212 PLIKY'S NATURAL HISTOKT. [Book VII. 



Yarro informs us, 5 that when he was one of the " viginti- 

 viri," or twenty commissioners, 6 appointed to superintend the 

 division of the lands at Capua, a man who had been carried to the 

 funeral pile, returned on foot from the Forum to his own house, 

 and that the very same thing happened also at Aquinum. He 

 states also, that Corfidius, who had married his maternal aunt, 

 came to life again, after the funeral had been all arranged, and 

 that he afterwards attended the funeral of the person who had 

 so arranged his own. He gives in addition some other mar- 

 vellous relations, the whole of which it may be as well to set 

 forth ; he says that there were two brothers, members of the 

 equestrian order, and named Corfidius : 7 it so happened that 

 the elder of these was seen to breathe his last to all appear- 

 ance, and on opening his will, it was found that he had named 

 his brother his heir, who accordingly ordered his funeral. In 

 the meanwhile, however, he who had been thought to be dead, 

 clapping his hands, 8 summoned the servants, and told them 

 that he was just come from his brother's house, who had placed 

 his daughter in his charge ; in addition to which, he had men- 

 tioned to him the place where lie had secretly buried some gold, 

 and had requested that the funeral preparations which had been 

 made, might be employed for himself. While he was stating 

 to this effect, the servants of his brother came in the greatest 

 haste, and informed them that he was dead : the gold too, 



5 This circumstance is not mentioned in either of the two works of Varro 

 which have come down to us, " De Re Rustica," and " De Lingua La- 

 tina" B. 



6 They were a body of commissioners appointed for the distribution of 

 lands in Campania ; Julius Caesar, when consul, having caused a law to be 

 passed, dividing that territory among such of the Roman citizens as should 

 have three or more children. 



7 We are not informed, whether these persons of the name of Corfidius, 

 were in any way connected, nor, indeed, do we appear to have any certain 

 knowledge of their history. B. L. Corfidius, a Roman eques, is men- 

 tioned by Cicero, in his oration for Ligarius, B.C. 46, as one of the distin- 

 guished men who were then interceding with Ca3sar on behalf of Ligarius ; 

 but after the oration was published, Cicero was informed that he had made 

 a mistake in mentioning the name of Corfidius, as he had died before the 

 speech was delivered. It does not appear certain that he was one of the 

 parties here mentioned : but it is not improbable that he was the brother 

 whose sudden death is mentioned below. 



8 Among the ancients, servants used to be summoned by clapping the 

 hands, as they are, in modern times, by ringing of bells. B. The same 

 practice still prevails in the east. 



