160 PLINY'S KATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXVI. 



and by these means restore so much territory to the regions of 

 Italy in the neighbourhood of our city. In the works, too, of 

 Democritus, already mentioned, 36 we find a recipe for the compo- 

 sition of a medicament which will ensure the procreation of 

 issue, both sure to be good and fortunate. What king of Persia, 

 pray, ever obtained that blessing ? It really would be a mar- 

 vellous fact that human credulity, taking its rise originally in 

 the very soundest of notions, should have ultimately arrived at 

 such a pitch as this, if the mind of man understood, under any 

 circumstances, how to keep within the bounds of modera- 

 tion ; and if the very system of medicine thus introduced by 

 Asclepiades, had not been carried to a greater pitch of extra- 

 vagance than the follies of magic even, an assertion which 

 I shall prove on a more appropriate occasion. 37 



Such, however, is the natural constitution of the human 

 mind, that, be the circumstances what they may, commencing 

 with what is necessary it speedily arrives at the point of 

 launching out in excess. 



We will now resume our account of the medicinal properties 

 of the plants mentioned in the preceding Book, adding to our 

 description such others as the necessities of the case may seern 

 to require. 



CHAP. 10. LICHEN: FIVE KEMEDIES. 



As to the treatment of lichen, so noisome a disease as it is, 

 we shall here give a number of additional remedies for it, 

 gathered from all quarters, although those already described 

 are by no means few in number. For the cure of lichen 

 plantago is used, pounded, cinquefoil also, root of albucus 38 in 

 combination with vinegar, the young shoots of the fig-tree 

 boiled in vinegar, or roots of marsh-mallow boiled down to 

 one-fourth with glue and vinegar. The sores are rubbed also 

 with pumice, and then fomented with root of rumex 39 bruised 

 in vinegar, or with scum of viscus 40 kneaded up with lime. A 

 decoction, too, of tithymalos 41 with resin is highly esteemed for 

 the same purpose. 



But to all these remedies the plant known as " lichen," from 



36 In B. xxiv. c. 102. 3 * In B. xxix. c. 5. 



38 See B. xxi. c. 68. 39 See B. xx. c. 85. 



" Flos visci." See c. 39 of this Book. 



