875 The female, or black, mandrake.

876 See B. xx. c. 85.

877 The superstitions with reference to the Mandrake extended from the earliest times till a very recent period. It was used in philtres, and was supposed to utter piercing cries when taken up; Josephus counsels those whose business it is to do so, to employ a dog for the purpose if they would avoid dreadful misfortunes. All these notions probably arose from the resemblance which the root bears to the legs and lower part of the human body. See B. xxii. c. 9, where we have queried in a Note whether the Eryngium may not have been the “mandrake,” the possession of which was so much coveted by the wives of Jacob.

878 “Pestis est.”

879 In the same way that chloroform is now administered.

880 “Cicuta.” Identified with the Conium maculatum of Linnæus, Common hemlock or Keghs. It grows in the vicinity of Athens, and probably formed the basis of the poisons with which that volatile people “recompensed,” as Fée remarks, the virtues and exploits of their philosophers and generals. Socrates, Phocion, and Philopœmen, are said to have been poisoned with hemlock; but in the case of Socrates, it was probably combined with opium and other narcotics. See B. xiv. cc. 7, 28, and B. xxiii. c. 23.

881 He has more than once stated, that it is not his object to enter into a description of poisons.

882 Fée doubts if it is possible to eat it, boiled even, with impunity.

883 See B. xiv. cc. 7, 28, and B. xxiii. c. 23.

884 A very dangerous use of it, Desfontaines thinks.

885 Desfontaines says that it is still employed in various ways when the milk is in excess.

886 By causing those organs to waste away.

887 The province of Asia Minor.

888 “Wild crethmos.” Generally identified with the Crithmum maritimum of Linnæus, Small samphire, or sea fennel.

889 Or “lead plant.” Identified with the Plumbago Europæa of Linnæus, Leadwort, or French dittander.

890 See B. xx. c. 85.

891 “Lead disease,” apparently; livid spots on the eyelids, Hardouin thinks.

892 Or “smoke-plant;” so called from its smell, which resembles that of smoke or soot.

893 “Pedes gallinacei.” Identified by Fée with the Corydalis digitata of Persoon, or else the C. bulbosa, or C. fabacea, several varieties of Fumitory.

894 Identified by Fée with the Fumaria parvifolia of Lamarck, Small-leaved fumitory, or Earth-smoke. Other varieties of Fumitory have also been mentioned.

895 The Acorus calamus of Linnæus, Sweet cane, or Sweet-smelling flag. See B. xii. c. 48.

896 See B. xxi. c. 19.

897 “Utribus.”

898 See B. xv. c. 7.

899 Identified with the Cotyledon umbilicus of Smith, Flor. Brit., Navel-wort, Kidney-wort, or Wall penny-wort.

900 Identified by Littré with the Saxifraga media of Gouan; and by Fée with the Cotyledon serrata of Linnæus, Saw-toothed navel-wort.

901 “Sordidis.”

902 “Always living.”

903 “Bull’s eye,” “living eye,” and “love exciter.” The Sempervivum tectorum of Linnæus, common Houseleek or Sengreene.

904 Called “geisa” in Greek.

905 “Great houseleek,” “eye,” or “little finger.”

906 Fée identifies it with the Sedum ochroleucum of Sibthorp; Sprengel with the Sedum altissimum, and others with the Sedum acre, varieties of Wall pepper, or Stone-crop. Littré gives the Sedum amplexicaule of Decandolle.

907 “Spring blossoming.”

908 “Blossoming like gold.”

909 “The same all the year.”

910 “Wild andrachle.” Desfontaines identifies it with the Sedum stellatum; Fée, though with some hesitation, with the Sedum reflexum of Linnæus, the Sharp-pointed stone-crop, or Prick-madam. The Sedum, however, is of a caustic and slightly corrosive nature, and not edible; in which it certainly differs from the Andrachle agria of our author. Holland calls it “Wild purslain.”

911 This is probably the meaning of “palpebras deglutinat.”

912 See c. 19 of this Book.

913 See c. 100 of this Book.

914 “Strigil.” This in general means a “body-scraper;” but it most probably signifies a “syringe,” in the present instance. See B. xxix c. 39, and B. xxxi c. 47.

