; and so that he may carry out this task with
greater care, one side of the eggs should be marked
with ink and the poultry-man will then have a means
of knowing whether the eggs have been turned by
the hen. But, as I have said, we must remember that 13
farmyard hens of the greatest possible size are pro-
vided for this purpose ; and if they are of only moder-
ate build, they ought not to sit upon more than three
peahen's eggs and six of their own kind. When the
hen has hatched the chickens, the farmyard chickens
will have to be transferred to another nurse, and any
young peafowls which are hatched from time to time
should be collected round one nurse until a flock of
twenty-five head is made up. But when the young 14
peafowls are hatched out, on the first day, like farm-
yard chickens, they should not be moved, but on the
following day they should be transferred to a coop
with the hen that is to bring them up, and during the
first days they should be fed on barley-meal sprinkled
with wine and with gruel made from any kind of
cereal and allowed to grow cold. Then after a few
days a Tarentine leek cut up small should be added
to their diet and soft cheese which has been pressed out
with great force, for whey is obviously harmful to
chickens. Locusts too, whose feet have been re- 15
moved, are regarded as useful for feeding the
peachicks and they ought to eat them until the sixth
month ; afterwards it is enough to give them barley
from the hand. After the thirty-fifth day following
their birth they may even be quite safely taken out

383

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

satis tuto educi, sequiturque grex velut matrem
gallinam singultientem. Ea cavea clausa ^ fertur in
agrum a pastore, et emissa ligato pede longa linea
custoditur, ad quam ^ circumvolant puUi. Qui cum
ad satietatem pasti sunt, reducuntur in villam perse-

16 quentes, ut dixi, nutricis singultus,^ Satis autem
convenit inter auctores, non debere alias
gallinas, quae pullos sui generis educant, in eodem
loco pasci. Nam cum conspexerunt pavoninam
prolem, sues pullos diligere desinunt, et immaturos
relinquunt, perosae videlicet, quod nee magnitudine,
nee specie pavoninis pares sint. Vitia quae gallinaceo
generi * nocere Solent, eadem has aves infestant :
sed nee remedia traduntur alia, quam quae gallinaceis
adhibentur. Nam et pituita et cruditas, et si quae
aliae sunt pestes, iisdem remediis, quae proposuimus,

17 prohibentur. Septimum deinde mensem cum ex-
cesserunt, in stabulo cum ceteris ad nocturnam
requiem debent includi. Sed erit curandum, ne
humi maneant. Nam qui sic cubitant, tollendi sunt,
et supra perticas imponendi, ne frigore laborent.

XII. Numidicarum eadem est fere quae pavonum
educatio. Ceterum silvestres gallinae, quae rusticae
appellantur, in servitute non fetant : et ideo nihil de
his praecipimus, nisi ut cibus ad satietatem prae-
beatur, quo sint conviviorum epulis aptiores.

1 ea cavea clausa ac : ex causam causaque SA.

* ad quam ac : aquam SA.
^ singultus ac : singuli SA.

* gallinaceo generi ac : gallinacei generis SA.

384

BOOK VIII. XI. 15-X11. I

into a field, and the flock follows the clucking hen as
though it were their mother. The latter is shut up
in a coop and taken out to the field by the man who
feeds them, and when it is let out it is secured by a
long line attached to its foot. The chicks flutter
round it and, when they have eaten their fill, they are
brought back to the farm, following the clucking of
their foster-mother, as I have already described.
The authorities are pretty well agreed that the other 16
hens which are bringing up chickens of their own
kind ought not to be fed in the same place ; for when
they have seen the little peachicks, they cease to care
for their own chickens and abandon them before they
reach maturity, evidently hating them because they do
not equal the little peachicks either in size or in beauty.

The same diseases as usually harm fai*myard fowls
attack these birds also, and no remedies are applied
to them other than those which are administered to
ordinary cocks and hens ; for the pip and indigestion
and any other plagues which occur are checked by the
same remedies as we have prescribed. When they 17
have passed the seventh month, they should be shut
up with the others in the peacock-house for their
night's rest ; but care will have to be taken that they
do not remain on the ground. Those who go to sleep
in this position must be picked up and placed on the
perches, so that they may not suffer from the cold.

XII. The rearing of guinea-fowls is almost the Guinea-
same as that of peacocks. But woodland hens, which fP^gtic''^
are called " rustic "-fowls, do not breed in captivity, cocks.
and, therefore, we have no instructions to give about
them except that they must be given their fill of food,
so that they may be better suited for feasts to which
guests are invited.

VOL. H. O

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

XIII. Venio nunc ad eas aves, quas Graeci vocant
a/JicfyL^LOVs, quia non tantum terrestria, sed aquatilia
quoque desiderant pabula, nee magis humo quam
stagno consueverunt. Eiusque generis anser praeci-
pue rusticis gratus est, quod nee maximam curam
poscit, et solertioreni eustodiam quam eanis praebet.

2 Nam clangore prodit insidiantem, sicut etiam
memoria tradidit in obsidione Capitolii, cum ad-
ventum^ Gallorum voeiferatus est, canibus silentibus.^
Is autem non ubique haberi potest, ut existimat
verissime Celsus, qui sic ait : anser neque sine aqua,
nee sine multa herba facile sustinetur, neque utilis
est locis consitis, quia quicquid rerum ^ contingere

3 potest, carpit. Sicubi vero flumen aut lacus est,
herbaeque copia, nee nimis iuxta satae fruges, id
quoque genus * nutriendum est. Quod etiam nos
facere censemus, non quia magni sit fructus, sed quia
minimi oneris. Attamen praestat ex se pullos atque
plumam, quam non, ut in ovibus lanam, semel
demetere, sed bis anno, vere et autumno vellere licet.
Atque ob has quidem causas, si permittit locorum
conditio, vel paucos utique oportet educare, singulis-
que maribus ternas feminas destinare. Nam propter
gravitatem plures inire non possunt. Quinetiam
intra cohortem, ut protecti sint, secretas singulis

^ adventum SAac : adventu edd,
* silentibus ac : om. 8 A.
^ rerum SA : tenerum ac.

386

BOOK VIII. XIII. 1-3

XIII. I now come to those birds which the Greeks Amphibious
call " amphibious," because they require not only food
produced from the earth but also that which comes
from the water, and have accustomed themselves
quite as much to standing water as to the land. Of
this type of bird the goose is particularly acceptable
to farmers, because it does not demand very much
attention and keeps watch more cleverly than a dog,
since by its cackling it betrays the presence of any- 2
one who is lying in wait, just as (so history has in-
formed us) when during the siege of the Capitol it
was the goose which loudly announced the approach
of the Gauls while the dogs kept silence. The
goose, however, cannot be kept everywhere, an
opinion which Celsus expresses with much truth
when he says : " A goose cannot easily be maintained
v/ithout plenty of water and plenty of grass and is not
profitable in closely planted land because it plucks
at anything which it can reach ; but wherever there 3
is a river or a lake and an abundance of grass and
there are not sown crops too near at hand, this kind
of bird also should be reared." We, furthermore, are
in favour of keeping geese not because it brings a
large profit but because it gives very little trouble.
Yet it produces goslings and feathers ; the latter
you may gather not merely once a year, like wool
from sheep, but you can pluck twice, in spring and
in autumn. Indeed for these reasons, if local con-
ditions permit, you should rear at any rate a few
geese and assign three female birds to one male ; for
because of their weight they cannot couple with
more. Moreover, so that they may have protection,
separate goose pens should be made for each inside

* id quoque genus ac : om. SA.

3«7

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

haras faceret oportet,^ in quibus cubitent et fetus
ubi edant.

XIV. Qui vero greges nantium possidere student,
chenoboscia ^ constituunt,^ quae turn demum vige-
bunt, si fuerint ordinata ratione tali. Cohors ab omni
cetero pecore secreta clauditur alta novem pedum
maceria, porticibusque circumdata, ita ut in aliqua
parte sit cella custodis. Sub porticibus deinde
quadratae harae ^ caementis vel etiam laterculis
extruuntur : quas singulas satis est habere quoquo-
versus pedes ternos, et aditus singulos firmis ostiolis
munitos : quia per fetui'am diligenter claudi debent.

2 Extra villam deinde non longe ab aedificio si est
stagnum vel flumen, alia non quaeratur aqua : sin
aliter, lacus piscinaque manu fiant, ut sint quibus
inurinare possint aves. Nam sine isto primordio non
magis quam sine terreno recte vivere queunt.^
Palustris quoque,* sed herbidus ager destinetur,
atque alia pabula conserantur, ut vicia, trifolium,
faenum Graecum, sed praecipue genus intubi, quod
aeptv ' Graeci appellant. Lactucae quoque in hunc
usum semina vel maxime serenda sunt, quoniam et
mollissimum est olus, et libentissime ab his avibus
appetitur. Turn etiam puUis utilissima est esca,

3 Haec cum praeparata sunt, curandum est, ut mares
feminaeque quam amplissimi corporis et albi coloris

^ quinetiam — oportet Schneider : quin et etiam in rutectis
circa chortem secretis angulis haras (aras A) facere <S^ : quin
etiam intra cohortem protecti sint secretis anglis haras
facere a : intra cohortem pretecti secretis angulis raras
facere c.

^ chenoboscia nam A : XHNOBOC nam S : om. ac.

' statuunt A.

* harae Aa : are c : habere S.

* quemit ac : nequeunt SA. * quodque S.

388

BOOK VIII. XIII. 3-xiv. 3

the poultry-yard " in which they can rest and where
they can lay their eggs.

XIV. Those who desire to possess flocks of swimming The housing
birds establish goose-pens, which then will flourish of geeS."^
only if they are arranged in the following manner.
A yard remote from any other livestock is enclosed
by a wall nine feet high and surrounded by porticos
so arranged that the keeper's hut may be in some
part of them. Then under the porticos square pens
are built of unhewn stones or even small bricks. It is
enough if each pen measures three feet each way and
has a single entrance fitted with strong little doors,
because the pens ought to be kept shut when the
geese are laying or sitting. If there is a pool or river 2
outside the farm and not far from the building, no
other water need be looked for ; otherwise a lake
and fish-pond should be artificially constructed, so
that the geese may have water into which to dive ;
for they can no more live properly without the
element of water than they can without the element
of earth. A marshy field too which is also grassy
should be set aside for them, and other foods be sown
such as vetch, trefoil, fenugreek and above all the
kind of endive which the Greek call serisfi Lettuce
seeds in particular should also be sown for this pur-
pose, since it is a very tender vegetable and is also
much sought after by these birds ; also it is a very
useful food for goslings.

Having made all these preparations, you must take 3
care that the male and female birds which you choose
are of the largest possible size and of a white colour ;

" The text here is uncertain but the meaning is clear.
» Dioscorides, II. 132.

' aepiv edd. : caepim 8 : cepi A : om. ac.

389

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

eligantur. Nam est aliud genus varium, quod a fero
mitigatum domesticum factum est. Id neque aeque
fecundum est, nee tam pretiosum : propter quod

4 minime nutriendum est. Anseribus admittendis
tempus aptissimum est a bruma ; mox ad pariendum,
et ad incubandum a Calen. Februariis vel Martiis
usque ad solstitium, quod fit ultima parte mensis
lunii. Ineunt autem non, ut priores aves, de quibus
diximus, insistentes humi : nam fere in flumine aut
piscinis id faciunt : singulaeque ter anno pariunt, si
prohibeantur fetus suos excudere,^ quod magis

5 expedit, quam quurft ipsae suos fovent. Nam et a
gallinis melius enutriuntur, et longe maior grex
efficitur. Pariunt autem singulis fetibus ova, primo
quina, sequenti quaterna, novissimo terna : quern
partum nonnulli permittunt ipsis matribus educare,
quia reliquo tempore anni vacaturae sunt a fetu.
Minime autem concedendum est feminis extra
saeptum parere, sed cum videbuntur sedem quaerere,
comprimendae sunt atque tentandae. Nam si
appropinquant partus, digito tanguntur ova, quae

6 sunt in prima parte locorum genitalium. Quam-
obrem perduci ad haram debent, includique ut fetum
edant : idque singulis semel fecisse satis est, quoniam
unaquaeque recurrit eodem, ubi primo peperit.
Sed novissimo fetu cum volumus ipsas incubare,
notandi erunt uniuscuiusque partus, ut suis matribus

^ oxcudore codd. : excludere edd.
39°

BOOK VIII. XIV. 3-6

for there is another kind which is of various colours
and, originally wild, has been tamed and become a
domestic bird, but it is not so prolific and commands
a lower price, and so should certainly not be reared. 4
The most suitable time for coupling geese is from the
height of winter onwards, and then for laying eggs
and sitting on them from the first of February or
March until the summer solstice, which falls in the
last part of the month of June. They couple not
standing on the ground, like the birds of whom we
dealt before, but generally in a river or pond ; and
each hen-bird lays a clutch of eggs three times a year
if prevented from hatching them out, which is a better
plan than if they sit on their own eggs ; for the young 5
are better reared by ordinary hens and also the
result is a much larger flock. At each laying they
produce the following numbers of eggs, at the first
five, at the next four and at the last three. Some
people allow the geese themselves to rear the last
clutch, because for the rest of the year they will be
taking a holiday from laying. The female birds
must not on any account be allowed to lay outside
the enclosure, but, when they seem to be looking for
a nesting-place, they must be stopped and must be
examined ; for if they are near laying, the eggs, which
are in the nearest part of the genital organs, can be
felt with the finger. Wherefore they ought to be 6
taken to the goose-pen and shut up there so that they
may lay their eggs ; and it is enough to have done
this once with each of them since every one of them
returns to the place where it first laid an egg. But,
after the last laying, when we wish the geese
themselves to sit, the eggs of each Avill have to be
marked so that they may be put under those which

391

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

subiciantur: quoniam negatur anser aliena ex-
cudere ova, nisi subiecta sua quoque habuerit.
Supponuntur autem gallinis huius generis ova, sicut
pavonina, plurima quinque, paucissima tria : ipsis

7 autem anseribus paucissima vii, plurima xv. Sed
custodiri debet, ut ovis subiciantur herbae urticarum,
quo quasi remedio medicantur, ne noceri possit
excusis ^ anserculis, quos enecant urticae, si teneros
pupugerint. Pullis autem formandis excudendisque
triginta diebus opus est, cum sunt frigora : nam
tepidis XXV satis est. Saepius tamen anser trigesimo

8 die nascitur, Atque is dum exiguus est, decern
primis diebus pascitur in hara clausus ^ cum matre :
postea cum serenitas permittit, producitur in prata,
et ad piscinas. Cavendumque est, ne aut aculeis
urticae compungatur, aut esuriens mittatur in
pascuum : sed ante concisis intubis vel lactucae foliis
saturetur. Nam si est adhuc parum firmus indigens
ciborum pervenit in pascuum, fruticibus aut solidi-
oribus herbis obluctatur ita pertinaciter, ut collum
abrumpat. Milium quoque aut etiam triticum
mixtum cum aqua recte praebetur. Atque ubi
paulum se confirmavit, in gregem coaequalium
compellitur, et hordeo alitur : quod et matricibus

9 praebere non inutile est. Pullos autem non expedit
plures in singulas haras quam vicenos adici ; nee
rursus omnino cum maioribus includi, quoniam vali-

^ excusis edd. : excussis codd.
* clausus ac : clauaum SA.

392

BOOK VIII. XIV. 6-9

laid them ; for it is said that a goose does not hatch
another's eggs unless she has some of her own also
beneath her. Goose eggs, like those of peahens,
are put under ordinary hens, the maximum numbers
being five and the minimum three, whereas a mini-
mum of seven and a maximum of fifteen are put
under the geese themselves. But care must be 7
taken, when stalks of nettle (which are used as a
remedy to cure disease) are placed under the eggs,
that they may not possibly hurt the goslings when
they are hatched ; for nettles kill them if they sting
them when they are quite young. Thirty days are
required for the forming and hatching of the goslings
when the weather is cold ; for when it is warm,
twenty-five days are enough, but more often the
gosling is hatched on the thirtieth day. While it is 8
quite small, for the first ten days it is shut up with
its mother in the pen and fed there ; afterwards,
when calm weather allows, it is taken out into the
meadows and to the ponds. Care must be taken
that it is not stung by the prickles of the nettle or
sent out hungry to pasture, but that it has had its
fill beforehand of chopped endive or lettuce leaves ;
for if it is still not very strong and arrives hungry at
the pasture-ground, it struggles so persistently with
shrubs or the tougher plants that it breaks its neck.
It is also well to provide it with millet or even wheat
mixed with water. When it has become a little
stronger, it is driven out to join a flock of birds of its
own age and fed on barley, the provision of which for
laying geese also is not without advantage. It is not 9
expedient to assign more than twenty goslings to each
goose-pen, nor, again, must they be shut up at all
with birds older than themselves, since the stronger

393

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

dior enecat infirmum. Cellas, in quibus incubitant,
siccissimas esse oportet, substratasque habere paleas :
vel si eae non sunt, crassissimum ^ quodque ^ faenum.
Cetera eadem, quae in aliis generibus pullorum
servanda sunt, ne coluber, ne vipera, felesque, aut
etiam mustela possit aspirare : quae fere pernicies
ad internecionem prosternunt teneros.

10 Sunt qui hordeum maceratum incubantibus appo-
nant, nee patiantur matrices saepius nidum relinquere.
Deinde pullis excusis primis quinque diebus polentam
vel maceratum far,^ sicut pavonibus obiciunt. Non-
nulli etiam viride nasturtium consectum minutatim
cum aqua praebent, eaque eis est esca iucundissima.*
Mox ubi quattuor mensium facti sunt, farturae
maximus quisque destinatur, quoniam tenera aetas
praecipue habetur ad hanc rem aptissima : et est

11 facilis harum avium sagina : ^ nam praeter polentam
et pollinem ter die nihil sane aliud dari necesse est,
dummodo large bibendi potestas fiat, nee vagandi
facultas detur, sintque calido et tenebricoso loco :
quae * res ad creandas adipes multum conferunt.
Hoc modo duobus mensibus pinguescunt etiam

^ crassissimum SA : gratissimum ac.

' quodque edd. : quoque codd.

^ maceratum far ac : carata fari S : caratam farris A.

394

BOOK VIII. XIV. 9-1 1

kills the weaker. The coops in which they sleep
must be very dry and have chaff spread on the floor,
or, if this is not available, the coarsest possible hay.
For the rest, the same precautions must be taken as
for other kinds of young birds to prevent a grass-snake
or a viper or a cat or even a weasel from being able
to catch them ; for these pestilential creatures
generally lay them low and destroy them while they
are young and tender.

Some people put barley soaked in water by the side 10
of geese which are sitting and do not allow them to
leave the nest too often ; then, when the goslings have
been hatched, for the first five days they put before
them pearl-barley or meal soaked in water, as they
also give to peahens. Others give them green cress
cut up very small with water — a food which is very
agreeable to them. Then Avhen they have become
four months old, all the biggest goslings are set aside
for fattening, since a tender age is regarded as
especially suitable for this process. Indeed the
cramming of these birds is an easy matter; for 11
besides pearl-barley and wheat-flour three times a
day, absolutely nothing else need be given them,
provided that they have facilities for drinking
freely and are not allowed to wander about and
are kept in a warm, shady place ; for all these
precautions contribute greatly to the formation of
fat. In this manner even the older birds grow
fat in two months, for the tenderest young brood

* iocundissima ac : iucundissimum SA.

* sagina c : saginam SAa.

* tenebricoso loco quae Ac : tenebroso a : tenebricosolo
quoque S.

395

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

maiores. Nam tenerrima pullities ^ saepe xl diebus
opima 2 redditur.

XV. Nessotrophii cura similis, sed maior impensa
est. Nam clausae pascuntur anates, querquedulae,
boscides, phalerides,^ similesque volucres, quae stagna
et paludes rimantur. Locus planus eligitur, isque
munitur sublimiter pedum quindecim maceria :
deinde clatris superpositis, vel grand! macula retibus
contegitur, ne aut evolandl sit potestas domesticis
avibus, aut aquilis vel accipitribus involandi. Sed ea
tota maceries opere tectorio levigatur extra intraque,

2 ne feles, aut viverra perrepat. Media ^ deinde parte
nessotrophii lacus defoditur in duos pedes altitu-
dinis, spatiumque longitudini ^ datur et latitudini
quantum loci ^ conditio permittit.

3 Ora lacus ne corrumpantur violentia restagnantis
undae, quae semper influere debet, opere signino
consternuntur, eaque non in gradus oportet erigi,
sed paulatim clivo subsidere, ut tamquam e litore
descendatur in aquam. Solum autem stagni per
circuitum, quod sit instar modi totius duarum partium,
lapidibus inculcatis ac ' tectorio muniendum est, ne
possit herbas evomere, praebeatque nantibus aquae *

^ pinguescunt etiam maiores. Nam tenerrima pullities
Schneider : pinguescunt etiara patriminam pullities SA :
pinguescunt etiam propter nimiam pullutiem (polliciem c) a.

^ opima edd. : optima codd.

' phalerides edd. : plargides S : philagrides ac : om. A.

* media ac : medio SA.

* longitudini edd. : longitudinis codd.

* loci ac : locis SA.
' ac ac : ad SA.

* ad quam a : aquae c : aquam S : ad aquam A.

" The text of this passage is undoubtedly corrupt.
Schneider's restoration certainly gives the right sense, since

BOOK VIII. XIV. ii-xv. 3

is often brought to a plump condition in forty-
days."

XV. A place for rearing ducks requires similar Ducks.
attention but is more costly. For mallard, teal,
pochard and coots and similar birds, which root
about in pools and marshes, can be kept in captivity.
A level space is chosen and is provided with a wall
fifteen feet high; then it is covered in by having
lattice-work or nets of a large mesh placed over it,
so that there may be no opportunity for the tame
birds to fly away or for eagles or hawks to fly in.
The whole of the wall is made smooth by plastering 2
it inside and outside, so that no cat or ferret may creep
through it. Then in the middle of the duck-yard a
pond is dug, two feet deep, and as much space is
assigned to its length and width as the local conditions
permit.

The edges of the pond are paved with plaster, so 3
that they may not be damaged by the violence of the
water when it overflows (for it ought to be always
running in), and they should not be raised in the
form of steps but should slope down gradually, so
that there may be an easy descent as if from the
shore into the water. The floor of the pond along
the circumference to the extent of aljout two- thirds of
its whole dimension must be constructed with stones
well rammed down and plaster, so that it may not be
able to put forth any vegetation and may keep the
surface of the water clear for the fowls which swim

the passage is imitated by Palladius, R.R., Chapter XXX :
melius jAnguescimt in ienera aetate. Polenta dabitur in die ter.
Large vagari liceniia prohibetur. Loco obscuro claudentur et
calido. Sic maiores etiam secundo mense pinguescunt ; nam
parvuli saefe die irigesimo.

397

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

4 puram superficiem. Media rursus terrena pars esse
debet, ut colocasiis conseratur, aliisque familiaribus
aquae ^ viridibus, quae inopacant avium receptacula.
Sunt enim quibus cordi est vel in silvulis tamaricum,
aut scirporum frutectis immorari. Nee ob banc
tamen eausam totus locus silvulis occupetur, sed ut
dixi, per circuitum vacet, ut sine impedimento, cum
apricitate ^ diei gestiunt aves, nandi velocitate con-

5 certent. Nam quemadmodum desiderant esse quo ^
irrepant, et ubi delitescentibus fluvialibus * animali-
bus insidientur, ita oifenduntur, si non sunt libera
spatia, qua permeent. Extra lacum deinde per
vicenos undique ^ pedes gramine ripae vestiantur :
sintque post hunc agri modum circa maceriam lapide
fabricata et expolita tectoriis pedalia in quadratum
cubilia, quibus innidificent aves : eaque contegantur
intersitis buxeis aut myrteis fruticibus, qui non
excedant altitudinem parietum.

6 Statim deinde perpetuus canaliculus humi de-
pressus construatur, per quem quotidie mixti cum
aqua cibi decurrant : sic enim pabulatur ^ id genus
avium. Gratissima est esca terrestris leguminis
panicum et milium, necnon et hordeum : sed ubi
copia est, etiam glans ac vinacea praebentur. Aqua-
tilis autem cibi si sit facultas, datur cammarus, et

^ atque SAac.

2 apricitate ac : apricitatem SA.

* quo edd. : qui codd.

* fluvialibus SA : fluviaticis ac.

* undique ac : undequi SA.

* pabulatur Aac : ambulatur 8.

" Nelumbium apecioaum, a plant of the lily kind which grows
in the lakes and marshes of Egypt.

