BOOK XIII.

THE NATURAL HISTORY OF EXOTIC TREES, AND AN ACCOUNT OF UNGUENTS.

CHAP. 1. (1.)—UNGUENTS—AT WHAT PERIOD THEY WERE FIRST INTRODUCED.

Thus far we have been speaking of the trees which are valuable for the

odours they produce, and each of which is a subject for our wonder in

itself. Luxury, however, has thought fit to mingle all of these, and

to make a single odour of the whole; hence it is that unguents have

been invented.[673] Who was the first to make unguents is a fact not

recorded. In the times of the Trojan war[674] they did not exist, nor

did they use incense when sacrificing to the gods; indeed, people knew

of no other smell, or rather stench,[675] I may say, than that of the

cedar and the citrus,[676] shrubs of their own growth, as it arose in

volumes of smoke from the sacrifices; still, however, even then, the

extract of roses was known, for we find it mentioned as conferring

additional value on olive-oil.

We ought, by good rights, to ascribe the first use of unguents to

the Persians, for they quite soak themselves in it, and so, by an

adventitious recommendation, counteract the bad odours which are

produced by dirt. The first instance of the use of unguents that I have

been able to meet with is that of the chest[677] of perfumes which fell

into the hands of Alexander, with the rest of the property of King

Darius, at the taking of his camp.[678] Since those times this luxury

has been adopted by our own countrymen as well, among the most prized

and, indeed, the most elegant of all the enjoyments of life, and has

begun even to be admitted in the list of honours paid to the dead;

for which reason we shall have to enlarge further on that subject.

Those perfumes which are not the produce of shrubs[679] will only be

mentioned for the present by name: the nature of them will, however, be

stated in their appropriate places.

CHAP. 2.—THE VARIOUS KINDS OF UNGUENTS—TWELVE PRINCIPAL COMPOSITIONS.

The names of unguents are due, some of them, to the original place of

their composition, others, again, to the extracts which form their

bases, others to the trees from which they are derived, and others to

the peculiar circumstance under which they were first made: and it is

as well, first of all, to know that in this respect the fashion has

often changed, and that the high repute of peculiar kinds has been but

transitory. In ancient times, the perfumes the most esteemed of all

were those of the island of Delos,[680] and at a later period those of

Mendes.[681] This degree of esteem is founded, not only on the mode of

mixing them and the relative proportions, but according to the degree

of favour or disfavour in which the various places which produce the

ingredients are held, and the comparative excellence or degeneracy of

the ingredients themselves. The perfume of iris,[682] from Corinth,

was long held in the highest esteem, till that of Cyzicus came into

fashion. It was the same, too, with the perfume of roses,[683] from

Phaselis,[684] the repute of which was afterwards eclipsed by those

of Neapolis, Capua, and Præneste. Oil of saffron,[685] from Soli in

Cilicia, was for a long time held in repute beyond any other, and then

that from Rhodes; after which perfume of œnanthe,[686] from Cyprus,

came into fashion, and then that of Egypt was preferred. At a later

period that of Adramytteum came into vogue, and then was supplanted by

unguent of marjoram,[687] from Cos, which in its turn was superseded

by quince blossom[688] unguent from the same place. As to perfume of

cyprus,[689] that from the island of Cyprus was at first preferred, and

then that of Egypt; when all on a sudden the unguents of Mendes and

metopium[690] rose into esteem. In later times Phœnicia eclipsed Egypt

in the manufacture of these last two, but left to that country the

repute of producing the best unguent of cyprus.

Athens has perseveringly maintained the repute of her

panathenaicon.[691] There was formerly a famous unguent, known as

“pardalium,”[692] and made at Tarsus; at the present day its very

composition and the mode of mixing it are quite unknown there: they

have left off, too, making unguent of narcissus[693] from the flowers

of that plant.

There are two elements which enter into the composition of unguents,

the juices and the solid parts. The former generally consist of various

kinds of oils, the latter of odoriferous substances. These last are

known as hedysmata, while the oils are called stymmata.[694] There

is a third element, which occupies a place between the two, but

has been much neglected, the colouring matter, namely. To produce a

colour, however, cinnabar[695] and alkanet[696] are often employed.

If salt[697] is sprinkled in the oil, it will aid it in retaining its

properties; but if alkanet has been employed, salt is never used. Resin

and gum are added to fix the odour in the solid perfumes; indeed it

is apt to die away and disappear with the greatest rapidity if these

substances are not employed.

The unguent which is the most readily prepared of all, and indeed, in

all probability, the very first that was ever made, is that composed of

bryon[698] and oil of balanus,[699] substances of which we have made

mention already. In later times the Mendesian unguent was invented,

a more complicated mixture, as resin and myrrh were added to oil of

balanus, and at the present day they even add metopion[700] as well,

an Egyptian oil extracted from bitter almonds; to which have been

added omphacium,[701] cardamum,[702] sweet rush,[703] honey,[704]

wine, myrrh, seed of balsamum,[705] galbanum,[706] and resin of

terebinth,[707] as so many ingredients. Among the most common unguents

at the present day, and for that reason supposed to be the most

ancient, is that composed of oil of myrtle,[708] calamus, cypress,[709]

cyprus, mastich,[710] and pomegranate-rind.[711] I am of opinion,

however, that the unguents which have been the most universally

adopted, are those which are compounded of the rose, a flower that

grows everywhere; and hence for a long time the composition of oil

of roses was of the most simple nature, though more recently there

have been added omphacium, rose blossoms, cinnabar, calamus, honey,

sweet-rush, flour of salt or else alkanet,[712] and wine. The same is

the case, too, with oil of saffron, to which have been lately added

cinnabar, alkanet, and wine; and with oil of sampsuchum,[713] with

which omphacium and calamus have been compounded. The best comes from

Cyprus and Mitylene, where sampsuchum abounds in large quantities.

The commoner kinds of oil, too, are mixed with those of myrrh and

laurel, to which are added sampsuchum, lilies, fenugreek, myrrh,

cassia,[714] nard,[715] sweet-rush, and cinnamon.[716] There is an oil,

too, made of the common quince and the sparrow quince, called melinum,

as we shall have occasion to mention hereafter;[717] it is used as an

ingredient in unguents, mixed with omphacium, oil of cyprus, oil of

sesamum,[718] balsamum,[719] sweet-rush, cassia, and abrotonum.[720]

Susinum[721] is the most fluid of them all: it is made of lilies, oil

of balanus, calamus, honey, cinnamon, saffron,[722] and myrrh; while

the unguent of cyprus[723] is compounded of cyprus, omphacium and

cardamum, calamus, aspalathus,[724] and abrotonum. There are some

persons who, when making unguent of cyprus, employ myrrh also, and

panax:[725] the best is that made at Sidon, and the next best that

of Egypt: care must be taken not to add oil of sesamum: it will keep

as long as four years, and its odour is strengthened by the addition

of cinnamon. Telinum[726] is made of fresh olive-oil, cypirus,[727]

calamus, melilote,[728] fenugreek, honey, marum,[729] and sweet

marjoram. This last was the perfume most in vogue in the time of the

Comic poet Menander: a considerable time after that known as “megalium”

took its place, being so called as holding the very highest rank;[730]

it was composed of oil of balanus, balsamum, calamus, sweet-rush,

xylobalsamum,[731] cassia, and resin. One peculiar property of this

unguent is, that it requires to be constantly stirred while boiling,

until it has lost all smell: when it becomes cold, it recovers its

odour.[732]

There are some single essences also which, individually, afford

unguents of very high character: the first rank is due to

malobathrum,[733] and the next to the iris of Illyricum and the sweet

marjoram of Cyzicus, both of them herbs. There are perfumers who

sometimes add some few other ingredients to these: those who use the

most, employ for the purpose honey, flour of salt, omphacium, leaves

of agnus,[734] and panax, all of them foreign ingredients.[735] The

price of unguent[736] of cinnamon is quite enormous; to cinnamon

there is added oil of balanus, xylobalsamum, calamus, sweet-rush,

seeds of balsamum, myrrh, and perfumed honey: it is the thickest in

consistency of all the unguents; the price at which it sells ranges

from thirty-five to three hundred denarii per pound. Unguent[737]

of nard,[738] or foliatum, is composed of omphacium or else oil of

balanus, sweet-rush, costus,[739] nard, amomum,[740] myrrh, and

balsamum.

While speaking on this subject, it will be as well to bear in mind that

there are nine different kinds of plants of a similar kind, of which

we have already made mention[741] as being employed for the purpose

of imitating Indian nard; so abundant are the materials that are

afforded for adulteration. All these perfumes are rendered still more

pungent by the addition of costus and amomum, which have a particularly

powerful effect on the olfactory organs; while myrrh gives them greater

consistency and additional sweetness, and saffron makes them better

adapted for medicinal purposes. They are most pungent, however, when

mixed with amomum alone, which will often produce head-ache even.

There are some persons who content themselves with sprinkling the more

precious ingredients upon the others after boiling them down, for the

purpose of economy; but the strength of the unguent is not so great as

when the ingredients have been boiled together. Myrrh used by itself,

and without the mixture of oil, forms an unguent, but it is stacte[742]

only that must be used, for otherwise it will be productive of too

great bitterness. Unguent of cyprus turns other unguents green, while

lily unguent[743] makes them more unctuous: the unguent of Mendes turns

them black, rose unguent makes them white, and that of myrrh of a

pallid hue.

Such are the particulars of the ancient inventions, and the various

falsifications of the shops in later times; we will now pass on to make

mention of what is the very height of refinement in these articles of

luxury, indeed, I may say, the beau ideal[744] of them all.

(2.) This is what is called the “regal” unguent, from the fact that

it is composed in these proportions for the kings of the Parthians. It

consists of myrobalanus,[745] costus, amomum, cinnamon, comacum,[746]

cardamum, spikenard, marum, myrrh, cassia, storax,[747] ladanum,[748]

opobalsamum, Syrian calamus[749] and Syrian sweet-rush,[750] œnanthe,

malobathrum, serichatum,[751] cyprus, aspralathus, panax, saffron,

cypirus, sweet marjoram, lotus,[752] honey, and wine. Not one of

the ingredients in this compound is produced either in Italy, that

conqueror of the world, or, indeed, in all Europe, with the exception

of the iris, which grows in Illyricum, and the nard, which is to be

found in Gaul: as to the wine, the rose, the leaves of myrtle, and the

olive-oil, they are possessed by pretty nearly all countries in common.

