ASPARAGUS. 29 



The lover's voice, however, succeeding in 

 drawing his fair-one from her hiding-place, 

 she surrendered to the intreaties of Theseus, 

 and her descendants ever afterwards forbade 

 the burning of asparagus. 



This vegetable first came into use as a 

 food, about two hundred years before Christ, 

 in the time of the elder Cato ; and its quali- 

 ties were probably discovered by this distin- 

 guished agriculturist, as it was the last vege- 

 table written upon by him. He mentions no 

 other method of raising this plant than by 

 seed ; and recommends sheep's dung for the 

 beds, in preference to any other manure. 

 This author was of opinion, that asparagus 

 beds would only continue productive for 

 nine years. 



Suetonius informs us, in his Life of Augus- 

 tus, that that Emperor was very partial to 

 asparagus ; and Erasmus tells us the same in 

 his Adagia. 



Pliny states*, that asparagus, which for- 

 merly grew 7 wild, so that every man might 

 gather it, was in his time carefully cherished 

 in gardens, particularly at Ravenna, where 

 the cultivated asparagus was so fair and 



* Book 19, chap. 4. 



