Chap. 50.] THE YAEIETT OF DESTIKIES. 205 



First of all, however, it must strike us that the variations 

 which have taken place in this science prove its uncertainty ; 

 and to this consideration may be added the experience of the 

 very last census, which was made four years ago, under the 

 direction of the Emperors Vespasian, father and son. 68 I shall 

 not search through the registers ; 69 I shall only cite some in- 

 stances in the middle district that lies between the Apennines 

 and the river Padus. At Parma, three persons declared them- 

 selves to be one hundred and twenty years of age ; at Brixel- 

 lum, 70 one was one hundred and twenty-five ; at Parma, two 

 were one hundred and thirty ; at Placentia, one was one hun- 

 dred and thirty ; at Faventia, one woman was one hundred and 

 thirty-two ; at Bononia, L. Terentius, the son of Marcus, 

 and at Ariminum, M. Aponius, were one hundred and forty, 

 and Tertulla, one hundred and thirty-seven. In the hills 

 -which lie around Placentia is the town of Yeleiacium, 71 in 

 which six persons gave in their ages as one hundred and ten 

 years, and four one hundred and twenty, while one person, M. 

 Mucius, the son of Marcus, surnamed Felix, and of the Galerian 

 tribe, 72 was aged one hundred and forty. Not, however, to 

 dwell upon what is generally admitted, in the eighth region of 

 Italy, there appeared by the register, to be fifty-four persons of 



cording to a proportional series of numbers ;" the multiples of 7 have 

 been generally supposed to be the critical periods of human life, and, more 

 especially, 63, or 9 times 7, which was accordingly termed " the grand 

 climacteric." B. 



68 This censiis appears to have taken place A.D. 74, under the fifth con- 

 sulship of Vespasian, and the third of Titus ; according to Censorinus, it 

 was the last of which we have any distinct account. B. 



69 " Vasaria ;" it is said, by the commentators, to be a term of German 

 origin, derived from a word which signified the bark of a tree. It does not 

 appear, however, from what cause it was appropriated to the sense in which 

 it is used by Pliny. The word is found in Cicero's oration against Piso, 

 sec. 35 ; but is there applied to a totally different object. B. 



70 Now Brigella or Brescella. Parma still retains its ancient name, 

 Placentia is now Piacenza, and Faventia the modern Faenza. 



71 Probably the same as the Velia, mentioned by Phlegon Trallianus as 

 famous for the longevity of its inhabitants. 



7 - " Marcus Mucius, M. Filius, Galeria, Felix." It has been doubted by 

 the commentators, whether the word Galeria refers to the name of the mo- 

 ther of Mucius, or to the tribe to which he belonged. The latter is, perhaps, 

 the more natural interpretation. Hardouin and Ajasson, however, adopt 

 the opinion, that Galeria was the mother of Marcus ; Lemaire, vol. hi. 

 pp. 191, 192. We meet with a precisely similar construction of words in 

 Cicero, 9th Philip, sec. 7 ; " Ser. Sulpicius, Q. Filius, Lemonia Rufus." B. 