BOOK VIII. XV. 3-6

upon it. On the other hand, the middle part of the 4
pond should be made of earth, so that it may be sown
with the Egyptian bean " and other green stuff which
generally grows in the water and provides shade for the
haunts of the waterfowl. Some of them take pleasure
in lingering in little plantations of tamarisk and thickets
of club-rushes. Nevertheless the whole space should
not fortius reason be occupied by little plantations, but,
as I have said, should be left free all round the
circumference, so that, as they are cheered by a
day of sunshine, the water fowl may vie with one
another to see which swims the fastest. For just as 5
they require to be where there are holes into which
they can creep and where they can lie in wait for
fresh-water creatures which are in hiding, so they are
displeased if there are no open spaces in which they
can roam freely. The banks of the pond should be
clothed with grass to a distance of twenty feet all
round and beyond this space round the wall there
should be nest-boxes one foot square made of stone
and covered with a smooth layer of plaster in which
the birds may lay their eggs. These nest-boxes
should be protected by bushes planted between
them of box and myrtle which should not exceed the
walls in height.

Next a continuous channel should be constructed, 6
sunk into the ground, along which the food may be
carried down every day mingling with the water, for
this is how birds of this kind get their food. The
foods grown on dry land which they like best are
panic-grass andmillet and also barley ; but, where there
is abundance of them, acorns and grape-husks are also
provided. If there is food which grows in the water
available, they are given fresh-water crayfish and small

399

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

rivalis alecula, vel si qua sunt incrementi parvi
fluviorum animalia.

7 Tempora concubitus eadem quae ceterae silvestres
alites observant Martii, sequentisque mensis : per
quos festucae ^ surculique in vivariis ^ passim spar-
gendi sunt, ut colligere possint aves, quibus nidos
construant. Sed antiquissimum est, cum quis nesso-
trophion constituere volet, ut praedictarum avium
circa paludes, in quibus plerumque fetant, ova
coUigat, et cohortalibus gallinis subiciat. Sic enim
excussi educatique pulli deponunt ingenia silvestria,
clausique vivariis haud dubitanter progenerant.
Nam si modo captas aves, quae consuevere libero ^
victu, custodiae tradere velis, parere cunctantur in
servitute. Sed de tutela nantium volucrum satis
dictum est.

XVI. Verum opportune, dum meminimus aquati-
lium animalium, ad curam pervenimus piscium,
quorum reditum quamvis alienissimum agricul-
toribus putem (quid enim tarn contrarium est, quam
terrenum fluido ?), tamen non omittam : nam et ha-
rum studia rerum maiores nostri celebraverunt, adeo
quidem, ut etiam dulcibus aquis marinos clauderent *
pisces, atque eadem cura mugilem scarumque ^
nutrirent, qua nunc muraena et lupus educatur.

2 Magni enim aestimabat vetus ilia Romuli et Numae
rustica progenies, si urbanae vitae comparetur
villatica, nulla parte copiarum defici. Quamobrem

^ festucae ac : fetu SA .

* vivariis S : aviariis Aac.
' consuevere libero om. SA.

* dulcibus aquis marinos clauderent edtl. : dulcibus aquibus
a fluviatilis cludent <S^ : duabus aquis fluviales clauderent
a : dulcibus aquis fluviales clauderent c.

400

BOOK VIII. XV. 6-xvi. 2

pickled river-fish and any other river animals which
grow only to a small size.

They observe the same seasons for coupling as other 7
wild birds, namely, March and the following month.
During these months stalks and twigs should be
scattered about everywhere in the bird-pens, so that
the birds may be able to collect them and use them to
build their nests. But it is most important, when
anyone wishes to establish a place for rearing ducks,
to collect the eggs of the said fowls in the region of
the marshes, where they usually lay, and set them
under farm-yard hens. For when they are hatched
and reared in this way they lay aside their wild nature
and undoubtedly breed shut up in the bird-pens.
If you want to hand over to custody birds which have
only just been caught and have been used to a life of
liberty, they are slow to begin to lay in captivity.
But enough has now been said about the care of fowls
which swim.

XVI. In dealing with aquatic animals we come in Fishes.
due course to the management of fishes, the profitable
nature of which, though I regard it as far removed
from the business of farmers — for what things are so
contrary to one another as dry land and water ? — I
will nevertheless not pass over. Our ancestors carried
their zeal for this pursuit to such a pitch that they even
imprisoned salt-water fish in fresh water and fed the
grey mullet and parrot wrasse with the same care with
which the lamprey and the sea-pike are now reared.
The country-bred descendants of Romulus and Numa 2
of old prided themselves greatly on the fact that, if
life on the farm were compared with that in the town,
it did not fall short of it in abundance of any kind ;

* squalumque SAa : scalumque c.

401

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

non solum piscinas, quas ipsi construxerant, fre-
quentabant : sed etiam quos rerum natura lacus
fecerat, convectis marinis seminibus replebant. Inde
Velinus, inde etiam Sabatinus, item Volsiniensis, et
Ciminius lupos auratasque procreaverunt, ac si qua
sunt alia piscium genera dulcis undae tolerantia.

3 Mox istam curam sequens aetas abolevit, et lautitiae
locupletum maria ipsa Neptunumque clauserunt, ut ^
iam turn avorum ^ memoria cii'cumferretur Marcii
Philippi velut urbanissimum, quod erat luxuriosi ^
factum atque dictum. Nam is forte Casini cum apud
hospitem cenaret, appositumque e vicino flumine
lupum degustasset atque expuisset, improbum
factum dicto prosecutus : Peream, inquit, nisi piscem

4 putavi. Hoc igitur periurium multorum subtiliorem
fecit gulam, doctaque et erudita palata fastidire
docuit fluvialem lupum, nisi quern Tiberis adverse
torrente defatigasset. Itaque Terentius Varro :
Nullus est, inquit, hoc saeculo nebulo,^ ac minthon,^
qui non iam dicat, nihil sua interesse, utrum eiusmodi

5 piscibus, an ranis frequens habeat vivarium. Ac
tamen iisdem temporibus, quibus banc memorabat
Varro luxuriem, maxime laudabatur severitas Catonis,
qui nihilo minus et ipse tutor Luculli grandi acre

1 lit edd. : et ac : om. SA .

* avorum ac : quorum 8 A.

' luxuriosi scripsi : luxuriose SAa : luxuriosissime c.

* nebulus ac : nebullus SA.
5 minthon ac : mintho SA.

' The Lago di Piedi di Luco in Umbria.
^ The Lago Bracciano about 35 miles N.W. of Rome.
« The Lago di Bolseno about 70 miles N.W. of Rome.
"* The Lago di Vico near Viturbo about 45 miles N.W. of
Rome.

402

BOOK VIII. XVI. 2-5

they, therefore, not only stocked the fish-ponds which
they had themselves constructed, but also filled the
lakes which nature had formed, with fish-spawn
brought from the sea. Hence the Veline " and
Sabatine ^ lakes, also the Volsinian " and Ciminian <*
lakes produced basse and gilt-head, and all the fishes
to be found anywhere which can live in fresh water.
Then an age followed which abandoned this method 3
of keeping fish and the extravagance of the wealthy
enclosed the vexy seas and Neptune himself, so that
within the memory of our grandfathers the action
and speech of Marcius Philippus * M^as on everyone's
lips as being very witty, whereas it was the action
and speech of a luxurious man. For once when he
happened to be dining at a friend's house at Casinum,/
and after having tasted a pike from a neighbouring
river which was set before him had spit it out, he
followed this opprobrious action with the words :
" Plague take me if I did not think that it was a
fish." This oath caused many people to put more 4
refinement into their gluttony and has taught learned
and educated palates to loathe the basse unless
it were one which had been wearied by struggling
against the current of the Tiber. Therefore Terentius
Varro says : 9 There is no paltry or foppish fellow in
these days who does not now declare that he cares not
whether he has a fish-pond crowded with this sort of
fish or with frogs. Yet in the very times to which 5
Varro ascribed this luxury, the austerity of Cato was
highly commended, who, nevertheless, himself as the
guardian of Lucullus sold his ward's fish-ponds for the

* This story is borrowed from Varro, R.R. III. 3. 9.

/ The modem Monte Cassino in the north of Campagna.

» Loc. cit.

403

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

sestertium ^ milium quadringentorum piscinas pu-
pilli sui venditabat. lam enim celebres erant
deliciae popinales, cum ad mare deferrentur^ vivaria,
quorum studiosissimi, velut ante devictarum gentium
Numantinus et Isauricus, ita Sergius Orata, et
Licinius Muraena captorum piscium laetabantur
vocabulis.

6 Sedquoniam sic mores occalluere, non ut haec usita-
ta, verum ut maxime laudabilia et honesta iudicaren-
tur,nos quoque ne videamur tot seculorum seri castiga-
tores, hunc etiam quaestum villaticum patrisfamilias
demonstrabimus. Qui sive insulas,^ sive maritimos
agros mercatus,* propter exilitatem soli, quae plerum-
que litori vicina est, fructus terrae percipere non

7 poterit,^ ex mari reditum constituat. Huius autem
rei quasi primordium est, naturam loci contemplari,
quo piscinas facere constitueris. Non enim omnibus
litoribus omne genus piscium haberi potest. Limosa
regio planum educat piscem, velut soleam, rhombum,
passerem. Eadem quoque maxime idonea est con-
chyliis : ^ purpurarum muricibus, turn concharum

8 ostreis,' pectunculis, balanis, vel sphondylis.^ At
arenosi gurgites pianos quidem non pessime,^ sed

^ sestertium Aac : sestertiis S.

* defertur SA : deferantur ac.

' insulas ac : in insula S^. '' mercatus a : mercatur 5^.

* precipere non potuerit ac : percipuerit ut SA.

* conchiliis ac : conciliis SA.

' Warmington : muricibus et ostreis, purpurarumque turn
conchariam prior, edd.

* pectuncuii, balani vel sphondili codd.

* pessime a : spessime S : spissime A : prozime c.

" Scipio Africanus Minor. * P. Servilius Vatia.

' According to Pliny, IX. § 168, Sergius Orata established
the first oyster-beds at Baiae near Naples.
404

BOOK VIII. XVI. 5-8

immense sum of 400,000 sesterces. For culinary
delicacies were already in great demand when fish-
ponds were made to communicate with the sea and,
just as at an earlier date Numantinus <* and Isauricus ^
rejoiced in names taken from conquered nations,
so Sergius Orata (goldfish) " and Licinius Muraena
(lamprey),*^ who made fish-ponds their chief interest,
rejoiced in the names of the fish they had captured.

But since men's moral sense has become so blunted 6
that such behaviour is reckoned not only as customary
but also as highly laudable and honourable, we too,
lest we should seem to be only out-of-date critics of
so many past generations, will show that the fish-
pond is also a source of profit which the head of a
household can gain from his country estate. He who
has bought either islands or land near the sea and is
unable, owing to the poverty of the soil which is
generally found near the coast, to gather the fruits
of the earth, should establish a source of revenue
from the sea. The first step in this direction is to 7
examine the nature of the ground where you have
decided to construct your fish-ponds, for every kind of
fish cannot be kept on every coast. A muddy stretch
of shore is the place for rearing flat fish, such as the
sole, the turbot and the flounder ; « it is also
very suitable for testaceous animals : of purple-
producing shell-fish, the true purple fish ; and
also, of other molluscs, the oyster, small scallops,
barnacles or sphondyliJ But the sandy whirlpools are 8
not bad feeding-grounds for flat-fish — better, however,

** Licinius Muraena according to Pliny [loc. cit. § 170)
invented fish-ponds for all sorts of fish.

' Or dab; the identification is doubtful.

f Apparently another kind of mussel, perhaps spondylus
gaedaropus.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

pelagios melius pascunt, ut auratas ac dentices,
Punicasque et indigenas umbras : verum conchyliis
minus apti. llursus optime saxosum mare nominis
sui pisces nutrit, qui scilicet, quod in petris stabulen-
tur, saxatiles dicti sunt, ut merulae turdique, nee mi-
9 nus melanuri. Atque ut litorum sic et fretorum
difFerentias nosse oportet, ne nos alienigenae pisces
decipiant. Non enim omni mari potest omnis esse,
ut helops, qui Pamphilio prof undo nee alio pascitur:
ut Atlantico faber, qui et generosissimis piscibus
adnumeratur, in nostro Gadium municipio eumque
prisca consuetudine ^ zeum appellamus : ut scarus,
qui totius Asiae Graeciaeque litoribus Sicilia tenus
frequentissimus exit, nunquam in Ligusticum, nee
10 per Gallias enavit ad Hibericum mare. Itaque ne si
capti quidem perferantur in nostra vivaria, diuturni
queant possideri. Sola ex pretiosis piscibus muraena,
quamvis Tartesii Carpathiique pelagi, quod est
ultimum, vernacula,^ quovis hospes freto peregrinum
mare sustinet. Sed iam de situ piscinarum dicen-
dum est.

XVII. Stagnum censemus eximie optimum, quod
sic positum est, ut insequens maris unda priorem
submoveat, nee intra conseptum sinat remanere
veterem. Namque id simillimum est pelago, quod
agitatum ventis assidue renovatur, nee concalescere
potest : quoniam gelidum ab imo fluctum revoMt in

1 consuetudine Aac : consuetudinem S.
* vemacuia c : vemaculo SAa.

" Oblata melanurua.

'' Off the S. coast of Asia Minor,

' Between Corsica and the Italian Riviera.

** I.e. Gallia Cisalpina and Gallia Transalpina.

* Between Spain and the Balearic Islands.

406

BOOK VIII. XVI. 8-xvii. I

for deep-sea fish such as gilt-head and sea-braize
^nd the Carthaginian and our own Itahan maigres,
but they are less suitable for shell-fish. On the other
hand a rocky sea provides excellent nourishment for
fishes which bear its name, that is, are called rock-
fish because they find shelter among the rocks, such
as merles and wrasse and likewise " black tails." <*
We must also know the different qualities both of 9
shores and of seas, lest we be deceived about foreign
fish ; for every fish cannot exist in every sea, the
sturgeon for example, which feeds in the depths of
the Pamphylian Sea '' and nowhere else, and the dory
in the Atlantic which in our municipality of Gades is
numbered amongst the noblest of fishes and which
by an ancient custom we call srew^, and the parrot wrasse
which is produced in great numbers on the coasts of
the whole of Asia Minor and Greece as far as Sicily
but has never swum into the Ligurian " sea nor past
the Gauls ** into the Iberian Sea ; * therefore, even if 10
they were captured and conveyed to our fish-ponds,
they could not long remain in our possession. Alone
of the valuable fish the lamprey, although a native
of the Tartessian and the Carpathian Sea, which is
very far away, in whatever sea it finds itself a guest
can thrive in strange waters. But the time has
come to speak of the situation of fish-ponds.

XVII. We consider that incomparably the best Fish-ponds.
pond is one which is so situated that the incoming
tide of the sea expels the water of the previous tide
and does not allow any stale water to remain within
the enclosure ; for a pond most resembles the open
sea if it is stirred by the winds and its waters con-
stantly renewed and it cannot become warm, because
it keeps rolling up a wave of cold water from the

■407

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

partem superiorem. Id autem stagnum vel excidi-
tur ^ in petra, cuius rarissima est occasio, vel in litore

2 construitur opere signino. Sed utcunque fabrica-
tum est, si semper influente gurgite riget, habere ^
debet specus iuxta solum, eorumque alios simplices,
et rectos, quo secedant squamosi greges, alios in
cochleam retortos, nee nimis spatiosos, in quibus
muraenae delitescant ; quamquam nonnullis com-
misceri eas cum alterius notae piscibus non placet :
quia si rabie vexantur, quod huic generi velut canino
solet accidere, saepissime persequuntur squamosos,

3 plurimosque mandendo consumunt; itineraque, si
loci natura permittit, omni lateri piscinae dari con-
venit. Facilius enim vetus submovetur unda, cum
quacunque parte fluctus urget, per adversam patet
exitus. Hos autem meatus fieri censemus per imam
consepti partem, si loci situs ita competit, ut in solo
piscinae posita libella septem pedibus sublimius esse
maris aequor ostendat : nam piscibus stagni haec in
altitudinem gurgitis mensura abunde est. Nee
dubium, quin quanto magis imo mari venit unda,
tanto sit frigidior, quod est aptissimum nantibus.

4 Sin autem locus, ubi vivarium constituere censemus,
pari libra cum aequore maris est, in pedes novem
defodiatur piscina, et infra duos a ^ summa parte
cuniculis rivi perducantur ; curandumque est, ut

^ exciditur ac : excitur SA. * haberi SAac.

* a oc : ad SA.

' Cf. Plautus, Bud. 4. 3. 5.
408

BOOK VIIL XVII. 1-4

bottom to the uppermost part. The pond is either
hewn in the rock, which only rarely occurs, or built
of plaster on the shore ; but in whatever way it is 2
constructed, if it is kept cold by the swirl of water
which is constantly flowing in, it ought to contain
recesses near the bottom, some of them simple and
straight to which the " scaly flocks " " niay retire,
others twisted into a spiral and not too wide, in
which the lampreys may lurk. Some people, however,
hold that lampreys should not be mixed with fishes
of another kind, because, if they are seized with
madness, which sometimes happens to this sort of fish
just as it happens to dogs, they very often pursue
their scaly companions and chew them up and devour
great numbers of them. If the nature of the ground 3
permits, channels should be provided for the water
on every side of the fish-pond ; for the old water is
more easily carried away if there is an outlet on the
side opposite to that from which the wave forces its
way in. We are of opinion that these passages, if
the lie of the ground is suitable, should be made
along the lowest part of the enclosure, so that a
plummet placed on the bottom of the pond may
show that the level of the sea is seven feet higher ;
for this measurement in the depth of the water is
fully enough for the fish in the pond, and there is no
doubt that, the greater the depth of the sea from
which the water comes, the colder it is, and this suits
the swimming fishes very well. But if the place 4
where we think of constructing the fish-pond is on
a level with the surface of the sea, the pond should be
excavated to the depth of nine feet, and two feet
below the top streams of water should be conducted
along small channels, and care must be taken that

409

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

largissime veniant, quoniam modus ille aquae iacentis
infra libram maris non aliter exprimitur, quam si

5 maior recentis freti vis incesserit. Multi putant in
eiusmodi stagnis longos ^ piscibus recessus et flexu-
osos in lateribus specus esse fabricandos, quo sint
opaciores aestuantibus latebrae. Sed si recens mare
non semper stagnum permeat, id facere contrarium
est. Nam eiusmodi receptacula nee facile novas
admittunt aquas, et difficulter veteres emittunt :
plusque nocet putris unda, quam prodest opacitas.

6 Debent tamen similes velut cellae parietibus ex-
cavari, ut sint, quae protegant refugientes ardorem
solis, et nihilominus facile, quam conceperint aquam,
remittant. Verum meminisse oportebit, ut rivis, per
quos exundat piscina, praefigantur ^ aenei foramini-
bus exiguis cancelli, quibus impediatur fuga piscium.
Si vero laxitas permittit, e litore scopulos, qui prae-
cipue verbenis ^ algae vestiuntur, non erit alienum
per stagni spatia disponere, et quantum comminisci
valet hominis ingenium, repraesentare faciem maris,

7 ut clausi quam minime custodiam sentiant. Hac
ratione stabulis ordinatis aquatile pecus inducemus ;
sitque nobis antiquissimum meminisse etiam in
fluviatili negotio, quod in terreno praecipitur : Et

1 longos ac : longis SA.

* praeficantur <S : praeficentur A : prefingetur a : prae-
figentur c.

^ verbenis algae ac : velvenis algae S : velvenis ac leve
A.

" It is doubtful whether verbenis can bear the meaning of
" vegetation " in general and the reading is perhaps wrong.

410

BOOK VIII. XVII. 4-7

the flow is very abundant, since the quantity of
water which hes below the level of the sea is only
forced out by the greater violence of the fresh sea
water rushing in. Many people think that in the 5
sides of ponds of this kind deep recesses and winding
caves should be constructed for the fishes, so that
there may be shadier places of retreat for them when
they feel the heat. But if a change of sea water is
not continually passing through the pond, the result
is to cause a contrary condition, for lurking-places of
this kind do not easily admit a change of water and
only with difficulty get rid of the stale water, and
more harm results from the putrid water than bene-
fit from the shade. There ought, however, to be 6
excavated in the sides of the pond what may be de-
scribed as a series of similar cells which may serve to
protect the fish when they want to avoid the heat of
the sun and yet at the same time let the water, which
they have received, easily flow out again. It will be
well to remember that gratings made of brass with
small holes should be fixed in front of the channels
through which the fish-pond pours out its waters, to
prevent the fish from escaping. If space allows, it
will not be amiss to place in various parts of the pond
rocks from the sea-shore, especially those which are
covered with bunches of sea-weed * and, as far as the
wit of man can contrive, to represent the appearance
of the sea, so that, though they are prisoners, the fish
may feel their captivity as little as possible.

Having arranged " stalls " for them on this 7
principle, we shall introduce our " water flock " into
it, and it should be our prime concern to recall also in
our dealings with rivers the advice given for our
business with dry land : " And consider well what every

4"

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

quid quaeque ferat regio.^ Neque enim si velimus,
ut in mari non nunquam conspeximus, in vivario
multitudinem mullorum ^ pascere queamus, cum sit
moUissimum genus, et servitutis indignantissimum.

8 Raro itaque unus aut alter de multis milibus claustra
patitur : at contra frequenter animadvertimus intra
septa pelagios greges, inertis mugilis et rapacis lupi.
Quare, ut proposueram, qualitatem litoris nostri
contemplemur ; et si videmus scopulosam, probemus.
Turdi complura genera, merulasque et avidas mus-
telas, turn etiam sine macula (nam sunt et varii)
lupos includemus, item plautas,^ quae maxime pro-
bantur, muraenas, et si quae sunt aliae saxatilis
notae, quarum pretia vigent. Nam vile ne captare
quidem, nedum alere conducit. Possunt ista eadem

9 genera etiam litoris arenosi stagnis contineri. Nam
quae limo caenoque lita sunt,^ ut ante iam dixi, con-
chy liis magis et iacentibus apta sunt animalibus.
Neque est eadem lacus positio, quae recipit cubantes :
neque ^ eadem praebentur cibaria prostratis piscibus
et rectis.* Namque soleis ac rhombis et similibus
animalibus humilis in duos pedes piscina deprimitur
in ea parte litoris, quae profundi recessu ' nunquam

10 destituitur. Spissi deinde clatri marginibus in-
figuntur, qui super aquam semper emineant, etiam
cum maris aestus intumuerit. Mox praeiaciuntur in
gyrum moles, ita ut complectantur sinu suo, et tamen
excedant stagni modum. Sic enim et maris atrocitas

1 post regio add. SA : oportet si quis in eo.

* mnlorum coM.

* plautas SA (= Greek TrAcora?) : flutas ac.

* lita sunt S : litescunt Aac. ^ atque SAac.

* rectis iSA : erectis ac.

' profundo recessu c : frondi recensu A : frondi recessu
S : frondi recente a.

412

BOOK VIII. XVII. 7-10

place will bear." For we cannot, if we should wish
to do so, feed in a fish-pond a multitude of red mullet,
such as we have very often seen in the sea, since it
is a very delicate kind of fish and most intolerant of
captivity, and so only one or two out of many 8
thousands can on rare occasions endure confinement,
while, on the contrary, we frequently notice in closed
watei-s shoals of those deep-sea fish : the sluggish
grey mullet and the greedy basse. Therefore, as I
have already suggested, let us consider the quality
of our sea-shore and, if we find it rocky, let us be
content with it. We shall imprison in our ponds
several kinds of wrasse and sea-merles and greedy
sea-weasels and also basse which have no spots
(for there is also a mottled kind), also floating
lampreys, which are much esteemed, and any other
lampreys of the rock-dwelling kind which command
a high price ; for it does not pay to catch, much less
to keep, anything which is cheap. These same kinds 9
of fish can also be kept in ponds on a sandy shore ;
for shores which are covered with slime and mud are,
as I have already said, better suited to shell-fish and
animals which lie at the bottom. A different position
too is required for ponds which harbour those fish
which lie down, nor is the same food provided for
prostrate as for upright fish. For soles and turbots
and similar creatures a shallow pond is sunk two feet
in that part of the shore which is never left high and
dry by ebbing of deep water. Next close barriers 10
are fixed along the edges of the pond, so that they
always stand out of the water even when the tide of
the sea is at its highest; then dams are thrown up
all round so as to encompass the pond in their embrace
and at the same time to rise above its level. For in

413

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

obiectu crepidinis frangitur, et in tranquillo con-
sistens piscis sedibus suis non exturbatur, neque
ipsum vivarium repletur algarum congerie, quam

11 tempestatibus eructat pelagi violentia. Oportebit
autem nonnullis locis moles intercidi more Maeandri
parvis sed angustis itineribus, quae quantalibet
hiemis saevitia mare sine fluctu transmittant.

Esca iacentium mollior esse debet, quam saxatilium,
nam quia dentibus carent, aut lambunt cibos, aut
integros hauriunt, mandere quidem non possunt.

