ANTAEUS THE GIANT. 585 



appearance publicly when in her 112th year. " Galeria Co- 

 piola, an actress and dancer also, was 90 years old when 

 she first performed in the theatre; and she was again 

 brought foward as a wonder, in order to compliment Pom- 

 pey. But even this was not the last time of her acting ; for 

 she appeared once more, to show her respect for Augustus." 



"A very valuable collection in regard to the duration of 

 human life, in the time of the Emperor Yespasian, has been 

 preserved by Pliny from the records of the Census, a source 

 perfectly true and worthy of credit." (See Hufeland's Syn- 

 opsis.) He proceeds : " The bills of mortality of the cele- 

 brated Ulpian agree in a most striking manner with ours, 

 and in particular with those of great cities. From these it 

 appears that one might, with great propriety, compare 

 Rome with London, in regard to the probability of the du- 

 ration of life. We have sufficient reason, therefore, to be- 

 lieve that the duration of life in the time of Moses, the 

 Greeks, and the Romans, was invariably the same as at 

 present ; and that the age of the earth has no influence on 

 the longevity of its inhabitants, that difference excepted 

 which may be produced by the cultivation of its surface, and 

 the difference of climate that may thence arise. The result 

 of this research will therefore be, that man may still attain 

 to the same age as ever. The difference only is, that more 

 attained to old age formerly than at present."* 



Flourens presents us with an interesting periscope on 

 the subject of longevity. f Examining and quoting a large 

 number of authorities, all of accredited testimony, he asks, 

 " what is the natural, usual, and normal life of man ?" and 

 concludes, from a critical survey of the field, that "a first 

 century of ordinary life, and almost a second century, or half 

 a century [at least ?] of extraordinary life, is then the 

 prospect science holds out to man. It is quite true, to speak 

 like the ancients, that science offers us great store in life, 



* "Art of Prolonging Life." 



f See "Human Longevity and the Amount of Life on the Globe," 

 by P. Flourens. 



