390 Pliny's natural histobt. [Book XXXVII. 



on the part of those who received these missives, that the 

 Sphinx always brought its enigmas^" with it. The frog, too, 

 on the seal of Mascenas, was held in great terror, by reason of 

 the monetary imposts which it announced. At a later period, 

 with the view of avoiding the sarcasms relative to the Sphinx, 

 Augustus made use of a signet with a figure upon it of Alex- 

 ander the Great. 



CHAP. 5. — THE FIBST DACTYLlOTHECiE AT EOME. 



A 'collection of precious stones bears the foreign name of 

 " dactyliotheca."^^ The first person who possessed one at Eome 

 was Scaurus,^^ the step-son of Sylla; and, for a long time, 

 there was no other such collection there, until at length Pom- 

 peius Magnus consecrated in the Capitol, among other dona- 

 tions, one that had belonged to King Mithridates ; and which, 

 as M. Yarro and other authors of that period assure us, was 

 greatly superior to that of Scaurus. Following his example, 

 the Dictator Csesar consecrated six dactyliothecae in the Temple 

 of Venus Genetrix ; and Marcellus, the son of Octavia,^ pre- 

 sented one to the Temple of the Palatine Apollo. 



CHAP. 6. JEWELS DISPLAYED AT EOME IN THE TEIUMPH OP 



POMPEITJS , MAGNUS. 



But it was this conquest by Pompeius Magnus that first 

 introduced so general a taste for pearls and precious stones ; 

 just as the victories, gained by L. Scipio"^ and Cneius Man- 

 lius,^^ had first turned the public attention to chased silver, 

 Attalic tissues, and banquetting-couches decorated with bronze; 

 and the conquests of L. Mummius had brought Corinthian 

 bronzes and pictures into notice. 



(2.) To prove more fully that this was the case, I will here 

 give the very words of the public Registers^ with reference 

 to the triumphs of Pompeius Magnus. On the occasion of his 

 third triumph, over the Pirates and over the Kings and nations 

 of Asia and Pontus that have been already enumerated in the 

 Seventh Book^' of this work, M. Piso and M. Messala being 



20 In reference to the story of (Edipus and the Sphinx. 



-^ A Greek word, signifying a " repository of kings." 



22 See B. xxxvi. c. 24. 23 'j;be sister of Augustus. 



2* See B. xxxiii c. 53. 25 gee B. xxxiv. c. 8. 26 u Acta." 



2' Chapter 7. 