12 Itaque praeberi convenit tabentes aleculas,^ et
salibus exesam chalcidem, putremque sardinam, nee
minus scarorum ^ branchias, vel quicquid intestini
pelamis ^ aut lacertus gerit : turn scombri, carchari-
que et elacata * venti'iculos ^ et ne per singula
enumerem, salsamentorum omnium purgamenta,
quae cetariorum ^ officinis everruntur, Nos autem
plura nominavimus genera, non quia cuncta cunctis
litoribus exeunt, sed ut ex his aliqua, quorum erit

13 facultas, praebeamus. Facit etiam ex pomis viridis
adaperta ficus ; et mitis digitis infractus unedo ; nee
minus elisum molle sorbum, quique sunt cibi sorbilibus
proximi, ut e mulctra recens caseus, si loci conditio
vel lactis annona permittit. Nulla tamen aeque,'
quam praedictae salsurae pabula commode dantur,

^ halleculas ac : halleculam SA.
^ scaurorum ac : aurorum SA.

* pelamis o : pelanus c : palemis SA.

* elacatae edd. : lacte a : lapte SAc.

* venterculos SAac.

* ceterarum SA : ceterum ac.
' aeque ac : quae 8 A.

414

BOOK VIII. XVII. 10-13

this way the violence of the sea is broken by the
ban-iers of a bank, and the fish, keeping in calm water,
are not driven out of their usual haunts nor is the
pond itself filled with a collection of sea-weed which
the force of the sea throws up in stormy weather. ' It 11
will, however, be necessary that cuts should be made
in the moles at some points, forming small but narrow
passages with meandering course, so that, however
fierce a winter storm is raving, they may let the
sea-water pass in without creating a wave.

The diet of flat fish ought to be softer than that of Diet for fish
rock-fish, for, lacking teeth, they either lick up their
food or swallow it whole, being unable to chew it.
It is, therefore, fitting that decaying pilchards or 12
over-salted herrings or rotten sardines, also the gills of
parrot WTasse and any part of the intestines of a
young tunny or lizard-fish, also the entrails of a mack-
erel, a dog-fish or a spindle-fish," and, not to go into
further details, the refuse of any salted fish which is
swept out of fishmongers' shops. We have named
several kinds, not because they are all produced on
every coast, but in order to mention some of those
which it will be possible to provide. Of fruits too the 13
green fig cut open is suitable and a ripe arbutus-berry
crushed by the fingers, likewise a soft sorb-apple
squeezed out and any foods which most closely
resemble things which can be easily swallowed, such
as curds fresh from the milk-pail, if local conditions
and the cheap price of milk make this possible. No
food, however, is so suitable for giving them as the
diet of salt fish already mentioned, since it has a

" The readings of the MSS. give no sense here, but the na me
of a fish is clearly intended and elacatae is suggested by the
reading of a. Warmington suggests elacatenis {■qXaKaTijvos).

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMFXLA

14 quoniam odorata sunt. Omnis enim iacens piscis
magis naribus escam, quam oculis vestigat. Nam
dum supinus semper cubat, sublimiora ^ aspectat, et
ea quae in piano sunt dextra laevaque non facile
pervidet. Itaque cum salsamenta obiecta sunt,
eorum sequens odorem, pervenit ad cibos.

Ceteri autem saxatiles aut pelagici ^ satis ex his,
sed recentibus melius pascuntur. Nam et alecula
modo capta, et cammarus exiguusque gobio, quisquis
denique est incrementi minuti piscis, maiorem alit.

15 Siquando tamen hiemis saevitia non patitur eius
generis escam dari, vel sordidi panis ofFae, vel siqua
sunt temporis poma concisa praebentur. Ficus
quidem arida semper obicitur, eximie si sit, ut
Baeticae Numidiaeque regionibus, larga. Ceterum
illud committi non debet, quod multi faciunt, ut
nihil praebeant, quia semetipsos etiam clausi diu
tolerare possint. Nam nisi piscis domini cibariis
saginatur, cum ad piscatorium ^ forum perlatus est,
macies indicat eum non esse libero mari captum, sed
de custodia elatum, propter quod plui'imum pretio
detrahitur.

16 Atque haec villatica pastio finem praesenti dispu-
tationi * faciat, ne immodico volumine lector ^
fatigetur. Redibimus autem sequenti exordio ad
curam silvestrium pecorum, cultumque apium.

^ sublimiora S : sublimior A : sublimius a : sublimus c.

^ pelasci SA^ : pelasgi A^ : pelagici ac.

* piscatorium edd. : piscatoris SAac.

* disputationi ac : disputationis SA.
® lector S^ac : dolector S^A.

416

BOOK VIII. XVII. 13-16

strong odour ; for every flat fish tracks down its food 14
rather by scent than by sight. For lying constantly
on its back it looks towards what is above it and does
not easily see things which are on a level with itself
on the right or left. When, therefore, salted fish is
put in its way, it follows the scent of it and so reaches
its food.

The other kinds of fish, namely those which live
among the rocks and in the open sea, can quite well
be fed on this diet, but still better on fresh food. For
a newly caught pilchard, crayfish or small goby,
in a word any fish of minute growth serves as food
for a larger fish. If, however, the violence of the 15
winter does not allow this kind of food to be given,
bits of coarse bread or any fruits that are in season
are cut up and given. Dried figs indeed are always
offered to them, an excellent thing to do if they are
abundant as they are in the regions of Baetica and
Numidia. But the mistake ought not to be made,
which many people make, of providing no food at all
on the ground that the fish can maintain themselves
for a long time even when they are shut up ; for
unless a fish is fattened with food provided by its
owner, when it is brought to the fish-market, its
leanness shows that it has not been caught in the
open sea but brought out of a place of confinement,
and on this account a large sum is knocked off the
price.

Let this account of the method of feeding fish on 16
the farm-estate bring our present discourse to a close,
lest the reader be wearied with the immoderate
length of this volume. In the next book we will
return to the management of wild stock and the
culture of bees.

417

VOL. II. p

BOOK IX

LIBER IX

PRAEFATIO

Venio nunc ad tutelam pecudum silvestrium et ^
apium educationem : quas et ipsas, Publi Silvine,
villaticas pastiones iure dixerim ; siquidem mos
antiquus lepusculis capreisque, ac subus feris iuxta
villam plerumque subiecta dominicis habitationibus
ponebat vivaria, ut et conspectu suo clausa ^ venatio
possidentis oblectaret oculos, et cum exegisset usus
epularum, velut e cella promeretur. Apibus quo-
que dabatur ^ sedes adhuc nostra memoria vel in
ipsis villae parietibus excisis, vel in protectis portici-
bus ac pomariis. Quare quoniam tituli, quern prae-
scripsimus huic disputationi, ratio reddita est, ea
nunc quae proposuimus singula persequamur.

I. Ferae pecudes, ut capreoli, damaeque, nee
minus orygum cervorumque genera et aprorum,
modo lautitiis ac voluptatibus dominorum serviunt,
modo quaestui ac reditibus. Sed qui venationem
voluptati suae claudunt, content! sunt, utcunque
competit proximus aedificio loci situs, munire viva-

^ post silvestrium om. et SA.

" suo clausa ac : sui clausa A : sui classa 8.

^ dabantur SAac.

420

BOOK IX

PREFACE

I now come to the care of wild cattle and the Preface.
rearing of bees, which also, Publius Silvinus, I can
j ustly place among creatures which are fed on the farm,
since ancient custom placed parks for young hares,
wild goats and wild boars near the farm, generally
within the view of the owner's dwelling-place, so that
the sight of their being hunted within an inclosure
might delight the eyes of the proprietor and that
when the custom of giving feasts called for game, it
might be produced as it were out of store. Also
within our own memory accommodation for bees was
provided either in holes cut in the actual walls of the
farm-building or in sheltered galleries and orchards.
So, since we have assigned a reason for the title
which we have prefixed to this discourse, let us now
proceed to deal, one by one, with the topics which we
have proposed.

I. Wild creatures, such as roebucks, chamois and wild
also various kinds of antelopes, deer and wild boars creatures.
sometimes serve to enhance the splendour and
pleasure of their owners, and sometimes to bring
profit and revenue. Those who keep game shut up
for their own pleasure are content to construct a
park, on any suitable site in the neighbourhood of

421

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

riuni, semperque de manu cibos et aquam praebere :
qui vero quaestum reditumque desiderant, cum est
vicinum villae nemus (id enim refert non procul esse
ab oeulis domini) sine cunctatione praedictis animali-

2 bus destinant.^ Et si naturalis defuit aqua, vel in-
ducitur 2 fluens, vel infossi lacus signino consternun-
tur, qui receptam pluviatilem contineant.^

Modus silvae pro cuiusque * facultatibus occupatur ;
ac si lapidis et operae vilitas suadeat, haud dubie ^
caementis et calce formatus circumdatur murus : sin

3 aliter, crudo latere ^ ac lute constructus. Ubi vero
neutrum patrifamiliae conducit, ratio postulat
vacerris includi : sic enim appellatur genus clatrorum :
idque fabricatur ex robore querceo, vel subereo.
Nam oleae rara est occasio. Quidquid denique sub
iniuria pluviarum magis diuturnum est, pro condi-
tione regionis ad hunc usum eligitur. Et sive teres '
arboris truncus, sive ut crassitudo postulavit, fissilis
stipes compluribus locis per latus efforatur, et in
circuitu vivarii certis intervenientibus spatiis de-
fixus erigitur : deinde per transversa laterum cava '
transmittuntur ramices, qui exitus ferarum obserent.

4 Satis est autem vacerras inter pedes octonos defigere,
serisque transversis ita clatrare, ne spatiorum laxitas,
quae foraminibus intervenit, pecudi praebeat fugam.
Hoc autem modo licet etiam latissimas regiones
tractusque montium claudere, sicuti Galliarum nec-

^ destinatur SAac.

* si naturalis — inducitur om. S.
' contineant c : contineat SAa.

* pro cuiusque ac : ut pro cuius S : ut pro cuiusque A,

* haud dubie c : id haud dubie a : ita ut dubiis jS^.

* crudo latere c : crudo lateri SA : crudeliter a.
'' teres Gesner : teris SA : veteris ac.

* cuca SA : cavoa ac.

422

BOOK IX. I. 1-4

the farm buildings, and always give them food and
water by hand. Those on the other hand who look
for profit and revenue, when there is a wood near
the farm (for it is important that it should not be far
out of sight of the owner), reserve it without hesita-
tion for the above-mentioned animals, and if there 2
is no natural supply of water, either running-water
is introduced or else ponds are dug and lined with
mortar to receive and hold the rain-water.

The extent of wood involved is in proportion to the
size of each man's property and, if the cheapness of
stone and labour make it advisable, certainly a wall
built with unhewn stone and lime is put round it ;
otherwise it is made with unburnt brick and clay.
When neither of these methods serves the purpose 3
of the master of the house, reason requires that they
should be shut up with a post fence ; for this is the
name given to a certain kind of lattice made of oak
or cork-wood, since olive-wood is only rarely obtain-
able ; in a word, according to local conditions, any
kind of wood is chosen for this purpose which resists
injury from rain better than any other. Whether it
be the round trunk of a tree or cleft into stakes, as its
thickness demands, it has several holes bored through
its side and is erected firmly in the ground at fixed
intervals all round the park ; then bars are put across
through the holes in the sides of the posts to prevent
the passage of the wild beasts. It is enough to fix 4
the posts at intervals of eight feet and to fasten them
to the cross-bars in such a way that the width of
space which occurs where holes are left may not offer
the animals a means of escape. In this manner you
can even enclose very wide regions and tracts of
mountains, as the vast extent of ground permits in

423

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

non et in aliis quibusdam provinciis locorum vastitas
patitur. Nam et fabricandis ingens est vacerris
materiae ^ copia, et cetera in banc rem feliciter
suppetunt ; quippe crebris fontibus abundat solum,

5 quod est maxime praedictis generibus salutare : turn
etiam sua sponte pabula feris benignissime sub-
ministrat ^ praecipueque saltus eliguntur, qui et
terrenis fetibus et arboribus abundant. Nam ut
graminibus ita frugibus roburneis opus est ^ : maxime-
que laudantur, qui sunt feracissimi querneae glandis
et iligneae, nee minus cerrea,* tum ^ et arbuti,
ceterorumque pomorum silvestrium, quae diligen-
tius persecuti sumus, cum de cohortalibus subus
disputaremus. Nam eadem fere sunt pecudum

6 silvestrium pabula, quae domesticarum. Contentus
tamen non debet esse diligens paterfamilias cibis,
quos suapte natura terra gignit, sed temporibus anni,
quibus silvae pabulis carent, condita messe clausis
succurrere, hordeoque alere, vel adoreo farre aut
faba, primumque ® etiam vinaceis, quicquid denique
vilissime constiterit, dare. Idque ut ' intelligant
ferae praeberi, unam vel alteram domi mansue-
factam conveniet immittere, quae pervagata totum
vivarium cunctantes ad obiecta cibaria pecudes

7 perducat. Nee solum istud per hiemis penuriam

^ vacerris materie c : materiae vacerriis 8A : variis materie a.

* subministrat a : -ant SAc.

^ opus est SA : opus habet c : robor est a.

* acerreae SAa : ceree c.

* cum SAac.

* primumque SAa : plurimumque c.
' idque un c : ut SA : itaque ut a.

» Book VII. Chapter 9. § 6 ff.
424

BOOK IX. I. 4-7

the provinces of Gaul and in certain others ; for there
is both a great abundance of timber for making posts
and everything else which is needed for the purpose
is in abundant supply. The soil abounds in frequent 5
springs, which is particularly wholesome for the
above-named kinds of animals ; then too it furnishes
wild creatures with fodder most liberally even of its own
accord. Woodlands are chiefly chosen which abound
in the fruits of the ground and also in trees ; for as
these creatures have need of grass, so too they re-
quire the fruits of oak-trees, and those woods are most
highly commended which are most productive of the
acorn of the ordinary oak and of the evergreen oak
and likewise of the Turkey-oak, also of the fruit of the
strawberry-tree and the other wild fruits which we
described in great detail when we were discussing
farm-yard pigs.* For the fodder of wild cattle is
almost the same as that of domestic animals.

Nevertheless the careful head of a household ought 6
not to be content with the foods which the earth
produces by its own nature, but, at the seasons of the
year when the woods do not provide food, he ought
to come to the help of the animals which he has con-
fined with the fruits of the harvest which he has
stored up, and feed them on barley or wheat-meal or
beans, and especially, too, on grape-husks ; in a
word, he should give them whatever costs the least.
Also in order that the wild creatures may understand
that provision is being made for them, it will be a
good plan to send among them one or two animals
which have been tamed at home, and which, roaming
through the whole park, may direct the hesitating
creatures to the fare offered to them. It is advisable 7
that this should be done not only during the scarce

425

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

fieri expedit, sed cum etiam fetae partus ediderint,
quo melius educant ^ natos. Itaque custos vivarii
frequenter speculari debebit, si iam elFetae sint, ut
manu datis sustineantur frumentis. Nee vero pati-
endus est oryx, aut aper, aliusve quis ferus ultra
quadrimatum senescere. Nam usque in hoc tempus
capiunt incrementa, postea macescunt senectute.
Quare dum viridis aetas pulchritudinem corporis

8 conservat, acre mutandi ^ sunt. Cervus tamen com-
pluribus annis sustineri potest. Nam diu iuvenis
possidetur, quod aevi longioris vitam sortitus est.
De minoris autem incrementi ^ animalibus, qualis est
lepus, haec praecipimus,* ut in iis vivariis, quae
maceria munita sunt, farraginis et olerum, ferae
intubi lactucaeque semina parvulis areolis per diversa
spatia factis iniciantur. Itemque Punicum cicer, vel
hoc vernaculum,^ nee minus hordeum, et cicercula
condita ex horreo promantur, et aqua caelesti
macerata obiciantur. Nam sicca non nimis ab lepus-

9 culis appetuntur. Haec porro animalia vel similia
his, etiam silente me, facile intelligitur, quam non
expediat conferre in vivarium, quod vacerris cir-
cumdatum est : siquidem propter exiguitatem
corporis facile clatris subrepunt, et liberos nactae *
egressus fugam moliuntur.

II. Venio nunc ad alvorum curam, de quibus
neque diligentius quidquam praecipi potest, quam ab

^ educant SA : -ent ac.

2 acre mutandi ac : remutandi A : remuttendi S.

' incrementis SAac.

* praecipiemus SAac.

* vernaculo SAac.

* nacte Aac : nancte 8.

o See Book I. 1. 13 and note.

426

BOOK IX. I. 7-II. I

season of winter but also when those which were with
young have brought them forth, so that they may
rear them better. And so the park-keeper will have
frequently to be on the watch and see if they have
borne their young, in order that their strength may
be sustained by cereals given them by hand. But
neither the antelope nor the wild boar nor any other
wild creature should be allowed to live to a greater
age than four years. For up to that time they
advance in growth, after it they grow old and lean ;
and so they should be turned into cash while a
vigorous time of life preserves their bodily comeli-
ness. The deer, however, may be kept for many 8
years, for it long remains young in your possession,
because it has been allotted a life of longer duration.
But as regards animals of lesser growth, such as the
hare, our advice is that, in those parks surrounded by a
wall, the seeds of mixed cereals and of the pot-herbs,
wild endive and lettuce, should be thrown upon small
beds of earth made at different intervals apart. Also
the Carthaginian and our own native chick-pea, and
barley too and chickling should be produced out of
store and put before them after having been soaked
in rain-water ; for dry food is not much sought after
by hares. Moreover, it is easily understood even 9
without my mentioning it, concerning these animals
and others like them, how inexpedient it is to intro-
duce them into a park which is surrounded by railings,
since owing to the small size of their bodies they can
easily creep under the bars and, having obtained free
exit, manage to escape.

II. I come now to the management of bee-hives. Bees.
about which no instructions can be given with
greater care than in the words of Hyginus,'' more

427

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Hygino iam dictum est, nee ornatius quam Vergilio,
nee elegantius quam Celso. Hyginus veterum
auctorum placita ^ secretis dispersa monimentis
Industrie collegit : Vergilius poetieis floribus illu-
minavit : Celsus utriusque memorati adhibuit mo-

2 dum. Quare ne attemptanda quidem nobis fuit
haec disputationis materia, nisi quod consummatio
susceptae professionis banc quoque sui partem de-
siderabat, ne universitas inchoati operis nostri, velut
membro aliquo reciso, mutila ^ atque imperfecta ^
conspiceretur. Atque ea, quae Hyginus fabulose
tradita de originibus apum non intermisit, poeticae
magis licentiae quam nostrae fidei concesserim.

3 Nee sane rustico dignum est sciscitari, fuerit ne
mulier pulcherrima specie Melissa,* quam luppiter in
apem convertit, an (ut Euhemerus poeta dicit)
crabronibus et sole genitas apes, quas nymphae
Phryxonides educaverunt, mox Dictaeo specu lovis ^
extitisse nutrices, easque pabula munere dei sortitas
quibus ipsae parvum ^ educaverant alumnum. Ista
enim, quamvis non dedeceant poetam, summatim
tamen et uno tantummodo versiculo leviter attigit
Vergilius, cum sic ait :

Dictaeo caeli regem pavere sub antro.

^ placita ac : plagita SA .

^ mutila SA : mutilata ac.

^ imperfecta ac : in infectu SA.

* mellisam SA : mellissa a : melisa (?) c.
^ iovis ac : io quis SA.

* ipse parvum ac : ipsa et arvom SA.

' See Book I. 1. 14 and note.

428

BOOK IX. II. 1-3

ornately than by Vergil, or more elegantly than by
Celsus.* Hyginus has industriously collected the
opinions of ancient authors dispersed in their
different writings ; Vergil has embellished the subject
with the flowers of poetry ; and Celsus has applied
the method of both the above-mentioned authors. 2
Therefore, we ought never to have even attempted to
discourse on this subject, did not the fulfilment of
the promise which we made call for the treatment of
this part of our subject also, lest the body of the
work begun, looked at as a whole, should appear
mutilated and imperfect, as if a limb had been cut off.
The tradition of the fabulous origin of the bees which
Hyginus has not passed over I would rather attribute
to poetic licence than submit to the test of our belief;
nor indeed is it a fit question for a husbandman to 3
ask whether there ever existed a woman of surpassing
beauty called Melissa, whom Jupiter changed into a
bee, or whether (as Euhemerus ^ the poet says) the
bees were bred from hornets and the sun, and that the
nymphs, the daughters of Phryxon,'' reared them,
and that soon after they became the nurses of Jupiter
in the Dictaean Cave <^ and that, by the gift of the
god, they had allotted to them the food with which
they themselves had reared their little foster-child.
Upon this story, though not unworthy of a poet,
Vergil touched briefly and lightly in a single line when
he said :

'Neath Dicte's cave they fed the king of heaven.^

^ A Greek writer who flourished about 300 B.C. and wrote
a work Hiera Anagraphe, which rationalized mythology and
which was translated into Latin by Ennius.

' This name is not otherwise mentioned in Latin literature.

<* In Crete. « Georg. IV. 152. Dicta is Mount Sethia in Crete.

429

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

4 Sed ne illud quidem pertinet ad agricolas, quando
et in qua regione primum natae sint : utrum in
Thessalia sub Aristaeo, an in insula Cea, ut scribit
Euhemerus, an Erechthei temporibus in monte
Hymetto, ut Euthronius ; an Cretae Saturni tempori-
bus, ut Nicander : non magis quam utrum examina,
tanquam cetera videmus animalia, concubitu subo-
lem procreent, an heredem generis sui floribus
eligant, quod affirmat noster Maro : et utrum evo-

5 mant liquorem mellis, an alia parte reddant. Haec
enim et his similia magis scrutantium rerum naturae
latebras, quam rusticorum est inquirere. Studiosis
quoque literarum gratiora sunt ista in otio legentibus,
quam negotiosis agricolis : quoniam neque in opere
neque in re familiari quidquam iuvant.

III. Quare revertamur ad ea, quae alveorum cul-
toribus magis apta sunt quot ^ genera sunt apium et
quid 2 ex his optimum.^ Peripateticae sectae con-
ditor Aristoteles in iis libris, quos de animalibus
conscripsit, apium * examinum genera complura
demonstrat, earumque alias ^ vastas sed glomerosas,

1 quot SA'^ : quod AK

^ quid serif si : quod A : quot S.

* quot — optimum om. ac.

* apium sive c : om. SAa.
^ aliaque SAac.

" Son of Apollo and Cyrene, also said to have planted the
first olive-tree.

* Cea, or in Greek Ceos, an island, one of the Cyclades,
near Cape Sunium.

" A mountain in Attica near Athens.

"* Mythical king of Athens.

430

BOOK IX. II. 4-III. I

But it does not even concern husbandmen when and 4
in what country bees first came into existence, whether
in Thessaly under Aristaeus," or in the island of
Cea,** as Euhemerus writes, or on Mount Hymettus "
in the time of Erechtheus,'^ as Euthronius « says, or
in Crete in the time of Saturn, as Nicander / says.
All this no more concerns farmers than the question
whether the swarms of bees produce their offspring,
as we see the other animals do, by copulation, or
whether they pick up the heir of their race from the
flowers, as our own poet Maro ^ affirms, and whether
they vomit the liquid honey from their mouths or
yield it from some other part. The inquiry into these 5
and similar questions concerns those who search into
the hidden secrets of nature rather than husband-
men. They are subjects more agreeable to the
students of literature, who can read at their leisure,
than to farmers who are busy folk, seeing that they
are of no assistance to them in their work or in the
increase of their substance.

III. Therefore let us return to topics which are The differ-
more suitable to those who have charge of bee-hives, ^ees an/ °
namely, how many kinds of bees there are and 7"^^^ 's
which of them is the best. Aristotle, the founder of
the Peripatetic School, in the books which he wrote
about animals,* shows that there are several kinds

' This name is not otherwise mentioned in Latin literature.
We should perhaps read Euphonius ; two agricultural writers
of this name are mentioned by Varro (I. 1. 8), one of Athens
and the other of Amphipolis.

■^ Physician, poet and grammarian of Colophon in Asia
Minor; he flourished about 150 B.C. His Theriaca and
Alexipharmaca have survived.

" Vergil, Georg. IV. 197 ff.

* Hist. anim. V. 22 (553". 22 S.).

431

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

easdemque nigras et hirsutas apes habent : alias ^
minores quidem, sed aeque ^ rotundas et fusci ^ coloris

2 horridique pili : alias * magis exiguas, nee tarn
rotundas, sed obesas tamen et latas, coloris melius-
culi : nonnullas ^ minimas gracilesque, et acuti alvi,
ex aureolo varias atque leves : eiusque ^ auctoritatem
sequens Vergilius, maxim e probat parvulas, oblongas,
leves, nitidas,

Ardentes auro, et paribus lita corpora guttis,

moribus etiam placidis. Nam quanto grandior

3 apis, atque etiam rotundior, tanto peior. Si vero
saevior, maxime pessima est. Sed tamen iracundia
notae melioris apium facile delenitur ' assiduo inter-
ventu eorum qui curant,^ Nam cum saepius tractan-
tur,^ celerius mansuescunt, durantque si diligenter
excultae sunt, in annos decern ; nee uUum examen
banc ^^ aetatem potest excedere, quamvis in demor-
tuarum locum quotannis pullos substituant. Nam
fere decimo ad internecionem anno gens universa

4 totius alvei consumitur. Itaque ne hoc in toto fiat
apiario, semper propaganda erit soboles, obser-
vandumque vere cum se nova profundent examina,
ut excipiantur, et domiciliorum numerus augeatur.
Nam saepe morbis intercipiuntur, quibus quemad-
modum mederi oportet, suo loco dicetur.

