Chap. 21.] HELLEBORE. 97 



The black hellebore kills horses, oxen, and swine ; hence it 

 is that those animals avoid it, while they eat the white ^ kind. 

 The proper time, thay say, for gathering this last, is harvest. 

 It grows upon Mount (Eta in great abundance ; and the best 

 of all is that found upon one spot on that mountain, in the 

 vicinity of Pyra. The black hellebore is found growing every- 

 M'here, but the best is that of Mount Helicon ; which is also 

 equally celebrated for the qualities of its other plants. The 

 white hellebore of Mount (Eta is the most highly esteemed, 

 that of Pontus occupying the second place, and the produce of 

 Elea the third ; which last, it is generally said, grows in the 

 vineyards there. The fourth rank is held by the white 

 hellebore of Mount Parnassus, though it is often adulterated 

 with that of the neighbouring districts of .iEtolia. 



Of these kinds it is the black hellebore that is known as the 

 '' melampodium :" it is used in fumigations, and for the purpose 

 of purifying houses ; cattle, too, are sprinkled with it, a certain 

 form of prayer being repeated. This last plant, too, is gathered 

 with more numerous ceremonies than the other : a circle is 

 first traced around it with a sword, after which, the person 

 about to cut it turns towards the East, and offers up a prayer, 

 entreating permission of the gods to do so. At the same time 

 he observes whether an eagle is in sight — for mostly while the 

 plant is being gathered that bird is near at hand — and if one 

 should chance to fly close at hand, it is looked uj3on as a presage 

 that he will die within the year. The white hellebore, too, is 

 gathered not without difficulty, as it is very oppressive to the 

 head ; more particularly if the precaution has not been used 

 of eating garlic first, and of drinking wine every now and 

 then, care being taken to dig up the plant as speedily as possible. 



Some persons call the black hellebore *'ectomon,"' and 

 others " polyrrhizon :" it purges* by stool, while the white 

 hellebore acts as an emetic, and so carries off what might other- 

 wise have given rise to disease. In former days hellebore was 

 regarded with horror, but more recently the use* of it has be- 

 come so familiar, that numbers of studious men are in the 



- If he would imply that they do this without inconvenience, the state- 

 ment, Fee says, is incorrect. 



■^ " Cut off," and " With many roots." 

 ^ Hellebore is no longer used, except in veterinary medicine. 

 ^ Petronius Arbiter says that the philosopher Chrysippus used it. 

 VOL. v. H. 



