272 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXXV. 



CHAP. 38. (11.) AX EFFECTUAL WAY OF PUTTING A STOP TO TUB 



SIX 01X0 OF BIRDS. 



I must not omit here, in reference to painting, a celebrated 

 story that is told about Lepidus. During the Triumvirate, 

 ivhon he was entertained by the magistrates of a certain place, 

 he had lodgings given him in a house that was wholly sur- 

 rounded with trees. The next day, he complained to them in 

 a threatening tone, that he had been unable to sleep for the 

 singing of the birds there. Accordingly, they had a dragon 

 painted, on pieces of parchment of tho greatest length that 

 could possibly be obtained, and surrounded the grove with it ; 

 a thing that so terrified the birds, it is said, that they became 

 silent at once ; and hence it was that it first became known 

 Low this object could be attained. 



CHAP. 30. ARTISTS WHO IIAVK PAINTED IN ENCAUSTICS OH WAX, 



WITH EITHER TUB OESTRUM OR THE PKXC1L. 



It is not agreed who was the inventor of the art of painting 

 in wax and in encaustic. 44 Some think that it was a discovery 

 of the painter Aristides," 5 and that it was afterwards brought to 

 perfection by Praxiteles: but there are encaustic paintings in 

 existence, of a somewhat prior date to them, those by Polyg- 

 notus, iG for example, and by .Nicauor and Arcesilaiis, 17 . natives 

 of'Paros. Elasippus too, has inscribed upon a picture of his 

 at JEgina, the word Jvsxagv ; ls a thing that lie certainly could 

 not have done, if the art of encaustic painting had not been 

 then invented. 



CHAP. 40. THE FIRST INVENTORS OF VARIOUS KINDS OF 



PAINTING. THE GREATEST DIFFICULTIES IN THE ART OF 

 PAINTING. THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF PAINTING. THE FIRST 



4i See Chapter 41 of this Book, where the difficulties attending this de- 

 scription will be considered. 4i See Chapter 30 of this Book. 



^ See Chapter 35 of this Book. 



47 l\i>bibly the artist of thnt name mentioned by Athennnis, I. x., ns a 

 tutor of Aptflcs. If so, he must have tlouri.nhed about tho ninety-seventh 

 Olymjiiad. 



43 Jblasippus " inburncd" this pieture, t. e. executed it in encaustic. 

 From the Attic form of this word, it has been conclnded that he was uu 

 Athenian. The spelling of his name is very doubtful. 