^ alias Aac : alia S.
" aeque ac : neque 8 A.

* fusci SA : infusci ac.

* alia SA : alas a : alias c.

* nonnullas ac : nonnulla SA.

* eiusque ac : eius SA.

' delenitur serif si : delinitur ac : denitur 8 A.

* curant ac : currant AS.

* tractantur ac : tractatur SA.
^^ hanc Aac : hac 8.

BOOK IX. in. 1-4

of swarms of bees, some of them having bees huge and
globular in shape and at the same time black and
hairy ; others smaller but equally round and of a 2
dusky colour and with bristling hairs; others still
smaller but not so round, but nevertheless fat and
broad and of rather a better colour ; some very small
and slender with bellies which end in a point, striped
of a golden colour and quite smooth. Vergil,
following Aristotle as his authority, approves most of
bees which are very small, oblong, smooth and shining,

Burning with gold, their bodies stained with spots
of equal size,"

calm, too, in disposition ; for the larger and rounder a
bee is, the worse it is, and if it is unusually fierce, it is 3
by far the worst kind of all. However, the irascibility
of the better kind of bees is easily soothed by the
frequent intervention of those who look after them ;
for when they are often handled, they quickly become
tame. If they are carefully looked after, they live
for ten years ; but no swarm can exceed this age,
even if young stock is substituted yearly in place of
those which have died ; for usually in the tenth year
all the population of the whole hive is destroyed and
exterminated. In order, therefore, that this may 4
not be the fate of the whole apiary, fresh stock must
be continually propagated and care must be taken in
the spring, when the fresh s-v^'^rms issue forth, that
they are intercepted and the number of dwelling-
places increased; for bees are often overtaken by
diseases. The methods by which these ought to be
cured will be dealt with in their proper places.

- Georg. IV. 99.

433

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

IV. Interim per has notas, quas iam diximus,
probatis apibus destinari debent pabulationes, eaeque
sint seeretissimae, at ut ^ noster praecipit Maro,
viduae ^ pecudibus, aprico et minime procelloso caeli
statu :

Quo neque sit ventis aditus ; nam pabula venti
Ferre domum prohibent : neque oves haedique

petulci
Floribus insultent, aut errans bucula campo
Decutiat rorem, et surgentes atterat herbas.

2 Eademque regio fecunda sit fruticis exigui, et
maxime thymi aut origani, tum etiam thymbrae, vel
nostratis cunilae, quam satureiam ^ rustici vocant.
Post haec frequens sit incrementi maioris surculus,
ut rosmarinus,'* et utraque cytisus. Est enim sativa
et altera suae spontis. Itemque semper virens pinus,
et minor ilex : nam prolixior ab omnibus improbatur.
Ederae quoque non propter bonitatem recipiuntur,

3 sed quia praebent plurimum mellis. Arborum ^ vero
sunt probatissimae, rutila atque alba ziziphus, nee
minus tamarices,® tum etiam amygdalae, persicique,
ac pyri, denique pomiferarum pleraeque, ne singulis
immorer. Ac silvestrium commodissime faciunt glan-
difera robora, quin etiam terebinthus, nee dissimilis
huic lentiscus ' ac tiliae. Solae ^ ex omnibus nocentes

^ ut et SAac.

* viduae ac : vide SA.

' satureiam ac : satyram etiam S : satyratis A.

* marinum SAac.

* arborum SAa : arbores c.

* tamarices ecld. : amaracus SAac.

' post lentiscus add. et odorata cedrus Aac : om. S.

* solae A : sole ac : sola <S'.

434

best.

BOOK IX. IV. 1-3

IV. Meanwhile, when you have chosen your bees Feedin?-
in accordance with the points which we have just bws^and*"^
mentioned, feeding-grounds ought to be assigned to ^'^'°^ '^
the bees of which you approve. These should be as
retired as possible and, as our Maro* directs, void of
cattle and with a sunny aspect as little as possible
exposed to storms,

Where winds may not approach ; for winds prevent
The bees from bearing home their food; nor

sheep.
Nor frisky kids must trample down the flowers,
Nor heifers wandering o'er the plain shake off
The dews or crush the rising blades of grass.

The region should also be rich in small clumps, 2
especially thyme and marjoram and also in Greek
savory and our own Italian savory, which the
country-folk call saiureia. Next let there be plenty
of shrubs of larger growth, such as rosemary and
both kinds of trefoil (for there is one variety which is
sown and another which grows of its own accord),
also the ever-green pine and the lesser holm-oak (for
the taller variety is universally condemned). Ivy,
too, is admitted not for its other good qualities but
because it provides a large quantity of honey. Of 3
trees the following are very highly commended, the
red and white jujube-trees, likewise tamarisks, also
almond-trees and peach-trees and pear-trees, in a
word, so as not to waste time in naming each kind, the
majority of the fruit-bearing trees. Of woodland trees
the most suitable are the acorn-bearing oaks, also
terebinths and mastic-trees, which closely resemble
them, and lime-trees. Of all the trees of this class

« Vergil, G^eor^. IV. 8-12.

43,5

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

4 taxi repudiantur. Mille praeterea semina vel crudo
cespite virentia, vel subacta sulco, flores amicissimos
apibus creant, ut sunt in virgineo ^ solo frutices amelli,
caules acanthini, scapus asphodeli, gladiolus narcissi.
At in hortensi lira consita nitent Candida lilia, nee his
sordidiora leucoia,^ turn puniceae ^ rosae luteolaeque,
et Sarranae violae, nee minus caelestis luminis
hyacinthus, Corycius item Siculusque bulbus croci

5 deponitur, qui coloret odoretque mella.* lam vero
notae vilioris innumerabiles nascuntur herbae cultis
atque pascuis regionibus, quae favorum ceras exu-
berant : ut vulgares lapsanae, nee his pretiosior
armoracia, rapistrique olus, et intubi silvestris ac
nigri papaveris flores, tum agrestis pastinaca, et
eiusdem nominis edomita, quam Graeci ara^uAtvor^

6 vocant. Verum ex cunctis, quae proposui, quaeque
omisi temporis ^ compendia sequens (nam inexputa-
bilis erat numerus) ' saporis praecipui mella reddit
thymus.^ Eximio deinde proximum thymbra, ser-
pyllumque et origanum. Tertiae notae, sed adhue
generosae, marinus ^ ros et nostras cunila, quam dixi
satureiam. Mediocris deinde gustus tamaricis ^" ac
ziziphi flores, reliquaque, quae ^^ proposuimus, cibaria.

7 Sed ex sordidis deterrimae notae mel habetur ^^

^ virgineo SAac : irriguo edd.

* sordidiora leucoia ac (inmarg. A) : sordido la reucolatum
SA.

* puniceae edd. : punice SAac.

* mella ac (in marg. A) : om. S.

* oTa<j)vXivov A marg. : aTa<}>vaii. non A : aTa<f>vXfi non S.

* temporis c : temponira SAa.

' erat numenis ac : et enumeri SA.

* thymus ac : thymum SA.

* marinum SAac.

^^ tamaricis edd. : amarachinia SA : amaranchini ac.
^^ reliqua quae SAa : reliquaque c.

BOOK IX. IV. 3-7

yews only are excluded as being hurtful. Moreover 4
a thousand seeds, which flourish in uncultivated turf
or are turned up in the furrow, produce flowers which
are much loved by bees, for example shrubs of
starwort * in virgin soil, stalks of bear's foot,* stems of
asphodel and the sword-like leaf of the narcissus.
White lilies sown between the furrows in the garden
make a brilliant show and the gilliflowers have no
less pure a colour; then there are red and yellow
roses and purple violets and sky-blue larkspur ; also
the Corycian <= and Sicilian saffron-bulbs are planted
to give colour and scent to the honey. Moreover, 5
countless herbs of a baser kind spring up on culti-
vated land and pasture which supply an abundance
of wax for the honey-combs, such as the common
charlock and the horse-radish, which is no more
precious, the mustard-herb, and flowers of wild
endive and black poppy, also the field parsnip, and the
cultivated variety which bears the same name and
which the Greeks call staphylinos (carrot). But of 6
all the plants which I have suggested and of those
which I have not mentioned so as to save time (for
their number could not be computed), thyme yields
honey with the best flavour ; the next best are Greek
savory, wild thyme and marjoram. In the third
class, but still of high quality, are rosemary and our
Italian savory, which I have called satureia. Next
the flowers of the tamarisk and the jujube-tree and
the other kinds of fodder which I suggested have only
a mediocre flavour. The honey which is considered 7

" Aster amellus. * Acanthus mollis.

' Corycus was in Cilicia in southern Asia Minor.

1* habetur c : habentur SAa.

437

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

nemorense, quod sparto atque arbuto ^ provenit :
villaticum, quod nascitur in oleribus.^ Et quoniam
situm pastionum atque etiam genera pabulorum
exposui, nunc de ipsis receptaculis et domiciliis
examinum loquar.

V. Sedes apium collocanda est contra brumalem
meridiem procul a tumultu, et coetu hominum ac
pecudum, nee calido loco, nee frigido : nam utraque
re infestantur. Haec autem sit ima parte vallis, et
ut vacuae cum prodeunt pabulatum apes, facilius
editioribus advolent, et collectis utensilibus cum
onere per proclivia non aegre devolent.

Si villae situs ita competit, non est dubitandum
quin aedificio iunctum apiarium maceria circum-
demus, sed in ea parte, quae tetris latrinae ster-
2 quiliniique et a balinei libera est odoribus. Verum ^
si positio repugnabit, nee maxima tamen incommoda
congruent,* sic quoque magis expediet sub oculis
domini esse apiarium. Sin autem cuncta fuerint
Inimica, certe vicina vallis occupetur, quo saepius
descendere non sit grave possidenti. Nam res ista
maximam fidem desiderat ; quae quoniam rarissima
est, interventu domini tutius custoditur. Neque ea

1 arbusto SAac.

^ post oleribua add. et stercorosis herbis a : om. SA : et
stercoris herbis c {in marg.) A.

' veTum A^ac : vel et <S : vellet^*.
* congruent ^*oc : congluent aS^ ^

BOOK IX. IV. 7-v. 2

of the poorest quality is the woodland honey which
comes from dirty feeding-grounds and is produced
from broom-trees and strawberry-trees, and the
farm-house honey which comes from vegetables. Now
that I have described the situation of the feeding-
grounds and also the various kinds of food, I will next
speak of the arrangement for receiving and housing
the swarm.

V. A position must be chosen for the bees facing On the best
the sun at midday in winter, far from the noise and the an"apia^!°'^
assemblage of men and beasts and neither hot nor
cold, for bees are troubled by both these conditions.
It should be situated in the bottom of a valley, that
the empty bees, when they go forth to feed, may be
able more easily to fly up to the higher ground, and
also, when they have collected what they require,
they may fly with their burden on a down-hill course
without any difficulty.

If the situation of the farm permits, we ought not
to hesitate to join the apiary to a building and
surround it with a wall, but it must be on the side of
the house which is free from the foul odours which
come from the latrines, the dunghill and the bath-
room. If, however, this position has drawbacks, but 2
yet the worst disadvantages are not all present, even
under these conditions it will be more expedient for
the apiary to be under the master's eye. If, how-
ever, everything is unfavourable, at all events a
valley should be pitched upon close at hand, so that
the owner may be able to go down rather often
and visit it without grave inconvenience ; for in
bee-keeping perfect honesty is necessary, and since
this is very rare, it is better secured by the inter-
vention of the master. Not only is an overseer who

439

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

curatorem fraudulentum tantum, sed etiam immun-
dae segnitiae perosa est. Aeque enim dedignatur,
si minus pure habita est, ac si tractetur fraudulenter.

3 Sed ubicumque fuerint alvearia ^ non editissimo
claudantur muro. Qui si metu praedonum sublimior
placuerit, tribus elatis ab humo pedibus, exiguis in
ordinem fenestellis apibus sit pervius : iungaturque
tugurium, quod et custodes habitent, et quo ^ con-
datur instrumentum : sitque maxime repletum prae-
paratis alveis ^ ad usum novorum examinum, nee
minus herbis salutaribus, et siqua sunt alia, quae
languentibus adhibentur.

4 Palmaque vestibulum aut ingens oleaster obum-

bret,
Ut cum prima novi * ducent examina reges,
Vere suo, ludetque favis emissa iuventus :
Vicina invitet decedere ripa calori,
Obviaque hospitiis teneat frondentibus arbos.

Tum perennis aqua, si est facultas, inducatur, vel

6 extracta ^ manu detur, sine qua neque favi neque

mella nee pulli denique figurari queunt. Sive igitur,

ut dixi, praeterfluens unda vel putealis canalibus

1 alvearia A'ac : albaria SA^,

* quo om. SAac.

' alveis A^ac : alubia SA.

* prima novi edd. : vere novo SAae,

* extracta SA^ : extructo A'ao.

440

BOOK IX. V. 2-5

is fraudulent abhorrent to the business but also one
whose laziness causes filthy conditions ; for bee-
keeping revolts alike against a lack of cleanliness
and against fraudulent management.

Wherever the hives are placed, they should not be 3
enclosed within very high walls. If, through fear of
robbers, a rather lofty w^all is thought desirable,
passages through it should be made for the bees in
the form of a row of little windows three feet above
the ground, and there should be an adjoining cottage
in which the keepers may live and the apparatus
may be stored. The store-house should be chiefly
occupied by hives ready for the use of new swarms
and also by health-giving herbs and any other
remedies which may be applied to bees when they
are sick.

And let a palm or vast wild-olive tree 4

O'ershade the porch, that when new kings lead

forth
The infant swarms and the young bees m^ake

sport
In their own spring, from honey-combs set free ;
Then let the neighbouring bank invite retreat
From mid-day heat, and let the sheltering tree
Hold them in leafy hospitality."

Next let ever-flowing water, if it is available, be 5
introduced or drawn by hand and provided, without
which neither combs nor honey nor even young
bees can be formed. Whether, therefore, as I
have said, it be running water which has been
conveyed in channels or well-water, it should con-

<• Vergil, Georg. IV. 20 ff.

441

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

immissa fuerit, virgis ac lapidibus aggeretur apium
causa,

Pontibus ut crebris possint consistere, et alas
Pandere ad aestivum solem, si forte morantis
Sparserit, aut praeceps Neptuno immerserit Eurus.

6 Conseri deinde circa totum apiarium debent
arbusculae incrementi parvi, maximeque propter
salubritatem (nam sunt etiam remedio languentibus)
cytisi, turn deinde casiae atque pini et rosmarinus : ^.
quin etiam cunilae et thymi frutices, item violarum,
vel quaecunque ^ utiliter deponi patitur qualitas
terrae. Gravis et tetri odoris non solum virentia sed
et quaelibet res prohibeantur, sicuti cancri nidor,
cum est ignibus adustus, aut odor palustris caeni.
Nee minus vitentur cavae rupes aut vallis argutiae,
quas Graeci vocant rjX^^^S-^

VI. Igitur ordinatis sedibus, alvearia * fabricanda
sunt pro conditione regionis. Sive ilia ferax est
suberis, baud dubitanter utilissimas alvos ° faciemus
ex corticibus, quia nee hieme frigent,^ nee candent
aestate ; sive ferulis exuberat, iis quoque, quod sunt
naturae corticis similes, aeque commode vasa
texuntur. Si neutrum aderit, opere textorio ' sali-
cibus connectentur : vel si nee haec suppetent,

1 marinum SAac.

2 quaecunque A^ac : quae SA^.
' rjxovs om. ac.

* alvearia ac : albaria SA.

* alvos A^c : albos SA'^ : alveos a.
' frigent SAa : rigent c.

' opere textorio edd. : opererio S : operario Aa : opere
vitorio c.
442

BOOK IX. V. 5-vi. I

tain heaps of sticks and stones for the use of the
bees,

That upon frequent bridges they may rest
And spread their wings to catch the summer sun,
If swift east winds have caught them loitering
And rained on them or plunged them in the deep."

Next, round the whole apiary, little trees of small 6
growth ought to be planted and in particular shrub-
trefoils on account of their health-giving properties
(for they are a remedy for bees when they are list-
less) ; also wild cinnamon and pines and rosemary,
and clumps of marjoram and thyme and violets and
whatever else the nature of the ground allows to be
profitably planted. Not only growing things but also
anything whatsoever which has a disagreeable and
noisome odour should be kept away from the apiary,
such as the smell of a crab when it is burnt on the
fire or the odour of mud taken from a marsh. Like-
wise let hollow rocks and shrill noises produced by
valleys, which the Greeks call echoes, be avoided.

VI. When, therefore, the sites have been arranged, On the
beehives must be constructed in accordance with beeUve*s.
local conditions. If the place is rich in cork-trees, .

we shall certainly make the most serviceable hives
from their bark, because they are neither cold in
winter nor hot in summer ; or if it grows plenty of
fennel-stalks, with these too, since they resemble
the nature of bark, receptacles can be quite as con-
veniently made by weaving them together. If
neither of these materials is at hand, the hives can be
made by plaiting withies together ; or, if these are
not available either, they will have to be made with

" Vergil, Oeorg. IV, 27 ff.

443

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ligno cavae ^ arboris aut ^ in tabulas desectae fabrica-

2 buntur. Deterrima est conditio fictilium, quae et
accenduntur aestatis vaporibus, et gelantur hiemis
frigoribus. Reliqua sunt alvorum genera duo, ut
vel ex fimo fingantur,^ vel lateribus extruantur :
quorum alterum iure damnavit Celsus, quoniam
maxime est ignibus obnoxium ; alterum probavit,
quamvis incommodum eius praecipuum non dissimu-
laverit, quod, si res postulet, transferri non possit.

3 Itaque non assentior ei, qui putat nihilo minus eius
generis habendas esse alvos : neque enim solum id
repugnat rationibus domini, quod immobiles sint, cum
vendere aut alios agros instruere velit ; (hoc enim
commodum pertinet ad utilitatem solius patris-
familias) sed, quod ipsarum apium causa ^ fieri debet,
cum aut morbo aut sterilitate et penuria locorum
vexatas conveniet ^ in aliam regionem mitti, nee
propter praedictam causam moveri poterunt,^ hoc

4 maxime vitandum est. Itaque quamvis doctissimi
viri auctoritatem reverebar, tamen ambitione sub-
mota, quid ipse censerem, non omisi. Nam quod
maxime movet Celsum, ne sint stabula vel igni vel
furibus obnoxia, potest vitari opere lateritio circum-
structis alvis, ut impediatur rapina praedonis, et
contra flammarum violentiam protegantur : "^ easdem-
que, cum fuerint movendae, resolutis structurae
compagibus, licebit transferre.

^ cave SA : cavatae ac.

* aut ac : om. SA .

* fingantur ac : finguntur 8 A,

* causa ac : coriosa SA.

* conveniet SAa : -at c.

* poterint S : -ant Aac.
'' proteguntur SAac.

444

BOOK IX. VI. 1-4

wood of a tree either hollow or cut up into boards.
Those made of earthenware have the worst quaUties 2
of all, since they are burnt by the heat of summer
and frozen by the cold of winter. Two kinds of hives
remain to be described, those which are either made
of dung or built of bricks. Celsus was right in con-
demning the former because it is very liable to catch
fire; the latter he approved, although he made no
secret of its chief disadvantage, namely, that if
occasion should arise, it cannot be moved to another
site. I do not agree with him who thinks that hives 3
of this kind ought to be used in spite of this draw-
back, for it is not only against the interests of the
owner that they should be immovable when he wants
to sell them or furnish another site with hives (for
these considerations concern the convenience of the
owner alone), but the question arises as to what ought
to be done for the sake of the bees themselves, when
it is advisable that they should be sent to another
district because they are suffering from disease or
from the barrenness and poverty of the locality and yet
cannot be moved for the reason mentioned above —
a state of affairs which ought above all things to be
avoided. So, though holding in respect the 4
authority of a learned man, yet, without seeking to
set myself up against him, I have not omitted to
express my own opinion. For Celsus' chief anxiety,
lest the bees' quarters should be exposed to fire or
thieves, can be avoided by building a brick wall round
the hives to prevent the plundering of robbers and
to give protection against the violence of fire, and,
when the hives have to be moved it will be possible to
take apart the framework of the structure and move
the hives elsewhere.

445

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

VII. Sed quoniam plerisque videtur istud opero-
sum, qualiacunque vasa placuerint, coUocari debe-
bunt. Suggestus lapideus extenditur per totum
apiarium in ^ tres pedes altitudinis ^ extructus, isque
diligenter opere tectorio levigatur, ita ne ascensus
lacertis, aut anguibus, aliisve noxiis animalibus

2 praebeatur. Superponuntur deinde, sive, ut Celso
placet, lateribus facta domicilia,sive,ut nobis, alvearia,
praeterquam a tergo ^ circumstructa : seu, quod paene
omnium in usu est, qui mode diligenter ista curant,
per ordinem vasa disposita ligantur, vel laterculis,
vel caementis, ita ut singula binis parietibus angustis
contineantur, liberaeque frontes utrimque sint. Nam
et qua procedunt, nonnunquam patefaciendae sunt,*
et multo magis a tergo, quia subinde curantur ex-

3 amina. Sin autem nulli parietes alvis intervenient,
sic tamen collocandae erunt, ut paulum altera ab
altera distet, ne,^ cum inspiciuntur, ea, quae in
curatione tractatur, haerentem sibi alteram concutiat,
vicinasque apes conterreat, quae omnem motum
imbecillis ut cereis ® scilicet operibus suis tamquam
ruinam timent. Ordines quidem vasorum superin-
structos in altitudinem tres esse abunde est, quoniam
summum sic quoque parum commode curator in-

4 spicit. Ora cavearum, quae praebent apibus vesti-
bula, proniora sint quam terga, ut ne influant imbres,

^ in ac : per SA.

* post altitudinis add. totidemque crassitudinis ac : om. SA.

* ante tergo add. et frontibus iSAa : om. edd.

* sunt Aac : sint S.
^ nee SAac.

* cereis ac : ceteris SA.

446

BOOK IX. VII. 1-4

VII. But since most people regard all this as involv- On the
ing too much trouble, whatever kind of receptacles beehives.
take their fancy will have to be arranged thus. A
bank made of stones built three feet high is stretched
across the apiary and carefully smoothed over with
plaster, so that no chance of climbing it may be
offered to lizards and snakes or other harmful
creatures ; then on the top of it are placed either 2
bee-houses made with bricks, which Celsus prefers,
or, as we prefer, hives walled round except at the
back ; or else — and this is the practice of almost all
those who are careful in these matters — receptacles
arranged in a row are fastened together either with
small bricks or with unhewn stones in such a way
that each is contained within two narrow walls and
the two sides, at the back and at the front, are
left free ; for the sides on which they issue forth
have sometimes to be opened and this is especi-
ally necessary at the back because the swarms
have to be attended to from time to time. If
there are no partitions between the hives, they 3
will, nevertheless, have to be so placed as to be at a
little distance from one another, so that, when they
are being inspected, one which is handled in the
course of being attended to may not shake another
which is closely joined to it, and alarm the neigh-
bouring bees, which are afraid of every movement
as threatening ruin to their structures which are
frail, being of wax. It is quite enough to have three
rows of hives one above the other, since even so the
man who looks after them cannot very conveniently
inspect the top row. The fronts of the hives, which 4
afford entries for the bees, should slope down more
than their backs, so that the rain may not flow in,

447

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

et si forte tamen incesserint,^ non immorentur,
sed per aditum effluant. Propter quos convenit
alvearia porticibus supermuniri ; sin aliter, luto Pu-
nico frondibus inlimatis adumbrari, quod tegmen cum
frigora et pluvias, turn et aestus arcet. Nee tamen
ita nocet huic generi calor aestatis ut hiemale frigus.^
Itaque semper aedificium sit post apiarium, quod
Aquilonis excipiat iniuriam, stabulisque praebeat

5 teporem. Nee minus ipsa domicilia, quamvis aedificio
protegantur,^ obversa tamen ad hibernum orientem
componi debebunt, ut apricum habeant apes matu-
tinum egressum, et sint experrectiores. Nam frigus
ignaviam creat ; pi'opter quod etiam foramina,
quibus exitus aut introitus datur, angustissima esse
debent, ut quam minimum frigoris admittant : eaque
satis est ita forari, ne possint ^ capere plus unius apis
incrementum. Sic nee venenatus stellio, nee obscae-
num scarabaei^ vel papilionis genus, lucifugaeque
blattae, ut ait Maro, per laxiora spatia ianuae favos

6 populabuntur. Atque utilissimum est pro frequentia
domicilii duos vel tres aditus in eodem operculo
distantes inter se fieri contra fallaciam lacerti, qui
velut custos vestibuli ^ prodeuntibus inhians ' apibus
affert exitium, eaeque pauciores intereunt, cum

^ incesserit SA : ingesserint ac.