CHAP. 3.—DIAPASMA, MAGMA; THE MODE OF TESTING UNGUENTS.

Those unguents which are known by the name of “diapasma,”[753] are

composed of dried perfumes. The lees[754] of unguents are known by

the name of “magma.[755]” In all these preparations the most powerful

perfume is the one that is added the last of all. Unguents keep best in

boxes of alabaster,[756] and perfumes[757] when mixed with oil, which

conduces all the more to their durability the thicker it is, such as

the oil of almonds, for instance. Unguents, too, improve with age; but

the sun is apt to spoil them, for which reason they are usually stowed

away in a shady place in vessels of lead. When their goodness is being

tested, they are placed on the back of the hand, lest the heat of the

palm, which is more fleshy, should have a bad effect upon them.

CHAP. 4. (3.)—THE EXCESSES TO WHICH LUXURY HAS RUN IN UNGUENTS.

These perfumes form the objects of a luxury which may be looked upon

as being the most superfluous of any, for pearls and jewels, after

all, do pass to a man’s representative,[758] and garments have some

durability; but unguents lose their odour in an instant, and die away

the very hour they are used. The very highest recommendation of them

is, that when a female passes by, the odour which proceeds from her may

possibly attract the attention of those even who till then are intent

upon something else. In price they exceed so large a sum even as four

hundred denarii per pound: so vast is the amount that is paid for a

luxury made not for our own enjoyment, but for that of others; for the

person who carries the perfume about him is not the one, after all,

that smells it.

And yet, even here, there are some points of difference that deserve

to be remarked. We read in the works of Cicero,[759] that those

unguents which smell of the earth are preferable to those which smell

of saffron; being a proof, that even in a matter which most strikingly

bespeaks our state of extreme corruptness, it is thought as well to

temper the vice by a little show of austerity.[760] There are some

persons too who look more particularly for consistency[761] in their

unguents, to which they accordingly give the name of “spissum”;[762]

thus showing that they love not only to be sprinkled, but even to

be plastered over, with unguents. We have known the very soles[763]

even of the feet to be sprinkled with perfumes; a refinement which

was taught, it is said, by M. Otho[764] to the Emperor Nero. How, I

should like to know, could a perfume be at all perceptible, or, indeed,

productive of any kind of pleasure, when placed on that part of the

body? We have heard also of a private person giving orders for the

walls of the bath-room to be sprinkled with unguents, while the Emperor

Caius[765] had the same thing done to his sitting-bath:[766] that this,

too, might not be looked upon as the peculiar privilege of a prince, it

was afterwards done by one of the slaves that belonged to Nero.

But the most wonderful thing of all is, that this kind of luxurious

gratification should have made its way into the camp even: at all

events, the eagles and the standards, dusty as they are, and bristling

with their sharpened points, are anointed on festive[767] days. I

only wish it could, by any possibility, be stated who it was that

first taught us this practice. It was, no doubt, under the corrupting

influence of such temptations as these, that our eagles achieved the

conquest[768] of the world: thus do we seek to obtain their patronage

and sanction for our vices, and make them our precedent for using

unguents even beneath the casque.[769]

CHAP. 5.—WHEN UNGUENTS WERE FIRST USED BY THE ROMANS.

I cannot exactly say at what period the use of unguents first found

its way to Rome. It is a well-known fact, that when King Antiochus and

Asia[770] were subdued, an edict was published in the year of the City

565, in the censorship of P. Licinius Crassus and L. Julius Cæsar,

forbidding any one to sell exotics;[771] for by that name unguents were

then called. But, in the name of Hercules! at the present day, there

are some persons who even go so far as to put them in their drink, and

the bitterness produced thereby is prized to a high degree, in order

that by their lavishness on these odours they may thus gratify the

senses of two parts[772] of the body at the same moment.[773] It is a

well-known historical fact, that L. Plotius,[774] the brother of L.

Plancus, who was twice consul and censor, after being proscribed by

the Triumvirs, was betrayed in his place of concealment at Salernum by

the smell of his unguents, a disgrace which more than outweighed all

the guilt[775] attending his proscription. For who is there that can

be of opinion that such men as this do not richly deserve to come to a

violent end?

CHAP. 6.—THE PALM-TREE.

In other respects, Egypt is the country that is the best suited of all

for the production of unguents; and next to it, Campania,[776] from its

abundance of roses.

(4.) Judæa, too, is greatly renowned for its perfumes, and even still

more so for its palm-trees,[777] the nature of which I shall take this

opportunity of enlarging upon. There are some found in Europe also.

They are not uncommon in Italy, but are quite barren there.[778] The

palms on the coast of Spain bear fruit, but it is sour.[779] The fruit

of those of Africa is sweet, but quickly becomes vapid and loses its

flavour; which, however is not the case with the fruit of those that

grow in the East.[780] From these trees a wine is made, and bread by

some nations,[781] and they afford an aliment for numerous quadrupeds.

It will be with very fair reason then, that we shall confine our

description to the palm-tree of foreign countries. There are none in

Italy that grow spontaneously,[782] nor, in fact, in any other part of

the world, with the exception of the warm countries: indeed, it is only

in the very hottest climates that this tree will bear fruit.

CHAP. 7.—THE NATURE OF THE PALM-TREE.

The palm-tree grows in a light and sandy soil, and for the most part of

a nitrous quality. It loves the vicinity of flowing water; and as it

is its nature to imbibe the whole of the year, there are some who are

of opinion that in a year of drought it will receive injury from being

manured even, if the manure is not first mixed with running water:

this, at least, is the idea entertained by some of the Assyrians.

The varieties of the palm are numerous. First of all, there are those

which do not exceed the size of a shrub; they are mostly barren, though

sometimes they are known to produce fruit; the branches are short, and

the tree is well covered with leaves all round. In many places this

tree is used as a kind of rough-cast,[783] as it were, to protect the

walls of houses against damp. The palms of greater height form whole

forests, the trunk of the tree being protected all round by pointed

leaves, which are arranged in the form of a comb; these, it must be

understood, are wild palms, though sometimes, by some wayward fancy or

other, they are known to make their appearance among the cultivated

varieties. The other kinds are tall, round, and tapering; and being

furnished with dense and projecting knobs or circles in the bark,

arranged in regular gradation, they are found easy of ascent by the

people in the East; in order to do which, the climber fastens a loop of

osier round his body and the trunk, and by this contrivance ascends the

tree with astonishing[784] rapidity. All the foliage is at the summit,

and the fruit as well; this last being situate, not among the leaves,

as is the case with other trees, but hanging in clusters from shoots

of its own among the branches, and partaking of the nature both of the

grape and the apple. The leaves terminate in a sharp edge, like that of

a knife, while the sides are deeply indented—a peculiarity which first

gave the idea of a troop of soldiers presenting face on two sides at

once; at the present day they are split asunder[785] to form ropes and

wythes for fastening, as well as light umbrellas[786] for covering the

head.

The more diligent[787] enquirers into the operations of Nature state

that all trees, or rather all plants, and other productions of the

earth, belong to either one sex or the other; a fact which it may be

sufficient to notice on the present occasion, and one which manifests

itself in no tree more than in the palm. The male tree blossoms at

the shoots; the female buds without blossoming, the bud being very

similar to an ear of corn. In both trees the flesh of the fruit shows

first, and after that the woody part inside of it, or, in other words,

the seed: and that this is really the case, is proved by the fact,

that we often find small fruit on the same shoot without any seed in

it at all. This seed is of an oblong shape, and not rounded like the

olive-stone. It is also divided down the back by a deep indentation,

and in most specimens of this fruit there is exactly in the middle a

sort of navel, as it were, from which the root of the tree first takes

its growth.[788] In planting this seed it is laid on its anterior

surface, two being placed side by side, while as many more are placed

above; for when planted singly, the tree that springs up is but weak

and sickly, whereas the four seeds all unite and form one strong tree.

The seed is divided from the flesh of the fruit by several coats of a

whitish colour, some of which are attached to the body of it; it lies

but loosely in the inside of the fruit, adhering only to the summit by

a single thread.[789]

The flesh of this fruit takes a year to ripen, though in some places,

Cyprus[790] for instance, even if it should not reach maturity, it

is very agreeable, for the sweetness of its flavour: the leaf of the

tree too, in that island, is broader than elsewhere, and the fruit

rounder than usual: the body of the fruit however, is never eaten,

but is always spit[791] out again, after the juice has been extracted.

In Arabia, the palm fruit is said to have a sickly sweet taste,

although Juba says that he prefers the date found among the Arabian

Scenitæ,[792] and to which they give the name of “dablan,” before those

of any other country for flavour. In addition to the above particulars,

it is asserted that in a forest of natural growth the female[793] trees

will become barren if they are deprived of the males, and that many

female trees may be seen surrounding a single male with downcast heads

and a foliage that seems to be bowing caressingly towards it; while the

male tree, on the other hand, with leaves all bristling and erect, by

its exhalations, and even the very sight of it and the dust[794] from

off it, fecundates the others: if the male tree, too, should happen to

be cut down, the female trees, thus reduced to a state of widowhood,

will at once become barren and unproductive. So well, indeed, is this

sexual union between them understood, that it has been imagined even

that fecundation may be ensured through the agency of man, by means of

the blossoms and the down[795] gathered from off the male trees, and,

indeed, sometimes by only sprinkling the dust from off them on the

female trees.

CHAP. 8.—HOW THE PALM-TREE IS PLANTED.