915 See B. xxiv. c. 35.

916 See c. 19 of this Book.

917 See c. 54 of this Book.

918 See B. xxi. cc. 69, 70.

919 “Ozænam.”

920 See c. 11 of this Book.

921 See c. 28 of this Book.

922 See c. 73 of this Book.

923 See c. 92 of this Book.

924 Identified by Desfontaines with the Senecio Jacobæa of Linnæus, Common ragwort. Fée identifies it with the Senecio vulgaris of Linnæus, our Groundsel. They are both destitute of medicinal properties.

925 Sec B. xxiv. c. 80.

926 Ἔαρι γέρων, “aged,” or “hoary in spring.”

927 “Spinæ.” He probably uses a wrong term, and means “thistle.”

928 It may possibly have been so called from the Acanthis, or goldfinch, that bird being fond of groundsel.

929 “Thistle-down.” If Pliny is speaking of groundsel, he is wrong in his assertion that it turns white, or in other words, goes to seed, in spring.

930 Sprengel identifies it with the Ornithogalum stachyoïdes; but that has no blue flower, and the same is the case with many other plants that have been suggested as its synonym. Fée suggests the Convallaria verticillata of Linnæus, the whorl-leaved Solomon’s seal; as to which, however, there is the same difficulty in reference to the flower. Holland calls it the “May lily,” otherwise the Lily of the valley, the Convallaria Maialis; and this is the synonym suggested by Fuchsius. Littré gives the Convallaria multiflora of Linnæus.

931 See c. 50 of this Book.

932 Or “Venus’ bath.” Identified by Littré with the Dipsacus silvestris of Linnæus, and by Fée with the Dipsacus fullonum of Linnæus, the Teazel, or Fuller’s thistle. It received its Roman name from the form of the leaves, which are channelled, and curved at the edges.

933 This is entirely erroneous; he may possibly have mistranslated some author, who has stated that the rain-water settles in reservoirs formed by the leaves.

934 He alludes to the larvæ of the Curculio or weevil, which are found in the head of the Dipsacus, and many other plants. See B. xxvii. c. 62, and B. xxx. c. 8.

935 “Frog-plant.”

936 “Little frog.” Called “Crow-foot” by us.

937 Sprengel identifies it with the Ranunculus Seguieri, Fée with the R. Asiaticus, also a native of Greece.

938 Identified by Desfontaines with the Ranunculus hirsutus, or philonotis. Fée, with Hardouin, considers it to be the same as the Apiastrum of B. xx. c. 45, and identifies it with the Ranunculus Sardoüs of Crantz, the plant probably which produces a contraction of the mouth, rendered famous as the “Sardonic grin,” and more commonly known as the Ranunculus sceleratus, Apium risus, or Apium Sardoüm, “Laughing parsley,” or “Sardinian parsley.”

939 Identified by Sprengel and Desfontaines with the Ranunculus repens. or Creeping crow-foot; but by Fée, with the Ranunculus muricatus of Linnæus.

940 Identified by Desfontaines with the Ranunculus aconitifolius; by Fée with the Ranunculus aquatilis of Linnæus, the Water crowfoot. The Ranunculi are all active poisons.

941 A fabulous assertion, probably, and it is very doubtful if any one ever made the trial of its efficacy.

942 Or scrofula.

943 See B xxi. c 83, and B. xxvi. c. 5.

944 See c. 90 of this Book.

945 See B. xxiv. cc. 91, 93.

946 “Stigmata.”

947 See c. 94 of this Book.

948 See end of B. xx.

949 See end of B. xiv.

950 See end of B. xii.

951 See end of B. xx.

952 See end of B. xx.

953 See end of B. vii.

954 For Fabianus Papirius, see end of B. ii.; for Fabianus Sabinus, see end of B. xviii.

955 See end of B. iii.

956 See end of B. xi.

957 See end of B. ii.

958 See end of B. v.

959 See end of B. xx.

960 See end of B. ii.

961 See end of B. viii.

962 See end of B. xix.

963 See end of B. viii.

964 See end of B. vii.

965 See end of B. xxi.

966 See end of B. xxi.

967 A Lydian historian, anterior to Herodotus, of whom little is known with any degree of certainty. He probably flourished in the earlier part of the fifth century B.C.