* calor aestatis ut hiemale frigus Gesner ex Palladii citatione :
caloris ut hiemalitus SA : caloris ut hiemis alitus a : caloris
aut hiemis estus c.

' protegantur ac : -untur SA.

* possint ac : possit SA.
^ searabei c : -ri SAa.

* vestibuli SAac.

' inhians ac : in hanc SA.

" The text here is doubtful but the sense clear.
» Vergil, Oeorg. IV. 243.

448

BOOK IX. VII. 4-6

and that, if by chance it does find its way in, it may
not remain there but flow out through the entrance.
Also, on account of the rain, the hives should be
protected above with colonnades, or, failing these,
they should be overshadowed by green foliage
daubed over with Carthaginian clay, forming a
covering which keeps off both the cold and rain and
also the heat. However the heat of summer is not
so harmful to this kind of creature as the cold of
winter," and so there should always be a building
behind the apiary to intercept the violence of the
north wind and provide warmth for the hives.
Likewise the bees' dwelling-places, although they 5
are protected by buildings, ought to be so arranged
as to face the south-east, in order that the bees
may enjoy the sun when they go out in the
morning and may be more wide-awake ; for cold
begets sloth. For the same reason, too, the holes
through which they go in and out ought to be very
narrow, so as to admit as little cold as possible ;
indeed it is enough that they should be so bored
that they cannot admit the bulk of more than one bee
at a time. Thus neither the poisonous gecko nor the
foul race of beetles and butterflies and the cock-
roaches that shun the day-light, as Maro says,^ will not
lay waste the honey-combs by having too wide an
entrance to pass through. It is also a most useful 6
device to have made in proportion to the number of
bees in the hive, two or three entrances in its outer
covering at a distance from one another to defeat
the craftiness of the lizard, which standing like a
door-keeper at the entry, with open mouth, brings
destruction upon the bees as they come forth, and
fewer of them perish when they are at liberty to

449

VOL. II. Q

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

licet 1 vitare pestis obsidia per aliud volantibus ^
effugium.

VIII. Atque haec de pabulationibus, domiciliisque ^
et sedibus eligendis abunde diximus : quibus pro-
visis, sequitur ut examina desideremus. Ea ^ porro
vel aere parta, vel gratuita contingunt. Sed quas
pretio comparabimus, scrupulosius praedictis com-
probemus notis, et earum frequentiam prius quam

2 mercemur, apertis alvearibus consideremus : vel si
non fuerit inspiciendi facultas, certe id quod con-
templari licet, notabimus : ^ an in vestibule ianuae
complures consistant, et vehemens sonus intus
mui-murantium exaudiatur. Atque etiam si omnes
intra domicilium silentes forte conquiescent, labris
foramini aditus admotis, et inflato spiritu ex respon-
dente earum subito ^ fremitu poterimus aestimare
vel multitudinem, vel paucitatem.

3 Praecipue autem custodiendum est, ut ex vicinia
potius, quam peregrinis regionibus pctantur, quo-
niam solent caeli novitate lacessiri. Quod si non
contingit, ac necesse habuerimus longinquis itineri-
bus advehere, curabimus ' ne salebris solicitentur,
optimeque noctibus collo portabuntur. Nam diebus
requies danda est, et infundendi sunt grati apibus

4 liquores, quibus intra clausum alantur. Mox cum
perlatae domum fuerint, si dies supervenerit, nee

^ licet c : liceant SA : liceat a.

2 volantibus S : ulantibus A : vadentibus ac.

* domiciliisque Sa : domiciliis et c : domicilibusque A.

* ea ac : om. 8A.

^ notabimus ac : notavimus SA.

* subito ac : sumito SA.

' curabimus c : curavimus SA : om. a.

450

BOOK IX. VII. 6-vni. 4

avoid the pest which lies in wait for them by flying
out by another passage.

VIII. We have now said enough about the choice Onthepur-
of feeding-grounds, dwelling-places and their sites, and^he ''^^
These having been provided, the next things that taking of

^ n \. Til . swarms.

we require are swarms or bees. Ihese come to us
either by purchase or without being paid for. Those
which we are going to buy we shall test with particu-
lar care by means of the points already mentioned, and
we must consider how numerous they are before we
purchase them, by opening the hives ; or if there are 2
no facilities for inspecting them, we shall at any rate
take note of what we are allowed to see, namely,
whether a goodly number of bees are standing in the
entrance-porch and whether a loud noise is to be
heard of bees buzzing inside. Also if it so happens
that they are all silent and at peace within their
dwelling-place, we shall be able to estimate their
great or small number from the sudden noise on the
part of the bees as a result of our applying our lips to
the hole by which they enter and blowing into it.

But we must be particularly careful that the 3
swarms are brought from the neighbourhood rather
than from distant regions, since they are usually
irritated by a change of climate. But if this is
impossible and we are obliged to convey them over
long distances, we shall be careful that they are not
disturbed by the roughness of the road, and they will
be best carried on the shoulders and at night ; for
they must be given rest in the day-time, and liquids
which they like must be poured into the hives, so that
they may be fed while remaining shut up. Then 4
when they have arrived at their destination, if day-
light has come on, the hive must be neither opened

451

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

aperiri nee collocari oportebit alvum, nisi vesperi,
ut apes placidae mane post totius requiem ^ noctis
egrediantur ; specularique debebimus ^ fere triduo,
numquid universae se profundant. Quod cum faciunt,
fugam meditantur. Ea remediis quibus debeat
inhiberi, mox praecipiemus.

5 At quae dono vel aucupio contingunt, minus
scrupulose probantur : quamquam ne sic quidem
velim nisi optimas possidere, cum et impensam et
eandem operam custodis postulent bonae atque
improbae : et quod ^ maxime refert,^ non sunt
degeneres intermiscendae, quae infament generosas.
Nam minor fructus mellis respondet, cum segniora

6 interveniunt examina. Verumtamen quoniam inter-
dum propter conditionem locorum vel mediocre pecus
(nam malum nullo quidem modo) parandum est,
curam vestigandis examinibus hac ratione adhibe-

7 bimus. Ubicunque saltus sunt idonei, mellifici, nihil
antiquius apes, quam, quibus utantur, vicinos eligunt
fontes. Eos itaque convenit plerumque ab hora
secunda obsidere, specularique quae turba sit
aquantium. Nam si paucae admodum circumvolant
(nisi tamen complura capita rivorum diductas faciunt
rariores) intelligenda est earum penuria, propter
quam locum quoque non esse mellificum suspica-

8 bimur. At si commeant frequentes, spem quoque

1 requiem oc : quiem SA.

* debebimus SA : debemus ac.
^ quod ac : quoque SA.

* refert Aac : referunt S.

BOOK IX. VIII. 4-8

nor placed in position until evening conies, so that
the bees may go forth quietly in the morning after a
whole night's rest, and we shall need to watch care-
fully for about three days to see whether they all
sally forth in a body; for when they do this, they
are meditating escape. We will presently prescribe
what remedies we ought to apply to prevent this.

Bees which come to us by gift or by capture are 5
accepted less scrupulously, although even in these
circumstances I would not care to possess any but the
best, since good and bad bees require the same ex-
penditure and the same labour on the part of their
keeper; also (and this is especially important) in-
ferior bees should not be mixed with those of high
quality, since they bring discredit upon them ; for a
smaller yield of honey rewards your efforts when the
idler swarms take part in the gathering of it. Never- 6
theless, since sometimes, owing to local conditions,
an indifferent set of bees has to be procured (though
never on any account should a bad one be acquired),
we shall exercise care in seeking out swarms by the
following method. Wherever there are suitable 7
woodlands where honey can be gathered, there is
nothing that the bees would sooner do than make
choice of springs near at hand for their use. It is
a good plan, therefore, usually to frequent these
springs from the second hour onwards and watch
how many bees come to them for water. For if only
a few are flying about (unless there are several sources
of water which attract them and cause them to be
more widely dispersed) we must conclude that there
is a scarcity of them, which will make us suspect that
the place will not produce much honey. But if they 8
come and go in large numbers, they inspire greater

453

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

aucupandi examina maiorem faciunt ; eaque sic
inveniuntur. Primum quam longe sint explorandum
est, praeparandaque ^ in hanc ^ rem liquida rubrica :
qua cum festucis illitis contigeris apium terga fontem
libantium, commoratus ^ eodem loco facilius re-
deuntes agnoscere poteris ; ac si non tarde id * facient,
scies eas in vicino consistere : sin autem serius, pro
9 morae tempore ^ aestimabis distantiam loci. Sed
cum animadverteris celeriter redeuntes, non aegre
persequens iter volantium ad sedem perduceris
examinis. In iis autem quae longius meare vide-
buntur, solertior adhibebitur cura, quae talis est.
Arundinis internodium cum suis articulis exciditur,
et terebratur ab latere talea^ per quod foramen
exiguo melle vel defruto ' instillato, ponitur iuxta
fontem. Deinde cum ad odorem dulcis liquaminis
complures apes irrepsei'unt,^ tollitur talea, et
apposito ^ foramini pollice non emittitur, nisi una,
quae cum evasit, fugam suam demonstrat obser-
vanti : atque is, dum sufficit, persequitur evolantem.
10 Cum^" deinde conspicerepossit^^ apem,tumi2 alteram
emittit : et si eandem petit ^^ caeli partem, vestigiis
prioribus inhaeret. Si minus, aliam atque aliam
foramine adaperto patitur egredi ; regionemque

' praeparandumque SAac.

" hac SA : hanc ac.

' comraoratur SAc : -os a.

* id ac : in SA.

^ tempoiis SAac.

* alba ter et alia S : alvatere talea A : ab latere talea a :
ab latera talea c.

' defriti SA : defruto ac.

* irrepserunt ac : inperserunt SA.

* apposito ac : imposito SA.
1" cum ac : om. SA.

^^ desit oc: possitS^.

454

BOOK IX. viii. 8-IO

hopes of our catching swarms of them ; and the
following is the method of finding them. First we
must try to discover how far away they are, and
for this purpose liquid red-ochre must be prepared ;
then, after touching the backs of the bees with stalks
smeared with this liquid as they are drinking at the
spring, waiting in the same place you will be able
more easily to recognize the bees when they return.
If they are not slow in returning, you will know that
they dwell in the neighbourhood ; but if they are
late in doing so, you will calculate the distance by
the period of their delay. If you notice them return- 9
ing quickly, you will have no difficulty in following
the course of their flight and will be led to where
the swarm has its home. As regards those who
apparently go farther away, a more ingenious plan
will be adopted, as follows. The joint of a reed with
the knots at either end is cut and a hole bored in the
side of the rod thus formed, through which you
should drop a little honey or boiled-down must.
The rod is then placed near a spring. Then when a
number of bees, attracted by the smell of the sweet
liquid, have crept into it, the rod is taken away and
the thumb placed on the hole and one bee only
released at a time, which, when it has escaped, shows
the line of its flight to the observer, and he, as long
as he can keep up, follows it as it flies away. Then, 10
when he can no longer see the bee, he lets out
another, and if it seeks the same quarter of the
heavens he persists in following his foi'mer tracks.
Otherwise he opens the hole and allows them to

^2 apem turn ac : apertum SA.
12 petit ac : cepit SA.

455

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

notat, in quam plures revolent, et eas persequitur,
donee ad latebram perducatur examinis.

Quod sive est abditum specu, fumo elicietur, et
cum erupit, aeris strepitu coercetur. Nam statim
sono territum vel in frutice vel in editiore silvae fronde
considet, et a vestigatore praeparato vase ^ recon-

11 ditur. Sin autem sedem habet arboris cavae, et aut
extat ramus, quem obtinent, aut sunt in ipsius
arboris trunco,^ tunc, si ^ mediocritas patitur, acutis-
sima serra, quo celerius id fiat, praeciditur primum
superior pars, quae ab apibus vacat ; deinde inferior,
quatenus videtur inhabitari. Tum recisus utraque
parte mundo vestimento contegitur, quoniam hoc
quoque plurimum refert, ac si quibus rimis hiat illitis
ad locum perfertur : relictisque * parvis, ut iam dixi,
foraminibus,^ more ceterarum alvorum collocatur.^

12 Sed indagatorem convenit matutina tempora ves-
tigandi eligere, ut spatium diei habeat, quo exploret
commeatus apium. Saepe enim, si serius coepit eas
denotare, etiam cum in propinquo sunt, iustis operum
peractis se recipiunt, nee remeant ad aquam : quo
evenit ut vestigator ignoret, quam longe a fonte

* vase ac : vaso 8 A.

- in ipsius arboris trunco edd. : aut ipsius truncis (trucis
A) SA : aut ipsius trunci c : ipsius trunci a.

* in eo sunt SA : si in eo ca.

* relictisque ac : relictis SA.

* foraminibus ac : certaminibus iS : certaminis A.
" coUocatur ac : -antur SA.

BOOK IX. VIII. 10-12

emerge one after another, and marks the direction
in which most of them fly home, and pursues
them until he is led to the lurking-place of the swarm.
If it is hidden in a cave, the swarm will be driven
out with smoke, and when it has sallied forth, it is
checked by the noise of brass being beaten ; for,
terrified by the sound, it will immediately settle on
a shrub or on a higher kind of foliage, that of a tree,
and is enclosed in a vessel prepared for the purpose by
the man who has tracked down the bees. But if the 11
swarm has its home in a hollow tree and either the
branch which the bees occupy stands out from the
tree or they are inside the trunk of the tree itself,
then, if the small size of the branch or trunk allows,
first the upper part, which is empty of bees, is cut
thi'ough with a saw which should be very sharp so
that the operation may be more quickly carried out,
and then the lower part so far as it seems to be
inhabited. Then, when it has been cut off at both
ends, it is covered with a clean garment (for this too
is very important), and if there are any gaping holes,"
they are daubed over, and it is carried to the place
where the bees are kept, and, small holes being left
in it, as I have said, it is put in position like the rest
of the hives. The seai'cher for swarms should 12
choose the morning for his search, so that he may
have the whole day to spy out the comings and
goings of the bees. For often, if he is too late in
beginning to observe them, when they have finished
their usual tasks, they go home and do not return to
the water, even though they are near at hand, with
the result that the man who is searching for them
does not know how far away the swarm is from the

" I.e. in the vessel.

457

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

13 distet examen. Sunt qui per initia veris apiastrum,
atque, ut ille vates ait,

Trita melisphylla et cerinthae ignobile gramen,

aliasque colligant similes herbas, quibus id genus
animalium delectatur, et ita alvos perfricent, ut odor
et succus vasis inhaereat : quae deinde mundata
exiguo melle respergant, et per nemora non longe a
fontibus disponant, eaque cum repleta sunt exami-

14 nibus, domum referant. Sed hoc nisi locis, quibus
abundant apes, facere non expedit. Nam saepe vel
inania vasa nacti, qui forte praetereunt, secum au-
ferunt : neque est tanti vacua perdere complura, ut
uno vel altero potiare ^ pleno. At in maiore copia,
etiam si multa ^ intercipiuntur, plus est quod in re-
pertis apibus acquiritur. Atque haec est ratio
capiendi silvestria examina.

IX. Deinceps talis altera est vernacula retinendi.^
Semper quidem custos sedule circumire debet alvea-
ria. Neque enim ullum tempus est, quo non curam
desiderent ; sed cam postulant diligentiorem, cum
vernant et exundant novis fetibus, qui nisi curatoris
obsidio protinus excepti sunt, difFugiunt. Quippe talis
est apium natura, ut pariter quaeque plebs generetur
cum regibus ; qui ubi evolandi vires adepti sunt,
consortia dedignantur vetustiorum, multoque magis

^ potiare ac : patiore SA.
* si multa Sa : simulata Ac.

' post retinendi add. quem ad modum vernacula nova
examina observentur et in alvos condantur SA : om. ac.

» Vorgil, Oeorg. IV. 63.

BOOK IX. VIII. I2-IX. I

fountain. There are some people who during the 13
early spring collect wild parsley and, in the words of
the great poet,

Bruised balm and wax-flower's lowly greenery,"

and other similar herbs in which this kind of creatures
takes delight, and rub the hives thoroughly with
them, so that the scent and juice stick to them;
then, after cleaning them, they sprinkle them with
a little honey and place them here and there in the
woods not far from the springs and, when they are
full of swarms, they carry them back home. It is 14
not, however, expedient to do this except in places
where there is an abundance of bees, because it often
happens that chance passers-by, finding the hives
empty, carry them off with them, nor is the possession
cf one or two full of bees enough to compensate for
the loss of several empty hives. But where bees are
more plentiful, even if many hives are carried off,
their loss is made up by the bees which are obtained.
Such is the method of catching wild swarms of bees.

IX. Next there is another method of retaining the The treat-
swarms produced from our own apiaries. The bred in the^^
keeper ought always diligently to go round the hives, ^^P*'
for there is no time when they do not need his care
but they demand still more careful attention when
the bees feel the approach of spring and the hives
overflow with new offspring, which, unless they are
promptly intercepted by the constant watchfulness
of the keeper, fly off in different directions. For such
is the nature of bees that each brood of ordinary bees
is generated together with its king and, when they
have acquired enough strength to fly away, they
despise the society of their elders and even more the

459

apiary.

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

imperia : quippe cum rationabili generi ^ mortalium,
turn magis egentibus consilii mutis ^ animalibus, nulla

2 sit regni societas. Itaque novi duces procedunt cum
sua iuventute, quae uno aut altero die in ipso domi-
cilii vestibulo glomerata consistens, egressu suo
propriae desiderium sedis ostendit ; eaque tanquam ^
patria contenta est, si a procuratore * protinus
assignetur. Sin autem defuit custos, velut iniuria

3 repulsa ^ peregrinam regionem petit. Quod ne fiat,
boni curatoris est vernis temporibus observare ®
alvos ' in octavam fere diei horam, post quam ^ non
temere se nova proripiunt agmina ; ^ eorumque^"
egressus diligenter custodiat. Nam quaedam solent,
cum subito evaserunt, sine cunctatione se proripere.

4 Poterit exploratam fugam praesciscere vespertinis
temporibus aurem singulis alveis admovendo. Si-
quidem fere ante triduum, quam eruptionem facturae
sint, velut militaria ^^ signa moventium tumultus ac
murmur exoritur : ex quo, ut verissime dicit Ver-
gilius,

Corda licet vulgi praesciscere namque morantes
Martius ille aeris rauci canor increpat,^^ gt vox
Auditur fractos sonitus imitata tubarum.

^ genere SAac.

* mutis ac : muti S : multa A.
' tanquam SA : velut ac.

* procurator S : procurator! A : procurati c.

* repulsa c : -am SAa,.
^ observari SA : -e ac.
' alveos ac : alvis SA.

* postquam horam SAac.

* agmina ac : -e SA.

460

BOOK IX. IX. 1-4

orders which they give ; for as the human race, which
possesses reason, allows no partnership of the kingly
power, much less do the dumb animals who are lack-
ing in understanding. Therefore the new chieftains 2
come forth with their following of young bees, which,
remaining in a mass for one or two days at the very
entrance of their abode, by their coming out show
their desire for a home of their own, and if the man in
charge immediately assigns it to them, are as content
with it as if it were their native place. If, however,
the keeper has been away, they make for some strange
region as if they had been driven away unjustly. To 3
prevent this, it is the duty of a good overseer in
spring-time to keep an eye upon the hives until about
the eighth hour of the day (after which the new
battalions of bees do not take to impetuous flight),
and carefully watch their departures, for some of them,
when they have broken out, usually immediately rush
away. He will be able to find out beforehand their 4
decision to escape by putting his ear to each of the
hives in the evening ; for about three days before
they intend to break out an uproar and buzzing arises
like that of an army setting out on the march. From
this, as Vergil very truly says.

You can foreknow the purpose of the herd ;
The martial roar of the hoarse brass reproves
The loiterers, and a voice is heard whose notes
The broken sound of trumpets imitates."

" Oeorg. IV. 70 ff.

^^ eoque ut eorumque egressus c : eoque regressus 8A :
eorumque egressus eoque regressus a.
11 mili taria iS^ac : milia^SM.
1* increpat ac : invocat SA.

461

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

5 Itaque maxime observari debent, quae istud
faciunt, ut sive ad pugnam eruperint, nam inter se
tanquam civilibus bellis, et cum alteris quasi cum
exteris gentibus proeliantur, sive fugae causa se
proripuerint, praesto sit ad utrumque casum paratus ^

6 custos. Pugna quidem vel unius inter se dissidentis
vel duorum examinum discordantium facile compesci-
tur : nam ut idem ait,

Pulveris exigui iactu compressa quiescit :

aut aqua mulsea ^ passove, aut aliquo liquore simili^
respersa,'* videlicet familiari dulcedine saevientium
iras mitigante. Nam eadem mire etiam dissidentes
reges conciliant. Sunt enim saepe plures unius
populi duces, et quasi procerum seditione plebs in
partes diducitur : quod frequenter fieri prohibendum
est, quoniam intestine bello totae gentes consu-

7 muntur. Itaque si constat principibus gratia, manet ^
pax incruenta. Sin autem saepius acie dimicantes
notaveris, duces seditionum interficere curabis :
dimicantium vero proelia praedictis remediis se-
dantur. Ac deinde cum agmen glomeratum in
proximo frondentis arbusculae ramo consederit,
animadvertito, an totum examen in speciem unius
uvae dependeat : idque signum erit aut unum regem

^ paratus Sac : -os A.

^ aqua mulsea SA : aqua mulsa a : aut mulsa c : mulso
ecld.

' simili ac : simplici SA.

* respersa SA : -am ac.

* maneat SAac.

« Georg. IV. 87.
462

BOOK IX. IX. 5-7

The bees, therefore, which behave like this ought 5
especially to be kept under obsei-vation, so that,
whether they sally forth to battle (for they wage a
kind of civil war amongst themselves and as it were
foreign wars with other swarms) or break out in order
to escape, the keeper may be at hand, ready for either
event. Fighting either of the bees of one swarm 6
quarrelling amongst themselves or of two swarms at
variance with one another is easily quelled; for, as
the same poet says,

By casting of a little dust the strife
Is stayed and laid to rest,"

or else by sprinkling over them honey-water or
raisin-wine or some similar liquid, that is to say the
sweet taste of things familiar to them, abates their
wrath. The same expedients too are wonderfully
efficacious for reconciling king-bees when they are
at enmity ; for there are often several leaders of one
people, and the common herd is as it were divided
into factions by the quarrels of its chiefs. This must
be prevented from happening often, since whole
nations are destroyed by civil war. And so, if good 7
feeling exists between the princes, peace continues
and no blood is shed. If, however, you have often
noticed them fighting a pitched battle, you will take
care to put to death the leaders of the factions ; but
when they are actually fighting, their battles can be
calmed by the above-mentioned remedies. Next,
when a host of bees has settled in a mass on the
neighbouring branch of a leafy shrub, you should
take notice whether the whole swarm hangs down
in the form of a single bunch of grapes. This will
be a sign either that there is only one king-bee in it

463

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

inesse, aut certe plures bona fide reconciliatos ; quos
sici patieris,2 dum in suum revolent ^ domicilium.
8 Sin autem duobus aut etiam compluribus velut uberi-
bus diductum * fuerit examen, ne dubitaveris et
plures proceres et adhuc iratos esse. Atque in iis
partibus, quibus maxime videris apes glomerari,
requirere duces debebis. Itaque succo praedicta-
rum herbarum, id est, melissophylli vel apiastri manu
illita, ne ad tactum diffugiant, leviter inseres digitos,
et diductas apes scrutaberis, donee auctorem pugnae
reperias.

X. Sunt autem hi reges maiores paulo et oblongi
magis quam ceterae apes, rectioribus cruribus, sed
minus amplis pinnis, pulchri coloris et nitidi, levesque
ac sine pile, sine spicule, nisi quis forte pleniorem
quasi capillum, quem in ventre gerunt, aculeum
putat, quo et ipso tamen ad nocendum non utuntur.
Quidam etiam infusci atque hirsuti reperiuntur,
quorum pro habitu damnabis ingenium.

2 Nam duo sunt regum facies, ita corpora plebis.
Alter erit maculis auro squalentibus ardens

insignis et ore
Et rutilis clarus squamis.

^ quos sic om. SAac.

* patieris a : paterisque SA : petierunt(?) c.
' revolet SAac.

* deductum ac : ductum SA.