Palm-trees are also propagated by planting;[796] the trunk is first

divided with certain fissures two cubits in length which communicate

with the pith of the tree, and is then buried in the earth. A slip

also torn away from the root will produce a sucker with vitality, and

the same may be obtained from the more tender among the branches. In

Assyria, the tree itself is sometimes laid level, and then covered

over in a moist soil; upon which it will throw out roots all over, but

it will grow only to be a number of shrubs, and never a tree: hence it

is that they plant nurseries, and transplant the young trees when a

year old, and again when two years old, as they thrive all the better

for being transplanted; this is done in the spring season in other

countries, but in Assyria about the rising of the Dog-star. In those

parts they do not touch the young trees with the knife, but merely tie

up the foliage that they may shoot upwards, and so attain considerable

height. When they are strong they prune them, in order to increase

their thickness, but in so doing leave the branches for about half a

foot; indeed, if they were cut off at any other place, the operation

would kill the parent tree. We have already[797] mentioned that they

thrive particularly well in a saltish soil; hence, when the soil is not

of that nature, it is the custom to scatter salt, not exactly about the

roots, but at a little distance off. There are palm-trees in Syria and

in Egypt which divide into two trunks, and some in Crete into three and

as many as five even.[798] Some of these trees bear immediately at the

end of three years, and in Cyprus, Syria, and Egypt, when they are four

years old; others again at the end of five years: at which period the

tree is about the height of a man. So long as the tree is quite young

the fruit has no seed within, from which circumstance it has received

the nickname of the “eunuch.”[799]

CHAP. 9.—THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF PALM-TREES, AND THEIR

CHARACTERISTICS.

There are numerous varieties of the palm-tree. In Assyria, and

throughout the whole of Persis, the barren kinds are made use of for

carpenters’ work, and the various appliances of luxury. There are

whole forests also of palm-trees adapted for cutting,[800] and which,

after they are cut, shoot again from the root; the pith of them

towards the top, which is usually called the brain[801] of the tree,

is sweet to the taste, and the tree will live even after it has been

extracted, which is the case with no other kind. The name of this tree

is “chamæreps;”[802] it has a broader and softer leaf than the others,

which is extremely useful for various kinds of wickerwork;[803] these

trees are very numerous in Crete, and even more so in Sicily. The wood

of the palm-tree, when ignited, burns both brightly and slowly.[804] In

some of those that bear fruit,[805] the seed of the fruit is shorter

than in others, while in some, again, it is longer; in some it is

softer than in others, and in some harder; in some it is osseous and

crescent-shaped; polished with a tooth, superstition employs the stone

as an antidote against charms and fascination. This stone is enclosed

in several coats, more or less in number; sometimes they are of a thick

texture, and sometimes very thin.

Hence it is that we find nine and forty different kinds of palm-trees,

if any one will be at the trouble of enumerating all their various

barbarous names, and the different wines that are extracted from them.

The most famous of all, are those which, for the sake of distinction,

have received the name of “royal” palms, because they were preserved

solely by the kings of Persia; these used to grow nowhere but at

Babylon, and there only in the garden of Bagoüs,[806] that being the

Persian for an eunuch, several of whom have even reigned over that

country! This garden was always carefully retained within[807] the

precincts of the royal court.

In the southern parts of the world, the dates known as “syagri,”[808]

hold the highest rank, and next after them those that are called

“margarides.” These last are short, white, and round, and bear a

stronger resemblance to grapes than to dates; for which reason it is

that they have received their name, in consequence of their close

resemblance to “margaritæ,” or pearls. It is said that there is only

one tree that bears them, and that in the locality known as Chora.[809]

The same is the case also with the tree that bears the syagri. We

have heard a wonderful story too, relative to this last tree, to the

effect that it dies and comes to life again in a similar manner to the

phœnix, which, it is generally thought, has borrowed its name from the

palm-tree, in consequence of this peculiarity; at the moment that I

am writing this, that tree is still bearing fruit. As for the fruit

itself, it is large, hard, and of a rough appearance, and differing

in taste from all other kinds, having a sort of wild flavour peculiar

to itself, and not unlike that of the flesh of the wild boar; it is

evidently this circumstance from which it has derived its name of

“syagrus.”

In the fourth rank are the dates called “sandalides,” from their

resemblance to a sandal in shape. It is stated, that on the confines

of Æthiopia there are but five of these trees at the most, no less

remarkable for the singular lusciousness of their fruit, than for their

extreme rarity. Next to these, the dates known as “caryotæ”[810] are

the most esteemed, affording not only plenty of nutriment, but a great

abundance of juice; it is from these that the principal wines[811]

are made in the East; these wines are apt to affect the head, a

circumstance from which the fruit derives its name. But if these trees

are remarkable for their abundance and fruitfulness, it is in Judæa

that they enjoy the greatest repute; not, indeed, throughout the whole

of that territory, but more particularly at Hiericus,[812] although

those that grow at Archelais, Phaselis, and Livias, vallies in the

same territory, are highly esteemed. The more remarkable quality of

these is a rich, unctuous juice; they are of a milky consistency,

and have a sort of vinous flavour, with a remarkable sweetness, like

that of honey. The Nicolaän[813] dates are of a similar kind, but

somewhat drier; they are of remarkable size, so much so, indeed, that

four of them, placed end to end, will make a cubit in length. A less

fine kind, but of sister quality to the caryotæ for flavour, are

the “adelphides,”[814] hence so called; these come next to them in

sweetness, but still are by no means their equals. A third kind, again,

are the patetæ, which abound in juice to excess, so much so, indeed,

that the fruit bursts, in its excess of liquor, even upon the parent

tree, and presents all the appearance of having been trodden[815] under

foot.

There are numerous kinds of dates also, of a drier nature, which are

long and slender, and sometimes of a curved shape. Those of this sort

which we consecrate to the worship of the gods are called “chydæi”[816]

by the Jews, a nation remarkable for the contempt which they manifest

of the divinities. Those found all over Thebais and Arabia are dry

and small, with a shrivelled body: being parched up and scorched by

the constant heat, they are covered with what more nearly resembles a

shell[817] than a skin. In Æthiopia the date is quite brittle even,

so great is the driness of the climate; hence the people are able to

knead it into a kind of bread, just like so much flour.[818] It grows

upon a shrub, with branches a cubit in length: it has a broad leaf, and

the fruit is round, and larger than an apple. The name of this date is

“coïx.”[819] It comes to maturity in three years, and there is always

fruit to be found upon the shrub, in various stages of maturity. The

date of Thebais is at once packed in casks, with all its natural heat

and freshness; for without this precaution, it quickly becomes vapid;

it is of a poor, sickly taste, too, if it is not exposed, before it is

eaten, to the heat of an oven.

The other kinds of dates appear to be of an ordinary nature, and are

generally known as “tragemata;”[820] but in some parts of Phœnicia and

Cilicia, they are commonly called “balani,” a name which has been also

borrowed by us. There are numerous kinds of them, which differ from one

another in being round or oblong; as also in colour, for some of them

are black, and others red—indeed it is said that they present no fewer

varieties of colour than the fig: the white ones, however, are the most

esteemed. They differ also in size, according to the number which it

requires to make a cubit in length; some, indeed, are no larger than a

bean. Those are the best adapted for keeping which are produced in salt

and sandy soils, Judæa, and Cyrenaïca in Africa, for instance: those,

however, of Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, and Seleucia in Assyria, will not

keep: hence it is that they are much used for fattening swine and other

animals. It is a sign that the fruit is either spoilt or old, when the

white protuberance disappears, by which it has adhered to the cluster.

Some of the soldiers of Alexander’s army were choked by eating green

dates;[821] and a similar effect is produced in the country of the

Gedrosi, by the natural quality of the fruit; while in other places,

again, the same results arise from eating them to excess. Indeed,

when in a fresh state, they are so remarkably luscious, that there

would be no end to eating them, were it not for fear of the dangerous

consequences that would be sure to ensue.

CHAP. 10. (5.)—THE TREES OF SYRIA: THE PISTACIA, THE COTTANA, THE

DAMASCENA, AND THE MYXA.

In addition to the palm, Syria has several trees that are peculiar to

itself. Among the nut-trees there is the pistacia,[822] well known

among us. It is said that, taken either in food or drink, the kernel of

this nut is a specific against the bite of serpents. Among figs, too,

there are those known as “caricæ,”[823] together with some smaller ones

of a similar kind, the name of which is “cottana.” There is a plum,

too, which grows upon Mount Damascus,[824] as also that known as the

“myxa;”[825] these last two are, however, now naturalized in Italy. In

Egypt, too, they make a kind of wine from the myxa.

CHAP. 11.—THE CEDAR. TREES WHICH HAVE ON THEM THE FRUIT OF THREE YEARS

AT ONCE.

Phœnicia, too, produces a small cedar, which bears a strong resemblance

to the juniper.[826] Of this tree there are two varieties; the one

found in Lycia, the other in Phœnicia.[827] The difference is in the

leaf: the one in which it is hard, sharp, and prickly, being known as

the oxycedros,[828] a branchy tree and rugged with knots. The other

kind is more esteemed for its powerful odour. The small cedar produces

a fruit the size of a grain of myrrh, and of a sweetish taste. There

are two kinds of the larger cedar[829] also; the one that blossoms

bears no fruit, while, on the other hand, the one that bears fruit has

no blossom, and the fruit, as it falls, is being continually replaced

by fresh. The seed of this tree is similar to that of the cypress. Some

persons give this tree the name of “cedrelates.” The resin produced

from it is very highly praised, and the wood of it lasts for ever,

for which reason it is that they have long been in the habit of using

it for making the statues of the gods. In a temple at Rome there is

a statue of Apollo Sosianus[830] in cedar, originally brought from

Seleucia. There is a tree similar to the cedar, found also in Arcadia;

and there is a shrub that grows in Phrygia, known as the “cedrus.”

CHAP. 12. (6.)—THE TEREBINTH.[831]

Syria, too, produces the terebinth, the male tree of which bears no

fruit, and the female consists of two different varieties;[832] one

of these bears a red fruit, the size of a lentil, while the other

is pale, and ripens at the same period as the grape. This fruit is

not larger than a bean, is of a very agreeable smell, and sticky and

resinous to the touch. About Ida in Troas, and in Macedonia, this tree

is short and shrubby, but at Damascus, in Syria, it is found of very

considerable size. Its wood is remarkably flexible, and continues sound

to a very advanced age: it is black and shining. The blossoms appear

in clusters, like those of the olive-tree, but are of a red colour;

the leaves are dense, and closely packed. It produces follicules, too,

from which issue certain insects like gnats, as also a kind of resinous

liquid[833] which oozes from the bark.

