488 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOBY. [Book XXXI. 



CHAP. 25. THE VIRGIN WATERS. 



It was he, too, who brought the Virgin 22 Waters from the 

 bye-road situate at the eighth milestone from the City, which 

 runs for two miles along the Praenestine Way. !Near these 

 waters is the stream of Hercules, which the former shun, to 

 all appearance, and have thence obtained 23 the name of "Virgin 

 Waters." On instituting a comparison between the waters of 

 these streams, the difference above-mentioned 24 may be imme- 

 diately detected, the Virgin water being as much cooler to 

 the touch, as tlie Marcian water is in taste. And yet, for this 

 long time past, the pleasure of drinking these waters has been 

 lost to the City, owing to the ambition and avarice of certain 

 persons who have turned 25 them out of theTr course for the 

 supply of their country- seats and of various places in the suburbs, 

 to the great detriment of the public health. 



CHAP. 26. THE METHOD OF SEARCHING FOR WATER. 



It will not be out of place to append here an account of the 

 method employed in searching for water. Water is mostly to 

 be found in valleys, whether formed by the intersection of de- 

 clivities or lying at the lower part of mountains. Many per- 

 sons have been of opinion that all places with a northern 26 

 aspect are naturally provided with water : a point upon which 

 it will not be amiss to explain the diversities presented to us 

 by Nature. On the south side of the mountains of Hyrcania 

 it never rains ; and hence it is that it is only on the north- 

 east side that they are wooded. As for Olympus, Ossa, Par- 

 nassus, the Apennines, and the Alps, they are covered with 

 wood on every side, and abundantly watered with streams. 

 Some mountains, again, are wooded on the south side, the 

 White 27 Mountains in Crete, for example. On this point, 

 therefore, we may come to the conclusion that there is no rule 

 which in all cases holds good, 



22 " Aqua Virgo." This aqueduct, erected A.U.C. 735, still exists, and 

 bears the name of "Aqua Vergine." 



23 Another story was, that it had this name from the circumstance that 

 the spring was first pointed out by a girl to some soldiers in search of water. 



24 In c. 23 of this Book. 



25 This was only temporarily, in all probability^ 



26 There seems, as he says below, to be no general rule as to this point* 



27 So called from the snow on their summit. 