464

BOOK IX. IX. 7-x. 2

or, at any rate, that, if there are several, they are
reconciled and on good terms with one another, in
which case you will leave them as they are until they
fly back to their abode. If, however, the swarm is 8
divided into two or even more clusters, you need
have no doubt that there are several chiefs and that
they are still in an angry mood, and you will have to
search for the leaders in the parts of the clusters
where you see the bees most closely massed to-
gether. Having, then, smeared your hand with
the juice of the herbs already named, that is,
balm and wild parsley, lest they fly away at
your touch, you will gently insert your fingers
and, after separating the bees from one another,
you will search until you find the author of the
quarrel.

X. Now the king-bees are slightly larger and more The king
oblong in shape than the other bees, with straighter ^^'
legs but less ample wings, of a beautiful shining colour
and smooth, without any hair, and stingless, unless one
regards as such the coarser hair-like object growing
on their belly, of which, however, they do not make
use to inflict a hurt. Some, too, are found of a dusky
colour and hairy, of whose disposition you will form
an unfavourable opinion judging from their bodily
appearance.

As two-fold are the features of the kings, 2

So are the bodies of their subjects; one

Will gleam with markings rough with gold, and

bright
With ruddy scales, and of a comely mien."

" Parts of Vergil, Oeorg. IV. 91-7.

465

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Atque hie maxime probatur, qui est melior : nam
deterior, sordido sputo similis, tarn foedus est,
quam pulvere ab alto
Cum venit et sicco terram spuit ore viator,

Et, ut idem ait,

Desidia latamque trahens inglorius alvum.
Omnes igitur duces notae deterioris

Dede neci, melior vacua sine regnet in aula.

3 Qui tamen et ipse spoliandus est alis, ubi saepius
cum examine suo conatur eruptione facta profugere.
Nam velut quadam compede retinebimus erronem
ducem detractis alis, qui fugae destitutus praesidio,
finem regni non audet excedere, propter quod ne
ditionis quidem suae populo permittit longius evagari.
XI. Sed nonnunquam idem necandus est, cum
Vetus alveare numero apium destituitur, atque in-
frequentia eius alio ^ examine ^ replenda est.
Itaque cum primo vere in eo vase nata est pullities,
novus rex eliditur ^ ut multitudo sine discordia cum
parentibus suis conversetur. Quod si nuUam pro-
geniem tulerint favi, duas * vel tres alvorum plebes

" in unum contribuere licebit, sed prius respersas dulci
Hquore : tum demum includere, et posito cibo, dum

^ alio scripsi : aliquo codd.
^ examine ac : -a SA.
^ eligitur SAac.
* duas ac : dius SA.

460

Book ix. x. 2-xi. t

That is why this one is especially approved, being super-
ior ; for the inferior kind, like dirty spittle, is as foul as

The wayfarer who comes from depth of dust
And from his parched mouth the dirt spits forth : <*

And as the same writer says,

With sloth inglorious his wide paunch he drags.*

Therefore all the leaders of the baser kind

Give them to death, and let the better prince
Rule in the empty hall."

Nevertheless he too must be despoiled of his wings, 3
when he oft-times attempts to break out with his
swarm and fly away ; for, if we strip him of his wings,
we shall keep the vagrant chieftain as though in
fetters chained, who, deprived of the resource of
flight, ventures not to leave the confines of his realm
and, for this reason, does not allow even the people
under his sway to wander further than he is able.

XI. But sometimes the king-bee has to be put to How to
death when an old hive falls short of its proper com- proper Mm
plement of bees, and its want of numbers must be pi'-m^nt of
made up from another swarm. Therefore, when in
the early spring a young brood is born in the hive,
the new king-bee is squeezed to death, so that the
multitude of bees may live with their parents without
discord. But if the combs have produced no offspring,
it will be open to you to bring together the population
of two or three hives into one, but only after they
have been sprinkled with sweet liquid ; then you can
shut them up and, after placing food for them, keep

• Parts of Vergil, Oeorg. IV. 96 f.
* lb. 94. « lb. 90.

467

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

conversari consuescant, exiguis spiramentis relictis

2 triduo fere clausas habere. Sunt qui seniorem potius
regem submoveant, quod est contrarium : quippe tur-
ba vetustior, velut quidam senatus, minoribus parere
non censent, atque imperia validiorum contumaciter

3 spernendo ^ poenis ac mortibus afficiuntur.^ IIU
quidem incommodo, quod iuniori ^ examini solet
accidere, cum antiquarum apium relictus a nobis rex
senectute defecit, et tanquam domino mortuo familia
nimia licentia discordat, facile occurritur. Nam ex
iis alvis, quae plures habent principes, dux unus
eligitur: isque translatus ad eas, quae sine imperio
sunt, rector constituitur.

Potest autem minore molestia in iis domiciliis,
quae aliqua peste vexata sunt, paucitas apium

4 emendari. Nam ubi cognita est clades frequentis
alvi, si quos habet favos, oportet considerare : turn
deinde cerae eius quae semina pullorum continet,
partem recidere, in qua regii generis proles animatur.
Est autem facilis conspectu, quoniam fere in ipso
fine cerarum velut papilla uberis apparet eminentior
et laxioris fistulae * quam sunt reliqua foramina,

6 quibus popularis notae pulli detinentur. Celsus
quidem ^ affirmat in extremis favis transversas fistulas
esse, quae contineant regios pullos. Hyginus quo-
que auctoritatem Graecorum sequens ncgat ex
vermiculo,* ut ceteras apes, fieri ducem, sed in
circuitu favorum paulo maiora, quam sunt plebeii

^ spernendo SAa : -os c.

* afficiuntur c : afficitur SA : afBciunt a,
' iuveniori SA : iuniori a^;.

* apparet eminentior et laxioris ac : om. SA.
^ quidem ac : quae quidam SA.

* vermiculo Oesner : vernaculo SAac.

468

BOOK IX. XI. 1-5

them enclosed for about three daySj leaving only
small breathing-holes, until they are accustomed to
live together. There are some people who prefer 2
to get rid of a king-bee that is old, but this is harmful ;
for the crowd of older bees, who form a kind of senate,
do not think fit to obey the juniors and, through
obstinately despising the orders of those who are
stronger than themselves, are visited with punish-
ment and death. The trouble, indeed, which usually 3
befalls a younger swarm, when the king of the old
bees whom we have left in power has failed through old
age and wild discord arises through lack of control (just
as happens in a family when its head dies), can easily
be met. For one leader is chosen from those hives
which have several chiefs and is transferred to those
which have no one to govern them, and set up as ruler.
In those quarters which are afflicted by some pesti-
lence the lack of bees can be remedied with less
trouble ; for when the disaster to the crowded hive 4
is recognized, you must examine any combs which it
contains. You must then next cut away, from the wax
which holds the seeds, that part in which the offspring
of the kingly race comes to life. It is easy to see this,
since almost at the very end of the wax there appears
as it were the nipple of a breast projecting some-
what and with a wider cavity than the rest of the
holes, in which the young bees of the common kind
are enclosed. Celsus indeed declares that there are 5
transverse cavities in the outermost combs which
contain the royal progeny. Hyginus, too, following
the authority of the Greeks, says that the ruler is not
formed, like the rest of the bees, from a small worm,
but that, on the circumference of the combs, straight
holes are to be found somewhat larger than those

469

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

seminis, inveniri recta foramina repleta quasi sorde
rubri coloris, ex qua protinus alatus rex figuretur.

XII. Est et ilia vernaculi examinis cura, si forte
praedicto tempore facta eruptione ^ patriam 2 fasti-
diens^ sedem longiorem fugam denuntiavit. Id
autem significat, cum sic apis evadit vestibulum, ut
nulla intra revolet, sed se confestim levet sublimius.

2 Crepitaculis aeris * aut testarum plerumque vulgo
iacentium terreatur fugiens iuventus : eaque vel
pavida cum repetierit alvum maternam, et in eius
aditu glomerata pependerit, vel statim se ad proxi-
mam frondem contulerit, protinus custos novum
loculamentum in hoc praeparatum perlinat intrin-
secus praedictis herbis : deinde guttis mellis resper-
sum admoveat : tum manibus, aut etiam trulla con-

3 gregatas apes recondat : atque, uti debet, adhibita
cetera cura, diligenter compositum et illitum vas
interim patiatur in eodem loco esse, dum advespe-
rascat. Primo deinde crepusculo transferat, et re-

4 ponat in ordinem reliquarum alvorum. Oportet
autem etiam vacua domicilia collocata in apiariis
habere. Nam sunt nonnulla examina, quae cum
processerint,^ statim sedem sibi quaerant in proximo,
eamque ^ occupent quam vacantem reperiunt. Haec
fere acquirendarum, atque etiam retinendarum
apium traditur cura.

^ eruptione ac : -em SA.
* patriam ac : -ae SA.
^ post fastidiens add. sedens SA.
aeris c : eris SA : aereis a.

470

aeiis c : ens oj± : aereis a.

* processerint A : -unt Sac.

• eaque SA : eandemque a : eadcmque

BOOK IX. XI. 5-xii. 4

which hold the bees of common birth, filled with a
kind of dirt of a red colour from which the winged
king-bee is immediately formed.

XII. Care must also be taken of the home-bred How to
swarm, if by chance, taking a dislike to their paternal swarm^and
abode, they break forth at the time already mentioned prevent it3
and announce their intention of taking a more distant
flight. This the swarm intimates when the bees so
completely avoid the entrance to the hive that not
a single one flies back again into it, but immediately
rises high into the sky. The young bees who are 2
escaping should be frightened by the rattling of brass
or potsherds, which are usually to be found lying
about ; and when in their alarm they have returned
to the maternal hive and hang in a mass at the
entrance to it or betake themselves immediately to
the nearest foliage, the keeper should immediately
besmear the inside of a new receptacle prepared for
the purpose with the herbs mentioned above, and
then, after sprinkling it with drops of honey, bring it
near and gather the mass of bees together with his
hands or with a scoop ; and, after taking every 3
proper precaution, he should let the hive, after it
has been carefully adjusted and besmeared inside,
remain in the same place until evening begins to fall.
Then at first twilight he should remove it and replace
it in a row with the other hives. But you should also 4
have empty hives placed in the apiary ; for there are
some swarms which, as soon as they have come forth,
immediately seek a home for themselves nearby
and occupy one which they find empty. You now have
a practically complete account of the measures to be
taken for acquiring bees and keeping them in your
possession.

471

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

XIII. Sequitur ut morbo vel pestilentia laboranti-
bus remedia desiderentur. Pestilentiae rara in
apibus pernicies, nee tamen aliud, quam quod in
cetero peeore praeeepimus, quid fieri possit ^ reperio,
nisi ut longius alvi transferantur, Morborum autem
facilius et causae dispiciuntur, et inveniuntur medi-

2 cinae. Maximus autem annuus ^ earum labor est
initio veris, quo tithymali floret frutex, et quo ^
amara ulmi semina sua promunt. Nam quasi novis
pomis, ita his primitivis floribus illectae avide vescun-
tur post hibernam famem, alioqui * citra satietatem ^
tali non ^ nocente cibo : quo "^ cum se afFatim repleve-
runt, profluvio alvi, nisi celeriter succurritur, intere-
unt. Nam et tithymalus maiorum quoque anima-
lium ventrem solvit, et proprie ulmus apium. Eaque
causa est, cur in regionibus Italiae,^ quae sunt eius
generis ^ arboribus consitae, raro frequentes durent

3 apes. Itaque veris principio si medicates cibos
praebeas, iisdem remediis et provideri ^^ potest, ne
tali peste vexentur, et cum iam laborant, sanari.
Nam illud quod Hyginus antiquos secutus auctores
prodidit, ipse non expertus asseverare non audeo : ^^

4 volentibus tamen licebit experiri, Siquidem prae-

^ possit Sac : potest A.

* maximus autem annuus Schneider : maximumque vel
minimum annuus S : maximusque vel minimus annuus Aa.

' et quo (quos a) amara ulmi ac : quo samaras ulmis iS'^.

* alioqui SA : alioquin ac. * sacietatem S : satietatem Aac.

* non om. SAac. ' quo om. SAac.

* in regionibus Italiae ac : in geniobus; taliae SA.

* generis SAac. ^^ provideri ac : -ere SA,
* ^ audeo SA : audet ac.

' Minor troubles, distinct from pestilentia, which is what is
now called ' bee-pest ' or ' foul brood.'

* Now called ' dysentery.'

472

BOOK IX. XIII. 1-4

XIII. The next thing is that remedies are needed for Kemodies
those which are suffering from disease or pestilence, diseases of
The ruinous disease of pestilence ' is rare in bees, nor '''^®^-
can I find anything which ought to be done other
than what we have prescribed in the case of the other
animals (except that the hives should be moved
far away) ; but the causes of common ailments " in
bees are more easily diagnosed and remedies found
for them. The most serious is their annual distemper 2
at the beginning of spring, Avhen the spurge-bush
flowers and the elms put forth their bitter blossoms ; for
as by fresh apples, so are they allured by these early
flowers and eat greedily of them after their winter
hunger, such food not being hurtful when not eaten
beyond satiety, but when they have gorged them-
selves abundantly with it, they die from a flux of the
belly, unless help is quickly given. For spurge
produces looseness of the bowels in the larger
animals also, but elm has this effect particularly on
bees. This is the reason why bees rarely continue
numerous in the districts of Italy which are planted
with trees of this kind. And so at the beginning of 3
spring, if you supply them with medicated food, by
means of the same remedies it is possible both to
provide against their being troubled by plague *
of this kind and also to cure them when they are
already suffering from it. Now I myself do not
venture to insist on the treatment which Hyginus,
following ancient authorities, has recorded, since I have
not tried it ; but it is open to those who wish to do so
to test it. For his instructions are : when a plague of 4
this kind has attacked the bees, and the bodies are
found for dead in heaps under the honeycombs, lay
them aside in a dry place through the winter, and, at

473

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

cipit apium corpora, quae cum eiusmodi pestis in-
cessit, sub favis acervatim enectae ^ reperiuntur,
sicco loco per hiemem reposita circa aequinoctium
vernum, cum dementia diei suaserit, post horam
tertiam in solem proferre, ficulneoque cinere obruere.
Quo 2 facto, affirmat intra duas horas cum vivido
halitu caloris animatae sunt, resumpto spiritu, si

5 praeparatum vas obiciatur, irrepere, Nos magis ne
intereant, quae deinceps dicturi sumus, aegris ex-
amiinibus exhibenda ^ censemus. Nam vel grana
mali Punici ^ tunsa et vino Amineo conspersa,^ vel
uvae passae cum rore Syriaco ^ pari mensura ''
pinsitae et austero vino insuccatae ^ dari debent :
vel si per se ista frustrata sunt, omnia eadem acquis
ponderibus in unum levigata, et fictili vase cum
Amineo vino infervefacta, mox etiam refrigerata,

6 ligneis canalibus apponi. Nonnulli rorem ^ marinum
aqua mulsa decoctum, cum gelaverit, imbricibus
infusum praebent libandum. Quidam bubulam vel
hominis urinam, sicut Hyginus affirmat, alvis appo-

7 nunt. Nee non etiam ille morbus maxime est con-
spicuus, qui horridas contractasqiie carpit, cum fre-
quenter aliae mortuarum corpora^** domiciliis efferunt,
aliae intra tecta, ut in publico luctu, maesto silentio
torpent. Id cum accidit, arundineis infusi canalibus

' enectae Aac : -r S. * qui SA : quo ac.

^ ad exhibenda SAac. * Punici ac : -a SA.

^ consparsam SA : consparsa a : conspersa c.

* sutorio SAac. ' mensura SAac.

* insucatae ac : inaucae SA.

* ros ac : roboro SA.
^° corpora ac : -is SA.

474

BOOK IX. xiii. 4-7

about the time of the spring equinox, when the mild-
ness of the day invites us, bring them out into the
sunshine, after the third hour, and cover them with
fig-wood ashes. If this is done, he declares
that within two hours, brought to life by the
quickening breath of the heat, they begin to
breathe again and crawl into a vessel provided
for this purpose, if it is placed in their way. We 5
rather, that they may not perish, are of opinion
that the diet, which we will forthwith describe, should
be put before the swarms when they are sick. For
they ought to be given either seeds of pomegranate,
bruised and sprinkled with Aminean * wine, or
raisins with an equal quantity of Syrian sumach ^
and soaked in rough wine ; or, if these are
without effect taken separately, all the same in-
gredients should be pounded in equal quantities into
a single mass and boiled in an earthenware vessel with
Aminean wine and then allowed to cool right away
and placed before the bees in wooden troughs. Some 6
people boil rosemary in honey-water and, when it
has cooled, pour it into troughs and give it to the
bees to sip. Others put the urine either of oxen or
of human beings near the hives, as Hyginus declares.
Moreover also, that disease is particularly remarkable 7
which makes them hideous and shrunken and consumes
them, when some often carry out from their abodes
the bodies of those which have died, while others
remain listless within their dwellings in sad silence,
as though in time of public mourning. When this

" From a district of Picenum (Vergil, Oeorg. II. 97).

* Ros or, more correctly, rJms Syriacvs is said by Pliny,
N.H. XIII. § 55, to be used as a drug, which shows that
Syriacus is the right reading here.

475

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

offeruntur cibi, maxime dococti mellis, et cum galla ^
vel arida rosa detriti. Galbanum etiam, ut eius
odore medicentur, incendi convenit, passoque et

8 defruto vetere fessas sustinere. Optima tamen facit
amelli radix, cuius est frutex luteus purpureus flos :
ea cum vetere Amineo vino decocta exprimitur, et
ita liquatus eius succus datur. Hyginus quidem in
eo libro, quern de apibus scripsit, Aristomachus,
inquit, hoc modo succurrendum laborantibus ex-
istimat : primum, ut omnes vitiosi favi tollantur, et
cibus ex ^ integro recens ponatur ; deinde ut fumi-

9 gentur. Prodesse etiam putat apibus vetustate
corruptis examen novem contribuere, quamvis peri-
culosum sit, ne seditione consumantur, verumtamen
adiecta multitudine laetaturas.^ Sed ut Concordes
maneant, earum apium, quae ex alio domicilio trans-
feruntur, quasi peregrinae plebis ^ submoveri reges ^
debent.® Nee tamen dubium, quin frequentissimorura
examinum favi, qui iam maturos habent pullos,
transferri, et subici paucioribus debeant, ut tanquam

10 novae prolis adoptione domicilia confirmentur. Sed
et id ' cum fiet. animadvertendum est, ut eos favos
subiciamus, quorum pulli iam sedes suas adaperiunt,

1 galla ac : galle SA.

- cuius et SA : cibus ex a : om. c.

' laetaturas scrijpsi : laetatura Aac : letatur 8.

* plebis ac : plebes SA.
^ reges ac : regi SA.

* debent SA : dobere ac.

' et id a : sed id c : sedsitiS'x4.

" See note on p. 260.

* Of Soli in Cyprus, who, •with Philiscus of Thasos, wrote a
book on bees (Pliny, N.H. XI. § 9),
476

BOOK IX. XIII. 7-10

happens food is offered them poured into troughs
made of reeds, especially boiled honey pounded up
with an oak-apple or a dried rose. It is also a good 8
plan to burn galbanum,°' that they may be cured by
its odour, and to keep up their strength, when they
are exhausted, with raisin-wine and boiled-down
must. The root of the starwort, the bushy part of
which is yellow and its flower purple, has the best
effect of all ; it is boiled with old Aminean wine and
pressed and then the juice is strained and given as a
remedy. Hyginus indeed, in the book which he
wrote about bees, says : " Aristomachus ^ is of opinion
that help ought to be brought to bees which are sick
in the following manner : first, all the diseased combs
should be removed and entirely fresh food placed for
the bees, and then they should be fumigated." He 9
thinks also that it is beneficial to add a new swarm
to the bees who are wasted by old age, although
there is a danger that they may be destroyed by
sedition, nevertheless they are likely to rejoice be-
cause their number is increased. But that they may
remain in a state of concord, the kings of those bees
which are being transferred from another hive
ought to be put out of the way as rulers of an alien
people. There is, however, no doubt that the
honey-combs of the most populous swarms, which
have young bees already matured in them, ought to
be transferred and made subject to the less populous
swarms that their families may be strengthened by
the adoption, as it were, of fresh progeny. But, 10
when this is going to be done, we must remember to
put in the care of the old swarm those honey-combs
in which the young ones are already opening their
cells and putting out their heads and eating away

477

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

et velut opercula foraminum obductas ceras erodunt ^
exerentes capita. Nam si favos immaturo ^ fetu
transtulerimus, emorientur pulli, cum foveri desi-

11 erint. Saepe etiam vitio quod ^ Graeci cfiayedaLvav^
vocant, intereunt. Siquidem cum sit haec apium
consuetude, ut prius tantum cerarum confingant,
quantum putent explere se ^ posse, non nunquam
evenit, consummatis ® operibus cereis, ut, dum exa-
men conquirendi ' mellis causa longius evagatur,
subitis imbribus, aut turbinibus in silvis opprimatur,
et maiorem partem plebis amittat : quod ubi factum
est, reliqua ^ paucitas favis complendis non sufficit ;
tuncque vacuae .cerarum partes^ computrescunt,!*^ et
vitiis paulatim serpentibus, corrupto^^ melle, ipsae

12 quoque apes intereunt. Id ne fiat, vel duo populi
coniungi debent, qui possint adhuc integras ceras
explere : vel si non est facultas alterius examinis,
ipsos favos, ante quam putrescant, vacuis partibus
acutissimo ferro liber are. Nam hoc quoque refert,
ne admodum ^^ hebes ^^ ferramentum (quia non facile
penetret) vehementius impressum favos sedibus
suis commoveat : quod si factum est, apes domici-
lium derelinquunt.

13 Est et ilia causa interitus, quod interdum continuis
annis plurimi flores proveniunt, et apes magis melli-

* erodunt ac : produnt S: produn A.
^ immaturo ac : -os SA.

^ quod ac : om. SA .

* (ftaythaivav A^ : ^ayihevav S : om. ac.
^ se om. SA.

* consumatis ac : cum summas S : consummas A.
' conquirendi ac : -is SA.

* roliqua ac : aliqua SA. * partes om. S.

'" cum putrescant c : partescum iS : patescunt A : pates-
cant a.

^1 corrupto ac : -a SA. '* admotum SAac.

478

BOOK IX. xm. 10-13

the wax which was laid upon the top as a kind of
covering for their holes. For if we transfer the
honey-combs when the brood has not come to
maturity, the young bees will die when they cease
to be kept warm. For they often die of a distemper
which the Greeks call phagedaina.'^ For since it is 11
the habit of bees to construct beforehand as many
cells as they think they can fill, it sometimes happens
that, when their waxen structures are finished, the
swarm, while it is roaming too far afield in search of
honey, is overwhelmed in the woods by sudden
showers and whirlwinds and loses most of the ordinary
bees. When this has happened, the few that remain
are not enough to fill the combs and then the empty
parts of the wax cells become rotten, and since diseases
gradually creep in, the honey becomes corrupted and
the bees, too, themselves die. To prevent this, either 12
the populations of two hives ought to be united, so
that they can fill the waxen cells which are still sound,
or, if a second swai'm is not available, we must remove
the honey-combs from the uninhabited parts, before
they go rotten, with a very sharp knife. For it is
very important also that a very blunt iron tool, be-
cause it does not easily penetrate, should not be
pressed with great force and dislodge the honey-
combs from their places ; for if this has happened,
the bees desert their abode.

There is also this cause of mortality among bees 13
that sometimes very many flowers come up during
several continuous years and the bees are more eager

" Pliny (N.H. XXVI. §11) says that this word has two mean-
ings, either (1) a rodent cancer or (2) voracious hunger. The
first is certainly the meaning here.

^^ hebes (Sac : hsihes A.

479

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

ficiis quam fetibus student. Itaque nonnulli,
quibus minor est harum rerum scientia, magnis ^
fructibus delectantur, ignorantes exitium apibus
imniinere, quoniam et nimio fatigatae opere plurimae
pereunt, nee ullis iuventutis supplementis con-
14 frequentatae novissime reliquae intereunt. Itaque
si tale ver incessit, ut et prata et arva ^ floribus
abundent, utilissimum est tertio quoque die exiguis
foraminibus relictis per quae non ^ possint exire
alvorum exitus praecludi,* ut ab opere ^ mellifico
avocatae, apes quoniam non sperent se posse ceras
omnes liquoribus stipare, fetibus expleant. Atque
haec fere sunt examinum vitio laborantium remebia.
XIV. Deinceps ilia totius anni cura, ut idem
Hyginus commodissime prodidit. Ab aequinoctio
primo quod mense Martio circa viii calendas Aprilis
in octava parte Arietis conficitur, ad exortum Ver-
giliarum dies verni temporis habentur duodequin-
quaginta. Per hos primum ait apes curandas esse
adapertis alveis, ut omnia purgamenta, quae sunt
hiberno tempore congesta, eximantur, et araneis,
qui favos corrumpunt, detractis fumus immittatur
factus incenso bubulo fimo.^ Hie enim quasi quadam
2 cognatione generis maxime est apibus aptus. Ver-
miculi quoque, qui tineae vocantur, item papiliones

* magis SAac.