CHAP. 13.—THE SUMACH-TREE.

The male sumach-tree[834] of Syria is productive, but the female is

barren. The leaf resembles that of the elm, though it is a little

longer, and has a downy surface. The footstalks of the leaves lie

always alternately in opposite directions, and the branches are short

and slender. This tree is used in the preparation of white skins.[835]

The seed, which strongly resembles a lentil in appearance, turns red

with the grape; it is known by the name of “ros,” and forms a necessary

ingredient in various medicaments.[836]

CHAP. 14. (7.)—THE TREES OF EGYPT. THE FIG-TREE OF ALEXANDRIA.

Egypt, too, has many trees which are not to be found elsewhere, and the

kind of fig more particularly, which for this reason has been called

the Egyptian fig.[837] In leaf this tree resembles the mulberry-tree,

as also in size and general appearance. It bears fruit, not upon

branches, but upon the trunk itself: the fig is remarkable for its

extreme sweetness, and has no seeds[838] in it. This tree is also

remarkable for its fruitfulness, which, however, can only be ensured by

making incisions[839] in the fruit with hooks of iron, for otherwise

it will not come to maturity. But when this has been done, it may be

gathered within four days, immediately upon which another shoots up

in its place. Hence it is that in the year it produces seven abundant

crops, and throughout all the summer there is an abundance of milky

juice in the fruit. Even if the incisions are not made, the fruit will

shoot afresh four times during the summer, the new fruit supplanting

the old, and forcing it off before it has ripened. The wood, which is

of a very peculiar nature, is reckoned among the most useful known.

When cut down it is immediately plunged into standing water, such being

the means employed for drying[840] it. At first it sinks to the bottom,

after which it begins to float, and in a certain length of time the

additional moisture sucks it dry, which has the effect of penetrating

and soaking all[841] other kinds of wood. It is a sign that it is fit

for use[842] when it begins to float.

CHAP. 15.—THE FIG-TREE OF CYPRUS.

The fig-tree that grows in Crete, and is known there as the Cyprian

fig,[843] bears some resemblance to the preceding one; for it bears

fruit upon the trunk of the tree, and upon the branches as well, when

they have attained a certain degree of thickness. This tree, however,

sends forth buds without any leaves,[844] but similar in appearance to

a root. The trunk of the tree is similar to that of the poplar, and

the leaves to those of the elm. It produces four crops in the year,

and germinates the same number of times, but its green[845] fruit will

not ripen unless an incision is made in it to let out the milky juice.

The sweetness of the fruit and the appearance of the inside are in all

respects similar to those of the fig, and in size it is about as large

as a sorb-apple.

CHAP. 16. (8.)—THE CAROB-TREE.

Similar to this is the carob-tree, by the Ionians known as the

“ceraunia,”[846] which in a similar manner bears fruit from the trunk,

this fruit being known by the name of “siliqua,” or “pod.” For this

reason, committing a manifest error, some persons[847] have called it

the Egyptian fig; it being the fact that this tree does not grow in

Egypt, but in Syria and Ionia, in the vicinity, too, of Cnidos, and

in the island of Rhodes. It is always covered with leaves, and bears

a white flower with a very powerful odour. It sends forth shoots at

the lower part, and is consequently quite yellow on the surface, as

the young suckers deprive the trunk of the requisite moisture. When

the fruit of the preceding year is gathered, about the rising of the

Dog-star, fresh fruit immediately makes its appearance; after which the

tree blossoms while the constellation of Arcturus[848] is above the

horizon, and the winter imparts nourishment to the fruit.

CHAP. 17. (9.)—THE PERSIAN TREE. IN WHAT TREES THE FRUITS GERMINATE THE

ONE BELOW THE OTHER.

Egypt, too, produces another tree of a peculiar description, the

Persian[849] tree, similar in appearance to the pear-tree, but

retaining its leaves during the winter. This tree produces without

intermission, for if the fruit is pulled to-day, fresh fruit will

make its appearance to-morrow: the time for ripening is while the

Etesian[850] winds prevail. The fruit of this tree is more oblong than

a pear, but is enclosed in a shell and a rind of a grassy colour, like

the almond; but what is found within, instead of being a nut as in the

almond, is a plum, differing from the almond[851] in being shorter and

quite soft. This fruit, although particularly inviting for its luscious

sweetness, is productive of no injurious effects. The wood, for its

goodness, solidity, and blackness, is in no respect inferior to that

of the lotus: people have been in the habit of making statues of it.

The wood of the tree which we have mentioned as the “balanus,”[852]

although very durable, is not so highly esteemed as this, as it is

knotted and twisted in the greater part: hence it is only employed for

the purposes of ship-building.

CHAP. 18.—THE CUCUS.

On the other hand, the wood of the cucus[853] is held in very high

esteem. It is similar in nature to the palm, as its leaves are

similarly used for the purposes of texture: it differs from it,

however, in spreading out its arms in large branches. The fruit, which

is of a size large enough to fill the hand, is of a tawny colour, and

recommends itself by its juice, which is a mixture of sweet and rough.

The seed in the inside is large and of remarkable hardness, and turners

use it for making curtain rings.[854] The kernel is sweet, while fresh;

but when dried it becomes hard to a most remarkable degree, so much so,

that it can only be eaten after being soaked in water for several days.

The wood is beautifully mottled with circling veins,[855] for which

reason it is particularly esteemed among the Persians.

CHAP. 19.—THE EGYPTIAN THORN.

No less esteemed, too, in the same country, is a certain kind of

thorn,[856] though only the black variety, its wood being imperishable,

in water even, a quality which renders it particularly valuable for

making the sides of ships: on the other hand, the white kinds will

rot very rapidly. It has sharp, prickly thorns on the leaves even,

and bears its seeds in pods; they are employed for the same purposes

as galls in the preparation of leather. The flower, too, has a pretty

effect when made into garlands, and is extremely useful in medicinal

preparations. A gum, also, distils from this tree; but the principal

merit that it possesses is, that when it is cut down, it will grow

again within three years. It grows in the vicinity of Thebes, where we

also find the quercus, the Persian tree, and the olive: the spot that

produces it is a piece of woodland, distant three hundred stadia from

the Nile, and watered by springs of its own.

(10.) Here we find, too, the Egyptian[857] plum-tree, not much unlike

the thorn last mentioned, with a fruit similar to the medlar, and which

ripens in the winter. This tree never loses its leaves. The seed in

the fruit is of considerable size, but the flesh of it, by reason of

its quality, and the great abundance in which it grows, affords quite

a harvest to the inhabitants of those parts; after cleaning it, they

subject it to pressure, and then make it up into cakes for keeping.

There was formerly[858] a woodland district in the vicinity of Memphis,

with trees of such enormous size, that three men could not span one

with their arms: one of these trees is remarkable, not for its fruit,

or any particular use that it is, but for the singular phænomenon that

it presents. In appearance it strongly resembles a thorn,[859] and

it has leaves which have all the appearance of wings, and which fall

immediately the branch is touched by any one, and then immediately

shoot again.

CHAP. 20. (11.)—NINE KINDS OF GUM. THE SARCOCOLLA.

It is universally agreed, that the best gum is that produced from the

Egyptian thorn;[860] it is of variegated appearance, of azure colour,

clean, free from all admixture of bark, and adheres to the teeth; the

price at which it sells is three denarii per pound. That produced from

the bitter almond-tree and the cherry[861] is of an inferior kind,

and that which is gathered from the plum-tree is the worst of all. The

vine, too, produces a gum,[862] which is of the greatest utility in

healing the sores of children; while that which is sometimes found on

the olive-tree[863] is used for the tooth-ache. Gum is also found on

the elm[864] upon Mount Corycus in Cilicia, and upon the juniper,[865]

but it is good for nothing; indeed, the gum of the elm found there is

apt to breed gnats. From the sarcocolla[866] also—such is the name of

a certain tree—a gum exudes that is remarkably useful to painters[867]

and medical men; it is similar to incense dust in appearance, and for

those purposes the white kind is preferable to the red. The price of it

is the same as that mentioned above.[868]

CHAP. 21.—THE PAPYRUS: THE USE OF PAPER; WHEN IT WAS FIRST INVENTED.

We have not as yet taken any notice of the marsh plants, nor yet of

the shrubs that grow upon the banks of rivers: before quitting Egypt,

however, we must make some mention of the nature of the papyrus, seeing

that all the usages of civilized life depend in such a remarkable

degree upon the employment of paper—at all events, the remembrance

of past events. M. Varro informs us that paper owes its discovery to

the victorious[869] career of Alexander the Great, at the time when

Alexandria in Egypt was founded by him; before which period paper

had not been used, the leaves of the palm having been employed for

writing at an early period, and after that the bark of certain trees.

In succeeding ages, public documents were inscribed on sheets of lead,

while private memoranda were impressed upon linen cloths, or else

engraved on tablets of wax; indeed, we find it stated in Homer,[870]

that tablets were employed for this purpose even before the time of

the Trojan war. It is generally supposed, too, that the country which

that poet speaks of as Egypt, was not the same that is at present

understood by that name, for the Sebennytic and the Saitic[871] Nomes,

in which all the papyrus is produced, have been added since his time by

the alluvion of the Nile; indeed, he himself has stated[872] that the

main-land was a day and a night’s sail from the island of Pharos[873],

which island at the present day is united by a bridge to the city

of Alexandria. In later times, a rivalry having sprung up between

King Ptolemy and King Eumenes,[874] in reference to their respective

libraries, Ptolemy prohibited the export of papyrus; upon which,

as Varro relates, parchment was invented for a similar purpose at

Pergamus. After this, the use of that commodity, by which immortality

is ensured to man, became universally known.

CHAP. 22.—THE MODE OF MAKING PAPER.

Papyrus grows either in the marshes of Egypt, or in the sluggish waters

of the river Nile, when they have overflowed and are lying stagnant,

in pools that do not exceed a couple of cubits in depth. The root lies

obliquely,[875] and is about the thickness of one’s arm; the section

of the stalk is triangular, and it tapers gracefully upwards towards

the extremity, being not more than ten cubits at most in height. Very

much like a thyrsus[876] in shape, it has a head on the top, which

has no seed[877] in it, and, indeed, is of no use whatever, except as

a flower employed to crown the statues of the gods. The natives use

the roots by way of wood, not only for firing, but for various other

domestic purposes as well. From the papyrus itself they construct

boats[878] also, and of the outer coat they make sails and mats, as

well as cloths, besides coverlets and ropes; they chew it also, both

raw and boiled, though they swallow the juice only.

