ANCIENT AGRICULTURAL LITERATURE. 179 



and equal breadths and very straight lines. They had not 

 the trouble which we experience, from the circumstance 

 that the plough in going and returning turns the slice 

 opposite ways. The Roman ploughman returned on his 

 own traces, and one criterion of the perfection of his work 

 was, that the surface should be left so even as to make it 

 difficult to discern where the plough had gone. The over- 

 looker is recommended to walk over the newly-ploughed 

 field, and to thrust in repeatedly a pointed stick, by which 

 he will discover whether any land has been left unmoved. 

 In order to ensure perfect culture, their second ploughing 

 was always across the first. And even when the declivity 

 was so great that they could not in either case go directly 

 up and down, they took two oblique directions across the 

 hill which would intersect each other. The characteristic 

 of Roman ploughing was precision. To move uneven 

 breadths was called to plough " sulco vario," and was much 

 condemned. Lumps of earth undisturbed were called 

 "scamna," and were said to diminish the crop, and to 

 bring a bad name on the land. He who ploughed crooked 

 was said to prevaricate, " praevaricare ; " whence, says 

 Pliny, the phrase was imported into the law courts, and 

 having been applied to those who went crooked in their 

 ploughing, came to be applied to those who went crooked 

 in their statements. The ridge on which corn was sown 

 was called " lira " and " porca." " Liras rustici vocant 

 porcas." With us Prince Albert and Mr. Pusey have 

 superseded the ridge-backed sow. We were content to 

 look no further than " lira " for the derivation of the word 

 " delirare ; " but Mr. Hoskyns insists that it should be 

 " de linea arare," whence also delirious. We wish some 

 skilful husbandman would import these Roman maxims 

 into the midland counties, where nineteen ploughmen out 

 of twenty either prevaricate or are delirious. 



So great was the importance which the ancients attached 

 to ploughing. "What," says Cato, "is the first point in 

 good cultivation ?" " Bene arare. Quid secuudum? Arare. 