* ut etiam prata parva a : et ut prata et arva c : et iam
parva SA.

* non om. SAac.

* praecludit A.

* ab opere ac : alveo fere SA.

* fimo Aac : fimi S.

480

BOOK IX. xiii. 13-XIV. 2

to make honey than to produce offspring. And so
some people, whose knowledge of these matters is
defective, are delighted at the large production of
honey, not being aware of the destruction which is
threatening the bees ; for, exhausted by too much
labour, very many of them are perishing and, as their
numbers are not being increased by the addition of
young stock, the rest at last die off. And so, if such 14
a spring comes on that both the meadows and the
cornfields abound in flowers, it is most expedient
every third day to close the exits from the hives
(small openings having been left through which the
bees cannot pass), so that, called from the activity of
making honey, since they have no hope of being able
to fill up the waxen cells with liquid honey, they may
fill them with offspring. Such then in general are
the remedies for swarms suffering from some dis-
temper.

XIV. Next comes the management of bees The man-
throughout the year according to the excellent ble^^°* "*
system set forth by the same Hyginus. From the
first equinox, which takes place about the twenty-
fourth of March in the eighth degree of the Ram,
until the rising of the Pleiads, there are reckoned to
be the forty-eight days of spring. During these days,
he says, the bees ought to receive attention for the
first time by opening the hives, so that all filth, which
has collected during the winter season, may be re-
moved, and, after the spiders, which rot the honey-
combs, have been got rid of, the hives may be
fumigated with smoke produced by burning ox-dung ;
for this smoke is particularly well suited to bees as if
some affinity existed between it and them. The little
worms also which are called moth-caterpillars and also 2

481

VOL. II. R

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

enecandi sunt : quae pestes plerumque favis adhae-
rentes decidunt, si fimo medullam bubulam misceas,
et his incensis ^ nidorem admoveas. Hac cura per id
tempus quod diximus examina firmabuntur, eaque
fortius operibus inservient.

3 Verum maxime custodiendum est curatori, qui
apes nutrit, cum alvos tractare debebit, uti pridie
castus ab rebus venereis, neve temulentus,^ nee nisi
lotus ad eas accedat, abstineatque omnibus redolenti-
bus esculentis,^ ut sunt salsamenta, et eorum omnia
liquamina ; itemque fetentibus acrimoniis alii vel

4 ceparum ceterarumque * rerum similium. Duode-
quinquagesimo ^ die ab aequinoctio verno, cum fit
Vergiliarum exortus circa v idus Maias, incipiunt
examina viribus et numero augeri. Sed et iisdem
diebus intereunt quae paucas et aegras apes habent ;
eodemque tempore progenerantur in ^ extremis
partibus favorum amplioris magnitudinis quam sunt
ceterae apes, eosque nonnulli putant esse reges.
Verum quidam Graecorum auctores oXarpovs ' appel-
lant ab eo, quod exagitent, neque patiantur examina
conquiescere. Itaque praecipiunt eos enecari.

5 Ab exortu Vergiliarum ad solstitium, quod fit
ultimo mense lunio circa octavam partem Cancri, fere
examinant alvi : quo tempore vehementius custodiri
debent, ne novae soboles diffugiant. Tumque per-

^ incensis ac : impensis SA.

^ temulentus Ac : temulentis a : temolestus S.

' estulentis a : esculentis c : exculentis S : excultis A,

* ceterarumque ac : om. Ac.

* unde quinquagesimo SAac.

* in oc : et SA.

^ olarpovs SA : om, ac,

■ Gadflies or horseflies.
482

BOOK IX. XIV. 2-5

the developed moths must be killed. These pests which
generally adhere to the honey-combs fall off, if you
mix ox's marrow with dung and, after setting the
mixture on fire, bring the smell of burning near
them. As a result of this precaution the swarms will
be strengthened during the period which we have
mentioned and will apply themselves to their work
with more vigour.

But very great care must be taken by the man in 3
charge, who feeds the bees, when he must handle
the hives, that the day before he has abstained from
sexual relations and does not approach them when
drunk and only after washing himself, and that he
abstain from all edibles which have a strong flavour,
such as pickled fish and all the liquids which accom-
pany them, and also fi'om the acrimonious stench of
garlic and onions and all other similar things. On the 4
forty-eighth day after the vernal equinox, when the
rising of the Pleiads takes place about the 8th of May,
the swarms begin to increase in strength and number ;
but in the same period of days the swarms also which
contain few and sickly bees die off, and at the same
time in the extremities of the honey-combs bees are
born of larger size than the rest, which some'people
think are king-beec. Some writers among the
Greeks, however, call them oistroi"' from the fact
that they excite the swarms and do not allow them
any rest ; therefore they recommend that they should
be killed.

From the rising of the Pleiads to the solstice, which 5
takes place at the end of June in about the eighth
degree of the Crab, the hives generally swarm. This
is a time at which they must be very strictly watched,
so that the young brood may not escape. Then,

483

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

acto solstitio usque ad ortum Caniculae, qui fere dies
triginta sunt, pariter ^ frumenta et favi demetun-
tur.2 Sed hi quemadmodum ^ tolli debeant, mox
dicetur, cum de confectura mellis praecipiemus.

6 Ceterum hoc eodem tempore progenerari posse
apes iuvenco perempto, Democritus et Mago * nee
minus Vergilius prodiderunt. Mago quidem ventri-
bus etiam bubulis idem fieri affirmat, quam rationem
diligentius prosequi supervacuum puto, consentiens
Celso, qui prudentissime ait, non tanto interitu

7 pecus istud amitti, ut sic requirendum sit. Verum
hoc tempore, et usque in autumni aequinoctium
decimo quoque die alvi aperiendae et fumigandae
sunt. Quod cum sit molestum examinibus, salu-
berrimum tamen esse convenit. Suffitas deinde, et
aestuantes apes refrigerare oportet, conspersis
vacuis partibus alvorum et recentissimi rigoris aqua
infusa : deinde si quid ablui non poterit, pinnis
aquilae vel etiam cuius libet vastae aUtis,^ quae rigo-

8 rem habent, emundari. Praeterea ut tineae ^ ever-
rantur, papiUonesque enecentur, qui plerumque intra
alvos morantes apibus exitio sunt. Nam et ceras
erodunt, et stercore suo vermes progenerant, quos

9 alvorufta tineas appellamus. Itaque quo tempore
malvae florent, cum est earum ' maxima multitude,
si vas aeneum simile ^ miliario vespere ponatur inter

^ pariter Aac : pater et S.

* demetuntur a : demetiuntur c : demuntur SA.

* sed hi quern admodum ac : sed hiem admodum SA.

* mago ac : magno SA.

* aiitis ac : -as SA.

* post tineae add. si apparuerint c : om. SAa.
' eanim ac : eorum AS.

* simile ac : -em SA.

484

BOOK IX. XIV. 5-9

when the solstice is passed and until the rising of the
Dog-star, a period of about thirty days, the harvests
of the cornfields and the honey-combs alike are
gathered in. How the combs should be removed
will be told presently when we give instructions for
preparing honey.

Now Democritus, Mago and likewise Vergil have 6
recorded that bees can be generated at this same
time of year from a slain bullock. Mago indeed also
asserts that the same thing may be done from the
bellies of oxen, but I consider it superfluous to deal
in more detail with this method, since I am in
agreement with Celsus, who very wisely says that
there is never such mortality among these creatures,
that it is necessary to procure them by this means.
But at this time and until the autumn equinox, the 7
hives ought to be opened and fumigated every tenth
day. This, though it annoys the swarm, is generally
considered to be very wholesome. Then after they
have been fumigated and are still heated the bees
ought to be cooled by sprinkling the empty parts of
the hives and pouring in water which is cold because
it is very freshly drawn : then when there is any-
thing which cannot be washed away, it must be
cleansed with the feathers of an eagle or of any other
large bird which are of a stiff quality. Moreover 8
caterpillars should be swept away and moths killed,
which generally linger among the hives and are
destructive to the bees ; for they both gnaw at the
waxen combs and from their dung breed worms which
we call " hive-moths." Therefore, at the season 9
when the mallows flower, when the moths are
most numerous, if a bronze vessel of the shape of a
milestone is placed amongst the hives in the evening

485

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

alvos, et in fundum eius lumen aliquod demittatur,
undique papiliones concurrunt : ^ dumque circa
flammulam volitant,^ aduruntur, quod ^ nee facile ex
angusto sursum evolare,* nee rursus longius ab igne
possunt recedere, cum latex-ibus aeneis circumveni-
antur : ideoque propinquo ardore consumuntur.

10 A Canicula fere post diem quinquagesimum
Arcturus oritur, cum irroratis floribus thymi et
cunilae thymbraeque apes mella conficiunt : idque ^
optimae 'notae enitescit ^ autumni aequinoctio, quod
est ante calend. Octobris, cum octavam partem
Librae sol attigit, Sed inter Caniculae et Arcturi
exortum cavendum erit, ne apes intercipiantur
violentia crabronum, qui ante alvearia plerumque

11 obsidiantur prodeuntibus. Post Arcturi exortum
circa aequinoctium Librae (sicut dixi) favorum
secunda est exemptio. Ab aequinoctio deinde quod
conficitur circa viii calend. Octobris ad Vergiliarum
occasum diebus XL, ex floribus tamaricis "^ et silves-
tribus frutectis apes collecta mella cibariis hiemis
reponunt. Quibus nihil est omnino detrahendum, ne
saepius iniuria contristatae velut desperatione rerum

12 profugiant. Ab occasu Vergiliarum ad brumam,
quae fere conficitur^ circa viii calend. lanuarii in
octava parte Capricorni, iam recondito melle utuntur
examina, eoque usque ad Arcturi exortum sustinen-

^ concurrant SA : -cnt ac.

* volitent SAac.

* quod c : quoniam a : quam SA.

* evolent SAac,

* idque ac : atque SA.

' enitescit SAa : emitescit c.
' tamaricis ac : amaricis SA .

* conficitur ac : confingitur SA.

486

BOOK IX. XIV. 9-12

and a light lowered to the bottom of it, the moths
rush together from all sides and, flitting round the
flame, are scorched because they cannot easily fly
upwards from the narrow space or retire to a distance
from the fire, since they are hemmed in by the brazen
sides of the vessel. They are, therefore, consumed
by the burning heat which is near them.

About fifty days from the rising of the Dog-star 10
is the rising of Arcturus, at which time the bees
make their honey from the dew-drenched flowers of
thyme and marjoram and savory. Honey of the
finest quality is at its best at the autumn equinox,
which falls before the first of October, when the sun
reaches the eighth degree of Libra. But great care
will have to be exercised between the rising of the
Dog-star and that of Arcturus that the bees are not
surprised by violent attacks from hornets, which
generally lie in wait in front of the hives for them to
come out. After the rising of Arcturus about the 11
time of the equinox, which takes place when the sun
is in the Balance (as I have said), the second extraction
of honey-combs takes place. Then from the equinox,
which occurs about September 24:th, until the set-
ting of the Pleiads, a period of forty days, the bees
store up the honey which they have collected for
winter food from the tamarisk flowers and woodland
shrubs. Of this nothing at all must be extracted,
lest the bees, disheartened by continual ill-treat-
ment and, as it were, in despair, should take to flight.
From the setting of the Pleiads till the winter solstice, 12
which falls about December 23rd in the eighth degree
of Capricorn, the bees make use of the honey already
stored up and are sustained by it until the rising of
Arcturus. I am well acquainted with the reckoning

487

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

tur. Nee me fallit Hipparchi ratio, quae docet
solstitia et aequinoctia non octavis sed primis parti-
bus signorum confici. Verum in hac ruris disciplina
sequor nunc Eudoxi et Metonis ^ antiquorumque
fastus astrologer um, qui sunt aptati ^ publicis saeri-
ficiis : quia et notior est ista vetus agricolis concepta
opinio ; nee tamen Hipparchi subtilitas pinguioribus,

13 ut aiunt, rusticorum Uteris necessaria est. Ergo
Vergiliarum occasu primo statim conveniet aperire
alvos, et depurgare quidquid immundi est, diligenti-
usque curare ; quoniam per tempora hiemis non
expedit movere aut patefacere vasa. Quam ob
causam dum adhuc autumni reliquiae sunt,^ apricis-
simo die purgatis domiciliis opercula intus usque ad
favos admovenda sunt, omni vacua parte sedis exclusa,
quo facilius angustiae cavearum per hiemem con-
calescant. Idque semper faciendum est etiam in iis
alvis, quae paucitate plebis infrequentes sunt.

14 Quidquid deinde rimarum est aut foraminum, luto
et fimo bubulo mixtis illinemus extrinsecus, nee nisi
aditus, quibus commeent, relinquemus. Et quamvis
porticu protecta vasa nihilo minus congestu cul-
mox'um et frondium supertegemus, quantumque res
patietur, a frigore et tempestatibus muniemus.

15 Quidam exemptis interaneis occisas aves intus in-
cludunt, quae tempore hiberno plumis suis delites-
centibus apibus praebent teporem : tum etiam si

^ metonis ac : mentonis SA.

2 aptati ac : aptatis 5^.

' reliquie sunt c : relique sunt o : requiescunt SA.

" See note on Book I. 1. 5.
* Book I. Preface, § 32.

BOOK IX. XIV. 12-15

of Hipparchus," which declares that the solstices and
equinoxes occur not in the eighth but in the first
degrees of the signs of the Zodiac ; however, in these
rural instructions I am now following the calendar of
Eudoxus and Meto '^ and the old astronomers, which
are adapted to the public festivals, because this
view, accepted in old times, is more familiar to
farmers and, on the other hand, the subtility of
Hipparchus is not necessary. for mstics of less refined
education. On the first rieiilg, uren, of the Pleiads it 13
will be advisable immediately to open the hives and
clear away any filth that there is and attend to them
with particular care, since during the winter time it
is not expedient to move or open the hives. For
this reason, while there are some remains left of
autumn, on a very sunny day, after the bees' habita-
tions have been cleansed, the covers must be put in-
side close to the honey-combs to prevent there being
any empty space within, so that the narrow quarters of
the hives may warm up more easily during the
winter. This must always be done also in those
hives which are sparsely inhabited through lack of
bee population.

Next any chinks or holes that there are we shall 14
daub outside with a mixture of clay and ox-dung,
and we shall only leave entrance by which they may
come and go. Also, although the hives are pro-
tected by a porch, we shall nevertheless cover them by
heaping stalks and leaves on the top of them and
fortify them, as far as circumstances allow, against
cold and bad weather. Some people kill birds and, 15
after taking out their intestines, shut the birds up in
the hives, so that in winter time they may provide a
gentle heat for the bees which lurk amongst their

489

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

sunt absumpta cibaria, commode pascuntur esuri-
entes, nee nisi ossa ^ earum relinquunt. Sin autem
favi sufficient ^ permanent illibatae, nee quamvis
amantissimas ^ munditiarum oflFendunt odore suo.
Melius tamen esse * nos existimamus, tempore
hiberno fame laborantibus ad ipsos aditus in canali-
culis vel contusam et aqua madefactam ficum aridam,
vel defrutum aut passum praebere. Quibus liquori-
bus mundam lanam imbuere oportebit, ut insistentes

16 apes quasi per siphonem succum evocent. Uvas
etiam passas cum infregerimus, paulum aqua respersas
probe dabimus. Atque his cibariis non solum hieme,
sed etiam quibus temporibus, ut iam supra dixi
tithymalus, atque etiam ulmi florebunt, sustinendae

17 sunt. Post confectam brumam diebus fere quad-
raginta quidquid est repositi ^ mellis, nisi liberalius
relictum sit ^ consumunt, saepe etiam vacuatis ceris '
usque in ortum fere Arcturi, qui est ab idib. Febru-
ariis, ieiunae favis accubantes toi-pent more serpen-
tum, et quiete sua spiritum conservant, quern tamen
ne amittant,^ si longior fames incesserit, optimum
est per aditum vestibuli siphonibus dulcia liquamina
immittere, et ita penuriam temporum sustinere, dum
Arcturi ortus et hirundinis adventus commodiores

18 polliceantur futuras tempestates. Itaque, post hoc
tempus, cum diei permittit hilaritas, procedere

^ ossa ac : oa S : oss A.

" sufficere SA : sufficerent ac.

^ amantissimas ac : mantissimas SA.

* esse om. SA.

* repositi oc : -& S : -am A.

* sit om. SAac.

' ceris Aac : cereris S.

^ amittant ac : amittam 8 A.

490

BOOK IX. XIV. 15-18

feathers ; furthermore, if the stock of food is used
up, they can very well feed on these birds, if they
are hungry, and leave nothing but the bones. But
if the honey-combs supply their needs, the birds
remain untouched, nor do they offend the bees with
their odour, fond though they are of cleanliness. It
is better, however, in our opinion, when they are
suffering from hunger in the winter time, to provide
them with dried figs pounded and soaked in
water or with boiled-down must or raisin-wine placed
in little troughs at the very entrance to the hives ;
and it will be advisable to soak clean wool in these
liquids, so that the bees, settling upon it, may draw
up the juice as through a small pipe. We shall also 16
do well to give them raisins sprinkled a little with
water after we have broken them up. With these
foods they must be sustained not only in winter but
also at those seasons, when, as we said just now,
spurge and also elms are in blossom. When the 17
height of winter is passed, for a period of about forty
days, they use up all the honey which is stored, unless
an unusually generous allowance is left, and often
too, after they have emptied the waxen cells, they
lie fasting in the honey-combs in a torpid condition,
like snakes, until about the rising of Arcturus, which
is on the 13th of February, and by keeping quiet
preserve the breath of life ; in order, however, that
they may not lose it, if too long a fast occurs, it is best
to pour sweet liquids through the entrance of the
porch by means of small pipes and thus support them
during the temporary scarcity until the rising of
Arcturus and the coming of the swallow with promise
of more favourable weather for the future. And so, 18
after this time, when the more cheerful weather

491

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

audent in pascua. Nam ab ^ aequinoctio verno sine
cunctatione iam passim vagantur, et idoneos ad
fetum decerpunt flores, atque intra tecta com-
portant.

Haec observanda per anni tempora diligentissime
Hyginus praecepit. Ceterum ilia Celsus adicit,
paucis locis eam felicitatem suppetere,^ ut apibus alia
pabula hiberna atque alia praebeantur aestiva.

19 Itaque quibus locis post veris tempora flores idonei
deficiunt, negat oportere immota examina relinqui,
sed vernis pastionibus absumptis in ea loca trans-
ferri, quae serotinis floribus thymi et origani thym-
braeque benignius apes alere possint. Quod fieri ait
et Achaiae regionibus, ubi transferuntur in Atticas
pastiones, et Euboea, et rursus in insulis Cycladibus,
cum ex aliis transferuntur^ Scyrum, nee minus in
Sicilia, cum ex reliquis eius partibus in Hyblam *

20 confei'untur. Idemque ait ex floribus ceras fieri, ex
matutino rore mella, quae tanto ^ meliorem quali-
tatem capiunt, quanto iucundiore sit materia cera
confecta. Sed ante translationem diligenter alvos
inspicere praecipit, veteresque et tineosos, et
labantes ^ favos eximere : nee nisi paucos et optimos
reservare, ut simul etiam ex meliore flore quam

^ ab ac : om. SA.

* felicitatem suppetere ac : om. SA.

^ transferuntur c : transportantur SAa.

* hyblam A : hybleam Sc : bibleaem a.

* ex matutino— tanto om. A.

* labantis ac : labentis A : laventis S.
492

BOOK IX. XIV. 18-20

allows it, the bees venture to go forth to their
pastures ; for after the spring equinox they are
already roaming about everywhere without hesita-
tion and plucking the produce of flowers which are
suitable for the production of their young and
carrying it into their dwellings.

These are the principles which Hyginus recom-
mends for the most careful observation throughout
the seasons of the year, but Celsus makes the follow-
ing additions. He says that only in a few places are
conditions so favourable as to provide different foods
for the bees in winter and summer, and that, there- 19
fore, in places where suitable flowers are lacking after
the season of spring, the swarms ought not to be left
without being moved, but, when the spring foods are
consumed, they should be transferred to places which
can offer the bees a more liberal diet from the late-
flowering blossoms of thyme, marjoram and savory.
This, he says, is the practice both in the regions of
Achaia, where the bees are transferred to pastures
in Attica, and in Euboea, and also in the islands of
the Cyclades, when they are transferred from other
islands to Scyros, and likewise in Sicily, when they
are moved from the other parts of the island to Hybla. 20
The same writer says that the waxen cells are made
from flowers and the honey from morning dew, and
that, the pleasanter the material from which the wax
is made, the better the quality which the honey
acquires. He gives instructions to examine the
hives carefully before transferring them and to
remove honey-combs which are old and wormy
and falling to pieces, and to keep only a few and
these the best, so that as many as possible may be
made at the same time from the better flowers. He

493

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

plurimi fiant : eaque vasa, quae ^ quis transferre
velit, non nisi noctibus et sine concussione portare.

XV. Mox vere transacto sequitur, ut dixi, mellis
vindemia,2 propter quam totius anni labor exercetur.
Eius maturitas intelligitur cum animadvertimus
fucos ab apibus expelli ae fugari. Quod est genus
amplioris incrementi, simillimum api, sed, ut ait
Vergilius, ignavum pecus, et immune,^ sine industria

2 favis assidens. Nam neque alimenta congerit,
et ab aliis invecta consumit. Verumtamen ad
procreationem sobolis conferre aliquid hi fuci viden-
tur insidentes seminibus, quibus apes figurantur.
Itaque ad fovendam novam prolem familiarius
admittuntur. Exclusis deinde puUis, extra tecta
proturbantur, et ut idem ait, a praesepibus arcentur.

3 Hos quidam praeeipiunt in totum exterminari
oportere. Quod ego Magoni consentiens faciendum
non censeo, verum saevitiae modum adhibendum.
Nam nee ad occidionem gens interimenda est, ne
apes inertia laborent, quae, cum fuci aliquam partem
cibariorum absumunt, sarciendo damna fiunt agi-
liores : nee rursus multitudinem praedonum coales-
cere patiendum est, ne universas opes alienas diri-

4 piant. Ergo cum rixam fucorum et apium saepius
committi videris, adapertas alvos inspicies,* ut sive

* eaque vasa quae Aac : eaqueus aquae S.
^ vindemia ac : -am SA.

' et immune c : etiam rure SAa.

* inspicies a : aspicies c : inspiciens 8A.

« Georg. IV. 168. * lb.

494

BOOK IX. XIV. 20-XV. 4

also says that the hives which anyone wishes to trans-
fer should only be moved at night and without being
shaken.

XV. Presently, when spi-ing is over, as I have said, of the
the harvesting of the honey follows, with a view to ^neyf °
which the whole year's work is carried out. We con-
clude that the honey is ripe when we notice that the
drones are being expelled and put to flight by the
bees. They are insects of a larger growth, very like
bees, but as Vergil* says " a lazy herd " and idle,
sitting near the honey-combs without doing any
work ; for they do not collect food but consume that 2
which is brought in by others. Nevertheless these
drones seem to contribute something to the pro-
creation of the younger generation by sitting on the
seeds from which the bees are formed, and so they
are admitted on terms of some intimacy in order to
sit upon the eggs which produce the new offspring;
then, when the young bees are hatched, they are
hustled out of the hives and, as the same poet says,
" they are kept away from the fold." * Some 3
people recommend that they should be entirely
exterminated; but I agree with Mago that this
should not be done, but that a limit ought to be set
to cruelty. For the race ought not to be wholly
destroyed, lest the bees suffer from idleness, since,
when the drones consume part of their provisions,
they become more active in repairing their losses ;
but, on the other hand, a crowd of robbers ought not
to be allowed to form a band, lest they plunder all
the wealth of others. Therefore, when you see bees 4
and drones frequently quarrelling with one another,
you will open and inspect the hives, so that, if the
honey-combs are half-full, they may be let alone for

495

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

semipleni favi sint, differantur : sive iam liquore
completi, et superpositis ceris tamquam operculis
obliti, demetantur.

Dies vero castrandi fere matutinus occupandus est.
Neque enim convenit aestu medio exasperatas apes
lacessiri.^ Duobus autem ferramentis ad hunc ^
usum opus est, sesquipedali vel paulo ampliore
mensura factis, quorum alterum sit culter oblongus ^
ex utraque parte acie lata, uno capite * aduncum
habens ^ scalprum ; alterum prima fronte planum et
acutissimum : quo melius hoc favi succidantur,^ illo
eradantur, et quidquid sordidum deciderit, attra-

5 hatur. Sed ubi a posteriore parte, qua nullum est
vestibulum, patefactum fuerit alveare, fumum ad-
movebimus factum galbano vel arido fimo. Ea porro
vase fictili prunis immixta conduntur : idque vas
ansatum simile angustae ollae figuratur, ita ut '
altera pars sit acutior, per quam modico foramine
fumus emanet : altera latior, et ore paulo latiore,^

6 per quam possit afflari. Talis olla cum est alveari '
obiecta, spiritu admoto ^° fumus ad apes promovetur.^^
Quae confestim nidoris impatientes in priorem partem
domicilii, et interdum extra vestibulum se conferunt.
Atque ubi potestas facta est liberius inspiciendi, fere,
si duo sunt examina, duo genera quoque favorum

1 lacessiri ac : lacessi SA.