The papyrus grows in Syria also, on the borders of the same lake around

which grows the sweet-scented calamus;[879] and King Antiochus used

to employ the productions of that country solely as cordage for naval

purposes; for the use of spartum[880] had not then become commonly

known. More recently it has been understood that a papyrus grows in

the river Euphrates, in the vicinity of Babylon, from which a similar

kind of paper may easily be produced: still, however, up to the present

time the Parthians have preferred to impress[881] their characters upon

cloths.

CHAP. 23. (12)—THE NINE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PAPER.

Paper is made from the papyrus, by splitting it with a needle into

very thin leaves, due care being taken that they should be as broad

as possible. That of the first quality is taken from the centre of

the plant, and so in regular succession, according to the order of

division. “Hieratica”[882] was the name that was anciently given

to it, from the circumstance that it was entirely reserved for the

religious books. In later times, through a spirit of adulation, it

received the name of “Augusta,” just as that of second quality was

called “Liviana,” from his wife, Livia; the consequence of which was,

that the name “hieratica” came to designate that of only third-rate

quality. The paper of the next quality was called “amphitheatrica,”

from the locality[883] of its manufacture. The skilful manufactory that

was established by Fannius[884] at Rome, was in the habit of receiving

this last kind, and there, by a very careful process of insertion, it

was rendered much finer; so much so, that from being a common sort,

he made it a paper of first-rate quality, and gave his own[885] name

to it: while that which was not subjected to this additional process

retained its original name of “amphitheatrica.” Next to this is

the Saitic paper, so called from the city of that name,[886] where

it is manufactured in very large quantities, though of cuttings of

inferior[887] quality. The Tæniotic paper, so called from a place in

the vicinity,[888] is manufactured from the materials that lie nearer

to the outside skin; it is sold, not according to its quality, but by

weight only. As to the paper that is known as “emporetica,”[889] it

is quite useless for writing upon, and is only employed for wrapping

up other paper, and as a covering for various articles of merchandize,

whence its name, as being used by dealers. After this comes the bark of

the papyrus, the outer skin of which bears a strong resemblance to the

bulrush, and is solely used for making ropes, and then only for those

which have to go into the water.[890]

All these various kinds of paper are made upon a table, moistened with

Nile water; a liquid which, when in a muddy state, has the peculiar

qualities of glue.[891] This table being first inclined,[892] the

leaves of papyrus are laid upon it lengthwise, as long, indeed, as the

papyrus will admit of, the jagged edges being cut off at either end;

after which a cross layer is placed over it, the same way, in fact,

that hurdles are made. When this is done, the leaves are pressed close

together, and then dried in the sun; after which they are united to one

another, the best sheets being always taken first, and the inferior

ones added afterwards. There are never more than twenty of these sheets

to a roll.[893]

CHAP. 24.—THE MODE OF TESTING THE GOODNESS OF PAPER.

There is a great difference in the breadth of the various kinds of

paper. That of best quality[894] is thirteen fingers wide, while the

hieratica is two fingers less. The Fanniana is ten fingers wide, and

that known as “amphitheatrica,” one less. The Saitic is of still

smaller breadth, indeed it is not so wide as the mallet with which the

paper is beaten; and the emporetica is particularly narrow, being not

more than six fingers in breadth.

In addition to the above particulars, paper is esteemed according

to its fineness, its stoutness, its whiteness, and its smoothness.

Claudius Cæsar effected a change in that which till then had been

looked upon as being of the first quality: for the Augustan paper had

been found to be so remarkably fine, as to offer no resistance to the

pressure of the pen; in addition to which, as it allowed the writing

upon it to run through, it was continually causing apprehensions of

its being blotted and blurred by the writing on the other side; the

remarkable transparency, too, of the paper was very unsightly to the

eye. To obviate these inconveniences, a groundwork of paper was made

with leaves of the second quality, over which was laid a woof, as it

were, formed of leaves of the first. He increased the width also of

paper; the width [of the common sort] being made a foot, and that of

the size known as “macrocollum,”[895] a cubit; though one inconvenience

was soon detected in it, for, upon a single leaf[896] being torn in

the press, more pages were apt to be spoilt than before.[897] In

consequence of the advantages above-mentioned, the Claudian has come to

be preferred to all other kinds of paper, though the Augustan is still

used for the purposes of epistolary correspondence. The Livian, which

had nothing in common with that of first quality, but was entirely of a

secondary rank, still holds its former place.

CHAP. 25.—THE PECULIAR DEFECTS IN PAPER.

The roughness and inequalities in paper are smoothed down with a

tooth[898] or shell; but the writing in such places is very apt to

fade. When it is thus polished the paper does not take the ink so

readily, but is of a more lustrous and shining surface. The water

of the Nile that has been originally employed in its manufacture,

being sometimes used without due precaution, will unfit the paper for

taking writing: this fault, however, may be detected by a blow with

the mallet, or even by the smell,[899] when the carelessness has been

extreme. These spots, too, may be detected by the eye; but the streaks

that run down the middle of the leaves where they have been pasted

together, though they render the paper spongy and of a soaking nature,

can hardly ever be detected before the ink runs, while the pen is

forming the letters; so many are the openings for fraud to be put in

practice. The consequence is, that another labour has been added to the

due preparation of paper.

CHAP. 26.—THE PASTE USED IN THE PREPARATION OF PAPER.

The common paper paste is made of the finest flour of wheat mixed with

boiling water, and some small drops of vinegar sprinkled in it: for the

ordinary workman’s paste, or gum, if employed for this purpose, will

render the paper brittle. Those, however, who take the greatest pains,

boil the crumb of leavened bread, and then strain off the water: by the

adoption of this method the paper has the fewest seams caused by the

paste that lies between, and is softer than the nap of linen even. All

kinds of paste that are used for this purpose, ought not to be older

or newer than one day. The paper is then thinned out with a mallet,

after which a new layer of paste is placed upon it; then the creases

which have formed are again pressed out, and it then undergoes the same

process with the mallet as before. It is thus that we have memorials

preserved in the ancient handwriting of Tiberius and Caius Gracchus,

which I have seen in the possession of Pomponius Secundus,[900] the

poet, a very illustrious citizen, almost two hundred years since those

characters were penned. As for the handwriting of Cicero, Augustus, and

Virgil, we frequently see them at the present day.

CHAP. 27. (13.)—THE BOOKS OF NUMA.

There are some facts of considerable importance which make against the

opinion expressed by M. Varro, relative to the invention of paper.

Cassius Hemina, a writer of very great antiquity, has stated in the

Fourth Book of his Annals, that Cneius Terentius, the scribe, while

engaged in digging on his land in the Janiculum, came to a coffer,

in which Numa had been buried, the former king of Rome, and that in

this coffer were also found some books[901] of his. This took place

in the consulship of Publius Cornelius Cethegus, the son of Lucius,

and of M. Bæbius Tamphilus, the son of Quintus, the interval between

whose consulship and the reign of Numa was five hundred and thirty-five

years. These books were made of paper, and, a thing that is more

remarkable still, is the fact that they lasted so many years buried in

the ground. In order, therefore, to establish a fact of such singular

importance, I shall here quote the words of Hemina himself—“Some

persons expressed wonder how these books could have possibly lasted so

long a time—this was the explanation that Terentius gave: ‘In nearly

the middle of the coffer there lay a square stone, bound on every side

with cords enveloped in wax;[902] upon this stone the books had been

placed, and it was through this precaution, he thought, that they

had not rotted. The books, too, were carefully covered with citrus

leaves,[903] and it was through this, in his belief, that they had

been protected from the attacks of worms.’ In these books were written

certain doctrines relative to the Pythagorean philosophy; they were

burnt by Q. Petilius, the prætor, because they treated of philosophical

subjects.”[904]

Piso, who had formerly been censor, relates the same facts in the

First Book of his Commentaries, but he states in addition, that there

were seven books on Pontifical Rights, and seven on the Pythagorean

philosophy.[905] Tuditanus, in his Fourteenth Book, says that they

contained the decrees of Numa: Varro, in the Seventh Book of his

“Antiquities of Mankind,”[906] states that they were twelve in number;

and Antias, in his Second Book, says that there were twelve written

in Latin, on pontifical matters, and as many in Greek, containing

philosophical precepts. The same author states also in his Third Book

why it was thought proper to burn them.

It is a fact acknowledged by all writers, that the Sibyl[907] brought

three books to Tarquinius Superbus, of which two were burnt by herself,

while the third perished by fire with the Capitol[908] in the days

of Sylla. In addition to these facts, Mucianus, who was three times

consul, has stated that he had recently read, while governor of Lycia,

a letter written upon paper, and preserved in a certain temple there,

which had been written from Troy, by Sarpedon; a thing that surprises

me the more, if it really was the fact that even in the time of Homer

the country that we call Egypt was not in existence.[909] And why too,

if paper was then in use, was it the custom, as it is very well known

it was, to write upon leaden tablets and linen cloths? Why, too, has

Homer[910] stated that in Lycia tablets[911] were given to Bellerophon

to carry, and not a paper letter?

Papyrus, for making paper, is apt to fail occasionally; such a thing

happened in the time of the Emperor Tiberius, when there was so great

a scarcity[912] of paper that members of the senate were appointed

to regulate the distribution of it: had not this been done, all the

ordinary relations of life would have been completely disarranged.

CHAP. 28. (14.)—THE TREES OF ÆTHIOPIA.

Æthiopia, which borders upon Egypt, has in general no remarkable trees,

with the exception of the wool-bearing[913] ones, of which we have had

occasion to speak[914] in our description of the trees of India and

Arabia. However, the produce of the tree of Æthiopia bears a much

stronger resemblance to wool, and the follicule is much larger, being

very similar in appearance to a pomegranate; as for the trees, they are

otherwise similar in every respect. Besides this tree, there are some

palms, of which we have spoken already.[915] In describing the islands

along the coast of Æthiopia, we have already made mention[916] of their

trees and their odoriferous forests.

