92 PLITiTT's ITATUEAL HISTOEY. [Book XXXIII, 



but, before^ bringing it to Opimius/^ poured molten lead into 

 the mouth, and so not only was guilty of the crime of parricide, 

 but added to his criminality by cheating the state. Nor 

 was it now any individual citizen, but the universal Roman 

 name, that had been rendered infamous by avarice, when King 

 Mithridates caused molten gold to be poured into the mouth 

 of Aquilius^^ the Eoman general, whom he had taken prisoner : 

 such were the results of cupidity. 



One cannot but feel ashamed, on looking af those new-fangled 

 names which are invented every now and then, from the 

 Greek language, by v/hich to designate vessels of silver fila- 

 greed ^^ or inlaid with gold, and the various other practices by 

 which such articles of luxury, when only gilded,'^ are made to 

 sell at a higher price than they would have done if made of 

 solid gold : and this, too, when we know that Spartacus'''^ forbade 

 any one of his followers to introduce either gold or silver into 

 the camp — so much more nobleness of mind was there in those 

 days, even in our runaway slaves. 



The orator Messalahas informed us that Antonius the triumvir 

 made use of golden vessels when satisfying the most humiliat- 

 ing wants of nature, a piece of criminality that would have 

 reflected disgrace upon Cleopatra even ! Till then, the most 

 consummate instances of a similar licentiousness had been found 

 among strangers only — that of King Philip, namely, who was in 

 the habit of sleeping with a golden goblet placed beneath his pil- 

 lows, and that of Hagnon of Teos, a commander under Alex- 

 ander the Great, who used to fasten the soles of his sandals 

 with nails of gold." It was reserved for Antonius to be the 

 only one thus to impart a certain utility to gold, by putting an 



^ Another version of this story was, that he extracted the brain, and 

 mserted lead in its place. ^7 ggg B. xiv. c. 16. 



^ In B.C. 88, M, Aquilius proceeded to Asia Minor as one of the 

 consular legati to prosecute the war against Mithridates. On being de- 

 feated near Protomachium, he was delivered up to Mithridates by the 

 inhabitants of Mytilene, and after being treated in the most barbarous 

 manner, was put to death by pouring molten gold down his throat. 



69 "Insperso." Sillig is of opinion that Pliny is here speaking of the 

 work now known by Italian artists as tausta or lavoro all' agemina, 



^ Hardouin thinks that Pliny is here making allusion to the Greek 

 word " chrysendeta," vessels "encircled with gold." It is frequently 

 used in Martial's works. ^^ See B. xv. c. 38. 



'2 It is against such practices as these thatMaitial inveighs, B. i, Ep. 28, 

 and B. ix. Ep. 12. 



