Luxury of the Romans. 91 



the walls of a poultry yard. It was he, says Pliny, who taught 

 us to confine those animals whose abode was the sky. Alexander 

 had introduced peacocks into Greece, where they were looked 

 upon merely as objects of curiosity. Hortensius was the first 

 who served up one at a feast, which he gave on his appointment 

 to the office of augur. These birds soon multipHed, and Ptolemy 

 Physcon was astonished at the great number of them he found at 

 Rome. Aufidius Lucro made an income of about £ 600 a-year 

 by fattening peacocks, which formed a part of all the grand 

 entertainments : it was the truffled turkey of those days. Hirtius 

 Pansa, who had the ill luck to give an entertainment where this 

 indispensable dish did not appear, was looked upon as a niggard, 

 a man without taste, and was ever after held in small esteem by 

 gourmands. Thrushes and pigeons were bred in the aviaries; 

 and it appears that people had then the same fancies as at present, 

 — certain varieties were much sought after. Varro says, that a 

 couple of pigeons brought 2000 sesterces, about £19 of our 

 money. Geese were crammed in the same way as at present to 

 enlarge their livers ; but this was a dish too easily obtained, and 

 those who wished to distinguish themselves invented new kinds 

 of meat. They dressed the brains of ostriches and the tongues 

 of flamingos, — they imported wild geese from Phrygia, cranes 

 from Melos, and pheasants from Colchis. 



In the article of fishes, luxury went even farther than in birds 

 and quadrupeds. At one period of the republic, the eating of 

 fish was considered as a shameful degree of delicacy. But this 

 severity of manners disappeared on the introduction of riches; 

 and Cato complained that in his time they paid higher for a fish 

 than for an ox. However, even at that time, Gallonius was publicly 

 accused in the senate, and almost deprived of his rank, in conse- 

 quence of the luxury of his table, at which he had sturgeons 

 served up. The inventor of fish ponds was Lucinius Muraena. It 

 is from this circumstance that the surname of his family was 

 derived. Hortensius followed his example, and went still farther. 

 In a short time they were not contented with fresh water fish, but 

 got salt water ponds, where they bred sea-trouts, soles, John- 

 dories, and shell-fish of different kinds. Lucullus, in order to let 

 in sea water into one of these reservoirs, had a mountain cut 

 through, for which extravagance he was deservedly called Xerxes 

 Togatus, At his death there were so many fish in all his ponds, 

 that Cato of Utica, who was trustee on the succession, having 

 ordered them to be sold, received for them about £37,500. The 

 fish ponds of Irrius were sold at the same price. Caesar, wishing 

 on a particular occasion to give a feast to the Roman people, 

 applied to Irrius for some lampreys, who refused to sell them to 

 him, but agreed to lend him six thousand, according to Pliny's 

 account, — two thousand according to Varro. The object then 

 was who should be most foolish about lampreys. Hortensius had 

 some of which he took more care than of his slaves ; but these 

 were not for eating ; for, what were used at table were bought at 



