108 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



tlie sixth day of the moon, the day which is the 

 beginning of their months and years, as also of 

 their ages, which with them are but thirty years. 

 This day they select because the moon, though not 

 yet in the middle of her course, has already con- 

 siderable power and influence, and they call her by 

 a name which signifies in their language the all- 

 healing." To this passage I shall again refer. 

 " Having made all due preparation for the sacrifice 

 and a banquet beneath the trees, they bring thither 

 two white bulls" — ? the wild white cattle of the 

 ancient Gauls, — " the horns of which are bound then 

 for the first time. Clad in a white robe the priest 

 then ascends the tree and cuts the mistletoe with a 

 golden sickle, which is received by others into a 

 white cloak (sagu7n). They then immolate the vic- 

 tims, offering up their prayers that God may render 

 this gift of His propitious to those to whom He has 

 so granted it. It is the belief with them that the 

 mistletoe taken in drink will impart fecundity to all 

 animals that are barren, and that it is an antidote 

 for all poisons." 



You Avill observe that the translator here clearly 

 indicates the moon on a certain day as known by 

 the name of " all-healing." According to the corrected 

 text of Sillig, the passage runs : " Est autem id (vis- 

 cum) rarum admodum inventu et repertum magna 

 religione petitur, et ante omnia sexta luna, qua3 

 principia mensium annorumque his facit, et sseculi 

 post tricesimum annum, quia jam virium abunde 

 habeat nee sit sua dimidia, omnia sanantem appel- 

 lantes suo vocabulo." Pliny has at best an obscure 

 style, and this passage is certainly involved, leaving 

 it somewhat doubtful whether moon or mistletoe is 

 meant as "all-healing." His subject proper is the 

 mistletoe ; but the sixth day of the moon cropping 

 up, off he goes at a tangent to explain why the sixth 

 day and not another day, and this done he takes up 

 the thread of his discourse once more — " omnia sanan- 

 tem appellantes suo vocabulo." The passage I would 