CHAP. 29. (15.)—THE TREES OF MOUNT ATLAS. THE CITRUS, AND THE TABLES

MADE OF THE WOOD THEREOF.

Mount Atlas is said to possess a forest of trees of a peculiar

character,[917] of which we have already spoken.[918] In the vicinity

of this mountain is Mauretania, a country which abounds in the

citrus,[919] a tree which gave rise to the mania[920] for fine tables,

an extravagance with which the women reproach the men, when they

complain of their vast outlay upon pearls. There is preserved to the

present day a table which belonged to M. Cicero,[921] and for which,

notwithstanding his comparatively moderate means, and what is even

more surprising still, at that day too, he gave no less than one[922]

million sesterces: we find mention made also of one belonging to Gallus

Asinius, which cost one million one hundred thousand sesterces. Two

tables were also sold by auction which had belonged to King Juba; the

price fetched by one was one million two hundred thousand sesterces,

and that of the other something less. There has been lately destroyed

by fire, a table which came down from the family of the Cethegi, and

which had been sold for the sum of one million four hundred thousand

sesterces, the price of a considerable domain, if any one, indeed,

could be found who would give so large a sum for an estate.

The largest table that has ever yet been known was one that belonged

to Ptolemæus, king of Mauretania; it was made of two semicircumferences

joined together down the middle, being four feet and a half in

diameter, and a quarter of a foot in thickness: the most wonderful

fact, however, connected with it, was the surprising skill with which

the joining had been concealed,[923] and which rendered it more

valuable than if it had been by nature a single piece of wood. The

largest table that is made of a single piece of wood, is the one that

takes its name[924] from Nomius, a freedman of Tiberius Cæsar. The

diameter of it is four feet, short by three quarters of an inch, and

it is half a foot in thickness, less the same fraction. While speaking

upon this subject, I ought not to omit to mention that the Emperor

Tiberius had a table that exceeded four feet in diameter by two inches

and a quarter, and was an inch and a half in thickness: this, however,

was only covered with a veneer of citrus-wood, while that which

belonged to his freedman Nomius was so costly, the whole material of

which it was composed being knotted[925] wood.

These knots are properly a disease or excrescence of the root, and

those used for this purpose are more particularly esteemed which have

lain entirely concealed under ground; they are much more rare than

those that grow above ground, and that are to be found on the branches

also. Thus, to speak correctly, that which we buy at so vast a price is

in reality a defect in the tree: of the size and root of it a notion

may be easily formed from the circular sections of its trunk. The tree

resembles the wild female cypress[926] in its foliage, smell, and the

appearance of the trunk. A spot called Mount Ancorarius, in Nearer

Mauretania, used formerly to furnish the most esteemed citrus-wood, but

at the present day the supply is quite exhausted.

CHAP. 30.—THE POINTS THAT ARE DESIRABLE OR OTHERWISE IN THESE TABLES.

The principal merit of these tables is to have veins[927] arranged in

waving lines, or else forming spirals like so many little whirlpools.

In the former arrangement the lines run in an oblong direction, for

which reason these are called “tiger”[928] tables; while in the

latter the marks are circling and spiral, and hence they are styled

“panther”[929] tables. There are some tables also with wavy, undulating

marks, and which are more particularly esteemed if these resemble the

eyes on a peacock’s tail. Next in esteem to these last, as well as

those previously mentioned, is the veined wood,[930] covered, as it

were, with dense masses of grain, for which reason these tables have

received the name of “apiatæ.”[931] But the colour of the wood is the

quality that is held in the highest esteem of all: that of wine mixed

with honey[932] being the most prized, the veins being peculiarly

refulgent. Next to the colour, it is the size that is prized; at the

present day whole trunks are greatly admired, and sometimes several are

united in a single table.

The peculiar defects in these kinds of tables are woodiness,[933]

such being the name given to the table when the wood is dull,

common-looking, indistinct, or else has mere simple marks upon it,

resembling the leaves of the plane-tree; also, when it resembles the

veins of the holm-oak or the colour of that tree; and, a fault to

which it is peculiarly liable from the effect of heat or wind, when

it has flaws in it or hair-like lines resembling flaws; when it has a

black mark, too, running through it resembling a murena in appearance,

various streaks that look like crow scratches, or knots like poppy

heads, with a colour all over nearly approaching to black, or blotches

of a sickly hue. The barbarous tribes bury this wood in the ground

while green, first giving it a coating of wax. When it comes into the

workmen’s hands, they put it for seven days beneath a heap of corn, and

then take it out for as many more: it is quite surprising how greatly

it loses in weight by this process. Shipwrecks have recently taught us

also that this wood is dried by the action of sea-water, and that it

thereby acquires a hardness[934] and a degree of density which render

it proof against corruption: no other method is equally sure to produce

these results. These tables are kept best, and shine with the greatest

lustre, when rubbed with the dry hand, more particularly just after

bathing. As if this wood had been created for the behoof of wine, it

receives no injury from it.

(16.) As this tree is one among the elements of more civilized life,

I think that it is as well on the present occasion to dwell a little

further upon it. It was known to Homer even, and in the Greek it is

known by the name of “thyon,”[935] or sometimes “thya.” He says that

the wood of this tree was among the unguents that were burnt for

their pleasant odour by Circe,[936] whom he would represent as being

a goddess; a circumstance which shows the great mistake committed by

those who suppose that perfumes are meant under that name,[937] seeing

that in the very same line he says that cedar and larch were burnt

along with this wood, a thing that clearly proves that it is only of

different trees that he is speaking. Theophrastus, an author who wrote

in the age succeeding that of Alexander the Great, and about the year

of the City of Rome 440, has awarded a very high rank to this tree,

stating that it is related that the raftering of the ancient temples

used to be made of this wood, and that the timber, when employed

in roofs, will last for ever, so to say, being proof against all

decay,—quite incorruptible, in fact. He also says that there is nothing

more full of wavy veins[938] than the root of this tree, and that there

is no workmanship in existence more precious than that made of this

material. The finest kind of citrus grows, he says, in the vicinity of

the Temple of Jupiter Hammon; he states also that it is produced in the

lower part of Cyrenaica. He has made no mention, however, of the tables

that are made of it; indeed, we have no more ancient accounts of them

than those of the time of Cicero, from which it would appear that they

are a comparatively recent invention.

CHAP. 31.—THE CITRON-TREE.

There is another tree also which has the same name of “citrus,”[939]

and bears a fruit that is held by some persons in particular dislike

for its smell and remarkable bitterness; while, on the other hand,

there are some who esteem it very highly. This tree is used as an

ornament to houses; it requires, however, no further description.

CHAP. 32. (17.)—THE LOTUS.

Africa, too, at least that part of it which looks towards our shores,

produces a remarkable tree, the lotus,[940] by some known as the

“celtis,” which has also been naturalized in Italy,[941] though it

has been somewhat modified by the change of soil. The finest quality

of lotus is that found in the vicinity of the Syrtes and among the

Nasamones. It is the same size as the pear-tree, although Cornelius

Nepos states to the effect that it is but short. The leaves have

numerous incisions, just as with those of the holm-oak. There are many

varieties of the lotus, which are characterized more particularly by

the difference in their respective fruits. The fruit is of about the

size of a bean, and its colour is that of saffron, though before it

is ripe it is continually changing its tints, like the grape. It has

branches thickly set with leaves, like the myrtle, and not, as with

us in Italy, like the cherry. In the country to which this tree is

indigenous, the fruit of it is so remarkably sweet and luscious, that

it has even given its name to a whole territory, and to a nation[942]

who, by their singular hospitality, have even seduced strangers who

have come among them, to lose all remembrance of their native country.

It is said also, that those who eat this fruit are subject to no

maladies of the stomach. The fruit which has no stone in the inside

is the best: this stone in the other kind seems to be of an osseous

nature. A wine is also extracted from this fruit very similar to

honied wine; according to Nepos, however, it will not last above ten

days; he states also that the berries are chopped up with alica,[943]

and then put away in casks for the table. Indeed, we read that armies

have been fed upon this food when marching to and fro through the

territory of Africa. The wood is of a black colour, and is held in high

esteem for making flutes; from the root also they manufacture handles

for knives, and various other small articles.

Such is the nature of the tree that is so called in Africa; the same

name being also given to a certain[944] herb, and to a stalk[945] that

grows in Egypt belonging to the marsh plants. This last plant springs

up when the waters of the Nile have retired after its overflow: its

stalk is similar to that of the bean, and its leaves are numerous and

grow in thick clusters, but are shorter and more slender than those

of the bean. The fruit grows on the head of the plant, and is similar

in appearance to a poppy in its indentations[946] and all its other

characteristics; within there are small grains, similar to those of

millet.[947] The inhabitants lay these heads in large heaps, and there

let them rot, after which they separate the grain from the residue by

washing, and then dry it; when this is done they pound it, and then

use it as flour for making a kind of bread. What is stated in addition

to these particulars, is a very singular[948] fact; it is said that

when the sun sets, these poppy-heads shut and cover themselves in the

leaves, and at sun-rise they open again; an alternation which continues

until the fruit is perfectly ripe, and the flower, which is white,

falls off.

(18.) Even more than this, of the lotus of the Euphrates,[949] it is

said that the head and flower of the plant, at nightfall, sink into the

water, and there remain till midnight, so deep in the water, that on

thrusting in one’s arm, the head cannot be reached: after midnight it

commences to return upwards, and gradually becomes more and more erect

till sunrise, when it emerges entirely from the water and opens its

flower; after which it still continues to rise, until at last it is to

be seen raised quite aloft, high above the level of the water. This

lotus has a root about the size of a quince, enveloped in a black skin,

similar to that with which the chesnut is covered. The substance that

lies within this skin is white, and forms very pleasant food, but is

better cooked, either in water or upon hot ashes, then in a raw state.

Swine fatten upon nothing better than the peelings of this root.

CHAP. 33. (19.)—THE TREES OF CYRENAICA. THE PALIURUS.

