HORTENSIUS—BEJEWELLED FISH 227 



Macrobius testifies that Crassus, " first among all the greatest 

 men of Rome, mourned a murcena " (probably it of the ear- 

 rings and necklace of precious stones) " found dead in his 

 vivarium even as a daughter." It was on the occasion of 

 Domitius twitting him with " Did you not weep when your 

 fish died ? " that Crassus got back with " Did you not bury 

 three wives and never weep at all ? " ^ 



Of Hortensius Varro continues : 2 " His mullet give him 

 infinitely more concern than my mules and asses do ; for while 

 I, with one lad, support all my thrifty stud on a little barley, 

 etc., the fish-servants of Hortensius are not to be counted. 

 He has fishermen in fine weather toiling to procure them food ; 

 when the weather is too boisterous for fishing, then a whole 

 troup of butchers and dealers in provisions send in their 

 estimates for keeping his alumni fat. Hortensius so looks after 

 his mullet as to forget his men ; a sick slave has less chance of 

 getting a draught of cold water in a fever than these favoured 

 fish of being kept cool in their stews in Midsummer." 



The fish often answered to their names when called by their 

 master, or their keeper. The latter, nomenclator, made a very 

 handsome income from the admiring crowds, who flocked to 

 see the fish perform their exercises with wagging tails or heads 

 bedecked with rich jewels.^ 



^ Plutarch, De Sol. Anim., 23. 



* De Re Rustica, III. 17. This abstinence on the part of Hortensius from 

 eating his " mulh barbati " is the more to be appreciated, when we remember 

 that, according to Sophron, the savour of the " barbati " was far pleasanter 

 than that of any other mullet. Athen., VII. 126. 

 3 Martial, Ep., IV. 30, 4. 



" Qui norunt dominum manumque lambunt 

 J Ham, qua nihil est in orbe maius. 

 Quid quod nomen habent et ad magistri 

 Vocem quisque sui venit citatus ? " 

 and Martial, X. 30, 22. 



" Natat ad magistrum delicata muraena, 

 Nomenculator mugilem citat notum, 

 Et adesse jussi prodeunt senes mulli." 

 Cicero, Ep. ad Att., XX. I, " Our leading people think that they attain unto 

 Heaven if they own in their ponds bearded mullets, who will come to them to 

 be stroked." Cf. Lucian (De Dea Syria, 45-48). ^-lian, VIII. 4, confirms 

 these statements, and in 12. 30, tells of a spring in Caria sacred to Zeus, in 

 which were kept eels decked with earrings and chains of gold, while Pliny, 

 XXXII. 8, writes that at the Temple of Venus at Hierapolis, of which Lucian 

 speaks as an eye-witness, " adveniunt pisces exornati aiiro." This practice 

 is, and has been, world wide. " Fishes though little have long ears," is an old 



