294 pliny's natural history. [Book XV. 



skin ; the peach has a stone inside. Some among the pears, 

 also, known as " libralia," 35 show, by their name, what a 

 remarkable weight they attain. 



(12.) Among the peaches the palm must be awarded to the 

 duracinus : 36 the Gallic and the Asiatic peach are distinguished 

 respectively by the names of the countries of their origin. 

 They ripen at the end of autumn, though some of the early 37 

 kinds are ripe in the summer. It is only within the last thirty 

 years that these last have been introduced; originally they 

 were sold at the price of a denarius a piece. Those known as 

 the " supernatia" 38 come from the country of the Sabines, but 

 the " popularia" grow everywhere. This is a very harmless 

 fruit, and a particular favourite with invalids : some, in fact, 

 have sold before this as high as thirty sesterces apiece, a price 

 that has never been exceeded by any other fruit. This, too, is 

 the more to be wondered at, as there is none that is a worse 

 keeper : for, when it is once plucked, the longest time that it 

 will keep is a couple of days ; and so sold it must be, fetch 

 what it may. 



CHAP. 12. (13). — TWELVE KINDS OE PLUMS. 



Next comes a vast number of varieties of the plum, the 

 parti-coloured, the black, 39 the white, 40 the barley 41 plum— 

 so called, because it is ripe at barley-harvest— and another of 

 the same colour as the last, but which ripens later, and is of a 

 larger size, generally known as the " asinina," 4 - from the little 

 esteem in which it is held. There are the onychina, too, the 



35 Or " pound- weight " pears : the Pivus volema of Linnaeus. 



36 Or " hard-berry" — prohably in reference to the firmness of the flesh. 

 It is generally thought to be the nectarine. 



37 " Praecocia." It is generally thought that in this name originates 

 the word "apricot," the Primus Armeniaca of Linnaeus. There is, how- 

 ever, an early peach that ripens by the middle of July, though it is very 

 doubtful if it was known to Pliny. 



3S " From above." 



■ 39 Perhaps the Prunus ungarica of naturalists, the black damask plum ; 

 or else the Prunus perdrigona, the perdrigon. 



40 Probably the Prunus galatensis of naturalists. 



11 " Hordearia :" the Prunus praecox of naturalists ; probably our 

 harvest plum. . 



43 Or "ass"-plum. The Prunus acinaria of naturalists: the cherry 



plum of the French. 