The region of Cyrenaica places before the lotus its paliurus,[950]

which is more like a shrub in character, and bears a fruit of a redder

colour. This fruit contains a nut, the kernel of which is eaten by

itself, and is of a very agreeable flavour. The taste of it is improved

by wine, and, in fact, the juices are thought to be an improvement to

wine. The interior of Africa, as far as the Garamantes and the deserts,

is covered with palms, remarkable for their extraordinary size and

the lusciousness of their fruit. The most celebrated are those in the

vicinity of the Temple of Jupiter Hammon.

CHAP. 34.—NINE VARIETIES OF THE PUNIC APPLE. BALAUSTIUM.

But the vicinity of Carthage is claimed more particularly as its own

by the fruit the name of which is the “Punic apple;”[951] though by

some it is called “granatum.”[952] This fruit has been distinguished

into a variety of kinds; the name of “apyrenum”[953] being given to

the one which has no[954] woody seeds inside, but is naturally whiter

than the others, the pips being of a more agreeable flavour, and the

membranes by which they are separated not so bitter. Their conformation

in other respects, which is very similar to the partitions of the

cells in the honeycomb, is much the same in all. Of those that have a

kernel there are five kinds, the sweet, the acrid, the mixed, the acid,

and the vinous: those of Samos and Egypt are distinguished into those

with red, and those with white foliage.[955] The skin, while the fruit

is yet sour, is held in high esteem for tanning leather. The flower of

this tree is known by the name of “balaustium,” and is very useful for

medicinal purposes;[956] also for dyeing cloths a colour which from it

has derived its name.[957]

CHAP. 35. (20.)—THE TREES OF ASIA AND GREECE; THE EPIPACTIS, THE ERICA,

THE CNIDIAN GRAIN OR THYMELÆA, PYROSACHNE, CNESTRON, OR CNEORON.

In Asia and Greece are produced the following shrubs, the

epipactis,[958] by some known as “elleborine,” the leaves of which are

of small size, and when taken in drink, are an antidote against poison;

just in the same way that those of the erica[959] are a specific

against the sting of the serpent.

(21.) Here is also found another shrub, upon which grows the grain of

Cnidos,[960] by some known as “linum;” the name of the shrub itself

being thymelæa,[961] while others, again, call it “chamelæa”,[962]

others pyrosachne, others cnestron, and others cneorum; it bears a

strong resemblance to the wild olive, but has a narrow leaf, which

has a gummy taste in the mouth. The shrub is of about the size of the

myrtle; its seed is of the same colour and appearance, but is solely

used for medicinal purposes.

CHAP. 36.—THE TRAGION: TRAGACANTHE.

The island of Crete is the only place that produces the shrub called

“tragion.”[963] It is similar in appearance to the terebinth;[964]

a similarity which extends to the seed even, said to be remarkably

efficacious for healing wounds made by arrows. The same island produces

tragacanthe[965] also, with a root which resembles that of the white

thorn; it is very much preferred[966] to that which is grown in Media

or in Achaia; the price at which it sells is three denarii per pound.

CHAP. 37.—THE TRAGOS OR SCORPIO; THE MYRICA OR BRYA; THE OSTRYS.

Asia, too, produces the tragos[967] or scorpio, a thorny shrub,

destitute of leaves, with red clusters upon it that are employed

in medicine. Italy produces the myrica, which some persons call

the “tamarix;”[968] and Achaia, the wild brya,[969] remarkable for

the circumstance that it is only the cultivated kind that bears a

fruit, not unlike the gall-nut. In Syria and Egypt this plant is very

abundant. It is to the trees of this last country that we give the name

of “unhappy;”[970] but yet those of Greece are more unhappy still,

for that country produces the tree known as “ostrys,” or, as it is

sometimes called, “ostrya,”[971] a solitary tree that grows about rocks

washed by the water, and very similar in the bark and branches to the

ash. It resembles the pear-tree in its leaves, which, however, are a

little longer and thicker, with wrinkled indentations running down the

whole length of the leaf. The seed of this tree resembles barley in

form and colour. The wood is hard and solid; it is said, that if it is

introduced into a house, it is productive of painful deliveries and of

shocking deaths.

CHAP. 38. (22.)—THE EUONYMOS.

There is no tree productive of a more auspicious presage than one which

grows in the Isle of Lesbos, and is known by the name of euonymos.[972]

It bears some resemblance to the pomegranate tree, the leaf being in

size between the leaf of that and the leaf of the laurel, while in

shape and softness it resembles that of the pomegranate tree: it has

a white blossom,[973] by which it immediately gives us notice of its

dangerous properties.[974] It bears a pod[975] very similar to that of

sesame, within which there is a grain of quadrangular shape, of coarse

make and poisonous to animals. The leaf, too, has the same noxious

effects; sometimes, however, a speedy alvine discharge is found to give

relief on such occasions.

CHAP. 39.—THE TREE CALLED EON.

Alexander Cornelius has called a tree by the name of “eon,”[976] with

the wood of which, he says, the ship Argo was built. This tree has on

it a mistletoe similar to that of the oak, which is proof against all

injury from either fire or water, in the same manner, in fact, as that

of no other tree known. This tree, however, appears to have been known

to no other author, that I am aware of.

CHAP. 40.—THE ANDRACHLE.[977]

Nearly all the Greek writers interpret the name of the tree called

“andrachle,” as meaning the same as “purslain:”[978] whereas purslain

is, in reality, a herb, and, with the difference of a single letter,

is called “andrachne.” The andrachle is a wild tree, which never grows

in the plain country, and is similar to the arbute tree in appearance,

only that its leaves are smaller, and never fall off. The bark, too, is

not rough, but might be taken to be frozen all over, so truly wretched

is its appearance.

CHAP. 41.—THE COCCYGIA; THE APHARCE.

Similar, too, in leaf to the preceding tree, is the coccygia,[979]

though not so large; it has this peculiarity, that it loses its fruit

while still in the downy[980] state—they then call it “pappus”—a thing

that happens to no other tree. The apharce[981] is another tree that is

similar to the andrachle, and like it, bears twice in the year: just as

the grape is beginning to flower the first fruit is ripening, while the

second fruit ripens at the commencement of winter; of what nature this

fruit is we do not find stated.

CHAP. 42.—THE FERULA.

We ought to place the ferula[982] also in the number of the exotics,

and as making one of the trees. For, in fact, we distinguish the trees

into several different kinds: it is the nature of some to have wood

entirely in place of bark, or, in other words, on the outside; while,

in the interior, in place of wood, there is a fungous kind of pith,

like that of the elder; others, again, are hollow within, like the

reed. The ferula grows in hot countries and in places beyond sea, the

stalk being divided into knotted joints. There are two kinds of it;

that which grows upwards to a great height the Greeks call by the name

of “narthex,”[983] while the other, which never rises far from the

ground, is known as the “narthecya.”[984] From the joints very large

leaves shoot forth, the largest lying nearest to the ground: in other

respects it has the same nature as the anise, which it resembles also

in its fruit. The wood of no shrub is lighter than this; hence it is

very easily carried, and the stalks of it make good walking-sticks[985]

for the aged.

CHAP. 43.—THE THAPSIA.

The seed of the ferula has been by some persons called “thapsia;”[986]

deceived, no doubt, by what is really the fact, that the thapsia is

a ferula, but of a peculiar kind, with leaves like those of fennel,

and a hollow stalk not exceeding a walking-stick in length; the seed

is like that of the ferula, and the root of the plant is white. When

an incision is made in the thapsia, a milky juice oozes from it, and,

when pounded, it produces a kind of juice; the bark even is never

thrown[987] away. All these parts of the shrub are poisonous, and,

indeed, it is productive of injurious effects to those engaged in

digging it up; for if the slightest wind should happen to be blowing

towards them from the shrub, the body begins to swell, and erysipelas

attacks the face: it is for this reason that, before beginning work,

they anoint the face all over with a solution of wax. Still, however,

the medical men say that, mixed with other ingredients, it is of

considerable use in the treatment of some diseases. It is employed

also for the cure of scald-head, and for the removal of black and

blue spots upon the skin, as if, indeed, we were really at a loss for

remedies in such cases, without having recourse to things of so deadly

a nature. These plants, however, act their part in serving as a pretext

for the introduction of noxious agents; and so great is the effrontery

now displayed, that people would absolutely persuade one that poisons

are a requisite adjunct to the practice of the medical art.

The thapsia of Africa[988] is the most powerful of all. Some persons

make an incision in the stalk at harvest-time, and bore holes in the

root, too, to let the juice flow; after it has become quite dry,

they take it away. Others, again, pound the leaves, stalk, and root

in a mortar, and after drying the juice in the sun, divide it into

lozenges.[989] Nero Cæsar, at the beginning of his reign, conferred

considerable celebrity on this plant. In his nocturnal skirmishes[990]

it so happened that he received several contusions on the face, upon

which he anointed it with a mixture composed of thapsia, frankincense,

and wax, and so contrived the next day effectually to give the lie to

all rumours, by appearing with a whole skin.[991] It is a well-known

fact, that fire[992] is kept alight remarkably well in the hollow stalk

of the ferula, and that for this purpose those of Egypt are the best.

CHAP. 44. (23.)—THE CAPPARIS OR CYNOSBATON, OTHERWISE OPHIOSTAPHYLE.

In Egypt, too, the capparis[993] is found, a shrub with a wood of

much greater solidity. The seed of it is a well-known article of

food,[994] and is mostly gathered together with the stalk. It is as

well, however, to be on our guard against the foreign kinds;[995] for

that of Arabia has certain deleterious properties, that from Africa

is injurious to the gums, and that from Marmarica is prejudicial to

the womb and causes flatulence in all the organs. That of Apulia, too,

is productive of vomiting, and causes derangement in the stomach and

intestines. Some persons call this shrub “cynosbaton,”[996] others,

again, “ophiostaphyle.”[997]

CHAP. 45.—THE SARIPHA.

The saripha,[998] too, that grows on the banks of the Nile, is one of

the shrub genus. It is generally about two cubits in height, and of

the thickness of one’s thumb: it has the foliage of the papyrus, and

is eaten in a similar manner. The root, in consequence of its extreme

hardness, is used as a substitute for charcoal in forging iron.

