232 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOET. [Book VII. 



Lycaon 30 first instituted gymnastic games, in Arcadia; 

 Acastus funereal games, 31 at lolcos ; 32 and, after him, Theseus 

 instituted them at the Isthmus. 33 Hercules first instituted 

 the athletic contests at Olympia. 34 Pythus invented the 

 game of ball. 35 Painting was invented in Egypt by Gyges, 

 the Lydian, 36 or, according to Aristotle, in Greece, by Euchir, a 



regard the fetters of verse, and to write in desultory language. Pliny, 

 however, in B. v. c. 31, has ascribed the invention of prose to Cadmus. 

 Hardouin endeavours to reconcile this inconsistency,' by supposing that 

 Cadmus was the first prose writer of history, and that Pherecydes first 

 applied prose to philosophical subjects. But Cicero, De Orat. B. ii. c. 12, 

 speaks of Pherecydes as a writer of simple annals. B. 



30 There are several persons of this name among the kings and heroes 

 of the semi-fabulous periods ; but the one here mentioned is said to have 

 been the son of Phoroneus, and to have lived about 1400 B.C. These 

 games were celebrated in honour of Pan ; the combatants were naked, and 

 hd the body anointed with oil ; the Lupercalia of the Romans, in many 

 respects, resembled the games of Lycaon. We are informed by Li\y, B. i. 

 c, 5, that the Lupercalia were introduced into Italy by Evander, the Arca- 

 dian. B. Ovid, in the Fasti, B. i., states to the same effect. 



31 lolcos was a city of Thessaly, from which place the Argonauts em- 

 barked on their expedition to Colchis ; Acastus was one of them ; the 

 funereal games which he instituted were in honour of his father, Pelias. B. 



32 See B. iv. c. 10. 



33 The Isthmian games were originally instituted by Sisyphus, king of 

 Corinth ; after having been interrupted for some time, they were re- 

 established by Theseus, who celebrated them in honour of Neptune. B. 



34 These were the celebrated Olympic games ; Diodorus Siculus, B. iv. c. 3, 

 Pausanias, and other ancient writers, as well as Pliny, ascribe their origin 

 to Hercules ; Pausanias, however, says, that some supposed them to have 

 been instituted by Jupiter. B. 



35 " Pila lusoria." There have been many conjectures respecting the 

 person to whom this invention is attributed, as well as respecting the 

 nature of the game itself ; in either case it appears that we have nothing 

 but mere conjecture to direct our opinion. B. Among the Romans, the 

 games with the " pila, or ball," were those played with the " pila trigonalis," 

 so called, probably, from the players standing in a triangle : the *' follis" 

 was a large ball inflated, and used for football. " Paganica" was a similar 

 ball, but harder, being stuffed with feathers, and used by rustics. " Har- 

 pastum" was a small ball, used by the Greeks, and was scrambled for on 

 reaching the ground. 



36 The MSS. differ as to the name of the person to whom the invention 

 of painting is ascribed ; but, in those which are considered the most worthy 

 of credit, he is called Gyges Ludius. Marcus endeavours to prove, that 

 the term " Ludius" refers to the country of Lud or Ludim, to the south of 

 Egypt ; and he points out some analogies between the name Gyges, 

 and some words which are found in ancient inscriptions, or which are still 

 in use among the Nubians and Abyssinians. Pliny, B. xxxv. c. 6, attri- 



