224 FISH IN SACRIFICES— VIVARIA— ARCHLMEDES 



No wonder the king spake to his admiring guests thus : — 



" A cook is quite as useful as a poet, 

 And quite as wise, as these anchovies show it." 



To Fulvius Herpinus or Lippinus belongs the credit of being 

 the first — just before the Civil War — to fatten the Cochlea, or 

 sea-snail, in a vivarium. By careful collecting from Africa and 

 Ill3n:ica and skilful feeding, his cockles became renowned for 

 size and number, i 



In the period between the taking of Carthage and the reign 

 of Vespasian, the taste in fish became a perfect passion ; for its 

 gratification Proconsuls enriched, like our Clives from India, 

 beyond the dreams of avarice by the spoils of Asia and Africa, 

 incurred the most lavish expense. Thus Licinius Muraena, 

 Quintus Hortensius, Lucius Philippus constructed immense 

 basins, 2 which they filled with rare species. Lucullus, like the 

 Persian king at Athos, but with unlike motive, caused even a 

 mountain to be pierced to introduce sea-water into his fish- 

 ponds, and for the achievement was dubbed by Pompey, 

 " Togatus Xerxes." ^ 



But in many cases the huge outlay was repaid with interest. 

 Varro * avers that Hirrius (who first before all others designed 

 and carried out the vivarium for MurcBnce) received twelve 

 miUion sesterces in rent from his properties, and employed the 

 entire sum in the care of his fishes ! At the death of Lucullus 

 the fish in his stew-ponds realised over £32,000. 



The rich Patricians were not satisfied with a single pond ; 

 their fish preserves were divided into compartments where they 

 kept different kinds. In case any reader, like the Third 

 Fisherman in Shakespeare's Pericles, 



" Marvel how the fishes live in the sea," 



* Cf. Varro, De Re Rust., 3. 12, i, and Plin., 9. 82. 



* Petronius, 120, 88, expelluntur aquae saxis, mare nascitur arvis. 



' Lucullus, enriched by the vast booty captured from Mithridates and 

 Tigranes, was the first who taught luxury to the Romans (Athen, VI. 109). 

 Polybius (31, 24) writes that M. Porcius Cato denounced the introduction of 

 foreign extravagances into Rome, citing as instances that for a jar of pickled 

 fish from Pontus 300 drachma had been paid, and that the price of a beautiful 

 boy exceeded that of a field. 



* De Re Rustica, III. 17. 