CHAP. 46. (24.)—THE ROYAL THORN.

We must take care, also, not to omit a peculiar shrub that is planted

at Babylon, and only upon a thorny plant there, as it will not live

anywhere else, just in the same manner as the mistletoe will live

nowhere but upon trees. This shrub, however, will only grow upon a kind

of thorn, which is known as the royal thorn.[999] It is a wonderful

fact, but it germinates the very same day that it has been planted.

This is done at the rising of the Dog-star, after which it speedily

takes possession of the whole tree. They use it in the preparation of

wine, and it is for this purpose that it is planted. This thorn grows

at Athens also, upon the Long Walls there.[1000]

CHAP. 47.—THE CYTISUS.

The cytisus[1001] is also a shrub, which, as a food for sheep, has been

extolled with wonderful encomiums by Aristomachus the Athenian, and, in

a dry state, for swine as well: the same author, too, pledges his word

that a jugerum of very middling land, planted with the cytisus, will

produce an income of two thousand sesterces per annum. It is quite as

useful as the ervum,[1002] but is apt to satiate more speedily: very

little of it is necessary to fatten cattle; to such a degree, indeed,

that beasts of burden, when fed upon it, will very soon take a dislike

to barley. There is no fodder known, in fact, that is productive of

a greater abundance of milk, and of better quality; in the medical

treatment of cattle in particular, this shrub is found a most excellent

specific for every kind of malady. Even more than this, the same author

recommends it, when first dried and then boiled in water, to be given

to nursing women, mixed with wine, in cases where the milk has failed

them: and he says that, if this is done, the infant will be all the

stronger and taller for it. In a green state, or, if dried, steeped in

water, he recommends it for fowls. Both Democritus and Aristomachus

promise us also that bees will never fail us so long as they can obtain

the cytisus for food. There is no crop that we know of, of a similar

nature, that costs a smaller price. It is sown at the same time as

barley, or, at all events, in the spring, in seed like the leek, or

else planted in the autumn, and before the winter solstice, in the

stalk. When sown in grain, it ought to be steeped in water, and if

there should happen to be no rain, it ought to be watered when sown:

when the plants are about a cubit in height, they are replanted in

trenches a foot in depth. It is transplanted at the equinoxes, while

the shrub is yet tender, and in three years it will arrive at maturity.

It is cut at the vernal equinox, when the flower is just going off; a

child or an old woman is able to do this, and their labour may be had

at a trifling rate. It is of a white appearance, and if one would wish

to express briefly what it looks like, it is a trifoliated shrub,[1003]

with small, narrow leaves. It is always given to animals at intervals

of a couple of days, and in winter, when it is dry, before being given

to them, it is first moistened with water. Ten pounds of cytisus will

suffice for a horse, and for smaller animals in proportion: if I may

here mention it by the way, it is found very profitable to sow garlic

and onions between the rows of cytisus.

This shrub has been found in the Isle of Cythnus, from whence it has

been transplanted to all the Cyclades, and more recently to the cities

of Greece, a fact which has greatly increased the supply of cheese:

considering which, I am much surprised that it is so rarely used in

Italy. This shrub is proof, too, against all injuries from heat, from

cold, from hail, and from snow: and, as Hyginus adds, against the

depredations of the enemy even, the wood[1004] produced being of no

value whatever.

CHAP. 48. (25.)—THE TREES AND SHRUBS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. THE PHYCOS,

PRASON, OR ZOSTER.

Shrubs and trees grow in the sea[1005] as well; those of our sea[1006]

are of inferior size, while, on the other hand, the Red Sea and all the

Eastern Ocean are filled with dense forests. No other language has any

name for the shrub which is known to the Greeks as the “phycos,”[1007]

since by the word “alga”[1008] a mere herb is generally understood,

while the “phycos” is a complete shrub. This plant has a broad leaf of

a green colour, which is by some called “prason,”[1009] and by others

is known as “zoster.”[1010] Another kind,[1011] again, has a hairy

sort of leaf, very similar to fennel, and grows upon rocks, while

that previously mentioned grows in shoaly spots, not far from the

shore. Both kinds shoot in the spring, and die in autumn.[1012] The

phycos[1013] which grows on the rocks in the neighbourhood of Crete, is

used also for dyeing purple; the best kind being that produced on the

north side of the island, which is the case also with sponges of the

very best quality. A third kind,[1014] again, is similar in appearance

to grass; the root of it is knotted, and so is the stalk, which

resembles that of a reed.

CHAP. 49.—THE SEA BRYON.

There is another kind of marine shrub, known by the name of

“bryon;”[1015] it has the leaf of the lettuce, only that it is of a

more wrinkled appearance; it grows nearer land, too, than the last.

Far out at sea we find a fir-tree[1016] and an oak,[1017] each a cubit

in height; shells are found adhering to their branches. It is said

that this sea-oak is used for dyeing wool, and that some of them even

bear acorns[1018] in the sea, a fact which has been ascertained by

shipwrecked persons and divers. There are other marine trees also of

remarkable size, found in the vicinity of Sicyon; the sea-vine,[1019]

indeed, grows everywhere. The sea-fig[1020] is destitute of leaves,

and the bark is red. There is a palm-tree[1021] also in the number of

the sea-shrubs. Beyond the columns of Hercules there is a sea-shrub

that grows with the leaf of the leek, and others with those of the

carrot,[1022] and of thyme. Both of these last, when thrown up by the

tide, are transformed[1023] into pumice.

CHAP. 50.—PLANTS OF THE RED SEA.

In the East, it is a very remarkable thing, that immediately after

leaving Coptos, as we pass through the deserts, we find nothing

whatever growing, with the exception of the thorn that is known as

the “thirsty”[1024] thorn; and this but very rarely. In the Red Sea,

however, there are whole forests found growing, among which more

particularly there are plants that bear the laurel-berry and the

olive;[1025] when it rains also certain fungi make their appearance,

which, as soon as they are touched by the rays of the sun, are turned

into pumice.[1026] The size of the shrubs is three cubits in height;

and they are all filled with sea-dogs,[1027] to such a degree, that it

is hardly safe to look at them from the ship, for they will frequently

seize hold of the very oars.

CHAP. 51.—PLANTS OF THE INDIAN SEA.

The officers[1028] of Alexander who navigated the Indian seas, have

left an account of a marine tree, the foliage of which is green while

in the water; but the moment it is taken out, it dries and turns to

salt. They have spoken also of bulrushes[1029] of stone bearing a

strong resemblance to real ones, which grew along the sea-shore, as

also certain shrubs[1030] in the main sea, the colour of an ox’s horn,

branching out in various directions, and red at the tips. These, they

say, were brittle, and broke like glass when touched, while, on the

other hand, in the fire they would become red-hot like iron, and when

cool resume their original colour.

In the same part of the earth also, the tide covers the forests that

grow on the islands, although the trees there are more lofty[1031]

than the very tallest of our planes and poplars! The leaves of these

trees resemble that of the laurel, while the blossom is similar to

the violet, both in smell and colour: the berries resemble those of

the olive, and they, too, have an agreeable smell: they appear in the

autumn, and the leaves of the trees never fall off. The smaller ones

are entirely covered by the waves, while the summits of those of larger

size protrude from the water, and ships are made fast to them; when

the tide falls the vessels are similarly moored to the roots. We find

the same persons making mention of certain other trees which they saw

out at sea, which always retained their leaves, and bore a fruit very

similar to the lupine.

CHAP. 52.—THE PLANTS OF THE TROGLODYTIC SEA; THE HAIR OF ISIS: THE

CHARITO-BLEPHARON.

Juba relates, that about the islands of the Troglodytæ there is

a certain shrub found out at sea, which is known as the “hair of

Isis:”[1032] he says that it bears a strong resemblance to coral,

is destitute of leaves, and if cut will change its colour, becoming

quite black and hard, and so brittle as to break if it falls. He

speaks also of another marine plant, to which he gives the name of

“Charito-blepharon,”[1033] and which, he says, is particularly

efficacious in love-charms.[1034] Bracelets[1035] and necklaces are

made of it. He says also that it is sensible[1036] when it is about to

be taken, and that it turns as hard as horn, so hard, indeed, as to

blunt the edge of iron. If, on the other hand, it is cut before it is

sensible of the danger, it is immediately transformed to stone.

SUMMARY.—Remarkable facts, narratives, and observations, four

hundred and sixty-eight.

ROMAN AUTHORS QUOTED.—M. Varro,[1037] Mucianus,[1038] Virgil,[1039]

Fabianus,[1040] Sebosus,[1041] Pomponius Mela,[1042] Fabius,[1043]

Procilius,[1044] Hyginus,[1045] Trogus,[1046] Claudius Cæsar,[1047]

Cornelius Nepos,[1048] Sextius Niger[1049] who wrote in Greek on

Medicine, Cassius Hemina,[1050] L. Piso,[1051] Tuditanus,[1052]

Antias.[1053]

FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED.—Theophrastus,[1054] Herodotus,[1055]

Callisthenes,[1056] Isigonus,[1057] Clitarchus,[1058] Anaximenes,[1059]

Duris,[1060] Nearchus,[1061] Onesicritus,[1062] Polycritus,[1063]

Olympiodorus,[1064] Diognetus,[1065] Cleobulus,[1066] Anticlides,[1067]

Chares[1068] of Mitylene, Menæchmus,[1069] Dorotheus[1070] of

Athens, Lycus,[1071] Antæus,[1072] Ephippus,[1073] Dion,[1074]

Adimantus,[1075] Ptolemy Lagus,[1076] Marsyas[1077] of Macedon,

Zoilus[1078] of Macedon, Democritus,[1079] Amphilochus,[1080]

Alexander Polyhistor,[1081] Aristomachus,[1082] King Juba,[1083]

Apollodorus[1084] who wrote on Perfumes, Heraclides[1085] the

physician, Botrys[1086] the physician, Archidemus[1087] the

physician, Dionysius[1088] the physician, Democlides[1089] the

physician, Euphron[1090] the physician, Mnesides[1091] the

physician, Diagoras[1092] the physician, Iollas[1093] the physician,

Heraclides[1094] of Tarentum, Xenocrates[1095] of Ephesus.