968 See end of B. xxi.

969 See end of B. xxi.

970 See end of B. iv.

971 See end of B. xxi.

972 See end of B. xxi.

973 See end of B. xxi.

974 See end of B. vii.

975 See end of B. xx.

976 See end of B. xx.

977 See end of B. xx.

978 See end of B. xii.

979 See end of B. xv.

980 See end of B. xii.

981 See end of B. xx.

982 See end of B. xx.

983 See end of B. xx.

984 See end of B. xx.

985 See end of B. xx.

986 See end of B. xx.

987 See end of B. xx.

988 See end of B. xx.

989 See end of B. vii.

990 See end of B. xx.

991 See end of B. xx.

992 See end of B. xii.

993 See end of B. xi.

994 See end of B. xii.

995 See end of B. xx.

996 See end of B. xii.

997 See end of B. xx.

998 See end of B. xx.

999 See end of B. xx.

1000 See end of B. xx.

1001 See end of B. xx.

1002 See end of B. xx.

1003 See end of B. xii.

1004 See end of B. xx.

1005 See end of B. xx.

1006 See end of B. xix.

1007 See end of B. xx.

1008 See end of B. xx.

1009 See end of B. xx.

1010 Probably as Littré suggests, a peculiar form of elephantiasis, the leprosy of the middle ages.

1011 The “chin disease:” from “mentum,” the “chin.” It is difficult to detect the joke which has here incurred the censure of our author.

1012 Meaning the people of Italy.

1013 It is somewhat difficult to say whether Tiberius, the predecessor, or Claudius, the successor of Caligula, is meant; most probably the latter, as the former’s reign would have been in the times of “our fathers.”

1014 Asia Minor.

1015 “Cum apparuisset.” He is probably wrong here, for leprosy was known in Asia from the very earliest times.

1016 This assertion as to the slaves and lower orders is somewhat doubtful, though it is very possible that the diet and habits of the higher orders may have predisposed them more particularly for the attacks of the diseases.

1017 “Osculi”, “kissing;” a nauseous and silly practice, still adhered to, between bearded men even, in many parts of Europe.

1018 Upwards of £1500.

1019 A.U.C. 590.

1020 “Carbunculus.” A malignant pustule, accompanied with swelling and ending with gangrene, is still known by this name, but it does not manifest any particular preference for the mouth and tongue. Fée says that carbuncle was recently (1833) endemic in Provence, the ancient Gallia Narbonensis, for which reason it had received the name of “Charbon Provençal.”

1021 Consul, A.U.C. 819.

1022 Consul, A.U.C. 816.

1023 Judging from this symptom, Dalechamps says that it looks more like chancre than carbuncle.

1024 In B. xx. c. 52.

1025 Supposed, as Pliny says, to have originally come from Upper Egypt. Lucretius, B. vi. l. 1111, et seq., attributes it to the water of the Nile. It is but rarely known in Europe.

1026 Fée thinks that this may have been a sort of abscess similar to those between the fingers which are known as fourches by the French, and by medical men as “Aposthema phalangum.” Gruner considers it to be a sort of Elephantiasis, and Triller identifies it with the disease called Gumretha by the Talmudists.

1027 “Colum.” Fée takes this to be Schirrus of the colon.

1028 See B. xxix. c. i.

1029 See end of B. xx.

1030 See B. xxix. c. 3.

1031 See B. xxix. c. 5.

1032 See end of B. vii.

1033 “Gestationes;” exercise on horseback, in a litter, or in a carriage drawn by horses.

1034 See B. vii. c. 37. Apuleius gives the story at considerable length, in the Florida, B. iv.

1035 Asia Minor. Asclepiades was a native of Prusa in Bithynia.