2 hue S : hunc Aac.

^ post oblongus add. alterum SA : om. ac,

* capite Sac : capit A.
' habens om. SAac.

* succidantur ac : subsecentur SA.
' ut ac : om. SA.

* latiore <S^ : paten tiore a : potentiore c.

* alveario ac : albario SA.
'" admoto ac : admotu SA.

^* promovetur ac : promeourunt ( ?) 5 : promousit ( ?) ^.
496

BOOK IX. XV. 4-6

a time, but, if they are already full of liquid and
sealed up with wax, just as if they had lids over
them, the harvest of honey may be gathered in.

The morning should generally be chosen for the
removal of the honey ; for it is not advisable that the
bees should be provoked when they are already
exasperated by the midday heat. Two iron instru-
ments are required for this operation, measuring a
foot and a half or a little more, one of which should
be an oblong knife with a broad edge on both sides
and having a curved scraper at one extremity, and
the other flat in front and very sharp, so that with
the latter the honey-combs may be cut out better,
and that with the former they be scraped off and
any filth which has fallen upon them may be cleaned
away. When the hive has been opened from the 5
back, where there is no porch, we shall apply smoke
made from galbanum <* or from dried dung ; moreover,
these ingredients are mixed with live coals and put
into an earthenware vessel. This vessel has handles
and is shaped like a narrow pot in such a way that
one end of it is shai-per through which the smoke may
issue through a small aperture, while the other end
is broader and has a rather wider mouth, so that the
coals can be blown upon through it. When a pot of 6
this kind is applied to a hive, the smoke is conveyed
to the bees by the movement set up by the breath.
The bees, unable to endure the smell of burning,
immediately move to the front part of their abode
and sometimes outside the porch. When there is
an opportunity of inspecting the hives more freely,
usually, if there are two swarms, two kinds of

" See note on Chapter 13. § 7.

497

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

7 inveniuntur. Nam etiam in concordia ^ suum quae-
que plebs morem figurandi ceras fingendique servant.
Sed omnes favi semper cavearum tectis et paululum
ab lateribus adhaerentes dependent, ita ne solum
contingant : quoniam id praebet examinibus iter.

8 Ceterum figura cerarum talis est, qualis et habitus
domicilii. Nam et quadrata et rotunda spatia nee
minus longa suam speciem velut formae quaedam
favis praebent. Ideoque non semper eiusdem ^
figurae reperiuntur favi. Sed hi qualescunque sint ^
non omnes eximantur. Nam priore messe, dum
adhuc rura pastionibus abundant, quinta pars favo-
rum ; posteriore, cum iam metuitur hiems, tertia

9 relinquenda est. Atque hie tamen modus non est in
omnibus regionibus certus : quoniam pro multitudine
florum et ubertate pabuli apibus consulendum est.
Ac si cerae dependentes in longitudinem decurrunt,
eo ferramento, quod est simile cultro, insecandi sunt
favi, deinde subiectis duobus bracchiis excipiendi,
atque ita promendi : sin autem transversi tectis
cavearum inhaerent, tunc scalprato ferramento est

10 opus, ut adversa fronte impressi desecentur. Eximi
autem debent veteres vel vitiosi, et relinqui maxime
integri ac melle pleni, et siqui * pullos continent, ut
examini progenerando reserventur.

1 in concordia ac : in cordia 8 A.

* eiusdem ac : eiua quern SA,
' sint Aac : sunt 8.

* f.08t siqui add, tamen 8Aac.

498

Book 1%. xv. 6 lo

honey-combs are also found ; for even if they hve in 7
harmony together, each community keeps to its
own manner of shaping and constructing its waxen
cells. All the combs, however, always hang down
from the roofs of the hives, adhering very little to
the sides and in such a way as not to touch the
bottom, thus leaving a passage for the swarms. But 8
the shape of the wax cells depends on the nature of
the bee-house ; for square and round and also long
dimensions impose their own shapes upon the honey-
combs as if they were moulds, and that is why the
honey-combs are not always found to be of the same
shape. But of whatever kind they are, they should
not all be removed ; for at the first harvesting of
honey, when the country still provides plenty of
food, one-fifth of the honey-combs must be left ; at
the later harvesting, when the winter is already
causing apprehension, a third part should be left.
This, however, is not a fixed rule for all districts, since 9
plans for the bees must be dependent on the abund-
ance of flowers and the I'ichness of the food available.
If the hanging waxen cells run into length, the combs
must be cut with the iron tool which resembles a
knife and must be received by putting your two arms
underneath them, and so removed ; but if they run
horizontally and keep close to the roofs of the hives,
then you must use the scraping instrument, so that
they may be cut down by the pressure exerted on
the side which faces you. But old and defective 10
honey-combs ought to be removed, and those
which are soundest and full of honey should be
left, as also those which contain young bees, so
that they may be preserved for propagating a
swarm.

499

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

Omnis deinde copia favorum conferenda est in
eum locum, in quo mel conficere voles, linendaque
sunt diligenter foramina parietum et fenestrarum,
nequid sit apibus pervium, quae velut amissas opes
suas pertinaciter vestigant, et persecutae consumunt.
Itaque ex iisdem rebus fumus ^ etiam in aditu loci
faciendus est, qui propulset intrare tentantes.^

11 Castratae deinde alvi si quae transversos favos in
aditu habebunt, convertendae erunt, ut alterna vice
posteriores partes vestibula ^ fiant. Sic enim proxime
cum * castrabuntur, veteres potius favi quam novi
eximentur, ceraeque novabuntur,^ quae tanto de-
teriores sunt, quanto vetustiores. Quod si forte
alvearia circumstructa et immobilia fuerint, curae
erit nobis, ut semper modo a posteriore modo a
priore ^ parte castrentur. Idque neri ante diei
quintam horam debebit, deinde repeti vel post

12 nonam, vel postero mane. Sed quotcunque favi
sunt demessi, eodem die, dum tepent, conficere mel
convenit. Saligneus qualus, vel tenui vimine rarius
contextus saccus, inversae metae similis, qualis est
quo vinum liquatur, obscuro loco suspenditur : in
eum deinde carptim ' congeruntur favi.^ Sed adhi-
benda cura est, ut separentur eae partes cerarum,
quae vel pullos habent, vel rubras ^ sordes. Nam
sunt mali saporis, et succo suo mella corrumpunt.

13 Deinde ubi liquatum mel in subiectum alveum de-

* fumus ac : fumis S : om. A.

* itaque — tentantes om. A.

* vestibula c : -o SAa.

* cum ac : om. SA.

* veteres — renovabuntur ac : om. SA.

* modo a priore Aac : om. S.
' carptim ac : -i SA.

' favi ac : favis 8A. » rubras ac : nibas 8A.

500

BOOK IX. XV. 10-13

Next the whole store of honey-combs must be
collected in the place where you intend to make the
honey, and the holes in the walls and windows must
be carefully daubed over, so that there may be no
passage for the bees which obstinately search as if
they were looking for lost wealth, and, if they track
down the honey, eat it up. Smoke must, therefore,
also be kindled of the same materials as before at the
entrance of the place to drive away those that are
trying to get in. Then those hives from which the 11
honey has been cut out, if they have combs lying
across the entrance, will have to be turned round, so
that the hinder parts in their turn become entrances ;
for in this way, the next time the honey is taken, the
old combs rather than the new will be removed, and
the waxen cells, which deteriorate as they grow
older, will be renewed. But if the hives happen to
be surrounded by walls and cannot be moved, we
must take care that the combs are cut out, sometimes
from the back and sometimes from the front. This
process will have to be carried out before the fifth
hour of the day and then repeated after the ninth
hour or else next morning. But whatever be the 12
number of honey-combs that are harvested, you
should make the honey on the same day, while they
are still warm. A wickerwork basket or a bag rather
loosely woven of fine withies in the shape of an in-
verted cone, like that through which wine is strained,
is hung up in a dark place, and then the honey-combs
are heaped in it one by one. But care must be taken
that those parts of the waxen cells, which contain
either young bees or dirty red matter are separated
from them, for they have an ill flavour and corrupt
the honey with their juice. Then, when the honey 13

LUCIUS JUNIUS MODERATUS COLUMELLA

fluxit, transfertur ^ in vasa fictilia, quae paucis
diebus aperta sint, dum musteus fructus defer-
vescat, isque saepius ligula purgandus est. Mox
deinde fragmina favorum, quae in sacco remanserunt,
retractata ^ exprimuntur : atque id ^ secundae notae
mel defluit, et ab diligentioribus seorsum reponitur,
ne quod est primi saporis hoc adhibito fiat deterius,

XVI. Cerae fructus quamvis aeris exigui non
tamen omittendus est, cum sit eius usus ad multa
necessarius. Expressae favorum reliquiae, postea-
quam diligenter aqua dulci ^ perlutae sunt, in vas
aeneum coniciuntur : adiecta ^ deinde aqua liquantur
ignibus. Quod ubi factum est, cera per stramenta *
vel iuncos defusa colatur, atque iterum similiter de
integro coquitur, et in quas quis voluit formas aqua
prius ' adiecta defunditur : eamque concretam facile
est eximere, quoniam qui subest humor non patitur
formis inhaerere.

Sed iam consummata disputatione de villatici
pecudibus atque pastionibus, quae reliqua nobis rus-
ticarum rerum pars subest, de cultu hortorum, Publi
Silvine, deinceps ita, ut et tibi et Gallioni nostro
complacuerat, in carmen conferemus.

^ transfertur ac : transferetxu- SA.

* remanserunt detracta ac : retractata remanserunt SA.

* id ac : in SA.

* dulci ac : dulcis S : om. A.

* adiecta — aqua om. A.

* stragmenta a : stramenta c : stramen SA.
' aqua prius ac : aquarius SA.

' Brother of the younger Seneca and uncle of Lucan the
poet. He is mentioned in Acts of the Apostles xviii, 12 ftg
proconsular governor of Achaia.

$02

BOOK IX. XV. 13-XVI. 2

has been strained and has flowed down into the basin
put underneath to catch it, it is transferred to
earthenware vessels which are left open for a few
days until the fresh produce ceases to ferment ; and
it must be frequently skimmed with a ladle. Next
the fragments of the honey-combs, which have re-
mained in the bag, are handled again and the juice
squeezed out of them. What flows from them is
honey of the second quality and is stored apart by
itself by the more careful people, lest any of the
honey of the best flavour should deteriorate by having
this brought into contact with it.

XVl. The yield of wax, though of little monetary Of the
value, must not be overlooked, since its use is neces- wax.'"^ °
sary for many purposes. The remains of the honey-
combs, when they have been well squeezed, after
being carefully washed in fresh water, are thrown
into a brazen vessel; water is then added to them
and they are melted over a fire. When this has been
done, the wax is poured out and strained through
straw or rushes. It is then boiled over again a
second time in the same manner and poured in such
moulds as one has thought suitable, water having
been first added. When the wax has hardened, it is
easy to take it out, since the liquid which remains in
the bottom does not allow it \o stick to the moulds.

Having now finished the discussion of the animals 2
kept at the farmhouse and their feeding, the part of
husbandry which still remains to be treated, namely
the cultivation of gardens, we -will now present in
verse in accordance with the desire which both you,
Publius Silvinus, and our friend Gallio '^ were pleased
to express.

503

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and F. H. Fobes.
Andocides, Antiphon. Cf. Minor Attic Obators.
Apollodorus. Sir James G. Frazer. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd

Imp., Vol. II. 2nd Imp.)
Apollonius Rhodius. R. C. Seaton. {ith Imp.)
The Apostolic Fathers. Kirsopp Lake. 2 Vols. (Vol. I.

Sth Imp., Vol. II. 6th Imp.)
Appian : Roman History. Horace White. 4 Vols. (Vol. I.

3rd Imp., Vols. II., III., and IV. 2nd Imp.)
Aratus. Cf. Callimachtjs.
Aristophanes. Benjamin Bickley Rogers. 3 Vols. Verse

trans. {5th Imp. )
Aristotle : Art of Rhetoric. J. H. Freese. (3rd Imp.)
Aristotle : Athenian Constitution, Eudemian Ethics,

Vices and Virtues. H. Rackham. {3rd Imp.)
Aristotle: Generation of Animals. A. L. Peck. {2nd Imp.)
Aristotle: Metaphysics. H. Tredennick. 2 Vols. {3rd Imp.)
Aristotle : Meteorologica. H. D. P. Lee.
Aristotle : Minor Works. W. S. Hett. On Colours, On

Things Heard, On Physiognomies, On Plants, On Marvellous

Things Heard, Mechanical Problems, On Indivisible Lines,

On Situations and Names of Winds, On Melissus, Xenophanes,

and Gorgias. {2nd Im,p.)
Aristotle : Nicomachean Ethics. H. Rackham. {5th Imp.

revised. )
Aristotle : Oeconomica and Magna Moralia. G. C. Arm-
strong; (with Metaphysics, Vol. II.). {3rd Imp.)
Aristotle : On the Heavens. W. K. C. Guthrie. (3rd Imp.

revised. )
Abistotle : On the Soul, Parva Natubalia, On Bbeath.

W. S. Hett. (2nd Imp. revised.)
Abistotle : Organon. H. P. Cooke and H. Tredennick. 3

Vols. (Vol. I. 2nd Imp.)
Aristotle: Parts of Animals. A. L. Peck; Motion and

Progression of Animals. E. S. Forster. (3rd Imp. re-
vised.)
Abistotle : Physics. Rev. P. Wicketeed and F. M. Cornford.

2 Vols. (Vol. I. 2nd Imp., Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)
Aristotle: Poetics and Longinus. W. Hamilton Fyfe;

Demetrius on Style. W. Rhys Roberts. {5th Imp. revised.)
Abistotle : Politics. H. Rackham. {Uh Imp. revised.)
Aristotle : Problems. W. S. Hett. 2 Vols. (2nd Imp.

revised.)

4

Abistotle : Rhetobica Ad Alexandkum (with Problems.

Vol. II.). H. Rackham.
Abbian : History of Alexandeb and Indica. Rev. E. Iliffe

Robson. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd /mp., Vol. II. 2nd /mp.)
Athenaeus : Deipnosophistae. C. B. Gulick. 7 Vols.

(Vols. I., v., and VI. 2nd Imp.)
St. Basil : Letters. R. J. Deferrari. 4 Vols. (2nd Imp.)
Callimachus and Lycophron. A. W. Mair; Abatus. G. R.

Mair. (2nd Imp.)
Clement op Alexandbia. Rev. G. W. Butterworth. (3rd

Imp.)

COLLUTHUS. Cf. OpPIAN.

Daphnis and Chloe. Thornley's Translation revised by

J. M. Edmonds : and Paethenius. S. Gaselee. (3rd Imp.)
Demosthenes I : Olynthiacs, Philippics and Minob Oba-

tions. I.-XVII. and XX. J. H. Vince. (2nd Imp.)
Demosthenes II : De Coeona and De Falsa Legation e.

C. A. Vince and J. H. Vince. (3rd Imp. revised.)
Demosthenes III : Meidias, Andbotion, Abistoceates,

Timoceates and Aeistoqeiton, I. and II. J. H. Vince.

(2nd Imp.)
Demosthenes IV- VI : Pbivate Obations and In Neaebam.

A.T.Murray. (Vol. IV. 2nd /mp.)
Demosthenes VII : Funeeal Speech, Ebotic Essay, Exordia

and Lettebs. N. W. and N. J. DeWitt.
Dio Cassius : Roman Histoby. E. Gary. 9 Vols. (Vols. L.

and II. 3rd Imp., Vols. III. and IV. 2nd Imp.)
Dio Chbysostom. J. W. Cohoon and H. Lamar Crosby. 6 Vols.

(Vols. I.-III. 2nd Imp.)
DiODOEUs SicuLus. 12 Vols. Vols. I.-VI. C. H. Oldfather.

Vol. VII. C. L. Sherman. Vols. IX. and X. R. M. Geer.

(Vols. I.-III. 2nd Imp.)
Diogenes Laebtius. R. D. Hicks. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. ^th Imp.,

Vol.11. 3rd Imp.)
DioNYSius OF Halicaenassus : Roman Antiquities. Spel-

man's translation revised by E. Gary. 7 Vols. (Vols. I.-IV.

2nd Imp.)
Epictetus. W. a. Oldfather. 2 Vols. (2nd Imp.)
EuEiPiDES. A. S. Way. 4 Vols. (Vols. I. and II. 7th Imp.,

III. and IV. 6th Imp. ) Verse trans.
EtJSEBius : Ecclesiastical Histoby. Kirsopp Lake and

J. E. L. Oulton. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vol. II. 4th Imp.)
Galen : On the Natueal Faculties. A. J. Brock. (4<fe Imp.)
The Geeek Anthology. W. R. Paton. 5 Vols. (Vols. I. and

II. 5th Imp., Vol. III. 4th Imp., Vols. IV. and V. 3rd Imp.)
Geeek Elegy and Iambus with the Anaceeontea. J. M.

Edmonds. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vol. II. 2nd Imp.)
The Geeek Bucolic Poets (Theoceitus, Bion, Moschus).

J. M. Edmonds. (7th Imp. revised.)
Geeek Mathematical Wobks. Ivor Thomas. 2 Vols. (2nd

Imp.)
Hebodes. Cf. Theophbastus : Chaeactebs.

Hekodotus. a. D. Godley. 4 Vols. (Vols. I.-III. ^th Imp.,

Vol. IV. 3rd Imp.)
Hesiod and The Homekio Hymns. H. G. Evelyn White.

{1th Im,p. revised and enlarged.)
Hippocrates and the Fragments of Heracleitus. W. H. S.

Jones and E. T. Withington. 4 Vols. {3rd Imp.)
Homer : Iliad. A. T. Murray. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 7lh Imp.,

Vol. II. 6th Imp.)
Homer : ODYSSEy. A. T. Murray. 2 Vols. {&th Imp.)
IsAEUS. E. W. Forster. {2nd Imp.)

IsocRATES. George Norlin and LaRue Van Hook. 3 Vols.
St. John Damascene : Barlaam and Ioasaph. Rev. G. R.

Woodward and Harold Mattingly. (3rd Imp. revised.)
JosEPHUS. H. St. J. Thackeray and Ralph Marcus. 9 Vols.

Vols. I.-VII. (Vol. V. 3rd Imp., Vol. VI. 2nd Imp.)
Julian. Wilmer Cave Wright. 3 Vols. (Vols. I. and II. 3rd

Imp., Vol. III. 2nd Imp.)
LuciAN. A. M. Harmon. 8 Vols. Vols. I.-V. (Vols. I. and

II. 4th Imp., Vol. III. 3rd Imp., Vols. IV. and V. 2nd Imp.)
Lycophron. Cf. Callimachus.
Lyra Graeca. J. M. Edmonds. 3 Vols. (Vol. I. ith Imp.,

Vol. II. revised and enlarged, and III. 3rd Imp.)
Lysias. W. R. M. Lamb. {2nd Imp.)
Manetho. W. G. Waddell : Ptolemy : Tetrabiblos. F. E.

Robbins. (2nd Imp.)
Marcus Aurelius. C. R. Haines. {4th Imp. revised.)
Menander. F. G. Allinson. (3rd Imp. revised.)
Minor Attic Orators (Antiphon, Andocides, Lycurqus,

Demades, Dinarchus, Hypereides). K. J. Maidment and

J. O. Burrt. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 2nd Imp.)
NoNNOS : Dionysiaca. W. H. D. Rouse. 3 Vols. (Vol. III.

2nd Imp.)
Oppian, Colluthus, Tryphiodorus. a. W. Mair. (2nd Imp.)
Papyri. Non-Literary Selections. A. S. Hunt and C. C.

Edgar. 2 Vols. (Vol. 1. 2nd Imp.) Literary Selections.

Vol. I. (Poetry). D. L. Page. (3rd Imp.)
Parthenius. Cf. Daphnis and Chloe.
Pausanias : Description of Greece. W. H. S. Jones. 5

Vols, and Companion Vol. arranged by R. E. Wycherley.

(Vols. I. and III. 3rd Imp., Vols. II., IV. and V. 2nd Imp.)
Philo. 10 Vols. Vols. I.-V. ; F. H. Colson and Rev. G. H.

Whitaker. Vols. VI.-IX. ; F. H. Colson. (Vols. I.-III.,

V.-IX. 2nd Imp., Vol. IV. 3rd Imp.)
Philo : two supplementary Vols. {Translation only.) Ralph

Marcus.
Philostratus : The Life of Apollonius of Tyana. F. C.

Conybeare. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 4th Imp., Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)
Philostratus: Imagines; Callistratus : Descriptions.

A. Fairbanks.
Philostratus and Eunapius : Lives of the Sophists.

Wilmor Cave Wright. (2nd Imp.)
Pindar. Sir J. E. Sandys. {Tlh Imp. revised.)
0

Plato : Charmides, Alcibiades, Hipparchus, The Lovers,

Theages, Minos and Epinomis. W. R. M. Lamb. (2nd

Imp.)
Plato : Ckatylus, Parmenides, Greater Hippias, Lesseb

HippiAS. H. N. Fowler. (4</i Imp.)
Plato : Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Phaedrus.

H. N. Fowler. {VUfi. Imp.)
Plato : Laches, Protagoras, Meno, Euthydemus. W. R. M.

Lamb. (3rd Imp. revised.)
Plato : Laws. Rev. R. G. Bury. 2 Vols. (3rd Imp.)
Plato : Lysis, Symposium, Gorgias. W. R. M. Lamb. {5th

Imp. revised.)
Plato : Republic. Paul Shorey. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 5th Imp.,

Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)
Plato : Statesman, Philebus. H. N. Fowler; Ion. W. R. M.

Lamb. (4</i Imp.)
Plato : Theaetetus and Sophist. H. N. Fowler, {ith Imp.)
Plato : Timaeus, Critias, Clitopho, Menexenus, Epistulae.

Rev. R. G. Bury. (3rd hnp.)
Plutarch: Moralia. 14 Vols. Vols. I.-V. F. C. Babbitt;

Vol. VI. W. C. Helmbold ; Vol. X. H. N. Fowler. (Vols. I.,

III., and X. 2nd Imp.)
Plutarch : The Parallel Lives. B. Perrin. 1 1 Vols.

(Vols. I., II., VI., VII., and XI. 3rd Imp.. Vols. III.-V. and

VIII.-X. 2nd Imp.)
PoLYBius. W. R. Paton. 6 Vols. (2nd Imp.)
Procopius : History of the Wars. H. B. Dewing. 7 Vols.

(Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vols. II.-VII. 2nd Imp.)
Ptolemy : Tetrabiblos. Of. Manetho.

QuiNTUS Smyrnaeus. a. S. Way. Verse trans. (2nd Imp.)
Sextus Empiricus. Rev. R. G. Bury. 4 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd

Imp., III. 2nd Imp.)
Sophocles. F. Storr. 2 Vols. (Vol. L lOth Imp., Vol. II. 6/A

Imp.) Verse trans.
Strabo : Geography. Horace L. Jones. 8 Vols. (Vols. I., V.,

and VIII. 3rd Imp., Vols. II., III., IV., VI., and VII. 2nd Imp.)
Theophbastus : Characters. J. M. Edmonds. Herodes,

etc. A. D. Knox. (3rd Imp.)
Theophrastus : Enquiry into Plants. Sir Arthur Hort,

Bart. 2 Vols. {2nd Imp.)
Thucydides. C. F. Smith. 4 Vols. (Vol. I. ith Imp., Vols.

II., III., and IV. 3rd Imp. revised.)
Tryphiodorus. Of. Oppian.
Xenophon : Cyropaedia. Walter Miller. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. Uh

Imp., Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)
Xenophon : Hellenica, Anabasis, Apology, and Symposium.

C. L. Brownson and O. J. Todd. 3 Vols. (Vols. I. and III.

3rd Imp., Vol. II. ith Imp.)
Xenophon : Memorabilia and Oeconomicus. E. C. Marchant.

(3rd Imp.)
Xenophon : Scripta Minora. E. C. Marchant. (2nd Imp.).

IN PREPARATION

Greek Authors

Aristotle : De Mundo, etc. D. Furley and E. M. Forster.
Aristotle : History of Animals. A. L. Peck.
Plotinus : A. H. Armstrong.

Latin Authors

St. Augustine : City of God.

Cicero : Pro Sestio, In Vatinium, Pro Caelio, De Provinciis
CoNsuLARiBus, Pro Balbo. J. H. Frecse and R. Gardner.
Phaedrus. Ben E. Perry.

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